i'm patchari raksawong reporting from hanoi. >>> a world famous singer has made a bumpy transition into politics. he wanted to become the next president of senegal. but the high court in the west african country barred him from running in sunday's elections. still, he's determined to change the way things are done. nhk world reports from dakar. ♪ >> reporter: he's a superstar in his homeland, senegal, and is well known around the world. many of his songs call for action on issues such as poverty and the environment. his blend of traditional senegalese rhythms is western musical styles has won him many international fans. and in 2005, he won a grammy award. ♪ his music is rooted in the tradition of the griots whose songs keep alive the history of the ancient culture. griots are cherish inside senegal, performing at weddings and other events. he's descended from the griot through his mother and grandmother. his connection underlines his focus on social issues. >> translator: in the old days, nobody had televisions or radios. the stories were transmitted by the grios who memorized everythi

patchari raksawong is in the capital, hanoi. >> reporter: international media often refer to vietnam as a country with a vibrant economy. but in reality, economic development has taken off, primarily in the north, around the capital hanoi, where i am now, and down in the south, around the great metropolis of ho chi minh. until recently, central vietnam had been left behind in this race to prosperity, but that picture is starting to change. over the next three days, we take a closer look at how vietnam is trying to bring the central provinces up to speed. now, hanoi is at the forefront of the nation's economic development. earlier i went to take a look at how things in the capital are changing. hanoi is experiencing a construction boom. high rise buildings are popping up across the city. you can also see many huge shopping malls all over hanoi. now this is the newest shopping mall that just opened up last december. it is the largest emporium in vietnam with a total area of 60,000 square meters. and there is a good selection of apparel and appliance retailers, which makes this one of t

. >>> next patchari raksawong in bangkok to find out what's going on in the region. >> india is set to buy 126 french made aircraft to replace its current fighter jets. the deal would be worth more than $10 billion, marking india's move to quickly modernize its military. india's pti news agency says the indian government is entering final talks with dassault aviation over the purchase of rafale jets. dassault won the deal with a lower bid in a two-way competition compromising several european defense partners. the rafale is to replace an aging fleet of jets obtained from russia. india has become the world's largest importer of weapons as it seeks to modernize its defense forces. it is mainly procured equipment and weapons from russia as a traditional ally. but recently it bought military cargo aircraft from the united states. india's move to choose a european firm shows that it hopes to diversify suppliers as it pushes to upgrade its military. >>> next, we go to indonesia where the booming economy is starting to attract overseas investment and not only from large foreign businesses, bu