Georgia’s president has declared a state of emergency over the entire country for 15 days in the wake of opposition protests against his rule. Mikhail Saakashvili also banned all news broadcasts except state-run television on Wednesday and expelled three Russian diplomats, accusing Moscow of fomenting unrest.

About 50,000 Iraqi refugees face an uncertain future in Lebanon which have no right of asylum, a UN commissioner for

Pakistan will hold elections in February and lift the state of emergency imposed by President Pervez Musharraf very soon, say officials.