Rescue teams in Nepal are facing major challenges after a devastating flash flood left people trapped under debris and stranded in remote areas. Many roads and bridges were destroyed, making overland access to affected communities difficult and forcing rescuers to rely on helicopters. Local survivor Janak Bahadur told Reuters that the floodwater arrived suddenly, “exploding like a bomb.”

Bahadur said the river had appeared small from a distance before water levels suddenly rose and the current swept through the entire area. Another flood victim said the loss of road connections had become the biggest problem. Debris has prevented access to many locations, leaving authorities unable to confirm how many people remain stranded or buried beneath rubble.

The powerful floodwaters damaged homes, roads, bridges and other structures across remote affected areas. Rescue workers said restoring communications and transport links, while delivering food, water and emergency assistance, is now urgent. They are also working against time to find anyone who may still be alive under the debris.

Bangladesh recorded 868 new dengue patients admitted to hospitals in the 24 hours from Wednesday 8am to Thursday 8am, with no deaths reported during the period. The figures were released on Thursday by the Health Directorate’s Health Emergency Operation Center and Control Room in a dengue-related press statement.

Khulna reported the highest number of admissions, at 205, followed by Dhaka division outside the city corporations with 150. Barishal recorded 110 admissions, Chattogram 109, Dhaka South City Corporation 98, Rajshahi 73, Dhaka North City Corporation 68, Mymensingh 38 and Rangpur 17. During the same period, 865 dengue patients were discharged from hospitals after recovery.

In the first 27 days of the current month, 16,938 people have been infected and 34 have died. Since January, total dengue infections this year have reached 32,248 and deaths have totaled 88. Of those deaths, two occurred in January, two in February, one in May, 13 in June and 36 in July. Men account for 61.8 percent of reported patients and women for 38.2 percent.

Chief Election Commissioner A M M Nasir Uddin said preparations for local elections have been completed, with Union Parishad polls set to be held first. Speaking to journalists at the Election Building in Agargaon, the capital, on Thursday, he said the first phase will cover 371 unions.

The chief election commissioner said election preparations are planned for September, followed by the announcement of the schedule in November. Voting for the first phase is expected to take place in December.

Nasir Uddin also said the Election Commission will hold a meeting with the Local Government Ministry next week to discuss financial matters related to the elections. No further details on the voting timetable or the financial discussions were provided.

Opposition Leader and Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Dr Shafiqur Rahman criticized Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed over what he described as demeaning and dismissive remarks in parliament. Speaking on Thursday, the first day of the third session of the 13th National Parliament, Rahman said the minister had acted as though he would serve as a teacher to other lawmakers, adding that they had not come to parliament to become his students.

Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmed chaired the sitting in which Rahman made the remarks. While expressing respect for the home minister, the opposition leader said this was not the first time he had used such language in the House.

Rahman said the home minister had been speaking dismissively to everyone since parliamentary sittings began. He also said it was difficult to understand what the minister considered himself to be. The source does not include a response from Salahuddin Ahmed or any further action regarding the criticism.

Opposition Leader Dr Shafiqur Rahman visited the Government Unani and Ayurvedic Medical College and Hospital in Mirpur, Dhaka, on Thursday, meeting teachers, students and patients. The Dhaka-15 lawmaker said he would seek to raise the institution’s fundamental problems in parliament and stand with those pursuing their demands, while not promising to secure every demand.

Rahman said he had learned about many issues before the visit through two meetings with the college principal, then toured departments and heard concerns directly. He described the institution as neglected and overlooked, saying the government should resolve its problems if it considers the facility necessary. He also said Unani treatment was comparatively affordable and free from side effects.

He cited patients’ complaints that medicines were unavailable and called for a law on allocations for the institution. Rahman said patients visiting the hospital should receive proper attention under the government’s stated aim of healthcare for all. Addressing the lack of a voltage stabilizer for the college’s pathological machine, he said one would be delivered from his side on Saturday.

Flash floods are sudden, powerful surges of water that can rapidly move through gorges, valleys and other low, narrow areas. The article cites recent severe losses and more than 800 missing people in Nepal, while noting that such floods have also been reported in Bangladesh and elsewhere. Unlike slower river flooding after prolonged rain, flash floods can turn dry riverbeds into overflowing channels after only three to four hours of rainfall.

Heavy rain linked to thunderstorms is a main trigger, while rapid snow and ice melt, dam failures and landslides can also cause flash floods. Steep terrain and impermeable surfaces such as rock, roads and roofs accelerate runoff toward lower areas. The report says warmer air can hold more moisture, potentially increasing heavy rainfall, though scientists say it is still too early to determine climate change's role in Nepal's event.

Experts say flash floods can be forecast, but warning time is limited and data are scarce in remote mountain basins. Radar, satellites and automatic sensors can provide real-time information on lake levels and dam conditions. Nepalese specialists called for stronger international data systems, satellite monitoring in uninhabited risk zones and avoiding settlement in vulnerable areas.

Dhaka Metropolitan Police will implement extensive security arrangements for Janmashtami celebrations in the capital on September 4, according to Additional Police Commissioner and DB chief Md Shafiqul Islam. He made the announcement at a coordination meeting held Thursday at 11am in the DMP Headquarters conference room, focusing on security, law and order, and traffic management for the Hindu religious festival.

The plan includes picket and patrol teams, CCTV cameras, foot patrols, rooftop teams, Honda mobile units, DB teams, plainclothes intelligence personnel, SWAT, bomb disposal units and traffic police. Deputy commissioners in each division will hold separate coordination meetings with relevant Janmashtami celebration committees and maintain regular communication.

Participants agreed that celebrations should follow designated routes and finish within specified times. Organizers and participants were asked not to use loudspeakers or microphones during prayer and azan, appoint their own volunteers, avoid joining Rath Yatra processions with bags or bundles, and report suspicious people or objects to police. Volunteers on duty must wear designated vests, while authorities also urged caution around electrical lines to prevent accidents.

Nearly 100 Chinese citizens are missing after severe flash floods in Nepal, China’s Foreign Ministry said, as Chinese Premier Li Qiang visited the disaster-hit Gyirong Township in Tibet on Thursday. The flooding and landslides have affected areas on both sides of the Nepal-China border, with rescue operations continuing for missing people.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said China is maintaining close contact with Nepal and assisting searches and rescues for those missing. He said China would also provide emergency assistance according to Nepal’s needs. In Gyirong County in Tibet, the number of missing people rose to 558, including 260 foreign nationals, according to CCTV.

Nepal’s National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority reported 826 people missing in the country and confirmed 289 deaths on the Nepal side of the border. Chinese authorities confirmed three deaths after a landslide struck an important land port linking China and Nepal on Wednesday. More than 300 villagers near Gyirong Port were moved to safer locations, while Beijing activated its highest Level-1 emergency response.

Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman said Bangladesh would positively consider joining the Mecca Pact if the countries already party to it express an intention to include Bangladesh. He made the remarks on Thursday during the parliamentary question-and-answer session, chaired by Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmed, in response to independent lawmaker Rumin Farhana.

Farhana said Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan signed the Mecca Pact on August 7 and asked what benefits Bangladesh would gain by joining it. Rahman said the pact currently exists among those three countries and that Bangladesh views it positively. He said the question of Bangladesh joining has not yet arisen because it depends on the wishes of the signatory members.

The minister said it was probably not yet time to discuss the pact’s advantages and disadvantages, though Bangladesh would consider all such matters. If the pact expands, he said, it would serve as a self-defence arrangement for the global Muslim community. He described it as an internal matter of the Muslim family and said there was no scope for concern from others.

Neurosurgeons at London’s National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery successfully used artificial intelligence during surgery to remove a pituitary gland tumour from 48-year-old Rhys Hibbert. The operation was performed in May and disclosed on Thursday. Hibbert’s vision had progressively deteriorated because of the tumour, which was diagnosed in 2024, and he had feared becoming nearly blind. His eyesight returned after surgery, and he recovered quickly enough to return to work.

The AI system analysed live camera images from inside the brain during the operation. It identified critical nerves, blood vessels and other sensitive structures, marking them in different colours for surgeons. This gave the surgical team clearer guidance on where instruments could be used safely and which areas needed to be avoided.

The technology was developed under the leadership of UCL robotics and AI specialist Dr Sofia Bano and trained using hundreds of surgical videos. It had previously been used for research, but this was its first direct use in patient treatment. The procedure was part of a clinical trial funded by the UK National Institute for Health and Care Research, while surgeons retained control of all key decisions.

Bangladesh’s Directorate General of Health Services reported on Thursday, August 27, that five more people died from measles and measles-related symptoms in the past 24 hours. Three deaths from symptoms were recorded in Dhaka division, while two children died with symptoms in Sylhet division. The agency also reported 1,031 new cases of measles or related symptoms during the period.

Since March 15, 955 children have died after being infected with measles or showing measles-related symptoms. Of the total deaths, 856 were attributed to symptoms and 99 to confirmed measles infection. Nationwide, 75 new measles cases were confirmed in the past 24 hours, while another 956 people showed symptoms of the disease.

From March 15 through Thursday, measles-related symptoms were identified in 153,692 people and 18,726 measles cases were confirmed. During the same period, 134,437 people were admitted to hospitals with measles or related symptoms. The health directorate said 129,489 of those admitted had been discharged after recovering.

International Crimes Tribunal-1 on Thursday showed dismissed Major General Ziaul Ahsan arrested and sent him to jail in a crimes against humanity case over the alleged disappearance of current Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed during the Awami League administration. The three-member judicial panel, led by Justice Md Golam Mortuza Mozumder, also set 27 October for submission of the investigation report.

Prosecutor Gazi M H Tamim asked the tribunal to show Ziaul arrested in the case, send him to jail and allow two months for filing the investigation report. After a hearing, the tribunal granted the application. Prosecutors Shaikh Mahdi, Tasmiarul Islam and others were also present for the prosecution.

The tribunal had issued a production warrant for Ziaul Ahsan on 10 August following a prosecution application and fixed Thursday for his appearance. On 3 June 2025, Salahuddin filed a complaint with the chief prosecutor’s office against ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina and six others over his alleged disappearance.

More than a hundred Indian citizens are missing after severe flooding on the Nepal-Tibet border, where they were travelling through Nepal toward Tibet for the Kailash-Mansarovar pilgrimage. The annual journey draws thousands of people along difficult Himalayan routes, but many pilgrims were waiting in different parts of Nepal to cross the border when the disaster struck.

Mount Kailash and Lake Mansarovar are sacred to Hindus, who visit to pray, perform religious rites and seek spiritual purification. The sites are also important to Buddhists and Jains, and many pilgrims view completing the journey at least once as a long-held spiritual aspiration. Indian travellers commonly enter Nepal before attempting to reach the Chinese-controlled Tibetan region via mountain roads.

The Rasuwa area is a key gateway for the pilgrimage route, but Wednesday's flooding washed away the Miteri Bridge at the Nepal-China border and damaged several roads. Mobile-phone and fibre communications were also disrupted, making it difficult to locate pilgrims, contact them or update their families. Rescue efforts to find the missing have become more complex as floodwaters, glacier ice and landslide debris damaged transport links and isolated border areas.

Bangladesh Bank has completed agreements with 17 banks to provide Tk41,000 crore for its Tk60,000 crore incentive package aimed at reopening closed factories and restoring momentum to the stagnant economy. The package was announced on May 23 to restart shut industrial units, increase private-sector investment and revive economic activity.

The participating banks are Sonali, Agrani, Rupali, BRAC, City, Jamuna, Dutch-Bangla, Mutual Trust, Uttara, Prime, Bank Asia, NCC, Pubali, Eastern, Mercantile, Trust and Southeast Bank. Commercial banks will contribute Tk41,000 crore under the package, while Bangladesh Bank will provide the remaining Tk19,000 crore.

The largest allocation, Tk20,000 crore, has been reserved for restarting industrial factories that have remained closed for a long time. Private-sector borrowers will receive loans from this fund at an average interest rate of 7.5 percent.

Mohammad Eslami, head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization, said on Wednesday that Iran’s nuclear industry is advancing alongside leading countries in the field despite US sanctions and military attacks. He described the sector as operating at a level comparable with the world’s top nuclear-industry states.

Eslami said Tehran’s adversaries allege that Iran’s nuclear programme is not peaceful because they want to weaken the country. He argued that they know the reality of the programme and that their actions demonstrate an aim to prevent the Islamic Republic of Iran from progressing.

Iran has consistently maintained that its nuclear programme is entirely peaceful and intended for civilian uses, particularly nuclear power generation. The source says US President Trump stated that he began a war against Iran with Israel to prevent Tehran from developing nuclear weapons, while US intelligence assessments had said Iran was not planning to build a nuclear bomb. Reports have also suggested Iran could become more interested in seeking nuclear weapons after the war.