Bangladesh arrest warrants issued

A court in Bangladesh has issued arrest warrants for 14 senior opposition figures after they failed to appear to face defamation charges.

The 14 members of the main opposition Awami League include the League's secretary-general, Abdul Jalil.

Mr Jalil told the BBC that he and his colleagues did not receive the summons from a court in the northern district of Natore in time.

The charge was filed last month by a junior minister, Rahul Quddus Talukder.

He says the Awami members had published allegations against him concerning the law and order situation in Bangladesh.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service