India has rejected allegations that it instigated recent unrest in Bangladesh’s Khagrachhari district. Speaking at a press conference in New Delhi on Friday, Indian foreign ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said the claims were ‘false and baseless’, according to bdnews24.com. The comments follow remarks made in Dhaka by Home Adviser Jahangir Alam Chowdhury, who suggested that India or “fascist elements” were behind the surge in violence, arson, and land grabs in the region. Randhir Jaiswal claimed that Bangladesh’s interim government is ‘unable’ to maintain law and order and has a ‘habit of shifting blame onto others’. He said that Bangladesh should focus on addressing ‘local extremist violence’ targeting minorities in the Chittagong Hill Tracts.

India has rejected allegations that it instigated recent unrest in Bangladesh’s Khagrachhari district, saying the country’s interim government is “unable” to maintain law and order and has a “habit of shifting blame onto others”. On the night of Sept 23, tension erupted after allegations that a Marma teenage girl had been gang‑raped in Khagrachhari Sadar Upazila. The unrest, however, continued, and on Sept 29, speaking in Dhaka, Advisor Jahangir alleged that the violence had “foreign backing”. These incidents are being carried out at the instigation of India or fascist forces. I don’t want to name the country, but one of my journalist brothers has already mentioned it.”

‘Pakistan must stop backing terror or risk erasure from map’, says Indian Army chiefIndia’s Army chief Gen Upendra Dwivedi has issued a sharp warning to Pakistan, accusing the country of fuelling terrorism and threatening its existence on the map unless it ends state-backed militancy. New Delhi said four suspects were linked to the Pahalgam attack, two of whom were Pakistani nationals. Amid the tensions, on May 7 Indian fighter jets struck targets inside Pakistan, which New Delhi described as “terrorist infrastructure”. In July, India announced that three militants involved in the Pahalgam attack had been killed and insisted it had “detailed proof” of their Pakistani identity. Following the latest clashes, India suspended a key water-sharing treaty, which Pakistan described as an “act of war”.

Child’s body recovered from Turag River after boat capsize, another still missingRescuers have recovered the body of a child after a boat capsized in the Turag River at Kaliakair in Gazipur, leaving another child still missing. The child was identified as Ankita Moni Das, 5, daughter of Madan Moni Das. Tanmay Madan Das, 8, son of Taposh Moni Das, remains missing. According to the Fire Service, the two children were on a boat trip with relatives on Thursday evening. A diving team resumed operations on Friday morning and recovered Ankita’s body trapped with the boat.

Bollywood stars Abhishek Bachchan and his wife Aishwarya Rai Bachchan have asked a New Delhi judge to remove and prohibit creation of AI videos infringing their intellectual property rights. One such popular YouTube channel sharing "AI-generated Bollywood love stories" has been removed. A message to the email address previously listed for YouTube channel @AIbollywoodishq bounced back on Friday. Some other videos similar to the examples cited in Abhishek's lawsuit papers on YouTube were still online as of Friday. Among them were a clip showing Abhishek posing but then suddenly kissing a film actress using AI manipulation, and an AI depiction of Aishwarya and Khan enjoying a meal together, while Abhishek Bachchan fumes.

India downed five F-16, JF-17 Pakistani jets in May conflict, says Indian air force chiefIndia downed five Pakistani fighter jets of the F-16 and JF-17 class during the intense fighting between the nuclear-armed neighbours in May, Indian Air Force Chief Amar Preet Singh said on Friday. Although Singh had previously said that five Pakistani fighter jets and another military aircraft were shot down during the conflict, this is the first time New Delhi has mentioned the class of jets in public. Pakistan has said it shot down six Indian fighter jets during the conflict, including the French-made Rafale. On Friday, Singh declined to respond to questions on Pakistan's claim of downing Indian jets. Both sides used fighter jets, missiles, artillery and drones during the four-day conflict, killing dozens of people, before agreeing to a ceasefire.

Two autorickshaw passengers have died after a dump truck crashed head-on into their three-wheeler in Gazipur’s Kaliganj Upazila. Three others were injured in the accident that occurred around 8:30am on Friday at Deopara on the Tongi-Dhorashal Bypass Road, according to Sub-Inspector Maksudul Kabir Nakib of Kaliganj Police Station. Police and locals say the passengers were travelling from Gazipur's Safipur to Narsingdi via Kaliganj in an autorickshaw. Three people were then rushed to the Kaliganj Upazila Health Complex in a critical condition. SI Maksudul Kabir said efforts are under way to uncover further details about the dead.

Source: CollectedUnidentified assailants have reportedly set fire to a passenger bus in Dhaka‍‍`s Mirpur. The Alif Paribahan bus had been travelling from Mirpur towards Agargaon. Citing the bus driver, his aide and sources linked to the bus owners, Mamun said there had been ongoing tensions over the recruitment of a "checker" -- a staff member responsible for ticketing. Meanwhile, the fire on the bus was extinguished within 15 minutes of the incident being reported, according to Rashed Bin Khalid, a Fire Service duty officer. “We were informed that a group of young men had set fire to a bus and quickly fled the scene,” he said.

'It seems impossible': Mother's hope for son's life dims after Indonesia school collapseMembers of the search and rescue operations carry a relative of the victim of a collapsed building, after a hall collapsed while students were praying at the Al-Khoziny Islamic boarding school on Monday, in Sidoarjo, East Java province, Indonesia, Oct 1, 2025. REUTERS/Dipta WahyuThe anxiety gripped Jayanti Mandasari as soon as she got off the phone with her son M. Muhfi Alfian on Monday. Authorities said the school collapsed because its foundations could not support ongoing construction work on the upper floors. There are 42,000 such schools across Indonesia, known locally as a pesantren, serving about 7 million students, data from Indonesia's religious affairs ministry shows. Jayanti said she is so traumatised she will not be sending her other children to the school.

The National Citizen Party (NCP) has issued a statement over the alleged harassment of journalists by the party’s activists as they were working at the Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka. In the statement, sent on Thursday by Joint Chief Coordinator Khan Muhammad Mursalin, the party said: "The NCP is looking into the matter. The statement added: "A 'Bangla Spring' is continuing across South Asian countries following the popular uprising of July 2024. "However, in the interim, there have been allegations of misconduct by NCP activists towards journalists. The NCP added: "Journalists are co-travellers in the NCP's progress.

Once a shimmering expanse of white stone and clear water, Sylhet’s Sada Pathor now bears scars of looting and hurried restoration. Mehedi Hasan, a visitor from Dhaka, stood on the stony riverbanks of Sada Pathor in Sylhet’s Companiganj, shaking his head. I think these should be removed.”For first-time visitor Md Tomal Sheikh from Mymensingh, however, Sada Pathor still carried a sense of wonder. Speaking to journalists at Sada Pathor, Rashid said: “The government has taken up a long-term and sustainable masterplan. Representatives from four ministries are on the committee to ensure that.”For now, Sada Pathor stands at a crossroads.

Yunus says death of Language Movement veteran Ahmed Rafiq is an ‘irreparable loss’Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus has expressed deep sorrow at the death of Language Movement icon Ahmed Rafiq, describing his passing as an “irreparable loss” for the nation’s culture and free thought. Ahmed Rafiq, aged 96, died on Thursday night at BIRDEM Hospital in Dhaka. In his condolence message, Yunus said: “He was not only a leading witness and voice of our Language Movement, but also an exceptional poet, essayist, researcher, and a guiding figure in Rabindra studies.”“Through writing and editing more than a hundred books, he enriched Bengali literature, culture, and the history of the Language Movement. “His contribution to Rabindra studies earned equal respect in both Bengals. He also conveyed sympathy to Rafiq’s bereaved family, admirers, and the literary and cultural community.

The deep depression over the Bay of Bengal has made landfall on India’s Odisha coast near Gopalpur before weakening into a land depression. The system has created steep pressure gradients over the northern Bay, generating squally winds across the northern Bay, Bangladesh’s coastal areas and seaports. Fishing boats and trawlers over the northern Bay have been asked to remain close to the coast and proceed with caution until further notice. By night it developed into a depression, then intensified into a deep depression on Thursday before making landfall and weakening. In its evening bulletin, the Met Office said the monsoon is active over Bangladesh and strong over the northern Bay.

A bridge built over the Mathabhanga River in Chuadanga Sadar Upazila has remained unused for three years, as no approach roads were constructed. Senior Assistant Engineer of Chuadanga LGED, AKM Rafiqul Islam, said a new contractor will be appointed to build the approach roads and open the bridge to traffic soon. Construction of the 90m long, 5.5m wide bridge on the Pirpur–Gonjerghat road began in January 2021 with a budget of Tk 66.7 million. The contractor, however, finished the bridge without building the approach roads. Once work resumes, we’ll be able to open the bridge after completing the remaining approach roads,” he added.

Editors and journalists to meet EC Monday, experts to follow TuesdayThe Election Commission is set to consult media editors, female leaders and election analysts as it prepares for the parliamentary polls. On Oct 6, a Monday, the EC will sit with television channels at 10:30am, followed by a session with newspaper and online journalists at 2:30pm. The next day, the commission will meet women leaders and election experts. Still, for a massive national exercise like this, the commission seeks advice from political parties, intellectuals, civil society, journalists, observers, women leaders, and freedom fighters, it read. Registered political parties are also expected to participate later this month.