French President Emmanuel Macron witnessed the signature of a deal Monday to facilitate loans to Bangladesh aimed at infrastructure development, as well as a letter of intent to provide the South Asian country with an earth observation satellite system.
This came during Macron's two-day visit to Bangladesh's capital, Dhaka, where he met with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, to bolster bilateral relations between the two countries.
Bangladesh's Economic Relations Division signed the agreement with the French Development Agency.
A letter of intent was also signed to provide Bangladesh with an earth observation satellite system through cooperation between Bangladesh Satellite Company Limited, or BSCL, and Airbus Defense and Space SAS, France.
Macron and Hasina witnessed the deals signed at the prime minister's office.
Details remained unclear, with Bangladesh authorities saying they are still ironing out the details.
"The satellite that we will buy will travel through the orbit around 350 miles above the earth. This will be used mainly to observe the status of our crops and the sea. Currently, we don't have any monitoring capabilities across the vast sea," state-run Bangladesh Satellite Company Ltd. Chairman Shahjahan Mahmud was quoted as saying by Bangladesh's leading English newspaper The Daily Star.
Bangladesh bought its first geostationary communications and broadcasting satellite, named Bangabandhu Satellite-1 and launched in 2018, from France where it was manufactured by Thales Alenia Space.
Bangladeshi media positively reported his visit, with many seeing it as a step to bring in investments from France in sectors where the United States, China and India are heavily engaged. Some even said the visit may have a political and strategic significance ahead of Bangladesh's next general election expected in early January.
France is Bangladesh's fifth-largest trading partner in the fields of engineering, energy, aerospace and water sectors.
"We both hope that this new strategic move between Bangladesh and France will play an effective role in establishing regional and global stability and peace," Hasina said.
Hasina said both the leaders agreed to continue to work to ensure stability in the Asia-Pacific region as well as on projects involving impacts of climate change as Bangladesh is considered to be one of the worst victims of change of weather.
She said that France has reiterated its commitment to facilitate trade with the South Asian nation under the European Union's Generalised Scheme of Preferences Plus, or GSP+, scheme, which gives developing countries incentives to pursue sustainable development and good governance.
Experts say once Bangladesh joins the GSP+ scheme, it may lose some benefits it enjoys under the World Trade Organization's protocol as a least developed country as it may be fully upgraded into a developing nation status.
Bangladesh has long been buying aircraft from the American company Boeing, but recently the government has signed an agreement with Airbus in which France has a major stake.
Hasina has been under pressure lately with her seeking a fourth consecutive term as prime minister.
Bangladesh's main opposition party, led by former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, has threatened to boycott the election if Hasina does not resign and hand over power to a caretaker government to oversee the next election. Zia's party accused her of vote rigging in 2018.
The U.S. has been pushing for a credible election and raised questions about human rights under Hasina's rule, threatening to impose visa sanctions if the next election isn't free and fair.
Russia and China have pledged continued support to Hasina while neighboring India has maintained a cordial relationship with her.
Apart from investment and other partnerships with France, Macron's visit is seen as a boost for Hasina in the run-up to the election.
Liberal MPs who have spent the last 10 days organizing to ask Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to step aside from the leadership of the Liberal Party plan to plead their case directly to him at next Wednesday's caucus.
The OPP has acknowledged that one of its employees did not follow the organization's policy when an alleged victim of sexual assault called a local detachment earlier this year to report an incident involving eight former junior hockey players.
Mounties have released startling new details about their investigation into the disappearance of Amber Manthorne, who was reported missing on Vancouver Island more than two years ago, and is believed to have met with foul play.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has refused to get the security clearance necessary to be briefed on a list of people in his party who are involved in or vulnerable to foreign interference, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told a federal commission of inquiry Wednesday.
The Canada Revenue Agency says it has terminated 330 employees for inappropriately receiving the Canada Emergency Response Benefit during the pandemic, giving its final update on an internal review.
Republican U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump says that if he does not win the Nov. 5 election, he will cry fraud and not accept the results -- just as he did four years ago when he lost to Democratic President Joe Biden.
A Nevada boy with a rare skin condition had life-changing eyelid and skin graft surgery last month in San Diego.
A humble city in Saskatchewan appears to be consuming more methamphetamine than anywhere else in Canada, based on recent Statistics Canada data.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau testified Wednesday before the national public inquiry into foreign interference in Canada's electoral processes. Recap all the prime minister had to say.
Liberal MPs who have spent the last 10 days organizing to ask Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to step aside from the leadership of the Liberal Party plan to plead their case directly to him at next Wednesday's caucus.
Mounties have released startling new details about their investigation into the disappearance of Amber Manthorne, who was reported missing on Vancouver Island more than two years ago, and is believed to have met with foul play.
The Department of National Defence confirms unexploded bombs from the Second World War lie buried inside the Mer Bleue Bog, a popular hiking and skiing area in Ottawa’s east end.
More than 200 Air India passengers have landed in Chicago after a bomb threat forced their flight to be diverted to Nunavut.
An Ottawa man was arrested after taking a shower in a stranger's house, Ottawa police say.
Latvian State Police are investigating the death of Capt. Aaron Wideman, a Canadian soldier in the capital city of Riga.
The Los Angeles district attorney has released new evidence in the Lyle and Erik Menendez case that could potentially lead to a review of their life sentences for murder.
The number of young men Joseph Morton has helped during the most formative years of their lives is nothing short of staggering.
If he wins next month's election, Donald Trump would be the oldest person in U.S. history to be elected president, but the 78-year-old Republican nominee refuses to disclose new details about his physical or mental well-being, breaking decades of precedent.
A man accused of making a threat that sparked a temporary shift in some western North Carolina disaster recovery operations said he believed social media reports that the Federal Emergency Management Agency was refusing to help people, but realized that wasn't the case when he arrived in hard-hit Lake Lure.
Newly released bodycam footage shows two Phoenix police officers shouting orders to a Black man as he's lying face-down on the ground – with one officer repeatedly punching him and another officer tasing him.
A former Las Vegas-area Democratic elected official was sentenced Wednesday to serve at least 28 years in Nevada state prison for killing an investigative journalist who wrote articles critical of his conduct in office two years ago and exposed an intimate relationship with a female coworker.
Liberal MPs who have spent the last 10 days organizing to ask Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to step aside from the leadership of the Liberal Party plan to plead their case directly to him at next Wednesday's caucus.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau testified Wednesday before the national public inquiry into foreign interference in Canada's electoral processes. Recap all the prime minister had to say.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has refused to get the security clearance necessary to be briefed on a list of people in his party who are involved in or vulnerable to foreign interference, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told a federal commission of inquiry Wednesday.
Even though we're at the halfway mark of October, it's not too late to try Sober October.
An expert panel of doctors and researchers say Canada needs to learn from the COVID-19 pandemic and take action before the next health emergency strikes.
Adding a six-week course of chemotherapy to the standard course of treatment for locally advanced cervical cancer resulted in a significant increase in survival rates, a new study shows.
At the heart of the ancient city of Petra, Jordan, carved into pink sandstone cliffs, lies an elaborate monument known as the Khaznah, or the Treasury. And buried beneath that edifice, archeologists recently discovered, is a tomb with at least 12 human skeletons and artifacts that are estimated to be at least 2,000 years old.
Expect to see more northern lights in unusual places as the sun continues to sizzle, space weather forecasters said Tuesday.
Hong Kong's oldest zoo is seeking answers in a monkey medical mystery after nine animals died in two days, including three members of a critically endangered species.
A new film from Canadian auteur Guy Maddin is a satire about G7 leaders that its star, Cate Blanchett, says made it feel "like we were making a documentary."
Elisabeth Finch, a former writer and consulting producer on the hit ABC series 'Grey's Anatomy' and subject of a new documentary series, has admitted in an Instagram post that she 'lied about so much.'
Sum 41's Deryck Whibley is calling out his former manager after he denied the abuse allegations laid out in his new book.
The diplomatic row between Canada and India could derail a trading relationship that already underperforms its potential, experts warn.
Researchers say billions of litres of discarded Canadian milk has a massive financial, environmental and nutritional impact.
Federal Labour Minister Steven MacKinnon says contract talks at the Port of Montreal have hit a "logjam," as he tries to convince both sides to reset relations.
Check your pockets: the winning ticket for Tuesday night’s $65-million Lotto Max jackpot was sold in Toronto.
In 2018, Jason Bennett packed up and moved to the South American country of Colombia permanently after "falling hard" for MedellÃn, once one of the most notorious cities in the world. He now works for himself, running two companies, from his "adopted home."
Life extension might be a lofty — and dubious — pitch, but it’s a common theme among new social and wellness clubs, opulent high rises and private retreats.
Serena Williams says she had a benign branchial cyst "the size of a small grapefruit" removed from her neck and "all is OK."
The New York Police Department (NYPD) is investigating 'homophobic death threats' sent to New York Liberty star Breanna Stewart's wife, Marta Xargay, via email after Game 1 of this year's WNBA Finals.
Johnny Gaudreau’s Columbus teammates were given a few options for how to handle their emotions during the Blue Jackets’ home opener.
Canada’s border guards have seized more than 1,900 stolen cars so far this year at railyards and ports, which is over a hundred more than in 2023.
The Ontario Provincial Police says the number of fatal collisions caused by distracted driving on the roads it patrols has increased by 40 per cent compared to this time last year.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk unveiled on Thursday his vision of a 'a fun, exciting future,' an 'age of abundance' full of his company’s self-driving cars without steering wheels, parking lots turned into parks and robots that will walk among the population – that he once again promised would be available within a few years.
An Ottawa man was arrested after taking a shower in a stranger's house, Ottawa police say.
Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish Nation) Chef Paul Natrall, the man behind Indigenous food truck Mr. Bannock, is bringing cooking classes on First Nations fare to schools and offices throughout Metro Vancouver.
The Celtic Colours Festival is taking place at venues around Cape Breton Island in Nova Scotia from Oct. 11 to 19.
Sometimes love is written in the stars, but for one couple, it’s written in the aurora borealis.
Canadian hip hop artist Dillan King says running 100 marathons in 100 days was not only the hardest thing he has ever done, but the 'proudest accomplishment' of his entire life.
James Taylor never expected to be walking home with a bag full of groceries he didn't buy.
This weekend marks the fifth anniversary of a large blizzard that paralyzed Manitoba.
There was an eye-catching mix of rainbows and lightning over Vancouver following a brief downpour this week.
Jeff Warner from Aidie Creek Gardens in the northern Ontario community of Englehart has a passion for growing big pumpkins and his effort is paying off in more ways than one.
Mounties have released startling new details about their investigation into the disappearance of Amber Manthorne, who was reported missing on Vancouver Island more than two years ago, and is believed to have met with foul play.
B.C.'s police watchdog is appealing for witnesses to an arrest in Vancouver last week during which a suspect was seriously injured.
A semi driver who struck an overpass along Highway 1 while towing a modular home through B.C.'s Fraser Valley last week has been charged, authorities said Wednesday.
Toronto will get a new area code next year, the CRTC is reminding residents.
Metrolinx has made significant changes to its senior leadership team as the provincial transit agency struggles to get two light rail projects on track, a new memo obtained by Â鶹ӰÊÓ Toronto shows.
Sum 41's Deryck Whibley is calling out his former manager after he denied the abuse allegations laid out in his new book.
A Kananaskis campground is again dealing with concerns about a naked person spotted in the area.
Calgary police have released photos of a man they're hoping to identify as they investigate his suspicious behaviour with two minors.
While the fluffy white stuff hasn't started falling quite yet, the City of Calgary is reminding residents about updates to snow-clearing bylaws that could change how they shovel this winter.
An Ottawa woman, 25, is facing charges after a multi-vehicle crash on Highway 417 in Ottawa's west end last spring left one child dead and seriously injured others, according to the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP).
The Department of National Defence confirms unexploded bombs from the Second World War lie buried inside the Mer Bleue Bog, a popular hiking and skiing area in Ottawa’s east end.
Donald Musselman, the convicted killer of Ottawa hip hop artist Markland Campbell, has died in custody, the Correctional Service of Canada (CSC) announced Wednesday.
A 46-year-old woman accused of burning a 10-year-old boy with boiling water on Montreal's South Shore remains in custody after she was supposed to have a bail hearing Wednesday.
A 65-year-old woman has died in a possible hit-and-run in Laval Wednesday morning, police say.
Six lucky winners split $32 million from Loto-Quebec's Oct. 9 6/49 Gold Ball Jackpot.
One person has been charged in connection with the death of a man on an Edmonton walking bridge.
A man is facing multiple drugs and weapons charges after failing to pay for a ride on Edmonton transit.
A pedestrian is dead after a hit-and-run crash on Highway 16 west of Edmonton.
Three of New Brunswick’s provincial party leaders will take part in a roundtable discussion hosted by CTV Atlantic tonight.
Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston has announced a new retirement benefit for doctors based on their years of service in the province.
Advance polls in the New Brunswick election brought out 110,364 eligible voters on Saturday and Tuesday, surpassing pre-pandemic advance voter turnout.
A candidate in last year's Manitoba provincial election has been found to have forged two signatures on her nomination form.
A Manitoba judge has ordered a community to pay the legal costs for a councillor who they tried to oust in 2023.
Two people have died after a fiery collision on a Manitoba highway earlier this week.
Here's where you can watch Wednesday nights Leaders' Debate between Saskatchewan Party Leader Scott Moe and NDP Leader Carla Beck.
Social Connections Group is a local football program put on by Speech and Language Builders Inc. in connection with Regina Youth Flag Football for kids with social communication and social skill difficulties.
A humble city in Saskatchewan appears to be consuming more methamphetamine than anywhere else in Canada, based on recent Statistics Canada data.
The woman who was fatally shot at a Stratford home on Tuesday has been identified, as well as the man accused of pulling the trigger.
Ontario's police watchdog is investigating after police in Brantford used an anti-riot weapon against a 51-year-old man, leaving him seriously injured.
The OPP has acknowledged that one of its employees did not follow the organization's policy when an alleged victim of sexual assault called a local detachment earlier this year to report an incident involving eight former junior hockey players.
Investigators with the North Battleford Fire Department and the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency were unable to determine the cause of a fire that destroyed the Best Canadian Motor Inn on Monday night.
The Saskatchewan Party unveiled its $1.2 billion election platform on Saturday, which is largely built on tax relief and affordability.
A humble city in Saskatchewan appears to be consuming more methamphetamine than anywhere else in Canada, based on recent Statistics Canada data.
Police are searching for a 24-year-old suspect charged near Parry Sound with impaired driving causing three deaths who failed to show up for court.
The OPP has acknowledged that one of its employees did not follow the organization's policy when an alleged victim of sexual assault called a local detachment earlier this year to report an incident involving eight former junior hockey players.
At the Sudbury courthouse Wednesday, a jury learned it has heard all the evidence in a second-degree murder trial in which the victim was stabbed more than 100 times and had his genitals mutilated.
Sitting in the mayor’s chair with Joe Preston away, Coun. Steve Peters ripped the Canadian National Railway after a massive railroad tie fire on Oct. 10.
This year’s Thanksgiving Food Drive has officially wrapped up, resulting in the collection of over 100,000 pounds of food for the London Food Bank.
A 26-year-old London man is charged with mischief under $5,000, theft of a motor vehicle and dangerous operation of a vehicle.
A retired Innisfil woman was in shock for a week after becoming a millionaire with the lottery.
A woman from Scarborough is facing charges and will have to find an alternate method of travel after police say she was clocked speeding nearly 90 km/h over the limit in Innisfil.
Police are investigating a drive-by shooting in Springwater Township that they say happened over the Thanksgiving Day long weekend.
OPP say a 77-year-old man has died after a single-vehicle crash on Highway 40 in Chatham-Kent.
Windsor police have released the results of Operation Impact in the city.
Environment Canada has issued a frost advisory for Windsor and Essex County.
Mounties have released startling new details about their investigation into the disappearance of Amber Manthorne, who was reported missing on Vancouver Island more than two years ago, and is believed to have met with foul play.
Liberal MPs who have spent the last 10 days organizing to ask Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to step aside from the leadership of the Liberal Party plan to plead their case directly to him at next Wednesday's caucus.
Leaders of the B.C. NDP and the B.C. Conservatives will be on Vancouver Island today for campaign events on the last day of advanced voting before British Columbia's provincial election on Saturday.
Dave Lindsey began growing giant pumpkins to bring a bit of magic to his grandkids' Halloween.
A U.S. District Court judge in Montana has sentenced a 27-year-old man from Kelowna, B.C., to 18 months in prison for using fake names to buy guns with the aim of selling them in Canada.
Nearly two years after a man was stabbed to death in downtown Kelowna, RCMP have made an arrest in the case.
Health-care advocates say the province's plan for a new primary care agency, operating separately from Alberta Health Services, won't help with doctor shortages in Lethbridge.
The Vancouver Giants scored late to force overtime before winning 4-3 over the Lethbridge Hurricanes Friday night.
If you’re looking for something to do this long weekend, the Lethbridge Corn Maze is open and hosting its annual fundraiser on Monday.
Some of the world’s best curlers have arrived in Sault Ste. Marie for the second annual Soo Fall Classic that many curlers say has become a can’t miss event.
A resident got a scare early in the morning Wednesday in Elliot Lake when an unknown man entered their home carrying a knife.
Glen Morningstar of Blind River won the Ontario 49 top prize of $2 million in the Sept. 7 draw.
A five-hour drive from St. John's, N.L., and well off the beaten path, Point Leamington seems an unlikely spot for a one-of-a-kind tourist attraction.
A Conservative MP from Newfoundland and Labrador says some small towns in his rural riding are overrun with crime, but police say they haven't received reports to that effect.
As millions in federal funding flow into a Labrador group whose claims of Inuit identity have been rejected by Indigenous organizations across Canada, a national Inuit leader worries the Liberal government is putting the rights of Indigenous Peoples at risk.
The Shopping Trends team is independent of the journalists at Â鶹ӰÊÓ. We may earn a commission when you use our links to shop. Read about us.
