Former secretary ABM Abdus Sattar has been appointed as the principal secretary to the prime minister on a contractual basis for one year.

The new cabinet

The drive against those accused of vandalism, attacks and arson at the country’s two leading newspapers -- The Daily Star and Prothom Alo -- seems to have stalled, with no arrests made since December 26.

National Citizen Party Convener and member of the parliament Nahid Islam yesterday alleged that the inclusion of Khalilur Rahman in the cabinet has brought allegations of “election engineering, result manipulation and complications surrounding constitutional reform” into the public domain.

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.

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.

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.