>> 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 understand the industry you operate in, working to nurture new ventures and help provide capital for key, strategic decisions. we offer expertise and tailored solutions in a wide range of industries. what can we do for you? >> and now, "bbc world news." >> the secret nato document that says pakistan's intelligence

still back the taliban in afghanistan. the report also says the taliban enjoys widespread support inside afghanistan. but the international security force says it is nothing to worry about. >> it is just a compilation of investigations and interrogations' straight after detainment. we cannot really put that high a value on what they are saying. >> hello, and welcome to "gmt." i'm george alagiah. also in the program -- the sunshine state's miles on it romney as he wins the republican floor primary but newt gingrich pledges to fight all the way. making friends and influencing people -- facebook prepares for what could be the biggest technology shares sale of all

time. it is lunchtime here in london, berlin morning in washington and 4:30 in the afternoon in kabul were secret documents raises questions about what has been achieved. the taliban receiving widespread support in afghanistan -- pakistan. --l, let's >> asked pakistan -- as pakistan bought a foreign minister was greeted for talks, news came that threaten to good relations between the two countries into a deeper freeze than ever. a bleak u.s. analysis of the taliban, based on thousands of interrogations' of prisoners laid bare the challenge is still facing afghanistan and nato-led forces. despite pakistani government

denials, the taliban is still actively supported by pakistan's intelligence service, the isi. it concludes that the government of pakistan remains intimately involved with the taliban. the isi is thoroughly aware of the whereabouts of all senior taliban personnel. senior taliban leaders meet regularly with isi personnel who advise on strategy. >> it does show the pakistani government did not change its policy of continuing support for the afghan insurgency to fight the international mission for peace and stability in afghanistan. >> there are harsh lessons, too, for the afghan government, whose corruption is seen as a spur for taliban recruitment. afghan forces have given ground to the taliban rather than fighting. weapons given by native to afghan forces have been sold or given away, finding their way into taliban hands through arms bazaars in the pakistan.

thestions into whether international forces, has seen optimism whether the taliban is on the back foot. a spokesman says there is nothing new. >> it is just a compilation of investigations, interrogations', street after detainment. so we cannot really put that high a value on what they are saying. they are talking about their perception of the campaign, how they believe the campaign is going, and what they want us to believe. >> the picture that emerges from this use of this report is of raising more funds than before and more confident of success. >> let's talk to our correspondentss the region -- quentin somerville and irene. clanton, this will make awfully depressed in reading, not the

least for the thousands of international troops putting their lives on the line every day. >> absolutely, george. he just said this was an omen for and report, does he believes the taliban is still on the back foot but it does give insight into the taliban mind. we do not often no the forces, the enemy facing international troops and afghan forces. we do know now, from these 27,000 interrogations', 4000 militants from al qaeda and taliban, they are still almost a buoyant. they did not believe they will be defeated and they are not ready for surrender. >> if i could come to you in an islamabad -- these accusations are not new but do they come with greater force given the source of information? >> yes, they are not new. in the past, the pakistanis have said there has been flawed intelligence and unreliable sources. they are likely to say the same

thing this time. but this time around we are talking about thousands of interrogations' that this is based on. we do also have this time around very specific information about where perhaps taliban leaders or relatives of the hakani that were being hidden in pakistan. there are lines in the report talked about members of that family being based and living right next to the isi headquarters here in this lombok. while the pakistanis began will say this is flawed intelligence, each time these allegations, the case is looking less and less convincing. >> briefly, this will add to what are already difficult relations with not the least, washington. >> absolutely. the last year has been terrible in terms of relations between washington and islamabad. there was of course the bin laden rain. right now, remember pakistan has blocked nato's supplies going to afghanistan. they are looking to redraw and

terms of an ks man with the u.s. on one hand have pressure from reports like this from nato. on the other, they have an increasingly anti-american sentiment among the public and it is likely to increase with reports that this, both within the army ranks of the public, saying really it is time to cut our ties with the west completely. >> back to you in kabul, perhaps worst of all is this idea that people, when given the choice, seem to prefer the taliban, or many seem to prefer the taliban than the karzai government. in the that is right. because of corruption. taliban are mounting not just a military campaign of this report painted picture of a very successful hearts and minds campaign. they wait for international troops to leave and then they go in with the hearts and minds campaign. here is something else -- if you are not happy with the local taliban commander there is a phone number you can call to complain and have been changed.

that is how sophisticated that tank -- campaign is by the taliban. >> thank you both. four men from london and cardiff have pleaded guilty to plotting to bomb the london stock exchange. they set out a plan to terrorize people and damage the economy. the men were inspired by the preaching of the radical the extremist anwar al-awlaki the was killed by a drove attacking in the last year. five of the men have pleaded guilty to of a terrorism offenses. in june kelly reports. >> their plan was to strike at the core of the u.k. financial sector. the target was the london stock exchange. with the terrorist explosion here, they intended to continue the work of al-qaeda in the uk. mohammed chowdhury, the linchpin, just 21 he was arrested. like him, one of his co-

conspirators is from east london. he also brought together a brew -- group from cardiff and four other men. now on the eve of their child, all have pleaded guilty to terrorist charges. in the run-up to christmas 2010, the men were put under surveillance. in a major operation in which their homes and cars were also bugged. seven of them got together in wales. while the men were under surveillance, they were observed have any meeting in this part. the card if contingent had been joined by others in london and stoke on trent but all the time the conversation was being listened to. as the plans gathered pace there was a reconnaissance mission in london. on the contrary, a number of landmarks, including big ben and the london eye. while the surveillance continue to run the country, some of the men from stoke overheard discussing bonds in the home city. they talked about leaving

devices and public toric -- toilets and how -- pub ... and less than a week before christmas, the police with becoming increasingly concerned, moved in and made an arrest. at mohammed chowdhury flat there was a cache evidence. a handwritten list, and on the list were the names and addresses of the mayor of london and two rabbis. as low as the words american embassy and the initials lxe, which it says stood for the london stock exchange. and on a computer he downloaded this extremist website where he had been researching how to make a pipe bomb. the website is linked to this radical extremist anwar al- awlaki. now dead, then a key al-qaeda figure. regarded as the men's inspiration, he called on western muslims to attack their

home countries. although some of the men had heeded the message and chosen the target, they never actually made a bomb. but they were intent on bringing terror and fear back to the u.k. june kelly, bbc news. >> time to look at some of the other stories making headlines around the world today. mitt romney has won the latest contest in florida to choose the republican party that a candidate for the presidential election in november. he polled 47% of the votes cast, easily beating his main rival newt gingrich, who received 32% of the vote. the other candidates, former senator rick santorum had 13%, and congressman ron paul that 7%. both remain in the race. our north america editor sent this report from the campaign trail. >> that is not just excitement on the faces of mitt romney's supporters -- it is relief. his campaign is now back on track. he once again be seen as the front runner.

although this is far from over, he is behaving as though he is already the republican candidate chosen to take on president obama. thomas paine is reported to have said -- lead, follow, or get out of the way. mr. president, you were elected to lead, you chose to follow, and now it is time for you to get out of the way. [applause] romney that the campaign got a shock when newt gingrich won in south carolina so here he spent $16 million, 10 million pounds, and just one month on 13,000 intensely negative tv advertising attacking opponents. >> sanctions for ethics violations, the english resigned in disgrace. >> gingrich was crushed in this vote but he is defiant. he plans to fight on and all the 46 internal party elections still to come. >> i just want to reassure them tonight, we are going to contest every place, and we are the one to win and we will be in tampa as the nominee in august.

>> this campaign was not particularly edifying but intends to prove the sort of advice that strategists like to give in private -- that money matters and going negative works. this race has got a long way to go and it is not likely to get any cheaper of friendlier. bbc news, florida. >> snowfall in japan has left at least 50 people dead and hundreds injured. officials say the majority of deaths were called -- caused by people slipping while clearing snow from rooftops or roads. more snow is expected in coming days and weather forecasters one of avalanches in the west of the country. it is not much better here in europe. of the cold snap that has killed dozens of people of the past few days is spreading from the east to west of the continent. the big freeze has forced some country to deploy the army and set up emergency shelters. this report from the bbc's tom --

>> looking at this river in poland, you're freezing weather has had fateful consequences. across the country, five people died in the space of 24 hours. and it is mainly the homeless who are at risk. that is why they put these coal tears industry to keep them warm. don't stand too close. here are doing everything to prevent more deaths. >> everybody forgets about the homeless. that is why i think these heaters are a great idea. the local authorities are trying to help those most in need. >> and the cold weather looks like it is here to stay for a while longer. temperatures across much of the region have plummeted. -22 in poland, possibly lower. -28 at night in parts of ukraine. and in the balkans, it got down to around -29 degrees celsius. the freezing conditions across eastern europe are now likely to spread.

the winds are blowing from the east. these were the conditions in istanbul with blizzards keep coming. monday was the coldest day there for 30 years. many places are equipped for this kind of weather, but in others, like here in bosnia, the snow has left some villages cut off, forcing many to stay indoors. bbc news. >> still to come on "gmt." something worth cheering about, we made the australian bourse who decided to share a windfall with his employees as a thank you for their loyalty. time now for a look at stories making headlines in newspapers around the world. the store dominating the front pages in britain is the former chief executive of the royal bank of scotland. he has been stripped of his knighthood.

the honor has been annulled because of his role in the bank's collapse. "the financial times" says the indian government has given the french defense industry big boost by naming the aviation company as a preferred bidder to supply fighter jet, a contract worth up to $20 billion. according to the china daily, beijing may be ready to yield over international pressure over export restrictions over rare earth. and the south china vote morning post reports on the country by increasing investment in africa. that follows the latest $1.4 billion and struck -- construction deal with the government of south sudan. this is close "gmt " from bbc world news. i'm george alagiah. the headlines -- a secret data report seen by the bbc's suggest

the afghan taliban remains strong with active support from pakistan's intelligence services. mitt romney has won a clear victory in florida, the latest stage in the republican party ought to contest to choose a presidential candidate. let us catch up on the business news with jamie robertson. let's start with this book of orza -- deutsche bourse >> there was a fair feeling it would fall through anyway. the problem was it was going to lead to much control. but on the other hand, it raises the whole problem of consolidation. it isn't the first merger between big bourses, something like before over the last few years. that action had been turned down by antitrust authorities. as a result of this, one wonders where are these going to go,

because there is a feeling when you are talking about the global market yet to be globally competitive and you have to be big. this is what luis -- louise cooper says. >> it all has to do with the derivatives side of the business where the combination of the two firms would give 90% market share for exchange traded derivatives and the european commission says it was effectively a qualify -- quasi not a. they did try real actions to persuade authorities to let the deal through but i am afraid it was not good enough. to be fair, this merger had been expected to be blocked by authorities. >> louise cooper there. now, i have been looking forward to the story. facebook, they are setting up their plan for going public and it could be the biggest of the mall. >> the biggest ever technology company -- it could be up to $10 billion you are talking about. it has been around for a very long time.

for a long while, facebook was this amazing bran which actually did not make any money. and it was extraordinary because it was one of the biggest brands of the one but yet not have any cash associated with it. now it has changed because they manage to target daguerreotype's as managed to use it to target the people that want to reach and it has become an incredibly efficient way to use advertising 3 facebook. -- through facebook. >> all the detail, which of the hidden so far about the financial performance over the years, what sort of revenue it is earning, how it has grown, and someone, which will be vital in terms of value with this. what we will not here is how the country is going to be valued. as the ipo proceeds, as we get to the actual launch, then we will get a clearer idea. >> bbc technology correspondent. >> thank you for the update. and some more news in brief.

pakistani officials say at least 20 suspected insurgents have been killed in air attacks by pakistani jets near the afghan border. at least four compounds were hit in tribal areas. fighting between the army in the district have left about 60 people dead in the past week. at least 1 people have been killed in senegal between the latest -- in the latest clashes between police and demonstrators. reports say a man was run over by a police truck in protests of the president's decision to seek a third term. here in the u.k., the wikileaks founder julian assange a arrive at the supreme court for his appeal against being extradited to sweden. the 40-year old australian is wanted by swedish authorities for questioning over alleged sex offenses which he denies. mr. assange remains on condition of bail in the u.k. and claims the allegations are politically motivated.

why do some of us seem to collect friends by the dozens what others struggle to maintain even a few? you might have thought it has to do with how open and generous you are, or perhaps how funny you are. all of that might be true, but there is not another reason. researchers at oxford university in britain saying it has to do with the size of a particular part of your brain. joining me from oxford is professor robin zumbar -- rabin dunbar. at the school of anthropology. a gross simplification. give us an layman's terms of what this research tells us. >> very simple terms, the size of this particular part of the brain just above the eyes, as it were, correlates with your social skills or ability to understand other people. and in turn, with the number of friends you have, or at least the number of close friends you

have. that is in turn correlated with your total social networks so they all kind of hang together tightly. >> you come up with this word, a rather difficult one, mineralizing, which is what this part of the brain is supposed to do -- mentalizing. it is a term that has been used -- >> it is a term used widely. also called mind reading, the ability to understand what a person is thinking about at the time. it is like a juggler -- if you are very good at these kinds of skills you can keep lots of friends in the air at the same time the same way a juggler can keep lots of balls in the air. >> its technical word for what we use as a and 50 -- and the fee. >> not quite the same thing. and as a is also involved -- empath is any ball but it is understand what you are thinking and what you are thinking about someone else thinking.

rather like what an audience has to do watching a play -- othello or something. the audience have to be able to understand, let's say -- i now know, iago is wanting all fellow to believe that -- >> there are briefly, if this is a physical thing, are you saying you cannot get better at friendships? they have all of these books about making friends and influencing people. if it is all governed by this part of the brain, you are stuck, aren't you? >> by the time you hit, let's say, our age, i think you are probably step, but it leaves open the question as to whether during this long process of development when we acquired these social skills, in fact, it is possible to train people to be more sociable. or if they do not get the same kind of practice, teenagers and the titular, probably, they end up being less social and have you -- having you were friends. >> thank you very much.

at a time when company executives are coming under fire for salaries, an australian boss stunned workers by giving them a $15 million gift. he said he wanted to reward his staff for loyalty. some cannot believe what happens and called their bank, thinking the extra money in their account was an error. in this report from sidney. >> how many bosses do you know would get this? >> hooray! >> he just divided up $15 million among his staff. >> i only believe it when it came into the account. >> on average, each of the 1800 employees gets $8,000, and the longest serving, up to 30,000. ken just sold his company and believes in one philosophy. >> look after your staff and they will look after you. working hard -- and most people,

if they are young, they depend on other people to help them get there. >> some employees wept when they were told and others checked with their banks to make sure the extra money in their account was really theirs. >> me and my wife were struggling to find out how we were going to pay for my daughter's wedding, and now i do not have to work seven days, only six days a week. it just came at such an opportune time. >> ken he is also doing this to show the set -- disparity between the salaries paid by bosses and employees. he says some executives are being paid far too much and that is why he is giving away $15 million of his own money. >> 15 million well spent. >> we got so much dissatisfaction, the response from our people has been amazing. >> ken he gets dismayed when he sees the salaries of some chief

executives and in this company there has never been an us or them to derail or financial bob. >> the best that i ever had in my life. >> in a world where corporate greed and executive pay has never been more topical, this is one of bus company boss who decided to play fair. duncan kennedy, bbc news, sydney. >> nice story. look after your staff and they will look after you, he says. not a bad principle, i suppose. that is about it for this part of "gmt." please, stay with us on bbc world news because, as ever, there is plenty more to come. there is plenty more to come.