The Council of Advisers of the interim government is set to be expanded today (Sunday), with new members expected to take oath later in the evening. "Yes, it's getting expanded. But I can't tell you the number at this moment," a senior official of the interim government told UNB. The oath-taking ceremony is scheduled to take place at the Darbar Hall of Bangabhaban in the presence of senior government officials and dignitaries. Cabinet Division sources said five vehicles have been kept ready for the new advisers. Md Abul Hasnat Humayun Kabir, Transport Commissioner (Additional Secretary) of the Department of Government Transport, said they were instructed to prepare vehicles for new advisers. “We have prepared five vehicles.” The vehicles will be sent to the advisers' homes to pick them up, and then they will be brought to Bangabhaban for the oath-taking ceremony. The current interim government, headed by Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus, has 20 advisers. Army Chief meets CA Meanwhile, Chief of Army Staff General Waker-Uz-Zaman paid a courtesy call on Chief Adviser Dr Muhammad Yunus earlier in the day at his Tejgaon office. Details of the meeting were not disclosed. In the face of student-led mass uprising, former prime minister Sheikh Hasina resigned and fled the country on August 5. Subsequently, parliament was dissolved and an interim government, led by Prof Yunus, was formed. So far, 20 advisers took oath of office in three phases.  

BNP leader Dr Shahadat Hossain has taken oath as the new mayor of Chattogram City Corporation (CCC). Adviser to Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperative Ministry AF Hassan Ariff administered the swearing-in ceremony at the conference room of the Local Government Division at the Secretariat on Sunday morning. BNP’s standing committee member Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury, party’s spokesperson and standing committee member Salahuddin Ahmed, organizing secretary Mahbubur Rahman Shamim, among others were present on the occasion.

Twenty-three new additional judges of the High Court (HC) took oath on Wednesday morning for two years. Chief Justice Syed Refaat Ahmed administrated the swearing-in programme at the Judges’ Lounge of the Supreme Court (SC). SC Registrar General Aziz Ahmed conducted the function where justices of the both Appellate and HC divisions were present.  Earlier, on Tuesday night, the government appointed the new additional judges for the HC division for two years. Read: Newly appointed justices meet with President A gazette notification signed on by Md Golam Rabbani, secretary to the Law and Justice Division of the Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs, was issued in this regard on Tuesday night. The President appointed them exercising jurisdiction following section-98 of the Constitution and the tenure of the judges will begin from the day of taking oath, it reads. The newly appointed judges are - Md Golam Martuza Mazumder, Syed Enayet Hossain, Md Monsur Alam, Syed Jahed Mansur, KM Rasheduzzaman Raja, Md Zabid Hossain, Mubina Asaf, Qazi Waliul Islam, Ainun Nahar Siddiqua, Md Abdul Mannan, Tamanna Rahman, Md Shafiul Alam Mahmud, Md Hamidur Rahman, Nasrin Akter, Sathika Hossain, Syed Mohammad Tajrul Hossain, Md Toufik Inam, Eusuf Abdullah Sumon, Sheikh Tahsin Ali, Foyej Ahmed, Md Sogir Hossain, Shikder Mahmudur Razee and Debashish Roy Chowdhury. Read more: Crimes, injustices can be eradicated if journalists and police work together: DMP Chief The appointment of the judges will be effective from the day of swearing-in on Wednesday.

The cabinet Division has invited some 25 MPs as ministers and 11 as state ministers to take oath as new cabinet members led by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Cabinet Secretary Md Mahbub Hossain shared the information with journalists at the secretariat on Wednesday night. Read more: Cabinet clears draft law to check loan defaulters The 25 ministers are: AKM Mozammel Haque, Obaidul Quader, Nurul Majid Mahmud Humayun, Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, Dr. Dipu Moni, Tajul Islam, Farooq Khan, Abul Hasan Mahmud Ali, Advocate Anisul Haq, Dr. Hasan Mahmud, Abdus Shaheed, Sadhan Chandra Majumder, RAM Ubaidul Mokhtadir Chowdhury, Abdur Rahman, Narayan Chandra Chanda, Abdus Salam, Mohibul Hasan Chowdhury Nowfel, Farhad Hossain, Faridul Haque Khan, Zillul Hakim, Saber Hossain Chowdhury, Jahangir Kabir Nanak, Nazmul Hasan Papon, Yeafesh Osman and Dr. Samanta Lal Sen. The 11 state ministers are:  Mohammad A. Arafat, Zunaid Ahmed Palak, Nasrul Hamid, Simeen Hossain (Rimi), Rumana Ali, Ahsanul Islam (Titu), Shafikur Rahman Chowdhury, Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury, Zahid Farooq, Kujendra Lal Tripura, Mohibbur Rahman. Of them, Yeafesh Osman and Dr. Samants Lal Sen will take oath as technocrat ministers, he added. Regarding portfolios, the secretary said that it will be known tomorrow after taking oath. Read more: Cabinet body approves proposals for import of fertliser, LNG and sugar

Following Awami League’s victory in the 12th National Parliamentary Election, the oath-taking ceremony of the newly formed cabinet will be held on Thursday (January 11) evening at Bangabhaban.  President Md Shahabuddin will administer the oath-taking ceremony to the prime minister, ministers, state ministers, and deputy ministers at the Darbar Hall of Bangabhaban at 7 pm Thursday, said Cabinet Secretary Mahbub Hossain. It’s a vote robbery in name of election, says Oli Ahmed in rejecting Sunday’s vote On Sunday, the Awami League won a comfortable two-thirds majority in the fourth election in a row, in 299 out of 300 constituencies where voting was held, and a strong showing by independent candidates, as predicted. The ruling party candidate has won 222 seats, while independent candidates (most of them also belonging to AL) won in 62 seats. Foreign powers to show 'red card' to AL govt after election: Manna Besides, Jatiya Party secured 11 seats and three candidates from three parties -- Bangladesh Workers’ Party, Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal-Jasod and Bangladesh Kalyan Party -- secured victory in their respective constituencies.

Justice Obaidul Hasan took oath today as the 24th Chief Justice of Bangladesh. The president administered the oath at 11 am at the Darbar Hall of Bangabhaban, witnessed by the president's wife Dr. Rebecca Sultana, Cabinet members, former chief justices, judges of both the Appellate and High Court divisions, heads of the three services, principal secretary to the prime minister, the attorney general, and Supreme Court lawyers, including SC Bar Association leaders. Cabinet Secretary Md. Mahbub Hossain conducted the ceremony. The president made the appointment as per Article 95 (1) of the Constitution on Thursday as the outgoing chief justice retired on the day. Chief Justice rails against US visa policy on last working day Hassan, a senior judge of the Appellate Division, was appointed the chief justice on September 12.  Obaidul Hassan was appointed as an additional judge of the Supreme Court’s High Court Division in 2009 while his appointment was confirmed as a permanent judge in 2011. He was elevated as a judge in the Appellate Division on September 3, 2020. Hassan was born on January 1, 1959, at Chayashi village under Mohanganj upazila in Netrokona district to Dr Akhlaqul Hossain Ahmed and Begum Hosne Ara Hossain. Hassan was appointed as the chairman of International Crimes Tribunal-2 on March 25, 2012 and in his capacity as the head of that court, also known as War Crimes Tribunal, until September 15, 2015, he pronounced 11 verdicts. Denial of Bangladesh genocide weakens claims for justice and redress Obaidul Hassan is married to Nafisa Banu, who currently serves as Member (Finance) of Bangladesh Export Processing Zone Authority’s Board of Directors. The couple has a son, Barrister Ahmed Shafquat Hassan. Obaidul Hassan's younger brother Sajjadul Hassan is a parliament member (MP) from Netrokona-4 constituency while he previously served as a senior secretary at the Prime Minister's Office (PMO). Obaidul Hassan initially obtained his graduate and postgraduate degrees in economics from Dhaka University prior to studying law and made his debut as a practitioner in the Dhaka District Court in 1986, and got his enrollment in the High Court in 1988. He became an Appellate Division lawyer in 2005 and was appointed as an assistant attorney general and deputy attorney general for 5 years from 1996 to 2001. Justice Obaidul Hassan to take oath as country’s 24th Chief Justice on Sept 26 As a Supreme Court judge Obaidul Hassan joined several international legal conferences in different countries including Hong Kong, Singapore, Netherlands and Argentina. He led the Bangladesh delegation to an international crimes conference in Buenos Aires in 2015 and in the same year he attended a views exchange meeting with the International Crimes Court and the International Crimes Tribunal judges in The Hague. Obaidul Hassan authored several books including 'Obornonio Nirmomotar Chittro Ekatturer Buddhijibi Hotyakando O Onnanya', 'Bangabandhu Bangladesh Ekjon Juddho Shishur Golpo O Onnanya' and 'Bangabandhu, Rabindranath O Oshamprodayeek Bangladesh'.

Newly elected mayors of three city corporations — Abul Khair Abdullah of Barishal, Talukder Abdul Khaleque of Khulna and Jayeda Khatun of Gazipur — took oath this morning. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina administered the oath at a ceremony held in Shapla Hall of her office. Later, 157 newly elected councillors of general wards and female councillors of the reserved seats of the three city corporations also took oath at the same venue. AL-backed mayoral candidate Abul Khair Abdullah wins Barishal City Corporation election Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Minister Md Tazul Islam administered the councillors’ oaths. Local Government Division Secretary Muhammad Ibrahim conducted the oath-taking ceremony. State Minister for LGRD and Cooperatives Swapan Bhattacharjee was present on the occasion. AL-backed mayor candidate Talukder Abdul Khaleque wins Khulna City polls On June 12, Awami League mayoral candidate Abul Khair Abdullah (Khokon Serniabat) won the Barishal City Corporation election with 87,807 votes. His nearest rival Islami Andolon Bangladesh candidate Mufti Syed Mohammad Faizul Karim bagged 33,828 votes. Awami League mayoral candidate Talukder Abdul Khaleque won the Khulna City Corporation (KCC) election with 1,54,825 votes. His nearest rival Islami Andolan Bangladesh’s Md Abdul Awal got 60,064 votes in the polls held on June 12. AL not embarrassed by results of Gazipur city election: Agri Minister Razzaque On May 25, independent candidate Jayeda Khatun won the Gazipur City Corporation (GCC) polls with 238,934 votes, defeating her nearest rival Awami League-nominated candidate Azmat Ullah Khan who bagged 222,737 votes.  

Mohammed Shahabuddin was on Monday sworn in as the 22nd President of Bangladesh in a ceremony at Bangabhaban. Speaker Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury administered the oath at 11 am. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, cabinet members and scores of distinguished guests attended the event. Family members of the new president, including his wife Dr Rebecca Sultana, attended the function. Chief Justice Hasan Foez Siddique, members of the parliament, chief election commissioner, Supreme Court judges, and political leaders, chiefs of the three services, diplomats, senior journalists, and high-ranking civil and military officials witnessed the event. Cabinet Secretary Md Mahbub Hossain conducted the programme. Shahbuddin succeeds Md Abdul Hamid whose second successive term ended on Sunday. Shahabuddin (73) was elected as president unopposed on February 13 this year as a candidate of the ruling Awami League. Also read: Xi Jinping sends letter to Shahabuddin, stands ready to work with the Bangladeshi president During his student life, he served as an activist and president of Pabna Chhatra League and later took over the responsibility of Pabna Jubo League as its president. In 1971, he was the convenor of Swadhin Bangla Chhatra Sangram Parishad of Pabna and also actively participated in the Liberation War. He was imprisoned following the brutal assassination of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in 1975. He was later appointed as the Law Ministry's coordinator in the Bangabandhu assassination case. In 1982, he joined the BCS (Judicial) Department, and in 1995, he was elected general secretary of the Judicial Service Association. He also served as the chairman of the Judicial Inquiry Commission, which investigated murders, rapes, thefts and other crimes by BNP-Jamaat alliance's activists and leaders following the 2001 general election. Also read: Md Shahabuddin declared President-elect of Bangladesh He also worked as a district and sessions judge before retiring in 2006. He was a commissioner at the Anti-Corruption Commission from 2011 to 2016. Shahabuddin's wife, Rebecca Sultana, is a former joint secretary of the government.

Six newly elected Members of Parliament (MPs) took oath at the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban on Wednesday.  Hafiz Uddin Ahmed (Jatiya Party) from Thakurgaon-3, AKM Rezaul Karim Tansen (JSD) from Bogura-4, Ragebul Ahsan (Awami League) from Bogura-6, Md Ziaur Rahman (AL) from Chapainawabganj-2, Md Abdul Wadud (AL) from Chapainawabganj-3 and Abdus Sattar Bhuiyan (independent) from Brahmanbaria-2 were elected in by-polls held on February 1. Speaker Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury administered the oath-taking ceremony at the Jatiya Sangsad, according to a press release from the Parliament Secretariat.  KM Abdus Salam, secretary of the Parliament  Secretariat, conducted the oath-taking ceremony. Chief Whip of Parliament Noor-e-Alam Chowdhury and Whip Iqbalur Rahim were present om the occasion.  Finally, the MPs signed the oath book as per custom.    

Ferdinand Marcos Jr., the namesake son of an ousted dictator, is to be sworn in as Philippine president Thursday in one of history’s greatest political comebacks but which opponents say was pulled off by whitewashing his family’s image. His rise to power, 36 years after an army-backed “People Power” revolt booted his father to global infamy, upends politics in the Asian democracy, where a public holiday, monuments and the Philippine Constitution stand as reminders of his father’s tyrannical rule. Activists and survivors of the martial law-era under his father plan protests timed to Marcos Jr.’s inauguration at the steps of the National Museum in Manila. Thousands of police officers, including anti-riot contingents, SWAT commandos and snipers, were deployed in the bayside tourist district for security. Chinese Vice President Wang Qishan and U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris’s husband, Doug Emhoff, are among foreign dignitaries attending the noontime ceremony. “Wow is this really happening?” asked Bonifacio Ilagan, a 70-year-old activist who was detained and severely tortured by counterinsurgency forces during the elder Marcos’s rule. “For victims of martial law like me, this is a nightmare.” Such historical baggage and antagonism stand to hound Marcos Jr. during a six-year presidency beginning at a time of intense crises. The Philippines has been among the worst-hit countries in Asia by the two-year coronavirus pandemic, after more than 60,000 deaths and extended lockdowns that sent the economy to its worst recession since World War II and worsened poverty, unemployment and hunger. As the pandemic was easing early this year, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine sent global inflation soaring and sparked fears of food shortages. Last week, Marcos Jr. announced he would serve as secretary of agriculture temporarily after he takes office to prepare for possible food supply emergencies. “I think the problem is severe enough,” he said and added he has asked his key advisers to brace for “emergency situations, especially when it comes to food supply.” He also inherits decades-old Muslim and communist insurgencies, crime, gaping inequality and political divisions inflamed by his election. Congress last month proclaimed his landslide victory, as well as that of his running mate Sara Duterte, the daughter of the outgoing president, in the vice presidential race. “I ask you all pray for me, wish me well. I want to do well because when the president does well, the country does well,” he said after his congressional proclamation without taking any questions. Read: 1/6 panel: Told repeatedly he lost, Trump refused to go Marcos Jr. received more than 31 million votes and Sara Duterte more than 32 million of the more than 55 million votes cast in the May 9 election — massive victories that will provide them robust political capital as they face tremendous doubts arising from their fathers’ reputations. It was the first majority presidential victory in the Philippines in decades. Outgoing President Rodrigo Duterte presided over a brutal anti-drugs campaign that left thousands of mostly poor suspects dead in an unprecedented scale of killings the International Criminal Court was investigating as a possible crime against humanity. The probe was suspended in November, but the ICC chief prosecutor has asked that it be resumed immediately. Marcos Jr. and Sara Duterte have faced calls to help prosecute her father and cooperate with the international court when they office, a looming political dilemma. Marcos Jr., a former governor, congressman and senator, has refused to acknowledge or apologize for massive human rights violations and plunder under his father’s rule and has defended his legacy. During the campaign, he and Sara Duterte avoided controversial issues and focused on a call for national unity, although their fathers’ presidencies opened some of the most volatile divisions in the country’s history. Marcos Jr. appealed to be judged “not by my ancestors, but by my actions.” His father was forced from power by a largely peaceful pro-democracy uprising in 1986 and died in 1989 while in exile in Hawaii without admitting any wrongdoing, including accusations that he, his family and cronies amassed an estimated $5 billion to $10 billion while in office. A Hawaii court later found him liable for human rights violations and awarded $2 billion from his estate to compensate more than 9,000 Filipinos who filed a lawsuit against him for torture, incarceration, extrajudicial killings and disappearances. Imelda Marcos and her children were allowed to return to the Philippines in 1991 and worked on a stunning political comeback, helped by a well-funded social media campaign to refurbish the family name. Along metropolitan Manila’s main avenue, democracy shrines and monuments erected after Marcos’ 1986 downfall stand prominently. The anniversary of his ouster is celebrated each year as a special national holiday, and a presidential commission that has worked for decades to recover ill-gotten wealth of the Marcoses still exists. Marcos Jr. has not explained how he will deal with such stark reminders of the past.