NORTH KOREA: As the North Korean militia braces itself for possible battle and diplomats wage a war of words over weapons of mass destruction, Pyongyang residents are preparing for a mass movement far more festive: Mr Kim Jong-il's birthday.
On the streets of Pyongyang, the crisis over North Korea's nuclear ambitions appeared far from people's minds as they busied themselves in preparation for their leader's 61st birthday on Sunday.
"Congratulations" and "2-16" shouted the inscriptions - in bright blue, red, yellow and pink - on a large placard being pushed by a group of men into place on Kim Il-sung Square, as women hung bunting from lamp-posts in the city of 2.8 million.
The florid preparations unfolded under the watchful gaze of Marx and Lenin, whose portraits adorn the square named after Mr Kim Jong-il's late father.
Across the river, an imposing statue of Kim Il-Sung dominates the Pyongyang skyline.
In a hall underneath, visitors viewed more than 72 elaborate floral tributes from ministries, diplomats, youth and student groups and businesses, many of them featuring Mr Kim Jong-il's portrait in honour of his birthday.
The "kimjongilia", a flower bred by Japanese horticultural experts and named after Mr Kim, is on prominent display at the birthday exhibition along with 30,000 begonias.
The exhibition has been blossoming for the past seven years and is the largest so far.