Bangladesh cabinet approves lifelong protection for Hasina, family

September 24th, 2009 DHAKA - US President Barack Obama has accepted an invitation by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to visit Bangladesh, media reports said Thursday. Seated next to Obama at a working dinner hosted by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, Hasina spoke on Bangladesh's woes in an era of climate change.

September 9th, 2009 DHAKA - Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheiukh Hasina has dismissed as "bogus" the campaign against the country being connected to the proposed Asian Highway through India. Ruling out any possibility of threat to the sovereignty of the country from the proposed highway, she told parliament Wednesday that Bangladesh would have control over its parts of the routes that would make re-entry into India via Bangladesh.

July 31st, 2009 DHAKA - Bangladesh Prime Minister and Awami League chief Sheikh Hasina Friday removed four "reformists" from the party's presidium and inducted six new ministers in the government as part of sweeping changes. 'Reformists' are those who attempted intra-party reforms while Hasina was in jail on graft charges during 2007-08 and whose loyalty to her was doubtful, media reports said.

July 28th, 2009 DHAKA - Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, her sister Rehana and their children will get Special Security Force (SSF) protection in view of threats to their lives as per an executive order. Hasina Monday chaired a cabinet meeting that approved the 'Father of the Nation's Family Members' Security Bill 2009' with immediate effect "to ensure lifelong and foolproof security", New Age newspaper reported Tuesday.

July 22nd, 2009 DHAKA - Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has expressed her government's interest in reopening a rail link between Bangladesh and India to establish stronger connectivity between the two neighbouring countries in the fields of trade, investment and people-to-people contacts. The railway link was severed following 1965 India-Pakistan war and has been non-operational since then.he conveyed this at a meeting with a Federation of Indian Chamber and Commerce of Industries (FICCI) delegation at her office on Tuesday.

May 8th, 2009 DHAKA - Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina may expand her cabinet that has a majority of first-termers to add some old hands and political allies, a media report said. She also plans to activate the Awami League that has been beset with infighting since its massive poll victory in December.

April 30th, 2009 DHAKA - Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has said that her government will repeal all laws and rules discriminatory to minority communities, including indigenous people. 'Our government believes in freedom of all religious faiths and equal opportunities for all,' Hasina told a visiting French military delegation Wednesday.

April 2nd, 2009 DHAKA - Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has asked former premier Khaleda Zia to quit the residence that was allotted to her in violation of rules. The move could trigger opposition protests.

March 18th, 2009 DHAKA - Stung by last month's mutiny by the border guards whom she had addressed just a day prior to the uprising, Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has said she is 'not afraid of a bullet or a grenade'. Her comments came even as the government heightened security at all key installations, including secretariat, Bangabhaban and the prime minister's residence 'in a pre-emptive measure against possible attack on important establishments to destabilise the government'.

February 4th, 2009 DHAKA - Bangladesh's cabinet Thursday unanimously approved two trade deals that are expected to be signed during the visit of Indian External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee. At a special cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, the agreements on development and protection of capital investment under bilateral arrangement were passed.

January 23rd, 2009 DHAKA - Bangladesh's Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wazed Saturday inducted six more junior ministers into her cabinet, raising the cabinet's strength to 38, officials said. President Iajuddin Ahmed administered the oath to the new state ministers at the presidential palace, Bangabhaban.

January 11th, 2009 DHAKA - Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has told her team of ministers, 25 of whom are newcomers, that she would remove them if they fail to perform. She told them to take charge of their ministries within seven days after which she 'will not accept excuses', New Age newspaper quoted her as saying Monday.

January 10th, 2009 DHAKA - Outgoing US President George W. Bush called up newly-sworn in Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to congratulate her on her victory and hailed the recent polls for ushering in 'a non-communal democracy' in the country.

January 6th, 2009 DHAKA - Bangladesh's first democratically elected government in over two years got to work Wednesday, as Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina attended office after a landslide victory in the Dec 29 poll. She was sworn in as the prime minister Tuesday evening, ending the tenure of a military-backed caretaker government that held office for a week short of two years.

December 30th, 2008 AGARTALA - Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar Wednesday expressed optimism that the new Bangladesh government led by the Awami League would help settle pending issues related to the northeast, including terrorism. 'We strongly believe that the Awami League government headed by Sheikh Hasina would resolve the northeast India's terrorism related problems and provide transit to transport men and materials between the northeast and the rest of the country via Bangladesh,' Sarkar told reporters here.