Prime Minister Tarique Rahman handed appointment letters to 74 family members of people killed or disappeared during the anti-fascist movement against the Awami League government and the July mass uprising. The event was held on Saturday afternoon at Karobi Hall in the Prime Minister’s Office in Tejgaon. He said the country’s people had been freed from fascists because of the contribution of July martyrs.

Addressing relatives of victims of enforced disappearance, killings and those killed in the July uprising, Rahman said the families, rather than the government, were a source of strength, encouragement and inspiration. He said the government could not always implement everything as expected because of various realities, but would not retreat from its commitments.

The prime minister said the government was firmly committed to fulfilling the aspirations of those who gave their lives from the independence struggle through the July mass uprising to establish democracy. He also pledged support for affected families. Many recipients became emotional after receiving their appointment letters, and Rahman assured them that he would remain by their side.

Jamaat has blamed government inefficiency and mismanagement for severe suffering caused by a 50-kilometre traffic jam on the Dhaka-Chattogram highway. Its media wing said Saturday afternoon that the congestion began on Friday afternoon and was continuing, stretching from the Sonargaon section of the highway to Madhaiya in Chandina, Cumilla.

The party said bridge repair work in the Sonargaon area was the main cause of the disruption. It argued that beginning the repairs without arranging an alternative route for vehicles was an extremely irresponsible decision by the government. Jamaat said thousands of ordinary passengers, including women, children, elderly people and sick patients, were facing difficulties because of alleged negligence and short-sighted decisions by the government and relevant authorities.

It also said freight trucks, passenger buses and other vehicles had remained stuck for hours, resulting in the loss of large numbers of work hours. According to the party, the prolonged standstill could cause financial losses for businesspeople. Jamaat maintained that the public was paying the price for what it described as government incompetence and disorderly management.

Qaumi Chhatra Oikya Parishad has announced an Islamic cultural programme at the Brahmanbaria District Shilpakala Academy auditorium, where the NCP district committee had planned an organisational coordination meeting and political workshop on Saturday at 4pm. The new programme was announced for 3pm Saturday at the same venue amid a dispute over remarks attributed to NCP leader and member of parliament Hasnat Abdullah.

Abdul Khaleq, a member of the Qaumi students’ convening committee, said the group had demanded that Hasnat Abdullah apologise for what it described as false statements about Brahmanbaria. He said the programme was announced after no apology was made. On Friday night, madrasa students under the organisation’s banner protested and said they would resist the NCP event if Hasnat did not apologise.

NCP central organiser Abdullah Al Mahmud Jihan said the party had informed the deputy commissioner about holding a political event at the auditorium and was discussing the matter with authorities. Deputy Commissioner Md Abu Sayeed said NCP had notified officials of a private event, not a political rally. He said neither side could use the auditorium without district administration permission.

Hasnat Abdullah, a Cumilla-4 lawmaker and National Citizen Party leader, has expressed regret over misunderstandings with people of Brahmanbaria arising from his parliamentary remarks seeking accountability from the home minister for deteriorating law and order. In a Facebook post on Saturday, he said he had made a factual error by referring to Brahmanbaria instead of Sylhet while discussing a boat race.

He said the home minister's assertion that music and cinema were nearly prohibited in Brahmanbaria shifted responsibility for ministry failures onto local people and religious scholars. Hasnat said reports about a police concert being stopped differed from events on the ground, claiming madrasa students had asked for lower sound late at night because it disrupted exam preparation and that some students were injured in police baton charges.

Hasnat said the students had not sought to stop the concert and argued that cultural activities were not banned in Brahmanbaria. He said limited time during a supplementary parliamentary question prevented him from explaining the matter fully. Reaffirming his commitment to July's ideals, he called for equal rights and government protection so no group can impose its views on others.

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman handed over job appointment letters to 74 family members of people subjected to enforced disappearance and killings during the movement that led to the Awami League government’s fall, as well as those killed in the July uprising. The event took place on Saturday afternoon at the Karobi Hall of the Prime Minister’s Tejgaon office.

Family members of the victims attended the programme alongside officials from different responsible levels of government. Many recipients became emotional after receiving their appointment letters. The source did not specify the positions, institutions, or terms of the jobs offered.

During the event, the prime minister assured the affected families that he would remain beside them. Additional Press Secretary to the Prime Minister Atikur Rahman Rumon conducted the programme. The report did not provide further information about the recruitment process or subsequent arrangements for the recipients.

Former Pakistan cricket captain Javed Miandad became emotional while speaking about the imprisonment of his former teammate Imran Khan and called for his swift release. Miandad said Khan was not corrupt, speaking as Khan was being returned to Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail after a health examination in Islamabad. Khan, who served as Pakistan’s prime minister from 2018 to 2022, has been imprisoned since 2023 after being convicted in a corruption case.

In remarks to the YouTube channel Narrative, Miandad described Khan as an honest person and questioned what harm would result from releasing him. He said Khan’s condition in prison remained on his mind. Miandad and Khan were teammates in Pakistan’s 1992 World Cup-winning side, and Miandad played six World Cups between 1975 and 1996.

Khan’s party questioned why he was not examined at a private hospital under specialist doctors, as it said had been directed by the Supreme Court. His sons, Sulaiman and Kasim Khan, also expressed concern during the second England-Pakistan Test at Lord’s, saying their father’s physical condition was worsening day by day.

The Trump administration has issued a memorandum imposing stricter restrictions on university approval of internships for international students in the United States. The memorandum, issued on August 24, warns that institutions could lose certification to enroll foreign students if they fail to comply with rules governing Curricular Practical Training, or CPT.

The memo says monitoring under Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Student and Exchange Visitor Program found an alarming increase in CPT approvals. Under existing rules, CPT is permitted only when it is an essential component of a student’s academic curriculum. The Department of Homeland Security said the rules themselves have not changed, but misuse of them will no longer be tolerated.

Following the memorandum, several universities have temporarily paused some internship applications. Berkeley, however, continues to process applications for internships that are required for degree completion. Rights advocates have voiced concern over free expression, academic freedom and due process amid broader pressure by the Trump administration on universities over policies and programs.

Uncertainty is growing over whether follow-up elections will be held on time for five student unions elected at Bangladesh’s public universities after the 2024 revolution. The terms of four unions at Dhaka, Jahangirnagar, Chittagong and Rajshahi universities end in September and October, while Jagannath University’s union term ends next January. Student leaders say university administrations have shown limited progress toward announcing new election schedules.

The student unions were revived after demands from general students and student organisations, and candidates backed by ইসলামী ছাত্রশিবির won most positions in the five elections. Leaders of the unions say they have pursued student services and campus improvements, but allege that administrative obstacles and lack of cooperation have hampered implementation. Student Dal says it supports regular union elections and expects to win future contests.

At Dhaka University, union representatives demanded an election schedule by September 12, while the vice-chancellor said a preliminary cell had been formed and a schedule would be announced soon. Elections at Shahjalal University remain stalled in court, while polls at BUET, Bangladesh Agricultural University and Begum Rokeya University face separate obstacles including political restrictions, constitutional disputes and administrative delays.

A proposed Mecca Joint Defence Pact signed by Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan on August 7, 2026 has prompted debate over Bangladesh’s possible participation. The pact would treat an armed attack on one member as an attack on all members, though its military structure, decision-making, obligations and admission rules remain unclear. Bangladesh has not signed it. State Minister for Foreign Affairs Humayun Kabir said Dhaka views possible involvement in an economic or defence framework with the three countries positively, subject to national interests and changing global economic and trade realities.

The source says there is no confirmed public evidence that Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar specifically called Bangladesh’s entry into the pact dangerous. India’s official position was described as closely monitoring developments related to Bangladesh’s interest. India may view Pakistan’s membership as strategically sensitive, but the article argues that Bangladesh retains sovereign authority over its foreign and defence policy.

The article also urges Bangladesh not to make an emotional decision. It calls for publication of the full draft, parliamentary debate, expert assessment and review of economic effects. It says Dhaka should clarify whether membership could require involvement in external conflicts, troop deployments, or other automatic military commitments before reaching a final decision.

Iceland is holding a referendum on Saturday on whether to reopen talks on joining the European Union, as US President Donald Trump’s aggressive stance on Greenland heightens Arctic security concerns. The vote in the Nordic country of about 400,000 people concerns restarting negotiations rather than immediate EU membership. A Gallup survey found 51.5% of decided voters supported renewed talks, while 48.5% opposed them.

Iceland applied to join the EU in 2009 after the global financial crisis, but a later centre-right government suspended the process over concerns about sovereignty and control of fishing waters. Prime Minister Kristrún Frostadóttir says voters can support talks without committing to membership, arguing that negotiations would reveal what terms the EU could offer. She cites potential investment stability, eurozone access, agricultural support, infrastructure loans and research links.

Opponents, including Independence Party leader Guðrún Hafsteinsdóttir, warn that EU membership could weaken national control over resources and fishing grounds. Iceland has no military or defence ministry but belongs to NATO, the European Economic Area and Schengen. A yes vote would begin membership negotiations, which Iceland’s foreign minister estimates could take about 18 months, followed by another national referendum on final accession.

At least five people were injured and four motorcycles were vandalised after a clash erupted during a celebration procession by the newly formed Dumki উপজেলা Jubo Dal committee in Patuakhali. The incident occurred around 5:30pm on Friday when the procession, led by the new committee’s president and general secretary, reached the front of the উপজেলা main gate from the Pagla area.

More than a hundred deprived leaders and activists, led by former convener Jasim Uddin and joint convener Zakir Hawlader, allegedly attacked the procession from the opposite direction. The two sides then engaged in repeated clashes. Police arrived and tried to control the situation, though sporadic attacks continued. Syed Riyad, 31, Shakil Jomaddar, 27, and Abdul Wahab, 32, were admitted to the উপজেলা Health Complex with serious injuries.

Previously, the deprived group held broom processions and demonstrations demanding cancellation of the partial committee, which they described as a “pocket committee.” New president Zakir Alam Milon alleged district BNP influence behind the attack. Police said the situation is now under control, while organisational sources said a full committee would be announced soon.

National Citizen Party (NCP) northern region chief coordinator Sarzis Alam said the BNP is gradually going off track and moving toward failure. He made the remarks on Friday afternoon while answering journalists’ questions at the Chandpur Press Club, where he attended an NCP Chandpur district organisational coordination meeting.

Alam said criticism of the BNP should not be regarded as opposition, arguing that the party’s failure would harm both the BNP and Bangladesh. He said the BNP should play an effective role inside and outside parliament rather than remain limited to statements. He also said every ministry, including the Home Ministry, must properly perform its responsibilities.

Referring to recent incidents in the country, Alam described the killing of a teacher as alarming and condemnable and cited cases of rape and murder. He called on responsible authorities to act quickly, ensure justice and implement announced verdicts. He said the NCP had presented what it described as the BNP government’s failures and record over 180 days, and urged the BNP to learn from criticism and correct shortcomings.

Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami Secretary General Professor Mia Golam Parwar criticised the government at a media exchange after the party’s unit presidents’ conference in Cumilla on Friday. He said the government should take effective steps to implement the July Charter before the stipulated 180 days are completed in September, warning that otherwise Jamaat would decide to launch a movement with the public.

Parwar alleged that one minister comments on every ministry and belittles the parliamentary opposition while failing to address deteriorating law and order under his own ministry. He also accused the government of politicising appointments and development activities involving city corporations, municipalities and district councils, calling such administrator appointments unconstitutional.

The Jamaat leader said parties including Jamaat and BNP had signed the July Charter, which stated that an elected government would implement it within 180 days. He alleged the government was moving away from that commitment. Parwar also criticised what he described as unequal development allocations for opposition lawmakers’ constituencies and urged local government elections to allow the selection of public representatives.

AB Party Chairman Mojibur Rahman Manju said the government is worsening Bangladesh’s unemployment problem rather than creating jobs. Speaking as chief guest at a discussion organised by the party’s Chattogram metropolitan unit at S Rahman Hall of Chattogram Press Club on Friday, he cited electricity and fuel shortages as factors behind factory closures and job losses.

Manju said BNP had promised opportunities for one crore educated unemployed people within its first 18 months in power. He alleged that many factories had shut over the past six months because of energy shortages, leaving hundreds of workers unemployed. He also said inconsistent remarks by senior government leaders had increased public distrust over the referendum verdict and the July Charter.

He warned that prolonged electricity and energy shortages would increase unemployment and prices, widening the gap between people’s income and expenditure. At the event, central vice-chairman and Chattogram metropolitan convenor Advocate Golam Faruk said there was no room for compromise, delay or political tactics in implementing the July Charter, describing implementation of the referendum verdict as the government’s political and moral responsibility.

Bangladesh Sramik Kalyan Federation central president Advocate Atikur Rahman criticized recently set wage levels for informal and unskilled workers at a labour rally in Rajbari on Friday. Speaking as chief guest at Nannu Tower Convention Center, he said wage-setting based on an old formula without considering current living costs was discriminatory. He called for workers’ fair wages and rights, alongside labour laws framed in line with Islamic labour policy.

Rahman said workers had contributed to every stage of Bangladesh’s development, including agriculture, garments, remittances, transport and construction, but their living standards had not improved as expected. He said many workers were denied the eight-hour workday and urged state action against establishments requiring longer hours without overtime pay. He also criticized the ministry-set monthly wages of Tk6,050 for informal and unskilled workers and Tk7,500 for skilled workers.

He said tea workers currently receive Tk196.50 daily after annual increases of Tk8, while garment workers receive Tk12,500 despite a stated family monthly cost of Tk26,000 to Tk27,000. Rahman said the federation would remain united in seeking workers’ rights. District leaders and federation officials also addressed the gathering.