Iraqi insurgents have released a video of eight alleged Chinese hostages in Iraq.
They threatened to kill them in 48 hours unless the Beijing government clarifies their role in the country.
The video showed gunmen standing beside the eight men, who were holding their passports.
Archbishop freed
In a separate development, the Syrian Catholic Archbishop of Mosul who was kidnapped in the city at gunpoint yesterday has been freed. The Vatican said no ransom had been paid.
It comes after the Vatican demanded the release of Archbishop Basile Georges Casmoussa saying his abduction was an 'act of terrorism'.
The 66-year-old was seized outside his church as he was about to get into his car. The kidnappers then threw him into the trunk of their vehicle before speeding away.
The motive of the abduction was not clear but it came amid mounting sectarian violence in the run-up to this month's elections.
Earlier this morning, an Italian missionary agency reported that the archbishop was alive and his captors had asked for a $200,000 ransom.
The Misna agency said its information came from a priest in Mosul who had spoken to the clergyman by telephone.
The home of the Chaldean patriarch was attacked late last year, prompting condemnation from Pope John Paul II.
In Baghdad, a spokesman for one of the main Christian political parties suggested the abduction might be an attempt to intimidate the community into staying at home on polling day.
Iraq to close borders
Iraq has said it will close its land borders for three days at the end of this month to enhance security for the General Election planned for 30 January.
The Electoral Commission said a curfew would also be imposed for the same period, banning all non-official vehicles from the roads to prevent attacks by insurgents.
Meanwhile, there has been a car bomb explosion in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, near the office of a major Shia Muslim party.
At least two people were killed and several others injured.
