Porimol Palma

France has big plans for investments in strategic projects in Bangladesh, including nuclear power, hydropower, and aeronautics, according to the residence of the French president.

French President Emmanuel Macron is arriving in Dhaka today on a two-day visit, in a testament to the growing importance of Bangladesh both in economic and strategic terms to the European nation.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her daughter Saima Wazed had a candid conversation with US President Joe Biden in New Delhi yesterday.

While French President Emmanuel Macron’s visit to Bangladesh may feature signing of important business deals and discussions on geopolitical issues, he wants to witness the beauty of the country and experience its culture.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov arrives in Dhaka on a two-day visit this afternoon just months ahead of the general election amid an evolving geopolitical shift.

Washington wants to boost Dhaka’s military capability and reduce its dependency on Beijing for defence cooperation, said a Washington-based foreign policy expert.

Myanmar will allow international volunteers, including those from the UN, China and ASEAN countries, to take part in the humanitarian assistance programmes during the repatriation of the Rohingyas.

It was October 2017. A 13-year-old Kahed Ullah had to leave his home in Buthidaung, Rakhine with 13 other family members in the face of a brutal crackdown by the Myanmar military.

The expansion of BRICS, an alliance of the Global South, comes at a time of increasing geopolitical polarisation and economic turmoil across continents caused by the Russia-Ukraine war.

Six years into one of the world’s biggest refugee crises, the fate of more than one million Rohingyas sheltered in Cox’s Bazar hangs in the balance as efforts to repatriate them see little progress due to increased global geopolitical tension.

Washington’s communication that it may consider sanctions as a tool against corruption delivers a strong message to those who have already been proven corrupt or have been accused of large-scale corruption, analysts say.

Myanmar may take back the Rohingyas living in the Cox’s Bazar camps to their own villages in North Maungdaw and nearby places instead of any camps or model villages.

The United Nations (UN) encourages peaceful, credible, and inclusive elections in Bangladesh, said UN Secretary General's Deputy Spokesman Farhan Haq at a press briefing at the UN Headquarters in New York yesterday

US Under Secretary Uzra Zeya has made it clear that Washington will not get involved in Dhaka’s internal political issues, be it caretaker government or dialogue between political parties.

Rohingyas have urged a stronger US role for their safe and sustainable repatriation to Myanmar when Uzra Zeya, under secretary for civilian security, democracy and human rights, visited the camps in Cox’s Bazar yesterday.

Uzra Zeya, the US under secretary for Civilian Security, Democracy and Human Rights, arrives today on a four-day visit -- at a delicate time when the ruling Awami League and opposition BNP are at loggerheads over the election-time government.

The assessment of the EU exploratory mission, which will visit Bangladesh for two weeks starting July 9, could determine the international acceptability of the next parliamentary election, analysts have said.

The French Navy, renowned for its size and formidable naval capabilities, has expressed a keen interest in collaborating with the Bangladesh Navy to uphold international law and ensure maritime security.

Bangladesh’s move to join the BRICS can provide a boost to trade and investment in the post-LDC world but the authorities should be wary of any geopolitical traps, said experts.

China now appears to be quite active in trying to make the Rohingya repatriation a reality.