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>> and now "bbc world news >> welcome to "newsday". >> i am babita sharma.. the headlines. >> china's leader beat barack obama for the first time. more austerity for greece. european foreign minister cancel talks over concerns over its austerity plan. >> en masse the security crackdown in bahrain. -- a massive security crackdown in bahrain. as north korea marked the birthday of its former leader, how is the new one getting on? broadcasting to yours on broadcast in america and around the world, welcome to "newsday ."

>> president obama held talks at the white house with demand expected to become china's next leader, xi jinping. and vicecurrent fine pres president hoped the visit would strengthen ties, but relations are strained over trade, currency, and human rights. ♪ >> a ceremony a welcome at the pentagon today for china's leader in waiting. xi jinping is known to be a fan of hollywood war films. but so much else about him is unknown. in the oval office on valentine's day, a first date, a chance to see how he feels about iran, syria, and a growing u.s. presence in asia.

>> the united states is a pacific nation. and we are very interested and very focused on continuing to strengthen our relationship, to enhance our trade and our commerce and make sure that we are strong and effective partner. >> mr. xi replied that he was here to deepen mutual understanding, but he warned the discussions would be candid. the chinese want to know more about the repositioning of u.s. military assets, part of what washington calls our strategic. towards asia. >> this is an integrated strategy, security, diplomacy, economics, even human rights covering asia from india to tokyo. the chinese are nervous about it. >> outside the talks, of local reminders that were ever china goes controversy follows.

and they were here for tibet, taiwan and human rights. the protesters are a sign of how complex this relationship is. this year, there is an extra factor -- the u.s. presidential election. because china has become a political football they are a currency manipulator. >> listen to mitt romney, the front runner in the republican race. >> they are lowering their prices and killing american jobs. we cannot sit back and let china run all over us. >> he mocked the loss of jobs ot to china. >> your economy gets a very weak, hours get very good. we take your jobs. >> this is the story barack obama wants to tell on jobs -- newly hired american workers making goods to sell to china. year ended chopsticks factory and georgia. except the machines they use are imported from china.

trade is far from a balanced relationship. >> joining me now for talking about the visit of xi jinping is an associate professor and faculty of law at the international university of singapore. he was so much for joining us up for the visit of the chinese vice president. will it have an impact on cyanamid-u.s. relations? >> this is the most important is that in recent years, especially when the u.s.-china relationships are at a critical juncture. china is becoming the second largest economy, overtaking the u.s. and very soon. this is when the u.s. has never, this is probably the first time in the world, especially in asia, that the u.s. had to deal with a country which is almost equally powerful.

so xi jinping will become the next top leader in the next year. so it is very important for the leaders to build relations. >> what about the chinese vice president? what does he hope to achieve? is this only and getting to know you visit? >> for him, this is very much of visit initiated by the u.s. the top leadership of the visit to the united states. it happened in 1979. then hu jintao visited the u.s. the chinese leadership is rather opaque. to deal person to person, understanding that is very important for both parties, it is better for the u.s. >> if the vice president becomes

the next leader of china -- is still not confirmed -- how different will he lead china vis-à-vis the current leaders such as hu jintao and wen jiabao? >> that is a hypothetical question, but my educated guess is that he likely will become, for an economic standpoint, he could be more liberal because of his experience. his family suffered during the cultural revolution. he worked in the coastal areas. he could be more liberal than the current leadership. but he could also, he is also a person with self-confidence, with natural confidence. i think on china, on issues involving china's national interest, he would be more nationalistic than others. >> we have to leave it there. great to have you with us.

meanwhile, the latest bailout plan for the greek economy has hit another obstacle as foreign minister cancelled the meeting arranged. they accused greece of failing to stick to all aspects of the agreement. but greece said they have met the agreement. >> the second greek bailout is on hold. when states finance ministers' meeting that was due to take place in brussels has been canceled. this man, jean claude juncker, the current chairman is not satisfied that greece is keeping its side of the deal. greece is to avoid default, time is running out. it was revealed that greece's economy shrank by 7% in the fourth quarter of 2011. it has to repay 14.5 billion euros in bonds by march 20. reasons why the euro-group is

demanding they come up with 325 million euros, $400 million in budget cuts. the euro group once the people running greece to state in writing that should they come into power, they will stick to promised austerity measures. all of the violence at the weekend against the latest austerity package shows that patience is running out. >> greece is making all the efforts required. the people cannot take it anymore. the government is operating with superhuman effort. we are past the prado of exhaustion of the social and economic system. i think europe should take its responsibilities. >> there are big hurdles to clear before the bailout money can be transferred. otherwise, it is looking like a stark choice -- make the desired promises or face more financial uncertainty. uncertainty that would grip greece and the euro zone as a

whole. >> there has been trouble in bahrain a year on from the start of the uprising there. you have more details. >> there has done a massive security operation to prevent shia operations from marking their anniversary. particularly around the demolished roundabout, a symbol of resistance during last year's protests. >> bahrain is caught in the grip of growing sectarian violence. there are nightly clashes of majority muslims that demand change in a country ruled by a sunni king. >> every night, protesters go out on the street and calling for democracy and the downfall of the dictators. >> this is the first anniversary

of the occupation of pearl roundabout. in the unrest that followed, 60 people died. it is when you leave behind a glittering towers and the capital and held in to -- and head into villages, that you see how deep the endurane a. the leaders called for restraint, but many wonder if they can contain angry young activists. senior adviser calls for a peaceful protest. but they are ratcheting up tension. as the rift deepens, many believe that iran is behind the unrest. >> we are not with anyone else. we are pure bahrainians. >> the justice minister says

that it is time to move forward. >> it cannot be, but supposedly the issue between -- i am not agreeing with the description of shia or sunni, but the segment of population that is not trusting the police, but they should trust each other. >> there are continuing reports of police brutality and clashes with young protesters, some of whom are armed with molotov cocktails. the chance of a peaceful solution is a vanishingly small. >> north korea is preparing to mark the birthday of its former leader kim jong il this week. since his sudden death in december, north korea has been headed by a much less familiar figure, his son kim jong un. our korea correspondent has been

looking at a very different public personality. kim'sntities are mr. bread and butter. ironic, because when he is not validating other people, he gets paid for being someone else. the former north korean leader kim jong il. "it does not take much to pull off the former dictator. the permed hair, the jumpsuits, and a bit of clapping." having the former north korean leader as a guest on your tv show or music video is popular in the south. delaware thanow that he's dead, switched to mimicking his son? he says there is not much similarity between kim jong il

and his son. kim jong un has a very different style to his father, much more matey, more tactile, more hands on. state media has shown him testing solar equipment, tasting their food, sitting on their beds. even the anchor has been replaced by a younger, softer looking model. the new style has generated a few column inches in the south. this newspaper for north korean defectors is run by a man better prepared than most to make the comparison. he met and dined with kim jong il before leaving north korea. >> he had such stages that people did not dare look in the face, but kim jong un has no choice but to oppress the

people and embrace them. he is begging for their loyalty. >> whether his style signals war or weakness, here in the south, officials say it's his new policies they are watching for. on that score, north korea says nothing will change. when it comes to substance, kim jong un is kim jong il. >> you are watching "newsday". still to come on the program, the duchess of cambridge is greeted by fans and she makes the royal visit to liverpool. >> we take a look around burma's newly built . capital. let's take a look at some of the stories making headlines around the world. the financial times still very much focusing on the the greek debt crisis.

it reports that the euro-zone officials meeting has been cancelled today. it comes amid a growing fight about the merits of allowing the national default in greece. the herald tribune as a warning for greece. it sums up portugal's position where the debt to gdp ratio is rising and economic growth is slowing. china daily says that relationships our maturing. the paper looks at the importance of the sound relationship between the world's two largest economies. the independent front page is dedicated to a new report that found 1/4 of the world's children are malnourished. >> this is "newsday" on the bbc. >> i am babita sharma.

the headlines. president obama tells the man expected to be china's next leader that this country must play by the same rules as other economies. >> finance ministers cancel their meeting about of greek debt crisis after they failed to deliver their austerity commitment. until recently, burm'a's new capital was an isolated refuges for a regime. that has changed with a new semi-civilian government. our correspondence sent to this report. >> you can see that when it was designed, it was a decision on a vast scale. this is the presidential palace. the building is absolutely huge. if we can move in this direction, sweeping vistas.

it is super-sized, strangely sterile. progressll a worki in and the planters had big ideas. there are not many places in the world where you could safely stand in the middle of a multi- lane highway. this is the road that leads to parliament. grandiose building. back up in that direction, is around about. in between there is not very much. you count the lanes, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 -- 10 in to the center. double that. i can carry on walking 20 lanes across. since we have been here, i can count on one hand the number of vehicles i've seen. this is the seat of government and the site of the new parliament. 40 seats in the lower house are up for grabs in by-elections. the capital could claim one of

them. we have rare access inside the chamber where they are discussing the budget. that is a new concept. under the old leadership, it it was the senior generals who decided how the nation's money would be spent. now it has been brought to parliament. they are going through line by tline. these are lively debate. they are beginning to understand their role in holding the government to account and finding their power and using it. as you look around the room, you see different legislatures from different parts of the country. the right is row upon row of khaki uniforms. 25% is reserved for the military. they are powerful. the majority of the delegates here, they belong to a military- backed priority. the fact that this is happening,

the fact that they are here is new. it is being welcomed by observers around the world. 9 >> today is the 70th anniversary of the fall of singapore. they surrendered the british garrison to the japanese in the second world war. two citizens have been recounting their experience. we will hear from a child when the war broke out and a retired royal artillery gunner. >> this is the day to remember because everything was quiet. and then we felt something was wrong. we have planes fly over and drop

over pamphlets. >> 15, february, 1942, i was 11. i and my sister myrtle were taken to the convent. the convent in town, and from there, we were taken to a chinese prison, taken by japanese. my mother -- we had gone with her and the other children's and managed to take only what we could take. i was one of the lucky ones, i had a big. i was taken from the school. we went and we did not even -- we were just given space. i keep saying my body space. this is where i sit, where i stand, where each, were asleep.

>> there was a sudden silence. we lined up. those of us that were put in one place and those that were not too fit. when we left town, we were put on the railway. end up in the country. to build the railway. >> because we were children, we were lucky. we did not have to suffer. in a sense, you work. we did have a little bit of schooling because we had -- and our parents, they were the sufferers. then, all of a sudden, we were taken just like that. and everybody panicked hit because we wanted to know what are they going to do with us, tell us?

but the next morning, we were taken in big lories to a camp. and that is where i was to the end of the war. >> i think that of all the friends i had in the army. lost. not an easy thing to say. i think about it. >> in other news, mario monti says his government will not support rome's bid to host the 2020 olympic games due to the difficult financial situation. he told reporters that there was a unanimous agreement that doing so would put taxpayers' money at risk. he has been under pressure from rome's mayor to support the bid. the duchess of cambridge had a

warm welcome on one of her first official visit. >> that is right. large crowds turned out in liverpool to greet the touches on a valentine's day and visit to the city's, this second solo visit she carried out. she visited a charity devoted to helping recovering addicts. she certainly made a lot of people very happy. >> her husband may be posted 8,000 miles away, but the duchess of cambridge is still celebrated a valentine's day. her suitor was an 8 year old called jackson. prince william sent a card and flowers to his wife. first stop, an alcohol free bar in the city center. we shot -- should be shown how to make a non-alcoholic cocktail called the duchess. ♪ there was also a performance by

this choir of recovering addicts are run by the charity action on addiction, one of four organizations of which she is patron. >> she knows about what we do. to come here was fantastic. i know that some of the stuff she heard today, and some people's testimony about their lives, about addiction. >> onwards to the children's hospital where the crowd braved the cold for catherine. this is the first time the duchess has done a public walkabout without her husband. she has come here to find that all of these people turned up just for her. the touches is a big hit the children here. jack caruthers has crones disease. >> amazingly, she came. she was very nice to me. >> just months into their career, the duchess is becoming known for her relaxed personal

approach, something appreciated by the parents and children here on the cancer ward. style watchers were satisfied. the duchess's outfit met with local approval. >> stunning. >> we only got pictures of the back of her hair care >> next month, she will accompany the queen on two engagements. later in the year, she will travel to the far east with wm. her public life will only get busier. >> queen elizabeth's ii and the duke of edinburgh have been hosting a priority in london to celebrate charles dickens. she attended an event at the guildhall in london to mark the 200th anniversary of the birth of the author, followed by a gathering at buckingham palace. >> you have been watching "newsday". >> i am babita sharma.. thanks for being with us carried we will see very soon.

stay with us for an update on the headlines enxt. >> make sense of international news. 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. >> at union bank, our relationship managers work hard to understand the industry you operate in, working to nurture new ventures and help provide capital for key, strategic decisions. we offer expertise and tailored solutions in a wide range of industries.

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