Essential Drugs Company Limited (EDCL) has reduced the prices of 33 essential medicines by 10–50% by dismantling market syndicates and downsizing unskilled staff, said Managing Director Samad Mridha. He revealed that the previous government had nearly 2,000 more employees than needed, most of them unskilled, with 722 already laid off and overtime halted. Cost-cutting measures have enabled significant price drops for drugs including omeprazole capsules, ketorolac injections, ondansetron injections, ceftriaxone, and ceftazidime. Montelukast tablets were reduced from Tk 10.67 to Tk 5. Prices of 22 of the 32 medicines supplied to rural clinics have also been cut.

Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus has left Kuala Lumpur for Dhaka following a three-day official visit. Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam said the Bangladesh Biman flight carrying Yunus and his delegation departed Kuala Lumpur International Airport at 7:30 PM local time. Yunus visited Malaysia at the invitation of Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, engaging in high-level meetings and a bilateral discussion with the Malaysian premier during his stay.

Distinguished academic and theorist Professor Jatin Sarkar passed away on Wednesday at 2:45 PM in the ICU of Mymensingh Medical College Hospital. He was 90. Sarkar had been under treatment for the past two and a half months after suffering a right femoral neck fracture in a fall on June 5. His son-in-law Rajib Sarkar confirmed the news of his passing. His younger brother, Professor Matindra Sarkar, said the body is being brought to his home in Netrokona, where people from all walks of life will pay their respects before the final rites. Professor Sarkar was a recipient of the Bangla Academy Literary Award.

The International Crimes Tribunal has scheduled August 21 to deliver its order on framing charges in the Ashulia case, in which six people were killed and their bodies burned during the 1971 Liberation War.

Earlier on Wednesday, police brought the accused to court in a prison van. On July 28, the tribunal appointed two state-funded lawyers for absconding defendants.

The prosecution formally submitted charges against 16 people on July 2, prompting the tribunal to issue arrest warrants for eight fugitives.

Attorney General M. Asaduzzaman has claimed that the High Court’s verdict on setting a minimum age for recognition as a freedom fighter was politically biased.

During Wednesday’s appellate hearing, the Attorney General argued that the case has stalled the verification process for freedom fighters. Previously, the minimum age was set at 12 years and 6 months, but a High Court ruling declared the related gazette and legal provision invalid after a petition challenged their legality.

The state later appealed, leading the Appellate Division to stay the High Court’s verdict.

Teachers from MPO-listed private educational institutions have given the interim government a one-month deadline to announce steps towards nationalizing their jobs.
Speaking at a rally at the National Press Club on Wednesday afternoon after meeting the education adviser, leaders of the Nationalization-Seeking Teachers’ Alliance warned that if “visible and logical” progress is not made, they will launch a full-day work stoppage across all educational institutions on September 15.

Testimony has begun in three separate corruption cases against Sheikh Rehana, Tulip Siddiq, Azmina Siddiq, and Radwan Mujib Siddiq over alleged irregularities in Purbachal land allocations.
Earlier on August 11, testimonies began in three similar cases against Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, her son Sajeeb Wazed Joy, and daughter Saima Wazed Putul.
According to Anti-Corruption Commission prosecutor Moinul Hossain, RAJUK plots are intended for Dhaka residents without existing property. However, the Hasina family allegedly submitted false affidavits claiming they had no land or houses in the capital, despite ACC findings to the contrary. The family is accused of misusing power to obtain a 60-katha plot, an offense punishable by up to life imprisonment.

Iranian police arrested nearly 21,000 “suspects” during a 12-day conflict with Israel and the United States in June, according to police spokesperson Saeed Montazerolmahdi. Public tip-offs rose by 41% during this period, leading to the arrests.
Although the spokesperson did not specify the alleged crimes, espionage charges were among Iran’s claims. Authorities detained 2,774 undocumented migrants, investigated 30 high-security cases through phone inspections, and arrested 261 people on suspicion of espionage along with 172 for unauthorized video recording. Seven men convicted of espionage have been executed. Many detainees have since been released.
During the war, Iranian police handled more than 5,700 cybercrime cases, including online fraud and unauthorized withdrawals.

Political adviser Asif Mahmud has announced he will resign from government duties before the election schedule is declared, citing his active involvement in politics since 2018. Speaking on Khaled Muhiuddin’s program Thikana on Tuesday, Mahmud stressed that election-time governments should not include politically active figures, to avoid any conflict of interest.
Mahmud dismissed speculation that he would contest from Muradnagar, stating that his political focus remains at the national level and that Dhaka is his preferred political base. He also denied confirming whether he would join the NCP, though acknowledged close ties with its former wing, Janak. Additionally, Mahmud labeled allegations against his father involving corruption and sheltering criminals as smear campaigns, vowing legal action.

Severe wildfires and an intense heatwave have claimed at least three lives in southern Europe, forcing thousands to evacuate. Temperatures have topped 40°C across Italy, France, Spain, Portugal, and the Balkans, with red heat alerts in place. Spain’s weather service warned of highs reaching 44°C in Seville and Cordoba. In Tres Cantos, near Madrid, a stable worker died after flames—fueled by 70 km/h winds—spread into residential areas. Over 1,000 troops have been deployed to fight the fires. Portugal is battling three major blazes, while Sardinia saw the death of a four-year-old Romanian child found unconscious in a car. France has heat warnings in three-quarters of the country, and Greece is fighting over 150 active wildfires.

Students of Rabindra University have blocked railway lines in Ullapara, Sirajganj, demanding the construction of a permanent campus. Joined by faculty and staff in solidarity, they began their protest at 9 a.m. Wednesday, halting rail services between Dhaka and northern Bangladesh. Protesters noted that despite nine years since the university’s founding, it still lacks a permanent campus, depriving students of quality education and facilities. They warned of tougher action if demands are not swiftly met.

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has vowed that India will never be allowed to take “a single drop” of Pakistan’s water. “If you try, you’ll be taught a lesson so harsh you’ll be made to stand holding your ears,” he warned. Former minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari earlier called the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty an “attack on the Indus civilization,” pledging provincial resistance if war was imposed. The Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) in The Hague ruled in June that India cannot unilaterally suspend the treaty, reaffirming on Monday that western rivers must flow freely for Pakistan’s use. India has rejected the PCA’s jurisdiction and verdict.

Bangladesh has sought Malaysia’s support to establish a Halal Industrial Park to tap into the fast-growing global halal products market. On Tuesday, the Chief Adviser met Malaysian halal industry officials led by Datin Paduka Hajah Hakimah, Halal Coordinator at the Prime Minister’s Office. They highlighted that the halal market, currently worth $3 trillion, is expected to reach $5 trillion by 2030. Malaysia already operates at least 14 halal industrial parks with significant market share. Bangladesh, where only the Islamic Foundation issues halal certification—so far to just 124 firms—could play a major role with improved infrastructure and certification capacity. BIDAR’s Chowdhury Ashiq Mahmud called for Malaysian help in outlining park requirements, noting growing export interest among local certified firms.

The latest US State Department human rights report, released Tuesday, states that Bangladesh’s human rights situation has remained stable since August last year. Citing the July uprising, Sheikh Hasina’s flight, and Muhammad Yunus’s assumption of office as Chief Adviser, the report lists past abuses under the previous government—including killings, enforced disappearances, torture, arbitrary arrests, restrictions on free speech and media, censorship, journalist detentions, and labor law violations. It noted that while the Hasina administration failed to prosecute offenders, the interim government has since detained those involved in rights violations.

On Wednesday morning, Malaysia’s Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia awarded an honorary doctorate to Bangladesh’s Chief Adviser, Professor Muhammad Yunus. Addressing students, Yunus said the youth-led uprising of July–August 2024 had given new meaning to the nation’s future hopes. The government, he stressed, is working toward holding a free, fair, and transparent election in February 2026 to transfer power to true representatives of the people. He reiterated that peace, stability, and reforms aimed at building a “New Bangladesh” remain the interim administration’s core objectives.