Bangladesh closes universities due to protests
Authorities in Bangladesh urged all universities to close on Wednesday, the day after at least six people died in violent protests over the allocation of government jobs and police raided the headquarters of the main opposition party. Dhaka University, at the centre of the violence, decided to suspend classes and close its dormitories indefinitely, a university official told reporters. The University Grants Commission asked all public and private universities to close until further notice, in order to protect students, but the request did not have legal force and it was not immediately clear how many universities would comply. Authorities said at least six people were killed on Tuesday in violence across the country as student protesters clashed with pro-government student activists and with police.  Violence was reported around the capital, Dhaka, the southeastern city of Chattogram and the northern city of Rangpur. Overnight, Dhaka police raided the headquarters of the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party, accusing it of playing a role in the violence. The South Asian nation has been rocked by protests for weeks over public sector job quotas, which include a 30 percent reservation for family members of freedom fighters from the 1971 War of Independence from Pakistan.  It has sparked anger among students who face high youth unemployment rates, with nearly 32 million young Bangladeshis not in work or education out of a total population of 170 million people. (Agencies)