The Global News Desk 115

DHAKA, Bangladesh  —  Bangladesh's Election Commission suspended former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's Awami League, barring it from the next national elections. Bangladesh's Election Commission acted against Sheikh Hasina's Awami League following a request from the interim government. Under the leadership of Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, the government amended a law to allow for the trial of an entire party for certain crimes, rather than just a few members. Last year, a student protest toppled Ms. Hasina's authoritarian government. She escaped to India, but the Awami League continued operating in Bangladesh. Ms. Hasina's party supporters were held accountable for last week's assault on Hasnat Abdullah, a significant figure in the previous year's uprising.  Students were angered by the incident and urged that the Awami League face heavy sanctions.

  Dozens killed, millions blocked after floods hit India and Bangladesh India and Bangladesh have asked for military assistance to deal with severe flooding, which could get worse as continued rains are expected over the weekend. At least 50 people were killed and millions displaced after severe rains inundated parts of northeastern India and Bangladesh. Monsoon rains in Bangladesh on Saturday killed at least 50 people, local media said, and caused deadly flooding that blocked more than four million people.  Since Friday, 21 people have been perished in South Asia due to lightning strikes, while 4 were killed in landslides induced by the storm, according to authorities. Foreign Minister Konrad Sangma announced on Twitter that at least 16 people had died after landslides and severe water submerged a highway in rural Megalia, India. According to the state disaster control agency in Assam, India, at least nine people drowned in the floods, and the homes of two million people ...

Chittagong, Bangladesh - At least 42 people were killed and 300 were injured in a massive explosion at a depot near Chittagong, Bangladesh.  The explosion occurred after firefighters were called to a container yard in Sitakunda to extinguish the blaze, according to BBC.  The chemical was stored in several containers at the store, local media said.  The boom rattled buildings several kilometers distant, according to eyewitnesses.  Many of the injured are said to be in serious condition, with burns covering 60 to 90 percent of their bodies.  The city is only 40 km from the country's second-largest city, Chittagong, and one of the city's hospitals is full of victims.  According to local media, warehouse workers, firefighters, and police officers were among those injured.  As of Sunday morning, hours after the explosion, firefighters were still battling the blaze. Mujibur Rahman, director of the facility said that about 600 people were working at the conta...