State of emergency issued in Bangladesh

Bangladeshi president Iajuddin Ahmed has issued a state of emergency and postponed upcoming elections as violent clashes between rival political groups continue to destabilise the south-east Asian nation.

Although boycotts, strikes and protests designed to stifle the country's economy have now ended, there is still a high threat of the violence that has killed 70 over the last few months.

A curfew is currently being enforced by the armed forces across capital, Dhaka, as the authorities attempt to clamp down on dissident actions that could lead to further unrest.

Mr Ahmed has declared that he will step down, as he is constitutionally obliged, prior to the next round of elections, which were to be held on January 22nd.

But this has not appeased the Awami League, a collection of anti-government political parties, which accuse the interim government of structuring the voting system to favour the incumbent Bangladesh National Party (BNP).

The Foreign Office is advising "against all but essential travel to Bangladesh", insisting that the security situation "could deteriorate quickly". The government is also advising all Brits in the country to register with the British High Commission.