11.   On Monday, the area was largely deserted, except for howling dogs guarding gates that no longer led to homes.

12.   Rows of support pillars have been erected along some avenues in Bangkok, but the construction areas are usually deserted as work has mostly halted.

13.   The downtown area was deserted as shopkeepers complied with a strike called by the Islamic movement.

14.   An AFP reporter on the edge of Kamenge said the area was deserted.

15.   An AFP reporter on the edge of Kamenge said the area was deserted at the end of the afternoon.

16.   Areas were deserted for weeks or months, hammering revenues, particularly those of small business owners.

17.   Fighting between rebels and loyalist troops guarding the radio station took place Thursday but the loyalist forces had deserted the area Friday morning.

18.   The Sudanese press said on Sunday that panic erupted in the centre of Khartoum after the gunshots, with shops closing down and public transport deserting the area.

19.   Nyanga has seen its population explode in latter years as people have deserted rural areas to seek jobs in a region renowned for its wealth and booming tourist industry.

20.   Protestant areas meanwhile were deserted as Unionists stayed at home, nursing their worries at what the future might bring.