BISHKEK, Oct 22, 2007 (AFP) - Kyrgyzstan President Kurmanbek Bakiyev dissolved parliament on Monday and called snap elections after accusing the legislature of attempting a coup in the strategic Central Asian country.

Bakiyev accused the parliament of corruption and said in a nationally televised statement that moves against his authority amounted to 'a parliamentary coup,' forcing him 'to take the decision on dissolving' the body.

BISHKEK, Oct 22, 2007 (AFP) - Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiyev dissolved parliament on Monday and called elections for December 16, a presidency spokesman said, after voters adopted a new constitution in a referendum.

Bakiyev 'signed a decree for the dissolution of parliament and set early parliamentary elections for December 16,' the spokesman said, shortly after the results of Sunday's referendum were announced.

BISHKEK, Oct 21, 2007 (AFP) - Some 80 percent of Kyrgyzstan's voters went to the polls Sunday in a referendum on a new constitution that would weaken the president's powers in a bid to end years of political upheaval.

The 2.7 million registered voters in the Central Asian state turned out in force to pronounce on the reforms which would strengthen parliament in the former Soviet republic, a surprise as analysts had warned that turnout may be low.

BISHKEK, Oct 21, 2007 (AFP) - Kyrgyzstan voted Sunday in a referendum on a new constitution that would weaken the president's powers in a bid to end years of political upheaval in the Central Asian state.

The proposed reforms, which would strengthen parliament in the former Soviet republic, are expected to be adopted although analysts have warned that turnout may be low.

Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiyev urged people to approve the reforms, saying they would lead to greater political stability.

BISHKEK, Oct 21, 2007 (AFP) - Voters in Kyrgyzstan began turning out at polling stations Sunday to cast ballots in a referendum to adopt a new constitution that would weaken the president's powers in a bid to resolve years of political upheaval in this Central Asian state.

The proposed reform, which would strengthen the parliament in the former Soviet republic, is widely expected to be adopted although analysts have warned that turnout may be low for the snap referendum.

BISHKEK, Oct 19, 2007 (AFP) - Kyrgyzstan votes in a constitutional referendum on Sunday that could substantially weaken the president's powers in a bid to resolve years of political upheaval in this Central Asian state.

The proposed reform, which would strengthen the parliament in the former Soviet republic, is widely expected to be adopted although analysts have warned that turnout may be low for the snap referendum.

BISHKEK, Oct 15, 2007 (AFP) - Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiyev on Monday announced the creation of his own political party ahead of a referendum that is expected to lead to parliamentary elections in the Central Asian state.

'I have taken the decision to create and support a new party, a party of creativity, of responsibility, of action, which will be called Ak-Zhol, the People's Party,' Bakiyev told leading businessmen in Bishkek.

BISHKEK, Sept 19, 2007 (AFP) - Kyrgyzstan will hold a referendum on adopting a new constitution on October 21, after the Constitutional Court rejected recent changes to the basic law, President Kurmanbek Bakiyev said on Wednesday.

'Constitutional reform has reached an impasse.... I have therefore signed a decree on organising a referendum on October 21,' Bakiyev told parliament.

He said work on the new constitution was still under way, but gave no details.

BISHKEK, Sept 14, 2007 (AFP) - Kyrgyzstan's constitutional court threw out on Friday recent constitutional changes as illegal, a ruling that threatened to reopen divisions in the strategic Central Asian state.

The decision means that a previous 2003 constitution is again in force and the right to dissolve parliament is restored to President Kurmanbek Bakiyev.

The head of the court, Cholpon Bayekova, declared: 'The revision (of the constitution) in November and December is not legal. This decision is final and irrevocable.'

BISHKEK, Sept 14, 2007 (AFP) - Kyrgyzstan's constitutional court ruled on Friday that constitutional changes made last winter had been passed illegally, a move that threatened to reopen recent divisions in the Central Asian state.

'The revision (of the constitution) in November and December is not legal. This decision is final and irrevocable,' said court president Cholpon Bayekova.

The court ruled that deputies could only change the constitution after either submitting proposed changes to the court or to a referendum, neither of which had taken place.

BISHKEK, Aug 10, 2007 (AFP) - Nine more cases of HIV infections caused by faulty blood transfusions have been registered in Kyrgyzstan, taking the total number of such cases since July to 22, the health ministry told AFP Monday.

'HIV infections have been found among nine new persons, of whom seven are children below two and two are women,' said Sagynaly Mamatov, head of the health ministry's AIDS unit.

BISHKEK, Aug 28, 2007 (AFP) - The Russian garrison at an air base in Kyrgyzstan has been left without power after failure to pay the bill, local electricity company Severelectro said Tuesday.

The company said the barracks for 300 servicemen at the Kant base, near the Central Asian country's capital Bishkek, were cut off on Monday, but added that the air strips were not affected.

The Russian military promised that the unpaid bills of 13,000 dollars (9,500 euros) would be paid by the end of the week.

BISHKEK, Aug 19, 2007 (AFP) - In the titanic contest for power over Central Asia between China, Russia and the United States, Akmamat Kasimov's market stall must be the smallest battlefield.

At the heart of the teeming Kayal market in the Kyrgyz capital Bishkek, he hawks military uniforms from all three protagonists of a 19th century-style Great Game for control of the strategic region.

BISHKEK, Aug 16, 2007 (AFP) - The leaders of China, Russia and four Central Asian states took a swipe at US foreign policy Thursday during a summit touting their regional organisation's growing military and political strength.

The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) concluded the summit just outside the Kyrgyz capital Bishkek with a thinly veiled attack on what critics see as Washington's unilateralism in world affairs.

BISHKEK, Aug 16, 2007 (AFP) - The leaders of China, Russia and four Central Asian states met Thursday in Kyrgyzstan to build on growing military and political ties seen as countering US influence in the strategic region.

Chinese President Hu Jintao and Russia's Vladimir Putin, together with the presidents of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, gathered just outside the Kyrgyz capital Bishkek for the annual summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO).

MOSCOW, Aug 16, 2007 (AFP) - Russia is set to invest up to two billion dollars in Kyrgyz economic projects, Russian President Vladimir Putin said late Wednesday during talks on the sidelines of the annual summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO).

'We are ready to formulate an economic situation which would allow us to effectively invest a large sum in Kyrgyz economy, I mean investment of up to two billion dollars,' Putin was quoted by the RIA Novosti news agency as telling his Kyrgyz counterpart Kurmanbek Bakiyev.

BISHKEK, Aug 15, 2007 (AFP) - Chinese President Hu Jintao sought a new energy and transport corridor for his country's surging economy in Kyrgyzstan on Wednesday, the second day of a Central Asian tour to boost ties with the region.

Hu met Kyrgyz Prime Minister Almazbek Atambayev during his first ever visit to this mountainous ex-Soviet state, which lies on China's western edge.

The two presidents said they were nearing agreement on building a rail link from western China through Kyrgyzstan and on to Uzbekistan, from where it could potentially extend south or west.

BISHKEK, Aug 14, 2007 (AFP) - Chinese President Hu Jintao and Kyrgyz counterpart Kurmanbek Bakiyev hailed growing bilateral ties on Tuesday as Hu launched a week-long tour of ex-Soviet states in the region.

'We regard your visit as the Chinese leadership's initiative to strengthen and develop relations with Kyrgyzstan,' Bakiyev said, before the two signed a slate of anti-terrorism, economic, and cultural agreements.

BISHKEK, Aug 14, 2007 (AFP) - Chinese President Hu Jintao arrived in Kyrgyzstan on Tuesday at the start of a three-nation tour of ex-Soviet neighbours, Kyrgyz government spokeswoman Roza Daudova told AFP.

Hu was to meet senior officials including President Kurmanbek Bakiyev ahead of a summit on Thursday of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), a six-nation security and economic group.

He was to attend military exercises in Russia on Friday with other heads of SCO states, before visiting energy-rich Kazakhstan on Saturday.

MOSCOW, Aug 14, 2007 (AFP) - Chinese President Hu Jintao begins a tour of three ex-Soviet neighbours on Tuesday aimed at reaching a delicate balance between Beijing's energy and security goals and easing regional tensions.

Hu kicks off his tour of Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Kazakhstan on Tuesday by visiting the Kyrgyz capital Bishkek, where the headline event will be a summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), a Moscow- and Beijing-led security group.

MOSCOW, Aug 13, 2007 (AFP) - The leaders of China, Russia and four Central Asian countries meet in Kyrgyzstan this week to pursue what is widely seen as an anti-US agenda, before attending large-scale war games in Russia to underline their group's rising clout.

Presidents Hu Jintao and Vladimir Putin will join the leaders of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan in the Kyrgyz capital Bishkek on Thursday for the annual summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO).

BISHKEK, Aug 10, 2007 (AFP) - Two more cases of HIV infections have been found and three are suspected in a hospital in southern Kyrgyzstan, where four doctors have been sacked for allowing the virus to spread, the health ministry said Friday.

The infection of a mother and her child brought to 13 the number of people known to have contracted the virus which causes AIDS in the hospital in the Och region, nine of whom are children.

BISHKEK, Aug 3, 2007 (AFP) - Kyrgyz ex-prime minister and opposition leader Felix Kulov on Friday decried criminal charges against him for provoking anti-government violence as 'political.'

'The accusations against me were a political command. I believe this case has no judicial element,' Kulov said at a news conference.

Kulov was charged on Wednesday with 'organising massive unrest' in connection with an anti-government protest that turned violent in April.

BISHKEK, Aug 1, 2007 (AFP) - Kyrgyz authorities have charged former prime minister and opposition leader Felix Kulov with 'organising massive unrest' in connection with an April protest that turned violent, officials said Wednesday.

Around 100 demonstrators were arrested after dozens threw rocks and bottles at the presidential palace and police responded with tear gas and flares on April 19 in the central Asian country.

Authorities had targeted the opposition after the incident by questioning their leaders, searching offices and confiscating newspapers.

BISHKEK, July 30, 2007 (AFP) - Kyrgyzstan's government has sacked four doctors it says infected 11 patients -- nine of them children -- with HIV, apparently through poor hygiene, the health ministry said Monday.

President Kurmanbek Bakiyev has ordered the state prosecutor to open an inquiry into the matter, which first came to light through media reports on Friday.

'Eleven people have been infected, including nine minors and a medical worker. The infections... occurred during injections and blood transfusions,' the health ministry said in a statement.