A 6.4 magnitude earthquake hit Southern California yesterday at 10:33am (17:33GMT) near the Searles Valley in San Bernardino County, the United States Geological Survey said.

Wasa water in the capital’s four out of 10 zones are contaminated with arsenic and chlorine, according to a government report submitted to the attorney general’s office. The Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development collected Wasa water

Three minor girls were allegedly raped in Bagerhat and Patuakhali on Tuesday. In Bagerhat, Hira Aktar, 12, a student of Gazirghat Dakhil Madrasa in Morrelganj upazila, was allegedly killed after rape.

Noting that Bangladesh has friendly relations with all, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday said Bangladesh was marching forward and getting foreign investment as the country had no hostility to anyone.

Indian rescuers yesterday brought down on the bodies of four out of eight climbers killed in an avalanche almost six weeks ago on the country’s second-highest mountain.

The UN said yesterday that conflict had intensified in a region of South Sudan since a peace deal was signed, with hundreds of civilians raped or murdered by warring factions.

Two men were killed in “gunfights” with law enforcers in Dhaka and Cox’s Bazar early yesterday.

A new study has identified the United States -- the nation where the idea of mass production was born -- as the world’s top producer of waste while also being the worst among industrialised nations at managing it.

China yesterday warned Canada not to be “naive” and believe that US pressure could help resolve thorny issues plaguing relations between Ottawa and Beijing.

Fourteen Russian seamen have died in a fire on a deep-water research submersible, Russia’s defence ministry said yesterday, amid local media reports that the vessel was a secretive nuclear-powered mini-submarine.

At least 60 people including two teachers, two journalists and a policeman were injured in a factional clash of Bangladesh Chhatra League on Jahangirnagar Uni-versity campus yesterday.

Rahul Gandhi yesterday quit as head of India’s main opposition Congress party, taking the blame for a second-straight election humiliation by right-wing Hindu nationalist Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Six employees, including a textile engineer, of a spinning mill in Gazipur were killed in a factory fire on Tuesday.

A female doctor died of dengue fever at a city hospital yesterday. She is the third patient to have died of the disease in the country since January.

Biman is hoping to fly to China’s Guangzhou from this September and two new destinations in Europe and Saudi Arabia by this year end.

A research team, for the first time in Bangladesh, is studying native snake species aim-ing at mass-scale production of effective antivenom for local patients.

A peon of Sonagazi Islamia Senior Fazil Madrasa testified in court yesterday over the murder of student Nusrat Jahan Rafi and narrated the events of March 27, the day principal SM Siraj Ud Doula sexually harassed the girl, was sued for the crime, and got arrested.

Israel has faced protests over an off-duty police officer’s killing of a young man of Ethiopian origin and braced for more yesterday as the incident drew fresh accusations of racism.

Police recovered bullet-hit bodies of a woman and her daughter from their house in Raikhali union of Rangamati’s Kaptai upazila yesterday morning.

A Dhaka court yesterday sent suspended deputy inspector general of police Mizanur Rahman to jail after rejecting his bail prayer in a graft case.