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>> and now "bbc world news." >> defying world opinion, north korea launches its controversial rockets. a fragile cease-fire in syria -- there are reports of breaches on both sides of the conflict. >> the florida man who shot an unarmed teenager appears in court for the first time. bad news from beijing, china's economy grows at its weakest rate in nearly three years. >> it is 11:00 in singapore. >> it is 4:00 in london. broadcasting to viewers in -- on

pbs in america and around the world. north korea has launched a long- range rockets in defiance of international condemnation. the south korean defense ministry said it crashed into the sea shortly after takeoff. there has been no statement from north korea. it was launched in the northwest of the country. north korea said it was putting an observation satellite into orbit. the united states and north korea's neighbors say the launch is a disguised long-range missile test. north korea tried to launch satellites into orbit. sources said they have failed, but the government insists that it is an orbit.

our correspondent is in north korea. >> here in pyongyang, we have all been invited here, assembled here, to report on this launch. we were even taken to see the rocket itself a few days ago and the mission control center. we have been told that nothing in the couple of hours after it. there was no announcement, broadcast. nothing on state tv or state radio. no official saying anything. the only confirmations have come from washington, south korea, japan. nothing here at all about the reports that the rocket was fired off and may have disintegrated on minute or two after that blastoff. that would be a very significant event. north korea has invested a huge amount in this launch, it is a sign of the most technological

achievements. it is the birthday present for the 100th anniversary of the founding president. celebrations happening this weekend. we have seen rocket launches twice in the past. i'm out that san there were failures. but creance -- america saying that those were failures. there may be a similar dispute. we have had the strange situation, dozens of journalists desperately trying to find out information. no official word. >> i have been speaking to the news team. we have been following events and the south korean capital. >> south korean government is saying they believe this launched has failed. they say they failed to track it beyond the first minute or two of the flight. they believed it fell into the sea. it broke up and fell back to

earth. there has been some suggestion that the first stage of the rocket failed to separate and that may be what caused it to fail. these are very early days. people around the world are assessing all of the information and trying to work out exactly what happened. >> said the fact that it appears to have failed, the think that this might lead to heightened tension in the region? >> i think the planned rocket launch was going to heighten tensions anyway. if north korea went ahead with this launch, it would cause problems because of the way that would be perceived in terms of north korea's relationship to the international community. it would cause tension because the flight path went very close to a number of different countries. china, south korea, taiwan, japan, the philippines.

the fact that north korea launched this rocket to come back because it's a satellite. other countries say it is a thinly veiled disguise for a long-range missile test. un security council resolutions -- also raises big fears around the world of wine north korea keeps doing this. -- why north korea keeps doing this. to threaten countries like the u.s.. >> let's take a closer look at the international reaction to the north korean move. the white house says despite the failure, north korea's provocative action threatens regional security and violates international law. south korea has also condemned

the rocket launch as a provocation. the foreign minister says it is a clear breach of the u.n. resolution. japan says the launch came despite repeated calls by tokyo for restraint. government spokesman says it represents the threats to the security of japan and its people. british foreign secretary william hague says he is deeply concerned by the north korean move. he says the country can expect a strong response from the international community if it continues to develop the missile and nuclear capabilities. over to you for more on this story. >> thank you very much. we're being told that north korea is saying the satellite has failed to enter or bent. that is according to reuters. this is the first time we have heard anything from north korea.

we have been speaking to our correspondent in pyongyang. finally, we are hearing from kcna. the satellite has failed to enter orbit. scientists, technicians searching for a the cause of failure. the first -- the first official word from north korea that scientists, technicians are searching for the cause of the failure. the u.s., japan, south korea has been saying that the rocket had failed. now we are getting some kind of official word from north korea along the same lines. we will update you more on that. let's get back to some of our other stories. one is that the united nations is preparing to send observers

to monitor the situation in syria. there has been sporadic violence reported on both sides. government forces are still occupying urban areas. the next flashpoint could come with big demonstrations after friday prayers. tens of thousands of the syrian civilians have already fled to live in refugee camps along the turkish-syrian border. >> after months of violence, it did seem the very different time today. not so much peace, but the absence of large-scale conflict. activist ventured out to record these images. they were able to film a sniper position. in the same city, students cannot to form a chain bearing the words "s.o.s."

the government accused the opposition of a lethal roadside bomb attack. in homs, we spoke to an active is to painted a mixed picture. >> it was quieter, he told me, but the tanks were still in the city. there were still snipers. >> the u.n. secretary general's response spoke for many. >> the world is watching with skeptical eyes. many promises previously made have not been kept. >> in damascus, there was a welcome to the cease-fire. >> we are against the withdrawal of the army. we are seeking the stability of the country. >> all syrians are supporting

the cease-fire because we are already so tired of this mess. >> the man who brokered this cease-fire, kofi annan, has spoken of a fragile calm. he has called for president bashar al-assad to withdraw his heavy weapons, tanks, and troops from syrian cities. he wants u.n. monitors deployed with unimpeded access. it could happen within 48 hours. he wants a syrian led political process brokered by an intermediary. the stumbling blocks are significant. president bashar al-assad enemies, turkey and saudi arabia, have no faith in the plan. >> the plan is not a menu of

options. it is a sense of obligations. the burden of fully and visibly a meeting all of these obligations continues to rest with their regime. >> it is the dynamics between -- it will decide the fate of the cease-fire. these soldiers of the free syrian army in turkey project negotiations with the government and predict the cease-fire will collapse in days. >> this regime is jury elusive. they're going to allow two days, but when we see the process intensified, they will claim there were armed individuals. >> for the refugees who dream of returning home, today's news presents a possibility. she is in her 70's and was separated from her grandchildren when they tried to escape syria. >> when everything is peaceful,

i will go home to my children. every day i am crying and begging about them. >> the news from across the border is confused. kofi annan, the problem is that it remains unresolved. the opposition will not accept any resolution that keeps the president in power. i did not meet any refugees today that felt it would be going home soon. >> we have some breaking news from the united states. one police officer has been killed and several injured in a shooting at the home in new hampshire. authorities say officers conducting a drug investigation were confronted and fired upon. the wounded officers are being treated at local hospital. the armed suspects, along with

one woman, are inside the house. the home is in the area -- in the area have been evacuated. the american neighborhood watch volunteer who shot an unarmed black teenager in florida has appeared in court for the first time. george zimmerman is charged with second-degree murder over the death of trayvon martin. despite the charges, it is not clear whether the family will get the outcome they desire. >> what the parents and what the activists have been asking for, they were asking for mr. zimmerman to be arrested. he clearly is in custody and charges have been brought. the charges appear a bit severe. some are questioning whether or not the expectations of the activists and the parents are set up for failure. what if he cannot be convicted on these relatively harsh

second-degree murder charges? then we had angry activists and parents once again. >> it has taken 45 days to get to shoot this scenario. it is something -- to get to this scenario. >> you know, often, the wheels of justice do turn slowly. the activists in correctly wanted the kind of justice that they wanted. they did not seem prepared to get the kind of justice that the system is delivering. it is a slow process based on forensic facts and evidence that can only be uncovered in a very slow method. the activist wanted instant justice. that is not realistic. they still may not be quite prepared to set the outcome of what the actual trial may bring. >> are tensions heightened?

have there been any repercussions? >> the tensions were running quite high. we have this so-called new black panther party offering a reward for the head of george zimmerman. there were tensions running very high. police cars had been shot at been sanford, florida. the rest -- the arrest has, that somewhat. the expectations are very high. if that is not the outcome, things might once again surfaced. we will watch this very carefully. >> we are live from singapore and london. the scandal that rocked beijing's -- troubling times in the new china. ready to race, the formula one

grand prix will go ahead despite continuing unrest in the gulf kingdom. a quick look at what is making the front page news around the world. the u.n. security council's expected resolution to send an international observer mission to syria. the u.s. seeks new terms for bank bonuses. spaniards will soon have to declare all overseas bank accounts and one of the measures against tax fraud that the government expects will not get more -- not more than 8 billion euros. the collapse in greek economy appears to have rallied.

members are pressing on fears about immigrants. the guarded reports that david cameron plans to pave the way for the eu to ease sanctions on burma's military government. >> north korea has launched a long-range rocket. it failed to enter orbit. >> the united nations is preparing to send observers to monitor a fragile cease-fire, which appears to be holding in syria. growth haseconomic fallen to its lowest double in three years. the world's second largest economy grew by 8.1% between january and march. much worse than expected. it is the weakest expansion since the second quarter of 2009.

the managing director says while it is disappointing for china, it is not a hard fall for the country. >> it is worse than the consensus they were looking for, which was 8.4. a point for it is a significant deceleration over the fourth quarter of last year. the economy is slowing down quickly. i do not think this number itself proves a hard landing. however, it will allow all those people who have been predicting one to get even more those difference about it and to get the vociferous about the idea that this economy foundation is unsustainable. >> how worrying is a slowdown in china? the world's second largest economy, after all. how worrying is that for the rest of the world?

>> it depends on the gravity. not too much because the size of the economy is so much larger than one it was growing at 10% fiber six years ago. then it was about a $2.50 trillion economy. now would is a $6 trillion economy. -- now it is a $6 trillion economy. it will still be buying a lot more things from the rest of the world. >> we did hear from the world bank earlier this week. they are warning that consumption and investment growth will slow external demand. china's trade with the rest of the world also slowing. what does all this really mean? >> it means that the whole concept of emerging markets as the growth engine of the global

economy versus developed markets, yesterday's story. that concept is turning on its head. it has been one of the popular monikers for the past decade. india's economy is slowing down, and russia as well. it all points to a change in focus back to the u.s.. that economy does appear to be gradually recovering. >> she is still upset to talk about his death. the case of neil heywood has been linked to the downfall of one of china's most powerful politicians. our diplomatic correspondent reports. >> china's rulers hate and fear instability.

they steered china's a rise to a position where it will eclipse even the united states. as the communist party chooses a new generation of leaders, news of scandal has been handled with great care. newspaper editors have been told not to dig under the official downfallof bo xilai's and accusations of his wife's involvement in neil heywood's murder. his wife said she was too sad to talk publicly about his death. last time she was seen in britain was at her husband's memorial service. neil heywood's unexplained death is part of an enormous political scandal in china. a scandal rocking this year's contest for power at the very highest levels of china's leadership. the new rules china? every major decision affecting china's 1.3 billion people is made by the 25 member

bureau. real power lies with its nine member standing committee. bo xilai was seen as a potentially divisive candidate for the very highest post. he made enemies. his involvement in scandals sealed his fate. >> top leaders liked bo xilai and his wife could be doing the kind of things they have been accused of, it is quite demoralizing. the second important issue is that it reveals there are revealsfissures in the top leadership. >> by coincidence, tonight, china's most senior woman politician arrived in the u.k.

a state councilor. starting her visit in northern ireland, she is very unlikely to be drawn into comment on the current turmoil at home. >> motorsports governing bodies as the formula one grand prix in bahrain will go ahead as scheduled despite continuing unrest. it will saddest -- it was satisfied with the security measures in place for the event. we are joined -- they are happy with the way to go ahead? >> so it seems. they had to make a decision sooner or later. the race is nine days away. it seems they have been speaking to authorities in bahrain.

the release did pretty lengthy statement a few hours ago. based on the current information, it is satisfied that all the proper security measures are in place for the running of the formula one world championship event in bahrain. the 2012 grand prix of bahrain will go ahead as scheduled. this comes after a continued unrest in bahrain and hours after an explosion in the capital. they are happy they can put on the race. the teams are due to meet this weekend. they are currently in shanghai ahead of china's a grand prix. >> have we had any reaction from the drivers? >> no official reaction as of yet. the teams are currently involved in first practice ahead of that

chinese grand prix. it will be interesting to hear what they have to say. a number of teams are voicing their concerns about the race. of the drivers, one of the few of them to come out and say he was concerned about the race going ahead. the ferrari driver, let the fia decide. a mixture of abuse. plenty of this pressure for this race to go ahead -- a mixture of views. plenty of pressure for this race to go ahead. bahrain is keen on the the challenge, before miller one wants to crack -- a formula one wants to crack the middle east. interesting to see what happens over the next few days in terms

of the action. >> thank you very much. we will watch that, of course. >> make sense of international news at bbc.com/news. >> funding was made possible by -- the freeman foundation of new york, stowe, vermont, and honolulu, newman's own foundation, union bank, and shell. >> this is kim, about to feel one of his favorite sensations. at shell, we're developing more efficient fuels in countries like malaysia that can help us get the most from our energy resources. let's use energy more

efficiently. let's go. >> "bbc world news" was presented by kcet los angeles.