Bangladesh

Bangladesh's deposed premier Sheikh Hasina was on Thursday formally indicted in a crimes against humanity case by the country's International Crimes Tribunal, media reports said. The International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) ordered a crimes against humanity case against the ousted prime minister, former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan and former inspector general of police Abdullah Al Mamun for their attempts to suppress the July-August student-led protests last year. Mamun has pleaded guilty and petitioned to turn state's witness in the case, according to the bdnews24 news portal. It added that he is the only one of the three to be detained in jail. The trial will proceed with the other two in absentia. Hasina fled to India on August 5 after her Awami League government was toppled last year.

Possible convergence of interest among China, Pakistan, and Bangladesh may result in serious implications for India's stability and security dynamics, Chief of Defence Staff Gen Anil Chauhan said on Tuesday. In an address at a think-tank, Gen Chauhan, delving into the May 7-10 military conflict between India and Pakistan, said it was perhaps for the first time that two nuclear weapon states were directly engaged in hostilities. The Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), referring to Beijing-Islamabad collusivity, said Pakistan has acquired almost 70 to 80 per cent of its weapons and equipment from China in the last five years. He said Chinese military firms have commercial liabilities in Pakistan. The top military officer said economic distress in the countries in the Indian Ocean region has given "outside powers" to leverage their influence which could create vulnerabilities for India. "There is a possible convergence of interest we can talk about between China, Pakistan, and Bangladesh th

Bangladesh's Attorney General Mohammad Asaduzzaman on Saturday said last year's nationwide mob violence was not manifestation of distrust against judiciary but rather an outburst of public outrage against the deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina's ousted Awami League regime. Asaduzzaman was speaking at a function organised as part of the series of events coinciding with the first anniversary of the Awami League regime's ouster on August 5 last year after a more than a month-long student-led agitation that had witnessed violence at several places across the country. This (mob violence) is not a reflection of public distrust of the judiciary, rather an expression of anger accumulated in the past 17 years (against the past regime), Asaduzzaman said. The attorney general, however, said such anger is not justified. A leading rights group Ain o Salish Kendra (ASK) had last month reported deaths of at least 179 people in mob attacks between August 2024, when the past regime was ousted, an

Foreign Affairs Advisor to B'desh Interim Government, Md Towhid Hossain stated that a letter was sent to India requesting Hasina's extradition and noted that necessary follow-ups would also be made

This is the first time that the ousted Awami League leader has been sentenced in a case since she left office last year and fled the country

The alleged rape of a woman belonging to a minority community three days ago in central Bangladesh's Cumilla district sparked nationwide outrage on Sunday after a video of the assault went viral. The main suspect of the alleged rape has been arrested along with several others, police said. Cumilla district's police chief Nazir Ahmed Khan said the main accused was arrested in a predawn raid at Dhaka's Sayedabad area and four others were apprehended for revealing the picture and identity of the woman on social media. Students of Dhaka University staged marches in the campus condemning the rape while residents of its Jagannath Hall dormitory, dedicated for minority community students, took out processions calling for justice. Secretary General of former prime minister Khaleda Zia's Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir demanded exemplary punitive action against the culprits. The High Court, meanwhile, issued a directive asking authorities to immediately remov

The next general elections will be the "most credible and peaceful" in Bangladesh's history, Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus' aide has said, asserting that the interim government has taken all necessary measures to ensure free and fair polls. Yunus' Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam made the remarks on Saturday during an interaction with journalists in Khulna city, the state-run Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS) news agency reported. General elections in Bangladesh are scheduled for the first half of April next year, the chief adviser announced last month. Asserting that the polls will take place in a festive and peaceful environment, Alam said, "The upcoming national election will be the most credible and peaceful one in the country's history." He said that the primary goal of the mass uprising in July 2024, which ousted the Sheikh Hasina-led Awami League regime, was to restore democracy in Bangladesh and added that the interim government has taken all necessary measures to ensure free a

Eighteen Bangladeshi nationals staying illegally in Delhi have been apprehended. Five of those detained had been living in the national capital disguised as transgenders, police said on Saturday. The police found a banned messaging app installed in seven mobile phones of the accused, using which they communicated with their families in Bangladesh, they said. During the first operation, police cordoned off nearly 100 jhuggis and 150 lanes in the locality and conducted verification drives, a senior police officer said. One person, initially evasive during questioning, later confessed to being a Bangladeshi national, the officer said. Following further inquiry, his family members were also traced. A total of 13 Bangladeshi nationals -- 10 adults and three children -- were found residing without valid travel documents or permits, violating provisions of the Foreigners Act, 1946, the police said. In the second operation, the team apprehended five individuals, who had disguised themselv

Bangladesh paid USD 384 million to Adani Power in June, significantly reducing its outstanding dues under a power supply agreement with the Indian firm, according to sources. In June (till June 27), Bangladesh has paid USD 384 million of the committed USD 437 million to be paid during the month, two sources aware of the matter said. This would clear Bangladesh's "admitted" claims till March 31. With this, Adani's "claimed" dues, while still substantial, will come down to around USD 500 million (assuming Bangladesh meets its month-end commitment), they said. Bangladesh has struggled to meet its payment obligations under the 2017 deal, as rising import costs following the Russia-Ukraine conflict in 2022 and domestic political turmoil - which led to the ouster of prime minister Sheikh Hasina - strained the country's finances. As a result, Adani had halved supply last year and full supplies were resumed in March 2025 after the country's monthly payments started covering some of the ..

According to the Foreign Ministry, the local Hindu community installed a makeshift Puja Mandap on railway land during Durga Puja last year without prior permission

The interim government of Bangladesh has formed a committee to investigate allegations of irregularities, corruption and administrative involvement in the 2014, 2018, and 2024 general elections and make recommendations on ensuring fair elections in the future, a notification said. The five-member panel led by former high court justice Shamim Hasnain will submit a report by September 30 on allegations that the three elections were manipulated to secure victories for the then-ruling Awami League party by systematically depriving citizens of their voting rights, BD NEWS 24 quoted the cabinet division notification as saying on Thursday. The notification said the rule of law, democracy, and fundamental human rights were reportedly undermined during the elections, which faced widespread criticism both domestically and internationally. It said the committee would analyse reports from election observers, domestic and international monitoring bodies, civil society organisations, and media ..

The MEA condemned the demolition of a Durga temple in Dhaka's Khilkhet by Bangladesh Railway, saying the interim government failed to protect Hindu religious institutions

The government plays a central role in the election process, the head of Bangladesh's Election Commission said on Saturday, asserting that holding polls is "not possible" without its support. Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin said that no matter "how independent" the top election body is said to be, "it is not possible to hold an election without the government's support." "We have to conduct the polls with the cooperation of the government," the Dhaka Tribune newspaper quoted him as saying. He added that the commission requires assistance from law enforcement agencies, the administration, and its officials to conduct the election. Nasir Uddin made the remarks after inaugurating a training programme in the capital. In response to a question, he said while there is no constant communication between the election commission and the government, contact is being maintained both "formally and informally". There are various channels of communication, and we are involved in man

China, Pakistan, Bangladesh have held the inaugural session of their trilateral meeting of foreign ministry officials, Beijing's new strategic initiative to promote closer ties between two estranged South Asian countries in India's immediate neighbourhood. It is the second such trilateral that China has established in India's neighbourhood after its foreign ministers' mechanism with Pakistan and Afghanistan last month. On Thursday, Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Sun Weidong, Bangladeshi Acting Foreign Secretary Ruhul Alam Siddique and Additional Foreign Secretary of Pakistan Imran Ahmed Siddiqui attended the meeting held at the Chinese city of Kunming, capital of Southern Yunnan province. Pakistani Foreign Secretary Amna Baloch participated in the first phase of the meeting via video link, a Chinese Foreign Ministry press release said here on Friday. In his address, Sun Weidong said Bangladesh and Pakistan are both good neighbours, good friends, and good partners of China, and ...

The Asian Development Bank and the World Bank have approved loans worth USD 1.5 billion to help Bangladesh reform its banking sector, fight climate change among other projects, according to a media report on Friday. The Asian Development Bank (ADB) approved a USD 900 million loan, of which USD 500 million will support efforts to stabilise and reform the country's banking sector, while the remaining USD 400 million will promote climate-resilient and inclusive development initiatives, The Daily Star newspaper reported. The USD 500 million policy-based loan aims to strengthen governance, asset quality and stability within Bangladesh's banking system, the ADB said in a statement on Thursday. Separately, the ADB also approved a USD 400 million loan for the second phase of the Climate-Resilient Inclusive Development Programme (CRIDP) aimed at supporting Bangladesh's efforts to adapt to climate change, cut emissions and foster inclusive economic growth. Also on Thursday, the World Bank (W

The operation was conducted on June 14 at around 3:45 PM. All the accused were found to be residents of South Tripura and Gomati districts, the BSF confirmed

Nepal has begun exporting 40 MW of electricity to Bangladesh through an Indian transmission line. Nepal, India and Bangladesh signed a trilateral agreement on October 3, 2024 to export electricity produced by Nepal to Bangladesh via the Indian transmission line. A Nepalese official said the export of electricity to Bangladesh has started from Saturday midnight. As per the agreement, Nepal will export 40 MW of electricity from June 15 to November 15. The electricity will be transmitted to Bangladesh via India's 400-kV Muzaffarpur-Baharampur-Bheramara transmission line. Last year, Nepal exported electricity to Bangladesh on November 15, for a single day, as a token to implement the agreement. As per the bilateral agreement reached between Nepal and Bangladesh, Nepal will charge 6.4 US cents per unit of electricity. Bangladesh has agreed to import electricity from Nepal for the next five years.

Rabindranath Tagore's connection to Rabindra Kacharibari, now in Bangladesh, dates back to the 19th century, when his grandfather, Prince Dwarkanath Tagore, purchased the estate

Bangladesh interim government Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus has said that he has had no direct communication with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer in connection with the recovery of stolen money allegedly under the previous Hasina regime in Dhaka. Downing Street sources indicated that no formal meeting had been agreed during the Chief Adviser's visit to London this week. Yunus told The Financial Times' newspaper that the UK has a moral responsibility to assist Bangladesh in tracing and retrieving funds stolen by the previous regime and allegedly funnelled into Britain. I have no direct conversation with him, Yunus told the Financial Times' with reference to Starmer. I have no doubt he would support us. This is stolen money We need the support from the people of Great Britain, he said. The 84-year-old Nobel Laureate took over as the head of the interim government after former prime minister Sheikh Hasina was ousted in a massive student-led protest in Bangladesh in August last year