Chief Adviser Dr Muhammad Yunus will inaugurate the month-long Amar Ekushey Book Fair 2025 on February 1. Commemorating the memory of the martyrs of the Language Movement, the traditional festivity of Amar Ekushey Book Fair 2025 is all set to begin with this year’s theme “July Gono Obbhuthyan: Notun Bangladesh Binirman” (The July Uprising: Rebuilding a New Bangladesh”). Amar Ekushey Book Fair Organising Committee members disclosed the details of this year's fair at a press conference on Thursday at the academy's Abdul Karim Sahitya Bisharad (AKSB) auditorium. Committee members including the Bangla Academy Director General and committee President Dr Mohammad Azam, Bangla Academy Secretary Dr Md Selim Reza, and Amar Ekushey Book Fair Committee Secretary Dr Sarkar Amin were present. 3-day non-fiction book fair begins at Dhaka University A total of 708 publishers will participate in the fair with 99 stalls at the Bangla Academy and 609 at Suhrawardy Udyan. Some 642 publishers participated in the last year’s fair. The fair will feature 37 pavilions- one at Bangla Academy and 36 at Suhrawardy Udyan. A dedicated space for little magazines has been allocated near the open stage of Suhrawardy Udyan, hosting around 130 stalls. The Children’s Corner, with 74 publishers and 120 units (up from 68 publishers and 109 units last year), will be expanded near the Ramna temple gate to ensure easy access for children. The layout of the book fair will remain similar to last year, with some adjustments. Islamic Book Fair inaugurated by religious affairs adviser Due to the proximity of the metro rail station, the exit gate has been moved closer to the temple gate. Four entry and exit points will be available at TSC, Doyel Chattar, the MRT basing plant, and the Institution of Engineers, Bangladesh (IEB). Food stalls will be organised along the IEB boundary, while 30 washrooms have been installed across the fair venue this year, the highest number in the fair’s history, the organisers said at the press conference. Security will be ensured by police, RAB, Ansar, and intelligence agencies, with over 300 CCTV cameras installed across the venue, while archways will be set up at all entry and exit points. Daily seminars will take place at 4 pm on the main stage, followed by cultural performances in the evening. Book launch ceremonies will also be held at Suhrawardy Udyan. A special “Children’s Hour” will run from 11 am to 1 pm on Fridays and Saturdays, excluding February 8 and 15. Like previous editions, several recreational activities including art, recitation, and music competitions for children and teenagers will be organised as part of the fair’s activities. This year, the Amar Ekushey Book Fair aims to be eco-friendly and zero-waste, according to the organisers. All participants and book fair stakeholders are encouraged and requested to use sustainable materials like jute, fabric, and paper instead of single-use plastics. Dhaka University hosts three-day Winter Book Fair at TSC Bangla Academy is publishing 43 new titles and reprinting 41 books, which will be available at three dedicated pavilions and a children’s stall. Books from Bangla Academy and participating publishers will be sold at a 25% discount. The fair will remain open from 3 to 9 pm on weekdays and 11 am to 9 pm on holidays, except for February 8 and 15. Marking the International Mother Language Day on February 21, the fair will begin at 8 am and run until 9 pm. Following its previous traditions, several awards will be handed over to outstanding publications from 2024, including the Chittaranjan Saha Memorial Award for quality publications, the Munier Chowdhury Memorial Award for artistic excellence, Rokonuzzaman Khan Dadabhai Memorial Award for children’s literature, and the Qayyum Chowdhury Memorial Award for aesthetic stall design. The Amar Ekushey Book Fair 2025 is sponsored by Rocket (Dutch-Bangla Bank PLC), with Ama Tea and Savoy Ice Cream as co-sponsors while Dreamer Donkey is the event management partner for this year's fair.

Chief Adviser Dr Muhammad Yunus on Sunday expressed deep shock and sorrow at the demise of former army chief and valiant freedom fighter KM Shafiullah. In a condolence message, Dr Yunus said Shafiullah played important role as sector commander during 1971 Liberation War and performed duty as second head at the Second East Bengal Regiment in Joydebpur. Ex-army chief KM Shafiullah passes away He led the ‘S’ Force and earned the ‘Bir Uttam’ title for his role during the Liberation War, the Chief Adviser recalled.   "We remember with gratitude his contribution to the country and its people. People from all walks of life in Bangladesh will remember his heroic life forever with gratitude," he said. Eminent economist and Tagore exponent Prof Anisur Rahman passes away Dr Yunus prayed for the salvation of the departed soul and expressed deep sympathy to the bereaved family members. Shafiullah breathed his last at 8:45am while undergoing treatment at the Combined Military Hospital in Dhaka at the age of 91.

Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus on Saturday arrived in Dhaka from Switzerland after attending the World Economic Forum's annual meeting in Davos where he was hailed as a "beacon, hero and an amazing image of stability." A commercial flight of the Emirates Airlines carrying the Chief Adviser and his small entourage landed at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport at 5:06pm. Dr Yunus departed the Zurich International Airport at 9:50 pm (Swiss time) on Friday night (January 24). Saudi firm interested to transform Matarbari into regional mega port Top private companies are "convinced" about the country's "potentials and its stability" in the post revolution months, said Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam, adding that they are impressed with the latest economic numbers. "One thing was quite clear that the biggest decision the students made just after the fall of Hasina was to persuade Prof Yunus to head the interim government. And that has made all the difference," Alam said. Bangladesh's Davos mission concluded on a high note, said the Press Secretary, adding that the Chief Adviser and his small Davos team is back home "with their heads held high". Prof Yunus held 47 meetings with heads of states, CEOs and dignitaries. Top European leaders are firmly backing the interim government and its reform agenda to restore democracy, Alam said. AsiaNet Forum 2025: Shaping the Future of Asia’s Media and PR Industry Top journalists from some of the world's best news outlets have queued to take Prof Yunus' interviews. "Nobody seems to be bothered by the propaganda campaign by the Indian outlets. They are very much aware of the dirty jobs that Indian media does for their political masters," said the Press Secretary. "The Tulip Siddiq saga in the UK added some extra layers to Hasina's "Highway Robbery" story. The Western press now know the kind of plunder and looting that took place during the Sheikh Hasina dictatorship," Alam said. Prof Yunus also spoke about the data manipulation, blaming the world for being blind during the "dictatorship". The Chief Adviser is scheduled to land in Dhaka on Saturday evening by an Emirates flight. Dr Yunus, who reached Davos on January 21, had four meetings with Heads of Government/State, four meetings with Minister-level dignitaries and ten meetings with heads/top executives of UN or similar organisations, Chief Adviser's Deputy Press Secretary Abul Kalam Azad Majumder told UNB. The Chief Adviser had 10 meetings with CEOs/high-level business persons, attended nine WEF-hosted programs and four formal dinner and lunch events. WTO to support Bangladesh's LDC graduation, its DG tells Dr Yunus  Dr Yunus also had eight media engagements on the sidelines of the WEF annual meeting in addition to joining two other events. Chief Adviser's Special Envoy on International Affairs Lutfey Siddiqi, Principal Coordinator on SDGs Affairs (Senior Secretary) Lamiya Morshed, Chief Adviser's Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam and Secretary (West) M Riaz Hamidullah, among others, accompanied Dr Yunus. The World Economic Forum's (WEF) annual meeting in Davos brought together world leaders to address key global and regional challenges. These included responding to geopolitical shocks, stimulating growth to improve living standards, and stewarding just and inclusive energy transition. This year's meeting convened under the theme 'Collaboration for the Intelligent Age' and the programme will be oriented around five distinct but highly interconnected thematic priorities: Some 3,000 leaders from over 130 countries, and 350 governmental leaders, including 60 heads of states and governments, from all key regions attended the event.

Chief Adviser's press wing on Sunday said Bangladesh has made no decision to acquire Turkish tanks. Quoting a Defence Ministry spokesperson, CA's press wing (fact-checking wing) confirmed this. "While such news is totally baseless and unwarranted, our country reserves the right to possess capabilities to defend itself,” said the spokesperson. Dr Yunus urges Malysia to issue multiple-entry visas for Bangladeshi workers

Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus on Monday urged Malaysia to issue multiple-entry visas for Bangladeshi workers employed in the country to facilitate their return home as and when required. The Chief Adviser raised the issue when Mohd Shuhada Othman, Malaysian High Commissioner to Bangladesh, called on him at the State Guest House Jamuna. The Chief Adviser also urged the High Commissioner to facilitate the entry of 18,000 Bangladeshi workers who missed the deadline to join their work in the Southeast Asian country in May last year. Denmark, AUW to promote women´s climate leadership The High Commissioner said that a joint technical committee featuring the officials of Malaysia and Bangladesh held a meeting in this regard in Kuala Lumpur on December 31, and a similar meeting was planned on Tuesday. Recalling his meeting with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim in Dhaka in October, the Chief Adviser hoped that Malaysia would expedite the process so that the next batch of Bangladeshi workers can plan for migrating to the country for work. The Chief Adviser congratulated Malaysia for taking over as the chair of ASEAN from 1 January 2025 and also sought the country’s support for Bangladesh’s bid to become a Sectoral Dialogue Partner of ASEAN and in turn become a full member. Make Bangladesh a distribution hub for Asia: CA urges Norway He also conveyed to the High Commissioner that Bangladesh seeks support from ASEAN in the upcoming International Conference on the Rohingya Crisis to be convened by the UN in 2025 in line with the UNGA Resolution 79/182. The Chief Adviser urged the new Malaysian High Commissioner, who was appointed in December 2024, to work on bringing more Malaysian investment to Bangladesh and relocating Malaysian factories to Bangladesh to take the benefit of Bangladesh’s youth forces.  “I hope that during your stay in Bangladesh, the relationship between Bangladesh and Malaysia will reach a new level of closeness on economic and business levels,” said Professor Yunus. The Chief Adviser said that Bangladesh looks forward to a convenient date from the Malaysian side to attend the 4th Bilateral Consultation Mechanism (BCM) in Kuala Lumpur. Dutch and EU delegates champion tiger conservation in Sundarbans He added that Bangladesh is also prepared to hold Foreign Minister level ‘5th Joint Commission’ meeting in Dhaka, preferably by mid-2025. Lamiya Morshed, senior secretary to SDG affairs, was also present on the occasion.

Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus on Monday asked Bangladesh Export Processing Zones Authority (BEPZA) to promote Bangladesh abroad and bring more investments to the country’s industrial sectors. "Create a team for economic diplomacy and promote Bangladesh abroad," Chief Adviser's Deputy Press Secretary Abul Kalam Azad Majumder quoted Dr Yunus as conveying to the BEPZA officials, asking the body to collaborate with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for the purpose. The Chief Adviser issued the directive when BEPZA submitted its annual report for the 2023-24 financial years to him at his office at Tejgaon, Dhaka. He also asked BEPZA officials to engage Bangladeshi students studying abroad, especially in China and Japan, to help investors overcome language barriers before making investment choices. BEPZA Executive Chairman Major General Abul Kalam Mohammad Ziaur Rahman said that they are already receiving positive responses from investors following the July-August uprising in Bangladesh and the repeatedly changing global political landscape.  "In the past three weeks, we have received a USD $135 million investment proposal from the Chinese investors. Talks are underway for more investments," he told the Chief Adviser.    CA's DPS: Bangladesh lived under shadow of a regime that turned "elections into farces" He said that currently eight export processing zones are operational in Bangladesh, housing 452 factories. There are 136 more factories currently under construction in the zones. Among the operational factories, over 100 are owned by the local investors, and the rest are mostly joint ventures. Of the factories, 52 percent produce ready-made garment items, textile items, and garment accessories. The remaining factories are multifarious, producing miscellaneous items such as coffins and toys.  Major General Zia informed the Chief Adviser of some of the demands of the investors, including uninterrupted gas and power supply, bonded warehouse facilities in the BEPZA areas, Chattogram-Sanghai direct air connectivity, and visa counsellor service in the Chinese city of Shanghai.  Chief Adviser Dr Yunus asked the authorities to explore the possibility of setting up solar power plants in export processing zones and work on gas exploration and develop a distribution system. He also asked the authorities to see if Bangladesh can benefit from importing energy from neighbouring countries. No arrest in plain clothes: Home Adviser Special Envoy to the Chief Adviser Lutfey Siddiqi, who was present on the occasion, put an emphasis on targeted economic diplomacy. He said that the government will work on developing an integrated power distribution system to enable industries to receive more power from existing plants in the countries. Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA) Chairman Ashik Chowdhury said that Bangladesh should incentivise the investors investing in export processing zones. European countries: CA's press wing shares progress on visa issues "We should make BEPZA and BEZA more attractive and promote the facilities available in the area across the globe to bring more investments," he said. Principal Secretary to Chief Adviser Md Siraj Uddin Miah was also present in the meeting.

Chief Adviser’s Deputy Press Secretary Abul Kalam Azad Majumder on Sunday shared the progress made following Bangladesh's request to European countries to relocate their visa centers from Delhi to Dhaka or another nearby country. He said Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus made a request to the European countries to bring their visa centers from Delhi to Dhaka or to a nearby country and there has been some progress in this regard. Briefing the media at the Foreign Service Academy, Azad informed that Bulgaria has already notified Bangladesh of its decision to move its visa processing operations to Indonesia and Vietnam. July Declaration to be discussed with political parties: Press Secretary As a result, he said, 122 Bangladeshi students have been issued visas from these two countries. Furthermore, Azad mentioned that Romania has engaged in discussions with Bangladesh and plans are underway for issuing student visas to Bangladeshi nationals from Vietnam and Thailand. Romania has officially communicated this decision to its embassy in Bangkok, he said. Additionally, Azad said, Kazakhstan has also expressed its intention to issue visas to Bangladeshi nationals from Bangkok. “Discussions are underway between Bangladesh’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and both Eastern and Western European countries, with the possibility of more countries making similar arrangements in the future,” he added.

Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus on Tuesday paid a profound tribute to former United States President and fellow Nobel Laureate Jimmy Carter, who died on Saturday. The Chief Adviser placed floral wreaths at the portrait of the late president and wrote a condolence message in the condolence book opened at the US Embassy in Dhaka's Baridhara at 11:45am. US Charge d' Affaires Megan Bouldin welcomed the Chief Adviser at the embassy. CA Dr Yunus pays tribute to Manmohan Singh at Indian High Commission During his brief stay at the embassy, the Chief Adviser recalled his long friendship and told Bouldin that he visited Carter's home in Georgia. The Chief Adviser said Carter was a global champion of human rights, democracy and peace. He also praised President Carter for his efforts in fostering strong bilateral relations between Bangladesh and the United States. Dhaka discusses with UN modalities for int'l conference on Rohingya crisis Prof Yunus also recalled President Carter's visit to Bangladesh in 1986 and deeply appreciated his impactful work here through the Carter Center.

BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Saturday alleged that the Chief Adviser’s suggestion to set the minimum age for becoming a voter at 17 has sparked controversy, as it could delay the election process.                                          “Prof Yunus has proposed that the minimum age for becoming voters should be 17. This means a new voter list would have to be prepared,” he told a discussion. The programme was organised by a faction of the Jatiya Gonotantrik Party (Jagpa) at the Jatiya Press Club. Fakhrul said Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus talked about a matter on which there is no consensus. Investigate and identify culprits of secretariat fire: BNP  "Now, people will fear that even more time will be wasted, and further delays will occur to do it (in preparing the voter list). I don't know why there is an impression among the people that this government is deliberately trying to delay the election process, but that is not my perception," he said. The BNP leader said the Chief Adviser should not have raised the issue without first consulting the stakeholders. “You are the Chief Executive, and you said that 17 years is better. When you say this, it becomes binding on the Election Commission,” he said. Fakhrul said the government should have left the matter to the Election Commission, allowing it to make a decision. Border killings are never acceptable: Mirza Fakhrul He claimed that the current minimum age of 18 for becoming a voter is acceptable to all. “If you want to reduce it by one year, then let the new Election Commission propose it and engage in discussions with the political parties. When he (the Chief Adviser) first said 17 years, it became binding and put pressure on the Commission,” the BNP leader said.

Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus asked advisers to fast track the construction of the museum for the July-August mass uprising at the Gonobhaban. The Chief Adviser gave the instructions when he visited the Dhaka palace where ousted dictator Sheikh Hasina lived during the past 15 years, which became a symbol of repression and her brutal rule. "The museum should preserve the memories of her misrule and the anger people expressed when they ousted her from power," Prof Yunus said as he inspected the ruins. Hundreds of thousands of protesters stormed the Gonobhaban on August 5, moments after Hasina fled Bangladesh and took refuge in India. Protesters marked their anger in the Gonobhaban walls and rooms by drawing graffitis and writing protest notes such as Khuni Hasina (killer Hasina). The Chief Adviser said a replica of the Aynaghar (Mirror House) where Hasina's notorious security agencies secretly detained hundreds of dissidents and opposition activists should also be built at the Musuem at Gonobhaban, said the Chief Adviser's press wing.