Senior aides of Hasina, Khaleda arrested

Bangladesh's army-led joint forces on Monday detained senior politicians, including Awami League's general secretary Abdul Jalil, in the interim government's ongoing drive against corruption. Jalil was picked up from the premises of the Markentile Bank that he owns, staronline reported.
Also nabbed were Lutfozzaman Babar, who was minister of state for home in Begum Khaleda Zia's Bangladesh National Party (BNP) government (2001-06). Abul Hashem, a businessman and former lawmaker also in Zia's party, was also detained. No reasons were cited by the authorities for the arrests.
Jalil has been the spokesperson of the Awami League, led by former prime minister Sheikh Hasina.
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First special business flight with over 100 Indian traders lands in China
A special flight with 107 Indian traders landed in the eastern Chinese city of Hangzhou on Tuesday, carrying many who were stuck in India since 2020 despite business interests in China because of the restrictions imposed by Beijing on international travel to contain Covid-19. This particular group of Indian merchants boarded the special China Southern Airlines flight from New Delhi and landed in Hangzhou, the capital of Zhejiang province, on Tuesday.
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Mexican President proposes peace commission led by 3 leaders including PM Modi
Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador is planning to submit a written proposal to the UN to create a commission, made up of three world leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, to promote a world truce for a period of five years, MSN web portal reported. The Mexican President proposed that the top commission should include Pope Francis, the UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, and Indian PM Narendra Modi.
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In major policy shift, China says it will take Taiwan by force if necessary
China on Wednesday, in only its third white paper on Taiwan since 1993 and the first after President Xi Jinping came to power in 2012, said it will not “renounce” the use of military force to bring the self-governed island under its control as its armed forces concluded the largest ever exercises around the island but announced that it will conduct regular patrols in the region.
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New zoonotic virus found in China, 35 known cases of infection: Study
A new animal origin virus, which could infect humans, has been discovered in two provinces in China, scientists from China and Singapore have said in a new study. At least 35 such cases have been recorded in eastern China's Shandong province and central China's Henan province, said the study published in the New England Journal of Medicine on August 4.
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On the Taiwan question: China refuses rule out use of force in reunification bid
China on Wednesday, in its first white paper on Taiwan since President Xi Jinping came to power, said it will not “renounce” the use of military force to bring the self-governed island under its control, reiterating the threat to use force as its armed forces continued to hold the largest ever exercises around the island. Beijing hasn't announced when the current series of drills will end.