WORLD NEWS

Amid the Home Minister's verbal ban on public meetings and rallies, opposition BNP on Monday announced to hold a rally in the city on Wednesday to push for their various demands, including the reinstatement of the caretaker government system, reports UNB.
The rally will be held in front of BNP's Naya Paltan central office around 3pm, protesting the issuance of a warrant for the arrest of party senior vice chairman Tarique Rahman, and all mass killings and demanding the restoration of the caretaker government system, said a party press release.
According to the release, the rally is also meant for the opposition' s other demands for the release of all opposition leaders and activists and withdrawal of the "false" cases filed against them, arrest and trial of the corrupt, and resignation of the 'failed and incompetent' present regime.
The press release signed by BNP assistant office secretary Abdul Latif Jony urged the people from all walks of life, including leaders and activists of the party and its associate bodies, to make the programme a success.
Meanwhile, the party has already sought permission from the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) authorities to hold the programme, BNP chairperson's adviser Shamsuzzaman Dudu told UNB.
Earlier on May 12, the BNP-led 18-party was to hold a rally at the same place but it was moved to May 15 as the DMP authorities refused permission for it.
The alliance also failed to hold the rally on May 15 as the authorities again refused it permission to stage it citing security grounds.
A week later, Home Minister Muhiuddin Khan Alamgir at a programme in Chittagong said all types of public rally and meeting will remain banned for a month.
The opposition parties have been alleging that the government is not allowing them to hold any rally since the Home Minister's verbal restriction though the government did not issue any official order imposing any restriction on holding rallies and meetings.