The new government formed by BNP will seek to defer Bangladesh’s graduation from the Least Developed Country (LDC) category to developing-nation status by at least three years, Commerce Minister Khandakar Abdul Muktadir said yesterday.

Six members of the new council of ministers have mirrored their fathers’ legacy as the BNP and its allies assume power after winning the February 12 national election.

World leaders have congratulated Prime Minister Tarique Rahman and the BNP government, while looking forward to advancing their relationships with Bangladesh as the country begins a new chapter in its democratic journey following the mass uprising.

The 13th Parliament will have to go into its maiden session within 30 days of the oath-taking of the newly elected MPs, according to the Constitution.

The Constitution Reform Council suffered a setback yesterday as BNP’s elected representatives took oath as MPs but declined to be sworn in as members of the council.

After taking the oath of office yesterday, several ministers said that economic reforms, improvement of law and order, and good governance would be among the top priorities of the new government.

Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Shafiqur Rahman and its Nayeb-e-Ameer Syed Abdullah Mohammad Taher have been made the Leader of the Opposition and Deputy Leader of the Opposition respectively in the 13th Parliament.

For the first time since independence, a third member of the same political family has taken the country’s helm, with Tarique Rahman having become Bangladesh’s first male prime minister in 35 years.

BNP Chairman Tarique Rahman was sworn in as the prime minister of Bangladesh yesterday, as the party returned to power after nearly two decades.

PEOPLE’S MANDATE TAKES SHAPE

A Supreme Court lawyer filed a writ petition with the High Court yesterday challenging the legality of the nationwide referendum held on February 12.

Three members of an expatriate’s family were murdered in Monipur village under Homna upazila of Cumilla on Monday night, according to law enforcers.

A young man was hacked to death in broad daylight by miscreants in Rajbari Sadar upazila yesterday, said police and family sources.

A man was shot in Brahmanbaria on Monday night and a house was set on fire in Narail early yesterday in connection with polls-related feuds.

The trial against Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader and six other party leaders began yesterday at International Crimes Tribunal-2 in a case over crimes against humanity committed during the July 2024 uprising.

The 127th birth anniversary of celebrated poet Jibanananda Das was observed in Barishal yesterday with a series of programmes organised by local poets, writers, and cultural activists.

Natural Keya or fragrant screw pine (Pandanus odorifer) forests on St Martin’s Island are allegedly being ravaged days after the tourism season ended on January 31.

A Dhaka court yesterday sentenced a woman to death in a case filed in connection with the Dhanmondi double murder in 2019.

The debate over the language of Bangalee Muslims during the Pakistan period was shaped not only by religion but also by questions of power, region, economy, and democracy, speakers said yesterday.

Only three of the 49 members in the newly announced cabinet are women, accounting for just 6 percent of the government’s top executive body.