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Bangladesh

The latest news, analysis and opinion on Bangladesh. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.

Capital

Dhaka

Head of State

President Mohammed Shahabuddin

Head of Government

Chief Adviser of the Interim Government Muhammad Yunus

A person carrying a bag walks by a Zara store in Plaza de Espana in Madrid, Spain. Photo: Reuters

US, Israel war on Iran

Iran war is tearing polyester fabric of fast fashion – and shoes could be next

Conflict-driven oil price spikes are straining Asia’s polyester supply chain, threatening higher costs for firms like Zara and H&M.

3 hours agovideocam

India

Chinese drone discovery sharpens focus on Asia’s undersea security race

24 Apr 2026 - 7:27PM

Malaysia

Bangladeshi YouTuber’s death sparks mourning amid Malaysia’s DUI crisis

24 Apr 2026 - 1:10PM

India

A Delhi-Dhaka thaw? India opens door to Sheikh Hasina extradition talks

The former Bangladeshi leader and close Indian ally remains ‘a strategic asset for Delhi’, an analyst says.

24 Apr 2026 - 3:44PMvideocam

Sheikh Hasina speaks to the media after casting her vote in Dhaka on January 7, 2024. Photo: AP

Food and agriculture

Asia braces for food shortages as ‘super El Nino’ and Iran war collide

A precarious planting season looms amid suppressed rainfall and soaring fertiliser costs threatening the region’s harvests.

22 Apr 2026 - 5:06PM

Malaysia

‘Some make it, some die’: why more Rohingya risk sea escapes to Malaysia

Dwindling food aid and growing desperation force thousands of refugees in Bangladesh to undertake perilous sea crossings to Southeast Asia.

21 Apr 2026 - 11:58AMvideocam

European Union

Europe running low on jet fuel, stoking fears of flight cancellations

IEA executive director Birol said the Hormuz blockade-induced energy crisis will hit nations including Japan, China and India harder.

16 Apr 2026 - 7:44PMvideocam

A plane passes behind kerosene storage facilities at Liege airport in Belgium on Thursday. Photo: EPA

Rohingya Muslims

Video | Hundreds missing after Rohingya boat sinks

Families fear for lives of hundreds missing after boat sinks in what the United Nations said was related to overcrowding and storms in the Andaman Sea.

16 Apr 2026 - 6:14PM

US, Israel war on Iran

Asia’s energy supply at breaking point as US blockades Hormuz

Nearly 90 per cent of the region’s crude oil is now at risk as stalled peace talks and a naval stand-off raise the spectre of stagflation.

14 Apr 2026 - 6:09PM

US, Israel war on Iran

UN warns 8 million in Asia-Pacific risk poverty if Iran war drags on

A new UNDP report has forecast job losses, crippling inflation and food insecurity, with the poorest nations brutally exposed to the oil shock.

14 Apr 2026 - 5:26PM

A farmer sprinkles fertiliser on crops in a field on the outskirts of Amritsar, India, on April 9. Experts have warned that the fertiliser crunch across Asia-Pacific may have lasting effects. Photo: AFP

The Philippines

Manila vs Hong Kong: the 2 sides of Asia’s housing affordability crisis

Asia is home to 60 per cent of the world’s slum dwellers and some of the planet’s most expensive real estate.

12 Apr 2026 - 4:00PMvideocam

Children walk through a flooded area in Baseco, one of the biggest slums in Manila, the Philippines. Photo: AFP

World Health Organization (WHO)

Vaccine coverage gaps spur Bangladesh’s deadly measles outbreak

Health authorities launched an emergency vaccine campaign on Sunday, with UN agencies aiming to protect more than 1.2 million children.

11 Apr 2026 - 7:18PM

Nepal

Nepal’s school fee crackdown upends South Asian private education norms

Nepal wants private schools to charge less and be more transparent. It could backfire, industry insiders say.

14 Apr 2026 - 9:15AM

India

Russia tempts energy-starved South Asia with 40% discounts on US-sanctioned LNG

China- and Russia-based intermediaries are reportedly also providing paperwork to make it appear that the fuel comes from legitimate sources.

9 Apr 2026 - 1:37PMvideocam

A tanker loads its cargo of liquefied natural gas from the Sakhalin-2 project in the port of Prigorodnoye, Russia, in October 2021. Photo: AP

Africa

Opinion | Beijing’s supply-chain hedging strategy can help African food security

While governments must avoid swapping one dependency for another, Beijing’s inroads could help enhance food security efforts.

8 Apr 2026 - 9:55PMvideocam

A worker turns excelsa coffee beans to dry near Nzara, South Sudan, on February 15, 2025. Photo: AP

Measles outbreak

Video | Measles outbreak spreads in Bangladesh

Nearly 100 children have died in recent weeks as the outbreak hits 30 regions.

8 Apr 2026 - 7:59PM

Health & Fitness

Bangladesh targets 1 million children for vaccination as measles spreads

Health ministry figures show 17 confirmed deaths, 113 suspected ‌deaths and over 7,500 suspected infections nationwide.

6 Apr 2026 - 7:27PMvideocam

US, Israel war on Iran

Fuel, food and fury: how the Iran war could topple South Asian governments

Analysts warn the crisis is threatening to spill over into wider economic and political instability.

5 Apr 2026 - 1:30PM

Police clash with activists during a protest against the arrest of former prime minister K.P. Sharma Oli in Kathmandu, Nepal, on March 29. Photo: EPA

Pakistan

Pakistan offers free public transport for 30 days following 40% petrol hike

The announcement of free travel for residents of Islamabad and Punjab came after people protested the steep rise in fuel prices.

4 Apr 2026 - 9:46AMvideocam

US, Israel war on Iran

War on Iran is about to make clothes more expensive. Here’s why

Rising freight and energy costs, plus a near-blockade on synthetic fibres, are pushing prices higher.

30 Mar 2026 - 8:00AMvideocam

World Health Organization (WHO)

Bangladesh recovers 24 bodies after bus plunges into river

The bus had around 50 passengers, many of whom managed to escape.

26 Mar 2026 - 5:56PM

Relatives of a victim mourn after a bus plunged into the Padma River while attempting to board a ferry in Rajbari, Bangladesh on Thursday. Photo: Reuters

Artificial intelligence

Opinion | Why Bangladesh could be last hurrah for Asia’s development model

The question is not if AI will eventually reach developing countries’ factories – it is whether anyone will build those factories at all.

26 Mar 2026 - 5:30AMvideocam

A worker sorts underwear in the packing section of a garment factory in Ashulia, on the outskirts of Dhaka, Bangladesh, on April 19, 2025. Photo: Reuters

Diplomacy

Opinion | Look East? South Asia’s fate is far more intertwined with Middle East

Beyond oil, remittances and cultural ties, trade and defence pacts in recent years have added to strategic and security interconnectedness.

24 Mar 2026 - 9:04AMvideocam

Climate change

Himalayan glacial loss threatens 2 billion as Asia’s ‘water tower’ shrinks

Conflicts, such as the Iran war, are diverting global attention away from the ecological crisis, scientists warn.

21 Mar 2026 - 3:00PM

India

India steps up regional energy diplomacy, supplies Bangladesh with diesel

Being a ‘first responder’ in the current energy crisis is in line with India’s ‘Neighbourhood First’ policy.

20 Mar 2026 - 8:52PMvideocam

Fuel nozzles at a Bharat Petroleum gas station in New Delhi. Photo: AFP

US, Israel war on Iran

Asia ramps up coal power generation to avoid soaring LNG costs amid Iran war

LNG prices have doubled to three-year highs as shipping through the Strait of Hormuz has all but stopped and Qatar halts shipments.

17 Mar 2026 - 6:48PM

Exhaust gases billow from the chimneys of the Taean Thermal Power Station in South Korea. Photo: AFP

Malaysia

Deal or no deal? Malaysia-US trade pact in turmoil after minister ‘misspeaks’

First, a minister called the deal dead. Then his ministry backtracked. Now the opposition is demanding answers.

16 Mar 2026 - 9:53PMvideocam

US, Israel war on Iran

No longer safe: Iran war puts 9 million Indian workers in the line of fire

As missiles fly, drone strikes from Dubai to Doha are shattering the illusion of safety for millions of Indian expats living in the Gulf.

14 Mar 2026 - 4:00PMvideocam

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Bangladesh

Iran war is tearing polyester fabric of fast fashion – and shoes could be next

Conflict-driven oil price spikes are straining Asia’s polyester supply chain, threatening higher costs for firms like Zara and H&M.

Chinese drone discovery sharpens focus on Asia’s undersea security race

Bangladeshi YouTuber’s death sparks mourning amid Malaysia’s DUI crisis

A Delhi-Dhaka thaw? India opens door to Sheikh Hasina extradition talks

The former Bangladeshi leader and close Indian ally remains ‘a strategic asset for Delhi’, an analyst says.

Asia braces for food shortages as ‘super El Nino’ and Iran war collide

A precarious planting season looms amid suppressed rainfall and soaring fertiliser costs threatening the region’s harvests.

‘Some make it, some die’: why more Rohingya risk sea escapes to Malaysia

Dwindling food aid and growing desperation force thousands of refugees in Bangladesh to undertake perilous sea crossings to Southeast Asia.

Europe running low on jet fuel, stoking fears of flight cancellations

IEA executive director Birol said the Hormuz blockade-induced energy crisis will hit nations including Japan, China and India harder.

.css-1t72pn8{color:#C79A00;}Video | Hundreds missing after Rohingya boat sinks

Families fear for lives of hundreds missing after boat sinks in what the United Nations said was related to overcrowding and storms in the Andaman Sea.

Asia’s energy supply at breaking point as US blockades Hormuz

Nearly 90 per cent of the region’s crude oil is now at risk as stalled peace talks and a naval stand-off raise the spectre of stagflation.

UN warns 8 million in Asia-Pacific risk poverty if Iran war drags on

A new UNDP report has forecast job losses, crippling inflation and food insecurity, with the poorest nations brutally exposed to the oil shock.

Manila vs Hong Kong: the 2 sides of Asia’s housing affordability crisis

Asia is home to 60 per cent of the world’s slum dwellers and some of the planet’s most expensive real estate.

Vaccine coverage gaps spur Bangladesh’s deadly measles outbreak

Health authorities launched an emergency vaccine campaign on Sunday, with UN agencies aiming to protect more than 1.2 million children.

Nepal’s school fee crackdown upends South Asian private education norms

Nepal wants private schools to charge less and be more transparent. It could backfire, industry insiders say.

Russia tempts energy-starved South Asia with 40% discounts on US-sanctioned LNG

China- and Russia-based intermediaries are reportedly also providing paperwork to make it appear that the fuel comes from legitimate sources.

.css-1pcrwvc{color:#2aa191;}Opinion | Beijing’s supply-chain hedging strategy can help African food security

While governments must avoid swapping one dependency for another, Beijing’s inroads could help enhance food security efforts.

Video | Measles outbreak spreads in Bangladesh

Nearly 100 children have died in recent weeks as the outbreak hits 30 regions.

Bangladesh targets 1 million children for vaccination as measles spreads

Health ministry figures show 17 confirmed deaths, 113 suspected ‌deaths and over 7,500 suspected infections nationwide.

Fuel, food and fury: how the Iran war could topple South Asian governments

Analysts warn the crisis is threatening to spill over into wider economic and political instability.

Pakistan offers free public transport for 30 days following 40% petrol hike

The announcement of free travel for residents of Islamabad and Punjab came after people protested the steep rise in fuel prices.

War on Iran is about to make clothes more expensive. Here’s why

Rising freight and energy costs, plus a near-blockade on synthetic fibres, are pushing prices higher.

Bangladesh recovers 24 bodies after bus plunges into river

The bus had around 50 passengers, many of whom managed to escape.

Opinion | Why Bangladesh could be last hurrah for Asia’s development model

The question is not if AI will eventually reach developing countries’ factories – it is whether anyone will build those factories at all.

Opinion | Look East? South Asia’s fate is far more intertwined with Middle East

Beyond oil, remittances and cultural ties, trade and defence pacts in recent years have added to strategic and security interconnectedness.

Himalayan glacial loss threatens 2 billion as Asia’s ‘water tower’ shrinks

Conflicts, such as the Iran war, are diverting global attention away from the ecological crisis, scientists warn.

India steps up regional energy diplomacy, supplies Bangladesh with diesel

Being a ‘first responder’ in the current energy crisis is in line with India’s ‘Neighbourhood First’ policy.

Asia ramps up coal power generation to avoid soaring LNG costs amid Iran war

LNG prices have doubled to three-year highs as shipping through the Strait of Hormuz has all but stopped and Qatar halts shipments.

Deal or no deal? Malaysia-US trade pact in turmoil after minister ‘misspeaks’

First, a minister called the deal dead. Then his ministry backtracked. Now the opposition is demanding answers.

No longer safe: Iran war puts 9 million Indian workers in the line of fire

As missiles fly, drone strikes from Dubai to Doha are shattering the illusion of safety for millions of Indian expats living in the Gulf.

Video | Hundreds missing after Rohingya boat sinks

Opinion | Beijing’s supply-chain hedging strategy can help African food security