RELIANCE

DHAKA — Bangladesh's national football team is beginning to look like a very different side from the one seen in previous years, with greater confidence, resilience and a willingness to compete against stronger opponents. Head coach Thomas Doley believes the team has developed the ability to challenge established sides and could produce surprises against even more highly rated opponents—provided the players are physically prepared and the team gets the right competitive exposure. Bangladesh's recent performances in the AFC Asian Cup qualifying campaign have strengthened that belief, with the national side showing greater competitiveness against stronger opposition. For Doley, however, the next challenge is not simply producing an occasional impressive performance. It is building a team capable of competing consistently at international level. Bangladesh Ready to Embrace the Underdog Role Doley expects Bangladesh to enter matches against stronger regional opponents as the und...

ANKARA/MECCA The newly signed defence agreement between Saudi Arabia, Türkiye and Pakistan could soon expand, with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan indicating that Egypt may eventually join the emerging security framework . The prospect of Egypt becoming a member adds a significant new dimension to a regional defence arrangement that has already drawn international attention because of its collective-security provision. The Mecca Joint Defence Agreement , signed in the holy city of Mecca on August 7 by the leaders of Saudi Arabia, Türkiye and Pakistan, commits the three countries to treating an armed attack against one member as an attack against all three and to responding collectively. Speaking in a special interview for Al Jazeera Arabic's programme Al Muqabala , Erdogan said the agreement was designed to remain open to additional countries. He highlighted Egypt as a particularly important potential participant. “This agreement has sent an important message to the world,” ...

DHAKA: Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman is expected to travel to New Delhi for a bilateral visit in the third week of August, with Aug. 21-22 emerging as the likely dates, according to several government sources in Dhaka. The dates could shift by a few days, the officials said, adding that the proposed visit originated with India and that Bangladesh has indicated Rahman is prepared to travel. Preparations are already under way for what would be Rahman’s first visit to India as prime minister. However, Bangladeshi officials said Dhaka has raised several issues that it wants addressed before the trip is finalised. Bangladesh seeks assurances over Hasina’s political activities One of the key issues concerns former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, who has been in India since Aug. 5, 2024, following her removal from power. Bangladeshi officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Dhaka wants assurances that Hasina will not continue making political statements or engaging in polit...

DHAKA: Summit LNG has resumed gas supply from its liquefied natural gas terminal, beginning with about 110 million cubic feet (mmcf) per day at 6:10 p.m. on Friday, the company said in a statement. The terminal is expected to gradually increase deliveries and reach close to its full capacity of about 550 mmcf by around 2 a.m. on Saturday, Summit said. Supply to support industry and power generation According to the company, the additional gas will improve availability for industrial users, power generation and other customers. Summit said the increased supply is also expected to support economic activity and ease pressure on Bangladesh’s energy system. The company said it would continue supplying as much gas as possible while maintaining safe and reliable operations within the technical capabilities of the LNG terminal and the national gas transmission network. Focus on energy security Summit LNG said a sufficient and uninterrupted energy supply is important for Bangladesh’s industrial...

SIRAJGANJ: Bangladesh is standing amid what he described as a “ruined” economic landscape and could eventually face difficulties paying government officials because of the country’s mounting debt, Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Iqbal Hasan Mahmud Tuku said on Friday. “If we do not plan properly, there will come a time when it will be difficult even to pay the salaries of government officials,” Tuku said at a meeting with officials and employees of Sirajganj municipality. He said development would not be sustainable without proper planning and that the government had prepared a budget aimed at avoiding excessive tax pressure on ordinary citizens. Implementing the budget, he added, would require cooperation between the public and the administration. Municipal services Earlier on Friday, Tuku handed over six vehicles, including dump trucks, for use in the city’s waste-cleaning operations. He also climbed onto one of the trucks, explaining that his gesture was prompted by mem...

DHAKA: Bangladesh’s main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has nominated its secretary-general and Local Government Minister Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir as its candidate for the country’s 23rd presidency, according to senior party leader Ruhul Kabir Rizvi. Rizvi, the BNP’s senior joint secretary-general, told reporters at the Secretariat on Thursday that BNP Chairman and Prime Minister Tarique Rahman finalised Fakhrul’s candidacy during a meeting with senior party leaders. Fakhrul resigned from his positions as BNP secretary-general and a member of the party’s standing committee after being selected as the presidential candidate, Rizvi said. Presidential election could be contested Thursday is the deadline for submitting nominations for the presidential election. Under the Election Commission’s schedule, nomination papers can be filed with the returning officer at the Election Commission headquarters between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. A separate nomination has already been submi...

DHAKA: Bangladesh and Saudi Arabia have agreed to significantly expand air connectivity between the two countries, increasing the permitted number of weekly passenger flights from 49 to 84 and introducing new opportunities for cargo operations and airline cooperation. The expanded framework was outlined by Air Vice Marshal Md Mostafa Mahmood Siddiq , chairman of the Bangladesh Civil Aviation Authority (CAAB), during a meeting with media representatives at CAAB headquarters in Dhaka on Thursday. Under the new memorandum of understanding between the two countries’ civil aviation authorities, designated airlines will be permitted to operate up to 84 passenger flights a week , an increase of 35 flights from the previous limit. The agreement also provides for 21 cargo flights a week , fifth-freedom traffic rights, code-sharing, co-terminalisation and aircraft leasing arrangements. More Flights for Pilgrims and Migrant Workers CAAB said the additional passenger capacity is expected to help...