rice from myanmar costs 30% less than thailand and vietnam, but the quality of myanmar's grains continues to improve. kawate is convinced that it will be a major business opportunity. the key, he says, will be to continue improving the product, and that's where his company steps in. heightened senses in the rice mills take out tainted grain. kawate says this type of technology will help raise the quality of rice of myanmar from other developing countries >> translator: this type of machine is an essential component of rice processing lines. when it comes to exports, it will be one of our company's main assets. >> reporter: but kawate's plans are under threat. copycat machines sold at one-third of the price are penetrating myanmar from neighboring china. kawate is trying to fend off rivals by explaining that japan's superior standards are essential to produce top quality rice food exports. >> translator: it's a very tough battle, but i belief that customers in search of better quality will benefit from our equipment. we still have a chance. >> reporter: as a full listing of sanctions becom

they now think of myanmar as the place to invest. foreign companies are scrambling to secure their piece of the pie. nkh's jim kobayashi reports.fir exhibition of japanese products was held in march. some 45 japanese companies showcased products, including motorcycles, household appliances, and cosmetics. >> translator: japanese products are a lot better than those from other countries. >> reporter: until now, few western brands have been able to secure a foothold in this market of 60 million consumers. but myanmar's moves toward democratization are giving many foreign companies hope. a japanesemaker for machinery used in mill works, the regional manager bid the company in myanmar. >> this market has great potential. we are treating it as a significant opportunity to invest. >> reporter: the company already holds a top spot among worldwide manufacturers of large scale mill. experts are betting that exports from myanmar will grow significantly boosting demand for their equipment. until the 1960s, myanmar was the world's largest export

myanmar is changing rapidly. companies from all over the world are eagerly watching the developments in this emerging market. they hope sanctions will soon be lifted. and that the business opportunity of a lifetime will follow. >> and that wraps up our bulletin. >> the head of the chinese city of has denied speculation that his deputy's ouster will affect the top communist party leadership turnover that is expected this fall. he's widely expected to join the standing committee. he held a news conference on the sidelines of national people's congress. he talked about his deputy who was dismissed as the city's police chief in february and then visited the u.s. consulate general. he has been under investigation for corruption and the other charges since he left the u.s. mission. there is speculation that he sought asylum in the u.s., but was rejected. >> translator: i did criticize jun. but i never imagined he would rush to the u.s. consulate. >> he declined to disclose why he criticized him and only said the matter

myanmar is changing rapidly. companies from all over the world are eagerly watching the developments in this emerging market. they hope sanctions will soon be lifted. and that the business opportunity of a lifetime will follow. >> and that wraps up our bulletin. >> the head of the chinese city of -- has denied speculation that his deputy's ouster will affect the top communist party leadership turnover that is expected this fall. he's widely expected to join the standing committee. he held a news conference on the sidelines of national people's congress. he talked about his deputy who was dismissed as the city's police chief in february and then visited the u.s. consulate general. he has been under investigation for corruption and the other charges since he left the u.s. mission. there is speculation that he sought asylum in the u.s., but was rejected. >> translator: i did criticize jun. but i never imagined he would rush to the u.s. consulate. >> he declined to disclose why he criticized him and only said the mat

rohingya of the knights of citizenship in myanmar. they say their land is confiscated and they suffer extortion and forced labor. their persecution is made worse by their different racial back muslims in the buddhist country. >> translator: i felt sad, a ul its citizens equally and fairly. >> translator: i hope the hingya can return to their homeland and live their lives e. estimated more than 600,000 ons rohingya have fled persecution. th he struggled to live their lives in bangladesh, thla pisn. ♪ here in thailand, there are an estimated 20,000 displaced rohingya. at this mosque in western ngk,o pray. ong them is abu karian. he left myanmar 31 years ago with no legal protection, he keeps a low profile with his family in the busy city. in myanmar he claims he was persecuted, forced to work and beaten by the military. feinfohis li, fled to thailand. >> translator: at least five villagers were gunned down by the military in front of me because they became too weak to cay in. after my escape the military tore down my village where 2,000

myanmar expert kudo visits the country last month. he was impressed with her popularity. >> the government does not have any incentives to limit the activity of her because the target, the government wants to make this election as free and fair and they want to show they did the elections to the international community, even the majority of the 45 in contest this time. they are still -- they remain as minorities. 70% of them are noblized by the usdp, the ruling party. >> he says it motive in the reconciliation is to persuade the international community to remove the economic sanctions. >> understand the inference on the international community especially on the u.s. and other countries. without her consent or without her cooperation, it is difficult to make the western countries to lift the sanctions. >> he says if she wins, she's likely to actively participate in discussions with the government rather than aim for confrontation. >> she decided to play the game set by the president and the previous. some people criticized that she is

. >>> just ahead on "world business today," the changing landscape in myanmar.nd's parliamentary elections mean a political comeback for pro-democracy leader aung san suu kyi? >>> myanmar is set to hold parliamentary elections this sunday within its first free elections in nearly 30 years. it will also be the first time that the pro-democracy activist aung san suu kyi takes part since being released from house arrest. the myanmar government has recently opened up dialogue with opposition groups there. these elections will be a major test to see whether the country's leaders remain committed to democratic reforms. >>> and you may not have heard of myanmar's currency, the chat. a state-run newspaper says the government will be freely floating this currency come this very sunday. it's the southeastationen nation's latest move towards reform. let's go back to ramy inocencio for more on what this means for the investment community. >> the reform of the kyat, myanmar's currency is considered a big step to opening up the country to foreign investment. this man right he

malaysia and myanmar agreed to boost cooperation in the political, strategic and economic fields. the agreement was reached in a meeting between the prime minister and myanmar's president on wednesday. both leaders are said they would explore ways to expand malaysian involvement in myanmar's economy, particularly in the agriculture, energy, construction, tourism, and manufacturing sectors. malaysia will also train myanmar's diplomats before the country assumes the chairmanship of the asean in 2014. trade between the two nations grew by about 33% to about $800 million last year, heavily in y'a kw kuala lumpur's favor. >>> the new ruling on wednesday deals a blow to foreign domestic helpers in the former colony. the judgment comes after authorities appealed against a residency visa granted to a filipino worker who had been employed in hong kong since 1986. in handing down their verdict, three judges said such employees are in hong kong to fulfill a special purpose. the number of foreign helpers in hong kong increased from a few hundred in the 1980s to about 300,000. >>> ethnic group

myanmar expert visited the country last month. he was impressed by aung san suu kyi's popularity. >> the government does not have any incentives to limit the activity of the aung san suu kyi, because the government will want to make this election free and fair. and they want to show they did the elections to the international community. the majority of the 45 seats in contest at this time, they remain as minorities. because 75% of the seats are still monopolized by the usdp, the ruling party. >> reporter: kudo said they want to persuade the international community to remove its economic sanctions. >> the president understands the inference on the international community, especially on the u.s. and the u.n. and other western countries. without her consent, or without her cooperation, it is difficult to make the western countries to lift their sanctions. >> reporter: kudo says if she wins, she's likely to actively participate in the decisions of the government rather than aim for confrontation. >> she decided to play the game, sit b

myanmar is currently many the grips of a landmark by-election. democracy icon xi is expected to win the parliamentary seat in next month's vote. we have more details from bangkok. >> the president's speech comes as myanmar approaches the one-year anniversary of its new civilian led government. it took over from the long run of the military junta on march 30th last year. he emphasized the reform is a critical part of the country's dedmok ritization. delegates arrived ahead of the president's speech. >> the president stressed that he would continue working with prodemocracy leader as well as ethnic minority groups. she is currently campaigning for election to parliament in by-elections scheduled for next month. >> he touched on the reported divisions rumor to exist inside the government between supporters and opponents of reform. he said members of the government might be taking different routes, but they are all moving in the same direction. >> the united states says north korea has agreed to take steps toward denuclearization. the news was announ

officials say they'll send observers to monitor parliament aary bi-elections in myanmar. they will work alongside election monitors from southeast asian nations. state department spokesperson victoria nuland says myanmar has agreed to accept two observers and three journalists from the united states. she welcomed the move as a good first step. >> we would obviously encourage the burmese government to try to bring this monitoring effort as closely as they can to international standards. >> but the u.s. government says it's too early to lift economic sanctions on imports from and investments to myanmar. the bi-elections for both chambers of parliament, as well as regional assemblies, will take place on april 1st. pro-democracy leader aung song suu kyi is running for a seat in parliament. >>> the streets are quiet in many communities along the northeast coast. government officials drew lines around the fukushima daiichi nuclear plant last year and ordered everyone inside out. still the radiation spread beyond those lines. areas of high radiation are shown here in red, yellow

myanmar's constitution gives power to the military in case of a national emergency.t also guarantees them one-quarter of the seats in parliament. commander in chief of the armed forces general rian expressed determination to protect the current system. >> translator: we the military are building a democratic and developed nation. we have to preserve the constitution as one of our main duties. >> reporter: pro democracy leader aung san suu kyi has vowed to amend the constitution to decrease the influence of the army. the nobel laureate is running as a candidate for parliament in bielections scheduled for april 1st. if she's elected, the nation's constitution is likely to become a delicate issue. jun kobayashi, nhk world. >>> two days before chinese president hu jintao arrives in new delhi for a five-nation summit, a tibetan exile in india has set himself on fire. his extreme action was in apparent protest against china's handling of ethnic tibetan affairs. wrl nhk world's fumio sugaya has details. >> reporter: in new delhi, more than 600 tibetan exiles rallied monday

myanmar wants a full lifting of the sanctions imposed by the countries. the government wants to show the international community that the upcoming vote will be free and fair. >>> the fukushima nuclear accident a year ago sent shockwaves around the world. in india, fears of a systimilar disaster fueled the anger. we have a report on the dilemma. >> reporter: i'm standing near the nuclear power plant in southern india. this plant was supposed to be functioning last year, but has been delayed by protests of local people. after the fukushima accident, residents intensified their protests. even closing the road to the entrance of the plant. >> after fukushima, people's awareness of the radiation increased. >> reporter: like japan, india has also suffered the destructive force of massive tsunami. the waves that struck eight years ago claimed over 16,000 lives. anxiety has spread among residents who think another giant tsunami could cause a nuclear catastrophe similar to fukushima. the fisherman who lost his house to the tsunami. having witnessed the ocean's pow

. >> in myanmar it has emerged that a convoy transporting aung san suu kyi came under attack. nobel laureate was unharmed but two of her bodyguards were injured. nhk world's jun kobayashi reports. >> reporter: the national league for democracy told nhk that the convoy of party leader aung san suu kyi was hit by a ball fired. the shot was potentially lethal. the incident happened about 7:00 on tuesday evening on the motorway some 140 kilometers north of yang bon. aung san suu kyi was on her way back from campaigning in the capital naypyidaw. the window of a vehicle two cars behind aung san suu kyi was broke. two of her bodyguards were wounded. it has registered as a political party. it is challenging all the districts available in the election. in total 48 seats are up for grabs in the upper and lower houses of parliament and local assemblies. aung san suu kyi has generally been welcomed across the country by enthusiastic crowds. but there have also been incident of hostility such as the sabotage of campaign posters. western nations have called the upcoming vote a potential tur

. >> this is something few people ever expected to see in myanmar. holding posters that would have landed them in jail just a year ago in support of a woman whose quiet dignity and determination have gripped the country and the world. >> you think you'll win? >> for 15 of the past 23 years, her lakeside home has been a prison where she was kept isolated from family and friends. yet she never gave up hope and is now poised to win a seat in parliament and very possibly join a government that is embracing reform but is still dominated by her longtime military tormenters. >> i don't think i or any individual has the right to say i forgive or i do not forgive. all we should do is find out what would do best do to bring about national reconciliation. >> the spirit has won her a legion of international admirers. she was so exhausted this week that she had to stop campaigning, and the 66-year-old said she's still feeling delicate. >> any tough questions and i shall faint straight away. >> that hasn't stopped her accusing her opponents of intimidation ahead o

rising to meet this challenge is myanmar egress, a five-year-old skills training program. myanmar egress has been able to offer political science classes to students under the more innocuous title of social entrepreneurship. still, the content is surprisingly bold. >> ( translated ): something democracy can bring to burmese society is open public debate. what is open public debate? >> ( translated ): it means an open exchange of discussions and arguments. >> i want to work for my country as a policy maker. >> reporter: 27-year-old yin mon is aiming for a future as an economic researer. she and the other students here were eager to practice their english with me and share their optimism about changes in burma. >> it is not totally changed but this is a transition period. so it is starting to move our country. this is the first step, i think so. >> in the past, we have no chance to impress our feelings to the public. now, we can. >> we want democracy. now, we are starting the democracy trend, so all people are really, really happy. we are really willing to develop our countr

. >>> next, to myanmar, where there's about one week left before landmark by-elections. the government is trying to reassure the global community that voting will be free and fair. it has even accepted election monitors from the united states and asean, but opposition candidates headed by pro democracy leader aung san suu kyi still faces hurdles in some key locations. nhk world reports. >> reporter: the place is packed with 10,000 people. they've come to listen to aung san suu kyi, the country's pro democracy icon. she has visited towns and villages during the election campaign. >> translator: i'm so happy because we've been freed from the 20-year oppression of the military government. >> reporter: this month aung san suu kyi gave her first campaign speech. >> translator: our top three priorities are rule by law, reconciliation of the people, and constitutional reform. >> reporter: the election campaign appears to be going smoothly, but things are different in the country's capital. the city's under the strong influence of the president. government officials and their fa

. >>> myanmar has agreed to allow observers from southeast independent elections. the parliamentary and regional progress of the country democratization. the elections will be held on april 1st. pro-democracy leader aung san suu kyi is running for a seat in parliament. myanmar's government says it will accept a 30-member observer team of lawmakers and journalists from asean nations. they're expected to arrive in yangon march 28th. they hope that the decision will lead to an easing of economic tensions. the political party led by aung san suu kyi said there are problems with the election campaign. it says fictitious names are being added to voter lists and candidates' posters are being torn up. >>> tuesday marked the 17th anniversary of a deadly sarin gas attack on tokyo's metro system. the incident left 13 people dead and sickened about 6,300 others. members of the aum shinrikyo toxic gas inside subway trains during the morning rush hour. a memorial service was held at tokyo's kasumigaseki station. families of the victims and other participants, including transport

myanmar will hold bi-elections for the upper and lower houses as well as local assemblies on april 1st. the national league has recently reregistered as a political party and is fielding candidates for a total of 48 seats. aung san suu kyi is gaining wide support across the country. but she's also faced some sabotage including destroyed election campaign posters. >>> britain's defense ministry says six british soldiers are believed to have been killed in an explosion in afghanistan. the ministry says the explosion hit an armed vehicle while it was patrolling in the southern province of hell land. british media say that a roadside bomb or land mine laid by taliban militants is likely to have caused the blast. this is the second heaviest death toll for british soldiers in afghanistan following a fighter jet crash in 2006 that killed all 14 troops on board. british prime minister david cameron expressed his condolences to the families of the soldiers. >> this is a desperately sad day for our country and desperately sad of course for the families concerned. it is a reminder of the huge pri

a lot of people will say how the heck do you invest in myanmar? how are you doing it?ears ago it was the richest country in asia and now it's the poorest because they closed off, but they are just now opening up, just as china did 33, 34 years ago. i find it wildly exciting. the problem, is melissa, that for americans it's illegal to invest there. we live in the land of the free, melissa, so we can't invest where we want to. the rest of the world is pouring in there, so there's nothing i can do right now except wait and watch and hope that the day -- the day that they say you can invest that i can jump in. >> that's the play on your radar right now that you can't partake in. let's go back to some of the plays that our viewers may be able to partake in. you want to short long-term government bonds. that's where you are right now in. >> i shorted some just yesterday. melissa, i hasten to tell you that my timing has not been very good in the bond market the last two or three years so if i'm doing it, it could be the wrong timing. >> you've been long gold and silver for qu

. >>> in myanmar a rare thing took place. the leader had lower house deliberations. long been barred from participating in politics. >> they are scheduled to have elections. 48 seats are open in local assemblies. she's running for lower seat in the country's largest city. in 1990 elections, the government ignored her victory. she observed lower house discussions from the public gallery. they discussed whether to lift restrictions on foreign travelers. >> translator: it is difficult to comment since i have only listened to the discussion a short time. >> she's stepping up her election campaign. in addition to stomping in remote regions, she appears to campaign on the state run tv channel this week. >>> in thailand, they commemorated the earthquake and tsunami while reflecting on their own experience of disaster seven years ago. here is the story. >> there were silent prayers for the victims in japan. this event was held in central bangkok on march 11th. more than 140 pictures painted by thai people, including professional artists were auctioned. money raised about $7

the broadcast marks the first time myanmar's government has aired a speech by su chi. "world business today" starts right now. >>> good morning. from cnn london, i'm nina dos santos. >> and welcome to "world business today." the top stories this thursday, march 15th. >>> and also great for britain. they become the latest ratings count agency to issue the country a warning. >> and expert steven roach joins us with his outlook. >>> and goldman sachs' executive's high-profile exit knocks millions off of the bank's share price as he lambasts a toxic and destructive culture. >>> first up, britain's treasury minister says it's a wake-up call to anyone who thinks the government should be offering any kind of letup on its planned austerity measures. the international ratings firm fitch has been warning that there is a more than 50% chance now that it could decide to cut the uk's top-notch aaa status within the next two years to come. there may be no downgrade yet for this country, but fitch has cut its credit outlook for the uk from stable to negative watch. it warns that brit

further towards the west we go, northern myanmar as well as india seeing heavy showers, but into china and the philippines, light precipitation and scattered thunderstorms. temperatures are going to be set up like this, warm in taipei at 24 degrees, shanghai to 11 and spring temperatures around tokyo and seoul. 13 and 14 degrees respectively, 2 degrees in beijing and potential to see some snow. into north america, we have a storm you can see rotating in the clouds here. it is going to be a very windy system, that means you could see some high waves at the coast. rain at the coast rather than snow, but there will be plenty of snow around in the northern rockies, cascades, and sierras. if i move out towards the east here, this is a slow-moving and potent storm system that's been moving through the u.s. over the last couple of days. here's the low and there's the front bringing the severe weather. i want to show you what happened with the storms in the midwest. this is showing you just the utter devastation caused when tornados ripped through the midwest. kansas, missouri, illinois, were

. >> reporter: this is something few people have ever seen in myanmar. holding posters that would have landed them in jail just a year ago in support of a woman whose quiet dignity and determination have gripped this country and this world. for 15 of the past 23 years, her lakeside home has been a prison where she was kept isolated from family and friends. yet she never gave up hope and is now poised to win a seat in parliament and join a government that is embracing the reform but is still tormented by the vilks. >> i don't think i or anyone has the right to forgive or not forgive. all we can do is find out what we can best do. >> reporter: the spirit that has won her a lesion of international admirers. she was so exhausted this week that she had to stop campaigning and the 66-year-old says she's still delicate. there is a real sense of euphoria here and a feeling that for all its imperfections this election does represent a first step toward real change in myanmar. led by the woman who defied the generals and won the hearts of her nation. for "today,"

seeing heavy rape for myanmar and eastern india, bangladesh, continuing today as well. but light precipitation for indochina and the philippines, looking clear across much of the philippines. just a few scattered thunderstorms. here are the temperatures. 21 in taipei and hong kong. then we cool off to the north. but not too bad. 10 in tokyo, 8 in seoul, 5 degrees for beijing. heading to north america, to the west, you can see the swirling cloud. widespread snow here at the beginning of the day friday. but that's going to start to clear up for you. there is another round coming on its heels by friday night. we are still dealing with storms to the east. you can see a long front, just starting to push over the atlantic. that's going to give you a bit of a break in the severe storms. this will be snow for new england. again, moving out fairly quickly, but it will bring 20 centimeters to novembera scotia. this is going to take its place quickly, there will be the potential for more severe thunderstorms, all of this on your friday. here we go. this is the storm forecast. torn

. >>> now it is still more than two weeks before myanmar's bi-elections. already the country's best known figure changed the look of the streets. until two years ago, images of the no bell laurie at aung san suu kyi were banned. now her face smiles out from t-shirts, posters, pins, and almost every sort of paraphernalia. many t-shirt shops on this street have seen profits soar since they began offering aung san suu kyi merchandise. a shop opener says sales increased up to 400% over the past four months. >> translator: now there is more freedom, and business is very good. so he think these are signs of improvement in our country. >> the shop sells about 500 t-shirts a day, and its workers are putting in 12 hour shifts to keep up with demand. aung san suu kyi's party, the national league for democracy is fielding candidates for the bi elections on april 1st. she, herself, is running for a seat and has been crossing the country campaigning for her party. after decades of military dictator ship, the new government is ushering in a series of dramatic reforms. i

. >> in myanmar it has emerged that a convoy transporting democracy leader came under attack. she was unharmed, but two of her bodyguards were injured. we have the report. >> reporter: the national league for democracy told nhk that the convoy of the party leader was hit by a ball of fire. the shot was potentially lethal. the incident happened about 7:00 on tuesday evening on the motorway some 140 kilometers north of a town. she was on her way back from campaigning in the capital. the window of her vehicle two cars behind hers was broken. two of her bodyguards were wounded. in total four seats are up for grabs in the upper and lower houses of parliament. and local assemblies. she has generally been welcomed across the country by enthusiastic crowds. but there have also been incident of hostility such as the sabotage of campaign posters. western nations have called the upcoming vote a potential turning point. >> nine pacific rim countries that make up the transpacific partnership are currently holding trade negotiations in australia. the talks began on march the 1st and include

a heavy rain targeting myanmar as well as bangladesh and northeastern india. further toward the south, scattered thunderstorms for the indochina peninsula as well as the philippines, but it shouldn't be anything particularly heaviy. seasonal light thunderstorms. japan will see an area of rain moving from west to east. most of it falling as rain apart from the mountainous regions of central japan. by the time it hits tohoku, it should be changing over the snow. a little chillier towards the north. but not too bad in tokyo. today ten degrees forecast for the high, eight in seoul and five in beijing. eight in shanghai as well, taipei and hong kong both at 21 degrees but a hot day in bangkok. 36 for your high. into north america we go. to the northwest we're seeing a system here starting to dissipate as it moves farther inland, which is certainly good news. this one a windy system bringing snow as well as coastal rain in the last 24 hour. but even as thins settle down here, there's going to be yet another system coming in on its heals friday night. something to ke

heavy rain also for northern myanmar and northeastern india. it's another day of downpours for you. as for japan, we're much drier day across central japan certainly. nothing of the snow that we saw yesterday. there will be showers down here toward the west, but temperatures will really be rising up to springlike conditions. 14 degrees forecast for tokyo. 13 in seoul. we'll have a couple days of that and then into the weekend, once again, it's going to get a little bit chilly as the cold air spreads toward the east from northern china. all right. i'm going to leave you now with your extended forecast. >>> our lead story this hour. the leadership of north korea has done an about-face that could ease tensions on the korean peninsula. it's announced it will take steps toward denuclearization. western leaders hope the moves will end a diplomatic impasse over pyongyang's nuclear program. the u.s. state department and north korea's foreign ministry made the announcement almost simultaneously. the disclosure follows talks last week in beijing on the north's nuclear issues. the leadership a

some heavier rain also for myanmar and northern parts of thailand. as for japan, well, we've had that winter storm moving through. as we head on into wednesday, it's going to be a much calmer, more settled picture before that happens. so we'll still see probably about 30 to 40 centimeters of fresh snow into wednesday. then high pressure moves in, and it's going to help push a lot of that precipitation away. all right. let's head into north america, where we have yet another winter storm, this one affecting b.c. down in toward northern california. you can see about 90 centimeters of snow on the cascades and very strong gusts. so that'll be blowing the snow around and make travel pretty hazardous. do take care. ni anywhere east of the rockies, though-s going to be experiencing summer-like warmth. high pressure in place. lots of sunshine. and it is going to be feeling very warm indeed. but there's still the potential for some severe thunderstorms before this system up here towards eastern canada pulls away. it'll be moving into new england and further o

across the asia pacific region are in dispen dispensable in your many trips since then, cambodia, myanmar, south korea, japan and beyond you have been about the commitment of making strategic commitments that will pay dividends many times over. i applaud you for recognizing the importance of pacific island nations in this multifaceted undertaking and in the context of this hearing with the foreign relations budget hearing i reiterate what you stated and i quote, those who say we can no longer afford to engage with the world have it exactly backward. we cannot afford not to. opening new markets for american businesses, to kurk nuclear proliferation to keep sea lanes free from commerce and navigation, our work abroad holds the key to our prosperity and security at home, end of quote. i want to also note for the record, madam secretary, that when american samoa and independent samoa were hit by the most powerful earthquake in 2009 and that set off waves of tsunami and to this day have not fully recovered, yet your office was among the first to stand with us. you fought to make sure supplies

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 malaysia's economic growth. >>> the mongolian parliament passed a tough anti-trafficking law this week that would help prevent mongol from falling victim to prostitut

boxing heavyweight champion of the to me klitschko he's defending his three titles against french myanmar mormeck in germany on saturday night klitschko house of lords forty nine of his previous opponents and wants to make the number fifty deceiving history belts will be on the line but he looked pretty relaxed at the way the thirty five year old ukrainian is the overwhelming favorite against more make and score years older and over six inches shorter goes older brother vitaly holds the belt i'm glad it is determined to keep the family's a monopoly on the heavyweight division though shouldn't be discounted completely he has won all the spite since his defeat to britain's david haye back in two thousand and seven. and lastly there's a two way tie for the lead it goves hundred classic in florida justin rose and tom gillis the ones to catch the halfway stage or tiger woods just did enough to make the cut woods had a shocking first round but his second one was better to avoid an embarrassing exit carving a sixty eight but puts him on one under par overall and seven shots behind the leaders am

running for a parliament and says she is encouraged by the rising political awareness of the people of myanmar. >>> and audits of apple's largest supplier in china found a long list of workplace violations i including failure to adequately pay for overtime hours and the lack of true union representation, foxconn says it will bring itself into compliance within the next 16 months. much more ahead on cnn. "world business today" starts right now. >>> good morning to you out there from cnn london, i'm nina dos santos. >>> an audit outlines failures at foxconn. so will factory reform there's signal a change for the industry? >>> labor laws are also in the spotlight in spain today. austerity protests turned violent. >>> and a story that's the talk of the town here in corruption-conscious hong kong, billionaire brothers have been arrested into a probe in alleged bribery. >>> just an hour into trading here in europe, and look at the turn of events here, after spending a number of days in negative territory, these markets have gotten off to a good start from the word go. the cac up nearly 1%. similar p

. >> myanmar, suspending an election campaign tour after falling ill.ng her to get some rest. she's 66 years old. a former noble peace lawyeriat, and a key test of reform. a fashion show you can taste. and it's frogs on disney princesses wait for it, chocolate. and beats a meat address. that's a fox trip around the world. and james cameron behind "titanic" and avatar. broke and deep sea record. the first human to drive alone to the deepest point. setting off solo deep in the pacific ocean. a lime green submarine, he designed. and mariona depth, enclosed in total darkness. 36,000 feet below the surface. this sound like one of his movies. he's expected to spend six hours that collecting samples and filmening 3-d. a the temperature a few degrees above freezing the pressure is so great it's like the weight of three suv's on your big toe. boy, i hope he got the instructions right on that vehicle he built. a little while ago sending a tweet from the ocean floor, just arrived at the ocean's deep heest point, hitting bottom never felt so good. can't wait to sha

. >>> and it is election weekend in myanmar. nobel laureate suu kyi is running for a seat in parliament but does not believe the vote will be free or fair. >>> osama bin laden moved around quite a bit in pakistan and became quite the family man between 9/11 and his death. that's according to one of his wives telling sba inin ining in about his life in hyden. brian todd reports. >> reporter: alternately hiding, running and fathering children in the years after 9/11. new details of osama bin laden's life on the run emerged given by his youngest wife, yemeni born amal ahmed abdul if a fateh. she said they lived in pakistan. consistently during those years, pakistani leaders said this about bin laden's whereabouts. >> i don't think that osama bin laden is in pakistan. >> the interrogation report filed in january is prayer phra paraphrased saying the family lived in at least five locations in pakistan after 9/11 in at least five safe houses. according to the record, abdul fateh says after 9/11 the family scattered. she went to karach