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Bangladesh’s main opposition parties have announced they will boycott national elections scheduled for January 22, alleging the polls will not be fair.

Speaking on behalf of an alliance of 14 opposition parties, Awami League leader Sheikh Hasina says President Iajuddin Ahmed is “illegally” holding the post of interim government chief.

She says he wants to hold elections without a correct list of voters.

“We cannot accept this unfair election,” she said.

The Awami League said on December 24 it would take part in the elections, after calling repeated strikes, protests and blockades that caused massive disruption across the country.

The opposition alliance has accused the outgoing Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) of trying to rig the elections by appointing party loyalists to key positions in the temporary administration and election commission.

Since the BNP-led government stepped down at the end of October, the opposition has demanded a string of reforms it says are necessary for the elections to be free and fair.

- AFP

ABC News’ ‘This Week’ Find Out Who and What Will Be on the Show This Sunday

- SUNDAY, MARCH 4, 2007

Guests:

- Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., vice chair of the Democratic conference
- Sen. Trent Lott, R-Miss., Senate minority whip
- Henry Paulson Jr., U.S. secretary of the treasury
- Wynton Marsalis, jazz musician and activist

“This Week’s” headliners: Sens.Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Trent Lott, R-Miss., join me to discuss the Senate showdown on Iraq funding, the Walter Reed controversy, Iran and the 2008 presidential election.

Then, a Sunday EXCLUSIVE with U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Henry Paulson. In Paulson’s first Sunday appearance, I talk with him about the dramatic drop in the stock market and what it means for the U.S. economy.

On our roundtable,ABC News’ Martha Raddatz, the Washington Post’s E.J. Dionne, and ABC News’ George Will join me to debate the week’s politics.

Plus,Grammy award-winner Wynton Marsalisjoins us to discuss his new album. It is his most political album in years, covering political leadership, cultural corruption and our material culture.

See you Sunday,

George Stephanopoulos
ABC News’ “This Week”

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Find out when “This Week” airs in your market by http://abcnews.go.com/images/ThisWeek/02%2007%20Coverage%20Chart.pdf

The future will be bright for nuclear power in Ontario if the Progressive Conservatives win the provincial election in October, party leader John Tory said.

Tory said Wednesday night that, if elected,his party would move quickly to increase the number of nuclear power plants in the province, to meet future energy needs and help curb the use of polluting coal-fired plants.

He accused Premier Dalton McGuinty’s Liberal government of purposely underestimating the number ofgenerating stations needed in Ontario for fear of a backlash from people who opposenuclear power.

“They dithered on it and now we’re in trouble,” Tory said after a fundraising speech in Toronto Wednesday.

“I think we’re going to need a lot more than what they’re doing both in terms of the speed and the quantity.”

Tory, who callednuclear power “safe, affordable and greenhouse-gas free,” said Ontario needs more than the two additional nuclear plants currently planned by the Liberals.

He would not estimatehow many additional plants a Conservative government might build.

Tory also said he wouldn’t be averse to private companies, such as Bruce Power, building and operating the stations which would be a first in Ontario.

“If somebody like Bruce Power wants to put forward a proposal that they would do some of this and help us get it done, then I am willing to listen to this,” he said.

Tory said he believes the future of nuclear power in Ontario will become an issue in the campaign leading up to the Oct. 10 election.

An Ipsos Reid poll released in January found the environment had jumped to second place on Ontarians’ list of concerns, from its typical spot of eighth or ninth.

OSLO (Thomson Financial) - The number of registered jobless in Norway at the end of April was 47,961 after seasonal adjustments, down from a revised 49,267 in March, the labour directorate said.

In absolute figures, the number of registered jobless was 47,296, or 2.0 pct of the workforce, down from 2.1 pct the previous month.

alastair.reed@thomson.com

ar/rfw

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Motorists are facing yet another hike in driving costs with insurance premiums set to rise 10% in the coming year.

Insurers saying they are paying out more in claims than they are receiving in premiums.

The prediction of an increase comes from the car insurance internet search engine Confused.com.

It said that not all drivers would face increases and that some insurance companies would offer incentive deals to soften the blow of premium rises.

Confused.com managing director Debra Williams said the average claims payout was 109 for every 100 generated in premiums.

“Such losses can only be sustained for so long, and we predict premiums will be forced to rise by a minimum 10% to meet the shortfall,” she said.

“While it’s evident that there is a deficit in premium versus claims payouts, not all insurers will necessarily increase prices.

“We expect those with comparatively low claims ratios will find it easier to respond to market movements and maintain competitive deals, while some insurers will keep rates low in order to build volume.

“While the trend of providing preferential policies, combined with value-add incentives is flourishing in response to the industry’s need to be more competitive, this approach doesn’t always guarantee the cheapest premiums.

Drivers are being advised to look closely at the incentives offered by existing insurers to see if they can find savings elsewhere.