The National Citizen Party (NCP) has extended an open invitation to BNP’s “deprived” young leaders for party nominations in the next general election, citing disappointment with the BNP’s candidate list. NCP Chief Coordinator Nasiruddin Patwary made the call on Monday evening at a press conference held to discuss the current political situation. Patwary criticised the BNP for excluding young leaders and nominating what he termed as “godfathers” instead. Earlier, at a separate press conference in Gulshan, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir announced the party’s preliminary list of 237 candidates. We expected to see good new candidates, but their list has disappointed us.”He, however, congratulated both Khaleda and Tarique.

The National Citizen Party (NCP) has criticised the government’s call for political parties to hold a dialogue on implementing the July National Charter and the referendum. He described the call for dialogue as “a step to thwart reforms”, saying it came “despite having a mandate” to implement the changes. Akhtar said, “A consensus has been reached by the political parties in the Consensus Commission, and recommendations have been presented to the government. “The government has again handed the reform issues to the political parties. Later, NCP Chief Coordinator Nasiruddin Patwary said the government should announce the date of the charter’s implementation order.

The Bangladesh Nationalist Party has released the first batch of 237 potential candidates for the next national election, but several senior leaders were conspicuously absent. The announcement came at a press conference on Monday at the party chairperson’s office in Gulshan, Dhaka, where Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir read out the names. Of the 14-member BNP standing committee, 10 were included in the initial list, leaving out veteran leaders Barrister Jamiruddin Sircar, Rafiqul Islam Mia, Nazrul Islam Khan, and Selima Rahman. Out of 81 members of the BNP chairperson’s advisory council, 22 have been nominated, leaving a majority off the slate. Mirza Fakhrul emphasised the provisional nature of the list, saying: “We would like to make it clear that this is our list of potential candidates.

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul speaks during a joint press conference with his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan (not pictured), in Ankara, Turkey, Oct 17, 2025. REUTERS/Cagla GurdoganGerman Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul speaks during a joint press conference with his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan (not pictured), in Ankara, Turkey, Oct 17, 2025. REUTERS/Cagla GurdoganGerman Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul spoke with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi about security, economic policy and other topics of mutual interest, a German foreign ministry spokesperson said on Monday. According to a Chinese foreign ministry readout of the call, Wang told Wadephul that differences were hard to avoid, but both sides should enhance communication, understanding and mutual trust. China and Germany need to establish a stable and sustainable policy framework to keep bilateral ties on the right track, Wang added.

India's financial crime agency has frozen 75 billion rupees ($853 million) worth of properties linked to companies of the Reliance Anil Ambani Group as part of a money-laundering probe, it said in a statement on Monday. Other group companies did not comment, while YES Bank declined to comment. Investigators have detected the "fraudulent diversion of public money" by entities including Reliance Group-controlled companies Reliance Home Finance Ltd and Reliance Commercial Finance Ltd, the ED said. These companies received over 100 billion rupees of public funds, including loans from YES Bank, through shell companies, it said. The Reliance Group entities are also accused of paying bribes to YES Bank officials before loans were disbursed, a government source had said earlier.

The Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited (DMTCL) has said there could be “many” reasons behind the death of a pedestrian caused by a falling bearing pad, including a possible “design flaw” in the metro line. The agency’s Managing Director Faruque Ahmed said at a press briefing on Monday, “After last year’s accident, we conducted physical and drone inspections. Another inspection was carried out two months ago.”As for the possible cause of the latest accident, he said: “There could be a mistake in the design. “This accident could have happened for multiple reasons, including the use of low-quality materials, which can be confirmed after the investigation. “According to our cost, this was supposed to be the best metro in the world, but the reality is different.

The BNP said the roster is provisional and could shift following consultations with parties involved in the “simultaneous movement”. He said, “We have not nominated candidates in seats where our partners in the simultaneous movement have shown interest. That contested election saw the BNP win 5 seats and the Oikya Front 7 seats. Ahead of that vote, the BNP dissolved its 20-party alliance and relaunched the simultaneous movement with its former allies. The participation of old BNP allies in the next elections remains uncertain.

The Bangladesh Nationalist Party has withheld 63 parliamentary seats to accommodate allies, signalling a broader seat-sharing drive ahead of the general election due in February. The BNP said the roster is provisional and could shift following consultations with parties involved in the “simultaneous movement”. In the 2018 election the BNP-led alliance reserved 22 seats for partners. This time the carve-out is markedly larger, underscoring the party’s need to knit together a broader coalition. No timetable was given for finalising seat-sharing or publishing a definitive list.

Trump says Maduro’s ‘days are numbered’ but plays down threat of war with VenezuelaDonald Trump has said Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro’s “days are numbered”, but downplayed the odds of the United States going to war with Venezuela. The report said Trump, when asked if the US was going to war against Venezuela, replied: “I doubt it. I don’t think so.”However, when asked if Maduro’s days as president were numbered, he said: “I would say yeah. According to The Guardian, confusion has surrounded Trump’s directive for the US to resume nuclear testing, particularly if it would mean conducting the first nuclear explosion since 1992. Pressed again, Trump told CBS: “They test way underground where people don’t know exactly what’s happening with the test.

On Monday, Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir announced candidates for 237 constituencies, including 10 women contesting in 12 seats. Other women candidates announced include:Sanjida Islam Tuli (Dhaka-14), coordinator of Maayer Daak, a platform formed by families of enforced disappearance victims. Shama Obaid (Faridpur-2), BNP’s Organising Secretary and daughter of former BNP secretary general and minister KM Obaidur Rahman. Sansila Jabrin Priyanka (Sherpur-1), daughter of district BNP general secretary Hazrat Ali and the youngest BNP candidate in the 2018 election. The July Charter recommends that political parties field women candidates in at least 5 percent of seats.

Three killed, eight missing in Himalaya peak avalanche in NepalA screen capture from video shows trekkers leaving their campsite, as unusually heavy snow and rainfall pummeled the Himalayas, in the Tibet Region, China, Oct 5, 2025. A screen capture from video shows trekkers leaving their campsite, as unusually heavy snow and rainfall pummeled the Himalayas, in the Tibet Region, China, Oct 5, 2025. Three climbers, including a foreign national, were killed and eight others were missing after an avalanche hit a climbing expedition on a Himalayan peak in Nepal, police said on Monday. The nationalities of the dead or the missing foreigners were not immediately known. Four injured climbers were evacuated to a nearby village and a search for the missing climbers, including by helicopter, was continuing, Mahato said.

Eight faith-based political parties have called on Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus to act as a “referee” in a dialogue among political groups over the implementation of the July Charter and the holding of a referendum. The parties’ appeal came during a meeting of top leaders at the Bangladesh Khelafat Majlis office on Monday, after which Jamaat-e-Islami’s deputy chief Syed Abdullah Mohammad Taher addressed the media. “If the July Charter is not implemented, it makes no difference whether the referendum is held before or after the election. At the eight-party press conference, Khelafat Majlis Ameer Mamunul Haque said: “Bangladesh stands on the threshold of its 13th parliamentary election. The referendum must be held separately before the national election.

Bangladesh has reported 1,147 new hospitalisations due to dengue in the past 24 hours with five fatalities. Of the latest deaths, three occurred in Dhaka Division, and one each in Dhaka North City Corporation and Rajshahi. The health directorate reported that the highest number of new hospitalisations was in the Dhaka North City Corporation, where 284 patients were admitted. The DGHS has maintained records of dengue-related hospitalisations and deaths since 2000. The highest annual hospitalisations occurred in 2023, with 321,179 cases, while the highest deaths in a single year were 1,705, also in 2023.

Khaleda to contest in election from her birthplace Dinajpur, alongside Feni, Bogura seatsBNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia will contest from three parliamentary constituencies in the next national election -- marking the first time she will run from her birthplace, Dinajpur. Khaleda Zia, whose ancestral home lies in Feni, has been elected from this seat five times -- in 1991, February 1996, June 1996, 2001, and 2008. Locals often chant, “Fenir meye Khaleda, gorbo moder alada” (Khaleda, the daughter of Feni, our pride). When she vacated the seat after the 2001 election, her younger brother Sayeed Eskander won the subsequent by-election. Of the 12 parliamentary elections held there, the BNP won three times -- in 1979, 1996, and 2001.

Bangladesh stands at a “critically tough” juncture at the moment and under the circumstances, its future course depends on the upcoming general elections, said Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) AMM Nasir Uddin. Rather, I took it as a mission, a challenge.”The Ansar and the Village Defence Party (VDP) will play a “big role” in the upcoming elections, the CEC said. Those who will have duties (to ensure law and order during voting) in the future have a responsibility to build the future of Bangladesh." He also commented that the Ansar will play a huge role in determining the course of Bangladesh through the next elections. Nasir said that the Ansar personnel were trained at 74 centres for the upcoming elections, while police personnel were receiving training in 130 training centres.