Sheikh Hasina

Expressing hope for renewal, she added, May it wipe away the sorrows and afflictions of the past, correct mistakes and shortcomings, and become a memorable year for everyone

The 78-year-old Awami League leader highlighted her role as Bangladesh's first woman prime minister and her contributions to the struggle to establish democracy

Khaleda Zia, Bangladesh's first woman PM, entered politics after her husband's assassination and went on to lead the BNP through protest, power and prolonged confrontation

Bangladesh's ties with India witnessed a downturn as it navigated a turbulent 2025 marked by political instability, economic strain and alleged persecution of minorities, leading to a diplomatic tussle between the two neighbours. The relationship between India and Bangladesh hit a rough note after the ouster of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who fled to India in August last year following anti-government protests. She was sentenced to death in absentia by a tribunal this year for her alleged role in a deadly crackdown during the agitation. Dhaka summoned Indian High Commissioner Pranay Verma five times over various issues, while India summoned Bangladesh's High Commissioner Reaz Hamidullah once to express concerns over security in Bangladesh. The transition, from what was widely regarded as an "India-friendly" Awami League government to Muhammad Yunus-led interim dispensation, significantly altered Bangladesh's diplomatic posture. Dhaka's engagement with Islamabad to deepen ties ..

A group of US lawmakers has expressed concern over the total ban of the Awami League political party ahead of elections scheduled in Bangladesh early next year. The lawmakers have said that the Bangladeshi people deserve to be able to choose an elected government in a free and fair election. Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee Representative Gregory Meeks, Chairman of the Subcommittee on South and Central Asia Representative Bill Huizenga, Ranking Member Subcommittee on South and Central Asia Sydney Kamlager-Dove and Member of Congress Julie Johnson on Tuesday sent a letter to Chief Adviser of the Interim Government of Bangladesh Mohammed Yunus expressing concern over the total ban of a political party ahead of elections in February. The letter's cosigners include Representative Tom Suozzi. The lawmakers said that it is vital that the interim government work with parties across the political spectrum to create the conditions for free and fair elections that allow

The move follows protests outside Bangladesh missions in India; the Siliguri visa centre was vandalised on December 22, while a protest was held outside the high commission in Delhi on December 20

Sheikh Hasina said that the killing of Osman Hadi was a reflection of the lawlessness under the present interim government

Hadi, a likely candidate in the upcoming February 12 general elections next year, died while undergoing treatment at a hospital in Singapore after being shot almost a week earlier

India summoned Bangladesh High Commissioner M Riaz Hamidullah after a threat was received by the Indian High Commission in Dhaka

Nepal's Gen-Z protests, a fragile Gaza ceasefire and Donald Trump's return reshaped global politics in 2025, as nations grappled with unrest, wars and shifting alliances

Indian High Commissioner Pranay Verma on Sunday said New Delhi's relations with Dhaka are not transient but "everlasting", hours after Bangladesh's foreign office summoned him to express its "serious concern" over "incendiary statements" made by deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina, who is currently in India. Hasina, 78, fled to India in August last year after her Awami League government was toppled in a violent student-led street protest and continues to stay there. She was sentenced to death by a special tribunal last month after being convicted on charges of crimes against humanity. Bangladesh has been demanding her extradition. "The bonds we share with Bangladesh are not transient; they are everlasting. A relationship forged in blood and sacrifice cannot be weakened, the envoy said, joining an event hosted by academic and cultural group Itihash O Oitijjo Parishad. Verma said India stood with the people of Bangladesh during its 1971 Liberation War and would continue to support t

The Election Commission (EC) has demanded extra security for its chief, other commissioners and officials as fresh unrest visibly gripped Bangladesh after gunmen shot an upcoming parliamentary polls candidate and frontline leader of last year's violent street movement dubbed 'July Uprising'. "The EC has written to the Inspector General of Police (IGP) urging comprehensive security arrangements for the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC), Election Commissioners (ECs), senior officials of the Election Commission Secretariat," the state-run BSS news agency reported on late Saturday. The EC simultaneously sought the extra security for its field-level offices ahead of the 13th national election, as two of them came under attack in southeastern Lakshmipur and southwestern Pirojpur by unidentified miscreants after the announcement of the schedule for the upcoming polls on Thursday. The commission demanded an additional escort vehicle for the CEC, while one such police escort with a vehicle w

The Awami League emphasised its legacy as an election-orientated party, noting that since its founding, it has participated in 13 national elections, winning nine and forming the government

The project, named Dasnac Westminster, will be developed on a 1.94-acre plot and will comprise 264 premium apartments

A special tribunal in Bangladesh on Thursday issued an arrest warrant against deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina's expatriate son Sajib Wajed Joy, a month after sentencing his mother to death on charges of committing crimes against humanity. "The tribunal issued the arrest warrant in a case filed against him for (as well) committing crimes against humanity during the July Uprising," an ICT-BD prosecutor told reporters, adding an identical warrant was issued against then junior minister for ICT affairs Junaid Ahmed Palak, who, however, is already in jail. Bangladesh's International Crime Tribunal (ICT-BD) handed down the death penalty to the ex-premier and her then home minister, Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, for her attempts to tame a student-led violent street protest dubbed the July Uprising through brutal means after their trial in absentia. Joy, 54, an information communication expert who served as the ex-premier's ICT affairs adviser, currently lives in the US. The student-led ...

A Bangladesh court on Monday convicted and sentenced deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina to five years of imprisonment and her niece, British parliamentarian Tulip Siddiq, to a two-year jail term in a land scam case. Judge Md Rabiul Alam of the Special Judge's Court-4 of Dhaka also handed down a seven-year jail term to Hasina's sister, Sheikh Rehana, in the corruption case lodged against 17 people, the state-run BSS news agency reported. The 14 other accused were jailed for five years each. The court also imposed a fine of Tk 1 lakh each on all 17 convicts, including Hasina, Rehana, and Siddiq, failing which they will have to serve an additional six months in jail. This is the fourth verdict involving 78-year-old Hasina in graft cases filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), The Daily Star newspaper reported. Siddiq, a British-Bangladeshi Labour Party politician, is Rehana's daughter and has been the Member of Parliament for Hampstead and Highgate since 2015. The interim .

A Bangladesh court on Monday sentenced ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina to five years of imprisonment in a land scam case. Judge Md Rabiul Alam of the Special Judge's Court-4 of Dhaka also handed down a seven-year jail term to Hasina's sister Sheikh Rehana, and a two-year term to her niece, British parliamentarian Tulip Siddiq, in the same case, The Daily Star newspaper reported. This is the fourth verdict involving Hasina in graft cases filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), the report said. The ACC filed six separate cases between January 12 and 14 with its Dhaka Integrated District Office-1 over alleged irregularities in the allocation of plots under the Purbachal New Town project. According to the anti-graft body, Hasina, in collusion with senior Rajuk officials, unlawfully secured six plots, each measuring 10 kathas (7,200 square feet), in the diplomatic zone of Sector 27 of the Purbachal New Town project for herself and her relatives, including her son Sajeeb Wazed

Bangladesh on Sunday said it expects the extradition of deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina from India at the "earliest", but stressed that the "issue alone" would not stand as a barrier in bilateral ties with New Delhi. The interim government's Foreign Affairs Adviser Mohammad Touhid Hossain made the remarks while talking to diplomatic reporters based in Dhaka. "I think our (bilateral) relations won't (be) stuck on one issue alone, he said, when asked if better relations with New Delhi could be expected unless India repatriates the disposed Bangladesh premier. Hossain, however, said that since Hasina was now a declared convict, Bangladesh expects her repatriation from India at the earliest possible time. The former premier was sentenced to death in absentia on November 17 by a special tribunal for "crimes against humanity" over her government's brutal crackdown on student-led protests last year. The student-led violent street protest termed the July Uprising toppled Hasina's Awa

Her party has regained prominence after Sheikh Hasina, Bangladesh's long-serving former prime minister, was ousted in a student-led uprising last year

A Bangladesh court on Thursday sentenced ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina to 21 years of imprisonment in three corruption cases, local media reported. The three cases were lodged over alleged irregularities in allocating plots in the Rajuk New Town Project in Purbachol, state-run BSS news agency said. The judge pronounced the judgment in absence of the convict as she is yet to be arrested and was tried in absentia. Hasina was sentenced to seven years in each case, totalling 21 years in prison. "The plot was allotted to Sheikh Hasina without any application and in a manner that exceeded the legally authorised jurisdiction," the court observed in its judgment.