Page 18 - Bangladesh

Bangladesh cancels ₹180 crore defence deal with India amid rising tensions

Bangladesh cancels ₹180.25 crore defence deal with Indian PSU GRSE amid escalating diplomatic tensions and trade curbs between the two neighbouring nations

B'desh court grants bail to actress Nusraat Faria in attempt to murder case

Dhaka Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court Judge Mostafizur Rahman granted his bail following an application by the accused

Bangladesh's politics of belligerence returns with Awami League ban

The Awami League may be deeply unpopular at the moment, but it nevertheless can claim to represent the beliefs of a large part of the country

Talk to Dhaka: New Delhi should not ignore the new govt in Bangladesh

Prof Yunus' first priority should have been restoring economic stability and political calm. However, this has not been achieved

Bangladesh import curbs won't hurt Indian textile majors, say experts

Experts say India's ban on land-route textile imports from Bangladesh will likely boost domestic sourcing, with minimal disruption to large retail companies

Bangladeshi actor who played Sheikh Hasina in Mujib biopic arrested

Actor Nusraat Faria was detained at Dhaka airport over attempted murder charges linked to the 2024 student protests that led to Sheikh Hasina's ouster from power

Bangladesh seeks talks with India to resolve trade issues: Yunus adviser

Bangladesh's interim Commerce Adviser Sheikh Bashiruddin said Dhaka hasn't received official word from New Delhi yet. 'Once we do, we will act and resolve any issues through talks,' he said

'India's port restrictions on Bangladesh imports to help domestic MSMEs'

Restrictions imposed by India on certain Bangladeshi goods will help the domestic ready-made garment industry, particularly MSMEs, to enhance their competitiveness, according to experts. On May 17, India restricted imports worth USD 770 million from Bangladesh, covering nearly 42 per cent of bilateral imports. Key goods like garments, processed foods, and plastic items are now limited to select sea ports or barred from land routes entirely. Ready-made garments, valued at USD 618 million, now face strict routing through only two Indian seaports. This severely limits Bangladesh's most valuable export channel to India. "Indian textile firms have long protested the competitive edge enjoyed by Bangladeshi exporters, who benefit from duty-free Chinese fabric imports and export subsidies, giving them a 10-15 per cent price advantage in the Indian market," think tank Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI) said. The port restrictions will help Indian MSMEs (micro, small, and medium ...

India curbs key Bangladeshi imports via land ports amid trade tensions

India imposes port restrictions on Bangladeshi imports after Dhaka blocks Indian yarn; relations worsen post Sheikh Hasina's exit, raising concerns over regional trade ties

Bangladesh's ex-PM Sheikh Hasina's son Joy takes US citizenship: Report

Sajeeb Wazed Joy took the oath of US citizenship at the US Citizenship Centre in Washington, DC and received his citizenship certificate on Saturday, the daily Bangladesh Pratidin reported

Bangladesh requested $762 million hike in financial support, says IMF

The International Monetary Fund said Wednesday that Bangladesh sought an increase of about USD 762 million in financial support amid significant macroeconomic challenges, bringing the total financial assistance for the country under various arrangements to about USD 4.1 billion. The IMF staff and the Bangladesh authorities have reached a staff-level agreement on the policies needed to complete the combined third and fourth reviews under the Extended Credit Facility (ECF), Extended Fund Facility (EFF), and Resilience and Sustainability Facility (RSF). The staff-level agreement awaits IMF Executive Board approval and depends on prior actions, including tax reforms and full exchange rate liberalisation, the Fund said in a statement. Amid significant macroeconomic challenges, the authorities requested an augmentation of SDR (Special Drawing Rights) 567.2 million (approximately USD 762 million) in IMF financial support to Bangladesh under the ECF and EFF arrangements," IMF Mission Chief

Bangladesh defends Awami League ban as internal matter, cites security

Elections are entirely Bangladesh's internal matter, Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus' top aide has said, adding the ban on former prime minister Sheikh Hasina's party was necessary to protect national security and sovereignty. Yunus' Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam was reacting to concerns raised by India on the ban imposed on the activities of Hasina's Awami League. Bangladesh on Monday officially disbanded Awami League under an overnight revised anti-terrorism law. Elections are entirely our internal matter. We urge all to respect the sovereign will of our people in matters relating to elections, Alam told Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS), the state-run news agency, on Tuesday. The ban on activities of the Awami League is necessary to protect national security and sovereignty, Alam added. India's External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal on Tuesday said the ban on Awami League without due process is a concerning development. New Delhi also called for early holding of fr

Ousted Bangladesh PM Hasina's party Awami League barred from election

The move comes after the interim government of Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, banned all activities of the Awami League under the Anti-Terrorism Act after days of protests

Bangladesh bans Ex-PM Hasina's Awami League under anti-terror law

Bangladesh's interim government led by Muhammad Yunus on Saturday evening banned deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina's Awami League under an anti-terrorism law. The official gazette notification will be issued in this regard on the next working day, Yunus's office said, describing it as a statement of the council of advisers or the Cabinet. The statement said the council decided that the ban would remain effective until the completion of the trial of the Awami League and its leaders in Bangladesh's International Crimes Tribunal in the interest of protecting the country's security and sovereignty. It said the decision was also taken for the security of the leaders and activists of the July 2024 uprising that eventually led to the ousting of the Awami League regime alongside the complainants and witnesses of the trial in the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT). The meeting chaired by Yunus simultaneously amended the ICT law allowing the tribunal to try any political party, its front

Bangladesh court issues fresh arrest orders for Hindu leader Chinmoy Das

A Bangladesh court on Tuesday ordered the arrest of detained Hindu leader Chinmoy Krishna Das in four more cases, a day after the court took a similar action against him in a murder case. Chattogram Metropolitan Magistrate SM Alauddin Mahmud issued the order after a virtual hearing, state-run BSS news agency reported. A former ISKCON leader, Das, was arrested at the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka on November 25 last year in a sedition case over alleged defamation of the national flag. His bail petition was rejected by a Chattogram court, which sent him to jail the next day. His arrest sparked widespread protests, with his followers demonstrating in Dhaka and other places. The four cases on which the court took action on Tuesday include obstruction of police duties at the Kotwali police station and attacks on lawyers and justice seekers, according to Assistant Public Prosecutor Md Raihanul Wazed Chowdhury. "The court granted the plea to show him (Das) arrested afte

Bangladesh's former PM Khaleda Zia returns to country after treatment in UK

Bangladesh's ailing former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia on Tuesday returned to the country from London after four months of medical treatment, according to a media report. Zia went to London on January 8 for advanced medical care and was admitted to The London Clinic. After being discharged from the clinic, the BNP chairperson moved to her eldest son Tarique Rahman's residence, where she has been receiving treatment. An air ambulance sent by the Qatari emir carrying Khaleda and her two daughters-in-law Tarique Rahman's wife Zubaida Rahman and the late Arafat Rahman Coco's wife Syeda Sharmila Rahman landed in Dhaka around 10:30 am, bdnews24 reported. The plane had departed from London's Heathrow Airport at 4:20 pm local time. Tarique had driven his mother to the airport and seen her off, according to Khaleda's private physician, Prof AZM Zahid Hossain. The 79-year-old three-time prime minister has long suffered from liver cirrhosis, kidney disease, heart problems, diabetes, and ...

Five Bangladeshi nationals arrested in Navi Mumbai for staying illegally

Five Bangladeshi nationals have been arrested from a locality in Navi Mumbai for allegedly staying in the country without valid documents, police said on Tuesday. A team from the Anti-Human Trafficking Cell (AHTC) of Navi Mumbai Police raided a premises at Karanjade in Panvel on Sunday morning and found six Bangladeshi nationals, including two women, living there, a police spokesperson said. He said five were taken into custody after preliminary verification of their immigration status. "Three of the accused overstayed in India even after their visas had expired, while the other two had entered the country illegally without any valid travel documents or permissions," the official said. He said investigations revealed that the accused had managed to fraudulently acquire Indian identity documents, including Aadhaar and PAN cards and voter IDs. Three accused had even secured Indian passports, he added. The official said an FIR has been registered at the Panvel Town police station ag

Adani Power's outstanding on Bangladesh stands at around $900 mn: CFO

Adani Power has to receive around USD 900 million (around Rs 7,500 crore) from Bangladesh where the company supplies electricity from its Godda Power plant in Jharkhand, a company official said. "As of now, the total billing we (Adani Power) have done so far is around USD 2,000 million. We have already received USD 1,207 million out of this and we have also billed LPS (late payment surcharge) of USD 136 million," the company's Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Dilip Jha said in an earnings call. So, as of now, on gross basis including LPS, the company's outstanding is around USD 900 million, he said. On company's capex plan, Jha said the company has planned Rs 13,307 crore towards expansion capex for FY26, up from Rs 8,000 crore already incurred in FY25. In FY26 capex includes expansion of Mahan phase 2 and 3, Raigarh phase-2, Raipur phase-2, Mirzapur, Kawai Phase-II, and Korba phase-2 and Korba phase-3. Speaking further S B Khyalia, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Adani Power, said th

BSF to get 16 new battalions, 2 field HQs for Pakistan, Bangladesh borders

The Border Security Force is all set to get the government's final nod to raise 16 more battalions, comprising around 17,000 troopers, and set up two forward headquarters for its western and eastern commands guarding the Pakistan and Bangladesh frontiers, respectively, official sources have said. The plan has already received an in-principle approval. Once sanctioned, it will be a shot in the arm for the force that has heightened vigil in the east following last year's fall of the Sheikh Hasina government in Bangladesh and in the wake of a renewed challenge on the Pakistan front after the April 22 Pahalgam massacre. The BSF is soon expected to get the final sanction for raising 16 new battalions which will be raised over the next few years, sources in the security establishment told PTI. Some final approvals including sanction from the Union finance ministry are pending and are expected to be granted soon, they said. The paramilitary force has 193 battalions as of now to guard the

Tie up with China, occupy North East if India hits Pak: B'desh ex-general

A former Bangladeshi army officer close to Chief Adviser Yunus urged Dhaka to ally with China and occupy India's Northeast if New Delhi attacks Pakistan in the wake of Pahalgam attack