>> this is "bbc world news." >> funding for this presentation is made possible by the freeman foundation of new york, stowe, vermont, and honolulu. newman's own foundation. and union bank. >> at union bank, our relationship managers work hard to know your business, offering specialized solutions and capital to help you meet your growth objectives. we offer expertise and tailored solutions for small businesses and major corporations. what can we do for you?

>> and now "bbc world news." >> hello and welcome to "newsday." >> the headlines. the captain of a stricken italian cruise liner is blamed for bearing off course, with deadly consequences. six people have died. 29 are still missing. as the search/rest/recovery operation continues, there is concern that the fuel could leak. >> syria accused of targeting children. we have a special report. the prime minister of pakistan under pressure after the supreme court orders him to face charges of contempt. it is can i am in singapore. >> it is 2:00 a.m. in london. -- it is 10:00 a.m. in

singapore. >> and italian coast guard official has said the number of people still missing after friday's cruise ship disaster off the coast of tuscany stands at 29, almost double the previous estimate. the owners of the costa concordia have accused the captain of making an unauthorized deviation in course. there are ongoing concerns about possible environmental damage. this report is from the island of giglio. >> as the wind whipped up the waves, the vast bulk of the costa concordia began to shift in the shallow waters. the abandoned rescue efforts for several hours, too dangerous to

continue. after the see calmed --s ea calmed, the rescuers were back aboard. there are still hoping to find survivors, but no more likely they will be bringing out the dead. it is the divers who have the most dangerous task. the water temperature is not the problem. visibility is. in places inside the ship, it is minimal, and movement is hampered by debris. a navy diver said as he swam to the ship tables and chairs were floating around him. >> it is unreal to see personal stuff like wallets, may be some close -- clothes. it is not so common. it seems like a movie. >> hundreds of passengers were ready to leave soon after the ship struck a land. >> it is under control.

please remain calm. >> why did the crew wait so long to get them to safety? the first person to arrive to help in the rescue was the deputy mayor of this island. did you get the impression on board that the officials were in control? >> no. >> absolutely not, he told me. there were unprofessional. we found police drivers -- divers gather in photographic evidence today, at the site where the cruise ship first hit rock. the ship hit the rocks just down there. the captain continued in the same direction, doing a big u- turn when he knew he was in trouble. it came to rest there, where it has found capsized. these are the details from a respected industry newspaper of the route taken by the ship. this was its journey on a previous version -- voyage. look now at friday.

much closer to the reef. it had happened before. this is footage of the same ships sailing right by the island last august, a tribute for a festival day, agreed with the ship's company. the mayor told us this was a one off. the captain of the ship still didr arrest insists he nothing wrong. that is not what his employers believe. >> there were human errors here. the captain did not follow the authorized route, which is used by costa ships very frequently. there is probably more than 100 times in one year. >> today, they took the life boats which saved so many away from the local harbour, peaceful and calm now. as dusk set in, a tug and pull the oil boom into position as

fears grow that the shipments start leaking fuel into these pristine waters. . bbc news. >> 35 british people were on board, including passengers and crew members. some returned home today, describing the panic as the ship began to list and the chaotic evacuation. >> at heathrow this morning, the release of the rescued. rose metcalf, a dancer on the ship, feared she may never see her mother again. >> the wall had gone horizontal. i thought it was the end. [laughter] but i am here now. >> we are lucky to be home. >> eric and viv should have been

in barcelona tonight. instead, they are happy to be back in tewksbury. they felt the impact. >> crash. shares, people, glasses, noise. >> all over the floor. >> very panicky. >> the waiters were in shock. >> the couple are grandparents and retired teachers. they say the evacuation of the ship was chaotic. there was little discipline and no sense of order as passengers and crew fought to get a place in the lifeboats. >> there was a lot of selfishness, a lot of not thinking about the safety of people and children. -- disabled people and children. >> people in realtors were ignored. everyone was trying to get to the nearest exit for themselves. >> back at heathrow, james

thomas is reunited with his mother. friday night, fearing the worst, he phoned her to say goodbye. >> i could not be happier. i genuinely could not be happier to be here. >> but the british survivors say their thoughts tonight are with those who will not see their families again. bbc news. >> 3 devices have exploded in naples, southern italy. the windows were damaged but nobody was hurt. the agency is responsible for collecting overdue taxes and fines. it was attacked the same way last month. so far, no one has expressed has claimed responsibility for either attack. standard and poor's has downloaded the eurozone bailout fund from aaa. it gets its creditworthiness from the financial stability of

countries in the eurozone. this could make it more difficult for the fund to raise bailout money. you have more details of the ongoing violence taking place in syria. what is the latest? >> that is right. more than 400 children have been killed since the start of the uprising last march. according to human-rights activists, the u.n. has condemned what it calls a substantial number of children tortured and murdered in detention. our special correspondent traveled to jordan and lebanon, where he met some of the children who have fled across syrian borders. >> they have been fleeing here for many months, bringing allegations of crimes against humanity. and this is a refuge for brutalize children. 7-year-old twins were fleeing

with their parents, and they say soldiers opened fire. >> [speaking a foreign language] >> mohamad was struck in the knee. the violence is relentless. in the hospital, balloons to chair a boy who lost his leg. the cannot identify this a-year-

old for fear of reprisals against his family. his father told me a tank shell was fired at their home. the family was trapped for 15 days, unable to get to hospital until they made the dangerous journey to lebanon. across the border, the syrian government blames armed rebels for what happened. it denies targeting children and caesarian is the victim of a foreign plot. in every war, the children become casualties. they are caught in the crossfire of adult conflict. the what is happening in syria is very different. this has been gathered from human rights organizations and the testimony of those who make their children are being deliberately targeted. it is happening in regime prisons, where the u.n. reports systematic abuse of children's rights.

here in jordan, there is testimony of such abuse. seen here a week before his detention, he was arrested at a demonstration in the town of april. he promised his mother he would not go. >> he was doing his hair and asked me, "does it look nice?" then he left. after that, for a month and have, every day felt like drinking poison. what can i remember? we cry a lot. we speak of him a lot.

>> man from my village knocked at the door and said there was a child's body in the hospital. this said, and see, did i recognize him. his body was totally disfigured. teeth were blasted out. there was a broken arm and legs. his jawbone was crushed. >> it is impossible there are people who can actually do this to their fellow man. even animals cannot do this to human beings. >> with their country spiraling deeper into violence, the risk for the child victims is no way home and no chance of justice. bbc news, jordan. >> the parliament of pakistan

has voted in favor of democracy. the prime minister, yousouf raza gilani, has been called before the supreme court on charges he did not open a corruption case against president asif zardari. we report from islamabad. >> the political crisis shifted to the supreme court. the embattled civilian government has few friends here. judges considered the government failure to reopen a long-running corruption case against president zardari. it was clear the judges had had enough. the open contempt proceedings. having waited more than two years, they said, we are left with no option, ordering the prime minister should appear in

court personally on january 19. people rushed from the court room as the news broke. if convicted, the prime minister will be disqualified from office. the law minister give a her response. "this is not a small thing, "said. we will consult our experts and take the necessary steps. the prime minister has been fighting his corner in recent days. the reports he offered to resign have been denied. the former law minister told us he should step down. >> the allegation was agreed to buy the highest court of this country. he should face it. resign his office. after he is acquitted, he can go back into politics. >> the prime minister may try to drag out proceedings as long as

possible, hoping to buy time. as government legal woes worsen, the result is greater instability and paralysis. that is a worry for the west. it means pakistan's hope to try to do a peace deal in afghanistan -- leaders here are struggling to go from one day to the next. that are fighting on two fronts, with the judiciary and the army. president zardari held more talks with military troops today. both he and the government seem determined to stay the course. bbc news, islamabad. >> we are live from singapore and london. three months after gaddafi's death, his loyalists fight on. >> and what lies beneath? a search for life beef under -- deep under an arctic a.

-- antarctica. jon huntsman has dropped out of the race for the white house. the former utah government said the campaign has generated-and personal attacks. paul adams reports from washington. >> never a real contender, jon huntsman is bowing out. he told his rebels to stop bickering and concentrate on what happens. >> this race has degenerated into an onslaught of negative and personal attacks not worthy of the american people, and not worthy of this critical time in our nation's history. >> it is a far cry from his fighting call after finishing third in new hampshire a few weeks ago. >> i say third place is a ticket to ride, ladies and gentlemen. >> jon huntsman lacked the

resources, organization, and perhaps sheer willpower to stay the course. he was looking at eight contest in carolina where mitt romney plans to notch a third win in a row. the race for the republican candidate looks more and more certain. jon huntsman says it is not clear which can that republicans should back. >> despite our differences and the space between us on some of the issues, i believe that candidate is governor mick -- mitt romney. >> newt gingrich could do well in conservative, religious south carolina. the field is narrowing. the race could end soon. paul adams, bbc news, washington. >> if you are on line, join us on twitter.

>> this is "newsday." i am in singapore. >> i am in london. the headlines. a number of people missing after a cruise liner capsized off the coast of italy has risen to 29, with six people confirmed dead. >> the owners have blamed the captain for the accident. he has been accused of deliberately bearing off course, but he said he followed correct procedures. >> china is slowing down. the world's sickest -- second largest economy expanded by 8.9% in the final quarter of 2011, its lowest rate in 2.5 years. our correspondent runs as from

beijing. how significant is this deceleration of growth in the chinese economy? >> it is in line with expectations. what we are seeing in the chinese economy is the impact of america. china is the world's largest exporter. we are seeing a slowing in growth. another news story is the property market. many economists believe the bible in the property market is bursting as we speak. we are seeing across the country it dropped from 20% to 25%. the chinese economy is slowing down. authorities have said they want to see more sustainable growth going into the future. what they want to see is that the economy starts going down too much.

china needs to maintain its economic clout. the economy puts -- the government puts great clout in the handling of the economy. it could drop below 6% 5% gdp. then there is the risk of social unrest. authorities will be monitoring the situation very carefully. >> what is the sentiment of the people on the ground, the man on the street? do they feel they now have less money in their pockets? >> these figures have just come out. what is interesting is when you speak with ordinary chinese there is a sense of optimism. the economy is still growing. it is seeing the astonishing growth, compared to the situation in europe and america.

there is concern in the property market. chinese investors often have very little option other than investing their money in property interests. there is concern about that. china is the world's largest exporter. obviously, less demand from america and europe will have an impact here. >> thank you for that update. in other news, libyan authorities are preparing a course south of tripoli. they say there are gaddafi loyalists holding out against the government. a week of violence has been said to leave three people dead and 40 injured. >> in libya is unfinished revolution, this is the new front line.

groups that once called themselves troubles are back in position. these are scenes we have not seen since october, when colonel gaddafi was captured and killed in his hometown. factors are saying that in this part of libya, the fighting is not over yet. their target? a town where they say heavily armed militias are still holding out in support of the old regime. how are you going to take their weapons? >> they give them to us, or we take them from them. >> there will be war again. >> it felt like a return to the halt of the fighting, before the war in tripoli. many have struggled to count the casualties. trouble and military leaders gathered to try to negotiate a

solution. local leaders admit that are powerless to control some of their own revolutionary fighters. you are having trouble controlling them? >> yes. it is very difficult to control these people. they decide what they want to do, and they just do it. >> the standoff in the house continues. the leader word about the danger of civil war. this goes back to old grievances. the revolution added new guns. >> british scientists are searching for signs of life in an undeveloped like in antarctica. >> deep in the wilderness of antarctica, one of the most ambitious journeys of discovery is getting underway. this is the delivery of highly specialized equipment.

everything about this place is a charge. the plan is to find the first glimpse of an unexplored world lying beneath the ice. it is hard to imagine anything below the ice sheet, but this mission will reveal what is there. the aim is to drill through the ice. amazingly, it is 2 miles thick, down to an ancient lake locked away for half a million years. the device will be lowered into it to gather samples. no one knows what they will find. this is a sampling device that will be lowered into the lake. it has been built in a clean room in the national oceanography center. there is a tantalizing possibility that when they reach the lake, they may find signs of life. if they do, it will be in water samples gathered in titanium bottles designed to withstand incredible pressure and low temperatures. the project will only succeed if every single component is

kept sterile, something that has never been tried before. everything has been designed specifically for this project. the a index to avoid any risk of contamination. >> and the level of cleanliness is higher than the one we use for surgery. we will leave no trace when we go there on the ice. >> a container filled -- chilled to -30. what is it going to be like in antarctica? >> very similar. the daytime temperature is -30. >> the drilling rig being tested. this extraordinary scientific venture starts in earnest at the end of the year.

>> stay with us. >> make sense of international news at bbc.com/news. >> funding was made possible by the freeman foundation of new york, stowe, vermont, and honolulu. newman's own foundation. and union bank. >> at union bank, our relationship managers work hard to know your business, offering specialized solutions and capital to help you meet your growth objectives. we offer expertise and tailored solutions for small businesses and major corporations. what can we do for you?

>> "bbc world news" was presented by kcet los angeles.