. >> china is out of step with both the international rules and norms that underscore the asia pacific security architecture and the regional consensus that favors dploancy diplomacy and favors conversioncoercion. >> to criticize china for original piece and stability through construction activities. since china has never taken any proactive measure. in fact, the disputes in south china sea have been there for decades and over the past decades the region has been peaceful and stable just because china's great restraint. >> the philippines vietnam and malaysia three other claimants of the disputed waters also have their own installations but nothing on the scale of china's reclamation. brought the dispute to an international tribunal for arbitration but china refuses to attend. >> simply on the face of it, it appears that the chinese will say one thing and in action do quite another. and i don't think it quite squares off. i think this is where the confusion lies and with the mistrust really lies. >> reporter: the u.s. and its allies fear that the ownership of south china sea should des

they are increasing demand in the asia pacific. we'll meet it. we'll remain the principal security power in the asia pacific for decades to come. >>> the u.s. and n.a.t.o. are boosting military presence in eastern europe to confront an assertive russia. the defense secrete ash carter said dozens of tanks and artillery will be sent to the baltic nation a show of support for america's newest n.a.t.o. allies. >> you lost your independence once before. with n.a.t.o., you will never lose it again. that's because the united states and the rest of the n.a.t.o. alliance are absolutely committed to defending the territorial integrity of estonia, latvia and lith wania, just as we are committed to defending all n.a.t.o. allies. >> the move marked the first time heavy military assets have been placed in former russian nations. >>> most do not give trump a chance of being elected president. but he may shake up the polls. >>> and the cover up of faulty devices to pad a bottom line. >>>the 2016 presidential election is a long way off. right now hillary clinton i

it will be the largest deal by value in the asia-pacific region. ising on to greece, europe upping the crucial meeting. it is seen as the make it or break it sessions for athens' ability. the policymakers are pushing greece to return to the negotiating table and make more concessions. officials raised the prospect of a greek exit. insists thatande everything must be done to keep the country in the eurozone. mario draghi also raised his rhetoric, saying while everyone needed to do more, the ball is still increases court. the euro fellays on monday. -- we areoyota waiting to hear more from the shareholders meeting today. they will vote on a new stock offer, $4 billion, walking in investors. automaker shares have been criticized by institutional investors in the west, opposing separate classes of shares. toyota is trying to give the second class of shares equal voting rights. for are expected to sell a 20% premium over common equity. they will be restricted from trade for five years. yvonne.thanks, ev how china may be rethinking its foreign policy -- t

the company says the asia-pacific market and hong kong and macau have not shown clear signs of recoveryfirst-quarter revenue rose 6.5%. the weakness of the euro compensated for the anemic growth in the asia-pacific region which is prada's most important market. ttingave been cu costs and investing lower price investing in lower-priced bags. they will have an extensive plan to overhaul the entire chain. sherry: another story we're following on bloomberg business is how asian investors are seeking bargains in apartments and luxury hotels. thanks to the euro. that is on bloomberg.com. check it out. coming up later in the show, we preview the fed rates on thursday with the chief investment officer for ubs wealth management. after the break we speak with a hong kong lawmaker and democracy advocate as the city's legislature gets set to say gay or nay on the first direct election. y or nay on the first direct election. ♪ sherry: thousands of people marched in hong kong to protest against a chinese plan to elected chief executive. 3000 people turned up for the rally, well below the amount expec

observers say it will likely also mention abe's hope to contribute to the asia pacific region and the world. some lawmakers say the statements should be approved by the cabinet to make it clear it represents the views of the entire government. statements issued on the 50th and 60th anniversaries of the end of the war were endorsed by the cabinet. however, some say the statement should be issued as representing abe's personal views. they're worried that it could have a grave impact on japan's relations with its neighbors. chairs an expert panel advising abe on the statement. he says he hopes to complete the panel's report as early as next month. abe is expected to take the report into account along with the opinions of government officials and ruling coalition members before finalizing the statement. >>> abe says he's determined to have national security legislation enacted during the current diet session. the prime minister spoke at a meeting of a lower house committee debating bills that would allow japan to exercise its right to collective self-defense under certain conditions. abe

those medium range to fly across the asia-pacific. part of this involves cutting costs by 20% which means working some contract, catering contracts, catering contract -- union contracts. they seek to boost revenue. the airline industry cause ancillary revenue. it could be checked baggage fees or frequent flyer programs. that is just speculation. the new boss of malaysia airlines faces a daunting task. last year -- a difficult year for the flag carrier after the disappearance of mh370 and the shooting down of mh-17. both traumatic events for any airline and it will take quite some time for them to recover from. the boss has a lot of confidence in his ability. he has just turned around and another airline. time will tell. rishaad: let's have a look at the other stories today. we have the roundup. >> good morning. we are talking about european leaders and the imf saying they need to ramp up talks over greece. the talks huddled at an extraordinary meeting in berlin about ways to divert a recall. that includes angela merkel, christine lagar

they are increasing demand in the asia pacific. we'll meet it. we'll remain the principal security power in the asia pacific for decades to come. >> the pentagon's latest effort in relation to china's intentions is beijing is taking the long view - including the economy, modernizing security and minimising the communist party's grip on pour. while it wants to be seen as a great power, china wants a relationship with the united states based on equality mutual respect and benefit. >> jamie mcintyre at the pentagon. thank you >>> image is said to be everything. china is spending billions to improve how it is viewed around the world. coming up, despite tensions with the urks a look at how beijing is expanding its reach >>> also the road to nowhere, why the busy tunnel between england and france was shut down. >>> as mentioned earlier vice president joe biden issued a blunt warning to china saying the relationship with the u.s. would suffer if beijing used cyber space for criminal activity last year the two countries did some 590 billion in trade. offi

the asia-pacific market angle, and the latest.ussels,atest out of we have afp reporting a few moments ago that the greeks have submit their proposals, their revised proposals to brussels as of an hour ago. the european commission has not received the updated proposals from greece. that is something many to see if are to happen. compromise is the keyword investors will look for as area leaders and the prime minister get set for a monday showdown beginning with the finance ministers meeting. then the ecb will hold a conference call on emergency bank funding. critical to avoid a bank run. at seven :00 p.m., the leaders meeting. an emergency summit, one that angela merkel has perhaps questioned the validity of. on friday, she spoke to her party and told them she did not see the need until the greeks came up with some new proposals. is holding a three-week gain. not a huge amount of fear. angie: what about asia? zeb: the reaction there will be a knee-jerk in the beginning, and a limited all-out. the length will be days, not weeks. lack

and they're increasing demand for american engagement in in the asia pacific and we will meet it. will remain the principle security power in the asia pacific for decades to come. >> the pentagon's latest assessment of china's assessments concludes that they're taking the long view and while china wants to be seen as a great power it also wants a relationship with the united states based on mutual respect and mutual benefits. >> jamie, thank you very much. >>> the white house is expected to announce changes to its policy on hostages tomorrow. today families of former hostages were in washington to hear about those changes. mike viqueira has that story from washington. >> well, good evening john. we do expect to hear from president obama directly along with family members tomorrow much hostages held overseas. the president expected to announce a change in policy. the u.s. government will no longer seek to prosecute those family members who want to pay ransom, and to negotiate ransom with the captors of their loved ones held overseas. this is a chief complaint of many of the families

the markets. >> good morning. asia-pacific, stocks rising, first time this week, speculation the federal reserve will signal a slow pace of monetary tightening. what's happening, a mixed performance, not a broad-based gain. we did have a selloff in hong kong and shanghai. the fears of a bubble for chinese equity. towards apushing downward bias. shanghai trading lower. the philippines online now. that index trading lower. jakarta, has just started trading, up by 6/10 of 1%. the analyst are warning on the emerging markets forex risks. say the currency is the most exposed to volatility here. andissue of capital inflows outflows with the indonesian currency with this fed meeting. singapore and malaysia, trading higher.er. another currency you need to be watching out for. let's look at the movers in hong kong. of communications continuing to lead on the upside, 2% gain. lenovo moving. china mobile up 1%. look at china overseas. china resources power has been a big mover to the downside for the past two days. let's check in on tokyo

in some ways, you see that here in the asia-pacific. gains are continuing today, the first time we have seen ain't in the asia-pacific -- gains in the asia-pacific market. we see the decline on the shanghai deposit. elsewhere, even with greece in the frame, stocks are rising today and we are seeing some leadership in australia. as well as southeast asia. singapore, jakarta, gains of over 1%. we see a lot of risk being taken off the table and that is what you are seeing in shanghai. there are two factors at work. this massive run-up by novice investors, margin debt that has quadrupled in size. other concern is the underlying economic fundamentals. does the chinese economy support this massive growth? investors are pulling out their proceeds from stocks to invest in new ipos. this is a market we want to follow closely. japan, threatening the over -- overwhelming economy, stocks down modestly. the yen is unchanged today. as far as stocks moving in japan, declining today, industrial related shares are the ones to watch. we are keeping a clos

most other markets in the asia pacific region bounced back from yesterday's losses. sydney gained about 0.7%. indonesia gained about .6%. but the philippines edged lower. >>> we earlier spoke with a expert on the european economy about what would happen if greece fails to make its payments to the imf. >> translator: the decision by the greek government and eurozone countries was unexpected. the market fell in shock and the optimistic mood evaporated. the imf will deal with the country as being in arrears. at this stage, greek's failure to repay debt will not cause losses to private investors. so it would not be a total default. but if greece continues to find itself unable to receive any new bailout funds from the eurozone in the end that could possibly push the country into a complete default. >> we also asked about the effect on japan and the rest of the eurozone. >> translator: the effects on the japanese economy would be rather limited given the size of the greek economy as well as the amount of greek debt held by private investors outside the country. but if gree

this includes unusual typhoons and floods and other natural disasters from the asia pacific region. the rising sea levels have also a great impact on the livelihoods of the local people here. reporter: the people here need to take action to protect their environment. the dutch development organization snv is teaching shrimp farmers how to plant mangroves. these workshops are funded by the international climate initiative. today they're learning about water quality, vital for healthy shrimps. the shrimp farmers are investing a lot of their time. but it's worth their while. tan viet ho: after joining the program our productivity has been rising significantly. before joining the organic shrimp farming program, we earned 200 million vnd per year. and this year after two months, we already earned 100 million vnd. reporter: around 50% of vietnamese shrimp production is located in the ca mau region. over a billion euros' worth of shrimp was exported from here last year. the country's biggest shrimp factory buys the harvests of aquacultures. in the long run, though, the factory is unwilling

it will not let china influence its allies. >> we will remain the principle security power in the asia pacificecades to come. >> reporter: jamie mcintier, al jazeera, the pentagon. >>> another republican governor is joining the race for president. how bobby jindal's career could hurt his bid for presidency. ing. >> "techknow", where technology meets humanity. monday, 6:30 eastern. only on al jazeera america. ♪ >>> fire crews are battling wildfires in parts of four western states this morning. there are hundreds of fires just in alaska. riz identifies of one village there had to evacuate their home on boats. several fires are burning in oregon and washington state. in southern california a fire burning 90 miles east of los angeles is now partially contained. >>> a growing number of states are moving to formally ban therapies designed to turn a gay teen straight. scientists say it simply does not work. but a movement in building in churches and online to help people give up what they call unwanted same-sex attraction. duarte geraldino has more. >> give me the shotgun. i'll hold him as long as i

but the asia pacific union. it's key to world peace. japan's business community hopes to push by the end of the year. >> he also said that it's important for the corporate lead ers to promote with china and south korea. officials are getting ready to discuss restrictions on the japanese seafood. it's by the agreement and japan wants the restrictions after the 2011 nuclear accident. south korea has band imports from the eight japanese prefixtures. fisheries minister said that the south korean government approves approves. >> translator: the japanese will step up to lift restrictions as soon as possible. >> they say that the rules require the talks to start within 30 days of the request. >>> the south east country is set to open it's own boards for the first time this year. officials briefed about ten visitors from the stock trading. japan ex change group will be the supply management know ho. >> translator: everyone hopes that the stock exchange will be established. i will share what i learned on this visit with my country. >> the group w

labor, and the importance of education to attack the problem and most of them 78 million are in the asia pacific region, and 59 million are in africa, and that's 1-5 and, 13 million in latin america, and the caribbean and 9.2 million in the middle east and, north africa. >>> well in liberia many are the bread winners and some are paying for families and school, by smashing rocks. >>> the 12-year-old, does this for five hours each day and, he gets about $1. 0 for every rocked crushes. he uses the money and he wants to be a doctor, and that's why he works in the quarry. >>> i want for him to go to school. now i stay here and he crush the rock for almost 3 years. >>> existing laws, curb are weak and not enforced. and activists say, it is widespread in almost every part of the economy and they're calling on the government to do more to stop it. >>> you have a right to education and going to school, and, prevention from child labor. >>> liberia is one of the poorest country's earth and it has eroded some of the games since the end of the civil war. lower gross forecasts and greater realities, and, th

now to the asia pacific, we'll monitor the shanghai composite, how it trades after a holiday on monday and also get manufacturing purchasing managers data for china later today and the index has tallenfallen considerably as the government tightens controls over excessive lending to investors. now, we'll continue to monitor also here in japan, banking, insurance and pharmaceutical stocks pretty much some of the best performing sector shares on monday here on the nikkei so we'll continue to watch that. a lot of focus on how china trades today and japanese shares related to the china markets, as well. that's all for me, back to you. >> okay, we'll talk to you in a few hours. >>> soft bank plans to invest in solar power generation projects in india to help the country address its power shortage. soft bank chairman and ceo unveiled a plan to set up a new joint venture with indian confirm. it will invest $16 billion in solar projects over the next ten years and generate 20 gig watts of energy. >> we'll create the largest country for the solar energy. >> india faces a serious power shortage.

in the asia pacific there are nearly 50 budget airlines one of the most successful is air-asia. it offered better deals. >> it may in the look like a start up. it will be a start up. there'll be a new shareholder. everything will be new. wedding back will likely be the biggest challenge. greece's creditors are holding an unexpected meeting. the german chancellor is meeting the president from the international international monetary fund from the european bank to decide whether to make a time offer. a greek minicabinet is at the same time in athens. the trial began in columbia's capital. miguel maza was head of an intelligence agency which when an assassination took place of a high official. he was accused of taking payment to reduce the presidential detail. maza has been in gaol since 2013 denying the charges. >> a skin cancer treatment is bean described as a once in generation advance. scientists sigh results of a trial of drugs are spectacular. in the u.k. trial more than half patients have seen time yours shrink. >> reporter: when pam smith was diagnosed with skin cancer, she

china sea, china is out of step with both the international rules and norms that underscore the asia-pacific security architecture and the regional consensus that favors diplomacy and opposes coercion. >> reporter: delegates from other countries also called for a diplomatic solution. chinese workers are turning rooef reefs in to land masses. the u.s. has stepped up reconnaissance activities in the area. they deployed war ships and patrol aircraft. china's representative justified the reclamation work admitting it was partially for military defense in addition to fulfilling its global obligations for maritime rescue. >> translator: the work is reasonable and justified. and within our sovereign rights. it also does not affect freedom of navigation. >> reporter: a regional security expert who attended the forum questions whether china's rhetoric was accepted by delegates. >> china tried to insist this is for the humanitarian purposes and also to utilize for disaster relief. but we are not sure that whether china can make things clear to convince the southeast asian neighbors. >> reporter: atten

also, we initiated and now have sustained what we call the rebalance to asia, the asia-pacific, wheree have increased our security commitment, our economic engagement. we have been negotiating the transpacific partnership agreement to bring that to fruition. we are looking forward to obtaining trade promotion authority from congress. that is another significant competent. and then, since you asked specifically about secretary clinton, she, along with the president, was very much engaged in some of the signature development initiatives of this administration. i think when all is said and done, will be things we look back on with pride. we have elevated the role of the relevant, support for civil society, for women, for voices that have been left out, and we have launched critical initiatives that have been life-saving in the realm of health and food security and power africa, which is an electricity initiative. so, she was integrally involved in all of the major initiatives of the first term of the ministration. mark: so, she was instrument till in moving the trade agenda forward? ms.

while most european union residents see china becoming the world's top power, people in the asia pacific have the most diverse opinions. the pew research center's richard wike. >> they have some anxieties about china, you know wanting to be tough with china and dealing with territorial disputes and other issues. but also recognition that china is very important to the economy of the region. >> reporter: researchers also asked people in southkorea, the philippines, and japan about what they thought the u.s. would do itheir countries were drawn into a military conflict with china. most believed they would use military force to defend them. >> in those countries, there seems to be a fair degree of confidence in the u.s. military commitment to those countries. a majority of americans also say that if japan, south korea, or the philippines got into a serious military conflict with china, the u.s. should use military resources to deal with that sipgs. situation. so on both sides of the equation, there seems to be a pretty solid commitment to dealing with a threat from china militarily if somet

concerns about china's efforts to expand its military influence in the asia pacific are certain to dominate talks. but china's political and economic ambitions are also on the agenda, and experts say that those two are certain to generation tough conversations. among the big problems, cyber security. unnamed u.s. officials blame hackers for recent attacks on recent u.s. servers. complaints on restrictions on doing business in china and washington accuses beijing of manipulating the value of the yen that makes it hard for sell u.s. products in china. some say that u.s. must view china as an equal military and economic power if it wants an improved relationship. >> china is creating the facts with the institutions it's setting up, the role it's taking on in a way that means that these conversations have to be done effectively. and the tone of them increasingly reflects that. >> the challenge for the u.s. is to insure that beijing takes its concerns seriously while not putting on so much pressure that it loses access and influence of its own. >> activists in syria say ten people were killed fr

of tinkering with time, many computer systems are programmed to deal with extra second, and the asia pacific the time jump occurred during the working day and could effect transaction delays in their financial markets. satellites and g.p.s. systems also struggle to cope with the adjustment. at the royal observatory the home of time keeping astronomer says precision time is key to society. >> it is so important to any sittization, if you look back to the greeks, the babb loanians measuring time was very important for running an urban civilization. and it still is today even more so, so that's why this is an issue and why we need to know how we are keeping track of time. >> most years the earth runs on time, and no adjustment is needed. the leap seconds should be stopped. >> ale popular markettishing them would have no immediate effect we would hardly notice it but over many millennia they may say it is day when it is dark outside. al jazeera. london. lenity of time to find out what is happening around the world, the address to click on is aljazeera.com. really is the best place to get all you

law and we get about the work of completing the ppt negotiations with the other countries in the asia pacific. >> finally the vice president has returned to the white house to have lunch with the president. have you seen him today? is there anything that you can tell him about how he's holding up? >> i have not seen the vice president today. but i was aware of his schedule, and that he was returning. i think i mentioned this last week. the vice president and his family continue to be moved by the incredible outpouring and supreme court that they have received at this time. that was on full display for those who have had the opportunity to attend or watch the funeral over the weekend. this will continue with the biden family and all of us who care deeply for the vice president and his family. but i think that the vice president is very dedicated to his job. we're obviously pleased that he'll be able to--he's able to return today, and to much be focused again in the challenges in the role of vice president. >> did the president consider sending more than the 450 troops that he ended up deciding

is using the tpp to try to drop rules for trade in the asia pacific region. and china is trying to establish a separate economic framework, one that doesn't come under the influence of the u.s. another difference is the size of the markets. rcep includes emerging economies such as india and other asean countryies countries. >> so that's a big number. what do member nations expect from the rcep partnership? >> they have been talking about lowering tariff rates and easing in service sectors. they would be able to have a supply chain. seven countries are involved in both sets of talks. they'd be able to choose the better terms of trade between the two. >> japan being the world's third largest economy, i believe, had their own strategy. what is their strategy? >> japanese companies would obviously have more business opportunities. and by being involved in both sets of proposed economic partnerships, japan can ensure that the rules are as fair as possible. and one analyst says japan can have an important influence on the outcome of the rcep. >> we need to balance c

united states rebalanced to the asia pacific, and stepped up meddling in the affairs. this complicated the situation in the south china sea. before that, china had been working with the asian countries to find a peaceful way to maintain stability she abused relations with those countries, but the preps of the united states adds a complicating factor. it's up to the united states whether there's a conflict or not. china certainly will maintain sovereignty. and at the same time will continue to work with others to try to find a peaceful solution. that is what china will continue to do >>> last month the u.s. dispatched a pass eyedon plane. last year you'll remember the pentagon said a chinese fighter pilot encountered a dangerous intercept. a few yards from behind the plane and demonstrated acrobatic manoeuvres that the pentagon said were aggressive. here is my concern. you said the u.s. was meddling, and will determine whether or not this is a conflict. are you confident that one side or the other is not going to get us into a war over the islands in. >> i still thing t

in the asia pacific region there are 50 budget airlines. one of the most successful is airasia. it competes directly with malaysian airlines with 75% of its routes offering better deals. >> it might look like a start up but in fact it will be a start up. it will be a new legal entity. new shareholder new strategy, new management. everything will be new. >> but winning back public confidence will likely be it's biggest challenge. al jazeera hong kong. >> 42 people face murder charges when a factually killed 1100 people. the accident sparked a global outcry for greater safety in these factsry factories which made clothes for international glands those who worked here earned close to nothing. they made clothes for the world's biggest brands. 1,137 people died when the factory collapsed. it was bangladesh's worst industrial accident ever. it opened the eyes of the world to the appalling safety standards of the clothing industry here. the owner of the factory was arrested soon after and now we know he'll be charged with murder along with 41 others. the lead investigator in this case

all the attention because the president's top priority the asia pacific was up for a vote in the lower house. >> i don't think you ever nail anything down here. >> reporter: and this time it was his own political party threatening to block him. he was here to ask them for fast-track authority. basically to get the trade deal with 11 other country, congress could say yes or no but not change the agreement. >> tpa could facilitate another bad deal. we can't afford to pull up the draw bridges and shut out the rest of the world. it's not smart policy and will not help the american worker. >> n.a.f.t.a. cost us 1 million jobs, it michigan is paying the price. >> the world is passing us by. >> in the end, the knows run out kind of. this killed one part of the bill the part that gives aid to workers who lose their job. the actual part of the bill passed. the trade agreement cannot become law unless the assistance package gets the bill. they'll do that next week. now they'll play hard ball sending this to their own party. >> we have a strong case to make. if they don't act as early as next wee

in other markets in the asia pacific region seoul was upup .25 percentage point. sheered by a rate cut. the philippines extended gains ending up 1.62%. >>> brewers of japanese sake are enjoying growing demand overseas. but foreign versions flood the market. now authorities in tokyo are stepping in to protect the brand. officials at the national tax agency briefed lawmakers on a plan to introduce strict labeling standards. the officials say only drinks made in japan with domestic rice would be able to carry the label japanese sake. clearly differentiating between the two will boost exports. they say they'll ask authorities overseas to crack down on violations. they plan to have a similar labeling system for japanese wine. they hope to get the rules this year. >>> japanese food and beverage makers are competing to produce bottles and containers. they believe innovation in this area will help them differentiate their products from the competition and increase market share. here's a report on the fore front of the developments. >> reporter: water from mt. fuji runs abu

he says it is the biggest security challenge facing the asia pacific region. wayne hay has more. >> it is really all about combating the message that is spread. is believed to send out tens of thousands of messages through social media every day. hoping to retract new recruits. heading over to iraq and syria to join isil, so far it is believed around 100 have done that there is also a lot of discussion about this summit about a community led response, of course, governments in this region including australia have been very busy. passing toughest anti-terror laws but there is also a growing aware thans there needs to be a community led response to this problem particularly when it comes vulnerable people in those. a watchdog says u.n. peace keepers may have committed sex crimes while on duty in haiti. the associate press reports that peace keepers traded food medicine and cell phones in exchange for sex. and the a.p. says about a third of the people exploited were children. nearly 7,000 in haiti. james base has more. >> the u.n. is making no comment, they say th

let's look at other markets of the asia pacific region. hong kong .9%. but the philippines composite index fell more than 0.7%. >>> two top executives at one of japan's biggest tire companies are set to step down to limit damage over a scandal involving their products. the executives of toyo tire and rubber are taking responsibility for the faulty shock absorbers. the products are designed to help buildings resist earthquakes, but the maker had illegally obtained approval for its substandard equipment. the chairman will resign as of july 1st. the president will step down only after the project to replace the parts is near completion. he says he will resign by the end of the year at the latest. it has been revealed that shock absorbers not up to standard were used in 450 buildings nationwide. >>> the president of nissan motor has reported taking home a hefty payment last year. carlos ghosn's earnings topped 1 billion yen or $8.4 million. ghosn made the announcement. his payment was 1 billion 35 yen. company officials attributed it to brisk earnings, but so

in other markets in the asia pacific reason seoul's kospi stretched its winning streak to a third day. indonesia gained .8% after keeping the key interest rate unchanged. sydney gained 1.3%. >>> sales at department stores in japan rose in may for the second straight month. industry officials say nearly $4 billion in sales were recorded at roughly 240 stores last month. that's 6.3% higher than a year earlier and a shine stores are recovering from the consumption tax hike last year. officials with the japan department stores' association say foreign tourists boosted sales. a spell of good weather helped too, prompting many people to splash out on summer clothing. officials hope that rising stock prices and an uptick in consumer sentiment will keep the momentum going. >>> the u.s. house of representatives has passed a trade promotion authority bill or tpa after removing legislation to aid american workers. it would give president barack obama more authority on trade deals such as the transpacific partnership. house members passed the so-called fast track bill on thursday with a vote of 2

they affirmed their countries will keep working together to achieve peace and stability in the asia-pacific region. >>> south korean authorities are reporting two more deaths from middle east respiratory syndrome. they say the mers outbreak in their country has now killed 13 people. they confirm 126 infections. the latest case is a high schoolteacher. a world health organization team is helping the south korean government contain the outbreak. >> i think one of the important actions to take will be to invest more in the strengthening of the public health situation in the country. >> w.h.o. team members visited hospitals and studied mers symptoms. they're trying to understand the virus, and how the outbreak began. they plan to announce their findings later saturday. >>> u.n. officials say peacekeepers on deployment commonly barter cash and goods for sex with local women. they made the accusation in a draft report seen by the reuters news agency. the authors work for the u.n. office of internal oversight services. they say peacekeepers often get local women to have sex with them in return for

expanding trade in the asia pacific region should not derail the talks about to take place between washington and beijing. prime minister tony abbott is in hot water over his own hot air specifically over the issue of renewable energy and climate change. windmills noisy and an eyesore. the cartoon that went with the article depicts abbott as a scarecrow swinging at a windmill. >>> be yvonne ndege has the story. >> her two partners and her run a small online food delivery service in abuja called food i like. customers go on and order from local restaurants and she delivers it. de bele is working with about about 30 restaurants. she calls it a food loicts logistics service. >> there is a need for convenience, there is a need for delivery, there's a need for that provision of logistics in terms of the meals for consumers. >> you can't carry out transaction. >> debele got started with the help of inspire it's funded by the government. here entrepreneurs are taught the basics of computer programming for online business ventures. inspire has helped more than 50 businesses get started. but there are

the government has been inviting investors hoping to fashion it's a the next gaming capitol of the asia pacificn dis -- despite other casinos taking a hit in profits lately. >> this is our hopefully meaningful contribution to elevate the recent industry as one of the main engineers of economic growth but also the point about the employment. for permanent jobs. >> reporter: there are five resorts planned all in all. and the government estimates 30 to 40,000 people will be directly employed by them. officials are also counting on indirect employment. security guards maintenance people taxicab drives vendors. the expectation is around 100,000 jobs will be created around the gaming industry. richard has been ferrying passengers along this street for seven years. this cap is all he has. he and his family of six take turns sleeping in it at night. he was looking forward to the new edition of the neighborhood but he is not allowed to get close to it. >> translator: business is actually slower now. i earn less money and there's more competition. >> reporter: like many other philippineo's he feels the c

highlighting the importance of education and, 168 million children and most of them 78 million are in the asia pacific region. 59 million are in africa and that's 1-5 children there and estimated 13 million in, child labor, in the caribbean and northeast and north africa, cam body a is eliminating most hazardous forms of child labor next year. >>> now the report. >>> the arrival of the truck at this field marks the start of the working day. >>> no one is too young to work. >>> with children, only able to earn $1 for a day wielding a chopper, the smallest of fingers are needed for families to make enough to live on. >>> family groups working together. >>> we have come here with world vision, one of the organizations, helping cambodia, realizing its goal of putting children like these into schools full-time and also, his dream. >>> i prefer being in school, but we need the money. >>> across cam body a child labor is still a problem. >>> it is most playant in the country side. >>> recent efforts to clamp down in the cities have largely moved the problem from view, but in the factoriries you just have to

in the asia pacific reason there are 50 budget airlines. one of the most successful is airasia. it dietz directly with offers direct competition. >> new entity, new shareholder new strategy, in large part new management. >> but winning back public confidence will likely be it's biggest challenge. al jazeera hong kong. >> smoking in public has been banned in china's capital beijing. the tough regulations prohibit lighting up in restaurant and on public transport. that's with china having 300 million smokers. adrian brown reports. >> china has long been a smokers' paradise. previous bans failed mainly do to lax enforcement lacks enforcement. since children are considered to be most at risk from passive smoking. antismoking campaigners say there are clear signs that the authorities appear serious this time. >> for the first time the regulations clearly spell out what happens if someone does not adhere to the regulations. it's not just that the smokers will be fined but the owners of a business will be charged quite hefty charge if they don't help to make sure that their places stay

the rebalance back i asia. heas demonstrated his intelligence, in his seriousness, and his focus on the asia-pacific region betterhan any of his that assesessors, i think. in that, he did a terrific job. this was a shangri-la speech to remember. the main audience is the region. i think this whehen a long way to reassuring the region, our allies and partners, to mobilize others who are against chinese bad behavior, but not against china andd then he visited to keep partners, below hanging fruit of the defense partnership in the asian-pacacific, vietnam and india. is is a slow long-term project, but he took the next step.. vago: how is this trip received byby the region, including by china? trick: -- guest: china was not happy w with it. vago: which makes it a success. guest: it was clear that the intent was more toward china and they rejejected that out of hand. certainly they did not want to see the americans get any closer with the v vietnamese. they are not happy about that. and with india certainly hope that new delhi does what new delhi often does, which is reach out, but never commit fully to one side or the

in other markets in the asia pacific region seoul fell to a three-month low at one stage. indonesia and the philippines bucked that trend. the philippines closed up by almost .7%. >>> more people from asia are visiting japan, but few venture beyond the popular tourist spots in big cities. local officials are trying to change that in the hope more visitors will explore attractions in the rural regions. travel agents from 11 countries and territories including china and south korea are gathering at an event near tokyo. an official in northeastern japan is making a pitch for his hometown explaining its famous castle apples, and cherry blossoms. >> translator: the number of foreign visitors to the northeastern region of japan has been sluggish since the 2011 tsunami and earthquake. i came here to promote our beautiful spots so more tourists go there. >> we try to get more options for our repeat customer to japan. for malaysian the first golden route is tokyo, osaka. other than that we look for something else. tohoku, yes, will be my first option. >>he japan national tourism say

actions in the south china sea, china is out of step with both international norms that underscore the asia-pacificity architecture and the regional consensus in favor of a non-coercive approach to this and other long-standing disputes. >> china has emerged as really a formidable competitor and as they are asserting themselves on the global stage, the long- standing consensus that china's rise is good for the u.s. is beginning to break down. >> woodruff: henry paulson and bob rubin worked for presidents from different parties-- george w. bush and bill clinton-- but they agree on the need to chart a mid-course correction in u.s. china relations, and say it needs to happen soon. what is it about this u.s.- chinese relationship that you think it was so important for the american people to know right now? >> i think that when you have the two largest economies in the world, united states and china, you have the opportunity for a mutually beneficial bilateral relationship and in addition, if we can get that right and if we can get a broad based understanding and recognition of each country that we benef