Thailand to lift emergency rule

Thailand is to lift its state of emergency on Wednesday, as tensions ease following weeks of anti-government protests. Officials say the emergency decree will be replaced by the Internal Security Act. The 60-day emergency decree, imposed on 22 January in Bangkok and surrounding provinces, gave the government wide-ranging powers to deal with disorder. Anti-government protesters want PM Yingluck Shinawatra to resign. The protesters, who began their campaign in November, accuse the government of being run by ousted former leader Thaksin Shinawatra, Ms Yingluck's brother. They want her government replaced with an unelected "people's council", according to BBC.