How global news outlets covered Khaleda’s demise

The death of former prime minister and BNP chief, Khaleda Zia, got a wave of global coverage. Major news agencies and outlets across the world are covering her death as the end of a defining era in South Asian politics not merely the passing away of a Bangladeshi political leader.

Reuters and Associated Press were among the first to break the news globally, characterising her as a "towering figure" whose decades-long rivalry with Sheikh Hasina defined the nation's political landscape. Meanwhile, the BBC and The Guardian focused on her historic achievement as the first woman to lead the country, documenting her transition from a "shy housewife" to a fierce democratic campaigner.

In the Middle East, Al Jazeera highlighted her "life of power and resistance," noting her role in the 1990 anti-autocracy movement and her recent release from years of legal and health struggles. 

Outlets continue to keep following the story which marks the end of a chapter that shaped modern Bangladesh.

New York Times: Khaleda Zia, Bangladesh's first female prime minister, whose decades-long rivalry with another woman at the helm of a dueling political dynasty shaped the fate of the young South Asian nation, died on Tuesday at a hospital in Dhaka, Bangladesh's capital. She was believed to be 80. The Bangladesh Nationalist Party, of which Ms. Zia was the chairperson, announced her death in a statement on its official social media page. The statement did not mention a cause of death. Read more

BBC: Bangladesh's first female prime minister Khaleda Zia has died at the age of 80 after suffering from prolonged illness. Zia became Bangladesh's first female head of government in 1991 after leading her party to victory in the country's first democratic election in 20 years. Read more

Reuters: Khaleda Zia, who became Bangladesh's first female prime minister in 1991 and went on to develop a bitter rivalry with Sheikh Hasina as they spent decades trading power, died on Tuesday after a long illness. She was 80. Her opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) said that she died after a prolonged illness. She had advanced cirrhosis of the liver, arthritis, diabetes, and chest and heart problems, her doctors said. Read more

Washington Post: Former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, whose archrivalry with another former premier defined the country's politics for a generation, has died, her Bangladesh Nationalist Party said in a statement Tuesday. She was 80. Read more

Al Jazeera: Bangladesh's first female prime minister, Khaleda ⁠Zia, has died at a hospital in the country's capital, Dhaka, ​after a ‍prolonged illness, according to her party and local media. In a statement on Tuesday, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) said Khaleda died at 6am local time (00:00 GMT). She was 80 years old. Read more

Nikkei Asia: Khaleda Zia, Bangladesh's first female prime minister and chairperson of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, died at the age of 80 on Tuesday, the BNP said in a Facebook post on the day. Read more

Bloomberg: Khaleda Zia, the former prime minister of Bangladesh who helped usher in democracy after a tumultuous period of military rule and who dominated the country's politics for decades, has died. She was 80. Read more

AP: Former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, whose archrivalry with another former premier defined the country's politics for a generation, has died, her Bangladesh Nationalist Party said in a statement Tuesday. She was 80. Zia was the first woman elected prime minister of Bangladesh. Read more

The Independent: Former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, whose archrivalry with another former premier defined the country's politics for a generation, has died, her Bangladesh Nationalist Party said in a statement Tuesday. She was 80. Zia was the first woman elected prime minister of Bangladesh. She had faced corruption cases she said were politically motivated, but in January 2025, the Supreme Court acquitted Zia in the last corruption case against her, which would have let her run in February's general election. Read more

DW: Former Bangladeshi Prime Miniser Khaleda Zia has died aged 80 following a long illness, her Bangladesh Nationalist Party announced on Monday. "The BNP chairperson and former prime minister, the national leader Begum Khaleda Zia, passed away today at 6:00 am (0000 GMT), just after the Fajr (dawn) prayer," the party said in a statement. "We pray for the forgiveness of her soul and request everyone to offer prayers for her departed soul." Read more

CNN: Former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, whose archrivalry with another former premier defined the country's politics for a generation, has died, her Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) said in a statement Tuesday. She was 80. Zia was the first woman elected prime minister of Bangladesh. Read more