The International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) on Sunday showed 20 people including  10 former ministers, two advisers and  a judge arrested in cases over the killings during the July-August mass uprising. The three-member tribunal led by its Chairman Justice Md Golam Mortuza asked the authorities concerned to produce 14 of the detained people before the tribunal on November 18 and the rest on November 20. The other members of the tribunal are - Justice Shafiul Alam Mahmud and Judge Mohitul Haque Enam Chowdhury. Earlier, chief prosecutor of the ICT Tajul Islam submitted tow separate petitions for producing them before the tribunal and show them arrested. They are former advisers Salman F Rahman, Toufiq- e- Elahi Chowdhury, former ministers Anisul Huq, Abdur Razzaque, Faruk Khan, Dipu Moni, Shahjahan Khan, Zunaid Ahmed Palak, Rashed Khan Menon, Hasanul Haq Inu, Golam Dastagir Gazi, Kamal Ahmed Majumdar, former Supreme Court Justice AHM Shamsuddin Choudhury Manik and former secretary Jahangir Alam. Besides, the police and army officers include former IGP Abdullah Al Mamun, suspended Major General Ziaul Ahsan, Abdullah Al Kafi, Arafat Hossain, Abul Hasan and Mazharul Islam. Chief Prosecutor Tajul Islam said that they submitted three petitions to the tribunal. Meanwhile, the tribunal also issued arrest warrants against 17 people including former DMP commissioner Habibur Rahman, in connection with another case over similar charges, following a petition submitted by the prosecution. Then Awami League government allegedly committed genocide during the student-led mass upsurge in July-August that prompted the interim government to prosecute the accused through the ICT. As part of this, the Dr Yunus government reconstituted the ICT. Till the middle of October, 60 complaints on enforced disappearances, killings and genocide were lodged at the ICT, accusing former premier Sheikh Hasina, leaders of the Awami League-led 14 party alliance, senior officials of the law enforcement agencies.

British ministers, House of Lords members, and cross-party members of the UK Parliament lauded Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for championing women's empowerment and gender equality at an event organised by the Bangladesh High Commission in London Tuesday. State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam was the chief guest at the "Bangladesh-UK@50: Empowering women and girls towards agenda 2030," organised to celebrate International Women's Day 2023. UK Minister for London and Minister of State at the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology Paul Scully MP, UK Prime Minister's Special Envoy for Girls' Education Helen Grant MP, Shadow Minister for Asia and the Pacific Catherine West MP, and Chair of All-Party Parliamentary Group on Bangladesh Rushanara Ali MP spoke at the event. Vice chairs of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Bangladesh Afzal Khan MP, Tahir Ali MP, Lord Dholakia, Lord Rami Ranger, Deputy Leader of Labour Lords and Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Development Lord Collins, Deputy Leader of Liberal Democrats Daisy Cooper MP, Member of Justice and Home Affairs Committee Baroness Prashar, Baroness Verma, Baroness Uddin and eminent organiser of Bangladesh's freedom movement in the UK Sultan Mahmud Sharif also joined the discussion. The event, co-hosted by Lord Popat, brought together women ambassadors and high commissioners from different countries, representatives of leading think tanks and civil society organisations, academics and eminent members of the British-Bangladeshi diaspora. Highlighting Hasina's contributions to women empowerment that earned her the "Agent of Change" award and "Planet 50-50 Champion' honour, Shahriar said, "Bangabandhu's visionary daughter Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina put women empowerment at the core of national development and achieved for Bangladesh the highest credentials in gender parity, not only in South Asia but also globally."  

The 22nd IORA Council of Ministers meeting began at a Dhaka hotel on Thursday morning. With Bangladesh being the current IORA Chair, Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen is chairing the meeting. Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) is an inter-governmental organisation which was established on March 7, 1997. There are 23 member states of IORA and 10 dialogue partners. Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen today sought everyone’s support and contribution to take IORA to a new height. Read more: IORA ministers meet Thursday, Momen for making the best use of sea “We will work together for ensuring sustainable development through maximum use of marine resources, keeping our oceans healthy. Let this be our commitment today,” he said while delivering the opening remarks at the IORA Council of Ministers meeting. “Without hesitation, I can say despite the potential for trade and investment, even after more than two decades, the IORA market is not fully explored by its member states,” Momen said. Momen said, it is important to rethink the intra-IORA trade and investment dynamics and adopt an approach that would help untap the trade and investment potential.  Read more: IORA Meetings to focus on undertaking larger projects Strengthening economic relations among IORA member states through a regional trade agreement and the elimination of intra IORA trade and investment barriers are now more important than ever, he said.

A special court in the city of Kolkata on Monday evening granted bail to two high-ranking ministers in the West Bengal government and two other politicians, hours after they were arrested in connection with a cash-for-favours scam. "All the four -- serving Bengal ministers Firhad Hakim and Subrata Mukherjee, and former ministers Madan Mitra and Sovan Chatterjee -- have been released on bail by the special court of the country's top federal investigative agency," lawyer Sushanto Roy told UNB over the phone from Kolkata. Earlier in the day, high drama unfolded in Kolkata as Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee staged a five-hour dharna outside the Central Bureau of Investigation's (CBI) office in protest against the "illegal" arrest of her two senior ministers for their alleged role in the Narada tapes scandal. She also dared the CBI slueths to arrest her in the case as hundreds of her supporters thronged the federal probe agency's office and threw stones at the central security forces guarding the premises.  "The way they have been arrested without due procedure, the CBI will have to arrest me also," she said, indicating that the state assembly speaker didn't give his mandatory consent to the arrest of the two Ministers. Also read: Two top Bengal Ministers held in cash-for-favours scam In fact, all the four accused were picked up by the CBI and the federal security forces from their houses in the morning.  While Firhad and Subrata are Urban Development and Panchayati Raj Ministers, respectively, Madan is a legislator of Mamata's ruling Trinamool Congress party. Sovan, on the other hand, is Kolkata's former Mayor. He left the Trinamool in 2019 to join India's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, but quit the outfit before the assembly polls. The two serving and two former Ministers were arrested barely 10 days after Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar approved the CBI's plea to prosecute the four accused in the Narada tapes scandal.  The Governor then claimed that his approval "is more than enough" for the arrest of the accused as he had presided over their swearing-in ceremony. "Governor accorded sanction for prosecution... being the appointing authority of ministers @MamataOfficial under article 164 and thus competent authority," he tweeted on May 9. The Narada scandal was a sting operation carried out by a journalist that caught on tape several ministers and senior officials of the erstwhile Mamata government accepting cash bribes in exchange for doling out unofficial favours to a private firm looking to set up business in Bengal. Earlier this month, Mamata scripted history by single handedly pulling off an astounding victory in the assembly election. She not only defied anti-incumbency and staved off a huge challenge from Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ruling BJP, but also decimated the Left Front. Though her party swept back to power with a resounding majority of 213 seats in the 292-member assembly, the 66-year-old lost her own seat in Nandigram to her former protege-turned-rival Suvendu Adhikari by a thin margin of around 2,000 votes. "This is Bangla's win... this is Bengal's win... this is your win. This win has saved Bengal, it has saved the culture and tradition of Bengal," she said, addressing a press meet on the counting day. Mamata had, however, made it clear in that presser only that she would challenge the result in a court of law. "How come the Election Commission reversed the results in Nandigram after formally announcing it? We will move court." The BJP though has made major gains in Bengal, winning some 77 seats. In 2016, the party had just three legislators in the state. However, the Left Front has failed to grab a single seat this time. The Left Front ruled Bengal for 34 years -- from 1977 to 2011. Bengal witnessed the most high-profile contest in India's recently held state elections. While Mamata harped on being Bengal’s daughter, the BJP asked people to vote for "change and socio-economic development" after 50 years of Communist and Trinamool Congress rule.

Members of Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) arrested a young man from Gachihata Bazar in Katiadi upazila  allegedly for derogatory posts on the Prime Minister and other ministers on his facebook page on Thursday night.   The arrestee is Shiblu Mia, 36, son of Keru Mia of Dash Kahnia of the upazila.   Tipped off, a team of Rab-14 conducted a drive in the area and arrested Shiblu around 8 pm, said assistant director of Rab-14 Kishoreganj camp, ASP Mohammad Ali Akkas.   Shiblu used to make derogatory remarks and  spread propagandas  against the Prime Minister and other ministers by opening a facebook Id ‘Zia Soinik Dal Kotiadi upazila Branch’, he said.   The elite force members also seized  a mobile phone.

Foreign ministers and other top officials from about a dozen countries gathered Sunday in Germany to keep up the push for peace in Libya after countries with interests in its long-running civil war agreed to respect a much-violated arms embargo and back a full cease-fire.

A number of ministers either drew public attention or came under fire hitting headlines in 2019 for various reasons, including onion price hike, fatal train crash or unprecedented dengue outbreak.