PM reaches New York

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has reached New York where she will attend the 69th UN General Assembly.

The Emirates Airlines plane carrying her touched down at the John F Kennedy Airport at 10am (local time) on Monday while activists of ruling Awami League and opposition BNP gathered outside.

Police kept the two groups 300 yards from each other as Awami League supporters were raising slogans welcoming the party chief while BNP supporters were demanding that she go back home.

Hasina, leading an 184-strong delegation, flew for New York on Sunday.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is greeted at the JFK Airport by Bangladesh's permanent envoy to the UN AKA Momen.

Bangladesh's Ambassador to the US M Ziauddin and permanent UN envoy AKA Momen welcomed her at the airport.

She is staying at Grand Hyatt hotel.

On her way to New York, Hasina made a stoppage at Dubai where Bangladesh Ambassador to the UAE Mohammad Imran greeted her.

The prime minister's programme in New York will start with the inauguration of the climate summit on Sept 23.

She will address the UNGA on Sept 27 and meet her Indian counterpart Narendra Modi on the same day.

Hasina is also expected to hold bilateral meetings with Belarus and Nepal prime ministers and Qatar's emir.

The prime minister will address a programme by the Global poverty Project at New York Central Park on Sept 27. Expatriate Bangladeshis are eagerly looking forward to it, our New York correspondent adds.

She will spend two days in the UK before returning home on Oct 2.