Other Headlines

Fourteen people, some of them children, were killed and 10 injured in a stampede during a gathering at a mosque in China’s Ningxia region, state media reported Monday. The stampede occurred at lunchtime on Sunday while traditional food was being handed out to people attending an event to commemorate a late religious leader, the

The eastern half of the US shivered Monday as a dangerously cold whirlpool of dense air known as a ‘polar vortex’ threatened to break decades-old records and freeze exposed skin within minutes. The bitter weather comes after a heavy snowstorm hit much of the region last week. Officials closed schools in Chicago and other Midwest ... Read more

AL wins absolute majority; oppn extends hartal by 48 hours Massive violence killing at least 21 deaths, rigging and low turnout marked the 10th parliament election held across the country yesterday. According to the preliminary results announced from offices of the Returning Officers across the country, the voter turnout was over 40 percent but it is ... Read more

The ruling Awami League on Sunday expressed its satisfaction over voter turnout during the 10th parliamentary polls, saying the ‘valiant people rejected” the opposition call to boycott the election, reports UNB. This was stated by Co-chairman of Awami League Election Steering Committee HT Imam and AL advisory council member Tofail Ahmed during separate

Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) yesterday demanded cancellation of the polls and announcement of a fresh schedule for the 10th parliamentary elections, claiming that the country’s people have rejected the ‘lopsided’ polls, reports UNB. It also asked the government to quit and take initiatives for holding the election under a non-party caretaker government through

Reports on series of violent clashes, boycotts and low voter turnout in the 10th Bangladesh parliamentary election have hit headlines of almost all leading media houses and news agencies in the world. The Associated Press (AP) focused on widespread violence and low voters’ turnout in the polls. It said, “Police in Bangladesh fired at protesters ... Read more

The country’s 10th parliamentary election yesterday saw zero turnout in at least 32 polling centres in five districts, reports UNB.  ocals said the polling officials in 26 polling centres under Lalmonirhat-3 constituency wrapped up the voting without a single vote being cast. The polling stations are situated in Mahendranagar, Borobari, Kulaghat and Panchagram union parishads

Munira Khan, chief of Fair Election Monitoring Alliance (FEMA), the country’s leading election monitoring organization, yesterday claimed that the average turn out in the 10th parliamentary polls was below ten per cent. “I personally visited many polling centers and our observers from different parts of the country also sent their reports, and according to the reports, ... Read more

Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Kazi Rokibuddin Ahmad yesterday admitted poor voter turnout and said the low turnout was logical due to the boycott of polls by the opposition parties. However, the CEC added that he had visited a polling centre in Dhaka and its voting environment was fine and the election was held peacefully. At ... Read more

At least 16 candidates have boycotted the 10th parliamentary elections, bringing allegations of irregularities and vote rigging by their opponents from ruling Awami League. Of them, nine are independents contesting the polls as rival candidates of ruling Awami League, six from the Jatiya party and one from BNF. The independent candidates are Bodiuzzaman

Ruling party activists at different polling centres under Dhaka-5 constituency were seen rigging ballots with the help of a section of polling officers in the presence of law enforcement agencies on Sunday. The polling centres include AK High School and College (new building) at Dania, Matuail Paschimpara Government Primary School, Matuail Ideal High School,

Most of the presiding and polling officers and agents of candidates were seen sitting idle during polling hours at different polling centres of Dhaka-15 and Dhaka-16 constituencies on Sunday. A visit to different polling centres of the two constituencies, including the Mirpur Girls’ Ideal Laboratory Institute, Mirpur Adarsha High School, Pallabi Government

Voting in 126 polling centres in 12 districts has been postponed following arson attacks on the eve of the 10th national election on Sunday, reports UNB. Sources at the Election Commission Secretariat said polling at 126 centres of the 12 districts has been postponed due to destruction of the centres in arson

Describing the Jan 5, 2014 as a black day for democracy, the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) on Sunday said no one witnessed such an unprecedented, candidate-less and voter-less farcical election not only in Bangladesh, but also in the world history, reports UNB. In a joint statement, SCBA president AJ Mohammad Ali, also adviser to ... Read more

Weather may remain dry with temporary partly cloudy sky over the country, having chances of light rain at one or two places over Rajshahi and Rangpur divisons and the regions of Kustia, Mymensingh and Tangail till 6:00pm today. Moderate to thick fog may occur elsewhere over the country during midnight till morning, Met Office said. Mild cold ... Read more

Exercise franchise: AL; boycott and resist: BNP With tension, disappointment and fear of violence running high across the country, the Election Commission (EC) is all set to hold the 10th parliamentary poll today amid Opposition threat of resistance. The Awami League yesterday urged the voters to exercise their franchise without fear. On the other hand, ... Read more

Guinness authorities have certified Bangladesh’s record of forming the largest human flag. The record has also been officially posted on the Guinness World Record website http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/2000/largest-human-national-flag. To mark the 43rd Victory Day on December 16, a total of 27,117 volunteers including

The blockade of roads, railway and waterways that the opposition alliance started enforcing on January 1 became violent on the third day on Friday, with two days left to the 10th national elections to be held tomorrow. The alliance led by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party on the day also announced a general strike for 48 hours ... Read more

The BNP-led opposition alliance enforces a general strike for 48 hours, amidst the current blockade of roads, railway and waterways, across the country beginning this morning, 24 hours before the national polls scheduled for tomorrow. The BNP chairperson’s adviser Osman Faruque announced the programme at a press conference in the capital on Friday evening

The Bangladesh Nationalist Party chairperson, Khaleda Zia, on Friday urged people to totally boycott the ‘farcical’ election scheduled for Sunday. She gave a clarion call to people to carry out ‘democratic movement’ in a situation when she was under ‘house arrest.’ ‘I call upon countrymen to fully