United News of Bangladesh

For over four decades, Khaleda Zia, Bangladesh’s first woman prime minister, led the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) for 41 consecutive years as its chairperson, shaping not only her own remarkable political journey but also the course of the nation’s turbulent politics. Khaleda Zia, who entered politics as a homemaker with no prior political experience following the assassination of her husband and BNP founder Ziaur Rahman in 1981, went on to shape a remarkable 43-year political journey. To keep the party united amid internal divisions and political uncertainty following Ziaur Rahman’s death and the military takeover by General Hussain Muhammad Ershad, senior BNP leaders persuaded Khaleda Zia to join politics in January 1982. According to the BNP website, Khaleda Zia became a primary member of the party on January 3, 1982. She was made Senior Vice Chairperson in March 1983 and was appointed Acting Chairperson on January 12, 1984. On May 10, the same year, she was elected BNP Chairperson unopposed. She completed 41 years in that position in May this year. Under her leadership, BNP came to power thrice and played a central role in Bangladesh’s political history. She became Prime Minister by winning the fifth, sixth, and eighth parliamentary elections in 1991, 1996, and 2001, and notably never lost any election she personally contested. In 1991, Khaleda Zia became Bangladesh’s first woman Prime Minister and the second woman head of government in the Muslim world after Pakistan’s Benazir Bhutto. During her tenure, parliamentary democracy was restored in the country. Her political career was marked by a long struggle against military rule under Ershad and later political rivalry with Sheikh Hasina. Political analysts describe her as a charismatic leader who fought against authoritarian rule for nearly two and a half decades. She was also called an uncompromising leader for her steadfast struggle against autocratic ruler HM Ershad. Khaleda Zia’s leadership faced its most difficult period during the Awami League government, when she was convicted in two cases and jailed. She remained in prison for more than two years before being released in March 2020 through an executive order during the Covid-19 pandemic. Her sentence suspension was later extended periodically. Following the fall of the Awami League government after the July Mass Uprising on August 5, 2024, Khaleda Zia was freed through another executive order. Nayapaltan shrouded in grief after Khaleda Zia’s death She left for London on January 7, 2025, for advanced medical treatment and returned home on May 6 after 117 days abroad. In recent months, she was hospitalised several times due to various health complications. Born on August 15, 1945, Khaleda Zia was originally named Khaleda Khan. Her family nickname was ‘Putul’. She married Ziaur Rahman in 1960 when he was a captain in the Pakistan Army and later adopted the name Khaleda Zia. Widowed at the age of 36, she raised her two sons, Tarique Rahman and late Arafat Rahman Koko, on her own. Despite criticism from some quarters that she rose to power through political inheritance, observers note that she established her leadership in a male-dominated political landscape through determination and political skill. Late political analyst and author Mahfuz Ullah wrote a book on her life, in which he noted that Khaleda Zia carved out her own political space through merit and leadership at a time when few women led major political parties. Khaleda Zia’s namaz-e-janaza Wednesday at JS compound: Fakhrul In Bangladesh’s political history, Khaleda Zia has remained one of the most influential and enduring figures. Khaleda Zia was admitted to Evercare Hospital on the night of November 23 on the advice of a medical board after being diagnosed with infections in her heart and lungs and died at 6pm today (Tuesday). Meanwhile, she had been nominated for three constituencies — Dinajpur-3, Feni-1 and Bogura-7 — for the upcoming 13th parliamentary election. However, the party kept alternative candidates for her seats in view of her critical health condition.  

Like many other parts of the country, winter has tightened its grip on the capital as dense fog shrouded Dhaka from early Sunday morning. The sun remained hidden even at noon while cold winds blowing from the north and northwest intensified the chill, disrupting normal life.  

“Food coma” can occur in both people and animals. After having a large meal, you may feel the urgency to rest and find a corner or bed to relax. This is referred to as a “food coma”. The experience feels lethargic, and people struggle to get the necessary energy. However, by being aware of a few steps, food coma can be prevented. What is a Food Coma? A food coma is when you feel sleepy and tired after having a heavy meal. It's not like being in a deep sleep or a medical coma. After a large meal, your body sends a lot of blood to your stomach to digest the food, which can make you feel tired because it takes blood away from other parts of your body, like your brain.  Foods high in carbohydrates and fats can also make your blood sugar spike and then crash, leaving you feeling super tired. Additionally, hormones released after eating fatty foods can slow down digestion and make you feel sluggish. When you eat carbs and fats together, it can lead to a release of insulin, which increases the production of a chemical called tryptophan in your brain. Tryptophan boosts serotonin levels, making you feel relaxed and sleepy, leading to what's known as a food coma. Read more: Reasons Why Ramadan Fasting is More Beneficial Than Dieting Causes of Food Coma The reasons for a food coma lie in the intake of certain kinds and amounts of ingredients and the workload the stomach feels while metabolizing foods. To understand more deeply, reading a little explanation will help. Foods Containing Tryptophan People often get sleepy after eating certain types of foods. Some experts say it's because foods like whole grain, beef, lamb, poultry, dairy, nuts, seeds, legumes, etc contain a lot of a substance called tryptophan. When someone eats such foods, along with foods high in carbs, like rice or mashed potatoes, it can make them feel even sleepier.  It happens because tryptophan helps the brain make serotonin which makes a person feel calm and relaxed. Serotonin also helps the body produce melatonin, which is a hormone that gets people ready for sleep. So, eating tryptophan-enriched foods and carb-heavy foods can make people feel exhausted after a big meal. Read more: Colon Cancer: Everything You Need to Know Anomaly in Blood Supply to Brain Away from the brain to the digestive organs, a slight shift in blood flow can cause postprandial somnolence. Again, eating pumps up the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS), which is liable to regulate different body functions like blood pressure, heart rate, and digestion. When the stomach fills with enough food, the PNS gets triggered, causing more blood flow to the digestive organs and less to the brain. This lack of blood flow to the brain will cause a person to feel tired and sleepy. High-Calorie Meals Some experts propose that high-fat meals like dairy products, eggs, fatty fish, meat, nuts, seeds, etc which are low in carbohydrates can also create drowsiness.  Scientists also propose the idea of satiety signals, a rather complex combination sent to crucial sleep centers in the brain when such a meal with high fat or high calories is taken. The signal theoretically decreases hunger and arousal signals in the brain and increases sleepiness. Read more: How Does Physical Activity and Exercise Affect Testosterone Levels? Cytokines Increase Cytokines, a molecule from the Interlekin-1 family, is a signaling substance, involved in processes like inflammatory response, and is believed by experts to be responsible for augmented post-meal fatigue.  To draw an example of the use case, experts refer to any incident that involves a person taking medications to reduce inflammatory responses when the postprandial somnolence effect gets less intense and less common. Cytokines can affect the central nervous system and increase one’s perception of fatigue.