jim bittermann,en kren, paris. >>> he's the chief of mag co's strl bank, augustin car ststen' bid is said to be a long shot. he's said to keep the country stable during the global downturn in 2008. >> translator: the policies we've adopted in mexico have really been successful. clear proof of that even after 2009, mexico's situation is one of the best in the world. that doesn't mean we don't have challenges but our financial public policy is in order. >> reporter: born in 1958 carstens earned a degree in economics at the university of chicago. he then joined the imf as executive director from 1999 to 2000. >> translator: i'm a practicing ma tick who operates on results and having a wide vision when it comes to solving problems and incorporating all factors when it comes to finding a solution. >> reporter: from 2006 to 2009 carstens served as finance minister under president philippe calderon. during this period he increased revenue for the government. he's been leading mexico's central bank since january last year. >> so profile of augustin carstens and before that jim bittermann of

jim bittermann, cnn paris. >>> great stuff.don't forget, if you want to comment on any of the stories you've seen on the show this day, make sure you join us and the whole team on our facebook page. all you have to do is go to facebook.com/cnnwbt and let us know your thoughts. nina? >> that's about it for this edition of "world business today." i'm nina dos santos in london. >> i'm andrew stevens in hong kong. we've got for you -- first we'll be back at 2:00 p.m. london time, that's 9:00 p.m. in hong kong. "marketplace middle east" is just ahead. any questions? no. you know... ♪ we're not magicians ♪ we can't read your mind ♪ ♪ read your mind ♪ we need your questions ♪ each and every kind ♪ every kind ♪ will this react with my other medicine? ♪ ♪ hey, what are all these tests even for? ♪ ♪ questions are the answer ♪ yeah ♪ oh >>> this week on ""marketplace middle east"," on the road to getting an upgrade, the uea in qatar to go to emerging market status by the end of the year. what will that really mean? plus a synchronized eff

jim bittermann on the coast of libya. >>> stand by for my live interview with republican presidentialandidate, michele bachmann. she's standing by as well. she's in new orleans. >>> plus, a young woman who led police on a two-year chase using stolen boats, stolen cars, even stolen planes. the day in court. that's coming up. >>> and he's the most important man in pakistan, and the key to keeping the peace with islamabad, but he could be on his way out. why this pakistani general is so important to the united states. stay with us. you're in "the situation room." in here, the planned combination of at&t and t-mobile would deliver our next generation mobile broadband experience to 55 million more americans, many in small towns and rural communities, giving them a new choice. we'll deliver better service, with thousands of new cell sites... for greater access to all the things you want, whenever you want them. it's the at&t network... and what's possible in here is almost impossible to say. it's the at&t network... membership rewards points from american express. they're a social currency.

>> jim bittermann from paris. >>> joining us vanessa friedman for the fashion times.t galliano. is he racist? >> not that i told you. i saw no indications of it. does that mean behind closed doors in his house he hasn't said the sort of things he's accused of saying? i have no idea. >> many people questioning whether or not the fact that he started to lose the plot a while back, partly because of the fact of the pressures within the industry. there is this constant pressure to deliver collection after collection, season after season, that the demands are a lot more than they ever used to be for a luxury fashion house like dior. do you believe that may have contributed to this? >> performance anxiety is certainly a factor in the industry, but it's not something that john was the only person subjected to. so the fact that he imploded the way he did i think can't be blamed solely on what's happening with fashion. >> what was your reaction when you first saw this? >> i was surprised. i was sad. i was interested in seeing how dior was going to handle it. >> do you think th