Hundreds of Awami League leaders and activists are converging at Suhrawardy Udyan to attend a public rally organized to commemorate the historic homecoming day of the Father of the Nation, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. Supporters from various parts of Dhaka and the surrounding districts have been arriving since Wednesday (Jan 10) morning, creating a festive atmosphere. They are entering the Suhrawardy Udyan with small processions through different gates, marking the occasion with exuberance following their resounding victory in the 12th national parliament election.

Hundreds of people joined the annual cannabis legalization protest in Germany's capital Berlin on Saturday, days before the cabinet is due to discuss a draft law that will overturn a ban on the drug. Police said between 500-600 people took part in the Hanfparade (Hemp Parade). The numbers were, however, about a third of last year's 1,500 participants. The parade started with a rally at the city's Rotes Rathaus (Red town hall) and the protest route included the Unter den Linden boulevard, the government district and Alexanderplatz. "Hemp is great for peace and climate," was the motto of this year's demonstration. The Hemp Parade has been held annually since 1997. The purpose is to call on the government to liberalize laws on soft drugs such as marijuana and hashish, which are derived from the cannabis plant. Parade organizers also advocate for easier access to medical cannabis and the widespread use of hemp, which is the same plant species as cannabis. Germany set to ease drug laws The government is planning to legalize cannabis, potentially allowing adults to possess up to 25 grams of cannabis and grow a maximum of three plants for personal use.  Under aproposed law, the drug could be cultivated and sold by so-called cannabis clubs, subject to strict rules, including in neutral packaging and a maximum of 50 grams per customer per month. The cabinet is due to discuss the bill in the coming week, Health Minister Karl Lauterbach was cited by DPA news agency as saying. Pro-cannabis advocates within the coalition government are hoping to legalize the drugs this year. The Health Ministry thinks the measure could save the country's police, legal system and prisons more than €1 billion ($1.11 billion) in costs per year. However, the proposed law faces many hurdles, including from the German Judges' Association (DRB), which believes that it will be cumbersome to uphold. "This very small-scale law would necessitate a high level of control, which would lead to numerous new disputes and to many proceedings before the courts," DRB federal director Sven Rebehn told DPA on Saturday. DRB says the proposed law will also have little impact on the black market for drugs.  Germany's police criticizes law Earlier this month, the deputy head of the German police union (GdP) said the new law would place a huge burden on the police. GdP deputy federal chairman Alexander Poitz told the Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland (RND) network that the draft bill lacked precision and foresight. "At no point in the draft paper does it become clear how the expected increased technical and personnel effort of the police and other authorities are to be managed," Poitz said. The planned law would allow people to smoke marijuana in public, but not within 200 meters of schools, day-care centers, playgrounds or sports fields. "I hope that the Federal Ministry of Health doesn't think our colleagues would measure the required 200-meter distance between a consumer and a day-care center with a tape measure." The Free Democratic Party (FDP), the smallest in Chancellor Olaf Scholz's coalition, has also criticized the plans. "In its current form, it would create a real bureaucratic monster that can hardly be controlled," Kristine Lütke, the FDP's addiction and drug policy spokesperson told the Rheinische Post newspaper last month. "The FDP parliamentary group firmly rejects an upper limit for possession. After all, no one controls how many bottles of wine someone stores in the cellar," she said. Instead, she called for "proportionate and accurate regulations that provide real protection for young people and at the same time do not lead to an additional burden on the police and the judiciary." The draft is likely to change as the lower house of the German parliament, or Bundestag, debates it.

The grand rally of the ruling Awami League started at Rangpur Zilla School ground on Wednesday,  August 2.  Thousands of people, including AL leaders and activists, started assemling at the venue since early in the morning.  Venue of the rally turned into a sea of ​​people across a 10 km area of ​​the city. PM arrived at Rangpur cantonment by a helicopter at 01:13 PM as she was escorted to the Circuit House where she is scheduled to hold a meeting with Rangpur divisional government officials. Sheikh Hasina will address the rally at Rangpur Zilla School ground which believed to be the largest ever in the history of Rangpur to drum up public support.

Prime Minister and Awami League (AL) President Sheikh Hasina will address the largest ever public rally in the divisional city today to drum up public support in favour of her party's electoral symbol "Boat" ahead of the next general election. All is set to hold the divisional grand rally at the ground of the Rangpur Zilla School at 2pm today and the Prime Minister is expected to address the rally at 3pm, party sources said. (Reports BSS) PM is scheduled to arrive in Rangpur at 1:30pm tomorrow by a helicopter and likely to leave the divisional town for Dhaka at 5:30pm. The Prime Minister will address a rally in the same ground after a gap of 12 years. A public meeting stage has been prepared there in the shape of a boat. At the rally, the Prime Minister will inaugurate 27 development schemes and lay foundation stones of five other projects, including Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Planetarium involving about Taka 1240 crore, to ensure the overall development of Rangpur. Enthusiasm and festivity have been prevailing among the leaders and activists of the AL and its front and associate bodies across the Rangpur division, particularly in the divisional city. People of all strata are eagerly waiting to hear the Prime Minister at the rally. After visiting the rally venue, AL General Secretary and Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader, MP, told a news briefing at the ground that they have taken all out preparations to hold the largest ever mass gathering in Rangpur's history. He said that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will unfold the story of her dream regarding North Bengal tomorrow. "No matter how much propaganda, mischief and conspiracy being carried out against the Awami League government, 70 percent of the people of the country, including Rangpur will definitely vote for Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the next general election if it is held peacefully," he said. The AL General Secretary said they never use weapons to come to power as the people are their main strength. "So, we are not dependent on weapons. We don't believe in arson terrorism. Our strength is the people of the country," he said. To welcome the Prime Minister, the entire Rangpur was decorated with several hundred arches, festoons, banners, placards and posters with pictures of the Father of the Nation and the Prime Minister. Even lanes and by-lanes in the divisional town were also decorated in the similar way.

The bomb exploded at a political rally for the Jamiat Ulema Islam party being held in northwestern Pakistan, near the border with Afghanistan. Dozens of people were killed after a bomb went off at a political rally in northwestern Pakistan on Sunday. Pakistani officials told news agencies at least 44 people were killed in the town of Khar in Bajaur district, a former stronghold of the Pakistani Taliban. "We fear the death toll will increase," Rescue Department spokesperson Bilal Faizi said. Police authorities said they believe the explosion was the result of a suicide bombing. Nearly 200 were injured, including children, with many taken to hospital. No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack, one of the worst in the country in recent years. Zabiullah Mujahid, a spokesman for the Afghan Taliban, condemend the bombing, saying "Such crimes cannot be justified in any way." Images of the incident showed bodies strewn around the scene, and volunteers carrying blood-soaked victims to ambulances. "There was all dust and smoke around and I was under the some injured people from where I hardly (could stand) up but only to see chaos and some scattered limbs," one witness told the Associated Press. Islamist party rocked by bomb The bomb exploded inside a packed venue where a rally was being held for the Jamiat Ulema Islam party, known for its links to hard-line Islam. "It is now an attack on out party. It is an assault on Pakistan, its democracy," party spokesperson Hafiz Hamdullah said, struggling to hold back tears at a press conference in the capital Islamabad. He said a local leader was among the dead while two national MPs were also wounded in the "savage" bombing.  "A senior leader from the party was due to address the ceremony, but before his arrival a bomb explosion took place," Akhtar Hayat Gandapur, the inspector general of police for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, told the AFP news agency. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, but the local chapter of the so-called "Islamic State" group has recently carried out attacks against the party. The jihadist group accuses the hard-line political party of hypocrisy for being an Islamic group that has supported successive governments and the military. Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif and President Arif Alvi both condemned the attack.

Awami League has postponed Monday's pre-schedelued peace rally at the old trade fair ground in the capital's Agargaon area. Earlier Saturday, Awami League declared that they will hold public rallies across the country on Monday after BNP announced for public rallies across the country tomorrow. More to come...

Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) is to hold a assembly in Nayapaltan at 2 pm to announce 'one-point movement' for overthrowing the government.  Ahead of the assembly, BNP leaders and activists have been gathered in front of the party's headquarter in Nayapaltan from 8 am today. In the meantime, the stage has already been prepared. Party's general secretary Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir will be the chief guest.  Meanwhile, Awami League is on the streets to attend a peace rally on the same day. The ruling party will be holding rally in front of the south gate of Baitul Mukarram National Mosque in the capital. Awami League leaders said that, they will be careful that BNP-Jamaat does not create anarchy in the name of assembly. Deputy Police Commissioner (DC) of Media and Public Relations Department of DMP. Farooq Hossain said that police are on high alert around the gathering of the two political parties.  However, police set up checkposts in the Gabtoli and Amin Bazar area. 

The Rally of Arunachal 2023 is scheduled to take place on June 13th, 2023, in Itanagar, with a massive field of 51 entries so far. The Motorsports Club of Arunachal Pradesh, in association with the Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India (FMSCI), has announced the Rally of Arunachal 2023, the second round of the highly anticipated Blueband FMSCI Indian National Rally Championship. This prestigious event has been organized by the Directorate of Youth Affairs Govt. of Arunachal Pradesh. The Rally of Arunachal 2023 is scheduled to take place on June 13th, 2023, in Itanagar, with a massive field of 51 entries so far. The event will commence with the ceremonial start at the Legislative Assembly Complex in Itanagar at 4:30 p.m. The round two of the Indian National Rally Championship will be held on the 14th of June 2023 at Chimpu-Hollongi highway from 11 AM onwards and continue till 8 PM. The next day on the 15th the championship takes place in the roads of Yazali-Ziro. The fastest drivers from India will descend down in the land of the dawn-lit mountains with their mean machines and put their skills to the test. The thrilling event is set to showcase the skill and determination of rally drivers across multiple categories, including INRC, INRC 2, INRC 3, INRC 4, Gypsy Class, JINRC (Junior INRC), and Women’s Class. Source: arunachal24.in

A special team has been appointed by local authorities to investigate the incident in northern Mexico. The state of Baja California, where the attack occurred, has faced numerous homicides linked to gangs. Gunmen attacked a group of amateur rally drivers in the northern Mexican town of Ensenada on Sunday, killing at least 10 and injuring nine. The attack "left nine wounded and 10 people dead," Ensenada authorities said in a statement. Authorities said the drivers participating in the race were parked on the side of a highway when a group of men got out of a pickup truck and opened fire. The motive behind the shooting is unknown. The prosecutor's office in Baja California, where Ensenada is located, said a special team will be established to investigate the incident. The injured people received medical attention and were taken to hospitals within the Ensenada municipality. Ensenada has a population of 440,000 and is located near the US border. Baja California faces gun violence crisis Baja California is among the Mexican states with the highest number of homicides, with the government largely attributing these acts of violence to clashes between organized criminal gangs. Official data indicates that between January and April this year, a total of 721 murders took place in the region. During the same time, Baja California, along with five other states, accounted for nearly half of the country's recorded 9,912 homicides. Since 2006, when the government initiated a controversial anti-drug campaign with support from the United States and the Mexican armed forces, Mexico has experienced widespread violence resulting in almost 400,000 fatalities and the disappearance of tens of thousands of individuals.

Serbians took to the streets to demand better security and the resignation of top officials after two mass shootings, including one at a school, in recent days. Thousands of Serbians marched in silence on Monday in protest against the populist government's reaction to two mass shootings last week.  The country has been in shock after 17 people were killed in two separate onslaughts last week.  A teenage boy brought two handguns to school, killing eight pupils and a security guard. Just two days later, a 21 year-old man killed eight people in central Serbia.  What are protesters demanding? Dubbed "Serbia against violence," the march in the capital saw members from across the country's political divide come together. Demonstrators called for the resignation of top officials, including Interior Minister Bratislav Gasic and Aleksandar Vulin, the director of the state security agency. Education minister Branko Ruzic resigned on Sunday, citing the "cataclysmic tragedy" caused by the school shooting. Protesters also demanded the dismissal of the government's Regulatory Committee for Electronic Media (REM) within a week. They accuse some TV stations and tabloids of promoting violence.  "We demand an immediate stop to further promotion of violence in the media and public space, as well as responsibility for the long-standing inadequate response from competent authorities," the leftist Let's Not Let Belgrade Drown party said in a statement. Meanwhile, President Aleksandar Vucic's Serbian Progressive Party decried the rally, saying the opposition was "using a national tragedy for their own interest."  President wants to 'disarm' Serbia Vucic has vowed to "disarm" Serbia with a plan to crack down on gun violence. He proposed new measures that include a freeze on gun permits and more psychological checks for owners. Mass shootings are rare in Serbia — and purchasing a firearm requires a special permit — but the country has one of the highest levels of gun ownership in Europe. According to the Small Arms Survey research group, around four out of ten people in Serbia are in possession of a firearm. Despite the requirements preventing people from acquiring a firearm, many are still left over from the wars of the 1990s and remain in circulation. Vucic has pledged to remove those weapons.