Awami League President Sheikh Hasina today (Wednesday) alleged that BNP being scared of an election debacle have become desperate to foil the October 1 polls through widespread terrorism and killing.

BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia yesterday said Awami League would be washed away by a hail of people's hatred to be spat out at them in October 1 election.Addressing the crowd, she said the people had the bitter experience of the five-year rule of Awami League marked by killing, rape, terrorism, repression and nepotism. "Time has come to restore peace and development by rejecting them through ballots."

The October 2 general elections of the country will be more free and fair compared to the previous elections, foreign observers said in the city on Wednesday. "The elections of 1991 and 1996 were fair and elections in 2001 would be fairer, "UNDP representative in Bangladesh Jorgen Lissner said.

Parbatya Chattagram Jana Sanghati Samity has called a two-day hartal in three hill districts for September 30 and October 1 in a bid to resist the general election.

Prosit Bikash Khisha, candidate of the United People's Democratic Front (UPDF), on Tuesday urged the hill people to vote for his party to establish their socio-economic rights and preserve their culture and traditions. Khisha, also the UPDF chief, was addressing a huge projection rally at Swanirbhar Bazaar of the district headquarters amid tight security.

Chief of the Army Staff Lieutenant General M Harun-ar-Rashid, Bir Protik (BP), on Wednesday started field level inspection to see the activities of the members of the army deployed across the country to assist the civil administration in holding the 8th general elections in a fair and peaceful atmosphere

BNP leaders on Wednesday demanded that the army should be engaged in the combing operation to recover illegal arms and arrest identified terrorists to help create a conducive environment for free and fair polls.

BNP yesterday apprised diplomats of the western world and Japan of latest situation in the country heading for national elections in just four days, amid some unrest in the run-up.

Awami League on Wednesday strongly protested a "conspiratorial move" by a certain quarter to close down independent channel Ekushey Television (ETV), reports UNB

At least 12 Awami League supporters were injured, one by bullet, when BNP men allegedly opened fire and attacked their vehicle at Dahobi Naopara area in Louhajang upazila Tuesday night.

As many as 6,494 licensed pistols and revolvers were deposited until Tuesday, which the government fixed as the deadline for deposition of small firearms. The government in a statement asked the firearm holders to deposit their arms prior to the October 1 general election. The deposition began on September 17.

A bomb explosion near the venue of an election projection meeting of AL candidate Suranjit Sen Gupta at Shalla under Sunamganj district claimed four lives on Wednesday afternoon while a political activist identified as Jalal was shot and stabbed to death by gunmen at Babuganj in late night on Tuesday.

Shaikhul Hadith Azizul Haq and 57 others were acquitted of a case filed under the Public Safety Act (PSA) yesterday.

The First Tribunal for prevention of Public Safety Disturbances and Crimes, Dhaka passed the order following the recommendation by the Home Ministry regarding withdrawal of some cases filed against political leaders.

The Election Commission has warned of taking stern action against any act that affects the country's communal harmony prior to the ensuing general elections. Pointing to newspaper reports of harassment of minorities at different parts of the country, the EC, in a press release, yesterday said such incident was not only unwanted but also hateful.

The High Court by an ad-interim order on Wednesday stayed the terrestrial broadcast of Ekushey Television (ETV. A vacation Bench of the High Court comprising Justice MA Aziz and Justice Sikder Moqbul Haque, however, suspended the same stay order for a day following a prayer by the Attorney General.

Chief Advisor Justice Latifur Rahman today sought cooperation from all in discharging the responsibility of holding a free, fair and impartial election.

Police arrested two more persons from Mollarhat upazila Tuesday night in connection with Sunday's bomb explosion that killed nine people in an election rally of Awami League.

The national airlines on Wednesday grounded four of its leased aircraft as the concerned leasing company held back its decision on standing guarantor as asked by British Insurance Company Lloyds.

Bangladesh Frozen Foods Exporters Association (BFFEA) has expressed grave concern at the continuous fall of country's export of frozen fish due to September 11 terrorist attacks in the United States.

Afghanistan's ruling Taliban gave the Untied States a taste of the ferocity and hostility they face in any attempt to unseat them when

thousands of their supporters stormed and torched the deserted US

A meeting next month of British Commonwealth leaders will help build support for the US offensive against terrorism and should go ahead, Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said Wednesday.

Britain's Queen Elizabeth II and 45 leaders from Britain and its former colonies are due to attend the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, or CHOGM, from October 6-9, in Brisbane, the capital of Queensland state.

The United States has assured India that it shares New Delhi's concern about terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir and its war against the scourge will continue beyond the immediate task of nailing the perpetrators of the carnage in America.

The House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved a $343 billion defence bill late Tuesday after diverting some money from President George W. Bush's prized missile defence program to counterterrorism efforts. But the Senate's work got bogged down over objections by a couple of senators.

The United States Wednesday urged Chechen rebels locked in a bloody two-year struggle with Moscow to sever ties with terrorists, especially Osama Bin Laden.

Three hundred bodies have been recovered from the ruins of the World Trade Center, while the number of people missing is unchanged at 6,347, a New York City police spokesman said Wednesday.

The White House said Wednesday that the United States was a friend to Afghans and told those unhappy with the ruling Taliban they have "a chance" to take part in the US-led war on terrorism.

Mohammed Zahir Shah, the former king of Afghanistan finally broke his silence. He said his priority was not the war on terror, but the plight of his countrymen.

NATO defence ministers opened a special one-day meeting on Wednesday to hear what kind of aid the United States expects of them in retaliating against terrorist attacks in New York and Washington.

Zimbabwe has signed on to the growing list of African countries which have pledged to cooperate with the United States in fighting terrorism, government officials told the daily The Herald.

In truce talks held at the urging of the United States, Israel and the Palestinians agreed Wednesday on a series of confidence-building measures aimed at ending a year of fighting.

Iran's supreme leader condemned the United States on Wednesday as being not "competent" and "disgusting," and vowed that his country would not cooperate with any US-led attack on Afghanistan.

Afghan men thronged their closing embassy in the Saudi capital by the defiant hundreds Wednesday, angry and adamant that they would return home to fight a feared US attack.

Ayman al-Zawahri, an Egyptian doctor faced with an international arrest warrant, heads a tiny wing of the Egyptian jehad, allied with Osama Bin Laden in a war against the United States and Israel.

The United States has not requested extra military assistance from Bahrain ahead of anticipated US-led strikes on Afghanistan, the Gulf state's Information Minister Nabil al-Hamr said Wednesday.

A militant Islamic group fighting Christians in Indonesia's Maluku islands denied Wednesday any links to Osama bin Laden and his Al Qaeda network.

Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri arrived in Tokyo on Wednesday to hold talks with Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi on the US-led war against terror.

Philippine nationals living abroad should expect increased police and immigration scrutiny following the deadly terrorist attacks in the United States, the foreign department said Wednesday

Russian state TV has denied reports about the death of Afghan opposition warlord Abdul Rashid Dostum, a key figure in northern alliance's military offensive against the ruling Taliban militia.

IMF directors approved a 135-million-dollar credit to Pakistan on Wednesday while urging the government to pursue economic reforms.

A leading BCB (Bangladesh Cricket Board) official yesterday ruled out any possibility of Zimbabwe cancelling their tour of Bangladesh in November. "As far as we are concerned, the Zimbabwe tour is very much on. The last message I received from the Zimbabwe Cricket Union on Tuesday had contained no such news," said Board director Syed Ashraful Huq.