Serbian nationalist leader Tomislav Nikolic, who faces incumbent president Boris Tadic in a May 20 presidential run-off, on Saturday called on his supporters to protest against alleged election fraud.

Nikolic said his Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) “will organise from tomorrow (Sunday) peaceful, non-violent democratic protests to show that the elections were not held in accordance with the law,” Beta news agency quoted Nikolic as saying.

Speaking after the meeting of his party’s leadership in Belgrade, Nikolic insisted the SNS would not recognise the May 6 poll results as given by Serbia’s official electoral commission.

On Thursday, Nikolic accused Tadic and his Democratic Party (DS) of ” brutal electoral fraud” at the presidential and parliamentary polls last Sunday.

Nikolic showed reporters a bag he claimed was filled with ballot papers from one polling station in Sunday’s election that were found in the bin.

He said extra voting forms had also been printed and used by Tadic’s party for ballot stuffing.

International observers, including those from the Council of Europe and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), said Monday the elections were free and fair.

The electoral commission meanwhile rejected a complaint filed to it by Nikolic’s party, citing a “lack of evidence.”

The complaint had “no elements needed to determine what kind of irregularities were committed,” a commission official said.

Incumbent Tadic, who had earlier rejected the claims of alleged fraud as “insinuations,” warned the opposition’s call for protest was a “call for destabilisation” of the country and urged calm.

“The institutions should do their job and verify results of the elections while all those taking part in the electoral course should contribute to a calm atmosphere,” Tadic said, according to the state television RTS.

Nikolic, whose party became the strongest single force in the future assembly and declared victory following the announcement of the results, changed tack after Tadic announced a coalition with the third-ranked Socialist party which would also support him in the presidential run-off.

A poll published on Friday showed Tadic is set for a landslide victory over his nationalist rival in the second round.

About 100 young men, mostly Islamists, blocked the northern and southern roads into Tripoli on Saturday, demanding the release of a fellow resident accused of terrorism, an AFP correspondent said.

The protesters set up camp at the southern entrance of Tripoli, the largest city in northern Lebanon.

Black flags bearing the profession of Islam, “God is Great”, were planted alongside the Syrian flag of independence, a symbol of revolt in the neighbouring country.

“We will not leave until my brother is released,” Nizar al-Mawlawi, whose 27-year-old brother Shadi was arrested by Lebanese security forces on Saturday.

According to a statement from the Lebanese security services, Shadi al-Mawlawi was arrested as part of an “investigation into his ties to a terrorist organisation,” without going into details.

Syrian authorities have repeatedly charged that arms and fighters are being smuggled in from Lebanon to help the rebels fighting to overthrow President Bashar al-Assad.

Lebanon is divided between the opposition, backed by Washington and hostile to the Syrian regime, and the camp of the Shiite group Hezbollah, which dominates the government and is supported by Damascus and Tehran.

The daughter of Ukraine’s jailed former premier Yulia Tymoshenko addressed an anti-government protest in Kiev on Saturday demanding the release of the opposition leader.

“Mom, I know you can hear me now, and I am confident that you will return to us,” a teary-eyed Yevgenia Tymoshenko said at the “opposition congress” attended by some 2,000 people and broadcast live by the private television channel TvI.

The rally gathered several opposition parties in a central square in the capital in support of Tymoshenko, who is serving a seven-year jail term after a disputed verdict.

“Freedom for Ukraine! Freedom for Yulia!” shouted Olexander Turchinov, Tymoshenko’s aide and deputy head of her Batkivshchina (Fatherland) party.

The 51-year-old Orange Revolution standard-bearer, who suffers from debilitating back pain, was moved from jail to a hospital in Ukraine’s second city Kharkiv on Wednesday. She had accused prison guards of beating her and released photos of her bruises.

Yevgenia Tymoshenko also read out a message from the opposition leader describing her desire to bring political reforms and democratise the country after elections in October.

The opposition parties unveiled a plan of action ahead of the parliamentary polls, which the West see as a litmus test for the regime of President Viktor Yanukovych following criticism over its increasingly undemocratic rule.

“First on our agenda (after the elections) has to be freeing the political prisoners, including Tymoshenko,” said a deputy from another opposition party, Vyacheslav Kirilenko.

“This regime cannot govern the country,” Turchinov said. “We must remove Yanukovych from power… and return Ukraine to the path of European development.”

Tymoshenko’s case has dealt a major blow to Ukraine’s relations with the European Union, and Yanukovych faces a publicity disaster as numerous leaders are set to boycott the Euro 2012 football championships that Ukraine co-hosts with Poland.

The EU has expressed concern that the prosecutions of Tymoshenko and several of her former ministers are politically motivated, a charge that Yanukovych denies.

Tymoshenko has a court hearing scheduled on May 21 in a separate case in which she is accused of tax evasion, but her doctor has said it is “highly improbable” that she will be fit enough to attend.

Israel’s chief negotiator on Saturday went to Ramallah to hand over a letter from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas, sources on both sides said.

The letter, which covered issues relating to the moribund peace process, was in answer to a mid-April message from Abbas to Netanyahu in which he aired his grievances over the stalled negotiations.

Netanyahu’s chief negotiator Yitzhak Molcho delivered the letter shortly after 9:00 pm (1800 GMT), according to a source in Abbas’s office.

The letter’s contents were not made public.

Delivery of the letter was confirmed by Netanyahu’s office in a statement, which said: “Israel and the Palestinian Authority are committed to reaching peace and the parties agree that the exchange of letters between president Abbas and Prime Minister Netanyahu will contribute to that.”

On April 17, Abbas sent Netanyahu a letter that his negotiator Nabil Shaath said was meant to challenge the Israeli leader over the collapse of the peace process and “put Mr Netanyahu on the spot.”

In it, Abbas asked Israel to outline “as soon as possible” its positions on four key issues: the principle of a two-state solution based on pre-1967 lines, halting settlement activity, releasing all Palestinian prisoners and revoking all decisions that undermine bilateral agreements since 2000.

“We stand ready to immediately resume negotiations the minute we receive your positive response on these points,” he wrote.

Israel has said it wants negotiations without preconditions.

In January, negotiators from both sides held five exploratory meetings in a bid to find a way to resume dialogue, but they ended inconclusively.

Previously, Netanyahu’s office said that in his response to Abbas, he would offer to raise the level of contacts with the Palestinians to that of direct talks between the leaders.

Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erakat has already warned that in the absence of a favourable response from Netanyahu, Abbas would renew his campaign for UN membership for a Palestinian state in the General Assembly, in the Security Council and in all other UN bodies.

Since Abbas sent his letter, Netanyahu has struck a surprise deal with the opposition Kadima party to form a broad coalition government, with the agreement envisaging steps to renew the peace process.

Netanyahu said he hoped its establishment will encourage the Palestinians back to the negotiating table after a hiatus of more than 20 months.

“I hope Abbas will use this opportunity to resume the peace negotiations. I don’t know how you advance negotiations without engaging in them,” he said.

And Abbas said Israel’s new government should “seize the occasion of the enlargement of the coalition to speed up the achievement of a peace deal with the Palestinian people and their leaders,” his spokesman said.

But Gaza’s Hamas rulers said the move would not help advance peace talks.

“The formation of the national unity Israeli government represents a grave threat to the Gaza Strip and strikes a blow to Abbas’s project of negotiations,” said Yusef al-Risq, political adviser to Gaza’s Hamas premier Ismail Haniya.

The Palestinians have refused to restart direct talks unless Israel freezes settlement construction and agrees to a framework for discussions on borders that is based on the lines that existed before the 1967 Six-Day War.

Bahraini security forces fires tear gas and birdshot on Saturday to disperse protests staged in Shiite villages in solidarity with jailed opposition activists, witnesses said.

Dozens took to the streets in several villages following calls by the February 14 Coalition — a youth group that works mainly on cyber social networks with no public leaders.

Witnesses said that some demonstrators burned tyres and garbage containers in the middle of the roads, and that some were hit by birdshot pellets and others hurt by tear gas.

Men and women carried posters of leading opposition figures who are behind bars, including Abdulhadi al-Khawaja, who has been on hunger strike since February, and Nabeel Rajab, who has been held for a week pending investigations over tweets deemed insulting to the government.

“We shall never forget the jailed,” they chanted.

“Khalifa, we shall never abandon Abdulhadi,” they also chanted addressing Prime Minister Prince Khalifa bin Salman, who is widely despised by the Shiite majority of the kingdom ruled by the Al-Khalifa Sunni dynasty.

Amnesty International says 60 people have been killed since Shiite-led democracy protests began in February 2011, including a brutal mid-March crackdown last year.

Vacouver Olympic champions Canada maintained their world ice hockey championship preliminary group lead with an 8-0 thrashing of former Soviet republic Kazakhstan here on Saturday.

Toronto Maple Leafs defender Dion Phaneuf scored twice, while Edmonton Oilers goaltender Devan Dubnyk made 24 saves for a shutout to virtually assure Canada a top-place finish in their group.

Canada looked in complete control from the starting face-off making Kazakhstan goalkeeper Vitali Kolesnik the most busy player at the ice of Hartwall arena.

But Canadians, who won their last world title in 2007, squandered a hatful of chances before Phaneuf scored the opening goal with 4:15 before the first interval on powerplay.

In the second Canada missed further numerous opportunities but scored through Anaheim Ducks winger Corey Perry, who skated behind Kazakhstan’s net to send the puck in from behind the goal line at 32:05.

Vancouver Canucks left wing Alexandre Burrows added a shorthanded goal with 2:57 before the second break to make it 3-0.

In the third Kazakhstan ran out of gas allowing Evander Kane, John Tavares, Teddy Purcell and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins to score one apiece, while Phaneuf netted his second of the match to complete the rout in the two teams’ first ever meeting at the worlds.

“Though we were playing within 24 hours after the last night’s emotional win (5-3 over Finland) we did a good job tonight playing really solid 60 minutes,” Canada coach Brent Sutter said.

“We came into the match with just with one thing in mind – to play well – and we did. My best credits to my players for it.”

In Stockholm, the event’s co-hosts Sweden experienced few troubles on their way to a confident 4-0 win over Italy to join leaders Russia atop their group.

The Swedes started in lively fashion with Chicago Blackhawks center Marcus Kruger opening the score 5:13 into the match, while blueliner Staffan Kronwall added his goal with 48sec remaining in the first period for a 2-0 advantage.

Ottawa Senators rear guard Erik Karlsson scored on two-man powerplay 5:45 into the second, while Colorado Avalanche winger Gabriel Landeskog completed the scoring 1:45 into the third.

In the early Helsinki match 2002 champions Slovakia thrashed Belarus 5-1 to boost their chances of making the knockout round.

Buffalo Sabres rear guard Andrej Sekera put Slovakia into the lead at 6:45 wristing the puck in from just inside the blue line through the traffic.

In the second Branko Radivojevic, Michel Miklik, Tomas Kopecky and Juraj Mikus scored one apiece to give Slovakis a commanding 5-0 advantage before Alexei Kalyuzhny netted a consolation for Belarus.

“Today, every little thing went our way,” said Slovakia’s coach Vladimir Vujtek. “We played well in defence and our forwards scored one by one in the second period winning the match within just five minutes.”

France recorded their second win at the event beating Switzerland 4-2 to chalk up their fourth win over the Swiss side in their 13th head-to-head meeting at the world championships.

Forward Stephane da Costa scored a double while veteran ‘keeper Cristobal Huet produced 41 saves to add three points to the French team’s balance to jump into fifth place in their group, three points behind the fourth-placed Slovakia.

Norway also set their sights on a quarter-final spot after they beat Latvia 3-0 in Stockholm to go fourth.

Germany meanwhile battled back from a goal down in their clash with Denmark to notch their second win at the tournament 2-1.

Several thousand Israelis demonstrated Saturday evening in downtown Tel Aviv against the high cost of living and social inequalities in the country.

The demonstrators, who are seeking to relaunch a protest movement that swept Israel last summer, held up placards saying “the people demand social justice” and “we want social justice, not charity”, an AFP correspondent said.

Similar demonstrations were reported in other Israeli cities.

Some of the protesters called for the departure of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who last year appointed a government committee to look into social demands.

Last year’s protest movement culminated in September with nearly half a million Israelis taking to the streets to protest high rents.

Cuban President Raul Castro backs greater gay rights and ending discrimination against homosexuals, his daughter Mariela, a famed sexologist, said Saturday during a colorful gay rights march in Havana.

“He has done some advocacy work, speaking of the need to make progress in terms of rights based on sexual orientation and gender identity,” Mariela Castro told reporters.

“The Cuban president… has been talking about this issue, but he has not made it public. It is surely part of his strategy,” she added, when asked if her father backed her campaign to legalize civil unions for gays and lesbians.

“He himself has said that… we cannot make progress if we continue to live with these prejudices.”

Mariela Castro runs Cuba’s National Center for Sex Education (CENESEX) and is an outspoken advocate for the rights of homosexuals and transsexuals in Communist-ruled Cuba.

She is pushing for passage of legislation that would legalize same-sex unions, but stops short of endorsing gay marriage. She is hopeful that lawmakers will take up the bill sometime this year.

The president’s daughter led a colorful conga line that was part of a march through the streets of Havana attended by about 400 transvestites as part of festivities marking the Fifth Cuban Day Against Homophobia.

“Down with homophobia! Long live sexual diversity!” participants yelled. Many carried rainbow flags symbolizing the gay rights movement.

In January, Cuba’s Communist Party Congress resolved “to fight against all forms of discrimination, including against sexual discrimination, and discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and sexual identity.”

“It’s a hugely important first step,” Mariela Castro said earlier this week.

Traditionally stigmatized in Cuba, homosexuality was fiercely repressed for many years by the regime, which interned homosexuals in work camps in the 1960s and ostracized them in the 1970s under the rule of Fidel Castro.

Raul Castro succeeded his brother Fidel as president in 2006.

Lebanese troops exchanged fire late on Saturday with a group of young Islamists protesting in Tripoli for the release of a terrorism suspect.

In a separate incident in the early hours of Sunday, one man was killed in clashes between Tripoli’s largely Sunni Muslim district of Kobbe, hostile to the Syrian regime, and members of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s Alawite community. Such incidents are frequent.

The outbreak of gunfire between the Islamists and the army happened as the youths, sympathisers with the ongoing revolt in Syria, tried to approach the offices of the pro-Assad Syrian Social Nationalist Party.

There were no reports of casualties.

Earlier Saturday around 10O young men, mostly Islamists, blocked the northern and southern roads into Tripoli , demanding the release of a fellow resident accused of terrorism.

The protesters set up camp at the southern entrance of Tripoli, the largest city in northern Lebanon.

Black flags bearing the profession of Islam, “God is Great”, were planted alongside the Syrian flag of independence, a symbol of revolt in the neighbouring country.

“We will not leave until my brother is released,” Nizar al-Mawlawi, whose 27-year-old brother Shadi was arrested by Lebanese security forces on Saturday.

According to a statement from the Lebanese security services, Shadi al-Mawlawi was arrested as part of an “investigation into his ties to a terrorist organisation,” without going into details.

Syrian authorities have repeatedly charged that arms and fighters are being smuggled in from Lebanon to help the rebels fighting to overthrow Assad.

Lebanon is divided between the opposition, backed by Washington and hostile to the Syrian regime, and the camp of the Shiite group Hezbollah, which dominates the government and is supported by Damascus and Tehran.

Greece’s president will meet political party chiefs Sunday in a final attempt to forge an emergency coalition, and avoid fresh polls, amid heightened fears of a eurozone exit following inconclusive elections.

President Carolos Papoulias “will summon party leaders in a bid to form a government that will enjoy the backing of the parliamentary body that emerged from general elections on May 6,” his office said in a statement Saturday.

The political impasse must be overcome by Thursday, when parliament convenes, or new elections will have to be called in June.

The leaders of the conservative, radical left and socialist parties, which took the top three places in last weekend’s polls have all failed to build a coalition.

Papoulias will meet them at 0900 GMT Sunday, hoping to convince them that it is in the national interests to cooperate within a unity government.

The president will later meet separately with heads of smaller parties elected to parliament, including the neo-Nazi Golden Dawn, his office said.

Papoulias on Saturday said there were “grains of optimism” that a coalition could be formed between the conservatives, the socialists and a small pro-European leftist party, according to his office.

“Things are rather difficult,” he told socialist leader Evangelos Venizelos, noting that Greece needs to be represented at a eurozone finance ministers’ meeting on Monday, a NATO meeting on Thursday and an EU summit on Friday.

Venizelos told Papoulias that the three parties — New Democracy, Pasok and Democratic Left, which have a total of 168 deputies in the 300-seat parliament — could form a temporary two-year government to keep Greece in the eurozone.

The goal would also be to “drastically” improve a multi-billion euro loan deal with the European Union and the International Monetary Fund, he added.

But the Democratic Left has previously said it would not join a government made up of only Pasok and New Democracy and which did not include Syriza, the radical leftist party that opposes the 240-billion-euro (311 billion dollar) EU-IMF bailout for Greece.

Syriza refused to budge on Saturday.

“This is an attempt to continue the politics of the bailout,” Syriza said.

Two new opinion polls have shown that Syriza could even emerge as the victor if new elections are held next month.

A Metron Analysis poll published in Saturday’s Ependytis weekly gave Syriza 20.2 percent of the vote. And the inclusion of undecided voters would further boost the leftists to 25.5 percent, the pollster said.

One in two respondents said Greece should be run by a centre-left government and 67 percent said they would pick the same party as they had done last Sunday.

The country’s international creditors have warned that no new loan payments will be forthcoming if Greece falters on structural reforms required to put the economy in order after decades of overspending by the state.

A new warning came on Saturday from paymaster Germany, whose central bank chief Jens Weidmann said: “If Athens doesn’t keep its word, it will be a democratic choice.

“The consequence will be that the basis for fresh aid will disappear.”

And he criticised politicians such as French president-elect Francois Hollande who is calling for growth spending rather than debt management to kickstart Europe’s sluggish economies.

Weidmann said: “I know the new buzzword is ‘growth’…. All experience has shown that too much debt is a handicap to growth. To combat debt with more debt just will not work.”

Deeply indebted Greece is torn over the tough austerity measures imposed as conditions for EU-IMF bailouts, and the crisis has raised the spectre of it defaulting and even leaving the 17-member eurozone.

Voters last Sunday punished the mainstream parties and left a fractured political landscape amid intense EU pressure over Greek finances.

Pasok and New Democracy pushed through the austerity measures in the previous coalition government but failed to even win a majority between them in the elections.

Brussels on Friday revised downwards its economic forecasts for the country at the epicentre of the eurozone debt crisis.

The European Commission said the economy is expected to contract by 4.7 percent this year and see zero growth next year.

Fitch credit rating agency warned that the emergence of a Greek government “unwilling or unable to abide by the terms of the current EU-IMF programme would increase the risk of Greece leaving the eurozone.”

Greece has already committed to finding by June another 11.5 billion euros in savings to be made over the next two years. It also needs to redeem 435 million euros in maturing debt on May 15.