It has signalled in the past that it might agree to a long-term truce in return for ending Israeli occupationHamas open to long Gaza truce but not to disarming, an official saysHamas is open to a years-long truce with Israel in Gaza but is not willing to lay down its arms, an official said on Saturday, as leaders of the Palestinian Islamist militant group met mediators in Cairo for ceasefire talks. We are open to any serious proposals to end the war," said Taher Al-Nono, the media adviser for the Hamas leadership, in the first clear signal that the group was open to a longer-term truce. More than 2,000 Palestinians, many of them civilians, have been killed in Israeli strikes since, according to health authorities. The war was triggered by Hamas' Oct 7 2023 attack which killed 1,200 people, and saw 251 hostages taken to Gaza. Since then, more than 51,400 Palestinians have been killed in the Israeli offensive in Gaza, according to local health officials.

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A passenger arriving from Dubai via Sylhet is caught carrying gold melted into a paste and hidden inside his clothingMan held with 2.4 kg of gold as customs bust 'novel' smuggling attempt at Dhaka airportAuthorities have detained a passenger at Dhaka's Shahjalal International Airport after he was caught smuggling 2.4 kg of gold melted and concealed in his clothing. The passenger arrived at Shahjalal Airport at around 11:15am on Friday on a Biman Bangladesh Airlines flight from Dubai via Sylhet, according to Barun Das, preventive officer of the Customs House Dhaka. Based on a tip-off that the passenger might be carrying gold melted into a paste and hidden inside his clothing, customs officials inspected him. A preliminary certificate was issued by a goldsmith and the gold has since been deposited in the Customs House warehouse. A criminal case has also been filed against the detained passenger at the Airport Police Station, Barun added.

Mohammad Rasoul Moradi/IRNA/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERSSmoke from the explosion is seen at the Shahid Rajaee port in Bandar Abbas, Iran, Apr 26, 2025. Mohammad Rasoul Moradi/IRNA/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERSA huge blast probably caused by the explosion of chemical materials killed at least 14 people and injured more than 700 on Saturday at Iran's biggest port, Bandar Abbas, Iranian state media reported. Hossein Zafari, a spokesperson for Iran's crisis management organisation, appeared to blame the explosion on poor storage of chemicals in containers at Shahid Rajaee. Located near the strategic Strait of Hormoz, Shahid Rajaee port is Iran’s biggest container hub, handling a majority of the country’s container goods, according to state media. The blast shattered windows within a radius of several kilometres and was heard in Qeshm, an island 26 kilometres (16 miles) south of the port, Iranian media said.

Two people have been killed and another injured in separate motorcycle accidents on the Mawa Expressway in Munshiganj. In the Saturday morning incident, a motorcycle veered off the service lane and hit a roadside railing after being struck by an unidentified vehicle. In the other incident, a speeding truck hit a motorcycle on the expressway in Hasara and fled the scene. Fire Service personnel rushed to the spot and took them to hospital, where the on-duty doctor declared Alimul dead. “The accidents occurred due to reckless driving and violation of traffic rules,” said OC Jelani, adding that efforts were underway to identify the vehicles involved and take legal action.

According to the Indian Army, multiple Pakistani posts across the LoC initiated "unprovoked" small arms fire, prompting Indian forces to retaliate, broadcaster NDTV reports. "On the night of Apr 25-26, 2025, unprovoked small firing was carried out by multiple Pakistan Army post all across the Line of Control in Kashmir. No casualties reported," the Indian Army said in a statement. Military sources believe Pakistani forces are testing the readiness of Indian soldiers amid rising calls within India for a strong response against terror hubs across the border. Vowing a harsh response, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Indian forces would hunt down every terrorist involved, promising a punishment "bigger than they can imagine".

Pakistan signals openness to an international investigation into the Kashmir attack amid growing regional tensions and global scrutinyTourists ride "Shikaras" or boats in the waters of Dal Lake, following a suspected militant attack near south Kashmir's Pahalgam, in Srinagar Apr 25, 2025. REUTERSTourists ride "Shikaras" or boats in the waters of Dal Lake, following a suspected militant attack near south Kashmir's Pahalgam, in Srinagar Apr 25, 2025. Asif told the newspaper in an interview that Pakistan was "ready to cooperate" with "any investigation which is conducted by international inspectors." A little-known militant group, Kashmir Resistance, claimed responsibility for the attack in a social media message. Indian security agencies say Kashmir Resistance, also known as The Resistance Front, is a front for Pakistan-based militant organisations such as Lashkar-e-Taiba and Hizbul Mujahideen.

Former prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s advisor Salman F Rahman and former law minister Anisul Huq have been put in jail custody pending trial over the murder of Parvez Mia during the Anti-discrimination Student Movement in Dhaka’s Jatrabari. According to the case documents, Parvez joined an anti-discrimination protest in Jatrabari on Aug 5, the day the Awami League government was ousted. Anisul first became an MP from the Brahmanbaria-4 constituency on an Awami League ticket in the Jan 5, 2014 elections. That same year, he was appointed as Minister of Law, Justice, and Parliamentary Affairs in the Awami League government. Following the fall of the Hasina government, Salman and Anisul were arrested in Sadarghat on Aug 13 last year.

His ban was cut, restored, then finally suspended for a year in an unprecedented moveThe Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has finally offered an explanation for the repeated changes to Towhid Hridoy’s suspension, a saga that stirred significant controversy in domestic cricket. After initial decisions by the Umpires Committee were overturned, the BCB’s Technical Committee reinstated the original suspension but deferred its execution for one year. The chaos began during a Dhaka Premier League match on Apr 12, when Hridoy was banned for one match after arguing with umpires. After lengthy discussions, four representatives, including former Mohammedan captain Tamim Iqbal, met BCB President Faruque Ahmed to raise concerns over the confusion surrounding Hridoy’s suspension, along with other incidents where players felt they had been “disrespected”. Under Clause 14 of the league’s General Information, the Technical Committee holds the authority to amend rules and codes of conduct, ensuring that Hridoy is now free to play without restriction.

He alleges that he was beaten up over a report on illegal diggingLocal Swechchhasebak League, former Jubo Dal leader and their supporters have allegedly attacked and left bdnews24.com correspondent Mainuddin Rubel bloodied in Brahmanbaria over publishing a report. Rubel was brutally beaten up in front of Bijoynagar Upazila Parishad around 7:45pm on Friday as blood poured from his head when he was rescued. Bijoynagar police chief Sahidul Islam said they had received reports of the incident and were on the hunt for those involved. A native of Paharpur’s Bhitidaudpur village in Bijoynagar, Rubel resides at the district's Dakkhin Morail. Rubel alleged that Ichhapura Union Parishad member Anis Mia was also involved in the attack.

Former prime minister Sheikh Hasina's adviser Salman F Rahman and former law minister Anisul Huq have been put in jail custody pending trial over the murder of Parvez Mia during the Anti-discrimination Student Movement in Dhaka's Jatrabari.Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Kawser Pervin passed the order on Friday.Sub-Inspector (SI) Md Sharifuzzaman, the general recording officer of the court's Jatrabari Police Station, confirmed the decision.After the end of their remand, the investigating officer SI Nazmul Hasan sought to keep them behind bars.The court had earlier granted a four-day remand for the two on Feb 10.According to the case documents, Parvez joined an anti-discrimination protest in Jatrabari on Aug 5, the day the Awami League government was ousted.He was shot in the afternoon and taken to Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH), where he died shortly after.His mother Kaniz Fatema filed the case with Jatrabari Police Station on Oct 29, 2024.Salman, vice chairman of Beximco Group, one of Bangladesh's leading industrial conglomerates, became the private sector development affairs advisor to Hasina in 2009. �"bdnews24.com

Trump asserted on Thursday that trade talks between the two countries were underway, after both China's foreign ministry and commerce ministry denied such negotiationsChinese and US flags flutter outside the building of an American company in Beijing, China April 8, 2025. REUTERSChinese and US flags flutter outside the building of an American company in Beijing, China April 8, 2025. REUTERSChina's foreign ministry urged Washington on Friday to stop "misleading the public" on bilateral tariff negotiations, and said it wasn't familiar with reports on whether Beijing was planning to exempt tariffs on some US imports. US President Donald Trump asserted on Thursday that trade talks between the two countries were underway, after both China's foreign ministry and commerce ministry denied such negotiations. The moves were the latest signs that the world's two largest economies were prepared to rein in their trade war.

The long-surviving treaty reached its end as a retaliation by India, who blamed Pakistan for the recent militant attack in KashmirIndus Water Treaty suspension: What happens if India halts water flowing into Pakistan? REUTERS/Yasir RajputIndia has suspended its obligations under the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), a longstanding agreement that governs the use of water from six rivers in the Indus basin shared with Pakistan. Most of India’s projects in the Indus basin are run-of-the-river hydropower plants, which do not store significant amounts of water. In 2016, following similar tensions between India and Pakistan, China blocked a tributary of the Brahmaputra, citing hydropower construction needs. China's plans to build the world's largest dam on the same tributary could mirror the situation between India and Pakistan, with India fearing that China could gain major control over the river's flow.

Trump says Xi called him, lays out trade and other deal plans in Time interviewUS President Donald Trump disembarks Marine One as he arrives at Leesburg Executive Airport in Leesburg, Virginia, US, April 24, 2025. REUTERS/Craig HudsonUS President Donald Trump disembarks Marine One as he arrives at Leesburg Executive Airport in Leesburg, Virginia, US, April 24, 2025. REUTERS/Craig HudsonUS President Donald Trump this week said his administration is talking with China to strike a tariff deal and that Chinese President Xi Jinping had called him, Time magazine reported, as Beijing has so far disputed the US characterization of talks. The Republican president, in an interview with the magazine on Tuesday that was published on Friday, did not say when Xi called or what the two leaders discussed. In his comments published on Friday, Trump told Time that Crimea, which Russia seized from Ukraine in 2014, would remain in Moscow's hands.

International airlines are not affected by the ban from Pakistan airspaceTop Indian airlines Air India and IndiGo are bracing for higher fuel costs and longer journey times as they reroute international flights after Pakistan shut its airspace to them amid escalating tensions over a deadly militant attack in Kashmir. The nuclear-armed arch rivals have unleashed a raft of measures against each other in response, with India keeping a critical river water-sharing treaty in abeyance and Pakistan closing its airspace to Indian airlines. Aircraft fuel and oil costs usually make up for about 30 percent of an airline's operating costs, by far the biggest component. The same flight, through Pakistan airspace, took 5 hours 5 minutes on Wednesday. In 2019, India's government said that the closure of Pakistan airspace for about five months during tensions between the neighbours at that time caused a loss of at least $64 million to Air India, IndiGo and other airlines.