Bangladesh president orders release of ex-PM Khaleda Zia
Al Jazeera
The order for Zia’s release comes hours after her archrival Sheikh Hasina resigned as PM and fled Bangladesh.
Bangladesh’s President Mohammed Shahabuddin has ordered the release of jailed former prime minister and key opposition leader Khaleda Zia, hours after her archrival Sheikh Hasina was ousted and fled the country.
The president’s press team said in a statement on Monday that a meeting led by Shahabuddin had “decided unanimously to free Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia immediately”.
Army chief General Waker-Uz-Zaman, along with the head of the navy and air force, and top leaders of several opposition parties, including the BNP and the Jamaat-e-Islami party, attended the president’s meeting.
Zia, 78 and twice the prime minister of Bangladesh, is in poor health and confined to hospital after she was sentenced to 17 years in prison for corruption in 2018.
She shares a long-standing rivalry with Hasina, and was accused of misusing her power by embezzling some $250,000 in donations meant for an orphanage trust.
Run 3 Space | Play Space Running Game
Traffic Jam 3D | Online Racing Game
Duck Hunt | Play Old Classic Game
Foreign Minister Fidan threatens military action against PKK-linked YPG group if they fail to meet Ankara’s demands.
Trump’s grandstanding covered Ukraine joining NATO, Israel’s war on Gaza, and Greenland.
Deschamps, who led France to the FIFA World Cup title in 2018, will step away after the 2026 edition in North America.
Some frightened residents were forced to abandon their cars and flee on foot from rapidly growing conflagration.
Bangkok police chief says initial investigation suggests a gunman was hired to carry out Tuesday’s shooting.
Syria’s new leadership faces an economy devastated by war and sanctions, with inflation and a decimated currency.
HMPV infections are spreading in China, while cases of flu-like disease have also been found in India and the UK.
Moscow blames Ukraine for halting gas transit and Moldova for financial spat; Chisinau suspects Russia of seeking to influence upcoming elections.
Verifying casualty figures for soldiers in the Russia-Ukraine war is difficult, as experts call it ‘a war of narratives’.
Authorities say they are investigating the cause of the crash off island located near Perth, Western Australia.
Analysts predict a tough year, as Islamabad prepares for more US belligerence towards China, the closest Pakistan ally.
President Maduro said the group included mercenaries and ‘hit men’, describing two US detainees as ‘very high level’.
Here are the key developments on the 1,049th day of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau says change will strike $49bn in medical debt from credit reports.
Lim Kimya, 74, had refused to flee Cambodia even after former PM Hun Sen threatened to make opposition MPs lives ‘hell’.
Al Jazeera’s correspondent says fear dominates in Gaza as Israeli attacks intensify, targeting ‘humanitarian safe zone’.
Israeli forces kill 5 children in al-Mawasi as Trump warns Hamas that ‘all hell will break out’ if captives not freed.