private investment in kurdistan has soared as well.cess, the kurdistan regional government says of $16 billion. s aideal as it all sounds, there are very serious concerns. in the rush to develop the region's prime minister tells us the potential impact on the environment of drilling so much so quickly has not been addressed. >> well, i read history and we must be careful as a government, as a community to make sure it is a win/win situation for the companies as well as for the community, the country. in that regard we have these oil contracts that have stipulations in these, transparency is very important, i think for us as well as the companies to making sure that the money that is generated from these revenues go back to the communities, go back to the people. >> reporter: key in an area rife with corruption. ensuring revenues go to the public and not the privileged few. the oil man's dream, turning into the people's nightmare. arwa damon for "marketplace middle east" in the shahan oil fields in northern iraq. >>> dubai's debt proble

i believe kurdistan is now an important hub of economic activity. it is important market in its own right but it is also more important when you think of it as a gateway to the larger iraqi market. this is our vision. we want kurdistan to be the indispensable link of trade and commerce, economic cooperation among our neighbors. and am i concerned for the changes around us and the upheaval? yes, i am. can i give up my quest for a better life and better economy and better stability for my nation? absolutely not. >> at this week's opec meeting iraq along with libya have been included in the organization's quota and the latest output agreement. >> this 30 million barrel target includes iraq. iraq was outside the quota for many years. iraq still hasn't got its own quota assigned but it's somewhere within this opec basket target. that will be very interesting debate, i think, for the next opec meeting to say how much will iraq be assign and will iraq get a quota the same or higher than iran? which is what it's been signalling that it wants. >> opec minist

he is now in kurdistan.he shi'a prime tester has called on kurdish leaders to hand him over. -- the shi'a prime minister has called on kurdish leaders to hand him over. >> there is only one way out of this, through the judicial system. hashemi should stand trial either to be found innocent or to be indicted. there is no other way. >> tariq al-hashemi has angrily rebutted the charges against him. he said that they were politically motivated. he did not trust the justice system under a government led by nouri maliki. >> i demand that the elementary investigation be held here in kurdistan and it should be observed by independent parties. for my part, i will be ready to appear in court, god willing. >> with sunnis accusing nouri maliki of manipulating power, the party did back -- the party that they back is boycotting parliament. the center of power in baghdad, sunni provinces are pushing for autonomy from a shiite-led government that they see as too influenced by iran and not influencing them. it is only three

he denies that he put out a hit on government officials and is in the semi-autonomous region of kurdistan. the prime minister has called on kurdish leaders to hand them over. >> there is only one way out of this. it is through the judicial system and nothing else. i shimmied should stand trial. he will be found innocent or indicted. there is no other way. >> he has angrily rebutted the charges against him, saying they were fabricated, politically motivated, that he did not trust the justice system under a government led by maliki. >> a demand that the elementary investigation be held here in kurdistan and be observed by independent parties. for my part, i will be ready to appear before a court. >> sunnis are accusing maliki of monopolizing power. they have suspended their position in parliament. meanwhile, the center of power in baghdad, sunni provinces are pushing for autonomy from eight shiite led government. it has only been three days since the last u.s. troops left after almost nine years. the americans has promoted the political inclusion of the sunni minority, knowing it is dangero

kurdistan have been wowing the art world. hello, again. facing the imminent collapse of their common currency, european leaders have pulled a rescue out of their economic hats. they have agreed to spend less, save more and surrender some of their sovereignty in order to stabilize the euro. britain was the only country to reject the changes, leaving the u.k. more isolated than the continent. after so many last-ditch deals, will this one really work? here's gavin hewitt. >> this was a summit when the e.u. changed, a summit full of tension. the french president chipper. a british prime minister managing a clenched smile as brit tap's relationship with europe changed, too. france and germany had wanted to amend the e.u. treaties to impose tougher discipline over budgets. that needed british agreement, but the prime minister wanted safeguards in return. the arguments continued until 4:00 in the morning. >> good morning, everyone. sorry for keeping you up quite so long. i said before coming to brussels that if i couldn't get adequate safeguards

he is now in kurdistan.he shi'a prime tester has called on kurdish leaders to hand him over. -- the shi'a prime minister has called on kurdish leaders to hand him over. >> there is only one way out of this, through the judicial system. hashemi should stand trial either to be found innocent or to be indicted. there is no other way. >> tariq al-hashemi has angrily rebutted the charges against him. he said that they were politically motivated. he did not trust the justice system under a government led by nouri maliki. >> i demand that the elementary investigation be held here in kurdistan and it should be observed by independent parties. for my part, i will be ready to appear in court, god willing. >> with sunnis accusing nouri maliki of manipulating power, the party did back -- the party that they back is boycotting parliament. the center of power in baghdad, sunni provinces are pushing for autonomy from a shiite-led government that they see as too influenced by iran and not influencing them. it is only three

i am in kurdistan. >> the european commission has controlled anesthetics. european firms will have to provide assurances they're not been used in executions in order to export them. they are closing their ports to ships. argentina and britain have renewed diplomatic ties. british companies have begun exploring the water surrounding the island. an argentine government minister has been found dead. the other secretary was found hanged. he was 33, and was a rising star in the government of cristina fernandez. two scientific journals were asked not to publish. they are concerned the intermission could fall into the wrong hands and be used to create a biological weapon. we have more on this u.s. decision. >> there is a scientific question that needed to be asked whether or not the virus which has been -- can it attain the characteristics while maintaining its virulence backs a legitimate public health question to help people who are in the field doing surveillance to find out whether or not this will happen. they came up with a virus that had these characteristi

i have managed to escape to kurdistan, where i am now. >> efforts now are continuing to help the russian fishing boat which has been stranded for five days. this boat started taking on water last week. an emergency rescue teams are flying out supplies and pumping of equipment to the stricken vessel. >> stranding and -- stranded and alone in new zealand in freezing conditions. not a fishing boat hit under water ice last friday, tearing a hole in it. it was every man to the account until the crew members were left stranded. -- it was every man to the pump until the crew members were left stranded. the royal defense force joined in. any rescue by sea has been hampered by heavy ice. >> we do not often do this on the ice, but the same procedures apply. >> most of the water has been pumped out. a rescue ship is on its way, and the plan is to come out of fuel and well played over the whole. theeweld a plate over hole. >> still to come, how young people are turning to music to express their desire for peace. >> and a former editor of "the daily mirror" denies knowledge of phone hacking. water ca

said the the target for just over the border, into iraq, and that they had information about the kurdistan workers party without any reports of settlements. they were told of a large group of people headed for the border. is that an acknowledgement that they hit the wrong lot? -- >> is that acknowledgment that they hit the wrong lot? >> yes, i think so. >> in france, an afghan soldier has shot dead two members of the french foreign legion in eastern afghanistan. they were taking part in a support mission with the afghan army. the shooting was the latest in a series of attacks against their coalition partners, which have raised fears of increased taliban infiltration. karen is in kabul. are there any more details? >> he was a member of the armed forces. if he was a taliban sympathizer or an argument with the other soldiers at the root of the incident, we simply do not know. the taliban has claimed responsibility, saying it was one of theirs. i cannot find the name here, we do not know if that is true, however. we understand from the communique from paris that this is a region where the fren

. >> i demand that the elementary investigation be held here in kurdistan and the investigation should be observed by independent parties. for my part, i will be ready to appear. accusing -- with sunnis accusing nouri maliki, they have boycotted the government. sunni provinces are now pushing for autonomy from the shiite- led government that they say is too influenced by iran. it is only three days since the u.s. troops left iran after almost nine years. -- it is only three days since the u.s. troops left iraq. u.s. officials have expressed concern, calling on all sides to settle their differences peacefully. in a country that has seen so much bloodshed, the stakes are very high. >> for more on the deepening rift and how much a threat it proposes -- it poses to stability, i am joined by a senior fellow at the center for american progress. thank you for being with us on the bbc. should we be worried? >> yes, extremely. these kinds of tensions could lead to renewed violence if the political process does not deal with this. we are on the process of a real crisis and this is very worrisome

it's colonel shawna o'brien from kurdistan.'d like to wish all my family and friends wonderful happy holidays. i'll see you soon, thank you and the washington d.c. area go!  [ female announcer ] this time of year you have a lot of festive meals. and safeway helps make every holiday meal a special occasion. so you can make all of your gatherings, just as merry as can be. get a boneless beef loin ny strip roast for just $5.99 a pound. plus save on gift card multipacks. right now get 15% off of $40 itunes multipack. safeway. ingredients for life. my high school science teacher made me what i am today. our science teacher helped us build it. ♪ now i'm a geologist at chevron, and i get to help science teachers. it has four servo motors and a wireless microcontroller. over the last three years we've put nearly 100 million dollars into american education. that's thousands of kids learning to love science. ♪ isn't that cool? and that's pretty cool. ♪ >>> this is the nissan sports desk in hd with lindsay murp

it is known as a haven for the fighters working for the kurdistan party, the pkk.hose killed by the air strikes or not militants but struck -- smugglers using mules to transfer diesel fuel from northern iraq into turkish territory. many were young men between the ages of 17 and 20. >> it the brave sons, i have lost my sons. >> the government in ankara has pledged an investigation. >> if mistakes are made, if there were flaws, and if there were shortcomings leading to the incident that took place, these will not be covered up. what is necessary will be done. >> the turkish military often flies missions that target it suspected pkk members in the region. kurdish politicians are speaking of a massacre. >> the european union is reported to be considering extending the horn of africa anti-parts division to include land operations. german media reports say that there are now plans to allow military strikes against pirates equipment and facilities on shore. the eu's naval operation has been protecting shipping of eastern africa for the last three years. extending the mand

cleansing is jake mentioned is starting to go on it's all sunni versus shia and up in the north in kurdistan it's a little bit better of a place but. as bad as saddam was absolutely he was a tyrant he was terrible he was a bad actor a fifty cent bullet would have saved a million iraqi lives and five that forty five hundred american lives yet we don't do assassinations ok fine got it but we never should have invaded iraq in the first place why did we invade why did george michael bush invade iraq. what we do do is that the nation now i just thought that obama's fix that problem for us well actually that's a true maybe yes it we didn't at the time get it. yeah right now to now we dive in and. i can't wait to see what dick cheney and feith space is going to look like when with total solder becomes the next brought by mr of iraq because you can bet your boots that the shiite majority of congress inside of iraq is priming him up abseiling him up to do lead the charge when the allowed him to do that we allowed him to get away with murdering american soldiers and american marines and let him take o

military base in kurdistan after the country underwent its first peaceful transfer of power in the republic's history the new president expressed his desire to see its closure fearing the facility makes the country a target. of reports. they call it operation enduring misery several times a day use military planes takeoff from an airport near the cagas capital bishkek there angela's generating a lot of anger and on the locals this it's so noisy here i can barely sleep that in soviet times the village of there was famous across kyrgyzstan for years gigantic whatever melons but ever since the americans landed here ten years ago locals say the quality of their crops has been steadily declining like most of his neighbors thirty collaborative is convinced americans are dumping fuel on the fields surrounding the base beaches commanders deny. i watch the u.s. planes come and go several times a day i know there should be the noise is disturbing but i sort of got used to what's really bad is that they're killing nature the fields and the crops and people's health is getting worse to the air base repre

smuggling gas and sugar into the country from northern iraq in may have been mistaken for rebels of the kurdistan workers party the groups considered a terrorist organization by ankara and much of the international community clashes between kurdish rebels and the army have a school late after a deadly operation last october. in nigeria turkish leaders say the christian community is losing confidence in the government's ability to protect them christians have described recent assault as a declaration of war against them and nigeria as a whole and so they will respond appropriately to any future provocation that comes just after the militant islamist group boko haram attacked churches on christmas day killing thousands the group wants to impose its bhaumik shari'a law across the country or just quit between mainly christians of the south and muslims in the north. well she is high spirited and fearless despite being more than a century old a woman from russia's north caucasus has filled a lifelong ambition by traveling three thousand kilometers as a pilgrim to join the harsh artie's medina question

he is hiding out in kurdistan. the kurds have not handed him over. he is accused of plotting terrorist acts using his personal security detail. i have absolutely no idea, but you can imagine how serious such a charge is. if the president of the united states or to accuse and majority leader in the house of terrorist acts, that would be quite a dramatic moment for us. i do not know how it's going to be resolved. i do not think it will be resolved before the new year. i think parliament will not reconvene until the new year. that is when we will see some kind of movement towards resolution, or not. host: would that include going in? it would maliki send in troops or his security forces to go when -- go in? guest: s sending security forces into kurdistan would be very dramatic. kurdistan has its own security forces. the iraqi army has no authority. that would be a move in the direction of civil war, but it would result in civil war, i do not know. i do not anticipate that. i think they will try to manage this in other ways, but it is not impossible that

. >> you have been to kurdistan? >> vietnam, china, cuba. >> kazakstan? >> no. >> canada? >> yes. >> new zealand. >> yes, they are commis there. >> terry, you said that kim jong-un, the son, might have problems. do you stand by that bold statement? >> i will stand boo i that. -- i will stand by that. >> we are going to stick with you on this because we will move straight to the drones. you know how we move around. >> we are quick here. >> you said that -- i don't know, i wasn't paying attention. does it really matter how we killed the enemy? >> no, it doesn't matter as long as we kill as many as we can and guys like me get to come home. i just would like the people doing it to basically say we have to kill them. i think they have been ducking behind it and try to hide it. >> is that because it is a covert program? >> no. it is not about that. >> it has nothing to do with that. >> it is the way they look at the world. they are afraid to actually admit to the fact that we have to fight people. >> and it bleeds into what lauren was saying about there was an honor in killing t

the prime minister of iraq has a warrant to arrest the vice-president of iraq, who is hiding in kurdistane north and can't come back to the capitol city. this seems to be, i am so glad to hear judith's optimism, from a novice' eyes, it seems to be unraveling. >> i am not optimistic at all. >> the sunni vice-president is holed up in the kurdish north because the shiite prime minister has issued an arrest warrant for him on trumped-up torerrist charges. it looks like they waited for the americans to leave the house and it's party time for the old iraqi sectarian. >> or the iraqi version of party time, let's blow up something, like a school, a grocery store, using an ambulance with a suicide bomber in it, yes. that's exactly what's happening. now the issue is: can the kurds who are the pivotal force here, persuade malachi, the shiite prime minister that the arrest warrant is not going to fly? and can they persuade him to stand with them and the sunnis and the shiites will be outnumbered and get malmalbychi to back down. vice-president biden has been on the phone for days now, without success

one of the highest probably per capita was in kurdistan. >> let me just take the issue of the employment question that molly williamson raises. we do other polls for the oliver wyman group, a business confidence. a major issue that we focused on is the youth polish and government reform making possible growth in the economy. and because the situation is not sustainable. the employers of first resort, not last resort. as a result of that in saudi arabia in particular he asked a college graduate read the pledge of graduation what is coolest, to the government job, but if it is better, pay is better, security is better and there are available. encourage the private sector or make space for the private sector to grow because the question is, this is not sustainable. you mentioned the number of jobs. the number that has to be created is greater than the number that has been created the previous that have been done by the government, and here they have to be done by the private sector. while oil income is up, it is not of sufficiently enough to s

of intelligence, the area of protect of airspace, the contested areas in northern iraq and iraq/kurdistan border. there was every military commander, everyone, recommended we have 20,000 troops remain behind in order to help with the stability and the security of iraq. and the president campaigned saying he was going to withdraw all of the troops. he did that. and i think it places the whole situation in great risk of a disintegrating situation, and i hope and pray that i am wrong. >> senator, i'm in sioux city tonight to watch something unfold that you have a great bit of experience at, a debate between the republican presidential candidates. iowa votes in 19 days. a consequential debate, last one before iowa votes. one of the men who ran against you last time, you vanquished him, rudy giuliani, he looks at the race now, he sees newt gingrich and mitt romney at top, he thinks speaker gingrich is the better candidate. let's listen. >> maybe that newt is appealing to something that mitt isn't appealing to. there's something wrong when you've will running as long as mitt has and you're at 2

. >> i demand that the elementary investigation be held here in kurdistan and the investigation shouldent parties. for my part, i will be ready to appear. accusing -- with sunnis accusing nouri maliki, they have boycotted the government. sunni provinces are now pushing for autonomy from the shiite- led government that they say is too influenced by iran. it is only three days since the u.s. troops left iran after almost nine years. -- it is only three days since the u.s. troops left iraq. u.s. officials have expressed concern, calling on all sides to settle their differences peacefully. in a country that has seen so much bloodshed, the stakes are very high. >> for more on the deepening rift and how much a threat it proposes -- it poses to stability, i am joined by a senior fellow at the center for american progress. thank you for being with us on the bbc. should we be worried? >> yes, extremely. these kinds of tensions could lead to renewed violence if the political process does not deal with this. we are on the process of a real crisis and this is very worrisome. >> for those people wh

the vice president is current in the region of kurdistan willing to stand trial only if not in baghdadired in politics here, he says. >> the other side. what does the prime minister say? >> reporter: we heard from prime minister al maliki in a press conference that just ended a short while ago. he is saying the vice president must seek justice, that the iraqi government is quite simply implementing rule of law and demanding that the kurdistan regional government hand him over to the central iraqi authorities. this, again, threatens to open up yet another potential battleline here. that one between the arabs and kurds. the issue, this is so mired in politics, and politics as we know very well given iraq's recent history tend to go hand in hand with violence. great concerns that this situation is moving towards an incredibly difficult time for the parties to dial the nation back from. >> thank you. >>> and the withdrawal from iraq. >> to return the colors from the united states forces and iraq to the rightful place of the united states of america. >> the return of the colors at a ceremon

they never do you like the idea of an autonomous kurdistan for the obvious reasons that they fear theme demand in arab countries. yes, all the indications have been that there has been ever approached by that turkey and kurdistan have found the models and positive ones in this game to recognize that the level of public opinion is not at the level of leaders are suspicious of turkey is still as much there. and i really did not expect to see. let me move now to what is happening because if you have been following closely, you not only how the last -- the last couple of months before the withdrawal of u.s. troops being very difficult essentially, that has been an increase -- that has been an increase in a country that has been increased, but the developments that took place just this last week over the weekend is positively dramatic. just because of we also heard last week the speeches that were given. you know, obama and maliki about all the positive things and what we are seeing now is an impression one gets an iraq, much faster than anyone expected. in other words, if it's hamas does

therefore, we ask our brothers in the kurdistan regional government to take responsibility and hand overeen the case. not handing him over or allowing him to flee could cause problems. >> arwa damon is joining us once again from baghdad. an incredibly sensitive moment right now. the troops pull out of iraq. some 17,000 americans are still there. half contractors, security personnel, if you will, the others, diplomatic personnel and their support staff. you told me earlier in the day that you got wind that the ci ark director made a secret visit to iraq. i've since confirmed he has now back safe and sound here in washington. >> according to sources in iraq, the visit actually took place on the night that iraqi state television broadcast those alleged confessions that appear to be implicating the vice president in these attacks. of course, those confessions have sense led to the vice president having an arrest warrant issued for him. him having to flee up to the curdish north. but according to those iraqi sources, petraeus met with the speaker of parliament, with the finance minister. both

the vice president is now up in the semia tonmist section of kurdistan being protected by the kurds. they're demanding that the kurdish authorities hand him over to central iraq. they, at this point, are not doing that. he, the vice president are willing to stay on trial and he wants it to happen in a crucial area. all of this is polarizing the government to such a degree that many are questioning whether or not the various political leaders will be able to dial back from the edge of this ab s abyss. >> our arwa damon with the update on the violent day in iraq. thank you so much. >>> well, we are just passing eight minutes past the hour now and with ron paul leading in a new iowa poll, the presidential candidate is now facing runenew questions about racially inflammatory writings. these writings were published during the 1980s and '90s. they appeared but they rarely carried a by line. newt republic coverrepublic cov. also, other news organizations from "new york times" to cnn have come up with new details. what we have uncovered are items like this from a 1992 news letter shortly aft

he is up north seeking sanctuary in the semi-autonomous region of kurdistan.ister says they're simply implement being the rule of law and they want the vice president brought to baghdad. all of this is really causing great concern because even though the violence might not directly be linked to the politics that we're seeing take place right now, it most certainly opens up faith. by that i mean the political instability opens up space for terrorism to exist. >> arwa, do we know who is taking responsibility for all these bombings taking place? >> there's been no claim as of yet but they do bare the hall marks of al qaeda style attacks, the sophistication and level of coordination. the u.s. military prior to withdrawing had said that. would be highly likely that al qaeda and maybe some other insurgent groups would try to carry out some of these coordinated spectacular attacks if only to send the message that look, we're still here and we can still carry out these acts of violence. for the iraqi public this puts a huge question mark on the capabilities of the ira

wanted on charges of terrorism and now being protected by the kurds in the semiautonomous region of kurdistan says the allegations against him are politically motivated. it sees a shia dominated government going after sunni opponents. the prime minister is manding they survey runder, but they haven't. thursdays attacks are widely thought to be the work of al-qaeda in iraq, which is tried to stoke tensions. terrorism in iraq relishes a political vacuum. >> the political process is not only fragile, but it is downhill because of the addition of the partners. it means they will just defy their criminal activities that the solution is not in the solution. something else. >> i'm sure prior to withdrawal, you, yourself, other members were warning the american that is this was going to happen. >> so many times, american that the security and the situation is so fragile, so things should be not only gradual, should be responsible and unfortunately, no one listened. >> this man at the scene of one bombing in a shia neighborhood yells this is because of -- blaming the leader of the main opposition part

wanted the administration to back a rebel army led by him that would be positioned in the north in kurdistan. and he, you know, systematically courted is centers of power in washington. when he came to washington in the '90s, he knew nobody. the cia hated him, the state department opposed him, no constituency in washington, no army in baghdad, no popular support in baghdad, and he systematically worked the leaders of power in washington until -- >> who was his first big sponsor? who got him through the door at the cia? >> well, the cia came knocking on his door. up until 1990, the u.s. blocked out the iraqi opposition, thought they were all instruments of iran. with saddam's invasion of kuwait in 1991, the cia said -- the first president bush said we have to rethink this. let's develop an iraqi opposition. they compiled the list of exiles. he was one of many on it. they called him up, met him at hit house in london and realized this is one smart dude. >> but at the same time, they knew by that point that this guy was a con artist, that he had fallen out of favor the cia. it was no secret tha

today the kurdistan regional government is one of turkey's most important trading partners. if you go to northern iraq, just about every other shop is full with turkish goods, turkish banks are there, i mean, everything's turkish. and it is really in both syria and iraq that you see now a freeway -- let's call it competition for lack of better word. that is to say, yes, the iranians and the turks are, have kind of carved up iran -- i'm sorry, iraq a little bit into two zones of influence. in the north the turks are far more prominent, far more dominant. in part because the kurds want it that way too. they see a relationship to the west as the most important link. the south, shia south is, obviously, much more dependent on iran. and the center, of course, is still -- if there is any influence -- the iranians are probably more powerful there. but nonetheless, i think we should not exaggerate either iranian influence or anybody else's influence in the wake of the american departure from iraq. i think iraq is ultimately going to draw its own, chart its own course. and let's face

change in iraq, where for many years, the turkish government could not even utter the words of the kurdistan regional government. today, they're one of turkey's most important trading partners. if you go to northern iraq, just about every other shop is full with turkish goods, turkish banks are there and everything is turkish. it is in both syria and iraq that ec -- that you see competition for a lack of a better word, yes the iranians and the turks have carved up in the north, the turks are far more prominent and dominant. they see a relationship with ank a to the west as their most important link. the shyatt south is obviously much more dependent on iran and the center, of course, is still, if there is any influence, the iranians are probably more powerful there, but nonetheless i think we should not exaggerate the iranians' or anyone else's influence in the wake of the americans' departure from iraq. iraq will chart its own course. and let's face it. iran-iraq do this bitter memories. there were still border issues. still the iran-iraq war as a memory. but clearly there is competition and