Leaders of different religious communities yesterday called upon the countrymen to reject violence in the name of religion and work to establish peace by upholding harmony.

Around 200 Bangladeshi workers were deported on Friday night from Saudi Arabia, as the authorities in the Kingdom are continuing to send back migrant workers.

British police investigating the deaths of 39 people in a refrigerated truck charged the driver yesterday with manslaughter and people trafficking, as families in Vietnam expressed fear their loved ones were among the dead.

Muslims in the conflict-blistered Thai south yesterday marked with prayers the 15th anniversary of the deaths of scores of protesters who suffocated in army trucks -- an incident that galvanised an insurgency and remains an emblem of state impunity.

Incumbent president Mokgweetsi Masisi yesterday won a five-year term in Botswana’s elections which saw his ruling party secure more than 51 percent of parliamentary votes, the chief justice said.

Two senior US senators called for the government to study national security risks possibly posed by Chinese-owned video app TikTok, saying it could leave American users vulnerable to Beijing’s spying.

Washington said it was “concerned” late Thursday by reports that the father of a Pakistani activist who fled the country has himself been detained, the latest incident to fuel fears of a clampdown on dissent.

Health condition of BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia has deteriorated alarmingly and she needs better treatment abroad on an emergency basis, said her elder sister Selima Islam yesterday.

The European Union yesterday agreed to London’s request for a Brexit deadline extension but set no new departure date, giving Britain’s divided parliament time to decide on Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s call for a snap election.

Onion prices in kitchen markets have hit a record high for this year, despite government promises and measures to keep them down.

A Pakistani court yesterday bailed former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif indefinitely on medical grounds, court officials said, days after he was taken to hospital from prison where he is serving seven years for corruption.

Yesterday was the first Friday after the fierce clash in Bhola’s Borhanuddin over a hate conversation, and the day passed peacefully, amid the authorities’ restrictions on plying launch and bus, and holding outdoor programmes.

A seventh grader was raped by two men on her way home from school in Moulvibazar’s Kulaura upazila on Thursday.

Two senior US senators called for the government to study national security risks possibly posed by Chinese-owned video app TikTok, saying it could leave American users vulnerable to Beijing’s spying.

Washington said it was “concerned” late Thursday by reports that the father of a Pakistani activist who fled the country has himself been detained, the latest incident to fuel fears of a clampdown on dissent.

United Nations humanitarian chief Mark Lowcock yesterday said that Nigeria has promised to lift a ban on two international aid groups working in the restive northeast in the “next few days”.

The Awami League-led 14-party alliance yesterday sought explanation from its ally -- Workers Party of Bangladesh President Rashed Khan Menon -- for his recent statement on the 11th parliamentary election.

Appreciating Bangladesh for opening its borders to huge number of Rohingya refugees, the United States has urged the country to “postpone” its Rohingya relocation plan to Bhashan char.

A freedom fighter was buried without state honour in Dinajpur yesterday after his wife and children told officials that the 70-year-old had rejected the honour before his death.

A former top Australian intelligence official has been charged with mishandling classified documents, officials said yesterday, years after his home was raided during an investigation into Chinese influence operations.