Your daily e-mail from the BBC



	Wednesday, 27 February, 2008, 1:00 GMT 09:00 +08:00:Asia/Shanghai

Rereading Islam
Turkey scholars in radical reappraisal of sacred Islamic texts

Staple food
What's behind the record rise in wheat prices worldwide




TOP STORIES

	Iraq 'hostage Briton' video aired An Arabic TV channel shows a video claiming to show one of five Britons captured in Iraq eight months ago.

	Democrats set for crucial debate Democratic candidates Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton are to take part in their last debate before key primaries.

	Top terror recruiter found guilty A man said to be one of the most influential recruiters for Islamist extremism in the UK is found guilty at a major trial.

	'Lax' MP expenses rules condemned The House of Commons is ordered to provide a more detailed breakdown of MPs expenses.

	Kenya poll crisis talks suspended Talks to resolve Kenya's post-election crisis are suspended because of a lack of progress, mediator Kofi Annan says.




WORLD

	Kenya poll crisis talks suspended Talks to resolve Kenya's post-election crisis are suspended because of a lack of progress, mediator Kofi Annan says.

	Democrats set for crucial debate Democratic candidates Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton are to take part in their last debate before key primaries.

	Iraq denounces Turkish offensive Baghdad condemns Turkey's incursion into northern Iraq and demands an immediate troop withdrawal.




AFRICA

	Kenya poll crisis talks suspended Talks to resolve Kenya's post-election crisis are suspended because of a lack of progress, mediator Kofi Annan says.

	Zimbabwe police licensed to shoot Zimbabwe's police chief says officers can use firearms to quell any violence around next month's elections.

	Cholera crisis on Somali border NGOs ask for foreign help as an outbreak of cholera claims 70 lives on Somalia's border with Kenya, reports say.




AMERICAS

	Democrats set for crucial debate Democratic candidates Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton are to take part in their last debate before key primaries.

	Death jolts Argentine baby trial A key witness in a trial about babies stolen from prisoners during the 'Dirty War' in Argentina is found dead.

	Net widens in tax evasion probe US tax authorities say they are investigating more than 100 Americans with accounts in tax haven Liechtenstein.




ASIA-PACIFIC

	US concert diplomacy in N Korea The New York Philharmonic performs a groundbreaking concert in secretive and anti-American North Korea.

	Rice urges China to press N Korea The US secretary of state urges China to put pressure on North Korea over its nuclear programme.

	China in Olympics pollution drive China announces measures to cut air pollution in and around Beijing ahead of the Olympic Games in August.




EUROPE

	Free speech 'shrinking' in Russia Free speech is "shrinking alarmingly" in Vladimir Putin's Russia, says a report by Amnesty International.

	Iraq denounces Turkish offensive Baghdad condemns Turkey's incursion into northern Iraq and demands an immediate troop withdrawal.

	Bosnian police in protest clash Bosnian police fire tear gas to keep back Serbs trying to reach a US consulate during a protest over Kosovo's status.




MIDDLE EAST

	Khamenei hails Iran 'nuclear win' Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei hails the "great victory" achieved by Iran on the nuclear issue.

	Iraq 'hostage Briton' video aired An Arabic TV channel shows a video claiming to show one of five Britons captured in Iraq eight months ago.

	Iraq denounces Turkish offensive Baghdad condemns Turkey's incursion into northern Iraq and demands an immediate troop withdrawal.




SOUTH ASIA

	Pakistan lifts the ban on YouTube Pakistan's telecoms regulator lifts the restrictions it imposed on video-sharing website YouTube.

	Former Pakistan PM to run for MP Pakistan's former prime minister, Nawaz Sharif, will stand for parliament in a by-election, his party says.

	Gates in India to push US firms US Defence Secretary Robert Gates visits India to bolster military ties and promote US arms manufacturers.




UK

	Iraq 'hostage Briton' video aired An Arabic TV channel shows a video claiming to show one of five Britons captured in Iraq eight months ago.

	Call for free NHS prescriptions A poll showing patients are put off by prescription charges has sparked a fresh call for their abolition.

	Report backs limited badger cull An MPs' report supports a limited cull of badgers to help prevent the spread of TB in cattle across the UK.




ENGLAND

	Missing girl police 'fear worst' Detectives searching for missing Shannon Matthews say they fear she may have fallen into the "wrong hands".

	Milly detectives receive 30 calls Police investigating the murder of Milly Dowler are "delighted" by the response to a fresh appeal.

	Super-casino proposal is ditched The Las Vegas-style super-casino planned for Manchester is to be scrapped, the government announces.




NORTHERN IRELAND

	Visitors allowed to stroke tiger The USPCA moves against a man who allowed people to be photographed with a tiger at a dangerous animals pound.

	MLA pays wife £5,400 office rent Another MLA confirms that he pays the rent for his constituency office to a family member.

	Review follows legal papers find An urgent review of how court documents are stored is ordered after legal papers are found in outbuildings.




SCOTLAND

	Loch boat man search to restart A search for a man missing after a boat capsized on a loch on the Isle of Lewis is due to resume on Wednesday.

	Gun attack 'like gangster film' Donald Findlay QC tells a trial a shooting in which one man died and two were injured was like a gangster film.

	Row over Scotland Office attack The Scotland Office belongs to a "past era", SNP ministers tell a Commons inquiry.




WALES

	Murder jury hear cat 'confession' Secret police recordings are played to a jury in which a pensioner accused of murder talks to his pet cats.

	Concern over school performance Wales' education watchdog warns of a widening gap between the best and worst schools.

	Autograph trial hears from Owen A man accused of selling fake signatures of sports stars organised a free holiday for Michael Owen, a court hears.




POLITICS

	'Lax' MP expenses rules condemned The House of Commons is ordered to provide a more detailed breakdown of MPs expenses.

	Lib Dem ordered out of EU debate Lib Dem frontbencher Edward Davey is ordered out of the Commons over his protest at the EU treaty debate.

	Iraq minutes 'should be released' The government is told to release minutes of the cabinet meetings which approved the 2003 Iraq war.




BUSINESS

	Bank warns of more economic risks The Bank of England deputy governor warns of uncertain effects of the "largest ever peacetime liquidity crisis".

	Dollar falls to record euro low The dollar falls to a fresh record low against the euro due to renewed fears that the US may be facing recession.

	Buy-to-let market still thriving The buy-to-let housing market is still thriving, according to the Council of Mortgage Lenders.




ENTERTAINMENT

	Odeon snub hurts Rambo box office The latest Rambo film fails to top the UK box office chart following cinema chain Odeon's refusal to screen it.

	Busted members in royalties fight Two original members of boy band Busted go to court, claiming an estimated £10m in unpaid song royalties.

	Clapton asked to play in N Korea Rock legend Eric Clapton has been invited to perform in North Korea, the country's embassy confirms.




SCIENCE/NATURE

	Report backs limited badger cull An MPs' report supports a limited cull of badgers to help prevent the spread of TB in cattle across the UK.

	US team wins asteroid competition A US team wins a $50,000 competition to design a spacecraft that will "tag" a potentially dangerous asteroid.

	First look at vast 'book of life' The first 30,000 pages are unveiled of a vast encyclopedia to catalogue each of Earth's 1.8 million species.




TECHNOLOGY

	Pakistan lifts the ban on YouTube Pakistan's telecoms regulator lifts the restrictions it imposed on video-sharing website YouTube.

	New search powers lead Firefox 3 The latest version of Firefox will have search at its heart says developer Mozilla.

	Sony and Sharp forge TV alliance Sony and Sharp agree a deal to work together to meet growing demand for flat-screen televisions.




HEALTH

	Hospitals see rise in dog bites The number of people with dog bites treated at hospital has increased significantly, figures show.

	Drug resistant TB 'at new high' Drug resistant tuberculosis has hit the highest levels ever recorded, according to the World Health Organisation.

	Anti-depressants' 'little effect' Anti-depressants have little clinical benefit for the majority of depressed patients, research shows.




EDUCATION

	Truancy rate 'highest since 1997' The latest figures show truancy rates in England have risen to their highest for a decade.

	Universities arms trade protest Students are protesting against universities having financial links to the arms trade.

	182,000 extra Olympic builders An industry body says there will be a surge in demand for construction workers for Olympic building projects.

ON THIS DAY NEWS FROM THE BBC ARCHIVES

2002: Hindus die in train fire
A fire on a train in India results in the deaths of 57 Hindu pilgrims returning from the disputed holy site of Ayodhya.

1975: PC murder linked to IRA bomb factory
Scotland Yard says the man who shot dead a police officer in London yesterday had been staying in a flat used as a "bomb factory" by the IRA.

1963: Argoud charged over de Gaulle plot
Antoine Argoud, President De Gaulle's arch enemy and a former colonel in the French Army, is charged with an assassination attempt.




DON'T MISS

Diamonds and justice
This World: Charles Taylor's trial for war crimes is a test for international justice.
TUESDAY 26 FEBRUARY, 7pm, BBC 2

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