Asia

Dhaka: Bangladesh will hold national polls on February 12, 2026, its electoral commission announced Thursday, the country's first since a student-led uprising toppled former prime minister Sheikh Hasina last year. A referendum on a landmark democratic reform charter will also be held on the same day, Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin said in a television broadcast to the nation.

Middle East

Tehran: Tehran's first rains of the autumn, rare so late in the year, have brought relief to inhabitants suffering from a nationwide drought that has caused water shortages and degraded air quality. On Wednesday, a downpour caused major traffic jams on most of Tehran's streets and a first rainfall earlier in December followed months without rain in the Iranian capital. Iran's already arid climate has been hit by its worst drought in over 60 years, with rainfall in Tehran at low levels not seen for a century, authorities said in October. The first autumn rains are usually expected in September. Amir Abkari, a bus driver on a route serving Tajrish Square in northern Tehran, said he was delighted by the rain. "We thank God for the rain we've had over the last few days. The air is cleaner, and even though the traffic is heavier, we can cope with it," the 58-year-old said after dropping off his passengers. Abkari explained that he and his neighbours had recently made efforts to reduce their water consumption in line with calls from authorities. With the rains came a dusting of snow on the mountains north of the capital, visible after a months-long absence. Armaghan Kamyabi, a 35-year-old jeweller, said he was "happy that it has rained. I hope the rainfall will continue and that we will soon see snow" in Tehran. Despite the rain, a water sector official told Iran's ISNA news agency on Tuesday "the expected rains still do not compensate for the water shortage in the country's dams" and that "reservoirs remain at a minimum level". To save water, the government announced in November that there would be periodic night-time cuts. Tehran, located on the southern slopes of the Alborz Mountains, experiences hot, dry summers, sometimes rainy autumns and winters that can be harsh and snowy. Iranian President Massoud Pezeshkian has warned several times that Tehran, a city of more than 10 million people, may have to be evacuated due to lack of rain, without specifying how such a large-scale operation would be carried out. On Thursday, Iran's Mehr news agency reported heavy rains had caused flooding, particularly in the provinces of Zanjan and Kurdistan in the west of the country. The country's meteorological organisation is forecasting rain and snow in western and north-western Iran from Saturday. Authorities said on Wednesday that they had carried out cloud seeding operations in certain regions of the country.

Europe

Geneva: Yodelling, the traditional singing of herders in the Swiss Alps, was recognised by the United Nations on Thursday as part of the world's cultural heritage. Yodelling was added to UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, at a meeting in New Delhi. "As the emblematic song of Switzerland, yodelling encompasses a wide variety of artistic expressions and is deeply rooted in the population," the Swiss culture ministry said. Yodelling is also sung in Austria and Germany, but while Switzerland joined forces with France to have the mechanical watchmaking tradition of the Jura mountains recognised by UNESCO in 2020, it pursued this nomination independently. In Switzerland, yodelling is passed on in families, clubs, music schools or simply between singers. More than 12,000 yodellers are members of one of the 711 groups of the country's Federal Yodelling Association. "As a characteristic vocal technique, yodelling alternates between chest and head voice and uses meaningless syllables that are often associated with local dialects," the culture ministry explained. Natural yodelling consists of melodies without lyrics, while the yodelling song combines verses and refrains and often touches on nature and everyday experiences, it added. "Whether soloist, in small groups or in choirs -- sometimes accompanied by instruments such as the accordion -- the yodel is characterised by its rich sound and its presence at concerts, festivals and competitions, which are often associated with the wearing of regional costumes."