Despite a 2-0 series defeat against Sri Lanka in the ICC World Test Championship, several Bangladeshi batters have shown progress in the latest ICC Men's Test Player Rankings. ICC released a new ranking update recently . Opener Zakir Hasan, who scored of 54 and 19, has climbed three places to reach the 75th position in the Test batting rankings. Mehidy Hasan Miraz, known for his all-round abilities, has also moved up the rankings, jumping from 99th to 88th position after a 81 not out in the second innings of the Chattogram Test. Another notable gain comes from Mominul Haque, who has moved up four slots to reach the 46th position after scoring 83 runs in two innings he played. The series also saw significant movements for Sri Lankan players, with all-rounder Kamindu Mendis and former captain Angelo Mathews making notable gains in both batting and bowling rankings. Sri Lanka's bowlers Asitha Fernando, Vishwa Fernando, and Lahiru Kumara also improved their positions following strong performances in the series.

UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, with other humanitarian partners, today called on the international community to redouble efforts to protect and assist Rohingya refugees and their host communities. Bangladesh is generously hosting nearly a million Rohingya refugees, most of whom fled Myanmar seven years ago.  The 2024 Joint Response Plan for the Rohingya Humanitarian Crisis is being launched under the leadership of the Bangladeshi authorities. The funding appeal seeks $852.4 million to reach some 1.35 million people including Rohingya refugees and host communities.  The plan and related financial needs is being presented to donors in Geneva by Ambassador Masud Bin Momen, Foreign Secretary of Bangladesh; Mohammad Tofazzel Hossain Miah, Principal Secretary to the Bangladesh Prime Minister; Filippo Grandi, UN High Commissioner for Refugees; and Amy Pope, Director General of the International Organization for Migration. International solidarity with Bangladesh and refugee protection is needed more than ever as the conflict in Myanmar escalates. The Joint Response Plan brings together 117 partners, nearly half of them Bangladeshi organizations. It aims to help some 1 million Rohingya refugees in Cox’s Bazar and on the island of Bhasan Char, and 346,000 from host communities, with food, shelter, health care, access to drinkable water, protection services, education and livelihood opportunities and skills development.  Some 95 per cent of Rohingya households in Bangladesh are vulnerable and remain dependent on humanitarian assistance. Sustained assistance is critically and urgently needed, particularly by women and children, who make up more than 75 per cent of the targeted refugee population, and face heightened risks of abuse, exploitation and gender-based violence. More than half of the refugees in the camps are under 18, languishing amidst limited opportunities for education, skills-building and livelihoods. The Government of Bangladesh, local communities and aid agencies need sustained international support to respond to increasing needs as this humanitarian crisis remains largely out of the international spotlight. Underfunding in previous years has had serious implications as Rohingya women, children and men -- who fled to Bangladesh to escape violence and persecution in Myanmar -- struggle to meet basic needs and their plight risks slipping into obscurity. Rohingya refugees remain in limbo relying on humanitarian assistance to survive in crowded camps plagued by insecurity and natural disasters. The international community must continue funding life-saving and life-sustaining assistance to refugees in the camps, investing in education, skills training and livelihood opportunities. This is a lifeline to refugees struggling to meet their basic needs and supplement limited humanitarian assistance. Steps are also needed to ensure pledges made at the Global Refugee Forum in Geneva in December are fulfilled. These included enhancing self-reliance for Rohingya to provide hope and reduce the number of dangerous boat journeys taken.

MV Abdullah, The Bangladeshi flaged ship, was caught by Somalian pirates in the Indian Ocean on its way to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Tuesday (March 12) afternoon. The ship's 23 sailors are being captured by Somali pirates. In the meantime, news of a terrible threat has come from the captured ship. Pirates have threatened to kill Bangladeshi hostage sailors one by one if they do not get ransom. On Tuesday evening, Atiq Ullah Khan, the chief officer of the hostage ship sent an audio message to his wife. That message came in the hands of the media. In the audio message, Atiq Ullah Khan, says, "Convey this message to everyone. They have taken mobile all the phones from us. if we don't pay ransom to them,they will kill us one by one. The sooner they get the money, the sooner they will leave us. Get this message out everywhere.’ Earlier, pirates took control of the ship at around 1:30 pm Bangladesh time yesterday. The ship was on its way to the United Arab Emirates from Mozambique.

A Bangladeshi-flagged ship named 'MV Abdullah' has been caught by pirates in the Indian Ocean. Pirates captured 23 sailors and crew hostage on the ship.  KSRM Group, the owner of the ship came to know about the ship being caught by pirates at 1pm on Tuesday.  However, KSRM Group said that all the members of sailors and crew hostage are safe.  The ship 'MV Abdullah' was previously known as 'Golden Hawk'  which was built in 2016, the 190 metre long ship was added to KSRM Group's fleet last year. After that, the ship was transporting general goods.  

At least 144 Bangladeshi nationals have been repatriated from Libya. They have already left Benghazi by air with the help of the International Organization for Migration (IOM). Among them, 12 Bangladeshi nationals were detained at the Benghazi Ganfuda Detention Centre in Libya. The flight is expected to arrive at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport on Friday (February 23).  

On a private residential street in northwest London sits a property which was last sold in 2022 for £11 million ($13.8 million). The row of white townhouses is located in one of the UK capital's most affluent neighborhoods, a stone’s throw away from Regent’s Park and Lord's Cricket Ground. Marketing photographs of one of the properties in the development showcase floor-to-ceiling windows, a spiral staircase across several floors, a cinema and a gym. Now valued at more than £13 million by one property platform, the house is owned by a politician from Bangladesh, a country with currency controls that restrict its citizens, residents and public servants from moving more than $12,000 a year outside the country. The measures also prohibit corporations from transferring funds abroad unless permitted and only when certain conditions are met. Saifuzzaman Chowdhury served as land minister for five years up to January 2024. Since 2016, companies that he owns have built up a UK real estate empire of more than 350 properties worth about £200 million. These figures are based on a Bloomberg analysis of available Companies House corporate accounts in the UK, mortgage charges and HM Land Registry transactions. The properties range from luxury apartments in central London to housing in Tower Hamlets, home to the largest Bangladeshi community in England, and student accommodation in Liverpool. Analysis of nearly 250 of the UK properties show that almost 90% were classified as new-builds when bought, a valuable component in a UK housing market suffering severe shortages. These transactions took place during a period when the UK government had committed to making foreign property ownership more transparent amid criticism of the ease with which Russian oligarchs were able to hide their wealth in the UK. This process became more urgent in the wake of Moscow’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine. The Chowdhury property deals could revive questions over whether UK legislation to scrutinize such purchases involving politicians are effective, according to transparency advocates. Bangladeshi Politician Buys London Property Empire Properties acquired by companies owned by MP and former Land Minister Saifuzzaman Chowdhury, sized by the price paid, where known Bloomberg has also identified at least five properties in Manhattan belonging to Chowdhury, bought for a total of about $6 million between 2018 and 2020, according to municipal property records. Chowdhury was re-elected as an MP, but lost his cabinet post after national elections on Jan. 7, which were boycotted by the opposition after anti-government protests were violently put down. He has since become chair of the parliamentary committee for land. In a pre-election declaration of his interests in December, Chowdhury listed his total assets at about 258.3 million Bangladeshi taka ($2.4 million), and those of his wife, Rukhmila Zaman, at about $993,000. He did not include his UK property holdings in the declaration of assets in Bangladesh. His 2022-23 salary as a minister of state is listed as about £10,000. The country’s currency controls are policed by the central bank.   Source: Bloomberg

Some Bangladeshi Americans wrote a latter to express our disappointment with the letter about the case of the case of Dr. Muhammad Yunus. The latter was signed by US Senator Richard J. Durbin along with  eleven other Senators.  They said, "It is important to note that Dr. Muhammad Yunus has been charged with violating labor laws, not providing a 5% dividend to Grameen Telecom workers, not regularizing 101 staff, and not compensating workers for public holidays. The government of Bangladesh has invited international experts and lawyers to assess the legal proceedings and examine documents involving the charges against Yunus. There are not hundreds of individual cases that he has to face; rather, the fact is that there are hundreds of affected employees who brought the same charges, and one verdict of guilty or not guilty will satisfy all cases, which is similar to a class action lawsuit. Some other charges involve alleged corruption and fund embezzlement with Grameen Telecom. Unfortunately, in your latter, we witness the reflection of what the U.S. mainstream media, CBS News, predicted in their online news when they stated, "As Yunus is known to have close connections with political elites in the West, especially in the United States, many think the verdict could negatively impact Bangladesh's relationship with the U.S" They also wanted to emphasize that Dr. Yunus's identity as an internationally acclaimed Nobel laureate  should not excuse him from violating labor law, nor should his relationship with influential Western leaders and his appointed lobbying companies influence the merit of this court verdict.  

On January 22nd, 2024, the handover ceremony of the Golden Great Wall Commemorative Medal by the Ministry of Public Security of the People's Republic of China to the Minister of Home Affairs of Bangladesh was held at the Ministry of Home Affairs. Ambassador Yao Wen attended and handed over the commemorative medal and certificate of honor on behalf of the Chinese side. Honorable Mr. Asaduzzaman Khan, Member of Parliament and Minister of Home Affairs together with 80 senior officials from Bangladeshi police attended the ceremony. Ambassador Yao Wen conveyed the cordial greetings from Chinese State Councilor and Minister of Public Security Wang Xiaohong to Honorable Mr. Asaduzzaman Khan. He emphasized that the Ministry of Home Affairs of Bangladesh has made outstanding contributions over the past years in ensuring the personal and property safety of Chinese citizens in Bangladesh and promoting cooperation in the fields of law enforcement and security between China and Bangladesh. In this regard, the Ministry of Public Security of China conferred Honorable Mr. Asaduzzaman Khan with the Golden Great Wall Commemorative Medal. China is willing to work with Bangladesh to continue to deepen cooperation in law enforcement and security, safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of citizens of the two countries and advance China-Bangladesh Strategic Partnership of Cooperation. Honorable Mr. Asaduzzaman Khan kindly requested Ambassador Yao to convey his heartfelt thanks and cordial greetings to Chinese State Councilor and Minister of Public Security Wang Xiaohong, and said that the awarding of Golden Great Wall Commemorative Medal by the Ministry of Public Security of China is a great honor for the Ministry of Home Affairs of Bangladesh and himself, which is a vivid manifestation of the friendly cooperation between Bangladesh and China in law enforcement and security. The Ministry of Home Affairs of Bangladesh will, as always, make every effort to ensure the safety of Chinese citizens and enterprises in Bangladesh. Bangladesh is willing to work with China to push bilateral cooperation in law enforcement and security to a new level.

On January 21st, 2024, H.E. Mr. Yao Wen, Ambassador of China to Bangladesh, called on H.E. Mr. Mohammad Ali Arafat, Honorable Member of Parliament and Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting. The two sides had in-depth discussion on people-to-people exchanges, communication, and media cooperation. Mr. Zhang Jing, Political Director of the Embassy, was present at the meeting. Ambassador Yao congratulated H.E. Mr. Mohammad Ali Arafat for his assumption to office, and reiterated China’s consistent and unswerving support for Bangladesh in safeguarding national sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity, unity and stability, and in opposing external interference. Under the joint guidance by the two leaderships, the China-Bangladesh Strategic Partnership of Cooperation has kept advancing. Over the past years, personnel and cultural exchanges have become a promising growth point for bilateral relations. China stands ready to work with Bangladesh to further enhance such exchanges, promote mutual learning on media and communication, thereby strengthen the bonds between the two peoples. H.E. Mr. Mohammad Ali Arafat appreciated China for its everlasting and firm support for Bangladesh’s national development and construction. He noted that the Chinese side has made significant contribution to the promotion of the Bangladeshi people’s wellbeing. The Bangladeshi side is ready to further deepen bilateral practical cooperation with China in various fields. Personnel and cultural exchanges are fundamental for promoting people-to-people contact. He is willing to make his own contribution to the friendly cooperation between the two countries on cultural exchanges, communication and media cooperation during his tenure in the present office.

On 17 January 2024, H.E. Mr. Yao Wen, Ambassador of China to Bangladesh, called on H.E. Mr. Ahsanul Islam (Titu), MP, Honorable State Minister of Commerce.     The two sides spoke highly of the major achievements in trade and investment between China and Bangladesh, and agreed to expand the scale of bilateral trade, especially the export of Bangladeshi high-quality specialty products to China.   They also deeply discussed on promoting China-Bangladesh FTA negotiation, providing more financial support for bilateral trade, and attracting more Chinese enterprises to invest in Bangladesh, so as to help Bangladesh realize its export diversification strategy and benefit the Bangladeshi people.