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>> moscow criticizes the jailing in the u.s. of a person accused of murder. >> scientists raise a drug resistant strain of malaria spreading in asia. >> welcome to "bbc world news." also ahead, the president of mawlawi has died after suffering a heart attack. he was 78. the people of bosnia are marking the 20th anniversary of the stop of the civil war. >> moscow has criticized an

american court for sentencing a russian arms dealer to 20 years in prison. nicknamed the merchant of death was jailed for selling weapons to rebels in colombia. our report from new york. >> the notorious russian arms dealer victor boot has found his fate, 25 years in jail. that's the sentence he received for greag to sell guns to colombian rebels willing to kill american helicopter pilots. "it's a lie" he shouted out in court. he was snagged by a sting operation. the rebels were actually u.s. informants. >> the judge could have given him as much as life, and he is grateful to her for carefully considering the facts and circumstances of this investigation and prosecution, and he intends to move forward in the court of aappeals, and if

necessary, to the united states supreme court. >> bout became infamous for using a network of cargo planes to fly weapons around the world. a u.n. envoy said by supplying arms he fueled conflict across africa. the film "lord of war" is believed to be based on bout's exploits. the case led to tensions between moscow and russia. russia claimed the u.s. pursuit of bout was politically motivated. viktor bout crilt sized the way the u.s. set up a sting oh, operation to go after him. now the man once called "the merchant of death" is beginning his sentence, confined to prison unable to deal in weapons. bbc news, new york. >> in moscow there has been a response.

>> the strong statement this morning posted by the russian foreign ministry in which they said the verdict in the case was unfounded and bias and that the court made a decision based on political orders. interesting, the statement is really reaction to the jury's verdict at the end of last year and does not react to the 25-year sentence handed about down by the judge, which was actually the minimum sentence she could have passed. the reaction of that by viktor bout's wife is that it is a recognition that the prosecution's arguments were inconsistent. so mixed reaction. the family pleased they got the minimum sentence but the russian foreign ministry saying viktor bout's sentence and the sentence against him would remain at the heart of their agenda over the next few months. >> rebels in mali have declared

independence. the rebels are laying claim to the azawad region, marking a campaign that began after a coup left the country leaderless. joining me on the line is the bbc's martin vogel. this is an indication of the stronghold there? >> i think this declaration of independence is because they have been able to make rapid military gains. they control a three-region capital and they have taken advantage of the instability in damico that could -- coupd'etat. there are competing groups that may be at issue. >> that is the issue regarding who actually is in charge there

now. it is one thing declaring it independent but it is another about who is governing the area. >> exactly. all the reports that i have had from residents in the main three towns in the north of mali is that it is an islamist faction that is not in favor of independence. and the mnla, the national movement for the liberation of the azawad, which has claimed independence this morning, is not as visible. one can ask under what justification are they claiming independence when they are the least visible at least in the main town in the north of mali. >> thank you very much. >> the president of malawi, president mutharika is dead at 78. there were conflicting reports about his condition. the president's body has been taken to south africa.

although there has been no official announcement of his death. joining me on the line from johannesburg is our correspondent. is there reason why this announcement is being held up at the moment? >> i think there is concern about what exactly will be announced. not only the death, but the succession issue. the vice president is the next in line. joyce banda. she was kicked out of the ruling party last year. and mutharika's brother, foreign minister peter mutharika, has stepped in also. a lot of speculation in malawi. the president was admitted to

hospital where he suffered a massive heart attack thrfment were attempts to revive him that were unsuccessful. his body, as you say, flown to south africa, although we have no further details. this was largely to buy time and also to make preparations for a funeral. we are expecting an announcement in the next hour or so from the malawian authorities. >> thank you very much. >> the man once to referred to as the most wanted fugitive has gone on trial. lee -- lai changxing is facing trial. >> lai changxing is accused of bribing officials and smuggling

goods, and today he is accused of smuggling in billions of dollars of goods, cars, oil, chemicals, cigarettes, all kinds of different products, and therefore evading duty which should have been paid to the chinese government. this was in order to carry out his massive operation. he is accused of bribing government officials, even holding an entertainment complex where he would wine and dine them and that kind of thing. he then went to canada in 1999 just as the chinese authorities were about to arrest him, and spent 10 years or more there fighting extradition. that failed, and last year he was sent back to china. now he's going on trial in

xinhua. >> he battled the authorities for a decade. he's now in china. he argued that he would run the risk of torture or execution. what fate awaits him there? >> we don't know. he's gone on trial. he has to be found guilty. if he is found guilty, he would have to be sentenced. one of the sticking points about his extradition is that canada can't send criminals, extradite them and deport them if they face the death penalty. it appears that the chinese government has said that the death penalty won't be brought in this particular case if lai changxing is found guilty. and he won't face torture or any of those methods. in fact, a news agency in china issue aid report today and stressed that changxing's legal

rights have been met. the authorities are trying to give the impression, and perhaps they are, that they are fulfilling the requirements suggested by canada. >> how much does this strain relations between china and canada? >> well, it strained them for quite a number of years. canada, the canadian government for many years wanted to send lai changxing back to china. they were not convinced that china would not carry out an execution if he was found guilty. eventually he was sent back. remmingses have been motorable, having proved the canadian minister has been here on a recent visit, so fm relations have improved. >> aaron is here with all the business news.

good to see you. u.s. markets -- european markets are closed for easter, but there is some good news today? nice to have some good news. >> it is. this particular company keeps firing on all sill ders. we're talking about a company that has a reputation of being a fast follower. not a design leader, but a fast follower. i have to say "fast" with a capital "f." likely to record record profits in the last three months. the reason being, the smart phone sales. in particular, the fabulous fabl et. i haven't even heard of that. a cross between a phone and an ipad. >> did you know about the fablet before? >> i did not. they have sold about five

million since they launched it in october. this is a company that did not get into the market straight away. they overtook apple as the number one smart phone seller last year. they hold about a fifth of their market. it is up about 25%. doing very, very well indeed. >> we are expecting for march the creation of 210,000 jobs. the fourth month in a row where we have had jobs over 200,000 each month. we have not seen that since early 2000. very important with the presidential election around the corner. very important for a country that lost -- >> when is that happening? >> about 20 minutes. >> thank you. >> you're watching "bbc world news." still to come. we meet young people full of

optimism in finding jobs when they finish school. >> 18 extremely rare madagascar duck lings have hatched in captivity. it was a battle to save the species from extinction. >> 18 ducklings doing well. the first to be hatched from captive birth. this is what they will grow into. a striking cinnamon-colored bird. in 2009 they were collected from one lake in madagascar. they have hatched successfully, and now a second generation has come along. it was an exciting moment for

conservationists when the birds hatched. it is hoped they will be released into the wild next year if a suitable lake can be found for them. where they are struggling to survive is home to a sizable crocodile. "bbc news." >> hostile weather damaged dozens of homes in many of the city's poorest suburbs. high winds were followed by heavy rains. >> pope benedict said he will not criticize those who question fundamental beliefs of the church. they have called for a campaign of dice peedence to push through changes. >> muslim brotherhood movement has aregistered for next month's

election in cairo. >> you are watching "bbc world news." headlines for you at this hour. viktor bout hads been sentenced to 25 years for being accused of selling guns to colombian rebels. >> a rebel group in mali declares interestence and calls control of azawad. >> the masters at augusta. tiger woods towing bogeys the last two to finish five shots back. valencia eased passed in the europa lead for the second time in five years. and after 10 years away from the dugout bobby valentine's first

game in charge of the red sox ends in defeat. that's all in sport today in half an hour. >> balkans are marking the 20th anniversary of the end of the civil war. thousands were killed in 1990 to 1995. some of the worst atrocities in europe since world war ii. >> the bridge in sarajevo. one of the places it all started 20 years ago. this week people are remembering the events of april 1992 and the tragedy that then unfolded in the heart of southern europe. the victims were killed for nothing, says mira rigoya. that's my opinion. on all sides, everything happened for nothing.

>> the conflict began in sarajevo when the bosnia serbs rejected independence for bosnia-herzegovina. they wanted to remain part of what was left. the croats and muslims did not. the bosnia serbs quinl quickly controlled half of europe. the leaders laid siege to sarajevo. with battles in belgrade, the bosnia serbs set up their own enclave. the siege of sarajevo lasted three years and eight months. a new term entered the european vocabulary, "ethnic cleansing." people were driven from their homes in what became a three-way conflict involving serbs,

croats, and muslims. the worst atrocities came in 1995 when bosnia serb forces under the command of mladic overran what was supposed to be a united nations safe haven. 8,000 muslim men and boys were separated from their families and massacred, despite the presence of dutch u.n. troops. peace was eventually imposed in bosnia but only after the deaths of tens of thousands of people. what remain are bitter memories and as yet an unfulfilled demand for justice. peter biles, bbc news. >> let's just say they are in a race against time to stop the spread of potentially untreatable malaria. a new strain has emerged on the border of thailand and burma. experts say the drug-resistant malaria may threaten africa and india. >> malaria kills hundreds of thousands of people every year.

it is caused by a parasite that's spread by mosquito, and those in the world's poorest countries are most at risk. those who contract malaria -- a few years ago, scientists in cambodia noticed a worrying change. malaria victims were taking longer to recover. the drug was not working. that drug-resistant strain of the disease has been discovered on the border between thailand and burma. experts say they can't del tell whether it is a new outbreak or if it originated in cambodia. but the u.n. special envoy for malaria tells the bbc there is no reason to panic. >> just because there is resistance emerging does not mean the drugs are completely useless, but what researchers feel or understand is that the parasite -- how long it stays in their bloodstream takes longer

for the parasite to clear. not that the drugs are completely useless. that's not true. we don't want people to panic. we don't want people to feel as though there is no other option. but we do want the world to understand is that we need to scale up some fairly aggressive plans to monitor and contain the resistance where it is. >> in 2010, 655,000 people died from malaria. unless something is done to contain this strain, it could spread to africa and india, and that could be disastrous. >> in britain, france, spain, and greece they are a lost generation of 15 to 25-year-old with crippling debt. but in denmark where higher education is free, unploim is down. >> this 24-year-old left school with few qual fantastics.

but she has the building blocks for a life-long career. she has been studying plastic moldings at a factory which lego supervisors. 90% of those trained get jobs at the end of training. >> a lot of my friends went to university, she tells me, but i was not keen on books. i'm confident i'll get work after my apprenticeship. i have no fears at all about my future. despite the economic crisis, young people's optimism here in denmark seems to be intact, but the government is working hard to keep unemployment down. >> we are worried about the young people, but we think they are the future. education, education, education that is the answer so they will have a chance in the future. >> the government is keen to show it listens to the young generation. the danish cabinet is the youngest in europe. one of its ministers is only 26. pick up a newspaper in britain,

france, spain or greece and you are bound to find one headline lamenting the bleak future of the lost generation, but here they are much more positive about their youth. this is a three-page spread saying danish youth have never been so engaged nor politically active. they may not be quite heading for a place on the "x factor" but they are taking pakt part is what counts here. danish youngsters are part of more organizations and youth groups than any of their european counterparts. >> the youth in denmark feel very much a part of democracy. they feel that they matter. this is an explanation as to why you don't see danish youth going out into the streets demonstrating or teering down society. they want to build it up. >> these young danes are confident of their future in society. >> we all fit in.

we are the young people. we are all different. we all get together along. >> i have the opportunity to achieve what i want, so if i feel like doing anything at all, i can more or less do that without even thinking about it. >> the young generation in denmark seems anything but lost. bbc news, copenhagen. >> in singapore where land is scarce, the government has come up against unusual challenges after announcing plans to build a highway through an ancient burial ground. >> just a few of the estimated 100,000 tombstones in singapore. rather than rescuing peace, some of the dead and buried here are to be moved to make way for an eight-lane highway. >> some of singapore's most prominent citizens and pioneers are buried here.

the place also have significant cultural value that is unique to singapore. soldiers, for instance, guarding a chinese tomb. and even though the government has made some concessions, it seems their days are numbered. heritage habitat has to make way for the more pragmatic earthly needs of this country's development. this has several activist groups up in arms. >> a repository of singapore's history 150 years before our independence. 25% of our population passes through. >> the government has made concessions, but with a bridge over the most ecologically -- they argue they need to make good use of singapore's land.

this could potentially house 50,000 people. the man who was once tasked with managing singapore's public housing knows the challenges. >> well, when we increase the population, something has to give. with location we must consider access yibblet -- accessabit and convenience. >> families are coming together to pay respects to their an seftors during the chinese festival of chingming burning paper money to ensure their departed relatives have a prosperous after life. it is customs like these that many fear will die out because of homes that aim to add to the prosperity of the current generation.

bbc news, singapore. >> 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, and 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.

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