Former Ghanaian President Nana Addo Akufo-Addo said he felt honoured to chair the Commonwealth Observer Group for Bangladesh’s 13th parliamentary elections and the referendum on the July Charter, describing the vote as a watershed moment in the country’s history. Delivering the interim statement in Dhaka on Saturday, Akufo-Addo said the group’s presence reaffirmed the Commonwealth’s support for the people and ...

Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Dr Shafiqur Rahman has strongly condemned the reported attacks on leaders and activists of the 11-party alliance, independent candidates, and their supporters following the 13th National Parliamentary Election. He expressed his protest in a post published on his verified Facebook page on Saturday. In the post, he stated, “We are committed to peaceful and responsible politics. However, ...

Chief Observer of the European Union Election Observation Mission (EU EOM) to Bangladesh Ivars Ijabs on Saturday described the national election as ‘credible, hugely and genuinely competitive and pluralistic’ but observed that there were lack of proper women’s representation. Regarding the voter turnout, he said this is historically higher and lower and noted that it is shrinking everywhere and it ...

India and Pakistan will clash in the Twenty20 World Cup in Colombo on Sunday, still feeling the aftershocks of a tumultuous fortnight in which Pakistan’s boycott threat – later reversed – nearly blew a hole in the tournament’s marquee fixture. With bilateral cricket a casualty of their fraught relations, emotions run high whenever the bitter neighbors lock horns in multi-team ...

The European Union Election Observation Mission (EU EOM) has described Bangladesh’s 2026 parliamentary elections as credible and competently managed, marking what it called a pivotal step towards restoring democratic governance and the rule of law. Presenting its preliminary findings at a press conference held at the Hotel InterContinental in the capital on Saturday, the mission stated that, for the first ...

Professor Ali Riaz, Special Assistant to the Chief Adviser, has said that the citizens of Bangladesh have expressed their verdict clearly and unequivocally in favour of the constitutional reform proposals outlined in the July National Charter. This verdict, he noted, makes it evident that the majority of Bangladeshis do not wish to return to the previous system or maintain the ...

Today marks Pahela Falgun, the first day of spring and the eleventh month of the Bangla calendar, a time that symbolises renewal, vibrancy and cultural pride for Bangladeshis. Spring, often described as the king of seasons, arrives with a message of fullness and new life. For many years, Bangladeshis marked Pahela Falgun on February 13. However, in 2020, Bangla Academy ...

Israeli authorities have planned to restrict Muslims’ access to al-Aqsa Mosque for prayers during the upcoming Islamic holy month of Ramadan, a well-known Muslim scholar and former grand mufti of Jerusalem said in an interview with Anadolu. Sheikh Ekrima Sabri, former grand mufti of Jerusalem and head of the Supreme Islamic Council in Jerusalem, expressed regret for the Israeli administration’s ...

When the interim government led by Dr Muhammad Yunus assumed office following the July mass uprising, Bangladesh’s economy was widely described as being in a “fragile” state. High inflation, a dollar crisis, instability in the banking sector and stagnant investment combined to create a daunting reality. However, one and a half years on, business leaders and economists say that although ...

The Election Commission published the gazette of 297 newly-elected members of parliament on Friday night following the 13th national parliamentary election. Authorities held voting on Thursday from 7:30am to 4:30pm at 42,779 polling centres nationwide. Voters also took part in a nationwide referendum on the same day. Election Commission officials said a record number of political parties contested the polls. ...