Bangladesh
Chinese ennvoy looks for grand celebrations for 50 years of Dhaka- Beijng ties
Chinese Ambassador to Bangladesh Yao Wen has expressed optimism that the people from all walks of life in Bangladesh would actively participate in celebrating the 50th anniversary of Bangladesh-China diplomatic relations and the year of China-Bangladesh people-to-people exchanges.
He hoped that Bangladeshis would join joint efforts contributing to further strengthening and elevating the friendship between Bangladesh and China.
Ambassador Yao, together by Cultural Affairs Adviser Mostofa Sarwar Farooki, visited the “China Book House” on Friday organised by the Chinese Embassy at the “Ekushey Book Fair”.
They attended a special exhibition showcasing traditional Chinese craftsmanship hosted by the Confucius Institutes and engaged warmly with local readers, adding another cultural highlight to the 2025 Dhaka “Happy Chinese New Year” celebrations.
The ambassador said the “China Book House” was established as a gateway for the Bangladeshi people to learn more about China.
He welcomed Bangladeshi readers to explore and gain new knowledge through the platform.
The “China Book House” exhibits over 400 types of Chinese publications, totalling over 1,000 copies, covering topics such as culture, history, folklore, tourism, cuisine, economy, politics, and Chinese language learning.
Bangladeshi delegation joins 2nd preparatory conference for UN Peacekeeping Ministerial 2025
In front of the “China Book House”, teachers from the Confucius Institutes set up interactive booths so that visitors could have the opportunity to experience traditional Chinese crafts such as sugar painting, woodblock printing, lacquer fan making, and the Luban lock.
A dragon and lion dance team also performed up close for the audience, adding to the lively and festive atmosphere.
Farooki said the “China Book House” enriched the cultural diversity of the “Ekushey Book Fair” and created a unique space for Bangladeshi readers to gain firsthand insights into Chinese culture.
357 minutes ago
Mother, son among 3 dead in Narayanganj road crash
Three people, including a woman and her son, were killed after a bus hit an auto-rickshaw at Sonargaon upazila in Narayanganj district on Friday, police said.
The deceased were identified as Kakoli Akter, 35, wife of Ashraful Islam, and their son Ariyan Ahmed Rafi, 5, residents of Sundarganj upazila of Gaibandha district, and auto-rickshaw driver Anisur Rahman, 23, son of Abdul Wahab of Sukanpur village of Rangpur's Pirgachha upazila.
Unidentified body recovered from Meghna River in Chandpur
The accident occurred on the Dhaka-Chittagong highway near Kanchpur Bridge on Friday evening.
Kazi Wahid Murshed, the Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Kanchpur Highway Police Station, said, "An auto-rickshaw coming from Siddhirganj collided head-on with a Dhaka-bound bus, killing the trio on the spot.”
BSF accused of beating Bangladeshi farmer to death at Chapainawabganj border
On information, the bodies were recovered and taken to the Highway Police Station, while both the bus and the auto-rickshaw involved in the crash were seized, he added.
250 minutes ago
No role in Hasina’s attributed remarks, clarifies India
India on Friday said the comments attributed to former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina have been made in her individual capacity in which India has no role to play.
Bangladesh acting High Commissioner to India Md Nural Islam was summoned by the Ministry of External Affairs to the South Block to convey India's position.
MEA official Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said it was conveyed that India desires a positive, constructive and mutually beneficial relationship with Bangladesh, which has been reiterated several times in recent high-level meetings.
"It is, however, regrettable that regular statements made by Bangladesh authorities continue to portray India negatively, holding us responsible for internal governance issues," he said.
Vandalism at Dhanmondi-32 residence should strongly be condemned: India
These statements by Bangladesh are in fact responsible for the persistent negativity, said the MEA Spokesperson in response to media queries on summoning the Bangladesh acting High Commissioner.
Conflating this with the government of India’s position is not going to help add positivity to bilateral relations, he said.
Ex-PM Hasina’s remarks instigating instability in Bangladesh: Dhaka to Delhi
“While the government of India will make efforts for a mutually beneficial relationship we expect that Bangladesh will reciprocate similarly without vitiating the atmosphere,” the MEA Spokesperson added.
"Safety of diplomatic mission is responsibility of host govt and I have no doubt Bangladesh authorities are aware of responsibilities," said Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri on safety of Indian Diplomatic mission in Dhaka during a separate briefing in New Delhi.
229 minutes ago
Next govt to inherit both domestic policy challenges, growing external worries: Kugelman
South Asia affairs expert Michael Kugelman has said that Bangladesh’s next government will face not only domestic policy challenges but also increasing external concerns.
He mentioned tense ties with India, uncertain relations with the new Trump administration in the United States and a border with Myanmar now controlled by the rebel Arakan Army as external worries.
"Things won’t get any easier for Dhaka after elections, whenever they are held," said Kugelman who writes Foreign Policy’s South Asia Brief.
He spent last week in Dhaka, where the legacy of Sheikh Hasina’s father, former President Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, once had loomed larger than life.
Govt working with security forces to keep law and order: Prof Yunus
"The independence leader was depicted in statues and murals, and his name was routinely invoked in public speeches. Today, he is nowhere to be found, but the city is filled with commemorations of the Gen Z revolution," Kugelman wrote.
Sharing his main takeaway from his trip, Kugelman said the Bangladeshi public is growing impatient with an interim government that has made ambitious promises—to restore democracy, rebuild institutions and reform governance—yet has underperformed so far.
Public safety has improved, with little of the deadly retributive violence that was unleashed against Hasina supporters in the days following her ouster, he observed.
But many police officers are still refusing to report to duty and activists buoyed by last year’s movement are regularly mobilising in the streets for various causes, Kugelman said.
Many Bangladeshis, including business leaders, still worry about law and order, he said.
US to view Bangladesh through commercial, geopolitical lenses: Kugelman
Meanwhile, Kugelman said, Bangladesh’s economy is floundering, continuing a decline that began in the last years of Hasina’s rule.
Today, inflation is falling, but it is close to double digits. Bangladesh’s GDP growth between July and December 2024 was less than 2 percent, and foreign direct investment fell by 71 percent in the three months after Hasina’s ouster, said the Foreign Affairs expert.
Besides, he said, the public has limited information about the interim government’s reforms process. "Though commissions were formed to focus on subjects including banking and the country’s constitution, it’s unclear what goals they have set."
Kugelman went on to say, "The government insists that it will all take time; as one senior official put it to me, Hasina eviscerated the country’s governance fabric, and there is no easy way out."
Still, Kugelman said, the lack of a formal public mandate will undermine the interim government.
Most Bangladeshis welcomed the new administration last August, but it is not an elected government, he said, adding that the longer it stays in power, the more pressure it will face to call elections.
Prof Yunus can charm Western govts to consider hosting Rohingya refugees: Kugelman
"According to multiple people I spoke with in Dhaka, two key constituencies already want to see elections soon: the business community and the military," Kugelman mentioned.
Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus said elections could take place by the end of the year or by June next year, but the government has not announced a formal timeframe.
Protest leaders within the government want to see reforms through—and they also likely want more time to build up the new political party that they plan to form.
"However, if the interim government holds off elections to ensure the implementation of reforms, the next elected government could just reverse them," Kugelman said.
This uncertainty has intensified public concerns about Bangladesh’s future, he said, adding that by no means are people growing nostalgic for Hasina; there is an overwhelming view that today’s situation is preferable to the repression of the past.
"Still, if tangible improvements—especially economic ones—remain elusive, the public’s patience will wane," Kugelman said.
The interim government was formed on August 8, last year.
209 minutes ago
Unidentified body recovered from Meghna River in Chandpur
The body of an unidentified man, aged around 45, was recovered from the Meghna River near Chandpur Launch Ghat on Friday morning.
River Police recovered the body around 9 am from the east-northeast side of the launch terminal after being alerted by locals, said Sub-Inspector (SI) Billal Azad.
The deceased was wearing black pants and a white sky-blue printed full-sleeved shirt. He had light brown skin, was approximately five feet six inches tall, and had partial black hair on both sides with baldness, according to police.
Woman shot dead, UP chairman’s house vandalised in Narsingdi
Chandpur Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) AKM S Iqbal said a general diary (GD) has been filed regarding the incident. The body has been sent to Chandpur Government General Hospital for an autopsy, and efforts are underway to ascertain the man's identity.
"If the identity remains unknown, the body will be handed over to Anjuman Mufidul Islam for burial," the OC added.
186 minutes ago
2 detained with cannabis in Cumilla
The Department of Narcotics Control (DNC) detained two people with 16 kg of cannabis in Cumilla’s Burichang upazila on Friday while they were smuggling the drugs by posing as a married couple.
The detainees were identified as Md Hossain Mia, 29, son of Nasir Mia from Shubhpur village in Cumilla’s Kotwali police station area, and Sharmin Akhter, 20, wife of Johnny Mia from Araiora village.
Tipped off, a DNC team, led by Sub-Inspector Tamal Majumder under the supervision of Cumilla Deputy Director Chowdhury Imrul Hasan, conducted an anti-drug operation in the Nimsar area and detained them.
During interrogation, it was revealed that they had been smuggling drugs under the pretense of being a married couple. The deception was exposed when Sharmin’s real husband was confronted, uncovering the full details of the scheme.
DMP arrests 3 with anti-govt leaflets from Dhaka’s Arambagh
Sharmin had reportedly befriended Hossain Mia over the phone without her husband's knowledge. To evade law enforcement, they would first transport the marijuana from Cumilla’s Daudkandi to Dhaka via local buses.
A case is being filed against the accused at Burichang Police Station.
180 minutes ago
BSF accused of beating Bangladeshi farmer to death at Chapainawabganj border
A Bangladeshi farmer was allegedly beaten to death by India’s Border Security Force (BSF) while irrigating farmland near the Raghunathpur border in Shibganj upazila of Chapainawabganj district on Friday.
The deceased, Barikul Islam, 36, was a resident of Namojgnathpur in Durlavpur union, said locals.
Saidur Rahman, a member of ward-9 of Durlavpur Union Parishad, said Barikul and several other farmers went to irrigate their fields near the border in the morning when BSF members from Bajitpur camp in Murshidabad area chased them.
While others managed to flee, Barikul was reportedly detained by the BSF personnel, who allegedly beat him to death and dumped his body on a riverbank inside Indian territory, Saidur claimed.
The body remains there, he added.
BGB-BSF talks in New Delhi on Feb 17-20
However, the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) has yet to confirm the incident.
"We have no such information so far, and the victim’s family has not reached out to us," Lt Col Monir-uz-Zaman, commander of the BGB’s 53rd Battalion in Chapainawabganj, told UNB.
"We are looking into the matter," he added.
162 minutes ago
Shaon, Sohana Saba released after questioning
Actresses Meher Afroz Shaon and Sohana Saba, taken into custody by the Detective Branch (DB) of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police on Thursday night, have been released after questioning.
They were released "into the custody of their families" around 4 pm on Friday, confirmed Muhammad Talebur Rahman, Deputy Police Commissioner (DC) of DMP's Media Wing.
Meher Afroz Shaon detained from Dhaka’s Dhanmondi
Earlier, the two were taken to the DB office for questioning on charges of “conspiring against the state.”
DMP’s Detective Branch took Shaon into custody around 8 pm on Thursday, while Sohana Saba was detained around midnight from Dhaka’s Dhanmondi.
149 minutes ago
Adviser Sakhawat calls for govt-led discussions to resolve issues in hill areas
Shipping Adviser Brig Gen (retd) Dr. M Sakhawat Hossain has said that the situation in the hill areas must be addressed with government support through discussions, after identifying the root causes.
“Bandarban is an area of peace and harmony. The sudden surge in terrorist activities here has caused distress among everyone,” he told reporters after visiting a Buddhist orphanage in Bandarban town on Friday.
Highlighting the importance of involving experienced individuals to restore peace and harmony in the region, the adviser said, “It’s time for everyone to come together and solve the issue.”
The adviser also mentioned that the government is considering establishing a land port at Ghumdhum in Teknaf to enhance trade with Myanmar.
Govt considering land port at Teknaf’s Ghumdhum: Shipping Adviser
After the programme, the adviser planted trees at the Buddhist orphanage.
Army’s Bandarban Region Commander Brigadier General Rakib Ibne Rezwan, Joint Secretary of the Ministry of Labor ASM Ashraful Islam, Zilla Parishad Chairman Professor Thanjama Lusai, Deputy Commissioner Shamim Ara Rini, and Superintendent of Police Md. Shahidullah Kawsar were also present.
129 minutes ago
Woman shot dead, UP chairman’s house vandalised in Narsingdi
A 24-year-old woman was shot dead and the house of Sreenagar Union Parishad Chairman Riaz Murshed Khan Russell was attacked and vandalised by an armed gang in Raipura upazila of Narsingdi on Friday.
The deceased was identified as Shanta Islam, 24, wife of the chairman's cousin Shakil Khan.
The incident took place in Sreenagar village of Seenagar union during Jumma prayers.
Md Adil Mahmud, officer-in-charge (OC) of Raipura Police Station, said that police have been deployed at the scene, and preparations are underway to file a case.
According to the victim's family, a group of 10 to 12 armed men, led by Sohel Mia, son of Nurul Islam of the same union, stormed the house of UP Chairman Russell over previous enmity.
Bhola human chain demands punishment for attack on local journalist
Failing to find the chairman and his family members, the assailants vandalised and looted the house. When Shanta attempted to intervene, they opened fire on her, leaving her seriously injured.
Family members rushed her to Raipura Upazila Health Complex, where the on-duty doctor declared her dead upon arrival.
Shanta's body has been sent to Narsingdi Sadar Hospital morgue for an autopsy, said the OC.
104 minutes ago