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Adani Group Chairman Gautam Adani on Saturday met Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in Dhaka, following the full load commencement of power supply to Bangladesh from Adani Group’s Ultra Super-Critical Thermal Power Plant in Godda, India. The Godda USCTPP, which marks the Adani Group’s entry into transnational power projects, is India’s first commissioned transnational power project where 100% of the generated power is supplied to another nation, Adani Group said in a press statement. After the meeting, Gautam Adani tweeted: “Honoured to have met Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina on full load commencement and handover of the 1600 MW Ultra SuperCritical Godda Power Plant. I salute the dedicated teams from India and Bangladesh who braved COVID to commission the plant in a record time of three-and-a-half years.”Adani Power Jharkhand Ltd (APJL), a wholly owned subsidiary of Adani Power Ltd, completed the dependable capacity test for the Godda plant on 12 July. The dependable capacity test, a mandatory requirement under the power purchase agreement (PPA) with Bangladesh, was conducted over the stipulated period of six hours to evaluate the simultaneous functioning of both units of the plant after they began supplying electricity.

For the emerging megacities of Asia, the oil crisis that spread out from the Strait of Hormuz is like the acute phase of a chronic condition. The largest migration in human history is filling their streets and alleyways to bursting point.Urbanization and births will add a billion more people between now and 2050. Jakarta and Dhaka, with 42 million and 37 million people respectively, have overtaken Tokyo at 33 million as the world’s biggest metropolises.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Bangladesh will have a new prime minister on Tuesday, with Tarique Rahman of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) set to take the oath in Dhaka. Senior foreign representatives will attend the ceremony, including Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla from India.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. This week’s biggest headline is the elections in Bangladesh, which have brought the centre-right Bangladesh National Party (BNP) to power. The scale of the victory is striking: 212 seats out of the 300 contested directly in parliament, giving the party a clear two-thirds majority.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. As the US resets tariff terms with key Asian suppliers, India and Bangladesh are emerging with sharply different textile outcomes. On paper, Bangladesh appears to have secured the bigger win.

Reuters report.The massive, factory-sized system has reportedly been dubbed China’s “Manhattan Project”, a reference to the top-secret US effort during World War II to develop the atomic bomb ahead of Nazi Germany in the late 1930s and early 1940s.The development has profound implications for the global balance of technological and strategic power. At its core, it can dismantle the West’s near-monopoly over the production of the world’s most advanced chips—those that power AI systems, smartphones, and modern military platforms.A 2024 study by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute pointed to a “stunning shift in research leadership over the past two decades towards large economies in the Indo-Pacific, led by China’s exceptional gains.“The US led in 60 of 64 technologies in the five years from 2003 to 2007.

Humanity’s future lies in some of the most vulnerable spots on the planet. We’ve seen that in stark relief of late. A United Nations report last month concluded that the world’s population is increasingly crowded into a group of often low-lying, middle-income megacities in Asia and Africa.Jakarta and Dhaka dethroned Tokyo’s long-held status as the world’s biggest city, with 42 million, 37 million and 33 million people respectively.

The Starlink service will be unveiled at a government-backed investment summit that opens in Dhaka on Monday. «We granted them approval,» Chowdhury Ashik Mahmud, chairman of the Bangladesh Investment Development Authority, told reporters on Sunday. Mahmud said it was granted on March 28, several days before US President Donald Trump unveiled his wide-ranging tariff programme that sent global markets into a tailspin. The new tariff on Bangladesh goods was set at 37 percent, hiking duties from the previous 16 percent on cotton.

BIMSTEC Secretary General Indra Mani Pandey unveiled key outcomes, including the Bangkok Vision 2030 and underlined that the grouping is set to grow stronger by partnering with other external partners such as Indian Ocean Rim Association and ASEAN. In an online conference organised by Centre for Global India Insights (CGII), a think tank focused on global affairs, Pandey underscored the growing political will and commitment of member states to strengthening BIMSTEC, enhancing its effectiveness, and ensuring time-bound implementation of decisions. The conference, titled “Bolstering BIMSTEC: Mapping the Next Steps,” was held ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Bangkok to attend BIMSTEC summit and featured eminent diplomats and experts from India, Thailand Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh. Diplomats from other BIMSTEC countries also attended the conference. Besides BIMSTEC Secretary General Pandey, Sumith Nakandala, First Secretary General, BIMSTEC Secretariat; Amb. (Retd.) Riva Ganguly Das, India’s Former High Commissioner to Bangladesh; Prof Mustafizur Rahman, Distinguished Fellow, Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD), Dhaka; Dr. Piyanat Soikham, Director, India Studies Centre, Ubon Ratchathani University, Thailand; Prabir De, Professor, RIS; and Yash Pal Sachar, Vice-President, Ashok Leyland participated in the panel discussion. The conference was moderated by Manish Chand, CEO, Centre for Global India Insights. “Our leaders will adopt a joint declaration. They will also adopt a BIMSTEC Bangkok Vision 2030. This is for the first time that BIMSTEC will adopt its own vision document,” said Pandey.

Indian billionaire Gautam Adani’s power generation unit resumed full electricity supply to the nation, four months after halving the feed over unpaid dues. “We’re making regular payments to Adani and receiving power as per our requirements,” Rezaul Karim, chairman of Bangladesh Power Development Board, said on Thursday. He didn’t specify the quantum of payments and whether past arrears have been cleared. Data from BPDB shows Adani increased power supply more than two weeks ago.

Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant in Bangladesh being built with Russian assistance in what is next step in building this power plant. An important process stage of the turbine installation has been completed at Rooppur NPP Unit 1 in Bangladesh (the general designer and general contractor is Rosatom State Corporation Engineering Division). This resulted in the turbine set placement on the barring gear. During the tests, the turbine shaft started rotating at a slow speed. The barring gear ensures correct alignment and balancing of the turbine rotor before the start-up and shutdown, which prevents the turbine components form wearing and ensures safe and efficient work. The experts carried out control checks that confirmed accuracy of the alignment and high quality of assembly of the turbine set. “Installation of the turbine at Rooppur NPP Unit 1 has been completed successfully and this is an important step to the physical start-up of the plant. The turbine set placement on the barring gear and successful control checks confirm accuracy of the assembly and reliability of the equipment. This result is an accomplishment of a highly qualified team of specialists and another evidence of the reliability of Russian technologies”, noted Alexey Deriy, Atomstroyexport JSC Vice President for Projects in Bangladesh.

Muhammad Yunus is due in China on Wednesday at the start of a four-day visit during which he is expected to seek financial support and sign MoUs to boost his country’s sagging economy amid dwindling support from the US under President Donald Trump. India will keep a close watch if Yunus agrees to any Chinese military presence particularly in any airfield closer to the border area. Additional Chinese support for Bangladesh armed forces and any enhanced Chinese military presence in the Bay of Bengal will also be closely monitored, according to Bangladesh watchers. Yunus will attend the Boao Forum for Asia (BFA) Annual Conference 2025 in Boao, Hainan province, and hold bilateral talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping on March 28. Boosting economic relations with China will be a central focus of this visit, sources in Dhaka said. Yunus will later speak at Peking University, where he will reportedly be presented with an honorary doctorate. China, while engaged with Dhaka under the Hasina government and earlier with the BNP regime, is keen to keep Yunus in good humour for its economic and strategic interests in the Bay of Bengal region. As per a report in Bangladesh’s leading English newspaper The Daily Star, China and Bangladesh are planning to sign at least eight MoUs on trade, culture, upgrading Mongla Port and water management. The Sheikh Hasina government had given India access to the Mongla Port.

extremism in Bangladesh under the Muhammad Yunus regime. “Fortunately, we have an administration and a secretary of state who is completely committed to diplomatic resolutions, to face-to-face conversations with our friends around the world,” a US state department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said on Monday in reply to a question on Bangladesh army chief’s warning of an imminent extremist attack on Bangladesh as well as unlawful imprisonment of journalists under the Yunus regime. “We expect every country, certainly Bangladesh and others, to say the least, to follow the rules of human rights and to be cognizant and fair regarding the behaviour and what their own citizens expect from their government. So, I think that’s a north star for any nation,” she said. Last week, US director of national intelligence Tulsi Gabbard had expressed her concerns over attacks on minorities in Bangladesh and is understood to have had detailed conversations with Indian officials on the Bangladesh situation. Foreign minister S Jaishankar on Saturday said the government is working on various mechanisms to draw the attention of Bangladeshi authorities on the issue of atrocities on minorities.

conflicts in the Indo-Mediterranean. In Afghanistan the Taliban has completely taken over the country and has launched a diplomatic offensive to gain international acceptance. However, they have disenfranchised the female population banning women from working and studying. Female Afghan citizens find themselves locked in their houses, at the mercy of a regime which gives them no rights, not to mention religious minorities who have left the country. It is not much better in Pakistan, Afghan refugees are being deported to the clutches of the Taliban in the middle of a harsh winter, as the world is distracted from the conflicts of the day. Violence against minority Hindu’s, Christians andAhmadiyya’s is on the rise as Pakistan veers from one political crisis to another. Similar horrifying stories are being told after a regime change in Bangladesh recently saw Nobel Laureate Mohamed Yunus replace elected leader Shiekh Hasina in Dhaka. Hindus, Buddhists, Christians are being singled out and targeted, their businesses destroyed, their leaders arrested on trumped up charges. From the Indian Ocean to the Mediterranean, the story repeats itself in Syria where Muslim brotherhood inspired HTS replaced the gruesome Assad regime. Minorities including Kurds, Alawites, Shi’a don’t accept the new regime’s impositions finding themselves dealing with a new government that they fear will be more brutal than the one it replaced. Apart from religious and ethnic minorities it is the vulnerable groups, the women and children that suffer the most from these radical groups seizing power.

French Embassy in Dhaka has strongly denied allegations that it supported the Bangladesh interim government's criticism of former US Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard. The embassy called the claims «ridiculous, baseless and intellectually weak.» Reacting to a post on social media, the French Embassy in Dhaka stated, «How ridiculous, baseless and intellectually weak statement @kawsarc @mainul_haque @carmel_trish.» The post has been deleted after it went viral.

Issues related to bilateral interest will be discussed in the meeting between Yunus and Xi, Alam said. Dhaka wants to take its relations with Beijing to a new height aiming to turn Bangladesh into a manufacturing hub, he said. «They (China) think that this would be the most important visit by the Bangladeshi leader,» Alam added. «On March 27, Yunus will address the Boao Forum for Asia (BFA) conference focusing on the changing role of Asia in the world,» he said.

A 21-member Bangladeshi delegation, including politicians, student leaders, and scholars, recently toured China (Feb 25–Mar 6) at Beijing’s invitation, Global Times reported. The group was reportedly wowed by China’s tech and infrastructure, and many now see the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) as key to Bangladesh’s economic future. They visited top Chinese firms like BYD and LONGi, soaking in China’s modernization drive. It should be noted that China agreed in principle to extend Bangladesh’s loan repayment period and is reviewing a request to lower interest rates, Dhaka Tribune reported. Bangladesh urged China to reduce interest rates from 2-3% to 1%, waive off the commitment fee, and extend loan repayment terms from 20 to 30 years for Preferential Buyer’s Credit (PBC) and Government Concessional Loans (GCL).

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Kolkata: As the sun set on Marquis Street in Kolkata, Mohammad Mazurul Islam, 75, and his wife Rashida Begum, 56, strolled around to check if they had missed out on buying any item from the list that they had made to take back home. They make two annual visits to the city for health checkups, and shop for themselves and their families.

Pakistan's cargo ship will soon reach Bangladesh's Mongla Port in 53 years. By allowing Pakistani ships to dock at its ports, Bangladesh's interim government is sending a a clear message to India. The erstwhile Sheikh Hasina government had given India access to Bangladesh's Chittagong and Mongla Ports to bolster sub-regional connectivity. Pakistan flagged carrier vessel, loaded with 25 metric tonnes of rice, left Karachi's Qasim port a few days ago and is expected to anchor at Chittagong Port this week, according to persons familiar with Pakistan-Bangladesh ties. After unloading 60% of the cargo (rice) at Chittagong, the vessel with the remaining quantity of rice will move towards Mongla, claimed one of the persons.

Amartya Sen said his friend Muhammad Yunus, chief adviser of the neighbouring country's interim government, is taking significant steps but has a long road ahead to resolve the impasse. Sen said the situation in Bangladesh had deeply affected him and he was concerned about how the country would navigate the challenges. In an exclusive interview with PTI at his Santiniketan home in West Bengal's Birbhum district, Sen emphasised that Bangladesh, which has largely kept communal forces like Jamaat in check, should continue its admirable commitment to secularism. «The situation in Bangladesh affects me deeply because I have a strong Bengali sense of identity,» Sen told PTI.

Sheikh Hasina last summer are now diving into politics by forming the new National Citizen Party. The aim is to create new political space in a fiercely divisive dynastic political landscape. For decades, the country's politics have been dominated by two former prime ministers and archrivals — Sheikh Hasina and Khaleda Zia. The announcement came Friday at a rally in front of Parliament in Dhaka, during which political reforms were promised for a country born in 1971 through a bloody war against Pakistan.