i'm zain verjee. here are the headlines this hour. typhoon is cross the philippines. one person has been killed and four missing. the storm downed trees, knocked out power and forced schools and businesses to close. opposition ak at this cysts in syria say dozens of tanks are blocking roads in al-rastan. two people were reportedly killed in hong kong. the foreign minister continues to blame the violence on foreign incitement. >> amanda knox gets a chance to deliver closing arguments. she's accused in the 2009 murder conviction for the killing of knox's roommate. lawyers for the dead roommate's family told the court on monday that knox is diabolical and

two-faced. dominique strauss-kahn wants a u.s. judge to dismiss a lawsuit against him linked to a sexual assault case. the criminal charges were dropped but the accusers filed a civil case. the former imf chief claims he has diplomatic immunity when the case was filed. i'm zain verjee in world business today starts next. good morning from cnn london. i'm charles hodson. this is world business today. the top stories this tuesday, september 27th. at home and abroad, greek transit workers stage another strike as prime minister prepares to meet in berlin. delhi's plan to redraw the poverty line cause a political firestorm in india. a sticky situation for employers in france. workers throw out their to-do

lists and find a new use for the humble post-it note. meanwhile, though, let's get straight to the stock markets in europe which are again posting strong gains in the early trade on tuesday. stocks in london, frankfort, in madrid, actually and in rome -- milan rather opened 2% higher. here we are 3% are the gains for both the xetra dax and the can you remember rant and the -- banks and insurers are in -- they're up almost 10%. while royal bank of scotland jumped by almost 4%. but still, only about half what british taxpayers pay to buy that bank when we bailed it out. it was a plus today on the stock markets in asia. as the confidence from europe fell to tuesday's trade. the nikkei ended higher after

year-low figures on monday. here are the closing numbers. thank you. nikkei up by 2.8%. hang seng up by 4%. and shanghai composite, a modest 1% and the s&p up by 3 and two-thirds of a percent. the philippines suspended trade on tuesday as typhoon made landfall in the country. the markets boosted by gains in the commodity sector. falls of 17% in the previous seven days. oil prices also up and reversal too for gold. higher following four days of losses. now, wall street, we actually renewed hopes that european policy makers will take action to resolve the conflicts worsening debt crisis. the dow, nasdaq and s&p 500 moved higher on monday. the dow topped 11,000 closing

out more than 2.5% and the s&p wasn't very far behind. financial stocks were among the best performers. the nasdaq ended the day up by 1 and a third percent. as for today, u.s. markets look set for a positive open when tuesday's trading begins. here's where the u.s. futures stand in the pre-market action. up by .75%. there may have been cheer on wall street but a different story in greece on monday. it appears to be getting deeper into trouble under the enormous debt burden. the athens stock exchange sunk to an 18-year low on monday. the pressure is being felt on the ground. another transit worker strike is planned for today. this was the scene over the weekend. in fact, strikes are commonplace now in athens as ordinary people struggle to cope with the fall out of austerity measures imposed by the troy ka. the european central bank and

the international monetary fund. the meeting last weekend, we sat down with the chief, the managing director, christine lagarde and asked how people are expected to deal with such tough measuresment. >> number one, it's an agreement. it's a contract that is entered into between the european commission, the european central bank, the imf, collectively, we call them the troika. and the government. it's on the basis of that contract that we expect implementation to give loans to the country so that it can finance and refinance its debt. so it's a two-way street. it's a contractual relationship that is struck. and that is requested by the country. number two, in designing the program, we are very careful to make sure that the heaviest part

of the burden does not lie on the less privileged in the population concerned. that's what we've been doing with the greek program. but, implementation is of the essence. and it has to happen. >> christine lagarde there talking to our reporter. as greece continues to battle to meet the conditions of the first rescue package, prime minister is in berlin meeting the chancellor ahead of the key vote on thursday. that's when the german parliament will vote on making changes to the financial stability facility. the fst. a fund created to combat the european debt crisis. germany will be central to any -- it's a key player in the efforts to in all efforts really to stabilize greece's economy. clearly, a lot at stake. mr. pap droe is meeting with ms. merkel. we have a reporter on the line

from berlin. but first we'll speak with athens. it seems there are many crunches in greece but today is a particular crunch with the transit workers on strike again. >> reporter: yes, charles. it's interesting to hear the comment of the director of the -- christine lagarde saying that paying is basically necessary. you can almost coin a new phrase, austerity fatigue. because this government and the previous government -- during the first ten years of the euro, the cuts now are extremely severe. so you're looking at 20% salary cuts in the state sector and 20% pension cuts, if not more, in the state sector as well. but at the heart of the issue, charles, is without the reforms, there are no layoffs in the state sector, which is the largest in europe. so what mrs. lagarde is staying, if you want the troika to

support you on debt, you have to push ahead with reform. we see the strikes today in terms of the trams and two or three metro lines shut and the buses not running. these are cuts, they're feeling very severe pain in greece right now. but they're not the structural reform that troika is looking for the business community is looking for. that's at the heart of the issue in an economy attracting 7% with record unemployment of 16%. a lot of tension on the ground in athens today. >> stay there for now, john. we'll turn to fred in berlin. what sort of reception do you think that pap andre owe will get. i know they revolt against the idea of bailing out what's seen as the greeks. >> caller: absolutely charles. about 66% of germans according to a recent poll are -- certainly, one of the things that he will have to do when he

meets with angela merkel. they're going to have to convince the german public that in fact the greeks are very much going to implement all of the austerity measures that they need to implement. certainly the germans are wary not only of the fak that perhaps the greeks won't follow through on reform but also that a lot the taxpayer money could be lost. at this point he's in central berlin about to speak to the union of the german industrialists. one of the things that have -- german business confidence has gone down considerably. a lot of that, of course, also has to do with the euro crisis and the way that the crisis in greece is being handled. what the two leaders need to do and display to the german public is that greece is very much serious about the reforms it want to implement. that german taxpayer money is -- what's more important, that the germans don't have to keep pouring money into dprooes and

the next bailout won't come soon, charles. fred, stay on the line. we've been watching live pictures from the german industrialists meeting. john, to come back to you, there is a clear perception in the markets that if you like, the greek problem is to be corralled, it's to be separated off and in effect, there will be severe haircut, 50%. i know i asked you this yesterday. you told me that things were unclear in athens. are things crystallizing in athens in anyone's head where the government, unions or anyone in terms of a default and greece rngs if you like, being towed out from the rest of europe. >> reporter: this is interesting. if you look at the markets rallying, particularly the banking stock, that tells you one story that there will be action. you look at the athens stock

exchange and it's an 18-year low. there's no clarity here. the man who can be depicted as the hatchet man, who comes from the left side of that party, hold i a press conference in less than an hour, he wants to articulate i'm pushing ahead with an additional round of cuts to 5 to 6 billion euros. the parliament behind me, the property tax vote passing late this afternoon or early this evening. again, he can go to mrs. merkel and say it's on the table, we're going to push it through. we would like to see the last trench of money from the troika. i can offer tears and blood, but no hope right now. so if you talk to people on the ground, they're like, okay, all these cuts, when do we get growth? that's the big, big uncertainty here in athens. >> okay. sounds like he's borrowing lines from winston churchill. thanks very much.

live from athens. coming up, a price on poverty. the indian government is planning a move that threatens effectively to lower the country's poverty line but not everyone is happy about it. we'll take you live to telle, that's next. the nascar nation, i know pleasing fans is a top priority, 'cause without the fans, there'd be no nascar. just like if it weren't for customers, there'd be no nationwide. that's why they serve their customers' needs, not shareholder profits. because as a mutual, nationwide doesn't report to wall street, they report to their customers.

and that's just one more reason why the earnhardt family has trusted nationwide for more than 30 years. nationwide is on your side.

niece are live images of george papandreou, the greek prime minister speaking in berlin at the convention of the industry which is one of the main industrial configurations, confederations i should say in germany. welcome back live on cnn. this is world business today. the move over to oil now. according to opec's latest figures, nigh jeer a boasts more than 3% of the organization's crude. that's proven reserves of 37.2 billion barrels. more than fellow opec members

algeria, an goe la and ecuador combined. the industry may have been behind conflict in the past. but one country is bringing africans together to change the operating environment. we sat down with the ceo. >> in the downstream where -- in the midstream where there's gas, gas distributors were to revoke pipeline cities in several cities in nigeria. we have drills on behalf of major. we have plans like as clans, it's all arranged just think downstream, midstream, upstream. >> you're the only nigerian-owned company doing this of this size? >> well, yes. we're the only one who does everything. we're the largest by far. we're the only one in all parts of the industry. >> you're the poster boy,

essentially, for the future of nigerian petroleum? >> i think there's a recognition, also the fact that they're being built. running with -- able attract investors across the globe. based in africa and trading for and on behalf of the continent is a new phenomenon. >> as commodity prices rise and the globe fueling africa makes people optimistic. what for you, as a business that's trying to be a big continental player, what are the biggest challenges in terms of africa actually really taking advantage of this growth that many people say it obviously happening? >> of many talents that we have, if the cap is low, to be able to grow as fast as we would like to grow. the continent is growing across the board. countries that have commodities driven are growing as much as 7.5% year in, year out.

having the capital to bridge the difference between supply and demand is a bit of a challenge. second challenge, to a certain extent is skilled labor. we find what we've had to do is -- we call them repatriots. we have a lot of nigerians working which we bring back. we've -- the downstream, the midstream or the upstream and we offer them exactly what they're earning. by the time you look at it, the -- it gives them a lot more cash in their pockets. but they're able to perform the same functions. >> you have somebody in london finding the nigerian ex patriot to bring back? >> we do. we have to launch a workplace. >> just to bring skilled labor back home. >> and it works. so for example, when we're learning in the real operation, we have to have 500 skilled

drillers. we find them in places as far as india, china, south america. >> you particularly wanted africans? >> yes, i wanted africans, nigerians. i had my reasons for this. i wanted to also prove as we were doing, that we could bill indigenous world class operations. the company is 100% nigerian, african as well. it's run and operated by africans with world class standards. >> on every level. >> on every level. >> is that a matter of point for you. you want to say we can do it? >> certainly, there's a point to put in there. we proved the point long ago. but it's also just practical. in a sense that here's a chance for them to be able to take the same skills that they've learned all over the world and apply them to develop in their local community. >> no brainer as they say? >> yes.

>> thank you. >> thank you very much. coming up on "world business today," those government plans to redraw the poverty line and the political firestorm that they've triggered in india. live report from there coming up. d, i realized i needed an aarp... medicare supplement insurance card, too. medicare is one of the great things about turning 65, but it doesn't cover everything. in fact, it only pays up to 80% of your part b expenses. if you're already on or eligible for medicare, call now to find out how an aarp... medicare supplement insurance plan, insured by unitedhealthcare insurance company, helps cover some of the medical expenses... not paid by medicare part b. that can save you from paying up to thousands of dollars... out of your own pocket. these are the only medicare supplement insurance plans... exclusively endorsed by aarp. when you call now, you'll get this free information kit... with all you need to enroll. put their trust in aarp medicare supplement insurance.

plus you'll get this free guide to understanding medicare. the prices are competitive. i can keep my own doctor. and i don't need a referral to see a specialist. call now to get a free information kit. plus you'll get this free guide to understanding medicare. and the advantages don't end there. choose from a range of medicare supplement plans... that are all competitively priced. we have a plan for almost everyone, so you can find one that fits your needs and budget. with all medicare supplement plans, there are virtually no claim forms to fill out. plus you can keep your own doctor and hospital that accepts medicare. and best of all, these plans are... the only medicare supplement plans endorsed by aarp. when they told me these plans were endorsed by aarp... i had only one thing to say... sign me up. call the number on your screen now... and find out about an aarp medicare supplement insurance plan. you'll get this free information kit... and guide to understanding medicare, to help you choose the plan that's right for you.

as with all medicare supplement plans, you can keep your own doctor and hospital that accepts medicare, get help paying for what medicare doesn't... and save up to thousands of dollars. call this toll-free number now.

check on currencies there for you. live from cnn london, this is "world business today." in india an estimated one in three people survive on less than $2 a day. thanks to runaway food price inflation government subsidies are a lifeline for many people. it's no surprise that the prime minister is facing stinging criticism over plans to reset the country's poverty line at 64 cent a day in urban area and less in the countryside n comparison, the world bank's poverty line is $1.25 a day. under the new plans, anyone earning more than those 64 cents a day would not be entitled to food subsidies and other welfare payments. with more on that and the reaction in india, let's cross to sara sider in new delhi. it's hardly surprising. it sounds like robbing the poorment. >> reporter: it's a really low number according to the krit cr.

when you look at how much it costs to live in delhi and mumbai. what's interesting is we're not seeing a major reaction from the everyday average citizen, namely the people who would be affected by this if the legislation goes through. part of the reason for that is it has not gone through, it's proposed legislation for the food security act that's been submitted to the supreme court. people are not affected just yet. however, what we're seeing is a big reaction from those who look at policy. we're talking about academic, we're talking about former ministers. we're talking about intellectuals and we're talking about economists. 25 well-known economists and academics have written to the planning commission who came up with the new numbers that determines what the poverty level is, what the poverty line is. and they've said, this is absolutely unacceptable. now, what they've done is said that those living in urban areas, if they live on more than

32 ruin incompetents per day, which is about 64 cents per day, they would not be considered living underneath the poverty line. in the villages, it's even lower. we're talking about .52 a day. those living above that. they would not be considered living under the poverty line. why do the numbers matter? because those under the poverty line in any country are generally given a certain amount of benefit. in india, the big one is food. they're given food rations if they live below the poverty line, live below a certain level. they're given more food aration. you have to understand how important this is. if the poverty line is 64 cents per day, what that means to people making for example 66 cents per day. that would do to make the ends meet, even being able to eat. this is a big issue here and will become a bigger issue if in fact, it's implemented in the legislation. again, it has not been. now, there is talk in the

government that maybe the numbers need to change. charles? >> okay. sara sidner, joining us there live from new delhi. many thanks to you. we're going to take a break and we'll be back with more news and a check on the market in a moment. instead of getting to know you they simply assign you a number. aviva is here to change all that. we're bringing humanity back to insurance and putting people before policies. aviva life insurance and annuities. we are building insurance around you.

financial advise is everywhere. i mean everywhere. real objective investing help. that's a little harder to find. but, here's what i know... td ameritrade doesn't manage mutual funds. or underwrite stocks and bonds. or even publish their own research. so guidance from td ameritrade isn't about their priorities. it's about mine. it's about mine. it's about mine. straight forward guidance, that's what makes td ameritrade different.

live from cnn london, i'm charles hodson. welcome back to "world business today." greece's leader, george papandreou, is speaking in before the german federationment we'll listen in. >> there are further problems we must face.

portugue portuguese, italian discipline alone won't end the crisis. the sovereign debt crisis has underlined the competitiveness differences between the euro zone economies. our differences in economic performance were either hidden in the past and in the past this allowed us to borrow rather than to become competitive, but today these differences have become a liability and make the cost of borrowing heavily unequal between countries. and unsustainable for many. so, again, we need to make this crisis an opportunity. we all need to stop the c cacophony and work in harmony. the institutional or collective failings and acknowledge that no european nation will thrive in isolation. germany depends on europe, the biggest trading partner for growth in jobs. i don't need to remind the industrialists among you that more than 70% of german exports go to europe.

we must develop europe wide strategies for new growth. green growth policies that will guarantee our competitive advantages and create jobs. tackle acute inequalities both in and across our countries. support european ideas such as the financial transaction tax for the co 2 tax, further integrate our own resources. we must forge ahead not muddle through with the institutional points necessary to resist intensifying pressure from nngs markets. but also growing competition from the rest of the world, whether it's from the brits or elsewhere. a solution is certainly within reach if we can muster the political will. we must stop blaming each other for different weaknesses and unite together with our different strengths. yes, each of us, different though we may be, we have many strengths. and we can only develop them if we work together rather than

against each other. the euro zone must now take bold steps towards fiscal integration to stabilize the monetary union. let's not allow those betting against the euro to succeed. shoring up our institutions so they can withstand financial shocks is an essential investment in europe's long-term security. along with much tighter fiscal oversight, we need to expand the efsf and formulate permanent mechanisms for stability and solidarity. you have called for a european imf. on july 21st, the leaders of the euro zone agreed important steps in the right direction. this agreement is important for our european future. for greece, it gives us the breathing space for our reforms to yield results. it will create a more sustainable debt cycle by locking in low-interest rates and it will support the recapitalization of greek banks during a deepening recession. the success of the agreement

depends on three things. first of all, private sector involvement, a huge voluntary and unprecedented deal involving hundreds of banks and financial institutions around the world. secondly, the ratification by all 17 national parliaments of euro zone members. our decisions must have democratic legitimacy in order to convince constituencies of the merits of the agreement. we need to explain the pros and cons very clearly. and third, greece must fulfill all of its commitments according to the terms and targets set out in the initial agreement with our partners in the troika. of course, i cannot guarantee the first two components of the agreement, but i can guarantee that greece will live up to all its commitments. i promise you we greeks will soon fight our way back to growth and prosperity after this period of pain. [ applause ]

of course, it is unrealistic to expect any society to make such fundamental changes without a reasonable period of transition and adjustment. as chancellor angela merkel recently stated, you cannot change a country overnight. i am sure she was speaking from her own experience of the challenge posed by the reunification of east and west germany. you know much better than i do how difficult this achievement was. you know how hard it was to overcome skepticism, fears, prejudices that this courageous move entailed and yes shall there were costs involved. yes, there were social and economic challenges to be overcome. yes it took time to adapt to the radical changes that came with reunification. but ultimately, reunification was not just in the interests of east and west germans.

it was in the interest of all europeans. because for europe, it was a giant leap closer to peace and security. it was a giant leap to building a european society capable in dealing with the new global frontiers, humanity is facing as we are pooling our sovereignty to be stronger, not to be weaker. these challenges are too big for us to hide behind our nationalisms. in these challenging times, we need a political discourse, a political spirit that says i am proud to be german as i am proud to be greek as i am proud to be french, to be spanish, to be dutch, to be polish as i am proud to be european. and this crisis must unite us to make europe a stronger europe. one that lives up to the common aspirations of our citizens. i am confident that in a few years, greece will have undergone the same remarkable transformation achieved by germany in the early 1990s.

what we're doing is nothing short of the rebirth of a nation. and your contribution as dynamic members of german industry can be crucial. i invite you to greece, a greece which is changing, a greece worthwhile of your investment, an investment in future which will profit us law. dear friends, the fall of the br lynn wall -- now is not the time to rebuild walls in europe. europe must keep moving forward toward permanent integration, build solidarity on social justice and sustainable growth. that is what our citizens want and expect and what our history demands of all of us. thank you very much for your attention. [ applause ] >> george papandreou, the greek prime min officer addressing german industrialists at the bead i icon federation in berlin. one or two highlights.

calling for work together. at one point, he said let's stop blaming each other for different weaknesses and work together with our different strengths taking a european view of the crisis in which greece finds itself and promising that greece will fulfill the commitments that it entered into at the summit in july at which the efsf, the fund, the bailout fund, if you like, was agreed to be established. we're going to take a quick look at the stock markets in europe and see if they've held on to those early gains. they certainly have. looking at the xetra dax up about 3.5% now. paris not far behind by 3.2%. big gains for the banks by the way. including in london, which is up 2.3. zurich sm imt not far behind. the feeling that actually, notwithstanding what we just heard from mr. papandreou, that

the greek crisis has been towed out to sea. there will be a large fund created in order to ring fence greece and its problems off and allow -- unfortunately, force investors to take a haircut on that debt. clearly, a sense that there has been some kind of turning point in the tackling of that crisis. markets in asia, obviously wrapping up. have wrapped up their trading day. indices up across the board after the last few days of losses. our asia business analyst has the details from hong kong. hello. i see 4% in one case. it looks good. >> yeah. it sure is good today. the fortunes of the stocks along with financials across asia rising as fears falling over europe and greece today. first off in japan, the nikkei closed up nearly 3% after it a hit 2.5 year low on monday. financial stocks floated this higher. japan's largest bank closed up

by more than 4%. followed by and then toyota and sony leading the way. the hang seng in hong kong, that did a rally as well. up 4% just in the last hour. help to buy banks and oil. icbc, the world's biggest bank, closing up nearly 9%. the china's biggest off shore energy producer gained 8%, almost 8% on investors' hope that a global slowdown would reverse course. china's second biggest insurer, 10% up here. it took back losses from monday as 14% route. also over in shanghai, the composite, managing to eek out a gain. yesterday it hit a low not seen since 14 months ago. finally in australia, the 200 was up by more than 3.5% breaking a three-day losing streak. they pulled this up. for example, west pack and an

zad bank leading by more than 5%. minors coming out in the positive territory. up by more than four to 5%, charles. >> that takes us to something fascinating. the mod at this market. we've come a long way in the case of a number of commodities. you said that the future of financials rests on greece. the same sort of thing could be said for commodities. what sort of trends do you think we can perceive there? >> first, let's go to gold. that's what everyone thinks about first when they think of commodities. look at the three month graph of the price. on august 22nd, gold hit a record of more than $1900 per ounce. over the past four weeks, five weeks, it's fallen by this much, by more than 13%. this fall here is despite

continued fears of a global slowdown. what happened to the save haven investors? analysts are saying the gold rally was overdone, others are speculating it could be the onset of a period of deflation. a broad dip in prices across many goods and services. for silver, this line chart is pretty similar but for a different reason here. on august 22, the same day that gold hit a high, silver hit a high of 3.5 months. this is more volatile than gold. since then, it's fallen by this much, by 28%. the reason for this is that silver has many more industrial uses than gold. so if the world economy slows down, the demand for silver will fall and so, of course, will its price as we have seen here. the same for copper as you mentioned. finally, that is also behind the fall in oil prices as well. crude, it hit its 2011 peak at nearly $114 in late april. but since then, prices have

plunged by also 28%. it's now trading at near its low for the year at $82 per barrel. of course, in the absence of any solutions those problems in the euro zone, these trends we may see continue. >> okay. ramy incense yoe joining us live from hong kong. more "world business today" after this. stay with us. medicare is one of the great things about turning 65, but it doesn't cover everything. in fact, it only pays up to 80% of your part b expenses. if you're already on or eligible for medicare, call now to find out how an aarp... medicare supplement insurance plan, insured by unitedhealthcare insurance company, helps cover some of the medical expenses... not paid by medicare part b. that can save you from paying up to thousands of dollars... out of your own pocket. these are the only medicare supplement insurance plans... exclusively endorsed by aarp.

when you call now, you'll get this free information kit... with all you need to enroll. put their trust in aarp medicare supplement insurance. plus you'll get this free guide to understanding medicare. the prices are competitive. i can keep my own doctor. and i don't need a referral to see a specialist. call now to get a free information kit. plus you'll get this free guide to understanding medicare. and the advantages don't end there. choose from a range of medicare supplement plans... that are all competitively priced. we have a plan for almost everyone, so you can find one that fits your needs and budget. with all medicare supplement plans, there are virtually no claim forms to fill out. plus you can keep your own doctor and hospital that accepts medicare. and best of all, these plans are... the only medicare supplement plans endorsed by aarp. when they told me these plans were endorsed by aarp... i had only one thing to say... sign me up. call the number on your screen now...

and find out about an aarp medicare supplement insurance plan. you'll get this free information kit... and guide to understanding medicare, to help you choose the plan that's right for you. as with all medicare supplement plans, you can keep your own doctor and hospital that accepts medicare, get help paying for what medicare doesn't... and save up to thousands of dollars. call this toll-free number now.

this is "world business today." hasn't been much of a journey for people in the philippines much the national carrier, philippine airlines, canceled all international and domestic flight after a strike. they're trying to outsource more than 2.5,000 jobs. only by the presence of the typhoon in the philippines.

jennifer delgado joins us from the weather center with more on the storm and where it's heading. it's been very destructive. presumably, it's going to continue to be destructive. although we hope not. >> absolutely. we've been seeing some of the damage coming out of the philippines and it has caused a lot of damage. i want to go to video to give you an idea of what people are dealing with across part of the philippines. they're walking around in waist-deep water. thousands of people have been evacuated. this is video of the river rising dangerously. people being evacuated and rightfully so. we're talking about the strong wind. thousands of people have been evacuated. this also comes actually two years after the formation of typhoon parma. we remember that storm. it killed nearly 500 people in the philippines. as i take you back over and show you this from the satellite imagery. it's working towards the west. over the last several hours,

interacting land from the mountains over the eastern area of the sierra ma dres. we're still getting an incredible amount of rainfall. especially in the red. the heaviest precipitation. the winds are reporting a 70 kph. that's roughly 40 miles per hour. it's stropger in other areas in the northern part of the philippines. the weather will be bad throughout the afternoon. hopefully by the morning hours, we'll start to get the system into the ocean. right now, sustained winds at 176 kph. it's going to stay a too typhoon 72 hours out. this is the area where the track of that storm system could potentially go. don't always focus on the track of this typhoon and the big problem will be the ref i rainfall and the threat of mudslides, especially on that eastern coastline of the philippines. to give you an idea of how much more rainfall we're talking about, some locations roughly 75

centimeters of rainfall. that works out to be roughly about 24 inches of rain. then keep in mind, once we go to the south china sea, we'll pick up rainfall and the moisture on the backside of this typhoon. it's been a while since they've had one through the philippines. the problem is they can prove to be quite deadly. >> indeed they can. jennifer delgado, thank you very much joining us from the cnn national weather center. coming up, as much a brand name as the hoover, post-its are ubiquitous and completely unremarkable. but they're being given a fresh twist in the suburbs of paris. more just ahead. while we're on the subject, here's a quiz for you. how many post-it notes will it take to reach around the earth's circumference once? we'll give you a clue based on the circumference of 524 -- a

post-it note that is 7.6 centimeters square. is it half a billion or one billion or two billion? well, get out the calculator, answer is after the break. trading, re-visualized. streaming, real-time quotes. earnings analysis. probability analysis: that's what opportunity looks like. it's all visual. intuitive. and it's available free, wherever the web is. this is how trade strategies are built. tradearchitect. only from td ameritrade. welcome to better trade commission free for 60 days when you open an account.

aspercreme breaks the grip, with maximum-strength medicine and no embarrassing odor. break the grip of pain with aspercreme.

welcome back. you're watching "world business today." before the break we asked you

how many post-it notes it would take to stretch around the world once. the answer in a second. first, a quick check of the market. great guns in the european and the asian market up by nearly 3% for the dax and the paris. we've seen them above 3%. a shade under 2% for both the london ftse and the zurich smi and the deep commodity stocks leading the top of the gainers board. now, bear me. this will make sense. i want to tell you a little bit about these. our old friends, post-it notes. the humble post-it note was born after its inventor got tired of losing his place in his hymn book or bible. that was in 1974 much the idea went mainstream six years later. now they're everywhere. before the break we asked you how many post-it notes it would take to circle the globe. the answer, in case you're wondering, is that you need

506,880,000 of the little sticky notes to circumnavigate the planet. that's about half a bill. according to the post-it website, one cling on to the nose of a plane for a three and a half hour flight in the united states. another survived a hurricane stuck to a front door while eight oak trees did not fare so well. a designer once created a range of dresses and hats from them as far as we know. no wardrobe malfunctions. as jim bitterman reports, they're being used as weapons in the parisian post-it wars between neighboring businesses in the french capital. >> someone is coming, you stick the post-it on. >> just like that, another of france's post-it wars. who knew that the colored paper could in the right or wrong hands become weapons of glass obstruction. but in office buildings a krs

france, fierce competitions have broken out. it apparently started here at the headquarters of the big french computer gaming company. >> we stick space invader character on a window. the day after, the first bank in france, they -- >> across the way here? >> across the way. they draw a pac-man. and that's how the battle started. >> planning and executing a multistory mosaic is not a task for someone with an otherwise full agenda. those involved need concentration and an approach of military precision. because when you're trying to make an artistic declaration over six or seven floors in an otherwise sterile office building, it takes time on where to place the thousands and thousands of bits. which brings up a sticky question. how exactly does management feel about employees using time and energy on elaborate projects like this?

>> you get the people from all around the company, who don't know each other and get to know each other, over the course of a few days and then they create something good altogether. it's really good. >> not everyone shares that view. in some places management has forbidden block note window clutter, no matter how artistic. as you might expect in this highly con tem play tiff country, there are sociologists who reflected on them and what they might mean to the foot soldiers involved. >> they perfectly trying -- what it's a means to communicate. it's possible to communicate directly with your voice because it's possible to open the windows. which means you're going to find scenes of post-its just to create communication with the people surrounding you. >> so in an era of twitter and facebook and unparalleled social

and mass communication, some people are still trying to get in touch with methods that are about as primitive as a tom tom. the only clear victor seems to be the company that makes them. jim bitterman, cnn, paris. that's it for this edition of "world business today." i'm charles hodson in london. i'm charles hodson in london. goodbye for now. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com

what's vanishing deductible all about ? guys, it's demonstration time. let's blow carl's mind. okay, let's say i'm your insurance deductible. every year you don't have an accident, $100 vanishes. the next year, another $100. where am i going, carl ? the next year... that was weird. but awesome ! ♪ nationwide is on your side