Watts to be Aids ambassador at UN

Watts will try to raise awareness of the needs of 40m HIV patients

King Kong star and Oscar nominee Naomi Watts is to be a special representative of the United Nations in its efforts to raise awareness of Aids and HIV.

The 37-year-old, born in the UK and raised in Australia, will use her celebrity status to talk about the condition and help sufferers.

An estimated 40 million people are currently infected with HIV, the virus that can lead to Aids.

More than 20 million have died since it was first recognised.

Watts - whose other films include Mulholland Drive, The Ring and I Heart Huckabees - will work directly with the Joint United Nations Program on Aids (UNAIDS).

The organisation's other special representatives include Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway and Mstislav Rostropovich, the Russian musician and human rights activist.