Islam Times - N Korea begins Kim Jong-il funeral

Islam Times - North Korea has started two days of funeral services for its late leader Kim Jong-il as tens of thousands of mourners gather on the capital's streets to bid farewell to the country's deceased leader.

Footage broadcast Wednesday on North Korea's state television showed a procession led by a sedan bearing a massive portrait of Kim making its way slowly through Pyongyang.

Tens of thousands of mourners lined streets in heavy snow as they passed by. Soldiers stood in lines with their heads bowed.

Few details are known about the funeral and no foreign delegations have been invited.

Wednesday's ceremony is also expected to be used to cement the succession of new leader Kim Jong-un, the late leader's third son.

Kim Jong-il died of a heart attack on 17 December. He had led the state for 17 years.