BBC news 2008-07-09 加文本

and staying in the US, the presidential hopefuls are battling for support from Hispanic community. But first, the news in detail.

BBC news with Dabura Mccarthy;

Developing countries will meet leaders of the Group of Eight top industrial nations today as they continue to grapple with the spiraling cost of food and petrol. On Tuesday, G8 leaders at their summit in Japan said they were deeply concerned about the crisis which could push millions into poverty. Bridget Kendall reports from Hokkaido.

The strong language in this communique seems to reflect a real sense of urgency from this year's G8 leaders and a desire to take immediate action. In the short term, they want donors to join them in providing food aid for the most vulnerable, including seeds and fertilizers for the upcoming planting season. And they call for countries with food surpluses to make them available. Looking ahead, they say they'll reverse the decline in agriculture aid and investment, and in some African countries, aim to double key food production in the next five to ten years.

Washington has announced new financial sanctions on Iran as Tehran steps up the war of words over its nuclear program. The US Treasury said the sanctions would apply to those of suspected of involvement in the program. They would freeze the assets of several Iranian companies and individuals in the United States, and ban American companies from doing business with them.

Russia has warned it would go ahead with its own military deployments if the United States and the Czech Republic proceed with plans to build a missile defense system near its border. The statement followed the signing of an agreement between Washington and Prague to build a radar station near the Czech capital.

From Washington, Adam Brooks reports. (Www.hXen.com)

The Russians reacted almost immediately. The foreign ministry said that if the agreement was ratified by the Czech Parliament, then Russia would react not with diplomacy, but with, what it calls, military-technical means. Now that does not mean military action, according to Russia's ambassador at the UN. More likely a change in strategic posture, a redeployment of Russia's own missiles perhaps to counter what Moscow sees as a dangerous expansion of America's military presence.

For its part, the US reiterated its thoughts that the missile system does not threaten Russia.

Two former American Secretaries of State are proposing a new law which would require the US president to consult Congress before launching major military action that's likely to last more than a week. The former officials, James Baker and Warren Christopher, cochair bipartisan group that's been studying the issue.

Mr. Baker explained the current lack of clarity over who has the formal power to declare war.

"Our constitution gives the president the powers of commander-in-chief, Congress of course has the power of the purse, and it also has the power to declare war. But history indicates that presidents and congresses have often disagreed about their respective roles in the decision to go to war. And the Supreme Court has shied away from settling the constitutional issue.

World News from the BBC.

Both US presidential candidates, the Republican John McCain and the Democrat Barack Obama have been appealing to Hispanic voters with separate addresses at a major convention of Latino activists in Washington. Mr. McCain promised to create jobs and cut taxes. Addressing the same audience later, Barack Obama promised to cut taxes for small businesses, and to invest in infrastructure to create new construction jobs.

Iraq's National Security Advisor, Muwafaq al-Rubaie, has said the country won't accept any agreement on a continuing American troop presence unless it includes a specific date for their complete withdrawal. The United Nations mandate for the US military presence in Iraq expires at the end of the year. Jim Muir reports.

"Our constitution gives the president the powers of commander-in-chief, Congress of course has the power of the purse, and it also has the power to declare war. But history indicates that presidents and congresses have often disagreed about their respective roles in the decision to go to war. And the Supreme Court has shied away from settling the constitutional issue.

There's been a spillage of waste containing uranium at a nuclear site near Avignon in southern France. The liquid carrying 12 grams a liter of unenriched uranium leaked into the ground and two rivers, reportedly while a tank was being cleaned. The authorities said the risk to the public was slight.

In a sign of the strength of the global art market, works by the French and Spanish master, Jean-Antoine Watteau and Francisco de Goya, have fetched more than double the expected prices at auction in London. Watteau's painting La Surprise of a guitarist and an embracing couple sold for nearly 24. 5 million dollars, a record for a French old master. Earlier, three Goya's sketches realized a total of eight million dollars. They include dark depictions of fighting women and a policeman stitched inside a dead horse.