Islamabad/Washington, Mar. 18: Pakistan and American officials have said that President Asif Ali Zardari had to capitulate to the demands of the Nawaz Sharif-led opposition on the judges restoration issue because he lacked the full backing of both the Army and the US that his predecessor Pervez Musharraf had enjoyed.

The officials say that the country''s powerful Army and the United States refused to give Zardari full and unqualified backing.

Lahore, Mar. 18: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz chief Nawaz Sharif has said that his party will work closely with Yousuf Raza Gilani to restore the powers of the prime minister.

“We have a parliamentary democracy in Pakistan and in a parliamentary democracy the prime minister runs the show. Musharraf changed the entire system. He took away all the powers of the PM and (gave them to) the president. We would like that to be changed now,” the Daily Times quoted Sharif, as saying.

New Delhi, Mar. 18: Having cocked a snook at the Congress party by only agreeing to give it three seats to contest from in Bihar, Railway Minister and Rashtriya Janata Dal president Lalu Prasad Yadav’s attempts to smoke the peace pipe with Congress president Sonia Gandhi came to naught late on Tuesday evening.

Jerusalem - Outgoing premier Ehud Olmert on Tuesday said Israel would not give in to demands by the Palestinian Hamas movement in negotiations for a prisoner swap that would see the release of an Israeli soldier.

Addressing a press conference in Jerusalem, Olmert said Israel had made "generous and far-reaching" offers in return for the release of Gilad Shalit who was captured some three years ago.

Antananarivo  - Madagascar's President Marc Ravalomanana on Tuesday said handing over power after seven years as leader of the Indian Ocean island had been "very hard" to do as he entrusted a team of senior military officers with the running of the country.

Speaking on national TVM television, the 59-year-old leader, who looked tired after a protracted power struggle with the opposition, said the decision to give up power had been difficult because he was the "legal president."

Bern  - Revised government figures for 2009 released Tuesday showed that Switzerland's economy would shrink by 2.2 per cent and the recession would be significantly worse than had been envisaged.

Previous statistics by the Swiss Economic Ministry had predicted a contraction of 0.8 per cent.

The latest forecast said that if there was an easing of the global financial crisis, Switzerland could see slightly positive growth of 0.1 per cent in 2010, even as the labour market would continue to deteriorate.