50 Dead in Widening Bangladesh Mutiny

(NEWSER) - Mutinous border guards in the Bangladeshi capital of Dhaka laid down their weapons today, ending the uprising that started yesterday and claimed at least 20 lives, the BBC reports. “All the rebel troops have surrendered with their arms,” a government spokesman said, and urged rebels outside the capital to do the same. The bodies of 9 officers of the border guard have been found, and many more are missing. More»

Military officers 'with extreme religious views' were reportedly involved

(AP) - The Bangladesh military has foiled a plot by hardline Muslim officers and Bangladeshi conspirators living abroad to overthrow Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, a military spokesman announced today. Brig. Gen. Muhammad Masud Razzaq told reporters that the military has specific evidence that up to 16 current and former Bangladeshi military officers "with extreme religious views" were involved in the "heinous conspiracy." More»

Blaze engulfs apartment blocks in Dhaka

(NEWSER) - Over 100 people have been killed in a fire that ripped through a crowded residential neighborhood in Dhaka, Bangladesh. The fire, caused by a fault in an electrical transformer, spread rapidly as it consumed chemicals in stores and small-scale factories, and quickly engulfed several apartment blocks, Reuters reports. More»

Disaster strikes as people were disembarking

(AP) - The body count in southern Bangladesh has hit 58 in the wake of a ferry that capsized as hundreds of holiday travelers disembarked yesterday. MV Coco hit a river shoal as it approached the terminal, breaking the hull and allowing water in. As passengers scrambled to disembark, the vessel then tipped and partially sank in the Tetulia River. A rescue ship finally righted the ferry today, easing the work of those searching the submerged cabins for scores believed trapped inside. More»

'All the rage among educated,' says street vendor

(NEWSER) - Booksellers on the streets of the Bangladesh capital of Dhaka have discovered a surprise hit: Adolf Hitler's manisfesto Mein Kampf. The tome is selling as well as Dan Brown's latest book, the Lost Symbol. "For some reason Hitler's book is all the rage among educated people," one street seller told the BBC . What's the appeal? "I think it's because many people have seen Hitler in films and want to know more about him," said the vendor. More»