Protest

At least eight people were wounded by gunshots near a Khartoum sit-in Wednesday, a spokesman for Sudan's protest movement and a witness said, ahead of crucial talks on civilian rule. "Eight wounded from live bullets so far," Amjad Farid, a spokesman for the umbrella protest group the Alliance for Freedom and Change wrote on Facebook. A witness told AFP that gunshots had been fired near the protest camp outside the army headquarters in central Khartoum. "There are gunshots in Nile Street and around the sit-in and we are seeing several wounded," said Mohamed Dahab, a volunteer at a field clinic at the protest camp. A protest leader also said on condition of anonymity that among the eight wounded, three were in serious condition. The latest violence comes hours ahead of crucial talks between Sudan's ruling military council and protest leaders, aimed at finalising the make-up of a new body to govern for a three-year transition period. … [Read more...] about Eight wounded from gunshots near Sudan sit-in: protest spokesman

Thousands of people protested for a third straight day Wednesday plans for a new cathedral in the Russian city of Yekaterinburg in a case exposing tensions over the growing authority of the Orthodox Church. Police made more than 20 arrests after clashes with protesters in the central park where the building is set to be erected, according to local media and an AFP correspondent at the scene. The Church wants to recreate a cathedral demolished by the Soviets in 1930 in one of the few green public spaces in the Urals city, some 1,000 miles (1,700 km) east of Moscow. Local authorities have backed the project, and the oligarch head of one of Russia's largest copper producers has also offered financial support. Demonstrators told AFP they were fighting to protect a valued leisure area in a city that was originally designed as an industrial hub. But the protests have also taken on a wider political significance in a country where the Church, far from its Soviet-era repression, has ever … [Read more...] about Russia cathedral protests expose church role tensions

Cyprus officially protested to Britain on Wednesday over "unacceptable" comments made by a Foreign Office minister that questioned its right to exploit offshore energy reserves while the island remains divided. "An official demarche is being issued by the Republic of Cyprus today (Wednesday) from the foreign ministry through the British high commissioner, and the president will send the necessary letter to the prime minister," said Cypriot government spokesman Prodromos Prodromou. "The high commissioner of the United Kingdom has been summoned to the foreign ministry for the necessary representations to his country over the unfortunate statements by the deputy minister," he told reporters. On Tuesday, Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades criticised as "unacceptable" remarks by Britain's Europe minister Alan Duncan that cast doubt over the east Mediterranean island's offshore economic rights. Anastasiades said his government would lodge a complaint to British Prime Minister Theresa May … [Read more...] about Cyprus protests British comments on offshore gas rights

Army generals and protest leaders are on Wednesday expected to finalise the make-up of a new body to govern Sudan for three years, the thorniest issue in installing civilian rule. The protest movement that brought down president Omar al-Bashir after 30 years of iron-fisted rule is demanding a civilian-led transition, which the generals have steadfastly resisted since bowing to their demands and toppling the autocrat. The latest breakthrough came despite the overall talks being marred by violence that left six people dead late on Monday in and around a sit-in held by protesters outside the army headquarters in Khartoum. Wednesday's crucial negotiations are due to start at 9:00 pm (1900 GMT), said Khalid Omar Yousef, a leader from the protest movement the Alliance for Freedom and Change. "The announcement is expected after midnight," he told AFP. The current talks began on Monday and the two sides have since agreed on an overall civilian structure, including a three-year transitional … [Read more...] about Sudan generals, protesters in crunch talks on ruling body