BANGLADESH

BANGLADESH

There’s national identity, pride and protest in celebrating Pahela Baishakh


Pahela Baishakh, the traditional New Year, is a part of our economic history and it is a regional event too. It’s celebrated wherever monsoon comes in our region. It’s celebrated in Punjab, in our Bengal and... More

India to invest $10bn in Bangladesh power and energy sector


India is going to invest nearly $10 billion in Bangladesh’s power and energy sector. A total of 13 MoUs and deals were signed at a business forum in Delhi on 10 April when Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina attended the business... More

Bangladesh executes three Islamists for 2004 attack on British envoy


Bangladesh executed an Islamist militant leader and two of his aides on Wednesday for a grenade attack on the British ambassador in 2004, a senior prison official said, days after the president turned down... More

Qawmi education recognized in Bangladesh


Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina declared the recognition of certificates of Dawrae Hadith under Qawmi Madrasa Education Board as equivalent to Masters Degree in Islamic Studies and Arabic. Sheikh Hasina made the announcement at a... More

PM Hasina rejects Mamata’s alternative Teesta plan


The much-awaited Teesta river water sharing agreement remained in limbo even as Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina wrapped up her India visit on Monday with hopes of signing the pact at the “soonest.” Earlier,... More

TIB for talks about Bangladesh-India deals in parliament


Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) said all the agreements, including those signed with India during the prime minister’s ongoing visit, should be placed in Parliament for discussion. “Even it’s not enough to inform parliament about the... More

Hasina cements her ties with India but brings back little for...


Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s four-day visit to India appears to have been personally gratifying for her in so far as her vibes with Prime Minister Narendra Modi are concerned, especially in regard to... More

USIP Research Report: Bangladesh 2014 election most violent in country’s history


General election held in January 5, 2014 is the most violent and hostile election in Bangladesh history, according to research published by influential American organization USIP- United States Institutes of Peace. The report was... More

Mamata offers alternatives to Teesta


There had been hopes of positive talks about Teesta between Bangladesh’s prime minister and West Bengal’s chief minister, but Chief Minster Mamata finally refused to relent on the issue of sharing Teesta waters. Instead,... More

India woos Bangladesh with defence and trade


The defence deal signed between India and Bangladesh would be guided by Bangladesh's needs and priorities, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Saturday as he announced the USD 500 million credit line for defence... More

Modi-Hasina a new spring in bilateral ties!


Strange as it may sound, the number 22 may have something to do with Narendra Modi's handling of Bangladesh. Twenty two agreements and MOUs were signed when Modi visited Dhaka in June 2015 --... More

Half of US$1bn Indian credit to BD in 2010 unused


Bangladesh has only been able to utilize 50 percent of the US$1.04 billion Indian credit provided in 2010. And it hasn’t even touched the US$ 2 billion provided in a second phase in March... More

BD-India to sign defence MOUs, despite doubts in Dhaka 


Dhaka and New Delhi are set to sign a large-scale defence cooperation deal under the cover of Memorandum of Understandings (MoUs) during Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s four-day visit to India, which has begun... More

2 million in Bangladesh to benefit from China-built water treatment plant


Residents of Bangladesh's coastal Khulna city is largely dependent on groundwater but during the summer months the water level falls drastically. In addition to this, people in the southwestern region of the country have been... More

We want India’s friendship, not domination: Manna


There are many unresolved issues with India that need to be addressed before reaching any defence agreement during the upcoming visit to India by Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Bangladesh seeks friendship from India,... More

Dangers and dilemmas of Bangladesh-India defence deal


With a possible defense deal between Bangladesh and India in the pipeline, stakeholders on both sides of the border wait with bated breath to see what actually materializes. The forthcoming India visit of Bangladesh’s... More

‘India cannot ignore our rights to Teesta water’


Prominent Bangladeshi hydrology expert Dr Ainun Nishat sits down with the Dhaka Tribune to discuss the much-talked-about issue of sharing Teesta water between Bangladesh and India. Excerpts: Q: As we have learnt, the Teesta Water... More

BD opposition BNP’s Monirul wins Comilla city polls


Bangladesh opposition BNP candidate Monirul Haque Sakku won the Comilla City Corporation mayoral polls despite alleged ballot-stuffing in at least a dozen polling centres by supporters of his main challenger from the Awami League... More

India-Bangladesh: What to Expect During Prime Minister Hasina’s Visit?


After a long delay of seven years and some postponements, the Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina, will finally pay an official visit to India. This visit - scheduled for 7-10 April 2017 -... More

Bangladesh Bank heist was ‘state-sponsored’: U.S. official


The heist of $81 million from the Bangladesh central bank's account at the New York Federal Reserve last year was "state-sponsored," an FBI officer in the Philippines, who has been involved in the investigations,... More

Anti-terror steps should not restrict freedom: UN


The UN Human Rights Committee has urged Bangladesh to make sure that counterterrorism measures were not used to restrict freedom of expression and opinion of journalists and human rights defenders. Report UNB. The committee in... More

COLUMN

Make-believe democracy

Such is the terror of possible retribution by those in governance that even a man of AD Khawaja’s conscience and inherent integrity finds it impossible as IG Police Sindh to function unless he “unscrupulously” implements “Zardari’s law” in Sindh. Khawaja having neglected to adhere to some of... More

The lady and the generals are learning...

In the last few weeks there has been growing speculation that Myanmar’s military leaders are planning a possible coup if the country’s new democratic government, led by the charismatic democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi, continues to falter. Many Myanmar analysts and commentators are finding fault with... More

Punish the real culprit(s)!

Facing the storm unleashed by the leaking of the Cyril Almeida story, “Act Against Militants or Face International Isolation, Civilians Tell Military,” the Nawaz Sharif government labelled it as being ‘fabricated and planted.” The PM Office’s initial statement about DawnLeaks that “evidence available so far points to... More

Economic migration: Why flee from an emerging...

Bangladesh has been a top performing economy in Asia, averaging a 6 % + growth rate largely driven by exports, particularly the garments sector, for almost a decade.  Problems do remain though and the World Economic Forum has suggested that better infrastructure, less bureaucratic hassle and less... More

Repeal AFSPA in India

The draconian Indian law, Armed Forces Special Powers Act or AFSPA, has wiped out the human face of counter-insurgency in the country’s many conflict zones. Just see the Bollywood film "Haider" and you know how AFSPA is misused in places like Kashmir. Often it leads to “use... More

EDITOR'S CHOICE

No easy refuge from death row for Kulbhushan Jadhav

The movie version of this script, we’re all familiar with: “no, your honour”, shouts the lawyer, the mother tears up, the judge bangs his gavel in approval and the hero walks off death row.... More

Network is the key

Official India has turned its back on China’s celebration of President Xi Jinping’s “Belt and Road Initiative” (BRI) this week in Beijing. Some in Beijing and Delhi have warned India against isolating itself amidst... More

Regional connectivity projects can support India’s ambitions

India's Army Chief General Bipin Rawat has called for an increased defense budget and insists the country should look for new allies to deal with its neighbors along the northern and western borders, according... More

Returning the award

My friends in Bangladesh are insisting that I explain why I am returning the award bestowed upon my father Professor Waris Mir in 2013 by Sheikh Hasina Wazed. There have been many comments about... More

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READER'S VIEW

Reaction to “Behind Hasina’s RAW tirade”

David Bergman, British investigative journalist based in Bangladesh, commented on a recently published column of South Asian Monitor titled "SOUTHERN EYE: Behind Hasina’s RAW tirade" in his facebook profile. "This is a fascinating and detailed article... More

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