BBC News with Lopaco Tary
The Iraqi government has condemned the death of the Chaldean Catholic Archbishop of Mosul, Paulos Faraj Rahhow, whose body has been found two weeks after he had been kidnapped by armed men. His body was discovered in a shallow grave. More from Hugh Sykes in Bagdad.
The archbishop's remains were found buried in a shallow grave, in an empty lot in Mosul. It's not clear how Archbishop Paulos Rahho died, he was said to have been in precarious health. His body bore no bullet wounds. His kidnappers made a phone call to report his death and to say where they had left him. They dragged the archbishop from his car a fortnight ago, and killed his driver and two other passengers. The Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki condemned what he called this horrible crime by a criminal terrorist gang.
The price of gold on international markets has reached 1000 dollars an ounce for the first time. The record was reached soon after the dollar fell to its lowest value against the Japanese yen since 1995. The BBC business reporter says investors in gold are seeking refuge from rising inflation, a global credit squeeze, the threats of recession and falling stock markets. But the latest rise is due mainly to the dollar's recent weakness. Melton Esolati is the market strategist for investment management firm Lord Ebert.
There is an ongoing fear that the United States has lost control of its financial situation. I think that's overstated but that's the fear and as a consequence money is flowing into oil and gold and other commodities.(wwW.hxen.com)
The Democratic Party in Florida has proposed restaging the state's presidential primary in an effort to resolve a dispute over whether its vote counts. If the plan is approved, Florida's Democrats will be able to cast a postal ballot or vote in person before June 3. Hillary Clinton won the original contest in January beating her rival Barack Obama by a large margin. From Florida, James Comossamy reports.
Florida could play an important role once again in deciding who wins America's presidential election. At the moment the votes of the one and three quarter million Democrats who took part in the primary here on January 29 simply won't count, because the Democratic National Committee ruled that the primary was taking place too early. Many questions remain, not least(尤其） of which is who will foot the estimated 10-to-12-million-dollar bill for the new election. There’s also the problem of trust and concerns here about voter fraud, in a state where memories of the 2000 presidential election vote counting controversy are still fresh.
An Iceland government spokesman has told the BBC that it will approve commercial whale hunting for a third successive year. He said the hunt is likely to go ahead in May, although any quota would be within what he called sustainable limits. Icelandic scientists say that Minke and Fin Whales are so abundant that catching a few hundred each year has little impact.(wwW.hxen.com)
BBC News
The Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has accused Israel of waging a campaign of ethnic cleansing against Palestinians in East Jerusalem. Mr. Abbas said taxes and planning restrictions were preventing Palestinians from building homes. Israel described the remarks as inflammatory.
The Supreme Court in Brazil has approved the extradition to the United States of the alleged leader of one of Colombia's most powerful drug cartels. But the court said the extradition could only go ahead if it received assurances from the United States that Juan Carlos Ramirez Abadia would not face the death penalty. Gary Duffy reports from Sao Paulo.
Juan Carlos Abadia is actively sought extradition to the United States where he is wanted for alleged drug trafficking, money laundering and on the murder charge, partly because he’s said to fear for his life if he was to return to Colombia. He has been in custody since August last year when he was arrested in a major anti-drugs operation near to Sao Paulo. President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva will now have to make the final decision on whether the extradition goes ahead. Abadia also faces money-laundering charges in Brazil and may have to serve time here before he could be sent to the United States.
Researchers in Taiwan say sea levels would be much higher today if it weren't for human's artificially storing water on land. The scientists concluded that without the world's reservoirs, ocean levels could have risen by an extra 3 centimeters for the last 50 years. They say the impact of climate change on sea levels is worse than previously thought.(wwW.hxen.com)
And the French wine industry’s governing body has approved a plan to meet soaring world demand for champagne by expanding the area given over to its production. If approved by the government, this would be the first time in 80 years that new villages will be allowed to join the exclusive club of champagne producers. 40 new districts have been proposed for the honor.
And that’s the latest BBC news.