2010-03-16 BBC
BBC News with Nick Kelly
Reports in Israeli media say Israel's ambassador to the United States Michael Oren told Israeli diplomats that American-Israeli relations were facing a crisis of historic proportions. Washington is furious at last week's announcement by Israel during a visit by the US Vice President that more new Jewish homes were to be built in occupied East Jerusalem. But on Monday, the Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told the Israeli parliament the building project would continue. Paul Wood reports from Jerusalem.
Mr. Netanyahu has been presented with a choice, a breach with the right-wing members of his coalition, or with the Americans. With his speech to the Knesset, he seems to have chosen to put the needs of domestic politics first. It seems the Americans are so angry because they believe Mr. Netanyahu went back on an understanding. This was apparently that Israel would not push forward of any big new settlement building projects in East Jerusalem. This was necessary of the Palestinians were to be persuaded to join the long delayed negotiations so painstakingly put together by US mediators.
One of Vietnam's highest profile human rights activists, the outspoken Roman Catholic Priest Nguyen Van Ly has been released from prison. It's not clear if the release of Father Ly in jail for spreading anti-government propaganda is final or just for medical treatment. There has been no comment from the Vietnamese authorities. Bill Hayton has the details.
Father Ly's trial three years ago made headlines as he tried to read out a poem criticizing Vietnam's Communist authorities and was quickly muzzled by a burly security guard. He was sentenced to 8 years in jail for his role as one of the founders of Bloc 8406 - the dissident movement which emerged in 2006 and flowered during a few months of openness in the country before being crushed.
Turkey has made it a criminal offence for a woman to become pregnant through a foreign sperm donor. Artificial insemination was already illegal in turkey, but until now it's been legal for women to go abroad to seek sperm from donors. They now face a prison term of up to three years. However, Bulent Tiras of the Turkish Gynecological Association told the BBC the authorities would find it hard to enforce the new rules.
"If a couple decides to have some strong donation, they would go to abroad, to one of our neighbours, like Greece, Greek Islands, Bulgaria, Ukraine, Russia even Iran. They can give the go and then come back."
American FBI agents have gone to the Mexican border city of Ciudad Juarez, following the murder on Saturday of US consular official and two other related to the US mission. They’ll help investigate drug gangs who are suspected of carrying out the killings in what is Mexico's most violent city. A State Department spokesman said it was too early to say whether or not the victims had been deliberately targeted.
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The transitional government of Somalia has signed a pact with the moderate Islamist group Ahlu-Sunna. The group controls most of central Somalia and has been fighting against the rival al-Shabab militants in the south of the country. The deal was signed at the African Union headquarters in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa, from where Uduak Amimo reports.
The accord between the Ahlu-Sunna Wal-Jama'a or ASWJ and Somalia's transitional federal government creates the largest fighting force in the country. It also brings more territory and some 20,000 fighters under government control, meaning that a new offensive against al-Shabab might be imminent. Diplomats at the African Union hailed the signing as a historical location, a breakthrough and a turning point in the two decades of chaos in Somalia.
Scientists say that chemical found in bananas could be a powerful weapon in the fight against HIV. A research team at the University of Michigan says it found the naturally occurring plant protein was opponent as two current anti-HIV drugs in laboratory tests.
A play which was first discovered almost 300 years ago has finally been published under the name of William Shakespeare. The work called Double Falsehood was dismissed as a forgery in the 18th century. Now scholars for their British Shakespeare publisher, Arden, say they believe the work was written by the playwright who died in 1616, in collaboration with another dramatist John Fletcher.
And the surgeon treating the injured England footballer David Beckham has said his patient won't be playing in the World Cup in June. Dr.Sakari Orava was speaking after surgery on Beckham's achilles tendon at a private hospital in Finland. He said the operation had been successful, but that the tendon had been completely torn. Beckham suffered the injury while playing for AC Milan on Sunday. Beckham's current on loan to AC Milan from Los Angeles Galaxy. He's played more than 100 times for England and was hoping to become the first English player to appear in four World Cup Finals.
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