pakistani prime minister nawaz sharif is working to promote economic ties with china. he is visiting beijing where he has met with top leaders. patchari raksawong in bangkok has more. >> sharif and his chinese counterpart attending a ceremony for signing a series of agreements on friday. since returning to power in june, sharif has set his eyes on building stronger relations with china. he is working with the old ally in the hope of rebuilding pakistan's economy and developing its infrastructure. sharif chose china as the destination of his first official overseas visit since taking office. pakistan and china are close allies in part because of their mutual rivalry with india. >> our friendship is higher than this and deeper than the deepest sea in the world. and sweeter than honey. >> there may be another reason behind sharif's glowing message to china. pakistan's energy shortages continue to worsen. some areas of the capital, islamabad, are without power more than ten hours a day. sharif wonover voters during his campaign by condemning the previous government for fai

nawaz sharif won the election in may because of his opposition to drone activity. the obama administration has refused to change its policy and says drone strikes are legal under domestic and international law. >>> a deadly strain of bird flu has claimed another victim in cambodia. the healthinistry says nine people died from the h5n1 virus so far this year. a 6-year-old girl from a village in a southern province died last friday. the girl was likely exposed to infected poultry. the health ministry says 13 cases of h5n1 bird flu have been confirmed in the country this year. the world health organization says 20 people were infected worldwide between the start of january and 4th of june. 15 of those cases resulted in death. the w.h.o. says the virus is endemic among poultry in cambodia. children seem to be most vulnerable because they often like to play in areas where poultry also graze. >>> packed subway trains are part of everyday life for singaporean commuters. congestion is getting so bad the transport authorities are now offering free fares for people who trave