Bangladesh voters go to the polls in one-sided election marred by violence
Violence has been reported in Bangladesh as 120 million people vote in a general election that has a foregone conclusion.
There have been a total of 18 arson attacks, including 10 on polling booths in the 48 hours before Sunday, authorities said.
On Friday, four people including one child were killed when a passenger train heading towards the capital, Dhaka, was set on fire.
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Four dead after fire on Bangladesh train
A total of 120 million people are eligible to vote in Sunday’s election – which will grant Sheikh Hasina a fifth term in office, her fourth consecutive one.
The 76-year-old will then be the longest-serving head of state in Bangladesh‘s history.
The main opposition, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) led by Khaleda Zia, has boycotted the election after demanding Ms Hasina steps down to make way for a caretaker government that could organise a fair vote.
Their call was met with a severe government crackdown, which saw at least 11 BNP members killed and tens of thousands arrested by security forces during protests last year.
Bangladesh’s national parliament, the Jatiya Sangsad, has 350 MPs, of which 300 will be elected in Sunday’s vote.
The remaining 50 seats are reserved for women selected by the ruling party or coalition government.
The election result will be declared on Monday, though nobody is in doubt about who the winner will be.
A woman carries her child while voting
Awami League, the ruling party, has dominated the country’s political landscape for decades.
Ms Hasina, the daughter of the country’s founding leader Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, has been praised for making its $416bn (£327bn) economy one of the fastest growing in the world.
She has also won international praise for sheltering nearly one million Rohingya Muslims fleeing persecution in neighbouring Myanmar.
Bangladesh is one of the largest ready-made garment exporters and clothing accounts for more than 80% of the country’s exports.
Ms Hasina has campaigned on her track record of modernising and improving the lives of more than four million garment workers, most of whom are women.
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Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina casts her vote in Dhaka. Pic: AP Photo/Altaf Qadri
However, the pandemic stalled the garment industry’s growth, and the rise of fuel costs due to the Russia-Ukraine war has put a huge strain on the economy, depleting foreign exchange reserves and weakening the domestic currency.
Bangladesh is also experiencing a cost-of-living crisis, which sparked violent protests last year, before a $4.7bn (£3.7bn) International Monetary Fund (IMF) bailout cleared the first review in December.
Ms Hasina’s government has faced allegations of being authoritarian, rigging elections, suppressing people’s votes and targeting opposition parties.
Awami League campaign posters on a street in the capital city
Human Rights Watch condemned the arrests of opposition members last year, and said “the government’s autocratic crackdown will jeopardise future economic cooperation” with other countries.
The US also previously raised concerns over human rights and imposed sanctions on two Bangladeshi security officials for alleged extrajudicial killings.
Opposition leader Ms Zia has been under house arrest for over two years on corruption charges, which she denies.
Her son, Tarique Rahman, the acting chairman of the party, is in exile in London. In August, he was sentenced to nine years in prison for amassing illegal wealth but he was not in court for the verdict.
Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy has met Israel’s prime minister in an effort to secure a ceasefire deal in Gaza before the president-elect takes office on 20 January.
Benjamin Netanyahu’s office confirmed details of the meeting with Steve Witkoff on Saturday, adding that the head of the Israeli Mossad intelligence agency has been deployed to Qatar in order to “advance” talks.
It was not immediately clear when David Barnea would travel to Doha for the latest round of indirect discussions between Israel and Hamas.
Earlier on Saturday, an Israeli official said some progress had been made, mediated by Egypt, Qatar and the United States, to reach a deal in Gaza.
Ronen Bar (left), director of Israel’s security agency, and David Barnea (right), head of Mossad, at a ceremony marking the 7 October Hamas attack. File pic: Reuters
The mediators are making renewed efforts to halt fighting in Gaza and free the remaining Israeli hostages held there before Mr Trump takes office.
A deal would also involve the release of some Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails.
Families of Israeli hostages welcomed Mr Netanyahu’s decision to dispatch the officials, with the Hostages and Missing Families Forum Headquarters describing it as a “historic opportunity”.
Mr Witkoff arrived in Doha on Friday and met the Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, Qatar’s foreign ministry said.
Egyptian and Qatari mediators received reassurances from Mr Witkoff that the US would continue to work towards a fair deal to end the war soon, Egyptian security sources said, though no further details were released.
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Israel launched its assault on Gaza after Hamas fighters stormed across its borders in October 2023, killing 1,200 people and taking more than 250 hostages, according to Israeli figures.
Families of the roughly 100 hostages still held in Gaza are pressing Mr Netanyahu to reach a deal to bring their loved ones home.
Since then, more than 46,000 people have been killed in Gaza, according to Palestinian health officials, with much of the area destroyed and gripped by a humanitarian crisis, with most of its population displaced.
Pope Francis has been honoured with America’s highest civilian award by President Joe Biden, who has described the pontiff as “a light of faith, hope, and love that shines brightly across the world”.
It is the first time Mr Biden, 82, has given the Presidential Medal of Freedom with Distinction during his four years in office.
In a statement, the White House said the award is “presented to individuals who have made exemplary contributions to the prosperity, values, or security of the United States, world peace, or other significant societal, public or private endeavours”.
Mr Biden had been scheduled to present the medal to Pope Francis, 88, in person on Saturday in Rome on what was to be the final overseas trip of his presidency. But the president cancelled his visit to monitor the California wildfires.
The White House said Mr Biden bestowed the award during a phone call in which they also discussed efforts to promote peace and alleviate suffering around the world.
President Joe Biden presented Bono with the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Pic: AP
Denzel Washington was also recognised. Pic: AP
Michael J Fox was bestowed with the honour. Pic: AP
The award can be presented with or without distinction.
Mr Biden presented the medal of freedom – without distinction – on 5 January to several people including fellow Democrat Hillary Clinton, humanitarian and U2 singer Bono, fashion designer Ralph Lauren and actors Michael J Fox and Denzel Washington.
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Mr Biden himself is a recipient of the award with distinction, recognised when he was vice president by then president Barack Obama in a surprise ceremony eight years ago.
Barack Obama presented Joe Biden with the Presidential Medal of Freedom with Distinction in 2017. File pic: AP
The citation for the pope’s honour said his “mission of serving the poor has never ceased”.
“A loving pastor, he joyfully answers children’s questions about God. A challenging teacher, he commands us to fight for peace and protect the planet. A welcoming leader, he reaches out to different faiths,” it added.
Ukraine has captured two North Korean soldiers fighting in Russia’s Kursk region, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said.
The injured pair are now in Kyiv and communicating with the Security Service of Ukraine, the country’s domestic intelligence agency, he said.
Ukrainian special forces and paratroopers captured the North Koreans, Mr Zelenskyy said in a post on X.
“As with all prisoners of war, these two North Korean soldiers are receiving the necessary medical assistance,” he said.
“I have instructed the Security Service of Ukraine to grant journalists access to these prisoners.
“The world needs to know the truth about what is happening.”
Mr Zelenskyy said capturing the soldiers alive was “not easy”. He also claimed Russian and North Korean forces fighting in Kursk have tried to conceal the presence of North Korean soldiers, including by killing wounded comrades on the battlefield to avoid their capture and interrogation by Ukraine.
The post included images of the two men – one with a bandage around his jaw and the other around both hands and wrists – and what appeared to be a Russian military document.
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Ukraine’s security service SBU on Saturday provided further details.
It said one of those detained had no documents at all, while the other had been carrying a Russian military ID card in the name of a man from Tuva, a Russian region bordering Mongolia.
“The prisoners do not speak Ukrainian, English or Russian, so communication with them takes place through Korean translators in cooperation with South Korean intelligence,” a statement said.
One of the soldiers claimed he had been told he was going to Russia for training, rather than to fight against Ukraine, according to the SBU.
The agency added both men are being provided with medical care in line with the Geneva Conventions, and investigated “in cooperation with South Korean intelligence”.
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North Korean regular troops entered the war on Russia’s side in October, according to Ukraine and its Western allies.
US, South Korean and Ukrainian intelligence assessments suggest up to 12,000 North Korean combat troops have been sent by Pyongyang under a pact with Moscow.
They believe North Korea has also been supplying Russia with vast quantities of artillery shells.
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