Citing the need to maintain public order, the Malian junta suspended all political party activities until further notice. Mali's junta has issued a decree suspending the activities of political parties, government spokesman Abdoulaye Maiga said in a statement read on state television Wednesday night. "Until further notice, for reasons of public order, the activities of political parties and the activities of a political character of associations are suspended across the whole country," Maiga said, citing a decree by junta leader Colonel Assimi Goita. Maiga justified suspending party activities by the "sterile discussions" during an attempt at national dialogue earlier this year. Opposition voices have been largely stifled under the junta's rule. Opposition demands elections Goita's decree came after more than 80 political parties and civil groups issued a joint statement on April 1 calling for presidential elections "as soon as possible" and an end to military rule. "We will use all legal and legitimate avenues for the return of normal constitutional order in our country," the groups said in a joint statement with over 20 signatories, including a major opposition coalition and the toppled ex-president's party. The UN said last month that at least four organizations had been dissolved in Mali since December 2023, including groups related to good governance, elections and the opposition. Military rule in Mali Mali has been under military rule since August 2020, the first of eight coups in West and Central Africa in four years, including in neighboring Burkina Faso and Niger. Mali's current junta seized power in a second coup in 2021 and later promised to restore civilian rule by March 26, following elections that it said would take place in February. However, the junta said last September that it would indefinitely postpone the February elections on technical grounds, sparking outrage among political group  

A new conservative political party is looking to tap into discontent among men who say it is unfair that they have to put in 18 months of military service when women are not obliged to serve. A new conservative party set up in South Korea ahead of the general election in April has provoked debate about the future of the nation's military by calling for women to complete compulsory military service if they want to subsequently take up careers in the police, fire brigade or the corrections service.  At present, all able-bodied Korean men are required to serve at least 18 months in one of the branches of the nation's armed forces, but all female members of the military are volunteers. That policy has been sustainable for the armed forces until now but — faced with a shrinking population — it will soon be unsustainable for national defense, the leaders of the New Choice Party said recently as they began their election campaign. Announcing the party's platform in late January, joint-founders Keum Tae-sup and Ryu Ho-jeong said requiring women to complete the same mandatory service would help to solve gender conflicts in Korean society as well as bolster the nation's armed forces. Imbalance in North-South forces At present, approximately 360,000 men and women serve in the South Korean ground forces, facing the 1.1-million-strong North Korean army across the heavily fortified border. As the South's birthrate continues to decline, however, it is anticipated that its army will have a pool of 290,000 service personnel to call on in a decade and just 190,000 in 20 years from now. North Korea, however, will still have a standing army of more than 1 million men and women. "Gender is a heated topic in South Korea at the moment, especially as we get closer to the election," said Kim Seong-kyung, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul.  "In the last general election, the threat posed by North Korea was high up on the agenda and won or lost votes for parties, but we also saw women increasingly gaining a voice and the spread of feminism in Korean society as women spoke out against cyber-bullying because of their gender and other similar issues," she told DW. "But when young women raised their voices and we saw the MeToo movement here, young men reacted against that," she said. "These are the young men who feel that the nation's patriarchal system no longer exists, that their lives are really difficult, that only they have responsibility, and a sense of anger that only men have to serve in the military." Targeting dissatisfied men That resentment towards women has manifested itself in the emergence of a populist conservative party that is unabashedly targeting dissatisfied 20- and 30-year-old males. Another New Choice Party policy that is proving successful is the proposal to scrap the scheme that allows pensioners to travel free on Seoul's subway system, which the party is portraying as adding to the burden on working men. Han Ye-jung, a lawyer in Seoul, is strongly opposed to the party's proposals. "They say they are doing it to guarantee gender equality? That's not good enough," she said. "This is a male-dominated society, where men are the priority and enjoy all the privileges simply because they are men," she said. "For me, the price that they have to pay for that privilege is the time they have to serve in the military." Han believes that military service should remain optional for women and there should be no link between mandatory service and future job opportunities in other public sector jobs, but she stressed that the issue will not need to be addressed imminently. "That party will not win many votes in the election in April because they just do not have enough support for their policies, which is not surprising as they are doing nothing to appeal to female voters," she said. Alternative solutions Some analysts have put forward alternative solutions to the problem of a dwindling population in a country facing a belligerent and unpredictable neighbor, including longer periods of conscription and increased integration of technology into the armed forces, but both have drawbacks. Men are unlikely to want to serve even longer in the armed forces, while technology is expensive and far from infallible, while existing systems still require human oversight. Neither of South Korea's two main parties — the ruling People Power Party of President Yoon Suk-yeol, and the main opposition Democratic Party — has made commitments on women compulsorily serving in the armed forces. And the Defense Ministry this week said it was not drawing up plans to introduce female conscription.   Kim agrees that the New Choice Party is a fringe political group that is unlikely to attract sufficient votes to give it a voice in the new parliament, although the issues facing the armed forces that it has raised will need to be addressed sooner or later.   "There are simply not enough people in South Korea at a time when tensions with North Korea are worsening," she said. "This is the reality and we also need to reflect changing mindsets among the younger generations. We need to have the discussion on whether women should also serve in the military and the issue is going to become even more heated in the next couple of years."  

The symbol ties in with former Prime Minister Imran Khan's image as a former cricket star. His Tehreek-e-Insaf party believes a court ruling forcing them to lose the cricket bat will cost them during next month's vote. The Supreme Court of Pakistan on Saturday upheld a ruling stripping former Prime Minister Imran Khan's Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party of its cricket bat symbol.  Pakistan's Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa announced the ruling on live television, saying the PTI had not held intraparty elections. Political parties in Pakistan must hold these elections in order to take part in the national election. In December, the Election Commission of Pakistan first announced the ban on PTI for using the symbol for the same reason. The PTI then challenged that decision in the nation's top court.    PTI on ruling: A 'sad day for democracy' "This, by far, is the worst decision impacting miillions of voters," PTI said in a statement after the ruling. PTI chairman Gohar Khan said the party's candidates will have to run as independents in the national elections.  PTI spokesman Zulfi Bukhari decried the ruling as a "sad day for democracy."  There are 241 million people in Pakistan, with many areas facing high illiteracy rates. Without the cricket bat symbol, party officials have said some Pakistanis might not be able to recognize PTI candidates on the ballot. PTI candidates will now have to choose individual symbols instead of all running under the cricket bat.  Michael Kugelman, the director of the South Asia Institute at the Washington DC-based Wilson Center think tank, said the Pakistani government is cracking down on PTI ahead of general elections on February 8.  "PTI leaders jailed. PTI electoral candidates' nomination papers denied. PTI online/rallies fundraisers blocked. Top PTI rival's legal woes melt away. SC justices perceived as siding with PTI step down. PTI denied use of election symbol," Kugelman wrote on social media platform X, formerly Twitter. "This is brazen, not subtle, pre-polls rigging."     Will the military decide Pakistan's next election? As of now, Pakistan is under a caretaker government ahead of the February elections.  PTI leader and former PM Imran Khan is currently behind bars and disqualified from running in next month's vote. Seventy-one-year-old Khan, who served as PM from 2018 to 2022, had a falling out with Pakistan's formidable military and accused a former army chief of trying to kill him.  Nawaz Sharif, who served as prime minister three times, is seen as the frontrunner in the upcoming vote after returning from exile. Sharif has been cleared of all legal charges against him and is believed to be backed by the Pakistani military. 

The Jatiyo Party will join the swearing-in ceremony for the MPs-elect on Wednesday (Jan 10) in a change of heart from an earlier decision to skip taking oath with others. "Elected MPs of Jatiyo Party will hold a meeting on Thursday to decide their next course of action regarding taking oath," JP joint office secretary Mahmud Alam said in a statement on Tuesday. Mahmud also said a meeting called for Thursday, as informed by Secretary General Mujibul Haque Chunnu, was cancelled. Chunnu earlier said their MPs-elect would not take oath on Wednesday. He said they would discuss the matter and take a decision in Thursday’s meeting.

Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has been called a day long Hartal on Sunday, October 29. The announcement came from the party on Saturday at noon. Earlier, chase and counter chase between police, BNP leaders and activists in Kakrail. Witnesses said leaders and activists of BNP brought out a procession towards InterContinental hotel around 1 pm. After that, BGB deployed at Kakrail Church crossing. However, Additional Commissioner of Detective Branch (DB) Harun-or-Rashid has said while talking with reporters in front of Kakrail Church that some BNP activists attacked police in front of the Judges' Residence Complex in Dhaka’s Kakrail earlier today.    

Awami League and Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) got permission to hold their rallies in the capital’s Baitul Mukarram’s South Gate and Nayapaltan respectively. Dhaka Metropolitan Police Headquarters issued separate letters to these parties with 20 conditions. AL got permission at the south gate of Baitul Mukarram National Mosque while the BNP in front of their party office at Nayapaltan according to that letters.  The conditions state that DMP would only allow people to gather at the venues after 12:00pm. Earlier, AL and BNP submitted applications to the DMP for the permission of the rallies on October 20 and 21, respectively.

A senior official of the Communist Party of China (CPC) said Friday that China is ready to work with Group of 77 (G77) members to open a new chapter in South-South cooperation in quest for greater development through stronger solidarity. Li Xi, member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, made the remarks while attending the Summit of the Group of 77 and China in Havana of Cuba, as the special representative of Chinese President Xi Jinping. He expressed China's willingness to work with G77 members to build a Global South community with a shared future, and usher in a new era of common development. Li said the world is undergoing changes on a scale unseen in a century, and developing countries are becoming stronger. South-South cooperation is playing an increasingly important role in driving the collective rise of developing countries and in sustaining the continued global economic growth, he said. Noting that unilateralism and hegemonism are becoming rampant, Li said that some countries are resorting to unilateral sanctions, decoupling, and disruption of industrial and supply chains, which will seriously undermine the legitimate development rights and interests of developing countries and the space for development. He also stressed that developing countries widely expect to enhance solidarity and cooperation, and make efforts to make global governance more just and equitable. He put forward a three-point proposal in respect of cooperation between the G77 and China, calling on G77 members to stay true to the original aspiration of the G77 for independence and greater collective strength through unity. Besides, he encouraged the advocating of equity, justice and inclusiveness, and appealed for pursuing development, revitalization and win-win cooperation. G77 members and China need to foster new drivers for their own development, focusing on cooperation in areas of food security, poverty alleviation, industrialization, green development, digital technology and artificial intelligence, Li said, adding that efforts should be made to ensure all countries equally benefit from digital dividends, and no developing country will be left behind or left out in the development of new technologies and industries. Noting China is the largest developing country in the world, he said that no matter what stage of development it reaches, China will always be part of the developing world and a member of the Global South. South-South cooperation is always a high priority in China's cooperation with other countries, he added. Li said China will continue to maintain close communication and coordination with G77 members in order to optimize allocation of development resources, deepen South-South cooperation, ensure efficient use of public goods of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), the Global Development Initiative and other initiatives, close the development divide, and resolve problems in development. In mid-October, China will host the third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in Beijing. Li expressed the country's willingness to promote the BRI cooperation with G77 members for greater development. He noted that as long as these countries adapt to the changing times, strengthen solidarity, friendship and cooperation, and lend each other support in pursuing a path to modernization suited to the respective national conditions and characteristics, they will surely be able to better safeguard the common interests of developing countries, have a greater say in global governance, and achieve common development and shared prosperity. Source: CCTV

Ahead of The National Election-2024, Rowshan Ershad Declared herself as the new chairman of Jatiya Party (JaPa). She took the responsibility as the leader of opposition in parliament and the patron of the party on Tuesday A press release signed by Rowshan Ershad on the party's official pad. The press release came at such a time, when GM Quader is in New Delhi on three day visit.

In June, a new party, the Bangladesh Development Party, applied for registration with the Election Commission of Bangladesh. It has been known for some time that the Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami – which was deregistered as a political party in 2013 since its constitution contradicts the Bangladesh Constitution – has been contemplating its political future by forming a new party. There has been a debate since 2016 regarding whether the party should reincarnate itself as a new party since all its top leaders had been convicted of war crimes. In 2018, the EC decided not to ban the party, but to cancel their registration following a 2013 High Court order that declared the party's registration illegal. The party would have probably preferred a ban so as to justify the formation of a new party, and also because, if Jamaat is dissolved without a ban, it would essentially be confirming its negative role in the Liberation War. The War Crimes Tribunal and the hanging of several top leaders of Jamaat after they were convicted has been contested by the party. After 2008, it decided not to participate in the 2014 election following the decision of its alliance partner, Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP). It participated in the 2018 election under the BNP symbol, as part of the 20-party alliance. Though there was reluctance to include Jamaat in the electoral alliance, given its role in the Liberation War, political expediency prevailed in the end. Jamaat and BNP: Tactical separation? Prior to the 2018 election, several leaders within BNP had urged the party to end its alliance with Jamaat. This call for separation was also made by the European Union in 2015, as it was widely believed that Jamaat cadres were involved in widespread violence that had resulted in more than 100 people being killed. Though there was some debate within BNP about its association with Jamaat, in the end it was decided it would not to cut off ties. Jamaat-e-Islami head Dr Shafiqur Rahman, in a meeting held in August 2022, said, "The alliance has become ineffective." In January this year, BNP and Jamaat held separate programmes. Though some leaders within the BNP attributed Jamaat's decision to go separate ways as "good riddance," the fact remains that the BNP did not have the political courage to de-link with Jamaat. Therefore, this separation appears to be tactical.  After a decade, Jamaat was allowed to hold a rally in Dhaka on June 10. The permission to hold the rally at the Institution of Engineers, Bangladesh (IEB) was granted by overriding another request made by Jatiya Party's youth wing, Jatiyo Jubo Sanghati. Some even speculate a possible understanding between Jamaat and the Awami League, as it has been stated from the government's end that the permission was granted due to "a political decision." As of now, the two erstwhile allies are holding rallies separately while keeping their options open. Jamaat has always been close to BNP, but seems to have realised that a tactical separation would help it to survive the political turmoil, as Awami League remains focused on discrediting BNP. Jamaat and the West Jamaat-e-Islami remains the largest Islamic fundamentalist party in Bangladesh. But it shares an interesting relationship with the Western countries, especially with the US and those in the European Union. At one point of time, Jamaat was even promoted as a moderate Islamic party. Yet, the US Department of State Country Report on Terrorism 2006 had indicted the Islami Bank, which had several board members belonging to Jamaat, for funding the Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen (JMB), a terrorist organisation. Similarly, it is also known that one of the former JMB leaders, previously Habiganj district head of Jamaat-e-Islami, Saidur Rahman was a rokan of Jamaat. However, Jamaat immediately distanced itself from him and argued that Saidur did not belong to the party and had left it a long time back. In 2014, its student organisation was involved in violence against minorities. Though Jamaat in the past has distanced itself from Bangladesh Islami Chhatra Shibir, which many believe is the armed wing of the party, most Jamaat leaders in their student days have engaged in politics through Chhatra Shibir. The party has also been at the forefront of a campaign to declare the Ahmadiyya as non-Muslims. While the EU has been vocal in the past about Jamaat in several of its resolutions, asking the BNP to sever its ties with Jamaat, the US has kept rather quiet regarding the party. In a confidential note, as revealed by Wikileaks, the US Embassy in Dhaka in January 2010 wrote, "Mission Dhaka will continue to engage with Jamaat and Shabbir [Chhatra Shibir] and track their efforts to transform Bangladesh into a more Islamic state." On July 24, the US ambassador met with the main party functionaries of Jamaat. Meanwhile, the European Union Parliament, following the 2007 violence, had urged the BNP to unequivocally distance itself from Jamaat-e-Islami and Hafezat-e-Islam, which are regarded as the main instigators of the violence, stressing that parties which turn to terrorist acts should be banned. Jamaat-e-Islami as a party insists on Islamic values and maintenance of purdah. Some of the writings that appear in the newspaper that is controlled by the party discourages mingling between opposite sexes, discourages women from working with men as it would lead to fitna, and argues that the prime responsibilities of women are taking care of their husbands, children, and doing household chores. Whither Jamaat-e-Islami? However, the question is, while the Bangladesh Development Party (BDP) – which many think is a front organisation of Jamaat – is waiting for registration as a new political party, why does Jamaat want to display its political strength by organising rallies, instead of allowing the BDP to emerge? This brings us to another question: is Jamaat expecting the restoration of its registration by the EC? Since it is an established political party, receiving votes in its name would rehabilitate the party in the country's politics, especially post the war crime trials. Another relatively new party, Amar Bangladesh Party, which is headed by former Jamaat activist Mujibur Rahman Manju, has been denied registration by the EC. AB Party projects itself as a reformist party that does not want to burden itself with the history that Jamaat inherited due to their role in supporting the Pakistan Army during the Liberation War. In 2019, Barrister Abdur Razzak resigned from Jamaat, citing the party's role in 1971. Such reformist moves within Jamaat are not new. The party has so far dodged this issue by expelling those who have raised such questions and has survived as a prominent Islamist political party with ideological and monetary strength. Not surprisingly, Jamaat has managed to surface, with its cadres intact, to take the opportunity that the upcoming national election provides. For now, it does not seem in a hurry to implement its larger Islamisation project. But in its hurry to have a multiparty election minus BNP, the AL's flirtation with Jamaat may have serious implications for Bangladeshi society and politics. Author Ankita Sanyal is working as an Associate Research Fellow at International Centre for Peace Studies (ICPS) in New Delhi.

Police are worried that more people may be stuck underneath the overturned bus. The driver has been arrested. A bus carrying over 50 wedding guests overturned on Sunday, killing at least 10 people in Australia's Hunter wine region north of Sydney. Twenty-five others sustained injuries and were taken to the hospital — with two needing to be airlifted from by helicopter, authorities said. According to the police, since the bus was lying on its side with the deceased still inside, there was a possibility that more people could be trapped underneath. Police investigating cause The accident occurred 11:30 p.m. local time (1330 GMT) on Sunday near the town of Greta, known for its vineyards and wedding venues. The bus, which had been chartered to ferry guests from a wedding held at a local winery, veered off a ramp at a roundabout, causing it to roll over. The exact cause of the accident is under investigation, although officials say that heavy fog was present in the area at the time. Police said it appeared to be a single vehicle collision. Police Acting Assistant Commissioner Tracy Chapman said the driver, a 58-year-old man, has been taken into custody. He was also being tested for drugs and alcohol. "He's under arrest. He's been the driver of a motor vehicle collision where there have been fatal injuries and there will be charges pending," she said. Condolences pour in Prime Minister Anthony Albanese expressed "deepest sympathies" to the families of the people killed and injured. "All Australians waking up to tragic news from the Hunter send our deepest sympathies to the loved ones of those killed in this horrific bus tragedy," Albanese wrote on Twitter. "For a day of joy to end in such devastating loss is cruel indeed." New South Wales Premier Chris Minns also sent his condolences to the families and loved ones of those affected by the "profoundly tragic event."