BNP standing committee member and Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Minister Dr Abdul Moin Khan said the government would deliver free, fair, orderly and peaceful local government elections to strengthen local institutions. Speaking as chief guest at a BNP anniversary discussion in Palash, Narsingdi, on Tuesday afternoon, he said legal বাধ্যবাধকতা surrounding Upazila Parishad elections would be removed under Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s leadership.

Moin Khan said the February 12 election had ended an era of misrule and voterless elections. He alleged that the Awami League government between 2008 and 2024 pushed the economy toward destruction and deprived people of voting rights through practices including votes cast in the names of deceased people and night voting. He said young people and students had resisted this, referring to sacrifices during the 2024 mass uprising.

The minister also said work was under way to address global problems involving the Strait of Hormuz. He pledged effective measures to revive struggling factories in Palash and boost the local economy. He said arrangements would be made for free and fair elections in local bodies from union parishads to district councils, city corporations and upazila parishads.

State Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Sheikh Faridul Islam has called for recognising party leaders and activists who have made long-term sacrifices and participated in movements and struggles when selecting candidates for local government elections. He made the remarks on Tuesday afternoon in Bagerhat as chief guest at a discussion and cultural programme marking the BNP’s 48th founding anniversary.

He said those who remained active during the party’s difficult times and stood beside its leaders and activists should receive proper recognition. According to him, candidate selection for upcoming local elections should give importance to qualified, sacrificing and popular leaders and activists.

The state minister also said evaluation should not be limited to organisational posts, but should consider close ties with the public and roles played on the streets during hard times. He urged party members to work in unity to gain public trust. The programme was chaired by Bagerhat district BNP convener ATM Akram Hossain Talim and moderated by member secretary Mozaffar Rahman Alam.

Bangladesh Khelafat Majlis Secretary General Maulana Jalaluddin Ahmad urged the government to promptly implement the referendum verdict, warning against what he described as growing public anger. He made the remarks on Tuesday at the party’s central office in Purana Paltan, Dhaka, during a meeting to prepare for a September 5 long march organised under the 11-party alliance initiative.

Ahmad said the government would have no opportunity to ignore the public turnout expected at the long march. He cited gas and fuel shortages, rising prices of essential goods and factory closures as government failures that had disrupted public life. He said disregarding the referendum verdict in such circumstances would be an imprudent decision.

He also said people understood the difference between amending and reforming the constitution, and cautioned against misleading them in the name of constitutional amendment. The meeting, chaired by joint secretary general and long march implementation committee chief Maulana Ataullah Amin, called on Dhaka’s party workers to intensify preparations, public outreach and campaigning to make the September 5 programme successful.

Bangladesh’s Education Ministry has decided to restore the previous recruitment and registration examination system for entry-level teachers at private educational institutions. The decision was made at a meeting held Tuesday at the ministry, according to relevant sources. Candidates will again need to obtain registration certificates through the established preliminary, written and MCQ examination process, while teacher recruitment through the Non-Government Teachers’ Registration and Certification Authority, or NTRCA, will remain in place.

The meeting was chaired by Abdul Khaleq, secretary of the Secondary and Higher Education Division. NTRCA Chairman Alif Rudaba, Joint Secretary Helaluzzaman Sarkar and other relevant officials attended. An official who participated in the meeting, speaking anonymously, said the earlier decision to alter the teacher recruitment or registration examination system had been cancelled.

Officials said a formal circular implementing the latest decision will be issued soon. The restoration means the NTRCA registration examination will retain its previous importance for those seeking teaching positions in private educational institutions. Authorities expect the circular to end recent uncertainty surrounding the teacher registration and recruitment process.

Mohammad Selim Uddin, amir of Dhaka Metropolitan North Jamaat and a Dhaka North City Corporation mayoral candidate, said the Clean Dhaka campaign cleaned 290 canals and drains and removed about 204 tonnes of waste. At a Tuesday press briefing in Baridhara, he also called on the government and Election Commission to quickly hold city corporation elections and hand responsibility to elected representatives.

Uddin said the programme ran simultaneously in all 54 wards of Dhaka North City Corporation from August 25 to 31. According to him, 25,828 volunteers took part in clearing canals, removing accumulated waste and reopening encroached footpaths. He said the initiative was intended to demonstrate that such work is possible and to bring together residents’ voices, rather than claim that all city problems could be solved in seven days.

The campaign installed 20 smart bins in different parts of Dhaka, with waste to be deposited in three stages. Uddin said pens made from the waste would be distributed to students on the upcoming Literacy Day. He also urged transparent ward-level budgets and spending, digital complaint systems, functioning streetlights, and action against alleged waste-management syndicates.

Finance and Planning Minister Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury said only the BNP can pull Bangladesh out of the “deep hole” he said was created by past governments. Speaking on Tuesday, September 1, at a pre-rally gathering in Chattogram marking the BNP’s 48th founding anniversary, he said the party, led by Tarique Rahman, could resolve the country’s problems.

Khasru accused what he called a fascist government and an interim government of damaging the country through looting and inaction. He said recovery would take time, urged party activists not to worry, and said the BNP would remain active both in government and, if needed, on the streets. He also said the party viewed economic difficulties as problems affecting the public rather than any specific group.

He said steps had already been taken and further measures would be introduced in the public interest. Calling for patience and cooperation with the government, he asked people to identify drug dealers, extortionists and illegal occupiers and hand them to police. State Minister Mir Mohammad Helal Uddin said a long march involving 1,000 vehicles was planned for September 5.

Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami said 650 people, including a former judge, former military and police officers, lawyers, businesspeople, Qawmi scholars and political activists, formally joined the party at an outreach rally in Dhaka on Tuesday afternoon. The event was organised by the party’s Dhaka South unit as part of its month-long public-contact programme at the Muktijuddho Smriti auditorium of the Institution of Diploma Engineers.

Opposition leader and Jamaat ameer Dr Shafiqur Rahman attended as chief guest and welcomed the new members with flowers and Islamic books. Dhaka South Jamaat ameer Md Nurul Islam Bulbul MP chaired the gathering. Named entrants included former judge Syed Shahidur Rahman, senior Supreme Court lawyer Dr ASM Khalequzzaman, former army officer Colonel Faruk Hossain, former police superintendent Obaidul Haque and former national footballer and former UN official Selim Ahmed.

The group also included business figures, BNP activists from several wards and local units, mosque secretary Niamat Ullah Kollol, Nurani Education Board secretary general Maulana Muhammad Jasim Uddin, and several Qawmi scholars. Several new members and Jamaat leaders addressed the rally, which was jointly moderated by Dhaka South secretary Dr Shafiqul Islam Masud MP and assistant secretary Delwar Hossain.

Dhaka University Central Students’ Union assistant general secretary Muha. Mohiuddin Khan said those who killed Shaheed Osman Hadi could not destroy his writings, thoughts or ideals. Khan made the remarks in the foreword to “Barudmakha Kothamala,” a compilation of statements by Shaheed Sharif Osman Bin Hadi, edited by DUCSU literary and cultural secretary Musaddiq Ali Ibn Mohammad.

Khan described Hadi as an unyielding hero who fought for Bangladesh’s reconstruction from before July until his death. He said Hadi examined the views of people from opposing political camps and different religious and ideological backgrounds, including BNP, Jamaat, Hindus, Buddhists, Muslims, Christians, and the political right and left.

According to Khan, Hadi’s assessments were not violent or aggressive; instead, he sought to answer arguments with reason and present his views logically. Khan said Hadi’s statements emphasized nation-building and how the country could regain a place of excellence. He called for continued study and transmission of Hadi’s thoughts and speeches across generations, saying this would keep his legacy alive for centuries.

Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Dr Shafiqur Rahman said scholars joining the party from Qawmi madrasas should remain connected to both the Qawmi sphere and Jamaat-e-Islami. He made the remarks on Tuesday as chief guest at a dawah gathering organised by Jamaat-e-Islami Dhaka Metropolitan South at the IDEB Muktijuddho Memorial Hall in Kakrail, Dhaka.

Rahman said Jamaat does not view the Qawmi community separately and does not regard its religious service as insignificant. He said he prays sincerely for Qawmi scholars and asked Allah to grant greater blessings to their service. He described speaking in parliament for the rights of Qawmi scholars as his responsibility, saying the position stems from conscience rather than an effort to please any individual or social group.

Addressing party leaders and activists, Rahman urged them not to compromise with what he called falsehood or bow before anyone. He said obstacles could arise and there could be a time to give one’s life, while expressing hope that Quranic law would be established in the country. Teachers from Qawmi madrasas, lawyers and people from other professions attended the event, where new joiners were welcomed with flowers.

Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) has welcomed cabinet approval of a new national pay structure for government employees, while calling for annual public disclosure of income, expenditure and assets as a condition for receiving higher pay. In a media statement issued Tuesday, the organisation said the disclosure requirement should also cover dependent family members.

TIB Executive Director Dr Iftekharuzzaman said implementing the pay scale in three phases was reasonable despite severe financial constraints. He said salaries and allowances need to match living costs if the government expects professional excellence and corruption-free services. However, he argued that only employees who annually update and publish their financial and asset declarations should receive the revised benefits.

TIB said honest public employees deserve the new scale, but applying it broadly without effective accountability could deepen corruption. It cited concerns that irregularities, corruption and bribery increased after the eighth pay scale was implemented in 2015. The organisation also warned that salary increases could contribute to higher prices and inflation, worsening hardship for low-income workers and the public.

More than 100 people, including activists from Qaumi, BNP and other political groups, formally joined Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami at an outreach gathering in Dhaka on Tuesday. The event, held at the Institution of Engineers auditorium in Kakrail, was part of the party’s month-long public contact programme. Participants included teachers from Qaumi madrasas, lawyers and people from different professions.

Jamaat leaders welcomed the new members with flowers, while several of those joining delivered brief remarks at the gathering. In his address as chief guest, the Jamaat-e-Islami amir said the party would not compromise with what he described as falsehood or bow to anyone. He said obstacles could arise and there could be a time to sacrifice lives, adding that Quranic law would be established in the country.

The amir also referred to the role of young people, saying that God’s religion had been established in different eras through youth and that workers should continue their efforts energetically. He expressed a commitment not to push society toward division on the basis of religion. Other speakers called for strengthening Jamaat-e-Islami and establishing Islamic values in the country and society.

A Dhaka special judge has postponed the hearing on framing charges against ousted former prime minister Sheikh Hasina and 33 others in the murder case of truck driver Hossain during the July mass uprising. Judge Rabiul Alam of Dhaka’s Fourth Special Judge Court set September 24 as the next date on Tuesday, September 1.

State lawyer M. Anichur Rahman said prison authorities could not produce former state minister Junaid Ahmed Palak because he had been taken to the International Crimes Tribunal. The court therefore deferred the charge-framing hearing. Hossain was shot dead in the Chand Udyan area of Mohammadpur on July 19, 2024, while returning home after leaving his truck at Gabtali.

Hossain’s mother, Reena Begum, filed the murder case at Mohammadpur police station on August 31, 2024. The investigating officer submitted charges against Hasina and 33 others on November 23, 2025. Twenty accused, including Hasina, are absconding and arrest warrants were issued against them on January 26. Four accused are in custody, while 10 are on bail.

US President Donald Trump wrote to Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman on August 31, 2026, praising what he described as the decision to purchase Boeing aircraft. The letter, issued from the White House in Washington and addressed to the Bangladesh government in Dhaka, said Trump had just received Rahman’s letter concerning the proposed purchase.

Trump said Boeing would not disappoint Bangladesh and thanked Rahman for his attention to the matter. He also said he would not forget the prime minister’s decision and expressed anticipation of meeting him soon. The letter was signed by Trump in his capacity as president of the United States.

In the message, Trump asked Rahman to convey his sincere greetings and affection to the people of Bangladesh. He said the country’s people had endured many storms, while expressing confidence that Bangladesh and its people would see a bright future under Rahman’s leadership. The source provides no further details on the aircraft purchase, including the number of planes, financial terms, or delivery timeline.

India’s Supreme Court has quashed all cases filed against students over protests by the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) between 20 and 25 July. On Tuesday, a bench led by Chief Justice Surya Kant declared the related FIRs invalid nationwide, covering all states and union territories. The order excludes cases involving people with prior records of serious criminal offences.

The court acted under its special powers under Article 142 after the central government assured it that cases linked to the 20 July CJP protest would be withdrawn and that no new cases would be filed over the matter. The court nevertheless allowed Delhi Police to pursue one specified FIR against 2,873 people who joined the Jantar Mantar protest and have records of serious criminal offences.

Following the ruling and the government’s assurance, CJP spokesperson and co-convener Saurabh Das withdrew the party’s planned 5 September Delhi march. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta said Delhi Police and the governments of Bihar, Assam, West Bengal and Maharashtra had sought dismissal of protest-related FIRs. The court also directed the central government to complete compensation procedures within three months for families of students who died by suicide after the NEET-UG 2026 examination was cancelled.

US President Donald Trump has expressed hope of meeting Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman in person soon, according to a letter sent to the prime minister on Monday, August 31. The information was disclosed by the prime minister’s additional press secretary, Atikur Rahman Rumon.

In the letter, Trump said he firmly believes Bangladesh and its people have a bright future under Rahman’s leadership, despite facing various adversities. He also conveyed his sincere greetings and affection to the people of Bangladesh.

Trump additionally thanked the prime minister for the decision to purchase Boeing aircraft from the United States. He said Boeing would not disappoint Bangladesh and noted that he would always remember the prime minister’s personal attention to the matter.