mr. kim has the moxie to see this through. he has had a lot more training than one would imagine. the process started earlier and he is more ready than many outside observers assume. >> what would you believe his -- what will he give to the international community? >> i would guess he would be rather cautious at the beginning. if he finds his footing. through his advisers, who he can rely on and who cannot. what did his father leave him with in terms of the international community? is it to move forward? that would be a reason. he and his father must have discussed that in the past. we will see that unfolding as the weeks and months go by. >> thank you for your time. opposition forces have described another day of heavy bloodshed. officials have called on damascus to end the violence. >> gunfire battling through the streets of the syrian capital, damascus. this video claims to show supporters attacking activists. it is almost impossible to verify their and authenticity. they are allegedly being recorded on video phones by activists. uploaded to social networking sites. they demand

kim jong-un and the other was mr. jiang song thaek who was walking directly behind kim jong-un. lee has the same position as kim jong-un, as vice chairman of the central military commission. and actually he's 69 years old, the same age as kim jong-il. so he would be acting as kim jong-un's personal guardian. the other person, mr. jang song thaek is kim jong-un's uncle-in-law and he has positions both in politburo of the party and central military commission. so these two people will be there playing an important role. and another, there was interesting messages in the funeral. the first one is in the first part of the funeral, the silent music was played and message was that people were mourning kim jong-il's death. but toward the end of the funeral, there was another message that, you know, upbeat music was played. and there was a military march. and so the message was that a bright future was waiting for the north korean people under the rule of kim jong-un. >> okay. we'll get back to you in just a minute. >>> first, the view from elsewhere in asia, the ceremony was of particular inte

mr. kim jong il. >> what is tokyo's view of the great successor, kim jong un? >> well, we know that there has reports of the successor issues, but we have to really watch how, you know, this transition to a new regime will emerge, and we are contacting with our allies, the united states, south korea, and china, to observe very carefully what's happening in north korea. >> okay, spokesman for the japanese prime minister joining us live from cnn tokyo. thank you very much for making yourself available right here on cnn. we are also tracking reaction from other nations. south korea has raised its national alert to the second of three levels, and the president asked that the people of south korea concentrate on economic activities and remain calm. mr. lee also spoke with u.s. president barack obama, who reaffirmed america's commitment to seoul. south korea has much to fear if north korea becomes unstable. the two share tents and border, they are still technically at war. now, how is the u.s. state department dealing with this news? well, our senior state department producer spoke to us earlier fr

mr. ban plastic bags starting on january 3rd. lilian kim hasry. >> reporter: san jose isn't the first city to ban plastic shopping bags but the law is considered to be the most comprehensive. >> their days are numbered and many san jose residents say they are going to miss them. she says she uses plastic bags for everything. >> we use them for storing things, when i open the bag i put the bag in so it stays fresh. >> ban will begin january 1st. ordinance is considered most sweeping laws of its kind, affecting not only grocery stores but all retail businesses like target to small mom and pops. pablo food center have been educating customers. they tell people about the ban throughout the checkout line. >> it's not our choice. we are doing our best to accommodate. we are here to cooperate. it's for the betterment of the environment. >> they will provide paper bags but customers will pay ten cents for one. people will learn to bring their reusable bag. they say the transition will be tough. >> if you can't use plastic, we have other bags but we lik

has a fix for it all. happy new year to all of you. we'll go in foxus with mr. steve forbes. kim mcnicholas and morgan bren an. this is all yours, why does the flat tax makes sense. >> if you want a flat economy in a fat economy flat tax is the way to do it. it lowers on productive worth and risk take success . tracks foreign capitol. we don't have to spend six and half hours filling out tax forevermores. half of the lobbying in washington revolves around it and crushes the spirit of the american people. they don't know what the rules are. and bad all around and get rid television and start over. kim, it sounds good to me, how about to you? >> i don't agree with the flat tax at all. i don't understand how steve can call it a flat tax. that is exempses or deductions. we need it not only for the lower income bracket. it is giving them exemption and deductions for you know, parents with young children, but it is going to hurt the middle class. they need the exemption because the middle class is hurt nothing today's economy . losing their jobs and incomes are falling and underwater h

mr. kim ruled north korea for 17 years and most viewed him as cruel and reclusive. he took power from his late father in 1994. in an effort to continue a family dynasty, kim jong-il has named his young e son, kim jung un, his successor last year. not much is known about him. he's estimated to be about 27. it's not known if he's married. word of kim jong-il's death comes on the same day north korea conducted a missile test. south korea said it occurred off the coast. it's not known if this is part of death of kim jong-il. the military is on high alert while the situation in north korea remains uncertain. >>> the white house says president obama is monitoring the situation in north korea follow the death of kim jong- il. coming up at 7:15, we'll have a live report from our washington, d.c. newsroom. >>> and this news has dragged asian markets down overnight. there are worries there could be new instability in the region. south korea's kospi dropped 4%. marks in other currents well this morning. but the u.s. markets are up right now. >>> 7:02. back here at home, repair crews in san pablo have already started work to fix two ruptured water maynes. some streets and homes

mr. kim the ultimate bargaining chip. the uncertainty of what comes next is all the more important. gary tuchman, cnn new york. >>> joining us now are lisa and laura ling. she has a documentary which arms tomorrow night at account on the national gee ask channel. she snuck into north korea to make the documentary. her sister laura was taken by -- when they were filming along the north korea, chinese border. they were held, subjected to a show trial, convicted and sentenced to hard labor. after months of effort and efforts by former president clinton, they received a pardon and came home. they co-authored a book about the speerps called somewhere inside. one sister's captivity in north korea and the other's fight to bring her home. good to see you both. laura, i have to ask. kim jong-il's regime, they put you and your family -- so many of us watched while you were in captivity for five months. what were your thoughts when you heard about his death? >> it was very surreal. i got chills immediately. but i also thought about the north korean people, people who have been suffering under that regime for decades. i also thought about my guards, my interrogator, my int

mr. kim could not be saved. a funeral will be held on december the 28th in pyongyang. well, kim jong il was only the second leader the people of this reclusive nation has ever known. dan rivers looks back at the enigmatic kim jong il. >> kim jong il always cut a slightly bizarre figure. his diminutive stature and characteristic hair were parroted by some in the west, but for the citizens of the democratic peoples republic of korea, kim was the embodiment of this reclusive state. feared, loved, worshipped, obeyed, his cult of personality was deeply entrenched. his father was kim il-sung. kim jong il was a little boy when the korean war broke out in 1950, but the soviet-backed north invading the american-backed south. after fighting ended, kim jong il became steeped in his father's philosophy of juche or self-reliance and the north became ever more reexclusivive. the north and south never formally signed a peace treaty and remained technically at war separated by a tense demilitarized zone. gradually, kim jong il made public appearances in front of cheering crowds. when kim il-sung died in 1994, he was declared eternal president. so his son instead becam