BBC 2008-03-11
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First, the World News.
BBC News with Fiona McDonald.
The United States has described Israel's plan to build new Jewish settlements as unhelpful. Israel has plans to build hundreds of new homes in East Jerusalem on the West Bank, in areas claimed by the Palestinians. The State Department spokesman Sean McCormack called for both sides to focus on reaching a political agreement, despite Israel's settlement plans.
"The announcement that we saw from the Israeli government, is it helpful to the process? No, it's not helpful to the process. But what we need to keep focus on, it is essential that we keep focused on, is moving forward the political process, as well as moving forward that road map implementation process."
He said the Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will raise the issue and talk to the Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni.
The Governor of New York State, Eliot Spitzer, publicly apologized following newspaper allegations that he paid more than 4,000 dollars for a prostitute last month. The New York Times reported that he was overheard by officers investigating a prostitution ring as he was planning to meet the woman in a Washington hotel. Jonathan Beale reports.
With his wife standing beside him, Eliot Spitzer told reporters at a hastily convened news conference that he had failed to live up to the standards he expected of himself. He did not take any questions or give details of what he has done wrong. But unnamed law enforcement officials have confirmed his links to a prostitution ring as "Client Nine". Court papers say that "Client Nine" paid more than 4,000 dollars for a prostitute named Kristen at a Washington hotel last month. Governor Spitzer did not address his political future, but at the very least it now seems uncertain.
The price of oil has continued to rise with New York crude reaching another record high of 107 dollars a barrel. Our economic correspondent Andrew Walker reports.
The latest surge in the oil price reflects the weakness of the dollar and inflation, both those concerns have led financial market investors to sell American stocks and buy commodities, including oil instead, which is seen as more likely to retain their value. For oil users outside the US, the increased price is at least partly offset by the dollar's weakness, oil is priced in the US currency. But American buyers are exposed to the full increase at a time when the economy is thought by many observers to be in a recession.(www.Hxen.com)
Research in the United States has found compelling evidence to link chronic health problems suffered by Gulf War veterans from exposure to pesticides and nerve agents. The University of California analyzed more than 100 studies and found that around 1/3 of veterans of the 1999 war experienced fatigue, muscle or joint pain, memory and sleep problems, rashes and breathing troubles. It said that there was compelling evidence linking the problems to three related chemicals, an anti-nerve gas given to troops, pesticides used to control sand-flies and the nerve-gas sarin.
World News from the BBC.(www.HXen.com)
President Bush has promised the visiting Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk that the United States will help modernize the Polish military as part of a deal to install US interceptor missiles in Poland. Speaking at a joint press conference in Washington, Mr. Tusk said the missile defense shield would help insure global security.
“What we stressed in the conclusions of this meeting today is that we really want to stop the speculations on the intention expressed by the US and Poland. Our joint intention is to cooperate in all aspects of global, Polish and American security, and an element of the security is the missile defense system. What I call a breakthrough is my conviction of both President of the U.S. and the American parties understand quite clearly our expectations.”
The Kenyan army has launched a major military operation targeting a militia in western Kenya, who've killed more than 500 people in raids in the past 18 months. The army is using heavy artillery, hundreds of ground troops and helicopter gunships in an attempt to flush out the rebels who lived in a densely forested area of Mount Elgon nears the border with Uganda. The rebels known as Sabaot Land Defence Forces have been carrying out an increasing number of attacks on villagers, killing people, stealing cattle and destroying homes. They claimed to be fighting for land which they say belongs to them. (www.hXen.com)
The Vatican has brought up to date the seven deadly sins for the modern global age, adding new ways to risk eternal punishment, such as polluting the environment and becoming obscenely wealthy. A Roman Catholic Archbishop listed seven new mortal sins in an era of, what he called, "unstoppable globalization". He also named abortion and pedophilia as two of the greatest sins of our times. But he brushed off allegations of sexual violence against minors by Roman Catholic priests as exaggerations by the mass media aimed at discrediting the church.
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