Teesta cries for survival as northern Bangladesh’s lifeline runs dry

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.

Dhaka is set to call for stronger international commitment on the Rohingya crisis at a high-level conference in New York today, demanding political pledges for repatriation, sustained humanitarian funding, and justice for atrocities committed against the Rohingya community.

Bangladesh is looking to expand its overseas labor market by sending skilled and semi-skilled workers to Uzbekistan, following fresh commitments between Dhaka and Tashkent to strengthen bilateral cooperation.

Bangladesh’s Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus has said his government is simultaneously working to breathe life back into the long-dormant South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) while also pushing for eventual membership in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

Bangladesh’s Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus has pledged that the upcoming general election, expected in early February, will be among the most transparent and credible in the nation’s history. He assured the international community that his caretaker government is making every effort to guarantee a fair, peaceful, and inclusive vote.

Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus has assured Washington that Bangladesh is on track to hold a free, fair and peaceful general election in the first half of February, underscoring that the interim administration is taking broad measures to ensure transparency and credibility.