20,000 rally in B’desh against media crackdown

At least 20,000 opposition supporters rallied in the Bangladeshi capital on Tuesday to demand the abolition of a new government policy that critics say would muzzle independent television and radio stations. The main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and its 19 allies staged the rally as they launched a string of fresh protests aimed at forcing early elections. The protests come just months after Awami League party won parliamentary elections that were boycotted by the opposition.