A source close to Hezbollah said Israel had conducted 11 consecutive strikes on the group's south Beirut stronghold late Thursday, in one of the most violent raids since Israel intensified its bombardment campaign last week. AFP correspondents in the capital and beyond heard loud bangs that made car alarms go off and building shake. About an hour later, AFP journalists heard several explosions coming from the direction of the southern suburbs after the Israeli military ordered residents of the Hadath neighbourhood to evacuate. "Israel struck the southern suburbs 11 consecutive times," the source said on the condition of anonymity. AFP footage showed giant balls of flame rising from the targeted site with thick smoke billowing and flares shooting out. Lebanon's official National News Agency (NNA) said "more than 10 consecutive strikes have been recorded so far, in one of the strongest raids on the southern suburbs of Beirut since the start of the Israeli war on Lebanon". The strikes echoed to mountain regions outside Beirut, the NNA said. Earlier Thursday, Israeli army Arabic-language spokesperson Avichay Adraee had issued an "urgent warning" for residents of the south Beirut area of Burj al-Barajneh to evacuate along with maps of the area. He later issued an evacuation order for the Hadath neighbourhood of Beirut's south. "You are located near facilities and interests belonging to Hezbollah, and the IDF (Israeli army) will work against them in the near future," he had said in a statement on X. Earlier in the evening, a source close to Hezbollah said another Israeli strike had targeted a warehouse next to Beirut airport, in the capital's south. "An Israeli air strike targeted a warehouse adjacent to the airport," the source told AFP, requesting anonymity to discuss sensitive matters. It was unclear what the warehouse contained. Earlier in the afternoon, the NNA had reported several "enemy raids". A source close to the group had told AFP that the earlier strikes had "targeted a building housing Hezbollah's media relations office", which had already been evacuated. This week, Israel announced that its troops had started "ground raids" into parts of southern Lebanon, after days of heavy bombardment of Hezbollah strongholds around the country. After nearly a year of low-intensity cross-border fighting, Israel has expanded its military campaign from Gaza to Lebanon, where heavy bombing has killed more than 1,000 people and forced hundreds of thousands to flee. Israel last week killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in south Beirut, a densely populated area before residents fled Israel's intensifying bombardment.

Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) Karim A.A. Khan called on Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) at the UN Headquarters in New York on Thursday. During the meeting, Karim A.A. Khan apprised Prof Yunus of the latest developments on the investigations into the Rohingya deportation launched by the ICC in 2019. He said he would visit Bangladesh by the end of the year. He praised Prof Yunus's three-point proposals to bring a new momentum to resolve the Rohingya crisis. The Chief Adviser made the proposal at a meeting at the UN Headquarters on Wednesday when the ICC chief prosecutor also spoke.   The proposals included an urgent conference hosted by the UN chief to review the overall situation and suggest way outs, energised joint response plan for the Rohingya humanitarian crisis and serious international efforts to support justice and accountability to address the genocide committed in Rakhine state of Myanmar in 2017. "The three points are perfect," Karim Khan said. Prof Yunus also asked him about the procedure to file a case of crime against humanity at the ICC against the perpetrators of the massacre during the July-August uprising, which left at least 700 people dead and more than 20,000 injured. Karim Khan said Bangladesh can definitely file a complaint at the Hague-based court, but he said there are rules to be followed for filing a crime against humanity case at the ICC.

The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) has reassured its continuous support in transforming Bangladesh's rural economy. The pledge was made when IFAD's newly appointed Country Director for Bangladesh Dr Valantine Achancho presented his credentials to foreign affairs adviser Md Touhid Hossain at the Foreign Ministry here on Wednesday, said a IFAD press release today. During the meeting, Achancho said IFAD remains deeply committed to improving the lives and livelihoods of rural communities by boosting agricultural productivity, increasing rural incomes, and empowering smallholders and farmers, women, and youth. "Bangladesh has incredible potential when it comes to agriculture and transforming rural communities. I am excited to collaborate with the government, our partners, and local communities to strengthen agricultural systems and improve lives across the country," he said. By working together, the country director said, "We can create sustainable growth and give smallholder farmers the support they need to overcome challenges and thrive." Before coming to Bangladesh, Achancho served as IFAD Country Director and Representative for the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Republic of Congo from 2020 to 2024, and has previously held the same position for Niger, Burkina Faso, and Chad. In his new role of Country Director for Bangladesh, Achancho will be advocating for and enhancing national government programmes that strengthen climate resilience in vulnerable rural communities through infrastructure and climate-smart agriculture, while enhancing access to finance, technology, and markets for smallholders and marginalized groups to diversify the economy and create rural jobs.   "I am dedicated to collaborating with our partners to empower rural communities, enabling them to adapt to climate change, tackle economic challenges, and build sustainable livelihoods for long-term resilience," says Achancho. He also served as IFAD Country Programme Officer for Cameroon and Gabon, and Programme Officer for the Indian Ocean region, contributing to rural development projects in the Sahel and Congo basin, mobilizing co-financing, and strengthening partnerships with governments, donors, and civil society to improve rural livelihoods. Today, IFAD's programme in Bangladesh is one of its largest. Currently, IFAD has investment of USD 519 million in Bangladesh, distributed across six ongoing projects implemented by the Ministry of Agriculture, the Local Government Engineering Department, Palli Karma-Sahayak Foundation, and the Bangladesh Water Development Board.