A man carries a customer on his hand-pulled rickshaw through a waterlogged street after heavy rainfall in Kolkata, India, Sept 24, 2025. REUTERSA man carries a customer on his hand-pulled rickshaw through a waterlogged street after heavy rainfall in Kolkata, India, Sept 24, 2025. REUTERSAt least 12 people died as heavy rain lashed the eastern Indian city of Kolkata and surrounding areas ahead of a major festival, flooding streets, disrupting transport and leaving residents stranded for hours, officials said on Wednesday. Police said nine people died in Kolkata, with most of the deaths due to electrocution. "This should not have happened after four hours of rain.

Younger voters and university students were in the majority of those who oppose the party’s immediate return to the ballot at 63.05 percent. MOST FIT TO GOVERNDetailed responses show the Awami League made the largest gain in disclosed support. Voters were also asked where the Awami League votes might go if the party was unable to contest the election due to its current ban on political activities. Among 1,840 respondents who identified the Awami League as their top choice, nearly half -- 49.5 percent -- said they considered the BNP the “second most suitable” party. The survey suggested that support for the BNP increases with age, while Jamaat’s backing declines among older voters.

Amid debate over the report on Tuesday, Fakhrul, now in New York, told bdnews24.com that the newspaper used "artificial intelligence" to produce this "false, misleading" information. Recently, Ei Samay carried what it described as an interview with Fakhrul, quoting him as saying Jamaat had demanded 30 seats, but the BNP offered far fewer, which Jamaat found unacceptable. The report also cited Fakhrul as saying, "We will not let Jamaat sit on our heads anymore. In his response, Golam Parwar of Jamaat emphasised that the people, not Fakhrul, would judge the political party's credibility. We urge him to refrain from such false and misleading remarks in future."

This unprecedented state patronage for extremists harks back grim memories when Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and Jamaat e Islami (Jamaat) led coalition government reduced Bangladesh into a safe haven for both- transnational and home grown- terror outfits. But within days of interim regime, activists and leaders of this outfit publicly ran recruitment campaign on education campuses and streets. Even in demand for fighting crusade against western values, this radical outfit publicly rallied on streets. Despite their radical ideologue, other Islamist outfits have also been legitimized by Yunus under reform process. For Ahmediyya’s lives have also become miserable as hardline outfit publicly threatened to hit the street unless the community members are declared as non-muslim.

Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus has sought full cooperation from the World Trade Organization (WTO) to ensure Bangladesh’s smooth graduation from the least developed country (LDC) category. His office said in a statement that WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, in turn, sought Yunus’s “leadership” in advancing her organisation’s reform agenda. The WTO chief assured him of her full support. In response, Okonjo-Iweala emphasised that despite widespread concerns, global trade remains resilient, with approximately 75 percent of world trade still governed by WTO rules. She sought Bangladesh’s “active participation and leadership” in advancing the reform process, telling Yunus: "The WTO must reform.

Awami League proved again it is a terrorist party, Fakhrul says after NY incidentSenior BNP leader Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has said the harassment and egg attack on leaders accompanying the chief adviser in the United States exposed Awami League’s true colours. Speaking to bdnews24.com in New York after Monday’s incident at John F Kennedy International Airport, he said the incident was a testament to the Awami League feeling no remorse for injustice or misrule. Upon their arrival around 3pm Monday at JFK, Awami League activists, who are banned from activities inside the airport, surrounded them, shouting anti-Yunus slogans and hurling verbal abuse. “This airport incident shows Awami League’s conventional trait,” Fakhrul said. Meanwhile, the BNP secretary general’s remarks published in the Kolkata daily Ei Samay have stirred a debate.

The interim government has expressed “deep regret” over the incident at New York’s John F Kennedy International Airport, where the BNP and NCP leaders came under attack by Awami League supporters while travelling with Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus. While Yunus was escorted through a secured VVIP gate under special protection, the BNP, NCP, and Jamaat leaders were redirected through the public exit, where the Awami League leaders staged a protest. NCP Convenor Nahid Islam, speaking at a press conference in Dhaka on Tuesday, accused the government of failing to protect the delegation. Information was leaked from the inside, and the security arrangements made by the government and the foreign ministry were not adequate. It added, “Despite a formal request made at the highest levels of the interim government for continued VVIP access and security facilitation for the political leaders, airport authorities regrettably denied the request.

The National Citizen Party will reassess its stance if the BNP shifts its politics towards India, said the party’s Chief Coordinator Nasiruddin Patwary. He made the remarks on Tuesday evening at a protest rally in Dhaka’s Banglamotor, organised after the attack on NCP Member Secretary Akhter Hossen in New York. Nasiruddin said, “BNP’s Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul [Islam Alamgir] has said they want to bring Awami League and Jatiya Party into the election. And to the BNP grassroots leaders and activists, we say: Shaheed (Ziaur Rahman) did not do such politics in Bangladesh, Khaleda Zia did not do such politics in Bangladesh. While Yunus exited through a secured gate, BNP, Jamaat and NCP leaders leaving with general passengers were surrounded by Awami League activists hurling verbal abuse.

He said Habibur gave the order in a wireless message on Jul 17, 2024. The message was played before the three-member tribunal headed by Justice Md Golam Mortuza Mozumder. Kamrul told the court that he was on duty as a wireless operator from 9am to 2pm on the day of the protests. Between 11am and 11:30am, Habibur instructed police to suppress the protests with “maximum force”. The case lists 81 witnesses, including two advisors to the interim government and the editor of a national daily.

Over 43,000 hospitalised with dengue in Bangladesh this yearBangladesh has recorded one more death from dengue fever in the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of fatalities this year to 182, while admissions surged past 43,000 mark. The month of September has seen a notable spike, with 60 deaths reported until Tuesday, surpassing the previous high of 41 fatalities in July. Bangladesh also witnessed deaths from dengue in other months, including 10 in January, three in February, seven in April, three in May, 19 in June, and 39 in August. At present, 2,124 dengue patients are receiving treatment in hospitals across the country. The worst outbreak came in 2023, when 321,179 patients were hospitalised and 1,705 died.

NCP demands dismissal of all New York consulate staff after attack on AkhterThe National Citizen Party (NCP) Diaspora Alliance has condemned attacks on political leaders accompanying Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus on his official visit to the United States and demanded the dismissal of all staff at the Bangladesh Consulate General in New York. The entire foreign service team, including the Consulate General of Bangladesh in New York, must be immediately fired. Later, Tasnim wrote on Facebook: "After arriving in the United States today, our party's Member Secretary Akhter Hossen was attacked. "This was not an attack on Akhter Hossen as a person, but because of his political identity, because he represents the party that is constantly working to break the structure of fascism. I am certain this attack will not weaken Akhter Hossen one iota, but will only strengthen his resolve."

Religious speaker Amir Hamza gets legal notice for ‘derogatory’ comments about JUA legal notice has been sent to controversial religious speaker Amir Hamza, accusing him of making “disrespectful, offensive, and false” remarks about Jahangirnagar University. Former university student, Senate member, and Supreme Court lawyer Shihab Uddin Khan issued the notice on Tuesday. Shihab said, “A legal notice has been sent to Mufti Amir Hamza, leader of the Jamaat-e-Islami Kushtia branch.”The notice demands Hamza offer an “unconditional public apology” within 48 hours. The notice also accuses Hamza of tarnishing the university's long-standing reputation and causing adverse reactions among students and parents. If the demands are not met, the notice warns of possible legal actions, including criminal cases and civil lawsuits for compensation.

The Chittagong University Central Students’ Union (CUCSU) and hall council elections have been pushed back by three days following a similar delay at Rajshahi University. On Tuesday, Election Commission Secretary Prof AKM Fariful Haque Siddiqui said that the vote, initially scheduled for Oct 12, will now be held on Oct 15. The decision was made in response to appeals from candidates, according to him. The rescheduling means the CUCSU and Rajshahi University Central Students’ Union (RUCSU) polls will now fall on consecutive days in October.

Seven people have reportedly been killed in India’s Kolkata and its suburbs after heavy rain waterlogged several parts of the city. According to the Met Office, the downpour in Kolkata is due to a low-pressure area over the Bay of Bengal. The heavy showers have hit the city days before the Durga Puja, the most important festival for Bengali Hindus. Firhad Hakim, the mayor of Kolkata, said he had never seen such waterlogging in the city. If it does not rain anymore, we expect the situation to return to normal by tonight."

Bangladesh ‘fully prepared’ for free, fair polls in February: CA Yunus to US envoyChief Adviser Muhammad Yunus says Bangladesh is “fully prepared” to hold a free, fair, and peaceful general election in the first half of February, according to state news agency BSS. It will be free, fair, and peaceful. The country is fully prepared," Yunus said. Yunus stressed the necessity of strengthening economic links with landlocked Nepal and Bhutan as well as India’s seven northeastern states. “We can accelerate our economic growth through closer regional cooperation,” he said.