Madagascar's President Andry Rajoelina will address the nation on Monday, his office said, after he lost the support of a key army unit that joined thousands of youths protesting against corruption and poverty and demanding his resignation. CAPSAT said over the weekend it was taking charge of the military and appointed a new army chief. In the absence of a president, the leader of the Senate takes the post until elections are held. GEN Z PROTESTS MIRROR THOSE IN NEPAL AND KENYAOn Monday, thousands of people gathered in a square in the capital, shouting "the president must quit now". "In 16 years the president and his government have done nothing except enrich themselves while the people stay poor.

Security tightened at US Embassy in Dhaka overnightPolice say security has been stepped up at the US Embassy in Dhaka on Monday night following intelligence about a specific threat. Several senior officials of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) confirmed that members of the Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) unit had been deployed to the embassy premises. The deployment includes personnel from the CTTC’s bomb disposal unit as well as the specialised SWAT team, one officer said. The SWAT members, trained for high-risk operations, are equipped with heavy weapons and specialised gear. Masud Alam, assistant commissioner at the DMP’s Gulshan Division, said security in and around the US Embassy area had been reinforced due to concerns over a potential security risk.

India's southern state of Tamil Nadu has cancelled the licences of a cough syrup-maker linked to the deaths of several children over the past month, it said on Monday, as authorities search some of the firm's sites on suspicion of money-laundering. "The manufacturing licenses of Sresan Pharmaceuticals have been completely cancelled, and the company has been shut down," the state government said in a statement. Financial crime-fighting agency the Enforcement Directorate (ED) is searching seven premises linked to the company in Chennai, the state capital, on accusations of money laundering, a source said. Telephone calls to seek comment from G Ranganathan, owner of the Tamil Nadu-based firm, Sresan Pharmaceutical Manufacturer, who was arrested last week, went unanswered. Last week the World Health Organisation flagged India's "regulatory gap" in screening domestically-sold medicinal syrups.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Monday that he would meet US President Donald Trump in Washington on Friday, where the two would discuss Ukraine's air defence and long-range strike capabilities. Zelensky said he had given Trump, who has increasingly signalled frustration with Russia in recent weeks, an idea of how many of the coveted Tomahawks Ukraine needs. Trump has said he is considering sending the missiles to Ukraine, though he has also said he might talk to Russian President Vladimir Putin about it. Diplomatic efforts to end the war, now in its fourth year, have stalled as Russia steps up strikes on Ukrainian energy facilities and presses forward with grinding gains on the battlefield. Zelensky said he will also meet with representatives of US energy companies to discuss Ukraine's current needs amid what he described as shifting Russian tactics in strikes on Ukrainian energy infrastructure.

Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus has said the interim government’s commitment to justice and people’s power will be institutionalised through the parliamentary polls, slated for February. Yunus called for a complete overhaul of the global food and economic systems and put forward a six-point proposal to build a hunger-free world. Yunus said, “Hunger is not caused by scarcity; it is a failure of the economic structure we have created. For the fifth, he called for the withdrawal of export bans, saying trade rules must support food security, not undermine it. It is a necessity, the only way to save the world.”Noting that social business is the way forward, Yunus said: “We’ve seen its power in Bangladesh.

India, US to hold trade talks as New Delhi seeks higher energy importsIndia and the United States are set to hold trade talks this week, with New Delhi pledging to import US energy and gas as it aims to address Washington's concerns over its Russian oil purchases, an official said. "During my visit to India, I met with Commerce Secretary Agrawal and discussed US-India economic ties, including increased investment in the United States," Gor said on 'X' on Sunday. India's exports to the United States fell to $6.86 billion in August from $8.01 billion in July, trade ministry data showed, with exporters reporting further declines in September. The two sides have held five rounds of trade talks, with the sixth - postponed in August - now expected to lead to the first phase of the deal next month, as agreed by Trump and Modi. India is seeking greater participation from private players, including US firms, in its renewable and nuclear energy sectors.

"Dear teachers, until this hypocritical caretaker government approves your demands for house rent and medical allowances, do not leave the streets. At 1:55pm, police asked them to move from the road outside the Press Club to Shaheed Minar. On Sept 30, the government raised house rent for MPO teachers by Tk 500, a move the educators rejected, prompting further protests. MPO teachers receive salaries under the national pay scale, plus Tk 500 medical allowance and previously Tk 1,000 house rent allowance, now raised by Tk 500. Teachers are now demanding 20 percent house rent, Tk 1,500 medical allowance, and 75 percent festival bonus.

Commuters have faced severe disruption as an indefinite transport strike paralysed bus services from Mymensingh, Netrokona, Sherpur, Jamalpur, and parts of Kishoreganj. The unrest traces back to Friday night at Mymensingh's Maskanda Bus Stand, where a verbal clash occurred between July Uprising activist Abu Raihan and United bus counter lineman Arun Biswas.Following the incident, anti-discrimination student leaders staged a sit-in at the bus counter, and Biswas was arrested. Bus workers then blocked the bus pass area in protest. United Service's dismissed manager Ratan Pandit said, "I've been at Maskanda Terminal for 32 years under different governments, but never faced this. Terminal control should remain neutral."

The Rajshahi University Central Students’ Union (RUCSU), Senate student representative and hall union elections will be conducted under tight security. At a coordination meeting on Monday afternoon, Rajshahi Metropolitan Police Commissioner Mohammad Abu Sufian said for the polls, 2,000 police personnel, 12 platoons of RAB and six platoons of BGB will be deployed on campus. He added that security forces will serve at the university between Oct 15 and 17, with the possibility of extension. The commissioner noted that no intelligence has indicated any untoward incidents, and the campus environment remains peaceful and under control. Chief Election Commissioner Prof F Nazrul Islam said a coordination meeting with law-enforcing agencies has been held, and multiple agencies will jointly work to ensure “a fair, peaceful and festive election”.

Border trade between the neighbours came to a halt as Pakistan closed crossings along the 2,600-km (1,600-mile) frontier, stranding scores of loaded goods vehicles on either side, a Pakistani industry representative said. TRUCKS, CONTAINERS STUCK"All entry points are closed since Saturday following unprovoked attacks by the Afghan Taliban forces," a senior Pakistani security official told Reuters. Enayatullah Khowarazmi, Afghanistan's defence ministry spokesperson, told Reuters that the "current situation" on the border was normal, but did not share details. With border crossings for vehicles and pedestrians closed, all Pakistani government offices on the border dealing with trade and other administrative issues had been shut, a senior Pakistani government official said. TRUMP, CHINA OFFER HELPThe fighting has drawn the attention of Trump, who said he would focus on it soon.

Admission examinations for medical and dental colleges across Bangladesh will be held on the same day on Dec 12. Both exams will use the same question paper. Prof Dr Nazmul Hosain, director general of the Directorate General of Medical Education (DGME), said the decision was taken in a meeting on Sunday. The medical and dental admissions tests will be conducted on the same day with a single question paper. Now we are working on some technical issues,” he said.

Companies were diversifying supply chains and bringing production to the United States, the spokesperson added. The biggest increases for imports were seen in goods that the United States cannot produce domestically, such as coffee, or that come from highly penalised countries, like Turkey. Separate Reuters analyses of e-commerce websites Shein and Amazon were already showing robust price increases for Chinese products sold in the United States, ranging from clothing to electronics. That has all set the scene for higher inflation in the United States. GLOBAL TRADE SEEN SUFFERING AS TARIFFS BITEThe rest of the world, however, has no reason to celebrate.

Students demanding a final ordinance to combine seven government colleges previously affiliated with Dhaka University into the proposed Dhaka Central University are demonstrating for a four-point list of demands on Monday. Later, students from Dhaka College and other colleges joined them. A student of Shaheed Suhrawardy College said, "Although the government announced it would combine seven colleges into a central university, the ordinance has not been issued yet. The process of forming Dhaka Central University, combining seven colleges in the capital, is under way. Dhaka Central University will combine Dhaka College, Government Bangla College, Government Titumir College, Eden Mohila College, Kabi Nazrul Government College, Government Shaheed Suhrawardy College, and Begum Badrunnesa Government Girls’ College.

Six die in Chuadanga over two days, police cite ‘alcohol poisoning’Six people have died in Chuadanga Sadar Upazila and three others have been hospitalised after drinking “alcohol”, authorities say. Five of the victims died on Saturday night and one on Sunday night, according to Chuadanga Sadar Police Station chief Khaledur Rahman. The deceased have been identified as Kheder Ali, 40, a van driver from Nafarkandi village; Mohammad Selim, 40, a fish trader from Khejura village; Mohammad Laltu alias Ripu, 30, a van driver from Pirojkhali village; Mohammad Shahid, 45, a worker from Shankarchandra village; Mohammad Samir, 55, a mill worker from Dingedah village; and Sardar Mohammad Laltu, 52, a worker from Asia Biscuit Factory area. AKM Nasim Uz Zaman, a doctor on duty at the emergency department of Chuadanga Sadar Hospital, said that Laltu died while receiving treatment for “alcohol poisoning”. Jamal Al Naser, an additional superintendent of police in Chuadanga, said investigators had confirmed six deaths so far.

Oil prices rose on Monday after hitting five-month lows in the previous session, as investors hoped potential talks between the presidents of the US and China could ease trade tensions between the world's two largest economies and oil consumers. I do not expect oil or any other risk assets to reverse the losses so soon," she added. However, there is still the risk of trade tensions escalating that may lead to higher tariffs or more serious export restrictions, at least temporarily, they added. Oil prices tumbled in March and April during the height of trade tensions between the two countries. China dramatically expanded its rare earths export controls on Thursday ahead of talks between Presidents Donald Trump and Xi Jinping.