Abducted BBC journalist released BBC News
BBC reporter Dilawar Khan Wazir has been released by his captors, a day after being kidnapped in Pakistan.Mr Khan turned up shaken but unharmed in the BBC office in the capital, Islamabad, on Tuesday evening. He was held blindfold and questioned about his reporting and sources. He did not know who his kidnappers were. His disappearance prompted the BBC to write to the Pakistan government, which said it could not confirm whether he was in their custody.Mr Khan is one of the few local journalists reporting on the Pakistani army's fight with pro-Taleban militants in the troubled Waziristan region on the Afghan border. A number of journalists have gone missing, and some have been killed, after covering stories considered sensitive by the military or the militants.

BBC appeal
Police opened a criminal case against "unknown kidnappers" following Mr Khan's disappearance.The BBC Urdu service reporter said he was seized on Monday afternoon on the outskirts of Islamabad as he was on his way to his home in the town of Dera Ismail Khan in North-West Frontier Province (NWFP). Six or seven men snatched him from his taxi, bundled him into another vehicle and blindfolded him. He does not know where he was taken. "Unknown people took me from the taxi, blindfolded me, slapped and kicked me, and then took me to an unknown place. They kept me in a dark room and kept my blindfolds on," the reporter said. "They were asking different questions... how did I come here, what kind of reporting I do?" Mr Khan was held for more than 24 hours and then left in a quiet wooded area outside Islamabad on Tuesday evening. He made his way by taxi to the BBC office, about a 25-minute drive away.Earlier on Tuesday, BBC World Service Director Nigel Chapman had called on the Pakistani government to help locate Mr Khan. "I am seriously concerned about the whereabouts of our reporter and would request your kind help in tracing him at the earliest," he wrote in a letter to the Pakistani interior ministry. Interior Minister Aftab Ahmed Sherpao told the BBC: "We are looking into the case and so far we are unable to find him. "I am not in a position to confirm whether or not he is in government custody."

Threats
Mr Khan had been in the capital visiting his brother, Zulfiqar Ali. Fears were raised on Monday when his mobile phone was answered by someone saying he was seriously hurt in hospital. There was no sign of him when the BBC checked. Pakistan's record on press safety is poor and Mr Khan has received threats in the past. In August his 15-year-old brother, Taimur, was killed, although it is not confirmed that the attack was linked to Mr Khan's work. The journalist and his family have been targeted on a number of other occasions - it is not clear by whom. The family say they have no personal or tribal enemies. In February 2005 two journalists in the same car as Mr Khan were killed when shots were fired at their vehicle in the town of Wana in South Waziristan. He was unhurt. They had been reporting on the signing of a peace agreement between the authorities and tribal fighters. Mr Khan left his home in Wana last year and moved to Dera Ismail Khan after receiving threats from the militants.

States sign nuclear energy pact BBC News
An international consortium has signed a formal agreement to build an experimental nuclear fusion reactor.The multi-billion-euro project known as Iter - or "the way" in Latin - will aim to produce energy from nuclear reactions like those that fuel the Sun. If successful, it could provide energy that is clean and almost limitless. The project, which will be based in France, follows years of talks between South Korea, Russia, China, the EU, the US, India and Japan. If all goes well, officials will build a demonstration power plant before rolling out the technology to the world. Iter says electricity could be available on the grid within 30 years.

Big reward
"Fusion could become the dominant source of electricity on Earth in a century or so - we have to work to try to get it," Jerome Pamela of Iter told the BBC. "Not doing so would be irresponsible because the outcome could be huge, great for humanity," he said, adding that it was nonetheless a "very, very demanding challenge" to essentially imitate the work of the Sun on Earth. In a fusion reaction, energy is released when light atomic nuclei - the hydrogen isotopes deuterium and tritium - are fused together to form heavier atomic nuclei. To use controlled fusion reactions on Earth as an energy source, it is necessary to heat a gas to temperatures exceeding 100 million Celsius - many times hotter than the centre of the Sun. The technical requirements to do this, which scientists have spent decades developing, are immense; but the rewards, if Iter can be made to work successfully, are extremely attractive. One of the attractions of fusion is the tiny amount of fuel needed. The release of energy from a fusion reaction is said to be 10 million times greater than from a typical chemical reaction, such as burning a fossil fuel.

Lead partner
The project is based in Cadarache, about 60km (40 miles) from Marseille in the Provence-Alpes-Cote d'Azur region. It currently hosts Tore-Supra, one of the existing European centres for fusion research.Work to clear a wooded area for the Iter buildings will begin in the spring. Ancillary and power facilities and a visitors' centre will go up in 2008. The reactor itself will start to take shape in 2009. The French site was chosen after a long period of bartering between the Iter parties; and the EU, as the host bloc, is shouldering 50% of the five-billion-euro construction costs. The deal signed by ministers on Tuesday puts those negotiations into effect, establishing the international organisation that will implement the Iter fusion energy project. The signature took place at a ceremony at the Elysee Palace in Paris, hosted by the president of France, Jacques Chirac, and by the president of the European Commission, Jose Manuel Durao Barroso. After the signature ceremony, the first meeting of the Interim Iter Council will take place. The green lobby is opposed to the Iter project. It believes the benefits have been oversold and the difficulties and waste production issues underplayed. Roger Higman, policy coordinator for Friends of the Earth, told BBC News: "We face a very real energy crisis over the next 50 years which is to do with climate change; that we have to stop using coal, oil and gas. "The question we would ask is: isn't the money that's being spent on fusion better spent on proven technologies rather than chasing a dream that even its proponents say will take a hundred years before it's going to providing any of our energy answers?"

Baghdad bombings leave 150 dead BBC News
A wave of car bombs and mortar blasts in the Shia Sadr City district of the Iraqi capital has left more than 150 people dead and more than 200 injured.It was the most devastating series of attacks in Baghdad in a single day since the US-led invasion in 2003. At least three bombs exploded in crowded areas of Sadr City, the frequent target of Sunni insurgents. Mortar attacks were later reported on a Sunni neighbourhood, as the authorities put Baghdad under an indefinite curfew. Baghdad airport has also been closed to commercial flights until further notice.

Panic
The blasts brought panic to the streets of Sadr City, a densely populated, largely Shia neighbourhood, as distraught residents searched for family and friends.The bombs exploded 15 minutes apart in a busy square, a food market and a street where people catch buses, timed to cause maximum damage, says the BBC's Andy Gallacher in Baghdad. At about 1500 local time , a car exploded in the Jamila food market, where eyewitnesses told reporters that burned bodies and human flesh littered the ground. The vegetable market had been packed with shoppers buying provisions ahead of the Friday holiday.The first blast was followed by at least two others, also believed to be suicide car bomb attacks, at 15-minute intervals. Several mortar rounds also hit Sadr City, police said. "I was out shopping. As the bombs went off, everyone started running and shouting," news photographer Kareem al-Rubaie told Reuters new agency. "I saw a car from a wedding party, covered in ribbons and flowers. It was burning. There were pools of blood on the street and children dead on the ground."

Curses
The number of casualties put major pressure on transport and hospitals.The injured filled Sadr City's hospitals, with dozens lying bleeding in the corridors. Angry residents and armed Shia militiamen came out onto the streets, hurling curses at Sunni Muslims, the Associated Press news agency reports. The Iraqi health minister, Ali al-Shammari, accused Sunnis and loyalists of the former ruling Baath party of being behind the attacks. "They were killed in cold blood by Sunni extremists and Baathist criminal remnants," he told the BBC Arabic Service.

Brazen attacks
Sadr City is largely controlled by the Mehdi Army, the best-known of the Shia Iraqi militias, which has been accused of carrying out many sectarian attacks.Shortly after the blasts, a dozen mortars hit the Adhamiya district, a predominantly Sunni area, injuring 10 people, the interior ministry said. In another part of Baghdad, five people were reported injured at the health ministry when about 30 gunmen opened fire on the compound. The Iraqi authorities put Baghdad's seven million residents under curfew on Thursday evening, saying all people and vehicles must stay off the streets until further notice. The daily attacks in Baghdad are now more brazen and more sectarian, says BBC Middle East analyst Roger Hardy. On Wednesday, the United Nations said violent deaths among civilians hit a record high in October, with more than 3,700 people losing their lives - the majority in sectarian attacks.

Thousands attend Beirut funeral BBC News
The funeral of murdered anti-Syrian politician Pierre Gemayel has taken place in Lebanon, with tens of thousands of people paying tribute. Crowds carrying flags and chanting anti-Syrian slogans converged in central Beirut, turning the funeral into an impassioned political rally. Security was tight, given Lebanon's current state of high tension. Many Lebanese accuse Syria of involvement in Mr Gemayel's death, but Damascus rejects the claims. The United Nations Security Council has agreed to a request from Lebanon to help investigate the murder. The industry minister and Maronite Christian politician was shot in his car in a Christian area of Beirut on Tuesday. He was the fifth anti-Syrian Lebanese politician to be killed in two years, and his murder has intensified an acute political crisis in Lebanon. Six pro-Syrian cabinet members have already resigned. The death or resignation of two more cabinet ministers would bring down the government. US President George W Bush has pledged support for Lebanese independence from what he called the "encroachments of Iran and Syria".

'Shove civil war'
Troops and police ringed the cathedral where the Maronite Patriarch, Nasrallah Sfeir, conducted the funeral rites, calling on people not to take revenge for Mr Gemayel's death. Foreign envoys joined the Gemayel family in the congregation, which greeted his coffin with applause. The body of the 34-year-old politician was brought to the Beirut cathedral from his home village of Bikfaya, where he was to be buried later in the day. Dozens of cars and buses had followed the cortege, waving the large white flags of the politician's right-wing Maronite Christian Phalange Party, and hooting their horns. Posters also appeared showing the face of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, with the slogan "Shove your civil war". Speakers addressed the crowds after the service from a bullet-proof box. The dead politician's father, former President Amin Gemayel, called for change in Lebanon, including a new president to replace pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud. "Let us promise ourselves and Lebanon that the second independence uprising started off today will not stop until it is completely realised," he said. In a statement issued on Thursday, the Syrian government again strongly condemned Mr Gemayel's murder, which it said was "aimed at Lebanon's stability", and accused unnamed people of "exploiting the crime for personal ends".

Tribunal
Many Lebanese accuse Syria of involvement in the killing, which has sharpened tension between anti-Syrian forces, who back the government, and pro-Syrian groups like Hezbollah. The UN commission already looking into the murder of ex-Lebanese PM Rafik Hariri in 2005 will take on the inquiry into Mr Gemayel's killing. Correspondents say such a tribunal is highly controversial in Lebanon. Pro-Syrian politicians are against it and it cannot begin to be set up until the Lebanese parliament votes for it. In 2005, Syria withdrew its troops from Lebanon following 29 years of military and political rule over its smaller neighbour, after massive international pressure following the assassination of Mr Hariri. A recent UN report implicated Syria in the death, although Syria has denied involvement.

France issues Rwanda warrants BBC News
A French judge has issued international arrest warrants for nine close aides of Rwandan President Paul Kagame. They are accused of involvement in the 1994 shooting down of a plane carrying Rwanda's former president, a death which sparked genocide. The judge has accused Mr Kagame of ordering the killing. He denies involvement and says the allegations are politically motivated. Over 800,000 people died in the 100-day massacres which followed the killing. The French allegations have sparked anger in the Rwandan capital, Kigali, where around 25,000 people were reported to have taken part in a government-organised demonstration against France. The protesters paraded through the streets carry placards reading: "France: stop organising a second genocide" and "France get out of Rwanda". They filled Rwanda's Amahoro National Stadium for a rally, where they chanted anti-French slogans and burnt the French flag. Government offices and banks closed so that workers could take part in the protest, Reuters news agency reported.

Missiles
The French judge, Jean-Louis Bruguiere, is investigating the case because the crew of the plane were French and the families filed a case in France in 1998. Those the judge wants to arrest include armed forces chief James Kabarebe and army chief-of-staff Charles Kayonga. Under French law, Mr Kagame has immunity as head of state. Judge Bruguiere has said that only Mr Kagame's Tutsi-dominated Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) forces had missiles capable of downing President Juvenal Habyarimana's plane. He said the attack was carefully planned by the RPF. Mr Kagame has denied this and has always accused France of having links to those who carried out the genocide. The International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) brushed aside suggestions from Judge Bruguiere that Mr Kagame should stand trial there. "The prosecutor takes instructions from nobody in the world," said Everard O'Donnell, spokesman for the Arusha-based tribunal. "The crash did not create the genocide," he said.

Protests
Mr Kagame has described suggestions that he was behind the assassination of the former president as scandalous. After Habyarimana's plane crashed, Hutu extremists started massacring ethnic Tutsis and Hutu moderates. The genocide came to an end when Mr Kagame's then rebel RPF seized power 100 days later. The RPF has always said the Hutu extremists shot down the presidential plane to provide a pretext to carry out the genocide. "That some judge in France whose name I cannot even pronounce has something to say about Rwanda - trying a president and some government officials - that's rubbish," Mr Kagame said on Wednesday. And at the rally in Kigali, activists hit out at France. "The French trained Interahamwe [Hutu militias] everywhere in the country but it did not stop them from losing," Francois Ngarambe, president of genocide survivors' group Ibuka told demonstrators. He accused France of sheltering genocide suspects. "If they want justice, why don't they start with such people," he said.

Ethiopia 'ready for Islamist war' BBC News
Ethiopia has made preparations for a conflict with the Islamists who control much of southern Somalia, Prime Minister Meles Zenawi has told MPs. The Islamists have repeatedly declared Jihad, or Holy War on Ethiopia, accusing it of backing their rivals in Somalia's interim government. "This group represents a clear threat," Mr Meles said in Ethiopia's first prime minister's question time. Some fear a regional war, as Ethiopia's rival Eritrea is seen as pro-Islamist. The Union of Islamic Courts has denied claims by Ethiopia and the Somali government that it has links to al-Qaeda. Some Islamist leaders want Somalia to take control of Somali-speaking areas of Ethiopia and Kenya.

Declaration of war
Mr Meles said he did not believe the peaceful path of negotiations with the Union of Islamic Courts (UIC) was completely exhausted but he said they could not close their eyes or look the other way when the country was being attacked. He said the government had completed preparations to defend itself against UIC attack. Opposition politicians said a resolution put forward by the ruling party calling on the house to back whatever moves the government thought necessary amounted to a declaration of war on Somalia. A UN report this month accused Ethiopia and Eritrea, among other countries, of breaking an international arms embargo by supplying arms to Somalia. The UIC further accuses Ethiopia of having thousands of troops backing government forces in Somalia. Mr Meles has denied these claims but admits to having hundreds of military trainers in Somalia. Eritrea equally denies claims that it has sent troops and weapons to the UIC. Somalia's interim government only controls a small patch of territory around the town of Baidoa.

Clerics mull female circumcision BBC News
Egypt's top Muslim clerics have attempted to distance Islam from the practice of female genital mutilation, saying the religion does not need it. The head of the al-Azhar mosque, Sunni Islam's top authority, told a meeting in Cairo the practice, also known as female circumcision, was not a "must". And Egypt's top official cleric, Ali Gomaa, said the Prophet Mohammad had not circumcised his daughters. Female genital mutilation is widespread in parts of Africa and the Middle East. The practice, which typically involves surgically removing the clitoris of a young girl, has been criticised as an infringement on the rights of women and a threat to their health. Parents who support the practice argue that it helps prevent promiscuous behaviour in their daughters. Genital mutilation or female circumcision often robs women of sensitivity in their sexual organs. The conference on the subject in Cairo was organised by a German human rights group, Target, and attracted Islamic clerics from across the world.

'Doctors confuse us'
Muhammad Sayyid Tantawi, the top scholar at Cairo's al-Azhar mosque, told the conference: "From a religious point of view, I don't find anything that says that circumcision is a must [for women]." "In Islam, circumcision is for men only," the Associated Press news agency quoted him as saying. However, Mr Tantawi said, doctors should ultimately decide whether the practice was necessary or correct. Ali Gomaa, Egypt's top official Islamic scholar, or grand mufti, told the gathering no examples of the practice could be found in the Prophet Muhammad's life. "The Prophet Muhammad didn't circumcise his [four] daughters," he said. Another leading cleric, Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi, said that Islam did not require the practice but some clerics felt it was allowed. He too placed the onus on doctors to clarify the issue. "Doctors confuse us, as some are with and some are against, the final say should be for them," Mr Qaradawi told AP.

Widespread practice
Female genital mutilation is widespread in Egypt, Yemen, Oman and parts of sub-Saharan Africa. It is relatively unknown in most other parts of the Muslim world, including south and south-east Asia, North Africa and Saudi Arabia. The practice has been traced to Pharaonic times, pre-dating Islam. Some Christian and animist groups in Africa also practice female genital mutilation. Some parents who back the practice cite Muslim scholars and doctors who claim it is necessary or religiously desirable to remove the clitoris of young girls. Women's groups in Egypt have been campaigning against it for years, but they know that the fight to eradicate it will take many more, reports the BBC's Heba Saleh in Cairo. She says many Egyptian families still circumcise their daughters, even though this is not the first time top Muslim clerics have spoken out against the practice.

EU backs away from migration fund BBC News
Ministers from Europe and Africa have pledged to co-operate to tackle illegal immigration through development.A joint declaration was adopted after two days of talks aimed at stemming the flow of illegal migrants to Europe. But it side-stepped African calls for a special multi-billion dollar development fund provided by the EU. African ministers said that such a fund would finance development projects to prevent young Africans seeking a better future in Europe. But European Commissioner for Development Louis Michel said the Europeans were not yet ready to contribute to such a fund.

Dialogue
He proposed a 40m-euro ($52m) fund to manage African migration to Europe. He said the fund could be used to lower the cost for Africans sending money earned in Europe back home and set up a network of migration bureaux to match demand for jobs with supply of workers. The BBC's Rana Jawad in Tripoli says that ministers have emphasised that their discussion represents the beginning of a dialogue. Ministers from more than 50 countries in Africa and the EU agreed on a global approach to tackle illegal immigration which will include an increase in co-operation on border control. "Illegal or irregular immigration cannot be addressed solely from a security perspective," European and African leaders said in the joint statement. Mr Michel said migration should not be demonised or seen as something perverse but rather "a natural phenomenon".

Ex-spy's condition deteriorates BBC News
There has been a "dramatic deterioration" in the condition of former Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko, doctors have said. Mr Litvinenko, 43, is now critically ill in intensive care at University College Hospital in London, after suffering a heart attack overnight. Critical care head Geoff Bellingan said it was unlikely the ex-KGB agent was poisoned by thallium. The Kremlin and Russian security services have denied any involvement. Friends of Mr Litvinenko have claimed he was poisoned in London earlier this month because of his criticism of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Dr Bellingan said he was "concerned by speculation in the media by people who are not directly involved" in the care of Mr Litvinenko.

Cause still unclear
Initial reports said Mr Litvinenko was poisoned with the heavy metal thallium, and the theory that some form of radioactive material was used has also been suggested. But Dr Bellingan dismissed both of these explanations. Reports of three objects found on X-rays of the patient were "misleading" and were almost certainly shadows caused by Prussian Blue, used to treat thallium or caesium poisoning, he said. "Despite extensive tests, we are still unclear as to the cause of his condition," Dr Bellingan added. Police, who have said previously they suspected "deliberate poisoning", said there had been no significant developments in the case. Investigations are examining two meetings, one at a London hotel with a former KGB agent and another man, and a later rendezvous with Italian security consultant Mario Scaramella at a sushi restaurant in London's West End. Mr Litvinenko's friend Alex Goldfarb said: "I have seen Alexander through the window, he is heavily sedated, and he is on a ventilator because overnight he went into a heart failure, although the doctor said that his heart is not damaged. "The situation could get better but his chances are obviously decreased now because while he is on this ventilator machine it would be much more difficult to speak about his bone marrow transplant which until today was a major problem for the doctors." Mr Litvinenko fled to the UK in 2000, claiming persecution in Russia, and was granted asylum. He is understood to have taken British citizenship this year. Both the Kremlin and Russia's foreign intelligence service, the SVR, have denied any part in poisoning Mr Litvinenko, who is a former security agent with Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB).

Ban on MP3 transmitters is lifted BBC News
Ofcom is legalising the use of FM transmitters that allow iPods and other MP3 players to play through car radios. The use of devices, such as Griffin's "iTrip", was banned in the UK as their transmissions can interfere with broadcasts by legal radio stations. However, the device and other similar accessories for MP3 players have been widely available online. Now certain FM transmitters, which can be tuned to spare frequencies, will be legal from 8 December. Ofcom will also remove the need for a licence to use Citizens' Band radio. The regulator's move follows a public consultation exercise.

Stamp of approval
The devices fell foul of the Wireless Telegraphy Act of 1949, which forbids the use of radio equipment without a licence or an exemption. But strong consumer demand for the devices led Ofcom to rethink the legislation. Liberal Democrat MPs were also prominent in asking for iTrips and similar devices to be legalised. The new Wireless Telegraphy (Exemption) (Amendment) Regulations 2006 mean that certain low-power transmitters will now be legal. However, many devices currently on the market will remain illegal as they do not meet the legally required technical specifications and could interfere with radio broadcasts. The new amendments will also reflect a European standard on the low-power transmitters. All approved transmitters will carry a CE mark indicating approval for sale in the European Union.

Bemba forces leave Congo capital BBC News
Forces loyal to a Democratic Republic of Congo presidential candidate have started to leave Kinshasa, following an ultimatum from President Joseph Kabila. About 50 men have left their base at Jean-Pierre Bemba's residence in the city centre, the army says. Mr Bemba's forces had been given until Friday to leave Kinshasa, amid high tensions after he complained of fraud in last month's election run-off. The electoral commission says Mr Kabila won, with 58% of the vote. The Supreme Court is expected to rule on Mr Bemba's claims of fraud later on Thursday. Mr Bemba, a former rebel leader, has an armed guard of around 600 men, the UN says, although he is only allowed to have 100, as a vice-president in the outgoing power-sharing government.

Diplomatic pressure
The first batch of his guards have been moved in a military truck to Maluku, a residential area on the banks of the Congo river, 80km (50 miles) east of Kinshasa. Correspondents say Mr Bemba had come under intense diplomatic pressure to agree to the relocation. "It shows that Jean Pierre Bemba's party has understood that it is necessary," said a spokesman for the UN's peacekeeping mission in DR Congo. The chief of staff of the Congolese army said that it was an ongoing process. The operation was carried out by the Congolese army, without foreign peacekeepers. The BBC's Arnaud Zajtman in Kinshasa says soldiers are deployed at strategic points and this has created fear of further fighting. Security forces loyal to the two men clashed in August, leaving at least 23 people dead in the capital, Kinshasa. The capital is a stronghold of Mr Bemba. Armoured vehicles of the UN peacekeeping force and European troops are also patrolling the city, but a UN spokesman said disarming soldiers by force was not part of its mandate. On Tuesday, a protest by Mr Bemba's supporters outside the Supreme Court led to violence. The court was set on fire and its hearings had to be suspended. The court must still confirm the provisional results. The elections were supposed to draw a line under a five-year conflict in which some four million people died. The polls were organised under the terms of a 2002 peace deal that drew in the armies of nine other African countries. Under the deal, former rebels forced were supposed to be integrated into the army but progress has been slow and the three former rebel leaders who are vice-presidents have retained large personal security forces. The world's biggest peacekeeping force - some 17,000 men - is in DR Congo to prevent unrest.

SA court boosts gay inheritance BBC News
South Africa's highest court has ruled that gay people can inherit the property of their partners who die without a will. The Constitutional Court said existing succession laws discriminated against same-sex couples. The court said that whenever the word "spouse" was mentioned in the laws, the words "or partner in a same-sex life partnership" should be added. South Africa's parliament last week legalised gay weddings. The law is expected to come into effect on 1 December, making South Africa the first country in Africa to legalise same-sex unions. Gay rights groups have welcomed the ruling on property rights. The parliamentary vote on gay weddings followed a Constitutional Court ruling last year that same-sex couples should be allowed to get married. The change was strongly opposed by some religious groups and traditional leaders. South Africa has one of the world's most liberal constitutions - it was the first to outlaw discrimination based on sexual orientation.

Radiation found after spy's death BBC News
Police probing the death of Russian ex-spy Alexander Litvinenko have found above-normal levels of radiation at three locations in London.Mr Litvinenko's death has been linked to the presence of a "major dose" of radioactive polonium-210 in his body. Scotland Yard confirmed traces were also found at his home, a sushi bar and a hotel, but the risk to others was said by health experts to be very low. The Kremlin has denied UK citizen Mr Litvinenko's claims it was involved. The traces were found at the Itsu sushi restaurant in Piccadilly, the Millennium Hotel, Grosvenor Square, and at Mr Litvinenko's home in Muswell Hill, north London, Scotland Yard said.

Information
Moscow has been asked to help British police in their investigations, the Foreign Office has said.Officials discussed the issue with the Russian Ambassador, Yuri Fedotov, at a meeting this afternoon, said a spokeswoman. Officers are looking at CCTV footage and interviewing witnesses, trying to find out who he met around the time he fell ill on 1 November, said Peter Clarke, head of the Counter Terrorism Command which is leading the investigation. Tests are also being carried out at the two London hospitals where Mr Litvinenko had been treated, University College and the Barnet General, the Health Protection Agency said. Professor Pat Troop from the HPA told a news conference that the tens of hospital staff who had come into contact with him would be monitored.She said Mr Litvinenko would have had to either eaten, inhaled or been given the dose of polonium-210 through a wound. She said the nature of death as an "unprecedented event in the UK". Roger Cox from the HPA said a large quantity of alpha radiation emitted from polonium-210 had been detected in Mr Litvinenko's urine. The radiation cannot pass through the skin, and must be ingested or inhaled into the body to cause damage. He said people who came into contact with Mr Litvinenko's excreta - including sweat - could in theory be affected, but described the risk as "insignificant".As the conference drew to a close, a heckler interrupted saying he was from Ukraine and had also been the victim of poisoning. A post-mortem examination on Mr Litvinenko has not been held yet. The delay is believed to be over concerns about the health implications for those present at the examination. The Home Office said anybody concerned should contact NHS Direct on 0845 4647, who have been briefed about the issues. Meanwhile, the government's civil contingencies committee Cobra has met to discuss the case.

'Sheer nonsense'
Friends have said Mr Litvinenko was poisoned because of his criticism of Russia. In a statement dictated before he died at University College Hospital on Thursday, the 43-year-old accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of involvement in his death. Mr Litvinenko had recently been investigating the murder of his friend, Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya, another critic of the Putin government.Mr Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov reiterated the Kremlin's earlier dismissal of allegations of involvement in the poisoning as "sheer nonsense". Mr Putin himself has said Mr Litvinenko's death was a tragedy, but he saw no "definitive proof" it was a "violent death". Police have been examining two meetings Mr Litvinenko had on 1 November - one at a London hotel with a former KGB agent and another man, and a rendezvous with Italian security consultant Mario Scaramella, at the sushi restaurant in the West End. Mr Litvinenko, who was granted asylum in the UK in 2000 after complaining of persecution in Russia, fell ill later that day. In an interview with Friday's Telegraph newspaper, former KGB bodyguard Andrei Lugovoi said he had met Mr Litvinenko at the Millennium Hotel but vigorously denied any involvement in the poisoning. Mr Scaramella, who is involved in an Italian parliamentary inquiry into Russian secret service activity, said they met because he wanted to discuss an e-mail he had received.

Mosques hit amid Baghdad clashe BBC News
Gunmen have attacked a Sunni Arab area of Baghdad, burning mosques and homes, with at least 30 people reported killed, according to police officials.The attacks were in apparent revenge for Thursday's bombings that killed more than 200 people in the Shia Sadr City district of the Iraqi capital. Funerals were taking place for those victims, killed in one of the most devastating attacks to date in Iraq. The latest violence came despite a city-wide curfew and appeals for calm. There is a real feeling that the situation is moving to the brink amid the cycle of attacks, says the BBC's David Loyn in Baghdad. Gunmen attacked four mosques in a Sunni area in the Hurriya neighbourhood, Iraqi officials said.The most serious damage happened soon after Friday prayers when a mosque was burned down. A rocket-propelled grenade exploded inside another, while two others were sprayed with bullets fired from AK-47 assault rifles. Local people said there had been casualties and homes were still on fire. Police said at least 25 people had died, but a defence ministry officials told the French news agency, AFP, that the clashes were so intense that precise information was difficult to obtain. Clashes also erupted in Sadr City on Friday, where residents said a US helicopter fired on militiamen who were launching rocket attacks. Violence was also reported in other parts of Baghdad and elsewhere in Iraq, including in the northern town of Talafar where a suspected double suicide bombing killed at least 22 people.

Processions
The only people and vehicles officially allowed on the streets of Baghdad during the day were those taking part in funeral processions. Mourners cried as they walked beside vehicles taking coffins south to Najaf, the traditional burial place for Shias, which is 160km (100 miles) south of Baghdad.Thousands of men, women and children beat their chests, chanted and cried as they accompanied the processions. Thursday's multiple car bomb attacks in Sadr City - in which 250 people were also wounded - were the deadliest in Iraq since the US-led invasion of 2003. Sadr City is largely controlled by the Mehdi Army, the best-known of the Shia Iraqi militias, which has been accused of carrying out many sectarian attacks on Sunni areas. Thursday's bombings could have a deep political impact, with the group led by radical cleric Moqtada Sadr threatening to quit the unity government and parliament if Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Maliki meets President George W Bush as planned next week. People in Sadr City faced insurgent attacks as well as repeated raids by US forces, the group said in a statement. "This is a sign of an alliance between Saddamists, takfiris (Sunni extremists) and the occupation forces," it said. Mr Sadr's followers hold six cabinet posts and have 30 members in the 275-seat parliament. The withdrawal of the group headed by Mr Sadr would be a major blow to an already unstable government, the BBC's Andy Gallacher in Baghdad says. The meeting with Mr Maliki is due to take place in Jordan, and a White House spokesman said on Friday there had been no changes to Mr Bush's schedule.

Row over 'Aids' death certificate BBC News
A South African doctor should face a charge of unprofessional conduct for naming Aids on a death certificate against family wishes, officials say.A complaint was filed with the national health watchdog against Dr Leon Wagner after the woman died in April 2005. Dr Wagner has not yet entered a plea, saying it is unclear what rule he has broken. The hearing has been adjourned. A BBC correspondent says the stigma attached to Aids means doctors do not commonly list it as the cause of death. Deaths are attributed on death certificates to related diseases, such as tuberculosis or pneumonia, rather than Aids, the BBC's Peter Biles in Johannesburg says. The charge of unprofessional conduct has sparked debate in South Africa about the extent to which Aids-related deaths are covered up, he says. South Africa, where 5.5 million people are living with HIV, is one of several countries where the HIV epidemic is continuing to worsen, according to a UNAids report released this week.

'Watershed' case
Proceedings against Dr Wagner were triggered by a complaint by the family of a 30-year-old woman to the national health watchdog. After a disciplinary hearing in Bloemfontein, the South African Heath Professions Council said Dr Wagner should face a charge of "unprofessional conduct".The case has been adjourned, probably until early next year. The labour union to which Dr Wagner belongs, Solidarity, has said the case could be "a watershed for South Africa". "If he is exonerated and it is found that doctors may in future indicate Aids as the real cause of death on certificates, it would have tremendous consequences for the statistical documentation of this pandemic," a Solidarity spokesman said. The opposition Democratic Alliance has argued that current policies that protect the confidentiality of Aids patients at all costs may not be helping the national Aids awareness campaign. The government approach to the HIV epidemic in South Africa has been controversial. Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang has promoted the use of natural remedies - such as telling people with HIV to eat garlic and beetroot - rather than the anti-retroviral drugs used in the West. More than 60 international experts on HIV/Aids called for her resignation in September, saying people were "dying unnecessarily" because they were being denied Aids drugs. The United Nations special envoy for Aids in Africa has also criticised the South African government for its "negligent" attitude to rolling out treatment. However, hundreds of traditional healers demonstrated in support of Dr Tshabalala-Msimang on Thursday, carrying placards warning of the dangers of anti-retrovirals.

UN finds mass graves in DR Congo BBC News
UN investigators in the Democratic Republic of Congo say they have found mass graves with about 30 bodies in an army camp in the east of the country. The dead included women and children who appeared to have been murdered, a UN spokesman said. He believed they had disappeared in the last few months. The authorities have arrested two soldiers in connection with the finding in the town of Bavi in Ituri district. The army has been deployed in the area to stop fighting between local militia. The discovery comes amid continued uncertainty in the capital Kinshasa following the re-election of incumbent leader Joseph Kabila in presidential elections.

'Not decomposed'
The finds followed a tip-off from a military witness, military prosecutor John Penza said. He said two army officers had been arrested in connection with the discovery. "There are bodies of men, of women, of children, some still not decomposed. It is horrible," he added. A UN spokesman said witnesses had accused the Congolese army of involvement. "There are witnesses who directly accuse the First Brigade, which is based there (in Ituri), of being responsible," Kemal Saiki said. Correspondents say the First Brigade is one of several Congolese army brigades made up of fighters from factions who fought in Congo's 1998 - 2003 war. Violence continues in the east and north of the country, despite the presence of thousands of UN peacekeeping troops. Ituri, on the Ugandan border, is one of the most volatile regions because of intense rebel activity. The Lendu and Hema ethnic groups are at war in the area, where Uganda's influence is strong.

Israel vows ceasefire 'patience' BBC News
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has said Israel will show "patience and restraint", despite rocket fire from Gaza hours after a ceasefire began.Mr Olmert said he hoped the ceasefire would also be applied to the West Bank and ultimately lead to a peace deal. At least three rockets were fired into Israel, one of which landed in the town of Sderot, without causing harm. Hamas leader Ismail Haniya said all Palestinian factions have reaffirmed their commitment to the ceasefire. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has ordered his security forces to enforce the truce. The US has welcomed the ceasefire, calling it a "positive step forward".

Peace hopes
Speaking on a visit to a school in southern Israel, Mr Olmert said Israel had "the strength to show the patience and restraint to allow the ceasefire to take hold. "I have personally told our security forces to show restraint," he added He said he hoped the agreement "can be extended into the West Bank and that it can lead to serious, direct negotiation which could lead to a full settlement". In the wake of the rocket-fire, Mr Abbas ordered the Palestinian security forces to deploy in northern Gaza and enforce the ceasefire, Palestinian security sources said. The BBC's Alan Johnston in Gaza says it is not clear whether this means that the security men will actually be expected to use force against militants who might be about to launch rockets. They have been reluctant to do so in the past, he says. Hamas' armed wing said it launched the attacks because some Israeli troops were still in Gaza, east of the town of Jabaliya, despite the Israelis saying they had pulled out all their troops overnight. A statement from the smaller Islamic Jihad group, which also claimed responsibility, said it would not agree to a ceasefire while Israeli military activity continued in the occupied West Bank. Our correspondent says it quickly became clear that leaders of the two groups were working to try to rein in their armed men. Prime Minister Haniya said that in the aftermath of the early violations all the factions have recommitted themselves to the ceasefire. "Contacts were made with the political leaderships of the factions and there is a reaffirmation of the commitment of what has been agreed to," Reuters news agency quoted Mr Haniya as saying.

Offensive 'suspended'
Mr Abbas telephoned Mr Olmert on Saturday night to say he had agreement from all Palestinian factions that they would stop their rocket fire. Mr Olmert's spokeswoman Miri Eisin told the BBC that the prime minister had agreed that Israeli forces would not initiate any offensive action after the ceasefire began. Shortly after the truce came into effect, the Israeli army confirmed that all its troops had left Gaza. Israel evacuated its settlements and military bases in Gaza last year after 38 years in the territory, but the military renewed ground operations after militants captured an Israeli soldier, Cpl Gilad Shalit, in a border raid in June.

Turkish protests at Pope's visit BBC News
Thousands of Muslims are holding a protest in Istanbul against the Pope's forthcoming visit to Turkey. Crowds have been booing - and shouting slogans such as "Don't come Pope" - as pictures of Benedict XVI have been shown on a giant screen. The Pope sparked outrage across the Muslim world in September, when he quoted a 14th-Century Christian emperor who criticised the Prophet Muhammad. His visit, which begins on Tuesday, will be his first to a Muslim country. Sunday's protest is being organised by the Islamic Felicity Party, a small group that is not represented in the Turkish parliament. A huge poster on the square shows pictures of a crusader and of violence in the Middle East. "Who brought evil and inhumanity?" the poster reads.

Symbol
In Rome, the Pope sent a greeting to the Turkish people in which he offers sincere friendship and praises Turkish history and culture. He is due to visit Istanbul's Blue Mosque, in what correspondents describe as a highly symbolic occasion. Before the protests a senior Felicity Party official, Osman Yumakogullari, told AFP news agency: "We have infinite respect for all religions and their representatives, but we cannot remain silent in the face of declarations that go against our faith." In his September speech, the Pope quoted Emperor Manuel II Paleologos of the Byzantine Empire, who said Muhammad had brought only "evil and inhuman" things. The Pope stressed that these were not his own words and later expressed regret for any offence his words caused. However many Muslim leaders have been demanding an unequivocal apology.

Berlusconi collapses during rally BBC News
Former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has been taken ill during a speech to supporters in northern Italy. Mr Berlusconi, 70, slumped at the podium at a rally in Tuscany and collapsed into the arms of his aides. He was examined by a doctor, and a spokesman later said Mr Berlusconi had struggled with the heat and suffered a drop in blood pressure. Twice prime minister, Mr Berlusconi has been leader of the opposition since losing power in elections in April. Mr Berlusconi - Italy's richest man - went on trial last week for alleged fraud and money laundering and could face up to 12 years in jail if convicted. He denies all charges against him. The trial is due to resume in Milan on Monday. Several members of Mr Berlusconi's entourage rushed to his aid but he was unable to stand up and had to be carried out of the room. An ambulance arrived at the centre and a nurse said Mr Berlusconi received treatment. Shortly after he collapsed, former lower house speaker Irene Pivetti told the audience that Mr Berlusconi was recovering. "He felt unwell due to the tension, he is very sorry and wants to continue but the doctor has told him not to," Ms Pivetti said.

Bomber strikes Afghan restaurant BBC News
A suicide bomber has killed at least 15 people and hurt 25 - many of them children - in an attack on a restaurant in Afghanistan. The attack took place in Orgun district near the border with Pakistan. The governor of the province said the intended victims were a district chief and an army officer, both of whom escaped with minor injuries. Militants linked to the Taleban have carried out a wave of attacks in Afghanistan recently. Governor Mohammed Akram Akhpelwak said several provincial officials were hurt in the bombing. This is the deadliest such attack in recent weeks, but overall 2006 has seen a massive increase in the numbers of suicide attacks or attempted attacks. Separately, Nato forces say they killed at least 55 Taleban fighters in two separate battles in the southern province of Uruzgan on Saturday. One Nato soldier was also killed, a spokesman for the alliance said. Villagers in one of the affected areas told the BBC that 12 civilians had been killed in the air strikes but Nato said it could not confirm these claims.

Chad rebels 'marching on capital' BBC News
The French embassy in Chad says a large column of rebel vehicles has been spotted heading towards the capital. The embassy said the possibility of fighting near N'Djamena within the next 24 hours could not be discounted. Earlier, the Chadian government said it had retaken two towns near the Sudanese border, a day after rebels seized them. One rebel leader said his forces had withdrawn from the town of Abeche after inflicting heavy losses on the army, and were preparing to strike again. Abeche, about 700km (440 miles) east of N'Djamena, and the nearby town of Biltine, were captured by two different groups opposed to the rule of President Idriss Deby.

Looting
The BBC's Stephanie Hancock in N'Djamena says that for the second time in as many months, the capital is on full alert in fear of a rebel attack. Some reports say that between 100 and 120 vehicles may be on their way In a statement sent to the AFP news agency, the French embassy said: "The military situation changed swiftly at the end of the morning. The presence of a large rebel column has been confirmed in the Bata region of the country, heading west." The sighting puts the rebels at less than 400km from the capital. The statement urged French residents in N'Djamena not to leave their homes after nightfall. AFP, quoting an unnamed Chadian military source, said the advancing rebels were from the Rally of Democratic Forces (RAFD) - the group that briefly took Biltine on Saturday. Rebels last attacked the capital in April, when hundreds of people were killed before the offensive was repelled. Last month rebels also threatened to approach the capital, but eventually turned round without attacking.

Aid effort
Chad's Defence Minister, Bichara Issa Djadallah, told the BBC that another rebel group, the Forces for Development and Democracy (UFDD), had fled Abeche on Sunday morning after the Chadian Army surrounded their positions. Extensive looting took place in Abeche on Saturday night, and there are reports that at least three humanitarian compounds were targeted. Abeche, about 160km from the Sudanese border, is the centre of a huge relief operation, to assist refugees from the conflict in Sudan's Darfur region. About 200,000 refugees have crossed the border into Chad to escape the violence in Darfur. The Chadian government has accused Sudan of backing the rebels - a charge Sudan denies - while Chad denies Sudanese claims that it supports black African rebels in Darfur.

Japanese doctor admits POW abuse BBC News
A former doctor in Japan's World War II navy says he was ordered to perform medical experiments on Filipino prisoners before they were executed.Akira Makino, 84, told Kyodo news agency he performed surgery and amputations on condemned prisoners, including women and children. Japan's imperial forces are believed to have carried out medical experiments on prisoners captured in China. Few Japanese veterans have spoken of atrocities committed during the war. The BBC's Chris Hogg says most want to put the past behind them and they have had little encouragement from the authorities to offer an account of what happened. Mr Makino's testimony is believed to be the first account from a Japanese veteran of the war in south-east Asia describing medical experiments on prisoners.

Revulsion
Mr Makino was stationed on the island of Mindanao in the Philippines during World War II. He told the Kyodo news agency he had operated on some 30 prisoners between December 1944 and February 1945. The operations - which included amputations and abdominal surgery - were regarded as part of his medical training, he said. "I would have been killed if I had disobeyed the order," Mr Makino said. "That was the case in those days." He also said he was disgusted by orders to practise surgery on two Filipino men, rendered unconscious after being captured on suspicion of being US spies. "I thought, 'What a horrible thing I'm doing to innocent people even though I'm ordered to do it'," he said.

Biological warfare
Mr Makino said he was still haunted by the memories of his work in the Philippines. "We should not repeat such miseries again," he said. "I want to tell the truth about the war, even if it is to only one person or two." A Japanese army unit specialising in biological warfare is believed to have carried out medical tests on prisoners during the wartime occupation of north-eastern China. At least 3,000 prisoners are believed to have died at the hands of the unit. Japan has acknowledged the unit's existence but has not charged anyone in connection with allegations of atrocities.

Ecuador votes to decide president BBC News
Voting is under way in Ecuador in run-off elections for the presidency, with the two candidates neck-and-neck. Opinion polls suggest left-wing Rafael Correa and conservative Alvaro Noboa are attracting almost equal support. International observers have urged both candidates to be restrained when early results come in. Ecuador has seen much political turmoil in recent years. The Organisation of American States wants all results to be officially counted before a victor is proclaimed. Both candidates have promised to create jobs and fight poverty and corruption. Mr Correa, a former economy minister, has gained a slight edge over businessman Mr Noboa in opinion polls but the large number of undecided voters makes the result uncertain. Analysts say the country's rural areas, where people voted for the eliminated third and fourth placed candidates in the first round, will be crucial.

Seeking change
The police and army have mounted a large security operation and both international and local observers are out in force as voters go to the polls. Ecuador is in a delicate state, says BBC correspondent Daniel Schweimler in Ecuador's capital, Quito. The country is becoming increasingly polarised, says our correspondent, and people are disillusioned with its politicians and impatient for change. The likely tightness of the race means every vote will be fought for and that both men are likely to question the results, he says, in an election crucial to the long-term stability of Ecuador. Three presidents in the past 10 years have been forced from office by angry crowds. Only three presidents since 1979 have served full terms. Some nine million people in Ecuador, plus hundreds of thousands who live in Europe and the US, are entitled to vote.

Campaign claims
In October's first-round vote, Mr Correa said the count was fraudulent and that he had won a clear victory. Mr Noboa, Ecuador's richest man, said Mr Correa's campaign had been financed by Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. "Correa wants an insurrection, a civil war in which the poor will die," said Mr Noboa. He has already made two unsuccessful runs for the presidency, in 1998 and 2002. He has accused his opponent of wanting to install a communist dictatorship and drive Ecuador into the camp of Venezuela's anti-American President Chavez. Mr Noboa made his fortune in bananas and has promised to bring foreign investment to Ecuador. He frequently campaigned carrying a bible. Mr Correa has said he would maintain good relations with the US, despite having called President George W Bush a "dimwit". He has said he wants to renegotiate contracts with foreign oil companies and has threatened to reduce payments on Ecuador's foreign debt. At his final rally, Mr Correa urged his supporters to follow the vehicles transporting ballot boxes to make sure votes were not tampered with. "Watch out for alterations of results, ballot box switching; ensure there is no vote-buying." An election win for Mr Noboa, he warned, would turn Ecuador into the banana magnate's "estate".

NY police kill man on wedding day BBC News
An unarmed man has been shot dead by police in New York City hours before he was to have been married, prompting fury over the officers' actions.Two of the man's friends were hurt in the shooting, which occurred outside a strip club where they had been celebrating before the wedding. Police fired 50 bullets at a car carrying the men after it reportedly struck an unmarked police vehicle. New York's mayor says police had acted fearing an armed "altercation". "Officers on the scene had reason to believe that an altercation involving a firearm was about to happen and were trying to stop it," Michael Bloomberg said. The club was under surveillance because of its long history of weapons complaints, drug-dealing and prostitution, New York's Police Chief Raymond Kelly said. Civil rights activist Al Sharpton has demanded the police explain its actions. "Gunshots all over the place. This is outrageous at best," he said. He also criticised the police for handcuffing the two men receiving emergency care for their injuries in hospital. Denise Ford, the mother of one of the men hurt in the shooting, is quoted as saying her son was shot in the hand, right leg and buttocks. "I think this is messed-up on the cops' behalf," Ms Ford told New York newspaper Newsday. "They're too hotheaded and something needs to be done about it."

Police suspicions
A total of 21 bullets hit the car the men were in as they left the strip club, police said. The driver, Sean Bell, was to be married later on Saturday. He was pronounced dead on arrival at hospital.One of his passengers, Joseph Guzman was hit by at least 11 bullets and is in a critical condition in hospital. The other passenger, Trent Benefield, was hit three times and is in a stable condition. Police Chief Kelly said the three men were also being watched. He said an undercover officer at the club had reported that the men were in a group that was involved in a dispute with another person outside the club. The officer had reportedly called his colleagues saying he feared a gun would be produced. As the men left the scene, a car they were driving struck an undercover officer on the shin. It also hit an unmarked police vehicle, which is when five of the seven police officers on the scene opened fire, Mr Kelly said. No weapons were found on the three men or in their car. An investigation is under way. In 1999, New York police fired 41 bullets at unarmed Amadou Diallo, killing him. The four officers involved were acquitted of all charges.

Fighting flares in east DR Congo BBC News
Dissident soldiers in the Democratic Republic of Congo have attacked army positions in the east of the country, the government says. The attacks, close to the Rwandan border, ended months of relative calm in the region. The army said troops loyal to dissident general Laurent Nkunda bombarded the town of Sake for several hours. United Nations officials said thousands of civilians had fled their homes to escape the violence. The fighting comes amid heightened tension in the Congolese capital, Kinshasa, where the former rebel leader, Joseph Bemba, is challenging his defeat in last month's presidential elections.

Rebels 'repulsed'
At least two soldiers are reported to have been killed by in the attacks, in which the dissident troops used machine-guns, mortars and rocket-propelled grenades. Army commander Col Delphin Kahindi, speaking from Sake, said 15 people, including eight civilians, had been wounded in five hours of clashes in which his troops repulsed Mr Nkunda's fighters. Sake is a small town about 25km (15 miles) west of the provincial capital of Goma. Maj Ajay Dalal, a spokesman for the Indian UN peacekeepers in the area, said rebel forces appeared to be pulling back into the bush. "For now, the firing has stopped. We are deployed all around and are supporting the Congolese army but we haven't had to engage yet," he said. Mr Nkunda left the army and launched his own low-level rebellion after Congo's war ended, saying that the country's transition to democracy was flawed and had excluded the minority Tutsi community.

Nigeria VP to run for president BBC News
Nigeria's Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has ended months of speculation by announcing he will stand for the presidency in next year's elections. However, Mr Abubakar did not tell the political rally in the capital, Abuja, what party he would be representing. His candidacy is strongly opposed by President Olusegun Obasanjo and his governing People's Democratic Party. Mr Abubakar fell out with Mr Obasanjo over the president's plan to amend the constitution and run for a third term. The vice-president was suspended from the party earlier this year and has been accused of corruption. Mr Abubakar denies allegations he diverted $125m into personal business interests.

Opposition hint
Speaking to thousands of supporters at the rally, Mr Abubakar said an opposition candidate could win and that it was the people who decided elections, not the ruling party. He said the corruption charges against him were politically motivated and designed to stop him running for the presidency. The BBC's Alex Last in Nigeria says Mr Abubakar's speech gave the strongest hint yet that he may stand for a new opposition coalition, Action Congress. But Mr Abubakar faces a difficult road to the presidency because elections in Nigeria are largely about money and power, and whoever is in government has plenty of both, our correspondent says.

Opposition rallies in Venezuela BBC News
The opposition candidate in Venezuela's presidential elections has held a huge rally in the capital, Caracas, a week before the vote. Several hundred thousand turned out to show support for Social Democrat Manuel Rosales, currently governor of oil-rich state of Zulia. However President Hugo Chavez is widely predicted to be heading for victory and a third term in office. On Sunday, his supporters plan to hold their own rally in Caracas. The BBC's Greg Morsbach in Caracas says that Mr Rosales has been gaining in popularity. Addressing the crowds, the challenger predicted that "the real survey, not the ones that have been bought, show that within a few days Venezuela will have a new president". He said that people wanted "modernity" and not what he called the "Cubanization of Venezuela" under the left-wing President Chavez. Mr Rosales said that the president's policies were creating "a new rich and more poor people... an elite that runs everything". President Chavez is an outspoken critic of the Bush administration.

Pinochet 'takes responsibility' BBC News
Chile's former military ruler Augusto Pinochet has said he takes political responsibility for everything that happened during his 18 years in power.In the statement read by Gen Pinochet's wife on his 91st birthday, he defended his bloody 1973 coup, saying he had acted in Chile's best interests. More than 3,000 people were killed or "disappeared" while Gen Pinochet was in power from 1973 to 1990. He is facing indictments in two cases of human rights abuses and tax evasion. "Today, near the end of my days, I want to say that I harbour no rancour against anybody, that I love my fatherland above all," the statement read by his wife Lucia Hiriart said. "I take political responsibility for everything that was done."

Mariachi band
The general said his bloody overthrow of the democratically-elected Salvador Allende had "no other motive than to make Chile a great place and prevent its disintegration". His wife read the statement from the porch of their home in suburban Santiago. Gen Pinochet could be seen sitting behind her. Later he stood to wave to a crowd of supporters, including a mariachi band which played his favourite song El Rey (The King). His statement condemned the ongoing trials of military officers, including himself, for the human rights abuses committed under his rule. He said they had prevented a political and economic crisis. "Thanks to their courage and decision, Chile moved from the totalitarian threat to the full democracy which we restored and which all our compatriots enjoy." Gen Pinochet is facing indictments on two cases involving human rights abuses and tax evasion, and there are other suits pending. He was briefly under house arrest earlier in November for alleged human rights abuses committed at the infamous Villa Grimaldi detention centre. He enjoys legal immunity as a former president, but the courts can strip him of this privilege on a case-by-case basis. This has happened in a number of human rights and financial cases. Gen Pinochet has yet to be cleared or convicted in any of the cases, some of which have been dropped because of his ill health. His lawyers have argued he is too infirm to stand trial.

S Korea in mass poultry slaughter BBC News
South Korean quarantine officials are to slaughter 236,000 poultry after an outbreak of the H5N1 form of bird flu at a chicken farm. The outbreak occurred at a farm in Iksan, about 250km (155 miles) south of Seoul, earlier this week. Test results confirmed the outbreak was caused by a type of H5N1 virus, the country's agriculture ministry said. It said all birds within a 500-metre (1,650-foot) radius would be culled to prevent the virus from spreading. The ministry also said it would limit the movement of about five million chickens and ducks from 221 farms within a 10-kilometre (six-mile) radius of the outbreak. Park Yong-jong, a city official in Iksan, said the cull would begin on Sunday morning. Lee Sang-gil, head of the agriculture ministry's livestock bureau, said no people had been infected. South Korea killed 5.3 million birds during the last known outbreak of bird flu in 2003. The H5N1 virus began hitting Asian poultry stocks in 2003, and has killed at least 153 people worldwide. Most human cases have resulted from contact with infected birds. Scientists fear the virus could mutate into a form that is more easily transmitted between people, possibly creating a pandemic.

Advice sought after ex-spy death BBC News
Hundreds of people have called the NHS Direct hotline following the death of Russian ex-spy Alexander Litvinenko. The Health Protection Agency has urged anyone else who visited the same London hotel or sushi bar on 1 November, when he met his contacts, to get in touch. Mr Litvinenko's death has been linked to the presence of a "major dose" of radioactive polonium-210 in his body. Radioactive traces have been found at the Itsu restaurant in Piccadilly and the Millennium Hotel's Pine Bar. But the HPA says the risk of contamination to other people is low. A spokeswoman for the Department of Health (DoH) said up to 300 people had called NHS Direct after the HPA asked people to make contact. Home Secretary John Reid said the government was doing all it could to keep people informed about the situation. He told BBC Radio Clyde: "We're trying to put as much information into the public domain as we can." Mr Reid said this included alerting people about the health hazard and offering advice through various means, including NHS Direct. He added that police were now treating Mr Litvinenko's death as suspicious, rather than "unexplained". "As at this stage, they're saying to me that they now regard the death as suspicious. That wasn't the case yesterday [Saturday], for instance," Mr Reid said. In other developments:

• Police forensic searches at Itsu are now complete and the premises are being decontaminated
• Officers have also been searching a bedroom at the Millennium Hotel
• A post-mortem examination on Mr Litvinenko has been delayed over health implications for those present at the examination

Friends have said Mr Litvinenko was poisoned because of his criticism of Russia. In a statement dictated before he died at University College Hospital on Thursday, the 43-year-old accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of involvement in his death. He was known to be a fierce critic of him. Mr Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov reiterated the Kremlin's earlier dismissal of allegations of involvement in the poisoning as "sheer nonsense". The president himself has said Mr Litvinenko's death was a tragedy, but he saw no "definitive proof" it was a "violent death". Russian newspapers - many of which are controlled by the Kremlin - have also reacted angrily to implications that Moscow was involved in Mr Litvinenko's death.

'Rogue elements'
Andrei Nekrasov, who was close to Mr Litvinenko, said his friend had been a "strong man" who was left so debilitated by the rapid deterioration of his health that he was "reduced" to "screaming from pain". Speaking on BBC 1's Sunday AM show, Mr Nekrasov also said that he did not believe Mr Putin was "directly" responsible, although he thought "rogue elements" connected to the Russian leader were. He said: "I think that Putin's orders on this are unlikely. "Those rogue people are, in my opinion, a direct responsibility of Mr Putin. They are the result of the ideology of falsely understood nationalism which is now being injected into the Russian people." Meanwhile, the Conservatives are to call for a Commons statement on Mr Litvinenko's death.

Cobra meeting
Shadow home secretary, David Davis, intends to raise the matter when MPs return to Westminster on Monday. Mr Davis is expected to question ministers about the safety of Russian dissidents in the UK and to ask how polonium-210 was brought to the UK. He also said it was important that there was full co-operation from anyone who may be able to help the police - including the Russian authorities. "It is essential that other dissidents living in Britain are reassured about their safety and there are also questions about how polonium-210 came to be used in Britain," he said. Mr Reid has rejected calls for a Commons statement, saying he would keep the situation under review. Liberal Democrat leader Sir Menzies Campbell said if the Kremlin was found to be behind Mr Litvinenko's death then Britain should "consider very carefully" its future relationship with Russia. UK civil contingencies committee, Cobra, has met to discuss the case.

New EU states 'poor competitors' BBC News
Most of the new EU states still lag behind older member nations in terms of competitiveness, says a joint UK and US academic report.Slovakia, Poland and the Baltic states all came at the bottom of the table, which looked at investment, jobs and productivity by region and country. Of the 10 new states, Slovenia is the only nation to score better than certain existing EU countries. Finland ranks top of the survey, helped by its strong edge in innovation. One possible explanation for Finland's strong performance is the emphasis its government has placed on the importance of research and development (R&D). Business and higher education work closely together and Finland ranks highest in terms of R&D, both within higher education and at government level. Luxembourg comes in second to Finland overall and has an unemployment rate of just 2.6%, the lowest in the EU.

More effort needed
Although eastern European countries do not rank highly for R&D, they fare well in terms of their rate of investment, which has grown significantly. But increased labour productivity will require greater investment in human capital and more innovation by domestic firms, said the report, co-written by Sheffield University and George Washington University. Slovenia is the best ranked of the new EU entrants, outperforming both Greece and Portugal. It does notably well in the knowledge and employment categories, especially in machinery manufacturing and electrical engineering. The Czech Republic also scores well for knowledge and employment, but not for overall competitiveness. While it appeals to foreign investors, especially carmakers, these firms tend to be attracted by the country's low labour costs. The survey stresses that in the longer term, eastern Europe as a region will need better transport links to be more competitive.

Hariri court gets Lebanon backing BBC News
Lebanon's cabinet has given final approval to a plan for an international tribunal to try suspects in the murder of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. The emergency session was held without six pro-Syrian ministers after talks to bring them back to the cabinet failed. The pro-Western prime minister, Fouad Siniora, had offered to postpone the meeting if the ministers would return. Tensions between the two groups were escalated by the killing on Tuesday of industry minister Pierre Gemayel. Saturday sees the second day of a strike protesting at his killing. Business leaders said they hoped the action would move Lebanon closer to a "national dialogue".

'Unconstitutional' meeting
The cabinet approved draft United Nations plans for an international tribunal on Mr Hariri's murder earlier this month. Before the emergency session, correspondents said that if final approval were given it would be likely to increase tensions with pro-Syrian politicians. Syria has been implicated in the bombing that killed Mr Hariri last year, but denies involvement. After the cabinet approved the UN plan, information minister Ghazi Aridi said the move was not intended as a provocation. "It's based on a Lebanese consensus to establish this tribunal," he said. Mr Siniora, who called the emergency cabinet session, has been under pressure to win back the support of the pro-Syrian groups within his government. Ministers delayed the start of the meeting by more than an hour as negotiations continued with the pro-Syrian parliamentary speaker Nabih Berri. But it eventually went ahead without the Hezbollah movement and Mr Berri's Amal party, after they held their ground over demands for greater government representation for themselves and their allies. Mr Berri, known as an ally of Damascus, said the emergency cabinet meeting was "unconstitutional" because it had not been approved by Lebanese President Emile Lahoud. Allies of Damascus also say the tribunal is unconstitutional because the Shia community is no longer represented in the absence of the six pro-Syria ministers, says the BBC's Kim Ghattas in Beirut. But other constitutional experts say the cabinet is still legal, she says. Mr Berri's backing is essential if the tribunal is to be ratified because only the speaker can call a parliamentary session to vote on the project. Syria has also suggested at the UN that it may not co-operate with the tribunal.

'Coup plot'
Earlier on Saturday, John Bolton, the American ambassador to the United Nations, suggested that Mr Gemayel's murder might be the "first shot" in a wider coup plot against the government. He said recent probes into political killings in Lebanon suggested Syrian involvement. While he did not want to pre-judge any investigation into Mr Gemayel's death, Mr Bolton said, proof of Syrian involvement would show it was "not just a supporter of terrorism but is a state actor in a terrorist fashion". Many Lebanese accuse Damascus of orchestrating the 34-year-old's murder, although Syria explicitly denies any role. Meanwhile, the UN Security Council has agreed to a request from the Lebanese government to help investigate Mr Gemayel's murder. Pro-Syrian groups have already said the UN plan is illegal under Lebanon's constitution. In 2005, Syria withdrew its troops from Lebanon following 29 years of military and political rule over its smaller neighbour, after massive international pressure following the assassination of Mr Hariri.

Israeli PM offers 'hand of peace' BBC News
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert says he hopes to revive long-stalled peace efforts with the Palestinians, as a ceasefire takes hold in the Gaza Strip.In a major policy speech, Mr Olmert pledged humanitarian and economic incentives if militants freed a captive Israeli soldier and violence ceased. Mr Olmert said the Palestinians now stood at an "historic crossroads". The speech comes against a backdrop of increased diplomatic activity including visits by top US officials this week. Earlier, Israeli troops shot and killed two Palestinians in a raid in the West Bank, one a militant and the other a 55-year-old woman. Under the ceasefire, Palestinian militants agreed to stop rocket attacks on Israel, and Israeli troops withdrew from Gaza. However, rockets have continued to be fired, the latest attack hitting the Israeli border town of Sderot on Monday afternoon. There are no reports of injuries. Mr Olmert said Palestinians would see substantive improvements in their lives if they chose the path of peace. "I hold out my hand in peace to our Palestinian neighbours in the hope that it won't be returned empty," Mr Olmert said. Mr Olmert spoke of releasing many long-term Palestinian detainees in Israeli jails, lifting restrictions on the occupied territories, dismantling settlements and ultimately creating a viable state. However, he also warned of the dire consequences if violence continued. He was speaking at an annual memorial at the grave of Israel's founding premier David Ben-Gurion.

Threat
The BBC's Jon Leyne in Jerusalem said all Mr Olmert's pledges have been made before, but their importance lies in the context in which they are now being made.Palestinian militant groups have warned that the ceasefire which came into force on Sunday could collapse unless Israel halts military operations in the West Bank. Monday's deaths were in the town of Qabatiya near Jenin in the northern West Bank. The official Palestinian news agency said the woman had been shot as she went to the aid of and injured militant from the Popular Resistance committees. The Israeli army said she had been trying to recover his gun. The last four months have seen an upsurge of violence in the Gaza Strip which has killed more than 300 Palestinians, including scores of civilians. Five Israelis have also died. Israeli troops re-entered Gaza - which they quit more than a year ago in a unilateral withdrawal - after Palestinian militants captured a soldier in a cross-border raid in June. Mr Olmert won elections in January on a pledge to make further unilateral withdrawals, but credibility in the policy was dashed in a summer of conflict in Lebanon and the Gaza Strip. In March, the Hamas militant movement won Palestinian elections on a platform of not recognising Israel's right to exist. Israel has ruled out political engagement with the Palestinians until Hamas softens its stance.

Burma 'closes' Red Cross offices BBC News
The Red Cross says it has been ordered by the Burmese government to close its offices in the country, effectively ending its humanitarian work there. Five field offices dealing with victims of conflict in Burma's border areas now face closure, the organisation said. The Red Cross also says it will remain barred from visiting jails, said to include some 1,000 political prisoners. Humanitarian work for some of Burma's most vulnerable people was now in jeopardy, the organisation said. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said it "utterly deplores" the Burmese military government's decision. Pierre Krahenbul, the ICRC's director of operations, said the organisation's work "since 1999 has had a tangible impact on people's living and security conditions". "The ICRC is seriously worried that those most in need today will bear the brunt of the current standoff," he said. Burma's repressive government has faced mounting international criticism of its human rights record and failure to introduce democracy. Aid workers complain that government suspicions have led to lengthy delays in getting approval to travel outside the capital, and obtain visas for foreign staff.

Dialogue
The UN estimates that there are over 1,000 political prisoners in Burma, among them the leader of the democracy movement, Aung San Suu Kyi, who has been under house arrest for over a decade. Since December 2005, Burma's government has refused to allow Red Cross prison visits. According to the ICRC, the government has now ruled out any resumption of these visits. The government's additional demand that the ICRC close its five offices means the organisation's work in Burma is now limited to a few rehabilitation projects for amputees. The offices were serving thousands of people affected by conflict in Myanmar's border regions. The ICRC says it has worked to build constructive dialogue with Burma. But the attempts - aimed at allowing the ICRC to carry out its humanitarian work in the country - have ended in deadlock. The organisation said it is "determined to re-engage the government in dialogue" to restore its operations in the country.

Cyprus row halts EU-Turkey talks BBC News
Talks between the EU and Turkey over Cyprus have broken down without agreement, Finnish Foreign Minister Erkki Tuomioja has said. EU officials have said that a failure to break the impasse could lead to the collapse of Turkey's EU membership bid. The EU had given Turkey until 6 December to open its ports to traffic from Cyprus, whose government Turkey refuses to recognise. "An agreement could not be reached," said Mr Tuomioja in Tampere, Finland. Finland holds the rotating presidency of the EU until the end of the year. Mr Tuomioja was speaking after holding separate meetings with the Turkish and Cypriot foreign ministers - Abdullah Gul and George Lillikas. He said no new talks had been arranged and the EU would have to decide where this left Turkey's membership bid. "There will be consequences," he said. "Business as usual cannot continue."

Trade blockage
Turkey has refused to admit Cypriot traffic until the EU honours a pledge to ease its embargo on Turkish-controlled northern Cyprus. Cyprus - an EU member since 2004 - will not agree to direct trade with the self-styled Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), which is recognised only by Turkey. Finland had asked Turkey to open up some ports and airports to Cypriot planes and ships and had asked the Turkish Cypriots to cede control of a village in northern Cyprus. In return, the EU would begin sending trade through the Turkish Cypriot port of Famagusta. A question mark now hangs over the future of Turkey's EU accession talks and EU foreign ministers are expected to decide on the matter on 11 December. "Together with the [European] Commission, we will prepare the decision on how we will handle the continuation of the accession negotiations," Mr Tuomioja said. But he made it clear that Turkey would remain a candidate for EU membership. Progress has been slow since negotiations on Turkey's accession bid began in October 2005. Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkish troops invaded to counter a Greek Cypriot coup backed by the military junta ruling Greece at the time.

Trio in clinic after spy's death BBC News
Three people have been sent to a special clinic for radiological tests following the death of the Russian former spy Alexander Litvinenko. The three had contact with either the London hotel or the sushi bar which he visited on November 1 and have been referred as a precautionary measure. Traces of radiation have been found at two more London addresses - a West End office block and a building in Mayfair. Home Secretary John Reid is due to make an emergency statement in the Commons. He told BBC News: "This is a precautionary measure, it's reassurance, and we're trying to do this in as open a fashion but as organised and calm a fashion as possible." Mr Reid earlier chaired Tuesday's meeting of the special emergency "Cobra" committee, which brings together ministers, officials and experts, to assess the risk. The 43-year-old's death last week has been linked to the discovery of radioactive polonium-210 in his body. BBC home affairs correspondent Andy Tighe said it was not clear whether eithert of the two latest discoveries of radiation in London was a possible origin or linked to the movements of Mr Litvinenko. The Health Protection Agency said more than 450 people had called a government hotline for advice and 18 were followed up. Three were referred to a special clinic because they had symptoms which may indicate radiation poisoning. It is thought they contacted the NHS helpline and answered detailed questions about their condition before referred for the face-to-face consultation and possibly a urine test. Results are expected later in the week.

Putin denial
An inquest into Mr Litvinenko's death will be held on Thursday. The hearing will be opened then adjourned at St Pancras Coroner's Court, said a Camden Council spokesman. Mr Litvinenko, 43, became a British citizen after coming to live in the UK. Friends have suggested Russian top-level involvement in his death because Mr Litvinenko was a critic of Russia President Vladimir Putin. And on Sunday Northern Ireland Secretary Peter Hain said "murky murders" cast a shadow over Putin's achievements. But the Kremlin has repeatedly dismissed allegations of involvement in the poisoning as "sheer nonsense". Asked about Mr Hain's comments, the prime minister's official spokesman said Mr Blair had made clear his concerns about some aspects of human rights in Russia but this case required caution.

'Premature'
"There is a police investigation ongoing and we have to await the outcome of that investigation," he said. "Therefore, I think it is premature to be drawing any conclusions at this stage." Mr Blair had not spoken to Mr Putin about the death but Foreign Office officials had met the Russian ambassador to ask for co-operation with the inquiry. Mr Litvinenko had been investigating the murder of a prominent Russian journalist, Anna Politkovskaya, before he fell fatally ill. Radioactive traces were found at the Itsu restaurant in Piccadilly and the Millennium Hotel's Pine Bar, both visited by the Russian ex-spy on 1 November. Decontamination work has begun.

Tamil statehood 'is only option' BBC News
Sri Lanka's Tamil Tiger rebels have "no option" but to push for an independent state, their leader has said. Prabhakaran said a truce with the military was "defunct" and accused the government of unleashing war on Tamils. In an annual speech he accused the government of unleashing a two-pronged war - military and economic - against the Tamil population. Violence has soared in Sri Lanka since late last year, with both sides accused of breaking the 2002 ceasefire. "It is now crystal clear that the Sinhala leaders will never put forward a just resolution to the Tamil national question," Prabhakaran said. "We are not prepared to place our trust in the impossible and walk the same old path. "The uncompromising stance of Sinhala chauvinism has left us with no other option but an independent state for the people of Tamil Eelam." The BBC's Dumeetha Luthra in Colombo says that while the rebel leader does not mention re-starting the war, the subject is there in every sentence. Sri Lanka is already in an undeclared war, and the speech puts it firmly on the path to continued and worsening violence, she adds. Speaking on what the Tamil Tigers refer to as Heroes' Day - to commemorate more than 18,700 slain rebel fighters - Prabhakaran said the 2002 ceasefire with Sri Lankan government was "effectively buried". He accused the government of wanting to decide the fate of the Tamil nation using military power. "It wants to occupy the Tamil land and then force an unacceptable solution on the Tamils," he said. Prabhakaran said the freedom struggle had already been postponed twice but would now recommence.

Worsening violence
The BBC Tamil Service's Ethirajan Anbarasan says the rebel leader seems to have lost faith in an internationally mediated peace process, and his speech may well have strengthened hardline Sinhalese majority elements in the south. In his annual speech made this time last year, Prabhakaran hinted that he was ready to enter a negotiated peace process, and gave President Mahinda Rajapakse one year to resolve Tamil demands for self-rule in the country's north and east. But soon after making that speech, the island saw a sharp escalation in open conflict, with more than 3,500 fighters and civilians dying in aerial bombings, assassinations, bomb attacks and daily skirmishes, according to government figures. There has so far been no government response to Prabhakaran's speech.

Ecuador leftist Correa leads vote BBC News
Leftist Rafael Correa is set for victory in Ecuador's presidential election, promising wide reforms. With nearly half the votes counted, Mr Correa had 68% of the vote while his conservative rival Alvaro Noboa polled about 32%. Mr Correa opposes a free trade deal with the US and has promised to close a United States military base in Ecuador. Mr Noboa, a billionaire banana tycoon, has not yet accepted defeat, with full results due on Tuesday. Ecuador has seen much political turmoil in recent years with seven presidents in the last decade. The last three elected presidents were overthrown and only three since 1979 have succeeded in serving full terms.

Policy announcements
"Thank God, we have triumphed," Mr Correa told supporters in the capital Quito. "We accept this victory with dignity and humility... We are just instruments of the power of the people." Although the full official result has not yet been announced, Mr Correa has moved quickly to make policy announcements and appoint ministers. He said he will try to rejoin the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec) which Ecuador left in 1992. He also named leftist economists Ricardo Patino and Alberto Acosta as his economy and energy ministers. His rival, Mr Noboa, said he would wait until official results were announced before asking for a recount if necessary. Before voting, he had gone down on his knees, Bible in hand, and asked God for support. "Like Christ, all I want is to serve... so that the poor can have housing, health care, education, jobs," Associated Press news agency quoted him as saying. Ecuador's richest man, Mr Noboa had campaigned promising to attract foreign investment to Ecuador. He frequently carried a Bible. He had said he would build 300,000 new homes a year for Ecuador's poor.

Foreign debt promises
An economic aide to Mr Correa said he would not pay some of Ecuador's "illegitimate" foreign debt and would not sign a free trade agreement with the US, Reuters said. While campaigning, Mr Correa said he wanted to renegotiate contracts with foreign oil companies. Mr Correa is close to Venezuela's anti-American President Hugo Chavez and has called US President George W Bush a "dimwit". He toned down his comparison to Mr Chavez after he lost the first round vote to Mr Noboa. Both candidates had promised to create jobs and fight poverty and corruption. Both had also promised to double the monthly government payout poor Ecuadoreans receive.

UN battles dissidents in DR Congo BBC News
A UN helicopter gunship has fired on troops loyal to a dissident general to halt their advance towards Goma in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. Earlier the followers of renegade Gen Laurent Nkunda took control of parts of Sake, close to the Rwandan border, after attacking army positions. Thousands of civilians fled their homes in the town. Casualties are unclear. The clashes are the most serious in the east since DR Congo's first elections were held earlier this year. Tension is already high in the capital, Kinshasa, where the Supreme Court is due to deliver its verdict on the legal challenge to last month's presidential run-off election brought by the former rebel leader and current Vice-President Jean-Pierre Bemba. In his appeal, Mr Bemba said the results that gave victory to President Joseph Kabila did not reflect the reality at the ballot box.

Rebels 'repulsed'
United Nations forces said their helicopters and peacekeepers opened fire against the dissidents after being attacked in and around the volatile eastern town of Sake. "Monuc troops were threatened by effective fire by 81st and 83rd brigades," said Monuc military spokesman Major Ajay Dalal. "Attack helicopters fired on 81st and 83rd soldiers [dissidents loyal to Gen Nkunda] in Sake and a few kilometres east in Kasingazi "Ground troops have also opened fire on both fronts." At least eight soldiers are reported to have been killed in the attacks by the dissidents on Sake and eight rebels killed. The dissident troops used machine-guns, mortars and rocket-propelled grenades. Sake is a small town about 25km (15 miles) west of the provincial capital of Goma. Mr Nkunda left the army and launched his own low-level rebellion after DR Congo's war ended, saying that the country's transition to democracy was flawed and had excluded the minority Tutsi community.

Troops deploy around Chad capital BBC News
Chad's government has deployed troops outside the capital, N'Djamena, in case of a rebel attack, but it denies that the city is under threat. Rebels say its advance on N'Djamena has stopped, but its war of attrition against President Idriss Deby goes on. Rebel leader Mahamat Nouri has told the BBC that his rebel allies are just over 200km north of the capital. But a BBC reporter in N'Djamena says the city is tense and hundreds of armed soldiers are patrolling the streets. Earlier, the government said it had retaken two towns near the Sudanese border, a day after rebels seized them, but the rebels said they were withdrawing from the towns. In April, a rebel column advanced from the Sudanese border to the outskirts of N'Djamena before being repelled. Abeche, about 700km (440 miles) east of N'Djamena, and the nearby town of Biltine, were captured by two different groups opposed to the rule of President Idriss Deby on Saturday.

Heavily armed
The BBC's Stephanie Hancock in the capital says the government may be saying that there is no threat of a rebel attack, but the reaction of the Chadian army suggests otherwise. Pick-up trucks packed with soldiers are patrolling the town and two tanks are parked near the presidential palace. Hundreds of soldiers can be seen walking about the streets, some of them heavily armed, she says. An administrative building near the presidential palace, which is normally home to five government ministries, has been completely emptied of staff and dozens of soldiers armed with rocket-propelled grenades and other arms are now stationed outside. The exact position of the rebels said to be threatening N'Djamena is not known. In a statement sent to the AFP news agency, the French embassy said: "The military situation changed swiftly at the end of the morning. The presence of a large rebel column has been confirmed in the Bata region of the country, heading west." That sighting put the rebels at less than 400km from the capital. However, the embassy later softened its advice to say the column "was no longer progressing" and that "the situation is normal in N'Djamena". But Mr Nouri, leader of the Forces for Development and Democracy (UFDD) rebel group which attacked Abeche at the weekend, told the BBC that the rebels who are not from his group are north-east of the town of Moussouro, just over 200km from the capital. Chad's Defence Minister Bichara Issa Djadallah dismissed this as lies and said all the rebels are currently in the region of Biltine, more than 600km away on the other side of the country. Nonetheless, he said government forces were preparing to deal with a rebel offensive, with army troops mobilised and massing outside N'Djamena.

Looting
He said UFDD had fled Abeche on Sunday morning after the Chadian Army surrounded their positions. Extensive looting took place in Abeche on Saturday night, and there are reports that at least three humanitarian compounds were targeted. Abeche, about 160km from the Sudanese border, is the centre of a huge relief operation, to assist refugees from the conflict in Sudan's Darfur region. About 200,000 refugees have crossed the border into Chad to escape the violence in Darfur. The Chadian government has accused Sudan of backing the rebels - a charge Sudan denies - while Chad denies Sudanese claims that it supports black African rebels in Darfur.

Chavez holds final election rally BBC News
Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez has held his final rally before next Sunday's presidential election. Hundreds of thousands of his supporters gathered in Caracas a day after his main challenger, opposition leader Manuel Rosales, held a similar rally. Mr Rosales has been gaining in polls but Mr Chavez still has a commanding lead and is widely predicted to be heading for a third term in office. Mr Chavez told his supporters it was time to give more power to the people. He said more power should be given to "communities, the poor, the people who cry, work and study".

'Confronting the devil'
He promised his supporters he would win a "knockout" victory in the 3 December vote. Hundreds of thousands of his supporters flooded central Caracas, wearing red T-shirts and caps and waving flags and banners. There was a carnival atmosphere as people drank beer and listened to salsa music, says the BBC correspondent in Venezuela, Greg Morsbach. "We are confronting the devil," Mr Chavez said referring to US President George W Bush. "And we will hit a home run off the devil next Sunday." In a speech to the United Nations in October he called Mr Bush a devil. President Chavez is an outspoken critic of the Bush administration, but Venezuela is still the fourth-largest provider of oil to the US. Mr Chavez has built a solid base of support in Venezuela through social spending financed by oil revenues. Opinion polls indicate Mr Chavez has about 60% of the vote compared to about 30% for Mr Rosales. At his own rally on Saturday, Manuel Rosales said that "the real survey, not the ones that have been bought, show that within a few days Venezuela will have a new president". He said that the president's policies were creating "a new rich and more poor people... an elite that runs everything".

[]Shining Path leader offers truce[/b] BBC News, Lima
The only active leader of Peru's Shining Path guerrilla movement, Comrade Artemio, has offered a truce with the government. In return he wants amnesty and a negotiated end to the armed conflict. The guerrilla leader, who is thought to command between 200 and 300 fighters, spoke to journalists near his base in Peru's jungle interior. The Peruvian government has yet to respond, but in 2004 offered a $50,000 reward for Comrade Artemio's capture. At a secret location in the jungle province of San Martin, the leader of the remnants of the Shining Path guerrilla movement offered his terms in the pouring rain.

Brutal insurgency
Comrade Artemio, the last remaining leader of the group which terrorised Peruvians in the 1980s and '90s, said he was prepared to call a truce with the government of Peru in return for a political settlement and a general amnesty. However, the government is unlikely to respond favourably. The Shining Path began their brutal 12-year insurgency in 1980 in which 70,000 people were killed. It is now considered to be a spent force presenting little threat to the state. Its main leader, Abimael Guzman, is serving a life sentence. So are practically all the group's other leaders. Nevertheless, rebel factions still cause difficulties for the government. At the end of last year, eight soldiers were ambushed and killed by the rebels who now provide protection for cocaine traffickers in Peru's remotest areas. Last month, the Peruvian President Alan García called for the death penalty for terrorists. The government still organises a self-defence force against the remaining factions of the Shining Path. But Comrade Artemio said he did not fear the death penalty and if the government ignored his call for a truce, more violence would be inevitable.
By Dan Collyns

Government cleared in AWB inquiry BBC News
An inquiry has cleared the Australian government of involvement in bribes allegedly paid to Iraq's former regime. But it said that some officials from the monopoly body controlling wheat exports could be liable to prosecution. The Australian Wheat Board (now known as AWB) is accused of paying $200m to Saddam Hussein to secure a contract under the UN oil-for-food programme. PM John Howard said he would "urgently review" Australia's wheat exporting system in response to the findings. AWB was the largest single supplier of humanitarian goods to Iraq under the UN programme, which ran from 1996 to 2003.

Damaged reputation
The commission examining the AWB scandal was established in January, after a UN report said the company had paid huge bribes to secure wheat contracts worth more than $2bn. The wheat supply was part of a UN programme designed to allow Iraq to use money from oil exports to buy food and medicine, to relieve suffering caused by international sanctions before Saddam Hussein's regime was overthrown in 2003. Former judge Terence Cole and his team spent 11 months examining whether AWB had broken any Australian laws over the payments, which were mostly given as transport fees to Jordanian haulage company Alia. They made their conclusions public on Monday, saying in the introduction to their report that "AWB has cast a shadow over Australia's reputation in international trade". The report recommended that a police task force be set up to consider whether criminal charges should be filed against AWB members implicated in the scandal - a suggestion Mr Howard promised to take up. Mr Cole cleared the Australian government of wrong-doing, saying: "I found no material that is any way suggestive of illegal activity by the Commonwealth [federal government] or any of its officers." But opposition politicians are still not convinced, describing the affair as the country's "biggest-ever" corruption scandal. They have accused the government of negligence, for failing to respond to diplomatic cables that warned that the wheat exporter may have been violating UN sanctions.

Serb punished for trial no-show BBC News
Serbian nationalist leader Vojislav Seselj has lost the right to conduct his own defence after boycotting the start of his war crimes trial. The leader of the Serbian Radical Party, the biggest party in Serbia's parliament, refused to attend the start of the trial in The Hague. He has been on hunger strike for two weeks and is said to be getting weaker. Mr Seselj is accused of plotting the ethnic cleansing of former Yugoslavia during the wars of the early 1990s. He is also accused of forming a joint criminal enterprise with former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic, which led to the extermination and deportation of non-Serbs from Bosnia and Croatia.

Visit demand
It had been half-expected that Mr Seselj would not attend the first day of his trial, after he began a hunger strike in his cell two weeks ago, and refused to attend a pre-trial hearing last week. He has been demanding the right to choose his own stand-by defence lawyer, and unrestricted visits from his wife. He was warned by the court that failing to appear for the trial could mean he would surrender the right to self-defence. "He persists in not taking food... he persists in being absent," presiding Judge Alphons Orie said at the opening of proceedings on Monday. "The court finds that the accused's self-representation has essentially obstructed the proper and expeditious proceedings," he said, appointing a British lawyer to take over Mr Seselj's defence. Proceedings have often been delayed because of what the court describes as his disruptive behaviour. This has presented a real problem for the judges, who have to balance the defendant's right to a fair trial with the interests of justice, the BBC's Geraldine Coughlan in The Hague says.

Berlusconi illness delays trial BBC News
The trial of Silvio Berlusconi for alleged fraud has been postponed after the former Italian prime minister was taken ill at a rally on Sunday. Mr Berlusconi, accused of corporate fraud and money-laundering, spent the night in hospital after fainting. Aides insisted that he would be well enough to attend a protest against government policies next Saturday. But his lawyers said a request to postpone hearings due to his illness had been accepted by the Milan court. The trial is expected to resume on Friday. Mr Berlusconi, 70, denies all charges against him. He is said to have spent a calm night in hospital and was expected to be discharged on Monday afternoon having undergone tests heart tests. Twice prime minister, Mr Berlusconi has been leader of the opposition since losing power in elections in April.

'Irregular heartbeat'
Proceedings against Mr Berlusconi, Italy's richest man, began last week. He could face up to 12 years in jail if convicted of charges including corporate fraud. He is on trial alongside 13 others, including UK lawyer David Mills, the estranged husband of British Culture Secretary, Tessa Jowell. Prosecutors allege the defendants were involved in establishing a complex system to enable tax evasion. On Sunday, Mr Berlusconi suddenly slumped at the podium where he had been speaking for about 40 minutes in the northern Italian spa resort of Montecatini Terme. Several members of Mr Berlusconi's entourage rushed to his aid but he was unable to stand up and had to be carried out of the room. Mr Berlusconi later told reporters that doctors had diagnosed an irregular heartbeat and wanted to keep him under observation for 24 hours. Mr Prodi is reported to have written a note to Mr Berlusconi, wishing him a speedy recovery.

Iraq president begins Iran trip BBC News
Iraqi President Jalal Talabani has arrived in Iran for key talks on his country's security situation. Mr Talabani was expected to travel at the weekend but was delayed by a curfew imposed after bomb attacks in Baghdad on Thursday killed more than 200. The president plans to meet his Iranian counterpart Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The trip is part of a renewed flurry of diplomacy that sees US President George W Bush visiting Jordan this week. The BBC's world affairs correspondent Nick Childs says the approach to Iraq has shifted dramatically in recent weeks. He says Republican losses in US mid-term elections, increasing violence in Iraq and a new regional diplomatic assertiveness by Iran have changed the situation. Mr Talabani's visit to Iran will be keenly watched in the West, he says.

Diplomatic muscle
Increased contact with Iran and Syria is one of the options being considered by the US Iraq Study Group, which is in its final stages of deliberation on recommending what new policies Washington could adopt on Iraq. Speaking last week before the delay to his trip, Mr Talabani said the agenda would be "strengthening relations and Iraq's security". Some analysts say he may use the visit to urge Iran not to use Iraq as a tool in its conflict with the US while Iran may try to exert its diplomatic muscle ahead of any future negotiations with the US on Iraq, The US has accused Iran of funding Shia militants in Baghdad and southern Iraq. Mr Bush will meet Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Maliki in Jordan this week while Vice-President Dick Cheney has just been in Saudi Arabia. Our correspondent says the Bush administration clearly remains dubious about engaging Iran but adds that US influence on events in Iraq may be becoming more limited just when the need for a clearer exit strategy is becoming politically more acute.

Pinochet 'put under house arrest' BBC News
Chile's former military leader, Augusto Pinochet, has reportedly been placed under house arrest over with the abduction of two people in 1973.The charges relate to the Caravan of Death - a military operation to remove opponents to Gen Pinochet's rule. The two men were security guards for former President Salvador Allende, who was overthrown by the military. Gen Pinochet is accused of dozens of human rights violations but has never faced trial over any of the charges. More than 3,000 people were killed or "disappeared" during his 1973- 1990 rule.

Ill health
His arrest comes just days after his 91st birthday, on which he said he accepted political responsibility for everything that happened during his time in office. He defended his record saying he had acted in the interests of Chile and that the coup was necessary to prevent the country descending into political and social turmoil. Gen Pinochet was also placed under house arrest in October for alleged human rights abuses committed at the infamous Villa Grimaldi detention centre, but was freed on bail earlier this month. He enjoys legal immunity as a former president, but the courts can strip him of this privilege on a case-by-case basis. This has happened in a number of human rights and financial cases. He has yet to be cleared or convicted in any of the cases, some of which have been dropped because of his ill health. His lawyers have argued he is too infirm to stand trial.

Europe 'must end domestic abuse' BBC News
Spain's prime minister has launched a campaign against domestic violence in Europe, calling it one of the worst forms of human rights violations. Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero was speaking to hundreds of delegates from the Council of Europe's member states. According to the Council, almost a quarter of women in Europe have suffered physical or sexual attack. Mr Zapatero said there could be no room for such abuse and that women must not feel abandoned by society. "Fear, pain and humiliation are incompatible with a project for a decent society," Mr Zapatero said.

Breaking the silence
In Spain, some two million women say they have been the victims of psychological or physical abuse. Mr Zapatero has described domestic violence as Spain's "greatest national disgrace". The Council of Europe has called for increased awareness of the problem of domestic violence. It says "risk factors", including a patriarchal culture, gender stereotypes and low income, must be addressed. The Council of Europe says that stopping the complicit silence surrounding domestic abuse is one of the campaign's main goals. "Women suffering from domestic violence are not only victims of abuse, they are also victims of silence, victims of indifference and victims of neglect," said Terry Davis, the Council's Secretary General. The conference opened with a minute's silence for Spain's most recent victim of domestic violence, a 43-year-old woman from Seville, who was stabbed to death over the weekend by her ex-husband. Spain has made efforts to tackle domestic violence, passing a law in 2004 which introduced tougher penalties for men found guilty of such offences. Special courts have also been set up and the number of police officers trained to work with abused women has been increased by 90%.

German aid crew tried in Sicily BBC News
The ex-head of a German humanitarian organisation has gone on trial in Sicily, charged, along with two others, with aiding illegal immigration. Elias Bierdel led the Cap Anamur relief group whose ship rescued 37 stranded African migrants in 2004. The ship searched for a friendly port for three weeks before eventually being allowed to dock in Sicily. Campaigners have lashed out at the case, saying it criminalises actions that were purely humanitarian. All 37 migrants, from Ghana and Nigeria, were returned to their home nations after landing in Sicily. Many had said that they were fleeing fighting in Sudan's troubled Darfur region. Italian authorities said at the time that none of the group were genuine refugees. Italy, with its long and porous coastline, is a major target for migrants seeking to enter Europe.

'No crime'
Mr Bierdel, as well as the ship's captain and first officer, were arrested and held for days after the ship docked in Sicily. The Cap Anamur group, which helps refugees worldwide, defended the actions of the three men. "We are convinced that the defendants were acting in humanitarian interests and in no way violated humanitarian law," the organisation said in a statement. "Rescuing refugees stranded at sea cannot and should not be a crime." The defendants face up to 12 years in prison if found guilty of trafficking immigrants as well as a hefty fine of 15,000 euros ($20,000) per immigrant brought into the country. The next hearing is due to take place on 11 December.

Jordan's king warns of civil wars BBC News
Jordan's King Abdullah has warned that three civil wars could break out in the Middle East unless the international community takes urgent action. Speaking on US TV, he said conflicts in Lebanon, Iraq and the Palestinian territories could spin out of control. King Abdullah is this week hosting both the US president and the Iraqi prime minister for talks against a backdrop of escalating violence in Iraq. The issue will also feature when the Iraqi president visits Iran on Monday. The trip was due to take place at the weekend, but was delayed due to the curfew imposed in Baghdad after a series of deadly car bombings last week - the bloodiest attacks since the US-led invasion of 2003. Pedestrians were allowed back on to the streets of the Iraqi capital on Sunday and the ban on vehicles was lifted on Monday morning.

'Three wars'
"We could possibly imagine going into 2007 and having three civil wars on our hands," King Abdullah told ABC television. "It is time that we really take a strong step forward as part of the international community and make sure we avert the Middle East from a tremendous crisis that I fear and I see could possibly happen in 2007." King Abdullah said the central issue in the region remained the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. "Palestine is the core," he said. "It is linked to the extent of what's going on in Iraq." "It is linked to what's going on in Lebanon. It is linked to the issues that we find ourselves with the Syrians. So, if you want to do comprehensive - comprehensive means bringing all the parties of the region together." A ceasefire between Palestinian militant groups and the Israeli military is currently in place in Gaza. Under the deal, which came into effect on Sunday, militant groups have promised to end rocket attacks and Israel has agreed to halt hostilities. But three rockets were fired into Israel after the ceasefire began and Israel, while pledging restraint, has also warned that military operations in Gaza will resume if the rockets do not stop. And on Monday in the West Bank a Palestinian militant and a woman were killed in an Israeli operation, Israeli and Palestinian officials said. In Lebanon, tensions between pro- and anti-Syrian groups in parliament have also escalated following the killing on Tuesday of Industry Minister Pierre Gemayel. Many Lebanese accuse Damascus of orchestrating the murder of the 34-year-old Maronite Christian politician, although Syria explicitly denies any involvement.

Bigger picture
King Abdullah will host US President George W Bush and Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Maliki in Amman later this week. He said the US should look at the big picture in seeking a resolution to the problems in Iraq and bring in all of the region, including Syria and Iran. He said if a regional peace process did not develop soon, "there won't be anything to talk about". Pressure is growing on the Bush administration to include Iran and Syria in helping curb the violence in neighbouring Iraq. Iraqi President Jalal Talabani is heading for Tehran on Monday for talks aimed at securing Tehran's aid in calming the sectarian violence. Last week there was talk of a summit convened by Iran to discuss Iraq involving the presidents of Syria, Iraq and Iran, says the BBC's Frances Harrison in Teheran. This was an idea which caused huge interest because of US suggestions that it might be time to have direct talks with Iran and Syria on Iraq. But such talks look unlikely now, our correspondent adds. On Sunday, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said his government would be prepared to assist if the US stops "bullying" Tehran, which rejects Washington's allegations that it is seeking to build nuclear weapons.