so i guess basketball practice is canceled tonight.
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Printable version Kyrgyzstan clashes 'leave four dead'
Clashes between police and protesters have led to the deaths of four people in Kyrgyzstan's capital, Bishkek, witnesses and medical officials say.
Several thousand opposition supporters have been trying to storm the office of President Kurmanbek Bakiyev amid unrest over rising fuel prices and corruption.
The clashes come a day after thousands of people stormed government offices in the north-west city of Talas.
Russia and the US, which have military bases in Kyrgyzstan, appealed for calm.
There are reports police fired into the crowds outside the President Bakiyev's offices after failing to disperse them with tear gas and stun grenades.
Witnesses said at least four bodies were on the ground and a medical official told Reuters news agency that several people had been killed and dozens injured, mostly from firearms.
The protesters in Bishkek appeared to be leaderless, says the BBC's Rayhan Demytrie in the capital, after a number of opposition heads were arrested overnight.
 | AT THE SCENE  Rayhan Demytrie, BBC News, Bishkek There are several thousand people in the protests now, some of them are armed. Police officers have been beaten badly by the protesters - the crowd is angry and most importantly, it is uncontrollable. On Tuesday, most of the opposition leaders were arrested in Bishkek and now it appears that no-one is in control. The Kyrgyz parliament is currently debating whether to impose a curfew in the city of Talas. The country's prime minister said that the government does not have enough forces to bring order in the northern regions. |
Earlier, police had used tear gas and stun grenades to break up crowds outside an opposition headquarters but the protesters rallied to march to the presidential offices in the city centre.
Police cars have been overturned and set alight and officers attacked by the crowd, some of whom are reported to be armed.
The unrest began on Tuesday in the north-western city of Talas, where protesters briefly took the local governor hostage while another group surrounded the local police headquarters.
Angry crowds attacked special forces police with rocks and petrol bombs. They reportedly set fire to portraits of President Bakiyev.
Prime Minister Daniyar Usenov said at least 85 people were injured in the unrest - most of the injured were reported to be police officers.
Protests spread on Wednesday to Bishkek and to the northern town of Naryn.
Thousands of people occupied a government building in Naryn and have installed what they are calling a "people's governor".
Several opposition leaders were arrested overnight and journalists attacked, adding to the tensions in the country, says our correspondent.
Late on Tuesday, security forces stormed the home of Almazbek Atambayev, the country's most popular opposition politician and former presidential candidate, in Bishkek.
| KYRGYZSTAN FACTS One of the poorest of the former Soviet states Hosts both US and Russian military air bases Population mostly Kyrgyz but 15% are Uzbek and a significant number of Russians live in the north and around the capital Kurmanbek Bakiyev has been president since the Tulip Revolution of 2005, which overthrew the government of Askar Akayev Mr Bakiyev vowed to restore stability but has been accused of failing to tackle corruption Opponents also complain he has installed relatives in key government posts Domestic media have come under increasing pressure from the government in recent months |
Another leader, Temir Sariyev, was reportedly arrested on Wednesday morning as he arrived in the country on a flight from Moscow.
In a statement, the US embassy in Bishkek said it would call on "all parties to show respect for the rule of law and call on both the demonstrators and the government to engage in talks to resolve differences in a peaceful, orderly and legal manner".
The US base in Manas, near Bishkek, is used to supply operations in Afghanistan.
Russia's Foreign Minister Grigory Karasin has urged the authorities not to use force against demonstrators, the Interfax news agency reported.
Web blocked
In recent weeks, the authorities have clamped down on independent media, and several internet news sources are still blocked in the country.
| PRESIDENT KURMANBEK BAKIYEV  Came to power after "Tulip Revolution" street protests in 2005 His party won every parliamentary seat in 2007 polls - which observers said did not meet international standards Won re-election again in 2009 - but EU observers again said poll was flawed Opposition accuses him of a media crackdown, nepotism and corruption  |
There has also been rising discontent with the role of President Bakiyev's son who was recently appointed as the head of an important government agency.
Five years ago, mass protests in Kyrgyzstan brought Mr Bakiyev to power.
He promised to fight corruption and promote democracy, but his critics say the country has become increasingly authoritarian under his rule, our correspondent says.
Last week UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon visited Bishkek and called on the government to do more to protect human rights.
On Tuesday, the UN said Mr Ban was "concerned" at events in Talas and urged all parties to show restraint.
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