Bangladesh's cabinet on Monday approved a draft law prescribing the death penalty for drug offences, despite widespread criticism over a drugs crackdown in which police have shot dead more than 200 people since May.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina launched the campaign ahead of a general election due by December, but the killings have prompted fears among rights groups of a bloody Philippine-style campaign to wipe out drugs.&nbsp;

The Narcotics Control Act defines methamphetamines, also known as "yaba", and other drugs, such as "shisha", as narcotics for the first time, Cabinet Secretary Mohammad Shafiul Alam told reporters after the meeting chaired by Hasina.

"It proposes the death sentence as maximum punishment for producing, smuggling, distributing and using more than 5 gm of 'yaba'," he said, adding that possession of less than 5 gm (0.18 oz) would attract a maximum jail term of five years.

Alam said the stern punishment was needed to curb the spread of the highly potent stimulant smuggled in from neighbouring Myanmar.

Bangladesh has said an influx last year of Rohingya fleeing Buddhist-majority Myanmar is partly to blame for soaring methamphetamine use.&nbsp;

But many Rohingya say their young people are being pushed into crime because they cannot legally work or, in many cases, receive aid.

Hasina has vowed to continue the campaign until Bangladesh is freed of the drug menace, but critics say it as a sign of her increasingly authoritarian rule ahead of the election.

In more than a third of the killings recorded by Dhaka-based human rights group Odhikar since mid-May, the suspects were arrested before they were killed.

The government has dismissed accusations of extrajudicial killings, saying the crackdown has popular support.

Bangladesh's cabinet on Monday approved a draft law prescribing the death penalty for drug offences, despite widespread criticism over a drugs crackdown in which police have shot dead more than 200 people since May.

Bangladesh's cabinet on Monday approved a draft law prescribing the death penalty for drug offences, despite widespread criticism over a drugs crackdown in which police have shot dead more than 200 people since May. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina launched the campaign ahead of a general election due by December, but the killings have prompted fears among rights groups of a bloody Philippine-style campaign to wipe out drugs. The Narcotics Control Act defines methamphetamines, also known as "yaba", and other drugs, such as "shisha", as narcotics for the first time, Cabinet Secretary Mohammad Shafiul Alam told reporters after the meeting chaired by Hasina. "It proposes the death sentence as maximum punishment for producing, smuggling, distributing and using more than 5 gm of 'yaba'," he said, adding that possession of less than 5 gm (0.18 oz) would attract a maximum jail term of five years. Alam said the stern punishment was needed to curb the spread of the highly potent stimulant smuggled in from neighbouring Myanmar. Bangladesh has said an influx last year of Rohingya fleeing Buddhist-majority Myanmar is partly to blame for soaring methamphetamine use. But many Rohingya say their young people are being pushed into crime because they cannot legally work or, in many cases, receive aid. Hasina has vowed to continue the campaign until Bangladesh is freed of the drug menace, but critics say it as a sign of her increasingly authoritarian rule ahead of the election. In more than a third of the killings recorded by Dhaka-based human rights group Odhikar since mid-May, the suspects were arrested before they were killed. The government has dismissed accusations of extrajudicial killings, saying the crackdown has popular support.

Bangladesh sets death penalty for drug offences in draft law

Bangladesh on Wednesday abolished a controversial quota system for civil service jobs that had been the target of major street protests that paralysed parts of the country earlier this year.

The cabinet announced the end of the decades-long policy that reserved more than half of all government jobs for the offspring of veterans from Bangladesh's war of independence and disadvantaged ethnic minorities.

Cabinet secretary Mohammad Shafiul Alam said quotas set aside for top-tier public service positions would be scrapped entirely, but some reservations for lower-level positions would remain.

Recruitment for the most sought-after jobs would be determined by examination only, he said, adding a government decree to that effect would be issued later in the week.

The contentious quota scheme was the subject of enormous rallies in April that brought Bangladesh, a Muslim-majority democracy of 160 million, to a standstill and saw more than 100 injured.

Tens of thousands of students demanded reforms of rules granting almost one-third of highly sought-after government jobs to the descendants of veterans of the 1971 war. Protesters also wanted to reduce the quota for ethnic minorities to 10 per cent of government jobs.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, whose father led Bangladesh's push for independence from Pakistan, had long refused to amend the system.

There was no immediate response to the government's announcement from protest leaders, some of whom were detained in a sweeping crackdown in recent months by Bangladesh's security forces.

Human rights groups have warned Hasina's administration is clamping down on dissent in the lead up to elections in December. Her main opponent, Khaleda Zia, was jailed on corruption charges in February.

Bangladesh on Wednesday abolished a controversial quota system for civil service jobs that had been the target of major street protests that paralysed parts of the country earlier this year.

Bangladesh on Wednesday abolished a controversial quota system for civil service jobs that had been the target of major street protests that paralysed parts of the country earlier this year. The cabinet announced the end of the decades-long policy that reserved more than half of all government jobs for the offspring of veterans from Bangladesh's war of independence and disadvantaged ethnic minorities. Cabinet secretary Mohammad Shafiul Alam said quotas set aside for top-tier public service positions would be scrapped entirely, but some reservations for lower-level positions would remain. Recruitment for the most sought-after jobs would be determined by examination only, he said, adding a government decree to that effect would be issued later in the week. The contentious quota scheme was the subject of enormous rallies in April that brought Bangladesh, a Muslim-majority democracy of 160 million, to a standstill and saw more than 100 injured. Tens of thousands of students demanded reforms of rules granting almost one-third of highly sought-after government jobs to the descendants of veterans of the 1971 war. Protesters also wanted to reduce the quota for ethnic minorities to 10 per cent of government jobs. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, whose father led Bangladesh's push for independence from Pakistan, had long refused to amend the system. There was no immediate response to the government's announcement from protest leaders, some of whom were detained in a sweeping crackdown in recent months by Bangladesh's security forces. Human rights groups have warned Hasina's administration is clamping down on dissent in the lead up to elections in December. Her main opponent, Khaleda Zia, was jailed on corruption charges in February.

Bangladesh scraps unpopular quota scheme for government jobs

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Bangladesh sets death penalty for drug offences in draft law

Bangladesh scraps unpopular quota scheme for government jobs