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BBC news 2013-04-25

BBC News with Jerry Smit

The 11th century minaret of the Great Mosque in the city of Aleppo, part of a Unesco world heritage site, has been destroyed in fighting between the Syrian government forces and rebels. Images on the internet show rubble where the minaret stood. Lina Sergie Attar is an architect from Aleppo who now lives in the United States. She told the BBC it was a significant loss.

“The Umayyad Mosque, or the Great Mosque of Aleppo, is one of the largest and oldest mosques in Syria, and it’s probably the second most visited site by tourists to Aleppo after the Citadel. It’s also a sacred place. It holds the remains of the Prophet Zakariya, the father of John the Baptist, a revered figure to Muslims and Christians alike. And it’s very sad and devastating to see something that was so special to our city gone.”

Orthodox Church officials in Aleppo say two bishops who were kidnapped by gunmen on Monday are still missing. Yuhanna Ibrahim and Boulos Yaziji, who are from different branches of the Orthodox Church, are the most senior clerics to be caught up directly in the Syrian conflict. A French church organisation said on Tuesday that the bishops had been released. But church officials have confirmed to the BBC that until Wednesday evening, they’ve still had no contact with the men. 

Police in Bangladesh say the owners of a building that collapsed outside the capital Dhaka were alerted to a severe crack in the eight-storey construction the day before, but had brushed aside the concerns of employees. Officials say up to 100 people are believed to have died in the collapse. A senior official in charge of inspecting garment factories for safety said half of all premises were unsafe.

The US Vice President Joe Biden has addressed thousands of mourners at a memorial service in Boston for the police officer killed during the manhunt for the two suspects in the marathon bombings. Mr Biden described the two men as “twisted, cowardly jihadis” and said the United States refused to yield to fear.

“I get asked, like my colleagues, almost every day since 9/11, why this terrorist phenomenon the beginning of the 21st century. People say to me for they surely know they can never defeat us. They can never overthrow us. They can never occupy us. So why? Why do they do what they do? I’ve thought about it a lot and I’ve come to the conclusion they do it to instil fear.”

One of the men accused of allegedly plotting with al-Qaeda members in Iran to derail a train in Canada has made a rambling statement in a Toronto court. Chiheb Esseghaier argued that as the Canadian criminal code was not a holy book, its judgements could not be relied upon. The judge told him to take advice from his lawyers. Esseghaier and his co-defendant Raed Jaser are charged with conspiring to murder people in association with a terrorist group.

News from the BBC

Fresh clashes have left more than 20 people dead in Iraq as tensions between Sunnis and Shiites continued for the second day running. In one instance, armed Sunnis are said to have sealed off an entire town. After nightfall, the violence spread to Baghdad where a car bomb killed at least seven people.

The head of a French company accused of selling substandard breast implants has apologised for the first time about the scandal. David Chazan reports from Paris.

It’s the first time Jean-Claude Mas has shown any sign of remorse. Speaking outside the court where he’s on trial for fraud along with four other former executives of his company PIP, he said he understood the anxiety of about 300,000 women around the world who received the substandard implants. He apologised for the cheap industrial-grade gel PIP had used. It was never approved for medical use and caused thousands of implants to rupture. PIP was shut down three years ago.

The English football authorities have banned Liverpool’s Uruguayan striker Luis Suarez for 10 matches for biting an opponent in a game against Chelsea on Sunday. It’s one of the longest bans the authorities have handed out. A Liverpool official said the club and the player were shocked and disappointed by its severity. But the chairman of the Liverpool Supporters’ Club, Richard Pedder, says everyone should accept the ban and move on.

“I personally think it’s appropriate on the basis that I would have thought it to go between seven and ten. I think fans are going to love a difference and I know what they want. But if they do appeal, it’s going to drag on again. And we just want this closed now.”

In European football’s premier club competition, the Champions League, Borussia Dortmund of Germany have thrashed Real Madrid 4:1 to make them clear favourites to reach the final. The second leg of the semi-final will take place in Madrid next Tuesday.

And that’s the BBC News.