mire
d in corruption. Several street demonstrations have taken place in the Albanian capital since the 2009 disputed election, but this is the only one which has descended into such chaotic scenes.
A spokesman for UN peacekeepers in the Democratic Republic of Congo says the Congolese army has arrested an officer accused of leading the mass rape of 50 women on New Year's Day. Lt Col Kibibi Mutware is being held in connection with the rapes in the eastern town of Fizi. Col Kibibi has
dismiss
ed all allegations against him. From Kinshasa, Thomas Uebel reports.
The head of Fizi's municipal administration confirmed that he had seen Kibibi being handcuffed and driven away on Friday, along with around 10 other soldiers arrested in connection with the violence on New Year's Day. Military and humanitarian sources said the events over the New Year period began when a mob
lynch
ed a soldier who had shot a civilian. A group of soldiers then took revenge on the people of Fizi. The UN's humanitarian coordination office said the soldiers stabbed 26 people, including a four-year-old child, looted more than 20 homes and shops and raped dozens of women.
The Costa Rican president has accused Nicaragua of spending money on irresponsible military adventures abroad, despite being one of the poorest countries in Latin America. President Laura Chinchilla Miranda told the BBC Nicaragua should concentrate on improving the lives of its citizens instead of occupying Costa Rican territory. Mrs Chinchilla Miranda was commenting on the dispute over Isla Calero, an island on the border river between the two countries. Nicaragua occupied it last year on the basis of a Google map.