The man behind a pantheon of villains made his name as a ‘rough and muscular’ update of Dracula

Police in India are holding a man in custody after he refused to get married.

The Pakistani government said today it would push ahead with its fight against al-Qaida and Taliban militants and work to ensure a peaceful election campaign after a suicide attack at a mosque near the Afghan border killed at least 50 people.

Pakistan’s leader today condemned the bomb attacks on former premier Benazir Bhutto as “a conspiracy against democracy” and vowed to hunt down the perpetrators.

Thousands supporting former prime minister Benazir Bhutto gathered in Pakistan’s biggest city today to welcome her home from eight years of exile to centre stage of the country’s volatile politics.