Madagascar opposition leader Andry Rajoelina has suspended protest which have led to widespread looting, after one of his supporters was shot dead.

More that 20 charred bodies have been found in a looted shop [in] Madagascar's capital Antananarivo, following violent anti-government protests...

Mr Rajoelina, a former disc jockey and television presenter famed for his good looks has become a symbol of youth and success in Madagascar. As one of the government's most vociferous critics, he has tapped into a rich vein of anti-government sentiment, accusing the president of mis-spending public funds and clamping down on press freedoms. He has also denounced controversial plans to lease agricultural land in Madagascar to an overseas investor.

"Since the president and the government have not taken their responsibilities... I will run all national affairs as of today," he said. The mayor of the capital, Antananarivo, is locked in a power struggle with President Marc Ravalomanana. At least 44 people have died in the protests this week in the country. Mayor Rajoelina's announcement came during a rally against President Ravalomanana in Antnananarivo. "A request for the immediate resignation of the president will soon be filed with parliament," Mr Rajoelina told thousands of his supporters. President Ravalomanana has so far not commented on the mayor's announcement. The violence began last Monday, after tens of thousands of people took part in an opposition protest.

In the past decade, while Zimbabwe lurched from one political crisis to another and the economy went into freefall, the independent media were lambasted by President Robert Mugabe's ZANU-PF government for their often critical views, and subjected to increasingly repressive media laws. In January 2009 the Media and Information Commission (MIC), which is staffed by members of ZANU-PF, began targeting the remaining pockets of independent media houses and journalists by instituting huge accreditation fees. The MIC is meant to be defunct but its replacement body, the Zimbabwe Media Commission - to be comprised of parliamentary appointees - has yet to be constituted in terms of a 2008 amendment of the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act (AIPPA).

Some reports suggest that as many as 25 people may have been killed. There have been repeated protests against the dismissal of Antananarivo Mayor Andry Rajoelina, who is engaged in a power struggle with the president. The sacked mayor accuses President Marc Ravalomanana of misspending public money and being a dictator. "Up to now, 25 are dead," an unnamed senior police officer at the scene was quoted by Reuters as saying. Demonstrators had been marching towards President Ravalomanana's compound when riot police opened fire. Earlier, during a rally attended by 20,000 people, the former mayor's supporters had declared him head of a "transition higher authority".