Bangladesh summons Indian envoy over Sheikh Hasina’s media interviews

Bangladesh’s Foreign Ministry on Wednesday summoned India’s Deputy High Commissioner in Dhaka, Pawan Badhe, to convey its `serious concern` over former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s recent interviews with Indian and international media outlets.

Bangladesh has been placed 13th in the latest Long-Term Climate Risk Index (CRI), underscoring the country’s persistent exposure to severe climate threats such as floods, cyclones, heatwaves, and storms.

Bangladeshi-origin communications strategist Zara Rahim has been appointed to New York City mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani’s all-female transition team, which will help shape his incoming administration ahead of his inauguration on January 1, 2026.

Bangladesh’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has strongly criticised Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh’s recent remarks regarding Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus, calling them “incorrect,” “unhelpful,” and “inconsistent with diplomatic etiquette.”

Foreign Affairs Adviser Md. Touhid Hossain has called on the Bahraini government to reopen visa facilities for Bangladeshi nationals, including businesspersons, professionals, and skilled and semi-skilled workers, in a bid to boost labour mobility, trade, and people-to-people engagement between the two nations.

Once a roaring symbol of life and prosperity in northern Bangladesh, the Teesta River now lies gasping for survival — its once vibrant waters replaced by endless stretches of parched sand. 

Malaysia has decided to open its labour recruitment process to all eligible Bangladeshi recruiting agencies under a new and uniform selection system, a move expected to significantly expand employment opportunities for Bangladeshi migrant workers.

Bangladesh’s ready-made garment (RMG) sector has achieved a major milestone in sustainable manufacturing, with 36 factories earning international “Green” (LEED) certifications in 2025 — the highest number awarded in a single year. 

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni is set to pay a one-day official visit to Dhaka in the third week of December 2025 at the invitation of Bangladesh’s Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus, diplomatic sources in Dhaka and Rome confirmed.

Nepal’s Ambassador to Bangladesh Ghanashyam Bhandari has called for deeper collaboration between the two neighbouring countries in areas including trade, energy, education, tourism, investment, and people-to-people connectivity, emphasizing that stronger cooperation could unlock vast untapped potential in South Asia.

Bangladesh and Kuwait have pledged to elevate their long-standing friendship into a broader strategic partnership, agreeing to expand cooperation in areas such as defence, security, trade, energy, and disaster management during their first-ever Political Consultation held in Dhaka.

Bangladesh’s Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus and World Food Program (WFP) Acting Executive Director Carl Skau have renewed calls for greater international funding to sustain food assistance for more than a million Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh, warning that the humanitarian crisis is approaching a breaking point amid dwindling global aid.

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva announced on Monday that he intends to visit Bangladesh by February 2026 to deepen diplomatic and economic ties between the two nations.

Bangladesh has achieved a landmark diplomatic milestone by being elected president of the 43rd General Conference of UNESCO. the first time the country has ever held this top post in its 53 years of membership with the organization.

Bangladesh is advancing plans to modernise its air defence by purchasing 20 advanced J-10CE multirole fighter jets from China at an estimated cost of $2.2 billion (around Tk27,060 crore). 

Bangladesh has urged Washington to further reduce tariffs on its exports, highlighting the steady progress in narrowing the trade imbalance between the two countries.