Exiled leader to return to Bangladesh for historic vote after uprising
The man tipped to be the next prime minister of Bangladesh has ended months of speculation by saying he will return from two decades overseas to fight landmark elections, BBC reported.
"The time has come, God willing, I will return soon," Tarique Rahman, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party's acting chairman, told BBC Bangla in his first face-to-face interview for nearly 20 years.
The BNP is the frontrunner in the vote due in February and Rahman, the son of its ailing leader, is expected to lead the country if it wins.
Many view it as one of the most consequential in Bangladesh's history after mass protests ousted three-time PM Sheikh Hasina in 2024. Her Awami League party is unlikely to be allowed to take part, according to BBC.
Gaza peace plan talks to continue as Trump says chance of a deal is 'really good'
Indirect talks aimed at reaching a final agreement on a US peace plan to end the war in Gaza are set to continue on Tuesday in the Egyptian city of Sharm El-Sheikh, BBC reported.
Palestinian and Egyptian officials have told the BBC that the sessions are focused on "creating the field conditions" for a possible exchange that would see the release of all Israeli hostages in return for a number of Palestinian prisoners.
Israel's prime minister said on Saturday that he hoped to announce the release of hostages "in the coming days".
As the officials met on Monday, US President Donald Trump told reporters at the White House: "We have a really good chance of making a deal, and it'll be a lasting deal," according to BBC.
French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu resigns after less than a month
France's Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu has resigned, less than a day after his cabinet was unveiled, BBC reported.
"The conditions were not fulfilled for me to carry on as prime minister," Lecornu said on Monday morning, and criticised the unwillingness by political parties to reach compromises.
The Elysée palace made the announcement after Lecornu met President Emmanuel Macron for an hour on Monday morning.
The shock move comes only 26 days after Lecornu was appointed prime minister following the collapse of the previous government of François Bayrou, according to BBC.
Snowstorm traps hundreds of hikers on Mount Everest during China’s national holiday
Rescuers were helping hundreds of hikers trapped by heavy snow at tourist campsites on a slope of Mount Everest in Tibet, Chinese state media said, Associated Press reported.
About 350 hikers had reached a meeting point in Tingri country and rescuers were in contact with another 200, state broadcaster CCTV said late Sunday. There was no immediate update on rescue efforts on Monday.
The hikers were trapped at an elevation of more than 4,900 meters (16,000 feet), according to an earlier report from Jimu News, a Chinese online site. Mount Everest is about 8,850 meters (29,000 feet) tall.
A hiker who rushed to descend before snow blocked the way told Jimu News that others still on the mountain told him the snow was 1 meter (3 feet) deep and had crushed tents, according to Associated Press.
