Countless events happen around us every day, but only a handful get talked about. Some matters become important given the time and situation, and not knowing them can leave one behind. So here is a short selection of important news from around the world for Jago News readers.

At least 80 of the world's leading brands have agreed to a new accord to protect millions of workers in Bangladesh's garment sector. A few have already signed it, and the rest are expected to sign within the next few weeks, the influential British daily The Guardian reported on Wednesday (1 September).

More than 80 companies, including Marks & Spencer, John Lewis, Asos, H&M, Zara owner Inditex and New Look, have agreed to the legally binding accord. Brands such as Primark, Next and JD Sports have yet to sign.

Severe air pollution is taking nearly seven years on average off Bangladeshis' lives. If toxic particles in the air were kept to tolerable levels, people in the country might live 6.7 years longer, according to an international study published on Wednesday (1 September).

According to the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics, Bangladeshis' life expectancy is now 72.6 years. The latest Air Quality Life Index (AQLI), published by the Chicago-based Energy Policy Institute, says that if World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines were met, average life expectancy in the country would rise by almost seven more years.

Heavy rain and flash floods caused by the remnants of Ida have killed at least nine people in the north-east of the United States, local media confirmed. Many people are trapped in their homes by floodwater, and one body was recovered from a car swept away by the water.

A state of emergency has been declared in New York and New Jersey. New York City mayor Bill de Blasio described the disaster as a "historic weather event". At least 8 centimetres, or 3 inches, of rain fell in just one hour in New York's Central Park.

Soon after the Taliban took control, women newsreaders were seen on the bulletins of Tolo News, one of the country's main news outlets. Now another woman has been seen presenting Tolo TV's morning show. Many may have thought that after the Taliban took power, women would no longer be seen reading news or presenting television programmes, but that belief is being proved wrong day by day.

An Al Jazeera report said Tolo TV has resumed broadcasting its morning show, with a woman presenter hosting it.

Kashmiri separatist leader Syed Ali has died. He died at his home in Srinagar on Wednesday night (1 September), Anandabazar Patrika reported.

He was 92 and had been ill for a long time. Former chief minister Mehbooba Mufti tweeted her condolences on his death.

Gunmen have kidnapped 73 students from a school in northern Nigeria, the country's police said, according to Al Jazeera.

Zamfara state police spokesman Mohammed Shehu said in a statement that the gunmen attacked a government school in Kaya village and abducted the students at gunpoint.

Germany's central bank faces great uncertainty over 50 million euros ($59 million) damaged by floodwater. The country was hit by devastating floods in July this year. According to Deutsche Welle, 180 people died in the floods in Germany and the damage runs to several billion euros. Now the central bank has spoken of the money ruined by floodwater, AP reported.

The Bundesbank said on Wednesday that banks have handed in money that was soaked, burnt or covered in mud by the floods. The damaged cash is being dried, processed and then destroyed at a centre in Mainz, and the amount of the damage is then assessed and returned to its owners.

Bangladesh is getting 270,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine from Bulgaria. The European country's caretaker government approved a draft agreement to this effect on Wednesday (1 September), local outlet Sofia Globe reported, citing a Bulgarian government statement.

The statement said a draft tripartite agreement between Bulgaria, AstraZeneca and Bangladesh had been approved, along with a draft bilateral agreement between Bulgaria and Bangladesh to serve as the basis for negotiations.

A student has been shot dead by an attacker at a school in the US state of North Carolina, and one suspect has been detained, CBS News reported.

On Wednesday the authorities confirmed the attack at Mount Tabor High School in Winston-Salem but gave no details, not even the suspect's name or identity. Police said the badly wounded student, William Chavis Raynard Miller, died after being taken to hospital.

Sri Lanka has witnessed a rare event after 80 years: an elephant has given birth to twins. On Tuesday a 25-year-old elephant named Surangi gave birth to twin calves at the Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage, the country's main elephant shelter. Many animals give birth to more than one young, but it is very rare in elephants. The newborn calves are both male.

Sri Lankan elephant expert Jayantha Jayewardene said this is the first time since 1941, 80 years ago, that an elephant in the country has given birth to twins.

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.