Dozens of terrified shoppers were evacuated from a Thai mall early yesterday as armed police said they had “taken control” of the ground floor of the complex from a gunman who killed at least 20 people.

The Police Bureau of Investigation has pressed charges against a man over raping a housewife in the district’s Sharsha upazila about five months ago and recommended acquittal of Sub-Inspector Khairul Alam and two others of the charges.

A suspected robber was killed in a “gunfight” with police in the district’s Hakimpur upazila early yesterday.

The Kirtankhola river that flows through Barishal faces the grim prospect of becoming heavily polluted, locals and experts fear.

Bangabandhu returns to Dhaka today morning after completing his two-day official visit to Kolkata. Bangabandhu on his arrival is given a hearty welcome by his cabinet colleagues, heads of diplomatic missions, MCAs, Awami League party and student leaders and a welcoming crowd.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is likely to visit Bangladesh next month to attend the birth centenary celebration of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

Four people were killed and another was injured as a Dhaka-bound bus fell into a roadside ditch in the district’s Chakaria upazila last night.

Turkey has sent nearly 150 vehicles with commandos and ammunition to reinforce its observation posts in Idlib, Syria’s last rebel-held region, Turkish state news agency Anadolu reported yesterday.

Hong Kong Airlines said yesterday it has been forced to slash hundreds of jobs and ask remaining staff to take unpaid leave as the coronavirus outbreak compounds problems at the already-struggling firm.

Beijing’s ambassador to London on Thursday said Britain’s advice to its nationals to leave China because of the novel coronavirus outbreak was an “overreaction” and urged the policy to be reversed.

A Saudi cargo ship on a suspected mission to collect weapons for use in the war in Yemen arrived in the French port of Cherbourg on Thursday.

The Russian army yesterday accused Israel of using a civilian plane carrying 172 passengers as a shield against Syrian anti-aircraft fire while carrying out air strikes near Damascus.

The woman who started South Korea’s #MeToo movement yesterday slammed the nation’s highest court for quashing her abuser’s conviction last month, saying the ruling effectively silenced whistleblowers and victims of sexual violence.

An estimated 1.74 crore people of Delhi will be eligible to exercise their franchise when they elect a new 70-member assembly for the city-state today at the end of a high-octane and sharply-polarised campaign over protests against amended citizenship law.

French President Emmanuel Macron yesterday called for European nations to play a more direct role in halting a new nuclear arms race, saying they “cannot remain spectators” against a threat to the continent’s collective security.

A youth was stabbed to death during a scuffle between two groups in Tilagarh area of Sylhet city on Thursday night.

Police yesterday detained three more people who allegedly snatched Tk 66 lakh from officials of three companies in Barguna’s Amtali upazila.

Education Minister Dipu Moni yesterday said steps would be taken to prevent distribution of wrong question papers in the exam halls.

Bangabandhu and Indira Gandhi today conclude their talks with the complete understanding of cooperation in all spheres between the two countries, particularly in the economic recovery of Bangladesh.

From March 1 this year, ambulances carrying patients will not have to pay toll on roads, ferries, and bridges under the Roads and Highways Department.