Political Violence Grows in Bangladesh

DHAKA, Jan. 18 (NsNewsWire) — Political violence is surging in Bangladesh between supporters of the ruling Awami League and the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP).

The political situation in the country has remained fragile ever since late 2013, when old wounds regarding the country’s founding and the role of Islamist leaders caused widespread protests, reports the diplomat.com

The current spate of violence was spurred by the shooting of a BNP politician on Tuesday. In retaliation, BNP supporters firebombed a bus, killing four people.

In other news, the director of India’s state-owned defense research and development body, the Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO), was unexpectedly fired. Avinash Chander, the director general of DRDO and scientific adviser to the defense minister, was cast out 16 months ahead of schedule. The decision was made by India’s new full-time defense minister, Manohar Parrikar, who would prefer to see, according to Defense News, a “younger scientist.”