US executions up

The number of people put to death in United States prisons was higher in 1997 than at any time for 42 years, and opponents of the death penalty say the pace of executions is expected to increase further.

Of more than 3,200 prisoners waiting on death row, 74 were executed in the past twelve months.

The American state to execute the greatest number was Texas, with 37.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service