Election date doubts

The general elections in Sudan are less than two weeks away, but there remain doubts about whether the polls will be held as scheduled.

International observers have suggested that not everything is ready, and northern opposition parties are calling for a delay.

Now President Omar al-Bashir has linked the elections to next January's referendum on possible independence for the South.

The southern region will vote on its future as part of a five-year-old peace deal.

From Khartoum, our correspondent James Copnall reports.