Shibbir Ahmed, New York: Prime Minister and BNP Chairman Tarique Rahman’s upcoming visit to the United States to attend the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly has been shortened. At the same time, a large civic reception planned in his honor in New York will no longer take place, according to multiple sources.

Under the initial itinerary, Prime Minister and BNP Chairman Tarique Rahman was scheduled to arrive in New York on September 21, remain in the city for several days and then travel to San Francisco, California, on September 26. During his stay in New York, he was scheduled to address the UN General Assembly on September 24. BNP leaders and activists in the United States were also preparing for a civic reception planned for September 25.

Several reports published earlier this month said preparations were underway for the reception at the Marriott Marquis hotel in Manhattan. However, Tarique Rahman’s US itinerary was subsequently revised. According to the latest reports, he is scheduled to arrive in New York on the evening of September 21 and return to Bangladesh on September 25. As a result, the large reception previously planned for September 25 will not be held in his presence.

Four-Day New York Visit

Citing Press Secretary Saleh Shibli, reports said Tarique Rahman will take part in various programs in New York from September 22 to 25. He is scheduled to deliver Bangladesh’s statement at the UN General Assembly on September 24 before returning home on September 25.

Earlier plans had reportedly included a longer stay in the United States, with Tarique Rahman expected to remain in the country until September 29 or 30 and visit San Francisco. The San Francisco leg has since been dropped as the overall trip was shortened.

Reports citing relevant sources said reducing state expenditure and managing the schedule were among the considerations behind the decision to shorten the visit.

Why Was the Reception Cancelled?

Several explanations have appeared in media reports regarding the cancellation of the reception. One of the key points reported is that Tarique Rahman was not interested in attending a large civic reception financed with government funds.

A report by a Bangladeshi national daily, citing Gias Ahmed, former senior vice-president of BNP USA, said discussions had taken place regarding a reception organized by the Bangladesh Consulate in New York. According to Ahmed, Tarique Rahman did not want such an event to be financed with public funds. Party leaders subsequently proposed arranging the event through their own funding.

Meanwhile, other reports said preparations had been underway for a party-organized event at the Marriott Marquis in Manhattan on September 25. Since Tarique Rahman is now scheduled to return to Bangladesh that day, the reception cannot be held in his presence.

Claim of Tk 500 Million in Savings

Some reports have claimed that cancelling the reception will save approximately Tk 50 million ($5 crore). However, the figure has not been consistently confirmed across media reports.

While some reports have cited savings of around Tk 50 million, another report put the estimated cost of the proposed government reception at approximately $250,000. There have also been claims that a party-funded event could have involved additional expenses.

Therefore, the claim that the cancellation will result in an exact saving of Tk 50 million should not be presented as confirmed government information. What can be stated more cautiously is that reducing state expenditure has been cited in several reports as one of the considerations behind shortening the prime minister’s US visit. Reports have also indicated that he does not want a large reception funded by public money.

Possibility of a Party Welcome

While a large civic reception financed or organized through government arrangements is reportedly no longer going ahead, some BNP leaders in the United States have expressed interest in welcoming the prime minister through party or privately funded initiatives.

Citing Gias Ahmed, reports said the previously planned reception cannot take place in Tarique Rahman’s presence because he is scheduled to leave for Bangladesh on September 25. Ahmed also indicated that there could be an opportunity for Tarique Rahman to meet local BNP leaders that day.

The clearest information at this stage is that the large-scale formal civic reception planned in New York is not going ahead in the presence of Tarique Rahman. This does not necessarily mean that all party or diaspora activities surrounding his visit have been cancelled.

Main Focus of the US Visit

The primary purpose of Prime Minister and BNP Chairman Tarique Rahman’s US visit is to represent Bangladesh at the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly. According to the latest reports, he will arrive in New York on September 21 and participate in a number of high-level programs. He is scheduled to address the General Assembly on September 24.

In addition to the UN General Assembly, meetings with heads of government and other international representatives have also been reported as possible components of his itinerary. However, the full list and schedule of such meetings have not yet been finalized, according to reports citing the prime minister’s press secretary.

Overall, Tarique Rahman’s upcoming US visit is significantly shorter than initially planned. His main activities in New York will center on the UN General Assembly, while the cancellation of the planned large civic reception has generated discussion among Bangladeshis living in the United States.

Shibbir Ahmed, New York — Russia and China on Thursday vetoed a U.S.-drafted United Nations Security Council resolution that sought to extend the mandate of a panel of experts monitoring international sanctions on Iran. The resolution received 11 votes in favor, while Pakistan and Somalia abstained. The Russian and Chinese vetoes blocked its adoption.

The proposed resolution would have extended the mandate of the independent panel of experts for another year. The panel was established to monitor implementation of sanctions imposed on Iran and report possible violations to the 15-member Security Council.

The vote comes amid a wider dispute over the legal status of UN sanctions on Iran. Western countries, including Britain, France and Germany, triggered the “snapback” mechanism under the 2015 Iran nuclear agreement in 2025, arguing that Tehran had violated its nuclear commitments. The move resulted in the reimposition of UN sanctions.

Russia and China reject the Western interpretation and argue that the UN sanctions had expired when Security Council Resolution 2231 reached its scheduled end date in October 2025. Russian Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia said the U.S.-backed resolution lacked a legal basis and urged the parties to resolve the nuclear dispute through political and diplomatic means.

The United States criticized the vetoes, saying the absence of an independent panel would create a gap in monitoring sanctions violations. U.S. Deputy Ambassador Jennifer Locetta said the panel provided impartial, evidence-based reporting on potential violations.

France and other Western members also criticized the veto, while stressing that the veto does not itself remove the sanctions that they consider to remain in force. The dispute has also left the Security Council divided over how to monitor Iran’s nuclear-related activities and enforce sanctions. The UN sanctions include measures affecting Iranian assets, arms-related transactions and ballistic-missile activities.

The latest vote highlights continuing divisions among the permanent members of the Security Council over Iran’s nuclear program, the validity of the sanctions and the role of international monitoring.

GENEVA — United Nations-backed human rights experts said Thursday they found “reasonable grounds” to believe that the United States committed war crimes in two military strikes in Iran, including an attack on a school that killed more than 150 people. The findings come from the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Iran, which investigated the conduct of the United States during the war that began in February, as well as human rights violations allegedly committed by Iranian authorities. The mission’s report is due to be presented to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva.

The experts said they found reasonable grounds to believe U.S. forces were responsible for a February 28 strike on the Shajareh Tayyebeh Primary School in Minab, southern Iran. Iranian officials said more than 150 people were killed, including about 120 schoolchildren.

According to the mission, the school was a clearly identifiable civilian facility and investigators found no evidence that it was being used for military purposes. The experts concluded that the attack was indiscriminate and caused civilian deaths and damage to civilian infrastructure, amounting to a war crime under international law.

The mission also examined a strike on a sports center in Lamerd. Investigators said the attack damaged nearby residential buildings and a school and killed or injured 22 civilians. They concluded that the strike was indiscriminate and therefore constituted a war crime.

U.S. Central Command said in March that American forces did not conduct strikes in Lamerd on the day in question. U.S. officials have also previously said that American military operations are carried out in accordance with the law of armed conflict.

The report also addressed Iran’s response to nationwide anti-government protests that began in late December. The experts said Iranian authorities carried out a widespread and systematic attack against civilians, including unlawful killings, torture, arbitrary detention and enforced disappearances, which they characterized as crimes against humanity.

The fact-finding mission is an investigative body rather than a court and cannot initiate criminal proceedings. Its findings, however, can be used in future investigations or proceedings before national courts or international tribunals. The United States and Iran have previously rejected allegations of wrongdoing, and the two governments did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the latest findings.

Shibbir Ahmed, Washington DC — The United States has imposed new sanctions on an Iranian digital asset network accused of helping the Iranian regime evade sanctions and move funds through cryptocurrency. The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced the measures on September 17 as part of Operation Economic Outcast, a broader U.S. campaign targeting Iran’s financial networks and sources of revenue.

The sanctions target BitBank, an Iranian digital asset exchange controlled by Iranian financier Babak Zanjani, along with its developer, Pishtaz Simorgh Electronic Trade Company. Three individuals associated with Zanjani—Hossein Ali Zaker Hossein, Mohammad Mahdi Zaker Hossein, and Seyed Adel Heidari—were also designated.

According to the Treasury Department, the targeted entities and individuals form part of an Iranian digital asset-based sanctions-evasion infrastructure. U.S. officials said BitBank has been used to transfer payments received by the Iranian regime and that the broader network was involved in laundering funds and transferring hundreds of millions of dollars in Bitcoin to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the action demonstrates that cryptocurrency-based financing linked to the Iranian regime remains within the reach of U.S. sanctions authorities.

The latest measures were issued under Executive Order 13902, which authorizes sanctions targeting certain sectors of Iran’s economy, including its digital asset sector. Treasury said the expanded use of the authority is intended to disrupt Iran’s efforts to use digital assets to circumvent U.S. sanctions.

The action is part of Operation Economic Outcast, launched by the Treasury Department on August 24, 2026. The campaign focuses on financial networks, facilitators and channels that U.S. authorities say Iran uses to generate revenue, evade sanctions and finance activities linked to the regime.

Treasury has warned that entities involved in money laundering or sanctions evasion on behalf of Iran could face restrictions on access to the U.S. financial system. The department has also increased the potential exposure to secondary sanctions for foreign entities that continue certain business dealings with Iran.

The latest action follows a series of U.S. sanctions targeting Iranian financial and economic networks, including measures against foreign banks and other entities accused of facilitating Iran’s access to international financial channels.

Shibbir Ahmed, WASHINGTON DC — The United States on Thursday announced new sanctions against eight Cuban entities and three individuals as part of the Trump administration’s broader effort to restrict Cuba’s military capabilities and sources of revenue. The U.S. Department of State said the latest measures target elements of Cuba’s military research and development apparatus as well as entities connected to the country’s nickel and mining sector.

The designations were imposed under Executive Order 14404, issued in May 2026. The order authorizes sanctions against foreign persons involved in specified activities related to Cuba, including operations in the defense, metals and mining, energy, financial-services and security sectors. Four Cuban military enterprises were designated for operating in or having operated in the defense and related-materials sector.

They are the Centro de Investigacion y Desarrollo de Simuladores (SIMPRO), which the State Department says develops and manufactures simulators and training programs for Cuba’s Revolutionary Armed Forces and other government entities; the Centro de Investigacion y Desarrollo Naval (CIDNAV), involved in research programs for the Cuban Revolutionary Navy; the Centro de Investigacion y Desarrollo de Armamento de Infanteria (CIDAI), involved in research related to infantry weapons; and Centro de Investigacion, Desarrollo y Produccion Grito de Baire (GELCOM), which produces electronics and communications equipment.

The United States also sanctioned three senior Cuban military officials associated with those enterprises: Joaquin Francisco Cancio Monteagudo, director general of SIMPRO; Dioglis Pedrera Arguello, director general of CIDNAV; and Julio Hurtado Betancourt, director general of CIDAI.

Four additional entities connected to Cuba’s nickel industry were also designated: SERCONI, CEPRONIQUEL, CEDINIQ and PINARES S.A. The State Department identified them as state-linked organizations involved in technical services, engineering, research and mineral surveying associated with Cuba’s nickel sector.

Under the sanctions, property and interests in property belonging to designated persons that are in the United States or under the possession or control of U.S. persons are blocked. U.S. persons are generally prohibited from engaging in transactions involving blocked property unless authorized or exempt.

The measures also create sanctions risks for certain foreign persons that conduct specified transactions with persons designated under E.O. 14404 or operate in sectors covered by the order. OFAC says E.O. 14404 operates alongside, rather than replacing, the existing Cuban Assets Control Regulations.

The latest action follows several rounds of U.S. sanctions against Cuban entities and officials during 2026. Earlier measures have also targeted Cuba’s financial channels, energy-related entities and resource-exploitation apparatus. The State Department said the ultimate objective of the sanctions is to encourage changes in behavior by the Cuban government.

Shibbir Ahmed, WASHINGTON DC — The United States has extended visa sanctions against members of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and officials of the Palestinian Authority (PA), citing what the State Department described as continued failures to meet commitments made to Washington.

In a September 16 media note, the State Department said it had notified Congress that the PLO and PA had again failed to comply with commitments outlined under the PLO Commitments Compliance Act of 1989 and the Middle East Peace Commitments Act of 2002.

The department accused the two organizations of pursuing actions at international institutions that Washington says contradict previous commitments related to UN Security Council Resolutions 242 and 338. It also cited efforts to pursue the Israeli-Palestinian conflict through international legal institutions, including the International Criminal Court (ICC) and International Court of Justice (ICJ), as well as efforts to obtain unilateral international recognition.

The State Department also cited what it described as continued payments to individuals convicted of terrorism and the glorification of terrorism and terrorists in public statements and educational materials. These are U.S. government allegations and were presented as the basis for the policy.

As a consequence, Washington said it would extend visa restrictions denying entry visas to PLO members and PA officials under Section 604(a)(1) of the Middle East Peace Commitments Act. The State Department said it would continue a standing waiver for personnel notified to the PLO Observer Mission to the United Nations, as in previous determinations.

The announcement comes ahead of the 81st UN General Assembly, when Palestinian representatives are expected to participate in high-level diplomatic meetings in New York. Reuters reported that the restrictions continue measures imposed previously, including the denial of a U.S. visa to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, preventing him from attending the General Assembly in person.

The Palestinian Authority holds observer status at the United Nations rather than full UN membership. The latest U.S. action adds another point of tension to Washington-Palestinian relations as international attention remains focused on the Gaza conflict and efforts toward a broader Israeli-Palestinian political settlement.

Shibbir Ahmed, WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) Board of Directors has approved more than $8 billion in new investments aimed at expanding U.S. exports, strengthening critical infrastructure and energy security, and supporting American technology and businesses in international markets.

The DFC said the investments include projects in Ukraine, Jordan, Sub-Saharan Africa and emerging markets, with additional support for critical minerals in West Africa. The agency described the package as part of its effort to advance U.S. economic and national security interests.

One major component will support U.S. exports to emerging markets through a counter-guarantee for the International Finance Corporation’s Global Trade Finance Program. The arrangement is designed to help foreign banks expand trade-finance capacity and facilitate purchases of American goods.

In Ukraine, DFC will provide financing to Vodafone Ukraine to strengthen telecommunications infrastructure, including the development of secure and reliable 5G networks. The agency also approved financing for a 200-megawatt/400-megawatt-hour battery energy storage portfolio across six Ukrainian sites. The project, developed by DTEK with technology from U.S.-based Fluence, is designed to improve the stability and resilience of Ukraine’s electricity grid. DFC said the storage system could provide enough power for approximately 600,000 homes for two hours.

In Jordan, DFC approved a loan for the National Carrier Project Company to support construction, operation and maintenance of a seawater desalination plant and water-conveyance system. Political-risk insurance will also be provided for equity investors Meridiam and Suez.

In Sub-Saharan Africa, DFC will make an equity investment in WIOCC Group to expand digital infrastructure across the continent. WIOCC operates telecommunications, data-center and fiber-network infrastructure spanning 30 African countries, according to DFC.

DFC is also supporting a critical-minerals project in West Africa. The agency said some additional transactions remain confidential because of commercial sensitivities and may require further steps, including congressional notification, before they can be formally committed and closed.

Shibbir Ahmed, New York — UN Secretary-General António Guterres has warned that the world is entering an “era of deep uncertainty,” urging governments to strengthen international cooperation as leaders prepare to gather in New York for the 81st UN General Assembly.

Speaking ahead of the General Assembly’s high-level week, Guterres identified rapidly advancing artificial intelligence, the climate crisis and deepening inequalities as major existential threats facing the international community.

Guterres devoted much of his remarks to the growing risks associated with artificial intelligence. While acknowledging AI’s potential to accelerate development, improve education and health systems and strengthen climate resilience, he warned that technological development is advancing faster than the world’s understanding of its risks.

He called for stronger safeguards to make AI development safe, transparent and accountable, with human dignity at the centre. Guterres said national action is important but stressed that global coordination is essential because AI and its risks do not stop at national borders.

The UN chief also urged world leaders to address ongoing conflicts. He reiterated his call for a ceasefire in the Russia-Ukraine war and urged implementation of a two-state solution in the Middle East. He also called for de-escalation and the protection of civilians.

The General Assembly’s high-level week begins in New York on September 18, with the General Debate scheduled to begin on September 22. Leaders from all 193 UN member states are expected to address global challenges, including conflicts, climate change, international security and sustainable development. Guterres said international cooperation is more necessary than ever as governments confront interconnected global crises.

BEIJING — China has urged the United States to halt its military buildup in outer space, warning that the deployment of weapons in orbit could trigger a global arms race and increase strategic tensions.

The warning followed comments from U.S. officials acknowledging that the United States has weapons deployed in orbit. U.S. Air Force Secretary Troy Meink said the weapons are intended to help defend against hostile actions involving space. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said Beijing opposes the weaponization of outer space and called on Washington to stop expanding its military capabilities there.

“China stands for peaceful use of outer space and keeping it safe, and opposes any arms race in outer space,” Guo said at a Foreign Ministry briefing on September 15. He urged the United States to maintain global strategic stability through concrete actions.

Chinese state media and military analysts have also warned that the expansion of U.S. military capabilities in orbit could encourage other countries to develop counter-space weapons, potentially creating a cycle of competition and increasing the risk of conflict in space.

The issue highlights growing international concerns over the military use of space. Russia has separately called for efforts to prevent an arms race in outer space, arguing that a legally binding agreement could help restrict offensive weapons in orbit.

The United States and China are already competing across several strategic areas, including advanced technology, artificial intelligence and military capabilities. The latest dispute adds space security to the growing list of issues affecting relations between the two powers.

Shibbir Ahmed, New York — The United States has paid $725 million to the United Nations, reducing its outstanding financial obligations to the world body and ensuring that Washington retains its voting rights in the UN General Assembly. The payment comes just days before world leaders are due to gather in New York for the annual General Assembly session.

The United Nations said the United States transferred $725 million for the organization’s regular budget on Tuesday. Washington also paid an additional $102 million toward UN peacekeeping operations on Friday. Despite the latest payments, the United States still owes approximately $1.312 billion to the UN regular budget, according to UN spokesperson Farhan Haq.

The payment also removes the immediate risk that the United States could lose its voting rights under Article 19 of the UN Charter. The provision says a member state can lose its vote in the General Assembly when its arrears reach or exceed the amount of contributions due for the preceding two full years, although the General Assembly can grant an exception in certain circumstances.

The United States is the largest contributor to the UN budget, but the Trump administration has criticized the organization and reduced or delayed funding to various UN agencies. Washington has also pushed for reforms and cost reductions across the UN system.

The latest payment comes as the United Nations faces continuing financial pressure and implements its “UN80” reform and cost-cutting initiative. China, the UN’s second-largest contributor, paid $641.4 million toward its regular budget contribution earlier this month, according to UN figures cited by Reuters. The U.S. payment means Washington will retain its vote as the 2026 UN General Assembly prepares to convene in New York next week, while the broader dispute over U.S. funding and UN reforms remains unresolved.