Ganosanghati Andolon has announced its manifesto ahead of Bangladesh’s 13th parliamentary election, pledging to establish a truly democratic state system, ensure fair distribution of resources, and guarantee the rights of working people. The manifesto was unveiled on Sunday at the party’s central office in Hatirpool, Dhaka, by its executive coordinator Abul Hasan Rubel.

The manifesto emphasizes democratic governance through the elimination of corruption and the establishment of good governance. It outlines commitments to protect workers, farmers, and marginalized groups, and to end discrimination based on race, religion, class, or gender. The party also prioritizes transforming the economy by formalizing the informal sector, creating new employment, and promoting agricultural development while safeguarding farmers’ interests.

Additional pledges include universal healthcare, women’s empowerment, environmental protection, recognition of ethnic diversity, and the participation of youth and expatriates in national development. The manifesto presents itself as a roadmap for rebuilding Bangladesh in line with the spirit of equality and justice envisioned during the Liberation War.

Former Bangladesh Army Chief General Iqbal Karim Bhuiyan testified before International Crimes Tribunal-1, alleging that officers sent from the army to the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) returned as professional killers. He made the statement on Sunday before a two-member judicial panel led by Justice Md. Golam Mortuza Mojumdar, during testimony against Ziaul Ahsan in a case involving the disappearance and killing of over a hundred people.

In his deposition, Bhuiyan said he was deeply disturbed that professional officers from the army were turning into killers after serving in RAB. He introduced interviews for officers before and after postings to RAB, DGFI, and BGB, and tried to motivate them by emphasizing that killing was a grave sin. He also recounted that after hearing horrifying accounts of killings from returning officers, he became concerned about the army’s future and appealed to the Prime Minister to bring army officers back from RAB. The Prime Minister reportedly acknowledged RAB was worse than the former Rakkhi Bahini but took no further action.

Bhuiyan added that he encouraged officers to contact him directly if ordered to join any killing mission, promising honorable reinstatement in the army.

The Election Commission (EC) of Bangladesh has announced that all election campaigning for the upcoming 13th National Parliamentary Election and referendum must end by 7:30 a.m. on Tuesday. According to EC rules, political parties and candidates are prohibited from conducting any campaign activities within 48 hours before voting begins. The announcement was made on Sunday by Akhtar Ahmed, senior secretary of the EC Secretariat.

The 13th National Parliamentary Election and referendum are scheduled for Thursday, February 12. Voting will take place nationwide from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. across 299 constituencies using transparent ballot boxes and paper ballots. To ensure proper conduct, 1,050 executive magistrates will be deployed from February 8 to 14 to oversee mobile courts, while judicial magistrates will also be stationed in the field. The Electoral Enquiry and Adjudication Committee is already active in monitoring the process.

These measures are part of the EC’s preparations to maintain order and compliance with election laws during the final phase leading up to the national vote.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha has said that ending the ongoing war requires a face-to-face meeting between the leaders of Ukraine and Russia to resolve the most difficult issues in peace negotiations. He claimed that only U.S. President Donald Trump has the authority to secure an agreement capable of stopping the conflict. Sybiha expressed Kyiv’s eagerness to accelerate the end of the four-year-long war and to use the current momentum in U.S.-mediated talks before the upcoming midterm congressional elections in November.

In an interview with Reuters at his office on the Dnipro River in Kyiv, Sybiha stated that most points in a 20-point peace plan, developed through recent trilateral discussions among Ukraine, Russia, and the United States, have already been agreed upon. However, he noted that a few highly sensitive and difficult issues remain, which must be resolved directly by the national leaders. The main unresolved matter concerns territorial control: Russia demands that Ukraine cede the remaining 20 percent of eastern Donetsk, while Kyiv firmly rejects this and insists on regaining control of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, currently under Russian occupation.

The Bangladesh Navy and the United Kingdom have signed a Government-to-Government (G2G) agreement for the purchase of the hydrographic and oceanographic survey ship HMS Enterprise. The signing took place at the Bangladesh Navy Headquarters on Sunday, with Rear Admiral Md. Shafiqul Rahman representing Bangladesh and Ms. Nanise Qalobulawasaikabara from the UK Ministry of Defence representing the United Kingdom. The Chief of Naval Staff Admiral M. Nazmul Hassan and senior officials from both countries attended the ceremony, according to an ISPR press release.

The ISPR stated that the agreement followed continuous and productive initiatives between the two nations since 2025, reflecting strong mutual trust and cooperation. It marks a significant step in Bangladesh’s defense modernization and will expand opportunities for military equipment exchange. HMS Enterprise, formerly part of the Royal Navy, is equipped with advanced hydrographic and oceanographic instruments including multibeam echo sounders and side-scan sonar.

The ship’s addition is expected to enhance Bangladesh’s hydrographic capacity, support marine research at national institutions, and strengthen maritime surveillance against illegal intrusion, smuggling, and piracy, while contributing to safe navigation and blue economy development.

Asif Mahmud Sajib Bhuiyan, spokesperson and election committee chairman of the National Citizen Party (NCP), warned that anyone attempting to prevent citizens from voting on election day would face consequences similar to those 'now in Delhi.' He made the remarks on Sunday at 5 p.m. during an election rally at Shaheed Mostafa Field in Mathbaria, Pirojpur-3 constituency, urging voters to cast their ballots on February 12 in favor of justice and welfare.

Bhuiyan emphasized that voters not only have the duty to vote but also to ensure that their neighbors can vote freely. He criticized the past rule of the Awami League, accusing it of vote rigging and authoritarianism, and called for the establishment of a just state through the 11-party alliance led by Jamaat-e-Islami. He also highlighted local underdevelopment and pledged that the alliance would end extortion and lawlessness if elected.

The rally was chaired by Mohammad Abdul Jalil Sharif, the local Jamaat leader, and attended by NCP candidate Dr. Shamim Hamidi and other party officials.

Nahid Islam, convenor of the National Citizen Party (NCP), announced that if his party is entrusted with forming the government, all legal measures will be taken to recover funds allegedly looted and laundered abroad during what he termed the fascist Hasina regime. He made the remarks in a televised address on Bangladesh Television (BTV) on Sunday, February 8, 2026, at 7:15 p.m.

Citing a white paper led by Dr. Debapriya Bhattacharya, Nahid claimed that about 234 billion US dollars, equivalent to roughly 30 lakh crore taka, were siphoned off by Hasina and her associates, causing severe harm to the national economy. He criticized the interim government for failing to recover the stolen assets due to negligence and sabotage by officials linked to the previous regime.

Nahid outlined plans to confiscate identified assets, impose taxes and fines, and place recovered wealth under a new public trust managed transparently by qualified professionals. He emphasized ending corruption and restoring state resources to the people through justice and economic equality.

Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Dr. Shafiqur Rahman stated that five years would be sufficient to change the nation’s fate. He made the remarks on Sunday morning at a public rally of the 11-party electoral alliance held at the DIT field in Merul Badda, Dhaka-11 constituency, where National Citizen Party (NCP) convener Nahid Islam is contesting. Rahman pledged to fulfill only realistic promises and said his party would work with full dedication to build a just and humane Bangladesh.

He emphasized that the youth have rejected old political arrangements and called for a new political rise in Bangladesh. Rahman urged voters to show “red cards” to corrupt, extortionist, and oppressive forces in the upcoming February 12 election. He also said that if the people’s verdict favored justice, Nahid Islam could become a minister in a future government.

Rahman criticized extortion, land grabbing, and corruption, alleging that some who once suffered under oppression have now turned into oppressors. He called for unity to build a fair, corruption-free, and humane Bangladesh led by the youth.

Bangladesh’s interim government is set to sign a new trade agreement with the United States on Monday, just three days before the national election. Commerce adviser Sheikh Bashiruddin said at a press conference on Sunday that the deal could reduce the recently imposed additional 20 percent trade tariff. He noted that discussions were ongoing and that the government aimed to achieve zero tariffs on garments, the country’s main export product.

Bashiruddin explained that the public disclosure of the agreement’s terms had previously led to higher tariffs, but the government still managed to bring them down to 20 percent compared to competitor countries. He expressed regret that the publication of the deal’s conditions limited Bangladesh’s negotiating flexibility. The adviser defended the timing of the agreement, citing the need to protect export earnings worth one trillion taka and safeguard around 700,000 jobs.

He also pointed out that US tariffs have been fluctuating recently, referencing a sharp increase in Korea’s tariff rate within days. The adviser said the government did not want to leave a heavy tariff burden for the next administration.

Nahid Islam, convener of the National Citizen Party (NCP), announced that if entrusted with state leadership, his party would establish Bangladeshi missions across the world and increase the number of diplomats to better serve expatriates. Speaking on Sunday, February 8, at 7:15 p.m. on state television BTV, he said the goal would be to export manpower to promising countries at minimal cost while ensuring their protection from any form of harassment. He emphasized that mutual respect, fairness, and cooperation would form the foundation of Bangladesh’s foreign policy.

Nahid Islam added that under NCP governance, economic and trade deficits would be reduced and dependency on any single country would gradually decrease to build balanced diplomatic relations. He pledged to replace submissive policies of undemocratic rulers with a self-reliant and dignified foreign policy prioritizing national interests. The NCP also plans to revitalize SAARC, pursue membership in ASEAN, and strengthen political, economic, and strategic ties with the Muslim world.

These commitments reflect the NCP’s intent to reshape Bangladesh’s external relations through proactive diplomacy and regional engagement.

Hamas senior leader Khaled Meshaal declared that the group will continue its resistance against Israel’s occupation and will not surrender its weapons. Speaking at a conference in Doha on Sunday, Meshaal said Hamas rejects U.S. and Israeli demands for disarmament and will not accept foreign intervention in Gaza. He emphasized that labeling the resistance movement or its weapons as criminal is unacceptable and asserted that resistance is the right of an occupied people.

The statement comes as a U.S.-mediated ceasefire in Gaza enters its second phase, which envisions a gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces and potential demilitarization of the territory, including Hamas’s disarmament. Hamas has repeatedly called disarmament a red line but has indicated it might consider transferring weapons to a future Palestinian governing authority.

According to Israeli officials cited in the report, Hamas still has around 20,000 fighters and approximately 60,000 Kalashnikov rifles in Gaza.

Nasiruddin Patwari, the chief coordinator of the National Citizens Party (NCP) and candidate for Dhaka-8 constituency, attended a protest organized against him on Sunday, February 8, at the north gate of Baitul Mukarram. The demonstration was arranged by the Allama Junaid Babunagari Memorial Council and began after the Asr prayer. Witnesses saw Patwari at the venue, where he also delivered a speech.

The protest was organized in response to what participants described as false and indecent remarks made by Patwari about Allama Junaid Babunagari, the late former secretary general and amir of Hefazat-e-Islam. Photos from the protest later circulated on social media, sparking public discussion. Following the online reaction, Patwari posted on his Facebook page, expressing unconditional regret to anyone hurt by his words or actions.

The incident drew attention due to Patwari’s direct presence at a protest against himself, as well as his subsequent public apology on social media.

The Ministry of Public Administration has issued a new directive regarding the February 10 holiday in connection with the upcoming 13th National Parliament election. According to the circular released on Sunday, February 11 and 12 will be nationwide public holidays under executive order for the election and referendum scheduled for Thursday, February 12. Additionally, the previously announced special holiday for industrial workers and employees on February 10 will remain in effect.

The directive further states that authorities overseeing industrial areas may designate any convenient weekly holiday after February 10 as a working day to compensate for the special leave. Earlier, a notice from the Chief Adviser’s verified Facebook page clarified that factories implementing the February 10 holiday could later require workers to make up the day by working on another date.

The updated instruction aims to ensure smooth participation in the election process while maintaining flexibility for industrial operations across the country.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has sharply criticized the recent US military presence in the region, declaring that Iran is not intimidated by the deployment of American naval forces. Speaking at a forum in Tehran on Sunday, Araghchi said the country would continue its uranium enrichment and broader nuclear program despite mounting US military and diplomatic pressure.

According to TRT World, Araghchi’s remarks came two days after an indirect meeting in Oman with US President Donald Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff. Following that meeting, Witkoff visited the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier, currently stationed in the region as part of a US show of force. Araghchi dismissed the deployment as insignificant, emphasizing that Iran’s nuclear program is a matter of national sovereignty and not a bargaining tool.

He added that Tehran is prepared to face the risk of armed conflict to protect its nuclear infrastructure. The statement follows years of escalating tension since the US withdrawal from the JCPOA in 2018 and subsequent regional clashes, including US and Israeli strikes on Iranian facilities in 2025.

Civil Aviation and Tourism Adviser Sheikh Bashiruddin defended his appointment as chairman of the Biman Bangladesh Airlines board, saying he acted within the law. Speaking at a press conference at the Secretariat on Sunday, he noted that 22 ministers and advisers had previously held the same position. Appointed on August 26, 2025, his dual role had drawn criticism, but he maintained that no legal boundaries were crossed.

Bashiruddin also expressed optimism that the 20 percent tariff imposed by the Trump administration on Bangladeshi goods would be reduced following an upcoming agreement. He said Bangladesh had taken steps to narrow its six‑billion‑dollar trade deficit with the United States, including a proposal to purchase aircraft from Boeing. A negotiation team led by Planning Adviser Dr. Wahiduddin Mahmud is currently discussing the deal.

At the same event, Civil Aviation Secretary Nasreen Jahan detailed recent reforms, including new ordinances to regulate air ticket distribution and travel agencies, which have lowered ticket prices. She also announced new leasing rules and initiatives to make Hajj flights more efficient and affordable.