Like every year, The Economist has chosen the country of the year again. This time, the international media has announced Bangladesh as the country of the year for 2024.

This information was revealed in a report published by The Economist on Thursday (December 19).

This time, Bangladesh was on the list along with Syria, Argentina, South Africa and Poland. However after a ‘heated debate ‘among’ The Economist correspondents, Bangladesh was selected as the best country and Syria was the runner-up.

The report said, our winner this time is Bangladesh, which has overthrown a dictator. In August, student-led street protests ousted Sheikh Hasina, who ruled the country of 17 crore people for 15 years. As the daughter of the country's independence hero, she once led economic growth. But she later began to repress, rigged elections, sent opponents to prison and ordered security forces to shoot at protesters. Her rule was marked by massive embezzlement.

The report also said that Bangladesh has a history of retaliatory violence during power transitions. The main opposition BNP is corrupt. Islamic extremism is also a threat. But so far, their transformation has been promising. There is an interim government led by Nobel Peace Prize winner Dr. Muhammad Yunus, which has the support of students, the military, business and civil society. This government has restored order and stabilized the economy.

This government will have to fix relations with India in 2025 and decide when to hold elections. Before that, it will have to ensure that the country's courts are impartial and that opposition parties are given time to organize. None of this will be easy.

However, Bangladesh is our best country this year for ousting a dictator and moving towards a more liberal government.

In addition, Syria was named this year's runner-up, where Bashar al-Assad was ousted. Argentina, South Africa and Poland also made the list due to their economic reforms and the formation of new governments. The previous year, The Economist's country of the year in 2023 was Greece, which managed to emerge from a long financial crisis and a moderate government was re-elected.

The Bangladesh High Commission in Malaysia celebrated International Migrants Day and National Expatriates Day-2024 with great enthusiasm and festivities, keeping in mind the theme of 'Expatriates' rights, our commitment, Bangladesh without discrimination, all of us'.

On the occasion of the celebration of the day, a day-long discussion meeting, documentary screening, honoring of expatriate Bangladeshis, cultural programs and raffle draws were organized at the G Tower Hall in Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday (December 18) to recognize the contribution of expatriates and to involve them more in the country's development activities.

Among the more than five hundred guests present, the presence of more than two hundred expatriate Bangladeshi workers wearing T-shirts with the red-green colors of the Bangladesh flag added a unique dimension to the event.

Representatives of various Malaysian immigration departments, local representatives of the International Organization for Migration, representatives of various embassies including Indonesia and Nepal, various expatriate Bangladeshi professionals, workers, leaders of the Bangladesh community and their Malaysian-origin spouses, students of various educational institutions, expatriate journalists, officials and employees of the Bangladesh High Commission and people from various walks of life were present at the event.

The event was presided over by Bangladesh High Commissioner to Malaysia Md. Shamim Ahsan. The keynote address of the event was delivered by Heba Abdel Latif, Chief of Mission of the International Organization for Migration (IOM), Malaysia, Syed Shariful Islam, Councilor (Labor) of the High Commission, Hariri Bin Harun, Head of the Foreign Workers Division of the Social Security Organization in Malaysia, Dato Fu Yang Hui, Representative of Employers in Malaysia, Sultan Ahmed, CEO of Agrani Remittance House, Badlur Rahman Khan, Bangladesh Community Leader in Malaysia, Saifullah Mansur, and Mehedi Hassan, Company Employee of Unique Selatan Sdn Bhd.

In addition, Md. Ali Haider Mortuza, CEO of NBL Money Transfer, Malaysia, and Saidur Rahman Farazi, CEO of CBL Money Transfer were present.

The event read out messages from the President, Chief Adviser, Foreign Affairs Adviser, and Expatriate Welfare and Overseas Employment Adviser on the occasion. Then, special documentaries on the occasion of the day and the High Commission's activities for the welfare of expatriates were also screened.

In the discussion, Heba Abdel Latif, Chief of Mission of the International Organization for Migration (IOM), Malaysia, highly praised the Bangladeshi workers in Malaysia. He said that IOM is working closely with the Bangladesh High Commission and the Malaysian government to ensure the safety of the workers.

Hariri Bin Harun, Head of the Foreign Workers Division of the Malaysian Social Security Organization, said that Bangladeshi workers are playing an important role in the economic development of Malaysia. He also mentioned that the Malaysian Foreign Workers Division is working in solidarity with the High Commission to ensure the safety of the workers.

In his speech, the High Commissioner paid deep respect to the memory of all the martyrs of the Great Liberation War of '71 and the July-August Uprising of '24 and remembered the contribution of the brave fighters with gratitude. He extended his warm greetings to the Bangladeshi expatriates and visiting foreign guests present on the occasion of the day.

Shamim Ahsan said that the interim government of Bangladesh led by Nobel laureate Professor Dr. Muhammad Yunus is firmly committed to the reconstruction of Bangladesh by ensuring good governance by bringing transformative reforms in important sectors. The High Commission is working sincerely as per the government's instructions.

He said that the Bangladeshi expatriates are playing an important role in the development of the host country Malaysia and Bangladesh. He said that Malaysia is the eighth largest investor in Bangladesh with a trade volume of about 4 billion dollars and the friendly relations between the two countries are strengthening day by day.

The High Commissioner urged the expatriates to send remittances through banks and said that sending money through legal channels will accelerate the country's economic development.

On the occasion of International Migrants Day and Expatriates' Day, the High Commission presented 18 successful expatriates, 3 institutions and 9 best remittance senders in 3 categories to expatriates living in Malaysia with honorary crests and certificates.

The awardees in the Education and Research category are: Sunway University Professor Saidur Rahman, Sabah University Professor Dr. Md. Lutfar Rahman, Sabah University Professor Dr. Md. Shafiquzzam Siddiqui, UTS University Associate Professor Dr. Abu Saleh Ahmed, Perdana University Professor Dr. Md. Nazmul Hassan Mazij, Islami University Professor AK Ahsanul Haque, Sunway University Professor Moeen Uddin Ahmed, University of Malaysia Sarawak Associate Professor Dr. Md. Rezaur Rahman.

The awardees in the Business category are: Altaf Khan, Md. Ruhul Amin Sarkar, Oli Islam, Dato Mizan and Mrs. Kohinoor.

In the professional category, the award was received by Selimul Hasnain Chowdhury. In the cultural category, the award was received by Dr. Marzia Jannat Mahua and Mrs. Shamima. In the social service category, Nusrat Sharmin and Brishti Khatun received the award.

Organization Category, Malaysia Bangladesh Forum Association, Dhaka University Alumni Association and Muslim Community of Bangladesh, Penang were awarded.

The top remittance senders awarded in the professional category were Abu Bakar Siddique, Dr. Mohammad Qutubur Rahman and Miss Jasmine Khan, while the top remittance senders awarded in the business category were Mohammad Al Amin Kazi, Md. Akter Hossain and Md. Aminur Rahman.

The awardees in the general worker category were Humayun Kabir, Md. Shahidul Islam and Sohel.

The honored expatriate Bangladeshis expressed their feelings and delivered speeches at the event. After the discussion program, a cultural program was organized with the performance of expatriate Bangladeshi artists. The colorful performances of the expatriate Bangladeshi artists in Malaysia in Bengali and Malay language and the colorful performances of the dance artists impressed the guests.

In his address to the nation on Victory Day, the chief adviser to the interim government, Dr. Muhammad Yunus, said that the 13th national parliamentary elections could be held in the country by the end of 2025 or the first half of 2026. The US has welcomed the plan for the election of the interim government.

In response to a question about Bangladesh at the regular briefing of the US State Department on Wednesday (December 18), local time, Deputy Spokesperson for the State Department, Vedant Patel, said, "We welcome the plan that has been taken by the interim government of Bangladesh for the preparation of the elections. This will give the people of Bangladesh the opportunity to choose their leadership."

Vedant Patel said, "The United States is encouraging respect for the rule of law in this entire process, as well as respecting the results of the transition to democratic values."

The Commission on Enforced Disappearances has found evidence of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's involvement in the disappearances. The US has previously imposed sanctions against those involved in the disappearances in Bangladesh. When asked about this, Patel said, “We are deeply concerned about the way hundreds of people have been subjected to enforced disappearances in Bangladesh over the past two decades. This is a gross violation of human rights. The families of the victims have suffered mental anguish and uncertainty due to the disappearances and detentions.”

Vedant Patel said, the United States welcomes the steps that the interim government of Bangladesh has taken to investigate these crimes. We call for a transparent judicial process to ensure justice for the victims of disappearances and their family members.

A speedboat of the Indian Navy lost control and collided with a passenger ferry, killing 13 people.

The accident took place off the coast of Mumbai on Wednesday (December 18), Indian media NDTV reported.

The report mentioned that 13 people, including a naval officer and two people from the original equipment manufacturer, were killed in the accident.

A video of the accident was recorded from the ferry. There were 110 passengers on the ferry. On the other hand, there were five people on the navy speedboat.

Ten passengers on the ferry were killed in the accident, while the remaining 102 people, including two passengers who survived from the navy ship, were rescued.

The navy said in a statement, "At around 4 pm, the navy ship lost control while the engine was being tested and collided with a passenger ferry named Neel Kamal near Karanja in Mumbai. The ferry was taking passengers from the Gateway of India to Elephanta Island.

Two hours after the accident, a video of the collision between the ferry and the speedboat went viral.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh expressed deep grief over the incident.

Meanwhile, a defence official said that the Indian Navy and Coast Guard personnel were involved in the rescue operation using 11 naval boats, three Marine Police boats and one Coast Guard boat.

In addition, four helicopters, police personnel, Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority personnel and fishermen from the area took part in the rescue operation.