Finance Minister Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury said private-sector firms and NGOs are being included in long-term rehabilitation for people affected by flooding. Speaking on Sunday morning at the launch of a rehabilitation assistance project for flood-hit families at Chattogram Circuit House auditorium, he said allocated aid must reach genuinely affected people with full transparency.

The minister said the government provides immediate assistance, while NGOs and private-sector partners are being engaged for longer-term work including educational institution development, support for persons with disabilities and rehabilitation. He said the government alone faces difficulties in distributing all assistance properly, creating scope for corruption and waste. Involving private actors and NGOs can make delivery more efficient and reduce such risks, he added.

The BRAC project, financed by HSBC Bank, runs from July 26, 2026 to February 25, 2027 in Banshkhali, Satkania, Chattogram City Corporation’s Ward 38 and Chakaria. It will provide sanitation, housing, livelihood, agriculture, school rehabilitation and awareness support. Heavy rainfall in the first two weeks of July affected about 866,000 people across 10 districts, including Chattogram, Cox’s Bazar, Bandarban, Rangamati and Khagrachhari.

Jagannath University launched the “Pubali Bank PLC Presents Jagannath University AI & IT Fest 2026” on Sunday, August 30, at the Shaheed Sajid Building premises. Organised by the Jagannath University IT Society, the day-long festival brings together students from about 20 universities and 40 technology clubs. Daily Amar Desh is the event’s media partner.

The festival includes programmes on artificial intelligence, robotics, innovation, project showcases and olympiads. In the AI Ad-Venture—Prompt to Production Challenge, participants are using AI to turn an idea into a realistic production. The AI & IT Olympiad has junior and senior divisions, while BrainChild Season 2.0 displays apps, websites and AI-based projects developed by young innovators from across the country.

TechUncut, Industry Talk and Live Pitch sessions are intended to provide practical industry and career insights through CEOs, industry representatives, technologists, content creators and mentors. A TechCare Zone is also offering software installation, system setup and other technical assistance. Organisers say the event will help students display skills, build networks and connect university innovation initiatives with a national platform.

The family of slain journalist couple Sagar Sarowar and Meherun Runi says it will submit a complaint to the International Crimes Tribunal on Monday, seeking progress in the unresolved murder case. Their son, Mahir Sarowar Megh, and Runi’s brother, Nausher Alam Roman, announced the plan after meeting chief prosecutor Aminul Islam at his office on Sunday. The killings occurred at the couple’s rented home in West Rajabazar, Dhaka, on the night of February 11, 2012.

Aminul Islam said a lead suggesting the involvement of a cultural figure had emerged while investigators reviewed call detail records during an investigation into another case. He did not disclose the person’s identity. Megh said he wanted proper justice and did not want any innocent person to be implicated. Roman said the family wanted those genuinely involved to be identified.

Roman criticised the lack of visible progress by the court-ordered task force and called for the release of people detained by RAB if no evidence of involvement has been found over a long period. He also sought steps to prevent newly named individuals from leaving the country. The chief prosecutor said any formal complaint would be assessed, accepted if within the tribunal’s jurisdiction, or sent to the relevant authority if outside it.

Dr Md Shahjahan, acting director of Cumilla Medical College Hospital, faces allegations of opposing anti-discrimination students during the July-August 2024 uprising and describing BNP rallies as terrorist activities. The report says he actively joined a “peace march” at the hospital on August 3 last year, organised by the group Shantipriyo Chikitsok O Narsra under then director Dr Azizur Rahman Siddiqui.

Sources among physicians alleged that the march positioned participants against students while law-enforcement agencies were suppressing the movement. Local allegations also say Shahjahan was close to former Cumilla Sadar lawmaker and local leader Bahar, and used that influence to marginalise BNP-aligned doctors. The report alleges that after the political change, he presented himself as being from a BNP family.

The report further claims Shahjahan is lobbying for the permanent director’s post with a recommendation linked to Housing and Public Works Minister Zakaria Taher. Former Cumilla district DAB president Dr M M Hasan said opponents of the 2024 uprising were receiving benefits while sidelining genuine BNP supporters. Shahjahan did not respond to repeated requests for comment, the report said.

Jharakata Multipurpose High School in Jharakata, Char Pakerdaha Union of Madarganj upazila, Jamalpur, continues its 119-year educational legacy. Founded as a minor school in 1907, the institution was built with support from local residents and now serves about 350 students. It stands on nearly five acres and has become associated with the region’s educational, cultural and social history.

A local oral tradition says a wandering woman known as Casho Pagli donated one paisa during discussions on establishing the school and requested that it be built at that location. Residents consider it the school’s first donation. Local sources say several residents later donated land and cash, while Abul Hossain of Mymensingh was the first head teacher. The school first took part in matriculation examinations in 1959.

The school has two three-storey academic buildings, one single-storey building, a library and multimedia classrooms, with 13 teachers and six staff members. Forty-seven students sat for the 2026 SSC examination, compared with 50 in 2025. Head teacher Shah Anichur Rahman said the institution is prioritising educational quality and extracurricular activities.

BNP standing committee member and the prime minister’s political adviser Mirza Abbas is scheduled to return to Bangladesh on Wednesday, September 2, after nearly five months of treatment in Singapore and Malaysia. His flight is expected to land at Shahjalal International Airport at 9pm. BNP media cell member Shayrul Kabir Khan confirmed the plan on Sunday.

Khan said Abbas has recovered considerably and decided to return home on the advice of a medical board. Abbas lost consciousness suddenly while drinking water during iftar on March 11. As his condition did not improve, he was admitted to Evercare Hospital in the capital later that night.

After his physical condition worsened on March 15, Abbas was flown from Dhaka to Singapore by air ambulance. Following treatment there, he was taken to Malaysia for further medical care. Abbas was elected member of parliament from the Dhaka-8 constituency in the 13th national parliamentary election.

Victims of enforced disappearance and the International Committee for the Prevention of Enforced Disappearances questioned the government-approved bill on preventing and remedying disappearances during a march in Dhaka on Sunday, observed as the International Day for the Prevention of Enforced Disappearances. The procession, organised by the committee, headed toward the National Parliament and reached Manik Mia Avenue in front of the parliament at about 4:45pm.

The programme continued until 6pm, and participants submitted a memorandum to the Speaker. Many leaders of the Jamaat-e-Islami-led 11-party alliance joined the march. Former military officer and retired Brigadier General Hasinur Rahman raised objections to the proposed law and said he had conveyed the issue to the Speaker.

The home minister introduced the Prevention and Remedy of Disappearance Bill, 2026, in parliament on August 27. Debate and criticism had already emerged after the cabinet approved its draft. Critics have particularly objected to keeping responsibility for investigating disappearance-related allegations under law-enforcement agencies rather than assigning it to a separate independent institution.

The United Nations Development Programme said it wants to strengthen cooperation with Bangladesh to attract investment, ease business and trade procedures, reduce logistics costs and build the capacity of micro, small and medium enterprises. The issues were discussed on Sunday, 30 August, at a meeting in the Secretariat between Commerce Minister Khandaker Abdul Muktadir and UNDP Bangladesh Resident Representative Stefan Rodriques.

UNDP said Bangladesh’s investment potential is increasing and stressed the need to use that opportunity while strengthening local businesses and ensuring environmental and social standards. The minister said the government has taken measures to simplify business licensing and approval processes, reducing some procedures from about three months to within two weeks. He said further steps would be taken to make the processes simpler, faster and more effective.

The meeting also addressed reducing high logistics costs and improving efficiency in port and terminal management. UNDP expressed interest in helping link smaller firms to global supply chains, make them export-oriented, reduce unnecessary customs delays, and strengthen Bangladesh’s trade-negotiation capacity through training, tools and international experience sharing. Rodriques said UNDP support would be realigned with government priorities for jobs, growth and economic diversification.

The National Committee for Observance of the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances submitted a memorandum containing 14 demands to Speaker Hafizuddin Ahmed after a march in Dhaka on Sunday afternoon. The procession began at Banglamotor and moved toward the National Parliament, where participants gathered on Manik Mia Avenue. Leaders and activists of the 11-party alliance actively joined the programme, while opposition members of parliament expressed solidarity.

A delegation led by the committee’s joint convener, retired Brigadier General Hasinur Rahman Bir Protik, handed the memorandum to the speaker inside Parliament. Jamaat-e-Islami Secretary General Mia Golam Parwar, senior leaders of the 11-party alliance and opposition MPs were present. Hasinur Rahman said the speaker accepted the memorandum and assured the group that he would make his highest effort to implement the demands.

The demands include a strong victim-friendly law, an independent investigation mechanism, accountability for perpetrators and renewed verification of disappearances over the past 15 years. They also call for investigations into secret detention centres, protection and rehabilitation for returned victims, support for families, implementation of a High Court directive in the Miraj Sheikh case, and clear legal procedures for serious or systematic cases.

Tea workers in Southgul Tea Garden in Barlekha, Moulvibazar, held a work stoppage, human chain and protest rally on Sunday, demanding implementation of a 500-taka daily wage and four other measures. Workers, students and youths joined the programme under the banner of tea workers, students and youths of the garden. They stopped work from 9am to 10:30am before returning to their duties.

The protesters also demanded a free, fair and neutral election of the Bangladesh Tea Workers Union without intervention by the Labour Department, guaranteed land rights for workers, and withdrawal of a 5 percent increment. They brought out a procession from the Bhairabtali Bridge area, marched through roads inside the garden and concluded at the factory gate, where they formed a human chain and held a roadside meeting.

Garden Panchayat Committee president Raman Chandra Ghosh chaired the meeting. Other speakers included vice-president Parbati Phulmali, general secretary Nurul Islam, publicity secretary Jugal Phulmali, and workers Suman Ghosh and Nayan Mridha. Workers said the garden has lacked adequate medicine for more than two years and has no doctor, forcing ill workers to pay for treatment themselves. Leaders urged prompt implementation of the demands.

A union parishad member and local BNP leader, Md Abdul Khalek, has been accused of receiving a widow’s allowance intended for Rahima Begum in Debiganj, Panchagarh, for nearly six years. Rahima, a resident of Baneshwarpara in Tepiganj Union, said she last received the allowance in July 2020 and later learned that payments were being sent to an unfamiliar Nagad number.

Social services office records show that Rahima’s allowance was sent through MIS software to 01917-367492 from 2021 to 2026. The latest payment of Tk1,961 was sent in May 2026, while about Tk40,000 was reportedly withdrawn from the account over six years. An inquiry found that the Nagad account was opened using Khalek’s national identity card information.

Rahima alleged that Khalek’s brother gave her son Tk7,000 and pressured him not to pursue the matter. Khalek said he did not know how his number was linked to the benefit and claimed the SIM was lost four years ago, without filing a general diary. The upazila social services officer and UNO said action would follow an investigation if a written complaint is submitted.

Opposition members of the parliamentary standing committee on law, justice and parliamentary affairs boycotted a meeting over the proposed National Human Rights Commission Bill. At a press briefing at the National Parliament Building on Sunday afternoon, opposition spokesperson and Jamaat-e-Islami MP Barrister Mohammad Najibur Rahman Momen said the move protested what he described as a rushed effort to pass the bill without sufficient time for opinions.

Momen said the committee had been given only two days to submit views, which he said had turned it into a “rubber stamp.” He said opposition members had also walked out when the bill was presented on Thursday. They alleged the government had repealed the National Human Rights Commission Ordinance, 2025 unilaterally while disregarding views from affected people, stakeholders and domestic and international human rights groups.

The opposition members said the proposed bill was weaker and narrower than the law the government had promised to enact. They also said it was not aligned with GANHRI standards, the Paris Principles and relevant international conventions and declarations. Momen, Al Faruk Abdul Latif and Akhtar Hossain said they would not participate in discussions, review or any stage of the bill’s passage, and would no longer attend committee meetings.

International Crimes Tribunal Chief Prosecutor Md Aminul Islam said investigators have found a clue suggesting a connection between a person from the cultural sphere and the murders of journalist couple Sagar Sarowar and Meherun Runi. Speaking to reporters at his office on Sunday, he did not disclose the person’s name or identity.

Aminul Islam said the tribunal’s investigation agency is not conducting the Sagar-Runi murder investigation; another agency is handling the case. He said it is not unusual for investigators to find information or clues related to other incidents during an investigation, and such information has also emerged in this case. The person concerned is under surveillance and the information is being verified.

He said reliable information obtained after further investigation would be provided to the Police Bureau of Investigation, or PBI, which is investigating the case. Sagar and Runi were killed in their rented home in West Rajabazar in the capital on February 11, 2012, and the investigation has remained unfinished for a long time. Aminul Islam said the case is an individual murder case and must be tried in the relevant sessions court, not the International Crimes Tribunal.

President Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said those involved in enforced disappearances would face justice regardless of their power, describing disappearance as a crime against humanity and a grave human-rights violation. He made the remarks on Sunday at an International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances 2026 event at the Bangladesh-China Friendship Conference Centre in Agargaon, Dhaka.

The president said disappearances violate constitutional guarantees of life, personal liberty, legal protection and human dignity. He alleged that disappearances, secret detention sites known as Aynaghar, and killings occurred during the past one and a half decades under a “fascist” government. He remembered named victims and said many people who disappeared have not returned, while some survivors had been held for years in harsh conditions.

Citing the final report of the commission investigating disappearances, he said it identified 1,569 cases, including 287 people listed as missing and dead. He said the Prevention and Remedy of Enforced Disappearance Bill, 2026 has been placed in parliament, Bangladesh has signed the international convention against enforced disappearance, and trials are proceeding through the International Crimes Tribunal. He also called for state support, rehabilitation, healthcare, education and livelihoods for affected families.

Human rights organisation Odhikar held a rally and human chain in Mymensingh on Sunday to observe the International Day Against Enforced Disappearances and remember people subjected to disappearance. The programme was moderated by Odhikar Mymensingh coordinator and Mymensingh Press Club general secretary Abdul Qayum. Speakers included NCP Mymensingh district convenor Advocate ATM Mahbubul Alam, disappearance survivor Golam Mostafa, journalist Abdul Awal and Abdul Bari of the city Jamaat youth wing.

Golam Mostafa said he was taken away by people in plain clothes despite being a factory worker. He alleged that RAB kept him disappeared for 96 days and subjected him to inhuman torture to force a confession branding him a militant. He demanded that disappeared people be traced, their families’ safety and rights ensured, and those involved be tried through an impartial investigation.

Speakers alleged that enforced disappearance was used to suppress dissent and political opponents during the Awami League government’s more than 15-year rule. They said expectations of justice and remedy after its fall have not been fully realised under the BNP government. They also criticised the failure to pass the 2025 ordinance on preventing and remedying disappearances, and voiced concern over allegations of new cases after the July mass uprising.