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BBC World News with Mary Small.

The United States has officially told North Korea that it must immediately honor its commitment to begin shutting down its main nuclear reactor. North Korea failed to meet Saturday's deadline for the process to start under an international deal by which Pyongyang would scrap its nuclear weapons program in return for an energy and aid package. China is urging the United States to show patience. Jim Renaults reports.

The chief US negotiator Christopher hill has come here to Beijing to try to make progress. He's held talks with his Chinese counterparts. Mr. Hill has told reporters that he is expected to show patience for a couple (of) more days. At the moment the future of the agreement appears to be dependent on the status of a bank transfer. North Korea insists that it won't shut down its nuclear reactor until it gets back 25 million dollars of funds frozen almost two years ago following US suspicions of money laundering. The United States says that the funds have been released so everyone is now waiting for North Korea to check its bank balance.

Votes have been counted in Nigeria a day after elections to choose state governors and representatives for state assemblies. The poll is seen as a preview to conduct the presidential and national assembly elections next week. There were some reports in some areas of delays and opening polling stations violence and other electoral irregularities. I A reports.

The delays were caused by a variety of factors. Some election officials turned out late. Polling stations run out of ballot papers or did not have any delivered, and some voters could not find their names on voter registers, despite for / to vote. The head of the European Union Observation Mission, /, said he had concerns about how the voters carried out. the Chairman of Nigeria's Electoral Commission, Morris /, said that while they have been a few / problems, the votes in process have been, in his words, a very good first effort.

The people of Ecuador are voting today in a referendum on whether the country's political system should be radically changed. The president, /, wants voters to prove the creation of a People's Assembly that would by-pass Parliament and rewrite the constitution. From Quito, here is Daniel S.

Ecuador has lived through political chaos in much of the past ten years, and few is expecting it's getting better any time soon. The left wing president R accused the establish politicians of corruption and is asking the people if they want to bypass parliament and form a People's Assembly. He said he will resign after his four months in office of / no. Opposition politicians of March of the Political Establishment accused President / acting illegally.

Anti-government protestors are planning to hold a bigger demonstration today in Russia's second biggest city St. Petersburg a day after police broke up a similar rally in Moscow. Organizers say the protesters may try to march as long as the city's main avenue Nevsky Prospect.

World News from the BBC.

Delegates to gather in a Forest Community from cross central Africa have been discussing how to safeguard their people's access to resources. The forum, the first of its kind, is meeting in the // Impfondo in the Republic of Congo. Indigenous Community leaders say their traditional land is increasingly been given to national parks. John Nelson from UK-based group Forest People's Program says the creation of parks can deprive hunting-gatherer communities of their livelihood.

The impact of / can be severe. Particular here forest hunting-gathering culture even relying on the forest breached everything. You don't accumulate capital. Everyday you are looking for food and you are moving seasonally to the forest, and if you don't have access to that resource, you really have big trouble.

The future of the president of the World Bank, Paul W. come under the spotlight today when the bank's governors are meeting in Washington. Mr. Wolf W. has become broiled in a scandal involving the promotion of his girlfriend yesterday hosting the annual meeting of the World Bank and international monetary fund in Washington. AW reports.

The formal business is likely to go ahead as planned with discussions on routine World Bank business, and the committee of 24 ministers will have the top advices that they always have admitted the president of the bank. Paul W /// he ordered the promotion for his girlfriend who was already a member of staff when he joined the bank two years ago. Mr. W says the bank's executive committee recommended promotion and internal document release in the last a few days corroborate that. But the World Bank's board, which is considering the issue, says that the turns of the promotion had not been approved.

The Thai authorities say at least 35 people are now known to have been killed when a flush flood swept through a series of waterfalls in the south of the country. Many people are missing and rescue teams are still searching the area.