Politics

Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina shaking hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing in July 2019.
International relations

India wary of China setting up Bangladesh missile maintenance hub

Beijing 'crossing a line' as it deepens defense ties with old ally of New Delhi

11 March 2022
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her government have been tightening social media controls since 2018. (Nikkei montage/Reuters/Akira Kodaka)
Politics

Bangladesh tightens grip on Facebook, Twitter and other platforms

Next salvo would compel social media players to hand over user details

9 September 2021
Bangladesh has ample electric power for now but wants to add more renewables to its energy mix of the future.
International relations

Bangladesh scraps plans for 10 coal-fired power plants

Projects involving China, Japan and others axed due to environmental concerns

8 July 2021
The Karnaphuli underwater tunnel project in Chittagong, Bangladesh, has been funded by China, which recently said it would not fund at least two rail projects in the country.
Belt and Road

Belt and Road projects in limbo as Bangladesh cuts budgets

China withdraws infrastructure funding after Dhaka trims proposed costs

28 June 2021
Bangladesh's image has drastically changed after a decade of strong economic growth.
Economy

Bangladesh helps out cash-strapped Sri Lanka with $200m loan

Former recipient of major foreign aid, Dhaka now has money to lend

7 June 2021
Bangladeshi Foreign Minister A. K. Abdul Momen, left, with Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in 2019: Momen has lashed out at remarks from Beijing's ambassador in Dhaka.
11 May 2021
Bangladesh is turning to Chia for the Sinopharm vaccine, left, and to Russia for Sputnik jabs as India deals with its own corona crisis. (Source photos by Reuters and Getty Images)
Coronavirus

India COVID spike pushes Bangladesh to tap Sputnik and Sinopharm

Russia and China step up as New Delhi uses vaccines for its own population

7 May 2021
Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, pictured in September 2018: she would be loath to trigger passionate sentiments among religious factions.
Opinion

Is Bangladesh moving to normalize relations with Israel?

Increased cooperation offers clear benefits for both countries

1 March 2021
India has allowed transit by rail of Bangladeshi fertilizer to Nepal as it mends relations with its Himalayan neighbor. (Source photo by Reuters)
Trade

India mends Nepal ties with transit of Bangladeshi fertilizer

New Delhi improves regional connectivity as it normalizes neighbor relations

19 February 2021
Rohingya Muslims fear that the military, which drove them out of Rakhine State in 2017, will continue to persecute them if they return. (Source photos by Reuters)
Myanmar Crisis

Rohingya Muslims fear repatriation to Myanmar after coup

Bangladesh, keen to send refugees back, wants to continue talks with Naypyitaw

10 February 2021
A street vendor hawks fresh bank notes, in high demand, ahead of the Eid festival, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on May 24, 2020.
Economy

Bangladesh scores $1.2bn through tax amnesty offer

COVID also helps as it prevents cheaters from sheltering cash overseas

4 February 2021
Rohingya refugees sit on wooden benches on the deck of a navy vessel sailing to the Bhasan Char island, Noakhali district, Bangladesh, on Dec. 20, 2020.
Politics

Bangladesh sends more Rohingya to remote island

More than 1,400 Myanmar refugees set sail for vulnerable Bay of Bengal isle

30 January 2021
Transparency International says the Philippines, ranked 115th for perceived corruption, has responded to COVID-19 with "abusive enforcement, and major violations of human rights and media freedom."
Coronavirus

Corruption deepens COVID impact in developing Asia: report

Singapore is region's only country in Transparency International's clean top 10

28 January 2021
Prime Minister Narendra Modi attends the launch of the pan-India COVID-19 vaccination drive via video conference in New Delhi on Jan. 16. (Photo courtesy of Government of India)
Coronavirus

Vaccine diplomacy: Indian supplies reach Bangladesh and Nepal

New Delhi's aid shipments come amid China's own COVID outreach to the region

21 January 2021
A boy carries a bag of onions at a food distribution center at a Rohingya refugee camp near Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh: The WFP's efforts have been hit by COVID-19. (Photo by Yuji Kuronuma)
Coronavirus

Food insecure Asians doubled to 265m in 2020: UN report

World Food Program faces budget pinch as governments face 'harsh reality'

21 January 2021
An air service agreement between Bangladesh and the U.S. is just one sign of growing relations between the countries. (Source photo by Reuters) 
International relations

US rush to Bangladesh revs up economic race with China

Washington signs air pact with Dhaka to further Indo-Pacific agenda

6 October 2020
Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina received a call from the U.S. Secretary of Defense Mark Esper earlier this month, offering to help the South Asian country modernize its military by 2030. (Nikkei montage/Source photos by Akira Kodaka and Reuters)
International relations

US uses defense diplomacy to woo Bangladesh away from China

Washington sees Dhaka as an 'emerging' ally in its Indo-Pacific strategy

22 September 2020
Rohingya refugees rest after the boat carrying them landed in Lhokseumawe, Aceh province, Indonesia, on Sep. 7: this is sadly nothing new.
Opinion

Rohingya are being left to die at sea. Does anyone care?

Asia's governments must put politics aside to protect the lives of desperate people

16 September 2020
India, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, pictured at top left, and China under President Xi Jinping, lower right, are seeking to cement closer ties with Bangladesh through delivery of coronavirus vaccines. (Nikkei montage/Source photos by Reuters and AFP/Jiji)
International relations

China and India vie for clout in Bangladesh with COVID vaccines

Russia also seeks a foothold as powers jockey for geopolitical influence

4 September 2020
Foreign workers on a construction site in Ahmadi, Kuwait, are threatened not only by COVID-19 but also potentially by unemployment in a draft law. 
International relations

Kuwaiti dream of cutting foreign workers threatens Indians most

Fewer jobs, cheaper oil and COVID-19 may reduce Filipinos and Pakistanis as well

13 August 2020
Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wazed is welcomed by President Xi Jinping to Beijing's Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in July 2019.
International relations

China's economic clout chills Bangladesh-India relations

Dhaka warned against becoming a theater for proxy wars between regional powers

11 August 2020
The coronavirus has devastated Bangladesh, but the nation, considered among the world's most corrupt, has also harmed itself with a fake negative test scandal.
Coronavirus

Bangladesh fears loss of trust amid fake coronavirus test scandal

Italy, Japan, China and South Korea stop flights as scam's repercussions hit

28 July 2020
An LNG transport vessel. The power plant project is the first out Dhaka is the first one in the country that has received Japanese backing.
Energy

Bangladesh LNG power plant backed by $645m in Japanese lending

Public and private financing to support project part-owned by JERA

15 July 2020
Confirmed COVID-19 cases and deaths have been lower in Bangladesh’s Rohingya refugee camps than in surrounding host communities. (Photo by Mohamad Hafiz Johari)
Asia Insight

Rohingya scapegoated as Bangladesh battles COVID-19

Pandemic threatens aid to both poor host communities and refugees

7 July 2020
The coronavirus pandemic has resulted in new opportunities for corruption in Bangladesh. (Source photos by Reuters and EPA/Jiji)
Politics

Bangladesh dirty money fight complicated by coronavirus twist

Overcharging for essential medical equipment scars Hasina's anti-graft campaign

21 June 2020