The nation is in grief and in a state of mourning.

President Olusegun Obasanjo

President Obasanjo reaffirmed a pledge to conduct a full inquiry into the crash and visited Emir Ado Bayero, Kano's traditional ruler, to express his condolences. 

The Nigerian Red Cross said at least 148 bodies had been recovered and 49 people were seriously injured, while hundreds of others had been made homeless. 

Not publicised

President Obasanjo pledged $86,000 of federal government funds to compensate families of the victims. 

Nigeria has had several disasters since Obasanjo took power

The BBC's Ado Saleh Kankia in Kano says many locals were not aware of the president's presence. 

The visit was not publicised in advance, and took place under heavy security. 

Our correspondent says the government was probably keen to avoid a repetition of the trouble sparked by Vice-President Atiku Abubakar's visit on Saturday. 

Police used teargas to disperse opposition supporters who disrupted a speech by Mr Abubakar and pelted his convoy with stones. 

Survivors

Spontaneous street protests broke out over the weekend at the crash site - where the plane had ploughed through tin-roofed houses, a mosque and a Koranic school. 

Four people on board the plane are reported to have survived - one female crew member, and three passengers, one of whom was a Lebanese national, officials from the privately-owned EAS airline said. 

One of the survivors, Najib Ibrahim, told the BBC's Network Africa, that he prayed as the plane came down. 

"After a few seconds I unfastened my seatbelt and jumped outside," he said. "People don't believe I'm alive." 

One of those who died was Sports Minister Ishaya Mark Aku. 

He had been on his way to Lagos to see a World Cup warm-up match for Nigeria's footballers. 

Flags at half mast

After the crash President Obasanjo called for an "immediate and detailed investigation" into the crash, involving foreign experts if required. 

The president ordered flags to fly at half mast "as a mark of honour to the deceased". 

Residents want to know how this happened

This is the worst aviation disaster in Nigeria since 1966 when a domestic flight crashed near Lagos with a loss of 142 lives. 

Nigeria deregulated its airline industry in the mid-1980s and about a dozen private companies, including EAS, sprang up to compete with state carrier Nigeria Airways. 

Correspondents say there are concerns about the use of older aircraft by the private domestic carriers, and some foreign embassies have forbidden their staff from flying on certain airlines because of safety concerns. 

In April, the Nigerian Government announced a ban on the use of aircraft more than 22 years old, a move that triggered strong protests from private local airline operators.

Marc Ravalomanana took the oath of office in front of a crowd of 100,000 people, significantly including western diplomats, in the capital, Antananarivo. 

I solemnly take an oath before God, the nation and the people that I will assume the functions of President of the Republic

Marc Ravalomanana

This is the second time that Mr Ravalomanana has taken the oath of office but the BBC's Alastair Leithead in Antananarivo says this time he has legal backing. 

Mr Ravalomanana claimed victory in last December's elections, although official results said that neither candidate had won outright. 

Last week, a recount gave the self-made millionaire and mayor of the capital, 51% of the vote. 

New talks

At Monday's ceremony, the president of the High Constitutional Court placed the sash of red, green and white, the colours of the Malagasy flag, over Mr Ravalomanana's shoulders, before declaring him president. 

"I solemnly take an oath before God, the nation and the people that I will assume the functions of President of the Republic following the Constitution and the laws of the state for the good of all inhabitants," said Mr Ravalomanana. 

Ratsiraka does not recognise his rival's victory

A new round of talks between the bitter rivals will be held next week in Senegal in a bid to solve the long-running dispute which has brought Madagascar's economy to a standstill. 

The Senegalese President, Abdoulaye Wade, said the talks would be held on 13-14 May, the French news agency, AFP, reports. 

The two men signed a deal in the Senegalese capital, Dakar, last month, but it has not been implemented. 

Exile

Representatives from western powers attended the ceremony. 

Our correspondent says this shows the international community is starting to lean towards Mr Ravalomanana after being largely neutral up to now. 

However, the ambassadors of former colonial ruler France and the United States were not present. 

Ravalomanana enjoys massive support in the capital

Mr Ratsiraka has dismissed the ceremony - the second time Mr Ravalomanana has been sworn in since December's vote - as a second coup d'etat. 

To coincide with the ceremony, Mr Ratsiraka was planning to hold a special meeting of his government which is now in exile at Tamatave in the east of the island. 

In recent months, the Indian Ocean state has been increasingly, and sometimes violently, split between supporters of the two men. 

Festive lights

The Organisation of African Unity - which has been trying to broker an agreement - has failed to come out in support of either man. 

Festive lights - usually reserved for the country's Independence Day celebrations - decorated the streets of Antananarivo ahead of the swearing-in ceremony. 

Efforts by his government in exile and provincial governors to destabilise Antananarivo and its new president are continuing. 

For months, a blockade between the capital and the main port has starved the city of fuel and crippled its manufacturing industry and thus its economy. 

Governors of most of the provinces outside Mr Ravalomanana's base of Antananarivo are continuing with their plans for secession to a confederation of independent states. 

His three sons laid him to rest next to his father in accordance with his last wishes. 

Mr Egal, 80, died in South Africa on Friday while undergoing surgery at a military hospital. 

The self-declared republic of Somaliland broke away from the rest of Somalia in 1991. 

Mr Egal was elected president in 1993 but the break-away republic was never recognised by the international community. 

Holy words

Around 4,000 people attended the funeral, an eye-witness told the BBC's Hassan Barise in the Somali capital, Mogadishu by telephone. 

The governments of Ethiopia and Djibouti were represented, said businessman Abdullahi Aden Hirsi. 

The Ethiopian delegation was led by the deputy minister of foreign affairs. 

Our correspondent says that Ethiopia is trying to divide Somalia and supports Somaliland's independence, while Djibouti is pushing for Somali unity. 

Mr Egal's long time opponents, Suleman Gal and Ahmed Silanyo, were also there. 

The vice-president of Somaliland, Dahir Riyale Kahin, was inaugurated as the new leader on Friday. 

Although seven days of national mourning have been declared, our correspondent says that flags are not flying at half-mast because the emblem includes holy Islamic words. 

Power-struggle

Mr Egal, who had been undergoing treatment for a number of ailments - ranging from rheumatism and hypertension to diabetes and cancer - died from what are described as complications following surgery. 

Mohamed Egal had just had his term of office extended for another year in a final bid to secure the international recognition he craved. 

Somaliland managed to avoid the descent into anarchy seen in the rest of Somalia but our correspondent says that Mr Egal's death raises fears of a power-struggle and possible instability. 

Mr Kahin comes from the Gudabirsi clan, whereas Mr Egal was a member of Somaliland's dominant Issak clan. 

Civilians have been streaming from the violence-hit towns north of the western provincial town of Quibdo in Choco state. 

Many of the casualties are children

Leftist rebels from the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) have been battling paramilitaries of the United Self-Defence Forces of Colombia (AUC) for control of the area, long abandoned by the state. 

In an attack blamed on FARC guerrillas, a home-made mortar bomb was dropped onto a crowded church in the Choco town of Bojaya on Thursday, killing at least 60 people who were sheltering inside. 

'Terrorist' attack

The UN High Commissioner's Human Rights Office in Colombia has issued a statement defining this as a war crime, while Colombian President Andres Pastrana has accused the rebels of genocide. 

Pope John Paul II condemned the attack as an "act of terrorism" by rebels who "respect neither people nor sacred places". 

Other victims were killed in crossfire between the rebels and the AUC, in an area without police or army posts. 

The massacre has already happened and now Pastrana gets here

Saul Olaya Quibdo resident

Mr Pastrana held emergency security talks in Quibdo and has deployed thousands of troops in the region, amid widespread anger at his government's failure to act sooner. 

Church bomb

Survivors of the fighting at the river towns of Bojaya and Vigia del Fuerte who reached Quibdo recounted scenes of horror. 

"Those who couldn't, well, they were buried... My girlfriend didn't make it out," he said. 

The Colombian army, which is believed to be sending about 4,000 soldiers to the area, estimates there are between 800 and 1,200 FARC guerrillas and 500-600 AUC fighters there. 

'Warning ignored'

As the heavily armed soldiers set off from Quibdo, local people voiced anger at the army's three-day delay in responding. 

"The massacre has already happened and now Pastrana gets here," shouted Saul Olaya, a local resident. 

"Children have arrived here severely burned. It makes you want to weep," he said. 

The combat zone has long been out of state control

"If there is a military solution, why didn't they use it two years ago when they know about the presence of armed groups?" asked the priest, Albeiro Parra, in an interview with a local newspaper. 

Colombia's human rights ombudsman, Eduardo Cifuentes, blamed the tragedy on the lack of government forces in the region. 

United Nations officials have said they warned the government that a tragedy was about to occur after reports that AUC forces had entered the area. 

"It is lamentable that the government authorities ignored the early warning," the UN said in a statement quoted by The Associated Press. 

'Emergency'

Bojaya's mayor, Ariel Palacio, has said the town is facing a sanitary emergency, with large numbers of the injured still waiting for treatment, and decomposing corpses piling up. 

Helicopters have been transporting casualties to the city of Medellin. 

At least 35,000 people have been killed over the last decade of violence in Colombia, and about two million people have fled their homes. 

Thousands of cheering supporters mobbed her as she arrived at the headquarters of her party, the National League for Democracy (NLD), after being driven from her lakeside villa in Rangoon. 

My release should not be looked at as a major breakthrough for democracy. For all people in Burma to enjoy basic freedom - that would be the major breakthrough

Aung San Suu Kyi

World leaders have welcomed the development. 

United States Secretary of State Colin Powell said he was "very pleased that she has been released and allowed to participate in political life once again". 

The European Union's foreign policy chief, Javier Solana, said he hoped Burma could now begin the process of reintegration into the international community. 

The United Nations Secretary General, Kofi Annan, described the release as a "major development". 

In a speech to jubilant supporters at the NLD headquarters, Aung San Suu Kyi said: "It's a new dawn for the country... we only hope the dawn will move very quickly. 

"I hope to be able to carry out all my duties for my party and my country in the best possible way." 

'Cautiously optimistic'

The BBC's Larry Jagan in Rangoon said Aung San Suu Kyi appeared hesitant at first, but "was soon back to her old self, quipping with journalists". 

"She was really in her element in front of the journalists and talking to her reporters," he said. 

Aung San Suu Kyi made it clear she regarded the military government's decision to free her as only the beginning of a political process. 

"My release should not be looked at as a major breakthrough for democracy. For all people in Burma to enjoy basic freedom - that would be the major breakthrough," she said. 

Asked when she believed democracy would come to her homeland, she replied: "I hope not in too many more years." 

She said talks between the military government and the opposition had progressed to the stage where they could begin to tackle policy issues. 

"The phase of confidence-building is over and we look forward to moving ahead," she said. 

UN envoy Razali Ismail brokered the talks

She added: "Most of the changes over the past 18 months have benefited the NLD, but it is not for the NLD but for the people of Burma that we are struggling for freedom. 

"We have been disappointed at the slow pace of release of political prisoners. The releases are important." 

One celebrating supporter, who did not want to be named, said: "I am very proud of her. She is our national heroine. Now Burma is very poor but when she rules our country I think it will become better." 

Secret talks

Aung San Suu Kyi returned home after three hours of talks with party leaders and later went to pray at Rangoon's Shwedagon Pagoda, the most important Buddhist shrine in Burma. 

Mr Razali, speaking in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, predicted that Burma would have an elected government "in a couple of years". 

However, the BBC's South-East Asia correspondent, Jonathan Head, says the generals have yet to spell out any plans to share power with the opposition. 

	Aung San Suu Kyi's political life 1988: Returns to Burma during political upheaval  1990: Her party elected to power, result ignored by army  1991: Awarded Nobel Peace Prize  1995-2000: Release from house arrest  2000: Begins secret talks with generals Click here for full profile

Aung San Suu Kyi won an overwhelming victory in Burma's last democratic elections in 1990, but was never allowed to take power. 

The junta said her release was "starting a new page" for the people of Burma. 

Burma has faced international isolation and economic sanctions over the issue and over its human rights record. 

The government began secret talks with Aung San Suu Kyi in October 2000, but in recent weeks the international community has been voicing its impatience at the lack of progress. 

Aung San Suu Kyi, the daughter of assassinated independence hero Aung San, was held under house arrest from 1989 to 1995. 

But her release in 1995 did not herald any political change, and she was again placed under house arrest in 2000, when she tried to travel by train to Mandalay in defiance of restrictions put on her.

A statement carried by the official news agency in Pyongyang blamed South Korean Foreign Minister Choi Sung-Hong for making "reckless remarks" during a visit to Washington in April. 

He waved his tail like a shaggy dog sticking his chin out to its master

North Korean radio

Mr Choi had suggested that by "carrying a big stick" the United States had helped push North Korea back into talks with the South. 

As South Korea had failed to apologise, it was "impossible" for the planned economic talks to go ahead, the North Korean statement said. 

It added that Seoul should "own due responsibility". 

'Shabby and ugly act'

A report broadcast on North Korea's state-run radio on Monday said Mr Choi had "insulted and betrayed" Koreans with his comments. 

"He waved his tail like a shaggy dog sticking his chin out to its master when he visited the United States. He engaged in such a shabby and ugly act as selling the interest of the country and nation and insulting his fellow countrymen," the report said. 

Mr Choi distanced himself from his comments on Monday and urged the North to reconsider its decision to abandon talks. 

"I already explained what I had really intended to comment through media. I really hope the North will come to talks with the South and with the United States," he told Yonhap news agency. 

The South's unification ministry also issued a statement expressing regret over the decision and urging Pyongyang to resume talks soon. 

The Koreas, which have been divided since 1945, share the world's most heavily armed border. 

The secretive Communist state in the north has suffered from a collapsing economy and famine in recent years and recently made historic overtures to both the United States and Japan.

By Caroline Gluck  BBC correspondent in Seoul

South Korea's President Kim Dae-jung has resigned from the governing Millennium Democratic Party he founded, and apologised again for a series of corruption scandals involving his three sons and close aides. 

In a statement, he said he had decided to leave the party to free himself from domestic politics and devote himself to state affairs, including the forthcoming World Cup and key elections later this year. 

President Kim's announcement had been widely predicted but mounting public anger over the growing political scandals proved the decisive factor. 

The president's sons are alleged to have been involved in a series of influence peddling scandals involving businessmen and one of them is expected to present himself for questioning by prosecutors. 

Kim Dae-jung's decision to leave the MDP is intended to distance himself from the party and to create political neutrality in the run-up to local and presidential elections later this year. 

The president is constitutionally barred from seeking a second term. 

Analysts say President Kim's announcement is expected to make little difference to daily Korean politics. 

He had quit the leadership of his party last November, with younger members successfully pushing for a series of reforms. 

It has also been a pattern in Korean politics over the past few years for the head of state to sever his ties with the governing party in the last stage of the presidency and to become a politically neutral figure. 

The jury selection process marks the final stage of preparation for the trial. 

Barring a last-minute deal, Andersen will on Tuesday appear in a Houston court charged with obstructing justice during an official investigation into the accounts of bankrupt energy firm Enron. 

A guilty verdict could finish off the embattled audit company, which has lost hundreds of clients worth about $1bn in annual revenues since the crisis began. 

Shredded evidence

The charges against Andersen stem from its admission late last year that some of its executives shredded documents relating to Enron, one of its most high-profile audit clients. 

Some of the documents were destroyed after US stock market regulators had opened an inquiry into Enron's accounts. 

Andersen is expected to argue in court that the executives responsible for shredding the documents did so of their own accord, without the knowledge of top-level management. 

But the prosecution, which has persuaded the Andersen executive in charge of the Enron account to give evidence on its behalf, is thought to have a strong case. 

The trial is expected to last three weeks. 

Fallen giant

Houston-based Enron, one of the most dazzling corporate success stories of the 1990s, filed for bankruptcy in December after it emerged that the firm had hidden millions of dollars in debt using a series of complex external partnerships. 

Andersen's failure to spot irregularities in Enron's books severely damaged its reputation, and triggered a crisis of confidence in the audit industry. 

Investors expressed concerns that auditors may turn a blind eye to accounting glitches in order to secure lucrative consulting work from their corporate clients. 

Andersen's attempts at negotiating a settlement with federal prosecutors failed earlier this year. 

And last month, a US judge turned down a request from Andersen's lawyers to delay the trial on the grounds that negative media coverage of the Enron affair would affect the jury's impartiality. 

Some jurors are to be selected from areas outside Houston, so as to avoid possible anti-Enron bias within the city itself. 

Under US jury selection procedures, each side is given the chance to object to the other's choice of juror. 

Civil action

Andersen is facing a separate civil lawsuit from a group of aggrieved Enron investors and former employees, many of whom lost their retirement savings when the company collapsed. 

The fallout of the Enron affair has severely damaged the Andersen brand, with many of its partnerships outside the US choosing to merge with one or other of the audit firm's global rivals. 

Andersen is the smallest of the five global accounting groups. The other four are Ernst & Young, Deloitte & Touche, KPMG, and PwC. 

The industrial city of Stuttgart was the location for the first in what IG Metall, the country's most powerful union, is intending to be a series of one-day stoppages. 

Porsche make the best sports cars in the world and we're proud of that... But without the workers, there wouldn't be a company

Uwe Huck Porsche plant workers' council

But some analysts - not to mention some of the politicians, with a tight general election due in September - say the action could snuff out the nascent recovery in Europe's biggest economy. 

Rolling action

Unlike previous strikes, IG Metall is trying out a new tactic with "flexible strikes" spread across the country. 

Monday's action, which shut down luxury carmaker Porsche's Stuttgart plant and affected about 20 other companies, was kicked off by workers who failed to turn up for the night shift at a Daimler-Chrysler Mercedes factory in Sindelfingen. 

Zwickel: 'We're ready to talk straight away'

Speaking in sub-zero temperatures early on Monday, union leader Klaus Zwickel told to the strikers sipping coffee that he was open to new talks as long as employers were ready to beat their previous offer of 3.3% over 15 months. 

But amid cheers he said that the strike would continue "until we get an acceptable result, acceptable to those who voted to strike". 

Even louder acclamation greeted the head of the plant's workers' council, Uwe Huck. 

"Porsche make the best sports cars in the world and we're proud of that," he told his colleagues. 

"Zwickel won't get a new offer from us... We went to the upper limit of what we could manage with our offer

Ottmar Zwiebelhofer employers' chief negotiator

With margins of 13%, he said, "How can they say there's no money there?" 

Nothing more to offer?

The company, meanwhile - along with the rest of the employers' federation - says it can't afford to do more. 

"Zwickel won't get a new offer from us," said Ottmar Zwiebelhofer, the chief negotiator for the employers in the southern state of Baden-Wuerttemberg, on ARD television. 

"We went to the upper limit of what we could manage with our offer." 

And employers also warn that the system of nationwide pay bargaining which still persists in Germany could suffer a fatal blow as a result of the strike. 

More and more companies were giving up on the system, and the strike could drive sector-wide agreements to the wall, one employers' representative said. 

As for the politicians, Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder's Social Democratic Party is traditionally an ally of the unions. 

But given September's stiff challenge from conservative leader Edmund Stoiber, he trod carefully, he pushed for talks to resume immediately. 

"I hope they can return to the negotiating table quickly to reach a result that is reasonable for the economy but takes into consideration the expectations of the employees," Schroeder told the Leipziger Volkszeitung newspaper. 

Pay talks

IG Metall called the strike after its demand for a 4% pay increase was met with an offer of a one-off payment of 190 euros for the first two months, and a pay rise of 3.3% for the next 13 months. 

In a secret ballot, union members gave strike action their overwhelming support

Economists have called for wage restraints, insisting that any rise above 3% would pose an inflationary threat. 

Rolling on

Later in the week the union plans to target another 60 firms in the east German states of Berlin and Brandenburg. 

The IG Metall union, which has 2.7 million members, said Monday's strike would mean 2,100 fewer cars would be produced. 

Monday's action in Germany's industrial heartland could cost the country up to 40m euros, according to IG Metall. 

Gesamtmetall, the metal industry federation, has threatened lock-outs if the strikes escalate. 

Election year

IG Metall exerts a powerful influence on annual pay negotiations in Germany's key manufacturing and engineering industries. 

Pay deals in the metals industry have a wider importance, as they tend to set the tone for settlements in other industries. 

And the strike could well be affect the future of Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, who faces a general election this September. 

Already, economic issues have moved to the top of the election agenda. 

Germany is Europe's largest economy, accounting for more than a third of the eurozone's economic activity.

Jean-Pierre Raffarin: A strong defender of free markets

Buoyed by a resounding victory, French President Jacques Chirac has chosen a little-known moderate senator, Jean-Pierre Raffarin, as his new prime minister. 

Mr Raffarin, from the centre-right Liberal Democracy Party, will have the task of rallying right-wing voters and wooing the fragmented left in the run-up to next month's parliamentary election. 

Jospin (left) had five years of uneasy "cohabitation" with Chirac

A former businessman experienced in public relations, he is seen as a grass-roots consensus politician. His only previous national post was as minister for small businesses from 1995 to 1997. 

He was named shortly after defeated socialist Lionel Jospin went to the Elysee Palace to resign formally as prime minister - two weeks after his shock elimination from the presidential race. 

Mr Chirac went on to win a landslide victory, taking more than 82% of the vote in Sunday's second-round poll, leaving his far-right National Front rival, Jean-Marie Le Pen, trailing on 18%. 

Final results

Chirac - 82.21%  Le Pen - 17.79%  Voter turnout - 79.71%

Mr Chirac, who spent five years sharing power in an awkward "cohabitation" with Mr Jospin, is looking to Mr Raffarin to deliver a victory for the right in the 9 and 16 June elections to the National Assembly. The left-dominated parliament remains in place until then. 

Campaign role

Mr Raffarin, 53, played a leading role in Mr Chirac's re-election campaign. Correspondents say Mr Chirac may have chosen him for his moderate image and perceived distance from the metropolitan elite. 

Mr Le Pen's shock success in the first round has been seen as a sign that many voters feel alienated from national politics. 

We must now listen more closely to the needs of our citizens

Socialist Party spokesman Vincent Peillon

The mass street protests in opposition to Mr Le Pen after the first round have led some observers to predict a backlash in favour of the left in next month's elections. 

But French opinion polls released on Sunday night suggested that centre-right parties backing the president would win a small majority in the National Assembly. 

Voters' relief

The BBC's James Coomarasamy reports from Paris that many of those celebrating victory on Sunday night were cheering the defeat of the far right rather than the success of Mr Chirac. 

Chirac needs to take the concerns of his country far more seriously

Michael, Canada  E-mail your views on the result

Mr Chirac scored a mere 20% in the first round - a record low for a front-runner - but his margin of victory in the second round was the biggest ever in a French presidential election. 

Mr Chirac hailed a defeat for "intolerance and demagoguery". 

"We have gone through a time of serious anxiety for the country - but tonight France has reaffirmed its attachment to the values of the republic," he said. 

Fighting crime

In his victory speech, he said the top priority for the new government would be the fight against crime. 

"Freedom means security, it means the fight against violence... Reducing violence is the first priority of the state in the times to come," he said. 

Mr Le Pen called his defeat a setback for "the hopes of the French" - but he pointed out his share of the vote had risen from the 16.86% achieved in round one. 

Saying that France was in the hands of "robbers" - a reference to sleaze allegations that have dogged Mr Chirac - he pledged to continue the fight in next month's parliamentary election. 

Russia is marking 80 years of counterintelligence

The head of Russia's counter-intelligence service has said there has been a rise in the number of foreign agents spying on Russia. 

In a rare interview with Russia's Itar-Tass news agency, Colonel-General Oleg Syromolotov said his country was now seen as a priority target for many of the world's intelligence services. 

President Putin is a former KGB head

Speaking as the country marks the 80th anniversary of its counter-intelligence service, he said foreign spies had been operating against Russia in a "more aggressive, more conspiratorial and more sophisticated way". 

Mr Syromolotov is the deputy chief of Russia's intelligence service, the FSB, which is the main successor of the Soviet-era KGB. 

He also heads the organisation's counterintelligence arm, the DKR. 

He said that 14 foreign agents had been caught red-handed by DKR personnel in the past two years, and that ten of those were staff members of foreign intelligence agencies. 

Computer spying

In the same two-year period, some 260 staff members of foreign secret services were "identified and put under watch", Mr Syromolotov said. 

There has also been a sharp rise in computer-related espionage, with frequent attempts to break in to secret Russian databases, he said. 

Speaking about DKR involvement in the counterterrorism operation in the North Caucasus, he said that FSB operations groups, and anti-terrorist and counterintelligence subunits were constantly working in Chechnya. 

"Cases have been discovered where Chechen extremists were supported by people working for the intelligence services of Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Iran and Pakistan", Mr Syromolotov said.

Seven soldiers were also wounded, Algerian newspapers reported. 

About 50 members of the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat (GSPC) were blamed for the assault, which happened on a track running through Mirzana forest, some 100 km (60 miles) east of the capital Algiers. 

The rebels reportedly halted a military convoy with a bomb planted on the track and then opened fire with automatic weapons. 

Violence accelerates

The government said the killings were part of an attempt to disrupt parliamentary elections on 30 May. 

Nearly 50 people have been killed since the beginning of the month. 

The ambush also coincided with an operation by the military in a nearby forest in which dozens of GSPC members have been killed in the past two weeks. 

The operation is part of a three-month government offensive to root out rebels. 

Algeria's bloody civil war began in 1992 when authorities cancelled a parliamentary election in which radical Islamists were front-runners. 

Up to 150,000 lives have been lost in the 10 years since. 

Prison blaze

Meanwhile, another fire at an Algerian jail has injured 10 prisoners, Reuters news agency reports officials as saying. 

The fire broke out at the Boussouf jail in Constantine, about 200 miles east of Algeria. 

It is the fourth blaze at an Algerian prison in five weeks. 

A cell in El Harrach prison

On Saturday, at least 20 prisoners and four wardens were injured in a fire at El Harrach prison that broke out after a brawl. 

On 30 April, 19 prisoners were killed at Serkadji prison in the capital. 

A previous fire in Chelghoum El Aid, east Algeria, killed 22. 

Human rights activists blame overcrowded conditions for the fires. 

Few details of the proposed deal have emerged, but it appears that about 40 Palestinians who are wanted by Israel will be sent either into exile in Italy or into custody in the Gaza Strip. 

The curfew was lifted for several hours as negotiators took a rest after late-night talks

President Bush has demanded a full Israeli withdrawal from Palestinian-ruled areas. 

The BBC's Peter Biles in Bethlehem says the sticking point at the moment appears to be the number of Palestinians who will go to Italy. 

The others in the church - who include clerics and civilians - are expected to be allowed to go free. 

Click here for Bethlehem siege timeline

Elsewhere in Bethlehem, the Israelis say they have arrested 13 Palestinian activists. 

In renewed confrontations in the Gaza Strip, four Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces. 

Ramallah revisited?

Since 2 April, the Israelis have been trying to force the militants in the church to surrender for trial by Israel or exile for their alleged role in attacks on Israeli civilians. 

As news of a possible deal emerged late on Sunday, Palestinian police were told to prepare to go to Manger Square to collect weapons from those who eventually emerge from the church. 

Israel says three Palestinian leaders have been assigned to help the army with the weapons confiscation and to organise the evacuation of the church. 

The Pope's special envoy was sent to help reach a settlement last week

Another report said that, according to the deal outlined by the Palestinians, the men would be imprisoned in Gaza and guarded by US and British jailers - similar to the agreement brokered to end Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's confinement in Ramallah last week. 

The outline accord, negotiated with the help of foreign mediators would, if implemented, resolve the last major confrontation in the Israeli military offensive against Palestinian militants. 

Among those involved in efforts to end the stand-off is the Pope's special envoy Cardinal Roger Etchegaray, who arrived in the Middle East last week. 

The Israeli military's curfew in Bethlehem was lifted for several hours early on Monday, but there was no sign of activity at the Church of the Nativity. 

Sharon peace plan

Mr Sharon, who is due to begin talks with senior US officials on Monday, has taken with him details of what he calls "a serious plan, maybe the most serious" to end the conflict with the Palestinians. 

Sharon is seeking to sideline Arafat

The Israeli leader is seeking the president's support to sideline Mr Arafat - a move that the Bush administration has so far resisted. 

When he sees Mr Bush on Tuesday, he is expected to give him a collection of documents which officials say proves links between Mr Arafat and terrorist organisations. 

The documents have been dismissed as "lies and fabrications" by leading Palestinians. 

It will be Mr Sharon's fifth visit to the White House since he was elected last February. Mr Arafat has yet to receive an invitation. 

Cycle of confrontation

In renewed bloodshed in the Gaza Strip, four Palestinians were killed in two separate incidents. 

An Israeli army statement said the "terrorists" were trying to infiltrate Israel. 

Palestinian sources said two of the dead were members of Islamic Jihad, while the other two belonged to Hamas. 

The Palestinian leadership... is not the kind that can lead to the kind of Palestinian state that we need

Condoleezza Rice US national security adviser

Correspondents say many of President Bush's more right-wing supporters, including some senior Congressmen, would like to see America cut its ties with Yasser Arafat. 

Ms Rice was speaking just before the arrival in Washington of Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon who is due to hold talks with President George W Bush on Tuesday. 

Rice's tough line does not mean the US wants to jettison Arafat just yet

Mr Sharon is reported to be carrying with him a 91-page report which the Israelis say links Mr Arafat to recent suicide bombings. 

"We are going to be very clear that the Palestinian leadership that is there now, the Authority, is not the kind of leadership that can lead to the kind of Palestinian state that we need," said Ms Rice. 

The administration would examine Mr Sharon's documents on the Palestinian leader, she added. 

"I assume that the Israeli prime minister is going to give the documents that he believes to be true," she said. "That's good enough for us." 

The BBC's Justin Webb reports from Washington, however, that the open hostility towards Mr Arafat expressed by Ms Rice and other US officials does not mean the Bush administration is about to abandon him. 

When Mr Sharon sees President Bush on Tuesday, he is likely to be politely but firmly told that, for the time being, the administration is keeping Yasser Arafat in the frame. 

Israel's obligations

Ms Rice said there was a "window of opportunity" for a political solution to the Middle East conflict but the US would be asking Arab and European states to put pressure on Mr Arafat. 

The settler issue goes to the heart of the conflict

US Secretary of State Colin Powell said that while Mr Sharon's case against Mr Arafat would be considered, the Israelis would have to make progress on the ground. 

"Something has to be done" about Jewish settlements, he said, and he was sceptical about Israeli plans to fence off the Palestinian territories. 

"I don't know if you're going to solve the problem with a fence unless you're solving the underlying problems of the Palestinians feeling disenfranchised," he said. 

The vote came as eight people died and 45 others were injured in fresh violence overnight in the state capital, Ahmedabad. 

Once the parliament passes a resolution by consensus, it is a notice to the Gujarat government to act

Atal Behari Vajpayee,  Indian PM

The opposition has accused the government of failing to protect Muslims during the worst rioting in India in more than 10 years. 

"Wherever required, strictness will be shown. At the same time, the focus will be put on relief and rehabilitation measures," Home Minister LK Advani told MPs. 

Heated debate

Last week, the Indian Government defeated an opposition motion in the lower house seeking to censure it over the riots. 

But it decided to support a similar motion in the upper house because it lacked the numbers to defeat it. 

Speaking in the upper house, Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee promised to take steps to quell the violence in Gujarat. 

"Once the parliament passes a resolution by consensus, it is a notice to the Gujarat government to act," Mr Vajpayee said. 

But he rejected opposition calls for the removal of the Gujarat Chief Minister, Narendra Modi, who belongs to the prime minister's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). 

"What will a change of leadership do?" 

The BJP has been under tremendous pressure to replace Mr Modi, who is accused of complicity in the riots. 

Although it won the lower house vote by 94 votes last week, a number of the government's key allies chose to register their protest by abstaining. 

Rising toll

Sporadic violence has continued in Gujarat since February when Hindus targeted Muslims in widespread rioting. 

It followed an attack by Muslims on Hindu activists returning from Ayodhya, where hardliners want to build a Hindu temple on the ruins of a demolished mosque. 

Last week, police said the official death toll had reached 905. 

Human rights organisations say at least 2,000 have died, and many more have been forced to remain in refugee camps in Gujarat, unable to go back to their homes. 

We estimate around 650 rebels have been killed since Thursday

Achhyut Wagle, adviser to the prime minister

Hundreds of soldiers and policemen, supported with aerial firepower from armed helicopters, continued their offensive against the Maoists, after intense fighting on Sunday night. 

Officials say these operations, launched last Thursday, have dealt a severe blow by killing possibly hundreds of rebels. 

Some official claims have in the past proved to have been exaggerated, and with no comments being made by the Maoists themselves, these figures can not be independently verified. 

Major victory

Nepal prime minister's adviser Achhyut Wagle said on Monday the exact casualty figures could only be known once the troops returned to their bases from the mountainous area of operation. 

Mr Deuba's strategy may be paying off

However, he said judging from the bodies recovered, and signs of other bodies that were "dragged away by the rebels", a major defeat had been inflicted on the Maoists. 

"We estimate around 650 rebels have been killed since Thursday," he told the BBC, "of them, over 200 were killed in Sunday's operations which continued overnight." 

The defence ministry says an accurate assessment of the losses inflicted on the rebels has been hampered by difficult terrain and bad weather. 

But citing circumstantial evidence, it said at least 350 rebels may have been killed in the current assaults. 

Nepalese newspapers say as many as 600 Maoists may have been killed in what appears to be the largest single offensive against the Maoists in the six years of the insurgency. 

The army says its soldiers seized training manuals and food supplies from rebel bases. 

Human rights groups have expressed their fears for the safety of civilians in the area and have asked for access to them. 

Increased credibility

Correspondents say this reported success would strengthen Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba's position in his talks with US President George Bush on Tuesday, and British Prime Minister Tony Blair later in the week. 

The conflict has claimed thousand of lives

Mr Deuba left Kathmandu for the US on Sunday and plans to seek both military and economic aid to crush the rebellion and rebuild Nepal's fragile economy. 

During a recent visit to Nepal, US Secretary of State Colin Powell promised unspecified help to Mr Deuba's government. 

Now, with some visible success in the campaign against the rebels, Mr Deuba's plea for assistance would carry more weight in Western capitals. 

He said it now appeared nearly 400 people had been on board the vessel when it went down after a collision on the Meghna River near the south-eastern port of Chandpur. 

About 100 people were rescued or swam to safety. 

A shipping ministry statement says 169 bodies have so far been recovered in total, but some officials are privately speaking of as many as 300 dead. 

The salvage mission succeeded in partially raising the MV Salahuddin-2 early on Monday, after storms twice forced rescuers to abandon attempts to refloat the ferry on Sunday. 

Hundreds of onlookers and grief-stricken relatives remain on the river bank in the hope of identifying the bodies of their loved ones. 

Difficult task

Our job is made even harder because there are so many fishermen's nets entangled around the boat

Rescue diver

"We are overwhelmed with the new bodies and more are coming," one rescue official told the Associated Press. 

Divers have battled tough weather conditions to locate the upturned ferry, which lay 20 metres below the surface. 

They say the final toll may never be known, because some bodies will have been swept away by strong currents. 

Bad weather is hampering rescue efforts

There is still confusion as to exactly how many people were on the vessel, as ferries in Bangladesh rarely carry complete passenger lists. 

The government has called an inquiry into the latest incident, but previous attempts to regulate ferries and introduce stricter safety procedures have not been successful. 

Police estimated more than 30,000 people attended the Israel Solidarity Rally in Trafalgar Square. 

The event organisers said it was the UK's biggest show of support for the Middle East country for a generation. 

The aim is to say yes to peace and no to terror

Israel Solidarity Rally spokesman

The rally was organised to protest "for peace and the resumption of talks in the Middle East." 

A spokesman said it was not in support or otherwise of current Israeli Government policies, but simply to say there should be peace for the people of Israel. 

"The aim is to say yes to peace and no to terror," he said. 

History

The crowds gathered for the event carried Israeli flags, the Union flag and placards calling for an end to suicide bombings. 

A number of high profile speakers addressed the rally, including former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Labour MP Peter Mandelson, Conservative Deputy Leader and Shadow Foreign Secretary Michael Ancram, and Chief Rabbi Professor Jonathan Sacks. 

The question isn't whether Israel will fight but whether we will fight alone

Benjamin Netanyahu, former Israeli Prime Minister

He said if it had not been for Britain's resistance to Nazism, the course of history may have been very different. 

"Britain stands before another road now and it must choose between two opposing paths. The path of appeasing terror or the path of confronting terror," he said. 

He called on other nations to support Israel, saying: "Israel is determined to fight. The question isn't whether Israel will fight but whether we will fight alone." 

The only route to peace would be replacing Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat with a new leader, he added. 

'Vision of peace'

Peter Mandelson, Labour MP for Hartlepool, said the Israeli-Palestinian dispute could only be settled by both sides actively engaging in the peace process. 

"By building a peace process and rebuilding it and rebuilding it, every time it falters or fails we must demonstrate to those with legitimate grievances that they can achieve a just outcome - but only by pursuing a political route. 

Benjamin Netanyahu: "Replace Yasser Arafat"

"Politics not violence secures peoples' lives." 

The former Northern Ireland secretary said a vision of peace benefiting all had sustained the peace process. 

"In the Middle East, this vision is of an Israel secure within its borders, its existence unchallenged, its people never with their bags packed, never prepared to run again. 

"And it is the equivalent for the Palestinian people - a viable, independent state, one that brings not just freedom but responsibility too, fulfilling all the obligations of international law." 

The gathering was policed by up to 1,000 officers. 

Police said there had been some pushing and shoving but the event had passed peacefully and there had been no arrests. 

'Provocation'

But some Muslim groups said they found the timing of the event "offensive". 

Massoud Shadjareh, the chairman of the Islamic Human Rights Commission, said: "We feel that in the light of the recent massacres in Jenin it's extremely insensitive to organise a rally and blatantly say they support the state of Israel. 

"It's extremely offensive, not just to one community but to all of us who believe in certain absolute values." 

Kumar Murshid, chairman of the London Muslim Coalition, said the Israeli rally could not have come at a more insensitive time. 

He said: "People feel this is provocation. 

"If the purpose of this rally is to support the Israeli government and its position then it's clearly not a step in the direction of peace but quite the contrary. People feel very strongly about that." 

The Israeli Solidarity Rally spokesman said: "It's a shame the Muslim groups don't want to join in but we are calling for a resumption to peace talks, and we aren't going to be distracted by people looking to wind up trouble." 

Members of the organisation Jews for Justice for Peace were also staging a counter-demonstration. 

Unsigning the treaty will throw the United States into opposition against the most important new institution for enforcing human rights in 50 years

Kenneth Roth Human Rights Watch

The US has vehemently opposed the setting up of the ICC, fearing its soldiers and diplomats could be brought before the court which will hear cases of war crimes and crimes against humanity. 

The Washington Working Group on the ICC - an umbrella group of organisations supporting the court - said withdrawing from the treaty was a "rash action signalling to the world that America is turning its back on decades of US leadership in prosecuting war criminals since the Nuremberg trials." 

US 'undermined'

Judge Richard Goldstone, the first chief prosecutor at The Hague war crimes tribunal on the former Yugoslavia, echoed these sentiments saying: 

"I think it is a very backwards step. It is unprecedented which I think to an extent smacks of pettiness in the sense that it is not going to affect in any way the establishment of the international criminal court". 

"The US have really isolated themselves and are putting themselves into bed with the likes of China, the Yemen and other undemocratic countries," he added. 

US senior diplomat Pierre-Richard Prosper said the letter "neutralised" Mr Clinton's signature on the treaty. 

By unsigning the treaty, the US would no longer have to extradite people wanted by the court, he said. 

"What we've learnt from the war on terror is that rather than creating an international mechanism to deal with these issues it is better to organise an international mandate that authorises states to use their unilateral tools to tackle the problems we have," Mr Prosper said. 

US Secretary of State Colin Powell, announcing the decision on Sunday, said the court would undermine US judicial authority. 

He said it would be accountable to no higher authority - including the UN Security Council - and would be able "to second-guess the United States after we have tried somebody". 

'Wrong side of history'

For President George W Bush's critics, this decision serves as further proof of a unilateralist approach to foreign policy and puts him at odds with allies, including Canada and the European Union, which support the ICC. 

"The administration is putting itself on the wrong side of history," said Kenneth Roth, director of Human Rights Watch. 

"Unsigning the treaty will not stop the court. It will only throw the United States into opposition against the most important new institution for enforcing human rights in 50 years," he said. 

The court itself still has enough international support to begin work in The Hague next year - but without US backing, correspondents say it will be a far less powerful and effective player on the world stage.