Ramganj police arrested a 25-year-old woman, identified by police as Rahena Akter and allegedly using the name Fatema Akter, at 3:15am on Thursday. She had been staging a hunger strike since Sunday, August 23, outside the home of expatriate Imon Hossain in Purba Machimpur village of Chandipur Union, Lakshmipur, demanding marriage.

Residents said the woman had presented herself as Fatema Akter from Chhagalnaiya in Feni. Police said their investigation found that her real name was Rahena Akter, daughter of Nurul Alam, from Uttar Pajura village in Fatikchhari, Chattogram. Police alleged that she used different identities and addresses and targeted wealthy men to obtain large sums of money.

Ramganj police officer-in-charge Firoz Uddin Chowdhury confirmed the arrest. He said the woman had previously come to the same location twice and had earlier been detained and sent to a magistrate court, where she was released on her own custody. Police also alleged that at least 10 men had been victims of her alleged fraud and said she had previously married twice.

Geologists and glacier experts preliminarily believe a massive glacier collapse was a key factor behind devastating flash floods in Nepal on Wednesday. Satellite analysis indicated that a roughly 2,000-foot-wide section of glacier, located at about 17,000 feet, broke away and plunged about 4,000 feet into a valley. The event occurred about 40 miles north of Kathmandu, with ice and water flowing northwest toward the Bhote Koshi River on the Nepal-China border.

Experts said the falling ice released substantial stored energy, breaking into a fast, dangerous mixture of ice, water and rock. Seismic data showed a sudden downslope movement at about 8:40 a.m. local time, followed by signs of floodwater flow. The USGS initially identified a 4.4-magnitude earthquake but later said no earthquake had occurred; it described vibrations from the landslide as equivalent to a 5.2-magnitude seismic event.

Scientists have not confirmed the precise cause, noting that videos show unusually large water volumes that may indicate additional factors. They have not ruled out climate change, as satellite images showed rapidly shrinking snow cover before the event, but say it is too early to establish a direct link. Hundreds remain missing in Nepal and China’s Tibet region, while rescue work is complicated by remote terrain and debris.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir have entered a political dispute over the wreckage of the Altalena, an Irgun arms ship sunk in 1948. Ben-Gvir announced on Monday that the wreckage had been found, after which Netanyahu also visited the site. The two leaders issued separate video messages, turning the discovery into a politically significant event ahead of October’s election.

At the Etzel Museum near Jaffa, Netanyahu recounted the Altalena episode and highlighted former Irgun commander Menachem Begin’s order not to return fire when Israeli forces fired on his fighters. The ship had arrived from France in June 1948 carrying weapons for Irgun, but a dispute over control of the arms with the newly formed Israeli army ended with David Ben-Gurion ordering it sunk.

Analysts cited in the report said the renewed attention reflects rivalry between Netanyahu and Ben-Gvir rather than broad voter interest. Polls place Netanyahu’s Likud behind rival Gadi Eisenkot’s Yashar Party, while Ben-Gvir retains support among hardline voters. Chatham House adviser Yossi Mekelberg warned that rhetoric about civil-war fears is politically motivated but dangerous.

Saudi Arabia’s National Center for Meteorology has issued a red alert for Mecca, forecasting heavy rainfall in several parts of the city. The Saudi Civil Defense said the region could face severely adverse weather conditions and urged residents to take precautions and follow safety instructions issued by relevant authorities.

Civil Defense advised people to stay away from waterlogged areas, valleys and locations near dams for their safety. The National Center for Meteorology’s red alert is its highest-level weather warning and is issued when weather conditions requiring extreme caution are expected.

Mecca province has experienced unstable weather in recent days, with rainfall of varying intensity reported across different areas. Earlier, on August 21, the meteorological agency issued warnings for heavy rain in Al-Ardiyat and Al-Qunfudhah provinces, along with possible strong winds, hail, thunderstorms and flash floods.

China has expressed interest in investing about Tk10,000 crore to build multi-storey housing in the Gulshan, Korail and Mohakhali slum areas of Dhaka, State Minister for Local Government Mir Shah Alam said on Thursday. He disclosed the proposal after meeting Chinese Ambassador Yao Wen at the Local Government Ministry in the Secretariat, where they discussed Chinese cooperation and investment prospects in Bangladesh’s development projects.

Shah Alam said China also wants to expand investment in renewable energy, water and waste management. The two countries are advancing cooperation on producing electricity from waste, alongside the proposed housing projects. The discussion also covered strengthening political and economic cooperation between Bangladesh and China.

An event to sign a memorandum of understanding on waste-to-energy cooperation is scheduled in Beijing on September 2, according to the state minister. Ambassador Yao said China’s relationship with the current government has reached a new height and became stronger after Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s China visit. China is also interested in investing in Chinese-language education and developing language-skilled workers in Bangladesh.

The United States has designated UK-based pro-Palestinian group Palestine Action as a foreign terrorist organization. Washington also imposed sanctions on Italy-based Autistici/Inventati and the pro-Palestinian group Masar Badil. State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott described the groups as violent far-left terrorist organizations, while Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the United States would use its full economic power to halt their financial activities.

Palestine Action says it seeks to end global cooperation with Israel and what it describes as Israel’s genocide and apartheid system. The group gained greater prominence after Israel’s military operation in Gaza began following Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack. It has faced allegations of attacking Israeli arms companies and related facilities and damaging property. The organization has also been banned in the United Kingdom.

A Palestine Action co-founder criticized the US decision, saying it raised concerns about free expression and protest rights and sought to intensify pressure on anti-Israel movements. Human rights activists similarly warned that equating political activism and protest with terrorism could restrict peaceful protest. The US Treasury alleged Masar Badil acts as a front for the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, already designated by Washington.

A farmer, Azahar Mondal, 50, died after being electrocuted while connecting electricity to an irrigation pump in Madarganj upazila of Jamalpur on Thursday morning. The incident occurred in the Charshubhagachha area of Balijuri union. Mondal, the son of Tofil Mondal, had gone to irrigate his aman paddy field near his home using an electric pump.

He was seriously injured after accidentally coming into contact with electricity, according to the account of the incident. Local residents rescued him and took him to Madarganj Upazila Health Complex. As his condition worsened, the attending doctors referred him to Jamalpur General Hospital for advanced treatment.

Dr Shamim Iftekhar, resident medical officer at Jamalpur General Hospital, said Mondal had died before he was brought to the hospital and was declared dead after examination. Balijuri union parishad member Habibur Rahman Mister confirmed the incident and said the death had brought grief to the family and local area. Madarganj Model Police Station officer-in-charge Snehasish Ray said police were sent to the scene and legal action is under process.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian called on Muslim countries to expand economic cooperation, saying their economic scale is small compared with their population and geostrategic position. He made the appeal in a speech at the 40th International Islamic Unity Conference in Tehran, Iran’s capital.

Pezeshkian stressed unity among Muslim countries despite differences of opinion. He said the 57 member states of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, spanning Southeast Asia to Africa, are situated around key maritime and land routes and possess energy resources, young populations and a large market.

He said only 19 percent of member states’ exports remain within the group, while the rest go to countries outside the OIC. The Iranian president urged Muslim countries to increase trade among themselves.

Tensions are rising across the Middle East amid the Iran-Israel war, with disputes over shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, new US sanctions, Israeli attacks in southern Lebanon and Iranian warnings. An oil tanker caught fire after being struck by an unidentified object in the strait, though the source of the incident and those responsible were not immediately known. British maritime authorities said the fire was later brought under control.

Shipping traffic through Hormuz has declined sharply. Kpler said only five vessels transited the strait on Wednesday, down 28.6 percent from the previous day, while traffic also fell in the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab. Iran and Oman are discussing a temporary shipping route and mine clearance, but have not agreed on conditions for fully reopening the strait. Qatar’s prime minister is due in Tehran on Thursday for talks on reducing tensions.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian rejected the effectiveness of new US sanctions, while President Donald Trump said economic pressure and military action were working. Israel carried out airstrikes and shelling in southern Lebanon, and two drone attacks were reported in Iraq’s Erbil province. Asia’s August crude imports fell by about four million barrels, or 14 percent, compared with before the war began.

Devastating flash floods in Nepal’s Rasuwa region have killed 160 people and destroyed towns and villages, Nepalese Foreign Minister Shishir Khanal said in Kathmandu on Thursday. Thousands remain missing after powerful flows of mud and water swept through settlements, while many families were left homeless within hours, he said at the NDTV World Anvixha Summit.

Khanal said at least 500 foreign nationals could not be contacted, including at least 300 Indian citizens. Many of the missing Indians were using the route toward Tibet for the Manas Sarovar pilgrimage. Nepal’s government is maintaining round-the-clock contact with embassies of different countries and says it is committed to the safety and welfare of foreign citizens.

The minister said rescuing stranded people and delivering emergency relief were the government’s immediate priorities. He thanked India for sending assistance and said many countries had stood beside Nepal. Khanal also called for global support for reconstruction, while saying much of Nepal remained safe and unaffected. Pokhara and the Mount Everest region remain open to tourists, he said, urging international visitors to continue travelling to support the economy.

Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer and opposition leader Dr Shafiqur Rahman said Bangladesh’s possible accession to the Mecca Pact is solely the country’s own matter. In a Facebook post published at about 11:45am on Thursday, he said no one else needs to feel discomfort if Bangladesh makes a decision based on the needs and interests of the country and nation.

Discussion has recently emerged over whether Bangladesh may join the Mecca joint defence agreement signed by Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan. Opinions have already been expressed both in favour of and against Bangladesh joining the arrangement.

The joint defence agreement was signed in Mecca on August 7 by Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan. Under the agreement, a military attack on any one of the three countries would be considered an attack on all three countries.

Pakistan’s security forces said 11 people were killed in separate counterterrorism operations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan. Two militants were killed in an operation in the Bannu area, while five were killed in Ladha, South Waziristan. Security forces also recovered weapons and ammunition during the operations.

In Balochistan, four more militants were killed during an operation in the Sasul area of Khuzdar district that used a quadcopter. Authorities claimed those killed were members of the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, or TTP, and Balochistan-based armed groups.

President Asif Ali Zardari and Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi praised the security forces for the operations. Zardari said security forces’ activities to eliminate terrorism would continue. Earlier, on August 21, the military’s media wing had reported that 49 militants were killed in separate operations.

Police in Raiganj, Sirajganj, have arrested the main suspect, Titon, about one and a half months after the killing of HSC examinee Abdur Rahman. Raiganj police detained him during an operation in Gazipur on Wednesday. Rahman was a student of Raiganj Business Management and Technical College.

Police said an argument began on the night of July 14 after Rahman objected to drug use. Titon allegedly became enraged and attacked Rahman and his elder brother, Hasan, with a Burmese knife and a machete. Both brothers were indiscriminately hacked and injured in the attack.

Local residents rescued the injured brothers and admitted them to hospital. Abdur Rahman died while receiving treatment on July 17. Additional Superintendent of Police Saiful Islam Khan of the Raiganj Circle said Titon, identified as the main accused in the killing, had been arrested from Gazipur. Police said the incident is under investigation and necessary legal action is being taken.

A series of killings and domestic violence incidents in Egypt during August has heightened public concern, with dozens of people reported killed in a single month. Victims included spouses, parents, children and other close relatives. In Alexandria’s El-Agami area, a 27-year-old woman named Renia was killed by a beach worker after a dispute over seating; she had been vacationing with her husband and two children.

Other reported cases included the stabbing deaths of three people, including a wife, in Sohag Governorate over suspected infidelity. In 15 May City south of Cairo, an engineer allegedly shot dead four people, including his daughter, during a reconciliation meeting with his former wife’s family. Police cases cited in the report also involved disputes over loans, family conflicts and alleged killings of parents and children.

The Idrak Foundation for Development and Equality recorded 598 violent crimes against women and girls in the first six months of 2026, up from 495 a year earlier, a 20.81% rise. About 41% were domestic violence cases. Experts cited economic pressure, rising prices, inequality, weakened family ties, drug addiction and social tension, urging swift justice, counseling, social support and early identification of at-risk families.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said the United States would achieve nothing through newly announced sanctions against Iran. Speaking to Iran’s ISNA news agency in response to the measures, he said Washington could not accomplish anything through economic pressure at this stage, just as it had not achieved anything through war.

Pezeshkian said Iran would firmly resist economic pressure, as it has done so far, and would continue to do so in the future. His remarks followed the announcement of a new round of US sanctions targeting Iran.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced the sanctions campaign, which Washington has called “Operation Economic Outcast.” Bessent said the operation would target Iran’s financial network worldwide. He also warned that countries and institutions maintaining commercial ties with Tehran could face secondary sanctions.