Bangladesh and Malaysia concluded the first round of negotiations on a proposed free trade agreement (FTA), with both sides tentatively setting January 2027 for the next round, according to the Ministry of Commerce here. The negotiations took place in a "positive atmosphere" and focused on expanding bilateral trade, increasing mutual investment and opening new areas of cooperation in technology and the digital economy, the ministry said. Thirteen working groups reviewed draft texts and structural issues of the relevant FTA chapters.

The discussions covered trade in goods, trade in services, rules of origin, customs facilitation, digital trade, sanitary and phytosanitary measures, technical barriers to trade and issues concerning SMEs. Both delegations placed emphasis on identifying each country's positions, potential and areas of cooperation. Citing Malaysia's progress in electronics, semiconductors and digital technology, Khadiza Nazneen, additional commerce secretary and Bangladesh's chief negotiator, said an FTA could open up new possibilities for technology transfer, investment attraction and industrial cooperation between the two nations.

The body of a former Bangladesh Air Force officer was recovered from the Turag River in Dhaka on Wednesday (Oct. 28), a day after he was reported missing. He was identified as KM Tahsif Souri, 28, a flight lieutenant at BAF who was forced into early retirement shortly after the July Uprising of 2024 on disciplinary grounds. Souri, along with a colleague-cum-friend who captured it on his camera, is widely credited with having released the video of deposed prime minister and Awami League President Sheikh Hasina Wazed boarding a military aircraft as she prepared to exit the country on August 5, 2024.

Although this raised suspicions of possible AL involvement in his untimely death, the police's inquest report on the state in which his body was found pointed to no external injury marks, although blood was seen coming from his nose. An autopsy has not yet been performed. Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed meanwhile declined to comment, saying he would speak only after the autopsy and investigation.

BNP candidate Mirza Faisal Amin won the Thakurgaon-1 by-election by a huge margin, according to unofficial results announced on Thursday night (Oct. 29). Faisal Amin, younger brother of President Mirza Fakhrul Alamgir whose move to Bangabhaban after winning the seat in February's parliamentary elections triggered the by-election, bagged 2,27,917 votes with the "Sheaf of Paddy" symbol, while his nearest rival Delawar Hossain of Jamaat-e-Islami polled 96,513 votes.

Voting across 185 polling centres was held largely peacefully, with turnout reported at 64.8 percent. The Election Commission secretary said they had not received any reports of untoward incidents from anywhere since the morning. "I believe you also have no such information that could make us concerned," he said, thanking everyone for their cooperation in holding the election peacefully. Jamaat however did come up with a raft of alleged violations in the evening.

The High Court issued a rule asking the government for an explanation as to why the appointment of three members of the Bangladesh Judicial Service as private secretaries to two ministers and a state minister, should not be declared illegal. The HC bench issued the rule after hearing a writ petition challenging the legality of assigning judges to executive branch positions outside their judicial duties. The court also wanted to know why directives should not be issued to prevent serving judicial officers from being appointed or posted to the executive branch.

Secretaries to the ministries of public administration, law, home and primary and mass education, among others, were made respondents to the rule which is returnable in four weeks. The petition referred to Rule 4(1) of the Bangladesh Judicial Service Formation Rules, stating that the posts specified in the rules' schedule are designated as cadre posts of the judicial service. However, the posts to which the three judges were recently appointed are not included in that schedule, according to the petition.