now, in his opening speech, japanese senior vice foreign minister nobuo kishi promised support for afghanistan. >> translator: japan is willing to cooperate in making afghanistan and its neighbors prosper with the support of the international community. >> afghanistan's deputy foreign minister ershad ahmadi called for support for the nation when the predecessor to president hamid karzai is named in the presidential runoff. >> it is crucial that the international community maintains its support and engagement in afghanistan at this critical period. >> he said the main priority for afghanistan's new government is peace and reconciliation. but taliban militants are stepping up their activities and undermining security around the nation. >>> let's now get the latest business stories from ron madison. >> all right. first, clues to how major economies around the world are doing. let's start in the eurozone where the economy was in recession just a year ago. now growth in the single currency bloc is holding up. gross domestic product from january to march expanded for a fourth straight quarter. but t