DAILY NEWS BRIEF: Monday

Gaza Strip: Email claims BBC journalist killed

The BBC expressed deep concern at an email today saying its missing correspondent, Alan Johnston, in Gaza had been killed by Islamist kidnappers.

It said it would later release a video of Johnston's killing and blamed the British and Palestinian governments for failing to meet demands that prisoners be freed from Israeli jails.

The BBC and Palestinian officials said the claim was not verified.

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Iraq: Sadr's bloc to quit Iraq government

The political movement of Shi'ite cleric and militia leader Moqtada al-Sadr said today it would withdraw from the government tomorrow.

The move is unlikely to bring down the government, but it could create tensions in Maliki's fractious Shi'ite-led government of national unity.

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Iran: Tehran to seek bids for two new atomic power plants

Iran said today it would seek bids in the next few days for two new nuclear power plants and will partly run them on fuel produced at home.

The plants would be built at Bushehr, the southwest port city where Russians are building Iran's first atomic plant.

The tender announcement appeared aimed at justifying Iran's statement it had expanded work to make atomic fuel in defiance of a UN demand to halt uranium enrichment.

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- REUTERS / NZ HERALD STAFF