singapore is very centrally located in asia.n addition, we have very good air, sea, rail and port facilities that allow us to bring things in and take things out very quickly and very efficiently. narrator: singapore has the largest container-handling seaport in the world-- number one in sheer tonnage moved and second only to hong kong in container traffic. singapore's location on the strait of malacca puts it on one of the most important transport routes in the world. woman: singapore sits right at the tip of the peninsula of malaysia. it's kind of in between the south china sea as well as the indian ocean. a lot of ships that want to go from the pacific ocean to the indian ocean, they all have to come down through singapore and then cross over the other... to the other side. in that sense, its location is favorable. but it also has a natural harbor with nice deep water, and that has facilitated its port activities. narrator: the port is closely integrated with singapore's changi airport, asia's second-busiest. here, freight is

asia and the rest of the world. the other dimension is connecting the past with the present and future. in other words, connecting the historic arts to the contemporary arts of today. for our visitors, we translate our vision into our brand promise, which i want all of you to remember when you leave the building. the past is never static. the past is full of potential for new discovery, new knowledge. our programs are to unlock the great potential of the past, to find a new perspective. to look at the past with today's perspective, today's questions, so that we can learn more from the past. in doing so, we want to inspire the creativity for our program, the creativity that exists within every one of us, to create new conversations, new questions. awaken the past, inspire the next. in doing so, we want to appeal to our lovers and art newbies. in other words, the museum is for everyone. whether you are local or far away. no matter your interest is in asia or elsewhere in the world, everybody has a connection. we want

but our second priority is our relationship with the asia-pacific region and when we talk about asia-pacific, we are talking about from the indian subcontinent to the americas. we want to expand it the aperture of what this means to the united states. so we are helping lead a governmentwide effort to build a new network of relationships and insti tuitions that spans the pacific to complement is the success of our durable atlantic partnership. we are strengthening our alliances in asia, launching new strategic dialogues and coming initiatives, creating and joining important, multilateral institutions to underscore that america is and will remain a pacific power. in the coming century, no region will be more con see wental to america's future. this is not just a concern for eap, it's also for you know, wha and sca, but it's really for all of us because the security and economic interestsing will affect everything we do everywhere. so we have to engage you in our efforts. and we've reached out to, for example, eur to help us with an asia dialogue with the eu. we're working hard with our friends

that has been the position we have taken at asean at the east asia summit. because it's not only about the h which is as you know so well a very important part of the world's oceans through which more than 40% of the world's trade passes. it's also about how we resolve d disputes in territories in or near bodies of water, whether it's the arctic or south china the rule of law and standr reso disputes. we've made that known to our friends in the region as well as china. >> thank you. madam secretary, lack k other members mr. berman and i have agreed to share our five minutes with you if that would be all right. >> thank you very much. >> i'm going to ask about the keystone pipeline so start the clock. >> i withdraw mine. >> as gas prices continue to soar, madam secretary, burdening the american people in this time of economic hardship, we must continue to examine avenues to depend less on foreign oil from rogue regions. in october of 2010, you mention that you were, quote, inclined, end quote, to sign off on the keystone project because the u.s. will either b

. >> in asia, chinese manufacturing slows for the fifth consecutive month. hsbc flash pmi drops more than expected as new orders hit a four month low. >> in the u.s., the labor market is in focus as keenums on unemployment could shed some light on what we could see in the march jobs report. >> just getting in of the pmi figures out. euro's march composite pmi that flash at 48.7 is the figure that we're getting look you here. it was less than forecast and it represents a decline from last time around, as well. we see a reaction in the euro, fresh session lows coming lieu there. let's get a bill of colt of col williamson is with us, chris, run us through what it is that has sent will figure lower. lower than expected, as well. >> yeah, it's a real disappointme disappointment. so it's not signaling the rate of contraction that we had late last year before the ltros have been in place, but there's been a broad based weakening. a steep race of decline still in the periphery. perhaps more worrying than that, germany, the rate of growth is creeping closer towards s

interests on asia, east asia in particular. and where ken has described a strategy that is fairly coherent and could work. and it's described in some quarters of the administration as a pivot. well, if you pivot towards something, you're pivoting away from something. and what he's pivoting away from is the middle east. and that's, you know, he's ending two wars in the greater middle east, he's dropped the effort to resolve the palestinian problem, and i don't see him picking it up again. we can get back to that if you want to. and the underlying little secret that people are kind of finally waking up to is that in his second term we will no longer need middle eastern oil. we only import 10% from the middle east today from the gulf. china and india will be highly dependent and, of course, we will still have an interest in the free flow of oil. but the idea of, in effect, turning his back on the middle east and focusing on our interests in asia is, i think, where he wants to take the united states in his second term. and that's w

we begin in laos, southeast asia's only landlocked country. long history of isolation has protected its natural resources and indigenous cultures. laos today is beginning to court the global economy throh e sale of hydroelic pow. wesk ilaosanchieve beginning to csustainable delopment,y generang ec growth of its indigenous tions wd its natural enronment. the mekong river traces an 1,100-mile path through or along the border of laos. the river has also been a barrier between laos and its neighbors. now there is a road, where before there was none. in 1994, the friendship bridge gave laos its first land link with the outside world, through thailand to the west. the bridge may symbolize a connected future, but laos in the here and now remains among the poorest countries in the world. ( rooster crows ) it is the least developed country in the lower mekong basin. life expectancy is low, about 53 years. ( rooster crows % of cn maourished. the potential changes brought by economic development are enormous. the soil here is rich and fertile. laos remai

japan, southeast asia, australia and japan. you will recognize some of the large investors, including calpers, ontario municipal retirement fund, pennsylvania state employees retirement fund and many others. she sits on an number of cities service boards and the foundation that it works on improving the lives of orphans and china. she is on the advisory board for room to read and she, our message, her accomplishments are an inspiration to all of the women who want to be numbers women and to want to take a chance and accept risks and for all of the women who know it's ok to pay the past that has not been paid yet. she is real proof the glass ceiling can really be broken. that she cannot be here today, i would like to thank her for all of her accomplishments and thank you for being here to accept her award. thank you. [applause] >> on behalf of melissa, out we send our deepest condolences she could not be here in person but she is honored and remains deeply committed to san francisco personally and professionally. thank you. [app

rest seeks to grant anti missile shield in asia and the middle east alongside its european project but it's no problem to be in affairs and seen as an attempt to expand american influence in the region. and with washington showing no get up on its pursuit of whistleblowers journalists feel forced to sacrifice the truth fearing for their future. welcomes watty world news twenty four hours a day the free syrian army may be sending child soldiers to fight against government forces according to a report received of united nations says it all around vesting it matter as kofi annan the international peace envoy declares it's up to the people of syria alone to decide on the present us as rule envoy who's now in china stressed that the bloodshed must end but also said it could be harmful to set unrealistic deadlines said any emphasise that talks not guns were the only way to end the bitter conflict professor of international law. says there are safeguards against foreign interference in recent. principle of. it's the right of the people of the state to choose whatever regime go on. so many cou

that has been the position we have taken at asean at the east asia summit. because it's not only about the south china sea, which is as you know so well, a very important part of the world's oceans through which more than 40% of the world's trade passes. it's also about how we resolve disputes concerning territories in or near bodies of water, whether it's the arctic or south china sea. it's very important we stand for the rule of law and we stand for the peaceful resolution of any disputes. we've made that known to our friends in the region as well as china. >> thank you.

heading over to the bigger picture in eastern continental asia. in japan we have a system affecting south korea and western japan. this system will be just dumping weather towards eastern japan as well. much of the country will be looking ahead for a wet weekend. another system here will be ushering lots of very cold air in and around the region by sunday the precipitations will be turning white. lingering showers in central china that's going to be tapering off much lighter conditions, but widely spread. and here seasonal showers as well as seasonal thunderstorms will be skirtd across the area. in the southeastern manila the system will be approaching closer over the weekend. temperaturewise 32 degrees. we're talking about seoul 16 degrees. so that's going to be nice weather out there as well as beijing at 14. tokyo at 12 on saturday, high much better. and it will be on the rise on sunday. heading over to the americas. still a series one after another the storm systems battering the pacific in fact and the b.c. area. this is another unstable syst

in the geographic region of east asia is the island of taiwan.ly about 250 miles from end to end, it is dwarfed mighty china. however, taiwan's small size belies a powerful economic tiger. today its thriving high-tech industries hungrily eye chi's enormous market, but until recently investment in china was forbidden. old antagonisms stemming from china's 1949 communist revolution have estranged taiwan from its motherland. even so, taiwanese entrepreneurs have moved into china. we'll hear from one geographer who sees taiwan acting as an interface region between chinese business and western technology. a big question here is whether business relationships can transcend and perhaps ease long-standing political tensions. the peak-hour traffic in taipei is evidence of taiwan's growth as a powerhouse of development. taiwan's affluence is reflected in the high level of motor-vehicle ownership. in tast, it became known around world as a producer of cheap labor-intensive goods, such as clothing and textiles. today it is a major player in the development a

>> the big vendors were still in asia.nk you look at where the growth has been, some growth in europe, but asia driving the tune. >> courtney just reported, you said that coach is really cashing in on the guys who like to shop. how big a market can this become? >> almost the sky's the limit. we are actually seeing a lot of analysts taking positions on some of these luxury retailers because of the growth they see in the men's division. the citi a list that covers the european market put a buy on coach shares because of the growth he sees in the men's division. ibm puts to you the a report tracking potential growth. they think men's aparticle, strongest growth of the category, that they track for the quarter, projecting 8% growth. lube bitten, jimmy choo, men's line and they are selling. >> shop hearse responsible for one-fifth of luxury sales around the globe. >> all the luxury retailers pointing to china saying the growth. china isn't exactly slow, it is still 7 1/2% gdp here, where the bulk of the growth is coming from. y

to go into an organ now or are the only ones in the whole of eastern asia what if the. other and there are less than fifty left. i sat in front of cum swelled for one year from morning to night nor new day three i held up a sign saying no new basis from a lot of soldiers came out to talk to me it will rise back to the fact that they offered me for breakfast. but they were so young that. i couldn't believe they would be sent to iraq to murder other people. with. you know your precious dollars yearly as kids are trained to kill that we must stop less and we believe we can prevent the construction of these telepaths with our actions i would look to obviously we only resort to peaceful means of protest that are going. on you could have. a lot of challenges but we also had some real opportunities and it's up to each of us to determine the role that we will play on behalf of our country and our leadership but i have every confidence that when it comes to defending america's security and advancing our interests we have nobody better then all of you. so thank you and thanks to

seeds to plant anti-missile shields in asia and the middle east in alongside its european project while its involvement in korean affairs is seen as an attempt to expand american influence in the region. and with washington showing no let up on its pursuit of whistleblowers more journalists feel forced to sacrifice the truth fearing for their future. thanks for joining r t it's two o'clock here in moscow and i'm karen taraji the free syrian army may be sending child soldiers to fight against government forces according to a report received by the united nations the body says it will now investigate the matter as kofi annan the international peace envoy declares it's up to the people of syria alone to decide on president assad's rule the envoy who is now in china stressed about the bloodshed must end but also said it could be harmful to set realistic deadlines once again he emphasized that halts not guns were the only way to end the bitter conflict professor of international law would occur our law says there are safeguards against foreign interference for a reason. it is. and it is a pr

within asia. a lot of companies are focusing on exporting to europe. so, again, that now provides a little bit of nervousness, then. >> so, in other words, does that mean you would stay away from china-related stocks? >> what i would say is you've got to focus on where the revenues are being generated. >> they're feeling their domestic markets are doing very well hp and feeling asia is going to be doing better than servicing their own economies. >> all right, fantastic. we're going to have to leave it there. but she's going to stay with us. she's head of investment strategy. apple mania has descended once again as the latest ipad goes on sale around the globe. we'll be live in about 30 minutes time. but will you be hitting the stores for the latest version of the best-selling tablets. tell us worldwide at cnbc.com. or simply choose another. and it's free. ya know, for whoever you are that day. it's just another way you'll be traveling at the speed of hertz. >>> welcome back. >>> welcome back. let's start here in the united states and take a look at the

this is christine here in asia. i'm glad you mentioned india, south korea and australia because they're all here in asia pacific. the sport has become so popular. will that divert attention away from europe? >> well, that's a good question actually but you should never really get away from what the classics are, the real foundation of formula one has been which is europe. the expansion to, as you say, asia. you have china, malaysia, and of course there are other countries that are hosting their first event. expansion is nothing wrong. i just hope again that mr. ecclestone keeps an eye on the strong tradition formula one is which is basically europe. >> you speak that have tradition because obviously you are a race car driving legend with so many years experience. how has it been to watch formula one grow and transition over the years? how is it to sit back and reflect and see those changes take place? >> i think it's from my sta standpoint obviously whenever you see progress in the business you love, it's part of yo

we've got your stimulus being put in in asia. look where oil is. if it stays at these levels, how damaging does it become. >> my view is that it's not just the level of oil but the path that it takes to get there. if you get a sudden spike up, it makes it a lot more damaging to the economy. but one thing we have to remember is that oil -- i was just looking at brent crude prices before i left the office and they were actually something like 2.5% higher than where we are right now in april of last year. so the actual inflationary impact at the moment doesn't seem to be so significant, at least not from oil, and if you look at the oil futures contracts out to december 2014, you tilely find that although spot oil is quite high, there is for oil futures are actually lower than where we are right now. now, of course, the higher the oil price goes, the more uncomfortable it becomes for the economy. but at this moment, it doesn't seem like it's going to result in a dramatic growth shot. we were here before in the first and second quarter of 2011 and the e

interest upon asia, east asia in particular, and the way ken has described a strategy that is fairlycoherent and could work, and it's described in some quarters of the administration the pivot. if you pivot towards something you're pivoting away from something. and what he is pivoting away from is the middle east. and he is indian to wars in the greater middle east. eavesdropping the effort to resolve the palestinian problem, and i don't see them picking it up again. and the underlying little secret that people kind of our waking up to is that in his second term we will no longer need the middle eastern oil. really import 10% from the middle east today. china and india will be highly dependent, and, of course, we'll still have an interest in the free flow of oil, but the idea of in effect turning his back on the middle east and focusing on our interest in asia is i think where he wants to take the united states in his second term. and that's what i say it would be ironic, indeed, for the sake of preserving nonproliferation pillar, he ends up starting a third war in the middle east. >

all southeast asia and asia there are a lot of similarities. >> he is a male entity. he is not -- are you referring to the story? >> it's interesting you should say that. a unique indian concept is one of half male, half female. and that is -- unlike some dances the solo dancer portrays all of the parts in the story. you can portray a feminine aspect and then masculine aspect with the bow and arrow. the male has to portray feminine and the female has to portray masculine. there is a very fierce dance and a soft sort of dance and every dancer has to learn all those aspects. it's very, you know, my teacher i call him a guru in this art form you have to study very, very hard. you have to learn about all the cultural aspects. he says it's liberating because he enjoys and has to learn to bring up the feminine aspect. he's a strong character it's a challenge for him and he likes it. the stories are metaphor cal. i don't look at this that this is a man or woman. there are qualities we all have that some of us are in touch with and are not. in our culture we think people shou

seeks to grant and see missile shields in asia and the middle east along side its european project its involvement in korean affairs is seen as an attempt to expand american influence in the region. and with washington showing no left to follow suit of clothes or journalists to feel forced to suffer because the truth fearing for their future. internationally is in comment twenty four hours a day you're watching on t.v. the free syrian army may be sending child soldiers to fight against government forces according to reports are saved by the united nations when he says it will now investigate the matter as kofi annan the international peace envoy clears it's up to the people of syria alone to decide on present answered to rule envoy trail stressed that the bloodshed must stand also said it harmful to set unrealistic deadlines and he emphasized talks not guns only way to end the bitter conflict meanwhile the syrian national council has invited fellow opposition groups to a meeting in istanbul i want you divisions here in the us and western support call it a professor of international nor

us seeks to plant anti missile shields in asia and the middle east along side its nuclear project but its involvement in korean affairs is seen as an attempt to expand american influence in the region. washington sharing won't let up its pursuit of whistleblowers or journalists feel forced to sacrifice the truth hearing for their future. forecasting life in the heart of the russian capital this is r.t. . president assad's fate can be decided only by the will of the syrian people that's the opinion of u.n. arab league peace envoy kofi annan as he heads east to secure chinese support for his peace plan and voice stress that the bloodshed must stand but also said it could be harmful to set money in a strict deadlines again he emphasized that talks not guns any way to end the bitter conflict while the syrian national council are interpreting oppositional groups to retain scandal in order to heal divisions fearing the loss of western support according to professor. you know it's their own people that shouldn't think so. well. is. it is a linkage to look. it's the right of the people. to tr

us seeks to plant a anti missile shield from asia in the middle east alongside its european project but its korean affairs is seen as an attempt to expand the american consumer region . with washington showing no that's a promise pursuit of whistleblowers for journalists to sacrifice the truth being the future. writing world news twenty four hours a day the free syrian army may be sending child soldiers to fight against government forces according to reports were seen by the united nations when he says it was down yesterday the matter is kofi annan international peace and clear is it something the people of syria know this so i don't present ourselves real and boy was i trying to stress that the bloodshed must end but also said it could be harmful to set unrealistic deadlines to getting into sides that talks not done so the only way to end it's a conflict oppressor of international rule. says there are safeguards against foreign interference for a reason. for the people of the truth whatever. but they won't be in so many countries you have internal turmoil. it could become something mor

but of course obama right from the word go has been an asia pacific president. the world is changing. the tectonic plates are moving. and obviously we all look to asia and china now for who's going to be america's co-partner, as it were, the big nation of the next century. somewhere in the background there's always this sense, perhaps, that britain and america's great second world war and cold war partner, perhaps a feeling that america is pivoting toward asia and looking the other way. so all of that said, there will be lots of attempts to enforce the fact that this relationship is strong. i understand the obamas were very pleased with the reception they got in london. they got an enormous state dinner from the queen. speaking to a colleague of mine in london, very excited that mr. cameron as head of state is really getting the full treatment insofar as he could do. the white house, british celebrities there. i think the policy aside, this is really going to be about showing that the old anglo saxon angle is strong. if there was any thought perhaps that the oba

and i think there's a huge developing market in terms of corporate debt this asia. and maybe chloe would hike like comment on that. but investors are saying it doesn't have to be sovereign debt, could be corporate bond debt which offers a little higher yield and with the right credit evaluation offers a great opportunity. >> we'll pick up on that, but we also need to talk about this recent action by global policymakers means there is still good money to be made in emerging markets and that's certainly the view from veteran investor mark mobius. he tells cnbc why he still expects more qe there are the fed. >> i believe there will be more. they made it very clear, bernanke has made it clear that until they see a sustained growth, they will continue to provide liquidity to the market and whether you call it qe-2, 3, 4 or 5, that money supply will continue to increase. >> you think it will know that far, qe-3, 4, 5? >> it could if the economy does not get better. they may not call that. but in reality that's what it will be. it will look like more money supply coming in

. >> in asia, president obama meets with hu jintao. a missile launch dominates. in the u.s., after a high profile crash results, the leader of a bats stock exchange are at odds over what part to pursue next. >> latest business sentiment, 109.8 in march. this will be scenes as something of relief euro-dollar spiking up. patricia. >> better than expected. there was a big fear because of that weaker number as you were saying in the headlines of the pmi data across the board here in europe that we might see a dampening up german businesses. but here the headline number better than expected. index slightly ahead of expectations, so we should see the euro reacting corredirectly it. we're flattening out, 132.56. remember, that is the fifth consecutive month to the up side. we had a accept month high of the number. so will should be the eight month high of the number. so will this is good. we're expecting economists to make comments on what businesses expect going forward, but all in all the component with regard to inflation hasn't dampened the expectations going forwar

asia might have something to do with.mal handler good morning. >> good morning mega tonnes of fun. asia weighs over 8,000 pounds, 44 years old and one of 6 divas travelling with us  buy one spectrum by y lg, and get one free ? with verizon 4g lte and a 4.4.5" true hd display, it's great for watching movies and sports, i'll get one for me and one for my wife. i'll be like [manly voice] "a phone, my sweet" and get one free. verizon. never in my lifetime did i think i could walk 60 miles in 3 days. (woman) the goal is to bring an end to breast cancer. (woman) there's no doubt in my mind that komen's funding helped saved my life. the 3-day is my opportunity to help save others' lives. (woman) i'll never stop walking, not till we find a cure. it is the most rewarding experience i have ever had in my entire life. (man) register today for the... because everyone deserves a lifetime. >>> the greatest show on earth is in town through sunday. holly morris is there to learn more about their fully charged circus. >> 141s

asia is manning small gains. australia's asx 200 managed to close up thanks to gains in banking stocks. the nikkei added .4 of a percent after a surprise trade sur plas of $400 million was announced. it seems investors are not too concerned about china's pmi for now. >> interesting, ramy, considering the chinese authorities did move beforehand to ease them back a fraction. it's all pointing towards the directions -- ramy inocencio. thank you. >>> the china numbers are so closely watched here. just to see that reaction in the asia market to sort of take that in stride suggests there's no undue concern among investors about the speefd the slowdown, at least yet in china. >> yeah. we've already seen what's going on in china affecting the markets where i am here in europe. just two days ago, i'll remind that you all those concerned that perhaps china's economy may not be keeping pace with the robust growth has been hurting the automotive stocks because china has a voracious appetite for metals and things like that. t

national interests in a key ally in northeast asia. since the united states and the republic of korea forged an alliance in battle over 60 years ago, the republic of korea has become a vibrant democracy, economic success and global security partner. currently serving beside us in afghanistan and off the horn of africa. in stark contrast one of the world's poorest, most closed and most mill tarized countries, north korea lies less than 20 miles from the northern districts of seoul, a city of over 24 million people. the change in north korean leadership led to a period of increased uncertainty on the korean peninsula. the new leader appears to be following the same pattern of his late father and grandfather, examples of this are north korea's recent announcement of their intention to launch a satellite with a ballistic missile and their continued denounsing the nuclear security summit and alliance military exercises. these actions are increasing tensions on the peninsula. additionally, north korea continues to adhere to its military firs

in asia not in afghanistan or iraq. and the united states will be right at the center of the action. thanks to your effort madam secretary, i believe the united states will be front and center. so i thank you for bucking tradition for your first trip overseas, on your firsts trip, you visited asia to convey a strong message america's relationship is important and in your many trips since then, from china to south korea to japan and beyond, you've been about making the approximacommitment will be important many times over, i applaud you in recognizing the importance of the asian countries in the undertaking and in the foreign relations budget hearing i quote what you say, those that say we can no longer to engage in the world have it backward. we cannot afford not to. from opening new market s for american businesses, to curbing nuclear proliferation to keep the sea lanes free for commerce and navigation, our work abroad holds the key to our prosperity and security at home. i want to know for the record, that when americ

. >>> time to check on some of the stories we gathered from broadcasters around asia. we begin tonight with this item sent by ctn cambodia. myanmar's president arrived in cambodia in phnom penh on wednesday on the second leg of his three nation tour of southeast asia. he has already visited vietnam and leaves for laos on thursday. he's meeting on thursday with cambodian prime minister and aimed at strengthening economic and political ties. analysts say the president's tour of southeast asia sab effort to seek support for the country's democratization process and for the lifting of economic sanctions imposed by the international community. >>> malaysia's economy is expected to grow by 4% to 5% this year, driven by sustained expansion in domestic demand despite global uncertainties. malaysia central bank governor released the bank's annual report in kuala lumpur on thursday. she said domestic demand and investment will continue to prop up the economy. the governor also cautioned that external factors such as the greek debt crisis remain a challenge and can affect malaysi