so, look, i'm not -- zardari, we all know he is notorious for, you know, extra-market capitalization. [laughter] and there has been, you know, when i was a student, he was called mr. 10%. so there have been a number of charges against him, and he's spent some time in jail. and part of the national reconciliation order was dropping those charges. so in 2009 the supreme court which, again, as i said, has had it out for zardari for some time both personally and because of the support the supreme court justices have received from sharif, they contested the legality of the current ppp office holders who had cases pending against them in the first instance. for example, folks sitting in office that contested elections, the entire viability of their elections can be potentially invalidated and, obviously, zardari himself becomes vulnerable to charges as well without pakistan. the supreme court said something interesting again pushing the envelope of what it can do because it says it can. it has told president zardari that he is not automatically going to enjoy immunity from prosecution, that

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 wil

president zardari, wanted unity, he argued, as head of state. the case is adjourned until next month. the promise to emerged looking confident but ultimately this legal battle could cost him his job and bring down his government. all of this uncertainty is paralyzing pakistan, which is creating more insecurity in this nuclear-arms state. a concern for the region and for the west. on the streets, no one is sure what may come next. people here have been following the political twists and turns that the major concern is the battle for survival. they are struggling with crippling shortages. electricity is off in this area for three hours a day and people tell me that things have never been worse. this man says that the government's time is out. >> we need a change, someone it should cut the throats. >> the prime minister is hanging on for now. he is hemmed in. he and his government are under pressure from all sides, including the army. >> now, their objective was to provide an in partial assessment of whether the syrian government had complied with

so this row between chowdhury of zardari knauss goes back several years.we should not see this as some sort of new phenomenon, but this particular track with hussein haqqani and memo gate really relates as well to the vacation of the nrl. so in conclusion, while we all care about hussein haqqani, i want to emphasize that the is not simply about the particular personal safety or lack thereof of mr. haqqani, but it's also about pakistan's institution. the only pakistan's democratic institutions can diversify is if there are multiple constitutionally mandated changes the power that had been at the ballot box, right? using judicial dniester trade you grow this government is not in anyone's benefit. i want to very briefly and peered from the blast, by the nro? why they're coming back now in the actually vacated two years ago? if you're the army, they didn't want a washer reef around. none of the relationship with the army ever know the army is not very fond of zardari. it's not as if you had palatable action. it's not a coincidence over the last six days really

that is how we ended up with zardari. but the supreme court had been very dubious about that nro to begin with. with zardari became president the supreme court raised the possibility it would vacate nro. you may remember one of the early rows after the election between the pmln and the ppp who in the wake of election actually formed a coalition was the restoration of supreme court justice that musharraf actually had jettisoned and that was choudry. this row between choudry and zardari goes back several years. we should not see this as some sort of new phenomenon. but this particular track with hussein haqqani and memogate really relates as well to the vacation of the nro. so the in conclusion i really, while we all care about haqqani i want to emphasize this is simply not about the particular personal safety or lack thereof of mr. haqqani but it is also about pakistan's democratic institutions. the only way that pakistan's democratic institutions can solidify, there are multiple, constitutionally mandated changes of power

it says it has not reopen the cases against president zardari because the president has immunity. nonetheless, a dramatic day. most of the attention was just a short distance to my left at the supreme court. earlier in the day, the court decided -- instead of handing this issue back to parliament, for example, it decided it was not going to let prime minister gilani off the hook. now the focus has shifted to the building behind me, the parliament. mp's are about to vote in what amounts to a confidence motion. >> what is the likely outcome in that case? >> in this case, the government has played it very cleverly. they have not called a confidence motion. prime minister gilani said he was there because of an election, because of the democratic process, so you decide whether you want this democratic process or not. that is what they will be voting on -- on parliament and democracy. he may well win it. even if he gets through this crisis with the supreme court right now, pakistan is in a situation where its three major institutions are at each other's throats. they're very worried tha

they told him that he had to move to reopen corruption cases against the president, asif ali zardari. he hasn't done that, and that's why he was called here, and they do have the power to sack him and his government if found in contempt of court. there's also a history of animosity between some of the top judges and this government. but the prime minister came here, and his home is very conciliatory. he said he very much respected the court, he was there with his cabinet ministers as well. but, however, he did still say that he was right in not reopening those corruption cases against the president because the advice he was given, he had immunity from prosecution. so he has managed to buy more time to be able to prove that that was the advice he was given. so while the crisis here in pakistan hasn't quite been averted, it has at least been postponed for another day. >> aleem maqbool reporting there. let's take you live to the italian coast and show you what's going on around the costa concordia. reports say the captain of the costa concordia has now admitted misjudging its roots. fran

as judges consider government failure to reopen a long-running corruption case against president zardari. soon, it was clear the judges have had enough. they open contempt proceedings against the prime minister having waited for more than two years, said there were left with no option, ordering the prime minister should appear in court personally on january 19. the rush from the court room as the news broke. if convicted, the prime minister will be disqualified from office. the foreign minister david her response. "this is not a small thing, "though he said. we will consult our experts and take the necessary steps. the prime minister has been fighting his corner in recent days. reports he offered to resign have been denied. a former law minister told us he should step down. >> there are allegations by the highest court of this country. face it. he should resign his office, face it, and after he is acquitted, then he can go back into the system. >> 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

government down with the decision having to do with corruption charges against president asif ali zardari. it also has opposition politicians, as well. the calculation yousuf raza gilani has made is that he will portray anyone who brings this government down as an enemy of the democratic process. the one thing he controls is this vote in parliament. he is saying to opposition politicians, put up or shut up. he has done this in a clever way. if you want to get rid of me, you're setting back the democratic process. basically, vote on whether you want democracy or dictatorship. that's what will happen on monday, if he wins the vote, which he is likely to, he will pay that as a success. >> plenty of talk of a military coup in the offing again. does this remove or dilute the possibility? >> it's a complicated situation, but this has been escalating for two or three months. it does feel like it has been at a crisis point. the government, the portland, the supreme court could all carry out a move that -- the government, the parliament, the supreme court could all carry out a move. it does not ap

he has been asked to explain why he did not pursue a corruption case against president zardari.f he is charged with contempt, gilani could be disqualified from office and forced to resign. the case has raised fears that pakistan's civilian government could collapse. the case has been adjourned until next month. the german economy relies a lot on exports, so what are the predictions for 2012? >> so far, everyone has been changing their predictions, and it has been going down. but the latest projections are looking better. germany's leading industry groups says exports could actually grow by 3% this year. that is despite the pessimism of the government has cut predictions. the world bank has cut forecast for global growth. but german firms separate political decisions are taken and the debt crisis did not get worse, things could look ok. >> after two years heating up, the world economy is likely to cool down noticeably this year. german industry has already been feeling the pinch. orders declined towards the end of last year. despite that, the federation of german industry believe

zardari spent several weeks in dubai last month, for medical treatment. there has been a growing furor in pakistan over a leaked government memo that sought u.s. help to rein in the military. the tone in the u.s. presidential campaign was markedly more subdued today. in a morning statement, the head of the u.s. chamber of commerce said it was foolish for republicans to attack mitt romney's record as a venture capitalist. and as the day went on, newt gingrich and rick perry pulled back on their public criticism of romney. meanwhile, the frontrunner defended the free market system in west palm beach, florida. >> i believe in a merit nation, an opportunity nation. where people by virtue of their education and hard work and risk taking and their dreams and maybe a little luck could achieve great things. and by the way as they were successful they did not make the rest of us poorer. >> sreenivasan: president obama weighed in, at a fundraiser in chicago last night. he said republicans would un-do all the good his administration has done. >> everything that we f

today, he told the court that he believes zardari is immune from prosecution. the court agreed to hear additional arguments in two weeks. rupert murdoch's media conglomerate has reached settlements with 37 people whose phones were hacked by two of his british tabloids. the cash payments, announced today, will go to actor jude law and former deputy prime minister john prescott, among others. they're among 60 people who've sued murdoch's newspapers. a billionaire history buff will donate $7.5 million to help fix earthquake damage on the washington monument. the national park service announced david rubenstein's gift day. the earthquake that hit last august shook the 555-foot obelisk so hard that it caused severe cracking. repair work begins later this year, and is expected to take up to a year. rubenstein said he wants to help fund repairs so the monument can reopen as soon as possible. those are some of the day's major stories. now, back to judy. >> woodruff: hundreds of mayors gathered in washington this week for meetings at the white house and capitol hill. th

elections don't have to be held until twenty thirty but there is speculation that her and president zardari could call them for this year. our daily pathfinder series here in r.t. we introduce you to pioneering foreigners who have had business success in russia. despite a long cold war or perhaps because of it russians have always had a saying for hamburgers and bill shakes it's a yearning paul o'brian sought to satisfy when he brought the first american diner to the country. i got here in st patrick's day march eleven o'clock at night it was dark there was no neon on the street. to the hotel like going up to my room and i said to myself what if i do but i decided i want to stay and i met a young russian guy and became my partner and is still my partner. just started to move forward and not look. steiner came from the united states and went on a ship and came to st petersburg and then drove down on trucks and we put it into the park you know like one day i wasn't there and two weeks later we were open i think it was the challenge. was really exciting when i opened my first business here. be

don't have to be held until two thousand and thirteen but there is speculation the current president zardari could call them for this year. if you as republican candidates are fighting for votes ahead of tuesday's primary in new hampshire in a t.v. debate the policies of former massachusetts governor and front runner mitt romney who are attached to mitt impious by fellow contenders opinion polls put romney ahead of congressman ron paul and senator rick santorum the ultimate republican candidate will face democrat obama in november elections. our daily pathfinder series here with our t.v. a we introduce you to a pioneering foreigners who have had business success in russia. despite a long cold war or perhaps because of it russians have always had a thing for hamburgers and milkshakes it's a year and paul brines sought to satisfy when he brought the first american diner to the country. i got here in st patrick's day march eleven o'clock at night and it was dark there was no neon on the street. to the hotel like going up to my room and i said to myself what i do but i decided i wanted to stay a

elections don't have to be held until twenty thirteen but there is speculation the current president zardari could call them for the spear. in the u.s. republican candidates are fighting for votes ahead of tuesday's primary in new hampshire in a t.v. debate the policies of former massachusetts governor and front runner mitt romney were tagged as timid and pious by fellow contenders opinion polls put romney ahead of congressman ron paul and senator rick santorum the ultimate republican candidate will face democrat barack obama in the bamber elections. in our daily pathfinder series here in r t we introduce you to pioneering for a nurse who have had business success in russia. despite a long cold war or perhaps because of it the russians have always had a thing for hamburgers and milkshakes it's a hearing paul o'brian sought to satisfy when he brought the first american diet or to the country. you're here to mark let me. start it was known street. when i. said what i do. you. want to steal my car. it's. steiner came from the united states and went on a ship and came to st petersburg and then d

minister has been given a month to explain why he's not reopened a corruption case against president zardari if convicted could face a prison term and be disqualified from holding public office. rescue efforts have resumed for twenty one people still missing on a cruise ship which capsized off the italian coast last week the search was suspended tuesday after the vessel shifted slightly eleven. bodies have been recovered from the wreckage so far a salvage crew is preparing to pump more than two thousand tons of fuel from the ship to prevent a possible oil leak. senior palestinian politician and member of hamas the wake has been arrested at an israeli army checkpoint between ramallah and jerusalem the israeli military has not said why he's being held almost one sixth of the one hundred thirty two members of the palestinian parliament including two former ministers are currently detained by tel aviv tensions between palestine and israel are on the rise while peace talks remain stalled. the greek government is continuing talks with investors to try to beat a deadline and secure vital funds to s

minister has been given to explain why he would not reopen the corruption case against president zardariif convicted he could face a prison term and be disqualified from holding public office. rescue efforts have resumed for twenty one people still missing on a cruise ship which capsized off the italian coast last week the search was suspended tuesday after the vessel shifted slightly eleven bodies have been recovered from the wreckage so far a salvage crew is prepared to pump more than two thousand tons of fuel from the ship to prevent a possible oil leak. the greek government is continuing talks with investors to try to beat a deadline to secure vital funds to. athens it needs of the next installment of bailout funds to meet a debt repayment deadline in two months thousands of workers hit the streets to voice their destructive austerity all as the i.m.f. says it needs to raise up to five hundred billion dollars to buffer the world against any further european slump. romania is gripped by the worst protests in a decade as demonstrators show their frustration with government austerity an

for failing to carry out the court's order to open a corruption probe against president asif ali zardari has been told to appear in court on thursday. news virus erupted between rival militia groups in the libyan town of god it's left at least three there that injured fifty clashes began when the local military council demanded the tribe hand over members accused of aiding colonel gaddafi the fighting has included the use of rockets and machine guns sporadic violence in libya continues even after the eight month long civil war which resulted in the deaths of thirty thousand people as well as the street killing of monica duffy. a car bomb in the iraqi city of mosul killed at least eight and wounded six the blast happened outside a residential complex which houses displaced cheer muslims it's the latest in a string of bombings against the country shia majority which has left one hundred forty dead since last month. looking ahead we've got lined up few just a couple of minutes time tonight cross-talk debates the pros and cons of cutting america's military budget that's after the business ri

initiated for failing to carry out the court's order to open a corruption probe against president zardari it only has been told to appear in court on thursday. violence erupted between rival militia groups in the libyan city of god leaving at least three people dead and around fifty injured clashes began with the local military council the mother of the tribe had over members accused of aiding colonel gadhafi the fighting's included the use of rockets and machine guns sporadic violence in libya continues even after the eight month long civil war which resulted in the deaths of thirty thousand people as well as the street killing of one with. a car bomb in the iraqi city of mosul skilled at least ten and wounded several others the last time the sort of residential complex which houses displaced cheer muslims it's the latest in a string of bombings targeting the country shia majority which is left a hundred forty people dead since just last month. the u.s. projects its influence all around the world but it's troubled that republican presidential candidates are trying to use to woo voters ri

for failing to carry out the court's order to open a corruption probe against president asif ali zardari has been told to appear in court on thursday. marlins erupted between rival militia groups in the libyan city of god leaving at least three dead and around fifty injured clashes began with the local military council demanded a tribe handover members accused of aiding colonel gaddafi the fighting is increasing use of rockets and machine sporadic violence in libya continues even after the eight month long civil war which resulted in the deaths of thirty thousand people as well as the street killers of one market after. a car bomb in the iraqi city of mosul has killed at least eight and wounded six others the blast happened outside a residential complex which houses displaced shia muslims it's the latest in a string of bombings against the country shia majority which is left over hundred forty dead since last month. as the chill of winter sets in across the united kingdom hundreds of thousands of families are struggling to keep their homes heated stuck below the poverty line and falling

zardari l president the da that he has to request immunity. it is cleared the court may not granting immunity. this is part of the evolving set of actions the supreme court has taken which i think identifies it as being interventionist including with those that that issue with this government to bring it down. >> thank you, dr. fair. we will move to our final speaker, lisa curtis of the heritage foundation. lisa has worked in the executive branch of the government and also on capitol hill, so she has a broad perspective from which to address her topper, which i believe is the implication for u.s. policy. >> thank you and thank you for coming today. the heritage foundation is proud to co-sponsor this event today. i was asked to look at u.s. policy options in dealing with pakistan. the perpetual instability in the country is escalating internal power struggle between the military leadership makes it difficult for the u.s. to develop a coherent policy toward pakistan. i think we've seen that with the response to the memogate affair. it broke just

one cannikin argument right now which of the two posts that you want because one of the things that zardari did that is commendable was he voluntarily gave up power to the presidency, and restored them to the way that it used to be to the office of the pie minister. but there is no way that you -- that i can see getting their in the present situation. i haven't seen anybody else that is a current player on the scene who i think has the ability to break through. benazir's son is a very eloquent percent and actually spoke out against the assassination of the punjabi government with a very strong and eloquent speech but he's in his early 20s. it is really hard to find out standing leaders. there aren't that many. there's been very few in this country and very few anywhere. so these types of people like benazir who can change history come along once in a generation. she in my mind has been unique to pakistan over to general in the 1940's. >> in the interest of the militarily portions of the military that he might have of being groomed for. to win an election for the president or prime investor

he is charged with failing to pursue a case against president asif ali zardari that goes back to the 1990s. veteran lawyers in islamabad said it is clear the high court will not back off. >> there's no way that the prime minister cannot escape from this. he will have to appear before the supreme court. he will have to respond to the law and respond to the constitution of pakistan. until and unless he doesn't respond in a lawful manner, i don't think there is any escape with the prime minister. >> sreenivasan: the pakistani regime also faces growing tensions with the military. that conflict stems from a secret government memo that sought u.s. help to prevent a military coup. in iraq, separate car bombings killed at least eleven people, in the latest attack on the country's shiites. the first bomb exploded in the north, in a district near the city of mosul. several hours later, to the south, a second blast tore through an industrial zone in the town of hillah. iraq has seen an uptick in violence since u.s. troops left in december. at least 150 iraqis have died in bombings since the new