The incident took place around 11:30am in front of the outpatient ticket counter of the hospital.

According to eyewitnesses and hospital sources, several women were allegedly creating a disturbance near the ticket counter at around 11:20am. Ansar members on duty moved to control the situation.

At one point, one of the women allegedly engaged in an argument with a patient, identified as Sharmin Khatun, 30, who was standing in the ticket line. Amid the commotion, the woman allegedly tried to pull a gold chain from Sharmin's neck from behind through the opening under her hijab.

Sharmin noticed the attempt and caught the woman red-handed. Ansar member Md Ershad Ali quickly arrived at the scene and detained the woman, with assistance from Md Sagar Mia and Md Masum Hasan.

The detained woman was identified as Nur Jahan Begum, 27, wife of Chhut Mia, from Dharmagarh village in Brahmanbaria.

The hospital authorities later handed her over to Kaliakair police for further legal action.

The incident highlighted the vigilance and prompt response of the Ansar personnel responsible for maintaining security at the hospital.

A total of 30 members of Dhaka Metropolitan Ansar Battalion (41 BN), including 10 armed personnel, were deployed to maintain law and order and ensure security during the operation. Eighteen members of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police also took part.

The drive began around 8:30am under the leadership of Executive Magistrate Marufa Begum Neli, following instructions from the DNCC administrator. The operation covered both sides of roads and footpaths from Farmgate through Zia Udyan, the Parliament complex, Karwan Bazar, government residential areas, Paikpara and the Mirpur-1 area.

During the drive, unauthorised advertising billboards and unipole signs were removed, while illegal shops, business establishments, structures and hawkers occupying public spaces were evicted.

Three people were detained in the Farmgate area on charges of obstructing government duties on the instructions of the executive magistrate. Two of them were fined Tk 10,000 each, while the third was fined Tk 5,000, bringing the total fine to Tk 25,000.

The operation was completed peacefully with no untoward incidents reported. Ansar personnel helped maintain law and order, protect officials and workers involved in the drive, and ensure the normal movement of pedestrians and vehicles.

The coordinated operation aimed to free busy roads and footpaths from illegal occupation, restore traffic discipline and ensure safe movement for the public.

The programme was organised by Demra Thana BNP under the direction of Dhaka Metropolitan South BNP Convener Rafiqul Alam Majnu and Member Secretary Tanvir Ahmed Robin. Sekandar Ali, head of Organisational Team-6 of Dhaka Metropolitan South BNP, provided overall supervision.

The procession began around 4 pm from Sarulia cattle market and passed through Sarulia Monu Molla Market, Tengra Khondkar Mor, Matbar Bari, Rasul Nagar, Haji Moazzem Ali Adarsha High School, Haji Nagar Auto Stand and Demra Staff Quarter-Rampura Road before passing by Urmi Garments and ending at Staff Quarter.

SM Reza Chowdhury Selim, former convener of Demra Thana BNP, attended as chief guest. The rally was chaired by Md Anisuzzaman, former senior joint convener of Demra Thana BNP, holding the rank of member secretary.

The procession and rally were conducted under the coordination of Md Monir Hossain Khan, a former member of Demra Thana BNP's convening committee responsible for office affairs and a former student leader.

Among those attending were former joint conveners of Demra Thana BNP Mostafizur Rahman Khokon, Md Khorshed Alam and Md Ahidul Islam, as well as former members Md Ahadullah, Md Ismail Hossain, AB Parvez, Omar Faruk Bhuiyan, Rafiqul Islam and Md Sujon. BNP leader Saddam Hossain and former general secretary of Sarulia Union BNP Md Shahin Mia also took part.

Leaders of BNP's affiliated and associate organisations were also present, including Demra Thana Sramik Dal Member Secretary Mazharul Anwar, Krishak Dal Convener Rashedul Islam Shyamol, Olama Dal Convener Md Alauddin Pradip, Matsyajibi Dal Convener Md Jahangir Hossain, Mahila Dal Senior Vice-President Taslima Begum and Jiya Mancha President Golam Kibria.

Leaders from different wards also joined, including Md Mofazzal Hossain and Md Sirajul Islam of Ward 67 BNP; Md Alamgir Mia and Mir Delwar Hossain of Ward 68 BNP; Golam Mortza Babu and Joint Convener Zakir Hossain of Ward 68 Jubo Dal; and Md Billal Hossain and Md Nur Islam of Ward 68 Sramik Dal and Krishak Dal, respectively.

A large number of BNP activists and supporters from Demra Thana unit and its affiliated and associate organisations participated in the procession, while local residents also expressed solidarity, according to organisers.

At a brief rally held after the procession, speakers alleged that attempts were being made to destabilise the country through violence and disorder. They warned that, in their words, "the people will firmly resist any attempt to destabilise the country."

The speakers also called for immediate arrest and prosecution of individuals allegedly involved in acts of violence, extortion and drug trafficking, as well as those they described as the "godfathers" behind such activities.

They urged authorities to take immediate legal action against those responsible and bring them to justice.

During the period, 130 new dengue patients were admitted to the RMCH. Of the total, 107 have returned home after receiving treatment.

As of 12noon today, 106 dengue patients were undergoing treatment at the hospitals. A total of 12 people have died at the hospital so far.

According to information provided by Dr. Sheikh Shamim Ahmed, spokesperson of Rajshahi Medical College Hospital, 20 new dengue patients were admitted to the hospitals on September 19.

On that day, 12 were discharged. On the same day, a dengue patient Anwar Mondal, 52, died.

The deceased was the resident of Tanore upazila of Rajshahi. He was admitted to the RMCH on the night of September 18. He died on September 19.

On September 20, 31 more new dengue patients were admitted to the hospital.

On that day, 18 were discharged. On the same day, a 16-year-old dengue patient named Sathi Rani died.

Sathi Rani was admitted to the RMCH on September 19. She died on September 20.

On the other hand, on September 21, 26 new dengue patients were admitted to the hospital. At the same time, 27 were discharged. No patient died from dengue on that day.

At the end of the day, 104 dengue patients were undergoing treatment at the hospital.

On September 22, 29 more new dengue patients were admitted to the RMCH. On this day, 25 were discharged.

On the same day, a dengue patient named Abdul Karim, 45, died. At that time, the number of dengue patients undergoing treatment increased to 107.

He was admitted to the RMCH on September 16. Later, he died on September 22.

On Wednesday, 24 more new dengue patients were admitted to the hospital. At the same time, 25 were discharged.

Currently 106 dengue patients are undergoing treatment at the hospital.

"Acting on intelligence information, a special operational team of Sylhet Battalion (48 BGB) conducted the drive on Tuesday night in the border area under the Pratappur Border Outpost in Gowainghat upazila," said a BGB press release issued here this afternoon.

Sylhet Battalion Commander Lt Col Md Nazmul Haque said intelligence activities and operations along the border were continuing to maintain security and prevent smuggling and drug trafficking.

He said the country had produced a substantial quantity of onions this year and that the illegal entry of Indian onions could adversely affect local farmers.

The BGB is maintaining vigilance to prevent the unlawful entry of Indian onions and other contraband through the border, he added.

Necessary legal action is being taken in connection with the seizure.

He claimed that he is owed at least Tk 50 lakh in unpaid fees for work on various audio-visual projects. Now hospitalised, Rashid Sharif Shoaib, guitarist and sound engineer of the band Meghdol, has worked in the music industry for years, contributing to various audio-visual projects, including TVCs, OVCs, web series, and films.

While he has received recognition for his work, the musician has alleged that he has long faced difficulties in receiving payments for his professional work.

Sharing an update on his health on social media, he wrote, “I have been hospitalised for seven days now, once again after 2024. Dengue, high diabetes, and so on. The situation is terrible. I don’t know when I will be able to return home. Please keep me in your prayers.”

He then spoke about the financial difficulties he has faced throughout his career. Recalling that he started working as a musician and sound engineer in Niketan in 2011, Shoaib said he regularly worked on TVCs, OVCs and various other projects.

“Since I sincerely gave my best effort and maintained deadlines, the number of projects and the flow of money started increasing,” he said.

At the time, Shoaib worked out of a small one-room studio in Niketan. However, as he did not have anyone specifically responsible for collecting his payments, the amount owed to him by various producers and directors gradually increased.

“There was no one to chase people down for the money. I kept working because I enjoyed the work, while a mountain of unpaid amounts accumulated with my director friends,” Shoaib wrote.

According to Shoaib, the unpaid fees include payments for TVCs, OVCs, web series and even films. Referring to the period from 2012 to 2026, he claimed, “In terms of money, the figure will in no way be less than Tk 50 lakh.”

He also spoke about his current financial situation amid the long-standing unpaid dues. Shoaib said that, after recently upgrading his studio, he is now also having to bear the cost of his medical treatment. To cover these expenses, he said he has had to use his mother’s savings and break her savings certificates.

“Some time ago, I had to pay for upgrading my studio, and now I have to cover my medical expenses with my mother’s savings by breaking her savings certificates,” he wrote.

Shoaib described the situation as an example of how the entertainment industry treats its artistes and creative professionals.

“This is an example of the horrific reality of how this industry treats its talent,” he said.

However, Shoaib has not named anyone in his post. Instead, he has given those who owe him money an opportunity to review their records and settle their outstanding payments.

“I am not mentioning anyone in this post for now. I am giving you this opportunity. I am giving you this month. Take out those dusty files, update your records and come to the studio for tea at the beginning of October, and pay the money you owe with respect,” he wrote.

In the final part of his post, Shoaib issued a stern warning that he may reveal the identities of those who fail to clear their dues.

Shoaib, who is skilled in playing several musical instruments, has worked on the music of critically and commercially acclaimed films including “Hawa”, “Swapnajaal” and “Roid”. He is also one of the sound designers on the acclaimed web series “Dui Shaw”. Several songs featuring his vocals have also won appreciation from listeners.

Ahead of its release, here is a look at what has changed between the two films.

“Hothat Brishti” was released in 1998 and directed by Basu Chatterjee. The film starred Ferdous and Priyanka Trivedi in the lead roles. The new film, “Abar Hothat Brishti”, features Arian Sarwar and Radifa Narmin in the lead roles, and is directed by Kamruzzaman. The cast also includes Azad Abul Kalam, Farzana Chobi, Cristiano Tanmoy, Kayes Arzu, Mou Khan and Jhuna Chowdhury, among others.

“Hothat Brishti” featured several popular songs, including “E Jeno Hothat Brishti”, “Ekdin Shopner Din” and “Sonali Prantore”. All three songs have been retained in “Abar Hothat Brishti”.

Two new songs have also been added: “Megher Bhelay” and “Ekta Golpo Olpo Olpo”. One of the songs has been sung by Kona and Imran, while the other is performed by Liza. Both new songs have lyrics by Sudip Kumar Dip, with Emon Saha handling the composition and music arrangement.

One of the most notable changes in the new film is its shooting location. Some of the key scenes in “Hothat Brishti” were filmed in Rajasthan, India. For “Abar Hothat Brishti”, however, the production moved to Srimangal in Bangladesh.

director Kamruzzaman said, “Remaking a film like this is a huge challenge. The story remains the same, but we have told it with the present time in mind. We have not made significant changes to the film.

However, we have added two new songs alongside the original three. We also moved the shooting location from Rajasthan in India to Srimangal in Bangladesh. The rest is for the audience to decide after watching the film.”

“Hothat Brishti” made a strong impact on audiences when it premiered on Channel i on Eid-ul-Azha in 1998, following its theatrical release.

Twenty-eight years later, “Abar Hothat Brishti” revisits the story and its familiar atmosphere with a new generation of actors.

The new film has been jointly produced by Ashirbad Chalachitra and Impress Telefilm.

The original story, a new generation of performers, two new songs and a different shooting location — all eyes are now on whether “Abar Hothat Brishti” can live up to the expectations surrounding its predecessor.

In a statement, the Red Sea Film Foundation said the decision followed a comprehensive review of several factors, including the logistical requirements of organising an international event of this scale.

The foundation said the festival would return with a renewed vision and a programme celebrating cinema and filmmakers from Saudi Arabia, the wider region and around the world.

The cancellation comes amid heightened regional tensions. Earlier this year, the Saudi Arabian Formula One Grand Prix, scheduled for April 17 to 19 in Jeddah, was also cancelled following the fallout from the war in Iran.

Saudi Arabia has also faced escalating tensions with Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels, who have targeted Saudi cities, oil infrastructure and shipping routes in the Red Sea. However, the festival organisers have not directly attributed the cancellation to the regional security situation.

Established in 2019, the Red Sea Film Festival has developed into a major platform for Arab cinema and international film industry collaboration. Its growth has coincided with Saudi Arabia’s efforts to expand its entertainment sector and diversify its economy under the Vision 2030 initiative.

The festival’s accompanying film market, the Red Sea Souk, has attracted representatives from major international companies, including Netflix, Amazon and Disney, alongside regional media organisations.

The cancellation also follows changes within the festival’s leadership. Former general manager Shivani Pandya Malhotra, who played a significant role in establishing the event, departed in June, and her position has yet to be filled.

Faisal Baltyuor, who was appointed CEO of the Red Sea Film Foundation in May 2025, has emphasised the organisation’s broader role in supporting filmmaking beyond its annual festival.

Speaking at the recent Lumiere Summit in France, Baltyuor said the foundation was working to build a wider film industry ecosystem.

He highlighted the foundation’s support for 11 films from the region selected for the Venice Film Festival and eight Arab productions featured at the Toronto International Film Festival.

Despite the cancellation, the Red Sea Fund and Red Sea Labs will continue their activities, supporting filmmakers through financing, training and development programmes.

The foundation also announced plans to introduce year-round programming at Culture Square in Jeddah from November, featuring film screenings, cultural events and specialised industry programmes.

The festival’s absence this year could affect Arab filmmakers who had planned to premiere their projects at the event. Other regional festivals, including the Marrakech International Film Festival, Doha Film Festival, El Gouna Film Festival and Cairo International Film Festival, may provide alternative platforms for these productions.

When the Red Sea Film Festival returns in 2027, it will also share the regional festival calendar with the revived Dubai International Film Festival, which is scheduled to resume on December 8 that year.

The Red Sea Film Foundation has yet to announce the exact dates or programme for its 2027 edition.

Titled “Hathaat Rastay Office Ancholey”, after one of Suman’s songs, the concert will begin at 7pm. Suman himself will not attend the event.

Singer-songwriters Autumnal Moon, Rezaul Karim Limon and Nahid Hasan will perform Suman’s songs alongside their own compositions. The concert is being organised by singer-songwriter Joy Shahriar’s production house, Aajob Karkhana.

Shahriar said the programme aims to honour the singer-songwriters who have influenced the next generation of musicians.

“Among those whose songs have inspired us as singer-songwriters, Kabir Suman is one of the foremost. Alongside his songs, the artists will perform their own songs as a tribute to Kabir Suman,” he said.

Tickets are priced at Tk 700 for early-bird purchases and Tk 1,000 at the venue.

Aajob Karkhana previously organised a tribute concert for Anjan Dutt in July, with performances by Shahriar, Ahmed Hasan Sunny and Shubhra. The organisation plans to continue the series with tributes to other singer-songwriters, including Sanjeeb Choudhury, Nachiketa Chakraborty, Gautam Chattopadhyay and Maksudul Haque, according to Shahriar.

Shahriar said the series is intended to go beyond conventional cover shows, with participating singer-songwriters performing their own work alongside songs by the artists who influenced them.

The programme was held at the academy’s Studio Theatre Hall and Experimental Theatre Hall. Marceau, who died on September 22, 2007, was widely known as the “Master of Mime” and played a major role in popularising mime internationally.

Based on William Shakespeare’s tragedy, Swapnadal’s “Macbeth” was adapted and edited by Juena Shobnom and directed by Zahid Repon. The production follows Macbeth’s rise to power through the murder of King Duncan and his subsequent attempts to retain the throne through further killings.

Juena, Hasan, Sumaiya, Nishak, Shishir, Shyamal, Jebu, Sonali, Anindya, Arko and Nishorgo were among the performers. The production is Swapnadal’s 18th and was first staged in January 2023.

The Bangladesh Mime Federation also organised a discussion at the Experimental Theatre Hall, followed by mime performances by Shaon Mime Academy, The Mummers, Muk-balaka, Rangan Mime Academy, Mime Face, Silent Theatre and Pantomime Movement.

Meanwhile, Dhaka Padatik staged its 47th performance of “Trial of Surya Sen” at the Dr Nilima Ibrahim Auditorium of Bangladesh Mahila Samity on Tuesday as part of a programme commemorating revolutionary Pritilata Waddedar. The event also included a musical programme and an exhibition of portraits drawn by schoolchildren.

Written and originally directed by the late Masum Aziz, the play centres on the mock trial and execution of Masterda Surya Sen, a leader of the anti-British movement. After Aziz’s death, Nader Chowdhury took over as the new director and made changes to selected sections of the production and its stage design.

Chairman candidates must now deposit Tk 25,000, up from Tk 5,000, while member candidates must deposit Tk 5,000, up from Tk 1,000.

Under the amended rules, the maximum campaign expenditure has been set at Tk 10 lakh for chairman candidates and Tk two lakh for member candidates. Candidates who fail to secure at least 15 percent of the votes cast will forfeit their deposits.

The EC published the gazette amending the Union Parishad Election Rules, 2026, on September 17. The gazette was signed by EC Senior Secretary Akhtar Ahmed.

According to the new provision, deposits must be submitted to the returning officer through treasury challan, pay order, or bank draft. The amount will be refunded if a candidate secures at least 15 percent of the votes; otherwise, it will be forfeited to the state exchequer.

Chairman candidates must open separate accounts with scheduled banks to manage campaign funds, with all expenses routed through the accounts. Payments of Tk 20,000 or more must be made by cheque, according to the rules.

The EC's authority has also been expanded to cancel a candidate's candidature for violations of the code of conduct. If records or written reports indicate a breach by a candidate or agent, the commission may order an immediate investigation.

If allegations are proven, the EC may cancel the candidature through a written order, notify the candidate, agent and returning officer, and publish the decision in the gazette.

The EC may also suspend or annul the results of polling centres where intimidation, manipulation or malpractice severely compromise the fairness of the election. It may order re-polling if necessary.

In the event of a tie, re-polling will replace the previous lottery system. Under the amended rules, the commission will instruct the returning officer to conduct fresh voting among the tied candidates.

Threatening, intimidating or assaulting election officials, accredited media representatives or observers, or damaging their equipment will be treated as offences under the new rules.

Preventing voters from entering polling centres or obstructing candidates from filing or withdrawing nominations will also be punishable. Such offences carry a maximum penalty of two years' imprisonment, a fine of up to Tk 10,000, or both.

Following the announcement of the election schedule, the EC may form monitoring committees to oversee electoral offences and violations of the code of conduct.

The rules also clarify that the absence of candidates, agents or polling agents during lawful proceedings will not invalidate those actions. However, officials must attempt to ensure their presence and report any absence to the commission.

“We have decided in parliament that we will not be an opposition that throws files. We will not be an opposition that picks up chairs to kill the Speaker. We will not do any uncivilised acts here,” he said at an interaction with journalists at Al-Falah auditorium, adjacent to Jamaat’s central office in Dhaka’s Moghbazar.

“If throwing files and creating disorder does not solve anything, what do we have left to do? We have to go to the people,” he said.

Shafiqur alleged that notices submitted by the opposition on issues including fertiliser, electricity, law and order, child rape and murder, and rising prices had repeatedly been kept out of parliamentary discussions.

He said Jamaat had even offered to form a technical team of opposition experts to help the government address national problems.

“If the government does not take our good advice, what can we do?” he said.

The Jamaat chief said his party wanted to act as a responsible opposition.

“Whether it is the ruling party or the opposition, everyone has said, ‘I am not a ruler, I want to be a servant.’ So why should there be a ruler’s mentality now? There should be a servant’s mentality,” he said.

Shafiqur also questioned the state of press freedom, saying the media could not be truly independent if there was “invisible pressure”.

“Everyone says the media are free. The judiciary is independent. We hear the word ‘independent’ everywhere. But if there is invisible pressure, how can the newspaper be independent?” he asked.

He urged journalists to report irregularities and unfair treatment within their own organisations.

“If your own house does not say it, let another house say it. Someone has to bring it to the surface,” he said.

Describing the media as a powerful force that can keep the state’s other three constitutional pillars accountable, he said, “If the media remains strong, the three players will keep their spines straight.”

“If this fourth pillar remains strong, the country will remain in good shape. If this pillar is not strong, everything in the country will go bad,” he added.

The Jamaat chief also alleged that his comments were often distorted in social media photo cards.

“What I say in interviews does not appear in the photo cards. They are misleading -- cut pieces, no head, no tail, taking just a part out of the middle,” he said.

Such posts confuse people and spread rapidly, he said.

“If we get the assurance that these things will not happen, I will speak -- and I will speak very strongly. But we have reservations on this issue,” he said.

Shafiqur also expressed disappointment over media coverage of Jamaat’s recent long march, saying he believed the second programme received stronger public support than the first but did not receive proportionate coverage.

“Such a huge programme took place in the national interest. This is not our party agenda. Please give us our due share of coverage,” he said.

He stressed that Jamaat was not seeking coverage for political credit.

“We are not campaigning for credit. We are campaigning to safeguard the rights of the people,” he said.

Calling journalists “guardians” of the fourth pillar, Shafiqur said, “We want to safeguard the nation together with you.”

He also urged journalists to submit their problems and proposals in a structured manner so that the party could work on them.

“If you have an association, please give us your problems and proposals in a structured way. That would make it easier for us to move forward on these issues,” he said.

The party made the demand in a memorandum submitted to the chief election commissioner at the EC headquarters in Agargaon, Dhaka, today, with a seven-member delegation of the party meeting the CEC to discuss the issue.

The party said expatriate Bangladeshis, despite being registered voters, remain unable to participate in local elections, even though they contribute significantly to the economy through remittances and maintain social and civic ties with their home constituencies.

It demanded that voting rights for expatriates be ensured before the local election schedule is announced, saying the postal voting system introduced for expatriates in national elections could be extended to local polls by amending relevant laws and regulations.

Labour Party Chairman Mustafizur Rahman Iran said the party has confidence in the EC's constitutional responsibilities, neutrality and institutional capacity.

“We hope that the commission will consider ensuring voting rights for expatriate voters a significant electoral reform and take the necessary steps in this regard,” he said.

The party also called for linking expatriates' NID and voter information to their respective wards and institutions and using secure, auditable technology for registration, ballot dispatch, return, storage and counting.

It further demanded a time-bound roadmap, pilot postal voting in selected local bodies and an early announcement of the local election schedule.

He made the remarks at the LDC-GIF Mechanism Introduction and High-Level Dialogue at the United Nations Headquarters in New York on Monday.

Titumir said graduating countries continue to face structural impediments and limited productive capacity, compounded by geopolitical conflicts, supply-chain disruptions, trade uncertainty, inflation and domestic shocks, according to a press release.

He emphasised that graduation must therefore be supported by adequate measures to ensure a smooth, sustainable and irreversible transition through industrialisation, integrated approaches, energy transition and job creation.

The adviser also called for stronger financial, technological and capacity-building support for LDCs, noting that actual technology transfer remains modest compared with their needs.

He hoped that the LDC Green Industrialisation Facilitation (LDC-GIF) mechanism would accelerate technology transfer, deployment and industrial application while supporting productive capacity, structural transformation and sustainable graduation.

He noted that local government elections were approaching and said no government would deliberately take such an unpopular decision at such a time.

“I hope the people will realise why their elected government took this decision at this moment,” he said while responding to questions from journalists during a weekly briefing at the Secretariat.

The adviser also said the fuel price hike was not imposed as a condition of the International Monetary Fund.

Zahed also said the government sees no political crisis despite recent incidents such as crude bomb explosions and buses being set on fire in Dhaka.

“Those who are in the opposition now are holding long marches. Let them do so; they are even giving one-point demand to the government,” he remarked.

“We are now seeing fires and crude bomb explosions at different places in Dhaka. Are all of them being conducted by associates of the fallen autocrat? Now statements about self-admitted extremism are coming from the political party that is now playing the role of the opposition. They are involved in self-admitted violent activities, and the threats are certainly coming from among them,” he said.

“You know who I am referring to, but I may not want to say it,” he said while speaking as the chief guest at a discussion organised by Jatiyatabadi Samomona Jote at the Jatiya Press Club.

Rizvi said buses were set on fire in Madhya Badda, Uttara, Mirpur and Kafrul, while fires were reported on trains. “We have seen crude bomb explosions in front of the High Court and in front of Dhaka University’s main gate. Who are they?”

Rizvi also questioned the use of fuel by the Jamaat-led 11-party alliance during its recent long march to Rangpur.

He also referred to an incident at Rajshahi Railway Station late at night two days earlier, alleging that the student wing of the opposition, which he described as “covert”, carried out unprecedented vandalism and destructive activities there.

“Who will take responsibility for this?” he asked.

Rizvi challenged the political parties organising long marches over rising commodity prices, extortion and corruption to organise a similar march or protest against what he described as planned acts of violence.

According to a BGB press release, the drives were conducted in border areas of Fulgazi and Chhagalnaiya upazilas as part of regular operations to prevent drug trafficking and smuggling.

The seized goods included various types of Indian sarees, three-piece outfits and cover vans, the release said.

Commanding Officer of BGB-4 Feni Battalion Lieutenant Colonel MM Zillur Rahman, said the paramilitary force remains vigilant and active in preventing drug trafficking, smuggling and illegal border crossings, ensuring overall border security and combating all kinds of border-related crimes.

Such operations and activities would continue in the future to protect the border, he added.

The Bangladesh Meteorological Department has issued warning signal No. 3 for the maritime ports.

Abul Hossain, president of the Shyamnagar Upazila Fishing Trawler Owners' Association, said several hundred fishing boats had taken shelter at Rayenda, Mahipur, Khepupara, Nidrasakhina and Patharghata coastal areas, as well as at different locations in the Sundarbans, after being unable to withstand the rough sea.

"Some boats are still returning towards the coast," he said.

Kabir Hossain, an aratdar at the Rajair fish landing station in Sharankhola, said the fishing fleet had remained anchored at the Rayenda fish landing station for the past two days due to the adverse weather.

Golam Mostafa Chowdhury, president of the Barguna District Fishing Trawler Owners' Association, said fishermen who had gone to sea were facing adverse weather and returning towards the coast to avoid the rough sea.

Milton Roy, forest ranger and officer-in-charge of the Dubla Forest Patrol Outpost, said there were no fishing boats in the sea due to the adverse weather.

He said strong winds and heavy rainfall were prevailing in the Dublar Char area.

On the basis of secret information, an operation team of SRB-5 came to know that bomb-like objects in shopping bags were lying abandoned in a field around 1.25 am today.

Then, searching with a torch and search light along with the bomb disposal unit, it recovered 16 cocktails wrapped with scotch tape inside a white shopping bag and 4 petrol bomb-like objects inside a red shopping bag in abandoned condition.

The recovered exhibits have been handed over to the concerned police station through a general diary for subsequent legal action.

The port had set a revenue collection target of Tk 347.87 crore for the fiscal year.

Mongla Port Authority (MPA) Chairman Rear Admiral Arif Ahmed Mostafa disclosed the figures at a meeting with journalists from Bagerhat and Mongla press clubs at the port authority auditorium on Tuesday.

He said the port also recorded growth in vessel arrivals, cargo handling and container handling during the fiscal year.

A total of 815 vessels arrived at Mongla Port in FY2025-26.

Against a cargo-handling target of 91.50 lakh metric tonnes, the port handled 1.2251 crore metric tonnes, an increase of 18.39 lakh tonnes or 17.66 percent from the previous fiscal year.

Container handling also rose significantly. Against a target of 25,000 TEUs, the port handled 29,714 TEUs, up 8,258 TEUs or 38.49 percent year-on-year.

During the fiscal year, 12,075 reconditioned vehicles were imported through Mongla Port, 496 more than in the previous fiscal year.

The chairman said the authority was holding regular consultations with port users, stakeholders, shipping agents, C&F agents, stevedores and businesses to improve port operations. Activities are also continuing through the Internal Business Development Standing Committee to increase vessel arrivals.

According to the MPA, Mongla currently has annual handling capacities of 1,500 vessels, 15 million metric tonnes of cargo, 100,000 TEUs of containers and 20,000 vehicles.

Several projects are underway to further expand the port's capacity, including the procurement of support vessels, upgrading of port facilities and construction of container terminals and yards.

Under a support vessel procurement project, the acquisition of two tugboats, a buoy-laying vessel, a search-and-rescue vessel, a pilot mother vessel and a survey-and-research vessel is at the final stage. The project is scheduled for completion by June 2027.

Under the Upgrade of Mongla Port project, financed through India's Line of Credit-3, plans include constructing two container terminals, a container-handling yard and a delivery yard equipped with modern machinery.

The chairman said implementation of the projects would create additional employment opportunities in shipping, C&F, stevedoring and other port-related sectors.

He said a modern waste-management project for collecting waste generated by ships and industries and removing discharged oil was completed in June 2025. The initiative is expected to reduce pollution in the Pashur Channel and surrounding waterways and help protect the Sundarbans.

Maintaining navigability along the port's 144-kilometre channel remains a major challenge, he said. Other priorities include ensuring safe and pollution-free navigation, replacing ageing support vessels, procuring new vessels, developing skilled manpower and encouraging greater use of Mongla Port.

The authority is also working to establish Mongla as a direct "first calling port", increase container vessel arrivals, introduce direct feeder services to major ports including Singapore, and improve road connectivity along the Khulna-Mongla and Khulna-Bhanga routes.

Rear Admiral Arif Ahmed Mostafa said the government's broader plan is to enhance Mongla Port's capacity and accelerate trade and economic activity in the country's southwestern region.

The approvals came at the 46th meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Government Purchase (CCGP) in this year.

Under the first proposal, the committee recommended the purchase of 10,000 metric tons of lentil in 50-kg sacks through the Open Tender Method (OTM) under the Ministry of Commerce.

Joytun Auto Rice & Dal Mills Ltd of Phultala, Khulna, was recommended as the supplier for the procurement at a total cost of around Tk 76.89 crore, including VAT and taxes.

The price of the lentil was fixed at Tk 76.89 per kg.

The committee also recommended the import of four lots of fertiliser under government-to-government (G2G) arrangements.

Under the second item, 40,000 metric tons of MOP fertiliser will be imported from the Canadian Commercial Corporation (CCC) under an agreement signed between CCC and the Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation (BADC).

The procurement cost for the third lot has been set at around Tk 189.67 crore, with the price fixed at US$383.80 per metric ton.

Another 40,000 metric tons of MOP fertiliser will be imported from Canadian Commercial Corporation (CCC) under the fourth lot of the agreement at the same price of US$383.80 per metric ton.

The cost of the fourth lot will also be around Tk 189.67 crore.

The committee recommended both proposals for approval.

Under another state-level agreement between Russia's JSC Foreign Economic Corporation (Prodintorg) and BADC, the government will import 35,000 metric tons of MOP fertiliser under the seventh lot.

The procurement cost has been fixed at around Tk 165.90 crore, with the price set at US$383.80 per metric ton.

Prodintorg, Russia, was recommended as the supplier.

The committee also approved the import of 40,000 metric tons of DAP fertiliser from Saudi Arabia's MA'ADEN under a state-level agreement with BADC.

The fertiliser, under the fourth lot for 2026, will cost around Tk 437.37 crore, with the price fixed at US$885 per metric ton.

MA'ADEN was recommended as the supplier.

All the procurement and import proposals were recommended for approval by the committee.

The five approved proposals involve 10,000 metric tons of lentil and 155,000 metric tons of fertiliser, with a combined value of about Tk 1,059 crore.

Strong remittances and higher foreign exchange reserves will help support external stability, although maintaining stability will depend on adequate financial inflows, exchange rate flexibility and prudent macroeconomic management, according to the Asian Development Bank's (ADB) latest report, the Asian Development Outlook (ADO) September 2026, released today.

The report notes that the services and agriculture sectors are expected to support growth in FY2027.

"Bangladesh's economy is beginning to recover, but the recovery remains vulnerable to external shocks and domestic constraints," said ADB Country Director Qingfeng Zhang.

"This is an important moment to accelerate reforms in macroeconomic management, the financial sector, energy security, and the business environment. These reforms will be essential to unlock private investment, create quality jobs and place Bangladesh on a stronger, more inclusive and resilient growth path." he added.

Zhang said the ADB also stands ready to support Bangladesh in translating these reforms into tangible results for its people.

The report said Bangladesh's economy is projected to grow by 3.7% in fiscal year (FY) 2026 and 4.0% in FY2027, up from 3.5% in FY2025.

Economic activity slowed in the final quarter of FY2026 due to supply chain disruptions linked to the conflict in the Middle East, although the impact is expected to be limited. The improved growth outlook reflects stronger consumption and investment as political uncertainty eases following the general election in early 2026.

Inflation eased to an estimated 8.7% in FY2026 from 10.0% in FY2025, but is forecast to rise to 9.0% in FY2027. Inflation is expected to remain elevated due to energy shortages, high production and transport costs, potential shipping disruptions, the delayed effects of El Ni¤o on food prices, and gradually easing monetary conditions.

The current account deficit is projected to widen to 0.6% of GDP in FY2027 from an estimated 0.3% in FY2026, as import growth outpaces exports.

The report said private consumption, supported by remittances, is expected to remain the main driver of growth, although high inflation will continue to reduce household purchasing power.

It said a prolonged conflict in the Middle East, higher oil prices, further disruptions to global shipping, tighter trade restrictions, weaker growth in major export markets, continued exchange rate pressures, additional stress in the banking sector, delays in fiscal reforms, lower-than-expected development spending, and climate-related shocks could weaken growth and keep inflation elevated.

ADB is a leading multilateral development bank supporting sustainable, inclusive, and resilient growth across Asia and the Pacific.

Working with its members and partners to solve complex challenges together, ADB harnesses innovative financial tools and strategic partnerships to transform lives, build quality infrastructure, and safeguard our planet. Founded in 1966, ADB is owned by 69 members-50 from the region.

They made the remarks while addressing a daylong "Town Hall Meeting" with the participation of bankers, agriculture, SME entrepreneurs and stakeholders held at the Primary Teachers Institute Auditorium in Rajshahi on Tuesday.

The meeting discussed and devised ways and means to ensure necessary and effective publicity and successful implementation of the refinancing schemes of Taka 10,000 crore.

Announced by Bangladesh Bank to ensure the country's food security and create employment, the scheme of Taka 3,000 crore aims to create an agriculture-based regional hub in the northern region.

Under the supervision of Bangladesh Bank, Rupali Bank PLC and Rajshahi Krishi Unnayan Bank (RAKUB) jointly performed duties as lead banks in organizing the meeting.

Executive Director of Bangladesh Bank Muhammad Badiuzzaman Didar was present at the event as the chief guest, while Managing Director of RAKUB Kazi Abdur Rahman was present as guest of honor.

Special guests present were Directors of Bangladesh Bank, Golam Mahmud, Nazim Uddin and Dr. Ismail Hossain and Director General of Bangladesh Sericulture Development Board, Toufiq Al Mahmud.

The event was presided over by Nizam Uddin, General Manager of Rupali Bank PLC.

The chief guest and the invited special guests discussed in detail the two refinancing funds announced by Bangladesh Bank and emphasized their role in the development of agriculture in the country, especially in North Bengal.

Another panel discussion comprising senior bankers answered various questions from entrepreneurs and stakeholders, along with question-and-answer and two-way communication.

Local representatives and branch managers of all scheduled banks operating in Rajshahi and a large number of agriculture and SME entrepreneurs were present at the meeting.

The chief guest and the invited special guests discussed in detail the two refinancing funds announced by Bangladesh Bank.

The rules, announced in a statement by Beijing's commerce ministry, take effect immediately.

They apply to two varieties of substances which will now be subject to applications in order to be exported to the United States, Mexico or Canada, the statement said.

China is the primary origin of precursor chemicals used to make fentanyl, a highly potent opioid underpinning a devastating drug epidemic in the United States.

Shipments of the substances from China have repeatedly complicated the relationship between Washington and Beijing, which has insisted it cracks down heavily on drug trade.

In May, China imposed export controls on another set of drug precursor chemicals shortly after a visit by Trump to Beijing that featured talks with Xi.

Observers will be closely watching this week's visit by Xi to Washington, where he is expected to discuss key topics with Trump spanning trade, artificial intelligence and the US war with Iran.

Trump imposed additional tariffs on Chinese goods last year in retaliation for the country's role in the fentanyl epidemic, but the levies were struck down by the US Supreme Court in February.

The international benchmark, Brent crude, and main US contract, West Texas Intermediate, dipped to $98.91 and $89.93 per barrel respectively in early Asian trade -- well below the symbolic $100 mark they have smashed repeatedly since the Middle Eat war broke out in February.

The three-hour meeting was "very good", "very productive" and "they have another one scheduled in the very near future", Trump told reporters as he met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Trump's announcement came just hours after he delivered a bellicose address to the UN in which he said he faced a "big decision" on whether to make a deal with Iran or "annihilate the Islamic Republic and do it quickly".

Nearly seven months after US-Israeli strikes on Tehran triggered the conflict, the foes remain at an impasse, with Iran keeping the Strait of Hormuz closed and the United States persisting with a counter-blockade of Iranian ports.

A parallel conflict between Saudi-backed government forces and the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen has enveloped the kingdom, squeezing energy exports from the Red Sea.

"The three-hour US-Iran meeting matters because it shifts the market from pure escalation pricing toward a genuine diplomatic process, even if a final deal still looks distant," said Stephen Innes at Quintex Intel.

Trump has pledged that oil would come down "as soon as" the United States wins the war.

The dip in oil prices came as the world's biggest crude exporter Saudi Arabia reportedly rebooted operations along its East-West Pipeline -- a crucial oil export route shut down by the conflict rocking the Middle East.

Riyadh said this month that drones launched from Iraq had forced the closure of the pipeline, which it had increasingly used to bypass the lockdown of the Strait of Hormuz by Iran.

The kingdom is aiming to resume exports later this week, Bloomberg quoted a source as saying.

But while Saudi oil giant Aramco reportedly told Asian refiners they could soon pick up crude from the Red Sea port of Yanbu, the firm told their European counterparts will not be allocated oil in October, Bloomberg said.

- AI buzz -

Asian markets were mixed, with Taiwan's Taiex index -- home to chipmaking titan TSMC -- up 0.8 percent following a renewed burst of confidence in artificial intelligence.

Anthropic and OpenAI released new, cheaper AI models within hours of each other on Tuesday, days after the heads of both companies called for a slowdown in the development of the powerful technology.

Anthropic's release comes a few weeks before its expected stock market debut. OpenAI has delayed its IPO plans until next year.

Facebook owner Meta kicked off the AI buzz at the start of the week, surging 11 percent after its free AI agent Muse -- which can book travel, send emails and make purchases -- topped download charts.

Traders are also looking to Washington ahead of a summit on Thursday between Trump and China's President Xi Jinping that is expected to focus on trade between the world's two biggest economies.

A simmering US-China trade war is a key concern, as both sides have maintained a tariff truce for nearly a year but have yet to secure a lasting agreement.

"But the higher impact issue will be the war in the Middle East and any support the US can extract from China to use its leverage to sway the Iranians," said Kyle Rodda, senior financial market analyst at Capital.com.

"Another high-powered issue will be artificial intelligence and the arms race evolving between the two economic and strategic competitors, following recent warnings from US tech leaders that the technology poses existential risks without stronger guardrails."

- Key figures at around 0215 GMT -

West Texas Intermediate: DOWN 0.7 percent at $89.93 per barrel

Brent North Sea Crude: DOWN 0.3 percent at $98.91 per barrel

Hong Kong - Hang Seng Index: DOWN 0.9 percent at 24,864.97

Shanghai - Composite: DOWN 0.2 percent at 3,944.04

Tokyo - Nikkei 225: closed for a holiday

Dollar/yen: UP at 157.64 from 157.37 on Tuesday

Euro/dollar: DOWN at $1.1436 from $1.1451

Pound/dollar: DOWN at $1.3324 from $1.3344

Euro/pound: UP at 85.83 pence from 85.81 pence

Senators voted 13-1, with six Duterte allies abstaining, that the constitutionally required two-thirds guilty verdict by "all members of the Senate" refers only to those "capable of participating".

At least four senators loyal to the vice president, including two now in jail, are now absent from the impeachment proceedings.

On Wednesday, presiding judge Senator Francis Escudero said the decision, which effectively lowers the number of guilty votes needed from 16 to 14, would be treated as the "controlling ruling" going forward.

"While the chair takes exception to this decision, the chair nonetheless accepts it as a judgment of this court and is bound to give it effect," said Escudero, who was the sole "no" vote.

Duterte's lawyers can still appeal the lower threshold at the Supreme Court.

"We accept the decision without waiving our right to go up to the Supreme Court.... From today until the (verdict), many things can still happen," said Duterte defence counsel Michael Poa.

Vice presidential spokesperson Paolo Panelo called Wednesday's vote an attempt at "changing the constitution".

"Their aim is to manufacture a conviction. They cannot get 16, so they want to lower (it) to convict VP Sara," he said.

The House of Representatives impeached Duterte on May 11 on allegations of graft, corruption, bribery and an alleged assassination plot against one-time ally President Ferdinand Marcos.

Should the Senate find her guilty, she will be stripped of the vice presidency and permanently barred from elected office.

Two of Duterte's allies are currently in prison on corruption charges and another is hiding while sought on an International Criminal Court warrant.

A fourth, who is out of the country seeking medical treatment, is under investigation.

But they are not alone. Five other senators in the Duterte camp are currently the subject of government probes.

Cleve Arguelles of pollster WR Numero told AFP ahead of the vote that "given the pressure Malacanang (the presidential palace) appears to be exerting on Duterte allies in the Senate, the working expectation is that the administration will continue trying to secure 16 votes".

Arguelles added he believed there was a "strong likelihood" that number could be reached even if the lowered threshold made it unnecessary.

Marcos has repeatedly denied having any influence on the impeachment process.

Attacks on commercial vessels have multiplied in recent months as Russia and Ukraine seek to damage each other's export revenues, with the war now into its fifth year.

"The enemy targeted a commercial cargo ship sailing under the flag of Antigua and Barbuda," the head of the Odesa region, Oleg Kiper, said.

"The captain of the ship, a Ukrainian citizen, was killed."

The ship was sailing on the Black Sea when it came under fire, the Ukrainian Sea Port Authority said.

At least 226 civilian and commercial vessels have been hit on the Black Sea since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Turkey's IMEAK chamber of shipping said.

Seventy percent -- or 163 attacks -- took place in the first eight months of this year.

Turkey has sent a proposal to Russia and Ukraine to end strikes on civilian ships but the two foes have failed to act on it.

South Korea and Japan said Pyongyang fired two short-range ballistic missiles off its east coast Sunday, condemning the launches as threats to regional peace and security.

North Korea did not identify the weapon, saying only that its missile bureau had "successfully tested a new type of weapon" in a demonstration of "ultra-modern defence technology".

Analysts said the weapon appeared to be an upgraded version of North Korea's Hwasongpho-11Ma-1 hypersonic short-range ballistic missile.

With a range of 450 to 600 kilometres (around 280-370 miles), the hypersonic missile is "designed to strike key military facilities across the Korean peninsula within an extremely short period of time", Yang Moo-jin, former president of the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul, told AFP.

Images released by Pyongyang's state media showed leader Kim Jong Un and his daughter Ju Ae watching a screen displaying what appeared to be the missile's flight path, labelled "Hwasongpho-11Ma-1 flight trajectory".

The North Korean leader warned this week that the weapon's advances would give adversaries "an incurable headache and a very cruel and unavoidable blow", according to the official Korean Central News Agency.

Despite long-running UN sanctions, North Korea has enshrined its status as a nuclear-armed state in law, with its leaders repeatedly declaring its atomic arsenal permanent and irreversible.

North Korea has also secured critical backing from Russia alongside its traditional ally China, leaving fewer incentives for it to engage in renewed diplomacy with Washington.

"North Korea may be talking up its own capabilities, but it has clearly reached the point where it can launch weapons of this calibre," Ahn Chan-il, a researcher originally from North Korea, told AFP.

"I believe these tests are less about upgrading its own military capabilities than testing weapons produced by its defence industry to meet Russia's wartime demand."

Since Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine in 2022, North Korea has become a key ally of the Kremlin, sending troops to support Moscow's war effort in return for economic benefits and military technology, analysts say.

Hong Sung-pyo, senior researcher at the Seoul-based Korea Institute for Military Affairs, said that if used against South Korea, the hypersonic weapon would pose a serious threat.

"But a single successful test is not enough to prove its capabilities. If deployed operationally, however, it would be extremely difficult to defend against," he told AFP.

"Because it manoeuvres as it descends during the terminal phase of flight, it is harder to track and intercept than a conventional ballistic missile -- particularly at hypersonic speeds."

The Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), which controls the region, fought a devastating civil war with the federal government in 2020-2022 that killed some 600,000 people, according to African Union estimates.

Sporadic clashes in recent months have raised fears of a return to war.

"While we were on our way to the airport for work, our supervisor called the driver and told him that the airport had been taken over by Tigray forces. Since there were no flights, he told us to return home," an employee at Alula Aba Nega Airport in the Tigrayan capital Mekelle told AFP.

The information was confirmed by a foreign security source based in Ethiopia.

A small number of federal police guard the airport, and their condition was unknown.

Flight Radar, an air traffic tracker, showed that Wednesday morning's flight between Mekelle and the federal capital, Addis Ababa, had been cancelled.

On Sunday, the TPLF was announced as a member of a new alliance of anti-government armed groups from across the country.

Ethiopia faces myriad insurgencies, including in its most populous regions, Oromia and Amhara.

The TPLF ruled the whole of Ethiopia from 1991 to 2018 before being sidelined with the rise of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, eventually triggering the civil war.

The Pretoria Peace Agreement ended the war and maintained an uneasy calm until late 2025, when clashes resumed.

The federal government has since launched multiple drone strikes in Tigray and massed troops at the regional border.

Rights groups have accused the TPLF of a campaign of forced recruitment this year as it prepares for renewed conflict.

The region has not recovered from the last war, with around one million people still displaced and many aspects of the peace agreement still unfulfilled.

Ethiopian authorities have accused the TPLF of allying with neighbouring Eritrea, as well as Ethiopian armed groups.

The federal government has a significant military advantage, having ramped up production of military drones since the last conflict.

"There was fire and smoke, the blast lifted us up and threw us left and right, it was very powerful," said Ahmet Ozlu, 40, one of five fishermen on board the Turkish-flagged Duru 67 that was hit by a drone off Crimea on June 5.

Such attacks on commercial vessels have multiplied in recent months as the Russia-Ukraine war has spilled into the Black Sea, with Turkish ships increasingly in the firing line.

A fire broke out and the boat began taking on water, so the fishermen rushed to the bridge where they found their captain and childhood friend Cuneyt Varlik, 45, lying in a pool of his own blood, his carotid artery severed by shrapnel.

Putting out a distress call, they waited bleeding and terrified as the boat sank lower until they were rescued an hour later.

"We thought we were going to die. And we were terrified of another strike," said Ozlu, who suffered extensive shrapnel injuries.

The attack was never claimed but the Turkish coastguard told them it was a Ukrainian drone which hit them "by mistake", he said.

"We never thought Ukraine would hit us because our flag was raised. We are civilians, our boat doesn't carry weapons," said his older brother Mehmet Ozlu, 53, who suffered extensive internal and external injuries.

Both deeply traumatised, neither brother has been back out to sea due to their injuries, Mehmet explained while helping mend nets in the northeastern port of Trabzon.

"I still ask myself why Ukraine hit people like us, Turkish civilians. As a state, they owe us an answer and compensation because this has ruined my and my children's future," he said.

- 'Impossible to work' -

Despite its ties with both Russia and Ukraine, Turkey has been infuriated by the violence, accusing the warring sides of "attacking all commercial shipping without distinction".

"The recent attacks on commercial vessels in the Black Sea are unacceptable, regardless of who is responsible for them," President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told the UN General Assembly in New York on Tuesday.

Since the start of the war, 226 civilian and commercial vessels have been attacked in the Black Sea, the vast majority this year, Turkey's Chamber of Maritime Commerce (IMEAK) says.

"The fact that 163 -- more than 70 percent -- were targeted in the first eight months of 2026 clearly shows the gravity of the situation," IMEAK chairman Tamer Kiran said on August 27.

Of that number, 22 Turkish-owned vessels were attacked in the preceding two months, he said. Four more have been hit since then, industry sources say.

One was the MV Reyhan Sari that was attacked on July 22 after collecting a shipment of Russian coal, killing one and wounding three.

"It's impossible to work in the Black Sea, especially now," said Enes Torun, 21, who is studying to become a captain and was sleeping when the first drone hit, shrapnel tearing into his body.

"It was a bad experience for me so early in my career," said Torun who is healing physically but struggling with PTSD and hasn't returned to the sea.

"Last year, I went to Ukraine when the war wasn't this intense, but now being in the Black Sea means accepting the possibility of death."

Earlier this month, a Turkish defence source said "almost 90 ships" were hit in August, with a Turkish diplomat telling AFP last week Ankara had reached out with a fresh proposal.

Confirming the approach, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said the sides had come back with "demands and positions that are difficult to reconcile".

The Turkish Maritime Workers' Platform has accused Russia and Ukraine of blatant disregard for civilian lives.

"Both states are disregarding the lives of seafarers solely to undermine each other's economic interests," spokesman Ahmet Baran Can told AFP.

Torun said many sailors were refusing Black Sea jobs.

"If the ship gets hit, the shipowner gets insurance money, and if it doesn't, he earns 10 times what he'd get in Europe. But we're the ones on board who get hit."

- Deep unease -

Observers say Turkey has limited options as the Black Sea conflict enters "a very escalated phase".

"Russia and Ukraine are doing everything to deny the Black Sea to each other's vessels and ready to target non-belligerents so the other side cannot gain any advantage by using Turkish ships," said Serhat Guvenc, an international relations expert at Kadir Has University.

"The Ukrainians are not happy with Turkish reluctance to stop vessels from the so-called ghost fleet.. so they are probably trying to show them the cost of inaction."

Although Ankara has been reluctant to curtail Moscow's access to Turkish vessels, that could change if the attacks worsened, he predicted.

Despite the dangers, many Black Sea residents have little choice but to keep working, where fishing is a mainstay of the regional economy, explained Mustafa Yilmaz, local leader of the neighbourhood where the Duru 67 fishermen live.

But whenever they go out, they are anxious about being hit or inadvertently netting potentially dangerous war debris -- drones, bombs or grenades -- often carrying live payloads.

"You go out at night wondering if you'll hit something. It's really tough."

Critics say Najib should remain behind bars, while supporters have rallied around the former leader and launched a campaign to help him pay a fine tied to his transfer to house arrest.

Najib, 73, was jailed in 2022 for his role in one of the largest-ever global plunders of a sovereign wealth fund, the now-defunct 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB).

On Friday, King Sultan Ibrahim granted Najib's request to complete the remainder of his six-year sentence under house arrest -- provided he pays a 50-million-ringgit ($12 million) fine.

Najib is also appealing a separate 15-year prison term in another 1MDB-related case.

Prosecutors say about $4.5 billion was siphoned from the state fund in the 2010s, triggering investigations from Malaysia to the United States.

The scandal helped bring down the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), ending the party's six-decade grip on power in 2018.

Yet Najib remains a popular figure among his base and UMNO's grassroots supporters.

- 'Mockery of the law' -

"How can a convicted felon with more cases awaiting trial be allowed house arrest?" said James Chow, a 49-year-old entrepreneur.

"It's a waste of time and money and a mockery of the law," he told AFP.

Shyam Priah, 52, chief executive of a non-profit organisation, said she respected the king's "constitutional prerogative to grant a pardon".

But she questioned efforts to raise money for Najib's fine.

"Seeing ordinary Malaysians being mobilised to contribute 10 ringgit towards a 50 million ringgit fine for a former prime minister raises a bigger question for me about our priorities as a society," she told AFP.

"Ten ringgit can mean a meal for someone who is struggling," she said.

But Najib's supporters welcomed the king's decision.

"The supporters who love Najib have been looking forward to the moment he would be granted house arrest," Radiaa Rashid, 68, told AFP.

"We miss Najib Razak. Even though he can't be released, at least he'll be at home with his family, with his grandchildren and children," said supporter Suzzalina Anura, 43.

Local media reported donations topped one million ringgit by Monday after the campaign was launched, although some critics responded by contributing as little as one sen (0.01 ringgit) in protest.

- 'Difficult position' -

The episode has also highlighted UMNO's ongoing struggle to balance loyalty to its former leader with efforts to move beyond the scandal before the next general elections due by February 2028.

Bridget Welsh, an expert on Malaysian politics at the University of Nottingham Malaysia says UMNO's fundraising initiative has put the party in a "difficult position".

On one hand, the party must show support for Najib and reassure traditional supporters. On the other, it must appeal to younger voters who tend to have a far harsher view of corruption.

"The house arrest serves to build party unity, but it comes at the cost of outreach for the party, as it speaks to the legacy baggage the party still carries," she told AFP.

She said fundraising "within some traditional supporters... is seen as important given that Najib's accounts are believed to be frozen".

Yet the campaign risked pushing away younger voters and those in the political centre.

"With younger voters and those in the middle ground, this is alienating, seen as a party not willing to admit mistakes," Welsh said.

The men, from Sri Lanka's minority Muslim community, were sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole by the Colombo High Court on Tuesday after a five-year trial.

Suicide bombers struck three luxury hotels and three churches on April 21, 2019, killing 279 people including 45 foreigners. Investigators blame the attack on a homegrown Islamist extremist group.

Court officials said the convicts got sentences ranging from 200 to 260 years, with an average of 220 years each. The judgement ran over 3,000 pages.

Defence lawyer Kaneel Maddumage said they would appeal the convictions as well as the record terms in the Supreme Court.

"Some of the defendants are not represented by counsel,but I requested on behalf of all the convicts that they be provided with copies of the proceedings to file their appeals," Maddumage said.

The High Court ruled that 14 of the accused were guilty of all charges, including murder, conspiracy to commit terrorism and possessing firearms under the Prevention of Terrorism Act.

A 15th defendant was found guilty of only some of the charges. Nine others were acquitted.

The men were accused of aiding and abetting the suicide bombers who carried out the violence, which was the worst ever terror attack against civilians in Sri Lanka.

Among those convicted on all charges was Mohamed Naufar, whom prosecutors identified as the ringleader who provided support to the eight-member suicide squad that carried out the bombings.

It was the first criminal prosecution directly linked to the coordinated bombings, though a former police chief and an ex-security chief were sentenced to death in July for criminal negligence.

They were accused of failing to prevent the attacks despite prior intelligence warnings.

"The victims, including a pregnant woman, were gathered at a house shortly before 11:00 pm (2100 GMT Tuesday) when armed assailants reportedly entered the premises and opened fire," Thamsanqa Ntuli, the premier of KwaZulu-Natal province, of which Durban is the main city, told AFP, adding that two people survived the attack.

Like thousands of people in Gaza, Arafat chose to risk living in an apartment building damaged during nearly three years of war between Israel and Hamas, with countless Israeli airstrikes on the Palestinian territory.

"We were forced to live here because we had nowhere else to go. All of our homes were destroyed, our land was razed and we have nothing left," said Arafat, 47.

According to the UN, 84 percent of all structures in Gaza had been damaged or destroyed by October 2025, and Gaza's civil defence says 2,000 buildings across the territory are at risk of collapse.

Last week, 21 people including 12 children died in Gaza City after a six-storey building that local authorities said had been hit repeatedly by Israeli airstrikes collapsed. Israel denied having struck the building.

Arafat lives with her six daughters and husband in their old apartment building in Gaza City's Al-Shati Refugee Camp, which they left at the height of the war that began in October 2023 with Hamas's massive attack on Israel.

The family returned after an October 2025 ceasefire, which has reduced but not ended Israeli strikes. They found that their four-storey building, in which 30 people now live, had collapsed inward at the ground floor, the result, she said, of an Israeli ground operation in the area.

Like most buildings in Gaza City, the windows were blown away by blasts, with makeshift bedsheets spread across the frames providing little privacy.

As she spoke, Arafat illustrated her building's slant by leaving a water bottle sideways on the floor, only for it to quickly roll away to the other end of the room.

While no territory-wide estimate exists, Ramiz Alakbarov, the UN humanitarian coordinator for the Palestinian territories, said last week that people across Gaza were living in "hundreds of damaged and unsafe shelters".

- 'Where can we go?' -

"Where can we go? Even though this house is dangerous," Arafat said. "We have been terrified ever since we heard about houses collapsing. The danger has become even greater" than we thought.

Gaza City municipal staff patrol the streets to identify buildings at risk of collapse and mark them with stencils.

"These homes pose a genuine threat to the lives of the displaced persons sheltering inside them, as well as to residents in the vicinity and those in nearby displacement camps," said Hosni Muhanna, a Gaza City spokesman.

But Muhanna knows that people are likely to remain in these buildings for lack of better options.

"Thousands of displaced people are forced to seek shelter in these dilapidated buildings which are on the verge of collapse to escape the hardships of displacement camps that offer no protection against the summer heat or winter cold."

Most residents of Gaza were displaced at least once during the war, and many of them remain in enormous camps for the displaced, in tents provided by humanitarian organisations or in improvised shelters.

- Stalled reconstruction-

With diseases such as the skin infection impetigo rampaging through certain camps due to the lack of waste disposal and general overcrowding, many Gaza residents have found it safer to take the risks of moving into the damaged buildings.

And with Gaza's economy in tatters, many remain dependent on aid, which Israel has allowed into Gaza with restrictions since the declaration of the US-brokered ceasefire in October 2025.

But Israel has kept carrying out airstrikes, and has restricted the entry of a range of equipment that it says could also have military use, but which Gazans and international NGOs say are needed for the territory's vast reconstruction needs.

These can include large machinery needed to clear rubble from the site of destroyed buildings, or spare parts and lubricants needed to keep other tools running, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in August.

With the ceasefire process stalled for months, reconstruction efforts planned under the ceasefire have yet to begin.

According to a joint assessment published by the United Nations, World Bank and European Union in April, Gaza will require $71.4 billion in recovery and reconstruction spending over the next decade.

"We're afraid a wall or the roof might fall on us, so we huddle together, afraid that one of us might get hurt," Arafat said.

AI has become a major topic at the UN General Assembly after incidents of the technology falling out of the control of humans and warnings by company insiders drew global alarm and calls for better government supervision of the industry.

Speaking to the assembly, Trump stood by his firm opposition to regulating AI, while arguing the word "artificial" undersold the technology and voicing hope the rest of the world would adopt the new term.

Super Intelligence "sounds much better" and "it's much more accurate," he said.

The rebrand is the latest in a series of renamings pursued by the Trump administration, which changed the Gulf of Mexico to the "Gulf of America" via executive order last year and, in August, renamed Lake Ontario "Lake America" amid a trade dispute with Canada.

The US leader also compared the warnings of AI safety advocates to warnings about climate change, whose human causes are affirmed by the overwhelming consensus of the scientific community.

"The United States totally rejects any attempt to construct a globalist scheme to control... artificial intelligence," he said.

"Every major new technology brings challenges, and superintelligence is no exception," he added.

"The very same people who said we'll all be dead in 12 years because of global warming... are now saying that AI is going to kill us all, that robots are going to attack us, and that everything is going to be a total disaster."

Ahead of the UN assembly, leaders of more than 20 mostly European countries urged binding safety measures for advanced AI, warning that the technology's development could outpace the ability to control it.

AI superpowers China and the United States did not endorse the idea.

- 'Vassals' -

Speaking at the UN meeting, Prime Minister Andy Burnham said Britain would launch an effort to establish global AI standards during its 2027 G20 presidency, while announcing an AI defense partnership with Washington to detect cyberattacks on critical infrastructure.

"We will work towards agreeing a single set of global principles and standards to ensure the transparency and access we need to increase our preparedness and to ensure that AI development is safe," he said.

He earlier revealed London plans to use Britain's role as host of the Group of 20 next year to push for a "single set of global principles and standards" around AI.

French President Emmanuel Macron proposed building AI technology independent from the great powers.

"I don't want anyone to become the vassal of one of the great powers," Macron told the UN General Assembly, apparently in reference to China and the US.

"Our investment capabilities must be pooled to build a cutting-edge open-source AI model, which we will share. We should not depend on somebody else."

The US-based AI giants themselves are increasingly asking for global coordination on AI safety, with OpenAI's Sam Altman set to address the UN Security Council on Wednesday.

Anthropic chief Dario Amodei and Hugging Face co-founder Clement Delangue will also participate remotely, a French official said Tuesday.

France, which holds the Security Council presidency this month, initiated the meeting and believes AI's threat to international peace and security has not been sufficiently discussed at the UN.

UN chief Antonio Guterres, meanwhile, called for the US and China to start a dialogue on the technology's future akin to US-Soviet engagement at the height of the Cold War.

"Governments with the greatest AI capabilities have the greatest responsibilities to humanity, to establish channels for dialogue," Guterres said in his address to the assembly.

"At a pivotal moment during the Cold War, strategic rivals came to recognize the need to manage shared existential risks."

China and the US are currently discussing creating a communication channel for AI concerns in anticipation of a Washington summit meeting between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday.

The findings follow a similar assessment by the United Nations and come ahead of a global summit in Armenia where nations will review progress toward the biodiversity targets.

The "30x30" goal was the centrepiece of a landmark pact reached in 2022 by nearly 200 nations that was informally dubbed the "Paris Agreement for nature".

But rhetoric had not been followed by action, said a report by environmental groups Campaign for Nature and Together for the Ocean.

"Governments have already demonstrated that rapid progress is possible, but the world is not yet on track to achieve 30 percent coverage," Campaign for Nature director Brian O'Donnell told reporters.

If governments delivered their commitments in full, the amount of land and inland waters designated as protected or conserved could reach 27 percent by 2030, the report said.

But oceans might only reach 12 percent coverage by the end of the decade.

In a statement last month, the Convention on Biological Diversity, the UN treaty that oversees the global nature goals, also warned that countries were off track.

- Missing money -

Money for conservation is one of the biggest barriers.

The report's authors estimated that between $100 billion and $180 billion was needed every year to reach the 2030 target -- but annual spending lagged at roughly $24 billion.

"The gap is particularly stark for the ocean, where approximately $16 billion is needed annually but only an estimated $1.8 billion is currently spent," the report said.

Much of the funding would be needed in developing countries, which host many of the world's richest ecosystems but lack the means to properly defend these biodiversity hotspots.

O'Donnell said governments would need to dig deeper into their budgets but could also legislate to require that polluting industries -- such as fossil fuel and mining companies -- contribute to conservation.

"They're not going to do that voluntarily," he said.

He said the 30x30 goal "remains achievable" but not without a big lift.

"We don't want to sugarcoat this and say, this will not be without a challenge," he said.

The biodiversity pact committed nations to halting and reversing nature loss by 2030, including by meeting the 30x30 target, cutting pollution and restoring ecosystems.

The UN biodiversity summit in Yerevan, starting October 19, is the first time nations will address the progress shortfall and discuss how to get the targets back on track.

State broadcaster IRIB posted a video clip of Pezeshkian exiting a plane with a caption saying that the Iranian president has arrived at a New York airport. This is the first time that a leader whose country is at war with the United States sets foot on American soil to address a UN gathering, analysts say.

Several US officials attended the meeting in addition to Trump, a White House official said, including top advisor Stephen Miller, chief of staff Susie Wiles, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

No further details of the meeting were immediately available.

Rodriguez, who was set to address the United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday, is the first Venezuelan head of state to visit since deposed president Nicolas Maduro was captured in a US military raid in January.

Rodriguez was Venezuela's vice president under Maduro, but has thus far cooperated with Washington's demands, including granting US access to Venezuela's vast oil reserves, the largest in the world.

Trump mentioned Venezuela during his address at the UN on Tuesday, saying: "When you add the United States and Venezuela together, we have more than 60 percent of the oil in the world."

"To the victor belong the spoils," he added.

AI-created ads -- placing politicians in fictitious situations -- have proliferated ahead of the November elections, a largely unregulated form of political communication that is increasingly being adopted despite a broader backlash against the technology.

Earlier this month, Republican Senate nominee in Texas, Ken Paxton, posted an AI-generated ad on X depicting his Democratic rival James Talarico saying: "Look, I always think of myself as a Christian who hates Christianity."

The lifelike clip shows Talarico writing "let there be six genders" in a Bible with multicolored crayons. Overlaid text reads: "James Talarico wrong for Texas" and "wrong for America," while a QR code seeks donations for Paxton.

Talarico condemned the ad, saying "they are lying about a candidate in this race" and that he favored a ban on deepfakes in political campaigns.

"These AI deepfake ads don't add anything to our civic discourse," he told NBC News. "They don't do anything to elucidate the choice that's in front of voters."

The ad came a few weeks after a conservative nonprofit aligned with President Donald Trump released another AI clip depicting Talarico parodying Julie Andrews's character in the hit classic Sound of Music, dressed in a jumper-style bodice and skirt and singing "My favorite things."

- 'Erodes trust' -

The proliferation of AI ads in US federal, state and local elections comes against the backdrop of declining trust in the technology.

"The concern might be not that people believe the ads but the ads and general AI slop content risk people doubting everything," Sarah Kreps, director of the Tech Policy Institute at Cornell University, told AFP.

"People might just dismiss real content as another deepfake, which erodes trust, causing voters to tune out rather than dig deeper for authenticity."

The Wesleyan Media Project, which tracks election ad spending, has identified at least 164 political ads nationwide so far this year that were "generated or enhanced through the use of AI." It estimates that the ads cost just under $80 million.

That tally of ads -- sponsored by both Republicans and Democrats and splashed across airwaves and social media -- was an undercount.

The group said it was difficult to definitively know whether AI tools had been used in some ads, especially as there were no federal mandates that political ads carry an AI disclaimer.

"Just the knowledge that the tech has become good enough to deceive the average viewer combined with the fact that it is being used in election communication is enough to undermine voters trust in the broader election communication ecosystem," Ilana Beller, from the nonprofit advocacy group Public Citizen, told AFP.

- 'Modern political cartoon' -

However, cheap and widely available AI tools help save on the often exorbitant costs of producing ads.

"There's no need to pay for a camera crew or hire actors to create good-looking content on a short timeline. They also open the door to creativity -- no special effects editors required," Isabel Linzer, from the nonpartisan Center for Democracy & Technology, told AFP.

In many cases, Linzer said, satirical or humorous AI ads serve as "the modern political cartoon."

"A worthy question is whether using AI in political ads is a stunt that will boost a candidate through generating substantial free media attention," she added.

The AI-generated ads could help candidates with goals such as fundraising and mobilizing supporters, but there is scant evidence that they influence how people vote, said Scott Babwah Brennen, director of the Center on Technology Policy at New York University.

"Much of this does seem to be effective in gaining attention, though it is unclear if that will translate into electoral success," Babwah Brennen told AFP.

"As public sentiment grows against AI, it is possible that AI-generated negative attack ads could backfire -- that is decreasing assessments of the producer of the ad."

"It's going to be a long-term, fantastic relationship," Trump said at a signing ceremony on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York.

"This is tremendous for Europe and for the United States and for everybody," he added.

Under the 10-page pact, the United States will build two military bases in southern and eastern Greenland.

These will be established in Narsarsuaq in the south of the island and Mestersvig in the east, in addition to the Pituffik base it already operates in the north.

The deal also reaffirmed "the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Denmark" while recognizing Greenland's "right to self-determination."

Since returning to the presidency in January 2025, Trump repeatedly insisted that the United States needed control over Greenland for security reasons, alarming NATO ally Denmark and sparking fierce pushback from the alliance.

Greenland, which lies on the shortest route for missiles between Russia and the United States, represents a highly strategic location for Trump's desired "Golden Dome" defense shield.

It also has untapped rare earth deposits and could be a critical player as melting polar ice opens up new shipping routes.

- 'Peace of mind' -

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said her country "stands in a better place than we did yesterday" with the agreement.

"As everyone knows, we live in uncertain times," she told reporters after signing the deal.

"I hope the agreement will bring more peace of mind in Greenland, because it has been a tough time," she said.

Earlier, she told Trump that his message has been clear: "You don't want adversaries to come too close."

"I fully agree, and with this deal, they are not," she added.

Greenland's Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen added that Greenland matters for North American security and for transatlantic security.

"This agreement reflects that we understand our responsibility and act accordingly," he added.

He later said that while the pact is a step in a good direction, "back home we need to rebuild trust, and that will be a process for us."

In Copenhagen, 40-year-old barber Gavin Sharpe told AFP: "It's just the same situation."

He believes that Trump's messaging was meant to win over US voters, adding that "I think it is exactly the same deal they had before."

The agreement blocks non-NATO, non-EU countries from strategic sectors in Greenland, in an attempt to bar US adversaries China and Russia from gaining a foothold in the Arctic.

Such parties will generally not be allowed "control, significant influence, or access to non-public information that may constitute a threat to national security or public order" within sensitive sectors.

EU chief Antonio Costa welcomed the deal on Tuesday as a "positive step for transatlantic cooperation and Arctic security."

"The EU stands ready to continue working closely with Greenland, Denmark and our transatlantic partners for a peaceful, secure and prosperous Arctic," Costa posted on X.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz similarly expressed support for the deal.

The agreement also stipulates that Greenland, home to 57,000 inhabitants, must continue to abide by the agreement even if it obtains independence from Denmark.

It should also remain in or join NATO "if necessary."

Under a 1951 defense pact updated in 2004, Washington was already able to ramp up its military presence on the island provided it informed Denmark and Greenland in advance.

Relations between India and Canada effectively collapsed following the 2023 killing near Vancouver of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a prominent Sikh activist who campaigned for a breakaway state called Khalistan.

Canada's then-prime minister, Justin Trudeau, publicly accused India of involvement in the assassination, a charge denied by New Delhi. Both sides expelled a string of diplomats in 2024.

Carney, who replaced Trudeau last year, has pushed for a reset, arguing that Canada needs access to the enormous Indian market as part of its effort to diversify its trade relationships and reduce dependence on the United States.

Speaking to reporters at the United Nations on Tuesday, Carney said: "We are making good progress in our trade negotiations with India. It is an exceptionally important relationship on many, many levels."

Carney said he and Modi had targeted the middle of December to finalize a new trade deal, adding "I very much look forward to hosting him."

Carney has faced pressure over what critics call his softer stance toward Modi's government, which Trudeau said bore direct responsibility for the murder of a Canadian citizen on Canadian soil.

Carney visited India in March, saying Canada wanted a "strategic partnership" with "the fastest-growing major economy and a powerhouse of global commerce and technology."

The makeshift altar will host the head of the world's 1.4 billion Catholics as he holds a giant open-air mass on the Place de la Concorde and adjoining Champs-Elysees this weekend.

The event is just one on a busy agenda for the first US pontiff, whose paternal grandmother was born in France, as he makes a four-day visit from Friday to the historically Catholic but increasingly non-religious nation.

Leo will address a wide range of thorny issues during his trip, ranging from clerical sexual abuse and the dangers of artificial intelligence to the migration crisis and peace in Europe.

Only around five percent of France's 69 million residents go to Catholic church regularly, a survey last year found, in a deeply secular country that has enshrined the right to abortion in the constitution and approved assisted dying for some patients.

But while infant christenings have dwindled in recent years, adult baptisms are on the rise, with thousands choosing to embrace the faith.

"For the past 40 to 50 years, France has essentially been a kind of advanced laboratory for what is happening to Catholicism in Western -- or at least European -- democracies," Francois Mabille, director of the Geopolitical Observatory of Religion, told AFP.

"That shift from a Catholicism passed down through generations to one based on personal commitment is probably something that interests the pope," he said.

Pope John Paul II travelled to France eight times between 1980 and 2004, while Pope Benedict XVI officially visited once in September 2008.

Pope Francis made three visits -- to Strasbourg, Marseille and the island of Corsica -- but none were state trips.

- Paris -

On Friday, President Emmanuel Macron will greet the pope at the Elysee palace after meeting him earlier this year at the Vatican.

Leo comes to France as the eurozone's second-largest economy gears up for presidential elections next year to replace Macron, with the far right eyeing its best chance yet at seizing power.

The pope will then head to the UNESCO headquarters, where it is thought he will speak about artificial intelligence, after earlier this year issuing a call to "disarm" AI to "prevent it from dominating humanity".

A short popemobile drive away, he will attend a ceremony at Notre Dame, the storied cathedral ravaged by a fire in 2019.

Pope Francis had declined an invitation to its reopening in late 2024, when high-profile guests included then US president-elect Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk.

In the evening, Leo will pray with tens of thousands of young Catholics aged 17 to 35 in a stadium outside Paris.

On Saturday, he is to meet migrants before holding the giant afternoon mass from Place de la Concorde. Around 600,000 people have already signed up.

- Lourdes -

On Sunday, the pope will be in Lourdes, a town at the foot of the Pyrenees in southwestern France, where, according to Catholic tradition, the Virgin Mary appeared in a grotto in 1858 to a poor peasant girl named Bernadette Soubirous.

Leo is to hold Sunday mass in a field near the grotto, which has become a pilgrimage site for Christians worldwide seeking healing.

But he will also speak privately with seven victims of clerical sex abuse, including a now 80-year-old former student of a nearby Catholic boarding school rocked in recent years by allegations of mass physical and sexual abuse.

- Metz -

For the last leg of his trip, on Monday, Leo will celebrate mass in the northeastern city of Metz near the German border, a rare part of France where some priests are still on the state payroll.

At a time of strained transatlantic ties and as Russia's invasion of Ukraine grinds on in its fifth year, Leo is expected to make a speech about peace in Europe. EU heads of state and government have been invited to attend, a French presidential source has said.

The pope will also meet representatives of the country's main faiths -- Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, Muslim, Orthodox Christian and Buddhist -- to sign a peace declaration.

The agreement was signed during a visit to the violence-plagued central American country by nine prosecutors from different US federal districts.

The investigators met with President Bernardo Arevalo, who has made the fight against corruption a key tenet of his mandate, and senior security and justice officials.

Jorgan Andrews, Charge d'Affaires at the US Embassy in Guatemala City, told a press conference that the two countries would "prosecute drug traffickers, their allies, and those who provide them protection, including narco-politicians."

Guatemalan politics is under close US scrutiny over allegations of links between senior officials and businesspeople with criminal groups and drug traffickers.

In August, the US embassy warned that Washington would show "zero tolerance" towards "drug traffickers and those who provide them with political cover" ahead of elections next year.

Andrews said that the alliance with Arevalo's government aimed to curb the flow of narcotics into the United States and strengthen Guatemala's ability to investigate cases that will be tried in US courts.

Guatemalan Attorney General Gabriel Garc­a Luna called the agreement "historic."

Garcia Luna's predecessor, Consuelo Porras, was sanctioned by the United States for alleged corruption and anti-democratic practices.

She had tried to prevent Arevalo from taking office in 2024.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi took part in a meeting with Trump's roving envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York.

Trump's carrot-and-stick approach began with a bombastic speech to the UN General Assembly in New York focused heavily on his stalled, unpopular war against the Islamic Republic.

"I have a big decision to make -- will a deal be made with Iran that lets them rebuild and create a far greater country?" the 80-year-old said in his speech, during which all but one member of the Iranian delegation walked out.

"Or do I annihilate the Islamic Republic and do it quickly, never giving them a chance to kill and destroy people and countries again? Do I drive them into hell with no chance of survival?"

Trump said he believed Iran would make a deal immediately after November's midterm elections -- in which Republicans face losing control of Congress due largely to the conflict's drag on the US economy.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian is slotted to address the UN General Assembly on Wednesday.

Just after his speech, Trump revealed that Iranian and US representatives had met for three hours on the sidelines of the UN gathering.

"They had a very good meeting, a very productive meeting -- they have another one scheduled in the very near future," Trump told reporters as he met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Trump later added while meeting Gulf leaders at the UN that "I think there's a lot of momentum for them to make a deal, that's what we're hearing from everybody."

Iranian media reported that Araghchi gave Witkoff conditions for reopening the crucial Strait of Hormuz waterway.

According to the state news agency IRIB, Araghchi said Tehran's demands included "the immediate lifting of the (US) naval blockade, the prompt payment of all Iranian assets that have been frozen, and an end to the war on all resistance fronts."

Witkoff, in an X post Tuesday evening, said mediators "shuttled between the two sides throughout the day."

"They successfully completed a round of discussions that we hope will prove constructive and promising," he said, adding "the mediators will continue their work."

- Ukraine talks -

Tuesday's talks were believed to be the first in-person discussions between Iranian and US officials since US Vice President JD Vance met senior Tehran officials in Switzerland in June.

Trump promised when the US and Israel launched the war on February 28 that it would be over in four or five weeks, but the conflict is grinding on more than six months later.

A ceasefire in April quickly broke down and negotiations have since stalled, with Iran refusing to cede control over the Strait of Hormuz.

Trump has sought to justify the economic pain of high fuel prices caused by the war amid mounting voting anger, saying that Iran cannot be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon.

Despite the belligerent tone of much of his speech, Trump portrayed himself as a peacemaker who was acting in America's interests, declaring: "While others have ignored threats, I have confronted them."

Yet Trump's meeting with Zelensky underscored that he is still to secure a deal to end Russia's invasion of Ukraine, a war that he once claimed he could settle in 24 hours.

Trump insisted he was working with both sides to end the war, despite little evidence of Russian President Vladimir Putin being open to any settlement.

"It's going to happen, I think, more quickly than people understand," Trump said in his UN speech.

Zelensky later told journalists that Ukraine was ready to halt strikes on Russian energy sites if Moscow agrees to do likewise, after Trump called on him to stop hitting diesel refineries.

While at the UN, Trump also signed a security deal with Greenland and Denmark which has -- for now at least -- cooled his calls for seizing the autonomous Danish territory.

The pact will see the United States build two military bases in southern and eastern Greenland and bars non-NATO powers from establishing any military presence on the arctic island.

"It's going to be a long-term, fantastic relationship," said Trump, whose territorial claims to Greenland since his return to power have deeply alarmed traditional US allies.

In their first acknowledgement of disruption, Iranian media reported late Tuesday that flights to the Iraqi and Omani capitals would be cancelled the following day, but other routes would be unaffected.

The new measures, announced by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Monday, follow earlier aviation sanctions as well as his threat of an "economic D-Day" meant to force the Islamic republic into submission, after military means of ending the Middle East war stall.

It remained unclear what their full impact would be, as the Iranian aviation sector has already been targeted for years by various sanctions.

The Tasnim news agency cited a civil aviation spokesman as saying that "Baghdad and Muscat airports will no longer accept Iranian flights" starting Wednesday.

"Other international flights, including Istanbul, will operate as scheduled and as usual, and at present there are no problems with these flights," Tasnim reported.

According to Tasnim, Iran's aviation authorities are in talks to reroute Baghdad flights to Najaf, a major destination for Iranian pilgrims.

Earlier in the day, flag carrier Iran Air said it had "not received any notification or official instruction from the civil aviation authorities of Turkey, the Republic of Azerbaijan, or Iraq".

On Monday, however, Georgia barred Iranian carriers, while the airline Mahan, a private Iranian operator, said it suspended service to Turkey at the request of its government.

The Iraqi government has not publicly announced plans to enforce a ban, but several sources, including a senior government official, told AFP that Baghdad would comply with the US measures.

Iraq is a top destination for Iranian airlines, mainly transporting pilgrims between holy sites.

The prospect of a suspension of flights between the two countries has sparked concerns from some Iraqi travel agents.

In Najaf, home to one of the most revered Shia Muslim shrines, travel agent Haidar Shamaa said "most travel companies in the city depend on booking flights" to Iranian airports.

Several travel agencies said panicked clients were calling for updates and that they were considering switching to land routes, though that would mean much longer journeys for travellers.

Announcing the expanded measures on Monday, Bessent had said "all the Iranian airlines will be shut down around the world".

"If they land, you cannot provide them with fuel, you cannot provide them with landing services, you cannot sell them tickets or you will be knocked out of the dollar system," he added.

The restrictions further complicate the ability of Iranians to travel abroad or return to their country.

They have also drawn protest from China, a major trade partner of Iran, which said it "opposes illegal unilateral sanctions that lack a basis in international law or authorisation from the UN Security Council".

Polling stations are set to open at 08:00 am (0800 GMT) and close at 07:00 pm, with preliminary results to be announced later at night.

Nearly 16 million Moroccans have registered to elect 395 members of the House of Representatives.

Turnout, especially among the youth, will be one of the key tests of the vote, as only a slim four percent of those signed up are aged 18 to 24.

Morocco's prime minister is appointed by the king from the party that wins the most seats. Then the premier forms a government for a five-year term, but the monarch retains control of major policy decisions.

Rising unemployment, higher prices, inequality and distrust of politicians are at the heart of the election campaign.

The vote comes less than two months after a mass rush of mainly young Moroccan migrants into the neighbouring Spanish enclave of Ceuta.

The migration crisis, which heightened tensions between Rabat and Madrid, has not been a central campaign issue, but parties have focused on promises to improve Moroccans' quality of life.

- Salary increases -

Opinion polls are banned under the electoral law, but observers put the National Rally of Independents (RNI) -- currently heading the governing coalition -- among the favourites.

Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch led his party's campaign, although he has stepped down as head of the RNI, which will exclude him from heading the next government if his party wins the most seats.

Akhannouch has defended his government's record -- including expanding social security coverage -- and promised the RNI would do more should it be re-elected.

"We have done quite important work within the government," he said at a recent rally.

"We carried out reforms in education and health, we increased salaries... we were there when (Moroccans) needed us".

The wealthy businessman has nevertheless faced repeated accusations of conflicts of interest involving his company Afriquia, Morocco's leading fuel distributor.

Akhannouch has also faced widespread calls for his resignation from a youth-led protest movement demanding better health and education services.

The RNI's main rival is the Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM). The two centre-right parties are ideologically close and were founded by figures with ties to the royal palace.

- 'Added value' -

The PAM has recruited a popular figure, Budget Minister Fouzi Lekjaa, better known for his role as head of the Royal Moroccan Football Federation.

"We want to make young people a force capable of bringing added value rather than being left behind," Lekjaa recently said, pledging higher wages and better purchasing power.

But the PAM has no clear leader, and its other prominent figure is Fatima Ezzahra Mansouri, currently the minister for territorial planning and mayor of Marrakesh, who could become the country's first woman premier.

The PAM has also been hit by a corruption scandal. In June, a court sentenced two of its senior figures to 10 and 12 years in prison respectively in a major drug-trafficking case dubbed the "Escobar of the Sahara".

Also in contention is Istiqlal, a right-wing party currently led by equipment minister Nizar Baraka, with a campaign focused on social issues.

And the Islamist opposition's Justice and Development Party has centred its campaign on fighting corruption.

The conservative party, led by former prime minister Abdelilah Benkirane, has also campaigned against inheritance equality and against the decriminalisation of extramarital consensual sexual relations.

"The Kingdom of Belgium and the Republic of Rwanda have jointly decided, on 22 September 2026, to restore diplomatic relations. To this end, their respective bilateral embassies will be reopened in the near future," the Belgian and Rwandan foreign ministries said in a joint statement.

The relationship frayed last year after Belgium criticised Rwanda for supporting the M23 armed group in neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) during a massive offensive.

Kigali cut ties with Brussels in March 2025 and expelled Belgian diplomats, saying that the European nation had "consistently undermined" it during the DRC conflict.

The two countries' joint statement on Tuesday said the decision to restore ties "follows a series of meetings and informal contacts held between the two Ministers of Foreign Affairs over recent months, during which a number of differences and misunderstandings were addressed in a constructive spirit".

"Belgium and Rwanda reaffirm their commitment to maintaining an open, candid and transparent dialogue, recognizing it as essential for addressing bilateral differences and discussing divergent positions and outstanding disagreements on international issues," the statement added.

The Rwandan foreign ministry posted a photo of Foreign Minister Olivier Nduhungirehe shaking hands with his Belgian counterpart Maxime Prevot outside the United Nations headquarters in New York.

"In a world marked by growing tensions, this is an important signal here in New York, the UN's host city, which embodies multilateralism and dialogue beyond our differences," Prevot wrote on X.

The resumption of diplomatic ties "should open a new era of constructive dialogue in a spirit of mutual respect," Nduhungirehe wrote in another post.

The meeting comes as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is slated to address the United Nations the same day.

Earlier Tuesday, the Ukrainian leader told journalists he is ready to halt strikes on Russian energy sites if Moscow also agrees to do so.

But Zelensky said he did not know Moscow's position, and expressed hope the "American side will find a way...to bring them to any kind of negotiations."

War has raged since Russia launched its all-out invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, and Washington's efforts to end the hostilities have stalled in recent months.

Meanwhile, Russia and Ukraine have been engaged in intensifying long-range strikes targeting a growing number of civilian sites, including factories, warehouses and energy and port infrastructure, as well as ships in the Black Sea.

US President Donald Trump met with Zelensky in New York on Tuesday.

"It's going to be a long-term, fantastic relationship," Trump said at the event in New York.

"This is tremendous for Europe and for the United States and for everybody," he added.

Under the wide-ranging 10-page pact, the United States will build two military bases in southern and eastern Greenland.

These will be established in Narsarsuaq in the south of the island and Mestersvig in the east, in addition to the Pituffik base it already operates in the north.

The deal also reaffirmed "the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Denmark" and recognized Greenland's "right to self-determination."

Since returning to the presidency in January 2025, Trump has repeatedly insisted that the United States needs to control Greenland for strategic reasons.

This alarmed NATO ally Denmark and sparked fierce pushback from the alliance.

Trump previously said that the arrangement would give America "permanent control" over security for the territory in the Arctic that he has long coveted.

"Mr. President, you have been very clear. You don't want adversaries to come too close," said Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen ahead of the signing.

"I fully agree, and with this deal, they are not," she added, noting that adversaries will not be allowed to get control or significant influence in the territory.

Greenland's Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen added that Greenland matters for North American security and for transatlantic security.

"This agreement reflects that we understand our responsibility and act accordingly," he added.

The agreement blocks non-NATO, non-EU countries from strategic sectors in Greenland, in an attempt to bar US adversaries China and Russia from gaining a foothold in the Arctic.

Such parties will generally not be allowed "control, significant influence, or access to non-public information that may constitute a threat to national security or public order" within sensitive sectors.

EU chief Antonio Costa welcomed the deal on Tuesday as a "positive step for transatlantic cooperation and Arctic security."

"The EU stands ready to continue working closely with Greenland, Denmark and our transatlantic partners for a peaceful, secure and prosperous Arctic," Costa posted on X.

The agreement also stipulates that Greenland, home to 57,000 inhabitants, must continue to abide by the agreement even if it obtains independence from Denmark.

It should also remain in or join NATO "if necessary."

Under a 1951 defense pact updated in 2004, Washington was already able to ramp up its military presence on the island provided it informed Denmark and Greenland in advance.

Sabur had been suffering from fever for the past two days and consulted a local doctor, who conducted medical tests and prescribed medication.

However, he failed to regain sufficient fitness to compete in the road race and was forced to withdraw from the event.

Another Bangladesh cyclist, Shahadat Hossain, took part in the race but could not complete it, pulling out after the first lap.

Bangladesh Cycling Federation general secretary Parvez Hasan said Sabur had tried to regain his fitness despite suffering from physical problems caused by fever, but ultimately failed to recover sufficiently to compete.

"He tried to regain his fitness despite his illness, but eventually he could not become fit enough to compete. So he had to withdraw from the event," said Parvez.

This blockbuster west African showdown in Bouake between former champions is the highlight of the 24 matchday one fixtures.

Ghana have won the AFCON four times, but not since 1982. Renard led Ivory Coast to the second of their three African titles 11 years ago.

Renard also won the AFCON with Zambia in 2012 -- one of the biggest shocks in the history of the 69-year competition.

Queiroz came closest to AFCON glory in 2022 with Egypt, who lost the final after a penalty shootout against Senegal. He watched from the stand due to a suspension.

After working with clubs in France, England and Vietnam, Renard has concentrated on national teams, also coaching Angola, Morocco, Saudi Arabia twice, France women and Tunisia.

He took charge of Tunisia at the 2026 World Cup after fellow Frenchman Sabri Lamouchi was axed following a 5-1 hiding from Sweden. They also lost to Japan and the Netherlands under Renard.

Ivory Coast did not renew the contract of 2024 AFCON-winning coach Emerse Fae after a last-32 World Cup loss to Norway, paving the way for Renard to return.

The Queiroz CV includes managing Real Madrid and he has been assistant twice to former Manchester United boss Alex Ferguson.

He took charge of Ghana just before the 2026 World Cup, transforming a struggling team into a combative, defensively strong unit. They were the only team to hold England goalless.

That defensive resilience is set to be tested again in the Ivory Coast, with the strike force options of Renard including Yan Diomande of Real Madrid and Bazoumana Toure of Newcastle.

A blow for Ghana was the withdrawal of injured Mohammed Kudus. The inventive Tottenham Hotspur midfielder also missed the World Cup.

- Vieira setback -

Only four of the 10 coaches who began the 2026 World Cup in charge of African qualifiers remain -- Queiroz, Hossam Hassan of Egypt, Mohamed Ouahbi of Morocco and Sebastien Desabre of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Those who quit, retired or were fired include Renard, Lamouchi, Fae, Vladimir Petkovic of Algeria, Hugo Broos of South Africa, Pape Thiaw of Senegal and Bubista of Cape Verde.

Patrick Vieira, a 1998 World Cup winner with France, has replaced Thiaw. His debut for Senegal has suffered a setback due to the lack of an international-standard stadium in the country.

Instead of hosting Mozambique on Friday, they will travel to the southern Africa nation for a match that may prove more challenging than the ranking gap of 85 places suggests.

Vieira must do without two of the four stars who have been the core of the team. Goalkeeper Edouard Mendy has retired and striker Sadio Mane is injured.

Centre-back Kalidou Koulibaly and midfielder Idrissa Gueye remain for Senegal, who beat Morocco in the 2026 final only to be stripped of the title.

Most of the Senegalese team temporarily left the field to protest an added-time penalty awarded to Morocco, which was missed after a lengthy delay.

Senegal have appealed the decision to declare Morocco champions. It will be heard by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) on October 8.

Pitso Mosimane gets a second chance as coach of South Africa after being sacked at midnight following a 2014 World Cup qualifying draw with Ethiopia.

He has since excelled at club level, winning the CAF Champions League with Mamelodi Sundowns of South Africa and twice with Al Ahly of Egypt.

South Africa will lack injured defenders Mbekezeli Mbokazi and Khuliso Mudau on Saturday in Soweto against Guinea, who boast a prolific scorer in Serhou Guirassy from Borussia Dortmund.

Bubista worked wonders with Cape Verde at the World Cup. They held eventual champions Spain and took Argentina to extra time.

He has joined Moroccan club Renaissance Berkane and assistant Humberto Bettencourt takes over. Cape Verde are away to Mali on Friday.

Making their maiden appearance in the Asian Games, Bangladesh struggled to cope with South Korea's attacking pressure from the outset as the Koreans repeatedly tested their defence and scored eight goals.

Bangladesh had earlier suffered a 13-0 defeat to China before putting up a stronger fight against Malaysia, eventually losing 3-1.

After three matches, Bangladesh have scored just one goal while conceding 24, leaving them with a 1-24 goal difference.

Bangladesh will play their remaining two Pool A matches against Kazakhstan and Chinese Taipei.

Yu has already won two golds in Tokyo in Games-record times and will go for a third title in the women's 400m individual medley after posting the fastest time in qualifying with 4min 39.43sec.

The schoolgirl has been the talk of swimming since becoming the youngest medallist in world championships history last year with bronze for China's relay team aged just 12.

She is shaping up to be a major medal threat at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics.

Team-mate Zhang Yufei, a multiple Olympic gold medallist and world champion who was named the women's MVP of the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou, said nothing Yu does is shocking any more.

"Everyone is thinking, 'Wow, what will her next result be? What will she do in her next competition?'," said Zhang, now 28.

"Expectations have become bigger than surprise. I hope she can withstand that pressure."

Yu controlled her 400m IM heat from start to finish and topped qualifying 0.36sec ahead of Japan's Mio Narita.

Yu has already won the 200m butterfly and 200m IM events this week.

Zhang, who won the 10th Asian Games gold of her career this week with China's 4x100m freestyle relay team, said she was "quite shocked" when Yu first burst onto the scene.

"I only see her at the domestic trials and major international competitions each year," said Zhang.

"But every time I see her compete, I can see that she has improved again, and that makes me very happy."

Yu's success at the Asian Games has caused a sensation back home in China.

Her back story, such as being spotted by chance by a swimming coach at a water park, and her struggle with interviews, has gone viral.

Zhang believes Yu has the potential to become the standard-bearer of Chinese swimming.

"I hope this young girl can continue to maintain this momentum and give Chinese swimming hope," she said.

"We also want to see just how far she can go in the future."

Higuain, the brother of former Argentina and Real Madrid forward Gonzalo Higuain, had already received a red card and a two-match suspension for the incident before the team dismissed him.

"We determined it's in the best interest of our Club, players and support staff to dismiss Federico Higua­n from his responsibilities," said Columbus Crew general manager Issa Tall.

"After conversations this week and further assessing the past month, our Club's standards of what's expected from a leader for one of our teams have not been met."

Higuain during follow-up talks with the club was "unwilling to reflect or take accountability for his actions, nor did he offer a public apology," the Athletic reported, citing anonymous club sources.

The incident occurred during a game in MLS's developmental MLS NEXT Pro league.

According to the referees' union, Higuain "committed two deliberate acts of physical abuse and sexism against a female official -- squeezing her hand and refusing to let go after being told to stop three times.

"This physical intimidation was compounded by a demeaning, sexist remark to the official: 'Don't forget, this is a man's game,'" said the Professional Soccer Referees Association.

The union criticized the league's initial two-game suspension as falling "drastically short," and called for at least a six-game suspension.

"Women make every level of this game better. They should not have to endure intimidation or degrading comments to prove it," it said in a statement.

"Our female officials have proven their excellence on the world stage. They deserve the same respect, dignity, and safe working environment as every other official."

India's tour of New Zealand will include five T20s, five ODIs and two Test matches, with the opening T20 set for Christchurch on October 22.

Thirteen of the 16-strong squad were part of the New Zealand side that finished runners-up to India at the T20 World Cup in March.

"We've got a near full-strength squad that covers all bases and I'm excited to see how we compete against the current T20 world champions," Black Caps coach Walter said.

Milne, 34, last played for New Zealand more than a year ago and has amassed 56 international caps.

He missed the World Cup due to injury, as did off-spin all-rounder Michael Bracewell who also returns to the squad.

Walter confirmed Rachin Ravindra will miss the series due to an injury suffered during a promotional shoot last week, but it is hoped he might return for the ODI series.

T20 specialists Tim Seifert and Finn Allen were named in the squad, as Walter said he sought to pick the strongest team possible.

"Our priority is winning games and putting the best team on the park, but we also have to keep in mind the volume of cricket in the coming months," he said.

"We're very fortunate with the depth that we've got to call upon, so we'll look to use all 16 squad members throughout the series as we manage workloads."

New Zealand: Mitchell Santner (capt), Finn Allen, Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Jacob Duffy, Lockie Ferguson, Zak Foulkes, Matt Henry, Bevon Jacobs, Kyle Jamieson, Adam Milne, Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Tim Seifert, Nathan Smith.

On Monday, just days out from his side's opening match away against the Netherlands in Amsterdam on Thursday, Klopp recorded a video appealing to Germany fans at home and abroad.

Speaking English, the former Liverpool manager introduced himself as "the new one" in charge and thanked fans who "support us from all over the world".

The "new one" quip was a tip of the hat to the "normal one" quote from his Liverpool unveiling which became intimately entwined with his nine-year Anfield stint.

Now back in the dugout for the first time since leaving Merseyside in 2024, Klopp has promised a "new approach" as he hopes to return the fallen giants to the summit of the game.

"We will try everything to make our new approach visible. I expect more immediately," Klopp said Thursday.

"It might get a bit wild, but I'll take that; it just has to be lively."

After the trip to Amsterdam, Klopp will make his Germany home debut in Augsburg on September 27 against Greece, before hosting Serbia four days later and then concluding his opening taste of international football in Thessaloniki the following Sunday.

- 'Walk through fire for him' -

Klopp's consistent success at Mainz, Borussia Dortmund and Liverpool have given him a degree of standing shared by nobody else in modern German football.

Plenty of high-profile coaches have taken the Germany job, but few have been given so much control or so much scope to shake up the status quo.

His first step -- naming a 44-man squad including 16 uncapped players which will be split into two match-day groups, while leaving out fan favourite Deniz Undav -- showed a willingness to think differently.

Freiburg right-back Philipp Treu is one of those new call-ups. Not previously on the radar for German selection, the 25-year-old has never played under Klopp but summed up the attitude of many of those players who have been transformed by the coach over the years.

"You feel like you'd walk through fire for him," Treu said Tuesday, adding Klopp "is an incredible guy".

Another newcomer, Eintracht Frankfurt striker Younes Ebnoutalib, was courted by African champions and 2022 World Cup semi-finalists Morocco.

The Frankfurt-born forward opened up on his decision to choose Germany, while summing up Klopp's appeal.

"When Klopp calls, you have to go. He's one of the best coaches in the world and he brings a really positive energy," he said.

- 'Everything will be better' -

Semi-final regulars at major tournaments for more than a decade, Germany have won just one knockout game at the World Cup or Euros since 2016.

Klopp's task of breathing life into Germany's flagging fortunes is a mammoth one, but the 59-year-old is no stranger to resuscitating fallen giants.

Dortmund had only just beaten bankruptcy when Klopp took over. Inside five years, Klopp's Dortmund had won two league titles and played in a Champions League final.

At Liverpool, Klopp took a side who had made the Champions League just once in the past five seasons to three finals, winning one. And most important of all, he brought the league title back to Anfield for the first time in the Premier League era.

With a fractured media made up of former players eager to criticise the German FA (DFB), Klopp has set about uniting the country towards a common cause.

At his squad announcement, Klopp handed out sponsor hats in German flag colours with the message "one of 83 million".

Klopp has also contacted members of the DFB All-Stars -- former players with at least one cap -- asking for support, saying "we are all the national team".

Former player turned influential commentator Lothar Matthaeus was clearly won over by Klopp's charm offensive, writing in his Sky Germany column that "everything will be better" with Klopp in the main job.

"That wasn't always the case in recent years, but trust is important," the former Ballon d'Or winner wrote.

On Friday, the Azzurri begin their UEFA Nations League campaign against Belgium at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome.

It will be Italy's first competitive match since a play-off defeat to Bosnia and Herzegovina in March sealed a humbling third consecutive failure to reach the World Cup.

The four-time world champions have been through something of a revolution since that grim night in Zenica.

Mancini, the architect of Italy's last major triumph at Euro 2020, is back as head coach, bringing a refreshed squad featuring plenty of young and untested players.

"We have to take the national team back to where it deserves to be," Mancini said on Monday.

"I'm here to win and I'm sure we'll enjoy some great moments."

Off the pitch, Claudio Ranieri and Gianfranco Zola have assumed roles as technical director and youth projects coordinator, respectively, while Milan-Cortina Olympics boss Giovanni Malago was elected as the new Italian Football Federation (FIGC) president in June.

This raft of changes came following widespread calls for root-and-branch reform of the Italian game in the wake of a qualifying calamity that ensured an entire generation has grown up without seeing their country at a World Cup.

But the road to get there was far from smooth.

Heads rolled after the defeat in Bosnia, with coach Gennaro Gattuso, delegation head Gianluigi Buffon and FIGC president Gabriele Gravina leaving.

When Malago became FIGC president, his first major move was to appoint AC Milan legend Paolo Maldini as technical director to oversee the hunt for a new coach.

- 'Love of my life' -

After being turned away by Brazil boss Carlo Ancelotti, Maldini set his sights on Pep Guardiola.

"We went to meet him in Barcelona, we had lunch together, we talked for an entire day. He was very tempted," Maldini told Corriere della Sera.

"He came very close to accepting. He even started writing line-ups down on sheets of paper."

Maldini insisted that "money was never an issue" and Guardiola's refusal came down to "exhaustion" after a decade-long spell with Manchester City ended this summer.

The next name on Maldini's list was his former team-mate Andrea Pirlo. However, Pirlo pulled out of the running when controversy erupted over his role as a global ambassador for a Russian betting company, something he insisted was "exclusively commercial and sporting in nature".

The Pirlo saga led to Maldini and his advisor Leonardo sensationally quitting after just 16 days in post.

Maldini subsequently explained that "the conditions of trust no longer existed" with Malago, who was left back at square one.

Mancini soon emerged as the chosen one and was appointed in July in what proved to be a divisive move.

While the 61-year-old's track record speaks for itself, his decision to step down as Italy coach in August 2023 and take a lucrative job with Saudi Arabia angered many Italians.

When Mancini's return was confirmed, Rome-based newspaper Corriere dello Sport published an open letter accusing him of a "betrayal" and saying "apologies are not enough", while Sky Sport pundit Paolo Condo said his decision to "abandon the national team for a lavish payday" should have been a "road of no return".

Mancini immediately addressed these criticisms at his presentation.

"I'm very sorry. The Italy shirt was always very important to me. It was like losing the love of my life," he said.

Mancini's first squad underlined that a new era was underway, with nine new faces included in an intriguing 34-man selection.

Youngsters like Alessandro Romano and Eddy Kouadio were called, as well as players from outside Italy like Sporting Lisbon midfielder Issa Doumbia, Brentford's Michael Kayode and Nuernberg striker Mohamed Ali Zoma.

"I think it's right to have young players so we can get to know them directly, because that's the most important thing to have a very strong squad in the future," Mancini said.

"We have to be quick to understand who could be the players that could be with us for the next four years."

After hosting Belgium on Friday, Italy face Turkey twice, either side of a trip to Zinedine Zidane's France.

La Roja may have conquered Europe in 2024 and then the world this summer, but when they face England in the Nations League on Saturday, they will be seeking to improve.

De la Fuente said in the aftermath of the World Cup final victory over Argentina in New Jersey in July, he was already looking to the future.

The 65-year-old signed a contract extension, keeping him with the team until 2032, earlier this week.

"In the heat of the moment, two or three minutes later, a player came up to me and said, 'What do we still have to win?' Well, the match against England on September 26th," said De la Fuente.

"This team never stops. The World Cup isn't enough -- we have to be better. What we've achieved isn't enough to win the next match."

Spain's next major target will be the 2028 European championships, where they have a chance to emulate the La Roja side that won Euro 2008, World Cup 2010 and Euro 2012.

De la Fuente admitted that repeating that feat would be tricky.

"In life it's very hard to win, and many more (teams) lose than win," he said.

"Repeating past successes in terms of titles... we're going to try to be in a position to compete to win.

"Now we're the team to beat. That's an added motivation."

- New faces -

Thomas Tuchel's England, who lost to Spain in the Euro 2024 final, offer an immediate reminder of the level Spain will be expected to maintain as world champions.

De la Fuente picked a similar squad to his World Cup team for the upcoming Nations League games against England, Croatia twice, and the Czech Republic.

Teenage star Lamine Yamal, having returned to form with Barcelona, and captain Rodri remain the key figures, and are both in the running to win the Ballon d'Or, although there have been a few changes elsewhere.

Barcelona midfielder Fermin Lopez returned, after missing the World Cup with a foot injury, while Real Madrid defender Dean Huijsen has been recalled too.

Goalkeeper Joan Garcia's injury opened the door to Inter stopper Josep Martinez, in-form Espanyol striker Roberto Fernandez could make his first appearance for La Roja and Ivan Fresneda earned a late call-up in place of hurt Tottenham defender Pedro Porro.

"How could there not be continuity with players who have won everything?" said De la Fuente. "But that doesn't mean we won't give a chance to those who are knocking on the door."

Mikel Oyarzabal led the line for Spain through most of the World Cup, while Ferran Torres scored the winner in the final, but Fernandez can stake his claim after he was chosen over Real Madrid's Carlos Espi.

That position in the team, among a few others, will be disputed during the Nations League and the build-up to Euro 2028, which is ideal for De la Fuente.

The coach's message is clear, with Spain looking to progress despite the trophies they have already won, and strong competition can help foster the right environment for evolution.

"Not in December-if you have the courage, come now. You want to challenge us? You have left our mothers and sisters bereaved. Come, come to hang from the gallows," he said.

The state minister made the remarks while addressing a rally staged in protest against anarchy and planned acts of terrorism by the Awami League whose activities have been banned.

Addressing the rally, Yasser said any attempt to create anarchy and terrorism in the country will be dealt with iron hand.

"We have led from the streets. We have restored democracy and people's right to vote. Under Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, we have returned voting rights to the people," he said.

Yasser said fascist and authoritarian forces have fled and are conspiring to undermine democracy in Bangladesh.

"We have confronted those conspiracies and broken their fascist structure. None of their conspiracies will be allowed to succeed," he said.

"BNP family remains united across the country. With the people alongside us, we will continue the country's democratic journey and development," he said.

Referring to the recent incident of setting fire to two buses, he said none will be allowed to create unrest in the country.

Earlier, a protest procession was brought out from in front of the district BNP office in the Rathkhola area of the city. The procession marched through various important roads of the city before ending at Kalibari intersection.

District BNP General Secretary and Kishoreganj-1 constituency MP Md. Mazharul Islam and Kishoreganj-2 constituency MP Md. Jalal Uddin addressed the rally.

Leaders and activists from various levels of the BNP and its affiliated and associate organizations took part in the protest procession.

According to exchange-rate data, Tk 1 was equivalent to around ₹0.78 on September 22, 2026, compared to about ₹0.73 on September 22, 2025 and around ₹0.70 on September 22, 2024.

This means that the Taka gained around 5.5 Indian paisa against the rupee during the one-year period, raising its purchasing power against the Indian currency by approximately 7.6 percent.

In terms of the reverse exchange rate, one Indian rupee was worth around Tk 1.281 on September 22, 2026, compared to Tk 1.3782 a year earlier. Thus, the amount of Taka required buying one Indian rupee declined by around Tk 0.0972, or about 7.1 percent, over the year.

On September 22, 2024, one Indian rupee was worth Tk1.4292. Against that level, the Taka has gained approximately 11.6 percent against the Indian currency over the past two years.

The year-on-year movement is therefore particularly notable, as the Taka's value increased from around ₹0.73 per Taka on September 22, 2025 to around ₹0.78 on September 22, 2026, representing a gain of approximately 7.6 percent.

The latest Bangladesh Bank data also indicate continued strength of the Taka against the Indian rupee in the foreign-exchange market.

Bangladesh Bank reported an INR cross rate of Tk 1.2789 to Tk 1.2796 per Indian rupee on September 21, 2026, equivalent to roughly ₹0.781 to ₹0.782 per Taka.

The exchange-rate movement means that one Indian rupee now buys fewer Taka than it did a year earlier, while one Taka buys more Indian rupees.

Talking to reporters, Bangladesh Bank Executive Director and Spokesperson Arif Hossain Khan said the strengthening of the Taka against the Indian rupee could have a positive impact on Bangladesh-India economic and trade relations, particularly by reducing the local-currency cost of imports from India.

He said a stronger Taka means Bangladeshi importers may need to spend comparatively fewer Taka to purchase the same amount of Indian goods and services, provided other factors, including international prices, transportation costs and trade-related charges, remain unchanged.

“This development can help reduce the Taka cost of Indian goods and services for Bangladeshi importers. It can also lower the local-currency cost of expenses for Bangladeshis travelling to India,” he said.

For Bangladesh-India trade, Arif Hossain Khan said the movement of the exchange rate could influence the overall local-currency cost of imports from India.

If the Taka remains relatively stronger against the Indian rupee, importers may benefit from a lower Taka requirement for settling payments denominated in Indian currency, he added

He said the exchange-rate movement could also provide some relief to businesses importing raw materials, industrial inputs, machinery and other products from India, as the currency component of their import costs may become relatively lower.

At the same time, he noted that the actual impact on market prices would depend on several other factors, including the prices of imported commodities, freight and logistics costs, tariffs and taxes, and the pricing decisions of importers and traders.

The Bangladesh Bank spokesperson said the exchange rate is one of the factors influencing the cost of cross-border trade, and movements in the Taka-rupee rate should therefore be viewed in the broader context of bilateral trade and foreign-exchange market developments.

He also said a stronger Taka against the Indian rupee could benefit Bangladeshi travelers to India by reducing the Taka equivalent of expenses such as accommodation, food, transportation and other local payments, depending on prevailing market rates.

However, he stressed that exchange-rate movements alone do not determine the final prices of imported goods or the overall cost of travelling abroad, as other domestic and international market factors also play a role.

Arif Hossain Khan said Bangladesh Bank continues to monitor developments in the foreign-exchange market and exchange-rate movements to maintain stability and support an orderly foreign-exchange market.

The additional LNG cargoes are scheduled for delivery on November 6 and November 22, 2026, according to the proposal placed before the committee.

The approval came from the 46th meeting of the CCGP in this year.

The LNG will be purchased at a price of JKM minus $0.02 per MMBtu, which is different from the price specified in the existing long-term contract.

Qatar Energy Trading LLC was recommended as the supplier for the two additional cargoes.

The proposal was placed by the Energy and Mineral Resources Division.

The committee recommended approval of the proposal at the meeting.

The purchase is part of the government's arrangements to ensure LNG supplies to meet the country's growing energy demand.

"Light to moderate rain/thunder showers accompanied by temporary gusty wind is likely to occur at most places over Rajshahi, Khulna & Barishal divisions; at many places over Rangpur, Dhaka & Chattogram divisions and at a few places over Mymensingh & Sylhet divisions," said a Met office bulletin issued this morning.

Besides, it said, moderately heavy to very heavy falls may occur at places over the country.

Mild heatwave is sweeping over the districts of Rangpur, Dinajpur & Sayedpur and it may abate, the bulletin said.

Day and night temperatures may fall by 1-2 degrees Celsius over the country.

The highest temperature on Tuesday was 36.8 degrees Celsius in Rangpur, while today's minimum temperature is 22.1 degrees Celsius in Sylhet.

In the last 24 hours (till 06 am today), the highest 82 millimetre rainfall occurred in Cumilla.

The sun sets at 5:54 pm today and rises at 5:48 am tomorrow in Dhaka.

To this end, the National Curriculum and Textbook Board (NCTB) is taking all-out efforts to ensure the supply of 100 percent high-quality textbooks to every upazila by November 30 next.

According to the Ministry of Education and the NCTB, the printing of textbooks for pre-primary, primary, and secondary levels is progressing in full swing at printing presses in Dhaka and various other locations across the country.

A ‘zero-tolerance’ policy regarding quality has been adopted at every stage - from the printing press to the receiving of books at the field level and to ensure delivery within the stipulated timeframe.

As part of the oversight process, a total of 53 monitoring teams, comprising officials from the Ministry of Education, the NCTB, and multiple intelligence agencies, are working at the field level.

Already, about 4,50,000 printed forma of the press and 27,000 substandard books have been cancelled and destroyed for failing to meet the quality.

Ministry officials said action would be taken not only against printing agencies but also against the officials and teachers receiving the books at the field level if any irregularities or negligence are found.

The government is determined to ensure that 100 percent high-quality and error-free textbooks reach the students on the very first day of the new academic year.

Talking to reporters, NCTB Chairman Professor Mohammed Fakhrul Mawla said the government is taking a strict stance regarding the quality of textbooks this year.

Due to failure to maintain quality standards, about 4,50,000 printed forma and 27,000 substandard printed books have already been rejected.

The ministry and the NCTB are working tirelessly to ensure that high-quality, error-free textbooks reach the upazilas by November 30, he said.

“While there may have been scopes for collusion between unscrupulous quarters at the printing presses and the field level in the past, this time the responsibility for directly verifying quality has been assigned to the concerned district and upazila education officers as well as the heads of institutions,” he said.

Mawla said if any discrepancy regarding the quality of the books is detected after delivery, the receiving officials will also face disciplinary action.

Update on textbook printing:

According to the NCTB’s production report dated September 22, a total of 30,71,98,101 copies of textbooks are scheduled to be printed for pre-primary, primary, Ebtedayi, secondary, Dakhil, and vocational/technical levels.

This total includes textbooks for students from ethnic minorities and the visually impaired students. Printing operations began a month earlier this year compared to last year, and the work is underway in full swing at various presses across the country.

A total of 42,66,253 copies (74.45%) out of 57,30,640 books required for the pre-primary level have already been printed.

Besides, 2,80,78,996 copies (36.96%) out of 7,60,97,096 books for the primary level, and 1,52,64,400 copies (7%) out of 22,11,82,592 for the secondary level have been completed.

An official from the NCTB's distribution wing said printing for the pre-primary level is nearing completion, while distribution has already commenced in several upazilas, including Bancharampur and Sarail.

“Textbooks will be delivered to all upazilas across the country in phases, achieving 100 percent delivery by November 30. Only textbooks for the English version and specialized books for ethnic minorities will be dispatched to the district level,” he said.

According to the NCTB, printing is currently in full swing at 91 presses nationwide, out of the 113 contracted by the government. To mitigate temporary power outages, generator backups have been made mandatory for large presses, and priority power supply is being ensured through coordination with local electricity departments.

To ensure the GSM (paper weight) and printing quality of the new books, laboratory tests are being conducted alongside inspections by Pre-Delivery Inspection (PDI) agencies. Recently, paper samples from nine presses underwent laboratory testing at the BCSIR and were found to meet quality standards.

Three-tier monitoring & Intelligence surveillance:

NCTB officials said to prevent any lack of transparency, irregularities, or artificial shortages in the textbook printing and supply chain, multiple intelligence agencies have been deployed alongside special teams led by a group of NCTB officials.

They said a total of 53 monitoring teams from the NCTB and the Ministry of Education are working at the field level. Among those, 33 NCTB teams and 7 ministry teams are maintaining strict surveillance at printing presses.

Additionally, 5 special teams, led by the NCTB Secretary and members, are taking immediate action against printing agencies based on real-time information from the field. Monitoring officials are stationed directly at the printing presses from 9:00 AM until late at night.

Zero tolerance:

The NCTB officials said to ensure the brightness (85%) and print quality of the paper for the new books, chemical and quality tests are being conducted through an appointed PDI agency, alongside NCTB's own supervision.

Paper samples from nine printing presses, selected at random, have already undergone laboratory testing at the Bangladesh Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (BCSIR), and all samples were found to meet quality standards.

Education Minister Dr A N M Ehsanul Hoque Milon said textbooks made with substandard paper will not be tolerated at the upazila level.

The government has set a reasonable price after verifying market rates so that no one can use low costs as an excuse to produce substandard books, he said.

The education minister said no printing press or individual involved will be spared if they fail to supply quality books on schedule.

NCTB member Professor Mohammad Abu Naser Tuku (Textbooks) said work is underway according to roadmap to ensure that textbooks reach the students on time.

Clear instructions have been issued to press owners to complete the supply of the books by November 30, he said adding teams deployed in the field are stationed at the printing presses daily to oversee the work.

“Our primary objective is to ensure that students receive the complete set of books for their new classes on the very first day of the year,” the NCTB member said.

Key enactments include the Enforced Disappearance Prevention and Redress Act, 2026, the National Human Rights Commission Act, 2026, and the Transfer of Property (Amendment) Act.

Enforced Disappearance Prevention and Redress Act, 2026:

This act defines enforced disappearance as a distinct, cognizable, non-bailable, and non-compoundable criminal offence committed by state officials or entities acting with state consent or approval.

The law prescribes a minimum of three years up to life imprisonment, along with a fine of up to Taka 50 lakh, for enforced disappearance.

If the crime results in death, recovery of a corpse, or if the victim remains unrecovered after five years, penalties escalate to death, life imprisonment, or a minimum of five years' imprisonment, plus a fine of up to Taka one crore.

Fines imposed by competent Sessions Courts will be treated as compensation awarded to victims or their families, recovered from the convict’s property or guaranteed by the State if unrecoverable.

Under Section 29, courts may issue Disappearance Certificates permitting spouses or dependents to manage or transfer property for debt clearance and family maintenance, while property may be declared distributable among legal heirs if the victim remains missing for five years.

Systematic and widespread disappearances will fall under the jurisdiction of the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT), whereas ordinary detentions exceeding 24 hours will be tried in competent courts.

Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Md Asaduzzaman said that the government has addressed some fundamental issues in the enforced disappearance prevention and redress law.

“One such provision ensures that families of victims of enforced disappearance can receive their share of the victim’s property. By filing an application before the competent court, they will be able to obtain the appropriate remedy, as applicable,” he said.

In a condolence message posted on his verified Facebook page today, the prime minister conveyed his heartfelt condolences on behalf of the government and people of Bangladesh over the death of Sheikh Ahmed.

He said, “Deeply saddened to learn of the passing of His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. On behalf of the Government and people of Bangladesh, I convey my heartfelt condolences.”

Praying for the departed soul, Tarique Rahman said, “May Almighty Allah bless the departed soul with His infinite mercy and grant him Jannatul Firdaus, and give the bereaved family strength and patience.”

Sheikh Ahmed, a prominent member of Dubai’s ruling Al Maktoum family, passed away at the age of 76. He served as Deputy Chairman of Dubai Police and Public Security and held key roles in Dubai’s public, business and sports sectors.

The recommendation came at the committee's 30th meeting in this year held today, where two proposals from the Ministry of Industries were placed, discussed and recommended for approval.

Under the first proposal, the committee recommended policy approval for amending the existing G2G agreement with Fertiglobe Distribution Limited of the United Arab Emirates to allow the purchase of bulk granular urea fertiliser on a Cost and Freight (CFR) basis alongside the existing Free on Board (FOB) basis during fiscal 2026-27.

Under the second proposal, the committee recommended policy approval for signing an agreement to import prilled urea fertiliser from Foreign Economic Corporation Prodintorg under the G2G arrangement during the 2026-27 fiscal.

Both proposals were placed by the Ministry of Industries.

Dr Khalilur, who is currently serving as the UNGA President, disclosed the interaction in a post on his official Facebook page today.

“A personal exchange with H.E. Mr. Donald Trump, President of the United States,” he wrote, sharing a photograph of the interaction.

The brief exchange took place after the US president delivered his address to the UN General Assembly.

During the interaction, Trump thanked the Bangladesh foreign minister, according to the post.

Since his arrival in the city on September 21, he attended a series of high-level events, bilateral meetings and diplomatic engagements with world leaders and representatives of international organisations, prioritising the interests of Bangladesh and its people and the dignity of the state.

However, the Prime Minister will maintain his busy schedule with a number of important engagements in the coming days, including his address to the UN General Assembly on September 24.

During his stay in New York, Prime Minister Tarique Rahman is scheduled to focus on key issues including global peace and security, climate change, sustainable development, humanitarian concerns, economic cooperation and the Rohingya crisis.

On September 22, the first full day of his UNGA engagements, the Prime Minister attended a welcome breakfast hosted by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres for heads of delegations and their spouses at the UN Headquarters.

Later, he attended the opening ceremony of the 81st session of the UN General Assembly at the General Assembly Hall.

The day-long programme also included bilateral and courtesy meetings with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Bhutanese Prime Minister Dasho Tshering Tobgay, Maldives Vice-President Uz Hussain Mohamed Latheef, World Bank Group President Ajay Banga and Haitian Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé at the UN Headquarters.

He also held meetings with UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy on Myanmar Julie Bishop, UN High Commissioner for Refugees Barham Salih and UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk.

In the evening, Prime Minister Tarique Rahman and his spouse Dr Zubaida Rahman attended a reception hosted by the President of the United States for the world leaders attending the 81st UN General Assembly.

On September 23, the Prime Minister’s engagements will centre around humanitarian issues, climate action and international cooperation.

He will attend a breakfast meeting with representatives of international philanthropic and humanitarian organisations at Bangladesh Permanent Mission to the United Nations.

Representatives from several global organisations, including Gates Foundation, Visa Foundation, Rockefeller Foundation, International Rescue Committee and Rotary International, are expected to participate in the meeting.

Later, he will attend a high-level side event on the Rohingya crisis titled “The Rohingya Crisis: A Renewed Call for a Durable Solution from Protracted Displacement, with Justice and Accountability” at the UN Headquarters.

The Prime Minister is also scheduled to hold a bilateral meeting with Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic and participate in a high-level meeting on “Climate Action and the Just Transition”, where he is expected to make his remarks.

The major highlight of the Prime Minister’s visit will be his address to the general debate of the 81st UN General Assembly on September 24.

According to the schedule, Prime Minister Tarique Rahman is expected to deliver his speech at around 5:30pm (New York time) at the General Assembly Hall. He is scheduled as the 11th speaker among 18 speakers in the afternoon session, with a voluntary time limit of 15 minutes for his address.

Earlier that day, the Prime Minister will attend a high-level meeting on addressing the existential threats posed by sea-level rise, where he is scheduled to deliver opening remarks.

He will also hold bilateral meetings with Pakistan Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

Following his UNGA address, the Prime Minister will attend a dinner to be hosted in his honour by the Bangladesh Permanent Representative to the United Nations at Bangladesh Permanent Mission in New York.

Before leaving New York on September 25, Prime Minister Tarique Rahman will attend a breakfast meeting with representatives of Wall Street hosted by JPMorgan at its headquarters in Manhattan.

He is also scheduled to hold a bilateral meeting with Kuwait’s Crown Prince Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah on the same day.

The Prime Minister is scheduled to leave New York for Dhaka by an Emirates flight on September 25 morning via Dubai.

The operation began around 10 am Wednesday near the Green Line Paribahan bus depot in Shantibagh's 17/7 lane in Rajarbagh. DSCC Administrator and freedom fighter Md Abdus Salam attended the programme as chief guest.

During the inspection, the DSCC administrator visited the area stretching from the head of Shantibagh 17/7 Bank Colony to Mizan's Hotel to assess the long-standing waterlogging problem firsthand.

Local residents told the administrator that even light rain causes knee-deep water to accumulate in the area, creating serious difficulties for residents and businesses and leaving the problem unresolved for a long time.

After discussing the situation with local stakeholders, including Dhaka Metropolitan South BNP Convener Rafiqul Alam Majnu, the DSCC administrator assured residents that steps would be taken to find a permanent solution to the waterlogging. He said work would be undertaken promptly through the appointment of a contractor and instructed relevant authorities to arrange immediate drainage of accumulated water.

As part of the operation, a mobile court also conducted an inspection to prevent dengue. During a drive at Trust House in Shantibagh, officials said they found no evidence of Aedes mosquito breeding or dengue-related hazards. The premises and surrounding areas were also found to be clean and properly maintained.

The inspection is part of DSCC's ongoing dengue prevention programme, under which various roads, lanes, drains, construction sites and other potential mosquito-breeding grounds across the city are being inspected. Cleaning and sanitation activities have also been intensified.

The DSCC administrator said the city corporation would continue its efforts to keep public roads free from encroachment, resolve waterlogging and ensure a clean and healthy urban environment.

He also urged city residents to keep their homes and surrounding areas clean and eliminate stagnant water to help prevent the spread of dengue.

According to DSCC authorities, residents can also provide information about potential Aedes mosquito breeding sites through the corporation's control room. Citizens have been advised to regularly remove stagnant water from their homes and surrounding areas as part of ongoing dengue prevention efforts.

According to Global Petrol Prices, Bangladesh's diesel price is equivalent to US$1.092 per litre, based on an exchange rate of Tk123.65 per US dollar.

Although the government raised the diesel price by Tk20 per litre in the latest adjustment, its price remains lower than that of several Asian countries.

Among Asian countries, diesel is priced at Tk185.48 per litre in Pakistan, Tk177.81 in Indonesia, Tk173.23 in South Korea, Tk168.53 in the Philippines, Tk164.83 in Myanmar, Tk161.24 in Nepal and Tk146.77 in China.

In Vietnam, diesel costs Tk137 per litre, Tk2 higher than Bangladesh.

The price difference is also substantial compared with major developed economies. Diesel costs Tk 580.54 per litre in Hong Kong, Tk 347.83 in Germany, Tk 329.40 in France, Tk 317.78 in the United Kingdom and Tk 291.32 in Sweden.

Diesel is priced at Tk 222.69 per litre in Canada and Tk 205.26 in the United States, which are Tk 87.69 and Tk 70.26 higher than Bangladesh's price respectively.

The international comparison also shows that Bangladesh's other petroleum products remain below international average retail prices.

Bangladesh's latest octane price of Tk 165 per litre is around 15 percent below the international average retail price of Octane-95 gasoline. According to Global Petrol Prices, the international average stood at US$1.57 per litre on September 14, equivalent to approximately Tk 194.12 at an exchange rate of Tk 123.65.

Similarly, Bangladesh's new petrol price of Tk 160 per litre is about Tk 34.12, or 17.6 percent, lower than the international Octane-95 gasoline benchmark.

The new kerosene price of Tk 155 per litre also remains below the international average.

Global Petrol Prices put the average retail price of kerosene at US$1.34 per litre on September 14, equivalent to approximately Tk 165.69. Thus, Bangladesh's domestic kerosene price is around Tk 10.69, or 6.5 percent, lower than the international average.

The government revised domestic fuel prices amid changes in international fuel prices and other market factors. The revised prices came into effect on September 21.

According to the latest Bangladesh Bank data, remittance inflow stood at US$2.063 billion during September 1-21, 2026, against US$2.031 billion during the same period last year, registering a 1.6 percent year-on-year growth.

On September 21 alone, expatriate Bangladeshis sent US$69 million in remittances.

The latest inflow data showed that workers’ remittances continued to maintain a positive growth trend in the current fiscal year, supporting the country’s external sector and foreign exchange position.

The BB chief made the call while meeting with Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Dinesh Trivedi at BB headquarters in the city, said a press release.

During the meeting, the two sides exchanged views on further strengthening Bangladesh-India bilateral economic, commercial and financial relations.

The governor also expressed interest in expanding the use of Bangla QR, promoting cross-border digital payments and exploring India's experience and possible technical cooperation in this area.

When the Indian High Commissioner emphasised further facilitating foreign investment, the governor said Bangladesh Bank had already taken several policy initiatives aimed at creating a more investment-friendly environment.

Under these initiatives, foreign investors would be able to repatriate their invested funds and profits more easily, he said.

The governor also invited increased Indian investment in Bangladesh's technology-driven, manufacturing and industrial sectors.

Indian Deputy High Commissioner (HC) to Bangladesh Pawan Kumar Badhe and Second Secretary (Economic and Commerce) Gourab Kumar Agarwal were present at the meeting.

Deputy Governors Dr Md Habibur Rahman and Md Sarwar Hossain attended the meeting on behalf of Bangladesh Bank.

The compensation payments will begin on September 28, DSE Chairman Maminul Islam told a press conference here today.

Of the 17,925 investors affected by the defaults, 17,332 will receive their full eligible amount under the new arrangement, he said.

“The initiative is a milestone for our capital market and an important chapter in restoring the confidence of ordinary investors,” Maminul said.

He said around Tk37.60 crore has so far been paid to affected investors by the concerned brokerage houses and the IPF.

Under the new decision, the IPF will pay up to Tk5 lakh to each eligible investor from September 28. The remaining 593 investors will also be covered through necessary measures to recover their funds, he added.

The DSE chairman said legal action against the defaulting brokerage houses would be strengthened to recover the remaining funds.

“If necessary, steps would be taken to recover money through the sale of shares held by the companies and personal assets of their directors. Future IPF funds may also be considered for payments if required,” he added.

Maminul said many retired teachers, judges and bankers had invested their savings in the capital market and faced financial and family difficulties after being unable to recover their money due to the defaults.

He said the moral support of the present government and cooperation from the Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission (BSEC) had played an important role in implementing the initiative.

Of the five defaulting brokerage houses, four are facing cases filed with the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), while a court case is pending against another, he said.

“Strengthening monitoring and surveillance over brokerage houses is also being undertaken to prevent recurrence of such incidents,” Maminul said.

He said the DSE was also taking a number of measures to develop the capital market. Companies applying for direct listing or IPO by March 2027 will receive a 50 percent waiver on listing fees, with a target of bringing at least 10 blue-chip companies to the market through direct listing or IPO by 2027.

The companies may include state-owned, multinational and domestic firms, he said, adding that coordinated efforts by the government, regulator, stock exchanges and merchant banks would be required to achieve the target.

Maminul said listing fees for bonds had been reduced significantly and initiatives had been taken to issue sovereign bonds. Greater involvement of international investment banks in Bangladesh's capital market could also have a positive impact on corporate bonds and foreign investment, he added.

IPF Chairman Nasrin Begum said the fund was established to provide protection, within the prescribed limit, to investors affected by defaults.

She said every claim was being settled after verification of claims, examination of necessary documents, determination of eligibility and consideration of the applicable compensation limit.

“At present, the maximum compensation limit for an investor under the IPF provisions is Tk5 lakh,” she said.

Nasrin said the compensation was neither a grant nor charity, but a settlement process governed by laws and regulations. She said transparency, accountability and necessary safeguards were being ensured in the use of IPF funds.

DSE Managing Director Nuzhat Anwar said the DSE had undertaken several technology-based initiatives for capital market development, including a script trading platform targeted for launch by December 2026.

Work is also underway to establish a separate platform for open-end mutual funds, which is expected to be launched by mid-November, she said.

The platform will enable investors to access information on mutual funds and conduct transactions online, she added.

Nuzhat said work was also progressing to develop the bond market, with various issuance-related fees already reduced by around 80 percent.

She said a new matching engine project aimed at improving the DSE's technological infrastructure was also progressing, with the system targeted to go live in January 2028.

The DSE is also working to strengthen its disaster recovery system and other IT infrastructure, she added.

The update, released at the close of the 180-day plan announced on March 16, covers 20 initiatives under three pillars — robust infrastructure, investment facilitation and investment development — across 14 of the 16 work streams identified in the original plan, said a press release issued today.

Invest Bangladesh Chairman Chowdhury Ashik Mahmud Bin Harun said the plan was designed to improve the conditions in which investment takes place through better infrastructure, more responsive services and a stronger pipeline of investment opportunities.

“Some changes are already in place; larger projects will take longer to deliver. We committed to report back after 180 days, and this update shows both the progress made and the work ahead,” he said.

Under the infrastructure pillar, groundbreaking has been completed for the $ 550 million Laldia Container Terminal, while the Chinese Economic and Industrial Zone has an expected investment pipeline of $ 1.3 billion, including an active pipeline of $ 500 million.

A proposed $ 650 million Mongla Economic Zone is also being developed under an MoU with China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation, focusing on agro-based industries and light engineering.

The update said Chattogram Port has introduced round-the-clock port operations, customs clearance and banking services, while the Third Terminal at Dhaka airport is targeted to begin operations by the end of 2026.

In investment facilitation, the merger of BIDA, BEZA and the Public-Private Partnership Authority has brought investment promotion, economic zones and PPP activities under Invest Bangladesh.

The three-day Business Starter Package has become operational on BanglaBiz, while an Invest Bangladesh office in Guangzhou is targeted to begin operations in October 2026.

The update also highlighted the conclusion of the Bangladesh-South Korea Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, which provides preferential access for 97 percent of Bangladeshi goods, including duty-free access for 8,428 products.

Under investment development, China is the largest prospective source in the $ 1.3 billion investment pipeline with $ 600 million, followed by the Middle East with $ 300 million, the United States with $ 200 million and South Korea with $ 100 million.

By sector, renewable energy and ICT lead the pipeline with $ 300 million each, followed by healthcare and textiles with $ 200 million each.

Invest Bangladesh clarified that the pipeline represents prospective investments at different stages and does not mean that the funds have already been disbursed.

The authority also identified 44 investment opportunities involving more than 10,000 acres of industrial land across five state-owned agencies and initiated the country’s first comprehensive investment mapping exercise in partnership with the Asian Development Bank and SANEM.

The incident happened around 8:00 am (0500 GMT) in Turgutlu in Manisa province, near the western resort city of Izmir, the regional governor's office said.

School shootings are rare in Turkey, although there were two attacks in April on consecutive days in southern Turkey that sparked widespread anger.

"Eleven students were injured, two of them seriously.. The minor who carried out the attack was quickly apprehended and taken into custody," Justice Minister Akin Gurlek wrote on X.

He said the suspect's parents and grandfather had also been detained by investigators probing the attack, which saw police and rescuers rushing to the scene alongside panicked parents.

DHA news agency broadcast CCTV footage of the alleged attacker, a young man wearing black jeans, a black jacket and a green top walking along a street holding what appeared to be a long-barrelled gun.

IHA had a similar image of what appeared to be the same person with a gun, although this time running.

NTV private television said it was a shotgun.

Footage from outside the school showed police wrestling a man in a white shirt to the ground before leading him away, as a woman screamed, with onlookers pressed against the school fence, filming with their mobile phones.

Authorities have opened an investigation into the incident, Gurlek said.

"How the weapon used in the attack ended up in the minor's hands, the conditions under which it was kept and supervised.. and allegations of bullying prior to the incident are all being investigated," he wrote on X.

The education ministry said all lessons were suspended for the day at the school.

- School safety -

The attack came five months after two back-to-back school shootings that raised public concerns about security in Turkish schools.

In April, a 14-year-old opened fire at a school in the southern province of Kahramanmaras, killing a teacher and nine students aged 10 and 11. The attacker died at the scene.

A day earlier, another teenager opened fire at his former high school in the southeastern province of Sanliurfa, wounding 16 people before taking his own life when confronted by police.

Following the two attacks, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan dismissed a deputy education minister and pledged his government would introduce tighter controls on gun ownership.

He vowed school safety would be one of the government's top priorities.

"When we look at similar attacks around the world, especially in the United States, we see one of the perpetrators' aims is to terrorise society," he said.

- New security measures -

The attack came a day after Education Minister Yusuf Tekin and Interior Minister Mustafa Ciftci signed a protocol setting out security measures for the 2026-2027 academic year, which began on September 14.

He said 31,000 school grounds supervisors had been deployed for the first time.

The ministry also carried out a fresh security assessment of schools and assigned police officers to first- and second-degree risk schools, where they remain on permanent duty, he said.

Schools classified as lower risk are assigned police liaison officers who work in coordination with school administrations.

"We emerged with our heads held high, and this is a source of dignity and pride for all of us. Therefore, we will firmly defend our positions in international forums," he said before flying out of Iran, according to footage broadcast by state television.

The president is due to speak at the UN meeting on Wednesday.

"We will make the best possible use of this opportunity to convey Iran's plight to the international community. We will firmly tell our adversaries that, despite all the unfairness and injustices, the Iranian people have stood their ground," he said.

Pezeshkian will be the highest-ranking Iranian official to set foot on American soil since the start of the Middle East war, which began in late February with US-Israeli strikes on Iran.

The United States has approved the UN visits for part of the Iranian delegation despite the war, but the group will be subject to movement restrictions, according to the US State Department.

The Iranian president's communications team have not been authorised to travel however, having been denied visas.

Their barring was described as "hostile" by Iranian presidential spokesman Habibollah Abbassi, according to local media.

The reopening of the strategic Strait of Hormuz remains at the heart of the conflict between Tehran and Washington.

Traffic in the vital maritime corridor, through which one-fifth of the world's hydrocarbons passed before the war, has been severely disrupted, with Iran firing on commercial ships and demanding it approve passage.

In response, the United States is maintaining a counterblockade of Iranian ports while upping economic pressure on Iran.

The typhoon moved away from Japan's coast and out into the Pacific by morning, allowing authorities to lift or downgrade most heavy rain and landslide warnings.

Dujuan had already led to the early closure in the capital of the one of the world's biggest video game trade fairs.

Japan often sees strong typhoons in the late summer and early autumn, with other storms this season disrupting some events at the Asian Games being held in the country.

The Fire and Disaster Management Agency said three people died in Chiba prefecture and one in Kanagawa region, both near Tokyo.

Search operations were continuing for six people missing after landslides triggered by torrential rain, the agency said.

More than 45,000 households in Chiba near Tokyo were still without electricity on Tuesday afternoon, while over 460 houses were damaged.

Although Dujuan weakened as it moved northeast, it dumped record rainfall in parts of the Tokyo area.

Oshima, an island about 120 kilometres (75 miles) south of central Tokyo, recorded 832 millimetres of rain over 48 hours, more than double its average rainfall for the whole of September, public broadcaster NHK reported.

Rainfall in Tokyo's Edogawa Ward reached a record 282.5 millimetres over 24 hours.

Scientists say human-driven climate change is intensifying the risk posed by heavy rains because a warmer atmosphere holds more water.

Araghchi is the highest-ranking Iranian official to enter the United States since the Middle East war began with US-Israeli strikes on Iran in February.

Araghchi spoke by phone with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres after his arrival and exchanged views on the agenda of the UN General Assembly, Iranian state television reported.

"Our most important objective is to use a major international platform to defend the legitimacy, rights, and interests of the Iranian people," Araghchi was quoted as telling Iranian journalists.

Earlier, Iranian state media had reported that the Iranian delegation would be led by President Masoud Pezeshkian, and that the US had refused to issue visas to members of his delegation, including his communications team.

However, in a social post on X on Aragchi's arrival in New York, Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei described the minister as "head of a diplomatic delegation" at the General Assembly.

Baqaei said Aragchi "will hold talks and consultations with numerous officials and foreign ministers attending the session."

While the US has authorized an Iranian delegation to travel for the UN gathering, it has, like last year, put restrictions in place.

Iran's delegation will not, for instance, be allowed to purchase luxury goods or other items during their stay in New York City, the State Department said Thursday.

Araghchi left Iran on Sunday evening and had a stopover in Qatar.

Iran says it has conveyed to the US, via Qatar as mediator, conditions for reopening the strategic Strait of Hormuz oil and gas shipping route, which it has effectively choked off since the war began.

The United States, in turn, is imposing a counterblockade of Iranian ports.

The Houthi movement staged a lightning offensive in recent weeks to take over Yemen's entire Red Sea coast, including Mokha, threatening global trade and pushing up energy prices up.

Gains made by Yemen's Houthis have cemented Iran and its allies hold over two key waterways, including the Strait of Hormuz, that the wider Gulf and top crude exporter Saudi Arabia rely on to ship out its oil.

G7 leaders representing Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States said in a statement "we call on the Houthis to immediately cease all military actions".

"All threats and attacks against civilian shipping, and to return to the political process in good faith," it added.

They also called on Iran "to end its arming of and support for the Houthis," alleging Tehran is in violation of past UN Security Council resolutions.

The war in impoverished Yemen, which began in 2014 with the Houthi capture of the capital Sanaa, had been largely frozen since 2022 but resumed in July.

Saudi Arabia has led a coalition backing the internationally recognised government since 2015. Its intervention escalated the war, which has triggered one of the world's worst humanitarian crises.

Saudi strikes on Yemen's strategic Red Sea port Mokha killed at least six people and wounded eight others, the Houthi-affiliated news agency Saba reported Tuesday.

The strikes come off the back of a Houthi attack on Riyadh on Saturday which marked the first to target the Saudi capital in years and a major escalation by the pro-Iranian fighters.

- UK, France support -

Britain agreed to give military support to Saudi Arabia, media reports said Monday, adding that the UK would provide "defensive" air-to-air refuelling for Saudi jets.

France also pledged their support saying it is ready to work on "securing" Saudi energy infrastructure targeted by Iran-backed Houthis, adopting a "strictly defensive approach", a diplomatic source told AFP Monday.

"This in no way involves taking part in the conflict with the Houthis," the source added.

The Houthis have carried out attacks against facilities belonging to the Saudi oil giant Aramco in the Red Sea port city of Yanbu. The East-West Pipeline -- a crucial crude oil export route -- has also been shut down following drone attacks launched from Iraq, according to Riyadh.

The head of Yemen's governing body Rashad al-Alimi held a call with US President Donald Trump to request American support against the pro-Iranian fighters, a source in Alimi's office told AFP on Monday.

Trump did not promise military support, the source said, adding that the call that took place on Sunday was intended as a show of solidarity with Yemen's embattled government.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman also urged Trump to strike the Houthis, US media reported.

The New York Times said the crown prince called Trump on Sunday "to implore him, again" to help counter the group's advances, with Axios previously saying Trump had rebuffed a similar request last week.

Fox News reported Sunday that Trump had said the Houthis have agreed not to hit US targets.

- Mecca Joint Defence Agreement -

The Houthi movement, also known as Ansar Allah (Supporters of God), is named after its late spiritual leader Badreddin al-Houthi and his son Hussein, who was killed by Yemeni government forces in 2004.

Houthi's other son, Abdulmalik, assumed the reins of power, delivering fiery speeches and transforming his group from an isolated faction in the northwest into the ruling power in the capital and a regional player.

In one such speech on Monday Abdulmalik said Saudi had launched 760 airstrikes as of a day earlier questioning "if Pakistan and Turkey were subjected to this number of strikes, wouldn't it cause a major crisis?"

He said Saudi Arabia is seeking to "push the Turks and Pakistanis forward and import Takfiris (the charge of apostacy) from Syria, at a time when Syria is facing total destruction" advising the two countries "not to become entangled for political and financial gain from the Saudi enemy".

Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey last month signed the so-called Mecca Joint Defence Agreement, committing the three countries to mutual defence in the event of any of them being attacked.

The pact came against a backdrop of war between the United States and Iran and attacks in the region from Tehran-backed Houthi forces.

Forecasters say the coming months could bring powerful and damaging storms to the region because of this weather pattern, with the threat of higher-than-usual tides that could trigger coastal flooding.

Governor Gavin Newsom said the state needed to get ahead of problems instead of waiting for them to happen.

"This action is about giving communities the support they need, giving first responders the tools to do their jobs, and giving families the confidence that their state is ready," he said.

"We are preparing for this El Nino early because every Californian deserves to be safe in their home, connected to their community, and protected when severe weather comes."

Monday's declaration is procedural and intended to make it easier for state agencies to access resources, and to pre-position flood-fighting supplies like sandbags and pumps.

The proclamation also prepares the California National Guard to support flood response, search-and-rescue, engineering, and logistics missions when needed, officials said.

El Nino is the warming phase of a natural cycle in the tropical Pacific, known as the El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO), and comes along every two to seven years.

It sets in when east-to-west trade winds ease, allowing warm water which normally collects in the western Pacific Ocean to slide back east and rise to the surface.

When those warmer-than-average surface temperatures last for a few months, they cause more storms and clouds over the region, which in turn cause ripple effects through the entire global atmosphere: hotter and drier conditions in some places, cooler and wetter in others.

Human-caused climate change can increase El Nino's impacts. A warmer atmosphere holds more moisture, so El Nino-linked rains can turn more extreme. It also dries out soil, deepening drought where El Nino brings it.

This year's El Nino has a 75-percent chance of becoming the strongest on record, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and is already unleashing extreme weather across the globe even though it is not expected to peak until October-December.

The phenomenon has already tied for the most intense on record on a widely-used metric, a senior scientist told AFP Monday.

Zeke Hausfather, a climatologist at Berkeley Earth and co-author of comprehensive climate change reports for the United Nations, said that the sea surface temperature anomaly in the tropical Pacific now stands at 3.07C -- equal to the 2015-2016 El Nino.

California's coastline has already been battered by storms that have damaged or destroyed homes.

Coastal erosion also forced the cancellation of a music festival in Santa Monica that had been set to feature The Killers, Olivia Dean and Jack White.

Under a rule taking effect in November, students will be barred from using mobile phones in class or during recess, except in cases of emergency or during planned school events.

"The goal is to recover creativity and avoid indiscriminate use of phones, which in relation to social media can have very negative effects," President Claudia Sheinbaum told her daily press conference.

The restriction will not apply to kids in their last three years before college or to university students.

The government ordered the change after consulting with educators and specialists on the harmful effects of social media addiction on small kids and adolescents.

Eighty-one percent of teachers surveyed said restricting cell phone use in schools is necessary, according to the Education Ministry.

Countries around the world, from France to New Zealand to Peru, have implemented some degree of restriction on cell phones in schools as the dangers of excessive use have become clear, including depression, body image problems, social isolation and risk of suicide.

The UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), which currently counts around 7,500 peacekeepers from 46 countries, has acted as a buffer between Lebanon and Israel since 1978.

But under US pressure, the UN Security Council voted last year to halt the force's mandate at the end of this year.

Meeting Guterres at the UN headquarters in New York, Salam "stressed the importance of maintaining an international presence under the umbrella of the United Nations in the south in the post-UNIFIL phase", according to a statement from the premier's office.

This should be in a way that "ensures the continuation of the functions of monitoring, reporting and liaison, contributes to preserving stability, and supports the process of extending the Lebanese state's authority over all its territory", Salam added, according to the statement.

UNIFIL's looming departure comes as Israel maintains troops in a self-declared "security zone" running around 10 kilometres (six miles) deep inside south Lebanon along the border.

Israel launched heavy airstrikes and a ground invasion after Hezbollah drew Lebanon into the Middle East war in March by attacking Israel in support of the militant group's backer Iran.

Last week, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun told AFP that Lebanon wanted a new force, European or otherwise, to prevent a security vacuum after the peacekeepers depart, but that "the best and most optimal option remains extending UNIFIL's mandate".

The creation of a new force to succeed UNIFIL was also on the agenda of a meeting last week in Paris between Aoun, French President Emmanuel Macron and King Abdullah II of Jordan.

France and Italy have said they want to set up a multinational coalition to succeed UNIFIL.

In a June report, Guterres said peacekeepers would be needed after UNIFIL's mission expires.

Salam also told Guterres that around 329,000 people are still displaced in Lebanon since the latest conflict erupted, urging support for the humanitarian response.

The initiative, first proposed by Mexico and France in 2015, now has a total of 128 countries behind it, French foreign minister Jean-Noel Barrot and Mexican counterpart Roberto Velasco said in a joint statement.

It is now just one country shy of reaching a two-thirds threshold of UN member states.

The Security Council has been paralyzed on many issues in recent years amid deep divisions between the five veto-wielding permanent members: France, UK, Russia, China, and the United States.

"By supporting this political declaration, states are demonstrating their commitment to ensuring that the Security Council can fully exercise its primary responsibility for maintaining international peace and security," said Barrot and Velasco.

In May, a diplomatic source told AFP that France was hoping to reach the two-thirds majority before this year's UN General Assembly, which kicks off this week.

Even if adopted with a two-thirds majority, the resolution would be non-binding.

Officials nonetheless hope to make it more politically difficult for a permanent member to use its veto in cases of such dire emergencies.

Trump, a Republican, heavily criticized Mamdani before he took office in January -- calling him "my little communist" and a "total nut job" -- but the two men have since struck a surprisingly warm relationship.

"Hopefully, you're going to be a great (mayor). I'll be able to say you're going to be a great one, and you're off to a start," Trump told Mamdani at a news conference.

Their closed-door talks in Manhattan, which lasted around an hour, marked the pair's third public meeting since Mamdani swept the mayoral election last year.

"We appreciate the president's commitment to the city," Mamdani said of Trump, who was visiting his hometown New York ahead of the United Nations General Assembly.

The 34-year-old said he expressed his "very strong opinions about how we can keep New Yorkers safe" when asked about Trump's culling of Temporary Protected Status for thousands of immigrants as part of mass deportation plans.

Mamdani said they also spoke about a 12,000-home building proposal in New York, which the pair previously discussed in February and would require an estimated $21 billion in federal government funding.

He said he planned to continue cooperating with Trump, despite acknowledging they have "many disagreements."

"We've both spoken about very different approaches, very different beliefs, and I will continue to have conversations with the president, and frankly with anyone who can deliver relief to the people of this city," Mamdani said.

Trump's visit came as top US television networks essentially boycotted coverage of the president in protest of his decision to ban three outlets, CNN, MS NOW and Politico, from the White House.

Mamdani said he had told Trump that all members of the press would be welcome at their joint press conference, held in front of the mayor's official residence.

"That is something that I believe in, is everyone, no matter the opinion or the critique, that we engage," he told reporters.

Trump, meanwhile, brushed off a suggestion that he had issued the media bans to distract the public from criticism of the war in Iran.

"It's interesting because they (the media) said they were going to boycott me, but they never boycott me, so I wasn't very worried about that," he said.

"Sanctions are a core pillar of our response to Russia's war" to deprive Moscow of funding, she told reporters in New York after a meeting of European Union foreign affairs ministers.

She added that officials aim to close talks on the rollover of Russia sanctions soon, and have the extension take place swiftly.

"We need to have this stability," with sanctions remaining in place for a longer time, Kallas added on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.

Kallas stressed that the EU's position has not changed: "That's why we are also working on a new package of sanctions."

But discussions on the matter are ongoing as some member states sought to remove certain individuals from the bloc's blacklist.

EU countries failed Monday to finalise a deal that involved lifting sanctions on Russian oligarchs Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman.

Negotiations are set to continue in Brussels, in efforts to extend sanctions on almost 3,000 other individuals and entities over the war.

The 27-nation bloc has been scrambling to reach a deal on extending the sanctions regime ahead of a deadline late Tuesday.

France and Slovakia pushed for Russian-Uzbek billionaire Usmanov to be removed from the blacklist.

Luxembourg seized upon the demand by Paris to insist that if sanctions were lifted on Usmanov, then they should be lifted for Fridman as well.

Multiple diplomats earlier said that member states had reached a provisional agreement to take the pair off the EU's list as part of a compromise.

But the pact failed to get final approval, with a diplomat telling AFP that Latvia lodged a last-gasp objection.

Ukraine had reacted furiously to the prospect of the EU removing sanctions on the two prominent Russian businessmen.

More hawkish EU countries including Poland and Baltic states also fiercely opposed the easing of sanctions, arguing that pressure on Russia should be ramped up.

On Monday, Kallas said that Europe faces "a fast proliferation of sabotage attacks and airspace violations."

"Moscow is trying to scare Europe into winding down its support for Ukraine," she added. "As Russia is willing to take greater risks, we also need to impose greater costs."

"Russia's economy is one of its weakest parts," she said.

Katie White, a member of the ruling Labour government, said the UK's right-wing parties had miscalculated by vowing to undo the country's greenhouse gas goals if they took power.

"The UK public is hugely in favor of action on climate," said the minister of state in the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero during an interview with AFP at the United Nations headquarters in New York on Monday.

"And after the summer we've had, the most extreme weather we've ever experienced... four heat waves, deadly wildfires across our nation, the public are asking for more action."

Britain was the first major economy to legally bind itself to net zero by 2050 under the Conservatives. Under that party's current leader, Kemi Badenoch, they have abandoned the goal, saying it would damage the economy.

Nigel Farage's Reform party goes further still, deriding the goal as "net stupid zero" with some members outright rejecting the scientific consensus on human-caused climate change.

Yet an Ipsos poll in August found 74 percent of British people reported being concerned about climate change. Slightly fewer, 69 percent, recall being concerned prior to the 2026 summer.

White described the polling as "pretty unprecedented," adding that anti-climate change politics reflected a breakdown of consensus among political elites, not the people.

Critics often say the transition is driving up energy costs, a point White partly conceded.

"Our most abundant resource is our wind. We are a windy little island," said White, in New York to attend the city's annual Climate Week and engage in climate diplomacy at the UN.

"(But) there is an upfront investment cost of that."

She likened buying fossil fuels from Norway and the United States to renting a house, while building out renewable infrastructure is "like we've bought our own house, and there is a down payment cost of that."

"And after the second fossil fuel crisis in four years, we've seen energy prices skyrocket," she said, referring to the Iran war and Russia's invasion of Ukraine. "In the long term, clean power is absolutely the answer."

Britain also has dwindling North Sea oil reserves that have caught the eye of US President Donald Trump, who has urged new Prime Minister Andy Burnham to expand drilling.

Two sites are currently under review. White said she could not comment on which way the decision would land -- but stressed "British policy is for the British people" and said some oil and gas fits within the country's next carbon budget.

White said electrification -- converting systems over to electricity, especially when produced through renewable sources -- is a key focus in the run-up to the G20 and the COP31 climate talks.

It's often an upgrade, too, she said, citing her six years as an EV driver.

"I would never go back. It is a much more pleasant experience. It's smoother. I'm not supposed to say it's faster, but it is faster," she laughed.

British planes will provide "defensive" air-to-air refuelling for Saudi Arabia jets, he told reporters as he travelled to the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

The UK mission will be limited to supporting Saudi Arabia aircraft defending the country from attack from drones and missiles rather than supporting strikes against the Houthis, the PA news agency reported.

The use of the Voyager tanker is expected to start within days and the mission will be time-limited, with officials indicating it could last for "weeks".

The refuelling mission is in addition to the UK Sky Sabre air defence system already deployed in Saudi Arabia.

Burnham told reporters he was "acting to secure the interests of Britain and the wider region because, of course, Saudi Arabia has been experiencing attacks, is looking at potential further disruption, and we need to keep those pathways open, and hence our agreement to the request", according to the reports.

A Houthi attack on Riyadh on Saturday was the first to target the Saudi Arabia capital in years and a major escalation.

This month, the Houthis, who already held most of Yemen's populated areas, launched a lightning offensive to take over the country's entire Red Sea coast, giving them control over the vital Bab al-Mandab strait.

Saudi Arabia has, since 2015, led a coalition backing the internationally recognised government. Its intervention escalated the war, which has triggered one of the world's worst humanitarian crises in the impoverished country.

"The other issue we talked about was the situation in the Red Sea... It's important for global prices. Then we had a long discussion about Ukraine and Russia," said Macron after their New York meeting.

"We had a very good discussion. It was very constructive."

Going into the high-stakes meeting ahead of the United Nations' high-level week, a French official briefed that Macron was prepared to face Trump with "total candor."

On Ukraine, Macron said he has pressed Trump on the issue of supplying defensive weapons systems to Ukraine.

They discussed "the need to help our Ukrainian friends faster and more strongly in terms of (missile) interceptors, because that is... a defensive measure," Macron said.

The French president said Trump was "very amenable and we were able to go into detail on these two conflicts, which are obviously important for peace in the world and for our security."

The Red Sea has become a key oil shipping route with the Strait of Hormuz blocked, but the takeover of the Strait of Bab al-Mandab by pro-Yemeni rebels has complicated shipping operations there.

Macron traveled to New York from Saint Pierre and Miquelon, a small French territory off Canada's Atlantic coast, where he met with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney.

Carney has been embroiled in a war of words with Trump over a failed effort between the US and Canada to strike a trade deal, resulting in tit-for-tat tariffs.

The French president also plans to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.

Multiple diplomats said earlier that member states had reached a provisional agreement to take the pair off the EU's blacklist as part of a compromise to extend sanctions on almost 3,000 other individuals and entities over the Ukraine war.

But that deal failed to get final approval -- with one diplomat telling AFP that Latvia had lodged a last-gasp objection.

Diplomats said that EU ambassadors would meet again at 0600 GMT on Tuesday to try to hammer out an agreement.

The 27-nation bloc has been scrambling to reach a deal on extending the sanctions regime ahead of a deadline late Tuesday after France and Slovakia pushed for Russian-Uzbek billionaire Usmanov to be removed from the blacklist.

Luxembourg then seized upon the demand by Paris to insist that if sanctions were lifted on Usmanov, then they should be lifted for Fridman as well.

Officials in Paris have cited "national security" concerns for their request on Usmanov, but refused publicly to give details.

The Financial Times reported that the demand may be linked to a potential prisoner release deal involving French nationals held in Azerbaijan.

Luxembourg has pushed for Fridman to be removed. Diplomats said the move comes as he is suing the country for 15 billion euros ($17 billion) for freezing his assets under EU sanctions.

More hawkish EU countries, including Poland and Baltic states, fiercely opposed the easing of the sanctions, arguing that pressure on Russia should be increased.

In return for greenlighting the move as part of the provisional deal, they had got an agreement for the sanctions to remain in place for the next three years -- as opposed to the previous extensions of six months each.

Ukraine had reacted furiously to the prospect of the EU removing sanctions on the two prominent Russian businessmen.

- 'We need to have this stability' -

Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga decried the move, saying it would be "unacceptable and would send the wrong signal to Moscow at a time when pressure needs to increase".

"On the contrary, sanctions need to be tightened," he wrote online.

Multiple EU diplomats insisted that despite the standoff over Usmanov, there was widespread agreement that the EU sanctions should not be allowed to lapse.

EU top diplomat Kaja Kallas urged the bloc's member states Monday to maintain sanctions targeting Russia over the war on Ukraine.

"Sanctions are a core pillar of our response to Russia's war" to deprive Moscow of funding, she told reporters in New York after a meeting of European Union foreign affairs ministers.

She added that officials aim to close talks on the rollover of Russia sanctions soon, and have the extension take place swiftly.

"We need to have this stability," with sanctions remaining in place for a longer time, Kallas added on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.

The EU's sanctions blacklist includes key figures such as Russian President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.

Metals tycoon Usmanov and banking magnate Fridman were among dozens of Russian businessmen suing the EU over the sanctions.

Both were added to the sanctions list shortly after Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022 over allegations that their businesses provided significant revenues to the Kremlin.

Suicide bombers struck three luxury hotels and three churches on April 21, 2019, killing 279 people including 45 foreigners. Investigators blame the attack on a homegrown Islamist extremist group.

One of 25 men indicted over alleged involvement in the attack -- all from Sri Lanka's Muslim minority -- has died in custody, leaving 24 defendants to stand trial.

The hearing is due to open at 9:30 am (0400 GMT) at the High Court of Colombo.

Police said extraordinary security measures would be in place around the court complex ahead of the verdict, the first time anyone is sentenced over direct involvement in the attack.

"Considering the interest in this case, we are making special security arrangements," police said in a statement.

The trial has already made legal history in Sri Lanka, with prosecutors filing 23,270 charges, the highest number ever brought in a single case.

The charges include murder, conspiracy to commit terrorism and possessing firearms and explosives under the Prevention of Terrorism Act.

Prosecutors have identified Mohamed Naufar as the alleged ringleader who provided support to the eight-member suicide squad that carried out the coordinated bombings.

All defendants have denied involvement.

Local media said that if convicted, some of them could face the death penalty, even though Sri Lanka has not carried out an execution since 1976 and capital punishment is typically commuted to life imprisonment.

The prospect of capital punishment gained prominence in July when two security officials were sentenced to death in a separate case for failing to prevent the attacks despite intelligence warnings.

- 'Mastermind' spy boss -

Three of the defendants currently in Sri Lankan custody were also charged by US authorities with terrorism-related offences linked to the bombings in December 2020.

Five Americans were among the dead, including a US Commerce Department employee who was in Colombo on official business.

Other foreigners killed include citizens of Australia, Bangladesh, China, Denmark, India, Japan, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey and Britain.

The trial has unfolded against the backdrop of a separate and highly sensitive investigation into allegations that elements within the Sri Lankan state may have had links to those responsible for the attacks.

Former intelligence chief Suresh Sallay is in custody facing accusations that he had orchestrated the bombings, allegations he denies.

Public Security Minister Ananda Wijepala told parliament in June that investigators believed Sallay was the "mastermind" behind the attacks and had worked with Islamist extremists before the bombings were carried out.

Investigators allege the network was cultivated to manufacture a security threat that would in turn bolster political support for the Rajapaksa family, which returned to power several months after the attack with Gotabaya Rajapaksa's election as president.

According to court filings, investigators believe the objective was to create chaos and present Rajapaksa, a former defence chief credited by supporters with crushing Tamil separatist rebels in 2009, as the leader best placed to restore security.

The Rajapaksa camp, supporting the once powerful family that dominated Sri Lankan politics for nearly two decades, has rejected allegations of state involvement.

Successive Rajapaksa administrations have acknowledged using Islamist militants as intelligence assets during a decades-long civil war that ended in 2009.

But supporters maintain the militants had double-crossed their handlers and carried out the 2019 attack independently.

Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi movement has staged a lightning offensive in recent weeks to take over Yemen's entire Red Sea coast, including Mokha, leaving the Saudi Arabia-backed government scrambling to respond.

"Six civilians, including two children and a woman, were killed and eight others, including a child and a woman, were injured in Saudi-led coalition airstrikes on Mokha," Saba said.

The head of Yemen's governing body Rashad al-Alimi held a call with US President Donald Trump to request American support against the pro-Iranian fighters, a source in Alimi's office told AFP on Monday.

Trump did not promise military support, the source said, adding that the call took place on Sunday and was intended as a show of solidarity with Yemen's embattled government.

US media has reported that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has also urged Trump to strike the Houthis.

British Prime Minister Andy Burnham agreed to give military support to Saudi Arabia, media reports said Monday.

Gains made by Yemen's Houthis have cemented Iran and its allies hold over two key waterways, including the Strait of Hormuz, that the wider Gulf and top crude exporter Saudi Arabia rely on to ship out its oil.

The war in the Middle East began on February 28 with US-Israeli strikes on Iran, after which the Islamic republic responded with attacks around the region.

Iran-backed groups including the Houthis in Yemen and Hezbollah in Lebanon also later became involved.

The war in impoverished Yemen, which began in 2014 with the Houthi capture of the capital Sanaa, had been largely frozen since 2022 but resumed in July.

Saudi Arabia has led a coalition backing the internationally recognised government since 2015. Its intervention escalated the war, which has triggered one of the world's worst humanitarian crises.

"France is ready to contribute to securing Saudi Arabia energy infrastructure in Yanbu and along the East-West Pipeline, within the framework of a strictly defensive approach," the source said, emphasizing that "this in no way involves taking part in the conflict with the Houthis."

The Houthis have carried out attacks against facilities belonging to the Saudi oil giant Aramco in the Red Sea port city of Yanbu. The East-West Pipeline -- a crucial crude oil export route -- has also been shut down following drone attacks launched from Iraq, according to Riyadh.

The announcement came two days after South Korea and Japan said Pyongyang launched two short-range ballistic missiles into waters off its east coast, which the countries condemned as threats to regional peace and security.

North Korea has legally enshrined its status as a nuclear-armed state, with its leadership repeatedly declaring the country's atomic arsenal permanent and irreversible.

The nuclear-armed country's missile bureau "successfully tested a new type of weapon" Sunday in the presence of its leader Kim Jong Un, Pyongyang's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said.

Pyongyang did not specify what the weapon system entailed, but said Kim praised the launch as an "undoubtedly a striking demonstration of ultra-modern defence technology".

The North Korean leader warned that the advances would give adversaries "an incurable headache and a very cruel and unavoidable blow", KCNA said.

The Sunday launches came eight days after North Korea fired multiple short-range ballistic missiles towards the East Sea -- also known as the Sea of Japan -- as part of what it later described as a joint firepower drill.

That exercise involved long-range artillery and missiles, with the weapons "hitting the targets with 100 percent accuracy", state media reported.

In the Tuesday KCNA report, Kim linked the Sunday test to the country's military preparedness, saying "to acquire such a technology is of weighty significance in the state's readiness for war and the future development of the armed forces".

Seoul condemned the launches as a violation of UN Security Council resolutions and urged Pyongyang to halt its ballistic missile activities.

Japan lodged a "stern protest" with North Korea over the launches, calling them as a threat to regional peace and security.

Last week, Pyongyang rejected a resolution adopted at the International Atomic Energy Agency demanding it halt its nuclear activities, saying its nuclear weapons status was "irreversibly and permanently fixed" by its laws.

North Korea's foreign ministry spokesperson said the IAEA resolution "has no effect on the DPRK's position as a nuclear weapons state", using the acronym for North Korea's official name.

Kim Yo Jong, the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, recently said the country's nuclear-armed status was "absolute" and called those hoping for its denuclearisation "idiots".

"As scientists, it's very important to invest in the science, to really understand what we know (from) what we don't know, and investing in fear is not that helpful," said Joelle Barral, an executive at Google DeepMind and a member of the International Scientific Panel on AI, an independent body.

She was responding to a question from AFP about recent public statements on AI's potential dangers, particularly from Jacob Coxon.

The former Anthropic employee, who previously worked at OpenAI, said in early September that AI developers believed the technology "could kill us all by the end of the decade."

A research engineer who left Google DeepMind in July made similar comments, saying it might already be "too late to avoid" humanity's eradication by AI.

"We have to change the way we talk about AI risk because for a very long time, it's either existential and everything is going to die and the killer robots are coming, or it doesn't really matter," Nobel Peace Prize laureate Maria Ressa, an investigative reporter, said Monday at the same event, held in New York on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.

"The truth though is far more nuanced and sophisticated," she continued.

"You can't turn that into ideology, which is, I think, where (the debate) has been heading."

The International Scientific Panel on AI was created in 2025, with its members selected in February 2026.

Its mandate is to advance the scientific understanding of AI and inform UN deliberations.

Yoshua Bengio, considered one of the fathers of AI and also a co-chair of the panel, said it was important to distinguish between what scientists actually know about AI risks and what can only be "plausibly extrapolated" from that evidence -- an area where experts still disagree.

"The problem with shouting very loudly is that someone else can also shout very loudly," he said.

What is needed instead is "a global rational discussion about what is going on, including about the uncertainty, including about the severity of the risks."

The Iran-backed group has now attacked Riyadh with a missile strike, seized Yemen's entire Red Sea coast and is blockading Saudi oil exports, seemingly unimpeded.

Experts say Saudi Arabia has struggled to rebuff the group in part due to its reliance on ineffective proxies on the ground, while rugged terrain and Iranian support have favoured the Houthis.

Why has Saudi Arabia struggled?

The kingdom has spent billions acquiring sophisticated weaponry and military kit, while historically relying on a large presence of foreign personnel, contractors and trainers to supplement its forces.

Major weapons purchases from Western manufactures -- including American, British and French companies -- have become a defining feature of Saudi defence policy and diplomatic strategy to curry favour with its allies.

Last week, the United States has approved a $24.3 billion sale of 48 F-35 stealth warplanes to Saudi Arabia.

Despite its formidable arsenal, the Saudi military has had relatively limited experience overseeing complex combat operations on its own.

"The Saudis have to build a military that's willing to fight and a population that's willing to die to preserve what they have," said Bernard Haykel, a Saudi expert at Princeton University, during a discussion posted online after the Houthi's latest offensive.

"And that's not what they have right now."

Experts have long suggested that the kingdom's military forces have purposely remained smaller and fragmented to prevent a putsch in a region prone to coups.

"Saudi Arabia is the one place where the monarchy has not \[been\] displaced by \[the\] military, because they have kept the military weak," Middle East scholar Ray Takeyh told a congressional hearing in 2015.

Why are the Houthis so tough?

Initially lightly-armed, the Houthis have used their rugged terrain and tribal bonds to employ formidable defences that have been difficult to uproot.

Over the years, the group has amassed an advanced arsenal of missiles and drones with Iranian backing. They have also remained unified -- contrary to the government.

"The Houthis have been able to build a united front," Thomas Juneau, an expert on Iran and Yemen at the University of Ottawa, told AFP.

"They have a very centralised government that exercises a strong command and control over what initially were the disparate forces that they put together."

Since 2023, the group has proved its ability to hamper Red Sea traffic as it attacked vessels accused of Israel links after the Gaza war.

A similar strategy would later be employed by Iran to effectively close the Strait of Hormuz.

Repeated US, British and Israeli strikes in 2024 and 2025 are believed to have degraded Houthi military infrastructure, but failed to neutralise its missile and drone capabilities.

What about the Yemeni government?

Saudi Arabia entered the Yemen war in 2015 alongside its UAE ally to bolster a government, chased out of the capital Sanaa a year earlier by the Houthis.

Weeks before the Middle East war began, trouble was already brewing for Yemen's embattled government in Aden.

In December, UAE-backed forces briefly seized control of all government areas, provoking Riyadh's fury and triggering an ongoing rift between the two allies. Riyadh demanded Abu Dhabi withdraw from Yemen, which it did.

The UAE withdrew its forces and equipment -- including helicopter gunships -- from areas near the Red Sea coast.

The Saudis proved unable to fill the vacuum left in the UAE's absence and a disorganised force was left to defend a swath of strategic territory.

"A heavy hit and a weak coordination relationship with the Yemenis is what created this collapse," Middle East expert Michael Knights told AFP.

A 2022 ceasefire broke down in July as the Houthis welcomed an Iranian plane directly to Sanaa, defying the kingdom.

Later, they imposed a maritime blockade of Saudi Arabia and began hitting its ships, territory and oil facilities, before seizing the entire Red Sea coast overlooking Bab al-Mandab and later hitting Riyadh.

In response, Saudi Arabia did not launch any major counter-offensive, though the Houthis are still fighting government forces.

US media has reported that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has repeatedly asked President Donald Trump for assistance in halting the Houthis to no avail, so far.

On the ground, Yemen government forces complain of low morale.

"We were suffering from shortages of weapons and ammunition as well as delays in salary payments," a fighter in the southern province of Lahj told AFP.

"Two days ago, we received reinforcements and equipment, but it's still not enough."

They attended the breakfast at the North Delegates Lounge of the UN Headquarters here at 7:30am (New Work time).

The event marked the beginning of the Prime Minister's busy official engagements at the United Nations during his visit to New York to attend the UNGA session.

After the breakfast, the Prime Minister will join the opening segment of the 81st UNGA session at the General Assembly Hall at 9am local time, where heads of state and government from different countries will be present.

According to his schedule, Tarique Rahman will address the general debate of the session on September 24.

It will be his maiden address to the United Nations as the Prime Minister of Bangladesh, and he is scheduled to deliver the speech in Bangla, in line with the country's tradition.

On the sidelines of the UNGA session, the Prime Minister is also scheduled to hold bilateral and courtesy meetings with several heads of government and leaders of international organisations.

The decision marks another step toward a possible trial in absentia over the attack on July 18 that year, which killed 85 people and injured 300 more.

No one has ever been arrested over the bombing of the Argentine Israelite Mutual Association (AMIA), which is considered one of the worst tragedies in the South American country's history.

"The decision to carry out the attack was made in August 1993 by the highest echelons of the Iranian regime and entrusted to Hezbollah," Judge Daniel Rafecas wrote in a statement.

Seven of the defendants held high-ranking positions in the Iranian state when the attack occurred.

The Lebanese national was a member of Hezbollah, the Shiite political party and armed militant organization backed by Iran.

Two other defendants were removed from the case due to lack of evidence.

A trial is now a real possibility, but the charged individuals may appeal the indictment.

"There's still a whole process to go through," Rafecas told AFP, noting other necessary procedural steps before a trial could happen.

Argentine President Javier Milei, a staunch ally of Israel, celebrated the decision on social media.

"Morality as State Policy," he wrote on X.

Argentina and Israel have long pointed the finger at Iran as the perpetrator of the attack, which the Islamic republic has always denied.

In a move backed by Milei's right-wing administration, Argentine courts authorized the possibility of a trial in absentia last year.

The attack on AMIA occurred just two years after a bomb at the Israeli embassy in Buenos Aires claimed 29 lives.

Monday's ruling suggested that the two incidents could be related. It sought the Argentine Supreme Court's opinion on potentially linking the two cases given Hezbollah's alleged involvement in both.

Argentina is home to Latin America's largest Jewish community.

The maximum security facility, one of four towers that make up El Rodeo prison on the outskirts of Caracas, is reserved exclusively for opponents of the government.

Several former inmates want to shed light on what goes on inside those walls, despite fears of reprisal from the authorities who put them there in the first place.

"This was it. The movie's over," Whillfer Pina remembers thinking when he first arrived with a hood over his head.

The prison director's welcoming words did nothing to assuage his worst fears.

"No one gets out of here alive," the man known as "Shark" told the 47-year-old math teacher and activist.

Pina had been accused of planning an attack against then-president Nicolas Maduro in 2024.

He got out in February as part of an amnesty process for political prisoners spearheaded by interim leader Delcy Rodriguez, who replaced Maduro after his ouster by US forces in January.

However, many others remain behind bars in Rodeo I and in prisons across the country.

According to the rights group Foro Penal, at least 20 political prisoners have died in state custody, including one in Rodeo I.

- 'World of terror' -

The NGO says more than 344 people are currently imprisoned for political reasons in Venezuela, dozens of them in Rodeo I.

Each two-by-three meter cell consists of a cement bunk bed, a corner that serves as both a toilet and a shower, and a tiny barred window.

Insects and disease thrive in such a cramped space due to scarce water access, and Pina jokes that he set the record for killing the most flies in one day -- 34.

But his tone sobers up when he recounts running a high fever for 21 days without medical attention.

"There was a time when I prayed so much to God. 'If I have to go, please let it be with dignity,'" he said.

Others who set foot in the facility say they lost all sense of time, with sleep-deprived inmates forced to listen to endless government propaganda TV programs.

Prison guards conceal their faces and human contact is practically nonexistent.

Freddy Superlano whittled the hours away watching birds and the moon through his narrow window to the outside world.

The opposition politician was arrested after challenging Maduro's claim to a third electoral victory in 2024.

The prison "is meant to drive you insane," he said, calling it "a world of terror."

"It's completely black...the atmosphere is very eerie."

"It's more a concentration camp than a prison," added the 50-year-old, who was also released in February.

- 'Time capsule' -

The place nobody wants to end up is the fourth floor, where Pina witnessed several fellow detainees go following the slightest sign of disobedience.

The worst punishment is the "time capsule," he said, a small cell where inmates can only stand and are kept hooded and handcuffed.

"They give you a little bit of water and a little bit of food once a day," and when you need to use the bathroom, "you're going to have to go on yourself," Pina said.

"They held a lot of foreigners there," he added.

Authorities tortured 64 political prisoners in this facility, United Nations investigators reported, all of which occurred after Maduro's ouster.

"The violation of human rights is systematic," said Pina.

"It's not only physical, it's not only psychological, it's not only mental. It's programmed, built into that prison."

The NGO Human Rights Watch earlier this month called for the immediate closure of Rodeo I during a visit to Venezuela, 18 years after its expulsion from the country.

The gold was recovered during a special search operation conducted by the Customs Intelligence and Investigation Directorate (CIID) based on prior intelligence that a large quantity of gold might be concealed aboard Biman Bangladesh Airlines flight BG-585, which arrived in Dhaka from Singapore.

According to customs intelligence sources, information received in advance indicated the possible presence of more than 100 gold bars on the flight. Acting on the information, officials launched an intensive search immediately after the aircraft landed at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport.

After nearly four hours of continuous searching, the officials eventually discovered 50 gold bars concealed inside the aircraft's toilet using a special method.

Each of the recovered gold bars weighs 10 tolas. The 50 bars therefore weigh a total of 500 tolas, equivalent to approximately 5.832 kilograms. According to the preliminary assessment, the recovered gold has an estimated market value of around Tk 1.1 billion (Tk 110 crore).

Customs intelligence sources said flight BG-585 arrived at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport at approximately 6:30pm on Monday after flying from Singapore.

Before the aircraft landed, the Customs Intelligence and Investigation Directorate had received intelligence regarding the possible presence of a large quantity of gold on board.

Considering the significance of the information, officials launched a search immediately after the aircraft landed. The initial search covered different parts of the aircraft. After an extensive search, the officials found gold bars concealed inside the aircraft's toilet.

Following nearly four hours of operation, 50 gold bars were recovered.

However, although the intelligence indicated that more than 100 gold bars could be on the flight, only 50 bars have so far been recovered, according to the available information.

One of the most significant aspects of the incident is that the recovered gold was not found in the baggage of any passenger. Instead, the bars were allegedly concealed inside the aircraft's toilet using a special method.

This has raised questions about who placed the gold inside the aircraft's toilet, when it was placed there, and how it was possible to conceal the bars at the specific location while evading airport security and inspection procedures.

Investigators are also expected to examine whether the gold was intended to be collected by a particular person or group after the aircraft arrived at the airport.

In particular, authorities may investigate whether anyone within the airport's operational network assisted in concealing or removing the gold.

The intelligence received before the operation indicated that more than 100 gold bars might be aboard the flight. However, after an extensive search, 50 bars were recovered.

As a result, investigators are now expected to examine whether additional gold bars were actually present and, if so, whether they were removed or relocated before or during the search.

Officials believe that tracing the source and intended destination of the recovered 50 gold bars could provide important leads regarding those involved in the alleged smuggling operation.

It remains under investigation whether any passenger was directly involved in the shipment or whether smugglers used a specific part of the aircraft to transport and deliver the gold.

Investigators are expected to examine how the gold was brought onto the aircraft in Singapore, who was supposed to receive it after the flight arrived in Dhaka, and whether the operation was linked to an organised domestic or international smuggling network.

The source of the shipment, its actual market value, the individuals involved and other relevant details will be established through further investigation and verification. Legal action will be taken based on the findings.

Authorities responsible for customs enforcement and law enforcement have been required to remain increasingly vigilant over different methods used to smuggle gold through international routes.

While gold is often concealed in passengers' baggage, on their bodies or among personal belongings, the alleged use of an aircraft's internal facilities to conceal gold has highlighted the need for enhanced surveillance and inspection measures.

The Customs Intelligence and Investigation Directorate has said that intelligence monitoring and operations will continue to identify and seize large consignments of smuggled gold and bring those responsible behind such operations to justice.

The recovered 50 gold bars are being processed under the applicable legal procedures. At the same time, an investigation is underway to identify the source of the shipment, its intended destination and the individuals connected to it.

The 50 recovered bars weigh approximately 5.832 kilograms and have a preliminary estimated value of around Tk 1.1 billion. However, the final weight and valuation will depend on official verification and assessment by the relevant authorities.

They have staged protests against the 50-hectare (123 acre) complex, in a case that has become symbolic of global debate about the environmental and societal costsof the AI boom.

"I believe we need a rethink when it comes to this endless growth and expansion," protest organiser Christina Gruber told AFP as around 400 people gathered outside the headquarters of the regional government in Linz.

Gruber, a 38-year-old freelance artist and aquatic ecologist who lives in Amstetten, close to Kronstorf in Upper Austria province, is concerned about the effects of AI on climate change and the amount of water used to cool data centres.

She also criticised a "lack of transparency" around the project, complaining that residents were not asked whether they "want to sacrifice our water resources on these huge data centres". Kronstorf has about 3,500 people.

While Europe lags far behind the United States in data centre capacity, there are already hundreds of data centres across the continent, with many more planned as it looks to strengthen its AI and cloud infrastructure.

But protests have grown as the AI boom accelerates, including in Spain where residents of the Aragon region have launched legal action against a massive data centre buildout by Amazon.

The Dutch city of Amsterdam has imposed a moratorium on construction of new data centres over space and power concerns, while Denmark has moved data centres to the bottom of its priority list for grid connections, warning of the strain on its power grid.

- 'Strong signal' -

Francesca Musiani, an internet specialist at the French National Center for Scientific Research, told AFP that while digital infrastructure has traditionally been "fairly remote from the daily lives of citizens... with data centres, all the material implications of (this) infrastructure are more evident".

Protests have exposed "tension between this rapid expansion of AI and climate objectives" and raised broader questions about digital governance in Europe, she said.

"For me, this is part of what sovereignty should mean in practice: the capacity of different levels of society to participate in shaping the infrastructures on which they depend."

Construction of Google's first data centre in Austria began in April, following a ceremonial groundbreaking attended by politicians and company representatives.

The facility is being built on a site the size of around 70 football pitches, with the first phase expected to become operational in 2027.

Google has not disclosed the cost of the project, describing it only as a "significant investment".

The US tech giant says the centre will support growing demand for cloud and AI services, create around 100 direct jobs and thousands of indirect jobs, help strengthen Austria's digital infrastructure, and contribute to local sustainability initiatives.

At the groundbreaking ceremony, Thomas Stelzer, the governor of Upper Austria, said the centre would send "a strong signal for Upper Austria as a business and innovation location".

The Upper Austrian government and the local mayor did not respond to an AFP request for comment.

- 'Wrong direction' -

Google says its data centres are among the most energy-efficient in the world, but critics argue that even highly efficient facilities can consume vast amounts of electricity and water.

In Kronstorf, the first phase alone could consume up to 1.31 terawatt-hours of electricity per year, according to media reports -- roughly the annual consumption of 375,000 households.

Opponents also bemoan a lack of transparency around the project and unanswered questions about the cooling systems, water use and their impact on the River Enns.

Andrea Kollmann, 53, a lawyer who travelled from Vienna for the protest in Linz, said the project had advanced "much too quickly" and that "everything is extremely non-transparent, nobody knows anything".

Filmmaker Alex Stockinger, 27, who also lives near Kronstorf, said that during Austria's record-breaking hot summer this year, "you could really feel what the climate crisis is like".

"And in a situation like that, using so much electricity is the wrong direction," he said.

Trump will likely not hold back in renewing his frequent boasts that under him the United States is "the hottest country" in the world.

He is also expected to seek to justify the Iran war, which has so far failed to fulfil White House objectives and provoked widespread economic damage over the Strait of Hormuz's closure.

But the self-styled peacemaker could equally use the UN stage to tout his controversial efforts to end the Gaza conflict and his ongoing effort to bring more Arab countries into the Abraham Accords with Israel.

"No one knows what Trump is going to say, not even Trump's speechwriters," International Crisis Group's Daniel Forti said.

"This year, we expect more of a contrast between Trump, sort of both announcing and celebrating his record as a peacemaker versus defending his ongoing military operations around the world," said Forti.

"It's not entirely clear what reaction Trump's going to get from world leaders."

- Anti-UN speech at UN? -

The keynote speech at the start of the UN General Assembly High-level week will provide Trump with a big platform to renew his frequent assaults on the global body.

Last year's speech was characterized by Trump's extraordinary accusations of UN sabotage when an escalator in the New York headquarters briefly stopped working and the teleprompter glitched.

Trump has regularly attacked the UN and its leader Antonio Guterres since returning to office, although Washington last week reportedly paid $725 million into its budget, avoiding the embarrassment of losing some of its voting rights.

He is also likely to meet skepticism over his claims of a historic win for the United States when a security deal is signed Tuesday for a US presence in Greenland -- a territory of Denmark that Trump repeatedly threatened, driving bitter divisions through longtime US-led alliances.

As well as his closely watched speech to the General Assembly, Trump will hold side meetings with Britain's new prime minister, Andy Burnham, as well as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Japanese premier Sanae Takaichi and Venezuela's interim leader Delcy Rodriguez.

Rodriguez has governed under intense American pressure since her predecessor Nicolas Maduro was captured by US forces in January.

- Escalator gate -

Last year, Trump's speech to the gathering of world leaders veered into a rant about an escalator that stalled as he was using it, suggesting it was done deliberately.

He also railed against a defective teleprompter, falsely accused London's mayor of imposing Islamic law and said Europe was in "serious trouble" over migration.

Trump clearly has not gotten over the incidents.

"They turned off the escalator," Trump said last week in the Oval Office.

"Fortunately, my first lady was very strong and I was able to grab her back or another part of her body. It was actually a little bit lower than the back," he said.

The offending escalator "has been checked and rechecked," Guterres's spokesman Stephane Dujarric said Monday.

"New arrangements were made to facilitate the US delegation's use of a teleprompter, they now have a separate booth, so we hope that will work without a hitch," he added.

- AI and war -

Guterres, who kicks off the week of speeches, is expected to touch on the explosion of artificial intelligence and the multiple wars raging globally.

Next up -- just before Trump -- will be Brazilian President Lula Inacio Lula da Silva, whose country by tradition is always first to speak at the annual gathering of leaders.

Trump, who has supported Lula's opponents and other right-wing candidates across Latin America, may not like what he hears.

Leftist Lula, running for reelection, said last week that he would tell Trump to not "meddle" in Brazil's upcoming vote.

Almost three decades after Diana was killed in a car crash in Paris in 1997, people remain fascinated by her life and tragic death.

"Swan Song: Diana, My Sister", a memoir written by Diana's younger brother, has been published by Penguin and translated into 12 languages.

But extracts serialised in the British tabloid the Daily Mail over the past few days have triggered sensational headlines.

Spencer has said he wrote the book to "speak on Diana's behalf" and correct "untruths that have become accepted over time".

"Diana would be cheering from the rafters at this book, I have no doubt about that," he told the Mail on Sunday at the weekend.

Published excerpts claimed her ex-husband Charles, then Prince of Wales, and now the king, told Spencer in a phone call shortly after Diana's death: "Rest assured, we'll forget her soon enough."

Her death, aged just 36, sparked an outpouring of grief in Britain for the woman dubbed "the people's princess".

And it triggered accusations that the then monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, failed to respond swiftly with empathy and understanding.

Spencer claimed Charles had "sounded giddily elated, like a lottery winner" at the news of Diana's demise.

And he said Charles "went ballistic" after he insisted Diana would not have wanted her sons, princes William and Harry, then aged 15 and 12, to walk behind her coffin in her funeral procession.

A Buckingham Palace spokesperson issued a rare reaction from the 77-year-old king, saying: "His Majesty is mindful that the pain of fraternal grief can cloud reason, affect judgement and colour memory in ways others do not recognise, even many years after such a loss."

- 'Gaslit by king' -

"The king is plainly furious, Buckingham Palace almost never issues any statement like that," BBC journalist Laura Kuenssberg said during a Friday interview.

"Those are exactly the words he said," Spencer assured her, adding: "I don't hear (King Charles) saying he didn't say that."

Spencer criticised the palace's implication that his grief had affected his recollection, telling The Mail on Sunday: "It is not every day you wake up to find you've been gaslit by the king."

He also dubbed it a "rather poor imitation" of the palace's response to Prince Harry and his wife Meghan's claims of royal racism five years ago -- which was that "recollections may vary".

Charles and Diana's tumultuous marriage between 1981 and 1996 was regularly featured in British newspapers.

And Spencer reveals Diana had at times contemplated suicide, driving down to Beachy Head, a notorious clifftop in southern England where people used to deliberately fall to their deaths.

But her love for her sons "stopped her from going further," he writes.

Spencer also recalled Diana told him she and Charles were divorcing because he was "in love with his valet", adding he did not ask why "she would believe such an improbable thing".

Charles later married his long-time mistress, Camilla Parker Bowles, who is now the queen.

- 'Vindictive' -

But royal experts have questioned some of the book's claims.

Royal biographer Robert Hardman wrote on X that he witnessed Charles, rather than elated, "distraught and in tears" at Diana's funeral.

Andrew Morton, author of the 1992 book "Diana: Her True Story," in a comment in The Times wrote that Spencer's claims about the phone call with Charles were "incendiary and disputed".

While royal commentator Jennie Bond told the BBC the memoir was a "vindictive account".

Spencer, 62, has worked as a US television journalist and calls himself an historian.

He inherited the Spencer family's stately home Althorp, where he and Diana grew up. She is buried on an island in the grounds.

After her death, he accused the media of having "blood on their hands" and in his raw eulogy at Diana's funeral, he vowed to always look out for her two sons.

But he did not mention her beau Dodi Fayed, who was also killed in the Paris crash, even though in the memoir he praised the son of Harrods owner, Mohamed Al-Fayed, for being "kind to Diana".

But in a shocking claim, Spencer wrote Diana had felt "revulsion" for Mohamed Al-Fayed who had squeezed her buttocks and said "in a leery, suggestive tone, 'and in Egypt, father-in-law gets first go'."

Spencer also told the BBC the media's "cancerous influence" on Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan, recalled Diana's hounding by the British press.

The DAE sources said they had set a target of cultivating Aush on 4,515 hectares of land, with a production target of 14,456 metric tons of clean rice. But Aush was cultivated on 4,669 hectares of land, producing 15,838 metric tons of rice, which was 1,382 metric tons more than the target.

Aush cultivator Ali Hossain of Krishnapur village under Krishnapur Union of Manikganj Sadar Upazila said the timely supply of quality seeds and fertilizers and monitoring by DAE officials were the main causes of exceeding the cultivation and harvesting targets.

Md Dabir Uddin, another Aush cultivator of Baghutia village under Daulatpur upazila, said, "After harvesting Boro, we cultivate Aush in the fallow land and it is considered an extra crop. But now it's considered our fortune," adding that most cultivators are becoming interested in Aush cultivation.

DAE Deputy Director Mohammad Shajahan Seraj said the timely supply of quality seeds and other agricultural inputs was the cause of the expansion of Aush paddy cultivation in the district. Day by day, cultivators are becoming interested in Aush cultivation in the district, the Deputy Director added.

On a tip-off, an operational team of SRB-13's Crime Prevention Specialised Company (CPSC) from Rangpur arrested the alleged drug dealer with 1.4 kg of ganja from the village at 5:30 pm, a press release said this noon.

The detainee was identified as Md Shamsul Haque, 62, son of late Sohel Uddin from Latabor village under Kaliganj police station in Lalmonirhat district.

After filing a case against the arrested person under the Narcotics Control Act, 2018, the elite force handed him over, along with the seized ganja, to Gangachara model police station, the release added.

The arrested are Baki Billah Sheikh, 47, and Masum Billah Sheikh, 52, sons of Jafar Sheikh of Kismat Chanditala village in Rampal upazila, said an SRB-6 press release today.

A team of SRB-6, Sadar Company, conducted a raid in the Laripara area under Phultala police station in Khulna district around 3:30am on Tuesday and arrested the two accused.

According to the FIR, the victim's family and the accused had a longstanding dispute over fish enclosures and homestead land.

On September 20, the accused allegedly went to the brick-paved road in front of the complainant's house at Chanditala village and verbally abused them.

At one stage, Sheikh Ahad Ahmed, younger brother of the complainant, came out of the house. The accused allegedly beat him indiscriminately, leaving him critically injured.

He was later taken to Rampal Upazila Health Complex, where duty doctors declared him dead.

Following the incident, the victim's brother, Sheikh Rahat, filed a murder case with Rampal Police Station.

The two arrested suspects were handed over to Rampal Police Station for further legal action.

Operations to arrest the other accused are continuing, an SRB press release said.

Batting first, Pakistan scored 145 runs before Bangladesh were restricted to 114-7 in their stipulated 20 overs.

Chasing 146 for victory, Bangladesh made a disastrous start, losing three wickets for just 20 runs. Captain Nigar Sultana Joty and Sharmin Akter Supta then tried to steady the innings, putting together a 47-run partnership.

However, the mounting required run rate put Bangladesh under increasing pressure. Joty eventually fell while attempting a big shot, with her dismissal further denting Bangladesh's hopes of victory.

Supta continued to fight at one end, but wickets kept falling at regular intervals at the other end. She made team-best 46.

Pakistan spinner Umm-e-Hani played a key role in restricting Bangladesh, taking 3-10 from her four overs.

Bangladesh also missed opportunities in the field during Pakistan's innings. Fatima Sana was dropped early in her innings and went on to make Bangladesh pay for the reprieve with a valuable 30 ball-45 runs knock which included three fours and as many sixes.

Opener Gull Firoza was the other notable scorer with 31 while Aliya Riaz made 25.

Nahida Akter, Shorna Akter and Ritu Moni picked up two wickets apiece for Bangladesh.

Bangladesh had advanced to the semifinals after their quarterfinal match against China was washed out. They moved to the last four stage due to superior rankings but suffered a heavy 114-run defeat to India.

They then failed to recover in the bronze-medal match against Pakistan, producing an underwhelming performance with bat, ball and in the field.

Bangladesh had won a bronze medal by defeating Pakistan at the previous Asian Games in Hangzhou, but this time they were beaten by the same opponents and returned without a medal.

World Cup-winner Zaheer, a left-arm pace spearhead who played 309 internationals for India, succeeds Stephen Fleming, a former New Zealand skipper.

Fleming parted ways with five-time champions Chennai earlier this year after 18 years as coach of one of the most successful IPL franchises.

Zaheer, 47, featured in 100 IPL matches and followed that with coaching roles, including director of cricket operations at the Mumbai Indians.

"It's an honour to be a part of one of the most successful teams in the history of the IPL," Zaheer was quoted as saying in a statement by the franchise on Monday.

"As a cricketer, I have faced CSK on the field and have thoroughly enjoyed the contests... I can't wait to join the legacy franchise with such a rich history."

Former India skipper M.S. Dhoni has been the face of Chennai since IPL's inception in 2008.

Italy-based Fariba Hashimi powered home second in the women's road race near Nagoya in Japan, calling the triumph "something special".

"I can't explain my feelings now," said the 23-year-old, before reflecting on how she was attacked with stones and trained disguised as a man when she started out in the sport as a teenager along with sister Yulduz, who is also now a pro cyclist.

"I was born inside a country where the women who dream are getting attacked, and I'm really happy that I have fought against that," she said.

"I hope that the next generation will come here and represent their country without any fear."

The Taliban authorities returned to power in 2021 and have since imposed a series of rules limiting women's access to education and public life, including sport.

"They took away our freedom, they took away everything from us," said Hashimi, who hails from Faryab province in northern Afghanistan and left the country after the Taliban authorities took over.

"This silver medal can show a lot of resilience from Afghan women, and I'm really happy.

"I'm not alone, I know that behind me millions of women, from many countries, have the same dream and they are standing with me."

After fleeing Afghanistan with the help of Italian former world champion Alessandra Cappellotto, Hashimi relocated to Italy, where she now lives and trains.

She and her sister competed at the Paris Olympics two years ago, and the 2028 Los Angeles Games are now looming into view.

"I never want to give up and hopefully we can see (what can happen) again in Los Angeles," she said.

Hashimi reserved a special thanks for the Japanese team for playing a part in her silver medal.

"I'm here without a mechanic, without any preparation. We brought one guy with us from the national federation, and he just drove the car," she said.

"We were fixing the bike ourselves. I was the mechanic for myself. I was washing the bike myself.

"Thank you to the Japanese team. They were really, really nice to me, fixed my bike."

Young speedcuber Lian Yunzhi broke the women's 3x3 average world record twice this month at two World Cube Association certified competitions in Wuhan and Guangzhou, according to state broadcaster CCTV on Monday.

She posted averages of 4.52 and 4.27 seconds, after solving the Rubik's Cube five times.

Lian, who is from Chengdu, is "the first female speedcuber to average under 4.5 seconds", CCTV added.

A video CCTV posted showed the small girl wearing a red gingham bow on her head as she deftly turned and twisted a Rubik's Cube.

After solving the puzzle she places the cube on the table, claps her hands and pumps a fist into the air.

Nicknamed "Zhizhi", Lian was first introduced to the Rubik's Cube after being enrolled into a class as a child -- one of various extracurriculars alongside dance and music lessons, her mother Lin Yangxi, told local media outlets.

Lin "gradually realised" that cubing was an "excellent activity for fostering a child's comprehensive abilities" and shifted her focus towards it, she told Chengdu's Red Star News.

Her daughter has now mastered over 1,300 Rubik's Cube solving algorithms, practising daily for two to three hours, Lin said.

Photos from Red Star News showed Lian's trophies displayed on a shelf in her home.

"Solving a Rubik's Cube improves focus, memory, logical thinking, spatial awareness, and helps develop a healthy mindset toward winning and losing," Lin said.

"It's not just about blindly memorising formulas, but using logical reasoning to find optimal solutions," she added.

Yu smashed the Games record in winning the women's 200m butterfly on Sunday in Tokyo and then repeated the feat in Monday's 200m individual medley.

The schoolgirl's 2min 06.10sec in scorching to victory in the medley was the fastest time in the world this year.

She was only 0.40sec off the world record held by Canada's Summer McIntosh.

Yu has been the talk of swimming since becoming the youngest medallist in world championships history last year with bronze for China's relay team aged just 12.

She is shaping up to be a major medal threat at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics.

But out of the pool she openly admits to struggling with what to say in front of large numbers of Chinese and international reporters eager to hear from her.

Yu, who turns 14 next month, has tried to shy away from speaking to journalists following her latest eye-popping triumphs.

When eventually coaxed into giving some remarks, she has done so hesitantly.

"How do I answer this question? Can you teach me? You just want me to say what I feel?" she said to reporters in Chinese this week.

"I don't feel anything in particular. I run through the technical details the coach told me once in my head.

"In the last 50 metres you can't save energy, you have to give it everything, not think about anything, close your eyes and hang on, that's it."

Under World Aquatics rules, the minimum age for major international championships is 14 but exceptions can be made for younger swimmers if, like Yu, they are fast enough.

Some in the swimming world have questioned the mental and physical impact of high-level training and competing at such a young age.

Yu has admitted to struggling to balance her school work with her status as the brightest young talent in swimming.

As well as international news headlines, her two golds so far this week at the Asian Games have caused a sensation back home.

Her back story, such as being spotted by chance by a swimming coach at a water park, and her struggle with interviews, have gone viral.

Asked if answering questions was the hardest part, she replied with a giggle: "Every time I just want to float off somewhere else."

Now 54, Zidane is widely recognised as one of the all-time great French players, alongside Michel Platini.

Deschamps was the captain of the first France team to win the World Cup, as hosts in 1998, and of the side that won Euro 2000. But Zidane was the inspiration in those sides, a majestic playmaker with balletic ball control as well as a wicked side to his game.

He bowed out of international football as a player 20 years ago with his infamous headbutt on Marco Materazzi in extra time of the World Cup final in Berlin which France lost on penalties to Italy.

That game was the 108th and last time that Zidane, the Marseille-born son of Algerian immigrants, played for France.

But he left his home country to move abroad aged just 24, when he quit Bordeaux for Juventus.

Zidane never returned, spending five years in Italy before the finest days of his playing career came at Real Madrid. He then enjoyed two separate spells coaching the Spanish giants, winning the Champions League three years running between 2016 and 2018.

His second stint in charge at the Bernabeu ended in 2021, and ever since he has simply been biding his time, preparing for the call to come.

"I have been waiting four or five years for this day. I am filled with emotion, I am really excited. I am happy. This is huge for me," Zidane said at his unveiling in Paris in late July, as a new era started for France following the 14-year reign of Deschamps.

"Welcome home," Kylian Mbappe posted on Instagram upon Zidane's appointment.

- Attacking promise -

On Friday he announced his first squad, and there were several new faces amid expectations that his team will be more attack-minded than France were for the majority of the Deschamps era, at least up until the recent World Cup.

"You will get to see how I see football. Playing good football is what gets me going. There will always be a balance to the side, but I want to see us play and I think we have the team to do that," he said.

After years of favouring substance over style, leading to some criticism but also a World Cup triumph in 2018, Deschamps realised he had the players to play more on the front foot at this year's tournament in North America.

France were the favourites only to end up losing to Spain in the semi-finals, but captain Mbappe was the tournament's top scorer with 10 goals while Michael Olise was outstanding. Last year's Ballon d'Or Ousmane Dembele shone intermittently.

That trio are all present in Zidane's squad, with the new coach confirming Mbappe as captain. Injured Arsenal defender William Saliba and Aurelien Tchouameni of Real Madrid are notable absentees, while there are several new faces.

Centre-back Jeremy Jacquet was called up as a reward for an impressive start to the season at Liverpool, while midfielder Lucas Da Cunha of Como is an intriguing addition and Esteban Lepaul of Rennes deserved his chance after top-scoring in Ligue 1 last season.

Zidane's assistant will be David Bettoni, who worked with him at Real. Fabien Barthez, who won the World Cup with Zidane, will be the goalkeeping coach.

The first major objective for the new manager will be Euro 2028 in the UK and Ireland, before the World Cup in Morocco, Spain and Portugal in 2030.

Deschamps has set the bar high in terms of expectations, with France getting to at least the semi-finals in five of the last six major tournaments.

First up, though, is the Nations League, which gives Zidane some tough tests to begin but without the pressure of the Euros or World Cup.

Les Bleus face Turkey and Belgium away before Zidane makes his home bow at the Stade de France on October 2 against Italy, an occasion that will stir memories of Materazzi and 2006.

The end of World Cup cycles usually herald in a host ofnew faces, however, the 2026 vintage is particularly bountiful, with no fewer than 10 European nations having appointed a new coach since this summer's tournament in North America.

Most notable are 1998 World Cup winner and France legend Zidane, who succeeds Didier Deschamps as Les Bleus boss, and former Liverpool manager Klopp, who takes over his native Germany.

When Deschamps announced the 2026 World Cup would signal the end of his 14-year reign as France boss, only one name was on the lips of football fans in the country: 'Zizou'.

They got their wish when it was announced in July that the three-time Champions League-winning coach was replacing his old team-mate and captain at the helm of Les Bleus.

"It's like a film, but it's amazing. It's real," current France skipper Kylian Mbappe told Spanish daily AS on Monday.

Finally, the 54-year-old will oversee his first matches as coach away to Turkey on Friday and in Belgium three days later, before making his touchline bow at the Stade de France on October 2 against Italy.

A second meeting against the Belgians in Paris the following Monday will bring the curtain down on Zidane's opening salvo in international management.

"The France job was the only one I wanted," former Real Madrid coach Zidane said in July.

"I've had offers over these four or five years to take charge of a club and I turned them all down for the French national team.

"I'm ready for the challenge, that's what drives me."

- 'The high point' -

If Zidane's appointment marks the long-awaited return of an iconic figure to the national team in France, Klopp's has been greeted with no less excitement in Germany, even if it is the former Mainz defender's first taste of the Nationalmannschaft.

Uncapped as a player, Klopp made his name in football as a coach. After legendary spells at Borussia Dortmund and Liverpool, and a period away from the touchline as Red Bull's global sports director, Klopp will begin an adventure many in Germany thought would never happen.

"This is ideally the high point of my career, of my life, my professional life. I will give it everything I have," Klopp said at his unveiling after Julian Nagelsmann departed following Germany's disastrous World Cup.

The charismatic 59-year-old Klopp has already shown he will do things his way by calling up 44 players, divided into two squads, for his first matches in charge.

Those games will be against the Netherlands in Amsterdam on Thursday and at home to Greece three days later, before a meeting with Serbia in Munich on October 1 and a trip to Greece on October 4.

Other arrivals for this opening round of Nations League matches include Jorge Jesus, who will make his Portugal debut when the competition's reigning champions welcome Wales on Thursday.

Ex-Barcelona metronome and 2010 World Cup winner Xavi Hernandez replaces Ronald Koeman as Netherlands coach.

Roberto Mancini, who masterminded Italy's Euro 2020 victory, returns to try and right the course of the floundering Azzurri.

Former Bayern Munich and Netherlands midfielder Mark van Bommel will oversee his first Belgium match against Italy and Slaven Bilic takes over the Croatia reins for a second time, following a successful six-year spell in charge of the Vatreni between 2006 and 2012.

Spain's World Cup and European Championship-winning coach Luis de la Fuente is staying put. He was on Monday rewarded with a contract extension until 2032.

His world champions will begin their tilt at a second Nations League title with an eye-catching clash against Thomas Tuchel's England at Wembley on Saturday.

He emphasised prioritising the public interest during project initiation and implementation, as well as completing project work within the stipulated timeframes.

Shahe Alam also instructed the authorities concerned to appoint and assign the necessary number of Project Directors (PDs).

He gave these instructions during a meeting held at the Local Government Division conference room here.

The meeting focused on reviewing and approving new projects — as well as those already approved (listed in the 'Green Page') — included in the Annual Development Programme (ADP) for the 2026-‘27 fiscal year under the Local Government Division.

State Minister for Planning Zonayed Abdur Rahim Saki was present at the meeting.

In the meeting, Shahe Alam stressed the need for keeping city canals clean and functional to mitigate water logging and improve the environment in Dhaka.

He also stressed ensuring that treated water from sewage treatment plants is released into rivers.

Speaking at the meeting, Zonayed Abdur Rahim Saki said project launch and implementation must reflect the government’s plans and election pledges.

He stressed the importance of formulating long-term, effective plans that take future needs into account.

Saki said it will be possible to reduce the waste of public resources and enhance project effectiveness by clustering similar projects could minimising project duplication and overlapping.

He mentioned that supplementary projects could be undertaken if necessary to achieve the core objectives of key projects.

He also called for setting specific timelines for project implementation and conducting regular progress reviews, while he emphasised the importance of swiftly completing public-interest work by redefining project scopes, re-scoping, or merging projects as required.

Chaired by Secretary of Local Government Division Md Shahidul Hassan, the meeting was attended, among others, by Kabir Ahamad, Head of the Physical Infrastructure Division at the Planning Commission; Md Babul Miah, Head of the Agriculture, Water Resources, and Rural Institutions Division; Md Belal Hossain, Chief Engineer of the Local Government Engineering Department (LGED); Md Zamanur Rahman, Chief Engineer of the Department of Public Health Engineering (DPHE); and Alamgir Hasin Ahmed, Chief Engineer of Dhaka WASA.

“We want to work together for the development of the people of both Bangladesh and China,” he said when outgoing Chinese Ambassador to Bangladesh Yao Wen made a courtesy call on him at his office at the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban.

During the meeting, the Deputy Speaker welcomed Yao Wen and recalled the longstanding, friendly and multifaceted relations between Bangladesh and China.

Referring to his recent visit to China’s Yunnan Province, Kayser Kamal appreciated the warm hospitality, sincerity and cordial cooperation he received there.

He also praised China’s existing cooperation in various development activities in Bangladesh.

Yao Wen said Bangladesh and China have historical and friendly relations, adding that the foundation for future friendship between the two countries was laid during then Shaheed President Ziaur Rahman’s visit to China in 1980.

Recalling Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s recent visit to China, the outgoing ambassador said the visit would further expand areas of cooperation between Bangladesh and China.

He said the Bangladesh-China Parliamentary Friendship Group could play an important role in further strengthening parliamentary relations between the two countries.

Both sides stressed increasing bilateral visits at the parliamentary level, exchanging experiences and holding discussions on various issues, alongside strengthening people-to-people contacts and cooperation.

The meeting also discussed the expansion and modernisation of facilities at Mongla Port and the Teesta River project.

Yao Wen expressed gratitude to the Deputy Speaker and the people of Bangladesh for the cooperation and cordiality he received during his tenure in Bangladesh.

He expressed hope that the existing friendly relations between Bangladesh and China would become stronger in the future.

At the end of the meeting, the Deputy Speaker wished Yao Wen success and wellbeing in his future professional and personal life.

China’s Deputy Ambassador to Bangladesh and senior officials concerned were present at the meeting.

"Efforts are underway to bring the death rate from dengue down to zero by equipping doctors with science-based training, ensuring that no dengue patient dies due to lack of treatment or errors in management," he said.

Doctors are being trained in accordance with clinical management standards for dengue, which will help reduce the death rate and save many lives, the state minister added.

Dr Muhit made the remarks as the chief guest at the inaugural session of the daylong emergency training programme, titled 'Training of Doctors on Clinical Management of Dengue' at Dhaka Medical College here, said a press release.

The emergency training programme has been launched across the country under the direction of the state minister. Specialist professors and doctors of the Bangladesh Society of Medicine are conducting the training programme across the country.

Principals of medical colleges, civil surgeons and representatives of doctors from grassroots-level facilities and specialised hospitals across the country joined the programme both virtually and in person.

Highlighting the success of the healthcare sector and the relentless efforts of doctors, Dr Muhit said 63,627 dengue patients have so far been hospitalised during the current dengue season.

Despite limited facilities and heavy patient pressure, he said, 59,083 patients have already recovered and returned home, while around 4,300 patients are currently undergoing treatment.

"Despite the rise in the number of patients, doctors and health workers across the country are successfully treating around 99 percent of those infected and sending them back to their families," the state minister said.

Dr Muhit, also an international public health expert, said an effective healthcare system cannot be built solely on emotions or unplanned decisions.

"Initiatives are now being taken to address crises in a coordinated manner by collecting epidemiological data, formulating science-based plans, and providing training to doctors," he said.

Emphasising the professional dignity and social protection of doctors and other health workers, the state minister said indiscriminate media trials against healthcare professionals are not acceptable.

"There should be no distance between service providers and the people. The desired reforms in the health system must be advanced while ensuring due respect for doctors," he said.

It was informed at the programme that around 350 senior doctors had earlier received Training of Trainers (ToT) under an initiative of the Bangladesh Society of Medicine.

Those senior doctors are now conducting simultaneous training for 1,600 doctors in 40 districts across the country.

"French diplomacy actively supports Bangladesh in its major transitions, whether it involves the political reforms being implemented by the government or its upcoming graduation from the category of Least Developed Countries," French Ambassador to Bangladesh Jean-Marc Séré-Charlet said.

He made the remarks while addressing the "DCAB Talk", a flagship programme of the Diplomatic Correspondents Association, Bangladesh (DCAB), here today.

Describing France as a "long-standing, reliable, predictable and benevolent partner" of Bangladesh, Séré-Charlet said the two countries share a commitment to cooperation rather than confrontation, multilateralism and global peace.

The ambassador said there remained significant potential to take Bangladesh-France relations to a new level as both countries navigate a rapidly changing international environment.

"For all these reasons, we are ready to strengthen our engagement with Bangladesh," he said, adding that countries sharing common values and objectives should cooperate more closely and proactively.

"I believe that Franco-Bangladeshi relations have great potential," the envoy said.

Highlighting the economic dimension of the relationship, Séré-Charlet said bilateral trade between Bangladesh and France now exceeds 4.5 billion euros, representing significant growth over the past decade.

He said the trade relationship, however, remains structurally imbalanced in Bangladesh's favour as French imports from Bangladesh considerably exceed its exports to the country.

Nearly 95 percent of French imports from Bangladesh are textiles, particularly clothing and apparel, he said.

The ambassador said French economic engagement in Bangladesh is supported by major industrial groups operating in transportation, energy and resilient urban development.

At the same time, he identified pharmaceuticals, food processing and digital technologies as emerging areas offering opportunities to diversify economic relations between the two countries.

Regarding the Airbus issue, the envoy said that France expects that

Bangladesh will engage in a long-term partnership with Europeans in the civil aviation field.

“I can assure you that negotiations (of purchasing aircraft between Biman and Airbus) are still going on and going very well,” the envoy added.

Séré-Charlet also highlighted France's strategic engagement with Bangladesh within the wider Indo-Pacific region, describing France as the only European Union member state that is also a major Indo-Pacific power, with around two million French citizens living in the region.

He said France seeks to promote a multilateral approach that would allow partners such as Bangladesh to maintain their strategic autonomy amid intensifying global geopolitical competition.

Paris wants its South Asian partners, including Bangladesh, to have the ability to pursue their own interests without being compelled to choose between competing major powers, he said.

The ambassador also identified maritime security and stability in the Indian Ocean as another important area for cooperation.

He stressed the importance of freedom of navigation and adherence to international maritime law, noting that the northern Indian Ocean remains a crucial maritime route for global trade.

France, with a major maritime presence in the Indo-Pacific, is interested in strengthening partnerships to address non-traditional security challenges including illegal fishing, piracy and trafficking, he said.

Climate change represents another major pillar of Bangladesh-France cooperation, the envoy said, noting France's role in international climate diplomacy and the adoption of the Paris Agreement in 2015.

Given Bangladesh's acute vulnerability to climate change, he said France is seeking stronger cooperation in climate adaptation, resilient infrastructure and disaster-risk management.

More than 80 percent of the funding provided by the French Development Agency (AFD), he said, is tagged for climate resilience and biodiversity preservation.

The two countries are consequently strengthening their dialogue on sustainable infrastructure and green adaptation initiatives, he added.

The ambassador also highlighted France's feminist foreign policy and its emphasis on gender equality, women's rights, education, eliminating gender-based violence, political participation and women's economic empowerment.

He said France's feminist foreign policy strategy for 2025-2030 has also expanded its focus to areas including feminist climate action, digital rights and economic policies supporting gender equality.

Placing bilateral ties against the wider international backdrop, Séré-Charlet said the world is passing through a period of profound change characterised by increasing geopolitical confrontation, conflicts and uncertainty.

Against such a backdrop, he said France and Bangladesh share an interest in defending dialogue, cooperation, multilateralism and peaceful international relations.

He referred to European integration as an example of countries seeking to build peace and prosperity through dialogue and cooperation despite the complexity of such a process.

The ambassador also reiterated France's position on the Middle East and recalled Paris's recognition of the State of Palestine on September 22, 2025, during the 80th UN General Assembly.

He said the decision was aimed at helping revitalise the Middle East peace process by supporting the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people while reaffirming France's commitment to Israel's security.

Turning again to Bangladesh-France ties, Séré-Charlet said political transition, LDC graduation, climate resilience, economic diversification and strategic autonomy offer substantial scope for deeper cooperation between Dhaka and Paris.

France's latest expression of support comes as the two countries seek to broaden their longstanding partnership beyond traditional development cooperation.

During a meeting with State Minister for Foreign Affairs Humaiun Kobir on September 17, the two sides also discussed expanding cooperation in trade and investment, defence, aviation, education, culture and human capital development.

The discussions also covered climate change and multilateral engagement, while Bangladesh encouraged greater French investment in infrastructure, renewable energy, space, technology and pharmaceuticals.

Séré-Charlet said France wants countries committed to peaceful international relations to become more proactive in demonstrating that cooperation and multilateral engagement can deliver tangible results.

Against that backdrop, he said Paris stands ready to deepen its engagement with Dhaka across political, economic, development and strategic fields as Bangladesh moves through its democratic and economic transitions.

DCAB president AKM Moinuddin and General secretary Emrul Kayesh also spoke on the occasion.

"Light to moderate rain/thunder showers accompanied by temporary gusty wind is likely to occur at a few places over Rajshahi, Khulna, Barishal & Chattogram divisions and at one or two places over Rangpur, Mymensingh, Dhaka & Sylhet divisions," said a Met office bulletin issued this morning.

Besides, it said, moderately heavy falls may occur at places over the country.

Mild heatwave is sweeping over Mymensingh & Sylhet divisions and the districts of Dhaka, Tangail, Faridpur, Gopalgonj, Kishoregonj, Narayangonj, Rajshahi, Pabna, Sirajgonj, Khulna, Jashore & Chuadanga and it may abate from many places, the bulletin said.

Day temperature may fall slightly and night temperature may remain nearly unchanged over the country.

The highest temperature on Monday was recorded at 37.5 degrees Celsius in Sreemangal, while today's minimum temperature was 22.5 degrees Celsius in Narayanganj.

In the last 24 hours (till 06 am today), the highest 30 millimetre rainfall occurred in Mongla.

The sun sets at 5:55 pm today and rises at 5:48 am tomorrow in Dhaka.

On September 17, the Ministry of Public Administration issued a notification to this end.

According to the notification, Tanzim Ibn Wahab has been reappointed on a contractual basis as the Director General of the National Museum for a period of one year, effective from the date of joining, subject to the condition that he severs all employment relations with any other profession, business, or government, semi-government, or private institution or organisation.

It said the other terms and conditions of this appointment will be determined through a contract agreement.

He made the remarks when outgoing Chinese Ambassador to Bangladesh Yao Wen paid a courtesy call on him at the Speaker's office here.

The Speaker said Shaheed President Ziaur Rahman took the first initiative to develop Bangladesh-China relations, while former Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia contributed to their continued development.

He said a parliamentary friendship group between Bangladesh and China could play an important role in strengthening parliamentary relations between the two countries, said a press release of the parliament secretariat.

Referring to the Rohingya crisis, Hafiz Uddin said Bangladesh faces significant challenges over the repatriation of nearly 1.2 million Rohingyas and sought China's assistance in facilitating their repatriation.

Yao Wen said the present government of Bangladesh was elected with the mandate of the people and Prime Minister Tarique Rahman's visit to China had further enriched Bangladesh-China relations.

He described China as Bangladesh's largest trading partner in development and said Chinese investments in Bangladesh now include medium- and small-scale projects alongside mega projects.

The ambassador said China wants to help Bangladesh develop into a production-based hub in the region. He added that Bangladesh could advance economically by producing ICT and various logistics-related products.

During the meeting, the two sides exchanged views on increasing bilateral investment, establishing a Bangladesh-Myanmar-China corridor, the ongoing Rohingya crisis and energy issues.

The Speaker reaffirmed Bangladesh's support for the One-China policy, saying the country would continue to maintain the policy in the future.

He also invited Chinese companies to explore oil and gas production opportunities in coastal areas of Bangladesh, including Bhola.

Hafiz Uddin also sought China's support for Bangladesh's candidate, Chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Barrister Jahrat Adib Chowdhury, for the Executive Council of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU).

Officials from the Chinese Embassy and the Bangladesh Parliament Secretariat, including the Parliament Secretariat secretary, were present at the meeting.

"Carrying the patriotism, emotions, sentiments and aspirations of the people, Prime Minister Tarique Rahman will present before the global community what Bangladesh's vision for the future should be, how the country's interests can be safeguarded and how inclusive development can be ensured," he said.

Mahdi Amin made the remarks at a press conference in the lobby of the Hyatt Grand Central New York hotel at 9:00pm local time today after the premier arrived in New York to attend the UN General Assembly.

He said the prime minister has arrived in New York on a historic visit as the head of a representative government elected by the people's vote after a long time.

Referring to the historical context, he said, "Shaheed President Ziaur Rahman and Begum Khaleda Zia had presented Bangladesh's position, vision and plans before the global community. As part of that historical continuity, their son, Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, will likewise uphold the spirit of patriotism and present Bangladesh's interests and rights on the global stage."

Mahdi Amin said the prime minister will deliver his address at the UN General Assembly on Thursday.

Describing the prime minister's visit as a very brief one, the spokesperson said he was moving away from the usual practice of lengthy foreign visits and would stay in New York for only a short period.

"Excluding the two days spent on travel, he will stay in New York for only four working days and will attend a number of bilateral and multilateral meetings," he said.

Regarding the size of the delegation, Mahdi Amin said the prime minister had completely broken away from the traditional practice and arrived with a small delegation for the brief visit.

"Officially, there are only 35 people here. Besides them, there are only essential media, security and personal staff. Prime Minister's wife Dr Zubaida Rahman is also accompanying him," he said.

Informing that the prime minister's official engagements will begin Tuesday, he said he would attend the opening session at the UN Headquarters at 9:00am, where heads of state and government of different countries will be present.

Earlier in the morning, he will attend a "Welcome Breakfast Reception" hosted at the invitation of the UN Secretary-General.

PM's Press Secretary AAM Saleh Shibly, Additional Press Secretary Atikur Rahman Ruman and Bangladesh's Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations A K M Wahiduzzaman were also present at the press conference.

He said the opposition can strongly criticize the government both inside and outside parliament. It has carried out various programmes, including long marches, but there has been no incident of the government or anyone on its behalf obstructing such programmes.

Rizvi made the remarks while addressing a discussion titled "Role of the Government and Opposition in Establishing a Democratic State" as the chief guest.

Jatiyatabadi Samamona Jote organized the discussion at the National Press Club this noon.

Regarding the adjustment of fuel prices, Rizvi said Bangladesh has to purchase diesel at around Tk 205 per litre, while it was sold to consumers at Tk 115 per litre. As a result, there was a loss of around Tk 90 per litre. Even after the recent price adjustment, he said, there would still be a loss of around Tk 70 per litre.

He said the price of diesel in Bangladesh is still lower than in Nepal, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, the Philippines and India. Rizvi also claimed that the price adjustment was made considering the rise in oil prices in the international market.

When the price of a product is higher in one place and lower in another, the product naturally moves from the place where its price is lower to the place where it is higher. A similar flow could also be created in the case of fuel oil, he added.

Referring to various recent incidents of violence and arson, the acting Secretary General said incidents such as setting fire to buses and trains and explosions of cocktails have occurred in different parts of the country. Those involved in such incidents should be exposed before the public.

Those who are organizing long marches against rising commodity prices or extortion should also organize long marches, protest meetings or processions against such destructive activities, he added.

Regarding misinformation about government activities, the veteran BNP leader said that such misinformation could obstruct legitimate government activities or the functioning of the government.

He said that efforts were currently underway to reorganize the country's banking and financial sectors. Banks had been merged one after another and depositors were receiving their money through allocations from Bangladesh Bank.

Rizvi further said remittance inflows had increased recently and the country's foreign exchange reserves had also increased significantly compared to the past. As a result, Bangladesh has gained the capacity to purchase gas and fuel oil.

Political Assistant to the Prime Minister Md Rashed Khan attended the discussion as a special guest. Barrister Nasim Khan, chief coordinator of the Jatiyatabadi Samamona Jote, presided over the programme, while the alliance's spokesperson S M Shahadat moderated it. Central leaders of the Jatiyatabadi Samamona Jote also spoke on the occasion.

He made the remarks at the LDC-GIF Mechanism Introduction & High-Level Dialogue at the United Nations Headquarters in New York yesterday.

Dr Titumir said graduating countries continue to face structural impediments and limited productive capacity, compounded by geopolitical conflicts, supply-chain disruptions, trade uncertainty, inflation and domestic shocks, according to a press release.

He emphasized that graduation must therefore be supported by adequate measures to ensure a smooth, sustainable and irreversible transition through industrialization, integrated approaches, energy transition and job creation.

The Adviser also called for stronger financial, technological and capacity-building support for LDCs, noting that actual technology transfer remains modest compared with their needs.

He expressed hope that the LDC Green Industrialization Facilitation (LDC-GIF) mechanism would accelerate technology transfer, deployment and industrial application while supporting productive capacity, structural transformation and sustainable graduation.

The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of Bangladesh Police has urged young people, particularly women, to remain alert against cybercrime and practise responsible digital behaviour.

Under the theme “Think Twice Before You Click; Cyber Knowledge is Your Best Firewall,” the CID’s Cyber Police Centre (CPC) organised a Cyber Awareness Enhancement Programme at the auditorium of Rokeya Hall at Dhaka University on Monday, according to a CID press release.

The programme was organised in collaboration with Rokeya Hall and sponsored by bKash Limited, with undergraduate and postgraduate students of the hall participating.

Rokeya Hall Provost Prof Dr Hosne Ara Begum chaired the programme. DIG (Acting) Md Saifuddin Shaheen of CPC, CID, attended as the chief guest, while Additional DIG Md Zahidul Islam of Cyber Investigation and Operations, CPC, CID, presented the keynote paper.

A. K. M. Monirul Karim, Executive Vice President and Head of External Affairs at bKash Limited, attended as the special guest.

The programme focused on common forms of cybercrime, including cyber harassment, online blackmail, identity fraud, misuse of personal information, fake links and online scams.

Speaking as the chief guest, Saifuddin Shaheen said the younger generation now lives simultaneously in the physical and digital worlds.

“Technology has created new opportunities for people, but it has also created new forms of risks and crime,” he said, stressing that safe use of technology must receive equal importance alongside technological advancement.

He described awareness as a key tool of cybersecurity and said the CID’s Cyber Police Centre was working round the clock to prevent and combat cybercrime.

The CID officer advised students to use strong passwords, keep OTPs and PINs confidential, avoid unfamiliar links, limit the sharing of personal information on social media and verify information before sharing it.

He also urged victims of online bullying, cyber harassment, blackmail or fraud to seek assistance from law enforcement agencies without delay.

Presenting the keynote paper, Zahidul Islam said cybersecurity had become an essential life skill as education, communication, entertainment and daily activities increasingly revolve around digital platforms.

“As a result, cyber security is no longer a subject only for technology professionals. It has become an essential life skill for every student, parent and citizen,” he said.

He noted that cybercriminals often exploit human carelessness and warned that sharing sensitive information or clicking on suspicious links could expose individuals to serious financial and social harm.

Zahidul also highlighted the rapid spread of misinformation and rumours on social media, urging users to verify information before sharing it.

“A responsible digital citizen does not spread unverified information,” he said, adding that cyber-aware students could help protect their families, friends and communities from digital risks.

Special guest A. K. M. Monirul Karim highlighted the importance of awareness in digital financial transactions, saying the expansion of digital financial services had also created new methods of fraud.

He said greater awareness and access to accurate information could help reduce the risks of digital financial fraud.

Prof Dr Hosne Ara Begum said the hall administration would stand beside students so they could navigate the cyber world safely and report any form of harassment without hesitation.

She also urged students to share their cyber-safety knowledge with their families and friends.

The programme concluded with an interactive question-and-answer session, where students raised issues related to cybersecurity, online harassment, digital fraud and protection of personal information.

Speakers at the meeting argued that if direct flights between London and Sylhet’s Osmani International Airport are possible six days a week, and direct flights between Toronto and Dhaka are also feasible, then there is no reason why direct flights between New York and Sylhet cannot be established. They asserted that this could be achieved if the current Aviation Minister and the Honorable Prime Minister—referring to Tarique Zia—took the initiative. Consequently, they strongly urged the government to launch direct New York-Sylhet flights.

Direct flights between New York and Dhaka had previously operated during the tenure of the BNP government but have since been discontinued. Zohirul Ruhel Chowdhury noted that the late Saifur Rahman, a successful Finance Minister, was the key figure behind the massive influx of remittances the country receives today; he had initiated the direct New York-Dhaka flight service and facilitated the flow of billions of dollars in remittances by establishing Sonali Exchange.

Mr. Chowdhury recalled being present alongside the then-Finance Minister during the official meetings and seminars held in the United States at that time. Launching direct flights between Sylhet and New York would further increase the active participation of expatriates and propel the country forward in terms of its economy, transportation infrastructure, employment generation, and tourism industry.

Furthermore, the government must play an effective role in ensuring the safety of expatriates—who are drawn back to the country by their attachment to their homes and assets—and in protecting their lives, property, and land from encroachment. Expatriates seek the highest level of security from the current Minister for Expatriates’ Welfare and the government led by the Honorable Prime Minister Tarique Zia.

Attendees at the press conference included Alhaj Amir Ali, a member of the Dhaka Paper Merchants Association, and Abdur Rahman, President of the Bangladesh Sromik Odhikar Parishad (Bangladesh Workers' Rights Council). The press conference at the National Press Club concluded successfully amidst a lively and enthusiastic gathering. Ruhel Chowdhury thanked everyone who attended the conference and expressed his gratitude to them.

The workshop locally arranged by Barind Multipurpose Development Authority (BMDA) began today at Hotel Grand RiverView in the city.

Organized by the Sustainable Agriculture Foundation Bangladesh (SAFB), representatives of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and relevant development partners are participating in the workshop.

The workshop is discussing the project's preparation and implementation strategy regarding agricultural production in the Barind region.

Some other key-issues related to surface and groundwater management, irrigation, climate resilience and sustainable agricultural development were also discussed.

Present at the workshop were Director of Institute of Water Modeling (IWM) Gautam Chandra, Principal Natural Resources and Agriculture Economist of ADB Shingo Kimura, Principal Economist Dr. Takashi Yamano and IWM Team Leader Dr. Anil Kumar Das.

BMDA Superintending Engineers Abdul Latif, Zinnurain Khan and Samser Ali, Executive Engineers Harun-or-Rashid, Tarikul Islam, AKM Obaidullah, Syed Zillul Bari and Kazi Ashekur Rahman and Monitoring Officer Ashraful Islam were also present.

The discussion is emphasizing integrated and sustainable initiatives to bring uncultivated land in the Barind region under cultivation, modernize the irrigation system, ensure efficient use of water and increase agricultural productivity.

The organizers said that through this two-day workshop, emphasis will be given on clarifying the preparation, necessity and implementation framework.

Emphasis will also be given on the role of relevant stakeholders of the Barind project, as well as on creating an effective plan for long-term agriculture and water management in the Barind region.

They were arrested during an operation on the Charghat-Baneswar road in Naodara village of Charghat Model Thana at 2:20 am on Monday.

The arrested persons are Suman Ali, 32, son of Abdul Karim of Moktarpur (Pakianpara) village of Charghat Model Thana, and Hatem Ali, 30, son of late Abdul Aziz of Dasirdia village of Araihazar Thana, Narayanganj.

Police said SI Tasem Ali of Charghat Model Thana along with his force was on duty conducting an anti-drug and anti-smuggling operation in Sarda Bazar and surrounding areas at 2:10 am.

Acting on a tip-off, they came to know that two persons were staying on the Charghat-Baneswar road in front of Golap's tea shop in Naodara village for the purpose of selling drugs.

Later, police conducted an operation there under the leadership of Officer-in-Charge of Charghat Model Thana, Sheikh Mahabubur Rahman.

Sensing the presence of police, the accused tried to flee, leaving behind a truck bearing Dhaka Metro-T-12-599 used for transporting drugs.

Later, after searching the truck, 427 bottles of Phensedyl kept in three white plastic sacks hidden among half-loaded stones were recovered.

At that time, police arrested the two persons.

Police further said that there is one drug case against arrested Suman Ali at Boalia Thana of Rajshahi Metropolitan Police and one drug case against Hatem Ali at Tongi West Thana of Gazipur Metropolitan Police.

A case has been filed against the arrested persons at Charghat Model Thana under the Narcotics Control Act, 2018.

Rangpur Divisional Director of Health (Acting) Dr Md Wazed Ali inaugurated the ward in a colorful ceremony held on the hospital premises as the chief guest on Monday afternoon.

Managing Director of Rangpur Group Nazmul Ahsan Sarkar presided over the ceremony, moderated by its Additional Director Mirajul Muhsin.

Speaking at the inauguration, chief guest Dr Md Wazed Ali said that although dengue is a mosquito-borne disease, complications can be largely controlled if timely and proper treatment and monitoring are ensured.

The launch of this dedicated 20-bed ward for dengue patients in Rangpur will make medical care services more organized.

"This specialized ward will facilitate rapid access to treatment while ensuring necessary medical care, monitoring, and nursing services for patients," he said.

Nazmul Ahsan Sarkar said that ensuring healthcare for the public is one of their key responsibilities.

Rangpur Community Medical College Hospital, a sister concern of Rangpur Group, is working with the aim of ensuring that financial constraints do not become a barrier to any patient's treatment.

A separate 20-bed ward has been opened for dengue patients so that they receive prompt and advanced medical care as needed.

"Various initiatives will continue in the future to further improve the quality of healthcare for the general public," he said.

Meanwhile, relatives of patients undergoing treatment in the dengue ward expressed satisfaction with the hospital environment and the services provided by the doctors and nurses.

They remarked that the existence of a dedicated dengue ward has instilled confidence among the families regarding the treatment and monitoring of the patients.

They are pleased that doctors and nurses regularly check on the patients.

A relative of a patient Abdur Rahman mentioned that they faced no difficulties in accessing treatment at the hospital.

Doctors and nurses regularly check on the patients and provide necessary advice.

"The treatment environment also appears favorable due to the separate ward for dengue patients," he said.

Deputy Managing Director of Rangpur Group Ashraful Alam Al Amin, Board Directors Major (Retd) Md Nasim Uddin, Md Moazzem Hossain Sarkar, and Mosharraf Hossain Dipti, Dr ABM Abu Hanif and Principal of Rangpur Community Medical College Dr Shariful Islam were present at the event.

The programme was inaugurated this morning at the upazila parishad pond with the release of 40 kilograms of fish fry.

District Fisheries Officer Md Kamrul Islam, Upazila Nirbahi Officer Md Shahin Mia, Upazila Fisheries Officer Aslam Hossain Sheikh, Upazila Cooperative Officer Md Morad Ali, Upazila Project Implementation Officer S M Monwar Mahmud and Upazila Agriculture Officer Kazi Ejazul Karim, among others, were present.

Leaders and activists of local BNP and its affiliated organisations, including Upazila Jubo Dal Member Secretary Md Milon Khan and Upazila Chhatra Dal President Md Sohel Hossain, were also present.

Upazila Fisheries Officer Aslam Hossain Sheikh said fingerlings were released in various important water bodies of the upazila in phases, in addition to the upazila parishad pond.

Such initiatives will contribute to the breeding and protection of indigenous fish species, he added.

The DNCRP Divisional and District Offices conducted the campaign in the Chartala Mour and City Market areas under Kotwali Police Station of Rangpur city, said a press release.

During the campaign, M/S Mizan Filling Station at Chartala Mour was fined Tk 40,000 for manipulating measurements.

Besides, 'Mama-Bhagne Arat' (a wholesale shop) at City Market was fined Tk 10,000 for failing to display a price list, not issuing vouchers to customers and other reasons.

The total fine of Tk 50,000 was collected on the spot.

Inspectors from the BSTI Rangpur Divisional Office assisted in the monitoring drive.

DNCRP Deputy Director Md Jahangir Alam told local reporters that such market monitoring and enforcement operations would continue in the public interest.

The ammunition was recovered during an operation conducted from the city's Shah Makhdum Thana Bus Terminal to Khanka Sharif in the early hours of today.

The ammunition was handed over to Shah Makhdum Police Station.

Meanwhile, police have recovered a truck carrying 427 bottles of Phensedyl in Charghat, Rajshahi. Two persons have been arrested in this connection.

They were arrested during an operation on the Charghat-Baneswar road in Naodara village under Charghat Model Thana at 2:20 am.

The arrested persons are Suman Ali, 32, son of Abdul Karim of Moktarpur (Pakianpara) village under Charghat Model Thana, and Hatem Ali, 30, son of late Abdul Aziz of Dasirdia village under Araihazar Thana in Narayanganj.

A case has been filed against the arrested persons with Charghat Model Thana under the Narcotics Control Act, 2018.

Several market sources alleged that Anwarul Islam has been using his administrative influence to disrupt the capital market, causing significant losses and uncertainty for ordinary investors. The allegations also include claims that he has acted to advance the interests of individuals associated with the previous government.

Allegations of Political Connections

According to information obtained during an inquiry, Anwarul Islam was reportedly a close associate of former BSEC chairman Shibli Rubaiyat-ul-Islam and former commissioner Tariquzzaman.

Sources further alleged that he had played an active role in protecting the interests of former government adviser Salman F Rahman during the previous administration.

There are also allegations that Anwarul Islam, despite being a government official, accompanied former BSEC commissioner Tariquzzaman to Tungipara and Dhanmondi 32 to lay wreaths, which critics claim was inconsistent with government service regulations and reflected political allegiance.

Brokerage Houses Allegedly Facing Pressure

Market participants have alleged that Anwarul Islam intervenes when the stock market begins showing signs of recovery or an upward trend.

According to the allegations, letters have been sent to various brokerage houses without formal complaints, while representatives have allegedly received threatening phone calls. Some brokerage houses were reportedly questioned about increased trading activity and threatened with penalties, which market participants say has disrupted normal market operations.

The sources further alleged that representatives of some brokerage houses seeking relief from what they described as harassment were asked for substantial amounts of cash.

According to the alleged victims, the names of the finance adviser, finance minister, BSEC chairman and commissioners were invoked in connection with such demands. These claims have not been independently verified.

Allegations Linked to Salman F Rahman's Loans

The allegations also concern brokerage accounts reportedly linked to former adviser Salman F Rahman, including substantial investments and margin loans.

According to sources, between 2023 and 2026, several brokerage houses repeatedly urged the relevant accounts to settle outstanding margin loans. The sources alleged that Salman F Rahman became dissatisfied with the brokerage houses and that Anwarul Islam subsequently used his administrative position to initiate prolonged investigations into them.

The sources further alleged that some firms faced restrictions on their normal operations during the investigations and that punitive measures were taken against brokerage houses that allegedly declined to provide preferential treatment.

Trading Suspensions Raise Concerns

Sources familiar with the matter said the affected brokerage houses had submitted the required documents for licence renewal after completing regulatory clearances and paying the necessary fees to the Dhaka Stock Exchange, Chittagong Stock Exchange and Central Depository Bangladesh Limited.

Despite this, their files have allegedly remained pending.

Market participants also alleged that trading has been suspended at brokerage houses where customer account balances were reportedly in surplus and stock reconciliation had been completed without outstanding discrepancies.

The alleged suspensions have created uncertainty for investors associated with the affected brokerage houses. Sources estimate that around 100,000 small investors could be affected.

Calls for Investigation

Some capital-market analysts have alleged that administrative interventions within the BSEC and Dhaka Stock Exchange are contributing to instability in the market and could undermine investor confidence.

They have called for an independent investigation into the allegations and urged the authorities to ensure that regulatory decisions are made transparently and in accordance with applicable rules.

The allegations against Anwarul Islam have not been independently verified, and the claims described above should be subject to a formal investigation and responses from the concerned officials and institutions.

During the incident, two OpenAI systems escaped their confined testing environment, accessed the internet and broke into several websites, including AI platform Hugging Face.

After examining the sequence of events, the Independent International Scientific Panel on Artificial Intelligence, established in 2025, concluded that, "basic cybersecurity practices were overlooked, and safeguards are not advancing at the pace of capabilities."

But the incident also showed, according to the panel, that under the current framework for AI development, AI agents could, "adopt goals of their own, knowingly violate safety instructions, and conceal their actions."

Agents are AI-powered programs capable of autonomously carrying out tasks at a user's request.

The panel expressed concern that agents could become sophisticated enough to understand the safety constraints imposed on them by developers "and plan around them."

"In simple terms, the traditional model of safeguarding is unravelling," the group said.

Beyond the OpenAI incident, the most widely publicized of its kind, the firm and its main rival Anthropic have reported other instances of their AI systems going off track during tests since the beginning of the year, so far without serious consequences.

The panel's report said that it "does not predict severe loss of control, nor does it treat that uncertainty as evidence that these systems will stay controllable."

To reduce the risk, the panel recommended introducing multiple layers of safety measures, following the example of high-risk sectors such as aviation and nuclear power.

The aim is to avoid relying on a single safeguard: restricting AI agents' access to tools they do not need, logging their activity, monitoring their behavior and establishing mechanisms capable of interrupting their operations in the event of dangerous behavior.

The report also highlighted the need to retain the ability for humans to intervene.

The panel, whose members were announced in February, produces "policy-relevant but non-prescriptive" reports on non-military AI.

The UN General Assembly's annual leaders' meeting starts this week in New York.

"It is a threat to our National Security, and must be stopped, NOW!" the Republican wrote on his Truth Social platform, the same day that CNN and two other outlets filed a lawsuit after being banned from the White House.

AFP journalists saw a house in rubble in the village of Patan, where dozens of men gathered for the funerals of the victims of Pakistan's first deadly cross-border strikes since June.

Mubin Khan, a farmer who was injured in the latest bombardment, told AFP: "During the night we were targeted... the house got destroyed."

Khan said three members of his family died.

The Taliban government's deputy spokesman Hamdullah Fitrat said in a post on X that Nurgal district, where Patan is located, came under attack at around 3:00 am (2230 GMT on Sunday).

The strike "completely destroyed" a house, killing three and wounding four members of the same family, the spokesman said.

Two locations in Paktika province were also bombarded, Fitrat said, reporting no casualties.

Pakistan's Information and Broadcasting Ministry confirmed that forces had struck three locations, saying "terrorist hubs" along the border were targeted "based on credible intelligence".

The ministry said "28 terrorists alongside multiple suicide bombers" were killed, a figure rejected by the Taliban government, which said it was "not true".

Taliban government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid condemned the "aggression" and said that "Afghans will give it an appropriate response".

The strikes follow an attack on a police headquarters in northern Pakistan on Friday that killed at least 31 people including 16 officers.

A local faction, Ittehad-ul-Mujahideen Pakistan, which is linked to the jihadist group Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), claimed responsibility for the attack in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, which borders Afghanistan.

Pakistan accuses Afghanistan of supporting jihadist groups responsible for deadly attacks on its territory, an allegation the Taliban government in Afghanistan denies.

Pakistan's previous deadly airstrikes in Afghanistan occurred in June and killed around 30 people.

Pakistan said at the time it had targeted a TTP faction and killed fighters, while the Taliban government reported civilian casualties.

The two neighbours have had particularly tense relations since the Taliban authorities returned to power in 2021.

At the beginning of the year, Pakistan stepped up its bombings, including on the capital Kabul.

The deadliest strike, which occurred on March 16, hit a drug treatment hospital in the Afghan capital and killing at least 269 civilians, according to the United Nations.

The meeting is planned "sometime on Tuesday afternoon", the source told AFP on Monday, and comes as Washington pushes for fresh direct peace talks between Moscow and Kyiv to end the four-and-a-half-year war.

"To a large extent, the decline in the competitiveness of the German economy is due to the fact that Germany has stopped purchasing cheap Russian gas and started buying very expensive gas," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

"Naturally, the Germans -- or at least some of them -- are looking for an alternative to the current government in order to improve their situation," he added.

Since resurfacing in late 2021, M23 fighters have seized large parts of the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, a region rich in minerals and plagued by decades of conflict.

The anti-governmental group has taken control of Rubaya, a major mining hub that produces around 15 percent of the world's coltan, a metallic ore key to making electronics.

UN experts have said the group has since generated revenue by taxing mining and trade at Rubaya, which the M23 denies.

Amnesty said in a new report that M23 violations at artisanal mines under its control included summary killings, torture and ill-treatment, arbitrary detention, forced labour and forced recruitment.

The rights organisation said it had documented the summary killing of 18 artisanal miners at Rubaya, which lies in North Kivu province, and at Lomera gold mine in neighbouring South Kivu.

"Witnesses and family members reported that 10 were beaten to death, two were shot dead and six abducted miners were later found dead," Amnesty said in its report.

Miners told Amnesty that they were beaten if they asked for breaks, refused to hand over minerals or for minor transgressions, it added.

More than 20 miners at Rubaya were kept in underground detention cells and beaten three times a day by M23 fighters, the NGO said.

Guards identified as Rwandan by witnesses collaborate with the M23 and beat miners, it added.

Amnesty also said it had found evidence that gold from M23-controlled areas was illegally exported to neighbouring Rwanda "through well-established smuggling routes", including by boat across Lake Kivu on the border between the two countries.

In June, the NGO Global Witness said hundreds of tonnes of coltan -- used in smartphones, laptops and other key electronics -- were taken from M23-controlled mines and moved to Rwanda.

"The conflict coltan is often mixed with local production" in Rwanda, masking its origins before being exported, it said.

Electoral chief Ella Pamfilova said preliminary results showed United Russia -- which has dominated Russian politics for 25 years -- won 355 of the Duma's 450 seats.

The result handed Putin's party an increased supermajority and beat its previous record of 343 seats. The supermajority means it can change the constitution, if it needs to.

The Kremlin said the result of the first parliamentary election since Moscow sent troops to Ukraine in 2022 showed Russians were united around Putin, who has been in power since New Year's Eve 1999.

The conflict has killed hundreds of thousands, displaced millions and hit ordinary lives in Russia more than ever this year. Moscow has banned criticism of its military campaign and the only party that called for an end to the war was removed from the election.

"These indicators, of course, point to the highest level of consolidation within Russian society around the head of state," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told a briefing with journalists.

Elections under Putin are tightly controlled and few in Russia doubted United Russia would win.

Putin had encouraged Russians to vote in support of troops in Ukraine and Moscow also organised voting in occupied Ukraine.

Pamfilova said turnout was over 59 percent, thanking Russians for voting despite what she called "psychological pressure on Russia."

Russia's Ukraine campaign broke its ties with the West. Kyiv hit Moscow with its biggest drone attack of the war Sunday, the last day of voting, killing two people and setting an oil refinery ablaze.

"Despite the extreme situation, we were successful in ensuring the maximum security of these elections," Pamfilova told a Moscow press conference, thanking security services for ensuring the vote went ahead.

- Fifth year of war -

The election result is expected to further tighten Putin's grip on power.

Some fear a new military mobilisation in Russia. Putin has denied this is in the works, while Kyiv accuses Moscow of planning a callup in coming weeks.

Russia's Communist party came second in the vote, winning 40 seats. The nationalist LDPR party took 25 seats and the New People party won 20.

The election took place amid the escalation of the Ukraine war in recent months, with no diplomatic solution in sight.

For the Kremlin, it served as a barometer on the mood of Russians towards the war.

In some regions, voting also took place for the heads of regions.

In Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov -- known for ruling the Muslim-majority republic with an iron fist -- won 99.85 percent of the vote, the electoral commission said.

Opposing Kadyrov is hugely dangerous in Chechnya, which is known for extra-judicial killings.

Putin's political opponents are in exile, prison or dead -- such as his main opponents Alexei Navalny who died in an Arctic prison in 2024.

The EU's top diplomat Kaja Kallas dismissed Russia's "so-called" election.

"The Kremlin silenced dissent, barred the only registered party that opposed its war in Ukraine, and shut out international election monitors. The veneer of democracy is all that remains in Russia," Kallas said.

Pezeshkian will be the highest-ranking Iranian official to enter the United States since the Middle East war began with US-Israeli strikes on Iran in February.

"In an unprecedented hostile move by the US government, (US President Donald) Trump has denied US visas to certain members of the president's high-level delegation, including members of his communications team," state news agency IRNA reported.

The Mehr news agency also carried the story, citing a spokesperson for the Iranian presidency, and added that Pezeshkian will address the UN General Assembly on Wednesday.

The US has authorised the Iranian delegation to travel for the UN General Assembly but will, like last year, put restrictions in place.

Iran's delegation will not, for instance, be allowed to purchase luxury goods or other items, the State Department said on Thursday.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, part of the delegation to the UN, left Iran on Sunday evening for a stopover in Qatar.

Iran says it has conveyed to the US, via Qatar as mediator, conditions for reopening the strategic Strait of Hormuz oil and gas shipping route, which it has choked off since the war began.

The United States, in turn, is imposing a counterblockade of Iranian ports.

"This morning, we notified the government that we are filing a lawsuit today to protect our First Amendment rights and defend the principle that the government does not decide what the press reports or publishes," the statement said.

President Donald Trump said Friday he was banning the outlets from the presidential mansion as punishment for distributing what he calls "fake news."

The Alternative for Germany came first in the northeastern state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania where the CDU sank to 4.9 percent, below the threshold to stay in parliament and its worst result since the party was formed in 1945.

"The chancellor certainly won't make it to the end of the year," said Leif-Erik Holm, the AfD's top candidate in the Baltic Sea coastal state. "I think the twilight of the chancellor's era has begun."

At just 16 months in office, Merz has seen his approval ratings plummet while his party has suffered a string of state vote losses against the AfD, which also leads the nationwide polls.

Fighting speculation that his CDU/CSU bloc may try to oust him, the 70-year-old chancellor took the unusual step of addressing the nation on TV on Sunday, just minutes after the first exit polls were announced.

Merz admitted that his CDU had suffered a "disaster" in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.

While the AfD came first there, the centre-left SPD party looks set to continue governing the state if it can form a coalition with left-wing allies.

- Resignation on the cards? -

After the CDU was also soundly defeated by a far-left Die Linke in Berlin, Merz charged that "trust in our country's institutions is waning" and being "actively undermined by radical parties on both the left and the right".

"What needs to be done now requires backbone, steadfastness and patience," Merz said. "I will demonstrate this as CDU party chairman and, above all, as chancellor of our country."

Analysts saw it as an attempt to gain the advantage before another hailstorm of criticism.

"His extremely early move shows that Merz is staking a claim to define the narrative," political scientist Oliver Lembcke of Ruhr University Bochum told AFP.

Lembcke labelled this "leadership from a defensive position -- and an attempt to prevent a personnel debate with an uncertain outcome from gathering steam".

ING bank economist Carsten Brzeski said of Merz's unusual TV address: "Read the appearance for what it was, an attempt to choke off the speculation about his possible resignation that has been building in recent weeks."

- Tough week ahead -

The chancellor has also cleared his calendar for the following days and skipped a trip to New York for the UN General Assembly to deal with potential aftershocks from the votes.

Merz has been fighting off rumours he may be ousted for weeks.

Names of hopefuls for the top job that have been floated include Hendrik Wuest, state premier of populous North Rhine-Westphalia, and Markus Soeder, the Bavarian state premier and head of the CSU, the regional sister party of the CDU.

However, no contender has made an open move for the job -- perhaps fearing the act of disloyalty could backfire, or intimidated by the tough task of trying to revive the party's fortunes during one of its worst-ever crises.

When Merz took office in May last year, he vowed to reboot a flagging economy, rebuild the military to deter Russia and reduce irregular immigration to soothe voters' fears and lure them away from the AfD.

But his personal approval ratings are hovering just above 10 percent, not helped by his occasionally blunt and abrasive comments.

The latest elections came two weeks after the far-right, pro-Trump and Moscow-friendly AfD also dealt a stunning defeat to the CDU in the state of Saxony-Anhalt.

The string of election debacles comes as Merz has struggled to push through promised economic and social welfare reforms with his coalition partners in the SPD.

Under-fire Merz received some badly needed support from CDU powerbrokers last week when eight state premiers declared jointly that Germany needs "stability now more than ever" rather than "discussions about personnel".

They refrained, however, from issuing a personal endorsement of the chancellor.

Sunday's shooting occurred near the Israeli settlement of Neveh Tzuf, north of Ramallah, on the eve of the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur, with the suspected assailant apprehended by soldiers after being located at a hospital.

Israel's military told AFP on Sunday that its troops had raided the home of the attacker's family in the Palestinian village of Biddu, northwest of Jerusalem in the West Bank.

The Jerusalem Governorate, the Palestinian local authority for the area, said Israeli forces then raided Biddu at dawn on Monday and "carried out a large-scale arrest campaign targeting dozens of young men".

"The raid was accompanied by searches, vandalism, and the smashing of property inside a number of homes, as well as physical assaults on several residents," it said, adding that the raid was ongoing.

When asked by AFP, the Israeli military said it was checking the reports.

An AFP photographer saw Israeli forces in the town on Monday morning.

Biddu's mayor, Nazmi Mansour, told AFP that the military had stormed the town after midnight with "dozens of military jeeps and hundreds of soldiers".

"The soldiers began house-to-house searches and set up field interrogation centres in buildings they had taken control of," he said, adding that dozens of people were questioned.

"The army is still present in the town and has closed off its entrances, and all commercial shops are shut," he told AFP by telephone.

Israel's army chief Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir said at the site of the attack Sunday that the military remained "on high alert".

"We will impose a closure on the village and conduct investigations, through which we will reach everyone who assisted the terrorist," Zamir said.

Far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir called for the attacker to be the first person executed under a recently approved death penalty law.

The new law imposes the death penalty by default on Palestinians from the West Bank convicted on terror charges for deadly attacks.

Israel has occupied the West Bank since 1967 and violence there has surged since Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack on Israel which sparked the Gaza war.

Japan often sees strong typhoons in the late summer and early autumn, and other storms have already disrupted some events at the Asian Games being hosted in the country.

Dujuan was bringing winds of around 144 kilometres (89 miles) per hour on Monday as it moved to around 130 kilometres south of Katsuura City near Tokyo.

Japan Airlines cancelled 135 flights and All Nippon Airways scrapped 140, while more than 9,000 households near Tokyo were without power.

More than 1.6 million residents in and around the capital were urged to evacuate, according to the Fire and Disaster Management Agency. The evacuations are not mandatory.

Landslide warnings were issued for Tokyo as well as for Chiba, Kanagawa and Shizuoka prefectures. Railway operators in Tokyo and neighbouring regions suspended services on some lines.

In areas where warnings have been issued, "there's a risk the rain will continue as the typhoon moves north", Takuya Hosomi of the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) told reporters.

The JMA warned on Sunday that rain and winds were expected to intensify even before the typhoon's arrival.

"The total rainfall through Tuesday could exceed the average monthly rainfall for September, resulting in record-breaking heavy rain," the agency said.

One person has already been mildly injured and nine houses have been damaged due to the typhoon.

Dujuan also forced the early closure of the Tokyo Game Show, one of the world's biggest video-game trade fairs, on Monday, its final day.

A major outdoor music festival and a baseball match both scheduled to be held in Chiba were also cancelled.

Social media posts showed images of roads in front of Kamakura station, a popular sightseeing spot, were flooded.

"There is flooding in various parts of the city, so travelling by car is dangerous," Kamakura City Mayor Takashi Matsuo said on X.

Leaders and representatives from the government and private sectors, real estate, financial institute, urban planning, infrastructure, academia, technology and international investment participated in the conclave. The key objective was to move beyond the traditional property-centric approach and create the foundation for an integrated, modern and future-oriented real estate ecosystem in Bangladesh by connecting technology, policy, planning, ESG and access to capital.

Fresh Cement of MGI was the Title Sponsor, while GM Holdings Ltd. of Deshbondhu Group was the Powered by Partner. Premium Homes Limited was the Gold Sponsor. Various organizations also participated as Co-Sponsors. Daffodil International University was the Knowledge Partner, PropTechBuzz was the Strategic Partner, and Ekushey Television, Property Khobor, The Business Standard were Media Partners and Lifestraw by OMC was the hydration partner of the conclave.

The conclave featured four important sessions focusing on the future of Bangladesh’s real estate and infrastructure sectors.

The first session focused on Sustainable Development & ESG, covering green buildings, net-zero development and climate-resilient infrastructure. The second session, Global Real Estate Outlook, addressed AI-powered property valuation, digital marketing, cybersecurity in smart buildings, and international market trends and investment opportunities in Asia. The third session focused on Affordable Housing, covering housing finance, public housing, inclusive urban development and affordable housing policies. The fourth session, themed “From Property to Ecosystem,” explored local economic investment, macroeconomic changes, urbanization, demographic trends and international investment opportunities.

Mr. Shadman Sakib Anik of ESG Institute Bangladesh, Mr. Sopon Pronchokchai (Thailand) of FIABCI Thai Chapter, Mr. F. R Khan of Ananta & BTI, Mr. Tanvir Shahriar Rimon of ACI Properties presented the Keynotes while Mr. Ashraful Islam of RAJUK, Clayton Wade (USA) of Premier Homes RE. Co. Ltd. Mr. Shamim Z Bosunia of BUET and Ms. Humaira Azam of LangkaBangla Finance chaired the sessions.

The conclave was also graced by the prominent personalities like- Hon’ble Member of Parliament (Narayanganj-1) Mr. Mustafizur Rahman Bhuiyan, Mr. Kazi Nazrul Islam Joint Secretary, Mr. Golam Faruque Khokon of BSTMPIA, Mr. Sanjib Kumar Saha of Unique Cement Industries Ltd., M K A Shahinoor Rahman of GM Holdings Ltd. Mr. Mainul Hasan Dulon of Premium Homes Ltd. Ms. Tasnova Mahbub Salam of Ekushey TV, Dr. Amir Ahmed of Daffodil University, Md. Ranjit Kumar Roy of Bangaldesh Bank, Mr. Mahir Ali Khan Ratul of Rupayan, Ms. Larinthorn Swasdikulavath Nicky (China) of Asset X Property, Mr. Salvatore Parisi (Italy) of SP Asia RE, Shahin Ahmed of EBL, Cmdr. M Sharif Uddin Bhuiyan (Retd.) of ESSL, Mr. Abul Hasnat of SBCCI, Syed Telayet Hossain of STH Group, Mr. Shihab Ahmed of Shanta Holdings Ltd. Mr. Khurshed Almeher of Kaymonto & Partners , Ms. Lisa Lou of OCAIB, Mr. Nazrul Islam of Navana Real Estate and others.

The discussions highlighted that ensuring a sustainable future for Bangladesh’s real estate sector cannot be achieved through the efforts of any single organization. Effective collaboration among the government, developers, investors, financial institutions, planners, technology companies, academia and international stakeholders is essential.

With this objective, the Global INFRAESTATE Conclave 2026 served as an important platform for knowledge exchange, connectivity and creating new opportunities for cross-border collaboration in the real estate and infrastructure development.

Organized by: Arena for Global Engagement Limited (AGE)

Media Contact: info@agebd.com | www.agebd.com

The meeting was held in a cordial atmosphere, with discussions focusing on security and law enforcement, combating cybercrime, enhancing technological capabilities and exchanging training and expertise.

At the outset, Ambassador Yao Wen informed the home minister that he would complete his tenure and leave Bangladesh in early October. He also conveyed warm greetings from China's Minister of Public Security.

The ambassador conveyed an invitation from the Chinese Minister of Public Security for the Bangladesh home minister to visit China and attend a public security forum, where the two ministers could meet and discuss ways to expand bilateral cooperation.

Both Minister Salahuddin Ahmed and Ambassador Yao Wen underscored the importance of strengthening technological capabilities, particularly in maintaining law and order and combating cybercrime.

The Chinese ambassador said that over the past two years, China had provided training to more than 100 members of Bangladesh's law enforcement agencies in areas including cybercrime, public security management, traffic and transportation management, immigration and United Nations peacekeeping operations.

Expressing deep appreciation for China's cooperation, Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed said the government had taken initiatives to establish a specialized Cyber Security Unit within the police force and develop necessary infrastructure.

He said plans were also being implemented to establish digital forensic laboratories and cyber laboratories at different levels-from police stations, districts and divisions to central-level units.

During the meeting, Ambassador Yao Wen suggested that China could send a team of experts to Bangladesh to share technical expertise on cybercrime prevention and facilitate visits to Chinese cyber laboratories.

In response, the home minister announced that Bangladesh would send a five-member high-level delegation to China, led by an Additional Inspector General of Police from the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), along with an Additional Deputy Inspector General and police officers specializing in cybercrime and digital forensics.

The delegation will visit Chinese cyber laboratories, observe advanced technologies and assess relevant systems, with a view to preparing specific proposals for establishing forensic laboratories and procuring necessary equipment in Bangladesh.

Ambassador Yao Wen said China is currently Bangladesh's top development partner and one of its leading sources of investment. He requested the home minister to ensure the overall safety and security of Chinese citizens, businesspeople and investors working in Bangladesh.

In response, Minister Salahuddin Ahmed said, China is not only our leading investor but also one of our key strategic development partners.

He reiterated the government's firm commitment to ensuring the highest level of protection and security for all Chinese citizens, businesspeople and personnel working on development projects in Bangladesh.

Inspector General of Police Md Ali Hossain Fakir, Additional Inspector General of Police and CID Chief Barrister Mohammad Mosharraf Hossain, Additional Secretary of the Political and Immigration Wing of the Ministry of Home Affairs Dr Ziauddin Ahmed, among others, were present at the meeting.

Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) Administrator and freedom fighter Abdus Salam attended the programme as chief guest.

MP from a reserved women's seat Shirin Sultana and former acting mayor Nabiullah Nabi were present as special guests. The programme was presided over by Mohammad Jahangir Alam, member secretary of BNP Jatrabari Thana unit, Ward No. 48.

Local leaders and activists of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and its affiliated organisations, along with people from different walks of life, were present.

July Uprising Memorial to be Built at Shaheed Zia Park

Speaking on the occasion, DSCC Administrator Abdus Salam announced that a memorial dedicated to the July Uprising fighters will be constructed at Shaheed Zia Park in Jatrabari in response to demands from various quarters.

He said construction work of the memorial will begin within the next few days.

Salam said the sacrifices of those who lost their lives during the July movement should be preserved in the nation's collective memory. Describing Shaheed Zia Park as a historic place, he said the events of July and the associated sacrifices should not be forgotten.

He said people from various sections of society — including general public, political activists, school and college students, and madrasa students — had lost their lives during the movement.

He also called for unity to maintain a democratic environment in the country, saying the anti-authoritarian movement has created an opportunity for Bangladesh to move towards democracy.

Referring to the current political situation, Salam expressed concern that various programmes aimed at encouraging anti-government movements could affect political stability and the democratic environment.

July Memorial Was a Longstanding Demand

Former acting mayor Nabiullah Nabi said the construction of a July Uprising memorial at Shaheed Zia Park had been a longstanding demand of local residents.

He said the administrator's announcement has created an opportunity to implement the demand.

Nabi added that if construction begins soon, the memorial would help preserve the memory of those killed and injured during the July movement and enable future generations to learn about the events.

BNP Keeps Its Promises

Special guest Shirin Sultana said BNP is working to fulfil its commitments to the people.

BNP keeps its promises. One by one, all of BNP's commitments will be fulfilled,she said.

She emphasised the importance of tree plantation, saying it is not merely an environmental initiative but also a step towards ensuring a liveable environment for future generations.

She urged citizens to plant more trees and take responsibility for their proper care.

Call for Greater Environmental Responsibility

Speakers at the programme stressed the importance of regular tree plantation and maintenance to protect ecological balance, increase greenery in urban areas and create a healthier environment for future generations.

They also highlighted the need to preserve the memories of those killed and injured during the July movement.

Speakers said the proposed memorial at Shaheed Zia Park is expected to become an important landmark in the area.

At the end of the programme, the guests planted saplings at different locations inside the park, joined by local BNP leaders and activists and representatives of its affiliated organisations.

Each of the beneficiary families was given three tree saplings consisting of mango (Khirsa, Katimon, Bari-3, Bari-4, Amrapali), guava saplings (Thai), lemon saplings (local), and hog plum. ASEDO-Swabol Project distributed the saplings with financial support from Traidcraft and the European Union. 

Today, a total of 9,900 saplings were distributed to 3,300 ethnic group families in Nachole Upazila of Chapainawabganj District. Of these, 3,300 were mango saplings, 3,300 were guava, 1,650 were lemon, and 1,650 were hog plum saplings. The chief guest present at the sapling distribution ceremony was Piyanka Das, Upazila Nirbahi Officer of Nachole. 

As special guests, Saleh Akram, Upazila Agriculture Officer, Harun Ar Rashid, Upazila Rural Development Officer, Jatin Hembron and Tumpa, President and General Secretary of the Nachole Upazila Small Ethnic Groups, were present, respectively. 

Executive Director of ASEDO Rabiul Alam and Finance and Admin Manager Azahar Ali and President of Nachole Upazila Adivasi Academy Bidhan Singh were also present there. Earlier on Thursday, 3,600 saplings were distributed among 1,200 families in Tanore Upazila of Rajshahi District. The saplings consist of 1,200 mango, 1,200 guava, 600 lemon and 600 hog plum saplings.

Police recovered the body from Room No. 10 on the second floor of Kopotakkho Residential Hotel on Khan Jahan Ali Road under Sadar Police Station around 4:30 am. According to police and hotel employees, Babu and Fatema had checked into the hotel around 7:00 pm on Saturday, introducing themselves as husband and wife. 

During preliminary questioning, Fatema allegedly told police that an argument broke out between them on Sunday night and she strangled Babu with a scarf, Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Sadar Police Station Lokman Hossain Ripon said Police took Fatema into custody and sent Babu's body to the Khulna Medical College Hospital morgue for autopsy. Legal proceedings are underway, and the body will be handed over to the family after completion of necessary procedures, the OC said.

Milan beat Lecce 3-0 at the San Siro to rise to fifth, two points behind early pace-setters Roma, Inter and Lazio.

Juventus returned to form with a 2-0 home win over Atalanta as Francisco Conceicao and Gleison Bremer struck either side of half-time.

The comfortable victory relieved pressure on Milan head coach Ruben Amorim after a three-match winless run in all competitions had stalled his side's early progress.

"We still have a lot to do, but we are playing better and improving. The most important thing, though, is that we are learning," Amorim told DAZN.

"In the last few games, we had some trouble because our positional structure was too rigid, whereas today the players had a bit more freedom and played better."

Christian Pulisic marked his first start of the season with his first Milan goal of 2026, making the breakthrough in the 14th minute with an exquisite finish.

He plucked a long pass out of the air with a deft first touch before finishing calmly.

Adrien Rabiot scored at the end of a flowing move after the break, before substitute Diego Moreira struck with his third goal in two league games.

Juventus had picked up one point in their previous two league games but went in front in the 28th minute in Turin when Conceicao scored his first goal of the season with a low shot.

Chances fell at both ends in the second half as both goalkeepers were called into action and Juve striker Randal Kolo Muani made a goal-line clearance.

Bremer sealed the three points by guiding home a header from a corner with 13 minutes remaining as Juventus moved up to seventh and inflicted a third straight defeat on their former coach Maurizio Sarri.

Atalanta, who hired ex-Lazio, Chelsea and Napoli coach Sarri in the summer, sit 11th.

- 'Frosinone masterpiece' -

Earlier, Fiorentina maintained their unbeaten run under coach Paolo Vanoli with a 1-1 draw against Napoli.

Vanoli, who led the Florence club to safety in the second half of last season before being let go, returned as head coach when Fabio Grosso was sacked after losing the first three games of the new campaign.

La Viola showed improvement under Vanoli by beating Venezia in Serie A and Pisa in the Coppa Italia in his first two games, and the upturn in form continued as they fought back to claim a draw which kept them two points above the relegation zone.

Billy Gilmour put Napoli in front with a cushioned volley after Fiorentina hit the woodwork twice early on, but the home side drew level through a deflected Alex Jimenez strike in the second half.

"If we are not angry today, after failing to win against a good team like Fiorentina, it certainly means we need to improve," Allegri told DAZN. "It is not enough to keep possession if you do not take your chances."

Como had the chance to move joint-top when they travelled to newly-promoted Frosinone, but Cesc Fabregas's side suffered their first loss of the season as a 2-0 reverse ended their four-match winning run in all competitions.

First-half goals from Giacomo Calo and Giorgi Kvernadze, and a heroic goalkeeping display by Italy Under-21 international Lorenzo Palmisani, sealed a famous win for the hosts.

"Today was our first poor game in five months, the last being in the semi-final of the Coppa Italia against Inter (in April). It was a Frosinone masterpiece today," Fabregas said.

The win extended Frosinone's three-match unbeaten run and took them up to sixth.

Parma beat Genoa 2-1 to claim their first victory of the season and leave Daniele De Rossi's side winless after five games.

Yu scorched to Asian Games gold on the opening day in the pool in Tokyo, winning the women's 200m butterfly in a Games-record time of 2min 05.85sec.

It was the first major title of her young career, less than two years out from the Los Angeles Olympics.

Yu is following in the footsteps of Summer McIntosh, who made Canada's team for the Tokyo Olympics as a 14-year-old in 2021, finishing fourth in the 400m freestyle.

Haughey, a four-time Olympic medallist, said it is part of a wider trend in swimming.

"I think the general consensus is we have more and more great young swimmers swimming well," said Haughey, now a relative veteran at 28.

"When Summer first started she was also very young and swimming fast, so I think that's kind of the trend these days.

"Hopefully, swimming well that young, you can also translate to as you get older and well into your 20s and beyond, so it's exciting for the swimming world," she added.

Yu became the youngest swimming world championships medallist in history last year when she won bronze as a 12-year-old as part of China's 4x200m freestyle relay team.

She also finished just outside the medals in fourth in three world individual events.

Haughey said the evidence suggests that Yu is "definitely capable of going to the LA Olympics".

"I think she's doing well under pressure at big meets," she said.

"I think if she wants to do it, she definitely can."

Haughey became the first Hong Kong swimmer to win an Olympic medal when she picked up two silvers at the Tokyo Games.

She is looking to add to the two Asian Games golds she won in 2023 in Hangzhou this week in Tokyo.

She said watching young swimmers like Yu gives her extra motivation.

"On one hand it makes me feel I'm twice their age, but I'm still here, so that says something," she said.

"I think being an older swimmer means I have a lot more experience, and I try to use that experience to my advantage, for instance like how to handle pressure or what to expect at a big meet.

"It's so great that there are a lot of younger swimmers because you want the sport to keep moving forward and to keep evolving," she added.

Atlanta's victory also guaranteed a playoff spot for the Boston Red Sox, the sixth team to secure a post-season berth with a week remaining in the six-month campaign and six spots unclaimed.

The Braves improved to 92-64 to take their first National League East division crown since 2023.

"We've been fighting all year to get to this moment," Braves pitcher Martin Perez said. "And we're not done yet."

Houston's loss ensured an American League wildcard playoff berth for Boston despite a 5-1 loss at Tampa Bay.

"We never stopped believing in each other," Boston outfielder Wilyer Abreu said. "That's why we're here."

The Chicago Cubs, who cruised 9-1 at Cincinnati, reached the brink of a National League playoff spot but missed out when Arizona rallied to beat the visiting New York Yankees 8-4.

Entering Sunday, the Braves, Yankees, Tampa Bay, Milwaukee and the Los Angeles Dodgers had clinched playoff berths, the Dodgers taking a 13th NL West title in 14 seasons and Milwaukee capturing the NL Central crown.

Host Houston grabbed a 1-0 lead over Atlanta in the fourth inning on Jose Altuve's solo home run.

The Braves, however, answered in the sixth when Ozzie Albies singled in a run and Yastrzemski followed with a three-run homer for a 4-1 Atlanta lead.

Yainer Diaz smacked a solo homer for the Astros in the eighth but Braves left-handed relief pitcher Dylan Dodd struck out the side in the ninth to give Atlanta the triumph and start the team celebration.

"When we faced our biggest challenges, that's when we've been at our best," Braves manager Walt Weiss said.

"You've got to get in and then you take your best shot. I think we've got to keep our foot on the gas."

- 'To hell with that' -

The Red Sox, 84-72, began the season 32-46 and seemed destined to miss the playoffs, but Boston responded after manager Alex Cora was fired April 25 and replaced by interim manager Chad Tracy.

"You stared impossible in the face with the position we were in and you beat it back. You said to hell with that and we're going to go to the playoffs," Tracy told his team after the bid was secured.

At Arizona, the Yankees took a 4-1 lead in the third inning on solo homers by Heliot Ramos and Spencer Jones and George Lombard's two-run homer.

The Diamondbacks seized a 6-4 lead in the fifth inning on a bases-loaded walk followed by a grand slam homer by Nolan Arenado.

Arizona's Geraldo Perdomo added a run-scoring triple in the seventh and scored on a Corbin Carroll single to create the final margin.

The Cubs routed the Reds as Pete Crow-Armstrong went 3-for-5 with a home run and three runs batted in.

Cubs third baseman Alex Bregman, hitting .260 with 26 home runs and 88 runs batted in, left the game in the fourth inning after being struck in the left cheek bone by a foul ball while standing in the on-deck batter's circle.

"He had a cut under his eye," Cubs manager Craig Counsell said. "He was bleeding from his nose a little bit. It's pretty swollen. It was below the eye... It's just an unfortunate accident. I'm hoping and praying he's all right."

The two-time former Ballon d'Or winner skippered Barca to victory over OL Lyonnes in last season's final in Oslo before leaving for ambitious English Women's Super League outfit London City Lionesses.

Her departure attracted most headlines but other stars of the Barcelona side that has replaced Lyon as the Champions League's outstanding team have also left.

Defender Mapi Leon followed Putellas to London City, the club backed by billionaire American businesswoman Michele Kang. Full-back Ona Batlle joined Arsenal and forward Salma Paralluelo signed for Lyon.

However, coach Pere Romeu signed a new contract, while his squad for this season still features six players nominated for the Ballon d'Or.

Aitana Bonmati is not nominated for the award she won in each of the last three years, but will be hoping for a big season after recovering from a broken leg.

Barcelona have been in seven of the last eight Champions League finals, winning four.

Their aim is to retain their crown, despite deciding not to pay the kind of wages being offered to players by their leading European rivals.

"Here at Barca we can be relaxed about the fact this is a place where players grow and where we have a young squad that in some ways is still full of veterans," Romeu told El Mundo Deportivo.

"I think here we have something that is difficult to get with clubs that are run differently, which is that sense of belonging that is generated and is very important for the development of the players."

On Putellas leaving, he added: "A fundamental piece of our squad has gone, but the club as a whole is way more important than any player or coach."

Barcelona begin their campaign at home to Paris FC. Later on they will notably host Arsenal in a repeat of the 2025 final.

- Lyon roaring back? -

Lyon, another of Kang's clubs, will be determined to bounce back from their humbling 4-0 loss to Barca in Oslo, and the French champions have made some interesting additions as they look to add to their record overall haul of eight titles.

As well as Paralluelo, they have signed Scotland's Caroline Weir from Real Madrid while Johanna Rytting Kaneryd is in from Chelsea.

France forward Kadidiatou Diani has gone to London City and Lindsey Heaps has returned to the US, but veterans Wendie Renard and Ada Hegerberg remain.

Their margin over the rest of the domestic scene in France should help them to ease through to the latter stages in Europe.

They will notably face both Chelsea and Arsenal, two of the three representatives from the WSL -- the English league seems to have the opposite issue, with a strong domestic scene but no clubs yet capable of dominating in Europe.

Arsenal became the first English Champions League winner in almost 20 years in 2025, but the Gunners lost to Lyon in last season's semi-finals. Chelsea were runners-up in 2021 but have not gone beyond the semis since.

Manchester City, who start at German champions Bayern Munich, are fresh from winning a first WSL title since 2016. They have kept star striker Khadija Shaw and brought in Beth Mead from Arsenal.

While there are three clubs each from England, France and Italy, Real Madrid are the only other Spanish side involved. Bayern are Germany's only contender, after former champions Wolfsburg failed to make the league phase.

"Some clubs like Barcelona have lost one or two players," Bayern's Linda Dallmann told Sport Bild.

"This gives us the chance to close the gap a bit, because our squad this year is almost identical to last season's."

There are 18 teams in the league phase, each playing six games. The top four in the final standings advance to the quarter-finals, with the next eight involved in play-offs to determine the last berths in the quarters.

This season's final will be in Warsaw over the last weekend in May, with the Women's World Cup in Brazil starting soon after.

Two goals from Danish forward Anders Dreyer secured a share of the points for San Diego at Miami's Nu Stadium –- a result which left Miami 11 points adrift of Nashville with eight regular season games remaining.

Denmark international Dreyer fired San Diego into a shock lead after 12 minutes, latching on to a superb through ball from compatriot Jeppe Tverskov before lifting a delicate chip over Miami goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair.

But Miami, who dominated territory and possession for long periods thereafter, were back on level terms in the 24th minute when Messi curled in his 101st goal for Miami.

Messi's wicked curling free-kick from the edge of the area somehow threaded its way through a crowded six-yard box and clipped the inside of the post before ending in the net.

From there Miami laid siege to the San Diego goal and it seemed only a matter of time before they took the lead.

Messi, Luis Suarez, and Rodrigo De Paul all had good chances but somehow San Diego managed to hold on.

The deadlock was broken in the 74th minute when De Paul released Suarez with a clever pass on the edge of the area and the 39-year-old Uruguayan veteran lashed home the finish for 2-1.

That looked like it would be enough as the game entered the final 10 minutes, but San Diego stunned the home crowd with a goal that echoed their first.

Tverskov once again found Dreyer with a pinpoint pass over the top and the Dane finished coolly to make it 2-2.

A frenetic finish saw San Diego almost snatch victory deep into stoppage time, but St. Clair blocked Kieran Sargeant's late effort on the counter.

The country's gross domestic product (GDP) shrank by 10.1 percent year-on-year from late March to late June, a period known in Iran as the first quarter of the Persian calendar, according to the Statistical Center of Iran on Sunday.

Iran has been at war with the United States since late February, when US-Israeli strikes killed the Islamic republic's supreme leader and senior military officials at the start of a vast offensive.

The strikes sparked Tehran's retaliation in blocking the Strait of Hormuz -- causing global oil prices to surge -- as the conflict spread in the Middle East.

Aside from this, Iran's economy has long struggled with hyperinflation and devaluation of its currency, caused in large part by economic sanctions.

"We just had a very successful engagement with the Chinese on trade and AI," US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told reporters after long talks with a team led by Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng.

The talks are a prelude to a planned White House meeting on Thursday of the leaders of the world's two biggest economies: US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

The discussions, which also included the top US trade official Jamieson Greer, lasted around eight hours at JPMorgan Chase's headquarters in New York.

Bessant said the two sides discussed setting up a way to communicate about AI issues called the "US-China AI dialogue."

"The US has proposed that we have a notification mechanism between the two countries," Bessent said.

Such notifications are for potential "incidents," or a situation "that rises up to a national security level from AI," he said, adding that both sides have agreed to meet again.

Bessent and He also spoke one-on-one during the day, a source familiar with the matter said.

Chinese official Li Chenggang, who was elevated to a top-level international trade representative post shortly before the meetings, was present in the New York talks too. But the Chinese delegation did not address reporters.

Greer stressed Sunday it is "imperative that we are able to work together."

Both sides are looking to ease tensions on trade, technology and other strategic concerns. These include the possible extension of a trade truce and guardrails for AI development.

- Non-sensitive trade -

Asked about the possibility of mutual tariff reduction on certain goods, Greer said teams "are continuing to work through this."

The aim is to identify "non-sensitive" goods that can be considered separately from trade measures in the future, he added.

Such products could cover consumer goods from the Chinese side and energy, agriculture and other products like medical devices on the US side.

Beyond less sensitive items, US officials are also seeking to ensure the continued flow of rare earth magnets and critical minerals that are vital for US manufacturers.

Working level meetings could continue into Monday, a source familiar with discussions earlier told AFP.

Previous negotiations saw China pledge purchases of US agriculture goods too, and their fulfilment of the terms could also be an issue under scrutiny.

Another issue is US economic pressure on Iran, as Washington's war with Tehran has entered its seventh month.

China is a top economic partner of Iran that buys much of its oil output and a key diplomatic backer.

Analysts caution that expectations for the Trump-Xi summit are low.

"One of the only things we can hope for in the short term is a truce, and that this will likely continue through the remainder of this year," said former US deputy secretary of state Kurt Campbell.

"I think you will hear the president announce the intention to meet with Xi Jinping two more times," added Campbell, who is now chairman of The Asia Group consultancy.

Trump and Xi are expected to meet in November at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum in Shenzhen, China. Trump is also anticipated to invite Xi to the G20 summit in December at his Doral resort in Miami.

"Dengue cannot be fully controlled through administrative measures or insecticide spraying alone; individual and collective awareness and participation are crucial to prevent the disease," Dr Muhit said in a message today.

Highlighting the extensive influence of social media, the state minister said active public participation and dissemination of timely information can significantly reduce the risk of dengue.

He particularly called upon young people, content creators and influencers on social media to come forward and contribute to the campaign.

Dr Muhit called for a massive campaign with uploading and sharing of dengue awareness content, reels and stories.

Many content creators have already joined the dengue awareness campaign through the Health Ministry, he said.

Referring to international public health practices, the state minister said content creators can easily convey important messages on dengue prevention through creative videos, info graphics and social media posts, including the need to get rid of stagnant water, keep surroundings clean and seek prompt medical attention when symptoms appear.

“Everyone can contribute to this national initiative by creating awareness content,” he said.

Over the next three months, the digital campaign will extensively disseminate information through social media on destroying Aedes mosquito breeding grounds, dengue symptoms and primary care.

Citizens have also been urged to keep their homes, yards and workplaces clean and spread dengue prevention messages across the virtual space.

A delegation of the German-South Asian Parliamentary Group, led by Nicklas Kappe of the CDU/CSU, concluded a three-day visit to Bangladesh from September 17 to 19, according to a press release, issued by the German embassy here today.

The visit highlighted growing European interest in Bangladesh as a geo-economic partner and explored opportunities for deeper trade integration and cooperation in the energy sector.

During the visit, the delegation held meetings with Jatiya Sangsad Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmad, Bir Bikram, and members of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The discussions covered Bangladesh's political and economic developments, trade and investment opportunities, climate change and the protracted Rohingya crisis.

The two sides also discussed Bangladesh's energy challenges and explored possible cooperation in natural gas extraction in Bhola.

Both sides expressed interest in advancing discussions on a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between Bangladesh and the European Union.

They also underscored the importance of sustained international support for resolving the Rohingya crisis and maintaining international pressure on Myanmar.

As part of its engagements with the private sector, the German delegation visited several German industrial ventures in Bangladesh, including Heidelberg Materials, CHT and Siegwerk.

The delegation also toured the Meghna Industrial Economic Zone (MIEZ) in Narayanganj, gaining first-hand insights into Bangladesh's manufacturing and industrial landscape and the contribution of German companies operating in the country.

The German parliamentarians praised Bangladesh's large consumer market and competitive labour force while also discussing operational challenges faced by businesses.

Beyond economic cooperation, the delegation discussed democratic inclusion and social development.

The Speaker briefed the German parliamentarians on women's political representation in Bangladesh, while the delegation's deputy chair, Ulle Schauws, held engagements with leading local women's rights and environmental organisations focusing on sustainable social development.

Mymensingh & Dhaka divisions," said a Met office bulletin issued this morning. Besides, it said, moderately heavy falls may occur at places over the country. Day temperature may rise slightly and night temperature may remain nearly unchanged over the country. 

The highest temperature on Sunday was 35 degrees Celsius in Chattogram, while today's minimum temperature is 22.5 degrees Celsius in Narayanganj. In the last 24 hours (till 06 am today), the highest 58 millimetre rainfall occurred in Ishurdi. The sun sets at 5:56 pm today and rises at 5:47 am tomorrow in Dhaka.

The Energy and Mineral Resources Division issued a notification in this regard today.

According to the notification, the revised prices have been fixed at Tk 135 per litre for diesel, Tk 165 for octane, Tk 160 for petrol and Tk 155 for kerosene. The adjusted prices will come into effect from September 21.

Earlier, on August 31, the government had set the fuel prices at Tk 115 per litre for diesel, Tk 145 for octane, Tk 140 for petrol and Tk 135 for kerosene, effective from September 1.

He made the call at a religious gathering held in Hemayetpur of Pabna on the occasion of the 139th birth anniversary of Sri Sri Thakur Anukul Chandra and the holy bathing festival at the Bhagirathi-Padma.

After the religious gathering, special prayers, religious discussions and various rituals of the holy bathing festival were held.

Emphasising the need to maintain mutual respect and harmony among people of all religions, he said Bangladesh's strength lies in its pluralistic culture and that a peaceful, secular and humane state must be built by upholding that culture.

State Minister for Cultural Affairs Ali Newaz Mahmood Khyom attended the programme as a special guest.

Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (Hindu-Buddhist-Christian and ethnic minority affairs) Bijon Kanti Sarker and Chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Labour and Employment Affairs Advocate Shamsur Rahman Shimul Biswas were also present at the programme, chaired by Thakur Anukul Chandra Satsang President Pran Shankar Das.

To attain this goal, the income tax, customs and VAT wing will work in an integrated manner like “One NBR” architecture to attain this desired goal.

The revenue authority presented the roadmap at the second meeting of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on the Ministry of Finance last month, highlighting the need to improve revenue productivity to keep pace with the expansion of government expenditure.

The NBR made detailed presentations on its capacity to meet government expenditure requirements, measures taken to narrow the tax-to-GDP gap, and assessment of the NBR’s organisational structure and necessary measures.

The NBR said achieving the FY2026-27 revenue target and raising the tax-GDP ratio cannot rely solely on higher tax rates. It requires a major expansion of the tax base, technology, data use and taxpayer compliance.

It proposed an integrated “One NBR” architecture, bringing income tax, VAT and customs administrations into a more integrated taxpayer-management system.

The NBR has outlined a roadmap to increase the tax-to-GDP ratio from the current 6.8 percent to 15 percent by 2035.

The roadmap sets an interim target of 8.8 percent in the short term, followed by further improvement of 10 percent in the medium term before reaching 15 percent by 2035.

The presentation identified investment in revenue administration, skills development, system interoperability, risk management and taxpayer services as key drivers of revenue growth.

The NBR currently accounts for around 86 percent of the government’s total revenue, according to the presentation.

Talking to a senior NBR official, he said the revenue board is strengthening its institutional and operational capacity, which has now become a state priority, particularly as Bangladesh seeks to increase domestic revenue mobilisation while supporting economic growth.

According to NBR data, the country’s tax-to-GDP ratio has remained mostly between 7 and 8 percent over the past 25 years. It reached around 10 percent during FY2011-12 to FY2014-15 before declining again, standing at 6.7 percent in FY2024-25 and 6.8 percent in FY2025-26.

The NBR said the current ratio remains among the lowest compared with South Asian and neighbouring countries, while the long-term target has been set at 15 percent by 2035.

The presentation said the NBR has analysed 25 years of data covering the size of GDP, government budget, revenue and development expenditure, NBR revenue collection and growth, government borrowing and tax-to-GDP trends in neighbouring countries to establish benchmarks and identify areas requiring reform.

It also compared government expenditure with NBR revenue collection and found that government expenditure increased 4.47 times over the last one era under review, against a 3.40-fold increase in NBR revenue collection. The NBR therefore stressed the need to increase revenue productivity in line with the growth of public expenditure.

The presentation showed that average revenue growth from FY2001-02 to FY2025-26 stood at 13.43 percent, while the NBR projected that achieving the FY2026-27 revenue target would require substantially higher growth compared with the actual collection in FY2025-26.

The NBR identified several immediate areas for strengthening revenue administration, including taxpayer services, governance, policy capacity, data management, information technology and human resources.

Under its proposed action plan, the NBR plans to review the legal framework and transition arrangements, establish a comprehensive enterprise architecture, create a unique taxpayer master database and develop a common data dictionary and system inventory.

The NBR also proposed establishing a Revenue Policy Secretariat, developing a tax-expenditure register and introducing mandatory policy-costing templates.

In the first three years, the NBR plans to introduce a unified taxpayer account, integrated customer relationship and case-management systems, third-party data matching, a cross-tax compliance risk engine and a common payment and arrears view.

For customs, the NBR proposes retaining specialised border functions while integrating importer and exporter identities with valuation, VAT and income-tax risk data.

Over three to five years, the NBR aims to develop near-real-time compliance analytics, expand pre-filled tax returns where legally feasible, automate low-risk refunds and introduce advanced entity-network and fraud analytics.

It said its revenue policy also seeks to support industrial development and export competitiveness through reduced duties on raw materials and capital machinery, VAT exemptions for agriculture, essential commodities and ICT, sector-based reduced income-tax rates and exemptions, customs automation and single-window services.

The revenue board listed agriculture, garments, refrigerators and air-conditioners, information technology, automobiles and electric vehicles, mobile phones, SMEs and the capital market, healthcare and education, pharmaceuticals and renewable energy among the sectors receiving various fiscal and customs policy support.

To this end, a plan has been finalised to implement development programmes involving Taka 1,074.08 crore during the fiscal 2026-27, with both ongoing and pipeline government projects.

This development plan covers nearly all key sectors directly linked to city dwellers like road connectivity, drainage, footpaths, and canal restoration, waste management, modern parking facilities, community centres, and recreational infrastructure.

DSCC Administrator and Freedom Fighter Md Abdus Salam said an allocation of Taka 554.84 crore has been earmarked for ongoing government projects (included in the Development Project Proforma or DPP) for fiscal 2026-27.

In addition, another Taka 519.24 crore has been allocated for government projects currently in the pipeline (also under DPP). Consequently, combining these two categories of projects creates the scope to implement government-funded development programmes involving over Taka 1,000 crore.

The DSCC administrator said that a key focus of this development plan is to revitalise the transport system in DSCC.

An allocation of Taka 236.48 crore has been made for the road development project along the Inner Circular Ring Road embankment, stretching from the Rayerbazar Gate No. 2 to the Lohar Bridge, he said.

He further said upgrading this vital road would not only boost connectivity in the immediate area but also enhance road links between the city’s south-western region and other parts of the city.

Abdus Salam said significant initiatives are also underway to address the DSCC’s environment and water logging issues.

A total of Taka 153.86 crore has been allocated for projects involving canal restoration, renovation, and the creation of an aesthetic environment. Alongside restoring the canals, steps are being taken to beautify the surrounding areas.

He mentioned that the project could play a crucial role in restoring the city’s natural water bodies and drainage flows while simultaneously creating a pleasant environment for the citizens.

Taka 96 crore has been allocated for the Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy Shishu Park project to enhance recreational opportunities for city dwellers. The development and modernisation of this long-established recreation centre aims to create a more attractive environment for children and adolescents while also providing families with better opportunities to spend time together.

In line with modern urban management practices, special emphasis has been placed on waste removal and management within the development plan.

Besides, an allocation of Taka 36 crore has been made for a project covering DSCC areas.

This project focuses on waste removal and management, the procurement of modern machinery for road repairs, and easing traffic congestion through the installation of mechanised parking facilities.

The project aims to enhance capabilities in waste management and road maintenance through the use of modern machinery, while also introducing technology-driven improvements to the parking system.

Plans are also in place to develop infrastructure that supports the social and family activities of city residents.

An allocation of Taka 32.50 crore has been made for the first revised phase of the community centre construction project.

Abdus Salam hoped that this initiative would further expand the civic amenities available to residents for hosting social events.

Noting that significant investments are planned alongside ongoing projects, he said Taka 109.24 crore has been allocated for the development of damaged roads, drains, and footpaths in DSCC Zones 2, 4, and 7.

Similarly, he said, Taka 20 crore has been allocated for the development of damaged roads and drains in Zone 3.

Special initiatives are also underway for the development of the expanded areas of DSCC. Taka 190 crore has been allocated for a project to develop road infrastructure and drainage systems across 18 wards within the five newly incorporated zones of the DSCC.

Bringing these newly added areas under planned urban management and developing their road and drainage infrastructure will create opportunities to further enhance civic amenities for the local population.

Besides, Taka 20 crore has been allocated for the renovation, development, and modernisation of six social event centres under the DSCC. The plan is to create a better environment for citizens’ social and cultural activities by modernising these centres.

Substantial allocations have also been made for the development of major roads. Taka 180 crore has been allocated for projects to repair and upgrade damaged roads, drains, and footpaths along major thoroughfares under the DSCC.

This initiative will not only improve traffic flow on key city roads but also facilitate the enhancement of pedestrian walkways and drainage systems.

The DSCC administrator said the development of South Dhaka through these projects is not limited merely to road construction or renovation.

Instead, he said, an initiative has been taken to integrate connectivity, the environment, drainage, waste management, parking, recreation, and social infrastructure into a unified development framework.

In particular, bringing 18 wards across five new zones under the development plan has created an opportunity to accelerate infrastructure development in the DSCC’s expanded areas, he said.

Consequently, Abdus Salam said, by upgrading roads, drainage, and civic amenities in both the old and newly incorporated areas, the entire DSCC is being shaped into an integrated urban framework.

Overall, the action plan involving Taka 1,074.08 crore for the fiscal 2026-27 has emerged as a major initiative for the DSCC’s infrastructure development.

Abdus Salam said if these development programmes are implemented as planned, they will be able to bring visible progress to DSCC’s transport system, environment, civic services, and infrastructure, apart from strengthening the foundation for building a cleaner, modern, livable, and citizen-friendly DSCC.

DIG (Administration) Mohammad Shahjahan (PhD) presented at the session with officers of APBn HQ.

The assurance came in a recent letter sent to Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister M Rashiduzzaman Millat, congratulating him on assuming office as a full minister.

ICAO Council President Toshiyuki Onuma and Secretary General Juan Carlos Salazar extended their greetings to the minister on taking up his new responsibilities.

The two senior ICAO officials said the organisation would continue its full cooperation with Bangladesh in further advancing international civil aviation and ensuring safety and security in the sector.

ICAO plays a key role in developing international civil aviation standards and recommended practices and works with member states to promote safe, secure and orderly growth of the sector.

Its cooperation is considered important for the development of Bangladesh's civil aviation sector, modernisation of airport infrastructure and strengthening of aviation safety and security in line with international standards.

The letter also wished Minister Millat every success in discharging his new responsibilities.

“A Turkish Airlines flight carrying the Prime Minister, his wife Dr Zubaida Rahman and other entourage members departed Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport at 6:05am,” Prime Minister’s Press Secretary AAM Saleh Shibly said.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister’s Additional Press Secretary Atikur Rahman Ruman said, “The Prime Minister is scheduled to address the UNGA session on September 24 as he is leading a 26-member delegation to New York .”

LGRD and Cooperatives Minister Dr Abdul Moyeen Khan, BNP Acting Secretary General Advocate Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, Chief Whip Nurul Islam Moni, Cabinet Secretary Nasimul Gani and PM's principal secretary ABM Abdus Sattar were present at the Airport to see the Prime Minister off.

After a flight of about eight hours and 45 minutes, the airline's carrier is scheduled to arrive at Istanbul Airport at 11:35am (Turkey time), en route to New Work.

The flight is scheduled to leave for New York at 2:10pm (Turkey Time) and arrive at John F Kennedy (JFK)International Airport at 5:55pm (New York Time) after a two-hour-and-35-minute stopover in Istanbul,

The Prime Minister will be received by Permanent Representative of Bangladesh to the United Nations in New York Irene Zubaida Khan and Bangladesh Ambassador to the United States Tareq Md Ariful Islam at the airport.

A motorcade will then escort him to the Hyatt Grand Central New York, where he will be staying during his visit.

Earlier, Foreign Secretary Asad Alam Siam at a Dhaka press conference, said the Prime Minister will attend a welcome breakfast hosted by UN Secretary-General António Guterres for heads of state and government on September 22.

He will subsequently join other world leaders at the opening of the session and attend a reception hosted by the US President in honour of heads of state and government and their spouses in the evening.

On September 23, the premier will exchange views with representatives of international charitable and humanitarian organisations at a breakfast meeting.

Later, he will address a meeting on tackling the global inequality crisis, jointly organised by Brazil, South Africa, Norway and Spain.

He will also attend a high-level meeting titled "Climate Action and the Just Transition," convened at the initiative of the UN Secretary-General.

On the same day at a side event on the Rohingya crisis, he will seek effective international cooperation to ensure the earliest possible repatriation of the forcibly displaced Rohingyas to Myanmar.

Foreign Secretary Asad Alam Siam said at the climate-related meetings, the Prime Minister will articulate Bangladesh's position as a climate-vulnerable country, with particular emphasis on climate finance, adaptation, technology transfer, loss and damage, and climate justice.

On September 24, the premier will deliver the opening remarks at a high-level meeting on the existential threats posed by sea-level rise. He will also attend two important side events hosted by Bangladesh.

He will address another side event on maternal and newborn health and midwifery as the chief guest on the same day.

Tarique Rahman will highlight the new government's initiatives and future plans for protecting maternal and child health and stress the importance of skilled and professionally trained midwifery services.

On the sidelines of the UNGA, the premier is scheduled to hold bilateral meetings with the Crown Prince of Kuwait and the prime ministers of Croatia, Bhutan, Thailand, Pakistan and Haiti.

The talks are expected to cover political and economic relations, trade and investment, development cooperation, the Rohingya crisis and other issues of mutual interest.

The Prime Minister is also scheduled to meet the UN Secretary-General, the President of the European Council, the President of the World Bank Group, the UN Secretary-General's Special Envoy on Myanmar, and the UN high commissioners for refugees and human rights.

He is also expected to meet the President of the International Peace Institute.

As part of the government's economic diplomacy, the premier will hold meetings with senior representatives of Meta, Wall Street and several other business organisations.

The Prime Minister is scheduled to leave New York for Dhaka from JFK international airport at 11:00pm (New York time) by Emirates flight EK202 on September 25.

DIG Mohammad Shahjahan presented the operational performance and achievements in the press briefing.

He said APBn units recovered 784 lost mobile phones, three hacked Facebook accounts, two hacked WhatsApp accounts, two hacked email accounts and one hacked Telegram account with the help of technology tools.

Total 572 people received assistance through the national emergency service 999, while Tk749,718 was recovered in bKash and Nagad fraud cases, he said.

In anti-drug drives, APBn members seized 6,652 yaba tablets, 3.49kg of cannabis, 43.75 litres of alcohol, 387 cartons of cigarettes and 209 vape cigarettes. Eleven cases were filed and 15 people were arrested in connection with the seizures.

In separate arms cases, two one-shooter guns, three rounds of ammunition and two spent cartridges were recovered, with one person arrested.

In anti-smuggling operations, APBn recovered 4,929 grams of gold worth an estimated Tk97,988,385. Seventeen cases were filed and 27 people were arrested in connection with the operations.

Different foreign currencies and Tk264,976 in Bangladeshi currency were also recovered, he said.

In traffic management, 483 cases were filed and Tk1,463,500 was collected in fines.

During operations in the Rohingya camps, 23 vehicles were detained for alleged illegal entry and sent to Shahpori Highway Police Station. One case was filed and one person was arrested over the recovery of ration items prohibited from being sold.

Various smuggled and illegal goods were also recovered from the camp areas, while three missing children and 19 victims were rescued during the month.

Meanwhile, APBn-8, APBn-14 and APBn-16 filed a total of 43 GR/CR cases in August, the DIG said.

Additional DIG (Operations & Intelligence) Nurul Islam, Superintendent of Police (Intelligence) Asma Begum Rita and Superintendent of Police (Training, Law & Media) Mohammad Tajul Islam were also present at the briefing along all officers of APBn HQ.

The tourist, Nafis Mashrur Islam, was travelling with a six-member group from Mirpur in Dhaka when he suddenly fell seriously ill while visiting the remote Bagher Langlok Waterfall area.

After the tourist’s family sought assistance from the BGB, a rescue team from the Tendummukh BGB Camp under Bolipara Battalion (38 BGB) was dispatched to the area on the instructions and under the overall supervision of Battalion Commander Lieutenant Colonel Md. Yasir Arafat Hossain.

The BGB rescue team travelled by two boats to reach the remote location and rescued the ailing tourist along with his companions. The team provided him with initial medical assistance and necessary support at the spot before transporting him and his companions safely by boat to Thanchi Upazila Health Complex.

The group reached the health complex at around 4:00pm on September 20, where arrangements were made for the tourist’s necessary medical treatment.

The rescue operation in the remote and challenging hill area highlights the BGB’s role in providing humanitarian assistance and ensuring public safety, particularly in difficult-to-reach areas.

Press Release Issued by:

Lieutenant Colonel Md. Yasir Arafat Hossain

Commander, Bolipara Battalion (38 BGB)

According to the National Board of Revenue (NBR), the company concealed information relating to its sales as well as the purchase of goods and raw materials, resulting in the evasion of a substantial amount of government revenue.

In a press release issued on Sunday, the NBR said that a preventive operation was conducted at Xinlian Electronics Technology Bangladesh Co. Ltd., located at Nabagram in Dhamrai, on September 17, following a confidential tip-off and under the instructions of the Commissioner of Customs, Excise and VAT Commissionerate, Dhaka (West).

The company, bearing BIN No. 007545559-0404, is registered as a manufacturer of lithium batteries.

During the operation, however, officials found that the company was engaged not only in manufacturing batteries but also had imported mobile chargers, headphones of various brands and Bluetooth headphones ready for supply, alongside manufactured batteries and raw materials and equipment used in battery production.

As the inspection initially indicated possible VAT evasion, the authorities seized relevant documents and records maintained at the premises under VAT Form 12.3 for further scrutiny and verification.

According to the NBR, a review of the seized documents revealed discrepancies in the company's sales records.

The company was found to have concealed sales information amounting to Tk 145,618,507 (Tk 14.56 crore).

Based on the concealed sales information, the amount of VAT evasion was calculated at Tk 189,858,92.

The revenue authorities said the amount was determined after examining the company's actual sales-related records and comparing them with the information reflected in its VAT records.

The authorities also examined documents relating to the company's purchase of goods and raw materials.

According to the NBR, the company concealed purchase information involving goods and raw materials worth Tk 152,208,775 (Tk 15.22 crore).

The VAT evasion associated with the concealed purchase information was calculated at Tk 138,371,161 (Tk 13.84 crore).

Combining the two components—Tk 189,858,92 in VAT evasion arising from concealed sales and Tk 138,371,161 arising from concealed purchase information, the total VAT evasion identified by the authorities stands at Tk 328,230,53 (Tk 3.28 crore).

Information relating to the operation indicates that although the company is registered as a lithium battery manufacturer, officials found various other electronic products at the premises during the raid.

These included imported mobile chargers, headphones of different brands and Bluetooth headphones reportedly kept ready for supply.

The authorities subsequently examined the company's records to determine whether its registered business activities, imports, manufacturing operations and sales were properly reflected in its VAT-related accounts and declarations.

The National Board of Revenue said further action would be taken promptly in accordance with the relevant laws and regulations to recover the government dues.

The VAT evasion amount of Tk 328,230,53 was identified through a review of documents seized during the operation, according to the revenue authority.

The final determination and recovery of the government dues will be carried out following the applicable legal and procedural requirements.

The Customs, Excise and VAT Commissionerate has been conducting preventive operations and reviewing business records as part of efforts to detect revenue evasion. Such inspections are intended to verify whether companies' actual transactions, sales and purchases correspond with the VAT information submitted to the authorities.

In the case of Xinlian Electronics Technology Bangladesh Co. Ltd., the review of seized documents brought to light the alleged concealment of transactions and VAT evasion amounting to more than Tk 3.28 crore, according to the NBR.

According to the latest Bangladesh Bank data, remittance inflow during July 1 to September 19, 2026 stood at US$7.702 billion, up by US$933 million from US$6.769 billion recorded during the same period of FY2025-26.

The country received US$1.877 billion in remittances during September 1-19, 2026, compared to US$1.869 billion during the corresponding period last year, registering a 0.4 percent year-on-year growth.

The DSEX, the broad index of the Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE), rose 60.1 points to 5,592, from 5,532 in the previous trading session.

The market opened on a positive note and maintained its buoyant trend throughout the session, supported by strong investor participation and broad-based buying.

Late-session buying further lifted the benchmark index close to the 5,600-mark following its recent declines.

Meanwhile, market turnover increased 14.0 percent to Tk 7.5 billion, compared with Tk 6.6 billion in the previous session.

On the sectoral front, Textile stocks accounted for the highest share of turnover at 24.0 percent, followed by General Insurance at 13.2 percent and Bank at 12.0 percent.

All sectors posted positive returns, with Mutual Fund gaining 2.8 percent, Cement 2.6 percent and Financial Institution 2.6 percent.

Of the 395 issues traded, 285 advanced, 58 declined and 52 remained unchanged.

The port city bourse, Chittagong Stock Exchange (CSE), also closed in positive territory. Its Selective Categories' Index (CSCX) and All Share Price Index (CASPI) advanced 85.5 points and 119.9 points, respectively.

The delegation was warmly welcomed by Mostafa Kamal, Chairman and Managing Director of Meghna Group of Industries (MGI).

The delegation was led by Nicklas Kappe, MP, followed by Gerold Otten- Colonel (retd), MP, Johann Saathoff, MP, and Ursula Schauws, MP, along with Anja Katerina Elisabeth Bienert, accompanying officer from the Administration of the German Bundestag, and interpreter Max Doerfler.

The delegation was accompanied by Dr. Rüdiger Lotz, Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to Bangladesh, along with his senior officials from the German Embassy in Dhaka, including Olga Nowikow Winnen, Economic Attaché, Monika Reuter, Head of Political, Press and Culture, Miftahul Jannat, Political and Press Officer, and Mehrab Bin Tarek, Economic Affairs Officer, said a press release today.

The German delegation visited the key facilities and features of MIEZ, with special focus on two German-owned factories operating within the zone- CHT Bangladesh Limited and Siegwerk Bangladesh Limited. Most factories within MIEZ rely on German machinery and technology, underlining the deep industrial ties between the two nations.

Speaking on the occasion, Federal Parliament of Germany MP Nicklas Kappe, said, "It is encouraging to see the strong presence of German industry and technology at MIEZ. Visits like this reaffirm the depth of the economic partnership between Germany and Bangladesh, and we look forward to seeing this cooperation grow further in the years ahead."

MGI Chairman and MD Mostafa Kamal said, "I am honored to welcome a high-level parliamentary delegation from the German Bundestag, the federal parliament of Germany, to MIEZ. Germany has long been one of Bangladesh's key economic and development partners. This relationship is built on decades of cooperation in infrastructure, health, and energy, along with growing efforts in trade, investment, and human resource development."

He added, "MIEZ is Bangladesh's most modern private economic zone. It offers uninterrupted power, gas, and water supply, reliable security, waste management, and its own fire-fighting system. We invite our German investors to invest more here, and we assure them of full support and cooperation."

In addition to MIEZ, MGI is working on two other private economic zones available for investors: Cumilla Economic Zone and Titas Economic Zone.

The group has developed its economic zones as modern, investor-friendly hubs with comprehensive facilities and security systems. Apart from local industries, companies from Germany, Australia, Switzerland, Norway, Japan, India, China, Belgium, and the United States have already established factories in these zones.

He made the call during a courtesy call with Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI) Administrator Md. Fazlul Hoque at the FBCCI Gulshan office here.

The Indian Deputy High Commissioner stressed the need to form a business-to-business (B2B) task force to facilitate trade and investment between the two countries.

He said his office has been maintaining regular communication and holding discussions with the governments of both countries to expedite the process of forming the task force.

He also sought cooperation from Bangladesh's private sector, under the leadership of FBCCI, to make the initiative effective, said an FBCCI press release.

Badhe said India has currently eased visa procedures for Bangladeshis travelling to India. The Indian High Commission in Dhaka is issuing around 5,000 visas daily, he added.

FBCCI Administrator Md. Fazlul Hoque said a joint task force could play an effective role in increasing bilateral trade and strengthening mutual cooperation between Bangladesh and India.

He called on businesses and entrepreneurs of both countries to work together to promote investment and trade in emerging and promising sectors.

The meeting discussed ways to further strengthen commercial relations and expand business opportunities between the two neighbouring countries.

Zellmer will succeed current chief executive Hakan Samuelsson "no later than" on 1 October 2027, according to a press release from Volvo cars.

Eric Li, Chairman of Volvo Cars, said Zellmer combines "deep automotive expertise" with "broad international leadership experience."

"I am delighted to join Volvo Cars at such an important moment in the company's development," Zellmer said in the press release.

Current 75-year-old CEO Hakan Samuelsson, who has been the head of the company from 2012 to 2022 and since April 2025, announced his planned resignation earlier this week as his contract will end.

Acting on a tip-off and under the direction of the commissioner, a preventive team conducted an operation at the company’s factory at Nabagram in Dhamrai on September 17, according to a press release issued by the National Board of Revenue (NBR) here today.

The company, registered under BIN No. 007545559-0404, is registered as a manufacturer of lithium batteries.

During the operation, the team found finished batteries and raw materials and equipment for battery production. It also found imported mobile chargers, headphones of different brands and Bluetooth headphones prepared for supply.

As the team initially suspected VAT evasion, it seized the documents kept at the premises under VAT Form 12.3 for further scrutiny.

A review of the seized documents found that the company concealed sales worth Tk 14,56,18,507, resulting in VAT evasion of Tk 1,89,85,892.

The review also found that the company concealed purchases of goods and raw materials worth Tk 15,22,08,775, leading to VAT evasion of Tk 1,38,37,161.

Thus, the total VAT evasion detected from the company has stood at Tk 3,28,23,053, the release said.

The authorities will take further action in accordance with the relevant laws and regulations to recover the government dues, it added.

The visit will also focus on expanding exports of Bangladeshi products with high potential in the Malaysian market and attracting Malaysian investment to Bangladesh. The High Commission of Bangladesh in Malaysia is extending its overall support and cooperation to the DCCI delegation throughout its visit,

said a press release here today.

During the visit, the business delegation will hold trade discussions and participate in Business-to-Business (B2B) sessions with the Klang Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers, and the National Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Malaysia on 23, 24 and

25 September respectively.

Through participating in these business networking meetings, Bangladeshi entrepreneurs will have the opportunities to explore avenues for expanding bilateral trade and investment.

The delegates will also participate in one of the world's premier halal trade platforms Malaysia International Halal Showcase (MIHAS) to be held in Kuala Lumpur on 24 September 2026. This will provide Bangladeshi businesses with a significant opportunity to engage with global halal industry leaders.

In addition, DCCI leadership will pay courtesy calls on Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture of Malaysia Dato Sri Tiong King Sing and Deputy Minister of Finance of Malaysia Liew Chin Tong.

It may be noted that Bangladeshi nationals account for 37% of the total foreign workers employed in Malaysia, who remitted a total of US$3.40 billion to Bangladesh during the 2025-26 fiscal year.

In FY2024-25, the total bilateral trade between Bangladesh and Malaysia amounted to approximately US$2.57 billion, with Bangladesh's imports and exports standing at US$2.293 billion and US$282 million, respectively.

In addition, Malaysian entrepreneurs have already invested US$755.48 million in Bangladesh, with significant investments in sectors including telecommunications, power, chemicals and pharmaceuticals, construction and textiles.

The DCCI delegation is scheduled to return to Dhaka on September 25, 2026.

ICC is headquartered in Paris and has a physical presence in more than 170 countries representing 45 million of companies and more than one billion workers worldwide.

Globally, one in every three workers depends on ICC Members for their livelihood.

ICC, is the only private sector non-sovereign organization, which was granted Status of a Permanent Observer at the General Assembly of the United Nations.

Mahbubur Rahman is the Vice Chairman of Bangladesh Foreign Trade Institute (BFTI) and Chairman of Eastland Insurance PLC. He is a former President of Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI), Dhaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DCCI) and also served as the Founding Vice

President of SAARC Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Vice President for West Asia of Islamic Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said a press release here today.

The Board also unanimously elected two Vice Presidents Rupali Chowdhury, President of Foreign Investors' Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) and A K Azad, former president of Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI) and Managing Director of Ha-Meem Group.

Others of the 19-member ICC Bangladesh Executive Board are:Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI) Administrator Md. Fazlul Hoque, Dhaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DCCI) President Taskeen Ahmed, Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI), Dhaka President Kamran T. Rahman, Chittagong Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI) President Mohammed Amirul Haque, Bangladesh Insurance Association (BIA) President Sayeed Ahmed, MP, Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) President Mahmud Hasan Khan,

Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA) President Mohammad Hatem, Bangladesh Textile Mills Association (BTMA) President Showkat Aziz Russell, Leathergoods and Footwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association of Bangladesh (LFMEAB) President Syed Nasim Manzur, Envoy

Textiles Limited Chairman Kutubuddin Ahmed, Evince Group Managing Director Anwar-Ul-Alam Chowdhury (Parvez), IOE (Bangladesh) Limited Chairman Aftab Ul Islam, Mir Akhter Hossain Limited Managing Director Mir Nasir Hossain; Shohagpur Textile Mills Limited Chairman and CEO and Bangladesh Association of Banks (BAB) Chairman Abdul Hai Sarker, Square Textiles PLC Chairman Tapan Chowdhury and Transcom Group CEO Ms. Simeen Rahman.

Muhammad Zulqar Nain, Ambassador of Bangladesh to Germany, was present at the dialogue held at the BGCCI office here today.

The programme was attended by members of the BGCCI Board of Directors, a former President of BGCCI, and CEOs and senior representatives of BGCCI member companies, including leading German businesses operating in Bangladesh.

The programme began with a welcome address by Md. Rokonuzzaman, President of BGCCI, followed by a presentation by Farooque Khan, Senior Vice President, BGCCI, highlighting the Chamber’s activities and initiatives to strengthen Bangladesh-Germany business relations.

The Ambassador subsequently delivered a presentation outlining the initiatives being undertaken by the Embassy of Bangladesh in Germany to strengthen investor confidence and promote Bangladesh as an attractive destination for German investment.

He also highlighted opportunities for German businesses to export to Bangladesh in several key sectors and further expand their presence in the Bangladeshi market, said a press release.

The Ambassador emphasized Bangladesh’s growing strategic importance to Germany and highlighted opportunities for stronger economic cooperation between the two countries. He also expressed appreciation for the support of the German Government for Bangladesh’s candidacy at the United Nations.

The discussion focused on expanding bilateral trade, creating stronger partnerships between Bangladeshi and German companies, and promoting greater German investment in Bangladesh.

Particular attention was given to emerging areas of cooperation, including semiconductor packaging, inverter technology and solar-panel-related technologies, alongside established sectors such as apparel, energy and IT and digital services.

Participants also emphasized the importance of regular business delegations, B2B matchmaking, trade fairs, investment promotion activities and stronger institutional cooperation to translate these opportunities into concrete commercial partnerships.

BGCCI and the Embassy of Bangladesh in Berlin will continue to maintain close engagement and explore practical initiatives to promote bilateral trade, facilitate business partnerships and encourage German investment in Bangladesh.

The dialogue reaffirmed the shared interest in developing a stronger, more diversified and mutually beneficial economic relationship between Bangladesh and Germany.

“Aajo Ardhangini” is the sequel to “Ardhangini” which was released in 2023. Like the first instalment, the new film features Jaya Ahsan, Churni Ganguly, Kaushik Sen, Indrasish Roy, Ambarish Bhattacharya and others in key roles.

In “Aajo Ardhangini”, Jaya Ahsan plays Meghna. However, compared to the previous story, Meghna encounters new experiences and realities this time. Over time, she becomes more confident, and her position within the family grows stronger. At times, Meghna is deeply vulnerable, while at others, she becomes fierce in protecting her own identity.

Still from the film

The fear of losing the person she loves makes her vulnerable, but that same fear also makes her more intense. As a result, the character is far from one-dimensional. Alongside love, she carries jealousy, fear, resentment and longing. This is what makes Jaya Ahsan’s Meghna distinctive.

The performances of Churni Ganguly, who plays Shubhra, and Jaya Ahsan as Meghna are among the film’s greatest strengths. One represents Suman’s past, while the other represents his present. Yet both are bound by love, hurt and incompleteness surrounding the same man.

Their conflict, therefore, is not simply a clash between two women; it is two periods of the same life confronting each other. Audiences will be captivated by the two actors’ performances, expressions, silences and the emotions conveyed through their eyes.

Alongside the complexities of relationships, “Aajo Ardhangini” explores guilt, love, uncertainty and the lingering influence of the past. Meghna’s life continues to be shaped by the shadow of an old relationship, while she also struggles to hold on to her present. As a result, Jaya Ahsan’s character remains emotionally and psychologically significant.

One of the strongest aspects of Jaya Ahsan’s portrayal of Meghna is that she never makes fear or pain overly dramatic. Instead, she conveys the character’s inner turmoil through her gaze, pauses in speech, subtle facial expressions and small changes in behaviour.

She does not merely act out Meghna’s breakdown; she makes the audience feel it from within. These moments particularly highlight Jaya’s strength as an actor. Through her performance, Jaya Ahsan draws the audience into Meghna’s world.

Set against the campus life of the period, the film explores youth, friendship, love, nostalgia, and the experiences surrounding the incident. Akib has written and directed the film, as well as its screenplay.

“The story of ‘Chirkut’ began with a true incident that took place at Rajshahi University in the 1990s. One of the aims of the film is to create a connection between the emotions, relationships and memories of that time and audiences of the present generation,” Akib said.

“I have tried to present the environment of that period, people’s emotions and the incident through the language of cinema so that audiences can experience that time through the film,” he added.

Recreating the Rajshahi University campus of the 1990s was a challenge, Akib said, particularly in reflecting the period’s clothing, campus environment and everyday life.

Shamol Mawla, Azijun Mim, Quazi Nawshaba Ahmed, Sumon Patwary, Tehzib, Abdullah Al Sentu, Shaon Ashraf, Siam Nasir, Shimul, Sadi Khan, Shamim Ahsan, Mahira Hasan and Ibrahim Sujon are among the cast.

Akib has written the story and screenplay in addition to directing the film. Its four songs feature vocals by Rehaan Rasul, Masha, Mehedi Sarkar and Snehasish Chakraborty Abhi.

According to his family, Rifat has been suffering from weakness, excessive fatigue, shortness of breath, chest pain and insomnia for some time.

He is receiving treatment under the supervision of doctors, who are providing the necessary care for his recovery.

Rifat has acted in more than 500 television dramas during his long career. He has earned praise for his performances in popular dramas including “House Full”, “Aim in Life”, “Patigonit”, “420”, “Sixty Nine”, “Bonmanush”, “Bicycle”, “Carrom” and “Murir Tin”.

His portrayal of “Jatiyo Kaka” in “Sixty Nine” brought him widespread recognition among television audiences.

Rifat has also made a name for himself as a poet. He entered the world of poetry in 1984 with the poem “Alingoner Naam”. According to reports, 29 of his books have been published so far.

Despite his illness, Rifat hopes to return to acting and writing poetry. His well-wishers have sought the support and prayers of his colleagues, friends and people from the arts and literary communities for his recovery.

The day-long festival was held at the Institute of Architects Bangladesh (IAB) Centre in Agargaon on Saturday under the theme “Education for All Children”. Students from Agami schools took part in the event, which ran from 9am to 5pm.

The festival featured musical and dance performances, puthi recitation, an art exhibition, a quiz competition and a science and mathematics fair. The students presented 14 science-based projects, giving them an opportunity to demonstrate their ideas and skills outside the classroom.

University teachers and education experts evaluated the projects and artworks and spoke with the children about their work.

Agami Education Foundation organises educational programmes for children from disadvantaged communities and works to expand their access to education while supporting their development. The festival was part of those efforts, with the children taking part as performers and exhibitors rather than simply attending as an audience.

“Our children come from many disadvantaged families. But given the opportunity, their talent, creativity and potential can develop equally. Through this festival, we want to provide them with that opportunity and showcase their achievements and talents,” the organisers said.

Professor Zeba Islam Seraj of the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the University of Dhaka also highlighted the need to support children who lack access to opportunities.

“We have many children who are deprived of opportunities in society. Some of them are very talented. We all need to continue working to help develop their talents,” she said.

Rabindra Sangeet singer Adity Mohsin and Nazrul Sangeet singer Rebeka Sultana attended the festival to encourage the children. Mohsin later performed “O Amar Desher Mati” without musical accompaniment.

“I am happy to be part of this initiative for the development of children’s creativity. What Agami is doing for children is actually a responsibility that all of us should take on,” Mohsin said.

Sultana said she was impressed by the children’s efforts despite the challenges they face.

“I was overwhelmed to see how the children are trying to develop themselves despite facing so many obstacles,” she said.

The event also featured welcome addresses by Agami Education Foundation President Professor Nehreen Majed and Agami Incorporated Bangladesh Country Director Md Aminul Islam.

The festival also saw the launch of “Agami” magazine by Agami Education Foundation Vice President Nafisa Khanam. The publication highlights the organisation’s activities and achievements, as well as its work with children and schools.

Among those present were Professor Dr Bazlur Rashid Khan, dean of the Faculty of Fine Arts at Jagannath University, and architect and “Toitombur” co-founder Hasnain Sabih Nayek.

The approval was given at the 21st Cabinet meeting held at the Bangladesh Secretariat here, with Prime Minister Tarique Rahman in the chair, said a Cabinet Division press release.

The draft ordinance seeks to create greater competition in public procurement, expand provisions related to the management and administration of procurement contracts, and modernise procedures under the open tendering method.

It also proposes introducing ratio-based evaluation of rated criteria in the procurement of goods, works and physical services to promote sustainable procurement, a concept widely practised internationally.

The proposed amendments also include provisions for applying the limited tendering method to ensure equitable distribution of resources, clarifying provisions related to professional misconduct, and introducing an alternative procurement arrangement for state emergencies.

The draft ordinance was placed before the Cabinet by the Implementation Monitoring and Evaluation Division.

The Cabinet gave final approval to the draft ordinance subject to vetting by the Legislative and Parliamentary Affairs Division.

"The court will conduct the trial. We will extend all-out cooperation by completing the necessary legal procedures and submitting the charge sheet," he said.

He made the remarks at a press briefing on the contemporary issues at the Home Ministry at the Bangladesh Secretariat here.

The minister said people across the country were deeply shocked by the murder in Cumilla, adding that police recovered Opratim's body within 24 hours and arrested four suspects within 12 hours.

He said the suspects had confessed to their involvement in the killing.

Salahuddin said some of the suspects appeared to be members of a juvenile crime group and had been acquainted with Opratim.

"They were friends and used to spend time together. Preliminary information suggests they were five to 10 years older than Opratim," he said, adding that the ages of the suspects were being verified through their national identity records.

The minister said the mobile phone involved in the incident had been recovered from the prime suspect, identified as Tuhin.

"All the evidence has been recovered and they have confessed. Police are now taking further legal steps, including whether their statements can be recorded under Section 164," he said.

Praising the police, the minister said they had succeeded in arresting all the suspects within 12 hours and recovering key evidence in the case.

Opratim, 13, went out of his home around 3pm on Friday with his mother's iPhone to take photographs with friends but did not return.

Police later recovered his body from a forested area of the Lalmai hills near Cumilla University.

The Home Minister said the government has taken swift legal action after uncovering heinous crimes, including arresting those responsible and initiating necessary legal proceedings.

"We have been able to uncover heinous crimes within the shortest possible time and take necessary legal measures since the present government assumed office," he said.

He said cases that require more time would be assessed based on the progress of investigations.

Regarding statistics on missing children published by Ain o Salish Kendra (ASK), the minister said the government was taking the issue seriously and examining the available data.

Identifying social degradation as a major factor behind crime, he said cybercrimes were often linked to drugs, gambling and pornography.

To address the problem and restore social discipline, the government is placing greater emphasis on cultural activities, sports and moral education at the primary and secondary school levels so that young people can develop with clear goals, he said.

He also called on conscious citizens from all sections of society to perform their responsibilities from their respective positions.

Criticising recent incidents of crude bomb explosions and arson attacks on parked buses in different parts of the capital at night, he said suspects involved in the crude bomb attacks had been arrested along with motorcycles and were being interrogated.

Those involved in incidents near the High Court gate and in Jatrabari had also been brought to justice, while CCTV footage was being analysed to identify others involved, he said.

The minister said neither the government nor the people were intimidated by such activities, adding that the people had already rejected them.

On the opposition's recent long marches, Salahuddin said every political party has the right to engage in constructive criticism and programmes under democratic practices.

He said the recent long marches in Chattogram and the northern region were held peacefully, with law enforcement agencies extending necessary cooperation.

The minister said the ultimate decision in politics would come through public opinion, while the government's primary responsibility was to maintain peace and order, end the culture of impunity and ensure speedy justice for crimes.

Speaking about the electricity and fuel crisis, he attributed the situation mainly to rising global oil prices and past neglect of domestic gas exploration.

He said although accumulated problems from the previous period had created a temporary crisis in the power and energy sector, the present government was focusing on extracting the country's own resources.

The government has planned to drill 150 new gas wells by 2030-31 to ensure uninterrupted gas supplies to the industrial sector, he said.

As part of the plan, 12 million cubic feet of gas per day has already been added to the national grid from Well No. 28 of the Titas Gas Field.

Salahuddin expressed optimism that Bangladesh would soon become self-sufficient in gas through the use of its own natural resources and find a lasting solution to the power and energy crisis.

Responding to a question about the recent incident in Tejgaon, the minister said 23 people were detained on intelligence information after they allegedly held a secret meeting at a mosque following Friday prayers.

After forensic examination of their mobile phones and preliminary interrogation, 11 people against whom no evidence was found were released into the custody of their guardians, he said.

According to information obtained about the others, they were allegedly attempting to form a new extremist organisation called "Ittihadul Ummah", he said.

Reiterating the government's zero-tolerance policy against any form of extremism, the minister said cases had been filed against those involved and they had been placed on remand, while investigations were continuing in accordance with the law.

Jamaat Secretary General Mia Golam Porwar made the statement at a press conference at the Jatiya Press Club in Dhaka this afternoon, saying the alliance believes constitutional reforms should be implemented in line with the July charter and the referendum verdict.

Porwar said the July charter implementation order requires elected MPs to take two oaths -- one as members of parliament and another as members of the Constitutional Reform Council.

However, he said, opposition MPs took both oaths after the election, while BNP MPs took only the oath as members of parliament.

He argued that parliament's constitutional amendment powers under Article 142 were not unlimited and cited Supreme Court rulings that struck down several constitutional amendments.

“The state has a responsibility to respect the people's verdict in the referendum and implement it through the approved process,” he said.

The alliance also demanded making the Constitutional Reform Council functional after completing the required process.

The special parliamentary committee yesterdayinvited political parties that signed the July charter to discussions on constitutional amendments. The committee is also expected to hold discussions with judges, lawyers, constitutional experts, intellectuals and newspaper editors.

The government formed a 12-member committee on July 13 after the Jamaat-led opposition declined to nominate members. The committee held its first meeting on August 4.

As part of the process for amending the Constitution in line with the July Charter, the government on April 29, the government proposed forming a 17-member special parliamentary committee, with 12 members from the ruling alliance and five seats reserved for the opposition.

As the Jamaat-led opposition failed to submit names, the government went ahead and constituted a 12-member body on July 13. The committee held its first meeting on August 4.

The opposition parties maintain that the constitutional provisions of the July Charter should not be dealt with through the proposed parliamentary amendment process. Rather, the reforms should be taken up by a Constitutional Reform Council.

“We are maintaining our earlier position -- we will not join the talks,” said Saiful Alam Khan Milon, Jamaat central executive committee member and Dhaka-12 MP.

Fundamental changes to the Constitution should be made through a Constitutional Reform Council, he said.

Jamaat and the 11-party alliance will present their position before the nation at a press conference at noon today, said Ahsanul Mahbub Zubair, the party’s assistant secretary general and chief of central publicity department.

The National Citizen Party and the 11-party alliance share the same position on the issue, said Akhter Hossen, NCP’s member secretary and Rangpur-4 MP.

From the onset, they have opposed the BNP’s proposal for constitutional amendments as it did not reflect the mandate expressed through the referendum, he said.

“People voted for constitutional reform through the referendum, not for an amendment. We cannot take part in a process where the people’s voice is disregarded,” he added.

The 11-party alliance would jointly announce its position at today’s press conference, said Maulana Jalaluddin Ahmed, secretary genera of Bangladesh Khelafat Majlish.

Asked whether the alliance would take part in the discussions, he said: “I won’t say that now -- you can assume what our decision might be.”

He also directed the National Skills Development Authority to bring skills development and training programmes run by different ministries under a coordinated framework.

“If a unified and internationally standard training and certification system is introduced, it will not only enhance the skills of our youth but also increase their acceptance and recognition in the national and international job markets,” he said.

The prime minister made the remarks while chairing the third meeting of the Governing Body of the NSDA at his office in Tejgaon, said his Assistant Press Secretary KM Nazmul Haque.

Tarique said many training programmes were being conducted under different ministries, but inadequate coordination meant the training and certificates often failed to play an effective role.

He directed the NSDA Governing Body to formulate necessary policies through a small committee within a short time and bring the training programmes under a coordinated framework.

He also called for training and certification under a common syllabus.

Thirty-seven young men were found dead inside a crowded cell in Minna, the capital of central Niger state, on Thursday after their arrest on suspicion of illegal goldmining by the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).

Survivors recounted being crammed in the cell with poor ventilation, and one said a substance that stung their throats and noses was sprayed into the cell before the door was slammed shut.

They said their calls for help were ignored.

The deaths triggered violent protests on the streets of Minna city, the capital of mineral-rich Niger state, and police fired shots to disperse the protesters.

Nigeria's government has appointed a 10-member independent panel to investigate the deaths of 37 people in a paramilitary civil defence force holding cell, the interior ministry said Saturday.

Adamu Idris, 27, whose brother was among the dead told AFP he expects government "to give us justice".

He warned: "If the government does not take decisive action, we will continue the protest.

"They should be ready to continue killing us, and it is better that we all die".

Musa Aliyu, 52, who lost two sons in detention wants the disaster "thoroughly" investigated to "give justice to our children."

Tensions were stoked at the news of the deaths and people poured out into the streets protesting and damaging government property.

Gunshots were heard in the city as police responded with fire to disperse the protesters, but it was not clear whether they fired anti-riot pellets or live ammunition.

But one man said he was shot while walking on the streets on his way from attending the funeral of one of the miners.

"I heard gunshots. I quickly ducked and next thing I was unconscious, I was shot. I fell into the gutter," 24-year-old Allamin Adamu, said from his hospital bed.

President Bola Tinubu on Friday ordered an urgent, "full and transparent investigation" over Thursday's deaths.

He said he would not tolerate deaths caused by "official negligence, abuse, dereliction of duty".

The panel includes a retired senior state intelligence officer, a medical expert, a human rights activist and a miners' association.

It has two weeks to finalise investigations and submit its report.

Twenty NSCDC officers and guards who were involved in the arrests and detention of the miners had been suspended, along with their boss.

Niger state, more than twice the size of Belgium, is rich in minerals and attracts thousands of artisanal miners -- most of them lured by the hope of striking gold.

Tung, who died this month at the age of 89, was a former shipping tycoon hand-picked by Beijing to run Hong Kong after the former British colony's handover to Chinese rule in 1997.

The stauch conservative oversaw a rocky eight-year tenure until he resigned in 2005, following widespread protests.

Tung's casket, draped with the Chinese national flag, was driven in a hearse from the Hong Kong Funeral Home to a crematorium on Sunday, AFP reporters saw.

A portrait of Tung -- smiling and sporting his signature crew cut -- was displayed in the memorial hall, surrounded by white orchids symbolising love and respect.

Hundreds of wreaths sent by government officials and business leaders lined the street outside the memorial hall.

A tribute note from his alma mater, Britain's University of Liverpool, read: "We remember him with great gratitude and respect."

A divisive figure, Tung's policies set the tone for the city's development following the handover, with some sparking widespread protests.

A funeral committee hailed him as a "renowned patriot" and "close friend of the Communist Party".

Cheung Kwok-lik, an 89-year-old retired renovation worker, said he had travelled an hour by bus to pay his condolences to the former leader.

During his tenure, Tung weathered the Asian financial crisis and the deadly SARS epidemic, which "was by no means easy", Cheung said.

Tung's leadership also coincided with record unemployment and the 1997 avian flu outbreak.

Resident Kiki Ho said that even after paying her respects, she still felt "sorrowful and emotional".

"Given that era and circumstances he encountered, the situation was not in his favour," the 68-year-old said.

"He was a gentleman, a man of experience who genuinely wanted to do something for Hong Kong... but the political arena may have been too complicated for him," she added.

The British and US consulates had previously praised Tung for the historic role he played.

For decades, he served as an essential bridge connecting Beijing, Hong Kong and Washington.

Max Baucus, a former US ambassador to China who called Tung a close friend, said: "In the later decades of his life, he was devoted to the belief that our two countries... needed to assure and maintain mutual peace."

"He believed the best way to achieve that was through people-to-people diplomacy," Baucus added.

Tung is survived by his wife Betty Chiu, their two sons and their daughter.

The capital's Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said that more than 1,600 drones had been intercepted and shot down, 450 of which were aimed at Moscow.

He accused Ukraine of attempting to interfere with a tightly controlled three-day election that is set to tighten President Vladimir Putin's 26-year grip on power.

"The unprecedented attack was clearly planned with the aim of disrupting the elections. The enemy did not succeed," he said on Telegram.

Moscow regional Governor Andrey Vorobyov said on the social media platform that at least two people were killed -- a 44-year-old woman and an elderly man -- in two separate locations.

A fire triggered by a drone crashing into a 21-storey building also led to 400 people being evacuated, Vorobyov said. He did not specify the drones' origin.

The attacks come at a time when Kyiv stepped up its long-range drone strike campaign against Russia in recent months, particularly against energy infrastructure to target a vital source of the Kremlin's revenue to fund its war effort, now in its fifth year.

"A facility on the territory of the Moscow Oil Refinery has been damaged, Sobyanin added, noting that no casualties had been reported so far and that emergency services were on the scene.

This major refinery has already been hit by Ukrainian strikes in recent months.

The latest strike comes after US President Donald Trump said Monday that Ukraine and Russia had agreed not to target each other's energy facilities.

It also comes after Russians began voting on Friday in the country's first parliamentary election since Moscow sent troops to Ukraine in February 2022, setting off a conflict that has killed hundreds of thousands.

Only parties that support Putin and the Kremlin's military campaign have been registered to run. Moscow has also organised voting in occupied Ukraine.

While few Russians doubt Putin's United Russia party will cruise to victory again, the vote offers a gauge of public support for the war.

A statement from Gaza's health ministry, which operates under Hamas authority, said that the child "succumbed to wounds sustained this morning from Israeli army fire north of the Nuseirat camp in the central Gaza Strip".

An airstrike also killed Baseer al-Barsh, the son of Munir al-Barsh who serves as director-general of Gaza's health ministry, in an encampment for displaced people in Jabalia in the northern Gaza Strip, the ministry said.

Speaking during his son's funeral, Munir Al-Bursh said the killing was "a continuation of (Israel's) crimes", according to a ministry statement.

In addition, two Palestinians were killed and several others injured in two separate strikes near Gaza City, according to Gaza's al-Shifa hospital and the territory's civil defence, a rescue agency operating under Hamas authority.

The Israeli army did not immediately respond to an AFP inquiry on the strikes.

Israel in October last year agreed to a ceasefire brokered by the United States but since then has advanced further into Gaza.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed no let-up in strikes targeting Hamas, which led the unprecedented October 7, 2023 attack against Israel, and no pullout from Gaza until Hamas gives up all of its weapons.

The 2023 attack killed 1,221 people, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures. The militants also dragged into Gaza some 251 hostages, 44 of them already dead.

The massive Israeli offensive in response has left most of Gaza in ruins and killed more than 73,800 people, according to the Gaza health ministry, which is under Hamas authority and whose figures are considered reliable by the United Nations.

Israeli strikes have killed more than 1,300 people since the ceasefire was announced last year, according to the Gaza health ministry, whose figures are considered generally reliable by the United Nations.

The Israeli army has identified five deaths in its ranks over the same period, as well as the death of one civilian contractor.

"Today I announced that I have decided not to continue with my candidacy for the position of secretary-general of the United Nations," Bachelet, who served as Chile's first female leader, said in a video posted on her social media accounts.

"Some may believe that the time was not right for a candidacy like the one I sought to represent. I do not regret having taken on this great challenge," she said.

Bachelet stressed that by running for the top UN post, she had helped spark debate "that the next secretary-general should be a woman from Latin America."

So far in three polls as part of the informal process to pick the next UN chief, the 15-member Security Council twice placed Costa Rica's former vice president Rebeca Grynspan in the lead.

Guyanese ex-foreign minister Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett placed first in the third poll.

Bachelet was initially nominated last February by the administration of then-president Gabriel Boric, and supported by the leftist leaders of Mexico and Brazil.

But the left-leaning 74-year-old's candidacy lost momentum after Chile's new leader, far-right President Jose Antonio Kast, withdrew his backing.

Earlier this month at a university event, Bachelet had appeared to recognize her underdog status, joking about her slim chances of leading the global body.

No woman has led the United Nations in its 80-year history, and only one Latin American has served as secretary-general: Javier Perez de Cuellar of Peru, at the helm from 1982 to 1991.

According to unwritten practice -- one that is not always followed -- the top position rotates among geographic regions. This time, it would be Latin America's turn.

Bachelet's withdrawal leaves four women and three men in the race to succeed the current UN chief, 77-year-old Antonio Guterres of Portugal, who completes his second five-year term on December 31.

Since returning to the White House in January 2025, Trump has repeatedly insisted that the United States needed to control Greenland for strategic reasons, alarming NATO ally Denmark and sparking fierce pushback from the alliance.

Denmark and Greenland -- an autonomous Danish territory -- both hailed the agreement and said they would sign it on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York next week.

"A long period of uncertainty will hopefully be replaced by a binding agreement that strengthens security in the Arctic and North Atlantic," Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said on social media.

The deal respected Denmark's "red lines" and was "important" in light of a changed security situation, he said.

- 'Danish sovereignty' -

While the terms are still unclear, Denmark maintains that its sovereignty remains intact.

Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said the agreement with Washington "recognises the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Kingdom and the Greenlandic people's right to self-determination".

It was "good for NATO and Europe", she said.

Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen said the deal "recognises Greenland's interests" and "strengthens" its security.

And French President Emmanuel Macron weighed in Saturday as well, saying the deal helps "to reaffirm Danish sovereignty" over the Arctic territory.

In Greenland's capital Nuuk, residents expressed ambivalence.

"I don't know exactly what the agreement is or what has been signed. But whenever the US and Trump are mentioned, I have mixed feelings. I'm not entirely comfortable with how much attention Greenland has right now," Soren Kreutzmann, a 29-year-old hairdresser, told AFP.

"We hope the leaders have made a good agreement, because our country needs to be protected, both from the air and sea. Denmark had not given that enough attention for many years," said Bibbi Kleist Jepsen, a 64-year-old educator.

Trump hailed the deal as an "'Infinite Life' Agreement, there is no end!" Washington would immediately start building up a large military presence in the territory, he added.

"From now on, no US adversary can EVER have a base in Greenland, have a military presence in Greenland, or make sensitive investments in Greenland, without our express written approval."

While Trump presented the deal as a major triumph, Danish commentators said he had likely gained little.

They noted that, under a 1951 defence pact updated in 2004, Washington was already able to ramp up its military presence on the island provided it informs Denmark and Greenland in advance.

"Shhh. Don't tell Trump that it's the Kingdom of Denmark that has prevailed," US correspondent Jacob Heinel Jensen wrote in Danish newspaper Berlingske on Saturday.

Ulrik Pram Gad, a researcher at the Danish Institute for International Studies, said Trump "obviously didn't get in this agreement what he originally set out to have, that is, sovereign control over all of Greenland as a part of the United States".

- China, Russia concerns -

Trump has repeatedly warned of Russia and China trying to establish a foothold in Greenland as a strategic battle unfolds for supremacy in a warming Arctic. The US State Department left no doubt that they would not be allowed to do so.

"This agreement guarantees that China and Russia cannot have a base in Greenland, they cannot send troops to Greenland, and the necessary mechanisms are in place to prevent investment in sensitive sectors," a State Department official said.

Gad noted that while Russia had little interest in Greenland, China was investing in extractive industries to get a foothold in the Arctic.

"The US is worried that any kind of Chinese footprint could be turned into military assets," he said.

Cautioning that the deal's details remained unknown, Gad said the worry is how "exclusive access" for the US to build bases in Greenland would affect NATO allies from Europe.

"Trump has been flirting with breaking up the NATO alliance... If Europe is an adversary, how would that position Europe, Denmark and Greenland in that situation?"

Several media outlets have reported that Washington wants to open three new military bases in southern Greenland, in addition to the Pituffik base it already has in the territory's north.

At the height of the Greenland dispute, Trump would not rule out using force to seize the territory of 57,000 inhabitants, sowing anxiety within the EU and NATO.

Tensions have since eased. In an apparent move to assuage Trump, NATO launched a mission to bolster security in the Arctic.

Following the meeting with Cook at the tech giant's headquarters on Saturday, Albanese said Australia "can't do it alone" when it came to protecting children from the dangers of the internet.

"We spoke about what we're doing to protect children from online harm and the work ahead," Albanese wrote on social media.

"We're putting stronger rules in place to keep Australians safe online," he said.

"And now, big tech companies like Apple are stepping up too."

Cook also said he shared with Albanese new "strong and intuitive controls to help keep kids safe online" in a post on X.

Australia implemented legislation barring under-16s from social media platforms last year, part of a world-first crackdown designed to protect children from online bullying and "predatory algorithms".

New draft laws unveiled this month would place a "duty of care" requirement on the firms behind popular platforms such as Facebook, TikTok and Instagram -- as well as allow users to turn off their algorithms if they want to.

Data last month found that under-16s in Australia were increasing their use of social media apps such as Instagram and TikTok despite the ban.

The draft laws will be introduced to parliament later this year after consultation with social media companies, industry bodies and civil society groups.

Albanese -- visiting the United States this week for the upcoming United Nations General Assembly -- has also used his trip to call for greater regulation of AI, following dire safety warnings from industry leaders.

Australia will introduce new standards for AI by the end of the year, he said.

"The risk is that AI develops in a way in which humans are no longer in control of what AI is producing," Albanese told national broadcaster ABC.

"How do we make sure that people are in control rather than the technology in control of us?"

Iraq's prisons, already packed with IS suspects, have received thousands more detainees transferred since last year from neighbouring Syria.

An Iraqi judicial source told AFP on Thursday that six French nationals were scheduled to stand trial on Sunday.

Their identities remain unclear, but they are part of a group of 47 French citizens transferred from Syria last year.

The larger group includes Adrien Guihal, who claimed responsibility for the 2016 Nice attack for IS.

The jihadist group swept across Syria and Iraq in 2014, committing massacres and forcing women and girls into sexual slavery.

Iraq, backed by US-led forces, proclaimed victory over IS in 2017, and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces ultimately defeated the group in Syria two years later.

Iraq is nonetheless still reckoning with the legacy left behind by the group, with mass graves and testimonies of IS brutality yet to be investigated.

For years, its courts have handed down hundreds of execution orders and life sentences to those convicted of terrorism offences, including foreign fighters.

- Contentious issue -

In 2019, 11 French nationals received death sentences that were later commuted to life in prison.

Some human rights groups have denounced terrorism trials in Iraq as rushed and lacking due process.

In France, which has been the target of repeated jihadist attacks, repatriation of IS suspects and their family members has been a contentious issue.

French lawyers on Thursday urged the repatriation of the French nationals detained in Iraq, warning that they could face the death penalty.

In February, over 5,700 IS detainees from more than 60 countries were transferred to Iraq by the United States, after years held in Syrian prisons overseen by Kurdish-led forces.

Among them were at least five French nationals, some of whom were minors when their parents joined IS.

Earlier this month, Iraq's judiciary said it had completed their interrogation and that the cases would proceed to trial.

It added that more than 450 Syrians would be released after investigations found no evidence warranting legal action against them.

In April, Iraq handed over two detained foreigners, from Finland and the United States, to their countries after they were cleared of suspicion.

Merz, 70, has scheduled a crisis meeting of his centre-right CDU party leadership to discuss first results as they come in from the regional polls in Berlin and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.

The chancellor, in power for 16 months, has also cleared his calendar for the following days and skipped a trip to the UN General Assembly to deal with potential aftershocks from the votes.

The far-right, pro-Trump and Moscow-friendly Alternative for Germany (AfD) dealt a stunning defeat to his CDU two weeks ago in the state of Saxony-Anhalt, fuelling speculation that internal party support for Merz is wobbling.

The election debacle came as Merz's approval ratings have nose-dived and he has struggled to push through promised economic and social welfare reforms with his centre-left coalition partners the SPD.

The AfD will make fresh gains Sunday, polls suggest, although it is unlikely to come within reach of power in either state -- unlike in Saxony-Anhalt where it fell just a few seats short of an absolute majority.

Under-fire Merz received some badly needed support from CDU powerbrokers on Wednesday. Eight state premiers declared jointly that Germany needs "stability now more than ever" rather than "discussions about personnel".

They refrained from issuing a personal endorsement for Merz, however.

- Two tight races -

In Sunday's vote, the CDU faces different challenges unique to those regions.

In the northeastern coastal state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Merz's party is an onlooker to the main battle between the SPD of popular state premier Manuela Schwesig and the AfD.

While the AfD was polling at 36 percent against the SPD's 37, according to public broadcaster ZDF, Merz's CDU, at just six percent, was dangerously close to the five-per cent hurdle needed to stay in the state parliament.

A CDU crash below that line would be a historic first and heap enormous pressure on Merz.

In the city-state of Berlin, the ruling CDU is running a neck-and-neck race against the far-left Die Linke, which promises drastic steps to solve a dire housing crisis and is popular with young people.

A CDU defeat there would be another black eye for Merz -- especially at the hands of Die Linke, which wants to curb corporate power and leans toward Moscow.

When Merz took office in May last year, he vowed to reboot a flagging economy, rebuild the military to deter Russia, and reduce irregular immigration to soothe voters' fears and lure them away from the AfD.

But the AfD now leads nationwide polls and Merz's personal approval ratings hover just above 10 percent, not helped by his occasionally blunt and abrasive comments.

- Lowest support ever -

"In personal terms, the situation is quite dramatic" for Merz, said pollster Roland Abold of the Infratest Dimap research institute.

"In our last survey in September, 13 percent were still satisfied with his political performance. These are the lowest figures we have ever recorded for an incumbent chancellor," Abold told AFP.

Some commentators point out that most of Merz's problems have originated abroad.

The Ukraine and Middle East wars have sent energy prices surging, fuelling a cost of living crisis.

Worries about Russia have driven a massive German re-armament drive, sped up by US President Donald Trump's often hostile stance against European NATO allies.

And China's rapid rise is turning a long-time German export market into a fierce industrial competitor.

"Tough luck for Friedrich Merz," wrote Berenberg bank chief economist Holger Schmieding. Aside from the AfD challenge, the latest "surge in petrol prices and the public debate about his future are exacerbating his travails", he argued.

Trump and Russia's Vladimir Putin "have triggered the crises that have sent oil and gas prices into the stratosphere", Schmieding pointed out.

"But although parts of the right-wing AfD are close to both of them... voters tend to lay the blame for their pain at the ruling coalition led by Merz rather than at the friends of AfD."

Nonetheless, Schmieding judged it more likely than not that Merz would weather the current political storm and serve out his term until 2029.

Here are some of the key issues the pontiff is expected to face while on the first official visit to France by a head of the Catholic Church in 18 years:

- Clerical abuse -

The Vatican announced in August that Pope Leo XIV will meet victims of clerical sexual abuse during his visit.

The leader of the world's 1.4 billion Catholics has promised to further efforts to reform the Church in the wake of the global sexual abuse scandal.

A 2021 inquiry found that clergy or lay members of the Church had abused about 330,000 people as minors in France, over the span of 70 years.

The Church's reputation has since been hit by further scandals, including a raft of sexual abuse accusations against charity icon Abbe Pierre and widespread physical and sexual abuse at the Notre-Dame de Betharram school in southwestern France.

The first pontiff from the United States is due to meet seven victims on September 27 in the southwestern town of Lourdes, including a former student at Betharram.

The format has been heavily criticised by victim support groups and is similar to one used in Spain in June, where Pope Leo promised the Church would make "additional efforts" to change.

- Assisted dying law -

France's parliament in June passed legislation establishing a right to assisted dying for some adults suffering from an incurable condition.

The move drew strong criticism from the Catholic Church in France, which denounced the bill as a serious "rupture".

Cardinal Jean-Marc Aveline, head of the French bishops' conference, said on Tuesday that "the defence of the dignity of human life is at the heart of the Pope's message".

"How will he convey this in France? We shall see," he added.

Martin Dumont, the secretary-general of a religion research institute in France, said it was possible Pope Leo would raise the subject.

"But I would be very surprised if he took a confrontational stance," Dumont said, suggesting the pope could instead highlight the need to care for the elderly and vulnerable.

- Presidential election -

France is just seven months away from the first round of its presidential election, making Pope Leo's visit unusual as pontiffs rarely travel to a country so close to a major vote.

The trip comes as far-right leader Marine Le Pen's anti-immigration National Rally party views next year's contest, when President Emmanuel Macron steps down, as its best chance yet to take power.

Migration, which is set to be a hot-button issue in the election, was a key focus on Pope Leo's trip to Spain in June, where he condemned "indifference" towards migrants.

In France, he is due to visit an association providing support for migrants, a "strong signal", according to Dumont.

- Europe's role -

Pope Leo's trip will be the first papal state visit to France since Benedict XVI's in September 2008.

Coming after his visit to Spain, it highlights the pope's interest in engaging with historically Catholic but increasingly non-religious European countries that were largely overlooked by his predecessor, Francis.

Pope Leo is due to deliver several speeches, including at the UN culture agency UNESCO and in the northeastern city of Metz, near the German border.

His programme in Metz includes a meeting entitled "To the roots of Europe for peace and unity".

While he is unlikely to single out any political actors during his visit to France, his message will inevitably carry political weight, said Charles Mercier, a director at France's Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes.

"By choosing to defend European integration, the Pope is already giving his visit a political direction," said Mercier.

The pope also places considerable importance on multilateralism and sees Europe as a counterweight to global powers, said Francois Mabille, director of the Geopolitical Observatory on Religion.

That includes "Europe's role in relation to what he calls 'imperial logics' -- namely the United States, China and Russia," Mabille said.

With little information and no prior consultation, the Indigenous chieftain said her Aeta Hungey tribe was uncertain how much of their land could be affected or what will become of the livelihood it provides.

"There's still no clarity," Munoz told AFP inside the tribe's traditional meeting hall.

"What will happen to us? That's our biggest question."

In April, the United States announced that the Philippines had joined Pax Silica, a US-led effort to strengthen supply chains for semiconductors and rare earth elements and reduce participating countries' dependence on China.

The Philippines has designated a 1,620-hectare (4,000-acre) site in New Clark City in Tarlac province, north of Manila, for a manufacturing hub aimed at producing high-end components for use in artificial intelligence data centres.

The government estimates the initiative could attract up to $70 billion in investment and create about 190,000 jobs, a major boost to a country with more than three million unemployed people.

The project has a long timeline. No tenants have been confirmed.

Plans to domestically process the country's mineral resources could be even further away.

For about 1,000 Aetas, however, the prospect of displacement is already here.

In July, they received a letter from the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) warning that the project "could affect your occupied lands".

- 'Money runs out' -

Munoz said visiting BCDA employees told them to leave by December and relocate to an area about 16 kilometres (10 miles) from their current home, without providing a master plan showing which parts of theirancestral domains would be affected.

Munoz said the BCDA has offered them just 30 pesos ($0.48) per square metre for their lands, an offer all declined.

"Our lives, our livelihood and our culture are tied to this ancestral land," Munoz said.

"Land is more important. Money runs out."

The BCDA declined to address specific questions about the Aetas' situation and rejected a freedom of information request for the site's official boundary map and geospatial data.

It said the information was being "withheld temporarily until the official action is finalized or published".

At a Senate hearing last month, BCDA president Joshua Bingcang said the Aetas were living on government land. Like many Indigenous groups in the Philippines, they hold no land title.

Civic groups have also raised concerns about the project's environmental impact, particularly the demand for water and electricity in a country plagued by droughts and rotational power outages.

The US Statement Department told AFP that "environmental, water, energy, and community-impact studies" would inform the project's design.

"Before any major development happens, we expect rigorous stakeholder impact assessments will take place," a spokesperson said.

Bingcang told the Senate that investors would be required to build their own power and water systems.

- 'We have to open up' -

Alvin Camba, research director at an AI firm focused on supply chains and risk assessment, said Manila's close relationship with the United States could motivate investors to set up shop despite the power concerns.

Last month, reports said Washington planned to warn countries they could be excluded from Pax Silica if they joined a rival framework backed by Beijing.?

"This is where the advantage of the Philippines comes in. The Philippines is the least affected by Chinese capital in Southeast Asia," Camba told AFP, saying the country would offer foreign companies the ability to "disentangle" from China.??

For political economist Calixto Chikiamco, Pax Silica represents a "historic opportunity" for the Philippines to move beyond its traditional wheelhouse of microchip testing and packaging.

"We have to open up to foreign investment so that technology transfer (to the Philippines) will happen," he told AFP.??

- Sacrifices -

The BCDA has been conducting public consultations in Tarlac and nearby provinces, but the agency has yet to hold talks with her tribe, Munoz said.

The Aetas remain uncertain if the government would help them build new homes or provide land to cultivate for income if they are moved.

"I wish they would listen to us. They're just talking among themselves," she said, adding she worried her tribe would not be qualified for the sort of new jobs Pax Silica promised.

While a proponent of the initiative, Chikiamco said the government was doing "a terrible job" explaining the benefits and tradeoffs it represented.

Camba agreed: "I would actually advise the Philippine government to be very transparent about what's happening. A big problem is transparency."

Still, the benefits outweigh the risks, he said. ?

"Every country that has... jump-started development has had to make sacrifices," Camba said.?

But 63-year-old Munoz, who hopes to be buried in her tribe's traditional burial ground, said she would not leave, even if a backhoe flattened her home.?

"Why do we have to be the ones to sacrifice for the kind of development they want?" she asked.

There was no explanation from the administration why Trump was no longer returning on Sunday from Camp David, a secluded presidential complex in rural Maryland, as had been previously announced.

The change in plan came as the Saudi-led coalition fighting Yemen's Houthis said on Saturday that the Iran-backed group fired a ballistic missile at Riyadh at dawn, after a fire broke out near the Saudi capital's international airport.

The State Department and a string of US embassies issued security alerts to Americans.

The alerts cited "the potential for unforeseen escalation" and noted that "Iranian-supported Houthis have engaged in hostilities against Saudi Arabia, including civilian airports."

"This military conflict has the potential to escalate rapidly," the State Department warning said. "Americans outside the Middle East should seriously reconsider travel to and through the region."

Only a tiny fraction of Americans are transgender.

But controversy over the minority's rights, especially the presence of a handful of transgender athletes in women's sports, has proved political dynamite in Trump's hands before -- and, he says, will again.

Denouncing transgender athletes is "one of our great soundbites of all time," he recently told a rally.

"I like to wait about a week before the election" before raising it, he said, claiming that he was "petrified" that Democrats would suddenly drop their support for transgender people.

- 'For they/them' -

Polling tends to favor Republican positions on several key transgender issues, which provoke intense emotions and fuel heated debate online and on partisan television.

It was two years ago, locked in a bitter presidential race with Kamala Harris, that Trump's campaign released a devastatingly effective television ad depicting his Democratic opponent as promoting taxpayer-funded sex changes in prisons.

The narrator famously concludes that "Kamala is for they/them. President Trump is for you."

Many experts credit the ad with helping turn the tide in some of the tightest electoral battlegrounds.

"It was brutal, it was devastating," said Gavin Newsom, California's Democratic governor and an outspoken Trump opponent. "It was a great ad."

- 'Appease and please everybody' -

For much of the 2010s and into the 2020s, Democrats heavily embraced social justice issues, rallying supporters and scoring major wins on matters like legalizing gay marriage nationwide.

But on transgender issues, Democrats hit a wall of opposition.

Years of campaigning on the issues did little to shift the American public while leaving a smorgasbord of problematic soundbites for Republican ad makers to exploit.

The nonpartisan Pew Research Center found in 2025 that 73 percent of American adults were uncomfortable with transgender athletes playing on sports teams that don't match their birth sex. Sixty-six percent favored a law or policy requiring trans athletes to compete on teams that matched their birth sex.

Kurt Bardella, a former Republican staffer who now advises Democrats, told AFP: "I think that Democrats fell into the classic mistake of just being afraid of their own shadow."

"In trying to appease and please everybody, they actually alienated the majority of Americans," he added.

Democrats "lose sight of how many people they actually offend with some of this stuff," Doug Heye, a veteran Republican strategist, told AFP.

"If you look at the polling on the issue it's pretty broadly in Republicans' favor and a reason that they've been as aggressive as they have on this," Heye added.

- Reopening the playbook -

As campaigning hits full steam ahead of November's polls, Republicans are reigniting the issue.

Axios reported that Elon Musk's "America PAC" has begun an ad blitz attacking Democrats over their unpopular transgender positions in an effort to drive Republican voter turnout.

"Tired of grown men dunking on female athletes?" the narrator of one ad asks as what appears to be a drag queen slams a basketball through a hoop. "James Talarico voted to let biological men play women's sports. Not fair. Not safe. Not Texas."

Talarico, a Democrat locked in a tight race to represent Texas in the US Senate, voted in 2021 and 2023 as a state lawmaker against restrictions requiring transgender athletes to compete according to their sex at birth.

Like many other Democrats competing this election cycle, he now says he opposes "trans athletes playing in girls' sports if it endangers safety or fairness."

The reemergence of the issue frustrates Democratic strategist Bardella.

After all, estimates put the number of American adults who identify as transgender at a mere one percent.

"It's also the height of how idiotic this timeline is that we're allowing an issue that affects such a minute group of people -- that is statistically insignificant, frankly -- to hijack this amount of the conversation," he said.

Sheeran, 35, has denied being behind the decision to remove Macklemore, instead blaming the tour promoter.

"What is happening in Gaza is catastrophic and unjustifiable and disproportionate," Sheeran said as he opened his show in Philadelphia, his first since the controversy involving rapper Macklemore.

The US artist had declared "Free Palestine" at a New Jersey concert this month, drawing backlash from owners of stadiums hosting future Loop Tour dates.

Four supporting acts subsequently walked out on the "Shape of You" singer, issuing public statements citing their support for Palestinians.

"I've had to take and make difficult decisions, and I am making mistakes, and I'm so so sorry," an emotional Sheeran told his audience, who responded with cheers.

Sheeran had been accused by critics of failing to stand up to the stadium owners -- led by billionaire businessman Robert Kraft -- and was targeted by boycott calls.

A few dozen pro-Palestinian protesters rallied outside Lincoln Financial Field ahead of the concert, waving Palestinian flags and chanting "Free, free Palestine."

Officers in a dozen police cars kept watch over the peaceful gathering from a distance.

Some of the fans streaming into the stadium said they had hesitated about coming due to the controversy, but ultimately decided to attend and enjoy the music.

But others like Brandon Ateke changed their plans.

The 18-year-old Brown University student accused Sheeran of "complicity" with Kraft and others in silencing Macklemore.

"I decided to not attend the concert and instead attend the protest to bring light to the genocide going on in Gaza today," he told AFP.

At a time when a growing number of artists are speaking out against the conflict in Gaza and West Bank settler violence, Sheeran had until now maintained an apolitical stance.

"I have my personal views on this devastating conflict. Just because I choose not to speak publicly, it doesn't mean I don't have them," the British performer said Tuesday on Instagram.

However, he said, "those who come to my shows do not expect a political forum."

On Saturday, a pro-Palestinian group urged artists, fans and crew members to stay away from Sheeran's concerts.

"We now extend our call for boycotting Ed Sheeran's entire world tour, including the upcoming Latin American dates, and the as-yet-unannounced European leg," the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI) said.

- Solo show? -

Sheeran started his show Saturday night alone on stage, without an opening act.

The groups that quit the tour included Sheeran's backing band as well as performer Finneas, who rose to fame collaborating with his pop superstar sister Billie Eilish.

Since Israel invaded Gaza in October 2023 following the worst attack on the country in its history by militant group Hamas, the toll on Palestinians and the wider issue of Palestinian rights have emerged as a rallying cry in the entertainment industry.

From the Oscars to the Emmys, top music awards ceremonies and European film festivals, the Gaza war has frequently pushed its way onto the agenda.

The massive Israeli offensive in Gaza has killed more than 73,800 people, according to the Gaza health ministry, which is under Hamas authority and whose figures are considered reliable by the United Nations.

On Saturday, Gaza authorities said the latest Israeli fire had killed at least four people, including a 10-year-old girl.

"Confirmed intelligence revealed the vessel's active involvement in narco-trafficking. The operation killed four narco-terrorists," SOUTHCOM, which commands US forces in the region, said in a statement, along with a grainy video of the attack on the boat

The US military launched operation "Southern Spear" in early September, with President Donald Trump arguing Washington is effectively at war with drug cartels operating out of Latin America.

Since then, more than 200 people have been killed in strikes in the Caribbean Sea and Eastern Pacific Ocean, according to a tally by AFP.

Trump's administration has not provided definitive evidence that the vessels it has been striking are involved in drug trafficking.

Legal experts and rights groups say the strikes could amount to extrajudicial killings.

According to SRB sources, the arrestee was identified as Al Helal, 32, son of Ruhul Amin of Moktarpur village under Charghat Upazila.

Acting on a tip-off, an operational team of SRB-5 Sadar Company conducted a drive at the house of Al Helal at 3:40 am and arrested him along with 880 yaba tablets hidden behind a TV hanging on the wall.

During preliminary interrogation, the accused admitted that he had been collecting illegal narcotic yaba tablets through various means for a long time and buying and selling them in the area. He also admitted that he had kept the tablets in his custody for sale, the SRB said.

A case has been filed against the accused with Charghat Police Station.

Dhaka Metropolitan Senior Special Judge Shahjahan Kabir passed the order as the investigating agency, the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), failed to submit the report today.

The ACC on October 12, 2025, filed the case against 17, including ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina.

The other accused in the case are Amir Hossain Amu, Tofail Ahmed, Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain, Obaidul Quader, Anisul Huq, MA Mannan, MAN Siddique, Md Faruq Jalil, Mohammad Shafiqul Karim, Md Firoz Iqbal, Ibne Alam Hasan, Md Aftab Hossain Khan, Md Abdus Salam, Munir Uz Zaman Chowdhury, Selina Chowdhury and Ikram Iqbal.

According to the case documents, Computer Network Systems Ltd (CNS) was given the contract through a single-source tender, bypassing competitive bidding, in 2016. CNS was given a five-year contract with a service charge of 17.75 per cent of total toll revenue. As a result, it received more than Taka 489 crore in bills-much higher than comparable contracts.

Moni arrived at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport here at 12:50 pm on a Biman Bangladesh Airlines flight BG-136 from Saudi Arabia, accompanied by his wife.

Earlier, the Chief Whip left Dhaka for Saudi Arabia on September 14 to perform the holy Umrah.

"Light to moderate rain/thunder showers accompanied by temporary gusty wind is likely to occur at many places over Dhaka, Rajshahi, Mymensingh, Khulna, Barishal & Chattogram divisions and at a few places over Rangpur & Sylhet divisions," said a Met office bulletin issued this morning.

Besides, it said, moderately heavy to heavy falls may occur at places over the country.

Mild heatwave is sweeping over Sylhet division and the districts of Gopalganj, Narayanganj, Bogura, Netrokona, Cumilla, Chandpur, Lakshmipur, Feni, Chattogram, Khulna, Satkhira & Barishal, and it may abate, the bulletin said.

Day temperature may fall slightly and night temperature may remain nearly unchanged over the country.

The highest temperature on Saturday was 37 degrees Celsius in Ramgati and Netrokona, while today's minimum temperature is 21.4 degrees Celsius in Narayanganj.

In the last 24 hours (till 06 am today), the highest 82 millimetre rainfall occurred in Narayanganj.

The sun sets at 5:57 pm today and rises at 5:47 am tomorrow in Dhaka.

Firefighters extinguished a blaze on a fuel tank with the logo of Saudi oil giant Aramco at a fuel depot near Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport, an AFP journalist saw. Footage shared online and verified by AFP showed a column of black smoke above airport buildings.

In recent weeks, Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi movement has staged a lightning offensive, seizing swathes of territory in one of the world's poorest countries, leaving the internationally recognised government, which is backed by Saudi Arabia, scrambling to respond.

Saudi Arabia's air force "successfully intercepted and destroyed a ballistic missile launched by the Houthi terrorist militia towards the city of Riyadh at dawn on Saturday," coalition spokesman Turki al-Malki posted on X.

He said the Houthis also tried to target "civilians and civilian infrastructure in Bisha, Taif, Farasan, and Yanbu," adding that the attacks "were thwarted by the Gulf monarchy's air defences".

Saudi Arabia has responded with scores of airstrikes on Houthi-held areas but failed to stop the advance.

The Houthis said it had responded to recent Saudi attacks by carrying out "two successful military operations using a large number of ballistic and cruise missiles and drones," Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said in a statement on Telegram.

"The first targeted sensitive sites in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, and the second targeted Aramco facilities in Yanbu."

Saudi authorities had earlier issued an overnight air raid alert.

Hours after the early morning alert, residents told AFP on condition of anonymity that they heard what sounded like a round of explosions echoing through parts of the Saudi capital.

Tracking website FlightRadar24 reported "major problems" at Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport, listing it for a while under its maximum disruption index, before normal traffic began to resume.

The US State Department and its embassies around the region issued a security alert Saturday, warning of conflict that "has the potential to escalate rapidly".

"Iranian-supported Houthis have engaged in hostilities against Saudi Arabia, including civilian airports," it said.

- Lightning offensive -

This is the first time since Yemen's civil war resumed that strikes have threatened the Saudi capital, piling further pressure on a global economy already rocked by seven months of war between the US and Iran.

"The area is under a hostile aerial threat," according to a message received just before 3:00 am by Riyadh residents, urging them to stay indoors.

AFP journalists then heard two explosions, before the Saudi civil defence agency lifted the alert half an hour later.

"I heard the alarm, then my windows shook," a Riyadh resident, 27, living in the city's north, told AFP. "It was definitely scary. I was not expecting this."

Another resident described the attack as "terrifying".

The incident comes days after Riyadh accused the Houthis of targeting Mecca on Wednesday, denouncing it as a "cowardly terrorist attack" on Islam's holy city, which welcomes millions of pilgrims each year. The Houthis strongly denied the accusation, calling it a "worn-out lie".

The group has reported scores of retaliatory strikes carried out daily by Riyadh since their offensive this month to take over the country's entire Red Sea coast, giving them control over the vital Bab al-Mandab strait.

The United States, according to US news platform Axios, last week refused a Saudi request to strike the Houthis.

On Thursday, Washington approved a $24.3 billion sale of 48 F-35 fighter jets to the kingdom to help Riyadh "deter current and future threats", the US State Department said.

- 'Escalation trap' -

Anna Jacobs of the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington told AFP that Saudi Arabia was entering into a phase of escalation with the Houthis "but they know the only way this ends is through negotiations".

"But both sides have a say in when that can happen and both sides seem locked in the escalation trap at this stage."

The United Nations said the renewed fighting had displaced more than 112,000 people while nearly 3,000 others had fled across the sea to Djibouti.

War in Yemen broke out in 2014 when the Houthis seized control of the capital Sanaa and other regions, triggering a military intervention led by Saudi Arabia in March 2015.

The fragile truce reached in 2022 between the warring parties collapsed in July, when the Houthis defied Riyadh's control of Yemeni airspace by allowing an Iranian aircraft to land in Yemen.

The apparent attack came as the Houthis improve their defences in newly conquered territory along Yemen's Red Sea coastline, with members of the group telling AFP they have been installing radar and digging tunnels.

Outgoing Chinese Ambassador Yao Wen disclosed this during his farewell call on State Minister for Foreign Affairs Humaiun Kobir at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs today, said a foreign ministry’s press release here.

The ambassador said the IDCPC minister has close connections with Bangladesh, as his father had served as China’s ambassador to the country and presented his credentials to the then-president Shaheed Ziaur Rahman.

During the meeting, Kobir appreciated Yao’s role in strengthening Bangladesh-China relations and acknowledged his contribution to the successful visit of Prime Minister Tarique Rahman to China.

The state minister said that during Yao’s tenure, bilateral relations had been elevated to the Shared Community level, while several mechanisms, including a state minister-level 2+2 dialogue, were set to commence.

Yao said it had been a great honour to serve in Bangladesh for three years and nine months and reaffirmed that China would continue supporting the country’s development journey.

He also congratulated Foreign Minister Dr Khalilur Rahman on his election as President of the United Nations General Assembly, describing it as a proud moment for Bangladesh.

Kobir expressed confidence that Bangladesh-China relations would continue to deepen.

He thanked the ambassador for his service, wished him success in his new assignment and expressed hope that their paths would cross again.

"In his address, the premier will outline Bangladesh's renewed democratic journey and the government's positions on key national and global challenges," Foreign Secretary Asad Alam Siam told a press conference at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs today.

He said, "The Prime Minister will highlight the country's democratic transformation, the rule of law and accountability, global peace and security, climate change, sustainable development and economic cooperation."

The Prime Minister will also focus on the empowerment of youth and women, education and health, the Rohingya crisis, equitable use of modern technology and reform of the multilateral system, added the Foreign Secretary.

The head of the government is scheduled to depart New York for home on the night of September 25.

The Foreign Secretary said Bangladesh's participation in this year's session carries special significance, as it will be the incumbent government's first appearance at the United Nations' highest global forum.

The session will allow the government to present its political commitments and vision for Bangladesh's future to the international community, he said.

This will also be Tarique Rahman's first participation in the UN General Assembly as Prime Minister, while Bangladesh's Foreign Minister will preside over the same session, making it a rare, historic and proud occasion for the country.

The Prime Minister will begin his official engagements on September 22 by attending a welcome breakfast hosted by UN Secretary-General Ant¢nio Guterres for heads of state and government.

He will subsequently join other world leaders at the opening of the session and attend a reception hosted by the US President in honour of heads of state and government and their spouses in the evening.

On September 23, the premier will exchange views with representatives of international charitable and humanitarian organisations at a breakfast meeting.

Later, he will address a meeting on tackling the global inequality crisis, jointly organised by Brazil, South Africa, Norway and Spain.

He will also attend a high-level meeting titled "Climate Action and the Just Transition," convened at the initiative of the UN Secretary-General.

On the same day at a side event on the Rohingya crisis, he will seek effective international cooperation to ensure the earliest possible repatriation of the forcibly displaced Rohingyas to Myanmar.

At the climate-related meetings, he will articulate Bangladesh's position as a climate-vulnerable country, with particular emphasis on climate finance, adaptation, technology transfer, loss and damage, and climate justice.

On September 24, the Prime Minister will deliver the opening remarks at a high-level meeting on the existential threats posed by sea-level rise.

The Prime Minister will also attend two important side events hosted by Bangladesh.

He will address another side event on maternal and newborn health and midwifery as the chief guest on the same day.

Tarique Rahman will highlight the new government's initiatives and future plans for protecting maternal and child health and stress the importance of skilled and professionally trained midwifery services.

On the sidelines of the UNGA, the premier is scheduled to hold bilateral meetings with the Crown Prince of Kuwait and the prime ministers of Croatia, Bhutan, Thailand, Pakistan and Haiti.

The talks are expected to cover political and economic relations, trade and investment, development cooperation, the Rohingya crisis and other issues of mutual interest.

The Prime Minister is also scheduled to meet the UN Secretary-General, the President of the European Council, the President of the World Bank Group, the UN Secretary-General's Special Envoy on Myanmar, and the UN high commissioners for refugees and human rights.

He is also expected to meet the President of the International Peace Institute.

As part of the government's economic diplomacy, the premier will hold meetings with senior representatives of Meta, Wall Street and several other business organisations.

The discussions will focus on Bangladesh's investment environment, opportunities in manufacturing, infrastructure and technology, human-resource and skills development, and quality employment for young people.

The Foreign Secretary expressed hope that the visit would project the new government's journey globally and create opportunities to expand Bangladesh's bilateral and multilateral cooperation.

The government seeks to convey to the world the message of a democratic, confident, responsible, peace-loving and promising Bangladesh, he added.

Saturday's gala at the 30,000-capacity stadium officially launched the continent's premier sporting event, with Japan's emperor and empress in attendance.

Fireworks brought the show to a rousing conclusion, but while parts of the arena were full, others were noticeably devoid of people.

Olympic Council of Asia director general Husain Al-Musallam said they had to keep one block empty because of the Games flame.

"This is one part," he told reporters, adding that more than 70 percent of tickets were sold.

That contrasted with an announcement at the Mizuho Park Athletic Stadium that said the ceremony was sold out.

"But maybe if you remember, it was a typhoon warning coming to Nagoya and at the last minute the typhoon shifted," Al-Musallam added.

"So the same question I've been asked, what happens if the typhoon is coming? That could affect the situation."

There was no rain during the ceremony and the storm, having days earlier shaped as a potential threat to the Games, made a greater impact in the Tokyo region.

There was heavy rain there on Sunday, where some Games events are being hosted -- notably the swimming -- with possible wet weather forecast for Nagoya later Sunday and Monday.

Japan's Takumi Hojo won the men's individual triathlon in Gamagori city near Nagoya with China's Zhang Xirui second and Kazakhstan's Arlan Zhanabay taking bronze.

It was the first of 469 gold medals to be awarded at a two-week spectacle that has more athletes than the Olympics.

Action also began in the swimming pool, where Yu Zidi, who does not turn 14 until next month, was fastest by far in the women's 200m butterfly heats.

Teenager Yu was almost 2.70 seconds quicker than compatriot Chang Mohan and will be a hot favourite to take her first major gold in Sunday evening's final.

The Games were officially declared open on Saturday by Japan's Emperor Naruhito but there were a large number of empty seats at the 30,000-capacity stadium in Nagoya.

It sounded the starting pistol on two weeks of intense action as the continent's finest athletes compete in more than 40 sports before the curtain comes down on October 4.

The event in Nagoya and Aichi prefecture has 2028 Olympics places up for grabs but has been dogged by a series of problems in the build-up.

Accommodating the more than 11,000 athletes and 6,000 officials has stretched organisers to the limit after they decided not to have a traditional athletes' village to save money.

Competitors instead are staying in a combination of temporary container-style huts, hotels and cruise ship the Costa Serena.

There was a record deluge last week which flooded parts of Nagoya and a typhoon is due to skirt the area on Sunday night threatening further disruption.

Some athletes were left stranded at the airport when transport failed to turn up and several teams have complained about the quality of the huts, including the beds being too short.

And Games organisers were forced to offer "deepest apologies" after North Korea's national anthem was played on Friday for South Korea's men's hockey team before a preliminary match.

Triathlete Hojo finished the 750m swim, 20km bike ride and 5,000m run in 52min 56sec, nine seconds clear of Zhang with Zhanabay a further six seconds behind in third.

"As it's our first gold medal, it's given the Japanese team a real boost," said the 30-year-old Hojo, whose win will qualify him for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.

"I was really fired-up. Even the rain held off, and I was in top form right up until I stood on the starting line," added Hojo, who also won the Asian Games test triathlon a year ago on the same course.

"(I knew) it'd be tough, but (I thought) I'll push myself, and if it works, I think it'll be a good race."

As always at the Asian Games -- which started in 1951 -- Olympic staples such as athletics and swimming will sit side-by-side with regional favourites like sepak takraw and kabaddi.

There will be eSports, breakdancing and BMX cycling. Padel and MMA will make their Asian Games debuts.

With both sides holding perfect records heading into the top-two clash in the capital, it was an early season glimpse of what may well be the Scudetto race this term.

Gian Piero Gasperini's Roma have arguably been the most impressive team in Italy so far this season, with Donyell Malen's free-scoring form and a miserly defence giving them four wins from four.

Manu Kone's double had given Roma a 2-0 lead at half-time but for the second time in a week Cristian Chivu's side, inspired by Martinez's brace, showed mettle as the champions fought back from such a deficit.

"There is a lot of positivity in this side, both teams could've won it," Gasperini told DAZN.

"I think we played on level terms... This match must give us confidence going forward."

Following the announcement earlier in the day of the death of Sandro Mazzola at the age of 83, both sides paid hommage to the former Inter Milan and Italy playmaker prior to kick-off, with the Nerazzurri also sporting black armbands.

Roma raced out of the blocks as Kone sent them ahead with less than six minutes on the clock when he readjusted his body well to rifle home Nahuel Molina's knockdown.

It was the France midfielder's first goal of the season as Inter again made a sluggish start that will worry coach Chivu.

The champions had also bounced back from being 2-0 down inside the opening 16 minutes at home to Udinese to emerge 5-3 winners on Monday.

But Inter were not at the races for most of the opening period at the Stadio Olimpico as Paulo Dybala twice threatened to double the hosts' advantage.

A clever Curtis Jones pass then presented Alessandro Bastoni with a chance at goal seven minutes later, but the Inter defender thrashed the ball against the post from a tight angle.

However, just as Inter slowly seemed to be waking up, Kone had the ball in the net again when he tucked in from close range at the back post on 37 minutes.

His celebrations were initially cut short by the assistant's flag before VAR intervened and, after a lengthy review, referee Davide Massa pointed to the centre circle as the 25-year-old skipped off in delight after notching the sixth Serie A goal of his career.

- Inter awaken -

Former Inter defender Chivu delivered some choice words to his charges at half-time, which will "remain between me and the players", the Romanian said.

"I will focus on the second half, which in terms of attitude, grit and character was remarkable," Chivu added. "We were up against a great opponent, we know what Roma represent, and it was an entertaining match."

Inter captain Martinez halved the deficit less than a minute after the interval with a scuffed finish from Marcus Thuram's pull-back that just crept perfectly into the side netting of Mile Svilar's far post.

Dutch forward Malen came within a forehead's breadth of adding to his tally of six goals in the 68th minute with a slick touch and turn in a crowded box, only for his venomous strike to cannon to safety off Inter stopper Josep Martinez's brow.

Just as the match appeared to be petering out going into the final 10 minutes, a sudden goalmouth scramble saw Svilar make a sharp save before Martinez headed onto the bar under pressure.

Inter, however, managed to recycle the ball and it came back to the Argentine international inside the box and this time he made no mistake as he controlled with his thigh and arrowed a finish past the Serb to ensure the spoils were shared.

Lazio joined their city rivals Roma and Inter on 13 points after beating bottom-side Venezia, who remain pointless, 2-0.

A 51st-minute Mattia Zaccagni penalty, coupled with a Tijjani Noslin goal on the hour, was enough to earn Gennaro Gattuso's team a fourth win from five outings.

Elsewhere, Cagliari climbed to 12 points courtesy of a 1-0 win at Udinese, while Bologna and Torino played out a 1-1 draw in Emilia-Romagna.

Hansi Flick's side moved six points clear of Jose Mourinho's Real Madrid, who visit Atletico Madrid in a derby clash on Sunday.

The Spanish champions were given the biggest test of their season to date but overcame Sevilla at the Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan thanks to Raphinha's treble.

The Brazil international has started the season in sensational form, playing out of position as a central striker.

La Liga's top goalscorer, Raphinha reached 12 goals in seven league appearances with a second consecutive hat-trick.

"(Raphinha) had never played as a centre-forward, but the truth is he's having a great start to the season with great numbers, and I hope he keeps on scoring goals like this," Barca midfielder Fermin Lopez told Movistar.

"He's very good and can adapt to any position up front. We give him the balls and he scores the goals."

Barcelona sporting director Deco said the former Leeds winger had agreed to extend his stay at the club until 2030 ahead of the game, and Raphinha celebrated in style.

Flick handed Croatian goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic his debut in goal with Joan Garcia out injured.

Hosts Sevilla, fifth, started strongly, making Barca uncomfortable, and took the lead through Youssouf Fofana in the 19th minute.

Felix Correia escaped Eric Garcia and crossed for Fofana to nod home at the near post.

Teenage star Lamine Yamal almost pulled Barca level but Sevilla goalkeeper Odysseas Vlachodimos managed to push his curling effort against the post and out.

It was no surprise when the Catalans did equalise that it was Raphinha who was the man to score.

He cleverly shifted his body weight to escape a defender and slipped the ball home with a low finish.

- Relentless Raphinha -

Yamal sent another shot over and after Sevilla fans whistled him, goaded them to keep doing so.

Although the 19-year-old did not score himself, he did create Raphinha's next two goals.

Early in the second half Yamal crossed and Raphinha headed home to put Barca in front.

Arguably his best finish was yet to come, with Yamal sending Raphinha through, for the Brazilian to dink the ball over the goalkeeper. It was his 14th of the season between La Liga and the Champions League.

Barca missed several chances to extend their lead, with Anthony Gordon getting his feet wrong and a Dani Olmo free-kick beaten away.

Nevertheless Barca claimed an eighth win from eight games across all competitions this season, as they continue setting the pace in the Spanish top flight.

Sevilla fell to a second defeat of the season but left with their confidence intact after challenging Barca.

"We knew we were facing a tremendous opponent, one of the teams playing the best football in the world," Sevilla captain Gabriel Suazo told Movistar.

"We lacked energy in the second half but we competed until the end. We leave with our heads held high, having shown a good attitude."

Elsewhere Celta Vigo thrashed Racing Santander 5-0, Athletic Bilbao and Alaves drew 0-0 and Osasuna were held 1-1 by Rayo Vallecano.

The Czechs knocked out the Americans at the same second qualifying round stage in a decider at Delray Beach a year ago, when Jakub Mensik beat Frances Tiafoe to secure a surprise victory.

Tomas Berdych's men repeated the feat in similarly dramatic fashion, to the delight of a raucous home crowd in Prague, as Lehecka clinched a 6-3, 7-5 win over world number 13 Tien.

The USA are record 32-time winners of the competition but their wait for a first title since 2007 goes on.

The Czechs advance to the November eight-team finals in Bologna, where hosts Italy will bid for a fourth straight title.

"The wins in Davis Cup are always a little bit different because this is a team competition," said Lehecka.

After starting the day locked at 1-1, the USA nudged ahead as Christian Harrison and Austin Krajicek saved four match points to outlast Adam Pavlasek and Patrik Rikl in a thrilling 5-7, 6-3, 7-6 (10/8) win.

Mensik then fought back from a set down to keep the tie alive by defeating recent US Open runner-up Ben Shelton 5-7, 6-4, 6-3.

Shelton took a tense first set after saving a set point when trailing 5-4, reeling off the last three games.

Mensik created a set point at exactly the same stage of the second, but this time made no mistake with a booming forehand to level the match.

The 21-year-old, a semi-finalist at this year's French Open, forced the tie into a deciding rubber on his second match point in a tense final game.

Lehecka, who beat Shelton in straight sets on Friday, recovered after giving an early break back to take the first set.

Tien forged 3-0 ahead as he attempted to force the tie to a final set, but fell away and Lehecka clinched the win on his fourth match point.

"I must say it has been a great week. But, most importantly, we made it through as a team," Lehecka said. "Without Jakub winning against Ben, I would not have the chance to play the final match."

- History-making South Korea -

Earlier, South Korea made history by beating India 3-1 in Seoul.

Kwon Soon-woo brushed aside Sumit Nagal 6-1, 6-2 to clinch the decisive point for the Koreans, who won both Friday's singles rubbers before India triumphed in the doubles.

"I feel very proud for my country and every team I play against, I give my best," said Kwon.

Canada beat France 3-1 at Quebec City to reach the last eight.

Benjamin Bonzi and Pierre-Hugues Herbert beat Felix Auger-Aliassime and Duncan Chan 7-6 (7/4), 6-3 in doubles to keep France in the fight after two singles losses on Friday.

World number five Auger-Aliassime would not be denied, however, as he rallied to defeat France's Arthur Rinderknech 4-6, 7-6 (7/5), 6-4 to ensure Canada advanced.

The Canadians last won the Davis Cup in 2022 while France has not hoisted the trophy since 2017.

Austria booked their spot as Jurij Rodionov sealed a 3-1 win for the hosts in Vienna with a 7-6 (8/6), 6-3 victory over Zizou Bergs, Belgium's number one in the absence of Alexander Blockx.

Newly-crowned US Open champion Alexander Zverev gave Germany a 1-0 lead over Croatia in Halle, making a quick return to action as he beat Matej Dodig 6-4, 7-6 (7/3).

But Germany, who have not won the Davis Cup since 1993, were pegged back to end the first day level as Croatian youngster Dino Prizmic brushed aside Daniel Altmaier 6-4, 6-3.

Spain continued their tilt at a seventh title by seizing a 2-0 lead over Chile in Santiago courtesy of singles wins for Daniel Merida and Davis Cup debutant Rafael Jodar over Alejandro Tabilo and Cristian Garin, respectively.

Britain's Toby Samuel overcame Andres Andrade of Ecuador and Wimbledon semi-finalist Arthur Fery saw off Alvaro Guillen Meza as the hosts took a 2-0 advantage in London.

Hojo finished the 750m swim, 20km bike ride and 5,000m run in Gamagori city in 52min 56sec, nine seconds clear of China's Zhang Xirui who took silver with Kazakhstan's Arlan Zhanabay a further six seconds behind in third.

"As it's our first gold medal, it's given the Japanese team a real boost," said the 30-year-old Hojo, whose win will qualify him for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.

"I was really fired-up. Even the rain held off, and I was in top form right up until I stood on the starting line," added Hojo, who also won the Asian Games test triathlon a year ago on the same course.

"(I knew) it'd be tough, but (I thought) I'll push myself, and if it works, I think it'll be a good race."

Silver medallist Zhang was neck and neck with Hojo most of the way during the final 5,000m run, but in the end had to settle for silver.

"I am very happy, although disappointed to be behind Japan," said Zhang. "It is an honour for China."

Youngster Zhanabay was delighted to win a medal.

"I'm very satisfied with the result. Of course, I would like to win, but we have what we have," he said.

"I'm very proud because I'm only 20 and it's my first medal at the Asian Games."

On Saturday (September 19), a team from the Benapole Circle of the Directorate of Customs Intelligence and Investigation conducted an operation near the Zero Point adjacent to the Benapole Immigration area and detained the gold. The estimated market value of the seized gold is Tk 1.47 million (Tk 14.70 lakh).

According to the Directorate of Customs Intelligence and Investigation, the operation was conducted near Zero Point in the Benapole Immigration area after intelligence was received about preparations to smuggle gold into India. During the operation, a suspected India-bound passenger, Al Mamun, was detained and subjected to preliminary questioning.

During questioning, the passenger denied having any gold in his possession. Customs officials subsequently searched his belongings and various parts of his body using conventional methods, but found no trace of gold. However, as his movements and statements raised suspicion, customs intelligence officials decided to conduct an X-Ray examination for further verification.

The X-Ray examination detected the presence of a gold-like object inside the passenger’s rectum. After the finding was confirmed, he admitted during further questioning that he had been carrying gold concealed inside his body.

Subsequently, 82 grams of 24-carat gold was recovered. According to customs authorities, the estimated market value of the recovered gold is approximately Tk 1.47 million (Tk 14.70 lakh).

The Directorate of Customs Intelligence and Investigation said the recovered gold has been handed over to Customs House, Benapole, for further legal action.

Possible Involvement of a Smuggling Network Under Investigation

Customs intelligence officials said they are investigating whether the passenger acted alone or whether other individuals or an organized smuggling network were involved in the attempt to transport the gold across the border concealed inside his body.

Necessary information is being collected and verified to identify those involved in the incident. Authorities will also investigate the source of the recovered gold, the purpose of the attempted smuggling, and any individuals who may have been involved in transporting it to India, according to sources concerned.

Customs authorities said intelligence surveillance and passenger screening operations are continuing in the Benapole Immigration and land-port areas to prevent the illegal smuggling of gold across the border. Modern technological methods are also being used, when necessary, to examine suspicious passengers and detect potential smuggling attempts.

It may be noted that further action regarding the recovered gold will be taken in accordance with the applicable laws and regulations.

The delegation was warmly welcomed by Mostafa Kamal, Chairman and Managing Director of Meghna Group of Industries (MGI).

The delegation was led by Nicklas Kappe, MP, followed by Gerold Otten- Colonel (retd), MP, Johann Saathoff, MP, and Ursula Schauws, MP, along with Anja Katerina Elisabeth Bienert, accompanying officer from the Administration of the German Bundestag, and interpreter Max Doerfler.

The delegation was accompanied by Dr. Rüdiger Lotz, Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to Bangladesh, along with his senior officials from the German Embassy in Dhaka, including Olga Nowikow Winnen, Economic Attaché, Monika Reuter, Head of Political, Press and Culture, Miftahul Jannat, Political and Press Officer, and Mehrab Bin Tarek, Economic Affairs Officer, said a press release today.

The German delegation visited the key facilities and features of MIEZ, with special focus on two German-owned factories operating within the zone- CHT Bangladesh Limited and Siegwerk Bangladesh Limited. Most factories within MIEZ rely on German machinery and technology, underlining the deep industrial ties between the two nations.

Speaking on the occasion, Federal Parliament of Germany MP Nicklas Kappe, said, "It is encouraging to see the strong presence of German industry and technology at MIEZ. Visits like this reaffirm the depth of the economic partnership between Germany and Bangladesh, and we look forward to seeing this cooperation grow further in the years ahead."

MGI Chairman and MD Mostafa Kamal said, "I am honored to welcome a high-level parliamentary delegation from the German Bundestag, the federal parliament of Germany, to MIEZ. Germany has long been one of Bangladesh's key economic and development partners. This relationship is built on decades of cooperation in infrastructure, health, and energy, along with growing efforts in trade, investment, and human resource development."

He added, "MIEZ is Bangladesh's most modern private economic zone. It offers uninterrupted power, gas, and water supply, reliable security, waste management, and its own fire-fighting system. We invite our German investors to invest more here, and we assure them of full support and cooperation."

In addition to MIEZ, MGI is working on two other private economic zones available for investors: Cumilla Economic Zone and Titas Economic Zone.

The group has developed its economic zones as modern, investor-friendly hubs with comprehensive facilities and security systems. Apart from local industries, companies from Germany, Australia, Switzerland, Norway, Japan, India, China, Belgium, and the United States have already established factories in these zones.

"Digital inclusion and financial inclusion complement each other. Robust digital infrastructure and effective implementation of artificial intelligence (AI) can help ensure sustainable development," he said.

The Finance Minister made the remarks as the chief guest at a group dialogue titled "Financial Inclusion 2.0", organised by the Power and Participation Research Centre (PPRC) at a hotel in the capital, said a Finance Ministry press release.

He said uninterrupted and high-speed internet connectivity is essential to ensure the overall momentum of the digital economy.

"Without strong internet infrastructure, it is not possible to fully realise the benefits of digital finance," he said.

The minister said the government is taking steps to identify marginalised producers and artisans under the "One Village, One Product" programme and bring them under digital payment and banking services.

He said affordable smartphones are now being produced in the country, with devices available at prices ranging from Tk 4,000 to Tk 5,000, creating greater opportunities for farmers and ordinary people to use technology.

Farmers can now access information on weather, fertiliser requirements and market prices more easily through digital technology, he added.

He said the introduction of banking services for Family Cards, Farmer Cards and allowances for imams and priests is also automatically contributing to financial inclusion.

The finance minister stressed the need to ensure cybersecurity and appropriate policy safeguards or "guardrails" so that innovation does not stagnate amid rapid technological changes.

Dr Hossain Zillur Rahman moderated the dialogue, which was attended by heads of various banks, insurance companies and financial institutions.

"The banks, entrepreneurs, institutions and all stakeholders should work in a coordinated manner to implement the "One Village, One Product" concept for strengthening the rural economy by leveraging promising local entrepreneurs and products," he said.

The Governor said this while addressing as the chief guest a views exchange meeting held at the Bangladesh Bank office in Rangpur regarding effective implementation of the incentive package announced by BB for private sector development.

Rangpur office of Bangladesh Bank organised the event for the stakeholders of Rangpur region aiming to foster private sector development, create entrepreneurs, boost employment and revitalize the local economy.

Executive Director of BB Rangpur office Md Salah Uddin presided over the meeting.

Bankers, civil society representatives, entrepreneurs, businesspeople, farmers' representatives, heads of various government institutions, other stakeholders and journalists from Rangpur division participated in the event.

The participants shared their views, experiences and forwarded suggestions regarding private sector development, financing for entrepreneurs, expansion of local production and trade and effective implementation of the incentive package announced by BB.

The meeting placed special emphasis on the "One Village, One Product" concept, focusing on identifying promising local products and entrepreneurs, increasing production, expanding markets and ensuring necessary financing.

Discussions also covered branding and marketing locally produced goods with high potential to reach wider domestic and international markets, as well as bringing the relevant entrepreneurs under the banking umbrella.

The BB Governor called upon all stakeholders to work in a coordinated manner to implement the "One Village, One Product" concept for effective implementation of the incentive package announced by BB for private sector development.

He also advised using the hotline number 16236 for direct communication between customers and Bangladesh Bank.

He urged the concerned banks to take effective measures to ensure that the benefits of the incentive package announced by Bangladesh Bank reach genuine and deserving entrepreneurs.

At the same time, he put special emphasis on expanding markets for products manufactured by entrepreneurs, facilitating access to finance, and further invigorating local economic activities.

The meeting underscored the need for coordinated efforts among all stakeholders to foster initiatives such as establishment of cold storage facilities in Rangpur region, development of renewable energy, promotion of export-oriented agricultural and industrial products and human resource development.

The move follows a decision by Turkey's banking regulator over the Tehran-based bank, which provides financial support to Iran's government and is subject to US, EU and UK sanctions, according to OpenSanctions, an open-source database of information on sanctions-hit entities.

The Iranian government is also the largest shareholder of the bank, it said.

In revoking Bank Mellat's licence, the Turkish regulator cited article 71b of the banking law, which says the entity's "continued operation poses a threat to the rights of depositors and participation fund holders and to the security and stability of the financial system".

The move comes two weeks after Washington slapped sanctions on a Turkish bank over alleged ties to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

It was not immediately clear whether the two issues were related.

The country has suffered its worst economic crisis in four decades as the subsidy policy drained the treasury's international dollar reserves.

The Bolivian government centralizes gasoline and diesel imports, purchasing them at international prices and reselling them at a loss.

"We have decided that, starting today, diesel will cost the same as what we pay to purchase it abroad," President Rodrigo Paz said in an address broadcast on state television.

The government said this month it had agreed to end all fuel subsidies by 2027 under an agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on a $1.9 billion bailout.

The conditions of the loan include ending the generous fuel subsidies that had left a huge hole in the country's currency reserves, leaving the state short of money to import fuel and other essentials.

A decision on gasoline subsidies was still pending.

Soon after he took office in November last year, Paz announced he was eliminating the subsidies, raising domestic fuel prices to bring them into alignment with international prices.

But when the US-Israel war with Iran caused global oil prices to rocket, the government dug deep again to absorb the difference with the new domestic price.

Under the deal with the IMF, the government would no longer be allowed to keep fuel prices artificially low.

To cushion the impact, the government would increase spending on some social programs.

Paz recently doubled the price of diesel for large consumers such as farmers, arguing that cross-border fuel smuggling was causing fuel shortages.

The price hike sparked protests but there has not been a resumption yet of the mass anti-government protests and blockades that paralyzed parts of the country in May and June.

Wall Street stocks experienced a meandering day, with the Dow finishing modestly lower while the Nasdaq edged higher. Earlier, European bourses retreated.

While interest rate hikes are normally a headwind for equities, investors greeted the Federal Reserve's decision Wednesday to lift rates as a sign it is serious about countering inflation, analysts said.

"We have some relief that the Fed credibility is still in place but at the same time, that doesn't necessarily change the fact that yields continue to move higher at elevated levels and there is still a lot of geopolitical uncertainty," said Angelo Kourkafas of Edward Jones.

Those higher yields also act as incentive for investors to steer more funds towards bonds, said Cresset Capital Management's Jack Ablin.

"Right now we're sort of an edge because bond yields are offering a competitive rate against stocks," said Ablin, who described investors as fairly clear on where the Fed stands.

"There's a sense another rate or two are coming and then investors believe it will be finished," he said. "Investors are looking through the short-term rate hikes."

But markets were more decisively negative in Europe, where Frankfurt, London and Paris all lost around 1.5 percent.

The Bank of Japan raised interest rates to a three-decade high, but the yen sank against the dollar on fears the pace of hikes might be slower than expected.

The 25-basis-point hike to 1.25 percent was expected by markets following the recent tightening by the European Central Bank and the US Federal Reserve, though the decision was not unanimous as it was carried by a 7-2 majority vote.

Pressure has increased on officials to further tighten monetary policy as a spike in oil prices caused by the Middle East crisis -- which shows little sign of ending anytime soon -- is expected to keep putting upward pressure on inflation.

"For a market looking for evidence that the BoJ could shorten the distance between hikes, those dissents mattered," said Stephen Innes at Quintex Intel.

Oil prices pulled back on hopes that Saudi Arabia was moving to restore about half of crude shipments within days after they were disrupted by the stoppage of its East-West pipeline to the Red Sea, before paring losses. Yet both major crude contracts remain above $100 a barrel.

Among individual companies, Nike fell 2.3 percent after French star football player Kylian Mbappe signed with Swiss sportswear brand On, ending a long association with the US brand that stretched back to the start of his career.

- Key figures at around 2015 GMT -

New York - Dow: DOWN 0.2 percent at 51,682.64 (close)

New York - S&P 500: UP 0.2 percent at 7,650.50 (close)

New York - Nasdaq Composite: UP 0.4 percent at 26,522.56 (close)

London - FTSE 100: DOWN 1.5 percent at 10,659.13 (close)

Paris - CAC 40: DOWN 1.5 percent at 8,065.02 (close)

Frankfurt - DAX: DOWN 1.6 percent at 25,304.06 (close)

Tokyo - Nikkei 225: UP 1.4 percent at 65,018.95 (close)

Hong Kong - Hang Seng Index: UP 0.6 percent at 24,750.78 (close)

Shanghai - Composite: UP 0.9 percent at 3,911.87 (close)

Dollar/yen: UP at 156.73 yen from 155.97 yen on Thursday

Euro/dollar: UP at $1.1487 from $1.1476

Pound/dollar: UP at $1.3395 from $1.3359

Euro/pound: DOWN at 85.76 pence from 85.90 pence

West Texas Intermediate: DOWN 1.6 percent at $100.30 per barrel

Brent North Sea Crude: DOWN 0.9 percent at $103.87 per barrel

With this publication of the gazette, the government employees will receive arrears for the period from July 1 until the date of the gazette's publication.

The Finance Division issued the order on September 17, while the gazette was published today.

According to the notification, government employees will receive arrears under the new pay scale for the period from July 1, 2026, to the date of issuance of the official order.

The government approved the new pay scale on August 31, providing the largest pay increase for civil servants since independence. The new structure doubles the basic salary at the highest grade and raises the basic pay at the lowest grade by 142 percent.

The revised basic salaries will be implemented in phases.

For employees in Grades 10 to 20, 50 percent of the total increase in basic salary--the difference between the 2026 pay scale and their existing basic pay--will be added to the basic salary drawn on June 30, 2026, for the period from July 1 to December 31, 2026.

They will receive 75 percent of the increase from January 1 to June 30, 2027, while the full 100 percent adjustment under the new pay scale, along with annual increments, will come into effect from July 1, 2027.

For officials in Grades 1 to 9, 40 percent of the total basic salary increase will be effective from July 1 to December 31, 2026. The rate will rise to 70 percent from January 1, 2027, with the full adjustment taking effect from July 1, 2027.

All existing allowances will continue at the rates applicable on June 30, 2026, until December 31, 2027. The revised allowance rates under the new pay scale will take effect from January 1, 2028.

Pensioners will also receive increased benefits in phases, with arrears payable from July 1, 2026.

Festival and Bengali New Year allowances and other allowances will remain unchanged until December 31, 2027 and the revised rates will be introduced from January 1, 2028.

The previous national pay scale was introduced in 2015, when basic salaries were increased by 95 percent in the highest grade and 101 percent in the lowest grade.

Under the new pay structure, the basic salaries of officials in grades 1 to 10 will increase by up to 100 per cent. The basic salaries of government employees in grades 11 to 20 will increase by up to 142 per cent. Various allowances will also increase proportionately.

The gazette notification, issued under the title ''Jobs (Salary and Allowances) Order, 2026,'' sets the rate of house rent based on area and grade, among other factors.

According to the notification, employees working in grades ranging from the lowest step of grade-20 to the highest step of grade-16 in the North and South Dhaka City Corporation areas will receive house rent at 60 per cent of their basic salary.

The gazette notification states that the house rent rate is slightly lower for the City Corporations of Khulna, Rajshahi, Chattogram, Sylhet, Barishal, Narayanganj, Cumilla, Rangpur, Gazipur, Mymensingh, and Bogura, as well as the municipal areas of Savar and Cox's Bazar.

In these areas, employees from the lowest step of grade-20 to the highest step of grade-16 will receive house rent at 50 per cent of their basic salary.

In the same areas, employees from the lowest step of grade-15 to the highest step of grade-10 will receive 40 per cent, those from the lowest step of grade-9 to the highest step of grade-5 will receive 35 per cent, and those from the lowest step of grade-4 to grade-1 and above will receive house rent at 30 per cent of their basic salary.

For other areas, employees in grades ranging from the lowest step of grade-20 to the highest step of grade-16 will receive house rent at 45 per cent of their basic salary. Those in grades from the lowest step of grade-15 to the highest step of grade-10 will receive 35 per cent.

In addition, employees from the lowest step of grade-9 to the highest step of grade-5 will receive 30 per cent, and those from the lowest step of grade-4 to grade-1 and above will receive house rent at 25 per cent of their basic salary, according to the notification.

Earlier on 21 April, a 10-member committee headed by Cabinet Secretary Nasimul Ghani was formed to recommend the implementation of the new pay structure for government employees. The committee finalised the recommendations.

Nearly a decade after the Eighth Pay Commission, the interim government formed the 23-member Ninth National Pay Commission on 27 July 2025. The commission submitted its report to then Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus on 21 January this year. Former finance secretary Zakir Ahmed Khan headed the commission.

“Government officials are custodians of public resources. They must have responsibility, proper plan and effective mechanism to implement a project effectively,” he said.

The minister said this at a discussion on the development activities of LGED at the LGED Bhaban in the city’s Agargaon area, said a press release.

State Minister for LGRD and Cooperatives Mir Shahe Alam was present as the special guest.

Dr Moyeen said merely making a plan is not enough, effective implementation is the most important aspect.

“As the country’s resources are limited, it is necessary to balance between needs and capacities to achieve maximum result at minimum cost, he said.

“All development plans should be undertaken considering benefit of the people and the realities at grassroots level,” he added.

The minister said at the initiative of former Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia, LGED had ushered in a new era in the development of rural infrastructure in the country.

“As a result, Bangladesh’s rural infrastructure has gone through a significant transformation,” he opined.

Dr Moyeen expressed hope that people would reap the benefits of the development plans being undertaken by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman.

Moyeen Khan said the key to the development of Bangladesh’s rural infrastructure and settlements remains in the hands of LGED officials.

Everyone must work together to implement the development plans of the government by giving priority to the welfare of people at grassroots, he said.

Speaking at the meeting, State Minister Mir Shahe Alam said the use of bricks in rural road development should be reduced and use of uni-blocks and CC blocks should be increased. Such materials should be used instead of bricks for small roads measuring six to nine feet in width, he said.

For the roads carrying heavy vehicles, priority should be given to using RCC materials and locally available stones during road construction, he observed.

He also instructed officials to use ‘binya grass’ to prevent soil erosion on riverbank and flood-prone roads.

Shahe Alam further said solar power generation should be increased by installing solar panels at local government institutions, including union parishads, upazila parishads, and marketplaces.

He said it is possible to reduce electricity costs and increase the income of local institutions by supplying surplus electricity generated through such systems to the national grid through net metering.

The state minister instructed the officials to give priority to installing solar panels at their respective offices.

Local Government Division Secretary Shahidul Hassan, LGED Chief Engineer Belal Hossain, senior officials of the ministry, executive engineers from different districts, project directors of ongoing LGED projects and upazila engineers were present at the meeting.

"A system was deliberately developed to keep Bangladesh behind in international competition in information technology and overall progress," he said.

Rizvi made the remarks while speaking as the chief guest at the 'SSC Meritorious Students Reception-2026' organized by South Keraniganj Thana BNP at the ground of Keraniganj Women's Degree College this afternoon.

Referring to education as the backbone of a nation, Rizvi said that over the past 17 years, "that backbone has been turned into a plastic backbone."

He alleged that there had been incidents in which students were allowed to pass examinations on instructions from higher authorities without sitting for the exams or merely by writing the questions in their answer scripts.

"Neither individuals nor the nation benefit from forcibly awarding higher marks or ensuring passes in this way," he said.

Stressing the need to improve the quality of education on the basis of merit in the era of technology, Rizvi said poor academic results and students falling behind in university admission tests were not isolated incidents.

"Rather, these are the outcomes of treating the entire education system as a matter of play," he said.

He said that in the current context, students were getting results based on merit, describing the practice as extremely important for the nation.

Reiterating BNP's commitment to promoting women's education, the BNP acting secretary general said education was the main condition for women's empowerment.

He said former Prime Minister and late BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia had introduced free education up to the intermediate level for female students.

"BNP Chairman Tarique Rahman has announced that in the future, female students will not have to bear educational expenses up to BA and BA Honours levels, as education will be completely free," he said.

Rizvi also highlighted the importance of responsible leadership in society and local communities.

Dhaka District BNP General Secretary Nipun Roy Chowdhury, MP, who presided over the programme, told the students that their achievement marked the beginning of a new chapter in their lives.

"With honesty, responsibility and patriotism, you have to become the helmsmen of tomorrow's Bangladesh," he said.

At the programme, newly announced SSC GPA-5 achievers from Dhaka-3 constituency were presented with commemorative mementos, crests and scholarship money.

Local BNP and its affiliated organizations' leaders and activists, civil society representatives, teachers, meritorious students and guardians attended the reception.

"If a unified and internationally standard training and certification system is introduced, it will not only enhance the skills of our youth but also increase their acceptance and recognition in the national and international job markets," he said.

The Prime Minister gave the directives while chairing the third meeting of the Governing Body of the National Skills Development Authority (NSDA) at his office in Tejgaon, said his Assistant Press Secretary K M Nazmul Haque.

Tarique Rahman said the NSDA is playing an important role in developing skilled human resources based on the demands of national and international job markets.

"It is also an important platform for increasing demand for Bangladesh's skilled workforce in the international job market," he said.

Stating that Youth's skill development is extremely crucial, the Prime Minister said, "Although many training programmes are being conducted under different ministries to this end, these training programmes and certificates are often failing to play an effective role due to a lack of proper coordination."

"As a result, our younger generation is not receiving the desired recognition at the national and international levels against these certificates," he added.

The Prime Minister directed the NSDA Governing Body to formulate the necessary policies through a small committee within a short time and bring the skills development and training programmes of different ministries under a coordinated framework.

He also stressed introducing a system of providing training and certificates under a common syllabus.

The meeting was briefed on the administrative structure, manpower and functions of the NSDA.

Discussions also took place on the National Skills Development-related policy and strategy papers, development of skilled human resources in line with the demands of national and international job markets, sector-wise analysis of skills demand, and short-, medium- and long-term action plans.

The meeting also discussed improvement of training quality, certification and mutual recognition of certificates.

Finance Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury, PM's adviser for Public Administration Md Ismail Zabihullah, Industries Minister Khandakar Abdul Muktadir, Education Minister Dr. A N M Ehsanul Hoque Milon, Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister and Labour and Employment Minister Ariful Haque Choudhury, and Prime Minister's Adviser and PMO Spokesperson Mahdi Amin attended the meeting.

State Minister for Public Administration Md Abdul Bari, State Minister for Youth and Sports Md. Aminul Haque, PM's Principal Secretary A B M Abdus Sattar, Executive Chairman of Bangladesh Investment Development Authority Chowdhury Ashik Chowdhury, Principal Coordinator for SDGs Prof Dr SM Abdul Awal, Executive Chairman of NSDA Dr. Nazneen Kawshar Chowdhury, secretaries of different ministries and other senior officials were present, among others.

His father, Shaheed President Ziaur Rahman, was the first member of the family to address the UN General Assembly, doing so on August 26, 1980, while his mother, former Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia, first addressed the Assembly on October 1, 1993.

Tarique Rahman’s forthcoming address will mark another chapter in the family's association with the UN General Assembly, spanning more than four decades.

Shaheed President Ziaur Rahman addressed the General Assembly during its 11th Special Session on August 26, 1980. In his address, Ziaur Rahman focused on the widening gap between rich and poor countries, poverty and hunger, economic development and the need for greater international cooperation.

He questioned the persistence of poverty and hunger despite international commitments to development and called for a world based on peace, human dignity, justice and mutual responsibilities among nations.

Thirteen years later, Khaleda Zia addressed the General Assembly during its 48th session on October 1, 1993.

She subsequently addressed General Assembly proceedings on several other occasions, including the commemorative meeting marking the 50th anniversary of the United Nations in 1995, the 27th Special Session on Children in 2002, and two separate meetings during the 60th session in 2005.

Thus, UN records show Khaleda Zia addressing General Assembly proceedings on five occasions between 1993 and 2005.

Now, Tarique Rahman is preparing to take the same international platform for the first time as Prime Minister of Bangladesh.

According to State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed Islam, the Prime Minister is scheduled to leave Dhaka for New York on September 21 to attend the 81st session of the UN General Assembly and is expected to address the Assembly on September 24.

She said climate change would feature prominently in the Prime Minister's speech and that Bangladesh would present its position and priorities on the issue before the international community.

State Minister for Foreign Affairs Humaiun Kobir said the Prime Minister would present Bangladesh's new outlook and future vision before the world leaders, highlighting the country's democratic transformation, future development priorities, global peace and sustainable solutions to international crises.

He said poverty eradication, economic prospects, climate action and climate finance would also feature in the address, while the Rohingya crisis would remain a major priority during the visit.

The 81st session carries additional significance for Bangladesh as Foreign Minister Dr Khalilur Rahman is serving as President of the General Assembly.

The UN's provisional schedule shows that the general debate of the 81st session will be held from September 22 to 26 and on September 28.

Tarique Rahman's maiden UNGA address will therefore add a new chapter to the family's association with the world body, beginning with Ziaur Rahman's address in 1980, followed by Khaleda Zia's appearances from 1993 to 2005, and now Tarique Rahman's first address in 2026.

The US State Department said this week it was refusing to grant visas to Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas and other members of his delegation ahead of next week's meeting in New York.

"We regret the decision to extend the denial of entry visas for members of the Palestinian delegation for a second year in a row," said Anouar El Anouni, a spokesman for the EU's diplomatic service.

"In light of its existing headquarters agreements with the UN and its obligations as host state, we urge the United States for this decision to be reconsidered."

The administration of US President Donald Trump denied visas for the Palestinian delegation also last year, forcing Abbas, a regular at the UN General Assembly, to address the body of global leadership by video.

The General Assembly voted 152-3 on Thursday for Abbas to be able to appear virtually once again this year.

As it stands, only members of the Palestinian mission to the UN will be able to attend the meeting, which begins Tuesday.

On Friday, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also expressed regret at Washington's decision, adding he was concerned about its impact "on the ability of the State of Palestine to participate fully in the work of the United Nations".

The United States and Israel have objected to the Palestinian Authority's historical payments to families of imprisoned or slain Palestinians, including those who carried out attacks against Israelis.

The PA recently reformed this system, allocating welfare payments to families on a needs basis rather than political affiliation or prisoner status.

The State Department said Washington also opposed Palestinian "actions to internationalize the Israeli-Palestinian conflict including through the International Criminal Court (ICC) and International Court of Justice (ICJ), seeking to bypass negotiations through seeking unilateral recognition".

They accused them of "continuing to pay stipends to terrorists and to glorify acts of terrorism and terrorists in public pronouncements and school textbooks".

The United States is at odds with the 142 UN member states that recognised a Palestinian state at the United Nations last year.

The decision to deny Abbas a US entry visa comes as violence by Israeli settlers against Palestinians has escalated in recent months in the West Bank.

"The internal security forces of Daraa province have arrested Walid al-Fallah, one of the main leaders of the cell involved" in the deaths of the personnel in the town of Al-Sanamein in Daraa province, state news agency SANA reported.

The security force members were killed as they were attempting to arrest a member of the Islamic State (IS) group, a local government official had told AFP.

The group has been territorially defeated in Syria but maintains sleeper cells.

Interior ministry spokesman Noureddine al-Baba said the anti-jihadist operation, which saw five people arrested, "succeeded in dismantling criminal cells and others linked to IS that were coordinating with each other".

IS used to control vast areas of Syria and neighbouring Iraq before being defeated in the two countries in 2019 and 2017, respectively.

However, in Syria it continues to periodically claim attacks against government forces, particularly in the vast desert region, as well as in the north and northeast.

It had also been established in the past in Daraa province, where its leader Abu Hassan al-Hashimi al-Qurashi was killed in October 2022 in clashes with local gunmen.

Last year, the new Syrian authorities, who overthrew president Bashar al-Assad in 2024, joined the US-led international coalition against IS.

Washington is pushing to revive a mediated path towards ending the conflict as Moscow intensifies attacks against Ukraine, even though much of its attention -- and munitions -- are focused on the ongoing war against Iran.

The legislation, which US lawmakers approved this week, takes aim at Russia's energy and defense sectors, alongside President Vladimir Putin and other senior officials.

It also targets Moscow's so-called shadow fleet of tankers used to evade Western sanctions, and allows Trump the authority to impose tariffs of up to 100 percent on major buyers of Russian oil and gas.

That could potentially cover China and India, and furthers efforts to cut off revenue financing Moscow's war.

The Republican-led House of Representatives passed the package by a 262-159 vote on Wednesday.

The bill would also target companies and foreign actors supporting Russia's military, and extend sanctions involving Iran.

But the broad powers to impose tariffs sparked an unusual split among Democrats, who largely support Ukraine but have resisted handing Trump wider authority over trade.

- Tougher pressure -

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky earlier hailed the legislation as "symbolic" and thanked US lawmakers.

The bill is "an extremely powerful tool that can stop this terrorist war and bring Russia to the point where it has to make peace," Zelensky wrote on X.

"Sanctions must be strong so that all efforts for peace -- including our joint diplomatic efforts with the United States, Europe, and our other friends -- can succeed," he added.

India said on Thursday it would continue buying oil "through diversified sourcing."

New Delhi -- which counts Russia as one of its most important strategic partners -- has navigated the energy crisis sparked by the US-Iran conflict in part by turning to Moscow, despite pressure from Western countries.

Supporters of the legislation argued that tougher economic pressure is needed against Moscow, which launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

The Congress vote was celebrated by pro-Ukraine activists, who pointed to continuing Russian attacks, including drone strikes on Wednesday on civilian transport in the south that officials in Kyiv said killed five people.

Trump has generally preferred to retain control over sanctions and tariffs rather than have Congress dictate policy, helping delay the measure for more than a year.

The president's signing of the bill comes a week before he is due to meet with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in Washington.

"The death penalty was carried out against Hossein Pedaran, who had provided the Mossad with information on missile sites in Isfahan province" in central Iran, judicial authorities said, without saying when he was arrested or put on trial.

Pedaran had faced accusations of "espionage and intelligence collaboration" in favour of Israel.

The judiciary said his sentence had been upheld by the supreme court.

The case had not previously been reported by the media.

Iranian authorities have escalated arrests and executions both in connection with the Middle East war that began in February and the nationwide protests that peaked in January.

Throughout the war, numerous missile sites have been bombed. Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed at the start of the war.

Isfahan province, which hosts Iranian nuclear sites, has been one of the hardest hit throughout the war.

In August, the judiciary announced the execution of two men accused of having "transmitted the coordinates of sensitive military and security sites" to Israel.

Iran carries out the second highest number of executions in the world after China, according to rights groups.

The complex's main building has been shuttered since Wednesday -- temporarily, according to its leadership -- while a judge is also reviewing plans for a long-term closure to accommodate Trump's desired renovations of the aging facility.

Crowds waved placards reading "hands off Kennedy Center" and broke out into song beneath the scaffolding and tarps that have remained in place since workers removed Trump's name from the building in June following a court order.

Trump took control last year of the Kennedy Center -- inaugurated in 1971 following the assassination of US president John F. Kennedy -- and has pushed for a major renovation, claiming the building had been left in a state of disrepair by previous leaders.

Like other projects around the US capital, the president has shown an unprecedented keenness to put his personal touch on plans, while testing the legal bounds of executive authority.

Trump's handpicked Kennedy Center board voted last year to officially rename the institution as the Trump-Kennedy Center, with corresponding updates to building signage and online logos.

The move -- later reversed by a judge -- led to a major decline in ticket sales, artist boycotts and an exodus of donors, according to The Washington Post.

- 'Not a political place' -

"It makes me sick to my stomach," said Neal Racioppo, a Washington resident who runs marketing and communications for a theater.

Trump "can't get his name on this cherished building, so he is depriving the world of what it could be."

Racioppo, 57, joined a human chain that formed as night fell on the imposing, white, marble building, with crowds sprawling out onto the esplanade overlooking the Potomac River.

Demonstrators were zigzagged around the barriers installed after the center closed this week, with some waving placards reading "hands off Kennedy Center" and "Donny, you are no JFK".

"It has been an important home for the arts for this city and this country and the world," Racioppo said.

"What President Trump is doing is despicable."

Lizzy Andrew, who has performed several times at the Kennedy Center, including singing with the National Symphony Orchestra, said she was angered at Trump's threat to tear down the venue.

"He does not have a right to decide that an institution, a living memorial to a past president, can be demolished," the 30-year-old told AFP.

"I think you can see tonight that the people of DC and the people of America do not agree with that decision."

Lela Agnew, who regularly brings her children to visit the center, said she came to defend an institution that "belongs to the people".

"I've been coming here for about 50 years," she said. "It's not a place that needs to be demolished."

"It's just not a political place."

"At least 31 people, including 16 police personnel, have been killed and more than 100 injured so far in the militant attack and suicide bombing," the official said, adding that fighting was ongoing.

New rules in the Chinese capital ban not just the flying of unmanned aerial vehicles but the possession or storage of them, meaning owners have until November 15 to get rid of their drones.

At several authorised buyer sites across the city, AFP witnessed queues of people waiting for staff to appraise their drones and negotiate prices.

All sites had a visible police presence, indicating the sensitivity of the new laws, and most people there did not want to talk to AFP.

At the flagship store for the world's largest drone maker DJI in Beijing's business district, around a dozen people queued on Thursday morning hoping to sell their drones back for a reasonable price.

Users can sell devices at approved buy-back points and receive a government subsidy of 30 percent of the resale value -- up to a maximum of 3,000 yuan (nearly $450) -- before October 31, and of 15 percent until November 14.

Alternatively, they can recycle them for a subsidy of 200 yuan, or ship them out of Beijing free of charge.

"I think (the ban) is reasonable. I can understand why the government wants to ensure safety and manage the airspace," a 48-year-old drone owner surnamed Wu told AFP as he sat in a queue in a DJI store waiting to sell his device.

"After all, Beijing is the capital," said Wu, who bought his drone six years ago for around 6,000 yuan.

He was hoping to get at least 1,000 yuan for the sale, which was what he had been given as a preliminary estimate on the official re-selling app.

Some were not satisfied.

Zhu, 60, who called himself a drone hobbyist, said the buy-back scheme was "robbery".

"It's made me lose a lot of money. This is my private property," he said, adding that he had sold five drones back, losing thousands on the original prices.

"Of course I'm not happy... I'm helpless and furious".

Zhu added that the large number of drones being bought back had sent prices plummeting as much as 40 percent.

- Security fears -

Airspace safety fears were raised in June when a light aircraft smashed into Beijing's tallest building, killing the pilot and injuring 13 others -- as well as briefly disrupting the flight path into one of the capital's international airports.

The incident, which was heavily censored, seems to have unsettled Beijing authorities, happening just a few kilometres (miles) from the seat of the Chinese government.

Beijing cited a need to "safeguard the security of the capital" when it announced the complete ban on drone possession inside the city.

Meanwhile, a "low-altitude" expo scheduled to open Thursday in Beijing was abruptly cancelled, with organisers citing control measures from the city government.

Drone owner Wu said he was pleased that the buy-back plan meant he could easily sell his drone -- which he said he no longer used much anyway -- for a reasonable amount.

"I checked some online selling platforms and found that without the subsidy it would sell for maybe half the price", he said.

It is difficult to know how many drones will be affected by the move.

There were 3.285 million drones registered nationwide at the end of 2025, according to the Civil Aviation Administration, but it is not necessary to register drone ownership in most of the country.

Online, many Beijingers posted farewells to their drone collections.

"There's nothing I can do, thanks for your company," wrote one user on social media platform Xiaohongshu, known as RedNote abroad.

"I hope you can keep roaming the skies in the future."

The downgrade brought Poland's rating from A2 to A3, while the outlook was changed from negative to stable.

The shift "reflects our expectations of a sustained deterioration in Poland's fiscal strength," Moody's said in a statement.

"Large fiscal deficits persist, leading to a material increase in public debt and, together with rising interest costs, weaken debt affordability metrics," it added.

Moody's Ratings also said that "fiscal policy effectiveness has weakened," in part reflecting Polish authorities' limited willingness or ability to rebuild fiscal buffers when economic conditions are advantageous.

The US State Department said Thursday it was refusing to grant visas to Abbas and other Palestinian officials for next week's assembly. Only members of the Palestinian mission to the UN will be able to attend the meeting, which begins Tuesday.

"The Secretary-General is concerned about the impact of this decision on the ability of the State of Palestine to participate fully in the work of the United Nations," Guterres's spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in a statement.

"The full participation of all delegations in the work of the Organization is essential to its proper functioning."

Guterres continues to urge the United States, as the host country, "to ensure that visas are issued to all delegations in accordance with its obligations," the spokesman said.

The UN chief "will continue to engage with the United States authorities to this end," he added.

The Trump administration also denied visas for the Palestinian delegation last year, forcing Abbas, a regular at the UN General Assembly, to address the body of global leadership by video.

The General Assembly voted 152-3 on Thursday for Abbas to be able to appear virtually once again this year.

The United States and Israel have objected to the Palestinian Authority's historical payments to families of imprisoned or slain Palestinians, including those who carried out attacks against Israelis.

The PA recently reformed this system, allocating welfare payments to families on a needs basis rather than political affiliation or prisoner status.

The State Department said Washington also opposed Palestinian "actions to internationalize the Israeli-Palestinian conflict including through the International Criminal Court (ICC) and International Court of Justice (ICJ), seeking to bypass negotiations through seeking unilateral recognition."

They accused them of "continuing to pay stipends to terrorists and to glorify acts of terrorism and terrorists in public pronouncements and school textbooks."

The United States is at odds with the 142 UN member states that recognized a Palestinian state at the United Nations last year.

- 'Acts of terrorism' -

The decision to deny Abbas a US entry visa comes as violence by Israeli settlers against Palestinians has escalated in recent months in the West Bank.

Israel has occupied the West Bank since 1967, and violence there has surged since the October 7, 2023 Hamas-led attack that triggered the war in the Gaza Strip.

According to an AFP tally based on Palestinian health ministry data, Israeli soldiers or settlers have killed at least 1,109 Palestinians in the West Bank -- fighters and civilians -- since the 2023 attack, which killed more than 1,200 people.

In retaliation, Israel waged relentless strikes on Gaza that have killed more than 73,821 people, according to Gaza's health ministry, which operates under Hamas authority and whose figures are considered reliable by the United Nations.

The international community has expressed concern over the violence, but the United States has remained largely quiet on the issue, saying only that the US government opposes any annexation of Palestinian territory.

The three-judge panel of the US Court of Appeals for the First Circuit said people facing "third-country" deportations must be given effective notice ahead of time about where they are being sent to allow them to raise concerns about potential persecution.

Congress has made it US policy not to deport people to countries where their lives would be in danger or they could be subject to torture.

"An individual's right to contest removal to a country based on a fear of persecution in that country means little if one does not receive prior notice of the intended removal destination and a meaningful opportunity to contest that destination," said Judge Seth Aframe, writing for the unanimous three-judge panel.

Department of Homeland Security (DHS) policy "would deny access to that protection to a substantial swath of noncitizens who are sent to third countries with no notice of their destination," the judge said.

The Trump administration is expected to appeal the case to the conservative-dominated Supreme Court.

Donald Trump campaigned for president promising to expel millions of undocumented migrants from the United States and has taken a number of actions aimed at speeding up deportations since returning to the White House.

The Trump administration has defended third-country deportations as necessary since the home nations of some of those who are targeted for removal sometimes refuse to accept them.

A foreign ministry statement on Friday accused "hostile forces" of seeking to bring an end to the country's nuclear program during this week's general conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency, state news agency KCNA said.

"Pitifully, the 'resolution' cooked up by the US and the West has no effect on the DPRK's position as a nuclear weapons state," a foreign ministry spokesperson said, referring to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, its official name.

"The DPRK has not been a member of the NPT and the IAEA from long ago and, therefore, it is illegal and the height of impudence to talk about the position of our state and its efforts to bolster up the defence capabilities," the spokesperson added.

"The DPRK's position as a nuclear weapons state does not need the recognition of the US, the West and the IAEA. It is guaranteed by the actual nuclear deterrent and irreversibly and permanently fixed by the supreme law of the state."

North Korea has legally enshrined its status as a nuclear weapons state, with its leadership declaring the country's atomic arsenal permanent and irreversible.

In the statement, the ministry spokesperson said the DPRK was positioned to "more offensively implement its strategic and long-term plans for building reliable self-defensive deterrent to cope with the ever-worsening international security environment."

US President Donald Trump said in August that Pyongyang possesses 57 "very powerful" nuclear weapons, with Seoul putting the figure at between 80 and 120.

The US leader has expressed a willingness to resume dialogue with Kim Jong Un, saying last month that he planned to meet him later this year.

In a separate statement on Thursday, Kim's powerful sister said the country's nuclear-armed status was "absolute", and called those hoping for its denuclearisation "idiots".

The leaders of the world's two biggest economies are due to meet at the White House on September 24 in a bid to ease tensions over trade, technology and broader strategic issues.

While both sides have maintained a tariff truce for nearly a year, they have yet to secure a lasting agreement.

He will lead a Chinese delegation to the United States from September 19 to 23 for consultations on "economic and trade issues of mutual concern", the official Xinhua news agency reported, citing the commerce ministry.

The talks will be guided by the "important consensus" reached by the two leaders, according to the ministry.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said this week he would meet He over the weekend.

Bessent suggested the discussions could also touch on Iran, whose close economic ties with China have long been a source of friction between Washington and Beijing.

But trade issues are expected to take centre stage when Xi and Trump meet.

The world's two largest economies reached a fragile truce in October 2025 after months of tariff tensions triggered by Trump following his return to the White House.

The agreement helped cool fears of a damaging trade escalation, but negotiators on both sides have yet to reach a comprehensive settlement, leaving key disputes unresolved.

Since returning to the White House in January 2025, Trump has repeatedly insisted that Washington needed to control Greenland for strategic reasons, alarming NATO ally Denmark and sparking fierce pushback from the alliance.

Denmark and Greenland -- an autonomous territory controlled by Copenhagen -- both hailed the deal and said they would sign it on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York next week.

"I am pleased to announce that the United States of America has entered into an Agreement with The Kingdom of Denmark, and Greenland, that gives the United States permanent control over security, and all other needs, in Greenland," Trump said on his Truth Social network.

"From now on, no US adversary can EVER have a base in Greenland, have a military presence in Greenland, or make sensitive investments in Greenland, without our express written approval."

The 80-year-old said it was an "'Infinite Life' Agreement, there is no end!" and said Washington would immediately start building up a large military presence in the territory.

- 'Good agreement' -

Trump has repeatedly warned about Russia and China trying to establish a foothold in Greenland amid a strategic battle for supremacy in a warming Arctic, and the State Department left no doubt that they would not be allowed to do so.

"This agreement guarantees that China and Russia cannot have a base in Greenland, they cannot send troops to Greenland, and the necessary mechanisms are in place to prevent investment in sensitive sectors," a State Department official said.

At the Davos economic forum this past January, Trump reached a purported deal with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte over the future of Greenland, the terms of which have remained vague.

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen had said Monday that she was "optimistic" that ongoing discussions with the United States and Greenland since January could resolve the dispute.

On Friday, she said she was "pleased that there is a prospect of a good agreement for Greenland, the Kingdom of Denmark and the United States," adding that it was "good for NATO and Europe."

Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen said the deal with the United States "strengthens" the territory's security.

- NATO tensions -

Trump gave no details about how the deal would work, and it was not clear if it was linked to or substantially different from the Rutte deal.

But several media outlets have reported that the United States wants to open three new military bases in southern Greenland, in addition to the Pituffik base it already has in the north of the territory.

A 1951 defense pact, updated in 2004, already allows Washington to ramp up troop deployments and military installations on the island provided it informs Denmark and Greenland in advance.

At the height of the crisis, Trump would not rule out using force to seize the territory of 57,000 inhabitants, sowing anxiety within the EU and NATO.

Since then, tensions have cooled somewhat, and in an apparent move to assuage Trump, NATO launched a new mission to bolster security in the Arctic.

Mette Frederiksen said the deal "strengthens our common security in the Arctic and the North Atlantic area," adding that it was expected to be signed on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly next week.

She said the agreement "recognises the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Kingdom (of Denmark) and the right of the Greenlandic people to self-determination."

Once signed, the agreement will have to go through the necessary parliamentary procedures to enter into force, according to a statement from Frederiksen's office.

Trump said Friday that he had struck an "infinite" deal with Denmark to give the United States control over Greenland's security and bar foreign adversaries from setting up bases there.

"I am pleased to announce that the United States of America has entered into an Agreement with The Kingdom of Denmark, and Greenland, that gives the United States permanent control over security, and all other needs, in Greenland," Trump said on his Truth Social network.

"From now on, no US adversary can EVER have a base in Greenland, have a military presence in Greenland, or make sensitive investments in Greenland, without our express written approval."

"It is gratifying that we are about to enter into an agreement that ensures and strengthens the security of Greenland, the Kingdom of Denmark, the United States and the Western alliance," said Jens-Frederik Nielsen, the head of Greenland's government.

It "recognises Greenland's interests and our place in international cooperation," he added.

Since returning to the White House in January 2025, Trump has repeatedly insisted that Washington needed to control Greenland for strategic reasons, alarming NATO ally Denmark and sparking fierce pushback from the alliance.

Several media outlets have reported that the United States wants to open three new military bases in southern Greenland, in addition to the Pituffik base it already has in the north of the territory.

Just five percent of residents in the Cuban capital Havana had power on Friday evening.

"A total disconnection of the electrical system has occurred," the energy ministry earlier wrote on X.

The nationwide blackout, the 12th since late 2024, occurred after a failure "in the transmission lines" paired with "unstable weather conditions," state-run utility UNE said.

The island of over nine million people endures constant power cuts due to the poor state of its aging thermoelectric plants.

But the situation has worsened significantly since January, when Washington imposed a de facto energy blockade on the island in a bid to pressure Havana's communist government.

A severe lack of fuel makes it difficult to supply Cuba's power plants and backup generators, which typically run on imported diesel.

"It's one thing after another: no water, no gas for cooking, no electricity," schoolteacher Lidia Fernandez, who was just finishing up her workday, told AFP.

"Honestly, I don't know how we haven't gone crazy," the visibly irritated 36-year-old added.

In recent weeks, blackouts have lasted more than 30 hours in the capital, while in outlying provinces, they have sometimes stretched past 60 hours.

Retiree Francisco Rodriguez, 78, told AFP his home had already gone without power for 28 hours on Friday.

"I thought they might at least turn the electricity back on for a few hours soon, but now...I think we won't have light for several days," he said.

The cuts have also affected the island's water supply and mobile phone network, and general living conditions are extremely tough for residents.

"It's no longer just the electricity. We're having problems with water and gas as well," 60-year-old Lazaro Reyes told AFP.

- 'Problem is growing' -

Havana blames the crisis on an array of US-imposed punitive measures, while Washington attributes the hardship to poor internal management.

An economic crisis has engulfed the Caribbean island, where 66 percent of the population lives in poverty, according to an independent study released this week.

That is compared to 45 percent in mid-2025, with rising food costs behind the sharp increase in poverty, the research by the Christian Center for Reflection and Dialogue (CCRD) suggests.

The findings give "an indicative picture that the problem is growing," study coordinator Mayra Espina told AFP.

Another retiree, Zunilda Garcia, took the latest blackout in stride, stepping outside to charge a small lamp with solar energy.

"We have to wait and stay calm," Garcia, 60, said. "We can't lose hope."

The complex's main building has been shuttered since Wednesday -- temporarily, according to its leadership -- while a judge is also reviewing plans for a long-term closure to accommodate Trump's desired renovations of the aging facility.

Here's what you need to know about the Kennedy Center:

- Inaugurated in 1971 -

A massive rectangular building located along the Potomac River with a white marble exterior and an iconic steel colonnade, the Kennedy Center first opened its doors in 1971.

More than a decade earlier, then-president Dwight Eisenhower launched a project to build a major cultural center in the US capital.

Following the 1963 assassination of John F. Kennedy, Congress designated the planned venue as a "living memorial" to the slain Democratic president.

Since its inauguration, the performing arts center has hosted countless concerts of all genres, operas, Broadway musicals, plays, stately galas and more. In recent years, it welcomed more than two million visitors annually.

The National Symphony Orchestra and the Washington National Opera were both permanent residents of the center, which boasts six performance halls and three additional smaller stages.

The NSO will perform at outside venues this season, while the WNO ended its affiliation with the center.

The Kennedy Center Honors gala is a nationally broadcast annual awards ceremony celebrating individual artists for their lifetime contributions to American culture.

- Trump takeover -

Trump took control of the Kennedy Center shortly after returning to office last year and has pushed for a major renovation, claiming the building had been left in a state of disrepair by previous leaders.

Like other projects around the US capital, the president has shown an unprecedented keenness to put his personal touch on plans, while testing the legal bounds of executive authority.

Trump's handpicked Kennedy Center board voted last year to officially rename the institution as the Trump-Kennedy Center, with corresponding updates to building signage and online logos.

The move -- later reversed by a judge -- led to a major decline in ticket sales, artist boycotts and an exodus of donors, according to The Washington Post.

While the center had projected to take in $220 million in revenue for fiscal year 2026, by May it was revised down by nearly $100 million, according to documents reviewed by the Post.

Officials also forecast a $23 million net loss for the year, despite slashed spending.

- Funding threat -

In fiscal year 2024, the Kennedy Center reported more than $300 million in revenue -- with about a third coming from ticket sales -- and a net profit of $40 million, according to tax filings published by ProPublica.

The center also receives federal funding for upkeep and security, amounting to more than $45 million before Trump took office. It has since fallen to around $37 million.

Regarding Trump's desired renovations, the Republican-controlled Congress allocated $257 million for construction projects, repairs, and security upgrades at the venue.

Trump has threatened to let the funds sit unused if his name is not added back to the building in some way.

- Board makeup -

Just weeks into his second term, Trump said he was dismissing several Kennedy Center board members and that he would become its new chair -- a first for a sitting president.

The board is now loaded with his personal allies -- including his chief of staff Susie Wiles and singer Lee Greenwood, whose anthem "God Bless the USA" is a staple at Trump rallies.

Usha Vance, the wife of Vice President JD Vance, and Allison Lutnick, the wife of Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, are also on the board.

But the board also includes ex-officio members from the Democratic Party -- including Representative Joyce Beatty.

The Ohio congresswoman is behind the lawsuits that reversed the Kennedy Center name change and are now challenging the plans to close the center.

A huge crowd rallied Friday at the center in protest at what they say is Trump's overreach with respect to the venue, demanding he be removed as its chair.

"Flight operations at Luxembourg Airport... have resumed following the temporary suspension... due to the detection of unauthorized unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) in the vicinity of and subsequently over the aerodrome," the airport said in a statement on its website.

The suspension was "a precautionary measure to ensure the safety of passengers, airline crews, airport personnel and aircraft", it added.

The statement does not specify the origin of the devices that were spotted. The airport says it continues to monitor the situation and warns of possible delays and disruptions to air traffic.

The hacks, first reported by the Wall Street Journal, took place in May and were discovered by Google in July.

"In a standard evaluation, the model found public information online and guessed credentials to access websites it thought were part of the test," Heather Adkins, Google's vice president of security engineering, told AFP in a statement.

"In all three of these instances, the model stopped," Adkins added, without specifying which organizations were breached.

"We ensured the three entities were made aware, and we worked with our training partner on the changes they've now made to their testing processes."

In July, two OpenAI models escaped the closed environment they were meant to stay in, got onto the internet on their own and broke into the internal systems AI platform Hugging Face.

The incident fed worries that AI giants cannot keep their own models under control, as similar episodes have been reported at Anthropic and China's Moonshot AI.

"These events highlight the importance of training powerful AI models to act responsibly," Adkins emphasized.

Trump, who ordered the operation to topple Venezuela's longtime leader Nicolas Maduro in January, "will participate in a pull-aside with the acting president" on Tuesday, Mike Waltz, the US ambassador to the UN, told reporters.

Rodriguez was Venezuela's vice president under Maduro, but has thus far cooperated with Washington's demands, including granting US access to Venezuela's vast oil reserves, the largest in the world.

Under a recent agreement that Trump called the "biggest oil deal in world history," the two countries announced that the United States will be granted control of about one-fifth of Venezuela's reserves -- a move that Rodriguez's critics decried as signing away sovereignty over the country's resources.

Earlier this month, at a G20 meeting of energy ministers, US oil company Continental Resources signed a memorandum of understanding with Venezuela's national oil company PDVSA to develop oil from the prolific Orinoco basin.

US Energy Secretary Chris Wright called that project "a milestone deal in the US-Venezuelan relationship," as well as "a milestone deal in making the Western Hemisphere the center of the global energy system."

In January, Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores were captured in a lightning US military raid. They were then transported to a federal jail in New York where they await trial on drug trafficking and other charges.

The US imposed the sanctions in November 2021, which targeted the Eritrean Defense Force and President Isaias Afwerki's political party, the People's Front for Democracy and Justice, as well as other players in the authoritarian state.

Eritrean troops were accused of committing atrocities during the conflict in Ethiopia's Tigray region, in which they backed the Ethiopian federal army. That war ended in late 2022 with the signing of a peace deal between Addis Ababa and Tigray rebels.

The US sanctions had been renewed each year under a presidential declaration of a "national emergency," including last year by President Donald Trump.

But on Friday, the US Treasury published a notice saying that the national emergency had "expired."

The State Department said Trump had chosen not to renew the measures targeting Eritrea "to advance US regional interests."

The conflict left at least 600,000 people dead, and sparked a major humanitarian crisis. Several hundred thousand people remain displaced.

A State Department told AFP that while the parties' implementation of the deal to end the war had been "uneven," the US felt it was "time to adapt our foreign policy to current realities and collaboratively engage with both countries to advance US interests."

Eritrea's Horn of Africa location could be key amid the ongoing conflict with Iran, as the Red Sea has become a key oil shipping route with the Strait of Hormuz blocked.

Tensions have once again been mounting in Tigray, raising fears of a return to armed conflict.

"It'll be a very popular and hot-ticketed event," the official said on condition of anonymity, adding that Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, SpaceX and Tesla chief Elon Musk, Apple head Tim Cook and Google CEO Sundar Pichai will also attend.

Their presence comes as artificial intelligence is set to loom large in the talks between the two leaders, with the United States and China the two dominant powers in the AI race.

The AI debate in the US remains consumed by the idea that the country's leading developers -- OpenAI, Anthropic, Google and Meta -- cannot afford to slow their pace of innovation, whatever the risks, for fear that China will pull ahead.

China, long seen as trailing the United States on cutting-edge AI, has been closing that gap fast.

Washington has long tried to slow China's progress with export controls on the advanced chips needed for cutting-edge AI, blocking access to top-end US semiconductors such as those made by Nvidia.

- 'As fast as we can' -

Despite their bitter rivalry, hope remains that the two superpowers can agree on something regarding the technology when the leaders meet in Washington.

But anything ambitious, such as agreeing to slow development or craft global safeguards, is likely out of reach.

The call for safeguards has been amplified by dire warnings from industry insiders about the threat the technology poses to humanity.

Jacob Coxon, a former AI researcher at Anthropic, set off the latest round of alarm by describing how those building the technology "earnestly believe that it could kill us all by the end of the decade."

Anthropic chief executive Dario Amodei published an essay soon after urging caution and a slowdown in development.

Altman and Musk lent their support to that idea, as did Google DeepMind's Demis Hassabis, who himself has called for a US-led global regulatory body for the technology.

US President Donald Trump this week dismissed fears over AI as a hoax and is urging American AI companies to keep advancing to stay ahead of China.

That tracks with Nvidia chief Huang, who told broadcaster CBS News "we should go as fast as we can, irrespective of anybody else," in an excerpt of an interview released Friday.

"We're going to go as fast as we can, but we would never, ever, and never should ship products before they're ready, deliver products that are unsafe, and nobody's expecting us to do that," Huang said in the interview, which is expected to air in full on Sunday.

"But everybody's expecting us to succeed and help America be as prosperous as possible," he added.

According to analysts, Chinese policymakers have been more focused on immediate risks, from deepfakes to child safety.

However, the country's spy agency chief warned this week that the technology could jeopardize national security.

Speaking after a meeting with Rodriguez, HRW said that Venezuelan activists, opposition leaders and journalists reported being "much freer to carry out their work" but said securing the gains required "robust institutional reforms and the release of all political prisoners."

Rodriguez's talks Thursday with HRW representatives was seen as a key moment in Venezuela's transition from the hardline socialist rule of ex-president Nicolas Maduro.

The New York-based rights group was thrown out of Venezuela in 2008 by Maduro's mentor and predecessor, the leftist revolutionary Hugo Chavez.

Maduro himself oversaw an increasingly authoritarian government, marked by two reelections widely dismissed as fraudulent.

He was captured by US forces in Caracas in January and flown to New York to face trial.

Since taking over, Rodriguez has pushed through a sweeping amnesty, released hundreds of political prisoners and closed the notorious El Helicoide detention center, where rights groups say inmates were tortured.

Her government has also announced plans to reform the judiciary and on Thursday unblocked some news sites that had been censored for years.

HRW said during its visit to Venezuela this week that its representatives had met with government critics who had come out of hiding after more than a year or dared report the arbitrary arrest of a loved one for the first time.

But it noted that at least 344 political prisoners remain behind bars, according to the count of a leading Venezuelan human rights group. and that many more remain under house arrest.

The organization also cited accounts of prisoners still being mistreated and urged the closure of another notorious prison, Rodeo 1.

- Call for free, fair elections -

The HRW team's visit to Venezuela came days before Rodriguez is expected to travel to New York to attend the UN General Assembly, a major step towards ending Venezuela's isolation on the world stage.

Some critics argue that with former Maduro loyalists still running the show, alongside the support of US President Donald Trump's administration, Venezuela cannot move on from its repressive past.

HRW noted that Washington had "focused largely on advancing the Trump administration's economic goals" in Venezuela since Maduro's ouster.

It called on Washington to "use its leverage to play a leading role in pushing for meaningful human rights change."

On Thursday, the interim government in Caracas began a new round of negotiations with an opposition faction on a political transition.

HRW echoed the opposition's calls for "timely, free, and fair elections."

"That urgently requires allowing political opponents to participate in the political process and run for public office," said Federico Borello, HRW deputy executive director.

"We know that the legislative and institutional apparatus of the last 27 years remains intact," he added.

The unexpected meeting between Rodriguez and HRW on Thursday was preceded by an announcement that dozens of news websites that had been censored in Venezuela for years were being unblocked.

Additionally, political dialogue with the opposition has resumed, with stated aims of improving freedom of expression and supporting a political transition post-Maduro.

The US-backed negotiations began in August, and a second round of talks is expected to conclude September 23.

The programme was organised under the slogan, "Having crossed countless days and nights, let us move relentlessly towards the future as explorers of tomorrow."

Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) Administrator and freedom fighter Abdus Salam attended as chief guest. Reserved women's seat MP Shirin Sultana, former acting mayor of Dhaka City Corporation Nabiullah Nabi and Wari Division Deputy Commissioner of Police Mallik Ahsan Uddin Sami were present as special guests.

Governing body Chairman Ferdous Hossain Rony presided over the programme, which began with recitation from the Holy Quran, followed by a discussion and cultural performances by students.

In his welcome address, Principal Habibur Rahman Molla said the institution was established on 24 kathas of land donated by Shamsul Haque Khan and has gradually grown from a kindergarten into a full-fledged school and college.

He said the institution's record of academic success dates back to 1995 when its students first appeared in SSC examinations, while its achievements in junior scholarship examinations began in 1998.

"Because of its emphasis on discipline and quality education, the institution has become one of the country's recognised educational establishments," he said, adding that it has secured first place under the Dhaka Education Board.

He said 13 clubs are operating at the institution to help students develop extracurricular skills.

The principal highlighted waterlogging during the rainy season, saying many students cannot attend classes due to poor road and drainage conditions. He urged the DSCC administrator to improve access roads and drainage around the campus.

Speaking on behalf of SSC graduates, student Rafsanul Haque called on fellow students to become ambitious, responsible and socially conscious citizens.

Student Sadia Rahman Majumdar said the reception would inspire students as they embark on the next stage of their lives.

On behalf of guardians, Mohammad Ali said the institution, which emerged from a paddy-field area, has now earned recognition at home and abroad. He urged the DSCC to address road access and waterlogging.

Engineer Saiful Islam Manik advised students to focus not only on academic achievement but also on manners, ethics and moral values.

Special guest Nabiullah Nabi said the institution had grown from a modest beginning into an establishment spreading its influence across Bangladesh.

"Alongside education, improvements in infrastructure and communication are necessary to expand this light of knowledge," he said, urging the DSCC administrator to improve surrounding infrastructure.

MP Shirin Sultana praised the principal and teachers, saying strong academic results were the outcome of collective efforts by students, guardians and teachers.

"An SSC result is only one stage in life. Along with good results, students must grow into good human beings," she said.

She said initiatives would be taken to address waterlogging around the institution and urged parents to remain vigilant to keep children away from drugs.

Governing body Chairman Ferdous Hossain Rony said graduates would go on to become scientists, engineers and professionals in various fields.

"But above all, they must become humane and responsible citizens," he said, urging students to verify information before accepting it.

Chief guest Abdus Salam urged high-achieving students not to focus solely on going abroad but also to consider their responsibilities towards Bangladesh.

He called on students to keep their school and surroundings clean, saying meaningful change is possible if everyone works sincerely from their own position.

"Let us change ourselves, and Dhaka will change," he said.

The DSCC administrator urged everyone to plant at least one tree to protect the environment and reduce air pollution and called on residents not to dump waste on roads and public spaces.

He said a plan to address waterlogging in the area would be adopted within a week. He also announced a grant of Tk 500,000 for the institution and said efforts would be made to bring the Prime Minister to the campus.

Recalling its humble beginnings with 120 students and a makeshift fence, he said it has grown into a multi-storey complex while maintaining strong academic results.

At the end of the programme, guests handed over crests and tree saplings to all 807 GPA-5 achievers. The programme concluded with planting of saplings on the school campus.

SRB-13's Senior Assistant Director (Media) and Additional Superintendent of Police Biplab Kumar Goswami confirmed the information today in a press release.

Acting on a tip-off, an SRB-13 team seized 15 Yaba tablets and arrested Mintu Das, 28, of village Bara Songolshi and Md Shahinuzzaman, 25, of village Sabuzpara, both under Sadar Police Station in Nilphamari district, at 4:30pm Friday.

On the same day, another SRB-13 team arrested Motaleb Islam alias Hridoy Khan, 33, of village Ramchandrapur and Mazharul Islam alias Shiku Mondal, 34, of village Bhatpara Gopalpur, under Sadar Police Station in Gaibandha, with 7.6 kg of ganja in Gaibandha town at 4:45pm.

After filing two separate cases over the incidents, the elite force handed over the arrested persons and seized drugs to the respective police stations for further legal action.

Rajshahi Deputy Commissioner Kazi Shahidul Islam visited the affected houses in the Bottola area of the T-Bandh this morning and distributed the aid.

Earlier, around 10pm last Wednesday, the water level in the Padma in the T-Bandh area suddenly rose, creating large waves like a tidal surge.

As a result, several families of boatmen and fishermen living on the bank were affected. Boats, fishing nets and other equipment were sunk and washed away.

Some members of the fishermen's and boatmen's families were injured while trying to save their means of livelihood.

During the visit, Kazi Shahidul Islam spoke with the fishermen and their families.

He said, 'Due to the sudden tidal surge last Wednesday night, the families of boatmen and fishermen in the T-Bandh area of the Padma have been affected. I have come to inquire about their overall situation. Food items and financial assistance for medical treatment have been given to the affected families.'

He also said that the rise in the water level of the Padma and the situation of the char areas are being regularly monitored by the district administration. Already, food items have been distributed among 200 affected families in Madhya Char of Paba Upazila.

During the visit, Additional Deputy Commissioner Sabur Ali and Nezarat Deputy Collector Arif Hossain were present.

According to the latest report of the health department, 240 of the newly admitted patients were admitted to government hospitals and 27 to private hospitals.

One more dengue-related death was reported in the division during the period, raising the death toll from the mosquito-borne disease in the division to 36 this year.

Since January 1, a total of 10,386 dengue patients have been reported in the division. Of them, 9,003 have recovered and been discharged from hospitals, while 1,100 patients are currently undergoing treatment at different hospitals.

Besides, 247 patients have been referred to other healthcare facilities for better treatment.

District-wise data showed that Khulna district has recorded the highest number of dengue cases, with 3,924 patients reported so far. Of them, 2,231 dengue patients have been identified at Khulna Medical College Hospital.

The health authorities are continuing dengue prevention and control activities across the division as the infection persists.

Patrol teams of eight border outposts under the 6 BGB Battalion conducted the operations at different points along the border, according to a BGB press release issued this afternoon.

The seized goods included 68 bottles of Indian liquor, 105 bottles of Eskuf syrup, 7,680 dexamethasone tablets, 4,590 pieces of various medicines, 630 injections and 56 other tablets.

BGB team also seized four kilogrammes of onion seeds, 13 Chinese fishing nets, cosmetics and four three-piece outfits.

The total value of the seized goods was estimated at Tk 81,70,650, the release said.

The first gold medal will be won on Sunday morning, likely in the men's individual triathlon, and will be followed by 468 more in more than 40 sports before the curtain comes down on October 4.

The event in Nagoya and Aichi prefecture has 2028 Olympics places up for grabs in seven sports and will be graced by global stars.

But it has been dogged by a series of problems in the lead-up.

The 17,000 participants -- more than the Olympics -- stretched organisers to the limit as they scrambled to find accommodation for everyone.

To save money there is no traditional athletes' village, competitors instead staying in a combination of temporary container-style huts, hotels and cruise ship the Costa Serena.

To add to the issues, there was a record deluge last week which flooded parts of Nagoya city and now a tropical storm is approaching eastern Japan that could cause further disruption on Sunday-Monday.

Some athletes were left stranded at the airport when transport failed to turn up and several teams have complained about the quality of the huts, including the beds being too short.

In the latest mishap, North Korea's national anthem was played on Friday for South Korea's men's hockey team.

"This is a really serious problem," said South Korea coach Min Tae-seok.

On Saturday, with the opening ceremony hours away, India drafted in a new flag-bearer after shot-putter Tajinderpal Singh Toor's luggage did not have his ceremonial kit.

Kabaddi player Pawan Sehrawat will replace him, Indian media said.

- 'Most spectacular' -

Organisers are insisting that the latest edition of the Games, which were first held in 1951, will be "the most spectacular for generations".

Basketball, football and cricket are among the sports already under way.

As always at the Asian Games, Olympic staples such as athletics and swimming will sit side-by-side with regional favourites like sepak takraw and kabaddi.

In a bid to attract younger viewers there will be eSports, breakdancing and BMX cycling.

Padel, the fast-growing racquet sport, and MMA will make their Asian Games debuts.

Among those competing will be Philippine tennis sensation Alexandra Eala and a pair of prodigies in 15-year-old Indian cricketer Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and 13-year-old Chinese swimmer Yu Zidi.

Yu will be in action in the pool straightaway on Sunday in the heats of the women's 200m butterfly.

Taiwan boxer Lin Yu-ting will also be competing, two years after she won Paris Olympics gold in the middle of a major gender row that saw her eligibility questioned.

Hosts Japan will look to their Olympic champions for success, with gymnast Shinnosuke Oka and javelin thrower Haruka Kitaguchi named in their team.

North Korea will have more than 100 athletes competing across 14 sports, aiming to "bring joy to Marshal Kim Jong Un".

China will again expect to top the medals table after winning a whopping 201 golds and 383 medals on home soil in Hangzhou at the Covid-delayed Games in 2023.

They are sending more than 800 athletes, including 36 Olympic champions.

Sooryavanshi will be part of an India cricket team looking to make a statement before the sport returns to the Olympics in Los Angeles after an absence of 128 years.

India could face bitter rivals Pakistan in the final at Nagoya's new purpose-built cricket ground -- if forecast rain does not intervene.

The match will begin at 6am Bangladesh time.

Bangladesh will play their second pool match against Malaysia on September 21, followed by matches against South Korea, Kazakhstan and Chinese Taipei on September 23, 25 and 27 respectively.

Team management said Ravindra dislocated his shoulder while attempting to take a diving catch during a promotional event involving the host broadcaster on Wednesday.

A statement said the 26-year-old has been cleared of major structural damage but it is "unclear" if he will play a part in the five-match T20 series starting on October 22.

Five one-day internationals and two Tests follow shortly afterwards.

New Zealand's performance manager Mike Sandle said Ravindra landed awkwardly on a safety mat during filming.

"It was a really unfortunate injury," Sandle said.

"We're gutted for Rachin and our key priority is making sure he recovers well and gets back on the field as soon as he can.

"As with all commercial shoots involving our players, the activities were agreed in advance by all parties, with appropriate safety measures in place.

"It was a bit of a freak accident, and we'll continue to review our processes around events like this in the future."

Ravindra, a left-handed batsman and spin bowler, has been a mainstay of New Zealand teams across all three formats since his debut in 2021, playing 115 international matches.

New Zealand coach Rob Walter said Ravindra's rehabilitation will be carefully managed, ahead of the Indian visit, which is followed by a four-Test series in Australia.

"With a heavy schedule of Test cricket in the next six months, we don't want to rush Rachin back sooner than we need to," Walter said.

The 26-year-old Belgian is the overwhelming favourite this weekend to win what would be a record fourth-consecutive time-trial rainbow jersey.

Only two other men -- Australia's Michael Rogers and German Tony Martin -- have won three-in-a-row before, while Martin and Swiss Fabian Cancellara are the only men to have won the discipline four times overall.

But Evenepoel, the double Olympic champion, has his eyes on an even greater prize -- he wants to be the first man to win both the road race and the time-trial at the same event.

Montreal hosts the championships for the second time, having been the first city outside of Europe to do so back in 1974, when Belgian great Eddy Merckx triumphed ahead of his French rival Raymond Poulidor, whose compatriot Mariano Martinez was third.

That was 20 years before the time-trial was added to the programme.

Evenepoel has said that winning both disciplines in the same year is a career goal, and he comes into the championships in fine form having won the GP de Quebec and then finished fifth at the GP de Montreal a week ago.

And that has come during a season in which he finished second to Pogacar at the Tour de France and won the Clasica San Sebastian and Amstel Gold Race.

"I'm looking forward to it. I think there are two great weeks ahead," he said last weekend.

"Things have started well, so I hope I can keep that momentum going."

Pogacar was also missing when Evenepoel did the double at the Paris Games two years ago.

- Only one real challenger -

At least on Sunday, Evenepoel will be the clear favourite, with only Italian twice former champion Filippo Ganna expected to cause him any concerns.

But Ganna has not beaten Evenepoel in a time-trial since the 2023 Vuelta a Espana, losing the last five times that they have faced each other, including at the Olympics and Worlds in 2024, last year's European Championships, and this year's Tour.

Beyond that, there are a handful of hopefuls more for a podium finish than overall victory.

Amongst them are the two young dynamos, Frenchman Paul Seixas, who is still a teenager but will be 20 by the time of the road race in a week's time, and Isaac Del Toro.

The Mexican was third behind Evenepoel at the Tour with Seixas fourth, and also beat the Frenchman in a two-man sprint finish to win in Montreal after both had been a fair way behind the Belgian in Quebec.

After that, Swiss Stefan Kung comes into the race off a confidence-boosting time-trial win at the Vuelta, Swede Jakob Soderqvist is the reigning under-23 champion against the clock, and Norway's Tobias Foss is a former winner of this event.

In the women's race, reigning champion Marlen Reusser is expected to face a strong challenge from European road race champion Demi Vollering.

The Dutchwoman won the Tour de France Femmes and the Giro d'Italia Women this year and has been in excellent form in one-day races.

She won the Tour of Flanders, Liege-Bastogne-Liege, Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and La Fleche Wallonne Femmes.

She has finished second and third in the time-trial at the Worlds in the last two years, so Swiss Reusser is on notice.

Briton Zoe Backstedt, 21, is another rider to keep an eye on.

She has three time-trial world titles in junior categories, including the under-23 crown last year.

The only thing that may count against her is the length of the time-trial, which at close to 40km is more than 12km beyond the longest race against the clock that she has done before.

Before the first major test of Mourinho's second spell at the helm, Los Blancos have shown attacking dynamism the coach called "frenetic", but the Portuguese veteran acknowledged his team cannot shut the door on opponents.

Madrid trail unbeaten champions Barcelona at the top of the table by three points, after losing one of their six opening games and winning the other five, with Atletico third.

However they needed late strikes by back-up striker Carlos Espi to secure wins at Espanyol and Elche to cling to Barcelona's tail.

"The problem seems obvious to me. It's harder to know why, but it's easy to understand that there are matches that seem over and, in the end, aren't," said Mourinho.

"(There are) matches where we have three, four, five chances to finish them and don't.

"After failing to do so, it feels like we go from ease, because it seemed easy, to losing control."

Wily Atletico coach Diego Simeone will aim to punish Madrid if they take their eye off the ball in the derby.

Mourinho said his team's defensive issues were of concern for that game and beyond.

"Not just for Sunday's match, but for every match. I like my team to score goals... but I also like controlling matches," explained Mourinho.

"I don't like gifting control. It's not about the goals, it's about giving away control of the match."

Bernardo Silva is likely to start against Atletico after being rested against Elche on Tuesday, which could help Madrid take a firmer grip on the game, although Mourinho's squad does not seem ideally equipped to control matches despite a lavish summer spending spree.

"We're a frenetic side, who gets the ball back and accelerates," said Mourinho.

Madrid's team is defined by their star attacking trio of Vinicius Junior, Kylian Mbappe and Jude Bellingham, which effectively ensures they will play at great pace, regardless of the scenario, which can leave them exposed at the back.

- Ceuta shirt fallout -

Vinicius Junior is often jeered by Atletico Madrid fans and that could be exacerbated in Sunday's away trip after the forward, along with team-mates Kylian Mbappe and Ibrahima Konate, did not fully wear a t-shirt supporting the people of Ceuta.

The Madrid trio partially obscured a message on the shirt reading "we are all Ceutans", regarding the Spanish territory in north Africa affected by a migration crisis with Morocco.

La Liga president Javier Tebas criticised the three players on Wednesday for not wearing the shirt properly ahead of Madrid's late win against Elche.

Mbappe said his decision to roll up the shirt was to make a gesture in support of immigrants who had lost their lives while trying to cross the border, but also supported Ceutans.

Vinicius has been whistled by his own fans in recent weeks for poor goalscoring form, and he could not find the net again in the narrow victory at Elche.

Mourinho said he is waiting for the Vinicius that "kills" games and led Madrid to two Champions League triumphs to return, and Sunday would be the perfect occasion.

"The goals will come back, I can't miss so many (chances)," wrote Vinicius on Instagram after the Elche game, in which he spurned three good opportunities.

The forward has one goal this season, in contrast to Mbappe, who boasts eight across all competitions.

Mourinho hailed the lethal French striker as "not normal" and the red-hot Mbappe will see the derby clash as another opportunity to pick up votes in his Ballon d'Or campaign, as well as keeping the pressure on Barcelona.

Since Mbappe arrived in Madrid in 2024, the Spanish giants have failed to win a major trophy.

To stop Flick's free-scoring Barca, who have won La Liga two years running, Madrid cannot afford to drop many points, let alone against Simeone's side.

The coaches clashed four times during Mourinho's first spell in charge, three of which he won, but Simeone's one victory came in the 2013 Copa del Rey final.

If Madrid take the lead at the Metropolitano on Sunday Mourinho will hope his side can heed his warnings not to let Atletico back in.

"Light to moderate rain/thunder showers accompanied by temporary gusty wind is likely to occur at many places over Chattogram & Barishal divisions and at a few places over Rangpur, Rajshahi, Mymensingh, Dhaka, Khulna, & Sylhet divisions with moderately heavy falls at places over the country," said a Met office bulletin issued this morning.

Day temperature may rise slightly and night temperature may remain nearly unchanged over the country.

The highest temperature on Friday was recorded at 36.5 degrees Celsius in Ramgati, while today's minimum temperature was 23.8 degrees Celsius in Tetulia.

In the last 24 hours (till 06 am today), the highest 27 millimetre rainfall occurred in Kutubdia.

The sun sets at 5:58 pm today and rises at 5:47 am tomorrow in Dhaka.

Since returning to the White House in January 2025, Trump has repeatedly insisted that Washington needed to control Greenland for strategic reasons, alarming NATO ally Denmark and sparking fierce pushback from the alliance.

Denmark and Greenland -- an autonomous territory controlled by Copenhagen -- both hailed the deal and said they would sign it on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York next week.

But the terms of the deal remain uncertain, and Denmark maintains its sovereignty remains intact.

In a statement, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen described the deal as "an agreement which at the same time recognizes the sovereignty an territorial integrity of the Kingdom and the Greenlandic people's right to self-determination."

"I am pleased to announce that the United States of America has entered into an Agreement with The Kingdom of Denmark, and Greenland, that gives the United States permanent control over security, and all other needs, in Greenland," Trump said on his Truth Social network.

"From now on, no US adversary can EVER have a base in Greenland, have a military presence in Greenland, or make sensitive investments in Greenland, without our express written approval."

The 80-year-old said it was an "'Infinite Life' Agreement, there is no end!" and said Washington would immediately start building up a large military presence in the territory.

- 'Good agreement' -

Trump has repeatedly warned about Russia and China trying to establish a foothold in Greenland as a strategic battle for supremacy in a warming Arctic unfolds, and the State Department left no doubt that they would not be allowed to do so.

"This agreement guarantees that China and Russia cannot have a base in Greenland, they cannot send troops to Greenland, and the necessary mechanisms are in place to prevent investment in sensitive sectors," a State Department official said.

At the Davos economic forum this past January, Trump reached a purported deal with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte over the future of Greenland, the terms of which have remained vague.

Frederiksen had said Monday that she was "optimistic" that ongoing discussions with the United States and Greenland since January could resolve the dispute.

She said Friday she was "pleased that there is a prospect of a good agreement for Greenland, the Kingdom of Denmark and the United States," adding that it was "good for NATO and Europe."

Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen said the deal with the United States "strengthens" the territory's security.

- NATO tensions -

Trump gave no details about how the deal would work, and it was not clear if it was linked to or substantially different from the Rutte deal.

But several media outlets have reported that the United States wants to open three new military bases in southern Greenland, in addition to the Pituffik base it already has in the north of the territory.

A 1951 defense pact, updated in 2004, already allows Washington to ramp up troop deployments and military installations on the island provided it informs Denmark and Greenland in advance.

At the height of the crisis, Trump would not rule out using force to seize the territory of 57,000 inhabitants, sowing anxiety within the EU and NATO.

Since then, tensions have cooled somewhat, and in an apparent move to assuage Trump, NATO launched a new mission to bolster security in the Arctic.

This is the first time the capital has been directly affected since a conflict in neighboring Yemen intensified in July.

"The area is under a hostile aerial threat," a message received shortly before 3:00 am (0000 GMT) by residents of the Saudi capital warned, urging them to stay indoors.

AFP journalists then heard two explosions, and the alert was lifted about half an hour later by Saudi Arabia's civil defence agency.

The Houthis, who already held most of Yemen's populated areas, launched a lightning offensive this month to take over the country's entire Red Sea coast, giving them control over the vital Bab al-Mandab strait.

The group has declared a maritime blockade of Saudi Arabia, which had been used to bypass the Strait of Hormuz, itself closed by the Middle East war, for its oil exports.

Figures from maritime tracking firm Kpler showed that Saudi exports via the Bab al-Mandab strait had dropped since July, although five loaded ships had passed through in the last week.

The Houthis insist that navigation of the strait is open and free except for Saudi vessels.

The UN said Friday that the renewed fighting had displaced more than 112,000 people while nearly 3,000 others had fled across the sea to Djibouti, heaping further misery on an already struggling population.

Speaking at the Leaders' Dialogue on 'Leading SDG Action' during the 2026 SDG Moment, convened by the UN Secretary-General at the UN General Assembly Hall in New York, Dr Titumir said, "Our broader vision should be collective and forward-looking: a global financial architecture that does not merely finance development, but creates the conditions in which development can be sustained."

He outlined five priorities for reforming the international financial architecture, particularly for multilateral development banks: shifting from crisis response to anticipating vulnerabilities; giving vulnerable countries a stronger voice in international financial institutions; providing longer-term, lower-cost and predictable finance; aligning international finance with national development strategies through coordinated, multi-year financing; and ensuring flexible transition support and preferential arrangements for LDC-graduating countries, including Bangladesh.

He also highlighted Bangladesh's SDG Village initiative as an integrated, community-led approach to translating the SDGs into tangible improvements at the local level, said a press release of the Permanent Mission of Bangladesh to the United Nations.

The dialogue also featured Teresa Ribera of the European Commission, Aristide M‚d‚nou, Minister of Economy and Finance of Benin, and Beatriz Carles de Arango, Minister for Social Development of Panama.

Sherwin Bryce-Pease of the South African Broadcasting Corporation moderated the discussion.

Yanur Begum made these demands in a written statement at a press conference held in Bhola on Friday (September 18). She is a resident of Ward No. 9 of Shyampur in Rajapur Union under Bhola Sadar Upazila.

In her written statement, Yanur Begum said that on the evening of December 24, 2025, her only son, Rizwan Amin Sifat, was hacked and stabbed to death. In connection with the incident, she filed a case as the complainant. The case named Hasib ur Rahman, Shakib, Rony, Mizanur Rahman Mithu, Monzil, Helal Uddin Hawladar, Rahim, Din Islam, Kamal Bahini, Riyaz Hawladar, Firoz, Sihab, Rajib, Nizam Uddin, Abu Taher, Mansura Begum Junu, Shikha Begum, Al Islam, and Zahid, along with several others, as accused.

She said that following the filing of the case, several accused, including Hasib, Shakib, and Rony, were arrested. Among them, Hasib, Shakib, and Rony are currently in jail. However, she alleged that several other accused in the case have not yet been arrested.

Yanur Begum alleged that the investigating officer of the case, Sub-Inspector (SI) Md. Yousuf of the Bhola Detective Branch of Police, kept only three of the 19 accused named in the First Information Report (FIR) in the charge sheet and dropped the others.

She also alleged that the investigating officer removed several accused from the charge sheet in exchange for financial benefits. However, Yanur Begum did not present any documents or evidence in support of this allegation at the press conference.

She said that she does not want to harass any innocent person. However, she demanded that the actual perpetrators be identified through a fair investigation and brought under the law.

At the press conference, she demanded a re-examination of the investigation and charge sheet in the Sifat murder case, an impartial investigation into the accused named in the FIR, and legal action against those concerned if any irregularities are found in the investigation.

Regarding the matter, SI Md. Yousuf, the investigating officer of the case, said that the charge sheet in this case has not yet been prepared. The case is still under investigation. Only those involved in Sifat’s murder will be included in the charge sheet. We are investigating to ensure that no innocent person is included in the charge sheet.

Meanwhile, several individuals who were accused in the Sifat murder case claimed that Yanur Begum, Sifat’s mother, had accused several innocent people due to previous enmity and disputes. They claimed that those individuals were not involved in the incident.

No results have yet emerged from the secret indicative vote which took more than one hour, with France's envoy to the UN and the Council's rotating President Jerome Bonnafont saying only "the third round of straw polls has taken place."

No frontrunner emerged from the first two rounds of informal polls with eight candidates now vying to follow Secretary-General Antonio Guterres when his term concludes at the end of December.

Several council members have declared their desire for the embattled UN to have its first woman leader.

Guyanese ex-foreign minister Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett narrowly led the second round of the secret process, while Costa Rica's Rebeca Grynspan came in second and Argentina's Rafael Grossi, the current head of the UN nuclear watchdog, was third.

Other candidates include Macky Sall of Senegal, Ecuador's Ivonne A-Baki, Chile's Michelle Bachelet, Ecuador's Maria Fernanda Espinosa and Uganda's Olara Otunnu.

There is speculation that a compromise candidate could be parachuted into the process at the behest of the powerful five veto-wielding Security Council members -- Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States.

"If that happens in a way that's not transparent... then we have a problem," said one diplomat who asked not to be named due to the sensitivity of the matter.

Even if a candidate earns the required nine votes from the 15-member Security Council, they must also avoid a veto by any of the five major powers, which are deeply divided.

Once a candidate clears those bars, their name will go to the General Assembly of all UN members for confirmation.

Without singling out a favorite, a US State Department official said Thursday that candidates must get the UN "back to basics and publicly commit to the changes we require."

"Any new secretary-general must return the UN to its primary purpose of maintaining peace and security in the world, rather than the absurd, politicized, woke ideology that has undermined the institution's effectiveness," the official said.

- 'Muddled picture' -

International Crisis Group's head of UN affairs Daniel Forti said "we'll be watching out for... whether any one or two candidates consolidate support from the council, or whether we sort of continue to be in a pretty muddled picture that gives more avenues for other potential contenders to jump into the race."

Each of the 15 Security Council members must anonymously assign each candidate one of three labels: "encourage," "discourage," or "no opinion."

But after an unspecified number of votes, the ballots of the Council's five permanent members will have a different color, making it possible to identify potential vetoes, without knowing which country blackballed any given candidate.

Forti said it was thought there would be another straw poll at the end of the UN signature high-level week, though that is unconfirmed.

Bangladesh Small and Cottage Industries Corporation (BSCIC) has adopted a new strategy to produce high-value-added products by combining local raw materials with modern designs and technology, while enhancing entrepreneurs' skills and connecting producers directly with markets.

The initiatives are aimed at enhancing the competitiveness of Bangladeshi products in international markets following the country's graduation from the Least Developed Country (LDC) category.

Newly appointed BSCIC Chairman Benazir Ahmed disclosed the initiatives in an interview with BSS recently.

He said the contribution of industries under BSCIC to the national economy is increasing gradually.

"In the 2024-25 fiscal year, the total value of products manufactured by industries under BSCIC stood at Tk 65,351 crore, while their contribution to the national exchequer through VAT and taxes was Tk 4,427 crore," he said.

Currently, 887 BSCIC industrial units are engaged in exports, with the corporation aiming to increase the number further, he added.

Benazir said fifteen BSCIC training centres are operating across the country to develop entrepreneurs and skilled manpower suitable for international markets. Three-month courses involving 180 hours and six-month courses involving 360 hours are being conducted as part of efforts to bring conventional training up to international standards.

BSCIC is also focusing on product quality and design. Its Central Design Centre in Motijheel is developing designs for leather goods, handicrafts, jute products, block-batik items and pottery.

The chairman said intellectual property (IP) protection would become increasingly important in international trade after LDC graduation.

"To remain competitive in international markets, local entrepreneurs need to enhance their capacity to develop their own designs, patents and brands," he said.

Against this backdrop, BSCIC is working to establish a "National Pool of Designers" under the Creative Economy National Steering Committee. The first meeting has already been held with representatives of relevant organisations, including fashion designer Bibi Russell, Shanto-Mariam University and Joyeeta Foundation.

BSCIC is also giving priority to the "One Village, One Product" programme to make the rural economy more dynamic. Work is underway to identify renowned and promising local products and bring them under cluster-based production and marketing.

"There are many locally produced goods that can be made popular in domestic and international markets by increasing their production," Benazir said.

He said BSCIC is also focusing on high-value products made from local resources such as banana and pineapple fibres, water hyacinth and hogla leaves.

"International markets have demand for products made from locally available resources," he said, adding that modern designs and technology could create opportunities for higher value addition, export expansion and rural employment.

The chairman identified marketing as one of the major challenges facing small entrepreneurs.

"Many entrepreneurs produce quality products but fail to get fair prices because they cannot directly reach buyers," he said.

To address the issue, BSCIC plans to establish a central physical marketplace, "BSCIC Market", while also modernising its digital platform to facilitate direct communication between entrepreneurs and buyers.

BSCIC is also taking steps to connect its subcontracting activities directly with the private sector, creating opportunities for small entrepreneurs to join the supply chains of large industrial enterprises.

Benazir said export earnings of the 887 BSCIC units engaged in exports were around Tk 30,000 crore in the 2024-25 fiscal year.

Benazir Ahmed said BSCIC's current action plan was no longer confined to establishing new industries or developing entrepreneurs.

"BSCIC is moving towards strengthening small and cottage industries by integrating skills development, product design, technology, local raw materials, branding and market connectivity," he said.

If implemented, these initiatives will connect entrepreneurs in both rural and urban areas with larger markets while increasing value addition to local products, exports and employment.

He expressed hope that the initiatives would help increase value addition to local products, exports and employment and further enhance BSCIC's contribution to the national economy.

The meeting was held on Thursday in the Chamber's boardroom presided over by RCCI President Hasen Ali.

The meeting discussed the potential to export Rajshahi's jute and jute products, silk, mango, food grains and freshwater fish to the United Kingdom, as well as business visas, student visas and the development of the tourism industry.

In her speech, the British High Commissioner said Bangladeshi leather, spices and traditional pitha are being appreciated in the UK market and their demand is increasing.

The British High Commission is working on the development of products from small and medium industries and the marketing of such products in the UK market.

She emphasized the diversification of Rajshahi's traditional silk and jute products.

She also spoke about plans to support Bangladesh in the agricultural sector in addition to the ready-made garment sector.

RCCI President Hasen Ali described Rajshahi as an 'education city', seeking the UK's cooperation in the education and technology sectors, and requested that the business visa process be simplified to facilitate travel for businessmen.

Managers of the Forrester Estates farm about 100 kilometres (60 miles) north of Harare want to more than double their planting area to 50 hectares (124 acres) next year to capitalise on the booming demand.

"The funding, that's the problem," farm manager Albert Chakala told AFP.

The southern African country dispatched its first shipment of blueberries to China in July after a phytosanitary agreement signed a year ago and Beijing's scrapping of tariffs on imports from 53 African countries in May.

"The crop that we have is not enough to satisfy our market," Chakala said.

Each new hectare of blueberries requires an upfront investment of between $50,000 and $55,000, mainly for irrigation, planting material and other infrastructure, he said.

Lack of access to affordable finance is one of the biggest barriers to growth for many of Zimbabwe's farmers, according to the Horticultural Development Council (HDC), which represents growers and exporters.

Yet, the promise of new global markets clashes sharply with Zimbabwe's ongoing monetary realities, where a scarcity of foreign exchange routinely leaves farmers unable to fund the very expansion needed to meet demand.

"We are expanding bit by bit, according to what we are getting back from what we sell," Chakala said.

Zimbabwean blueberries already reach European, British and Middle Eastern markets, but China -- one of the world's largest consumers of the fruit widely promoted for its purported health benefits -- offers a potentially transformative new destination for the farmers who can afford to scale up.

- Financing 'a big worry' -

Zimbabwe is Africa's third-largest blueberry producer after Morocco and South Africa, and one of the world's fastest-growing blueberry producers, according to the HDC.

This year, the industry expects to export about 12,000 tonnes from around 850 hectares, up from 9,500 tonnes produced from 650 hectares last year, CEO Linda Nielsen said in a statement in June.

To support growth to meet the potential offered by China's hunger for blueberries, the sector was engaging with the government over more competitive export financing and targeted tax incentives for irrigation, solar and cold-chain investments, she said.

"The lack of adequate financing is a big worry for growers," she said.

Most of Zimbabwe's blueberry producers are established white commercial farmers whose families have farmed for many years, said Clarence Mwale, chairman of the Export Produce Growers Association of Zimbabwe.

"With the opening of new markets like the Chinese market, it gives an opportunity for indigenous farmers to find space to also grow crops like blueberries," he told AFP.

But this would require securing cheaper, long-term capital, he said.

"If we can attract foreign direct investment, foreign facilities, foreign loans, patient money, patient capital, then perhaps we can start talking about better platforms for new farmers to come in," Mwale said.

"As it is, we have access to money locally, but it's very expensive money," he said, referring to high interest rates on bank loans.

Zimbabwe is Africa's leading producer of tobacco and the crop has for decades been its dominant agricultural export, with production reaching 355,000 tonnes in 2025, according to the tobacco board.

China is the biggest taker, as it is with Zimbabwe's large lithium and chromium ore production.

Although blueberry production is still dwarfed by tobacco, the potential of the massive Chinese market could entice a new generation of farmers, said Mwale.

"My commitment is to try and convince more young people to grow more blueberries and move away from growing tobacco," he said.

"I think that it's an opportunity that we can utilise to try and replace 100 years of growing tobacco with something more health-focused."

The hike was expected by the markets following the recent tightening by the European Central Bank and the US Federal Reserve.

The central bank's decision to raise its key rate by 25 basis points was carried by a 7-2 majority vote, the BoJ said on its website.

Pressure has increased on officials to lift borrowing costs as a spike in oil prices caused by the Middle East crisis, which shows little sign of ending anytime soon, is expected to keep putting upward pressure on inflation.

Central bankers are also minded to support the yen, which fell in July to its weakest level against the dollar in 40 years, prompting a historic joint intervention in foreign exchange markets by the United States and Japan.

"As for the future conduct of monetary policy, given that underlying CPI inflation has been approaching two percent and financial conditions have been accommodative, the bank will continue to raise the policy interest rate," the BoJ said.

The Federal Reserve's hike in borrowing costs this week provided some relief to traders concerned that policymakers were not moving quick enough to address a spike in inflation that could deal a blow to the world's top economy.

That has been helped by news that Saudi Arabia was moving to restore within days about half of crude shipments disrupted by the stoppage of its East-West pipeline to the Red Sea.

The conduit, even more important since the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz by Iran, was shut last week after being targeted by Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis.

Crude prices, which had soared around a fifth in September, have fallen around five percent from recent highs, with West Texas Intermediate dipping below $100 for the first time since Friday.

The surge in oil has been among the main catalysts for rising inflation since the United States and Israel began their war on Iran at the end of February.

And the latest fall-off provided some much-needed support to stocks.

Seoul, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Sydney and Taipei all advanced though there were small losses in Singapore, Wellington and Manila.

The latest moves in oil and the Fed's action reassured investors and kept the 10-year US Treasury bond yield -- a key indicator of borrowing costs throughout the world's biggest economy -- back below five percent.

On currency markets the yen slipped against the dollar ahead of the BoJ announcement, which is widely expected to be a 25-basis-point hike in interest rates.

But analysts said that with the lift already factored in, the focus will be on what is said afterwards.

"Given the degree of pricing, the rate decision itself may have limited impact on the yen," said Chris Weston at Pepperstone.

"Instead, attention should fall on the forward swaps curve and the Bank's guidance around the pace and urgency of further tightening. Governor (Kazuo) Ueda's press conference will therefore be key.

"The market will be looking for confirmation that further normalisation remains firmly on the table, while assessing whether the Bank sees any urgency to move again."

- Key figures at around 0200 GMT -

Tokyo - Nikkei 225: UP 0.7 percent at 64554.64 (break)

Hong Kong - Hang Seng Index: UP 0.9 percent at 24,834.41

Shanghai - Composite: UP 0.8 percent at 3,907.64

Dollar/yen: UP at 156.28 yen from 155.96 yen on Thursday

Euro/dollar: DOWN at $1.1478 from $1.1480

Pound/dollar: UP at $1.3359 from $1.3358

Euro/pound: DOWN at 85.93 pence from 85.94 pence

West Texas Intermediate: DOWN 0.7 percent at $101.23 per barrel

Brent North Sea Crude: DOWN 0.8 percent at $104.03 per barrel

New York - Dow: UP 0.6 percent at 51,778.04 (close)

London - FTSE 100: UP 1.2 percent at 10,816.14 (close)

Trafficking of stolen fuel is one of the most lucrative criminal activities in Mexico, alongside the drug trade. The attorney general's office made the discovery at a building in the central state of Guanajuato, a hotspot for the illegal trade.

Officers found 33.5 million liters of regular gasoline, 7.2 million liters of premium gasoline and 18.2 million liters of diesel, the attorney general's office said in a statement.

The operation followed months of investigations triggered by the arrest of a person in July who was caught unloading fuel from a tanker without being able to explain its origin, the office said.

Mexican authorities launched a crackdown on fuel smuggling last year, when high-ranking navy officers and officials were implicated in a smuggling ring.

Police arrested more than a dozen people in that case, in which about 10 billion liters of black market fuel was seized in the northern state of Tamaulipas, which borders the United States.

Thousands of fans welcomed the 57-year-old, known mononymously as Assala, at a venue in theSyrian capital where she bowed and opened the show with songs hailing the Syrian people.

"Souls of my heart, I missed you," she repeatedly said to endless cheers on Thursday night.

"My loves, my people, I swear, until this moment I could not believe that I am among you. I want

to tell you how much I dreamt of this."

There was a heavy security presence for the concert, after some religious conservatives launched a campaign calling for its cancellation. Half of the show's proceeds will be donated to charity. Syria's new Islamist authorities, who overthrew Assad in 2024, have welcomed Assala. Culture Minister Mohammed Yassine Saleh has dubbed her "the daughter of Damascus".

Joining her on stage, he said her return was that of "every honest Syrian and every free

person".

- 'Moving forward' -

Assala was among the first artists to express support for the peaceful anti-Assad protests that erupted in 2011, refusing to partake in events supporting his government.

She was booted from the Syrian artists' union for her stance and was the target of media campaigns.

She went into exile, living in Cairo with her family and playing shows in various Arab countries.

The bloody repression of the protests led to a 13-year civil war that killed more than half-a-million people.

At Assala's show, small Syrian flags rippled in time with the music, with many in the crowd unable to hold back their tears.

"I never thought this day would come. It's like a beautiful dream," concert-goer Sawsan Wadha, 56, said.

"We are very happy that our country is moving forward," added 40-year-old Lynn Nahas. On her new record, "The Syrian Album", Assala covers folk songs from all 14 of Syria's provinces as an homage to her country's cultural diversity.

She sings for the cities scarred by war, but also for the coastline in mourning after last year's killing of hundreds of members of Assad's Alawite minority, and for Druze-majority Sweida, which also saw sectarian violence.

- Recovery through art -

Assala's piercing, powerful voice rang out as she made her way through the album's tracks at Thursday's concert.

She also performed fan favourites like "Samehtak" and "Sandooq", with the jubilant, tearful crowd singing along.

Assala and her family only returned to Damascus this week. An antiques dealer in the capital returned the oud, or Oriental lute, that had belonged to her father, a celebrated musician. Conservative Muslim figures had expressed criticism in the run-up to the concert. Egyptian preacher Hani Dahab, who lives in Syria, launched a social media campaign with the

slogan "Cancel the Sinful Concerts". He accused the culture ministry of seeking to "give society a secular character". Syrian Salafi preacher Abdul Razzaq al-Mahdi condemned what he called a "concert of music and debauchery", while a group of preachers in Damascus called on the culture minister to take into

account "the religious identity of society". While not addressing the critics directly, Assala said at the show that "recovery will only happen with art and music".

Syria has seen a cultural boom since 2025, but also the rise of preachers and conservative religious movements in public spaces and at universities, raising fears of restrictions on freedom.

Farah Al-Atassi, political advisor to the government, said poetry, language and thought were "an integral part of Syrian identity".

"This is the Syria that we know and that will endure," she told AFP.

Russia considers Britain to be one of the most hostile Western countries, with relations deteriorating long before the Ukraine war.

London is one of Kyiv's main allies. New prime minister, Andy Burnham, went to Kyiv as his first trip overseas.

Moscow's foreign ministry said the UK envoy Danae Dholakia was given a "strong protest against London's continued escalation of supplies of drones and other weapons" to Kyiv and told that Britain's "highly confrontational stance on the Ukrainian issue is clearly aimed at prolonging and escalating" the war.

It added that Dholakia was told "all the complex risks linked to the destructive actions of the English".

The envoy was told that "the Russian side reserves the right to take the necessary counter-measures in the exercise of its right to self-defence" and that "any British military facilities in Ukraine used to launch strikes against Russian territor are legitimate targets."

Britain this month announced it will commit 100 million pounds ($135 million) to boost Ukraine's air defence capabilities this winter, including with Patriot missiles.

It also said it will supply "air defence interceptors, large-calibre artillery rounds and drones" to a NATO programme supporting Kyiv.

Russia's war against Ukraine has dragged on for more than four-and-a-half years.

Moscow's foreign ministry said Danae Dholakia was given a "strong protest against London's continued escalation of supplies of drones and other weapons" to Kyiv and told that Britain's "highly confrontation stance on the Ukrainian issue is clearly aimed at prolonging and escalating" the war.

"I have informed the speaker that I am ready to try to build a new government," she told reporters after meeting with speaker Andreas Norlen. "I want to lead Sweden in a new spirit of cooperation, and ... my aim is to seek broad cooperation."

The 59-year-old, who served as Sweden's first woman prime minister in 2021-2022, is expected to try to build a government with the three other parties on the left wing, though she faces an uphill battle because of their deep ideological differences.

After Sunday's general election, the four left-wing parties hold a three-seat majority in the 349-seat parliament over outgoing prime minister Ulf Kristersson's right-wing alliance, which includes the anti-immigration Sweden Democrats.

If Andersson is given the nod, as is widely expected, she would face tough negotiations to form a government that could take weeks because of divisions between the Social Democrats, the Left Party, the Greens Party and the Centre Party.

Most importantly, the Centre Party has said it will oppose a government that includes cabinet posts for the Left Party, which has insisted it will only support a left-wing government that it is a member of.

The speaker of parliament was to meet with all of the party leaders for individual talks on Friday to sound them out on who should be tasked with forming the next government.

He will hold a press conference after the talks are completed, around 3:30 pm (1330 GMT), to announce his decision. Norlen met outgoing Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson on Thursday when Kristersson tendered his resignation after the final votes were counted.

If Andersson were to fail to form a government, Kristersson would be waiting to try to build his own majority. After the 2022 election, it took 37 days to form a government and in 2018, 134 days.

The explosive substances were found on Sunday alongside materials used in detonations inside two trucks on a ferry that carried both cargo and passengers, the coast guard said in a statement.

Ammonium nitrate, a chemical used in fertilisers, is safe if stored properly, but there can be catastrophic consequences when mishandled or mixed with explosives.

A stash of 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate left to degrade in a Beirut warehouse killed more than 220 people and laid waste to swathes of the Lebanese capital when it exploded in 2020.

"The explosives and components were discovered inside (two trucks) aboard the RoRo (roll-on, roll-off) passenger vessel," the coast guard said in a Friday statement, adding the cargo had been "improperly declared".

"The confiscated explosives and components are currently under the custody of the Philippine National Police," they said.

"The (coast guard) will work closely with the PNP to determine the role of the accompanying personnel in the shipment of said cargo."

It was unclear if any arrests had been made as of Friday afternoon, and the name of the involved company has not been disclosed.

A coast guard officer tasked with port safety had been "relieved from his post to ensure impartial investigation", the statement said.

The discovery comes in the wake of a series of deadly ferry accidents.

On September 9, a fire ripped after an explosion in the cargo hold of the M/V June Aster near the resort area of Coron, Palawan, burning dozens of passengers to death.

In January, a triple-decker ferry carrying more than 340 people sank off the southern Philippines, killing at least 52 people.

"I believe we are uniquely positioned to make UNESCO a true moderator in this global debate," he said as he prepared to welcome Pope Leo XIV, a key advocate for international AI governance, in Paris next week.

The debate over the potential dangers of artificial intelligence has surged in recent weeks, with researchers warning the technology could end humanity, and leaders of AI companies suggesting development needed to be slowed.

"There is a risk that it will get out of control if we don't intervene," Enany told AFP in an interview late Thursday.

AI is "an extraordinary tool, but one that must be governed in an ethical, inclusive, and fair way," he said.

"This break, this dialogue that has taken place over the past few weeks, is something very positive," he added.

He said the cultural agency had found an "indispensable partner" in the head of the Catholic Church.

"This visit will be the beginning of a very solid partnership to strengthen and protect human dignity in this industrial revolution," the UNESCO director general said.

Pope Leo this week warned against delegating to algorithms decisions that should be taken by humans alone.

In his first major document, the encyclical "Magnifica Humanitas" (Magnificent Humanity), published in May, the pope issued a powerful call to "disarm" AI in order to "prevent it from dominating humanity".

Leo, the first US pope, will visit UNESCO headquarters next Friday at the start of a four-day trip to France.

A search-and-rescue operation was underway following the blast in Kohat in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, according to Bilal Ahmed Faizi from the 1122 rescue services.

Provincial police chief Zulfiqar Hameed told AFP that eight people were killed and 35 wounded, without giving more details about police and civilian casualties.

"The investigation into the nature of the blast is underway," Hameed said.

Faizi said more than 45 rescue personnel had been deployed to the site at the Old Police Lines in Kohat, a town of around 220,000 people.

"Rescue 1122 teams are actively engaged in the search-and-rescue operation at the site, and relief activities will continue until the operation concludes," he said.

No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack but the area has been gripped by a violent campaign by the Islamist militant Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) group.

Pakistan's President Asif Ali Zardari expressed "regret" over the casualties, sending his "best wishes for the speedy recovery of those injured in the blast".

"The complete elimination of Fitna-al-Khawarij and terrorists operating with foreign backing is essential for national security," he said, using another term for the TTP group.

Pakistan has blamed the increase in attacks in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the southern border province of Balochistan on militancy emanating from Afghanistan, where the Taliban government denies Afghan involvement.

The accusations have sparked a bitter rift and armed conflict between the neighbouring countries, and Pakistan has carried out deadly airstrikes it says target militants on Afghan soil.

The Taliban government in Kabul and the United Nations said dozens of civilians were killed in the latest Pakistani strikes on eastern Afghanistan in June.

"I was happy when I heard about it," said Bader, 27, who lives in the occupied West Bank's city of Tulkarem, which has seen repeated Israeli raids in recent years.

"Now a year on, we're not seeing any improvement. On the contrary," he said. "The situation is getting worse by the day and no one can do anything." A year after the recognition, Palestinian statehood in real, tangible terms looks more distant than ever.

Israeli settler violence has soared, Palestinians are being pushed into ever-smaller areas and the Palestinian Authority has only been weakened. French President Emmanuel Macron, vowing to find a new path forward amid global outrage over Israel's offensive in Gaza, on September 22, 2025 led a special UN summit to recognise a Palestinian state.

Ten countries, also including Britain, Canada and Australia, recognised Palestinian statehood, bringing the number of UN member-states doing so to around 157, more than four-fifths of the UN membership.

But Israel, which enjoys support from the United States, adamantly rejects Palestinian statehood, and has stepped up efforts to isolate the Palestinian Authority of president Mahmoud Abbas.

While Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stopped short last year of formally annexing the West Bank, observers say unofficial annexation is creeping as his right-wing government approves an unprecedented number of settlements.

"Recognition makes the two-state solution a reality politically and diplomatically, but unfortunately on the ground it still depends on the illegal behaviour of Israel, which is not implementing international resolutions," Omar Awadallah, deputy foreign affairs minister of the Palestinian Authority, told AFP.

Ines Abdel Razek, a Palestinian political analyst, said that recognition of a state of Palestine amounted to little without measures to support its existence and counter Israeli actions. "The two-state solution's become a diplomatic refrain to avoid looking at reality in the face," she said.

- 'No future' -

Across the West Bank's limestone hills, thousands of Israeli flags line roads used by Israeli settlers, with the occasional graffiti "No future in Palestine" stencilled on walls, as a call for Palestinians to leave.

Netanyahu argues that a Palestinian state would be a "reward for terrorism" after Hamas on October 7, 2023 carried out the deadliest attack ever on Israel, which responded with a massive military operation in Gaza.

"As long as I am prime minister, an Iranian-controlled Palestinian state will not be established -- neither in Gaza nor in Judea and Samaria. Period," Netanyahu said last month, using the biblical name for the West Bank.

Iran, which the United States and Israel attacked in February, backs Hamas in Gaza. The Palestinian Authority, centred in the West Bank, is led by Fatah, Hamas's archrival.

Ahead of the anniversary, Israel ordered the closure of the UK consulate serving Palestinians from Jerusalem, angered after Britain led France and Canada in sanctions over rising attacks by settlers.

Foreign Minister Gideon Saar, explaining the move, said Britain's Labour government was attempting to "force upon Israel" a Palestinian state but the attempt was "doomed to fail".

- Rising attacks -

The Palestinian Authority, established in the 1990s, has been starved of cash in part by Israel's decision not to give it customs revenue it collects on its behalf, and struggles to pay its civil servants.

Israel has objected to the Palestinian Authority's historic payments to families of imprisoned or slain Palestinians, including those who carried out attacks against Israelis.

In early 2025, Israel built nearly 1,000 gates in the West Bank, at the entrances of nearly all villages and towns, which it closes on occasion to control Palestinian movement.

Palestinians have also decried a policy of "maximum land, minimum Arabs" whereby settlers push out isolated herder communities from rural areas in order to establish settler outposts.

The UN says extremist settlers have been responsible for an average of six attacks per day on Palestinians and Palestinian property in the West Bank in 2026. Palestinians complain that Israeli perpetrators of violence are almost never brought to justice, and are protected by the army.

Defence Minister Israel Katz has called for police to take over civilian matters from the military in the West Bank, a move observers see as a further step towards annexation.

Sameh, a software engineer in Nablus, still sees last year's move as a positive sign, but concedes the difficulties. "There is still a big distance between international recognition and seeing that recognition translated into reality on the ground," he said.

Iran has maintained its stranglehold on the strategic strait as Washington continues pressing its counterblockade of Iranian ports during the Middle East war.

The Islamic republic wants to charge ships for passage, attacking vessels it accuses of attempting to circumvent its preferred route.

"The Togo-flagged oil tanker 'Trend' had been targeted and detained after a fire broke out on board" late on Thursday, the statement said, calling it an attempted "illegal passage".

Early on Friday, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said a ship was hit by an "unknown projectile", causing a fire that was extinguished.

The monitoring agency had also reported a "security incident" in Hormuz late on Thursday, without giving details.

It was unclear if the IRGC and UKMTO reports referred to the same incident.

"The CSO of a vessel has reported a tanker being hit by an unknown projectile, causing a fire onboard which has since been extinguished," the maritime monitor said, adding that the crew were safe, although the environmental impact of the attack was "unconfirmed".

Shinjuku Station is a sprawling transport complex with multiple rail firms that serve more than 2.7 million passengers every day, and holds the Guinness World Record for the world's busiest rail station.

In a part of the station operated by East Japan Railway, the bins are emptied manually more than 10 times a day -- though the number of wastebaskets has been reduced in recent years for cleanliness and security reasons.

JR East is testing three automated bins, each standing just over one metre (three feet) tall and moving at a cautious 20 centimetres (eight inches) per second.

"We wanted to test how well something like this can operate automatically and safely in an environment like Shinjuku Station," Shinya Kawamichi, a JR East research official, told AFP.

"We want to see how much of a difference mobile trash bins that collect garbage make, and whether people are actually willing to throw their trash into them," he said.

The trial project, which runs until late November, will put the robots up against the station's always-hectic underground concourse, where they are meant to bring trash to human workers.

Kawamichi said the robots are designed to be "slow so that people can put trash in them and so (they) can stop at any moment".

The company also wanted to test if the robots can navigate busy crowds and be accepted by commuters -- with an eye to expanding the future uses of this technology.

The bulky, googly-eyed devices have become a hit among tourists, many of whom stopped to snap photos. "The eyes are very cute," said German train driver Chris Genseliein, 30, adding that he had a tough time finding bins in Japanese train stations.

Despite being an enormous complex with two above-ground floors and a massive underground section, JR East's section of Shinjuku Station only has seven sets of bins and recycling boxes.

Some Japanese passengers said stations are kept clean because people take their trash home.

But others welcomed the added convenience. "It's just easier if you could throw things away while walking," said university student Ryunosuke Noguchi, 22.

During the transfer, the police struggled to contain crowds of people jostling to secure a spot at the new tented site after weeks of living on the beaches. Authorities say there are enough tents for 1,700 people.

Tens of thousands of migrants flooded across the border from Morocco in late July and though most quickly returned, several thousand have remained with many now sleeping rough on the territory's beaches.

Police started rounding up the migrants at 6:30am (0430 GMT), according to a Spanish government source in Cueta.

The tent city in the port has showers and beds, the source added.

Ceuta authorities estimate that 13,000 migrants have remained in the 18.5 square kilometer (7.2 square mile) territory. The central government says the figure is lower.

The Spanish government went ahead with the transfer despite opposition from the conservative local authority. Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has faced strong criticism over the handling of the crisis. He is also in dispute with Italy which temporarily reimposed border controls.

A decree signed by President Vladimir Putin transferred the Russian operations of Nestle, French retailer Auchan and the former Leroy Merlin DIY chain, now known as Lemana Pro, to a company called LEV Management.

The decree, issued late Thursday, also covers the Russian subsidiaries of French logistics group FM Logistic.

Investigative outlet Novaya Gazeta Europe reported that LEV Management was only created at the end of 2025, and is headed by a Russian interior ministry general. It had no known business activity.

It was the latest move by Russia against Western firms in response to a barrage of sanctions over its war against Ukraine, now in a fifth year.

Most Western companies quickly sold their Russian operations and holdings after the Ukraine invasion, or at least isolated them, as sanctions have made trading in most goods difficult.

Russia has since made it difficult for firms to leave, requiring presidential authorisation for deals, or seizing the assets outright.

- Assets at risk -

In a short statement, Nestle said it was "committed to taking all necessary steps to protect its rights and ensure continuity of business operations in the interests of all stakeholders, particularly its employees".

"The company is assessing the situation and its options," it added, without providing details of its residual Russian operations.

Jean-Philippe Bertschy of the Swiss investment bank Vontobel said he expected the financial impact to Nestle would be small "given Russia's limited contribution to group sales".

He said Russia now accounted for just over one percent of the group's sales, down from around two percent before the Ukraine war.

It has suspended "the vast majority of sales, non-essential imports, advertising and capital investment", he said, while continuing to supply essential food items.

Auchan and Leroy Merlin are both controlled by France's Mulliez family.

Auchan's Russian subsidiary said Friday that it had requested "clarifications" from the authorities over Putin's decree.

The food and consumer goods group is one of Russia's main retailers, with 241 stores in the country, including 62 hypermarkets, and over 33,000 employees according to its website.

"Once the corresponding information has been received, we will be able to provide more detailed comments," Auchan Retail Russia said a statement to Russian news agencies.

The latest seizure echoes a string of other forced asset transfers, including Moscow's 2023 takeover of Danone's Russian business, which was later sold to a nephew of Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov.

Footage showed flames engulfing trees and plumes of smoke billowing into the night sky as lights flickered from nearby emergency vehicles.

Strong winds and dry vegetation from lack of rain have propelled the blaze on Casitagua, a peak in northern Quito, forcing 48 people to flee as a precautionary measure, according to city authorities.

Nine wildfires broke out on Thursday alone, with firefighters managing to bring seven of them under control, the Quito Fire Department said.

"We are working by air and land to contain the fire... to reduce the risk of damage or spread to nearby homes," the department said.

Jefferson Mera from the fire department said emergency services were battling mountainous terrain to reach the blaze.

"There are some fires, like this one, that are very difficult to tackle because of accessibility," he told reporters.

Flames rising from Casitagua were visible across the city, which was already on alert this week due to another fire in the central district.

Quito security chief Carolina Andrade said the fires had a "very severe, painful impact" on vegetation in the capital.

"We estimate that close to 200 hectares (500 acres) may already be affected," she said.

There have been no reports of injuries or damage to nearby homes.

City authorities have recorded nearly 200 wildfires between June and September, destroying about 1,200 hectares (3,000 acres) of forest in the capital.

Four people faced legal action for starting wildfires, including one sentenced to six months in prison.

In 2024, Quito faced one of the worst forest fires in decades, when a blaze started deliberately injured six people and destroyed homes.

China's coast guard subsequently blamed the actions of the Philippine vessel, which it said "bears full responsibility for the incident".

The incident took place near a shoal in the contested Spratly Islands chain, a fish-rich flashpoint that has been the site of violent confrontations with China Coast Guard vessels in recent years.

Beijing claims most of the South China Sea despite an international ruling that its assertion has no legal basis.

The Chinese vessel "rammed BRP Datu Magat Salamat... as it carried out its maritime patrol to deliver fuel subsidy to our fishermen", Philippine Coast Guard spokesman Jay Tarriela said.

"At 11:04 AM, CCG-21585 cut across the stern of the BFAR (fisheries bureau) vessel at a distance of only about 10 meters."

Nine minutes later, the "Chinese vessel repeated the maneuver and this time made contact, striking the BFAR vessel", the statement shared with reporters said.

Video released on X by the Philippine Coast Guard shows the Chinese vessel near the stern of the boat and a crewmember shouting "collision", although the impact is not visible.

Jiang Lue, a spokesperson for China's coast guard, blamed the Philippine vessel for "disregarding repeated solemn warnings" and deliberately changing course to "cut across the bow of the Chinese coast guard vessel".

"The Philippine side's actions seriously violated international law... threatening the safety of Chinese coast guard vessels and personnel," Lue said.

"We sternly warn the Philippine side to immediately cease all acts of infringement and provocation; otherwise, it must bear all consequences," he warned.

The Philippines and China renewed their confrontations in the South China Sea in July after a brief period of quiet, making headlines just as Manila was hosting a gathering of ASEAN foreign ministers.

Australia's ruling Labor party has denied it is tightening visa rules in response to the rise of the far-right One Nation, which has become one of the country's most popular parties this year with pledges to drastically slash migration.

Under reforms announced Thursday, Australia will stop family members accompanying students, introduce ballots for working holiday makers and crack down on overstayers.

Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs Matt Thistlethwaite said on Friday that tourists would be put in immigration detention to reduce the level of visa overstayers, which has risen to 77,000.

"Once the word gets around, 'hey, I overstayed on my tourist visa for a couple of weeks, I got picked up and I spent a couple of weeks in immigration detention, it's not a nice place, I'm going home'. Once that gets around, then we think that obviously that deterrence will ensure that people abide by the conditions," he told broadcaster News24.

People who don't have the right to remain in Australia will face a "consequence" and be removed, he added.

Since 2015, Australia's immigration detention centres have swelled with people with criminal convictions awaiting deportation after a policy change that saw mandatory cancellation of permanent visas for certain criminal offences.

Immigration Minister Tony Burke, announcing the new policy on Thursday, said the government would open 250 beds and add 100 compliance officers to house the visa overstayers in different facilities.

Australian Tourism Industry Council chief executive Erin McLeod said talk of detaining tourists was not good for Australia's image.

"I don't think it does our reputation as a welcoming destination any good and can become quite damaging -- tourism is an important part of the Australian economy," she told AFP.

The council represents thousands of small tourism businesses.

Refugee Council of Australia director of policy Rebecca Eckard said the move raised safety and legal concerns.

"It is being framed as punitive to change behaviour. The use of punitive detention is not permitted under Australia's immigration act," she told AFP.

"There has been a major problem with immigration detention," she added, pointing to concerns raised by the government ombudsman over insufficient staffing and healthcare access.

Najib, 73, was jailed for his role in one of the largest-ever global plunders of a sovereign wealth fund, the now defunct 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB).

Malaysian King Sultan Ibrahim "has granted a conditional pardon...allowing him (Najib) to serve the remainder of his sentence under house arrest until 23 August 2028," lawyers from Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim's office said.

The conditional pardon was "subject to the payment of a fine of 50 million Malaysian Ringgit ($12.3 million), the legal affairs division officials said in a statement.

Najib "must comply with all set conditions. If he fails to comply with any of these terms, the conditional pardon will be automatically revoked, and he must immediately serve the remainder of his sentence in prison," the statement said.

A Malaysian judge late last year rejected an original request to allow Najib to serve the rest of his time at home.

Najib was sentenced to 12 years' imprisonment in July 2020 in a first trial over vast sums of money, siphoned from a former 1MDB subsidiary called SRC International Sdn Bhd.

But a pardons board later halved the term, and his fine was reduced to 50 million ringgit.

His sentence in this case is scheduled to be completed by August 2028.

- Abused his positions -

Days after Najib's December bid for house arrest was turned down, the ex-PM was again sentenced to another 15 years behind bars in a separate trial, also linked to the 1MDB graft scandal.

Najib has also been fined 11.4 billion ringgit for his role in the corruption scandal, which took place more than a decade ago.

He is currently appealing the 15-year sentence, which is only set to start once the six-year sentence is completed.

The son of one of Malaysia's founding fathers, Najib was groomed for leadership from a young age but fell from power spectacularly as public anger mounted over the corruption scandal.

Investigations under successive governments have ensnared him and his wife, Rosmah Mansor, in graft allegations since his loss in 2018 elections.

Prosecutors said Najib abused his positions as prime minister, finance minister and 1MDB advisory board chairman to move vast sums from the fund into his personal accounts.

According to investigators, proceeds from the fund were used to bankroll high-end real estate, a luxury yacht and precious artworks, including a Monet and a Van Gogh.

"Today, Greensand brings the EU's first full-scale CO2 storage site and value chain into operation. It provides a foundation on which future carbon capture projects across Europe can now build," INEOS chief executive David Bucknall said in a statement.

CCS technology is one of the tools approved by the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and the International Energy Agency (IEA) to curb global warming, especially for reducing the CO2 footprint of industries like cement and steel that are difficult to decarbonise.

But the technology is complex and costly.

The inauguration of the Greensand project proves "that carbon storage is a practical reality", European Commissioner for Energy Dan Jorgensen stressed.

"We set out a path for European industries: to continue their transition to a low-carbon future, while maintaining production, investments, and employment in our continent," he continued

Located some 200 kilometres (124 miles) off the Danish west coast, the Greensand reservoir lies beneath the old oil-platform Nini West.

In its first phase, the project is expected to store 400,000 tonnes of CO2 per year.

INEOS then intends to scale up the project and inject four to eight million tonnes annually by 2030.

The CO2 will be sourced mainly from Danish biomethane plants and be transported in liquefied form by ship from the mainland, departing from the port of Esbjerg in southwest Denmark.

Under the Net-Zero Industry Act (NZIA), the EU has set a legally binding target to have a storage capacity of at least 50 million tonnes per year by 2030.

In neighbouring Norway, the world's first commercial CO2 transport and storage service, dubbed Northern Lights, carried out its first CO2 injection in August 2025 into an aquifer 110 kilometres off Bergen on the western coast.

Its owners -- energy giants Equinor, Shell and TotalEnergies -- have agreed to increase annual capacity from 1.5 to five million tonnes of CO2 by the end of the decade.

While few doubt President Vladimir Putin's party will sail to victory again, the vote will serve as a barometer for feelings on the war that has killed hundreds of thousands and undermined the daily lives of Russians.

"More than 350 UAVs flew towards the Moscow region between 8:00 pm (1700 GMT) on 17 September and 7:00 am on 18 September," Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said on Telegram.

"Most were reportedly destroyed at the outer defensive perimeter, including 64 UAVs intercepted while approaching Moscow."

Putin has ruled Russia since New Year's Eve 1999 and his United Russia party has dominated Russian politics since the early 2000s.

Moscow has banned criticism of its Ukraine campaign and the Russian elections, tightly controlled by the Kremlin, are bringing few surprises.

The vote to renew the 450 seats in the Duma, Russia's lower house of parliament, will run until 1800 GMT on Sunday.

Samir Ousman Alsheikh, 74, who has been in the US since 2020, allegedly ran Damascus Central Prison -- known colloquially as Adra Prison -- from approximately 2005 to 2008, where detainees were subjected to horrific abuse in the "Punishment Wing."

A jury found Alsheikh guilty in March of "one count of conspiracy to commit torture, three counts of torture, one count of visa fraud, and one count of attempted naturalization fraud," according to the DOJ.

Three former prisoners testified during the trial about the abuse they suffered at the hands of Alsheikh, as well as the torture inflicted on other prisoners.

"The conviction in this case is a testament to the courage of his victims," Assistant US Attorney General A. Tysen Duva said in a statement.

In addition to the torture charges, Alsheikh was found guilty of immigration fraud after he lied about his past to gain entry to the United States in 2020.

"The message is clear: human rights violators who come to the United States will receive no safe harbor here," Duva added.

"We will find them, and they will be prosecuted and punished for their heinous crimes."

A coalition -- spearheaded by the Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group and its allies -- toppled Bashar al-Assad's government in late 2024, and after the collapse, Syrians flocked to prisons searching for missing loved ones.

His village, Manga, is located around 20 kilometers (12 miles) from the center of Oiapoque, a town bordering French Guiana that has been buzzing since Brazilian oil giant Petrobras began offshore exploration in the region a year ago.

The state-run company announced in August that it had identified signs of oil in a well about 175 kilometers (109 miles) off the coast of northern Brazil's Amapa state.

Leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who is seeking reelection on October 4, promptly visited the area, calling the oil a "passport to the future."

Reaching Oiapoque requires travelling 600 kilometers (370 miles) from state capital Macapa, part of it along a red dirt road riddled with potholes. Makeshift wooden bridges are used to cross waterways.

Many streets in the town have no sidewalks, and are lined with low-rise buildings with run-down facades, although numerous construction projects are underway.

- 'Disappointed' with Lula -

While many residents are excited about a potential oil bonanza in their poverty-stricken town, Karipuna is far from convinced.

"In the event of a spill, we will inevitably be affected. Water has no borders," said the 57-year-old chief.

He fears an "immense disaster" if an oil leak off the coast is carried into the Curipi River, which runs alongside his village of 1,800 inhabitants.

Petrobras has said its analyses do "not indicate the probability" of oil "reaching the coast in the event of a spill."

"There is no such thing as zero risk in offshore exploration,", Jean Paul Prates, who headed Petrobras in 2023-2024 and now chairs the energy and natural resources thinktank Cerne, told AFP.

"It is a low-probability risk, but with potentially high consequences."

Karipuna says he is "disappointed" with Lula, who presents himself as a defender of the environment and Indigenous peoples.

Lula has said that while he is against fossil fuels, he believes the world cannot live without them yet, and that oil can finance the transition to clean energy.

Karipuna said he is already feeling the impact of oil exploration because of "the noise from planes and helicopters," which he said scares away birds and game.

His concerns are shared by Joelso Mendonca, vice president of a group of nearly 400 traditional fishermen.

"If there is an oil spill, nobody is going to want to buy our fish," the 50-year-old said, while repairing his net in a stilted shack on the riverbank.

Petrobras told AFP it had "maintained continuous dialogue" with civil society and Indigenous communities.

Regarding air traffic, the company said it had made "adjustments" following consultations with Indigenous leaders.

- 'Starting from scratch' -

While some see the potential oil as a curse, Jacqueline Cadete considers it a "sign from God."

The 45-year-old evangelical pastor moved to Oiapoque at the end of 2025, attracted by oil "opportunities" after living abroad for many years in French Guiana and metropolitan France.

According to a study by the National Industry Observatory, more than 50,000 jobs could be created in Amapa.

And any royalty payments Petrobras will have to make once production begins could provide a considerable windfall for local authorities.

However, Petrobras president, Magda Chambriard, announced in August that production was not expected to begin for another "six or seven years."

In the meantime, Mayor Inacio Monteiro Maciel is "very optimistic" about the future, even though the city will have to "practically start from scratch" in terms of infrastructure and social policies.

More than half of the roughly 28,000 inhabitants recorded in the town's 2022 census receive Bolsa Familia, a benefit paid to Brazil's poorest households.

But the city has experienced an influx of newcomers in recent years, which has "intensified" since Petrobras began drilling, the mayor said.

He estimates that 40,000 to 45,000 people already live in Oiapoque.

US President Donald Trump's war against Iran and its worldwide fallout are expected to dominate this year's United Nations General Assembly High-level Week.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will meanwhile urge allies not to lose focus on his country's defense needs, as Russia retaliates for long-range drone strikes against its energy infrastructure.

"When we see the Russia-Ukraine war, and when we see the whole Middle East, every day things get a little bit worse," said UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres ahead of the gathering.

"There is no improvement anywhere, and when things evolve in a way that every day things get a little bit worse, we are at a serious risk of an explosion."

Artificial intelligence will also be a key topic in talks and speeches, with its potential threats to humanity dominating global headlines after tech leaders sounded the alarm.

An emergency Security Council meeting is set to be held on the issue.

"This year's UNGA could be where a plan starts to take shape to define what the world wants from industry's pledge on safety and who is responsible for monitoring it," said Nicolas Miailhe, an AI governance expert and co-founder of AI Safety Connect.

"The harder part will be agreeing on what that plan looks like and moving it into reality."

Amid fierce competition between the United States and China on AI, Guterres urged more global coordination.

"The world cannot afford a race to the bottom on AI safety," he said.

Behind the scenes, the world's power brokers will also be wrangling over the UN's future, seeking to thrash out a deal on a candidate to lead the organization riven with divisions and budget black holes.

No breakthrough is expected, but the global powers wielding vetoes over the process -- Britain, France, Russia, China and the United States -- could well use the gathering to seal a deal.

Guterres's second five-year term ends on December 31, 2026 after a tenure marked by surging global conflict, the coronavirus pandemic, mounting inequality and rampant polarization.

One European diplomat said the selection process was "not very successful so far... any kind of consensus is not emerging."

- 'Existential threats' -

The Israeli-Palestinian conflict -- from a sputtering Gaza peace process to Israel's expansion of settlements in the occupied West Bank -- will once again be among the divisive issues facing world leaders.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to attend for a lightning visit, after New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani admitted he was unable to execute an International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant against him.

The Trump administration has denied US visas to Mahmoud Abbas and other Palestinian leaders for a second year.

China's President Xi Jinping will skip the diplomatic gathering and instead go straight to Washington for a state visit with Trump.

Beijing's support for Russia and Iran will be among the thorny subjects under discussion.

"China has long seen high-level week as US turf," said the International Crisis Group's Daniel Forti.

"And while the Chinese diplomats at the UN are really intentionally trying to position themselves as a more predictable and stable big power compared to Washington, our assessment is that Xi doesn't need the spotlight at high-level week to make that case," he added.

With heat records being broken around the globe and extreme weather events multiplying, Guterres, as he has throughout his tenure, will continue to push for more global action against climate change.

He will convene a meeting on Climate Action and the Just Transition, followed by a day dedicated to sea-level rise, an existential threat for low-lying island nations.

The climate and environmental harms associated with artificial intelligence -- as well as its potentially catalytic benefits -- are expected to figure heavily at the UN and the broader Climate Week around it in New York, an annual jamboree of activists, corporations and academics.

He hates the Islamic government in Tehran but believes "nothing is going to be better" by going to war.

Fellow exiles in the United States began accusing him of supporting their oppressors.

Another Iranian-American, Bahar, also found herself being cut off within the diaspora -- but in her case because she strongly supported the war launched by US President Donald Trump.

The 750,000-strong Iranian community in the US is overwhelmingly united in opposing Iran's Islamic regime whose top leadership has been decimated by the US-Israeli offensive that has destroyed swaths of the country's military and prompted global economic shocks.

But deep fault lines have appeared among expatriates and exiles over whether the war will succeed in ending 47 years of clerical rule in their homeland.

"Family relationships have been strained or broken...Even lifelong friendships have ended over this," said Sahar Razavi, director of the Iranian and Middle Eastern Studies Center at California State University, Sacramento, who says the war exacerbated pre-existing tensions.

AFP spoke to Iranian community members around Washington about the tensions. Some requested their full names be withheld as they talked about their own friends and relatives.

- 'No other solution' -

Soroush, a 3D artist and animator who came to the US a decade ago, described rifts with close friends and even his own brother and sister-in-law after the war started on February 28.

"People (in Iran) are going to lose friends, family members. They're going to lose their job, their savings," he recalled telling them, citing the negative impacts of past US wars in the Middle East.

"They are the ones who are living it, not the Iranian diaspora," the Christian convert told AFP as he nursed a beer at a Washington bar.

At a downtown coffee shop, Bahar, who works in the medical sector, and Aahoo Sigarchi, who works in a bank, took an opposite view.

They are fueled by outrage over the thousands of protesters killed by Iranian security forces in January 2026 which they say necessitated military action to topple the regime.

"We all have our family, our friends inside Iran, and we are just speaking the words that they can't," said Aahoo, a firm supporter of Reza Pahlavi, the exiled son of the late shah of Iran who called for an uprising then rallied support among the diaspora.

"I think we are on the right path with the war, and I believe soon we are going to get to what people are looking for," she said, batting away questions about the failure of the military intervention to unseat the regime.

"To be realistic, we have no other solution," Aahoo said.

- 'Dug their heels in' -

The war is deeply unpopular among the wider US population grappling with the knock-on effect of rising fuel prices.

Polling commissioned by the National Iranian American Council, an advocacy group that opposes the war, suggests that support among the Iranian diaspora quickly diminished.

At the start of the war, the community in the US was split about half-and-half, but a second poll a month later found 66.1 percent opposed the war and only 32.7 percent supported it.

Razavi said opponents of the war who were skeptical about externally driven regime-change feel vindicated, but many supporters "have dug their heels in further."

She said there is also a significant minority that switched stance to rally around the Iranian government as it stands up to the United States.

"That's something among Iranian diaspora that I see accelerating," she said.

- 'Liberation struggle' pressure -

Mohammad Reza Mousavi, a former Tehran-based journalist who opposes both the war and the regime, detects waning war enthusiasm. And he bristles at the intolerance of those who have advocated for it.

"They can label you very easily with whatever they want if they realize that you're not with them in every respect," he said.

According to Razavi, Iranian community organizations that would host Farsi language classes or Persian poetry readings would be "raked over the coals" for not overtly expressing support for the "liberation struggle."

Pahlavi's supporters say communal pressure is not a one-way street.

Bahar said she has been called a fascist for voting for Trump and lost 100 Instagram followers. She has pulled her eight-year-old son from a school that teaches about Iranian art and music after a teacher kept bringing up the war in class.

But Mousavi was pragmatic about the way the war has shaken up the community.

"At these times of hardships, you understand the people around you," he said. "You understand what sort of people they are."

Concerns about the safety of advanced artificial intelligence models escalated this month after an employee resigned from Anthropic while warning that the industry was "gambling with our lives."

Jacob Coxon, who also previously worked at OpenAI, left Anthropic last week amid a flurry of support from his former colleagues, including one who voiced concern about a small probability that AI could cause humanity's extinction.We

Last weekend, Anthropic's own CEO Dario Amodei called for AI development to slow down -- but didn't say anything about the IPO.

The fracas forms a backdrop for highly anticipated initial public offerings from both OpenAI and Anthropic.

It's unclear if, or how, either company will address theoretical doomsday scenarios in securities filings, though.

Companies are required to publicly disclose known business risks to investors prior to an IPO.

Anthropic could submit that document to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) as early as this month.

"Are we to believe that there is something that's extremely dangerous that's hiding inside this company because this person that quit said it, and then it was amplified by a bunch of people" who still work there, All-In podcast co-host Chamath Palihapitiya said last week.

"If it's true... (investors) will demand an enormous discount," said Palihapitiya, a venture capitalist.

Altimeter Capital founder Brad Gerstner, who has shares in both OpenAI and Anthropic, downplayed the concerns this week, arguing that an IPO brings transparency for investors.

"Anthropic will IPO. The market knows how to price risk -- see SpaceX," Gerstner posted on X.

Elon Musk's SpaceX raised a record $85 billion in its June IPO, but its stock has lost around a quarter of its value since peaking at around $202 a share.

"There is huge appetite to invest in the AI leaders," Gerstner added.

- 'Ill-advised' -

How Anthropic's IPO performs will also set the tone for OpenAI's debut next year.

The stakes extend well beyond the two companies themselves, with tech giants including Microsoft, Amazon, Google and Nvidia holding significant stakes in the AI labs.

More broadly, the US economy is increasingly tied to the AI buildout, meaning the success or failure of these IPOs carries weight for the wider economy.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said this weekend that the company would delay its own IPO until 2027, citing safety concerns. It's an "ill-advised moment," Altman said.

Before the recent headlines over AI safety, Altman and executives at OpenAI had already signaled that they were in no hurry to go public this year.

The ChatGPT maker's dealmaking appears to be running full speed ahead, nonetheless.

OpenAI is in talks with investors about raising a new round of funding with a valuation of at least $1.2 trillion before it goes public, while Anthropic might seek a $2 trillion valuation in an IPO that could happen as early as October, according to various reports.

Leaders inside OpenAI have been concerned about investor skittishness, broad market uncertainty and SpaceX's underwhelming stock performance, according to media reports.

- 'Massive' -

Also weighing on executives' minds is a proposal by both companies to slow down development, given recent incidents involving AI technology going rogue.

OpenAI CFO Sarah Friar dismissed the idea that a slowing of pace in releasing state-of-the-art technology would impact the company's core business and revenue growth.

"Even if we stop today, the amount of intelligence that's available in the world is massive," Friar told CNBC on Tuesday.

Anthropic also pushed back on the idea that being safety-minded would compromise the IPO.

"I would say safety has been the core of who we are from the very beginning," Anthropic's head of policy, Sarah Heck, said at a Politico conference on Wednesday. "Our investors know that. Our customers know that."

Saudi Arabia has long sought to buy F-35s, but officials from Israel -- currently the only country in the Middle East to operate the jets -- has voiced concern about their sale to Riyadh despite a push for the kingdom to normalize relations.

"The proposed sale will improve Saudi Arabia's capability to deter current and future threats by strengthening its homeland defense, and improving interoperability with US forces," the State Department said in a statement.

It "will also augment Saudi Arabia's operational aircraft and enhance its air-to-air, and air-to-ground self-defense capability," the statement said.

The Saudi embassy in Washington praised the transaction, saying it "reflects the strength and enduring nature" of the relationship with the United States.

It added that the security cooperation between the two countries "has contributed to regional stability, strengthened our collective defense capabilities, and advanced our shared security interests."

Saudi Arabia has been repeatedly targeted with drone and missile strikes by Tehran's forces since the United States and Israel launched their war against Iran in February, and has also been hit by Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels.

Yemen's civil war had been dormant for years, but fighting between Houthis and the internationally recognized, Riyadh-backed government reignited in July, with the rebels declaring a maritime blockade of Saudi Arabia and targeting its ships in the Red Sea.

Washington has not directly entered the conflict, but a US official said earlier this week that an American military task force is working to enhance intelligence sharing and planning assistance for Saudi forces.

- Congressional approval pending -

The State Department has notified Congress about the proposed sale, which would require the approval of US lawmakers. It did not provide a time frame for the delivery of the jets.

The F-35 sale "will not alter the military balance in the region," the State Department said, in keeping with longstanding US policy that Israel must have a military edge over potential regional adversaries.

The United States has so far only allowed the sales of F-35s to its closest allies, including a number of European NATO allies and Israel.

Washington kicked NATO member Turkey out of the F-35 program in 2019 because Ankara's purchase of a Russian air defense system sparked fears that Moscow could acquire the plane's technology.

- Billions in arms sales -

Washington also has concerns about potential Chinese espionage related to the jets.

The New York Times reported this week that US intelligence analysts have raised the possibility that Beijing could acquire F-35 technology through its partnerships with Riyadh.

US Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi, a Democratic member of the House Intelligence Committee, expressed opposition to the sale on those grounds.

It should not go ahead "when our own intelligence community is warning that it could put the crown jewels of American military technology within reach of the Chinese Communist Party," Krishnamoorthi said in a statement.

The F-35 sale is the latest in a series of major arms buys by Saudi Arabia this year.

The State Department announced the approval of a $5 billion sale of more than 10,000 bombs -- including highly destructive 2,000-pound weapons -- to Riyadh earlier in September.

Washington also signed off on the sale of 60 tank engines and related equipment to Saudi Arabia at a cost of $750 million this month, and a $1.96 billion deal in July for the kingdom to buy guidance sections that can convert rockets into precision weapons.

"What is clear is that President Trump wants dialogue, and I am also urging President Trump to engage in dialogue," Lee told reporters at a press conference at the presidential Blue House.

They warn of a growing multi-million-dollar trade in endangered animals, including apes smuggled through war-torn Myanmar to feed demand among wealthy Indians seeking exotic status symbols to flaunt on social media.

"There have been several instances of exotic wild animals being found or seized across the country, said Sumanth Bindumadhav of Humane World for Animals India. "The scale is massive."

Critically endangered orangutans are native only to Indonesia's Sumatra island and Borneo, which it shares with Malaysia and Brunei.

Yet the five tiny orangutans were found by rangers in Balasore, in India's eastern Odisha state.

Aged around one-and-a-half years old, they are being cared for at a zoo. Indonesia has requested their return.

Bindumadhav's group, in a June 2026 report, detailed what it called a "rising trade in exotic wildlife", demonstrated by a "steep increase in seizures" that reflected a "surge in illegal trade".

The report estimated India's exotic-pet market at $42.6 million in 2024.

Orangutans and gibbons, small apes, were being "increasingly trafficked into India" from Southeast Asia's rainforests, it added.

- 'Alarming scale' -

A senior official at India's Wildlife Crime Control Bureau said "thousands of social media influencers" were promoting exotic species as pets online, fuelling demand among followers.

"It is a huge market," said the official, who requested anonymity because they were not authorised to speak to the media. "Rich people keep them in their homes."

Under a government voluntary disclosure scheme, more than 40,000 people had registered exotic animals by February 2021, government data shows.

The figure is likely only a fraction of those in private hands, analysts say.

"This is a figure from only those who registered themselves, so the true volume of it is potentially much larger and remains unknown," said Bindumadhav.

"The true scale of it is actually quite frightening."

Former India head of global anti-wildlife-trade group TRAFFIC Shekhar Kumar Niraj said the surge in trafficking was also linked to a "rising number" of animals held in private hands.

"Private zoos have violated laws at a very alarming scale across the country," said Niraj.

"Primates are very popular in zoos because they are very intelligent, like to interact with humans, the kind of thing zoos want."

Indian federal authorities did not respond to AFP's requests for comment.

The World Wide Fund for Nature-India (WWF-India) documented 56 seizures involving about 4,000 exotic animals in 2022 alone.

In October 2025, Mumbai customs officers arrested a passenger carrying two endangered gibbons stuffed inside a checked bag.

Other seizures in Mumbai last year included lizards, tree-climbing possums and dozens of venomous vipers.

In 2024, forest officials recovered a trafficked orangutan from a flat in Maharashtra state.

But such seizures represent only a fraction of the trade, experts warn.

Caracas censored hundreds of websites under president Nicolas Maduro, who was captured by US forces in January and replaced by interim leader Delcy Rodriguez.

Eight months after his ouster, Washington is backing dialogue between the interim government and parts of the opposition, although US President Donald Trump has ruled out elections in the near future.

The decision to unblock censored outlets came ahead of the second round of talks in Caracas, which are partly focusing on freedom of expression.

Also on Thursday, regime-loyal intelligence officers arrested an opposition figure that had recently returned from exile.

Telecom regulator CONATEL announced the "formal restoration of access to various national and international digital platforms and media outlets."

Digital rights group Venezuela Sin Filtro verified access to 17 news sites through several internet providers.

At least 188 websites remain blocked, it said, including 79 news outlets.

Journalists and NGOs have spent years campaigning against censorship implemented by Maduro's administration, with users having to rely on a VPN to access blocked sites.

Deputy communications minister Gustavo Villapol said the decision aimed to end polarization.

"We can never again vilify people without having proof in hand; we cannot use communication for interests that are external to the vital meaning of our nation," he said on state television.

Luis Ernesto Blanco, editorial director of the previously blocked site Runrunes, likened Thursday's measure to an official acknowledgement that public debate had been stifled.

"They had censored them basically because they wanted to; there was no administrative ruling, no court order requiring it," he said.

Dinorah Figuera, head of the opposition delegation to the transition talks, called the decision "a first step."

"Many outlets are still missing, and they all have to come back, fully and permanently," she wrote on X.

- 'Managed to hold on' -

Victor Amaya, whose online outlet TalCual was blocked in July 2024, voiced skepticism that all censored sites will become accessible again.

"Hopefully it doesn't turn out like it does with some releases from prison, where they announce 100, but 60 are confirmed, 70 are confirmed," he told AFP via WhatsApp, referring to Rodriguez's promise to release political prisoners.

Amaya hopes the change will lead to "a normalized communication environment."

"We've managed to hold on, we've managed to improvise, and we've made it this far alive," he said, adding that TalCual had lost 60 percent of traffic and significant advertising income.

The news site NTN24 earlier confirmed that its content was visible in Venezuela again, but later reported that access was intermittent, as did other outlets.

- Opposition figure arrest -

Meanwhile, former opposition mayor Javier Oropeza, who returned to Venezuela earlier this week after two years in exile, was arrested Thursday by agents from the Sebin intelligence service in the northwestern city of Barquisimeto.

Oropeza was formerly the mayor of Torres and was taken into custody after giving an interview to a local newspaper.

Figuera said she had lodged a protest with the authorities who assured her that he would be promptly freed.

"We will be vigilant until it is fulfilled; all political prisoners must be released," she wrote on X.

Maria Corina Machado, another opposition leader who is in exile and who has been sidelined from the ongoing talks, accused the interim Rodriguez government of kidnapping the former mayor.

"This is the nature of this regime. That is why the entire country detests them. And that is why we will defeat them," Machado wrote in a defiant message on X.

After Maduro's widely disputed claim to victory in July 2024, many opposition figures fled the country, while others were imprisoned during a wave of repression.

Since Maduro's ouster, however, the crackdown has eased.

The event on Tuesday included a person dressed as Toyotomi Hideyoshi, who led Japan's invasions of Korea in 1592-1598, and the ceremony prompted a backlash in South Korea.

Historical issues are sensitive between South Korea and Japan, with Hideyoshi's invasion a significant episode in Korean history and Korea later under Japanese colonial rule from 1910 to 1945.

Three Japanese warlord characters were present for the arrival of a cruise ship in Nagoya that will serve as a floating hotel for thousands of Games athletes.

Korean Sport & Olympic Committee (KSOC) president Ryu Seung-min sent a letter to the local organising committee and the Olympic Council of Asia "expressing regret and calling for measures to prevent a recurrence", a KSOC spokeswoman told AFP.

"As of this morning we have not received a response," she added.

AFP has contacted organisers for comment.

Seoul-Tokyo ties have often been strained over Japan's colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula.

During that period about 780,000 Koreans were conscripted into forced labour, according to Seoul data, a figure that does not include women forced into sexual slavery by the Japanese military.

Leaders and activists of the organisation took part in the drive and cleaned roads, roadside areas and ditches to destroy potential mosquito-breeding grounds.

People from different walks of life also joined the programme and expressed their support for the initiative.

Jubo Dal leaders urged residents to keep their yards and the surroundings of their houses clean to protect themselves and their neighbours from mosquito-borne diseases.

They said such cleanliness drives would continue in the days ahead as part of efforts to prevent the spread of dengue and chikungunya.

The detained passenger was identified as Mohammad Hasan Murad, a resident of Nasirnagar area under Raozan upazila of Chattogram.

He arrived at the airport on a SalamAir flight (OV-401) from Muscat at around 8:30 am today. Airport Public Relations Officer Engineer Mohammad Ibrahim Khalil confirmed the seizure.

A joint team comprising officials from the Directorate General of Forces Intelligence (DGFI), National Security Intelligence (NSI) and Customs Intelligence conducted a search of the passenger's luggage after noticing his suspicious movements while he was leaving the customs hall, he said.

The search led to the recovery of 106 grams of gold jewellery, 425 grams of gold bars/ingots and three grams of gold paste.

The total market value of the seized gold was assessed at Tk 11,760,000, the official said. The seized gold was handed over to Airport Customs for further legal action.

Meanwhile, Customs Intelligence is preparing to file a case against the detained passenger in connection with the seizure, he added.

The deceased Kabir Munshi was the son of the late Jahur Munshi of Pingalia village in Kashiani Sadar Union.

According to police, Munshi was walking along the highway early this morning when a speeding unidentified bus hit him and fled the scene. He sustained critical injuries and died at the spot.

Officer-in-Charge of Bhatiapara Highway Police Station, Rokonuzzaman, confirmed the incident and said that after receiving information about the accident, a team of highway police quickly went to the scene, recovered the body, and took it into custody.

The body was later handed over to the family after completion of the necessary legal procedures.

The Directorate of National Consumer Rights Protection (DNCRP), Gaibandha district administration and Special Response Battalion (SRB)-13 jointly initiated the mobile court, an SRB-13 press release said this afternoon.

During the operations, fines were imposed as follows: business establishment of Emdadul Haque Sarkar was fined Taka 10,000, Sajib Store Taka 5,000, business establishments of Md Imran Hasan Taka 25,000 and Kamrul Hasan Taka 10,000.

Furthermore, SRB-13's intelligence activities and ongoing operations will continue to enforce a zero-tolerance policy against offenses such as illegal hoarding, selling products at excessive prices, and food adulteration, the release added.

Bangladesh scored 6 points from 7 rounds to secure 28th place.

In the seventh and final round held on Thursday last, Bangladesh defeated China 3–1.

For Bangladesh, FIDE Master Syed Mahfuzur Rahman, Mohammad Obaidul Islam and Md. Aktar Hossain defeated China’s Guo Runpeng, Shi Kaiming, and Fu Xinyu respectively. Bangladesh’s Nurnahar Tonima lost to China’s En He respectively.

The members of the Bangladesh team were FIDE Master Syed Mahfuzur Rahman, Mohammad Obaidul Islam, Nurnahar Tonima and Md. Aktar Hossain.

Mohammad Farhadur Rahman Sabab served as the team’s Chief of delegation, while Md. Arifuzzaman Arif served as the non-playing captain.

International Chess Arbiter Md. Anichuzzaman Jewel was the match Arbiter for the event.

Poland became the undefeated champion with 13 points, while Cuba finished runners-up with 12 points and Uzbekistan took third place with 11 points.

A total of 41 teams participated in the seven-round Swiss-system event.

The continent's premier sporting spectacle opens in Nagoya and Aichi prefecture on Saturday, but the build-up has been soured by several issues.

That includes a shortage of rooms for the more than 17,000 athletes and officials -- a bigger number than the Olympics.

Some teams have also criticised the quality of the accommodation, including beds that are too short.

To save money there is no athletes' village, organisers instead putting competitors in hotels, temporary cabins and on a cruise ship.

Organisers say the accommodation is safe, cost-effective and comfortable.

Chinese gymnast Zhang Boheng, who won two silver medals at the Paris Olympics and has two world championship titles to his name, said he and some of his team-mates were left waiting for six hours after landing on Wednesday.

"I'm totally exhausted," he said in a video published Thursday and shared widely on Chinese social media.

"I didn't expect that after breakfast at 7:00 am the next time I could eat would be close to 7:00 pm," the 26-year-old said.

He said the wait was caused by registration and paperwork, before heading to the cruise ship where 4,000 Games participants will be housed in Nagoya's port area.

But when they arrived at the ship, he said heavy rain prevented them from boarding.

"A whole day was basically wasted like this," added Zhang.

"In the end we really couldn't take it any more so we decided to book rooms at a hotel to rest."

The video has since been taken down but Chinese state media said that other Chinese athletes also faced travel delays upon arrival.

Beijing's consulate in Nagoya contacted Chinese citizens in the area to give the badminton team lifts after issues with a shuttle bus and a shortage of public transport tickets, Xinhua reported.

Chinese social media users applauded athletes, including table tennis star Sun Yingsha, for stretching and exercising at the airport.

The hashtag "Asian Games absurd" has since been viewed more than 94 million times on Weibo.

India's team had similar delays at the airport.

"There was an issue in getting accreditation for athletes at the airport during immigration. There were long queues with a lot of other nations there," India's chef de mission and Indian Olympic Association (IOA) treasurer Sahdev Yadav told AFP.

"But these things happen and we have got everything sorted.

He added: "These are all teething problems and our focus is now on performance."

- Warlord controversy -

South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported that some of the country's athletes waited at the airport for more than five hours on Thursday.

"We are aware of the situation including reports that athletes have had to wait for hours and we are doing our best to handle it," a Korean Sport and Olympic Committee (KSOC) official told AFP.

Also on Friday, the KSOC said it had filed a complaint with Games organisers for featuring a Japanese warlord at a welcoming ceremony.

The event on Tuesday included a person dressed as Toyotomi Hideyoshi, who led Japan's invasions of Korea in 1592-1598, and the ceremony prompted a backlash in South Korea.

Historical issues are sensitive between South Korea and Japan, with Hideyoshi's invasion a significant episode in Korean history and Korea under Japanese colonial rule from 1910 to 1945.

There was no immediate response from the Olympic Council of Asia or the local organising committee.

South Korea took control of the match early by taking a 3-0 lead at half-time.

South Korea scored three goals in the second quarter. Bangladesh could not score in the first half.

South Korea added one goal each in the third and fourth quarters, respectively, and Bangladesh eventually remained scoreless throughout the match.

Bangladesh will face host Japan in their second group match on Sept. 22 before playing Sri Lanka, Indonesia and India in their remaining group-stage matches on Sept. 24, 26 and 28, respectively, at the same venue.

Meanwhile, Bangladesh's women's hockey team will make its Asian Games debut against China on Sept. 20 at Kawasaki Heavy Industries Hockey Stadium.

Traditional archery is Bhutan's national sport and has a storied history, but some fans fear for its future as development and safety concerns eat away at space for archery ranges.

Played with a bamboo bow and arrows, the sport evolved from hunting and military traditions and is now a key part of cultural events, as well as a popular weekend activity.

But it is a sport that requires space and flat terrain, which are in growing demand, particularly in the capital.

"Since now our development is coming up, archery grounds are occupied by residences, so it's very difficult to get a play ground," lamented archer Sonam Dorji, who works at a conservation group, as he competed in an all-day tournament.

Bhutanese archery is played in teams that vary in size depending on whether the game is friendly or competitive.

Each team sets up at one end of the range and aims at small wooden targets up to 145 metres away.

Players wear the country's traditional striped "gho" belted knee-length robe, complete with knee-high socks, though footwear is of the modern variety, ranging from trainers to hiking boots.

Archers get two arrows per go, and the first team to get 25 wins. A hit anywhere on the target earns points, along with an obligatory celebratory song and shuffling dance.

Play is relatively raucous -- often enhanced by consumption of beer or the local tipple ara -- with taunts and shouts of encouragement part of the fun.

Teammates often stand either side of the target and shout guidance or wave to try to guide incoming arrows, jumping aside at the last minute to avoid injury.

The sport has been struggling for years to compete with the growing popularity of alternatives like football, said Sangay Phuntsho, who had travelled several hours from Wangdue Phodrang to Bhutan's second city Paro for an all-day competition.

"Times change," he told AFP in between shots at the target.

"We have a lot of other options now with sports... young people normally they prefer to play advanced games like football."

- 'Stronger safety measures' -

The country's archery association said the declining number of ranges was also due to safety concerns over the rising use of more powerful compound bows.

"Development and increasing pressure on land are contributing factors, but safety has also become a major concern," said Pema Tenzin, general secretary of the Bhutan Archery Federation.

"Given the power and speed of compound bows, their use in long-range grounds, particularly in densely populated areas, requires much stronger safety measures."

The federation and Bhutan's Indigenous Games and Sports Association are working with the country's Olympic committee to find land to establish more ranges "in a safer and more organised setting," he added.

Jamyangla, who like many Bhutanese uses a single name, said he encouraged his son to take up the sport, but the lack of ranges made it hard for him to learn.

"He doesn't have enough grounds to test his ability," the 48-year-old power company employee said, calling for government support to set up national-level tournaments and additional ranges.

He rejected safety concerns about the sport, though injuries are reported each year, including a man who survived an arrow to the heart earlier this year.

Officials and some opponents of the sport warn that the tradition of drinking while playing makes an already risky sport all the more dangerous.

But players like Sonam consider it part of the fabric of Bhutanese life.

"We are getting more social cooperation and getting to know each other and know more about our people," he said.

"It is our national game which has come down from our forefathers... we have to preserve (it)."

While South Asia accounts for about 90 percent of cricket's billion-plus fans, the ICC is seeking to expand the sport's fan base by 500 million and sees China's 1.4 billion people as a potentially huge audience -- helped by the steady progress of its women's team.

"The continued success of their women's team has provided a major boost to cricket in the country," ICC chief executive Sanjog Gupta told AFP.

China became a focus market after hosting cricket at the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou and through the progress of its women's national team, which has climbed 10 places in the world rankings over the past two years.

There is still far to go, however. In the ICC T20 rankings the women are ranked a modest 36th, while the men languish in 92nd place.

The women were also knocked out of the Asian Games on Thursday without a ball being bowled, two days before the opening ceremony.

A sodden outfield caused by days of rain in Nagoya, Japan, prevented any play from taking place in China's morning quarter-final against Bangladesh, who went through to the semi-finals by virtue of being the higher.

Still, China is one of several markets the ICC sees as crucial to broadening cricket's appeal beyond its traditional strongholds of South Asia, England, and Australia.

- 'Next leap' -

The ICC has spent $1.5 million in China to boost the sport over the past five years.

The country now has three top-level cricket venues, including a new 1,500-seat stadium in Taicang expected to host domestic and international matches and provide a training base for the national teams.

The ICC has begun testing the appetite for the sport in China.

Some women's T20 World Cup matches were broadcast in Mandarin, and the final week of the 2026 men's T20 World Cup generated 4.4 million video views in China.

The country's potential emergence is particularly significant for the ICC because, unlike several newer cricket nations, its men's and women's teams are made up largely of homegrown players rather than players from South Asian communities.

Indonesia, a country of around 280 million people, has also been identified as a market with growth potential. Its men's team T20 ranking is 63rd, and the women's team, 23rd.

"If even segments of the population in China and Indonesia start engaging with the sport, then they could power the next leap in the scale of cricket's fandom," Gupta said.

"It can play a significant role in the sport's ambition to add 500 million fans to its global fan base, which is the ICC chair's stated ambition."

- 'Grow the game' -

The ICC believes cricket's return to the Olympics at the 2028 Los Angeles Games could provide another boost, with men's and women's T20 tournaments set to award medals for the first time since the sport's lone previous appearance in 1900.

The ICC's push into new markets has paid off elsewhere.

Italy offered a glimpse of the potential of another non-traditional market when it made its men's T20 World Cup debut earlier this year, beating Nepal and pushing England close.

The ICC push has the backing of the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), custodian of the game's laws.

"MCC is very pleased to be sending a women's team for an overseas tour of China in 2027," MCC director of cricket and operations Rob Lynch told AFP.

"We see this tour as a huge opportunity to be able to grow the game in China," he added.

The International Hockey Federation (FIH) recently extended the official invitation to Bangladesh after the team finished as the first standby side at the U-18 Hockey5-A side Asia Cup held in Muscat, Oman, in July.

The Asia Cup also served as the qualifying tournament for the World Cup, with three teams securing direct qualification.

The U-18 Hockey5-A side World Cup will be held in Ismailia, Egypt, from December 7 to 12.

Bangladesh’s participation in the global event will provide the young players with an opportunity to showcase their talent at the international level.

Leaders West Ham travel to the Den on Saturday for the first "Dockers Derby" against London rivals Millwall in 14 years.

Wolves host fourth-placed West Brom in the Black Country derby on Sunday -- two years after their last meeting was marred by a bloody battle in the stands.

Millwall and West Ham have an especially gory history, with one supporter of each club killed in sickening clashes in 1976 and 1986.

Those horrific incidents came at the height of the hooliganism era that blighted English football.

But the enmity, born a century ago in London's docks, has lost none of its ferocity in recent years.

In 2009, a Millwall supporter was stabbed outside West Ham's former home at Upton Park before a stormy League Cup tie that culminated in several pitch invasions, prompting the government's sports minister at the time, Gerry Sutcliffe, to label the incidents "a disgrace to football".

West Ham were fined £115,000 ($153,000) for failing to prevent their fans entering the pitch, while several supporters were convicted of violent disorder.

Separated by just eight miles across the River Thames, the 100th showdown between the Lions and the Irons will play out against a backdrop of high security across south-east London.

Social media has been rife with threats between rival fans in the build-up to Saturday's game.

"We want fans to enjoy the match safely and have worked with both clubs to help this happen," a Metropolitan Police statement said on X.

"A Section 35 dispersal order will be in place, allowing officers to remove anyone causing disorder."

- 'It means a lot' -

Adding to the tension around the fixture, some Millwall fans will be housed in the same stand as the 1,774 West Ham supporters in a sell-out crowd of around 19,000 at the Den.

Strict segregation will be in place to keep the rivals apart.

Millwall haven't beaten West Ham since 2004 and Lions boss Alex Neil hopes the hostile atmosphere can help his team stun Nuno Espirito Santo's men.

"It should be a brilliant atmosphere. It means a lot to our fans and everybody connected with both clubs," Neil said.

"It'll be interesting to see how West Ham handle the Den and different things like that."

Just 24 hours after Millwall face West Ham, an equally explosive clash will take place in the west midlands.

The first league meeting between Wolves and West Brom in five years comes after a 2024 FA Cup tie was scarred by crowd trouble.

Wolves' 2-0 win at The Hawthorns two years ago was halted for 38 minutes after fans clashed in the stands, with police assaulted, missiles thrown and flares set off.

There were 43 arrests, with 12 sentenced and five given permanent bans.

In a joint statement, Wolves and Albion said supporters can "expect enhanced stewarding, policing, robust ticketing controls and additional safety measures" on Sunday.

Wolves and Albion emphasised the punishments dished out for the 2024 clashes show "disorder, violence and criminal behaviour carry significant consequences and will continue to be dealt with robustly".

All four clubs will hope the weekend's derbies pass off far more peacefully than some of their previous encounters.

Organised by the Embassy of Japan in Bangladesh with support from the Ministry of Cultural Affairs and Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy, the festival took place at the National Theatre Hall of the Shilpakala Academy.

Japanese Ambassador to Bangladesh Saida Shinichi addressed the inaugural ceremony, while Cultural Affairs Minister Nitai Roy Chowdhury attended as chief guest.

In his address, the minister highlighted the longstanding friendly relations between Bangladesh and Japan, saying cultural exchange plays an important role in strengthening people-to-people ties.

He said initiatives like the Japan Festival allow Bangladeshi audiences to experience Japan's rich cultural heritage while creating scope for interaction among artists, cultural practitioners and youths of both countries.

He stressed the need to expand cultural exchanges, noting that greater mutual understanding and respect can be fostered through such initiatives. He thanked the organisers and expressed hope that similar programmes would continue.

The festival featured a variety of traditional Japanese cultural performances. Demonstrations of Japanese martial arts, including karate and kendo, were among the major attractions.

Japanese musical duo Bajna Beat also performed in collaboration with Bangladeshi musicians, presenting a fusion of Japanese and Bangladeshi musical expressions.

The festival concluded with a performance of traditional Japanese dance by Senju Einojo.

Visitors also explored Japanese traditions through several interactive and display-based activities, including sado, the traditional tea ceremony, as well as bonsai and ikebana, offering insights into Japanese aesthetics and heritage.

An information and counselling booth was set up for students interested in higher education opportunities in Japan. Participants could also take part in hands-on activities for practical exposure to Japanese culture.

Organisers said the festival would help promote the richness of Japanese culture in Bangladesh while strengthening cultural ties and people-to-people connections.

The return of the festival after a seven-year gap was seen as an important platform for deepening cultural understanding and friendship between the two countries.

Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Minister Dr Abdul Moyeen Khan and State Minister for Foreign Affairs Humaiun Kobir received the Bhutanese Prime Minister at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport during his brief stopover.

During the interaction, the Bangladesh ministers conveyed warm greetings from Bangladesh’s Prime Minister to the Bhutanese Premier.

Recalling the vision of Shaheed President Ziaur Rahman for a prosperous South Asia, the ministers requested Bhutan’s support for revitalising the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) for the collective benefit of the region and its people.

The ministers also expressed Bangladesh’s keen interest in contributing to the development of Bhutan’s Gelephu Mindfulness City (GMC), particularly by providing professionals and skilled and semi-skilled human resources.

They also discussed bilateral issues of mutual interest and appreciated the longstanding bonds of friendship between Bangladesh and Bhutan, which have been cemented since Bhutan became the first country to recognise Bangladesh in 1971.

The Ambassador of Bhutan to Bangladesh and senior officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs were present at the meeting.

Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay stayed at the VVIP lounge for around an hour before departing for Germany.

“The present government has entered its seventh month. Its activities over the past six months have been highly appreciated by the public. However, through this long march, Jamaat is systematically conspiring against the government,” he said.

He made these remarks while visiting the site where Shaheed Abu Sayeed was killed in police firing during the 2024 Mass Uprising.

Rashed Khan said that a long march is a 'final programme' of agitation and it should not be launched against such a blossoming government.

The Jamaat Ameer has spoken of a movement to topple the government starting in December, thereby creating an opportunity for the Awami League to return.

Meanwhile, the fascist Sheikh Hasina intends to return to the country in December. Back in 1996, Jamaat and the Awami League had joined forces to take to the streets against the BNP government.

“Public suspicion lingers regarding whether Jamaat and the Awami League are once again plotting a joint movement against the BNP government,” he asked.

Rashed Khan said that Jamaat would not benefit from the Awami League's return. Sheikh Hasina wants Jamaat to engage in reckless street activities that pave the way for her return, allowing the Awami League to capitalize on that opportunity.

Regarding the long march, Rashed Khan stated that there is no need to block roads to press for Jamaat's seven demands; such actions only increase public suffering.

Earlier, blocking the Dhaka-Chittagong highway for an entire day resulted in financial losses. A similar situation is expected in Rangpur. Yet, they claim to be acting in the public interest by blocking roads in this manner.

Even without calling a formal strike, blocking roads for a long march amounts to non-cooperation with the government in running the country and wastes fuel; furthermore, it provokes the Awami League, creating an opportunity for them to take to the streets, he said.

“The Awami League is attempting to destabilize the situation surrounding the Dhaka-Rangpur long march. Police and intelligence agencies remain on high alert.”

Rangpur District Council Administrator and Convener of the District BNP Md Saiful Islam, senior BNP leaders Fazlur Rahman Badal and Md Liton Parvez, Proctor of BRUR Professor Dr Md Ferdous Rahman, and President of BRUR Chhatra Dal Rafael Imtiaz Yamin, among others, were present on the occasion.

Earlier, Rashed Khan held discussions with officials and doctors at Rangpur Medical College Hospital regarding the improvement and expansion of healthcare services.

The meeting was held on Thursday in the Chamber's boardroom presided over by RCCI President Hasen Ali.

The meeting discussed the potential to export Rajshahi's jute and jute products, silk, mango, food grains and freshwater fish to the United Kingdom, as well as business visas, student visas and the development of the tourism industry.

In her speech, the British High Commissioner said Bangladeshi leather, spices and traditional pitha are being appreciated in the UK market and their demand is increasing.

The British High Commission is working on the development of products from small and medium industries and the marketing of such products in the UK market.

She emphasized the diversification of Rajshahi's traditional silk and jute products.

She also spoke about plans to support Bangladesh in the agricultural sector in addition to the ready-made garment sector.

RCCI President Hasen Ali described Rajshahi as an 'education city', seeking the UK's cooperation in the education and technology sectors, and requested that the business visa process be simplified to facilitate travel for businessmen.

Speaking as the chief guest at a programme marking the inauguration of Caesarean section services at the centre, Amit said the existing 20-bed facility would first be upgraded to 30 beds and subsequently to 50 beds.

The district Family Planning Department organised the programme, chaired by Jashore Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Ashek Hasan.

The state minister said a nine-storey building would be constructed on the premises of the Jashore Mother and Child Welfare Centre by June 2028.

He also expressed hope that the project currently awaiting approval by the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) would be approved.

Amit said the centre previously had no facilities for Caesarean operations or midwifery services. He stressed that healthcare providers must avoid providing services in a haphazard manner and ensure quality, safe and modern healthcare for the people.

Earlier, the state minister inaugurated a cleanliness drive to prevent dengue organised by Ward No. 1 unit of Jashore city BNP.

District BNP President Advocate Syed Saberul Haque Sabu and General Secretary Delwar Hossain Khan Khokon attended the programme as special guests.

Deputy Director of the district Family Planning Department Dildar Hossain delivered the welcome address.

The Bhutanese Premier arrived at the airport at around 1:55 pm for a transit of approximately 45 minutes.

He was received at the airport by the Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Minister Dr Abdul Moyeen Khan and State Minister for Foreign Affairs Humaiun Kobir.

Following the brief stopover, the Bhutanese prime minister is scheduled to leave Dhaka for Germany aboard a chartered flight.

"Light to moderate rain or thundershowers accompanied by temporary gusty wind are likely to occur at a few places over Rangpur and Chattogram divisions and at one or two places over Rajshahi, Mymensingh, Dhaka, Khulna, Barishal and Sylhet divisions," said a Met office bulletin issued this morning.

Day and night temperatures may remain nearly unchanged over the country.

The highest temperature on Thursday was at 36.5 degrees Celsius in Ramgati, while today's minimum temperature is 21.5 degrees Celsius in Narayanganj.

In the last 24 hours (till 06 am today), the highest 118 millimetre rainfall occurred in Tetulia.

The sun sets at 5:59 pm today and rises at 5:46 am tomorrow in Dhaka.

In a message posted on his X handle last night, Tarique Rahman wrote, "Warmest birthday wishes to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Wishing you many happy returns of the day. May your dedicated service to the people of India always be accompanied by good health and high spirit."

About half an hour after Tarique Rahman's post, Narendra Modi replied thanking the Bangladesh Prime Minister for his greetings.

Sharing Tarique Rahman's post on his verified X handle, Modi wrote, "Thank you, Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, for your warm wishes. I deeply appreciate your kind words."

The message was shared by the High Commission of India in Bangladesh on its official Facebook page. Modi celebrated his 76th birthday on September 17.

Earlier, the Prime Minister's Office also posted a greeting card featuring Modi's photograph on its official Facebook page, wishing the Indian prime minister on his birthday.

In addition, about 55mmcfd of gas is expected to be added to the grid from four more wells in Titas and Bakhrabad gas fields within the next three to four months.

This gas is being added to the national grid as a result of initiatives to drill new wells and develop existing gas fields aimed at increasing supply from local sources in line with the commitments of the BNP government.

BGFCL officials said drilling operations for wells Titas-28 has already been completed while Titas-29, 30, and 31, as well as Bakhrabad-11, are underway.

Once work on these wells is completed, it will be possible to supply about 67.5 mmcfd of additional gas to the national grid within the next three to four months, they said.

BGFCL General Manager (Operations) Engineer Md Ashraful Alam said State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Aninda Islam Amit is expected to inaugurate the Titas-28 well tomorrow.

“Immediately following the inauguration, the well will be connected to the national grid. This will help increase gas supply from domestic sources, reducing the pressure caused by import dependency,” he said.

Engineer AKM Jasim Uddin, project director of the “Drilling of 4 Appraisal-cum-Development Wells in Titas and Kamta Fields” project, told BSS that the drilling of Titas-28 well was completed about a month ago.

“The well has a depth of about 13,000 feet. It will be connected to the national grid immediately after the inauguration,” he said.

He said drilling operations for wells Titas-28, 29, 30, and Kamta-2 were initiated at a cost of Taka 800 crore.

Among those, Jasim Uddin said, the Titas-28 well is set to go into production tomorrow and there are plans to expedite work on the other wells too and supply gas to the national grid.

Md Mahmudul Nawab, director of the Deep Exploration Gas Well Drilling Project of BGFCL, said drilling for the Titas-31 deep exploration well began on April 19 this year.

The well has already reached a depth of about 4,920 metres, while its target depth is 5,600 metres, subject to a variation of about 100 metres.

He noted that the significant depth requires more time for drilling and subsequent operations.

Barring any unforeseen geological complications, work on Titas-31 is expected to be completed within the next two to three months, Nawab said.

Upon successful completion, the well could supply about 15 mmcfd of gas daily to the national grid, he said.

Nawab said the primary drilling for Titas-29 has already been concluded. “Currently, logging and other activities are underway. Once these tasks are completed, the well would be ready for production within the next one to one-and-a-half months. Titas-29 well has the potential to supply about 10 to 15 million cubic feet of gas daily to the national grid,” he said.

Besides, there are plans to complete work on Titas-30 within the next three to four months.

BGFCL expects to extract about 10 to 15 mmcfd of gas daily from this well.

According to BGFCL officials, following the completion of Titas-31, drilling operations for the Bakhrabad gas field’s deep well No. 11 are scheduled to begin. The target depth for this well is 4,500 metres, with a potential margin of 100 metres. Successful drilling and testing could enable a daily supply of about 10 mmcfd of gas from Bakhrabad-11 to the national grid.

In total, there is a potential to get up to 45 million cubic feet of gas daily from Titas wells 29, 30, and 31, and about 10 mmcfd from Bakhrabad-11.

If an additional 12.5 mmcfd of gas from Titas-28 is included, it may be possible to supply a maximum of about 67.5 mmcfd to the national grid from the five wells, they said.

About the reserves of the Titas gas field, the officials said the current reserve is estimated at around 1.5 trillion cubic feet (TCF). However, since Titas-31 is an exploration well, there is a possibility of discovering new gas reserves.

Initial estimates suggest that this well could add another 2 TCF of gas reserves. However, to identify the volume of these reserves, tests must be conducted at various levels after the drilling is completed.

The volume of the new reserves can be determined after obtaining the test results, the officials said.

The house was formally handed over to her at Ratanpur village in Nabinagar upazila of Brahmanbaria today, said a press release issued today by ‘Amra BNP Poribar’.

On behalf of the Prime Minister, Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister and adviser to ‘Amra BNP Poribar’ M. Rashiduzzaman Millat handed over the keys of the new house to Gulapi Begum this noon. She was also provided with financial assistance.

According to the release, Prime Minister Tarique Rahman came to know about the plight of Golapi Begum, who was living on the pavement in Shahbagh, during a programme of the Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal in 2025.

He then instructed his Additional Press Secretary Atikur Rahman Ruman to take necessary measures for her treatment and rehabilitation.

Golapi Begum received treatment for nearly a year and was provided accommodation in Dhaka.

Later, Prime Minister Tarique Rahman instructed the construction of a new house for her permanent rehabilitation. Accordingly, ‘Amra BNP Poribar’ constructed a house for Golapi Begum at Ratanpur village in Nabinagar upazila of Brahmanbaria.

‘Amra BNP Poribar’ Secretary General Agriculturist Md Moksedul Momin (Mithun), members - Masud Rana Liton, Mustakim Billah, Shakil Ahmed and Shahadat Hossain - were present at the programme.

Lawmaker from Brahmanbaria-3 and district BNP president Engineer Khaled Hossain Mahbub Shyamol, district BNP general secretary Sirajul Islam Siraj, Lawmaker from Brahmanbaria-5 Advocate Abdul Mannan, Qatar BNP general secretary Shariful Haque Saju, former BUET Chhatra Dal general secretary Engineer Abu Hanif, Chhatra Dal central committee joint secretary Hasnain Nahian Sajib, Hasanur Rahman, Dhaka College Chhatra Dal leader Abdullah Al Misbah and local BNP leaders and political activists were also present.

The leaders said the organisation is committed to standing by underprivileged and distressed people through humanitarian assistance and rehabilitation programmes.

They said such initiatives would continue under the guidance of Prime Minister Tarique Rahman.

According to the latest data from the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS), inflation stood at 8.32 percent in July, meaning it declined by 0.06 percentage point month-on-month. It was 9.16 percent in June and 9.42 percent in May.

Thus, inflation has declined by 1.16 percentage points over the three months since reaching a peak of 9.42 percent in May.

The latest figures show that inflation was 8.29 percent in November 2025 before rising to 8.49 percent in December and 8.58 percent in January 2026. It further increased to 9.13 percent in February, fell to 8.71 percent in March, and then rose again to 9.04 percent in April and 9.42 percent in May.

The rate subsequently declined to 9.16 percent in June, 8.32 percent in July and 8.26 percent in August.

Food inflation also declined in August, falling to 7.02 percent from 7.16 percent in July. It was 7.60 percent in August last year. The latest figure marks the second consecutive monthly decline in food inflation and is also lower than the rate recorded a year earlier.

Inflation declined in both rural and urban areas in August. In rural areas, overall inflation fell to 8.31 percent from 8.36 percent in July, while in urban areas it declined to 8.20 percent from 8.24 percent.

Improved supply of commodities in the market, along with various government policy measures, has contributed to easing price pressures.

In the FY2026-27 budget, the government reduced source tax on 60 essential commodities. It has also expanded the Food-Friendly Programme and Open Market Sale (OMS) activities for low-income people.

The Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB) is also strengthening its operations to help keep the supply and prices of essential commodities stable.

The state-run agency is taking a new initiative to sell some imported essential commodities at comparatively lower prices without subsidy, according to the relevant authorities.

The government has set a target of bringing inflation down to 7.5 percent in FY2026-27. The decline to 8.26 percent in August indicates progress towards that target.

A decline in the inflation rate means that the pace of price increases has slowed compared with the previous period, rather than that commodity prices themselves have fallen.

Maintaining the recent downward trend and reducing price pressures in both food and non-food sectors will therefore remain important for further easing the cost-of-living burden on consumers.

The continued decline in inflation over the past three months, with the rate reaching a 10-month low in August, is an indication of easing price pressures in the economy, particularly as food inflation has returned to the 7-percent range.

“In a democratic society, it is not essential to agree with every statement made by an individual or a party. Similarly, it is not fair to reject any criticism simply because one dislikes it,” he said while speaking as a distinguished panelist at a book launching ceremony at a city hotel here.

The book titled ‘Jamaat-e-Islami: Its History and Politics’ was written by Barrister Abdur Razzaq.

Noting that Barrister Abdur Razzaq's book is not merely a literary or research-oriented work to him, Asaduzzaman described it as a reflection of an individual’s life philosophy, thoughts, consciousness, and experience in viewing society.

The law minister said an Islamic governance structure is not imposed from above, but running a state based on Islamic values emerging from within the society is the right path to establishing an Islamic state system.

Speaking about the new generation, Asaduzzaman remarked that to move forward, society must adapt to change.

The July mass uprising brought to the forefront a generation's aspiration for change, he said.

Abdur Razzaq's book also reflects significant perspectives on change and political thoughts, he added.

Highlighting Abdur Razzaq's assessment of the 1971 Liberation War and the political context of that era, the law minister noted the importance of his stance and his statements addressed to the nation.

He observed that if this position been clearly articulated earlier, many questions surrounding the issue could have been resolved.

Regarding Barrister Abdur Razzaq's organisational role, Asaduzzaman said although he served as the Assistant Secretary General of Jamaat-e-Islami, he carved out a distinct identity for himself through his actions, thoughts, philosophy, and ideals.

The respect he commanded in both social and international spheres transcended his organisational post, he said.

Noting that Abdur Razzaq encouraged international campaigns against fascism from a human rights perspective, Asaduzzaman said Razzaq viewed human rights issues as a platform to speak out against fascism.

Recalling personal and professional memories of Abdur Razzaq, the law minister said whenever he visited London, he would meet him for tea or speak with him over the phone.

Towards the end of his life, while in the hospital, Abdur Razzaq had expressed a wish to be buried on the soil of Bangladesh, he said.

Noting that this wish was fulfilled, the law minister prayed for eternal peace of the departed soul.

Highlighting the significance of the book at the event, he stated that those involved in politics should read it.

Other panelists included Ali Riaz, Distinguished Professor in the Department of Politics and Government at Illinois State University, USA; John Danilovich, President of the Washington D.C.-based 'Right to Freedom' and a former US diplomat; Dilara Chowdhury, former Professor of Government and Politics at Jahangirnagar University; and Kamal Ahmed, Consulting Editor of The Daily Star.

Ed Sheeran, who is worth reportedly around $400 million, has faced backlash following the removal of Macklemore from his US “Loop Tour”.

Several stadium venues objected to the rapper performing after his “Free Palestine” remarks, while Sheeran shared that Macklemore’s removal was the promoter’s decision, not his.

Grammy Award-winning rapper Macklemore, whose real name is Benjamin Haggerty, voiced support for a “Free Palestine” during his performances at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium earlier this month. He also displayed images of the devastation in Gaza during his performance.

Those words came with a price.

P!nk reshared a post accusing Macklemore of being anti-Israel and supported calls for his removal. StopAntisemitism also called for him to be dropped from the tour, making similar accusations.

The rapper, known for hits such as “Thrift Shop” and “Can’t Hold Us”, responded in his own way. After his removal, he announced that he would donate his entire $1 million net earnings from his shortened stint on Sheeran’s tour to six organisations supporting Palestinians. He also challenged Kraft to match the donation.

Kraft later announced a $2 million humanitarian commitment.

Sheeran also pledged $2 million towards humanitarian aid, according to Kraft.

Despite publicly stating his apolitical stance, Sheeran has lost reportedly roughly around 300,000 Instagram followers in the immediate aftermath. Macklemore, meanwhile, gained more than 750,000.

A number of social media influencers and artistes have also backed Macklemore and called for a boycott of Sheeran’s music. US Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez told TMZ that she would no longer listen to Sheeran’s music. She accused him of giving in to billionaire interests and allowing their influence to suppress freedom of speech.

And that brings us back to the uncomfortable question: why did it have to come down to this?

Sheeran is one of the biggest touring artistes in the world. If several stadium owners objected to Macklemore, why was removing him the solution? If the tour had been cancelled, the venues would have lost money too. They would have given up thousands of ticket sales.

It is true that not every concertgoer who wants to listen to music and have a good time would necessarily want to hear about the conflict in Palestine. But Macklemore saw his performances as an opportunity to speak about it.

As he put it: “I didn't need 10 shows from Ed. I needed two. Two chances to stand in front of 90,000 people and say words that somehow became too dangerous to say.”

Sheeran, meanwhile, has said he did not want to disappoint his fans or abandon the crew members and musicians who depend on the concerts for their livelihoods.

But as an artiste, how long can he continue to uphold his “good boy” image while maintaining close relationships with billionaires such as Robert Kraft?

Sheeran performed at Kraft’s 2022 wedding and has previously spoken warmly about their relationship. In an interview with SiriusXM’s “The Morning Mash Up”, he described Kraft as “super sweet” and said he had “always had a lovely relationship” with him.

That raises a difficult question about where an artiste draws the line between music and politics. If expressing solidarity with people affected by one war can be considered separate from politics, why should expressing solidarity with Palestinians be treated differently?

Many critics have also questioned Sheeran’s silence over Gaza.

According to Macklemore’s account of their conversations, Sheeran told him that the words “Free Palestine” were hurtful to many of the people he had spoken to.

This is where the contradiction becomes difficult to ignore. Artistes can draw inspiration from a culture, its language and its history, yet remain silent when the people connected to that culture are facing political conflict and suffering.

Take Sheeran’s “Azizam”, for example. The song takes its title from a Persian term meaning “my dear” or “my beloved” and incorporates Persian cultural influences. Sheeran has also spoken about being inspired by the Persian heritage of the song’s producer, ILYA.

Culture, however, does not exist in a vacuum. It comes with history. It comes with people, identity, struggles and, yes, political conflict.

You cannot simply take the parts of a culture that you like, turn them into something commercially successful and then distance yourself from everything else when it becomes inconvenient.

The fallout from Macklemore’s removal also extended beyond him. All four of Sheeran’s remaining supporting acts — Finneas, Lukas Graham, Aaron Rowe and Irish band Beoga — withdrew from the tour in the aftermath of the controversy.

Finneas wrote on Instagram: “Artistes must not be silenced when they speak up for the oppressed. I stand with Palestine and its people.”

Aaron Rowe also announced his withdrawal, saying he could not “stand by and allow billionaires to use their position of power to silence” voices speaking against Israel’s actions in Gaza.

Amnesty Ireland also welcomed the decision by the supporting acts to withdraw. Its director, Stephen Bowen, specifically praised Rowe and Beoga for having the “courage to act”. He said Israel’s impunity could no longer be tolerated and urged people everywhere to follow their conscience and stand up for human rights.

According to Rolling Stone, seven venues reportedly objected to Macklemore performing on Sheeran’s US “Loop Tour” following his “Free Palestine” remarks. They included Lincoln Financial Field, Gillette Stadium, Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Lucas Oil Stadium, Bank of America Stadium, AT&T Stadium and Raymond James Stadium.

The tour promoter said the venues would not allow concerts to take place with Macklemore on the lineup, raising the possibility that the tour could have been cancelled.

Venues can decide who gets to perform based on what they consider unacceptable. But that raises another question: where is the same standard when an artiste with a documented history of antisemitic statements, such as Ye, is still allowed to perform?

Ye performed two concerts at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida, on June 26 and June 28, 2026, despite criticism and calls for the shows to be cancelled over his history of antisemitic remarks.

Ye has faced widespread backlash over a series of antisemitic remarks. In 2022, he posted that he would go “death con 3 on JEWISH PEOPLE”, while later remarks included praise for Adolf Hitler and Nazi ideology. His comments led to the loss of major commercial partnerships, including Adidas, although he continued to secure bookings at major venues.

Israeli filmmakers Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor. Photo: Reuters

The contrast becomes even more striking when artists and filmmakers speak out about Palestine. Israeli filmmakers Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor faced threats over their documentary “NAZA”, which won the Special Jury Prize at the Venice International Film Festival. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to pass a law allowing the citizenship of anyone who “defames” Israeli soldiers to be revoked. “NAZA” features testimonies from Israeli military and intelligence personnel about AI-assisted targeting and civilian deaths in Gaza.

Power can silence voices it disagrees with, but it cannot erase the reality those voices are speaking about.

Macklemore chose to speak, knowing there could be consequences, while Sheeran chose to carry on. In doing so, Sheeran has faced criticism from fans, fellow artistes and public figures who believe his decision to remain “apolitical” has itself become a political position.

But, as Macklemore himself said, neither he nor Sheeran is the victim. “The victims are the Palestinian people” — the men, women and children who have been killed, starved, displaced and forced to endure unimaginable violence.

Based on a concept by Diana Meriline Chowdhury, who also directs the production, Café de Volte features a script by Abid Hasan.

The play follows Max D’Rozario, a Bengali Christian chef who opens a restaurant called “Café de Volte” in the fictional town of Kalikotha. At the restaurant’s opening, Max takes control of the fates of four respected citizens.

Rather than seeking conventional revenge or justice, Max is driven by what the production describes as a personal crusade. The play uses his actions to turn the question of judgment back on the audience, examining the idea of an internal “wandering court” where people decide who deserves punishment.

The cast includes Shahzada Somrat Chowdhury, Saim Bin Mujib, Priom Majumder, Yead Khorshid Eashan, Maliha Fairuz Farin Melisa, Noor E Jannat Orisha, Shahin Saidur, Supriyo Ghosh, Shuvashis Halder, Supti Das Chaity and Neon Ahsan.

Mukhlesur Rahman has designed the lighting, while Chirls Chowdhury is responsible for the sound and music. Sarah Jabin Aditi is handling makeup and styling, Jerome Modhu is the production manager, and Monzurul Hasan Swopnil is responsible for the digital archive.

The production premiered in 2026 as Hunt Inc’s debut theatre production and has since received multiple stagings. The organisers have advised audiences not to bring children to the performances.

But acting was not part of Emon’s original plans. As a student, he was more interested in cricket and his studies, and says he might have continued playing cricket or pursued a conventional job if he had not entered the entertainment industry.

“I was crazy about cricket. I was immersed in my studies and playing cricket. I played cricket very well. I played with seniors as well as juniors. My family wanted me to get good results. So, I never thought about acting or modelling,” Emon said in an interview.

His entry into the entertainment industry began when he came across a commercial shoot at Notre Dame College while going there to play cricket. The commercial was directed by actor and director Tariq Anam Khan.

“I went there to play cricket. After arriving, I saw a shoot was going on, with a huge crowd. There were many little children too. I stood there after going to collect the ball. I watched the shooting and enjoyed it,” he recalled.

The experience made Emon interested in modelling. He had a portfolio prepared and submitted his photographs to four or five advertising agencies, including the office of actor and director Afzal Hossain.

“Then I started liking it little by little. That feeling is still there, deeply,” he said. Soon afterwards, Emon received a call at his home from Afzal Hossain’s office.

“One day, I got a call on our home telephone. After receiving the call, I was almost beside myself. What excitement! It cannot be explained in words. Then I went to Afzal Hossain bhai’s office,” he said.

Another agency later asked him to obtain a passport for an overseas commercial shoot. Emon secured the necessary documents, travelled abroad for the shoot and earned Tk 10,000 from his first modelling assignment.

“What happiness it was. It was a great joy for me,” he said.

Television offers followed, and Emon began appearing in dramas. His work in the Banglalink Desh campaign also brought him wider recognition.

His move into cinema took longer. Emon recalled taking part in the mahurat of a film that was eventually shelved. “I felt very bad. But I did not break down,” he said.

He eventually made his film debut in Tauquir Ahmed’s “Daruchini Dwip” in 2007. He later took on his first leading role in “Ek Buk Bhalobasha”. His performance in “Gohine Shobdo” brought further recognition, while “Lal Tip” became another notable film in his career.

Emon recalled that lyricist Kabir Bakul played a role in signing him for “Ek Buk Bhalobasha”. Bakul called him and asked him to visit his home, where the contract was signed in the presence of the director. Emon received Tk 50,000 at the time.

“That incident will also remain in my memory,” he said. Reflecting on his career, Emon said he has worked in many films and received support from audiences. “I have done many films. I have received the love of many people,” he said.