Bangladesh began counting votes Thursday night after what officials and witnesses described as the country’s first genuinely competitive national election in years and the first since the 2024 youth-led uprising that ended the long rule of Sheikh Hasina.
The preparatory phase of Bangladesh’s National Parliament election has been completed “very well” so far, according to Professor Muhammad Yunus, Chief Adviser to the interim government.
Bangladesh’s signing of an economic partnership agreement with Japan has drawn a mixed response from businesses and trade experts, who see both strategic gains and significant long-term risks for the economy as the country approaches graduation from least developed country status.
The new US-Bangladesh trade deal, known as “Cotton-for-Garments,” contains several central provisions aimed at maintaining Bangladesh’s export competitiveness while adapting to stricter global trading rules.
On February 9, just before Bangladesh’s general election, both the United States and Bangladesh are expected to sign a crucial pre-election trade deal that could reshape the country’s economy. The agreement, dubbed “Cotton-for-Garments,” offers US tariff-free access in exchange for reciprocal commitments from Bangladesh on intellectual property and digital trade standards.
Army Chief General Waker-Uz-Zaman must be urged to discipline those involved in the recent detention of Bangladesh Times journalists.
Army personnel allegedly detained 21 journalists and staffers from Bangladesh Times in Dhaka’s Nikunja area last night.
January saw Bangladesh receive a nine-month high of $3.17 billion in remittances, up 45% from the same month last year, according to central bank data.
Personal information of about 14,000 journalists seeking to cover Bangladesh’s 13th National Parliamentary Election and Referendum was leaked after becoming publicly accessible on the Election Commission’s online system, according to reports in the local Bangladeshi media.
Bangladesh outlined plans for its first free trade zone on 600 to 650 acres in Anwara, Chattogram, aiming to support storage, manufacturing and re-export operations without standard customs procedures. Officials said the concept is inspired by Dubai’s Jebel Ali Free Zone, which spans more than 14,000 acres.
