Bangladesh bid farewell on Wednesday to former prime minister Khaleda Zia in a state funeral that drew vast crowds mourning a towering leader whose career defined the country´s politics for decades. Zia, the first woman to serve as prime minister in the South Asian nation of 170 million people, died on Tuesday, aged 80. Flags were flown at half-mast, and thousands of security officers lined roads as her body was carried through the streets of the capital Dhaka by a vehicle in the colours of the national flag.
