Flash floods triggered by mountain runoff in Nepal have killed 162 people, with several villages inundated by the powerful Bhote Koshi River in Rasuwa district. Homes, bridges and wider infrastructure were damaged in the disaster. Prime Minister Balendra Shah urged citizens affected by the floods to remain patient and united, saying the state stands beside them during the crisis.

Shah said the government has assumed full responsibility for rescue operations, medical treatment, food and shelter. He said all available government resources were being mobilised to strengthen rescue and relief efforts. The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority, the National Council and the cabinet held emergency meetings and decided to intensify the response.

The Nepali Army, Armed Police Force and other security personnel have been deployed for rescue work. Bir Hospital and the National Trauma Centre have prepared 100 beds for free treatment of injured people, while doctors, rescuers and medical supplies have been sent to affected areas. The government is arranging food, clean water, medicine and temporary shelter, and Shah pledged rapid rebuilding of damaged roads, bridges, electricity and water systems, alongside relocation of displaced families to safer places.

An investigation found that a purported think tank called the Hanover Institute for Public Policy published large volumes of pro-Israel material in the United States in an apparent effort to influence AI chatbot responses. The source says the institute has no verifiable existence, office or known staff. Between August 6 and 14, its website published 124 reports totaling more than 560,000 words, including 73 reports of about 354,000 words over August 12 and 13.

The reports were framed as answers to questions users might ask AI systems, including allegations concerning genocide in Gaza, displacement of Palestinians and whether opposition to Zionism is antisemitism. Their wording sought to weaken allegations against Israel. The Guardian found that 20 reports stressed that no court had issued a final ruling on genocide or apartheid allegations, while 55 described casualty and aid figures as information from a party involved in the conflict.

Information linked the site to New York-based media company Pyro Inc., which registered work for the Israeli government under US foreign-agent law in a contract worth $1 million. Israel denied conducting an influence campaign, while Pyro co-founder Daniel Rosenberg said its work presented accurate, sourced information and countered misinformation.

Chinese Ambassador to Bangladesh Yao Wen said China is actively working with Bangladesh to address the country’s current energy crisis through renewable energy development, particularly solar power. Speaking to reporters after a Thursday morning meeting at the Secretariat with Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Minister Dr Abdul Moin Khan and State Minister Mir Shahe Alam, he said both countries want to reduce reliance on fossil fuels.

Yao said China sees an opportunity to use its technological capabilities to help meet Bangladesh’s energy shortfall. He said the prime minister’s recent visit to China created a new historic opportunity for cooperation between the two countries. According to him, they decided to build a “China-Bangladesh community with a shared future in the new era,” adding a new dimension to bilateral relations.

He said notable economic progress had been made in the two months following the visit. The foundation stone for Bangladesh’s first special economic zone project with Chinese assistance has been laid, while a feasibility study for the Teesta River project is under way. Construction of a women’s residential hall at Dhaka University and a hospital is progressing, and discussions are continuing on increasing direct flights between Bangladesh and China.

Aminul Islam Sujon, head teacher of Berakhla Abdul Matin Khasru Girls’ High School in Brahmanpara, Cumilla, submitted his resignation to the upazila executive officer on August 10. Sujon, also the organising secretary of Brahmanpara upazila Awami League, said he voluntarily decided to leave the post while issues over his employment and assumption of duties remained before the High Court Division.

In his resignation letter, Sujon said he was temporarily suspended and served a show-cause notice on September 12, 2024, and later replied. He claimed that the school’s managing committee withdrew the suspension on September 17, 2025, but that the acting head teacher did not hand over responsibility. He also cited a High Court Division direction of January 20, 2026, to dispose of his application according to law.

The report cites allegations against Sujon involving forged certificates, improper leave, drawing salaries from two workplaces, and forcing his return to the school. Acting head teacher Mosammat Hasina Islam filed a case against Sujon and 10 others over an alleged attack. UNO Munni Islam confirmed receiving the resignation and said steps were being taken to process it.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has called for changes to the US-led global order and said Canada will not yield to pressure from President Donald Trump. In speeches in Davos, Switzerland, in January and in Ottawa on August 22, Carney argued that the post-Second World War US-centred system can no longer be relied upon as before.

In Ottawa, during a 23-minute address, Carney explained Canada’s decision to withdraw from trade talks with the United States. He said US demands made at the final stage were unacceptable and rejected the use of economic ties as a tool for political pressure. Trump responded angrily on social media, criticising Canadian leaders and making controversial comments about Canadian sovereignty.

Carney cited economic interdependence, saying Canada imports large volumes of US goods while nearly 99 percent of US natural gas comes from Canada. The United States has imposed tariffs of up to 50 percent on Canadian products, and Canada plans retaliatory tariffs on about $20 billion in US goods from September 8. Carney also said Canada would diversify its economy and deepen ties with Europe, Asia and other countries.

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.