for a total of $860,000. the brother of the gunman suspected of killing seven people in southern france is facing charges. he was charged with complicit to commit murder. the apparent murderer mohammed mira was killed in the stachbdoff. tiger wins with a 13 under par winning by five strokes. those are the hid lines from cnn, the world's news leader. i'm zain verjee and "world business today" starts now. good morning. from cnn london, i'm nina desantos. good afternoon. from cnn hong kong. i'm andrew stevens. welcome to "world business today." the top stories this monday, march 26th. he's good at making the right calls on the markets. tim rogers will be here to tell us where he's putting his money these days. see why lung becomes hong ko kong's chief executive and inherits the city's economic problems. and a controversial drilling method is p for consideration in south africa. do the economic benefits on the other hand outweigh the environmental costs? we'll investigate. let's begin with the markets. it's a new day and a new trading week starting in asia. most markets closing slightly up but as you see there very, very light trading. it was a bit choppy. they bounced around the flatline level. down amid concerns about the impact on profits of the global economy, any sort of slowdown in the global economy. japan stocks were up as you see, the nikkei just a fraction, coming off its biggest drop in two months. in fact, athe love these markets are posting their biggest weekly falls last week for the year. as you see, no real direction there whatsoever. that's despite the green arrows on wall street saw on friday. certainly waiting for some sort of lead, not seeing it here in asia. some corporate news to tell you about. a big airline tie-up. qantas airline closing up 2% after it signed a $200 million deal for a low-cost hong kong carrier with china, eastern airlines. china eastern finishing down by just over 1%. this new venture will be called jetstar hong kong. jet star is a well-known brand across asia, the low hiv cost carrier arm of qantas. qantas looking for a toehold into the chinese market. getting the toehold will allow jet star to fly into china but not within china where the real growth is. but certainly analysts are seeing it as a solid move for qantas. and saw the increase in the share price. here in hong kong, after a divisive period of campaigning, hong kong has a new chief executive. his name is c.y.leung, a 57-year-old pro-beijing politician who made his millions in hong kong property. but he inherits the leadership mantle as the city faces a series of unenviable challenges. >> it's not just the economic issues. it's also the issue over his own popularity. c.y. leung gave this thumbs-up in sunday's fourth chief executive election but he's getting a thumbs-down in approval. this local newspaper "the standard," he only got a 40% approval rating, relative to the 70% rating of previous chief executives. he said he would address a swath of economic woes after he takes office this july. take a listen. >> on economic and political policies, i will consult widely on issues with deep-rooted problems of uneven distribution of income, education, medical serviced and political reform. >> so leung says hong kong doesn't need major reforms but there are major economic issues that everyone is very nervous about. the first, for example, is hong kong's growth or in this case potential contraction for this quarter we're in right now. in january both imports and exports fell for the first time in two years, thanks in part to europe's debt crisis and slower demand from the continent. mr. leung is at the mercy of weak demand. also the income gap is an issue. a spokeswoman told me it's one of the widest in the developed world. hong kong's genie co-efficient, a measure of wealth disparity is higher than all of thiz countries, japan, united states, mexico, hong kong at the top. in leung's first speech he said he'll focus on the wealth gap. any hong kong resident can tell you home prices are pretty much soaring. leung says he'll try to build more low-income pricing. >> that's been a key, hasn't it? that populist view on building cheaper homes. it would underpin his popularity among the low and middle income earners but how are the big private developers reacting to this? c.y. himself made millions in the property sector. would it impact profits? >> based on the share price reaction today, it doesn't seem so. let me bring it up. the green on this board seems to say the big developers are actually pretty confident in c.y. leung. the three are up. earlier today citibank said leung's strategy isn't that different than the outgoing administration. also one analyst told me that the city's high-end property prices will really depend on mainland china's buyers and not so much on what leung would or even could do. hong kong's new chief executive-elect has his work cut out for him to keep hong kong from falling into recession and pull his own approval numbers up from the get-go. >> interesting to say the major beneficiary there, given the owner was a huge opponent of the rival. the popularity of c.y.leung is really low. the headlines i've been seeing is, will the real c.y. lf eung now stand up? is he the people's champion or a bogey man? this is after weeks and weeks and weeks of campaigning. the people of hong kolon hong k feel they don't know whoo their new leader is. >> yeah. need to mention there's probably a bit of unease there when it comes to the hong kong citizens also the markets. really an interesting story. let's focus in on things in europe and also look at the week that was and the week that's likely to be over the next five trading days. first of all, focusing on what went on last week. friday may have seen modest gains to the european market but certainly not enough to counter a heavy week of losses. as you were saying, andrew, some of the markets had their worst week so far this year, a similar picture where we are. both the dax and the paris cac 40 lost 3% over the last five trading sessions. as we head into a new week, they're still struggling for momentum at the moment. broadly speaking the markets are up with the exception of the cac 40 teetering just under the flatline. what we're watching out for this week is plenty of economic data, much of it coming from the trunnelled you' troubled euro zone economies. the worst of the region's financial crisis could now be over, officials say, investors will keep a keen eye on the figures. thursday's a really big day. we have the release of the euro zone business climate index alongside consumer and economic sentiment results and crucially germany, europe's biggest economy, will publish its unemployment data. that will be interesting to watch. outside of euro zone, we have economic goliath figures from two of the really big economies, the united kings.com and united states, with the latter publishing its annualized growth rate on thursday for 2011. thursday a really big day for the technology industry because on wall street we have the troubled blackberry maker research in motion coming out with its figures on thursday. a whole bunch of date at that. let's get an idea as to what we can expect for the week to come. we talked to chief markets analyst david who joins us from london. good to have you on the show, david. are you going to be looking for the economic data to see if if underpins what mario drag ga has been saying or are we looking at market earnings? >> i think the economic data is probably the priority for this week. as you said, there's the german unemployment numbers, the business conference coming out. we also have here in the uk as you mentioned gdp, which gives us a better feel for how the recovery is going on this side of the atlantic. but i think the problem is we have spanish bond yields creeping up the last three weeks or so. there's yet another euro pin meeting friday talking about raising maybe the ceiling for buildout funds. i think we could well see the european debt crisis come back to bite us again if the bond yields continue to go up for spain. >> it also seems the germans are making a few concessions finally, conceding to allow ministers to beef up this temporary euro zone bailout fund. is that seen as a good think on the markets or perhaps a sign of things being worse than people thought. >> clearly it looks worse than we thought maybe a month ago. but i'd have to say from a markets point of view if you look at the likes of stock nashl markets and the euro against the u.s. dollar we're not seeing much in the way of nerves. we had something of a wobble for most of last week in major stock market but we have started off today in a positive mode. so it doesn't appear just yet that markets are too worried by what's going on in europe, but i think as we've learned over the last couple of years it's seldom the end just when it we think it's over. so i do think we'll keep somewhat when of a wary eye on the spanish yields as the week goes on and we could rue the calmer approach. >> let's head over the atlantic, the united states gdp figures and in particular the annualized rate of growth for the whole of 2011 coming up. this fk is an election year. it seems the u.s. economy has done better than many of its counterparts where we are. do you think the figures will continue to see the momentum is growing? >> it definitely seems to be the expectation. we're expecting a number of 3% on thursday from those figures. if you look at what the stock market is doing, stock markets around the world have been strong so far this year but the stronger performers have been in the u.s., particularly on the technology side. if you look at what the nasdaq has done this year, it's been almost relentless, one or two days it's gone down but it's bounced back strongly. i think for now at least that's where the clever money is i think in u.s. stock markets as they continue to outperform this side of the atlanta r atlantic. >> david jones joining us, many thanks. great to see you. speaking of those u.s. indices that david was saying a lot of the smart money is going on, let's look at them. we're about five hours from the opention bell on wall street, here's how the early indications show the markets may be opening. basically positive but not that much. take a look at the dow jones industrial and also the nasdaq, those two markets stronger and this market is the one that david was just saying has had a real pop of late and done very well. of course investors will keep their eyes on those u.s. gdp figures, also u.s. home sales will being out later on monday so they'll keep an eye on that and consumer confidence numbers will be tomorrow. u.s. gdp figures on thursday. so basically throughout the course of the week we'll get a better idea whether the u.s. economy has really got the economic fundamentals that it seems as though the stock markets think it has. >> yes. we'll be talking to jim rogers later in the show, nina, about his thoughts on the u.s. economy, make sure you keep with us for it that as well. you're watching "world business today" live on cnn. still ahead also on the show, president obama issues a stark warning to iran and north korea. his message and latest ahead of a nuclear security summit in south korea when we come back. i. [ female announcer ] don't just moisturize. improve the health of your skin with aveeno daily moisturizing lotion. the natural oatmeal formula goes beyond 24-hour moisture. it's clinically proven to improve your skin's health in one day, with significant improvement in 2 weeks. for healthy, beautiful skin that lasts. i found a moisturizer for life. [ female announcer ] daily moisturizing lotion. and for healthy hair every day, try new pure renewal hair care, with balancing seaweed extract. only from aveeno. after jumping nearly $2 on friday, the price of brent crude is settling somewhat where it was at the start of the week. however, the sudden movement in the price will probably allay the jitters in the market, do little to do that, we will continue to see the pressure at the gas pump. down 31 cents at the barrel of a price of $124.59 for a barrel of crude. you're watching "world business today" live on cnn. welcome back. u.s. president barack obama has issued a stark warning to north korea and iran over their nuclear agendas. the president was speaking ahead of a nuclear security summit in the south korean capital of seoul. he warned the nations they face tougher sanctions and isolation if they fail to offer more transparency on their nuclear programs. with more now, let's go to brianna keilar join being us live in seoul. brianna, the president obviously talking tough. >> reporter: yes, he is talking tough. and, andrew, as the welcoming ceremony here at the nuclear security summit is set to get under way very soon, we're also getting word that north korea is prepping for that long-range missile launch that is it is moving forward with more mid-app according to a south korean ministry official, there actually has been movement of the rocket to the facility in the northwest, the launching facility. it's being moved to that facility and there was a south korean report that south korea was preparing to shoot down that rocket should it come into south korean territory. we actually have some clarification from the south korean defense ministry official that really they're getting ready to track the trajectory, should any part of the rocket fall into south korean territory. but, yes, very tough language from president obama and really a direct appeal to north korea's leaders. listen. >> here in korea i want to speak directly to the leaders in pyongyang. the united states has no hostile intent toward your country. we are committed to peace. and we are prepared to it take steps to improve relations, which is why we have offered nutritional aid to north korean mothers and children. but by now it should be clear. your provocations and pursuit of nuclear weapons have not achieved the security you seek. they have undermined it. >> reporter: now, president obama has said that that food aid deal struck between north korea and the u.s. late last month is in jeopardy because, during times of tension, it's almost impossible to have monitors to make sure that food goes where it needs to go. but, andrew, president obama really framing this in terms of north korea making a choice, that if it's going to go forward with this, that those actions will not be rewarded and north korea will only be further isolated, andrew. >> brianna, thanks very much for that, live from south korea. between stocks and bonds, currencies and commodities there's so many places where you could put your money. find out after the break where the billionaire investor jim rogers is xrinvesting his. beautiful day here in hong kong. welcome back. we are live from hong kong and london. you're watching "world business today." >> it's a beautiful day here in london as well, andrew, but we want to turn our attention to people who haven't been quite so fortunate when it comes to the weather. it's the worst flooding in recent history. one town in new brunswick, canada, is under water forcing residents to flee with little warning. let's go to our meteorologist who joins us live from the cnn international weather center. hi there, ivan. tell us about it. it sounds nasty. >> it is nasty. it's for the same reason actually we're talking about warm temperatures, too warm too quick, in north america. i know europe we've been talking about that, the temperatures that have been just unseasonably warm. we are talking about may and june numbers here. that's the same thing happening across this part of the world as we fly you into new brunswick. this is the st. john river. what we've had here is a dramatic rise in those river levels as a result of the icejamming that has been ongoing. i'll explain that in a second. i want to show you the pictures and what has been transpiring here along this town in perth n perth-andover. we've had a significant, rapid thaw so this river which at one point you can clearly see was iced over is no longer. that ice is melting, dislodging, coming out in chunks and then it jams up in certain areas of the river and it acts essentially as a barrier here so all of that water begins to flow up and we have significant flooding and also very quick flooding, almost like flash flooding. look at the temperatures here behind me. this is what set the stage essentially, temperatures anywhere from 10 to 15 plus above normal through the early part of march in new brunswick. we've been seeing the warm temperatures and that has resulted in upstream thawing, the ice gets dislodged and sometimes the river narrows in some areas or the ice jum gets blocked up here and so you get that buildup, that flow coming in behind. the water has to go somewhere. it can't continue flowing through its natural path so it floods out to the villages here. that is exactly what's been happening there with our good friends in canada. conditions will continue to be the same so we're talking about the potential for this to be ongoing here for the next week or so as this dramatic spring thaw continues not only in europe but also in north america. nina. >> all right, ivan, great to see you again. ivan ka brer ra. still ahead on the show -- investor jim rogers gives us his analysis on the global economic outlook. plus, his predictions for the commodities markets and some tips on where you should be putting your money. right now, right here on cnn. from cnn hong kong, i'm andrew stevens. >> and i'm neen thina desantos london. welcome back. we're about 19 minutes into the european trading day. this is where things are looking, heavy, heavy losses that saw a couple of these markets losing in excess of 3% last week. well, markets as you can see mostly up with the exception of the cac, the european shares regaining some of the losses we saw last week namely after -- saying the worst of the euro zone crisis could be behind this report. but it will be a busy week on the economic front because we'll have key reports on german business confidence, we had one showing it rose slightly for the month of march. we'll have key reports on business sentiment, the economic climate, also confidence. andrew, those are the things that will move the markets in the next few days to come. >> absolutely, nina. and markets on this side of the world as well. speaking of moving, there wasn't much movement here in asia at the start of the trading week. virtually flat, australia down by less than a fifth of 1%. japan holding its head above water, the nikkei recovering from its biggest fall of the year. most of these markets had their biggest weekly fall of the year. despite, we're getting some uptick out of new york on friday, it hasn't really translated through to this part of the world. losses for the banks limiting the gaichbs here gains here in investing your money wisely in the current climate is certainly a complex task. so it's vital to get good advice. one man who's spent his life investing and writing books about it is jim rogers. he's well known for finding the offshore quantum fund as well as george seros and the author of five books on money. jim joins us on the hong kong set to give us his thoughts. jim, welcome to the show. >> delighted to be here, andrew. after that introduction, i should leave. >> leave on a high. jim, let's start with the global picture. the optimist would say at the moment that the worst is behind europe, that china is probably in for a soft landing, and the u.s. growth path will continue. the possess mist would say, it's the eye of the hurricane had in europe, china will have a hard landing and the u.s. won't be able to sustain the growth. globally, what do you think will happen? >