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The funeral of former Chilian military ruler Augusto Pinochet is under way in the capital Santiago. His death on Sunday provoked widely different reactions across the country. The Chilian government has denied General Pinochet a state funeral. So the ceremony is being conducted with military honors. S C reports from Santiago.

The mourners were led by Augusto Pinochet's widow and other close relatives. / afternoon in emotional funeral service. The government was represented by Chili's defense minister who was booed by elements of the crowd. Supporters of the former military leader say he should be honored with a full state funeral. They were tributed from the general's daughter and grand-daughter who said it was the highest honor imaginable to bear the name Pinochet. A close friend said Mr. Pinochet had transformed Chile from a broken country into a great nation.

Negotiation is taking place at an emergency session of the United Nations Human Rights Council on the continuing fighting in the Sudanese region of Darfur. There has been a strong pressure on the newly formed body to take action. But a BBC correspondent at the meeting in Geneva says African council members have resisted condemning Sudan despite allegations of its involvement in atrocities in Darfur. The UN Secretary General Kofi Annan said the council must send a clear and united message to stop the violence.

A court in Ethiopia has convicted the former ruler Mengistu Haile Mariam of genocide for atrocities that he's accused of committing while in office. Mr. Mengistu who fled to Zimbabwe when he was overthrown in 1991 was convicted in his absence at the end of a trial that lasted 12 years. 70 members of his regime also faced charges, although only about 30 were in court. The genocide charge against Mr. Mengistu relates many to a period during the 1970s known as the Red Terror when tens of thousands of people were killed in Ethiopia.

An international conference on midwives and their role has heard that in acute shortage of skilled health workers in some parts of the world is being / more severely in Africa. A degelate at the conference in / said the / 25% of death in childbirth occurred in Africa. But the continent had only 3% of the world's health workers. / reports from the / resort of /.

More than half million women die in childbirth every year. This human tragedy can be averted according to the conference if hundreds of thousands of midwives are recruited and trained. There are low cause solution to a global problem. International efforts have been made before and 987 safe motherhood initiative was enacted. But nearly 20 years on has been little progress and conference organizers say the deaths of women in childbirth are still not giving the priority they deserve.

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A suicide attacker has detonated a car bomb in central the Iraqi capital Baghdad, killing at least 60 people and wounding about 220. Report said that the attacker had pretended to be hiring day laborers. Many of the victims were said to be Shiite Muslims from poor areas of Baghdad.

The Unite Nations special representative for Iraq / has told the Security Council that the Secretary General Kofi Annan thinks Iraq now stands on the edge of a civil war.

The Secretary-General's report before the Security Council provides a somber and an urgent warning that Iraq stands on the brink of a civil war and chaos. The violence seems out of control, this has provoked widespread concern for Iraq's future.

International Conservations have warned of sharp decline in the widelife of the Mongolian steppe. The Zoological Society of London said illegal hunting and trade had driven many species including the Gobi bear nearly to extinction. Some species have declined by more than 90% in 18 years. Dr.Johnathan Baillie from Zoological Society of London said / of the problem was caused by the increasing trading in widelife after the collapse of Communism.

With the collapse of the Soviet Union, there was high unemployment and also regulatory mechanism broke down so widelife trade really increased. So / all-time high in this trade both in Ruissa and the new market of China. And / amazing / going across the border.

The Vatican and Germany have become the latest to condemn Iran's controversial conference on the Holocaust. / the delegates include Holocaust deniers,/ and opponents of Israel. The Vatican called the killing of 6 million Jews by Nazi Germany and an immense tragedy for all humanity. The German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Germany would never accept Holocaust Denial.

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