Concert to ease US, N Korea ties

North Korea has made great efforts to accommodate the orchestra

One of the most eminent US cultural institutions, the New York Philharmonic Orchestra, is preparing to play a groundbreaking concert in North Korea.

The concert has been called a remarkable show of cultural diplomacy.

It is the largest US presence in the reclusive state since the Korean war ended more than half a century ago.

The concert comes as US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice visits neighbouring China to exert pressure over North Korea's nuclear programme.

Ms Rice has welcomed the orchestra's visit - which came about after an invitation from North Korea - but said it would probably not lead to dramatic change.

"I don't think we should get carried away with what listening to Dvorak is going to do in North Korea," said Ms Rice, herself a classical pianist.

The concert, which will be broadcast live on North Korea's state media, will begin with both countries' national anthems.

The US State Department has authorised the trip, despite deadlock on the issue of North Korea's nuclear programme.

If there are extra-musical values attached to this event ... well so much the better Lorin Maazel, conductor

Conductor Lorin Maazel told reporters in Pyongyang that the music was the most important element to the visit.

"If there are extra-musical values attached to this event, which would be eventually of a positive nature, well so much the better. But we are concerned only with making music, interacting with Korean musicians," he said.

'The power of music'

According to the BBC's John Sudworth, who is ravelling with the musicians, the concert will be the most prominent cultural exchange between the US and North Korea in the isolated country's history.

Pyongyang has made unprecedented attempts to accommodate the orchestra, allowing a delegation of nearly 300 people to fly to Pyongyang for a 48-hour period.

Even the anti-American posters that usually line the streets of Pyongyang have been taken down, the Philharmonic's executive director, Zarin Mehta, told the Associated Press.

The concert will feature Antonin Dvorak's Symphony Number 9, An American in Paris by George Gershwin and the Korean folk song Arirang.

Propaganda coup?

The concert comes amid the ongoing diplomatic push to persuade Pyongyang to give up its nuclear weapons.

The visit has been compared to US orchestral visits to the Soviet Union in the 1950s, and the so-called "ping pong" diplomacy with China in the 1970s.

But in an interview, the orchestra's conductor said "there are no parallels in history, there are similarities".

The US government has given its blessing to the trip, and analysts have pointed out that, if nothing else, the event will allow North Koreans to listen to something from the outside world - a rarity in a country where all events are carefully choreographed in praise of leader Kim Jong-il.

But others argue that a visit by such a distinguished institution as the New York Philharmonic gives the North Korean state an air of respectability it does not deserve.

One New York tabloid has called the venture a "disgrace" that has handed Kim "a propaganda coup".

Before accepting the invitation, the orchestra said it insisted the concert should begin with the United States national anthem.

It is not yet known whether the North Korean leader Kim Jong-il will be in the audience to hear it.

Pakistani leaders set for talks

The opposition PPP is celebrating the election result

The leaders of the two parties that won the most seats in Monday's elections in Pakistan are due to meet to discuss forming a coalition government.

Such a government could force President Pervez Musharraf from power.

The Pakistan People's Party leader, Benazir Bhutto's husband Asif Zardari, will have talks with Nawaz Sharif, who heads the Pakistan Muslim League.

Mr Sharif has said he wants Mr Musharraf to go, but Mr Zardari's party has been less clear-cut on the issue.

Mr Musharraf has said he wishes to stay and work towards stable democratic government in Pakistan.

He said the polls had strengthened moderate forces inside the country.

Correspondents say the most likely coalition government is between Mr Zardari and Mr Sharif's parties, as they would have more than half of parliament's seats between them.

If a new governing coalition manages to muster a two-thirds majority in parliament, it could call for Mr Musharraf to be impeached.

No guarantees

Mr Sharif has said he is prepared to discuss joining a coalition with Mr Zardari's party in order "to rid Pakistan of dictatorship forever".

But a coalition between the two is the most likely option, there are certainly issues on which they disagree and there are no guarantees an alliance will emerge.

Separately, Mr Zardari has ruled himself out as prime minister, despite his party's success at the election.

He has said his PPP party would choose another candidate to lead a coalition government that opposition parties are expected to form.

Mr Zardari, a deeply divisive figure in Pakistani politics who has spent several years in prison on corruption charges, is not an MP and is therefore not currently eligible to serve as prime minister.

But there had been speculation that he might enter parliament via a by-election.

Major ally

Mr Zardari has said his party could work with the MQM, a Sindh-based regional party which supports Mr Musharraf.

Mr Sharif has urged Mr Musharraf to resign, and a PPP statement cited alleged remarks by the president that he would step down if the parties supporting him were defeated in elections.

In an earlier interview for the US newspaper the Wall Street Journal, Mr Musharraf said he would not resign or retire.

He was re-elected to the presidency last October, in a parliamentary vote boycotted by the opposition as unconstitutional.

He has been a major US ally in the "war on terror" but his popularity has waned at home amid accusations of authoritarianism and incompetence.

With votes counted in 258 out of 272 constituencies, the PPP has won 87 seats, according to the Election Commission of Pakistan.

The Pakistan Muslim League, or PML-N, is in second place with 67 seats so far.

Transport chaos in snow-hit China

Parts of China have seen their heaviest snow falls in 50 years

The heaviest snow in decades is continuing to cause chaos across China ahead of the busy Lunar New Year holiday, state media have reported.

Road and rail links have been paralysed, thwarting travellers trying to return home for the festivities.

A blocked rail line has stranded about 500,000 people in the southern city of Guangzhou and officials are working to prevent riots, reports say.

In Guizhou, 25 people died when a bus plunged from an icy road, Xinhua said.

The snowstorms, which began on 10 January, have now affected 80 million people across 14 provinces.

The central provinces of Hunan and Hubei have been hardest hit, but eastern provinces are also affected.

The job of ensuring coal, electricity and oil supplies and adequate transportation has become quite severe Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao

Houses and agricultural land have been destroyed, leading to economic losses totalling Y22.09bn ($3bn, £1.5bn), Xinhua said.

At least 24 people have been killed in weather-related accidents, the agency said, but this figure appears not to include traffic accidents.

More snow

Transport woes have been exacerbated by the fact that millions of people, many of them migrant workers, are travelling to visit their families for the Chinese New Year holiday, beginning on 7 February.

Trains across the region have been cancelled or delayed

In Guangzhou, about half a million people have been unable to travel because snow in Hunan has blocked a key rail link with Beijing.

Officials were trying to accommodate the stranded passengers, who were creating camps around the station.

Police and soldiers were also on the scene to control the crowd, the Associated Press news agency reported.

Highways connecting Guangzhou and Hunan have also been blocked, with 20,000 vehicles stranded on one expressway, Xinhua said.

In one of them was a man taking 10 children to visit their migrant worker parents in Guangdong.

Temporary shelters have been arranged at Guangzhou station

"Today is our fifth day on the bus," he told the agency. "Every day we each get two packs of instant noodles to eat."

Tens of thousands more people were said to be waiting at stations across central and eastern China, while flights have been delayed or cancelled.

More snow is forecast for central regions in the next few days, making an early end to the chaos unlikely.

Power shortages have also become a problem, with Premier Wen Jiabao warning of serious difficulties.

"Due to the rain, snow and frost, plus increased winter use of coal and electricity and the peak travel season, the job of ensuring coal, electricity and oil supplies and adequate transportation has become quite severe," he said at a cabinet meeting on Sunday.

Stockpiles of coal - upon which many of China's power stations depend - are reported to be low and 17 provinces have introduced blackouts to ration power.

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Hrithik Roshan come together for Jodhaa Akbar music launch

Ashutosh Gowariker's epic romance, Jodhaa Akbar, starring Aishwarya Rai Bachchan as the Rajput princess, Jodhaa, and Hrithik Roshan as the Mughal emperor, Akbar, will have its worldwide soundtrack release on 15th January 2008. The stunning soundtrack of the film was unveiled with a grand star-studded event. The ambience of created at the music launch, took one back to the moghul era with the entire place draped in maroon, gold and green with gold motifs. Most of the guests too were donning ethnic dresses. The royalty was in full force as well with Maharaj Bhawani Singh and brother, Brajraj Singh Bishambar gracing the occasion along with Maharani Padmini Singh. The Maharani said, "It gives immense pleasure to me and my family to be here. Mr. Ashutosh had given us the concept before he began the project and he has given correct facts. When I saw the audio visuals I felt I have been reliving the passage history since I am descendant of Maharani Jodhaa's family." Ashutosh thanked each and every member of his cast and crew and all the members present there. Present in the magnificent Royal tent, especially erected for the unveiling, were all the singers along with the entire cast and crew of the film including Hrithik Roshan, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, A. R. Rahman, Javed Akhtar, Mrs. Punam S. Sinha, Sonu Sood, Ronnie Screwvala, Sunita Gowariker and Ashutosh Gowariker. The musical score for the period film by AR Rahman has been released under the newly launched UTV Music label and consists of five songs that capture the essence and opulence of the Moghul era. Says Ronnie Screwvala on the launch of UTV Music with Jodhaa Akbar: “A film of the magnitude and caliber of Jodhaa Akbar with its outstanding music compositions is the perfect vehicle for the launch of UTV Music. This is in keeping with the vision of UTV Motion Pictures to provide quality entertainment to our audiences worldwide across all distribution platforms. For our first initiative, UTV Music is honored to have the collaborative effort of Ashutosh Gowariker, A. R. Rahman and Javed Akhtar and this is a very proud moment for all of us.” Jodhaa Akbar needed a distinct sound, keeping in mind the Rajput and Mughal cultures; it needed to be regal and epic in its composition but at the same time it needed to have a contemporary appeal, which these two magicians have wonderfully woven together effortlessly.” Speaking on the music, A R Rahman comments “It has always been a pleasure to associate with Ashutosh on his projects. We started off with Lagaan and then Swades, both of which gave me immense creative satisfaction as a composer. It was an honor that Jodhaa Akbar was offered to me. Working on the music of Jodhaa Akbar has been a creative challenge for me, as being an epic romance set in the sixteenth century, the music was required to bring out the nuances of that era." The joint appearance by Aishwarya and Hrithik at the event put to rest rumors of a rift between the co-stars who wowed viewers as an on screen couple in Dhoom-2. Dismissing tabloid speculation that the two have not been getting along lately Gowarikar says "Absolutely untrue! Aishwarya and Hrithik get along really well. Even at the wrap-up party they were fine with each other. There was no rivalry between them." Fans can expect to see the two make more joint appearances during the lead up to the release of the film. “We now have a publicity plan for them,” Gowarikar adds. "The music of Jodhaa-Akbar can't be bhangra and hip-hop. Just because the film has Aishwarya, please don't expect an introductory song-and-dance. It's not a star vehicle. It's about the characters. I'm showcasing Jodhaa and Akbar," says Ashutosh Gowarikar. Gowarikar also denied that two songs were cut from the film to keep its length under 3 hours "No we recorded five songs and we've retained them all. I treasure every song that I record and wouldn't dream of cutting them for length." All the five songs of the film were showcased to the audience and each one met with a huge applause after its conclusion. While the 2000 dancers participating Azeem-O-Shan Shahenshah was spectacularly shot and drew maximum applause, the In Lamho Ke Darmiyaan featured the Hrithik – Aish sizzling chemistry at its peak. The lead pair showed no discomfort with each other on the dias during the function and refuted rumours about their being in any problems involved with each other during the make of the film, as being reported. Lyricist of the film, Javed Akhtar termed Jodhaa Akbar the much-needed apt film in today's times, spreading the secularity message. He told us, "500 years back, there existed an emperor, Akbar who initiated secularism much before those in the west started championing it. Being a Muslim, he never inflicted his religion on his Hindu wife, Jodhaa. She remained a Hindu till her death. Akbar was way far ahead of his times his laws prove that. He had passed an ordinance wherein girls below 16 years age should not get married and imposed taxes on casinos and used this income for the welfare of his masses." Just as the function was to begun, Shatrughan Sinha made an entry with wife, Poonam, who is making a comeback in the film playing Hrithik's mother. As he was about to sit, Big B immediately went across to him and hugged him. It might be recollected that Amitabh had not invited the actor cum MP for son, Abhishek's wedding and post the wedding when he had sent a mithai box to those not invited, Shotgun Sinha had sent it back feeling insulted about it. Bachchan didn't leave the opportunity to make amends for it when he came face to face for the first time after that. Amitabh is associated with Jodhaa Akbar too having given his voice over for the film ala Lagaan.

Nominees for 14th Annual Screen Awards

Best Film
Chak De! India
Guru
Life in A… Metro
Om Shanti Om
Taare Zameen Par

Best Director
Aamir Khan - Taare Zameen Par
Anurag Basu - Life in A… Metro
Farah Khan - Om Shanti Om
Mani Ratnam - Guru
Shimit Amin - Chak De! India

Best Actor (Male)
Abhishek Bachchan - Guru
Akshaye Khanna – Gandhi My Father
Amitabh Bachchan – Cheeni Kum
Shah Rukh Khan - Chak De! India
Shahid Kapoor – Jab We Met

Best Actor (Female)
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan – Guru
Kareena Kapoor - Jab We Met
Tabu - Cheeni Kum

Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Male)
Aamir Khan - Taare Zameen Par
Darshan Jariwala - Gandhi My Father
Mithun Chakraborty – Guru
Sharman Joshi - Life in A… Metro
Vipin Sharma - Taare Zameen Par

Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Female)
Chak De! Girls - Chak De! India
Tisca Chopra - Taare Zameen Par
Konkana Sen Sharma - Life in A… Metro
Shefali Shah - Gandhi My Father

Best Actor in a Negative Role (Male/ Female)
Arjun Rampal – Om Shanti Om
Pankaj Kapur – The Blue Umbrella
Pawan Malhotra – Black Friday
Viviek Oberoi – Shoot Out At – Lokhandwala

Best Actor in a Comic Role (Male/ Female)
Anil Kapoor – Welcome
Govinda – Partner
Irrfan Khan - Life in A… Metro
Nana Patekar – Welcome
Vinay Pathak – Bheja Fry

Best Playback Singer (Male)
KK – Aankhon Mein Teri - Om Shanti Om
Shaan – Jab Se Tere Naina – Saawariya
Shankar Mahadevan – Maa - Taare Zameen Par
Shankar Mahadevan – Title Song - Taare Zameen Par
Soham – Inn Dino - Life in A… Metro

Best Playback Singer (Female)
Chinmaye - Tere Bina - Guru
Shreya Ghoshal - Barso Re Megha – Guru
Shreya Ghoshal – Yeh Ishq Haaye – Jab We Met
Sunidhi Chauhan – Sajnaji Vaari - Honeymoon Travels Pvt Ltd

Best Lyrics
Gulzar – Bol Na Halke - Jhoom Barabar Jhoom
Prasoon Joshi – Maa - Taare Zameen Par
Sameer – Jab Se Tere Naina – Saawariya
Sayeed Quadri - Inn Dinon - Life in A… Metro

Best Story
Amole Gupte - Taare Zameen Par
Anurag Basu - Life in A… Metro
Feroz Abbas Khan – Gandhi My Father
Imtiaz Ali – Jab We Met
Jaideep Sahni – Chak De! India

Best Screenplay
Amole Gupte - Taare Zameen Par
Anurag Basu - Life in A… Metro
Anurag Kashyap – Black Friday
Imtiaz Ali – Jab We Met
Jaideep Sahni – Chak De! India

Best Background Music
A R Rahman – Guru
Raju Singh - Life in A… Metro
Salim-Sulaiman - Chak De! India
Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy - Taare Zameen Par
Vishal-Shekhar – Om Shanti Om

Best Music
A R Rahman – Guru
Monty Sharma – Saawariya
Pritam – Life in A… Metro
Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy – Jhoom Barabar Jhoom
Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy - Taare Zameen Par

Best Dialogue
Amole Gupte - Taare Zameen Par
Imtiaz Ali – Jab We Met
Jaideep Sahni – Chak De! India
Sanjeev Dutta – Life in A… Metro
Vijay Krishna Acharya – Guru

Best Editing
Aarti Bajaj Kashyap – Black Friday
Akiv Ali - Life in A… Metro
Amitabh Shukla - Chak De! India
Bunty Nagi - Shoot Out At Lokhandwala
Pooja Ladha Surti – Johnny Gaddaar

Best Sound
Baylon Fonseca - Shoot Out At Lokhandwala
Bishwadeep Chatterjee – Eklavya The Royal Guard
H. Sridhar – Guru
Hari Dwarak & Madhu Apsara - Johnny Gaddaar
Hitendra Ghosh - Life in A… Metro
Manas Chaudhary & Ali Merchant - Chak De! India

Best Cinematography
Bobby Singh - Life in A… Metro
N. Nataraj Subramaniam - Eklavya The Royal Guard
Rajiv Menon – Guru
Ravi Chandran – Saawariya
Sudeep Chatterjee - Chak De! India

Best Special Effects
Red Chillies VFX - Chak De! India
Red Chillies VFX – Om Shanti Om
Tata Elxsi - Taare Zameen Par

Best Art Direction
Gautam Sen – Khoya Khoya Chand
Nitin Chandrakant Desai – Gandhi My Father
Omung Kumar – Saawariya
Sabu Cyril – Guru
Sabu Cyril – Om Shanti Om

Best Choreography
Farah Khan – Dhoom Tana - Om Shanti Om
Ganesh Hegde & Pappu-Mallu – Yun Shabnami – Saawariya
Saroj Khan – Barso Re Megha – Guru
Vaibhavi Merchant – Aaja Nachle - Aaja Nachle
Vaibhavi Merchant – Title Song – Jhoom Barabar Jhoom

Best Action
Abbas Ali – Awarapan
Anthony Stone – Cash
Javed Ejaz – Shoot Out At Lokhandwala
Tinu Verma – Apne

Most Promising Newcomer (Male)
Ranbir Kapoor – Saawariya
Neil Nitin Mukesh – Johnny Gaddaar

Most Promising Newcomer (Female)
Deepika Padukone – Om Shanti Om
Sonam Kapoor – Saawariya

Most Promising Debut Director
Aamir Khan - Taare Zameen Par
R Balakrishna – Cheeni Kum
Feroz Abbas Khan – Gandhi My Father
Reema Kagti – Honeymoon Travels
Sajid Khan - Heyy Babyy

Best Child Artiste
Ali Haji – Ta Ra Rum Pum
Angelina - Ta Ra Rum Pum
Darsheel Safary - Taare Zameen Par
Dhruv Piyush Panjuani – Apna Aasmaan
Shreya Sharma – Blue Umbrella

Deadly bomb blast strikes Colombo

A Claymore landmine is said to have been used for the blast

A bomb targeting a bus in the Sri Lankan capital of Colombo has killed at least four people and injured another 20, police and military officials say.

The blast took place as the military bus was passing a busy junction in a district that houses key military installations, reports said.

A hospital official told Reuters that two of those killed were soldiers.

Military officials said they suspected the separatist Tamil Tigers. The rebels denied involvement, Reuters reported.

The powerful explosion took place near Hotel Nippon in Colombo's commercial Slave Island area.

Victims were taken to the Colombo national hospital, where several people were reportedly in critical condition.

Damaged

"There was a Claymore (landmine) attack targeting an army bus carrying troops," a military official at the scene told Reuters.

The official said there were "about 11 soldiers" on board the bus.

Most of the victims were civilians while a few soldiers were also admitted with shrapnel injuries, news agency AFP quoted hospital director Hector Weerasinghe as saying.

Police and eyewitnesses said the low-budget Nippon hotel suffered extensive damage and staff members were also among those wounded.

Fighting between troops and the rebels, who want autonomy for minority Tamils in the north and east, has worsened in recent months.

A Norwegian-brokered ceasefire in 2002 broke down two years ago, resulting in renewed fighting that has killed more than 5,000 people.

At least 70,000 people have died since the war began in 1983.

Pakistan poll date decision due

Elections were two weeks away when Bhutto was killed

Pakistan's election commission is meeting to decide when elections originally scheduled for 8 January will take place.

On Tuesday it said holding the polls as planned looked "impossible", in the wake of clashes following the killing of opposition leader Benazir Bhutto.

A commission official said the decision on the parliamentary poll would be made after consulting the political parties.

The main opposition parties want the poll to go ahead as planned.

The commission's spokesman, Kanwar Dilshad, said violent protests had directly affected the organisation of the poll.

PPP TOP LEADERS Asif Ali Zardari Benazir's widower and former political ally, has faced corruption and other charges Bilawal Bhutto (pictured) Benazir's son, a 19-year-old Oxford University student, considered too young by some PPP members Makhdoom Amin Fahim Senior PPP figure and top aide to Benazir

Thirteen polling offices were burnt in Ms Bhutto's home province of Sindh as protests and violent clashes broke out after her assassination last Thursday, he said.

But opposition parties have condemned any delay as a desperate measure to avoid defeat by President Pervez Musharraf's ruling party.

"There are no grounds whatsoever for delaying the elections," said Raza Rabbani, deputy secretary general of Ms Bhutto's party, the PPP.

"It is being done only at the behest of the PML-Q as they are seeing their defeat," he said.

The other main opposition leader, former PM Nawaz Sharif, vowed his party would "agitate" against a delay.

The ruling PML-Q party has said the 8 January vote should be delayed for several weeks, on the grounds that the vote would "lose credibility" if held under current conditions.

The BBC's Chris Morris in Islamabad says the PPP wants elections as soon as possible, in order to take advantage of what could be a big sympathy vote.

Dossier on 'rigging'

On Tuesday, one of Ms Bhutto's aides said that the day the PPP leader was killed, she had been planning to give two visiting US lawmakers a 160-page dossier setting out how she thought the vote would be rigged.

The aide said it documented how Pakistan's ISI intelligence service and the election commission planned to use intimidation and fake ballots to ensure a ruling party victory.

President Pervez Musharraf's spokesman dismissed the claims as "ridiculous".

"Take it from me, it's going to be perhaps the best election that Pakistan has ever had," said Rashid Qureshi.

The electoral commission has asked each of Pakistan's four provincial governments to compile reports on their readiness for an election.

The commission says in many districts ballot boxes and voting screens have been destroyed and the printing of ballot papers - and their delivery around the country - has also been disrupted.

Clashes

At least 47 people have been killed in violence since Ms Bhutto's death.

The authorities have accused pro-Taleban militant leader Baitullah Mehsud of being behind her killing.

On Wednesday, the military said troops had killed about 25 militants in the tribal region of South Waziristan where Baitullah Mehsud is based.

Fighting began on Tuesday after four troops were taken hostage by the militants, the authorities say.

Pakistan delays election decision

Elections were less than two weeks away when Bhutto was killed

Pakistan's election body has delayed a decision on whether to put back elections planned for 8 January in the wake of Benazir Bhutto's assassination.

A formal statement is now expected on Tuesday, although officials have told reporters that the vote will be delayed by several weeks.

Ms Bhutto's Pakistan People's Party does not want the poll to be postponed.

Meanwhile, the government says the country suffered colossal damage in the turmoil following Ms Bhutto's death.

A cabinet meeting was told that losses to the railway system alone amounted to about $200m (£100m), with carriages and locomotives destroyed and signals damaged.

Correspondents say that life has been returning to normal in much of Pakistan, with many shops and offices re-opening.

Stocks fell by 4.7% as trading was resumed after three days of mourning following Ms Bhutto's death.

Sympathy vote

The ruling PML-Q party has said the 8 January vote should be delayed for several weeks, on the grounds that the vote would "lose credibility" if held under current conditions.

But the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) - now led by Ms Bhutto's widower, Asif Ali Zardari and his son, Bilawal - says it wants the elections to go ahead as planned.

The BBC's Chris Morris in Islamabad says the PPP wants elections as soon as possible, in order to take advantage of what could be a big sympathy vote.

The other main opposition party, led by Nawaz Sharif, has said that it is also in favour of holding the elections on 8 January, after dropping plans for a boycott and calling for a national unity government.

"Nobody here wants the elections to go after January 8," Mr Sharif said in the eastern city of Lahore.

The electoral commission has asked each of Pakistan's four provincial governments to compile reports on their readiness for an election.

At least 10 local election offices have been burnt down in the rioting which followed Benazir Bhutto's death.

PPP TOP LEADERS Asif Ali Zardari Benazir's widower and former political ally, has faced corruption and other charges Bilawal Bhutto (pictured) Benazir's son, a 19-year-old Oxford University student, considered too young by some PPP members Makhdoom Amin Fahim Senior PPP figure and top aide to Benazir

Ballot boxes and voting screens have been destroyed and the printing of ballot papers - and their delivery around the country - has also been disrupted.

Too young

If the election does go ahead, it is not clear who the PPP would propose as prime minister.

At 19, Bilawal is legally too young to stand for parliament.

And his father has been repeatedly accused of corruption - though he denies the charges and has never been convicted in court.

Mr Zardari said PPP vice-chairman Makhdoom Amin Fahim would probably be its candidate for prime minister.

Bilawal was chosen to take over the PPP leadership from his late mother at a meeting in the party stronghold of Naudero, near Larkana in the south of the country.

Bilawal, who will be a titular head while he finishes his studies at Oxford University, said: "My mother always said democracy is the best revenge."

Pakistani media picked out two suspected attackers, one of whom apparently raised a gun (bottom)

Mr Fahim said Mr Zardari had been named party chairman, but had turned down in favour of his son - a decision Mr Fahim said the party leadership had endorsed.

Mr Zardari also announced that the couple's children would now change their names and be called Bhutto Zardari.

Mr Zardari added that he had refused to allow a post mortem examination on Ms Bhutto's body.

"I've lived here long enough to know how and where an autopsy would have been conducted," he said.

Instead, he said the party was asking the United Nations and the British government to conduct an investigation similar to the one carried out after the killing of the former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.

And he appealed for an end to the unrest in Pakistan, which has killed at least 38 people since Ms Bhutto's murder.

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown also called for calm in the country and stressed the importance of holding free elections, in an article for Pakistan's Daily Jang newspaper.

Thai parties in coalition talks

Mr Samak said that Mr Thaksin had congratulated him

Rival political parties in Thailand have begun what could be protracted negotiations to form a coalition government after the general election.

The People Power Party (PPP), allied to ex-PM Thaksin Shinawatra, has won most seats but lacks an absolute majority.

The next three biggest parties have ruled out joining the PPP in a coalition for the time being.

Analysts say the result highlights a rejection by rural voters of the 2006 military coup which ousted Mr Thaksin.

Full official results from Sunday's poll are due later on Monday but indications are the PPP has won 228 seats in the 480-seat house.

French president in Afghanistan

The French president (right) was greeted by his Afghan counterpart

French President Nicolas Sarkozy has held talks in Kabul with his Afghan counterpart, Hamid Karzai, on a one-day visit to the country.

He said afterwards it was imperative that Afghanistan should "not become a state which falls in the hands of terrorists... [like] the Taleban".

Mr Sarkozy is also due to see some of the 1,300 French troops based locally.

On a recent visit to Washington, Mr Sarkozy pledged France's support for the US in Afghanistan.

The French presidential palace said that Saturday's visit would "reaffirm France's support and engagement in the process of the stabilisation and reconstruction of Afghanistan".

Accompanied by his defence minister, he began his visit with talks with the head of the Nato-led International Security Assistance Force, Gen Dan McNeill.

Pressure from allies

Mr Sarkozy told the US Congress in November that French soldiers would stay in Afghanistan "as long as needed" and that failure was "not an option".

Six French combat jets are stationed at Kandahar

However, Washington and other allies have repeatedly urged France to send its forces to the more dangerous southern and eastern areas to help in the fight against a resurgent Taleban.

"Here there is a war against terrorism, against fanaticism, that we cannot and must not lose," Mr Sarkozy told reporters after his talks with Mr Karzai.

"That is why it is important that we help with the emergence of an Afghan state that is legitimate, democratic and modern.

Most of the French troops are stationed in relatively secure areas around Kabul.

Some are deployed at a base in the southern city of Kandahar, where six French Mirage jets are based.

In addition, "dozens" of French military trainers are due to be posted to the volatile southern province of Uruzgan to work with the Afghan army, the French news agency AFP notes.

Accompanying Mr Sarkozy on the visit are French Defence Minister Herve Morin and Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner.

Asian drug warlord dies in Burma

One of Asia's most notorious warlords, Khun Sa, has died in the Burmese city of Rangoon.

He had reportedly been suffering from diabetes and high blood pressure.

After decades of guerrilla warfare against the Burmese government, largely funded by his drugs empire, Khun Sa signed a peace deal in 1996.

He then retired to Rangoon, where he lived under the protection of the military rulers, despite the US offering $2m (£1m) for his capture.

He was once one of the world's most wanted men, with a vast drug-trafficking operation in the so-called Golden Triangle region, spanning the border of Thailand, Laos and Burma.

'Lofty ideals'

With a private army numbering in the hundreds, Khun Sa claimed to be fighting for independence for the Shan people - an ethnic minority group based mainly in Burma.

But he fell out with other Shan leaders in the mid-1990s and surrendered to the Burmese military government.

After his death, a former colleague said few in the Shan separatist movement would be mourning.

"He was a man with lofty ideals. He thought of becoming the liberator of Shan State," former guerrilla Khuensai Jaiyen told Reuters.

"But when the people he was supposed to be leading or liberating didn't accept his leadership, he turned his back on them."

'Prince of death'

Many have said his claims to be a freedom fighter were a ruse designed to give legitimacy to his drugs empire.

Washington reportedly branded him the "prince of death" and placed him on a par with the most notorious mafia dons.

As well as offering a huge reward, the US had requested his extradition to face drug-trafficking charges in a US court.

But it is believed he negotiated a deal with Burma's ruling generals to live out his life in relative luxury in Rangoon.

Family members and former colleagues of Khun Sa, who was in his mid-seventies, said he died within the past week. The cause of death is still unknown.

Bhutto visits ancestral village

Former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto has arrived under heavy security at her ancestral village in Larkana in southern Sindh province.

It is her first public trip outside Karachi since nearly 140 people were killed in an assassination attempt.

The attack came within hours of her arrival in Pakistan last week after eight years of self-imposed exile.

At her home village, Ms Bhutto is to pray at the tomb of her executed father, former PM Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto.

She was greeted by crowds of supporters as she arrived at the heavily-guarded airport in Sukkur, near her home village of Garhi Khuda Baksh.

Her convoy to Karachi airport had a strong police escort and side roads along her route were sealed off.

Seat of power

Dozens of activists from her Pakistan People's Party, armed with AK-47s, are guarding her father's tomb.

Larkana, where the Bhutto family are large landowners, is Ms Bhutto's seat of power, says the BBC's Barbara Plett in Islamabad.

She will want to hold some kind of public rally, but after her homecoming parade was torn apart by bombs on 18 October it is not certain she will be able to, says our correspondent.

Ms Bhutto has vowed to stay in Pakistan despite the attack and campaign in the parliamentary election scheduled to be held by January.

"People are just being butchered and it has to stop, somebody has to find a solution and my solution is let's restore democracy," she told a news conference before leaving Karachi.

"Let's give the people education, let's give the people empowerment, let's give the people employment."

Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf granted Ms Bhutto an amnesty from corruption charges that allowed her to return to Pakistan.

She has been negotiating with Gen Musharraf over a possible power-sharing deal.

Burma 'still hunting protesters'

Authorities in Burma are continuing to seek and detain those who took part in last month's anti-government protests, the government has announced.

According to a statement in an official newspaper, almost 3,000 people have been detained since the government began its crackdown on protesters.

Some 500 people remain in custody and "some are still being called in", the statement said.

On Monday, a UN envoy called reports of new arrests "extremely disturbing".

Burma's military leaders have faced mounting international criticism since troops use force to end days of protests.

The government says 10 people died, but diplomats fear the figure is far higher and there is also concern for the hundreds thought to remain in detention.

'Being interrogated'

The statement from the ruling junta was carried on the front page of The New Light of Myanmar newspaper.

"Those who led, got involved in and supported the unrest which broke out in September were called in and are being interrogated," it said.

"Some are still being called in for questioning and those who should be released will be."

A total of 2,927 people had been detained and nearly 500 were still being held, it said.

The number of arrests is an increase of almost 800 since the government's last official figures on 8 October.

Those released had been required to sign "pledges". The statement did not explain what these were, but some reports suggest they were a promise not to participate in further protests.

On Tuesday the Red Cross said it was appealing to Burma for access to the detainees, but said it had yet to establish a meaningful dialogue with the country's leaders.

International divisions

International pressure has been mounting on Burma in the wake of the crackdown.

The UN special envoy Ibrahim Gambari is visiting Burma's neighbours and key trading allies for talks before a planned return there later this month.

Both the EU and the US have increased their sanctions on Burma, and the US said earlier this week that it was considering further measures. Japan has cut a portion of its aid.

But trading allies China and India have taken no such steps, and on Tuesday Malaysian Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar said there would be no threat of sanctions or suspension from the Association of South East Nations (Asean).

Burma's leaders, for their part, appear to remain defiant.

In a statement on Tuesday they ruled out a change of political course and questioned the need for UN involvement, saying that events in Burma did not threaten the region.

Burmese junta appoints go-between

Burma's military rulers have appointed an official to liaise with detained pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi in an apparent concession to the UN.

Aung Kyi, a retired general currently serving as deputy labour minister, was appointed to "continue relations [with her] in the future", state TV said.

The appointment of a go-between was an issue raised by a UN envoy visiting after September's bloody crackdown.

A BBC correspondent has heard fresh accounts of the military's brutality.

Our correspondent, who spent three days undercover in Rangoon and met two fugitive monks, heard in one neighbourhood that the army had disposed of the bodies of monks killed during the crackdown by burning them in the local crematorium.

The military government is also reported to be holding monks in disused municipal buildings and even those who applauded the monks during their demonstrations are being hunted down.

The atmosphere in Burma's main city is tense and fearful, our correspondent adds.

Military demands

Monday's TV announcement did not say when contacts with Ms Suu Kyi might begin.

The UN's Ibrahim Gambari suggested appointing a liaison officer when he met Burma's military leader, Gen Than Shwe, last week.

Gen Shwe later said he was ready to meet Ms Suu Kyi if she dropped her support for international sanctions and abandoned what he said was her confrontational attitude.

Previous attempts to build dialogue between the military and Aung San Suu Kyi have come to nothing.

Ms Suu Kyi has been under house arrest for most of the past 18 years.

N Korea agrees nuclear deadline

North Korea has agreed to disable its main nuclear reactor and give complete details of its nuclear programme by 31 December, Chinese officials say.

The agreement came after negotiations last week in Beijing involving China, the US, Japan, Russia and the Koreas.

The US hailed the deal and said it would work with Pyongyang to remove it from the US list of terrorism sponsors.

The North tested a nuclear device last year but agreed to end its nuclear programme for aid and other rewards.

The deal was announced by Chinese Deputy Foreign Minister Wu Dawei.

He said North Korea had committed itself to disabling its experimental nuclear reactor at the Yongbyon site as well as a reprocessing plant and equipment for the production of fuel rods.

Under the agreement, a team of experts led by the US will arrive in North Korea in the next two weeks to begin preparing the reactor complex for disablement by the year's end.

FEBRUARY DEAL N Korea to "shut down and seal" Yongbyon reactor, then disable all nuclear facilities In return, will be given 1m tons of heavy fuel oil N Korea to invite IAEA back to monitor deal Under earlier 2005 deal, N Korea agreed to end nuclear programme and return to non-proliferation treaty N Korea's demand for light water reactor to be discussed at "appropriate time"

The facilities are believed to have produced the material for the test device detonated a year ago, proving the regime's nuclear capability.

North Korea also agreed to give a "complete and correct declaration" of its nuclear programmes, Mr Wu said.

US President George W Bush welcomed the deal.

Implementation would end North Korea's production of plutonium, "a major step towards the goal of achieving the verifiable denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula", a White House spokesman said.

US assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill said Washington would work closely with the North on getting it removed from the US list of state sponsors of terrorism.

He described that move as a very sensitive matter.

Slow process

The latest round of six-nation talks was aimed at developing a timetable for the latest stage of the denuclearisation process agreed in February.

Under the first phase of the deal, Pyongyang shut down the Yongbyon reactor and four other related facilities in July.

It also allowed inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) into the country.

In return, it received 100,000 metric tons of heavy fuel oil from South Korea.

A further 900,000 tons is dependent on the North completing the second phase - declaring and permanently disabling all its nuclear facilities.

Japan on Wednesday said that despite the latest agreement, it would not resume its aid to Pyongyang, citing lack of progress in the dispute over the kidnapping of Japanese nationals by North Korea.

The announcement came as the leaders of North and South Korea met for a historic summit in the North Korean capital, Pyongyang - only the second such meeting since the end of the Korean war.

Top Islamabad police men 'suspended'

The two top police officials in the Pakistani capital, Islamabad, and another city official have been suspended, the interior minister says.

Earlier the Supreme Court demanded their suspension following anti-government clashes on Saturday in which many people were injured.

Police used batons and tear gas against lawyers and opposition activists.

The protesters were calling on President Pervez Musharraf to be barred from standing for another term.

Reacting

The three suspended officials are the police chiefs for Islamabad city and Islamabad district and the deputy head of the city administration.

Interior Minister Aftab Sherpao confirmed that they had been suspended, but gave no further details.

The government was reacting to an order from Supreme Court Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry and two other judges.

The judges had been viewing video footage of Saturday's clashes in Islamabad.

Hospital officials told the court that they had treated more than 80 people, many of whom had head wounds, the Associated Press news agency reports.

Chief Justice Chaudhry said that Islamabad's inspector general of police, Marwat Shah was "responsible for all that happened on Saturday", the AFP news agency says.

The protesters were trying to get the Election Commission to stop Gen Musharraf from standing in Pakistan's presidential election due on Saturday.

The day before, the Supreme Court had rejected a number of petitions against Gen Musharraf's candidature in what was a major blow to the opposition.

Police said they were enforcing a law banning demonstrations in the capital.

Protesters said the demonstration had begun peacefully and turned violent because of the huge security presence.

The police have been criticised in the past for their handling of the protests against Gen Musharraf.

In March he tried to suspend Chief Justice Chaudhry. That led to street protests by lawyers that were met with force.

Images of black-suited lawyers covered with blood after being beaten by police helped galvanise opposition political parties into joining in anti-government demonstrations.