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President Gen. Pervez Musharraf has set up a caretaker government to run Pakistan until the January elections, and opposition leader Benazir Bhutto continues to reach out to other parties. Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte is due in Islamabad on Friday, but Musharraf isn't in the mood to take U.S. advice.

As Benazir Bhutto's motorcade slowly made its way through throngs of well-wishers Thursday — heading toward the family estate — the city of Karachi was in turmoil, even before the explosions near her motorcade later in the day. Traffic was snarled and residents were debating whether her return was good thing.

Iraq's interim government seeks to stem the rampant lawlessness that has plagued Baghdad since the fall of Saddam Hussein more than a year ago. A raid that began Monday night has netted more than 500 suspected criminals. But that may not be enough to stop the wave of kidnappings for ransom that have swept the capital. NPR's Philip Reeves reports.

Thousands of lawyers and political activists demonstrated on the streets of Pakistan's capital Islamabad today over the suspension of the country's chief justice of the Supreme Court. They called for the country's military ruler General Pervez Musharraf to re-instate the judge and restore democracy to Pakistan.

The Pakistani government has accused the pro-Taliban leader of involvement in the Dec. 27 assassination of opposition leader Benazir Bhutto, along with a series of attacks on security forces. What evidence does the government have linking him to the attacks? And how much influence does he have among the pro-Taliban forces?

America's No. 2 diplomat has ended his weekend visit to Islamabad, Pakistan. Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte met Saturday with military ruler Pervez Musharraf, telling the general to lift emergency rule and release all political detainees. Musharraf seems to be holding his ground.

Police in India have uncovered an illegal kidney transplant racket in which hundreds of poor laborers were duped or forced into giving up their organs for wealthy Indians and foreigners. Several such operations have been discovered in India, but the scale of this one is described as unprecedented.

For five days, several hundred Pakistani soldiers have been held captive in a tribal region near the Afghan border. They were seized in South Waziristan by pro-Taliban militants — who never even had to fire a shot. Now efforts are under way to secure their release. The affair is causing anger and embarrassment in Pakistan.

U.S. Marines have reportedly halted street-to-street battles with insurgents in the Iraqi city of Fallujah. But despite a unilateral U.S. call for a truce, skirmishes continue there and in several other Iraqi cities on the first anniversary of the fall of Baghdad. NPR's Philip Reeves reports.

Iraqi security forces raid the town of Madaen, near Baghdad, seeking to free a large number of Shiite hostages. More than 100 hostages were reportedly taken by Sunni militants.