A sudden flood struck Nepal’s Tibet-bordering areas on Wednesday morning, sending water and mud through Nuwakot, Dhading and surrounding areas. Witnesses said the surge swept across a wide area, burying homes and structures beneath mud. Local resident Deepika said she alerted her family after seeing the floodwater and mud approaching at about 9:30am, and they took refuge on their roof.

Although Deepika’s family survived, the ground floor of their home was completely filled with mud and they could not recover furniture or essential belongings. Even a water vessel kept for drinking was buried several feet under mud, leaving them without a glass of drinkable water. Witnesses described the landscape as a grey sea of mud, with temple spires, parts of two-storey houses and large rocks from the hills visible in places.

Twenty-four-year-old worker Bibek Kumal was swept away while fleeing a construction site but survived after becoming lodged in a mango tree; his right leg was seriously injured by the current and rocks. Eleven-year-old student Rihana Lamichhane was injured while attempting to cross a river during the flood and was rescued and admitted to hospital.

State Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change and Bagerhat-3 MP Sheikh Faridul Islam said the Bangladesh Coast Guard has played a firm role in seizing banned polythene. Speaking on Wednesday in Mongla, Bagerhat, he said Coast Guard operations had recovered banned polythene worth several crore taka. He made the remarks after inaugurating the Coast Guard Tree Plantation Programme 2026.

The programme, held under the theme “Let us decorate the country through tree planting, Bangladesh first,” was organised by Enroute Foundation under the overall supervision of the Bangladesh Coast Guard. About 9,400 saplings are planned for planting in different areas of the Coast Guard’s West Zone, with environmental protection and biodiversity conservation in Mongla and nearby coastal areas prioritised.

Sheikh Faridul Islam said tree planting is important for maintaining coastal environmental balance, conserving biodiversity and addressing adverse effects of climate change. He stressed both expanded planting and proper care and protection of planted trees. He also called for continued operations to stop the use of environmentally harmful banned polythene. Coast Guard media officer Lieutenant Commander Sabbir Alam Sujon said similar environmental activities will continue in the future.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has assigned two experienced military commanders to lead a new grouping aimed at strengthening defenses around key industrial cities in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region. During a visit to frontline areas, he gave Third Army Corps chief Andriy Biletskyi and First Corps Azov commander Denys Prokopenko responsibility for the cities described as a “fortress belt,” including Kostiantynivka, Kramatorsk and Sloviansk.

Russian forces have increased pressure toward these defensive hubs. DeepState, an open-source military map analysis group, said Russian troops were seeking to push deeper into Kostiantynivka, while Moscow was conducting extensive air and artillery strikes on Kramatorsk and Sloviansk in preparation for a possible larger assault. Analyst Mykola Bielieskov backed the appointments, while drone forces commander Robert Brovdi called them a step toward technology-driven “smart warfare.”

Zelenskyy said Ukraine struck 16 sites inside Russia in one day, including oil facilities, airfields, missile units, military factories and supply infrastructure. Russian attacks damaged a thermal power plant in Kherson and injured two people at an industrial site in Kryvyi Rih. Ukraine and Russia also exchanged 10 prisoners each, according to the source.

Education Minister Dr. A N M Ehsanul Haque Milon called for a deeper and more structured education partnership between Bangladesh and China at the China-Bangladesh Education Exchange Conference at South China Normal University in Guangzhou on Wednesday. The conference aimed to strengthen academic cooperation and identify new opportunities for students and institutions in both countries.

Milon emphasized long-term collaboration in joint research, scholarships, student and teacher exchanges, short-term training, and joint master’s and PhD programmes. Education Adviser Dr. Mahdi Amin highlighted Bangladesh’s changing education needs, including technical education, research collaboration, university partnerships and Chinese-language learning. He also stressed the importance of establishing Chinese language centres in Bangladesh.

Guangdong education chief inspector Xu Shimin reaffirmed the province’s commitment to international education and expressed willingness to admit more Bangladeshi students. During the 2024-2025 academic year, 261 Bangladeshi students studied in Guangdong, while 20 received Guangdong government scholarships in 2025. Both sides pledged to expand university cooperation, academic exchanges and long-term education partnerships.

Palestinian farmers in Gaza are trying to sustain cultivation on shrinking parcels of land amid war, destruction and severe food shortages. In Beit Lahia in northern Gaza, farmer Saker Abu Rabi has resumed farming on 1.4 hectares that previously contained an orange grove, according to his account. He said Israeli forces destroyed the grove, after which he cleared the land with relatives and workers using basic tools.

The farm produces millions of eggplant, tomato and pepper seedlings. Some vegetables are sold, while most seedlings are distributed to other farmers and families living in tents; the effort has significantly lowered vegetable prices in local markets. Abu Rabi said his son Yusuf was killed in a drone strike while working in a field in October 2024, and his brother Bilal was killed in July this year while collecting farming equipment. The Israeli military denied allegations of targeting farmers or civilians.

FAO satellite data says only 450 hectares, about 3 percent of Gaza's pre-war farmland, remain intact and immediately cultivable. More than 80 percent of greenhouses have been damaged, while shortages of water, fertilizer and pesticides constrain production. UN agencies estimate about 1.4 million people, or 67 percent of Gaza's population, face severe food insecurity.

Hefazat-e-Islam Bangladesh’s Narayanganj metropolitan branch has seen renewed tensions after two rival committees were announced five hours apart on Wednesday. At DIT Jame Mosque in Narayanganj in the afternoon, central organising secretary Mufti Bashir Ullah announced a four-member committee led by Mufti Zakir Hossain as president and Maulana Abdur Rahman as general secretary.

Around 9pm, central assistant publicity secretary Maulana Ferdousur Rahman announced a competing seven-member committee at an event in Fatullah’s Jamtala area. That committee named Maulana Kamal Uddin Dayemi president and Maulana Tajul Islam Abbas general secretary. Ferdousur Rahman rejected the earlier committee, saying leadership should go to those who had made sacrifices for the organisation rather than opportunists.

The competing announcements have publicly exposed internal disputes within the metropolitan unit and caused confusion among activists. On October 4, 2024, senior joint secretary Junaid Al Habib had announced district and metropolitan committees, with Mufti Harunur Rashid and Maulana Ahmadullah heading the metropolitan branch. Questions now remain over which new committee is organisationally valid, with concerned parties awaiting a central decision.

US President Donald Trump said he has set no deadline for bringing Iran back to the negotiating table. In an interview with Al Jazeera on Wednesday, Trump said he was not in a hurry and that there was no timetable, adding that it could take as long as needed.

Trump claimed Iran’s economy was collapsing and said both economic sanctions and military attacks on the country were working. Analysts, however, questioned how effective new US sanctions would be in returning Iran to negotiations. Friday will mark six months since the Iran-US war began, despite Trump’s earlier statement that the conflict could end within four to six weeks.

The United States on Monday imposed fresh sanctions on 60 companies and entities in various countries involved in trade with Iran. Tehran described the move as a threat to international law and the UN Charter. The war and sanctions have made life harder for ordinary Iranians, with the rial reaching a record low and prices of food, chicken and cooking oil rising sharply.

Cumilla district detective police arrested Shawon, identified as the main suspect in an attack on journalists, after he allegedly fled the area. Police said the arrest was made around 3am in Bijoypur of Sadar South Upazila, roughly 12 hours after Wednesday’s incident. Shawon, son of Selim Mia from Srimantapur, was handed over to Sadar South Police Station.

The attack occurred in the Mistripukur Par area of North Rampur in Sadar South Upazila, involving journalists Rafiqul Islam Chowdhury Khokon, Tanvir Dipu and Abdullah Al Maruf. Tanvir Dipu said they were travelling to Lalmai for news gathering when they encountered congestion caused by vehicles trapped at a locally erected iron barricade.

Dipu said he helped vehicles pass and then argued with a local youth named Shawon, who objected to efforts to clear the traffic. He alleged that the youth later returned with a rod and attacked them from behind, leaving Maruf unconscious. Detective police officer-in-charge Shamsul Alam Shah said Shawon would be sent to court. Cumilla Press Club general secretary Imtiaz Ahmed Jitu thanked police for the arrest.

At least 12 people have died and 54 others were injured in wildfires across northeastern Algeria, authorities said on Wednesday. Families were evacuated from the worst-hit areas as fires spread during an intense heatwave affecting Algeria and neighbouring Tunisia.

Interior Minister Said Sayoud said five deaths were recorded in Jijel prefecture, four in Bejaia and three in Tizi Ouzou. He said 54 burn patients were admitted to hospital, including six in critical condition.

Civil protection teams recorded 154 fire incidents nationwide on Wednesday, with 36 reported in Bejaia province. Eighteen of the Bejaia fires had been brought under control. Firefighters contained blazes in Skikda, El Tarf, Bouira, Tizi Ouzou and Tebessa provinces, while operations were continuing in Bejaia.

A case has been filed in Kendua, Netrokona, accusing five named people, including BNP leader Rafiqul Islam Bhuiyan Bakul, of blackmailing and gang-raping a Class 10 schoolgirl over an extended period. The victim’s father filed the case at Kendua police station on Tuesday night under the নারী ও শিশু নির্যাতন দমন আইন and the Pornography Control Act, also naming several unidentified suspects.

According to the case statement and the victim’s family, Bakul allegedly raped the girl on November 20, 2022, when she was in Class 6, after taking her to a house on the pretext of seeing a doctor. He allegedly recorded a video and later used threats of releasing it on social media to blackmail and repeatedly assault her.

Kendua municipal BNP removed Bakul from its primary membership and all party posts on Wednesday night, citing conduct contrary to party discipline and ethics. Police arrested the second accused, Abu Mia, 36, shortly after the case was filed and sent him to jail through a court on Wednesday. Operations to arrest Bakul and other accused are continuing.

The United States will provide $500,000 in emergency assistance and send a disaster-response adviser to support relief and rescue operations in flood-hit northern Nepal. The US State Department confirmed the assistance in a statement on Wednesday, following a devastating flash flood in Rasuwa, a mountainous district bordering Tibet.

The funding will be delivered through the US-based international humanitarian organization Catholic Relief Services. It is intended for emergency food, medicine, safe water, essential relief supplies, temporary shelters, sanitation and hygiene support for affected residents. The adviser will provide guidance to a joint rescue team comprising Nepal Army, police and disaster-management personnel; the State Department did not disclose the adviser’s name.

Nepal Police said 160 bodies had been recovered from mud and rock deposits after the flooding, while at least 579 people remained missing. More than 100 Indians, 54 Americans, 33 British citizens and more than 100 Nepali citizens were among those missing, along with rescue personnel and electricity department workers. Washington instructed its embassy in Kathmandu to work closely with Nepal’s government to locate missing Americans.

The third session of the thirteenth National Parliament began at 3pm on Thursday, chaired by Major (Retd.) Hafiz Uddin Ahmed. The session is expected to consider several proposed bills, including drafts of the Prevention and Remedy of Enforced Disappearance Act and the National Human Rights Commission Act.

Parliament may also discuss ongoing shortages of electricity, gas and fertiliser. The source does not specify which other bills are due to be introduced or provide a timetable for debates and legislative proceedings during the session.

Security has been tightened at the Parliament complex and surrounding areas for the session. Dhaka Metropolitan Police issued a public notice completely banning meetings, gatherings, processions and all forms of protest marches in and around the parliamentary area to maintain security, peace and order.

The Bangladesh Cricket Board on Thursday denied reports circulating on online platforms that the current BCB administration had cancelled the name of the Shaheed Abu Sayed Stand at Mirpur’s Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium. The board said it had made no decision to change or remove the stand’s name, nor to alter or remove the names of stands at the country’s other international cricket venues.

In its statement, the BCB said official stand names are properly displayed and used during all international and domestic cricket events. Since the current board assumed responsibility earlier this year, three international series have been held at Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium. It said the names of all stands, including the Shaheed Abu Sayed Stand, were clearly visible to spectators at the venue and television viewers, and were also printed on match tickets and promotional materials.

The board said stand-name signage can be damaged or temporarily removed as part of routine stadium maintenance, which it said is conducted on non-match days. It added that the stand was named in recognition of Abu Sayed’s sacrifice and contribution during the July uprising. The BCB described the online claims as a planned attempt to spread misinformation and damage the board’s image, while reserving the right to take action under its policies.

A government committee has recommended establishing a new 250-bed district hospital in Mymensingh after reviewing the district’s population, pressure on existing health services and the patient load at Mymensingh Medical College Hospital. The information was recorded in meeting minutes from the Government Health Management-1 branch of the Health Services Division under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

The proposal initially discussed was for a 1,000-bed district headquarters hospital, raised by Mymensingh’s then acting civil surgeon, Dr Faisal Ahmed. The minutes said residents of the district’s seven upazilas depend on Mymensingh Medical College Hospital for treatment, creating very high patient pressure. Dr Ahmed said the hospital’s bed occupancy rate was the fourth highest in the country.

Health Directorate officials said growing patient numbers were increasing pressure on beds in public hospitals, making expanded capacity necessary. They noted that while 250-bed hospitals exist in other districts, Mymensingh has no such district hospital. The committee ultimately recommended the 250-bed facility. If implemented, the initiative is expected to expand public healthcare access and reduce pressure on the medical college hospital.

BNP acting secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi said Kazi Nazrul Islam’s message teaches people to resist anyone conspiring against the country’s sovereignty. He made the remarks on Thursday morning after paying tribute at the national poet’s grave at the University of Dhaka, on Nazrul’s 50th death anniversary.

Rizvi described Nazrul as a poet of the era who spoke against injustice throughout his life. He said the poet taught people to protest oppression and repression and remained a key inspiration in movements and struggles, from the independence movement to the 2024 mass uprising.

Bangladesh Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal’s University of Dhaka unit earlier placed flowers at the grave. Its president Ganesh Chandra Roy Sahas said Nazrul was being remembered with deep respect and that building a humane, non-discriminatory society based on equality, humanity, harmony and patriotism would be the best tribute. The source said Nazrul’s poetry, songs and writings remain relevant in Bengali consciousness against injustice, exploitation and discrimination.