Qatar has told the UN Security Council that ending Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territory is necessary to achieve a just, comprehensive and lasting peace. Qatar’s UN ambassador, Alya Ahmed Saif Al-Thani, made the remarks during a council session on escalating tensions in Gaza and the occupied West Bank, speaking on behalf of the Arab Group.

Al-Thani condemned what she described as Israel’s ongoing serious violations in Gaza and the West Bank. She said Israel had rejected both a Palestinian state and a broad plan for 2025 involving an end to war, the release of hostages and reconstruction of the Gaza Strip through a US-led multilateral agreement.

She said these actions were fundamentally weakening collective efforts to implement the plan and called for its full implementation. The Qatari ambassador also said Palestinians’ right to self-determination must be ensured. She welcomed the growing international recognition of the State of Palestine.

A Yemeni military source said the Iran-backed Houthi armed group launched ballistic missile attacks on the port area of Al-Makha, also known as Mokha, in Yemen on Wednesday. At least three missiles struck the city’s port area, while another landed near the Al-Barah junction, according to the report cited by Al Jazeera.

The extent of damage and any casualties from the strikes was not immediately known. The Houthis had not claimed responsibility for the attack at the time of the report. Sources said the missiles were fired from Houthi-controlled areas east of Taiz.

At least five missiles also struck the Al-Khawkhah area in Yemen’s western coastal Hodeidah governorate. Houthi attacks on Mokha and its port area have increased in recent weeks, the report said. Earlier in August, Houthi missile and drone attacks in the port city caused casualties.

Bangladeshi-origin midfielder Hamza Choudhury is the subject of transfer discussion in English football, with Derby County reportedly interested in signing him before the transfer window closes on 1 September. The 28-year-old Leicester City academy graduate has made 166 appearances for the club, but his immediate future remains uncertain.

Choudhury was left out of Leicester’s squad for a Carabao Cup match against Ipswich Town. Leicester coach Russell Martin said ongoing transfer discussions can make it difficult for players to maintain full mental focus, which was why Choudhury was excluded from the match squad. Martin stressed that the omission was not a punishment.

The coach said a decision beneficial to both sides would be taken whether Choudhury stays at Leicester or moves elsewhere. He added that the midfielder could return to consideration after the transfer window closes. Leicester are currently competing in League One, the third tier, while Derby County play in the Championship, English football’s second tier.

Sudden floods and landslides have caused heavy loss of life in Rasuwa and several neighbouring districts of Nepal’s central Bagmati Province. AFP has released photographs showing scenes from flood-affected parts of the country.

The source describes the disaster as affecting central Nepal, with Rasuwa identified as one of the areas hit. It says the flooding and landslides caused widespread fatalities, but provides no figures, dates, or further details about the victims.

The published AFP images document the flood-ravaged conditions in Nepal. The source does not provide information on rescue operations, official assessments, damage estimates, or planned next steps.

AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi criticised an Allahabad High Court decision rejecting a schoolgirl’s request to wear a hijab with her uniform in India. Speaking on Tuesday at an Eid-e-Milad-un-Nabi event, “Jalsa-e-Rahmatul Lil Alamin,” at the party’s Darussalam office, he described the ruling as an attack on Islam.

Owaisi said he disagreed with a decision that a girl could not wear a hijab at school. He questioned why the high court had ruled on whether a religious practice was essential to Islam while a Sabarimala-related matter was pending before a nine-judge Supreme Court bench. He said the ruling violated Articles 25 and 19 of India’s Constitution.

The high court had said that a uniform policy set without discrimination and in good faith falls within a school authority’s jurisdiction. The student had worn a headscarf in earlier years without objection but was denied admission to class 11 this year citing the dress code. Owaisi also criticised initiatives for a Uniform Civil Code in Assam and Uttarakhand, and criticised the RSS and BJP during his speech.

An exhibition titled “Islamic Heritage of Russia: People and Traditions” has opened at the Moscow Cathedral Mosque, presenting 1,100 years of Islamic history and heritage in Russia. The event was inaugurated in the presence of prominent figures from religious, diplomatic and cultural circles. Its stated aim is to highlight the history of Muslims in Russia and their contribution to shaping the country’s cultural identity.

The opening was attended by Sheikh Ravil Gaynutdin, head of Russia’s Muslim Religious Board, as well as ambassadors and diplomats from Muslim countries, officials from the Republic of Tatarstan and Russian cultural figures. The exhibition features the history of Quran dissemination in Russia, writing culture, historical traditions, ornaments, handicrafts and fine arts of Muslim communities from different regions.

Running until September 27, the exhibition introduces visitors to Muslim cultures and traditions from the Volga region, the Caucasus and Siberia, according to Gaynutdin. Tatarstan Culture Minister Irada Ayupova praised the initiative, while Moscow official Konstantin Blasenov stressed Muslims’ role in the capital’s cultural landscape and cited city efforts to preserve their heritage. The programme is linked to events commemorating the birth anniversary of Prophet Muhammad.

Bangladesh National Parliament Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmad expressed grief and sorrow over the extensive loss of life caused by severe floods and landslides in Nepal. He conveyed his condolences in a message issued on Thursday.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres also expressed deep sorrow over the destruction in Nepal. He offered condolences to the families of those killed in the flooding and wished injured people a speedy recovery.

In a statement, Guterres said the devastating floods had killed many people, left others missing and caused widespread destruction. The source did not provide figures for fatalities, missing people, injuries or damage, nor did it specify affected locations within Nepal.

Severe floods and landslides in Himalayan areas along the Nepal-China border have left about 1,500 people missing, including at least 800 foreign nationals from 28 countries. Nepal police said the death toll could exceed 165 after flash flooding inundated border settlements and valleys on Wednesday. In Nepal, 826 people are missing, while Tibet’s Gyirong County has reported another 558 missing people.

Nearly 600 of those missing in Nepal are foreign citizens. They include 177 Indians, 63 Americans, 34 Australians, 33 Britons and 25 Canadians. Chinese state broadcaster CCTV said 260 of the missing people in Gyirong County are foreigners. The affected region is an important route for pilgrims and tourists travelling to Kailash-Manasarovar.

More than 5,000 army and police personnel have been deployed for rescue operations in Nepal. Food, tents and emergency supplies are being delivered by helicopter to remote areas, while neighbouring India has sent relief assistance. US geological survey officials said the event was primarily caused by tremors from collapsing glacier rock and ice, followed by landslides. The United States pledged $500,000, and the United Nations and other countries are supporting rescue and relief work.

Nepal is investigating the cause of a severe sudden flood in the Bhotekoshi area after a 4.4-magnitude earthquake struck Tibet at 8:37 a.m. local time. Foreign Minister Shishir Khanal told parliament on Wednesday that reports of flooding emerged three minutes later, at 8:40 a.m., though he said the apparent timing link requires further verification.

Preliminary analysis by Nepal’s National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority found satellite evidence of a glacier and rock collapse about 20 kilometres northeast of the Rasuwagadhi border point. Water carrying debris reportedly entered the Lhende River before flowing through Timure into the Trishuli River. Authorities in both Nepal and China have not confirmed the flood’s cause.

The flooding inundated several border villages, damaged important infrastructure and caused several deaths. Heavy rainfall in the Mansarovar and Ali areas on Tuesday is also being examined as a possible factor. Nepal has issued repeated warnings to residents along the Bhotekoshi, Trishuli and Narayani rivers, urging them to move to safer locations amid fears of further flooding.

Dhaka Metropolitan Police has prohibited meetings, rallies, processions and demonstrations in and around the National Parliament complex as the third session of the 13th National Parliament begins on Thursday. The order took effect from 12am on Wednesday and will remain in force until the parliamentary session concludes.

Police said the measure aims to maintain peace and order around the parliament and ensure that the session is conducted without disruption. Carrying weapons, explosives and other harmful or polluting materials is also prohibited within the designated areas. Traffic movement on relevant roads may face controls because of the restrictions.

The order, announced in a public notice signed by DMP Commissioner Mosleh Uddin Ahmed on Monday, covers areas including routes from Mohakhali Crossing to Banglamotor, Panthapath to Farmgate, and parts of Mirpur Road, Rokeya Sarani, Indira Road and Manik Mia Avenue. It also applies to all roads and lanes within the boundaries, including the protected parliament area. People and vehicles travelling there must follow police instructions.

The body of Albert, a 16-year-old New Zealand citizen missing after a boat capsized near Nazirartek at the mouth of the Bakkhali River in Cox’s Bazar, was recovered after about 32 and a half hours. The body floated ashore near Kutubdiapara Bazar in Cox’s Bazar municipality’s Ward No. 1 at around 5:30pm on Wednesday. Police and lifeguard workers recovered it after being informed by local residents.

Cox’s Bazar Sadar Model Police Station officer-in-charge Sheikh Mohammad Ali said the body was sent to the morgue of Cox’s Bazar District Sadar Hospital. The family’s self-built boat sank while they were travelling at sea near Nazirartek at around 9:30am on Tuesday.

Local fishermen rescued Albert’s father, John Edward, 74, mother Bela, 36, and brother Ralph, 13, alive and handed them over to the Coast Guard’s Cox’s Bazar station. Officials said all four were New Zealand citizens from the same family. The New Zealand embassy in Dhaka was informed, and relevant embassy officials arrived in Cox’s Bazar on Wednesday afternoon. After legal procedures concerning the body, the three survivors will be handed to the embassy.

Iranian parliament speaker and chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf defended dialogue with the United States, saying negotiations do not signify retreat but resistance aimed at protecting national interests. His comments appeared in an open letter published by Iran’s state news agency IRNA, according to Al Jazeera.

Responding to criticism of negotiations published in the Iranian daily Kayhan, Ghalibaf said rational action and authoritative dialogue should not be wrongly defined as compromise or passivity. He argued that efforts to prevent an enemy from taking away the nation’s rights should not be portrayed as surrender.

Ghalibaf said the state must preserve and protect its instruments of power to consolidate gains from war and guide the country safely past what he described as a serious, planned disaster by the enemy. He also said it would be wrong to avoid responsibility for talks with the United States or to label every achievement by the negotiating team as betrayal.

A Jerusalem Magistrate Court on Wednesday cleared Israeli settler Yona Schreiber, who had been accused of attacking a French Catholic nun near Jerusalem’s Old City earlier this year. The court ruled that he was not criminally responsible for the assault because of mental illness.

The attack took place in April outside the Cenacle on Mount Zion. The 48-year-old nun was a researcher at the French Biblical and Archaeological School of Jerusalem. According to the report, Schreiber pushed her to the ground and kicked her in the head.

The nun required medical treatment immediately after the attack. Schreiber’s lawyer, Idan Gamliel, described the incident as unfortunate and said he had taken note of the nun’s suffering over the assault.

Suspended military officer Ziaul Ahsan was produced before the International Crimes Tribunal on Thursday in a case over the alleged enforced disappearance and torture of former state minister Salahuddin Ahmed at a RAB Taskforce Interrogation cell. Tribunal-1 had ordered his production on August 10 following a prosecution application. The prosecution was set to seek an order formally showing Ziaul Ahsan arrested in the case.

Salahuddin Ahmed previously filed the complaint alleging enforced disappearance and crimes against humanity with the chief prosecutor’s office last year. The case names Ziaul Ahsan, former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan, former police chiefs Benazir Ahmed and A K M Shahidul Hoque, former DMP commissioner Asaduzzaman Mia, former Special Branch chief Monirul Islam and several unidentified people.

Ahmed’s wife, Hasina Ahmed, alleged that people identifying themselves as detective police took him from a home in Uttara on the night of March 10, 2015. He was then a BNP joint secretary general. After being missing for a long period, he was found in Shillong, Meghalaya, India, and returned to Bangladesh on August 11 after the Awami League government fell on August 5, 2024.

Transport workers in Dinajpur surrounded Kotwali police station and blocked roads to protest the arrest of labour leader Sheikh Badsha. Detective Branch police arrested him around 9pm on Wednesday in connection with a case dated August 5. After news of the arrest spread, transport workers halted long-distance passenger buses and all other vehicle movement from Wednesday night.

From Thursday morning, workers used vehicles to barricade all entry points to Dinajpur city, including Government College intersection, Phulbari bus stand and Baluadanga tempo stand. They also parked large buses and night coaches at road intersections, closing routes across the city. The blockade caused severe traffic congestion throughout Dinajpur and disrupted passengers, pedestrians and other residents.

Worker Abdus Salam Jamshed said the protesters would not lift the road blockade unless Sheikh Badsha was released. He demanded the leader’s immediate and unconditional release. Jamshed also said workers would bring North Bengal and the entire country to a standstill if Badsha was not freed.