Bangladesh’s first woman prime minister Khaleda Zia dies aged 80

The country’s interim leader said Ms Zia’s ‘role in the struggle to establish democracy… will be remembered forever’ (Pavel Rahman/AP)

Former Bangladeshi prime minister Khaleda Zia, whose arch-rivalry with another former premier defined the country’s politics for a generation, has died, her Bangladesh Nationalist Party said in a statement.

Ms Zia, who died aged 80, was the first woman elected prime minister of Bangladesh.