Politics

Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Japanese counterpart Fumio Kishida in April 2023. The countries hope to benefit from a potential EPA. (Pool photo via Reuters)
International relations

Japan and Bangladesh to negotiate economic partnership agreement

Countries to discuss tariffs on apparel and steel to benefit both sides

21 January 2024
A British Typhoon jet is pictured in Cyprus after striking targets in Yemen during an operation against Houthi militants targeting shipping in the Red Sea. (U.K. Ministry of Defence via Reuters)
International relations

Red Sea conflict plunges Bangladesh garment makers into the red

Surging costs and lead times dent orders, worsening already weak market

18 January 2024
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina: As formal political competition has declined, the legitimacy of Awami League rule has come to be based on its ability to deliver growth and development.
Opinion

Real challenge for Bangladesh PM Hasina still lies ahead

Public is losing confidence that ruling Awami League can manage economic crisis

12 January 2024
A woman votes in Bangladesh's widely criticized general election in Dhaka on Jan. 7.
International relations

Bangladesh sees U.S., U.K. election critiques as grudging acceptance

Western nations slam unfair polls but pledge cooperation, including on Indo-Pacific

9 January 2024
In securing a record fourth straight five-year term in a controversial election, Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has pushed the South Asian nation into uncharted territory, experts say. (Photo by Nazmul Islam)
Politics

Bangladesh election: China cheers Hasina as experts eye U.S. move

Poll results, never in doubt, leave domestic politics and global ties less certain

8 January 2024
An officer puts an ink mark on the thumb of Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina after she votes in the election in Dhaka on Jan. 7.
Politics

Bangladesh PM Hasina clinches election win overshadowed by boycott

Opposition says low turnout shows public heeded its calls to stay away

8 January 2024
Rohingya refugees work on rebuilding their makeshift shelters after a fire broke out in a camp in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh, on Jan. 7.
7 January 2024
A woman casts her vote at a polling station in Dhaka on Jan. 7.
Politics

Bangladesh election results due after tense voting, global criticism

PM Hasina says she protects democracy amid opposition boycott, scattered violence

7 January 2024
Bangladesh is set for a general election on Jan. 7 that many critics say is essentially a fait accompli, with the main opposition sidelined and boycotting. (Photo by Nazmul Islam)
Politics

Bangladesh ruling party accused of intimidation to spur election turnout

Observers call this Sunday's polls 'bizarre' and 'farcical' as opposition boycotts

4 January 2024
Awami League supporters rally on Dec. 20 in Sylhet: No other major party will be on the election ballot. 
Opinion

Bangladeshi voters will have their say in deciding to vote

Ruling Awami League keen to encourage turnout as sign of legitimization

2 January 2024
Bangladesh, Taiwan, South Korea and Sri Lanka are also set to go to the polls next year, while Asia's focus will shift to the U.S. Presidential race later in 2024. (Photo by Ken KobayashI)
Asia Insight

From India and Pakistan to Indonesia, Asia set for election-packed 2024

Over a billion people will be voting but democracy questions cloud some races

26 December 2023
Bangladeshi police clash with opposition protesters in Dhaka ahead of the country's general election. (Photo by Nazmul Islam)
Politics

Doubts dog Bangladesh democracy a month before polls: 5 things to know

After two widely questioned elections, South Asian country heads for another

7 December 2023
The U.S. has taken an openly critical view of Bangladesh's election procedures under Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, while India has stressed the polls are an internal matter. (Nikkei montage/Source photos by AP and Getty Images)
International relations

Bangladesh's rocky election season splits India and U.S.

New Delhi sees Hasina as reliable partner while Washington piles on pressure

1 December 2023
Awami League candidates and activists march to the party's office to collect election nomination papers in Dhaka on Nov. 20.
Politics

Bangladesh heads for 'one-sided' election repeat as opposition boycotts

As nomination process begins, analysts see worrying similarities to 2014 polls

21 November 2023
Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, pictured during a visit to Japan in April, has refused to make way for a neutral caretaker administration to oversee the next election.
Politics

Bangladesh sets election for Jan. 7, ignoring opposition pleas

Move raises risk of violence, analysts say, while U.S. urges party talks

15 November 2023
Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina shakes hands with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida during a visit to Tokyo this April.
Indo-Pacific

Japan to provide patrol ships to Bangladesh with eye on China

Dhaka to be 2nd defense equipment recipient under OSA framework

15 November 2023
Police confront garment workers in Ashulia, on the outskirts of Dhaka, during a recent demonstration for higher wages. (Photo by Nazmul Islam)
Politics

Bangladesh garment industry wage fight shakes core economic pillar

Government alleges link between protests by opposition and inflation-weary workers

14 November 2023
Police officers pass a charred public bus burned during an opposition protest in Dhaka on Oct. 31, amid days of political violence.
Politics

Bangladeshi political violence poses 'high risk' to stuttering economy

Disruptions over election likely to worsen already weak fundamentals, experts say

6 November 2023
Saima Wazed, left, with her mother, Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, right, in 2014. Wazed has been chosen to lead the WHO's regional office for Southeast Asia.
International relations

Bangladesh PM's daughter nominated for key WHO regional post

Saima Wazed chosen over Nepali rival despite criticism of 'apparent nepotism'

1 November 2023
A public bus burns in Dhaka during a countrywide strike on Oct. 29. The Bangladesh Nationalist Party is protesting police action against its weekend rally and now aims to obstruct transportation for three days this week.
Politics

Bangladesh opposition attempts transport blockade in bid to oust Hasina

Experts say time running out to ease election tensions

31 October 2023
Supporters of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) throw objects at police during a clash in Dhaka on Oct. 28.
Politics

Bangladesh political rallies spark clashes as election tensions rise

Police disperse opposition event held on anniversary of pivotal 2006 violence

28 October 2023
Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, right, is pictured with her daughter Saima Wazed in 2018. Wazed is running to become the World Health Organization's regional director in South and Southeast Asia.
International relations

Bangladesh PM's daughter denies nepotism driving run for WHO post

Experts urge election transparency as outcome could affect health of billions

17 October 2023
Bangladesh's upcoming election is causing friction with the U.S., which has repeatedly expressed concern about the fairness of the polls.
International relations

Bangladesh-U.S. election rift widens over visas, envoy safety

Washington adds pressure for fair polls seen as 'Rubicon' moment for democracy

3 October 2023
A view of Hun Sen's Facebook page in 2016: The platform is allowing dictators to make public threats while getting other voices supressed.
Opinion

Imitators are adopting Chinese tactics to quash online critics

Allies like Cambodia and Bangladesh are deploying fake voices to drown out dissent

22 September 2023
Families of forced disappearance victims hold photos of the missing in Dhaka on June 25. (Photo courtesy of Maayer Daak)
Politics

Bangladesh disappearances may spike ahead of polls: rights groups

Government rejects link to abductions, torture and extrajudicial killings of critics

30 August 2023