The Election Commission has imposed restrictions on the movement of taxi cabs, pickups, microbuses and trucks from 12:00 midnight on 11 February to 12:00 midnight on 12 February, the day when the 13th national parliamentary election and referendum will be held. At the same time, a ban has been imposed on the movement of motorcycles from 12:00 midnight on 10 February to midnight on 13 February, a handout said. The restrictions will be relaxed in the following cases: law enforcement agencies, armed forces, administration and authorized observers; vehicles engaged in emergency services and all types of vehicles carrying medicines, health-medical…
Author: diplomaticjourna_diplomaticjourna
Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus today called for an early start to Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations with the European Union (EU), stressing the need to safeguard Bangladesh’s trade preferences in its largest export market once the current duty-free access expires in the coming years. The Chief Adviser made the call when Nuria Lopez, chairperson of the European Chamber of Commerce in Bangladesh (EuroCham), met with him at the State Guest House Jamuna here, said the Chief Adviser’s Press Wing this afternoon. Michael Miller, the European Union’s Ambassador to Bangladesh, also took part in the meeting. During the discussion, they…
The country’s remittance inflow witnessed a remarkable year-on-year growth of 45.1 percent, reaching US$3.17 billion in January, making it the third highest remittance inflow for a single month in the country’s history. The country had received $2.19 billion in remittances in the same period last year, according to Bangladesh Bank (BB) data. Bangladesh received $3.29 billion in March of the fiscal year 2024-25 which was the highest remittance inflow for a single month in the country’s history and $3.23 billion in December 2025, making it the second highest remittance inflow for a single month. During July to January in the current 2025-26 fiscal year, expatriate Bangladeshis sent $19.44…
US authorities on Friday released the latest cache of files related to the investigation into the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The files contained references to numerous high-profile figures, including US President Donald Trump, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and British billionaire Richard Branson. Here are the consequences prompted by the latest release so far. – Norway crown princess – Norway’s Crown Princess Mette-Marit, whose name appears at least 1,000 times in the millions of freshly released documents, has apologised for her “embarrassing” friendship with Epstein. Correspondence published in Norwegian media dates from 2011 to 2014.…
A second round of talks between Russian, Ukrainian and US officials on a US-drafted plan to end the nearly four-year Ukraine war will begin on Wednesday, instead of Sunday, President Volodymyr Zelensky said. Zelensky did not give a reason for the delay. The announcement comes a day after one of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s top envoys held surprise talks with US officials in Florida without Kyiv. “The dates for the next trilateral meetings have been set — February 4 and 5 in Abu Dhabi,” Zelensky said in a post on X. Neither the Kremlin nor the United States have confirmed…
A court here today is scheduled to pronounce its verdicts in two separate cases against 36 people, including ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina, her nieces Tulip Siddiq and Azmina Siddiq, and nephew Radwan Mujib Siddiq, over alleged irregularities in the allocation of two 10-katha plots under the RAJUK New Town Project. Confirming the matter to BSS, court clerk Belal Hossain said the Dhaka Special Judge Court-4 is likely to deliver the verdicts at 11 am. Judge Robiul Alam of Dhaka Special Judge Court-4 on January 13, 2026, fixed February 2 for pronouncing judgment in a case against 18 people, including…
Policies should focus on safeguarding fiscal sustainability and strengthening macro-financial stability, while implementing comprehensive structural reforms over the medium-term to strengthen governance, create jobs, and promote economic diversification in Bangladesh. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) highlighted this as its Executive Board concludes 2025 Article IV Consultation with Bangladesh. The IMF said following the recent economic slowdown, Bangladesh’s GDP growth is expected to rebound to 4.7 percent in FY26 and FY27. The economy continues to face mounting macro-financial challenges from weak tax revenue and financial sector vulnerabilities, with significant downside risks stemming from delays in the implementation of bold fiscal and…
he European Union (EU) today expressed support for the reform initiatives undertaken by the interim government and said it is closely observing the reform process, according to the EU Ambassador to Bangladesh. EU Ambassador Michael Miller made the remarks during a meeting with Chief Adviser’s Special Assistant Professor Ali Riaz, at the Chief Adviser’s Office in the capital. The ambassador also conveyed the European Union’s support for the government’s initiatives ahead of the upcoming referendum and the 13th National Parliamentary Election. “As part of the process to monitor the elections in Bangladesh, a large European Union Election Observation Mission would be deployed,” he said, adding that a team has…
Election Commissioner Brig. Gen. (Retd.) Abul Fazal Md. Sanaullah today said this election is not for merely fulfilling a procedural requirement; it is an election to meet the expectations of the people and protect national and social stability. He made these remarks while addressing a meeting of the district’s Law Enforcement Cell and Vigilance and Observation Team, held in the conference room of the Bhola Deputy Commissioner’s office. The commissioner said ahead of the election and referendum, law enforcement agencies, along with vigilance and observation teams, will work actively at the field level. To ensure that voters can exercise their…
President Donald Trump on Saturday said Iran was negotiating with the United States, even as the Islamic republic’s army chief warned Washington against launching military strikes. “(Iran is) talking to us, and we’ll see if we can do something, otherwise we’ll see what happens…We have a big fleet heading out there,” he told Fox News. “They are negotiating,” Trump said. Trump added that US allies in region were not being told of plans for possible strikes due to security reasons. He has threatened to intervene in Iran in the wake of a deadly crackdown on anti-government protests. “Well, we can’t…
