Iraq archbishop kidnappers wanted $1 million: police

Kidnappers of a Chaldean Catholic archbishop found dead in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul had demanded a $1 million ransom, a senior police official said on Friday.


Archbishop Paulos Faraj Rahho attends a press conference in Rome in this November 23, 2007 file photo

Paulos Faraj Rahho, the archbishop of Mosul, 390 km (240 miles) north of Baghdad, was abducted on February 29 after gunmen attacked his car and killed his driver and two guards.

Rahho's body was found in an empty lot in eastern Mosul on Thursday and is due to buried on Friday. Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki has blamed al Qaeda for his death.

"Reports reached us that there were talks between the kidnappers and relatives of the kidnapped archbishop ... we heard that a ransom demand reached $1 million," said Brigadier-General Khaled Abdul Sattar, the police spokesman for Nineveh province, of which Mosul is the capital.

Andraws Abuna, assistant to the Chaldean patriarch of Baghdad Cardinal Emmanuel III Delly, said there had been talks between Christian officials and the kidnappers but he did not know about the ransom.

The U.S. military also said it had no details about the ransom but U.S. commanders in northern Iraq have said the kidnappers may have wanted money.

Abuna said the Church in Mosul had received a call on Thursday telling them Rahho was dead.

Church members found his half-buried body in an empty lot and took it to Mosul morgue, Abuna said, adding he did not know who made the call.

Chaldeans belong to a branch of the Roman Catholic Church that practices an ancient Eastern rite and form the biggest Christian community in Iraq.

Rahho's death drew condemnation from the Vatican, President George W. Bush and Maliki.

Police said it was not clear whether Rahho, 65, had been killed or died of other causes. He appeared to have been dead a week and had no bullet wounds, police at the morgue in Mosul said. He was dressed in black trousers and a blue shirt.

Sattar said the body showed signs of decomposition.

A number of Christian clergy have been kidnapped and killed and churches bombed in Iraq since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion. A former archbishop of Mosul, Basile Georges Casmoussa, was kidnapped in 2005 but was released after a day in captivity.

Source: Reuters

Int’l film star supports children’s road safety campaign

Renowned Chinese Malaysian film star Michelle Yeoh will speak at a press conference in Hanoi on March 18 at the World Bank Vietnam Office, to give her support to a children’s road safety initiative.






The event is being held by the Vietnam Helmet Wearing Coalition (VHWC) and the FIA Foundation for road safety campaigning and research.

A panel of VHWC members will be on hand to discuss the upcoming Phase III of the National Helmet Wearing Public Awareness Campaign, focusing on children’s helmet use and road safety education.

In addition, Yeoh, a Road Safety Ambassador with the FIA Foundation will discuss the organization’s efforts to highlight the importance of children’s road safety worldwide, as well as upcoming road safety activities of the United Nations.

Reported by Vinh Bao

New spin to music

Singers are doubling up as composers, a la Mariah Carey and Madonna, and vice versa. The results have been mixed…

Ho Quynh Huong is one of a few singers who succeed with their own composition

The Vietnamese entertainment industry is witnessing a new trend – singers are composing their own music and composers are trying their hand at singing.

Though the jury is still out on whether it’s a good thing, a singer who can also write his or her own lyrics and set them to tune does have an advantage.

For, nobody knows their style better than themselves while there is good money to be saved by not hiring lyricists and composers.

Mai Khoi is a singer who has composed some lovely songs like Dem (Night) and Ru tinh (Singing for love).

A budding star, she can also play the guitar.

Top model-turned-singer Ho Ngoc Ha was singing her ex-boyfriend and composer Duc Tri’s songs before trying her hand at writing herself.

Her third album, a recently released collection ofmainly R&B songs including the hit single Muon noi voi anh (Want to tell you), was written and composed by herself.

However, Khoi and Ha remain in a minority of singers who are also decent composers.

After all, it is not a skill that can be learnt at school.

Female singer Ho Quynh Huong says, “I have been composing since I was a student. I want to express my feelings and emotions in my songs (which she also writes). But I would not call myself a composer because my songs are not as good as those of professionals. It’s not easy for a singer to become a real composer.”

Some singers, in a misplaced desire to go one up on their peers, have ended up writing awful lyrics and discordant music.

In desperation, they even plagiarize others’ works.

Male singer and teen idol Quang Vinh has been panned for knocking off a song in his recently-released album Ve trai tim (Drawing heart).

Another singer, Lam Chan Huy, faces a dispute with composer Nguyen Hau leaning over the song Khong the yeu em duoc nua (Cannot love you anymore).

And composers sing their songs …

Many composers believe they can express the spirit of their music better than singers.

Composer Luong Bang Quang, who writes and sings his own songs, says: “Singers usually imitate the tone and voice of other, popular stars. Since their knowledge of music is limited, they can’t become composers. But composers can become singers if they have a good voice and practice seriously.”

Whether it is a singer who has turned to composing or vice versa, the bottom line remains the same – to succeed requires talent and great love for music.