The seven-member delegation from Bangladesh is currently staying at Kabul Star Hotel in the Afghan capital. Alongside Mamunul are his party's deputy chief Maulana Abdul Hamid, Maulana Abdul Awal, Maulana Abdul Haque, Maulana Habibullah Mahmud Qasemi, Maulana Monir Hossain Qasemi and Maulana Mahbubur Rahman. “In healthcare, the labour market, and in trade and commerce, Afghanistan can be a potential partner,” Mamunul said. He described Afghanistan as a “very promising” labour market for Bangladesh, but noted that bilateral trade in the last fiscal year amounted to only $50 million. Mamunul explained that the trip was organised by a UK-based group called Prosper Afghanistan, which, he said, supports disadvantaged Muslim communities with a focus on Afghanistan.

Source: CollectedPolice have started a case against more than 2,000 unidentified people after a series of mob attacks, vandalism and arson incidents at four shrines in Cumilla’s Homna Upazila, fuelled by allegations of blasphemy. Homna Police Station Sub-Inspector Tapas Kumar Sarkar, who lodged the case on Thursday night, said the case lists between 2,000 and 2,200 unnamed suspects, reports bdnews24.com. The unrest broke out on Thursday afternoon in Homna‍‍`s Asadpur village after announcements were made over loudspeakers, accusing a man of blasphemy. Crowds subsequently went on to vandalise and set fire to four shrines. Police said 35-year-old Md Mohsin had been arrested on charges of blasphemy.

Tensions have escalated over the establishment of the proposed Dhaka Central University and its affiliation with the seven government colleges in Dhaka. The seven colleges in Dhaka were previously under the National University until Feb 17, 2017, when they were affiliated with Dhaka University. In August, the Ministry of Education announced that the proposed Dhaka Central University would split the seven colleges into four schools. The association criticised the previous move, which transferred these colleges from the National University to Dhaka University without adequate surveys or planning, leading to administrative and academic complications. It proposes either transforming the colleges into a collegiate system or affiliating them with a separate campus of the proposed Dhaka Central University.

The Anti-Corruption Commission has started a case against former land minister Saifuzzaman Chowdhury Javed and his wife Rukmila Zaman for allegedly accepting Tk 520 million in bribes. The anti-graft agency accuses them of intimidating Abdul Kadir Mollah, managing director of Thermax Group, into paying the bribe in the lawsuit filed on Thursday. A total of 11 people have been named in the case. The case was filed by ACC Assistant Director Md Sajib Ahmed at the Dhaka-1 Integrated District Office, according to Deputy Director Akhtarul Islam.

UEFA Champions League - Newcastle United v FC Barcelona - St James' Park, Newcastle, Britain - Sept 18, 2025 Newcastle United fans react as FC Barcelona's Marcus Rashford celebrates scoring their second goal with teammates Action Images via Reuters/Lee SmithUEFA Champions League - Newcastle United v FC Barcelona - St James' Park, Newcastle, Britain - Sept 18, 2025 Newcastle United fans react as FC Barcelona's Marcus Rashford celebrates scoring their second goal with teammates Action Images via Reuters/Lee SmithAn inspired Marcus Rashford celebrated his return to English soil by scoring twice in nine second-half minutes to give Barcelona a 2-1 victory over Newcastle United in their Champions League season opener at St James' Park on Thursday. Missing talisman Lamine Yamal through injury, the visitors had to weather an early storm as Newcastle pressed high relentlessly. The five-time European champions gradually gained control of proceedings until English forward Rashford broke the deadlock in the 58th minute, scoring his first goal for Barcelona with an angled header from Jules Kounde's right-wing cross that nestled just inside the left post beyond Nick Pope's reach. Rashford's inspirational night continued nine minutes later when he pounced on a rebound at the edge of the box, set himself up with a quick glide to the right, and unleashed an unstoppable strike that flew past Pope before licking the crossbar into the top left corner. Anthony Gordon reduced the deficit in the 90th minute, tapping-in a low cross from Jacob Murphy in a quick counter, but it was too little too late for Newcastle.

As Bangladesh prepares for its next general election, the future of the Awami League-led 14-Party Alliance and its long-time partner, the Jatiya Party, is in deep doubt. The Jatiya Party, branded by critics as a “domesticated opposition” under Hasina, has suffered repeated splits. Meanwhile, alliance partners that once stood alongside Hasina -- Bangladesh Workers Party, Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JaSaD), NAP (Muzaffar) -- have been hit by arrests, bans, and disarray. At the time, the Gono Odhikar Parishad demanded that the Jatiya Party and Awami League allies be banned outright as “collaborators of dictatorship”. A FADING FORCEFor over a decade, the Jatiya Party and 14-Party Alliance shaped Bangladeshi politics, whether in government or opposition.

Bangladeshi Islamist group calls Dhaka rally in November to demand Ahmadis be declared non-MuslimsAn Islamist group has called for a mass rally in Dhaka in November to press its demand that the Ahmadiyya minority community, referred to by opponents as “Qadianis”, be declared non-Muslim by the state. The group’s Secretary General Mohiuddin Rabbani told bdnews24.com on Thursday that the rally would push political parties to include the demand in their manifestos for the next general election. Its President is Sajidur Rahman, the current secretary general of Hifazat, while Executive President Junaid Al Habib also heads Dhaka city unit of Hifazat. Secretary general Rabbani himself is a deputy chief (Nayeb-e-Amir) of Hifazat. Wednesday’s preparatory meeting was chaired by Joint Secretary General Habibullah Miaji, with central leader Sultana Mohiuddin moderating.

The Jamaat-e-Islami leaders have warned that no election will be allowed in the country unless the July National Charter is given a legal foundation through a constitutional order or a referendum. The announcement came on Thursday at a protest rally organised by Jamaat’s Dhaka city north and south units at the south gate of Baitul Mukarram National Mosque. Jamaat Secretary General Mia Golam Porwar said, “The people want a transparent, acceptable election. “Unfortunately, we see some quarters using political influence, while the government has bowed to other powers. As a result, they cannot ensure a level playing field,” he added.

Evaly’s Rassel, Shamima handed three more years in prison in another caseA Dhaka court has sentenced Mohammad Rassel, the CEO of e-commerce platform Evaly, and his wife Shamima Nasreen, the company's chairman, to three years in prison in another fraud case. Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Monirul Islam delivered the verdict on Thursday, according to the plaintiff’s lawyer HM Ruhul Amin Molla. “In addition to their prison sentence, they have been fined Tk 10,000 each. As the accused are absconding, an arrest warrant has been issued against them in addition to the conviction warrant. The couple has now received a total of 12 years in prison in five different cases of fraud tied to Evaly.

Nahid Islam, convener of the National Citizen Party, has revealed that prior to the fall of Sheikh Hasina's government on Aug 5 last year, discussions were held to appoint Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus as the new head of government. Nahid made the revelation during his testimony in the ongoing trial of the deposed prime minister, former minister Asaduzzaman Khan, and former IGP Chowdhury Abdullah Al Mamun on Thursday. He described how they were forced to withdraw their movement under pressure from the Detective Branch, only to later announce their intention to continue. Nahid also revealed that, due to government preparations to block communication and escalate violence, the date for the march was advanced to Aug 5. As part of preemptive measures, Yunus was proposed as the new leader on Aug 4.

Jalaluddin Ahmad, secretary general of Bangladesh Khelafat Majlis, has warned that a “national disaster is inevitable” if the July Charter is not implemented immediately. Speaking at a protest rally in Dhaka on Thursday, he urged that the Charter must be enforced through the president's constitutional declaration, forming the basis for the national elections. “The July Charter must be implemented without delay, or the national crisis will be unavoidable. As part of a five-point demand, Khelafat led a procession from the northern gate of the Baitul Mukarram National Mosque. Jalaluddin accused those delaying the implementation of the July Charter, also called the National Charter, of seeking political advantages.

The Advisory Council has passed amended ordinances of two laws related to the Election Commission (EC). The decisions came at a council meeting presided over by Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus at his office on Thursday. At a press briefing in the afternoon at the Foreign Service Academy in Dhaka, Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam presented the agenda of the meeting. He said, “The proposal to amend the Election Officer (Special Provisions) Act, 1991, has been passed in the Advisory Council. The amended ordinance of the Election Commission Secretariat Act, 2009, has also been approved.

A private security guard stands outside the US embassy in New Delhi Dec 18, 2013. REUTERS/Anindito Mukherjee/File PhotoA private security guard stands outside the US embassy in New Delhi Dec 18, 2013. REUTERS/Anindito Mukherjee/File PhotoThe US embassy in New Delhi has revoked and subsequently denied visas for some Indian business executives and corporate leaders based on their involvement in trafficking fentanyl precursors, the embassy said in a statement on Thursday. Fentanyl precursors refer to the basic or parent chemicals that form fentanyl, a leading cause of US overdose deaths. The statement from the embassy did not name the people affected, but a spokesperson said they were Indian nationals.

Bangladesh has recorded the highest single-day death toll from dengue this year, with six people succumbing to the disease in the past 24 hours. This brings the total number of deaths from the Aedes mosquito-borne virus to 167 this year. The deaths occurred at different hospitals, including DNCC Covid-19 Hospital, Dhaka Medical College Hospital, Mugda Medical College Hospital, Chattogram Medical College Hospital, and Sher-e-Bangla Medical College Hospital in Barishal. As of now, 2,042 dengue patients are receiving treatment across hospitals in Bangladesh. The year 2023 has seen the highest hospitalisation rate, with 321,179 people admitted, and a record 1,705 deaths attributed to the disease.

Four shrines vandalised, torched in Cumilla after ‘loudspeaker announcements’Four shrines in Homna Upazila of Cumilla have been vandalised and set on fire following “loudspeaker announcements” accusing a man of blasphemy. Police said they arrested Md Mohsin, 35, on charges of blasphemy before the violence erupted. On Thursday morning, an enraged “mob” gathered in the village and announcements were made through loudspeakers calling for attacks on shrines and houses. The crowd first targeted Mohsin’s house, then vandalised and set fire to the shrine of Kofil Uddin Shah. "Still, on Thursday morning, the mob vandalised and set fire to the shrines,” he added.