United News of Bangladesh

Listing the key achievements of the interim government after completion of 100 days in power, Chief Adviser's Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam has said the government will hold consultations with the political parties on those reports to be submitted by the commissions. Ten reform commissions have been constituted and the most significant ones will submit their reports by December 31, he said. "Once a consensus is reached on the kind of the reforms the country needs, the interim government will announce the date for election," Alam said sharing his opinion on achievements made so far. Separately the ball for the election has been rolled out, he said, adding that a search committee is constituted to find the new and acceptable Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) and election commissioners. Once the election commission is formed, it will start work for preparing voter list, Alam said. The Press Secretary shared the key achievements of Prof Muhammad Yunus-led interim government on his verified Facebook page. Interim government's legitimacy derives from mass uprising: Adviser Asif Mahmud The key achievements, according to his opinion, are smooth transition, accountability and justice for the July-August massacre, major economic recovery, reform roadmap, overwhelming global support, zero corruption, efficient and peaceful management of unrests, and crises, a new direction in foreign policy and a cultural reawakening. The Press Secretary said Prof Yunus has repeatedly made calls for the revival of Saarc. He also launched aggressive move for a membership in Asean. Prof Yunus said Bangladesh wants good relations with India, but it must be based on fairness and equity. Third country resettlement of the Rohingyas has been fast-tracked to ease burden on the camps. Prof Yunus has called a new UN-led conference on the Rohingya crisis for a new direction on the issue. The Press Secretary said the biggest challenge of the interim government was to manage expectations. "Scores of groups have hit the streets with demands and sudden burst of angers. The interim government has so far managed the protests with consultations," he said, adding that rarely any force was used to suppress the protests. Alam said garment sector has been hit by localised unrests. "A few pockets of troubles are still there. But they haven't impacted our export performances." The Press Secretary said the last 100 days saw unprecedented debates in society.    

UK Minister for the Indo-Pacific Catherine West will discuss her country’s ongoing support for political and economic reforms, security, trade cooperation, and migration as she begins her brief visit to Bangladesh on Saturday.The UK Minister will meet Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus and Foreign Affairs Adviser Md Touhid Hossain during her visit, marking the first UK ministerial visit to Bangladesh since the formation of the interim government. The visit will also include meetings with political, business leaders, and the civil society. Minister West said, “The UK supports the interim government’s work to build a more prosperous and democratic future for the Bangladeshi people.” She will announce new UK funding to support Rohingya refugees and the host communities with essential services and assistance. British High Commissioner to Bangladesh Sarah Cooke said, “I am delighted to welcome UK Minister for the Indo-Pacific Catherine West to Bangladesh.” This visit will deepen and broaden the UK’s economic and security partnership with Bangladesh, said the High Commissioner. “Bangladesh is currently undergoing a transformation, and as a longstanding friend, the UK will assist in the economic and political reforms which will help Bangladesh to continue its social and economic growth as it moves towards an inclusive and democratic future.” Student-led protests over the summer saw shocking loss of life and injuries. The UK’s support following the mass upsurge included the deployment of a specialised medical team to care for some of the more critically wounded during the protests. Rohingya refugees and the communities which host them in Bangladesh will receive essential assistance and services through new UK funding. Bangladeshis affected by natural disasters this year will also receive UK funded assistance. Since the establishment of the Interim Government in August 2024, the UK has been clear in its support for their work on accountability and creating a pathway to an inclusive democratic future for Bangladesh. Minister Catherine West will meet with student leaders and political parties to discuss the UK’s support for Bangladesh's democratic recovery, and with business leaders to discuss how the UK government can continue to create strong ties and boost mutually beneficial trade and investment. The recently announced UK funding has already provided food to 200,000 Rohingya refugees for a three-month period. It will now provide further support to Rohingya refugees with clean water, hygiene and sanitation services, primary healthcare, protection services, and shelter materials. The UK will also provide assistance to those impacted by natural disasters in Bangladesh earlier this year.

Electricity generated in Nepal will now reach Bangladesh via the Indian grid, marking the first trilateral power transaction. Md. Fouzul Kabir Khan, Adviser to Bangladesh’s Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources; Haryana Chief Minister and Indian Minister for Power, and Housing and Urban Affairs, Manohar Lal Khattar; and Dipak Khadka, Nepal's Minister of Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation jointly inaugurated the historic milestone in regional energy cooperation. This landmark development strengthens sub-regional connectivity and sets a new benchmark in the South Asian power sector. Randhir Jaiswal, spokesperson for India’s Ministry of External Affairs, confirmed the development, highlighting its significance for sub-regional energy connectivity.

South Korean Ambassador to Bangladesh Park Young-sik has laid emphasis on taking bold steps for a stronger ties, eyeing next 50 years journey together with Bangladesh. "Let's renew our commitment to each other and take a bold step forward for a closer, deeper, stronger, and brighter future," he said. Speaking at a receception on Thursday night marking National Day of Korea, the envoy said the two countries cherished their close ties for the past 50 years, and he hope that everyone will join hands to start the next 50-year journey in the friendship between Korea and Bangladesh. Over the last 5 decades, the ambassador said, the two countries have witnessed a remarkable journey of cooperation in various sectors, including trade, investment, development, and people-to-people exchanges. Substantial bilateral relations began with the inception of Bangladesh’s RMG industry, he said. It is a well-known story that the partnership between Bangladesh Desh Garment and Korean company Daewoo Corporation in 1979 planted the seed of Bangladesh’s RMG industry. Since then, Korean garment enterprises have made great contributions to the rapid growth of Bangladesh’s RMG industry, which accounts for over 85% of the country's total exports. Korea's investment in Bangladesh has become the fourth largest in terms of accumulated amount. "Notably, there has been an increase in investment in manufacturing industries such as automobiles, mobile phones, and consumer electronic goods through joint ventures with local partners," said the ambassador. These companies are creating good quality jobs through domestic production.The success story in Korean investment is the establishment of the first country-specific private Export Processing Zone, KEPZ, in Chattogram. The KEPZ is currently exporting roughly 1.25 billion USD and employing 70,000 workers. "I hope that the KEPZ will continue to serve as a flagship symbol of the Korea-Bangladesh business ties," said the ambassador. Current bilateral trade between Korea and Bangladesh stands at approximately $2.6 to $3 billion. The two nations agreed to start the negotiation of bilateral Economic Partnership Agreement. This EPA will further enhance trade and investment in mutually beneficial ways, he said. The great Bengali poet and the first Asian Nobel Laureate, Rabindrantah Tagore, wrote a poem in 1929 for the Koreans, calling Korea as “the Lamp of the East.” "That poem gave inspiring courage and determination to the Korean people. With Tagore's inspiring and shared values of democracy and market economy, Bangladesh and Korea have cultivated mutually excellent relations across all fields," said the Ambassador.

The Centre for Governance Studies (CGS) will host the 3rd edition of the Bay of Bengal Conversation (BOBC) 2024, an international geopolitical conference, which begins in Dhaka on Saturday. "We are honored to have Dr Muhammad Yunus, Chief Advisor of Bangladesh, and a well known person as our inaugural speaker," said Executive Director of CGS, Zillur Rahman on Friday. He said Dr Yunus’s perspective will set the tone for three days of meaningful and impactful discussions. The announcement was made during a press briefing by the Executive Director of CGS, Zillur Rahman. Zillur said the third rendition of the Bay of Bengal Conference is the biggest event to date hosted by CGS. “This year’s conference, “A Fractured World,” brings together over 200 speakers, 300 delegates, and an audience of 800 participants hailing from more than 80 countries around the world, he said. Zillur also mentioned that Bangladesh stands at a unique moment in its history. Recent developments have opened up profound opportunities for our nation to redefine itself on democratic principles with a new openness to dialogue and collaboration. The Bay of Bengal Conversation will reflect this spirit by serving as a global platform to explore challenges that resonate across borders, from human rights and climate change to economic development, security, and technological transformation. He said, “This is more than a conference; it’s a call to action. Together, we aim to address the fractures dividing nations and communities, fostering new dialogues and solutions.” He also mentioned that the last two years of experience of this event was bitter. But CGS made it a successful event. "Hopefully this year won’t be different." Munira Khan, Chair of CGS said the Bay of Bengal Conversation has some agendas. "We want to discuss these issues. This is not for any political party but for the people.” She also said this conference is not a governmental event rather a non-governmental one and its result will be enjoyed by all the people around the world.

Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus on Thursday said his government would carry out vital labour reforms in an effort to attract more foreign investment in the country's manufacturing sector. The Chief Adviser made the comments during a meeting with former British Prime Minister Theresa May on the sidelines of the COP29 global climate conference in Azerbaijan's capital, Baku. "The labour issue is one of our top priorities. We want to resolve all labour issues," Professor Yunus told her as they discussed Bangladesh's recent developments. May expressed her desire to work on the issue. She also discussed human trafficking and migration with Bangladesh's interim leader. Professor Yunus called for increased migration to Europe from Bangladesh through the legal channels, saying it will cut risky and irregular migration and act as a deterrence against human trafficking. Brazil VP’s wife meets Dr Yunus at COP29 Professor Yunus gifted a copy of the Art of Triumph, a book on graffiti and murals painted by Bangladeshi young people during the July-August revolution, to the prominent British politician. Lutfey Siddiqi, Special Envoy of the Chief Adviser; Lamiya Morshed, Senior Secretary and Principal Coordinator of SDG Affairs; and M Anamul Haq, Bangladesh ambassador to Turkey and Azerbaijan, were also present during the meeting.

Bangladesh wants India to stop the deposed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina from making political statements from the neighbouring country, stressing that Dhaka remains unhappy over such activities. "We have conveyed this to the Indian government through the Indian High Commissioner in Dhaka," Toufique Hasan, Director General of the Public Diplomacy wing at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, told reporters at the weekly briefing on Thursday. He said the government is unhappy over former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s frequent political statements. Hasina fled to India on August 5 following a mass uprising led by students and people. Since August 5, she has been residing in India and continuously issuing political statements from there, the government has observed. Responding to a question, Toufique said the Indian High Commissioner said he would convey the message to his government. When asked about the process of bringing Sheikh Hasina back from India in relation to the warrant issued by the International Crimes Tribunal, the DG said the Foreign Ministry has not received any request from the relevant ministry yet. "If we receive any directive from the concerned ministry, we will take the necessary steps," he added. The Foreign Ministry is trying to ensure that Bangladeshi students, who need to go to India to obtain third country visas, can get their visas from other countries like Vietnam, Uzbekistan or Pakistan, he said. Toufique said the government has ordered Mohammed Kamrul Islam, Counsellor (Labour Wing) at the Bangladesh Mission in Geneva, to return home and dismissed a local staff member from the mission following the harassment faced by Law Adviser Dr Asif Nazrul in Geneva. “It was an unfortunate and unexpected incident," he said. He also said the Ministry has already instructed all Bangladesh missions abroad to take adequate measures to ensure the security and appropriate protocol for high-level government dignitaries during foreign visits.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday described the “campaign” against some of Bangladesh envoys abroad and those who are going to be posted afresh as “very unfortunate.”   “It’s truly very unfortunate, because an ambassador/high commissioner goes to the highest level with a long experience of 20-25 years. If he or she does not have enough experience then the government does not appoint him/her,” said Toufique Hasan, Director General (Public Diplomacy). Toufique Hasan urged journalists to verify facts before publishing any report. Foreign Ministry denounces corruption allegations against foreign cadre officials, citing audit objections misinterpretation The DG said they are not doing the good things who are working behind the Bangladesh envoys and with this they are actually portraying a negative image of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or Bangladesh government abroad. On behalf of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, he requested all to publish reports after being sure about facts. “Don't do anything that projects a negative image of Bangladesh.” Briefing the reporters at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Toufique said the government has decided not to extend the service tenure of the envoys after their retirement. Around seven to eight ambassadors are scheduled to complete their assignments, and as part of ongoing reforms, they will not get extensions, he said.

British Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Indo-Pacific Catherine West will visit Bangladesh on November 16-17 to discuss ways to strengthen ties with Bangladesh on key fronts. She is expected to meet Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus and Foreign Affairs Adviser Md Touhid Hossain, said Toufique Hasan, Director General (Public Diplomacy), while briefing reporters at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday afternoon. Toufique said the purpose of her visit is to strengthen the Bangladesh-UK economic, strategic and migration partnerships. Her responsibilities include India and the Indian Ocean, China and Northeast Asia, Southeast Asia and the Pacific, economic security and growth and economics and evaluation. Catherine West was appointed Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office on 9 July 2024. Since 2015 she has been the Labour MP for Hornsey and Friern Barnet. Before entering politics, Catherine was a social worker. She also worked with refugees in London during the Balkans crisis from 1998 to 2000.

Lu Alckmin, the wife of the vice president of Brazil, Geraldo Alckmin, called on Bangladesh Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus at the venue of the COP29 global climate conference on Thursday. During the meeting, they discussed issues of mutual interest. Lu Alckmin handed over a book she wrote on the 2006 Nobel Peace Laureate to him. She said she has translated the books of Prof Yunus and launched social business enterprises after being inspired by his work. Dr Yunus stressed the need for increased trade and cooperation between Bangladesh and South America's largest economy. Lamiya Morshed, Senior Secretary and Principal Coordinator of the SDG Affairs, was also present during the meeting.