Bangladesh newspaper staff 'gasping for air' as offices set ablaze

The fresh protests are sparked by the death of one of the leaders of protests that ousted ex-PM Sheikh Hasina.

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Sharif Osman Hadi, who had emerged as a key figure after last year's anti-government protests that ousted former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, was shot in Dhaka last week and died of his injuries on Thursday.

Hundreds of protesters stormed the offices of the English-language Daily Star newspaper and Bengali daily Prothom Alo on Thursday night. The demonstrations extended into the following day.

"It is one of the darkest days for independent journalism in Bangladesh," the Daily Star said in a statement.

For the first time in 35 years, the Daily Star could not publish its print edition on Friday and will be "inoperable for a while", consulting editor Kamal Ahmed told the BBC.