it said it would allocate funds to upgrading myanmar's infrastructure. and invite foreign companies to help. the nation needs to build irrigation systems, power stations, and communication lines as a foundation for economic growth. myanmar will hold a by-election in april. democracy leader kyi is standing in the poll. during tuesday's session, a lawmaker from one of the country's ethnic groups withined the prospect of kyi entering parliament. >> translator: her presence will be welcome and force changes here, too. >> reporter: about a quarter of the seats in parliament are affiliated with the military. those lawmakers were more cautious on the topic of kyi. but they were welcoming of the reforms. >> translator: her arrival is immaterial because we like her are taking the stance of democratization. >> reporter: rebuilding myanmar's economy urgently requires the lifting of economic sanctions. to that end, many lawmakers seem to believe dmok ritization is necessary. the reform process seems increasingly irreversible. >> rebuilding myanmar's economy was also

myanmar says 651 prisoners were included in the presidential pardon. and nhk correspondent outside a jail confirms that political detainees were among those released. freed inmates were reunited with loved ones and supporters. organizations that campaigned for the release of political prisoners say dozens of them were freed on friday. >> translator: i'm grateful, but i want all political detainees released. >> former prime minister was also freed from house arrest. he was removed from his post in 2004 following a power struggle with the then military leader. >> translator: i'll not be involved in politics, but i'll do something that would benefit the people. >> on thursday, myanmar's government signed a cease fire agreement with one of the nation's largest ethnic rebel groups after more than 60 years of fighting. the series of recent moves by the civilian led government is seen as a message to the united states and european nations to encourage them to lift economic sanctions. nhk has spoken with one of the people recognized as being the brains behind

rakhine is the last state in myanmar to receive the kits. inside are basic drugs, herbal remedies and other first aid supplies. each community receives one kit and villages can use them for less than a dollar, sometimes just a few cents. when supplies run out, government officers come and restock. >> translator: this is a great change for villagers who could barely receive medical treatment. >> reporter: this village of 1,000 people has just received its medical kit. a village meeting is held to tell people how to use it and what effect each drug has. he and his wife make their living from fishing. they are worried about their 6-month child, who often gets sick. having access to cheap drugs is a great relief. >> translator: the baby will get well soon. i'm really happy. >> translator: we will work hard to deliver medicines to more villages. it would be great if we could provide every village with a medical kit. >> reporter: the medical kits are providing some relief in people's daily lives, especially in remote villages that used to have lit

myanmar says 651 prisoners were included in the presidential pardon. and nhk correspondent outside a jail confirms that political detainees were among those released. freed inmates were reunited with loved ones and supporters. organizations that campaign for the rereese of political prisoners say dozens of them were fried on friday. >> translator: i'm grateful, but i want all political detainees released. >> former prime minister was also freed from house arrest. he was removed from his post in 2004 following a power struggle with the then military leader. >> translator: i'll not be involved in politics, but i'll do something that would benefit the people. >> on thursday, myanmar's government signed a cease-fire agreement with one of the nation's largest ethnic rebel groups after more than 60 years of fighting. the series of recent moves by the civilian led government is seen as a message to the united states and european nations to encourage them to lift economic sanctions. nhk has spoken with one of the people recognized as being the brains behind my

myanmar will hold by-elections on april first. prodemocracy leader and her national league for democracy party have registered to take part. ashton says the eu will be closely watching the outcome of the vote. >> in consultation with her, i will visit in april after the elections when i hope we will have had the chance to review what has happened and make decisions at an eu level and our response to what i hope will be continued progress. >> reporter: reforms have been gathering strength in myanmar. the government has released political prisons and signed a cease fire agreement to end the conflict with ethnic rebels. in response eu foreign ministers gathering in brussels on monday agreed to suspend bans on senior officials from myanmar including the president and his vice president. they said further easing of sanctions could follow by the end of april if the reforms continue. relations between myanmar and western nations are quickly thawing. the u.s. has also begun the process of exchanging ambassadors with myanmar. >> and now to

people from myanmar make a living by collecting garbage. the mountain of trash is dotted with people. they're searching for scraps of steel and plastic to sell. this 13-year-old came here with his family five years ago. he earns about $1 a day, too little to feed his family of four. picking garr bang is the only way to get enough to eat. >> translator: my father is sick so i have no choice but to do this. >> reporter: a local ngo has built a school near the garbage site to help the children. about 150 students attend the school. they all live at the dump, but they get medical check ups and free meals through the school. his younger brother started at this school two years ago. after -- he stay collecting garbage, he goes to the school to pick up his brother. he wishes he was also playing with his friends. but he has to support his family. he hopes that one day he too will go to school and become a doctor. >> translator: working at the dump site is no fun at all. it's just that there's no alternative job. i want to return to my hometown some

rakhin is the last state in myanmar to receive the kits. inside are basic drugs, herbal remedies, bandages and other first-aid supplies. each community receives one kit and villagers can use them for less than a dollar, sometimes just a few cents. when supplies run out, government officials come and restock. >> translator: this is a great change for villagers who could barely receive medical treatment. >> reporter: this village of 1,000 people has just received its medical kit. a village meeting is held to tell people how to use it and what effect each drug has. this man and his wife make their living from fishing. they are worried about their 6-month child who often gets sick. having access to cheap drugs is a great relief. >> translator: the baby will get well soon. i'm really happy. >> translator: we work hard to deliver medicines to more villages. it would be great if we can provide every village with a medical kit. >> reporter: the medical kits are providing some relief in people's daily lives, especially in remote villages that used t

myanmar's economy is one of the least developed. the government shift towards democracy appears to be part of its effort to get economic sanctions lifted by western countries. the bi-elections are scheduled for april 1st, will be fought over a total of 48 seats in the upper and lower house fs parliament and local aaccept bliss. the nld is fielding candidates in nearly all those seats. she's running for a lower house seat in a constituency which she's widely expected to win. >>> the reforms in myanmar altered many witness about the country, but the new sense of optimism isn't shared by everyone. for years, many people from myanmar fled the country in search of work or freedom. reports from the thai border, they often find their new lives are also filled with hardship. >> translator: every day, people cross for myanmar, often illegally, to look for work. they total about 20,000 a year. they expect a better life. but often they find reality is tough. this garbage dump is close to the river. i am standing at a gar bj mountain on the tha

turning to myanmar where political reforms continue to attract the interest of western countries. for the first time since myanmar gained independence from britain more than 60 years ago france has sent a government minister there on an official visit. french foreign minister on met with the president in the capital. he is the latest in a series of high ranking western politicians to visit the country. at a press conference following the meeting, he said he believes in myanmar's desire to continue demock raization. this comes days after the government signed a cease fire with the largest group of ethnic rebel fighters. it also released more than 600 prisoners including as many as 500 political detainees. those steps were broadly welcomed. the united states immediately announced it would upgrade diplomatic relations with myanmar. >> we will continue to support them and their efforts and to encourage the government to take bold steps that build the kind of free and prosperous nation. >> despite those warm words the obama administration continues to ask for more. it wants myanmar to

yukio edano expressed japan's policy for development in myanmar during a meeting in yangon on thursday. >> translator: japan plans to help stabilize your country's economy and improve the standard of living. >> edano explained that japan is ready to help revamp myanmar's electrical and water systems in tandem with its movement toward democratization. aung san suu kyi commented that the interests of ethnic minorities should be taken into account when developing the local economy. >>> investors in europe cheered the latest debt auctions from italy and spain. ai uchida has the latest. >> strong demand in the european markets on thursday. yields of italian and spanish government bonds fell following their successful auctions, spain sold twice its original target. the yield for italy's ten-year bond fell to around 6 1/2%. this was from about 7%, a level that makes it difficult for the nation to rebuild its public finances on its own. the yield of spain's ten-year bond dropped to about 5.1%. sources say that commercial banks bought these government bonds as ample funds from three-year loans

but this is myanmar. until earlier this year, off the list of desired places due to the brutal military junta. with a strong government, albeit linked to the military and tentative reforms comes new travel interests. there are definitely more tourists coming here to myanmar, according to the ticket office, around 1,000 foreign visitors every single day on average come to see this pegoda. for a country isolated from the rest of the world for so many years, these images are p.r. gold. if the top u.s. diplomat hillary clinton is happy to visit, why not tourists? the ministry of hotels and tourism says around 790,000 people visited last year. that's expected to rise to 900,000 this year. >> hillary was coming before us. i figured if it was good for her, it would be good for us. we're fine. >> we recognize that it's changing. we've been there in january this year and now it's getting more modern. >> reporter: myanmar has a long way to go before it can consider competing with neighboring thailand. the infrastru

h in a she'sd to tered many witness about the country, but sense optimism isn't everyo people fm myanmar fled the country of reports from the thai they their new liv hardship. >> tra every cross for oftenillegally, to lookwork.20,000 a they expect but realityis garbage the i am at a gar theorder myanmar. livingg mountain of guarded with searching plastic to sed came here yearsago. aday, too his four. ut of the the only w geteat. is sicko to do al a school near tochildren. about attend school. live at dump but free histarted yearsago. he stayedgarbage. he goes school toup brother.was also playing but he has suppo family. day too, will nd working at thes fun at it's just alternative to my someday. >> reporter: i to support his family b him from one day things will benh restructure its debt. if no deal is reached, greece could default. germany proposed before the summit opened that greece surrender control of its budget and fiscal authority to outside institutions in the european commission but the proposal was met with strong opposition. we'll follow this story, bring more detls toughouthe

government representatives met with senior officials from the national union in eastern myanmar. the two sides agreed to open a liaison office and agreed talks for a lasting settlement. fighters battle the former military rule for more than 60 years. the transfer to civilian led governments after an election in 2010 opened the door for dialogue. u.s. secretary of state hillary clinton demanded an end to all civil conflicts when she visited myanmar in december. western nations have made it a precondition for any lifting of sanctions. and turning to afghanistan. a video that appears to show u.s. soldiers desecrating the bodies of dead taliban fighters threatens to deepen hostility against foreign troops. the u.s. marine corp. says it's investigating. the 40-second clip was posted on youtube on wednesday. it appears to show four caucasian men in what looks like u.s. military uniforms laughing as t urinate on the corpses of three taliban fighters. american media report the uniform suggests the men could be u.s. marines stationed in afghanistan. news of the video caused outrage in afg

. >>> japanese government official held talks and expressed eagerness for them to cooperate in myanmar's development complex. >> translator: japan plans to help stabilize your country's economy and improve the standard of living. >> he explained japan is ready to help revamp myanmar's electrical and water systems in tandem with movement toward democritization. she commented the issue of ethnic minorities should be taken into account when developing the local economy. >>> investors in europe cheered the latest debt auctions from italy and spain. ai has more. good morning. >> new debt from italy and spain showed good command in european markets thursday. yields of italian and spanish government bonds fell, following the successful auctions that is, which went smoothly in both countries. spain sold twice its original target. the yield for italy's ten year bond fell to around 6.5%. this was from about 7%, which is a level that makes it difficult for the nation to rebuild its public finances on its own. the yield of spain's ten year bond dropped to about 5.1%. sources say commercial banks bou

. >>> myanmar's opposition leader received an enthusiastic welcome as she begins to campaign for the upcoming bi-elections. the pro-democracy leader was trying to get support for her party, the national league for democracy or the nld. >> translator: in the elections, every single voter has their vote, and every vote is equally valued. their support, nld will work for support and development of the country. >> bi elections are scheduled for april 1st, and will be for 48 seats in upper and lower houses of parliament and local assemblies. nld is fielding candidates for nearly all the seats up for grabs, with her running for a lower house seat in a constituency in yang gong. >> she's the one that fulfills our hopes. i am thrilled to see her. >> she's assured a victory in her constituency, so she's expected to tour outside of there to win support for the other candidates from her party. >>> japanese consumers may be paying twice as much in sales tax in a few years. the government is trying to balance the country's budget deficit. ai has that story. >> that's right. in addition, social se

. >>> pro-democracy activists in myanmar are saying the number of political prisoners released by theent so far falls short of what western countries had expected. the pro-democracy activists say at least 33 short-term prisoners have been freed, far fewer than the more than 1,000 prisoners the united states and european nations have set as a condition for lifting economic sanctions. the activists also say no major political prisoners serving long sentences have been granted amnesty. that includes those involved in activities against the former military-led government. last month u.s. secretary of state hillary clinton urged the current military dominated myanmar government to release all political prisoners. on wednesday president thein sein called for national reconciliation in his independence day statement. he did not mention the release of political prisoners. >>> the german president is refusing to resign felt a german newspaper accused him of trying to cover up a story about a loan scandal. the paper reported last month that in 2008 he received a low-interest loan before 500,000

. >>> british foreign secretary, william hague, is visiting myanmar in an effort to improve bilateral ties. he is the first british foreign minister to visit the country in 57 years. he will meet president thein sein and prodemocracy leader aung san suu kyi during the two-day visit. britain is considering easing economic sanctions on myanmar if the country makes progress on democratization. the u.s. and japan is also trying to improve relations. u.s. secretary of state, hillary clinton, visited the country last november. the first u.s. secretary to do so in over 50 years. japanese foreign minister, koichiro gemba went there last month. >>> the european union is set to impose a ban on crude oil imports from iron. the eu has been considering the sanction since last year as a way to increase pressure on the country over its nuclear program. french foreign minister, allen jupay, told reporters on wednesday that eu foreign ministers will discuss a ban when they hold talks at the end of january. >> translator: i hope we will be able to adopt the measure on the embargo of oil and petrol from

secretary of state hillary clinton urged the current military-dominated myanmar government to release all political prisoners. on wednesday president thein sein called for national reconciliation in his independence day statement. he did not mention the release of political prisoners. >>> german media have accused president christian wulff of trying to suppress a story about a scandal involving a controversial loan that he made. the "bild" newspaper reported in december that wulff received a low-interest loan of about 500,000 euros, or about $650,000, from the wife of a businessman in 2008. although the loan at 4% interest was not illegal, it was about 1% below market rate. on monday "the bild" said the president called its editor and tried to stop publication of an article on the loan. the newspaper says wulff later apologized. wulff became the president with the strong endorsement of chancellor angela merkel. the scandal could be a major blow to merkel, who is trying to deal with the euro zone credit crisis and gain cooperation from opposition parties. >>> time to check on some of t

the government of myanmar has released some of its most prominent political prisoners. they were among some 650 detainees who received a presidential pardon today, in the asian nation also known as burma. we have a report narrated by john sparks of "independent television news." >> reporter: the fence is high and the walls are thick, but to the surprise of many, they opened the gates and more than a 130 political prisoners walked out of jails today. students and journalists, bloggers and ethnic leaders, received with joy-- a great flower-clad embrace. "free all the political prisoners," they shouted. hundreds remain in prison but the is cause for optimism here. the government and the generals who control it have introduced reforms and this newly released activist, seems ready to believe. "if everyone involved in this process is honest," said khun tun oo, "then i can see a chance of it actually working." among those released today, a former prime minister who fell out with the hardliners-- general kin nyun has been under house arrest since 2005. this is tane sane-- presi

. >>> myanmar, 650 political prisoners freed as its military government tries to legit mize itself. >>> a group of amish men sentenced to jail for putting refusing to put orange triangles on their buggies. it they say it it goes against their values but the sheriff says not having them makes the buggies a hazard on the road. >>> wild elephants have been on a rampage in eastern india. residents trapped as the elephants damage a number of homes going after stockpiles of grain. >>> now here is an early look at one of your top health headlines on msnbc. according to a new study, girls who eat frequent meals and snacks will put on fewer pounds and gain fewer waist line inches. they speculate more frequent meals and snacks keep girls satisfied longer preventing overeating. for more information on this and other health stories, head to the web and check out the home page online at msnbc.com. >>> the dow opened at 12,471 after adding 21 points yesterday. the s&p up three points and nasdaq gained 13. >>> take ago look at everseas trading this morning, in tokyo, the nikkei jumped 114 points whi

panama took the number one spot followed by finland, myanmar, and london. here's more on why oakland was picked. >> reporter: the new york times names oakland as the number five place to visit in 2012. some people say yeah, they can kind of see that but others say no way. >> i'm incredibly surprised. >> reporter: surprise and instead of naming it a place to avoid, the new york times says oakland is a world class destination. >> you look at lake merritt, you look at jack london square, you look at the parks. you look up in the hills. you see the views. it could potentially be a great city. >> yeah. >> i just don't know that it's there yet. >> reporter: even those who live here and love oakland find it hard to believe but oakland is ranked higher than tokyo, san diego and florence, italy. >> there's a lot of energy around here. >> reporter: the new york times found beauty from a time that's buried in a lot of ugly sometimes -- times. oakland recorded 103 murders last year. three of those victims were toddlers. >> oakland's had such a stigma about the deaths.

i'm going to take us from deep in the sea to deep in the jungle of myanmar where the first ever photographse taken of the snubbed nose monkeys. that is it right there. >> cute. >> cute little guy. >> cute face. >> also has a monkey mask on. something a little creepy looking about him. >> a little gargoylish. >> a little too much of that hollywood plastic surgery. >> there's only about 300 of these monkeys left in the jungle. one of the other photographs shows the monkeys with little infants, which gives us hope they are reproducing and their numbers are increasing. >> who captured these photos? >> an organization called flora and fauna international set up cameras in the wild to see what they would capture. they were able to get the first ever photos of these monkeys. >> as long as we've been studying animals, it's crazy to me we still haven't seen everything. >> riding a motorcycle inherently has its risks. some choose to take more risks than normal. we found this video riding down the center of two lanes of traffic, somehow gets a little too close to the van and narrowly misses the car co

. >>> in myanmar, more than 650 political prisoners have been freed as the military government tries to legitimize itself in the eyes of the world. the government also agreed to a cease fire with rebels and started a dialogue with the pro-rebel leader. >>> a group of ammish men have been sentenced to jail for refusing to put orange reflective triangles on their buggies. they say it goes against their vows to lead low-key lives. >>> in china, customers started throwing eggs in protest after the apple store in beijing cancelled plans to sell the new iphone 4s. apple became worried about the safety after thousands of shoppers camped outside. >>> on this friday the 13th, surveillance video from china shows a driver in a stolen car crashing into 13 vehicles while making a getaway from police. he was blocked by a traffic jam but eventually escaped. the driver was arrested later in the day. >>> and now here is an early look at one of your top health headlines. according to a new study, girls who eat frequent meals and snacks will put on fewer pounds and gain fewer waistline inches over the

. -- the new government refers to it as the republic of myanmar. >> of we have been to look at something very special. the titanic cruise liner sunk almost a hundred years ago and now some of the objects retreat from the record going to auction. >> the titanic at the bottom of the atlantic ocean. -- now some of the object retrieved from the rack are going to auction. the biggest liner ever seen is now resting away. items retrieved from the wreck will be sold. a moment in time from the gilded age when the titanic's fittings for the last word in fashion. the owner was a machinist immigrating from britain to america. >> he had suits, he had a rather exciting time -- exciting tie. we are trying to find out more about the people who is a fact we have in this collection -- whose effects we have in this collection. >> this must be sold in one lot to a buyer who gives the public access to the collection. recovering the collection has meant fighting to end a half miles beneath the ocean's surface. >> this is always a time capsule. suddenly, the time stopped and you see the ship frozen in 1 second

. >>> myanmar, 650 political prisoners have been freed as its military government try to legitimatize itself in the world. >>> a group of amish men sentenced to jail for putting refusing to put orange triangles on their buggies. the men say it goes against their values to live low-key lives. but the sheriff in connecticut says not having them makes the buggies a hazard on the road. >>> wild elephants have been on a rampage in eastern india. residents trapped as the elephants damage a number of homes going after stockpiles of grain. in china, customers started throwing eggs in protest after the apple store in beijing canceled plans to sell the new iphone 4s. apple became worried about safety after thousands of campers were camped outside. >>> now here is an early look at one of your top health headlines on msnbc. according to a new study, girls who eat frequent meals and snacks will put on fewer pounds and gain fewer waist line inches over the next decade than those who only eat a couple times a day. while the study author says it's too early to recommend that style of eating to preven

myanmar -- my arguments on this day are the malfeasance written for its staff over three years.i wanted to mention how preposterous the concept was to take the permit clerk from palomino and transport her to 6ew inspector for that city and county of san francisco, doubling her salary at the same time. does that sound like a likely situation? she is not only underqualified, she is not qualified by state law. there she sits -- >> mr. gosh, please address more of what our department issues, but not in a personal attack. >> i did not see that is personal, but i will do my best. the next appointee would be ms. levin and her failed [unintelligible] project. i believe the vendor has already been paid off, but they have not delivered a viable product. this sounds like malfeasance to me. i see that this is cementing her alibi in the future failure of the multimillion dollar permit tracking system. when confronted with the disappearance of millions, you can say that i showed you what i was not capable of with the schematic -- [unintelligible] ;é my advice to you is to hire a team of compu

are that we would ever get engaged in the ground war with china and say to the defense of burma, myanmar or hanoi for that matter. so i see no point in producing the mutual aggravation by using words or engaging in a symbolic actions that would convey wrong intentions or not the intentions the would serve the our national interest because the effect of the matter is the united states is not going to have the power to be the assertive arbiter of the far east the way it could be and was in europe. we have to be a player what we have to be a player much more sophisticated much more like great britain and terrapin the 19th century, and that is what i argue in my book. >> host: and you think that the u.s. administration's clarified what they will or would not do in asia in terms of actions that might be taken out side of the already binding treaty relations that we have with japan. >> guest: we could have perhaps a clear definition of the of objectives and not be stampeded into the theorizing about the particular mostly military strategies, offshore hedging and stuff of this sort. and i think

china is currently helping to construct sea ports in pakistan, sri lanka, myanmar and bangladesh sometimes referred to as china's string of pearls, the ports encircle india. some observers view them with suspicion evidence of alleged chinese ambitions over the region. today's report from sri lanka looks at a massive port facility china is building on the island and how india might respond. >> reporter: construction is well underway at this sea port in southern sri lanka. some facilities began operations in 2010. 85% of the cost of construction is being shouldered by china. the government claims that once complete, the port will be one of the biggest in south asia with capacity for 33 vessels including some of the world's largest ships. hambantota is situated as the midpoint of a crucial sea lane. it's an attributive position for a maritime hub. >> translator: located in the middle of a sea lane, we are well placed to offer shipping and fuel services. it's a good opportunity for sri lanka to develop. >> reporter: the port is being built by chinese companies and almost all the workers are ch

china is currently helping to construct sea ports in pakistan, sri lanka, myanmar and bangladesh sometimes referred to as china's string of pearls, the ports encircle india. some observers view them with suspicion evidence of chinese ambitions over the region. today's report from sri lanka looks at a massive port facility china is building on the island and how india might respond. >> reporter: construction is well underway at this sea port in southern sri lanka. some facilities began operations in 2010. 85% of the cost of construction has been shouldered by china. the government claims that once complete, the port will be one of the biggest in south asia with capacity for 33 vessels including some of the world's largest ships. it's situated at the midpoint of a crucial sea lane that connects the persian lane with a strait. it's an attributive position for a maritime hub. >> translator: located in the middle of a sea lane, we are well placed to offer shipping and fuel services. it's a good opportunity for sri lanka to develop. the port is being built by chinese companies and almost all the

. >> myanmar's opposition leader aung san suu kyi registered to compete in a parliamentary bielection scheduled for april. aung san suu kyi visited the election committee on wednesday to register her candidacy in the lower house bielection. a total of 48 seats are up for grabs in the upper and lower houses of parliament and in local assemblies. aung san suu kyi is running for a seat in western yangon, home to some of the city's lowest income households. the nobel laureate picked the area herself. after registering, she asked people who had gathered in front of the building for support. her national lead for democracy party will challenge every one of the 48 seats. the party's candidates are all expected to receive strong support, but perhaps none more than aung san suu kyi. observers say her participation is a crucial part of the government's efforts to demonstrate the progress it's making towards democratization and ultimately to convince the west to lift economic sanctions. >>> asia's two emerging economic powers, china and india, have agreed on a framework designed to prevent their

we do see just a few showers popping up down towards the southwest into northern myanmar as well. it is going to be much, much more active to the south. central and southern portions of the philippines as well as the ma lay peninsula and vietnam getting a lot of rain is the northeast monsoon is very active at the moment. we've got a couple of low pressure systems dotted down here towards the south. they're helping to enhance that flow. let's take a look at temperatures for wednesday. tokyo looking at 9. that's going to be falling into the next few days. seoul seeing that frigid air minus 3 on wednesday. and then at 17 in tie pie as well as hong kong. the low 30s for manila and bangkok. into north america, slow moving low pressure system in the southeast is going to continue to bring some heavy rain to the gulf states particularly and then it's going to be pushing up towards the northeast staying rain, wednesday, thursday when that system reaches you here in the northeast. first of all, it's going to be plodding through the southeast. that means the potential for flash floods also

the ship was heavily damaged and has begun to sink. 16 crew members from south korea and myanmar were on board at the time of the blast. the ship was on its way back to the south korean port of chungcheongnamdo after unloading 6,500 tons of gasoline at incheon port. it's unlikely the vessel will leak oil, as its tanks are almost empty. yonhab news agency quoted the captain, who survived, as saying the explosion may have been caused by static electricity. a charge may have ignited gasoline vapors from an on-board tank where 11 crew members were working before the blast. the south korean coast guard says it will continue to search for the missing, with help from the navy. it also says it will investigate the cause of the accident. >>> now look at the latest in sumo with murray johnson. >>> we have reached day eight of the new year grand sumo tournament and the encouraging aspect is we have three ozekis seriously in challenge for the emperor's cup. something we haven't seen for a year and a half. action time. baruto is having his best basho since may 2010. kitataiki has yet to beat the o

one is vietnam and the other is myanmar. the purpose of the united states is to make sure that the, they will have the friendly countries around china. what the united states is trying to do is make sure that there is a sort of band of countries which will the support united states logistically as well as tactically. >> that was professor suzuki of hokkaido university. >>> the united states says it conducted a new type of nonexplosive nuclear test last year. it says it used x-rays to check the performance of the country's nuclear weapons. the u.s. national nuclear safety administration or nnsa says the test was conducted last summer at sandia national laboratories in new mexico. scientists generated intense x-ray beams to simulate a nuclear blast and observe how the plutonium reacts. the nnsa scientists say a smaller scale test was conducted last summer. labs in new mexico and nevada used gas to simulate a blast. despite critical explosions, new tests can be conducted without gun powder and with less plutonium. the critics a

myanmar opposition leader aung sang suu kyi will run for parliament in april little mark the nobel peace prize winner has returned to official politics since his release from years of house arrest and twenty ten but with only forty eight seats up for grabs the elections unlikely to change the political lens life in the military dominated country. the u.s. is the party is open for north korea to return to talks about its nuclear program along with south korea and japan the three countries renew their commitment to a two thousand and five deal calling on the country to end its nuclear project in exchange for aid it's part of a rush of world diplomatic efforts right now as north korea rallies to bolster the image of its mostly unknown new leader kim jong il. in a few minutes on our t.v. our in-depth report for you from nigeria a country desperately on the edge of poverty despite its all rich delta is coming up shortly after we caught up with kareena she's got the latest business for you. thank you catherine hello and welcome to our business part of this hour eurozone debt problems have made

. >> the celebration in myanmar after releasing prisoners.reacting the united states agreed to exchange ambassadors with myannar. >> this is a substantial and serious step forward in the government stated commitment to political reform and i aproud it and the international community should as well. >> and mrs. clinton urged them to hold free and fair election autos still ahead bay area researchers are doing work that could make iphones seem bulky. >> that is a big deal for these ha you called to switch us to anthem yet? honey, how can i call now, i can barely hear a thing with amber's band practicing. ♪ you're right, we've had enough. but i know exactly what to do. you take care of the music and i'll switch us to anthem. sometimes you just have to pull the plug. ♪ sorry, grandpa, we'll try to keep it down. i just... give it to me. ♪ [ female announcer ] we know you're still more rocker than rocking chair... that are just right for you. we have plans with no copays, no deductibles, and lifetime coverage. you may even qualify for one of our gua

hell sin qui finland and myanmar. >>> the national unemployment rate is down to 8 1/2%.overnment officials say the economy added 200,000 jobs in december but it will take 6 million more to get the u.s. back to levels from december of 2007. stan zeros in on jobs here and tells us where the jobs are and what positions are available. >> in terms of hiring all parts of the bay area are not equal. the bay area is doing better than the rest of the state. >> a lot of the drivers of the local economy throughout the bay area are you in the skilled high-tech areas and that is why we have been on the leading edge reflecting the strength in that type of hiring. >> the santa clara valley 3.3% with 28,400 jobs added. the bulk in the high-tech industry. he says other sectors are also seeing growth. >> strength in high-tech is beginning to still over to housing and retailing and personal services. lower skill jobs in some cases that are benefiting from the skill. san francisco has seen 1.6% job growth over the last year with 15,000 jobs added. >> software, the mobile apps industry south

. >>> in myanmar occupation groups took to the streets. 66:00-year-old nobel peace prize winner had been under house arrest. if she wins a seat in parliament, she and her party will hold minimal, but symbolic power. >>> in rome city taxi drivers went on a strike today. the cabbies are upset with new austerity measures that they say encourage new competition. italy has had to enact the measures because of the massive debt crisis across europe. >>> leon panetta enacted new steps to combat sexual assaults in the military. he figures the real number is 19,000, or about 50 a day because most are not reported. he says services will be extended to military families. other measures will follow, including some that need congressional approval. >>> the internet strikes back. what happened today when what happened today when websites went we're gonna erase breast cancer once and for all. once and for all. walking 60 miles... in three days. join us. join us. (woman) we're united. (woman) a family. (man) a movement. (woman) a coming together of thousan

. >>> the united states restores full diplomatic relations with myanmar after the country releases hundredsthey issued the pardons for prisoners. president obama describes the move as a step forward toward democracy. >>> gop hopefuls fuls criss cross the country, they're turning up the heat on each other. mitt romney defends his work for the bane investment firm. romney is sliding on the polls. south carolina primary is set for next friday. >>> play off fever is heating up in baltimore with even the smallest raven fans are getting into the action. jessica cartalia has the story. >> reporter: these are the biggest littlest ravens fans we could find. >> ♪ here we go ravens, here we go. >> their own game of football. their teachers says that exactly the lessons that they're trying -- for a whole lot better than that -- [audio difficulties ] >> okay jessica we really do apologize. that is a very cute story. lots of cute kids there. we're having technical difficulties. we're going to try to fix that and get back to it. >>> bed bath and beyond is recalling a tissue holder. it's been serveed in ab

. >>> for the first time in more than 50 years, a british foreign secretary is in myanmar. william hague is meeting with government officials bringing a message of reform and offering britain's help. he's also meeting with pro-democracy leader aung san suu kyi. her party has been re-establi re-established and will be part of elections in april. those are the top stories from cnn. "world business today" starts right now. >>> good morning from cnn london. i'm charles hodson. >> and good afternoon from cnn hong kong, i'm andrew stevens. you're watching "world business today." our top stories this thursday, january 5th -- >> european investors are on edge as greece sounds the alarm and france faces a big test on the bond markets. >> after remaining -- for four months can yahoo! regain direction with a new man at the helm? >>> also ahead -- >> honorable gentleman could perhaps aten more closely to what i'm saying. rather than how i am saying it. he may receive a valuable education in spite of himself. >> as the iron lady debuts in london, we chart margaret thatcher's lasting eco