United News of Bangladesh

Chief Adviser's Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam on Sunday said the interim government has not yet received any letter from Tulip Siddiq, reportedly seeking a meeting with Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus during his official visit to the United Kingdom.  "The government has not yet received any such letter," Alam told UNB when enquired about Tulip Siddiq's reported letter seeking audience with Professor Muhammad Yunus. "We cannot comment on something we have not seen," the Press Secretary added. Tulip Siddiq requests meeting Prof Yunus over corruption allegation Prof Yunus is scheduled to leave Dhaka for London on Monday evening as part of his four-day official visit to the United Kingdom. "I haven’t done anything wrong and I have nothing to hide. If you’re serious about finding out the truth, let’s talk," Tulip Siddiq wrote from her verified X handle, tagging the Chief Adviser and sharing a report run by The Guardian.  Former City Minister of the UK Tulip Siddiq has written to Prof Yunus as she wants to meet him in London to clear up a “misunderstanding” after corruption allegations made by interim administration led her to resign from the UK government, according to a report run by The Guardian. Prof Yunus to visit UK June 10–13; King Charles to present ‘Harmony Award 2025’ Siddiq, whose aunt deposed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was put on trial in absentia last week over crimes against humanity during her 15 years tenure, has been accused of benefitting from the former regime by the authorities in Bangladesh.

Tulips — the brightly coloured flowers usually associated with the Netherlands — are now growing in Tetulia upazila of Panchagarh district, boosting tourism prospects and local economy. Seeing the success of a pilot scheme, this year, tulips are being grown on a large tract of land in Darjipara of Tetulia. Tulips grown in the Panchagarh district are now being sold in Dhaka due to high demands. Last year, eight women earned Tk 65,000 each by growing tulips on their land — on a pilot basis — and this year, 20 women are growing the beautiful flowers on two acres of land considering the prospects. Also read: Danish ambassador, IFAD country director visit tulip gardens in Panchagarh This year, they are expecting to sell tulips worth Tk one crore. Financed by International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and Palli Karma-Sahayak Foundation (PKSF), Echo Social Development Organisation (ESDO) and Rural Microenterprise Transformation Project (MRTP) undertook the pilot project with the help of rural women. They have created a new prospect for livelihood.

Ambassador of Denmark to Bangladesh, Winnie Estrup Petersen, has visited tulip gardens in Panchagarh district and hoped that the vibrant flowers will create livelihood opportunities for the rural community. “I am very pleased to be here, in this colourful tulip garden, and proud that the Danish government, together with IFAD and the government of Bangladesh, has invested in building capacities of these young women farmers,” she said. A delegation – financing a rural development project boosting microenterprises – visited the tulip fields in Panchagarh district on Monday. The delegation included Ambassador Petersen and International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) Country Director in Bangladesh Arnoud Hameleers. They spoke with local farmers who are growing tulips with assistance from the Rural Microenterprise Transformation Project, co-funded by IFAD and the Danish International Development Agency. Read more: Tulip farming opens new opportunity for farmers in Tetulia, Jashore Typically grown in cooler climates, there is high demand for tulips in Dhaka. In 2021, eight farmers were trained to cultivate and market tulips as part of a value chain development initiative implemented by the Palli Karma-Sahayak Foundation and its partner organization, the Eco-Social Development Organisation, IFAD said on Tuesday.