Foreign Minister Hasan Mahmud on Sunday said Bangladesh will allocate 190 acres of land in Kurigram for a special economic zone for Bhutanese investors. He said Bangladesh wants to import hydropower from Bhutan and a tripartite agreement is required to bring the electricity through India. "We are in discussion to that end," he told reporters at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Sunday. He said Bhutan has a potential of producing 25,000 megawatts of hydropower. The Foreign Minister said Bangladesh will also import hydropower from Nepal and things are settled regarding that initiative. Hasan said Bangladesh will construct a Burn and Plastic Surgery Unit in Thimphu as a goodwill gesture which also demonstrates the country’s capacity. He also briefed about the visit of the Bhutanese King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck. Three new MoUs will be signed between Bangladesh and Bhutan while another MoU on cultural exchange will be renewed, said the Foreign Minister. The new MoUs will be on establishing a Burn and Plastic Surgery Unit in Thimphu, Specialized Economic Zone in Kurigram and technological cooperation consumers’ rights protection.   The King, along with Bhutanese Foreign, Health, Industry and Commerce Ministers and the Bhutanese Queen, is scheduled to arrive on Monday morning on a four-day visit demonstrating the strong relations that Bangladesh and Bhutan have developed steadily since 1971. "We have multifaceted relations with Bhutan," Minister Hasan said, adding that there is scope for boosting trade through transit and signing preferential trade agreement (PTA) with Bhutan.   President Mohammed Shahabuddin and the First Lady will receive the King amid gun salute and guard of honour. The King is scheduled to arrive at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport at 10 am on Monday by a special flight, a senior official told UNB. This is going to be the first VVIP visit to Bangladesh after the formation of new government following January 7 national election. After the ceremony at the airport, he will go to Bangabandhu Memorial Museum at Dhanmondi 32 to pay tribute to Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. On Monday afternoon, the Bhutanese King will have a meeting with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at her office. They will have a one-to-one meeting. Foreign Minister Hasan Mahmud will meet the King at his place of residence the same day before the meeting with the Prime Minister. On Tuesday, the King will visit the National Martyrs’ Memorial at Savar. The King will also visit Sheikh Hasina National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery. He will visit Bangabhaban where he will be received by the president and the first lady. The King will have a meeting with the president at 4:30 pm on Tuesday. The president will host iftar and dinner in honour of the visiting royal. On Wednesday morning, the Queen Jetsun Pema Wangchuck and selected Bhutanese delegation members will leave Bangladesh for Bhutan by a special flight. Bangabandhu's daughter Sheikh Rehana and Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen will see them off at the airport. The Bhutanese King will visit Padma Bridge and Bangladesh Special Economic Zone in Araihazar, Narayanganj. On Thursday, the King will visit Kurigram Special Economic Zone. He will leave Bangladesh territory for Golakganj, Assam via Sonahat Land Port on Thursday afternoon. Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury, state minister for shipping, will see him off there. The 4th King of Bhutan, Jigme Singye Wangchuck, sent a letter of congratulations to the prime minister recently saying under her dynamic and strong leadership, Bangladesh has enjoyed peace, stability and unprecedented economic development. He also termed Bhutan as a "close friend" and rejoiced with the people of Bangladesh on this occasion. Bhutan was the first country to recognise the newly independent Bangladesh on December 6 in 1971 when the 3rd King of Bhutan sent a message of recognition by telegram. Since then Bangladesh and Bhutan share a special multidimensional bilateral relationship. Immediately after the independence, the Bhutanese government took initiative to establish diplomatic relations with Bangladesh and, consequently, formal diplomatic relations was established on 12 April 1973.

Bhutan and Bangladesh are close to sign a Memorandum of Understanding( MoU) on cooperation in hydropower between the two neighbouring countries. Ambassador of Bhutan Rinchen Keuntsy said this during a courtesy meeting with President Mohammed Shahabuddin at Bangabhaban on Tuesday. Press secretary to the president Joynal Abedin briefed reporters after the meeting. Read more: Focus on job-oriented education for employment of graduates: President Shahabuddin urges universities President Shahabuddin said signing a bilateral MoU on cooperation in hydropower will strengthen the relationship between the two countries. The president recalled the unwavering support of the people of Bhutan during Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971. He said Dhaka gives special importance to the relationship with Bhutan as it was the first country to recognise Bangladesh December 6, 1971, even before the final victory in our war of liberation. He said that the excellent relations between the two neighbourly countries would be elevated to even newer height in the coming days and the two countries will continue to cooperate at different regional and multilateral forums to harness the existing potentials for the benefit of the entire region. He also emphasised increasing the connectivity between the two countries to explore the possibilities. Noting that Bhutan is the second largest commercial partner of Bangladesh, he said the markets in the Himalyan kingdom display many Bangladeshi products including garments. Secretaries concerned to the president were also present during the meeting.

State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid has sought "visible Indian cooperation" for importing hydropower from Nepal and Bhutan. He joined a bilateral meeting on electricity cooperation between Bangladesh and India in New Delhi on Wednesday.   At the meeting, Nasrul headed the Bangladesh delegation and Minister of Power and New and Renewable Energy Raj Kumar Singh led the Indian side, the Power Division said in a statement. Indian private companies' interest in exporting renewable energy to Bangladesh was also discussed at the meeting. Nasrul talked about the growth of Bangladesh's power sector and said the demand for electricity is increasing continuously in the country. Read more: Bangladesh trying to import 500 MW hydro-electricity from Nepal: Power Cell DG "If electricity can be imported from Assam, uninterrupted supply to northern Bangladesh can be ensured. Although we import 1,160MW of electricity from India, we want to import more," he said. Raj Kumar said India can supply more electricity to the northern part of Bangladesh. Assuring cooperation regarding electricity import from Nepal, he said: "We can move forward together for the development of Bangladesh's electricity sector." The issues discussed today may be further examined and decided at the next Joint Steering Committee, he added. Read more: Bangladesh offers to export electricity to Nepal during winter and import in summer

Factories in China’s southwest have shut down after reservoirs used to generate hydropower ran low in a worsening drought, adding to economic strains at a time when President Xi Jinping is trying to extend his position in power. Companies in Sichuan province including makers of solar panels, cement and urea closed or reduced production after they were ordered to ration power for up to five days, according to news reports Wednesday. That came after reservoir levels fell and power demand for air conditioning surged in scorching temperatures. “Leave power for the people,” said an order from the provincial government dated Tuesday. The shutdowns add to challenges for the ruling Communist Party as Xi, the country’s most powerful leader in decades, prepares to try to break with tradition and award himself a third five-year term as leader at a meeting in October or November. Growth in factory output and retail sales weakened in July, setting back China’s economic recovery after Shanghai and other industrial centers were shut down starting in late March to fight virus outbreaks. The economy grew by just 2.5% over a year earlier in the first half of 2022, less than half the official annual goal of 5.5%. Areas across central and northern China ordered emergency measures to ensure drinking water supplies after summer rain was as little as half normal levels. The official Xinhua News Agency said firetrucks carried water to two dry villages near Chongqing in the southwest. Hundreds of thousands of hectares (acres) of crops across central and northern China have wilted due to lack of water and high temperatures, according to the government. Some areas have reported the summer growing season a failure. Read: China Focus: China promotes green development along Belt and Road The weather agency has warned temperatures in some areas could spike to 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit). In Sichuan, which has 94 million people, water levels at hydropower reservoirs are down by as much as half this month, according to the Sichuan Provincial Department of Economics and Information Technology. A subsidiary of Guoguang Co., Ltd. that makes pesticide and fertilizer closed from Monday through at least Saturday, according to a company announcement through the Shenzhen Stock Exchange. Makers of solar power equipment in Sichuan including Tongwei Solar Co. Ltd. and GCL-Poly Energy Holdings Ltd. said they received notices to ration power. Tongwei said the “power cut and production shutdown have not had much impact,” the business news outlet East Money reported. China faced similar strains last year when Guangdong province in the southeast, one of the world’s most important manufacturing centers, ordered factories to shut down after hydropower reservoirs ran low due to sparse rain. The government has allocated 280 million yuan ($41 million) for drought relief in Hebei and Shanxi provinces and the Inner Mongolia region in the north and Liaoning province in the northeast, according to Xinhua. “Some small and medium-size rivers are so dry that they have stopped flowing,” the report said.   Meanwhile, authorities on Tuesday warned some parts of the country face possible flooding from heavy rains forecast in areas from the northwest across Inner Mongolia to the northeast.