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A fire on Tuesday at a garment factory in Bangladesh and an adjacent chemical warehouse killed at least 16 people and injured others, and the death toll could rise, an official said, Reuters reported.

The cause of the blaze wasn't immediately known, fire service director Tajul Islam Chowdhury said.

"Sixteen bodies have been recovered from the second and third floors of the garment factory," he said, adding that the number of deaths could rise as recovery operations were continuing, according to Reuters.

The man tipped to be the next prime minister of Bangladesh has ended months of speculation by saying he will return from two decades overseas to fight landmark elections, BBC reported.

"The time has come, God willing, I will return soon," Tarique Rahman, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party's acting chairman, told BBC Bangla in his first face-to-face interview for nearly 20 years.

The BNP is the frontrunner in the vote due in February and Rahman, the son of its ailing leader, is expected to lead the country if it wins.

Many view it as one of the most consequential in Bangladesh's history after mass protests ousted three-time PM Sheikh Hasina in 2024. Her Awami League party is unlikely to be allowed to take part, according to BBC.

Chief Advisor to the Bangladeshi Government, Prof Muhammad Yunus has congratulated Sushila Karki on her appointment as the Prime Minister of Nepal. In his congratulatory message today, he wished for her successful term as the Nepal's Interim Prime Minister.     

Stating that taking on the responsibility of Prime Minister during adverse circumstances in the country reflects the trust and confidence of the Nepali people on her, Chief Advisor Yunus expressed his belief that Nepal will find a path towards development, peace, and stability under the capable leadership of Prime Minister Karki.     

Expressing his willingness to work closely with Prime Minister Karki, who also owns the responsibilities of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Chief Advisor Yunus expressed confidence that the long-standing relationship between Bangladesh and Nepal founded on mutual respect and cooperation will continue to grow stronger.     

He also paid tributes to those who lost their lives during the protests and wished a speedy recovery of the injured. (RSS)

Bangladesh faces a fast-worsening public health crisis as the mosquito-borne diseases dengue and chikungunya spread side by side, overwhelming hospitals and heightening fears of an even bigger outbreak in the weeks ahead, Reuters reported.

According to the Directorate General of Health Services, the country has recorded more than 33,800 dengue cases and 132 deaths in 2025. In the first week of September, at least 10 people died and more than 1,500 were admitted to hospitals with fever.

Chikungunya, absent for years, is making a forceful return, according to Reuters.

Bangladesh will close three land ports—Chilahati in Nilphamari, Daulatganj in Chuadanga, and Tegamukh in Rangamati—and suspend operations at Balla in Habiganj after a government committee found them inactive and unprofitable due to low trade, Firstpost reported.

Chief Adviser Yunus said many ports were approved for political reasons but saw little activity, imposing unnecessary costs on taxpayers. The committee also noted that Balla’s lack of infrastructure and poor road connectivity on the Indian side made cross-border trade impractical.

According to Firstpost, the decision follows India’s suspension of a transshipment facility that previously allowed Bangladeshi exports via Indian land routes.

Bangladesh cannot allocate more resources for its 1.3m Rohingya refugees, Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus said Monday, urging the international community to find a sustainable solution. Half of the refugees are children, most having fled Myanmar’s 2017 military crackdown described by the UN as ethnic cleansing, Reuters reported.

Hosting them has strained Bangladesh’s economy, environment, and governance. Yunus stressed the need for a practical roadmap for safe return. Refugees in Cox’s Bazar live in overcrowded shelters with limited aid, while new arrivals from Rakhine state highlight the ongoing crisis and uncertain future.

Bangladeshi anti-corruption officials testified in court on Wednesday against former British Minister Tulip Siddiq, accused of using her familial connection to deposed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to obtain state-owned land plots in the South Asian country, Associated Press reported.

Siddiq, who is Hasina’s niece, resigned from her post as an anti-corruption minister in Prime Minister Keir Starmer ’s government in January following reports that she lived in London properties linked to her aunt and was named in an anti-corruption investigation in Bangladesh.

She is being tried together with her mother, Sheikh Rehana, brother, Radwan Mujib, and sister, Azmina. Siddiq has been charged with facilitating their receipt of state land in a township project near the capital, Dhaka. The four were indicted earlier and asked to appear in court, however, the prosecution said they absconded and would be tried in absentia, according to Associated Press.

Bangladesh has reported 101 deaths and over 24,000 dengue cases this year, with experts warning infections could triple in August and peak in September, Reuters reported.

Experts say climate change, along with warm, humid weather and intermittent rain, has created ideal breeding conditions for Aedes mosquitoes, the carriers of the dengue virus.

The outbreak, driven by ideal mosquito-breeding conditions, is spreading beyond Dhaka, overwhelming rural healthcare.

Officials urge mosquito control, clean-up drives, and early treatment to avoid a crisis on par with the record 2023 outbreak, according to Reuters.

Bangladesh will hold elections in February 2026, interim leader Muhammad Yunus announced on the anniversary of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s departure, according to BBC.

Hasina fled in August 2024 following mass protests, ending her 15-year rule. Yunus, appointed as caretaker leader, pledged reforms and said the vote would take place before Ramadan.

He also introduced the “July Declaration,” promising justice and democratic renewal. Hasina, now on trial in absentia, denies wrongdoing and claims her removal was a “coup.”

The Awami League has been banned, with many of its members still detained, BBC reported.

Thousands gathered in Dhaka on Tuesday to mark a year since protests ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. The day featured rallies, concerts, and prayers, with interim leader Muhammad Yunus promising early elections and lasting democratic reforms, Reuters reported.

Yunus urged unity against lingering autocratic forces and said trials for last year’s violence were underway. Security was tight across the capital.

Hasina, in an open letter, denied stepping down and vowed to return. The “July Declaration,” backed by major opposition groups, will outline a path toward democratic renewal, according to Reuters.

A new political party formed by the students who spearheaded an anti-government movement ousting former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Sunday rallied in Bangladesh’s capital and pledged to build a new Bangladesh amid political uncertainty over the next election, Associated Press reported.

Separately, supporters of the student wing of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, or BNP, also held a rally in the capital, Dhaka, where party leaders also vowed to work to establish democracy following the fall of Hasina.

The rallies took place two days before the country’s interim government headed by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus is marking the anniversary of Hasina’s fall, according to Associated Press.

Bangladesh’s interim government, led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, will unveil the “July Declaration” on August 5, marking a year since Sheikh Hasina’s government was ousted.

The declaration, shaped by youth-led protests and groups like Students against Discrimination (SAD), seeks to give constitutional legitimacy to the 2024 uprising and outline a vision for democratic reform, according to Firstpost.

Though initially labeled a grassroots initiative, the government later took charge of the draft, aiming to reflect the voices behind last year’s movement.

The move has drawn criticism from opposition leaders and legal experts, who argue constitutional changes must come through parliament, warning against scrapping the 1972 constitution, Firstpost reported.

The interim government of Bangladesh, led by Muhammad Yunus, has restructured a five-member commission to probe alleged irregularities in the 2014, 2018, and 2024 elections held under the Awami League. The move comes amid rising criticism over the credibility of those polls, both domestically and internationally, according to Firstpost.

The new commission, headed by retired Justice Shamim Hasnain, includes the same members as the previous panel. Its mandate is to review election-related complaints and propose reforms to ensure free and fair future elections. The deadline for submitting its report has been extended to October 31.

Police used tear gas to disperse angry students in Bangladesh on Tuesday who demanded answers from the interim government after an air force fighter jet crashed into a Dhaka school and killed 31 people, at least 25 of them children, Reuters reported.

The children, many aged under 12, were about to return home from class on Monday when the Chinese-manufactured F-7 BGI Bangladesh Air Force jet ploughed into their school and burst into flames, trapping pupils in the fire and debris.

The military said it had suffered mechanical failure, according to Reuters.

Students from the school and others from nearby colleges protested as two government officials visited the crash site, demanding an accurate death toll and shouting, "Why did our brothers die? We demand answers!"

At least 25 children were among the 27 dead pulled from scorched buildings after a Bangladesh Air Force jet on a training mission crashed into a college and school campus in Dhaka, officials said on Tuesday, with 88 people being treated in hospital, Reuters reported.

The F-7 BGI aircraft crashed soon after it took off at 1:06 p.m. (0706 GMT) on Monday from the airbase in Kurmitola in the capital on a routine training mission. The military said the plane experienced a mechanical failure.

Visuals showed rescue workers scouring the charred buildings for debris as distressed family members surrounded the site.

Sayedur Rahman, special assistant to the chief adviser on health, told reporters that 27 people had died and 88 were admitted to hospital with burn injuries. Those dead included 25 children, a teacher and the pilot, according to Reuters.

China has started construction of the world’s largest hydropower dam on the Yarlung Tsangpo River in Tibet, raising concerns in India and Bangladesh.

The $167bn Motuo Hydropower Station is expected to surpass the Three Gorges Dam in capacity. Beijing says the project will support clean energy and local development, BBC reported.

However, India and Bangladesh fear it could disrupt downstream water flow, impact livelihoods, and pose environmental risks. Critics also warn of threats to Tibet’s biodiversity and local communities.