Bangladesh gets new head of government

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DHAKA, Bangladesh, Jan. 12 (UPI) -- The former head of the Bangladesh central bank was named head of the caretaker government Friday, replacing President Iajuddin Ahmed.

While Fakhruddin Ahmed takes over the government, Iajuddin Ahmed remains in the ceremonial position of president, CNN reported.

Police said a curfew imposed Thursday in Dhaka and other major cities has been lifted and other emergency regulations eased.

Iajuddin Ahmed announced his resignation in a televised speech Thursday night in which he also indefinitely postponed elections that had been scheduled for Jan. 22.

Under the state of emergency declared Thursday freedom of the press is suspended, and independent broadcasters were told they could only use information from state-run television. But CNN said many newspapers simply ignored the regulations and some TV stations used a crawl to report news independently.

Reporters Without Borders issued a statement Friday calling on the interim government to guarantee freedom of the press, and saying that Bangladesh especially needs the free flow of information during such a difficult time.