Afghan Taliban foreign minister heads for first visit to India to foster ties abroadAfghanistan's Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi attends the Tehran International Conference on Palestine in Tehran, Iran, Dec 23, 2023. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERSAfghanistan's Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi attends the Tehran International Conference on Palestine in Tehran, Iran, Dec 23, 2023. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERSAfghanistan's Taliban foreign minister left for New Delhi on Wednesday, his ministry said, in what would be the first visit to India by a Taliban leader since the group seized power in 2021. The trip highlights Taliban efforts to expand engagement with regional powers in a quest for economic ties and eventual diplomatic recognition. Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi will hold talks with Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar and other officials on political, economic and trade issues, the Afghan foreign ministry added.

With visa rejections for Bangladeshis rising sharply across many countries, Foreign Advisor Touhid Hossain has admitted his own concern over the issue while suggesting that Bangladeshis themselves bear much of the responsibility. He said the country’s reputation had been undermined by fraudulent documents and irregular migration, making visa approvals increasingly difficult. Speaking at a press briefing at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Wednesday, Touhid said: “Let me give you an example. Still, discussions on this issue continue at the official level.”On the rise in visa refusals, Touhid was blunt. Responding to a separate question about reports of Bangladeshis dying while fighting for Pakistan’s Tehrik-i-Taliban (TTP), Touhid said such cases were isolated.

National Board of Revenue Chairman Md Abdur Rahman Khan has complained that many field-level officers at customs houses, VAT commissionerates, and tax zones do not follow directives issued from the board. They are paid with your money, yet they do not follow government instructions, and you keep accepting it? You must stop tolerating and start complaining.”Rahman urged businesses to take on the role of “whistle-blowers” and report misconduct online. He noted that customs houses continue to use outdated valuation records instead of applying the “transaction price” method as instructed. “I have told tax commissioners and customs houses that I will not ask how much money they collect, nor do I want to know.

The Jamaat-e-Islami has submitted its amended constitution and bank account details to the Election Commission six years after its registration was cancelled. However, the report lacked a bank account number, prompting the EC to request additional information. The letter says Jamaat has been unable to operate any bank account since its registration was revoked in 2013 due to “adverse circumstances”. In response to the EC’s request, Jamaat submitted another copy of the documents on Wednesday. EC Additional Secretary KM Ali Newaz confirmed, “The Jamaat-e-Islami has submitted its bank account number and amended constitution.” However, he was unable to provide details on the specific amendments made to the constitution.

Bangladesh has recorded three more dengue-related deaths in the last 24 hours, bringing the tally of deaths to 220. Another 700 patients were admitted to hospitals over the past 24 hours, pushing the year’s total hospitalisations to 52,104. September saw the highest number of dengue-related hospital admissions, with 15,866 patients admitted and 76 deaths recorded. Since 2000, the health directorate has been tracking dengue-related hospitalisations and deaths. In 2023, the year recorded the highest number of admissions -- 321,179 -- and the highest death toll, with 1,705 fatalities.

At least 20 killed in Myanmar junta attack as paramotors widen air warA 30-year-old protester was taking part in a gathering against Myanmar's ruling junta on a festival day in the central region of Sagaing on Monday when he heard the distinctive noise of fan blades cutting through the air. "I was thrown away," said the protester, asking not to be named for fear of retribution from the junta. At least 20 people were killed in the attack by the junta, according to the eyewitness, Amnesty International, the shadow National Unity Government and an armed resistance group in the area. A spokesperson for Myanmar's junta did not respond to calls seeking comment. The military also used paramotors to carry out attacks in parts of Myanmar hit by a deadly earthquake in March, the United Nations said in April.

Shahidul Alam ‘abducted and taken to port by Israeli forces’, says DrikProminent Bangladeshi photographer and activist Shahidul Alam has been "abducted" along with other activists aboard a Gaza-bound aid flotilla after Israeli forces intercepted the vessels in international waters, according to a statement from his media organisation Drik. Drik said all those on board the Freedom Flotilla vessel "Conscience", including photographers, journalists, doctors, health workers, writers, and human rights defenders, had been detained by Israeli forces on Wednesday. Before communications were cut off, passengers aboard Conscience reported that an Israeli military helicopter had attacked the vessel. Around the same time, the Israeli Navy also captured several boats operated by Thousand Madelines to Gaza, another flotilla partner. The release of all detained journalists, health workers, and crew.

The cases accuse Hasina and others of overseeing the detention, torture and disappearance of political opponents at secret facilities operated by elite security agencies. During the Awami League’s tenure, there were allegations of opposition figures being taken away and held in secret detention centres without trial. “If evidence of involvement in the enforced disappearances is found, then the Army will definitely take legal action,” he said. On Aug 25, the Advisory Council gave in-principle approval to the draft “Enforced Disappearances Prevention and Redress Ordinance, 2025". The proposed law defines enforced disappearances as a crime, establishes the death penalty as the maximum punishment, and criminalises the use of secret detention centres.

Spanish emergency services have recovered the bodies of four people from beneath the rubble of a six-storey building that collapsed in central Madrid while being refurbished into a hotel, local authorities said on Wednesday. Three other construction workers were injured. One construction worker named Mikhail was pumping concrete into the building's lower floors and was outside when the collapse occurred. According to Madrid's online registry of buildings under construction the property was built in 1965. It underwent two technical inspections in 2012 and 2022 and was classified as "unfavourable" due to "the general condition of the facade, exterior, partition walls, roof, roof terraces and plumbing and sewage system".

The International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) has issued arrest warrants against four Border Guard Bangladesh personnel in a case of crimes against humanity over the killings of 28 people in Dhaka’s Rampura during the July Uprising. A three-member bench led by Tribunal-1 Chairman Justice Md Golam Mortuza Mozumder issued the order on Wednesday. Prosecutor Md Mizanul Islam raised the formal charges against the four accused before the tribunal. The tribunal took cognisance of the charges and ordered arrest warrants to be issued against the suspects. These crimes are being tried at the International Crimes Tribunal.

‘Everything has an end,' says ex-minister Palak during court appearanceFormer state minister for ICT Zunaid Ahmed Palak has been placed under arrest in another murder case linked to last year's July Uprising. As he was being taken to court in handcuffs, wearing a helmet and a bulletproof vest, Palak told reporters: “Everything has an end.”Asked what Palak meant by his remark, his lawyer Tariqul Islam said: “I wasn't with him at the time. "He [Palak] discussed his case. He died on Jul 24 while undergoing treatment at Dhaka Medical College Hospital. His mother, Sajeda, initiated the case against 97 people, including ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina, at Banani Police Station on Dec 18.

Police have detained the director of a private women’s hostel in the capital for allegedly assaulting a Dhaka University student who was visiting a friend there. He told bdnews24.com that the hostel owner was arrested after a female student of Tejgaon College filed a case over the incident. The case alleges that the victim, a Dhaka University student from Shamsunnahar Hall, was physically assaulted after visiting the hostel as a guest because her university dormitory was closed, according to Imamul. The victim told bdnews24.com that she had gone to her friend’s place as her university residential hall was closed. “The hostel director abused me verbally.

The Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) is set to launch a large-scale immunisation drive to administer typhoid vaccines to around 1.2 million children to curb the spread of the disease. The campaign will run from Oct 12 to Nov 13 across 10 regions under the DNCC's jurisdiction. As many as 760,790 students from 2,181 educational institutions and 533,279 local children will be immunised during the drive, according to him. Each vaccination team will include two vaccinators and three volunteers, operating from 8am to 3:30pm daily. The DNCC will officially launch the programme at Dhaka Residential Model College, with its Administrator Mohammad Azaz attending as chief guest.

Activists of Islamist group Hifazat-e Islam have staged street protests in Chattogram's Hathazari for more than three hours after one of their leaders was killed in a road accident. The protesters began the blockade around 8am on Wednesday, occupying sections of the Chattogram-Khagrachhari and Chattogram-Rangamati highways. The protests brought road connectivity between Chattogram and the hill districts of Rangamati and Khagrachhari to a standstill. Later, after discussions with us at Hathazari Police Station, they agreed to lift the blockade,” he said. By 11:30am, traffic between Chattogram, Rangamati, and Khagrachhari had returned to normal, according to police and witnesses.

The Ministry of Religious Affairs has relaxed the passport validity requirement for Hajj registration, allowing applicants to sign up even with expired passports. Previously, Bangladeshi pilgrims needed a passport valid for at least six months at the time of registration as well as travel. The ministry has made it clear that while expired passports may be used for registration, visa issuance will require a valid passport, reports bdnews24.com. The Hajj Agencies Association of Bangladesh (HAAB), meanwhile, announced three private travel packages on Sept 30. According to Saudi Arabia's Hajj roadmap, initial registration began on Jul 27 and will continue until Oct 12.