Bangladesh

Bangladesh tribunal issues arrest warrant against Hasina's son

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 ...

Earthquake of magnitude 4.1 strikes Bangladesh, no casualties reported

Earlier on November 21, at least three people were killed and ten others injured after a brick-built rooftop railing of an eight-storey building collapsed in Armanitola area of Dhaka

SC allows entry of pregnant woman from B'desh on humanitarian grounds

The Supreme Court on Wednesday allowed on "humanitarian grounds" the entry of a pregnant woman and her eight-year-old child into India, months after they were pushed into Bangladesh. A bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi asked the West Bengal government to take care of the minor and directed the chief medical officer of Birbhum district to provide all possible medical assistance to the pregnant woman Sunali Khatun. The bench noted the submission of Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Centre, that the competent authority has agreed to allow the woman and her child into the country purely on humanitarian grounds and they would be kept under surveillance. The top court said they would eventually be brought back to Delhi from where they were picked up and deported to Bangladesh. Senior advocates Kapil Sibal and Sanjay Hegde urged the court that there were others also, including Sunali's husband who are in Bangladesh and need to be brought back to

Dhaka hospital ramps up security as Chinese medics treat Khaleda Zia

Security was tightened around Bangladesh's former prime minister Khaleda Zia on Tuesday as a specialist medical team from China joined efforts to treat the ailing politician, who remains in a highly critical condition at a private hospital in Dhaka. Police erected a barricade at the main gate of Evercare Hospital around 2 am, with hospital sources saying more than two dozen personnel have been deployed to regulate patients' movement and reinforce Zia's security, The Daily Star newspaper reported. The 80-year-old Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) chairperson was admitted to the hospital on November 23 after being diagnosed with infections affecting her heart and lungs. Four days later, the three-time prime minister was shifted to the coronary care unit after several of her health complications worsened. Her condition deteriorated further, and she was placed on ventilation on Sunday night, BNP Vice-Chairman Advocate Ahmed Aazam Khan said on Monday. A five-member specialist team from

Ex-PM Khaleda Zia's son readies return amid her deteriorating health

Bangladesh's ailing former prime minister Khaleda Zia's son Tarique Rahman, who has been living in self-exile in London for over a decade, is preparing to return home soon, a senior leader of her party has said. The development comes as the 80-year-old Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) chairperson remains in a critical condition and has been placed on ventilation. BNP Standing Committee member Salahuddin Ahmed told reporters late Monday that the party's acting chairman Rahman will return to Bangladesh soon. His remarks followed a meeting of the BNP's top decision-making body, which also discussed the current political situation and strategies for the upcoming election campaign, The Daily Star reported on Tuesday. BNP has re-emerged as the frontrunner in Bangladesh's changed political landscape after a student-led violent street protest toppled then-prime minister Sheikh Hasina's Awami League government on August 5, 2024 According to BNP leaders, Tarique, who has been in London si

Bangladesh court jails ex-PM Sheikh Hasina for five years in land scam

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 .

Ex-B'desh PM Khaleda Zia 'extremely unwell,' on ventilation: Party leaders

Bangladesh's former prime minister Khaleda Zia is "extremely unwell" and she has been placed on ventilation, with both local and international medical specialists overseeing her treatment, her party leaders said on Monday. Zia, the 80-year-old Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) chairperson, was admitted to a private hospital on November 23 when she developed a chest infection that affected both her heart and lungs. Four days later, the three-time prime minister was shifted to the coronary care unit after several of her health complications worsened. Her condition has deteriorated, and she was put on ventilation, BNP Vice-Chairman Advocate Ahmed Aazam Khan was quoted as saying by news portal tbsnews.net. "She is in a very critical condition. There is nothing more to do except seek prayers from the whole nation," he told reporters outside Evercare Hospital here. BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir also confirmed that Zia remains in a critical condition as she continues

49 Bangladeshi infiltrators in Odisha sent back to their nation: CM Majhi

The Odisha government has identified 51 Bangladeshi infiltrators in different districts since the BJP came to power in the state, and 49 of them were deported to their nation, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi told the assembly on Monday. In a written reply to a question of BJD legislator Goutam Buddha Das, the chief minister said, "Since the new government came to power in Odisha, a total of 51 Bangladeshis have been identified in various districts of the state." The BJP government led by Majhi assumed office on June 12, 2024. Out of the identified Bangladeshi infiltrators, 49 were repatriated, while cases were registered against the other two immigrants (one in Ganjam and another in Kandhamal) for getting Indian passports in their names using fake documents and sent to judicial custody, he said. As per the statement of the CM, a maximum of 24 Bangladeshi immigrants were from Urban Police District (UPD)-Khurda district, 15 from UPD-Cuttack, six from Ganjam district, three from ...

Bangladesh court sentences Sheikh Hasina to 5-yr jail in land scam case

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's ex-PM Khaleda critical, exiled son uncertain of return

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

Bangladesh ex-PM Hasina gets 21 yrs prison sentence in corruption cases

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.

Thousands left homeless as fire in Bangladesh slum destroys 1,500 shanties

A fire in a crowded slum in Bangladesh's capital has burned or damaged 1,500 shanties, leaving thousands homeless, authorities said Wednesday. No casualties were reported. The blaze, which began Tuesday evening at the Korail slum in Dhaka, was doused Wednesday after 16 hours, said Rashed Bin Khalid, a duty officer at the Department of Fire Service and Civil Defense. The fire service's director, Lt Col Mohammad Tajul Islam Chowdhury, said about 1,500 shanties were burned or damaged in the blaze and thousands remained homeless. According to official data, about 60,000 families many of them climate refugees live in the slum which has an area of more than 160 acres (65 hectares). The slum straddles Dhaka's upscale Gulshan and Banani neighbourhoods, and it is surrounded by clusters of high-rise apartment and office buildings. Heavy smoke blanketed the area as flames engulfed the dwellings overnight. On Wednesday, the residents who lost their homes were desperate to collect their ...

Bangladesh's ex-PM Hasina's party announces nationwide protests till Nov 30

Bangladesh's ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina's Awami League party on Tuesday announced nationwide agitations and "resistance marches" till November 30 in protest against the death sentence handed to the former premier by what it described as an "illegal" tribunal. On November 17, the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT-BD) sentenced 78-year-old Hasina to death along with then home minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal on charges of committing crimes against humanity after a trial held in absentia. Hasina is currently in India, while Kamal is also believed to be hiding in the country. In a post on its official social media account, the Awami League alleged that the tribunal's verdict was part of a political "conspiracy" by the Muhammad Yunus-led interim government to keep Hasina and the party "out of the election" scheduled for February next year. Rejecting the "illegal verdict of the illegal ICT tribunal" and demanding the resignation of Yunus, the party announced protests, ...

Pakistan to export 100K tonnes of rice to Bangladesh, marking record trade

Pakistan is set to export 1,00,000 tonnes of rice to Bangladesh, highlighting the improved trade relations between the two countries since the ouster of former premier Sheikh Hasina last year in August. The tender for the same was issued by the Trading Corporation of Pakistan (TCP) last week, a TCP official said. This is the highest consignment of rice to Bangladesh from Pakistan to date. The first Batch of 50,000 tonnes of rice was exported after both countries began government-level trade with rice imports in February this year. A leading rice exporter said that if trade increased with Bangladesh, it would be good for business as rice exports had fallen 28 per cent in the first quarter of the fiscal year 2025-26. It is because of the many barriers we face from the government, which complicates the entire process, Waqar Ahmed, who runs his own rice mills in Punjab province, said. He added that the reasons for the decline were the resumption of rice exports by India last year, an

Bangladesh needs reform, not old executioners and political vengeance

Elections are due in February - and whoever wins will have a mandate tainted by violence and weakened by the enforced absence of the League

New Tripura BSF IG ramps up border vigilance amid Bangladesh instability

Speaking in his first interview since assuming office, Chakravarty highlighted Tripura's strategic importance, sharing borders with Bangladesh on three sides

Former Bangladesh PM Khaleda Zia hospitalised with chest infection

Khaleda Zia was brought to the hospital on Sunday night for health examinations, and following preliminary tests, she was admitted for urgent treatment

Stronger quake may hit Bangladesh, warn experts as 5.7 tremor kills 10

Experts have urged the Bangladesh government to take immediate action after an earthquake claimed at least 10 lives in the country, warning that a far stronger tremor may lie ahead and that failure to act now could result in greater losses. A 5.7-magnitude earthquake struck on Friday morning, causing at least 10 deaths and significant damage to buildings, mostly in central parts of Bangladesh, including the capital Dhaka. Three mild-intensity tremors also rocked the country on Saturday. According to a report published in The Daily Star newspaper on Sunday, Friday's quake "lays bare Dhaka's fragility". The Dhaka district administration has confirmed damage to at least 14 buildings, while Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (Rajuk) put the figure at more than 50. Officials said the number was expected to rise as inspections continued. We are still working. Many more buildings will be identified, the paper quoted Rajuk Chairman Md Riazul Islam as saying. Rajuk, the agency responsible for .

Three tremors jolt Bangladesh after 5.7 magnitude quake claimed 10 lives

Three subsequent jolts after a relatively major earthquake claimed at least 10 lives within a span of 32 hours panicked Bangladesh amid experts warning of a major earthquake, calling the four ones as foreshocks. A 5.7-magnitude earthquake struck on Friday morning causing at least 10 deaths and significant damage to buildings mostly in central parts of the country, including the capital Dhaka, while a subsequent tremor rocked the country at around the same time on Saturday morning. The Bangladesh capital and adjoining administrative districts, including Narsingdi, the epicentre of the 5.7 magnitude quake, were jolted by two back to back jolts on Saturday evening. The Bangladesh Meteorology Department (BMD) said the epicentre of the one of the subsequent three jolts was located beneath the surface of crowded Badda area in the capital city with rest being in Narsingdi. Met office spokesman and meteorologist Tariful Newaz Kabir said two earthquakes struck on Saturday evening near ...

Ten dead as 5.7 magnitude earthquake jolts Dhaka, parts of Bangladesh

At least 10 people were killed and over a hundred injured as a massive earthquake of magnitude 5.7 jolted Dhaka and parts of the country on Friday, damaging buildings, causing fires at several places and sending panic among residents. Officials said four of the victims died in the capital Dhaka, five in Narsingdi, the epicentre of the tremor, and one in suburban river port town of Narayanganj. Media reports suggested that in the industrial town on the outskirts of the capital Gazipur alone, at least 100 workers were injured at different units as they tried to rush out of buildings during the tremor. The Met office said the epicentre of the quake that struck at 10:38 am (local time) was located some 10 kilometres beneath the surface in Narsingdi, which is around 13 kilometres east of the seismic centre in Dhaka's Agargaon area. Dhaka's Deputy Police Commissioner Mallik Ahsan Uddin Sami said, quoting the fire service, that at least three people were killed after a railing, bamboo ...