Kyrgyz vigilantes battle looters in capital city
Sporadic gunfire was heard throughout the night but a government spokesman said nobody was killed.
"It's quiet again in the capital. No one died overnight," said Interior Ministry spokesman Abdykalyk Ismailov. "There are still some groups of looters but the city is largely under control."
Kyrgyzstan's new leadership dissolved parliament on Thursday, a day after protesters stormed government buildings and forced the president to flee to his stronghold in the south of the poor but strategically important Central Asian nation.
President Kurmanbek Bakiyev has refused to step down, though he has offered to talk to the opposition leaders who have claimed control of Kyrgyzstan, the former Soviet state of 5.3 million people that hosts both U.S. and Russian military bases.
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Thai capital braces for more protests
Bangkok was braced for more protests Friday as Thailand's "Red Shirt" protesters defied a state of emergency, vowing to mount another major rally in a bid to topple the government.
Thai authorities moved Thursday to arrest Red Shirt protest leaders involved in the storming of parliament this week and also pulled the plug on dozens of websites and a television station loyal to their cause.
But the authorities have so far avoided using force to break up the rallies, which have drawn tens of thousands of people, highlighting Thailand's deep rift pitting Bangkok's ruling elite against the mainly poor and rural Reds. Facts: Thailand's political rift
"The government is not concerned about people's lives but worries that glass at shopping malls may be shattered. That's why the government has not yet used force to crack down," said Red Shirt leader Jatuporn Prompan.
Demonstrators who largely support fugitive former premier Thaksin Shinawatra were gearing up for what they said would be another major demonstration Friday, vowing to march to 10 unspecified locations.
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Sri Lanka ruling party ahead in polls
The party of Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapaksa has taken a lead in the country's general election, early results suggest.
But poll monitors say more than half of the war-displaced Tamil population in the north were denied the right to vote on Thursday.
Turnout was low, at about 50%, reports say.
President Mahinda Rajapaksa's main rival, Gen Sarath Fonseka, is standing despite being in jail.
With about a fifth of the votes counted, Mr Rajapaksa's party has taken a lead securing more than 60% of the vote so far.
In his native south, where his popularity is especially high following last year's victory againt Tamil Tiger rebels, he is doing even better, says the BBC's Charles Haviland in Colombo.
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Sudan is set for "fair, democratic transparent elections," envoy says
UNITED NATIONS, April 8 (Xinhua) -- Sudanese Ambassador to the UN Abdalmahmood Abdalhaleem Mohamad expressed confidence here Thursday that the upcoming Sudanese national elections set for Sunday will be "fair, transparent and successful."
"I can ensure that everything is set for a fair, democratic and transparent elections that everybody in Sudan will be proud about, " Mohamad told reporters here at the UN Headquarters after Security Council consultations on Sudan, which will hold the elections on Sunday.
The Sudanese multi-party elections, the first set of its kind in more than 20 years, are set for Sunday through Tuesday.
"The moment for democratic transformation for the country for which the government committed itself is now coming and is now a reality," Mohamad said.
Noting that there may be "some crises within some political parties," Mohamad reiterated that it is "their problem (and) not the problem of the Sudanese people."
"Preparations are now underway for a fair, transparent and successful elections," Mohamad said, adding that there is "no electoral crisis at all."
On Wednesday, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon expressed concerns for the "sensitive" period and recommended an extension of the UN Mission in Sudan (UNMIS) for another year.
The secretary-general noted that the elections should play "a positive role in strengthening opportunities" for the Sudanese people and called on concerned parties to ensure that the electoral environment is "free and fair."
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Sporadic gunfire was heard throughout the night but a government spokesman said nobody was killed.
"It's quiet again in the capital. No one died overnight," said Interior Ministry spokesman Abdykalyk Ismailov. "There are still some groups of looters but the city is largely under control."
Kyrgyzstan's new leadership dissolved parliament on Thursday, a day after protesters stormed government buildings and forced the president to flee to his stronghold in the south of the poor but strategically important Central Asian nation.
President Kurmanbek Bakiyev has refused to step down, though he has offered to talk to the opposition leaders who have claimed control of Kyrgyzstan, the former Soviet state of 5.3 million people that hosts both U.S. and Russian military bases.
Read More
Thai capital braces for more protests
Thai authorities moved Thursday to arrest Red Shirt protest leaders involved in the storming of parliament this week and also pulled the plug on dozens of websites and a television station loyal to their cause.
But the authorities have so far avoided using force to break up the rallies, which have drawn tens of thousands of people, highlighting Thailand's deep rift pitting Bangkok's ruling elite against the mainly poor and rural Reds. Facts: Thailand's political rift
"The government is not concerned about people's lives but worries that glass at shopping malls may be shattered. That's why the government has not yet used force to crack down," said Red Shirt leader Jatuporn Prompan.
Demonstrators who largely support fugitive former premier Thaksin Shinawatra were gearing up for what they said would be another major demonstration Friday, vowing to march to 10 unspecified locations.
Read More
Sri Lanka ruling party ahead in polls
The party of Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapaksa has taken a lead in the country's general election, early results suggest.
But poll monitors say more than half of the war-displaced Tamil population in the north were denied the right to vote on Thursday.
Turnout was low, at about 50%, reports say.
President Mahinda Rajapaksa's main rival, Gen Sarath Fonseka, is standing despite being in jail.
With about a fifth of the votes counted, Mr Rajapaksa's party has taken a lead securing more than 60% of the vote so far.
In his native south, where his popularity is especially high following last year's victory againt Tamil Tiger rebels, he is doing even better, says the BBC's Charles Haviland in Colombo.
Read More
Sudan is set for "fair, democratic transparent elections," envoy says
UNITED NATIONS, April 8 (Xinhua) -- Sudanese Ambassador to the UN Abdalmahmood Abdalhaleem Mohamad expressed confidence here Thursday that the upcoming Sudanese national elections set for Sunday will be "fair, transparent and successful."
"I can ensure that everything is set for a fair, democratic and transparent elections that everybody in Sudan will be proud about, " Mohamad told reporters here at the UN Headquarters after Security Council consultations on Sudan, which will hold the elections on Sunday.
The Sudanese multi-party elections, the first set of its kind in more than 20 years, are set for Sunday through Tuesday.
"The moment for democratic transformation for the country for which the government committed itself is now coming and is now a reality," Mohamad said.
Noting that there may be "some crises within some political parties," Mohamad reiterated that it is "their problem (and) not the problem of the Sudanese people."
"Preparations are now underway for a fair, transparent and successful elections," Mohamad said, adding that there is "no electoral crisis at all."
On Wednesday, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon expressed concerns for the "sensitive" period and recommended an extension of the UN Mission in Sudan (UNMIS) for another year.
The secretary-general noted that the elections should play "a positive role in strengthening opportunities" for the Sudanese people and called on concerned parties to ensure that the electoral environment is "free and fair."
Read More
