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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

Sheikh Hasina

Bangladesh’s Sheikh Hasina vows to return despite believing she ‘may be killed’

The ex-prime minister sidesteps the question of her return to politics, saying: ‘Power is not my destination. Service to the people is’.

1 hour ago

Asean

Asian scam gangs snare educated English speakers with fake job ads: UN agency

4 hours agovideocam

India

Opinion | How China and the US are sidelining India in its own neighbourhood

28 Jul 2026 - 4:51AM

Myanmar

Video | Rohingyas risk deadly voyages as trafficking surges

One in seven of the Rohingya people who headed to sea hoping to escape poor conditions of the world’s largest refugee camp in Bangladesh was reported missing or dead in 2025.

26 Jul 2026 - 9:00AM

This photograph taken on June 20, 2026 shows Rohingya refugee Rahela Begum, who spent two days and a night adrift in the Andaman Sea clinging to a wooden plank before being rescued, crying during an interview with AFP at Kutupalong refugee camp in Bangladesh’s Cox’s Bazar. Thousands of Rohingya have tried in recent years to leave Cox’s Bazar, where more than a million refugees forced to flee war-torn Myanmar’s Rakhine state live in squalid conditions. (Photo by Munir UZ ZAMAN / AFP)

Myanmar

Video | 500 feared dead in Myanmar smuggler boat tragedy

The UN confirmed many passengers were Rohingya refugees fleeing camps in Bangladesh.

24 Jul 2026 - 9:48PM

Protests around the world

Bangladesh president quits, leaving Hasina isolated ahead of return from exile

Mohammed Shahabuddin was pressured to step aside because of his long-standing ties to the former prime minister, sources say.

24 Jul 2026 - 2:07PM

Asia elections

Sheikh Hasina’s return bid threatens to upend Bangladeshi politics

The ousted leader, who has been sentenced to death, plans a December homecoming in a high-stakes bid to resurrect her banned party.

16 Jul 2026 - 7:30PMvideocam

Sheikh Hasina, Bangladesh's then prime minister, attends a security conference in Munich in 2024. Photo: dpa

Myanmar

Rohingya refugees among over 500 feared dead after Myanmar boats capsize

The UN said the incidents highlighted the plight of Rohingya, calling for enhanced rescue and anti-trafficking efforts.

25 Jul 2026 - 6:36AMvideocam

Crime

Don’t buy brides, China’s Bangladesh embassy warns as trafficking surges

Officials warn Chinese citizens of a spike in international marriage scams and the risk of prosecution.

15 Jul 2026 - 5:42PMvideocam

Science

Active fault line threatens world’s biggest hydropower project: Chinese geologists

New analysis brings call for slope reinforcement for massive mega-dam project in Tibet to mitigate risks of landslides and collapses.

9 Jul 2026 - 12:15PMvideocam

An aerial view of a section of the Yarlung Tsangpo. Construction started on the mega-dam project in July last year. Photo: China News Service/VCG via Getty Images

India

Opinion | To boost manufacturing, India need not choose between Japan and China

Without Chinese suppliers on the ground, potential Japanese investments will struggle to reach the scale or speed the moment demands.

7 Jul 2026 - 5:40PM

India

India-Bangladesh ties ease with visa restart amid China concerns

Analysts say Dhaka will have to be prudent as it tries to secure Chinese investment to boost its economy while managing India’s security concerns.

3 Jul 2026 - 6:52PM

Japan

‘My dream is broken’: foreign business owners in Japan lament new visa rules

Japan’s business manager visa holders surged to 46,000 by mid-2025 – up 70 per cent from 2020. About half were Chinese nationals.

3 Jul 2026 - 5:25PMvideocam

US-China relations

Xi Jinping meets foreign leaders: tracker, June 2026

Chinese President Xi Jinping has met more than 20 world leaders this year, reflecting Beijing’s increasing global influence.

1 Jul 2026 - 11:36AM

North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un and Chinese President Xi Jinping. Photo: KCNA via AP

Sheikh Hasina

Sheikh Hasina vows to return to Bangladesh ‘this year’ despite death sentence

This is the first time the former prime minister has given a schedule for her return since fleeing to India in August 2024.

29 Jun 2026 - 11:36AM

Sheikh Hasina speaks to the media a day after she won the parliamentary elections in Dhaka on January 8, 2024. Photo: AFP

Malaysia

Bangladesh urges Malaysia to ease labour hiring curbs amid exploitation concerns

Both sides seek to ensure that the hiring process for Bangladeshi workers is transparent to protect their interests.

22 Jun 2026 - 7:44PM

SCMP Highlights

Korean’s racist World Cup experience, India’s military revamp: 7 Asia highlights

From Lawrence Wong’s trip to Russia to a racist encounter at the World Cup, here are a few highlights from SCMP’s recent Asia reporting.

16 Jun 2026 - 2:33PM

India

Could India’s Cockroach Janta Party spark South Asia’s next youth uprising?

Analysts say the satirical party reflects real discontent but remains far from matching the movements that toppled neighbouring governments.

14 Jun 2026 - 4:00PMvideocam

A participant wearing a cockroach mask takes part in a nationwide protest campaign launched by Abhijeet Dipke, founder of the Cockroach Janta Party, in Pune, India, on Thursday. Photo: AP

Malaysia

Why Bangladesh’s new PM is visiting Malaysia and China before India

Analysts view the decision to prioritise Kuala Lumpur and Beijing as practical rather than a direct snub of New Delhi.

13 Jun 2026 - 1:30PMvideocam

India

Bangladesh, India pledge closer border cooperation amid migration row

Dhaka has accused Indian authorities of attempting to ‌force migrants across the border without due process.

12 Jun 2026 - 3:33PMvideocam

Malaysia

‘We drank seawater’: a refugee’s journey from Myanmar to Malaysia

A Rohingya woman recalls her days adrift at sea and the legal limbo that has defined the 16 years since she reached Malaysia’s shores.

7 Jun 2026 - 1:30PMvideocam

A wooden boat carrying Rohingya migrants is detained in Malaysian territorial waters off the island of Langkawi, in 2020. Photo: Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency/AP

India-Pakistan tensions

Letters | Reforms are a band-aid solution to water woes of downstream countries

Readers discuss the necessity of enforceable laws for rivers, Hong Kong’s pivot to Central Asia, and Chinese tourists’ safety fears.

6 Jun 2026 - 11:30AM

People gather along the Indus River near Hyderabad, Sindh province, Pakistan on May 1, 2025. Photo: EPA-EFE

Disease

Bangladesh faces further measles risk due to lack of vaccinations, travel

Nearly 600 people have died from the disease, with over 60,000 suspected cases in the country since mid-March.

3 Jun 2026 - 12:07AM

SCMP Highlights

Japan’s Russia concern, firms pick Malaysia over Singapore: 7 Asia highlights

From Japan’s concerns about Russian military activity to moon bears freed in Laos, here are a few highlights from SCMP’s recent Asia reporting.

2 Jun 2026 - 1:08PM

Middle East

Outside In | How Trump’s war on Iran is jeopardising Asia’s remittance lifeline

In Gulf economies, lost migrant jobs and remittances risk plunging millions across Asia into crisis.

29 May 2026 - 4:30PM

Workers take a break with the city skyline of Dubai seen in the background on March 11. Photo: AFP

India

Policy pivot? India watchful as Bangladesh engages Pakistan

Analysts say the new government in Dhaka is trying a ‘balancing act’ in the region that could signal more businesslike ties with its neighbours.

28 May 2026 - 8:13PM

Bangladeshi Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s government has moved to reset diplomatic ties with India after an extended period of strain. Photo: AFP

Donald Trump

Celebrity ‘Trump’ buffalo spared sacrifice, sent to Bangladesh zoo

The animal with a blond hairdo said to resemble the US president’s signature look was saved just hours before it was set to be slaughtered.

28 May 2026 - 12:46AMvideocam

CSD

Bangladesh probes hospital deaths of 6 newborns

Air conditioning in the ward where the babies were was not working in the early hours on Wednesday.

28 May 2026 - 12:00PMvideocam

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Bangladesh

Bangladesh’s Sheikh Hasina vows to return despite believing she ‘may be killed’

The ex-prime minister sidesteps the question of her return to politics, saying: ‘Power is not my destination. Service to the people is’.

Asian scam gangs snare educated English speakers with fake job ads: UN agency

.css-1pcrwvc{color:#2aa191;}Opinion | How China and the US are sidelining India in its own neighbourhood

.css-1f6sr3w{color:#727272;}Video | Rohingyas risk deadly voyages as trafficking surges

One in seven of the Rohingya people who headed to sea hoping to escape poor conditions of the world’s largest refugee camp in Bangladesh was reported missing or dead in 2025.

Video | 500 feared dead in Myanmar smuggler boat tragedy

The UN confirmed many passengers were Rohingya refugees fleeing camps in Bangladesh.

Bangladesh president quits, leaving Hasina isolated ahead of return from exile

Mohammed Shahabuddin was pressured to step aside because of his long-standing ties to the former prime minister, sources say.

Sheikh Hasina’s return bid threatens to upend Bangladeshi politics

The ousted leader, who has been sentenced to death, plans a December homecoming in a high-stakes bid to resurrect her banned party.

Rohingya refugees among over 500 feared dead after Myanmar boats capsize

The UN said the incidents highlighted the plight of Rohingya, calling for enhanced rescue and anti-trafficking efforts.

Don’t buy brides, China’s Bangladesh embassy warns as trafficking surges

Officials warn Chinese citizens of a spike in international marriage scams and the risk of prosecution.

Active fault line threatens world’s biggest hydropower project: Chinese geologists

New analysis brings call for slope reinforcement for massive mega-dam project in Tibet to mitigate risks of landslides and collapses.

Opinion | To boost manufacturing, India need not choose between Japan and China

Without Chinese suppliers on the ground, potential Japanese investments will struggle to reach the scale or speed the moment demands.

India-Bangladesh ties ease with visa restart amid China concerns

Analysts say Dhaka will have to be prudent as it tries to secure Chinese investment to boost its economy while managing India’s security concerns.

‘My dream is broken’: foreign business owners in Japan lament new visa rules

Japan’s business manager visa holders surged to 46,000 by mid-2025 – up 70 per cent from 2020. About half were Chinese nationals.

Xi Jinping meets foreign leaders: tracker, June 2026

Chinese President Xi Jinping has met more than 20 world leaders this year, reflecting Beijing’s increasing global influence.

Sheikh Hasina vows to return to Bangladesh ‘this year’ despite death sentence

This is the first time the former prime minister has given a schedule for her return since fleeing to India in August 2024.

Bangladesh urges Malaysia to ease labour hiring curbs amid exploitation concerns

Both sides seek to ensure that the hiring process for Bangladeshi workers is transparent to protect their interests.

Korean’s racist World Cup experience, India’s military revamp: 7 Asia highlights

From Lawrence Wong’s trip to Russia to a racist encounter at the World Cup, here are a few highlights from SCMP’s recent Asia reporting.

Could India’s Cockroach Janta Party spark South Asia’s next youth uprising?

Analysts say the satirical party reflects real discontent but remains far from matching the movements that toppled neighbouring governments.

Why Bangladesh’s new PM is visiting Malaysia and China before India

Analysts view the decision to prioritise Kuala Lumpur and Beijing as practical rather than a direct snub of New Delhi.

Bangladesh, India pledge closer border cooperation amid migration row

Dhaka has accused Indian authorities of attempting to ‌force migrants across the border without due process.

‘We drank seawater’: a refugee’s journey from Myanmar to Malaysia

A Rohingya woman recalls her days adrift at sea and the legal limbo that has defined the 16 years since she reached Malaysia’s shores.

Letters | Reforms are a band-aid solution to water woes of downstream countries

Readers discuss the necessity of enforceable laws for rivers, Hong Kong’s pivot to Central Asia, and Chinese tourists’ safety fears.

Bangladesh faces further measles risk due to lack of vaccinations, travel

Nearly 600 people have died from the disease, with over 60,000 suspected cases in the country since mid-March.

Japan’s Russia concern, firms pick Malaysia over Singapore: 7 Asia highlights

From Japan’s concerns about Russian military activity to moon bears freed in Laos, here are a few highlights from SCMP’s recent Asia reporting.

Outside In | How Trump’s war on Iran is jeopardising Asia’s remittance lifeline

In Gulf economies, lost migrant jobs and remittances risk plunging millions across Asia into crisis.

Policy pivot? India watchful as Bangladesh engages Pakistan

Analysts say the new government in Dhaka is trying a ‘balancing act’ in the region that could signal more businesslike ties with its neighbours.

Celebrity ‘Trump’ buffalo spared sacrifice, sent to Bangladesh zoo

The animal with a blond hairdo said to resemble the US president’s signature look was saved just hours before it was set to be slaughtered.

Bangladesh probes hospital deaths of 6 newborns

Air conditioning in the ward where the babies were was not working in the early hours on Wednesday.

Opinion | How China and the US are sidelining India in its own neighbourhood

Video | Rohingyas risk deadly voyages as trafficking surges