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 health ministry 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 tra

during his election campaign earlier this year, the prime minister nawaz sharif pledged to engage militants in talks to improve security in pakistan. >>> thailand's economy is booming, but the benefits don't always reach people at the bottom of the pyramid. many children from poor families don't have access to a proper education, but one woman born in a bangkok slum hopes to change that. nhk world reports. >> reporter: affectionately known as dr. slum. she just received her ph.d in biotechnology at the age of 28. her accomplishment is attracting a lot of media attention in this country, where a wide gap remains between rich and poor. she wouldn't have got so far without the support of her parents and her sister and brother, who gave up their own studies to earn money for the family. >> translator: i'm so proud of her. i'm speechless. i'm so happy she's made a success of herself. >> translator: i'm so happy my brother, sister, and parents can all be with me today. thanks to them, i've been able to take the first step towards my goal. >> reporter: thailand's booming economy means little here.

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