Bangladesh

“Let’s go to war,” Prime Minister Tarique Rahman said with a smile as he stepped out of his residence on Sunday morning to begin the first working day of the week. The brief but striking remark surprised officials waiting outside his Gulshan residence. Moments later, they realised he was referring to the daily struggle of running the country and tackling ...

Food Minister Aminur Rashid Yasin said the government will take initiatives to export Bangladeshi food products to Japan, adding that stronger food safety standards will help the country expand its presence in global markets. He made the remarks on Sunday during a meeting in the capital with a delegation led by Ichiguchi Tomuhide, chief representative of Japan International Cooperation Agency. ...

Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed has said that decorative illuminations will not be arranged nationwide during this year’s Independence Day celebrations, as the government seeks to prevent potential fuel shortages and promote electricity conservation. The minister made the announcement on Sunday after a meeting with relevant ministries and agencies. He said two separate meetings were held to ensure security and maintain ...

Former prime minister Khaleda Zia has been honoured with the ‘Best Indomitable Woman’ award posthumously for her outstanding contribution to the advancement of democracy in Bangladesh. Barrister Zaima Rahman accepted the award on behalf of Khaleda Zia at a ceremony marking International Women’s Day at Osmani Memorial Auditorium in the capital on Sunday. Mohammad Shahabuddin handed over the awards to ...

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman worked at his office on Saturday despite it being a weekly holiday, continuing a series of weekend workdays since assuming office. This marks the third consecutive Saturday that the prime minister has attended office at his workplace in Tejgaon in the capital after taking oath as head of government. Among those present at the Prime Minister’s ...

Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman will attend the 26th Commonwealth Foreign Affairs Ministers Meeting (CFAMM) at Lancaster House in London on Sunday, an event that is also being viewed as an opportunity for Bangladesh to seek broader support for its candidature for the presidency of the UN General Assembly (UNGA). Prime Minister’s Adviser on Foreign Affairs Humayun Kabir will accompany the ...

Home Minister and BNP Standing Committee member Salahuddin Ahmed on 7 March said that the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) intends to break away from the “toxic culture” previously witnessed in the National Parliament. Speaking to journalists at the BNP Chairman’s Gulshan office on the final day of a training workshop for newly elected Members of Parliament (MPs), the minister expressed ...

ABM Abdus Sattar, Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister, stirred significant debate in political and administrative circles last year after claiming that he possessed evidence of “massive corruption” involving eight advisers and two secretaries of the interim government. However, he did not disclose their names at the time. When he made the allegation, Abdus Sattar was serving as the personal ...

Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami Secretary General Mia Golam Parwar has demanded the interrogation of former interim government adviser Syeda Rizwana Hasan, alleging that “election engineering” occurred at every stage of the 13th national parliamentary election. He made the remarks while addressing a protest rally held after Friday prayers at the north gate of Baitul Mukarram National Mosque in Dhaka. The rally was ...

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman hosted an iftar gathering on Friday in honour of diplomats accredited to Bangladesh. The event was held at the state guesthouse Jamuna in Dhaka. Ambassadors, high commissioners, and representatives of various diplomatic missions in Dhaka attended the iftar. The prime minister was joined by his wife, Dr Zubaida Rahman, and daughter, Barrister Zaima Rahman. During the ...