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IN TODAYβS EDITION
1οΈβ£ Bangladesh PM flees in a chopper |
2οΈβ£ A Tesla boycott in Europe |
3οΈβ£ Podcast of the day |
Hi Intriguer. Weβre back! Did we miss anything??!!
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**Checks inbox. Stops smilingβ¦**
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Oh dear. Yep. Seems itβs been an (ahem) eventful few days. Just as we signed off for a quiet team retreat in Maryland last week, the world basically said βhold my beerβ. Hereβs just a snapshot of what then happened:
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Israel assassinated the most senior Hamas leader (in Iran)
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We saw the biggest Russia-West prisoner exchange since the Cold War
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Asian markets felt some of their biggest falls in years, and
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Weeks of mass protests suddenly culminated in the ousting of the worldβs longest-serving female prime minister in Bangladesh.
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If only there was a daily briefing to help make sense of it all, right? Ideally even one written by diplomats whoβve been in the room?
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Well, weβre back: tanned, rested, and ready. So letβs dive in, shall we?

THE HEADLINES
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Harris announces VP pick.
Vice President Kamala Harris has chosen Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her running mate, hours after officially securing the Democratic Partyβs nomination. Walz is a former teacher, high school football coach, and National Guardsman. Btw – check out our very own Election Intrigue for a weekly briefing on what this election means for the world (and vice versa).
Yahya Sinwar named new Hamas political leader.
The Gaza-based Sinwar, a presumed mastermind of the Hamas October 7th attacks, has emerged as the groupβs new top leader after Israel assassinated Ismail Haniyeh in Iran last week. Sinwarβs appointment and Haniyehβs death could hinder progress to hammer out a ceasefire and hostage release deal.
China imposes fentanyl chemical restrictions.
The White House has announced that China will impose restrictions on three key substances used in the manufacturing of fentanyl, a powerful synthetic opioid responsible for an overdose epidemic in the US. The US is calling the development a βvaluable step forwardβ.
Ukraine changes tactics.
Fighting has entered a second day in the Russian region of Kursk after what Russian officials are describing as an incursion into their territory by Ukrainian troops. Ukraine is remaining tight-lipped, though might be trying to draw Russia away from the solid advances itβs made in eastern Ukraine.
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Mexico president-elect invites Putin to her inauguration?
Claudia Sheinbaum has invited Russian President Vladimir Putin to her October 1 inauguration, according to Russian media. Thatβs awkward for a few reasons, including the fact that Mexico is a member of the International Criminal Court, which has a warrant out for Putinβs arrest.
TOP STORY
Long-time Bangladesh prime minister flees

Former Bangladesh prime minister Sheikh Hasina.
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Itβs been an absolutely wild ride in Bangladesh lately.
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Sheikh Hasina went to bed on Sunday night, still the worldβs longest-serving female prime minister. The next day, she fled her own country by helicopter after protesters overran her compound.
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Howβd we get here?Β
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Regular readers will have seen our periodic updates after student-led protests first broke out in June.
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Students were angry after the countryβs supreme court reinstated a controversial quota system that reserved a portion of government jobs for the families of people who fought in the 1971 Bangladesh War of Independence from Pakistan.
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Fast forward to mid-July, and the protests had only heated up, meeting an escalating response from Hasina herself. After first deriding the students as descendants of βrazakarsβ (pro-Pakistan collaborators), she:
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Closed schools and universities
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Imposed curfews with βshoot on sightβ orders
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Restricted internet and cell services, and
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Presided over mass arrests, while police and pro-government groups killed hundreds and tear-gassed others.
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But her heavy-handed response simply meant that, even after the supreme court pulled a U-turn and dismissed the controversial quota system once and for all, the unrest just morphed to encompass broader grievances against Hasina herself.
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Sheikh Hasina, the daughter of Bangladeshβs founding father, first served as PM from 1996 to 2001 following the end of military rule. Then after a stint in opposition and prison, she returned in 2009 and earned plaudits for growth that peaked at 7.9% in 2019.
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But along the way, she also revealed an autocratic streak, curtailing freedoms while authorities handed jail sentences to critics like Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus (aka, the βbanker to the poorβ).
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Hasina then βοΈwonβοΈ her latest term earlier this year, but only after the beleaguered opposition had boycotted the process. And all the while, the countryβs economy started to sputter while its reserves dwindled.
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Which gets us to the events of this weekend. With a growing cross-section of society openly calling for Hasinaβs resignation, record crowds then hit the streets until more clashes left 90+ people dead on Sunday. So on Monday, protestors stormed Hasinaβs palace and she fled in a chopper to neighbouring India.
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Her military chief then announced her resignation, and coordinated with the countryβs president (a mostly ceremonial figure) to meet protestor demands, including dissolving parliament and forming a new transitional government.
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Of course, many Bangladeshis are wary of their military getting political – itβs got a history of coups, and there are questions around its role in Hasinaβs departure.
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But tensions seem to have calmed now that the military has met another protestor demand: appointing Hasina critic and Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus to lead the transition government. Heβs now returning home from Paris.
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So just like that (ππ€π¨), a seemingly permanent fixture on the world stage is now gone, opening up a new political era full of unknowns. And for the 175 million Bangladeshis, thatβs somehow both a daunting and exciting prospect.
INTRIGUEβS TAKE
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The sheer drama is worth your attention alone, dear Intriguer. But here are a couple of ways this will now ripple out over Bangladeshβs borders:
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First, Bangladesh is the worldβs second-largest textile exporter, and itβs now spooked its customers, with fast-fashion brand H&M going full EU and saying itβs βconcernedβ, while Hula Global (think Anthropologie, JCPenney, and TJMaxx) is redirecting its orders to India for the rest of the year.
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And second, Bangladesh sits on the Indo-Pacific chessboard where major powers are openly vying for influence. So China, Russia and India were all quick to congratulate Hasina when she βwonβ earlier this year, though arguably now tainting each of them with her legacy.
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But interestingly, the US rebuked her at the time, and China snubbed her during a fundraising visit to Beijing last month, potentially leaving those same two players best placed for whatever comes next.
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Also worth noting:
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Muhammad Yunus (the interim leader and Nobel laureate) has faced various fraud charges over the past decade. He denies the allegations, and claims Hasina was targeting him for political reasons.
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The US imposed visa restrictions on several Bangladeshi officials last year, describing them as βresponsible for, or complicit in, undermining the democratic election process in Bangladeshβ.
Diplomat salary report
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Nobody gets into diplomacy for the money. At least, they shouldnβt. Or at least, we didnβt.
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Most pursue a career in diplomacy because they want to serve their country, see the world, and do meaningful work. And you canβt put a price on that, right? Wrong! Weβve just compiled the first-ever comparison of diplomat salaries across the G20.
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Why? Mostly for the LoLs. But also, the world is getting a little crazy, so itβs worth asking the question: are our diplomatic services still attracting and retaining the best talent, to help us avert disaster?
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Itβs free to read for all Intrigue subscribers!
MEANWHILE, ELSEWHEREβ¦

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π¨π³Β China: Chinaβs pharmaceutical industry is warning that recent foreign buyouts could pose a national security risk, according to the South China Morning Post. Since December, five China-based drug-makers have been sold to global pharma giants like AstraZeneca and Novartis.
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π©πͺΒ Germany: Rossmann, a major German drugstore chain across Europe, has said itβll no longer purchase Tesla cars for its corporate fleet after founder Elon Musk voiced support for US presidential candidate Donald Trump. A senior Rossmann executive cited an βincompatibilityβ between Trumpβs views on climate change and Teslaβs environmental values.
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π²πΎΒ Malaysia: Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has received an apology from US tech giant Meta after it deleted a video of him expressing condolences to an assassinated Hamas leader. The “operational error” is the second time Meta has deleted the PMβs posts mentioning Hamas.
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π²π½Β Mexico: Oxxo, Mexicoβs largest convenience store chain, will reopen 191 locations in the northern border city of Nuevo Laredo after reaching an agreement with authorities to provide βconstantβ patrol. Extortion efforts have often targeted smaller businesses, but gangs abducted two Oxxo employees as potential recruits last week.
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π±πΎΒ Libya: Libyaβs largest oil field, with a daily output of 270,000 barrels, has halted operations for unclear reasons. Local media reports have blamed unspecified protests, but the internationally recognised Libyan government has called the move βpolitical blackmailβ, noting the oil region is controlled by opposition forces.
EXTRA INTRIGUE
π€£ Your weekly roundup of the worldβs lighter news
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Italian luxury brand Dolce & Gabbana has launched a β¬99 perfumeβ¦ for dogs.Β
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Disneyland has honoured a free ticket from 1985.Β Β
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A whale has managed to photobomb a surfer during the Olympic semi-finals in Tahiti.
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The Ohio Supreme Court has ruled that βbonelessβ chicken can contain bones.
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And a UK man has graduated 41 years late after the University of Bristol awarded him his degree but denied him his graduation due to an unpaid damage bill (caused by his flatmateβs parrot).Β
PODCAST OF THE DAY

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Venezuelan autocrat NicolΓ‘s Maduro already has it all: a stolen election or two, a loyal military, and even a $15M US bounty on his head for partnering with a designated terrorist organisation to flood the US with cocaine.
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So a few months ago, he did the one thing you do when you already have it all: thatβs right, he launched a podcast. Heβs not released a new ep since last monthβs election, presumably because heβs been too busy violently quashing protests and calling for the arrest of opposition leaders.
DAILY POLL
Do you think Yunus can bring Bangladesh back from the brink? |
Last weekβs poll: What do you think the international community’s role is in a situation like Venezuela’s?
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π¨β¬οΈβ¬οΈβ¬οΈβ¬οΈβ¬οΈ π« Nothing, getting involved just makes things worse (11%)
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π¨π¨π¨π¨β¬οΈβ¬οΈ πͺ Provide support for the opposition (26%)
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π¨π¨π¨β¬οΈβ¬οΈβ¬οΈ π Isolation and condemnation (17%)
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π¨β¬οΈβ¬οΈβ¬οΈβ¬οΈβ¬οΈ πΈ More sanctions (7%)
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π©π©π©π©π©π© ποΈ Negotiating an exit deal for Maduro (37%)
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β¬οΈβ¬οΈβ¬οΈβ¬οΈβ¬οΈβ¬οΈ βοΈ Other (write in!) (1%)
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Your two cents:
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ποΈ Β B.P: βNegotiation is difficult, likely to take a lot of time, effort, and frustration but in the end, most resolutions come from negotiating.β
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π L.E: βBe loud and clear about what the truth of the vote actually is. Make it so obvious and beyond doubt that no honest person in the world can deny it.β
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ποΈ N.L: βWhile there are a lot of idealistic options, sometimes in light of the humanitarian needs a pragmatic compromise needs to be made.β
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