The opposition's allegations include fraud in the upper house election process, corruption in local government examinations and mismanagement of the economy and recent floods. 

Air pollution becomes a severe problem for the region around this time of the year when cold, dense air traps emissions, pushing pollution levels to the highest in the world and exposing residents to serious respiratory risks.

Clashes were reported across industrial belts around Dhaka, including Ashulia, Gazipur and the capital's Mirpur area, as workers staged fresh demonstrations and attempted to block major highways.

The Hong Kong Observatory logged a monthly mean temperature of 27.6°C - a 0.2°C increase from last year's already record-breaking figure for the same period.