Keir Starmer vowed Friday to remain as Britain’s prime minister after disastrous local elections saw his centre-left Labour party humiliated across the UK, with disillusioned voters backing hard-right and nationalist parties. Thursday’s ballots — Starmer’s biggest electoral test since Labour ousted the Conservatives in 2024 — left the British leader under intense pressure after the party suffered a historic mauling in its Welsh heartlands. Alongside the Tories, it was also decimated by Nigel Farage’s anti-immigrant Reform UK party across England, and failed to make any inroads into Scottish National Party (SNP) dominance north of the border. But Starmer, who has…
Author: diplomaticjourna_diplomaticjourna
US President Donald Trump said Friday that he was expecting Iran’s response to Washington’s latest proposal on a deal to ending the Middle East war by “tonight.” “I’m getting a letter supposedly tonight, so we’ll see how that goes,” Trump told reporters outside the White House.
Ahead of the upcoming Eid-ul-Azha, Bangladesh Railway will operate 10 special trains for passengers and three special cattle trains to facilitate smooth travel for homebound passengers and cattle traders. “Bangladesh Railway also suspended weekly off-days for all (intercity) trains from May 23 until the day before Eid,” Director General of Bangladesh Railway Md Afzal Hossain said. He said additional coaches would also be added on routes to meet higher ticket demand. According to a preparatory meeting on the occasion of Eid-ul-Azha held yesterday, Chandpur Eid special-1 will leave Chattogram at 3:30pm and reach Chandpur at 8:20pm while Chandpur Eid special-2…
Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed and visiting Pakistan Interior Minister Syed Mohsin Raza Naqvi held a courtesy meeting at InterContinental Dhaka on Thursday afternoon, where they discussed a range of issues related to regional security, law enforcement and bilateral cooperation. The meeting focused on enhancing the capabilities of law enforcement agencies, strengthening judicial cooperation and improving coordination to combat transnational crimes, according to a Home Ministry press release. Both sides emphasized intelligence sharing and joint efforts to prevent trafficking in persons (TIP) and smuggling of migrants (SOM), alongside ensuring protection and awareness support for trafficking victims. The two ministers also highlighted…
Prime Minister’s Adviser on Finance and Planning Dr. Rashed Al Mahmud Titumir today said a five-year integrated programme up to 2030 would be undertaken to improve the living standards of people in the Haor region. “We not only want humanitarian assistance for the people of the Haor region, but also sustainable solutions to this crisis. For this an integrated planning will be implemented over the next five years to improve agriculture, environment, biodiversity and the quality of life in the Haor region,” he said. Dr. Titumir made the remarks while speaking as the chief guest at an exchange of views…
Bangladesh has called for stronger global cooperation to curb irregular migration, protect migrant rights and ensure fair recruitment, decent work and equitable wages for migrant workers worldwide. Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister Ariful Haque Choudhury made the call while addressing the General Debate of the Second International Migration Review Forum at the United Nations Headquarters in New York City on Thursday, according to a message received here today. The minister said Bangladesh was strengthening accountability and expanding migrants’ access to justice through a “whole-of-government and whole-of-society” approach. He said the government had constituted a Migration Compact Taskforce and adopted…
President Mohammed Shahabuddin left Dhaka for London this morning for follow-up medical treatment and health check-up. “A regular commercial aircraft (flight BG-201) of the Biman Bangladesh Airlines, carrying the President and his entourage members took off from Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport at 7:45 am,” according to the Bangabhaban’s Press Wing. Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Md Asaduzzaman, Dean of Diplomatic Corps Yousef S. Y. Ramadan, British High Commissioner to Bangladesh Sarah Cooke and senior officials of the Prime Minister’s Office, Foreign Affairs Ministry and the President’s Office saw him off at the airport. The President’s family members, his physicians,…
A total of 174 Bangladeshi nationals returned home from Libya early today under a voluntary repatriation programme implemented jointly by the government, the Bangladesh mission in Libya and the International Organization for Migration. The repatriates arrived at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport aboard a Buraq Air flight at around 5:00 am, according to a press release issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The repatriation was carried out with the cooperation of the Libyan government and the International Organization for Migration through coordinated efforts of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Bangladesh Embassy in Libya, and the Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare…
The government expects 809.5 megawatt (MW) solar power to be produced by end 2028 as part of its green energy campaign while its current production quantum is 1,451 MW that accounts for some 5.01 percent of the country’s total installed power capacity. This (production initiative) is part of the government’s integrated plan to boost renewable energy, cut carbon emissions and strengthen energy security,” Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) Chairman Engineer Rezaul Karim told BSS here today. He said BPDB’s now targeted to add 809.5 MW to the national power grid by the end of 2028. “We are implementing the government’s…
US President Donald Trump said Wednesday he believed a deal with Iran was “very possible” but threatened to again bomb the country if negotiations fell apart. Despite Trump’s optimism, Iran has yet to respond to a new US proposal, with its chief negotiator warning that Washington was seeking to force the Islamic republic’s “surrender.” Positive signs that the foes could return to the table after weeks of deadlock grew after Trump halted a short-lived military operation to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, citing hopes for a deal. Trump said Wednesday if “Iran agrees to give what has been agreed to,”…
