Bangkok's massive multi-million dollar airport terminal tonight resembles a night market. It's teaming with yellow-clad protesters and lined with make-shift stalls selling badges, t-shirts, stickers and jewelry, as well as food and drink. Outside, the passenger drop-off zone is a sea of yellow protesters rattling their plastic "clappers" as they listen to fiery speeches from the top of truck.

The approach road to the terminal is lined with cars that reflect the largely middle-class character of the protesters – the SUV is the vehicle of choice. There are several security checks along the way, where guards wielding metal rods and golf clubs stop and search approaching cars. It feels like the anti-government protesters are settling in for the long-haul. 

SLIDESHOW: Airport under siege

All flights remain suspended, and the estimated 3,000 passengers – most of them tourists – stranded last night when the airport closed have been moved to city-center hotels.

But who exactly are these protesters clad in yellow – the color associated with Thailand's king – who risk crippling Thailand's lucrative tourist industry? And what do they want?

They go by the name of the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) and are a loose coalition of Thailand's old elite – businessmen, academics and royalists, drawing support largely from Bangkok's middle class. They have a degree of backing from conservative elements in the army and the royal palace – one reason why the government has been reluctant to move aggressively against them.

They are well-funded and well-organized, and have an ugly militia, armed with iron bars, sling shots, even guns. These "security guards" have frequently resorted to violence – yesterday they opened fire on government supporters on a city highway.

They claim to be fighting corruption and defending the king, and their professed aim is to topple the government which was democratically elected a year ago. Their strategy is to create as much disruption as possible in order to force the hand of the military, which is reluctant to get involved. The last coup, in 2006, caused a lot of damage to the military's reputation, and ultimately achieved very little.

Seizing the airport is perhaps the most effective disruption they've caused in months of protest, and comes at a time when they seemed to be running out of steam and losing support.

VIDEO: Protesters stage showdown in Bangkok

What do they want?
The PAD's leaders want the government replaced by "new politics," effectively doing away with the current democratic system and limiting the electoral power of poorer voters, who they regard as ill-educated.

Instead, they want 70 percent of parliament to be appointed by worthy people – such as themselves. The government would be headed by a powerful king, whose portrait is everywhere at PAD rallies.

One newspaper column this week described their ideology as "a cultish and violent conservatism," combined with a "mangled version of democracy."

Their target, the government of Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat, is hardly a virtuous beast, but it was democratically elected, and enjoys massive support from Thailand's rural poor. If there was an election tomorrow, it would almost certainly be re-elected, which is why the PAD wants to change the system.

Somchai is the brother-in-law of Thaksin Shinawatra, the former prime minister, who was disposed in the 2006 coup. He has been accused of widespread corruption and abuse of power, but his administration redrew Thailand's political landscape, empowering the rural poor, and adopting populist polices, including low cost village loans, and a basic health system.

These reforms came as shock in a system which has for years been, essentially, a competition within the Thai elite – the poor north-east serving as a repository of cheap labor for Bangkok's bars and building sites.

Thaksin's populism also threatened a traditional system of patronage and hierarchy, at the pinnacle which sits the royalist elite, who are the PAD's strongest supporters.

The current government is packed with Thaksin cronies, and the former prime minister, now in self-imposed exile, is accused of calling the government's shots from abroad. He has drawn massive crowds to live stadium phone-ins and remains very popular in the poor north and north-east of Thailand.

The government strategy this week has been, essentially, to "play dead," and not risk violence by confronting the PAD (which is what many of the protest leaders would like), allowing them to roam Bangkok at will. The police offered little resistance when they seized the airport.

For months the PAD has occupied Thailand's Government House, forcing the government to shift cabinet meetings to Bangkok's old airport. In most countries they would have been tossed out weeks ago, but there is another factor at play Thailand – one that is rarely spoken about openly: the future of the monarchy.

King Bhumibol Adulyadej, the world's longest-reigning monarch, will be 81 next week. He is revered by the Thai people. Although he has few formal powers, he wields enormous moral influence. He has frequently intervened at times of crisis, but diplomats fear his advanced years and deteriorating health will limit his ability to calm this crisis.

The king's annual birthday address next week will be carefully watched. His wife, Queen Sirikit, has explicitly backed the PAD.  She even attended the funeral of a PAD supporter killed in clashes with the police last month. Her backing has given the protesters a powerful "roof" in its anti-government campaign.

The queen's concern is for the continuation of a strong monarchy after her husband's passing, which will create an enormous vacuum.

The heir to the throne, Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn will not command the reverence enjoyed by his father. He is very unpopular and unacceptable to many Thais, who prefer his sister Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, though she has never married and has no immediate heir.

None of this is openly discussed by the Thai media, which is shackled by strict lèse-majesté laws which make it a crime to offend the monarchy, but the future of the Chakri Dynasty goes to the heart of the current power struggle.

One seasoned journalist summed it up nicely: "Covering this crisis is like trying to explain the unexplainable, without mentioning the unmentionable."

 BANGKOK, Thailand – Late tonight, one of Asia's busiest airports remained under siege, sealed off by several thousand anti-government protesters. The protesters, clad in yellow – the color of the king – sat on mats and cardboard, in the road outside the main terminal building, where cars and buses usually drop off passengers.

They were listening to fiery anti-government speeches, interspersed with Thai folk songs blasting from the top of a truck, also draped in yellow. At one point, a protest leader, speaking in perfect English, apologized for any inconvenience to the thousands of stranded passengers. "Please understand that our purpose is to stop this corrupt government," he said. The crowd of protesters shook their plastic "clappers" in approval.

VIDEO: Thai protesters close airport, battle police

The pleas didn't garner much sympathy with the bewildered passengers inside the terminal.

"I just wanna go home. I like Thailand, but I don't like this," said one man, as he lay on the floor, waiting for news of his delayed flight to Sweden. Nearby a young couple nursed two sick infants.

In for a long night...
Most of the check-in staff had fled from the terminal, though one representative of a western airline handed out vouchers for a Bangkok hotel. The catch was that the stranded passengers would need to find a taxi. He could give little other comfort. "I have no idea what is happening outside this airport," he said.

Many of the holidaymakers I spoke to were aware of the political crisis gripping Thailand, but had not expected it to come to them. The alarm felt by passengers when the protesters pushed past security guards and police into the terminal soon gave way to resignation.

Many of the protesters handed out snacks and water, and some tried to engage the tourists in conversation, to explain why they'd sealed the airport. They appeared to find a ready audience in two young German men, but thought better of stopping at the couple with the sick children, walking awkwardly past.

Other protesters looked a good deal less friendly, roaming near the terminal building in crash helmets, bandanas and dark glasses, and carrying iron bars. They'd put razor wire across access roads, and the whole event was being filmed by their own television station.

By the early hours of Wednesday morning (Thai time is Eastern Standard Time + 12) there were no police to be seen. They have largely allowed the protesters to have their way to avoid confrontation. The protesters' own security detail was unpacking boxes of water, while yellow-clad protesters wandered around the terminal building, stopping to look with some satisfaction at the electronic board listing delayed arrivals. They showed no sign of leaving.

"They say to phone again at five o'clock," said one traveler, coming off his cell phone, while another group made themselves comfortable on the conveyor belt behind the check-in desk, which seemed far more comfortable than the floor for the long hours ahead. Though few expected much sleep as the speeches reverberated through speakers in the terminal building's concourse.

LAGUNA, Philippines - Robert Zeigler was a terrific host, bubbling with enthusiasm as he told me about the new varieties of rice that could bring enormous relief to the world's poor.

"This is a transformational technology. It gives me goose bumps," he said, pointing at clusters of rice stems emerging from a flooded paddy field. "These are tailored for floods. They basically hold their breath underwater."

He was pointing at a new variety of flood resistant rice, bred by the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), where he is Director General. "This will basically remove farmers in many parts of the world from being the victims of floods."

VIDEO: Philippines rice industry offers both promise and problems

An assistant reminded him he was already late for another meeting, but Zeigler was getting into his stride, passionate about the Institute's research. They're also working on a variety of rice resistant to drought, he told me, and the Institute hosts the world's biggest seed bank – 100,000 varieties in cold storage inside a vast vault.

A morning with Dr. Zeigler at the Philippines-based IRRI leaves you wondering how the world could possibly be facing food shortages, but travel just a few miles from here and there is a very different picture.

Rice farmers are abandoning their land, unable to afford the new seeds. Half the paddies in this area lack irrigation, and few farmers have basic storage facilities. The soaring cost of fertilizer and pesticides have eaten into the small profits they could make from rice, pushing them into debt.

Click here to read the rest of Ian Williams report from the Philippines in the Daily Nightly blog and to the rest of the "Against the Grain" series about the global food crisis.

GUANGZHOU, Guangdong Province – Seeing the jostling crowds at the Guangzhou auto show, it seems hard to believe that car sales have slowed in China.

Over two sprawling levels of a convention center here, flashy sports cars, minivans, SUVs, Jeeps, the odd concept vehicle, even RVs, beckoned people to imagine a shinier mobile lifestyle.

"We already have a small car, so we want a bigger car like a four-wheel drive," said Tang Qing, a young well-dressed woman whose "small car" is a BMW.  "So the whole family can go out together." 

"The GLK is the model I like," she added, having just checked out that model of SUV at the Mercedes-Benz display.

Adrienne Mong/NBC News

The 2008 Guangzhou auto show draws huge crowds.Â

Tang exemplifies the young Chinese consumer over whom market researchers smack their lips.  China, according to one such survey, has more aspirational car buyers than any other nation in the world.  

And this desire for the trappings of a better life – combined with the growing means to realize material ambitions for the world's largest population – has helped make China the biggest auto market after the United States.

For the past six years, the country has clocked more than 20 percent growth in domestic vehicle sales. Last year, 8.8 million vehicles were sold here. 

But this year sales have slowed considerably – owing to growing economic uncertainty abroad and at home. Analysts are forecasting growth of around 8 percent for this year. And Chinese carmakers are apparently apprehensive enough to have considered seeking a government bailout of their own. 

Against this backdrop, Tang appeared to be the rare luxury buyer the morning the NBC News team wandered through the auto show.

 
On Friday, China Daily quoted officials as saying that, in some cities, the unemployed outnumber job vacancies by a factor of 2 to 1. Reports like that continue to fuel consumer hesitation over purchasing big-ticket items. 

A young woman who would only give her name as Hicky said she was concerned about widespread layoffs around her. "For now, I won't buy a car probably," said Hicky, who favored Chinese domestic brands like Great Wall Motor.

Adrienne Mong/NBC News

Even in a downturn, luxury brands in China attract a lot of browsers.Â

After doing his initial research online, first-time buyer Li Xiang Xing from Guangzhou decided to come to the auto show to see in person what he could afford.

"If it wasn't for the [economic] crisis, we would buy more expensive cars," he said, looking at the Ford models on display around him. "Now we have to be frugal."

Guangdong province – of which Guangzhou is the capital – is the nation's biggest vehicle market. More than 95 million people live here – many of whose pockets have rapidly grown deeper over the past thirty years.

But it is also the country's industrial exports nerve center. Residents in Guangdong have been hit hard by the rapid decline in orders for, well, anything from overseas and a general downturn in China's economy that began with high inflation last winter.

VIDEO: Will American cars still sell in China?

 
Like anywhere else, sales of automobiles in China are affected by the cost of gasoline. Oil prices may have dipped below $50 a barrel in the global market, but here they remain under state control as part of efforts to control inflation – and they remain quite high. Gasoline at the pump costs at least fifty percent more than what it does on average in the U.S.

The central government announced that it will cut gas and diesel prices on Friday – some financial analysts estimate they could go down by as much as 15 percent. But the catch is that a long-awaited fuel tax will also be instated, thereby lessening the impact of lowered gas prices. 

The high cost of gasoline means many Chinese won't consider buying American, even while they admire the quality of, say, a Ford or a Buick. 

Adrienne Mong/NBC News

American brands in China are admired for their style, but not their mileage.Â

"I look at American brands," said Zheng Hui, a young man with spiky hair. "I saw a Ford model. It's not bad. It's very beautiful. When we can afford it, we will think about it. But not now."

"American cars burn more gas," said Jiao Wei Chiang. "I mainly check out cars made in China."

No doubt Jiao's attitude will help China's vehicle manufacturing standing. Chinese officials have estimated that the country could overtake the U.S. as the world's biggest car producer by 2020, with a total output of 15 million vehicles a year projected by then.

The focus on automobile manufacturing is part of the central government's efforts to steer the country from low-end to high-end production – especially as the global financial crisis takes a greater toll on China's exports-reliant economy.

A middle-aged man who didn't want to be identified because he works in the automotive industry said he preferred Japanese brands like Mitsubishi. "Although American cars are very safe, they burn a lot of gasoline so they're not as good as Japanese cars," he said. "But for families with middle or higher incomes, it's no problem to choose a car made in America."

But even those more prosperous, like Tang – the chic young woman with her eye on the Mercedes SUV – gas prices are an issue. "Gas consumption is the biggest factor for me to decide what to buy," she said.

Sounds like the Big Three U.S. automakers might rethink their expectations if they were hoping that the Chinese market would save them from their financial woes.

Scientists took two years to unearth a 4,300-year-old pyramid in Saqqara, Egypt. It's believed to be the tomb for Queen Sesheshet. NBC News' Charlene Gubash reports.

VIDEO: New pyramid found in Egypt

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan – The story about the worsening economy in Pakistan can be seen in the plight of children at the Edhi Welfare Center in Karachi – it has meant more children being dropped off.

This week, the scale of the suffering drew media attention after three mothers, members of an extended family, abandoned eight children at once.

Bilquis Edhi, wife of the center's founder, 80-year-old, Abdul Sattar Edhi, told journalists that it was unprecedented that eight children with living parents were brought to them.

"The three women came together to my center," she said. "They asked me to please take their children; they could no longer feed them."

"The mothers were sobbing as they tried to leave the children and the children were crying clinging to their mothers," Edhi said. "It was heart wrenching to watch."

NBC News

One of the little boys abandoned at a welfare center in Karachi cries while answering questions from journalists.

All of the children seemed scared and unaware of why their mothers were leaving them at the welfare center.

Beaten by husbands
The Edhi Foundation, based in Karachi, is the largest non-profit humanitarian organization in Pakistan. It provides 24-hour emergency assistance, shelter, schools and medical care for Pakistan's destitute. Established in 1951, the foundation operates more than 300 social welfare centers across the country and its founder has been likened to Mother Teresa.

"When the three mothers went back home, they were beaten by their husbands for abandoning their kids," Edhi said in a telephone interview from Karachi. "They came back to the shelter [today] with bruises all over. I gave them 100,000 rupees each [approximately $1,200] and told them to take their kids back home." 

NBC News

Bilquis Edhi with the eight children left at the Edhi Welfare Center in Karachi on Tuesday.

The mothers took the money and their children and went home. But Edhi pointed out that is really only a temporary solution. "Their husbands don't work," she said. "And very soon, again, they will have no money to feed their children."

Edhi added that this was an alarming sign of the breakdown of the family unit as the high prices for food and soaring unemployment forces parents to abandon their kids.

Almost half of Pakistan's 165 million people live directly below or just at the poverty line. Since March, food prices have soared by more than 34 percent, which has eroded the buying power of the family.

"There has been an enormous increase in the price of wheat from $200 to $500 a ton which then led to the increase in the price of food," said Dr. Salam Shah, a former Pakistan finance minister. "The inflation rate rose to 25 percent, and jobs were lost at an alarming rate, all of which has contributed to the increase in poverty in the country," he said.

"There are 12 members of our extended family," Azam Khan, the children's grandfather, told a local TV channel. "Only two have jobs and their combined income isn't enough to feed eight children," he said.

NBC News

Faiza, 12, told journalists at the welfare center on Tuesday, "We can't live here and want to go back to our parents." They were reunited on Wednesday.

The Pakistani media gave prominent coverage to the abandoned children at the Edhi charity home and their individual story seems to have shocked many Pakistanis and stirred emotions around the country.

In response to huge outcry, the local government in the province of Sindh, where the families reside, have offered jobs to the parents and guaranteed them enough income to take care of the children.

So there was a somewhat happy ending to this story, but Edhi warned that these children were just one of many sad stories.

"These children are just one case," warned Edhi, the charity founder's wife and a nurse by profession. "Every day there are three to four children left by their parents or unknown people at our centers," she said.

The Edhis have set up a program where mothers can leave unwanted newborn babies, anonymously, in a basket outside any one of their centers. They have rescued thousands of children – mostly girls who are considered to be a burden on poor families – and placed them in adoptive homes or raised them in their orphanages.

"We take care of thousands of abandoned children; they all need our help," she said.

Click here for more information on the Edhi Foundation

LONDON – Amid the economic gloom and coming pall of winter, it is perhaps unsurprising that we British are looking for a glimmer of light to brighten our damp and dreary evenings.

Quickstep forward our very own ray of sunshine – in the unlikely shape of John Sergeant, a roly-poly former political reporter for the BBC.

John Sergeant and his dancing partner Kristina Rihanoff seen in a promotional photo for "Strictly Come Dancing."

Sergeant, 64, made his name in the hallowed corridors of Westminster, interviewing such political heavyweights as Margaret Thatcher and Tony Blair.

It is only fair to point out that, in the intervening years, Sergeant has become something of a heavyweight himself. 

He was also born with two left feet.

All of which makes it somewhat unlikely that he would become a national pin-up. 

But for six weeks now, thousands of TV viewers have defied common sense to keep Sergeant on "Strictly Come Dancing," the British equivalent of "Dancing with the Stars," booting off more accomplished contestants.

Some two dozen Facebook sites now are devoted to keeping him there.

The professional judges are increasingly in a rage. The newspapers are filled daily with righteous indignation that more accomplished hoofers keep getting booted off the show week by week, while Sergeant stays – well – rooted to the spot.

His style has been likened to "Winnie the Pooh in sequins," a "dancing pig" and a "rhino on the rampage." His dancing has been described as "less American smooth, more British lumpy."

The highlight of his paso doble dance was to drag his beautiful Siberian-born partner Kristina Rihanoff across the floor "like a sack of potatoes."

He stands accused of spending too much time reading the newspapers instead of training.

Without doubt, Rihanoff does the work for both of them, reminding me of the truth of the oft-quoted remark that the fabulous Ginger Rogers did everything her legendary partner Fred Astaire could do – but backward and in high heels.

But still they vote for this chubby-chopped icon of Middle England. The bookies' odds on him winning the entire competition have shrunk from 100-1 to 16-1.

Sergeant jokes that the whole British Cabinet is behind him, and he has said he expects Prime Minister Gordon Brown to vote for him to win the series.

He can't be serious?

Of course not. It's TV. It's hype. But, most of all, it's fun. And, by jove, we can use some of that right now.

UPDATE:

John Sergeant has hung his sequined shirts back in the closet. He's quit.

In a statement released Wednesday, he said it was always his intention to have fun on the show and stay as long as possible.

But, he said, "The trouble is that there is now a real danger that I might win the competition. Even for me that would be a joke too far."

He thanked his dance partner Kristina Rihanoff , "and all those viewers who have been rooting for me."

Winter nights in the U.K. just got darker.

BEIJING – As more than 500 Tibetan exile leaders gather in Dharmsala, India, this week to discuss their struggle against Chinese rule, their movement appears to be at a crossroads.

Associated Press Photojournalist Jerome Delay reports from eastern Congo on the refugee crisis and the continued fighting between rebel and government soldiers.

VIDEO: Eyewitness to the conflict in the Congo

Â

BEIJING – As factories close up shop in the world's largest manufacturing exporter, sending thousands of temporary, or migrant, workers without jobs onto the streets, the Chinese government faces potentially its biggest employment challenge in its thirty years of economic reform.

Two weekends ago, the State Council – or China's cabinet – announced a massive economic stimulus plan, totaling $586 billion. Last Friday, details of the ten-point program finally emerged. Spending over two years will target rural and transport infrastructure, health, education, the environment, and helping to rebuild quake-devastated Sichuan Province.

VIDEO: Is China's massive economic stimulus plan enough?

News of the plan has been widely welcomed around the world and in China, renewing hopes that the country can help offset the global economic turmoil. One economist here even likened it – in tandem with other recent reform measures – to a "New Deal with Chinese characteristics."

But data continues to trickle in, revealing just how much the export slowdown has affected the Chinese economy overall.  This weekend, a vice commerce minister said the country had experienced negative foreign direct investment growth last month, the first time for China.  The official said Beijing would do more to create better conditions for multinational companies. 

A labor economist who spoke to NBC News in Beijing, and who thinks the plan isn't enough to stem the growing tide of unemployment, says the focus should be on small and medium-sized enterprises. These, says Professor Wang Yijiang at the Cheung Kong Graduate School of Business, are responsible for keeping 75 percent of China's labor force employed.

TEL AVIV – Will prayer help deliver world markets? If around 2,500 Ultra-Orthodox Jews in Israel have anything to say about it, hope may be on the way.

Concerned about the health of the global economy, Jews in 11 major seminaries across Israel prayed Thursday night for a fast resolution to the world's financial crisis – and for Jews who contribute to Israel's cash-strapped yeshivas.

The religious schools rely heavily on donations from American philanthropists, and consequently, the seminaries have started feeling the pinch from the crash of world markets and the weakening of the U.S. dollar.

AP file

Ultra-Orthodox Jews participate in a prayer calling for the end of the worldwide financial crisis at the Yeshivat Ha-Ran Jewish seminary in Jerusalem, Thursday.Â

The Ateret Shlomo Yeshiva in Bnei Brak, a city just east of Tel Aviv that is comprised predominantly of Haredi Jews who follow a conservative form of Orthodox Judaism, was packed with seminary students on Thursday evening.

The students were studying and debating in a big hall with some bowing back and forth on their chairs while praying intensely.

But at 7 p.m. all eyes turned as their rabbi walked in.

Rabbi Israel Bunem Shriber, the head of the yeshiva took his place in the front row and turned to the students with a strong message: the financial crisis is overseas, but everyone should be prepared because its coming our way very soon.

"You students might ask, 'What is it my business if a wealthy Jew in America is suffering from economic problems?' Well, I say that if there is an earthquake in Honolulu it should matter to us since troubles always come closer and closer," said Shriber.

Soon everyone had joined Shriber in wailing in prayer.

On the way out, Aria Englard, one of the seminarians, explained how many of the students were already taking actions to thwart the economic crisis at home. "Our wives carefully calculate what to buy and not to buy. We buy only the basics just so we can last through the month."

The U.S. dollar has fallen sharply against the Israeli shekel in the past year as the financial crisis gathered pace.

Yeshivas are not the only institutions to feel the pinch in Israel: many hospitals, universities and other non-profits also depend on donations and have reported fundraising difficulties in recent months.

BEIJING – China is greeting the financial crisis with a sense of alarm.

"The economic crisis has arrived, are you ready?" asked one Chinese blogger recently.

It was one of the many tell-tale signs that the tumult is beginning to touch China's once booming economy.

While Beijing has recently responded with a massive stimulus package to forestall a potential crisis, the Internet is abuzz with ordinary folks exchanging inventive tips to cope with the challenges ahead.

Reuters

A man holds a baby as he sits in front of a poster begging for work on a walkway bridge above a main road in Beijing on Nov. 5, 2008.

"Drink boiled water, not bottled water, and avoid entertaining guests," wrote one Chinese blogger in a 23-point advisory.

Another blogger called on China's youth "not to fear empty wallets or unemployment." 

"We are young and can start again," he said, and went on to describe how to outsmart the economic downturn. "Don't ask the boss for pay raise," he advised. "Layoffs start with those with high salaries."

Charity at home
The downturn seems to have hit everybody in China – from the lowly garbage collectors who are groaning about depressed prices for waste materials as industrial demand slumps, to the richest elites who have seen half of their wealth wiped out, leaving China with only 24 billionaires, down from the recent 66, according to Forbes magazine.

But China has a plan and the world seems impressed. The announcement of China's $586 billion stimulus package was well timed – it came out just as President Hu Jintao heads to Washington to meet President Bush and other world leaders for an emergency economic summit on Friday. 

"We should put our own house in order," said China's Foreign Ministry spokesman. "This is the most effective contribution China can make to tackling this financial crisis."

China message seems to be that charity will start at home, and for good reasons.

Economic growth has slowed to 9 percent in the last quarter, down from 10.4 percent in the previous quarter, markedly lower than the 12.2 percent growth seen in the same period last year, and the lowest in five years. The fear is that the growth rate could drop further – to a potentially dangerous level that could spark massive unemployment and social unrest.   

Experts estimate that China needs a minimum of an 8 percent growth rate to accommodate the more than 15 million new job seekers every year.

While the U.S. stock market has plummeted over the past year, so has China's. There are about 150 million Chinese invested in the stock market, a large grieving constituency at the moment.

In addition, more than 80 million Chinese are directly employed by the construction industry, which is suffering a slump as property values tumble and real estate market stagnates nationwide.  In Beijing alone, housing sales have plunged by 70 percent.

And while China recently registered a monthly trade surplus of $35.2 billion –which was partly caused by lower imports, indicating a sluggish domestic economy – a trend of decreasing exports is now becoming clear, too. More than half of China's toy exporters have gone bust, and many more are facing closure. Millions of jobs in the export sector are threatened.

Given all that bad news, China's stimulus package is a good start, but not enough, according to Dr. Xiao Geng, a noted economist and director of Brookings-Tsinghua Center for Public Policy.

"(China's plan) has to be combined with private investments and tax cuts and the reduction of lots of inefficiencies and price distortions," said Xiao, noting that China's starting point in this crisis is different from the United States. "China is too heavily regulated, unlike the United States," he said.

He warned that "the situation in China may still get worse before it gets better," pointing to excessive regulations and taxes that continue to hamper the efficient allocation of capital and resources.

Xiao explained that China could afford to cut taxes by as much as 50 percent and that it would not really have an adverse affect on government revenues, but that it would not really help the economy at the end of the day. "It's the private sector, not government spending, that should be the engine of growth," he said.

As for China joining in any global bailout efforts, Xiao supports China's stance to take care of its own first and foremost.

"China has no capability to save anyone, its resources are too small compared to the U.S. or the West," he said. "China can best help by putting its own economy in order and boosting its economic growth."

Xiao stressed the urgency of U.S.-China collaboration to stabilize exchange rates and avoid protectionist policies. "With stabilized exchange rate, we can concentrate on inflating our respective economies, because if asset deflation continues, the debt crisis will worsen and everybody will be in trouble," he said.

But he reiterated the sentiment of the central government that China's biggest concern should be itself. "We must not let China's economy to fall down," he said, "it will be big trouble for everyone if China fails."

For economic analyst Mei Xinyu, however, the financial crisis may well be a historic opportunity for China.

Writing for Outlook magazine, he described the crisis as a potential harbinger of a "new international politico-economic order."

"Any great country must seize the opportunity offered by global turmoil and disaster," he said. "In a global recession, we must not fear a decline of our economic strength."

"As long as our decline is lesser than that of our rivals, then our standing in the global order will rise…In this sense, our setbacks today is a kind of investment," he said.

In effect, Mei was suggesting that the global crisis could result in a new balance of power in which China will enjoy a stronger voice.

"It's possible for China to fully seize this opportunity so that its rightful standing in the global political and economic order can be raised to a much higher level," he said, expressing in striking language China's great power ambitions.

With a major gender imbalance as a result of China's one-child policy, bachelors get their own day. NBC's Adrienne Mong follows John, a 30-year-old computer programmer, in his quest for love at a speed-dating event in Beijing.  

VIDEO: Checking out singles on China's "Bachelor Day"

LONDON – Remembrance Day has always been a special part of my life. As a kid, my home in the North of England was full of talk about the wars. 

My parents had lived, struggled – and danced – through World War II. My nimble-footed dad was the "Master of Ceremonies" at his munitions factory weekly "socials," and whisked his soon-to-be-bride (my mum) off her feet there.

Getty Images

The last surviving British World War I veterans from left to right, Henry Allingham,112, Harry Patch, 110, and Bill Stone, 108, gather at the start of the Armistice Day commemorations on Nov. 11 in London.

My uncle had fought the Japanese in Burma, and looked thin and gaunt the rest of his days. That may have been jungle warfare, or marrying my mum's bad-tempered sister. Either way, it was a battle.

But my grandfather could beat them all, by fighting in what was once called the Great War – ironically, "the war to end wars" – World War I.

In 1911 he had lied about his age to join the fledgling Territorial Army – the reserves affectionately known as "the Terriers," and disparagingly as "Saturday afternoon soldiers."

But in the cold and bitter winter of 1914, with the British Regular Army exhausted and barely holding the line in Flanders, 19-year-old James Gordon Leigh and his regiment of part-timers found himself in France, fighting for his country – and probably his life.

In 1916 he'd served the five years he'd signed up for and was discharged. A few months later he was back in, re-enlisting for the duration. In the months in-between, his Army mates had been through the slaughter of the Somme. There but for the grace of God.

He didn't ever talk to me about his time in the war – he was a stern and gruff man who frankly scared the bejabbers out of me, and my father too.  He would sit by the fire wearing a forbidding big leather belt and severe black boots.

I learned only later that he'd suffered a shrapnel wound to his left ankle in one of the battles he'd been caught up in. The boots were the only footwear he was comfortable wearing.

 

SLIDESHOW: Veterans Day tributes from across the globe

After the war was over, Grandad Leigh lived most of his life just a few yards away from the gate of his old regimental barracks, and would spend many evenings drinking in the Sergeants' Mess. Family legend has it that he liked to step outside for the occasional beer-fuelled brawl, and knew how to "take care of himself."

But that sense of "mateship" – of having lived through experiences that set him apart – never left him. Or us.

So I watched the dignified ceremony at the Cenotaph in London's Whitehall today with more than a passing interest.

Ninety years after peace was declared in World War I, the three surviving British veterans took their rightful place at the heart of our remembrance. The youngest is 108. The oldest is 112.

Accompanying them were brave men and women whose courage has won special recognition in more recent conflicts.

My grandfather died many years ago. It is touching – and right – that what he and millions of others went through on behalf of their countries, and what many more have done so since, should not be forgotten.

The three old gents in their wheelchairs today helped make sure they are not.

Click here to read more:
Europe marks 90th anniversary of end of WWI
Oldest WWI survivor remembers forgotten ones
At Arlington, 4-hour shoeshine honors nation's military

MOEDLAREUTH, Germany – It felt like I was in a time warp when a colleague and I recently visited the small village of Moedlareuth, a farming community in central Germany that was once cut in half by the infamous border that divided Germany – known to Americans as the "Berlin Wall."

Even 19 years after the "fall of the wall" – which led to the final collapse of communist East Germany and to the start of an economically difficult, but unexpectedly smooth reunification process – it was an emotional visit.

VIDEO: Remnants of the wall linger in German town

Memories of a difficult past were triggered when we saw remains of the old bulwark running through town and sat down at the local museum to watch a film about the dark chapter of German history that luckily culminated on Nov. 9, 1989.

Today, visitors to towns and cities in what was once the communist East are often greeted by renovated or newly built houses, state-of-the-art solar parks, wind farms and freshly tarred roads – a very modern infrastructure that shows the investment of billions of dollars in subsidies that were provided by the west after reunification.

But, despite the mostly positive changes, unemployment rates in many parts of former East Germany still remain significantly higher than in former West Germany. As a result, some eastern towns and regions have experienced a painful exodus of young, skilled workers, who are seeking jobs in the western half of the country.

Economic factors are often the reason for disenchantment among East Germans. A recent study by Germany's Forsa Institute showed that some East German citizens born before 1973, who were fully integrated into and cared for by the communist system, actually want the wall back.

The sentiment was even more strongly reflected four years ago when surveys by two leading research institutes showed that 19 to 21 percent of all Germans were somewhat in favor of the wall.

"I think there still is a wall in the minds of some people here," said Ronny Fuchs, who grew up in East Germany and visited Moedlareuth to show his daughter what it meant to not have freedom of travel and to be a separated nation.

"There are still some prejudices on in both parts of the country, but with the new generation, this sentiment will disappear some day," Fuchs added.

And while it is a common complaint among tourists visiting Berlin that few visible traces of the wall are left in the German capital, this sleepy little village with a white wall running through the middle of town, continues to serve as one of few historic landmarks for future generations to see.

BEIJING – According to the lunar calendar, it's officially winter in China today. And although it was sunny, the wind picked up as the temperature dropped.

So spare a thought for 56-year-old Dong Jiqin, who could be evicted from his home in western Beijing and sleeping on the streets of the capital tonight.

Not because he's just another victim of the global economic recession. If anything, he's just the latest casualty of China's breakneck development.

Or so it would appear.

Adrienne Mong / NBC News

Dong Jiqin holds up a court document.

"The demolition project here began in October 2002," he told us and a handful of other foreign journalists shivering in the morning chill of his dilapidated courtyard home in Beijing's Xicheng district. "Neither the government nor the developer has ever shown any certificate of legitimate right to tear down houses [here]."

Dong, who was grasping a folder of legal documents that included court summonses and court notices regarding the demolition of his home, said he had been given no information about the development plan.

"Nobody ever came to my house to discuss details. They are just trying to take my house illegally," he said calmly. "They bought off the garbage collector, too. He told me they are coming to demolish today."

Dong was born in this courtyard house. It's where he played and grew up, where he lived when he got married, and where he raised his daughter.

It's also where his wife, Ni Yulan, was taken by plainclothes police – and, her husband believes, gangsters – on April 15 of this year. "They came to our house, tore down some of the house, cut off our phone and power lines, grabbed our belongings and dug up our sewage pipes," recalled Dong.

The authorities initially accused Ni of assaulting a demolition worker, part of a group tearing down homes surrounding Dong and Ni's house in the Qianzheng hutong (the term for the series of narrow streets and alleys that characterize traditional Beijing neighborhoods).

Gu Bo / NBC News

Dong Jiqin's wife has been held by the authorities since April.

A couple of weeks later, Ni was charged with obstructing a public official, which according to China's Criminal Law carries a maximum sentence of three years in prison.

Ni – a lawyer by training – was not just a pesky homeowner who refused to vacate her house. She had been an active voice campaigning on behalf of residents who had experienced similar situations – forced evictions and the destruction of their homes around Beijing during the city's makeover ahead of the Summer Olympics.

She lost her lawyer's license when she was arrested in 2002 and sentenced to a year in prison after filming the demolition of the house of someone who was forced out of their home. According to Human Rights Watch, she was beaten while being held by the police for 75 days.

It's her activism for tenants' rights that Dong believes is the reason his family is being persecuted and driven out of their home.

Ni was supposed to stand trial in August, just before the Olympics began, but it was postponed. No new date has been set, and no further information has been given, said her husband.

But Ni's case may get some international attention soon. "It will be interesting to see how Ni's case might be affected in light of the [United Nations] Committee Against Torture review of China," said Sophie Richardson, the Asia advocacy director at Human Rights Watch.

The U.N. Convention Against Torture – which comprises ten independent experts who monitor the implementation of the international convention – is starting a very public two-day review of China in Geneva on Friday. As a member of the U.N., the Chinese government has had no choice but to agree to the scrutiny and answer questions about alleged abuses against prisoners and dissidents.

While it's hard to gauge what impact the review might have on officials in Beijing, "this has never happened before," said Richardson.

The Chinese government has prepared for another review scheduled early next year by the U.N. on broader human rights. Earlier this week, it announced what it called a "human rights action plan," the first of its kind in the country, designed to protect citizens' rights over the next two years.

 
But none of this has come soon enough for Dong, who last saw his wife 215 days ago.

"I have not seen her at all since she was taken," he said although his lawyer has been allowed to visit her three times. "She was in a single room for a long time. She has a chronic headache, but they don't give her any treatment or medicine."

Dong, a former education administrator who has since stopped working, said he has filed appeals with the local district court to stop the demolition. His wife has written letters alleging police brutality while she's in custody. And Dong says that their 24-year-old daughter, who had been living at home, has been so spooked by some of the apparent intimidation tactics that she has run away.

Dong said they don't have any real options – apart from talking to the media in the hope someone can help him.

Of the thirteen people in his family who used to live in the traditional courtyard house, he is the last one holding out in this Qianzheng hutong.

"I have nowhere to go if I am evicted," he said quietly. "I'll have to become a homeless person. We have no prospect if corruption is not investigated."

When I called him this evening to check on his status, he said no one had yet come for him. But he wasn't hopeful.

MAINZ, Germany – As soon as Barack Obama's presidential victory was confirmed, German media outlets cheered what they hoped would be a big change from the Bush years.

"America – risen from ruins," said the headline on the Web site of Germany's national newspaper, Sueddeutsche Zeitung.

"Historic victory for Obama. America has shown: everything is possible," Germany's mass-circulation BILD newspaper exclaimed online.

EPA

An Obama supporter holds a placard which states 'Obama for chancellor' during an election party at the Bucerius Law School in Hamburg, Germany on Nov. 4.Â

Election enthusiasm
Interest in this year's U.S. election was exceptionally high in Germany, with millions of viewers staying up all night to watch election coverage.

While only a small number of visitors trickled in at German election night parties in 2004, more than 2,000 people alone attended a party organized by the U.S. Embassy on Tuesday night, just one of several events that took place in the German capital.

Obama won over a lot of the German public when he visited last summer.

"Obama is a very charismatic man, we were already impressed by his visit earlier this year," said one young German at the embassy event who had also been among the crowd of an estimated 200,000 people at Obama's speech in Berlin last July.

Media coverage of his victory was effusive, almost over the top.

"Here are images from an election that has changed America, yes, will maybe even change the world," said Peter Frey, the Berlin bureau chief of German broadcaster ZDF and host of the station's all-night election coverage, as he introduced a report on the U.S. election.

Almost apologetically, the moderator of ZDF's breakfast show told viewers that they had not tried to select only pro-Obama soundbites, but in fact, they weren't able to find any people on the street who didn't applaud Obama's victory.

Despite the extensive focus on the election winner, Sen. John McCain also earned the respect of reporters in Germany and was described as a noble rival after he gave his concession speech, in which he promised support for Obama.

"A very respectable man," said ZDF anchorman and former Washington correspondent Steffen Seibert.

"McCain appeared as a fair loser. It seems he made a real mistake when choosing Sarah Palin as his running mate," a reporter on the RTL channel said. "He  was a candidate who failed to enthuse the masses and as a consequence, lacked the financial means for his campaign."

Yet, in the midst of all the euphoric reactions, experts warned that expectations among Europeans for Obama might be too high.

"Obama will not be an easy partner. Why should he? But he will be a partner who we will approach and who will approach us," said Karsten Voigt, the coordinator of German-American Cooperation in Germany's Foreign Office.

By NBC News' Fakhar Rehman

ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN -- "As a Pakistani, I am not hopeful (Barack Obama's) election will bring any positive change for Pakistan," said Zohra Aslam, 26, a lecturer of political science at Government College in Kohat, near the Afghan border.

Here in Pakistan, people all over the country followed the U.S. presidential campaigns with anticipation and in many cases skepticism. On election day, television channels stayed on air all night with special programming and analyses.

AP

A Pakistani man sells evening newspapers with the headline story of Sen. Barack Obama's victory in the U.S. presidential election on a road in Islamabad, Pakistan, on Wednesday.Â

"Obama or McCain, either way it's a lose-lose situation for Pakistan regarding U.S. policies towards our country," said Yasmeen Khan, a housewife and mother of three, in Quetta, capital of the southwestern province of Balouchistan.

Khan said she closely followed the campaigns for months and felt she got to know both candidates and their policies towards Pakistan. "I really admire the American election process," she said, trying to add a more positive note to her analysis. "We don't have free and fair election campaigns here- we need to learn that from the Americans."

Akram Zaki, 75, a former diplomat, was not shy about giving his opinion on the new president-elect. "Obama will be as bad for Pakistan as Bush," he said. "As long as our own government has no coherent policy on this war on terror, then the new U.S. government will continue with the ways of the past administration and dictate policy to us," he said.

"It's time for Pakistan to wake up and shape up and demand the U.S. respect the resolutions of our own democratic Parliament and stop these drone attacks inside our borders."

A majority of Pakistanis still view the war on terror as America's war and the missile attacks by unmanned U.S. predator drones on al-Qaida and Taliban targets inside the tribal areas along the Pakistan-Afghan border as a violation of their sovereignty.

"Despite billions of dollars that the Bush administration has poured into Pakistan, the U.S. government has not been successful in changing the perceptions of the Pakistanis towards the U.S," said Imran Javaid, a property developer in Islamabad. "The constant U.S. drone attacks on us have made a considerable dent in our once good bi-lateral relations."

Aamir Sheikh, 40, a businessman in the city of Rawalpindi , a 20 minute drive from the capital Islamabad, gave a long sigh of relief. "I am so happy that Bush has lost," he said. "I know Obama will bring peace to Pakistan and resolve all our issues thru talks," he said.

Khursheed Akhtar agreed. Akhtar, 36, owns an electrical appliance shop in Islamabad and his business, just like the rest of the Pakistani economy, is bad.

"The only reason Obama won was the American people themselves were sick and tired of the Bush administrations policies which ruined their economy," he said.

"Now it is up to Obama to improve the political and financial situation in Pakistan and in the whole world."

TEL AVIV, Israel – With Israelis in the grip of U.S. election mania and anxiously awaiting the results, Israeli radio rang out the dulcet tone of Abba's "The Winner Takes it All."

Mike's Place, a bar in Tel Aviv, that was decorated with American flags and eight TV sets transmitting the live events from the U.S. became a gathering place for Obama supporters.

A renowned establishment, Mike's Place attracts a mix of local youngsters and foreign travelers. It was also the site of a 2003 suicide attack that killed three and wounded over 50 people.

Reuters

Supporters of U.S. President-elect Senator Barack Obama cheer as they monitor the results of the U.S. presidential election in a bar in Jerusalem on Nov. 5.Â

But at 4 a.m. on Wednesday morning local Tel Aviv time, the bar was packed with Democrat party supporters drinking beer and waiting for the poll results to come out.

At 5:59 a.m. the countdown started: "Four, Three, Two, One!" and the crowd sprang-up from their chairs with happy cheers and began hugging each other. Even one of the waitresses, pushing her way through the happy crowed, burst into happy tears.

Once it was clear Obama had won, Joanne Yaron, a volunteer for "Democrats Support Israel," praised the result and what she thinks it will mean for Israel. "I think this is wonderful for Israel, I think seven and a half years of ignoring the entire Israel-Palestinian situation is not being friendly to Israel." Apparently she wasn't a fan of the Bush administration's efforts to broker a peace deal. 

Sara Manor, an American living in Israel, was wearing a tee-shirt saying "Obama Biden for Israel." She said she was exhausted, given that it was 6 a.m., but that she was thrilled with the outcome. "It's the best I felt in eight years. It's almost hard to believe, incredible. It's a feeling I think my parents had back in the 60's."

Nadav Gal, who was also sporting an Obama T-shirt, was so excited about the result that he kept on dancing while he was talking to me. "Relief, relief after eight years, total relief. I'm happy for this country, for the States and for the rest of the world," he said.

But there were some others who were a little less joyful about the outcome of the election. "Here in Israel, it's with a grain of salt. It's a bit scary because we don't know exactly what's going to be," said Arie Cohen. "But one thing is for sure, the idea of hope and integrity is what we are all hoping for."

By then, the sun was out and Tel Aviv residents were starting to wake up. The crowds at Mike's Place started to trickle out onto the street, and began looking for a new place to party on.

By NBC News' Moufaq Khatib

AMMAN, JORDAN -- Cries of "The world has changed! Bush is out!" rang out from a café as people watched news of Barack Obama's historic win here in Jordan.

The American presidential campaigns were closely followed here, with Arab media channels like Al-Jazeera dedicating more time and attention to the U.S. vote than they normally give to elections here or in other Arab countries.

SLIDESHOW: World reacts to Obama's victory

Newspapers also followed along, with one headline stating that a black man with a white heart would turn the United States into brightness, as opposed to a white man with a black heart that would turn it into darkness.

Meantime, many in this Muslim country were angered by the perception that John McCain's campaign attacked Obama for having ties to Islam.

"Because his middle name is linked to Muslims, they attacked him," said Hasan al-Barari, a columnist for al-Rai, a government newspaper.

"They left voice messages for hundreds of millions of Americans. … saying not to elect Obama (because) he is connected to terrorists," he said.

"Imagine, if I am Muslim and I hold Mohamed as a Muslim name, what do you think?"

'Change' ahead for neighbors?
The United States' policies and problems in the region have had a huge affect on Jordan, with half million displaced Iraqis and more than twice as many Palestinian refugees now live here.

Given America's direct involvement in these issues, many here wonder how Obama's slogan of "change" will be enacted.

"Look what Bush did to Iraq," said Kadim Jasim, an Iraqi refugee living in Jordan.

"Bloodshed everywhere. No security. Iran now controls Iraq through their Iraqi allies. No water. No electricity. And no life," he said, adding that living under Saddam Hussein's dictatorship was preferable to the current situation in his home country.

"I hope Obama will be better than his predecessor, particularly in (the area of) foreign policy and know how to confront those issues," Jasim said.

Obama win likened to Hamas victory
Others here felt that the general deterioration of global politics and the economy spurred Obama's win.

Palestinian refugee Hussein Hashim likened the Democrat's win to Palestinians electing Hamas in Gaza a couple years ago.

"Hamas won because the Palestinians were fed up with Fatah corruption, and they elected Hamas because the Palestinians needed changes," he said.

"Bush and the Conservatives made it very difficult everywhere, and I see it is the right time to see new faces in the White House, helping the Americans as well as other nations."

HAVANA – It didn't take long for Cubans to hear about the success of Barack Obama.

The girl's dorm at Havana's V.I. Lenin High School broke into cheers after 17-year-old Gabriela Sanchez received a cell phone text message from her mom watching the U.S. election results on satellite TV. 

Housewife Rosa Llanos heard the news on short wave radio and thought about her daughter and grandchild living in South Florida. She wants Obama to stick to his promise to lift current U.S. restrictions that limit family visits to once every three years.

EPA

A woman combs her hair as she watches the news on Cuban TV about the newly-elected U.S. President Barack Obama, in Havana, Cuba on Wednesday.Â

That same wish was echoed by child psychiatrist Ana Teresa Martinez who sees young patients suffering from "the trauma of families divided by the Straits of Florida."

All through the night, Fernanda Hernandez spoke with her sibling Patricia, calling from Miami with regular election updates. These sisters too want changes in U.S. policy with Cuba.

Car mechanic Boris Ruiz working the night shift heard the news on Cuban TV and immediately called his wife. "I woke her up but I needed to tell someone the good news," Ruiz said.

For the first time in his life, Ruiz sees "a chance to normalize relations with the United States and that will make my life better."

Hoping for an easing of restrictions
Like 73 percent of Cuba's population, Ruiz was born after Fidel Castro came to power and the U.S. severed diplomatic relations with the island.

From the start of the U.S. presidential campaign, Cubans gravitated to Obama. That early sentiment grew into resounding support after the Democratic candidate vowed to ease family limits on travel and lift the cap on how much money Cuban-Americans can send home to family.

Many Cubans, like retired economist Ileana Yarza, expect Obama to be the president who will write a new chapter in US-Cuba relations. "Obama has the youth to look beyond 50 years of failed policy," Yarza said.

While Obama has indicated that his administration would be willing to meet with the Cuban government, he and his advisers have stated that any easing of the nearly five-decade old trade embargo would only come after the Cuban government took concrete steps toward significant democratic change.

Still, Yarza and many here hold out hope: "He will come to realize that trade and tourism is good for both our countries."

Rev. Juan Ramon de la Paz, who has kept a close eye on the U.S. election, watched and applauded Obama's victory speech. "I think Obama will respect Latin America," said Rev. de la Paz. "He believes in dialogue and diplomacy."

He insists that his government too is open to talk.

In the past, the Cuban government has offered to sit down at a bargaining table with the United States without setting any preconditions. Since becoming president, Raúl Castro has personally repeated that offer at least three times but it was never given serious consideration by the current administration. 

President Bush has instead pursued a hard-line policy with Cuba's ruling Communist Party and tightened the embargo to bring about democratic openings.

Despite the overall optimism among Cubans, a group of teenagers listening to music in a city park are still skeptical when it comes to Obama.

"It's one thing to make promises during an election. It's another thing to make them come true," said Pepe Martinez. "We'll just have to wait and see what he does."

Cuba's rulers also are voicing caution.

In a newspaper column published Tuesday morning, former Cuban leader Fidel Castro warned that "the world's pressing problems are not a major source of concern to Obama."

Obama's first challenges, Castro wrote, will be to address critical problems with the U.S. economy, education and health care.

Still, the idealism felt by many Cubans is hard to squelch.

Musician Tulio Praredo, who watched the election returns in a Havana bar, said, "I just know there's better times ahead."

JAKARTA, Indonesia –  They were dancing in the rain in the school yard when Barack Obama's victory was announced – scores of children from the Menteng Elementary School in Central Jakarta, where Obama studied for two years during his four years as a child in Indonesia.

"He's so smart, so smart," said one little boy.

"He's made our school famous," said a young girl, as the children crowded round a large projector to watch Obama's acceptance speech in Chicago.

Reuters

Students display a picture of U.S. President-elect Barack Obama and react to the announcement of his victory, at his former school in Jakarta on Wednesday.

Few of them understood much of what the president-elect said, but still they cheered, taking their cue from the American crowd.

The headmaster took a call from the Indonesian president, congratulating him, while old classmates, who'd set up a fan club for the boy they all knew as "Barry," could hardly believe the news.

"I am speechless. So proud, and so happy that he has achieved what he set out to do," said Rully Dasaad, the club's coordinator, as he bounced between press interviews.

Adopted as a native son
Obama only spent a brief period in Indonesia, where his mother moved with his Indonesian step-father when he was six years old, but he is regarded almost as a native son. And the fact he has risen from such modest beginnings to become president of the United States has captured this country's imagination.

"It's unbelievable," said Wimar Witoeler, a political commentator and former presidential spokesman. "It shows how America can be an engine of inspiration and change."

SLIDESHOW: World reacts to Obama's victory

Indonesia is the world's most populous Muslim country, and the image of America took a real battering here during the Bush years.

"Now I see America is still a good country," Wimar told me. "A country you can trust, a country that can change within itself."

Indonesia has not always been a comfortable place to be an American abroad. Two Bali bombs and an attack on the Marriott Hotel were among the terrorist attacks that targeted Westerners in recent years.

However, some believe that Obama's election may diminish some of the terror threat.

"Obama is popular here, so I think Americans will become more popular than in the last eight years," said James Castle, a prominent and long-standing American businessman in Jakarta, who was in the Marriott coffee shop when the hotel was struck in 2003. He survived without injury.

VIDEO: Indonesians celebrate Obama's victory

To many of Indonesia's business and political elite, the global economic crisis provides a good reason for the United States to reassert the moral and political leadership that they believe has been lacking in recent years.

"Barack will have to put America's own house in order, then assume leadership of the world," said H.S. Dillon, a senior government adviser. "The world's adrift. It needs a leader."

CAIRO, Egypt – It may be a dark day for Joe the Plumber, but Cairo's Ali the Plumber had a grin on his face after president-elect Barack Obama's historic victory. 

"It proves that racism in the United States is on the wane," concluded Ali Ibrahim.

Egyptians rejoiced at the victory of a man of African heritage. "It is the first time for a black man to win the presidency. There is democracy in America!" exclaimed Anwar Gad, a gardener in Cairo.

NBC News/Mohamed Muslemany

Cairo's Ali the Plumber was pleased with Barack Obama's election victory.

Many seemed to believe that a black president will show more compassion to the Arab world. "For Arabs it's a good thing. Bush turned the world upside down," said Gad. "Obama has African roots so he will be more sympathetic. We hope he will fix what Bush has damaged."

As if a dam burst
Egyptians at Cairo's Hard Rock Cafe applauded with joy at the culmination of an all night election watch party when they saw Obama's delegate count top the tipping point of 270.

"I am very delighted, very glad. I feel like Barak Obama is like my cousin who won the elections!" said Nada Fayez, a Cairo University economics student.

"It's a new beginning, a big difference, a big change and hopefully it's going to be for the better," smiled Dr. Aladdin Balbaa, a professor of physical therapy.

Egyptian entertainment promoter Nabil Rizk echoed the same sentiment at the Hard Rock Café election event. "This is gonna be wonderful! This is what I feel and I think we all feel this way. We all feel he is gonna be the best."

For many, it was as if a dam had burst. All the bad feelings toward the U.S. that had accumulated during the Bush administration seemed to be washed clean by Obama's victory. 

"I think history is being made today," said Dr. Adly Hassanein, regional United Nations environmental director. "All kinds of barriers are being completely removed and we are facing a new era where the best can win. [Obama] touched the heart of the younger generation that are fed up with eight years of failed policies of President Bush [which] created hatred worldwide. Obama is a symbol of a new era of conciliation, peace and a sustainable future."    

As for Ali the Egyptian Plumber, he believes Obama's election will herald a new era. "He wants peace, not war like Bush." 

Arata Yamamoto, NBC News Producer

TOKYO – "Yes we can! Obama!" roared Japanese men and women in hula-dance costumes on national television. They're members of possibly the most ardent of Barack Obama supporters in Japan, a small fishing town in western Japan with a population of 32,000 which shares the same name as the new president-elect.

After Obama's election victory, it seemed like every Japanese television network descended on the town of Obama to capture the jubilation of residents celebrating with their Hawaiian-themed dancing and singing (a tribute to Obama's birthplace) and hoping that their tie to the ever-popular next president of the United States will boost local business and tourism.

EPA

Members of a local Hula dance group 'Obama Hula Girls' stand in a circle during a celebration party held at the city hall in Obama City, a fishing port town in Japan, on Wednesday.Â

In Japan, the excitement was hardly limited to the town of Obama, which translates in English to "little beach." At the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo, more than 500 university students gathered to watch the election coverage. The election has ramification across the globe, said Masashi Yama@!$%#a, 22. "Change is important not just for the United States, but also for Japan. If the U.S. changes, so will the rest of the world."

It's no surprise to see the outpouring of excitement here about Obama's victory at the polls: a July Gallup poll found that 66 percent of the Japanese respondents favored Obama, overshadowing John McCain's 15 percent.

Japan and the United States have been close allies since the end of World War II and Prime Minister Taro Aso in his congratulatory remarks Wednesday vowed to work together with the new president-elect to strengthen the alliance which he described as the "cornerstone of Japan's foreign policy for ensuring peace and stability in Asia-Pacific region."

But if there is an issue that has the Japanese public concerned, it's how the new Obama administration would seek diplomacy with North Korea, particularly on the issue of the 17 Japanese nationals abducted three decades ago by North Korean agents. Even though six years ago North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il admitted to the abductions, since then only five people have been returned to Japan while no progress has been made of uncovering the fate of the others still believed to be trapped in North Korea.

"It's a little worrying because Mr. Obama has not invested in this issue as much as President Bush, who has met with the families of the abductees," said 22-year-old Daisuke Kunikata at the U.S. Embassy election event.

But even so, the Bush administration last month removed North Korea from the State Department's list of terrorism-sponsoring nations, paving the way for fresh aid to North Korea's capitol Pyongyang.

Shogo Yazawa, a 22-year-old university student at the embassy event, thinks it might be time for Japan to change tactics. "North Korea has never relented to pressure and Mr. Obama has said that he would be willing to have a dialogue with them," said Yazawa, "I know it would be extremely difficult for the families for the abductees but maybe it's time for Japan to change its policy."

Japanese musicians in the town of Obama perform a song dedicated to the president-elect: "Obama Is Beautiful World."

Whether or not the idea of "change" rubs off in Japan, in the meantime, more hula dancing is expected from the town of Obama Wednesday evening. The town residents' next mission? To be invited to the inauguration celebrations in January.

TEHRAN, Iran – "When I saw the election results this morning on TV I was very jealous of America," said an Iranian student in Tehran, Darius Dashdi.

"I was jealous of their democratic system and the opportunity that is afforded to each and every citizen regardless of color or religion. I wish we had the same type of opportunities here," he said.

Despite Dashdi's optimistic view of the United States' election of Barack Obama, the Democratic winner has largely been viewed here as the lesser of two evils.

Early on Wednesday, prominent Iranian MP Hamid Reza Haji Babai said the Democrat's victory presented an "opportunity and a test," with Iran now "waiting for that change" that Obama based his campaign on.

"In the past eight years, (President George W.) Bush had created a bad atmosphere against the United States in the world with his militarism and this financial crisis," said Haji Babai.

"The election of McCain would have worsened this atmosphere," he said.

Back on the streets of Tehran, housewife Roya Amini said "Obama seems like he is different, but you never know with America what they might do."

Meantime, some are hoping to close a chapter in the hostile history between Tehran and Washington and open a new one based on discussions rather than threats.

""If Obama delivers his promises (about opening dialogue with Iran), this will weaken radicals in Iran and no-one will buy the radical and extremist slogans anymore," said political analyst Saeed Laylaz, referring to the frequent anti-American remarks of outspoken President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

The nuclear stand-off could also be resolved through dialogue he said, as "that will bring security."

However, some saw Obama's election as a threat rather than a chance for improved relations.

"I think Obama becoming president is dangerous for Iran because I think the Israelis think that he is too soft on Iran and therefore they may take matters into their own hands and attack us," said student Majid Kordi.

"This will be very bad because I am sure a huge war will erupt in the region."

There are many schools of thought on what will happen next, or what should happen next between the United States and Iran. Some people think that the hard-line faction here will not let relations' blossom because hatred of America is a key component of its ideology.

Just last week, the highest power in the country, Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said that the country's hatred for the United States runs deep and differences between the two nations go back fifty years and reach beyond a "few political issues."

Khamenei's comments on state-run television less than a week before the presidential vote appeared to be a signal that the government was unwilling to try to improve ties no matter who won in the United States.

Comments from some citizens showed great suspicions about the international community and highlighted the hatred the Iranian leader spoke of.

"There are bigger powers at work than Obama who want to hurt Iran, who don't want to see an independent and successful Iran, but Iran will prevail over our great enemies in America and Israel," said construction worker Ahmad Negabani.

Whichever way the delicate balance here shifts and whether the reformist or the hard-liners are in power, Iran is unlikely to respond well to pressure as has been demonstrated in the past. However, critics argue that although Iran does not respond well to pressure, it should be given free reign to do whatever it wants.

"We have to see what happens next," said Maryam Fazili, a teacher.

"Both countries have hurt one another badly over the course of history and you do not forget these things easily," she said.

"We need a lot of compromise from both sides, something I don't think we are going to see."