President Joseph Estrada of the Philippines has agreed to suspend the death penalty until the end of this year in response to a request by Roman Catholic bishops.

A statement from the presidential office said Mr Estrada had made his decision in deference to the Church's Jubilee Year, marking the two-thousandth anniversary of the birth of Jesus Christ.

The Philippines restored capital punishment in l994 in response to a rise in violent crime.

More than twelve-hundred prisoners are currently awaiting execution.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service