A ferry ghat in Nalchity, Jhalakathi district, has been submerged by water, causing severe disruption to vehicle movement. The ferry crossing, described as the only connection with Jhalakathi and Barishal, has been closed, leaving passengers facing serious hardship. No date was provided for the closure or the flooding of the ghat.

Local residents said vehicles frequently meet with accidents because the ghat remains underwater, and several people have been injured. They say the situation has turned the ferry point into a place of fear for travellers. Van driver Md Selim said the condition had persisted for a long time and alleged that accidents occur there every day.

Residents also alleged that no effective action has been taken over the ghat's condition despite longstanding concerns. Selim said locals had informed the administration but questioned why no steps had followed. Nalchity উপজেলা নির্বাহী কর্মকর্তা Pratik Kundu said he was unable to comment when contacted about the matter.

Bhatkundu Government Primary School in Dhamoirhat upazila of Naogaon is continuing lessons in a dilapidated and reportedly risky building because of a shortage of classrooms. Students are also being taught in a crowded open veranda, disrupting regular instruction and affecting concentration. The school serves 246 students from pre-primary through Grade 5 with one head teacher and three assistant teachers.

The old building has cracks in several places, fallen wall plaster, weakened roof sections and damp marks on walls and ceilings, according to an on-site account. Rainwater leaks through the roof during rainfall, while students and parents fear a section of the building could collapse. Student Siniha Akhtar said plaster fell on her head while she was studying inside a classroom.

The school was established in Jahanpur Union in 1994 for disadvantaged communities, and a small building was added in 2012 under a primary education development programme. Head teacher Mosa. Farha Diba said higher authorities had been informed but a permanent solution remains uncertain. Upazila Primary Education Officer Atikur Rahman said a written list seeking construction and renovation had been sent to higher authorities, with work to begin if funds are allocated.

FIFA has lifted the remaining three bans imposed on Bashundhara Kings, freeing one of Bangladesh’s most successful football clubs to take part in the upcoming season’s transfer activity. The six-time league champions had faced 14 FIFA bans in total, with 11 resolved earlier. Confirmation that the final three restrictions were removed came on Friday night through FIFA’s website.

The Bangladesh Football Federation has extended deadlines for clubs preparing for the new season. The club licensing deadline has been moved to September 1, while player registration and transfer activity can continue until September 3. With the FIFA restrictions removed, Bashundhara Kings will face no legal obstacle in either club licensing or player registration.

The five-time Federation Cup winners can now assemble their squad at full strength. Abahani Limited has also previously cleared its FIFA ban and signed four foreign players, while retaining several local players. Mohammedan Sporting Club is active in squad building, raising expectations of a competitive season. Fakirerpool Young Men’s Club still has one FIFA ban; if it resolves the issue by September 1, the 2026-27 league could feature 13 teams.

Farmers in Shahjadpur upazila of Sirajganj are showing renewed interest in jute cultivation after receiving favourable prices and better-than-expected yields this season. The Department of Agricultural Extension said jute was grown on 418 hectares across the municipality and 13 unions. Farmers had previously moved away from the crop because of repeated losses, but many are now busy retting, extracting, drying and selling jute and jute sticks.

The upazila cultivated local, mesta, kenaf, JRO-524, Sabuj Sona, Bari-1 and Robi-1 varieties. Production reached 10 to 12 maunds per bigha, while cultivation costs were reported at Tk15,000 to Tk18,000 per bigha. Farmers said raw jute is selling for about Tk3,800 to Tk4,500 per maund depending on quality, and dried jute sticks are also bringing additional income.

Agriculture Officer Abdullah Al Mamun said 100 farmers received free seeds this year and field কর্মকর্তারা provided cultivation advice. He said land previously left fallow after rice and mustard cultivation was used for jute following official encouragement. Mamun expressed hope that jute cultivation in Shahjadpur will expand in the future.

Bhola Municipality has issued notices to 13 owners of multistorey buildings on Sadar Road for constructing sections outside approved designs and renting out spaces designated for parking. The notices, issued on September 9, 2025, ordered owners to demolish non-compliant portions within the stipulated period and make parking areas accessible to the public. The buildings include commercial showrooms, banks, diagnostic centres, markets and a hotel.

Municipal authorities said the buildings did not follow plans approved through a 15-member committee. The lack of available parking has reportedly created difficulties for shoppers and contributed to persistent traffic congestion in front of the properties. One showroom owned by Bikram Roy, Kabita Rani and five others also faces an allegation of occupying government property belonging to Bangla School’s pond.

The 13 owners separately filed writ petitions at the High Court seeking time. The court allowed them to remain in their current condition for six months, with the latest term ending on September 30. Bhola municipal administrator Belal Hossain said authorities would demolish non-compliant sections and open parking spaces if there were no legal complications.

Jatiya Ganatantrik Party (JAGPA) Vice President and spokesperson Rashed Pradhan said Kazi Nazrul Islam’s poems and songs would inspire what he described as an “inevitable revolution” against the new government. He made the remarks on Saturday, August 29, after laying a wreath and offering prayers at the national poet’s grave on the 50th anniversary of Nazrul’s death.

Pradhan said Nazrul’s writing had historically inspired struggles and movements and remained a language of protest for deprived and oppressed people. He said JAGPA had expected a Bangladesh based on justice after the July mass uprising, but accused the government of betraying the public and rejecting a public referendum.

The JAGPA spokesperson alleged deterioration in law and order, rising commodity prices, shortages of fuel, electricity, gas and fertiliser, politicisation of the administration, corruption and extortion. He also called for justice in the killing of Osman Hadi and in the July killings, as well as the Pilkhana and Shapla incidents. Several JAGPA leaders attended the event.

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has issued appointment letters to 74 members of families affected by enforced disappearances and killings, as well as relatives of those killed or injured in the July mass uprising. At a Saturday afternoon event at Karabi Hall in the Prime Minister’s Office in Tejgaon, he personally handed appointment letters to 10 recipients, according to Additional Press Secretary Atikur Rahman Rumon.

Recipients included relatives of people described as victims of disappearance, including Ishfaq Ahmed, Moniruzzaman Hira, Anan Hossain Noor, Hasnain Reza and Shammi Sultana. Those appointed also included visually impaired injured fighter Alal Ahmed, martyr Alvi’s father Md Abul Hossain, martyr Ahnaf’s mother Jartaj Parvin, injured fighter Kazi Saimum Siraj and Mahbub Alam, brother of Israfil Islam.

Several recipients, including Ishfaq Ahmed, Shammi Sultana, Alal Ahmed, Momtaz Hossain, Jartaj Parvin and Kazi Saimum Siraj, expressed gratitude to the prime minister and demanded justice for those involved in disappearances and killings. Families addressed the gathering, which was conducted by Rumon and attended by senior officials and members of Amra BNP Poribar.

Nearly 10 months after five student representatives were elected to Rajshahi University’s Senate, they have not been sworn in and no Senate session has been held. The representatives were elected in the Rajshahi University Central Students’ Union, or RAKSU, and Senate student representative election on October 18, 2025, ending a 35-year gap in such student representation. Their inability to formally assume office has raised questions about student representation and the effectiveness of the university’s top policymaking forum.

The university’s last Senate session was held on May 19, 2016, according to university information and reports cited in the article. The five elected representatives are Salahuddin Ammar, Mostakur Rahman Jahid, Fahim Reza, Akil Bin Taleb and Salman Sabbir. Senate member Salman Sabbir alleged that successive administrations had avoided the issue despite repeated discussions, while Jahid said the administration had not given importance to arranging a Senate session.

Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr Faridul Islam said the university was considering activation of the Senate and hoped to arrange a session soon after resolving technical problems. He said the administration was pressing to ensure that the elected members could attend at least one Senate session during their term.

Bogura Silk Seed Research Station, a century-old facility at Bonani on the city’s entrance, has resumed full production this year after overcoming a labour shortage. The station, one of Bangladesh’s two silk seed research facilities, restarted partial operations in 2022 after a long closure. It still faces a major shortage of permanent staff despite regular work by an average of 20 farmers.

Established in 1905 on 101 bighas of land, the facility produces silk seeds, raw silk cocoons and mulberry saplings used to feed silkworms. Over the past three years, it produced 1,654 kilograms of raw silk cocoons, which were sent to silk factories in Joypurhat and Rajshahi. It also supplies an average of 3,000 kilograms of raw silk annually and distributed 160,000 mulberry saplings nationwide last year.

Of the station’s 30 approved posts, 25 are vacant, and its acting assistant director also oversees two other districts. Sources said production stagnated after the facility was previously leased to private operators. Industry stakeholders say government support, recruitment and modern technology could help restore its heritage while supporting rural employment and domestic demand for silk yarn, estimated at nearly 300 metric tons.

Native freshwater fish species are steadily disappearing from the haors, canals and wetlands of Mohanganj, Madan and Khaliajuri upazilas in Netrokona. Fishers and traders say juvenile fish killing has already eliminated several species, while others face extinction. Species cited as declining include chital, baghair, banehar, baush, shilong, ritha, rani, kajoli, gilachaki, bacha and shrimp.

These fish were caught in local rivers and wetlands eight to 10 years ago and sold through the Mohanganj fish market to buyers from Dhaka and other parts of the country. Over roughly the past decade, catches have progressively declined and many species are no longer found in the haors, increasing dependence on farmed fish. Scarce specimens that appear at markets are bought at high prices by enthusiasts.

Sources identified river siltation, shrinking water depth, sand deposits from monsoon flows, unplanned pesticide use, gas tablets, and China duari and current nets as major threats. Upazila Fisheries Officer Anik Rahman said such practices are prohibited and officials conducted several drives this year, seizing and destroying China duari and current nets valued at Tk 5 million.

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.

Essential goods in Bangladesh can become Tk40 to Tk50 more expensive per kilogram between international sourcing and retail sale, according to market information cited in the report. Products move from importers through large and small wholesalers and local trading before reaching shops, with added prices at each stage. For Indian lentils, the stated international-market price is Tk123 per kilogram, while the product sells for Tk155 in Chattogram’s Khatunganj wholesale market and Tk160 to Tk170 at retail.

Importers and traders cite shipping, port, customs, insurance, transport, storage, processing, fuel, labour, tolls and shop expenses as contributors to higher prices. One importer said moving goods from the port to wholesalers costs about Tk4 per kilogram. Wholesalers also cited processing imported raw pulses in domestic mills, while retailers pointed to transport, rent, wages and weight loss from moisture.

Consumer-rights representatives describe the gap between international and consumer prices as abnormal, saying products change hands two or three times in Khatunganj and profits are added repeatedly. The National Directorate of Consumer Rights Protection said it would conduct drives based on specific information. Market experts called for stronger supply-chain monitoring and market oversight.

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.

More than 500 vegetable and agricultural producers in Nilগঞ্জ Union of Kalapara, Patuakhali, are facing severe transport difficulties because there is no permanent bridge over the Pakhimara canal. For nearly 30 years, farmers from Kumirmara, Neyamatpur and Elempur have carried produce through mud, by boat and across a risky floating bridge to reach the wholesale market in Pakhimara.

Residents say the three villages produce vegetables and other farm goods worth about Tk20 crore to Tk25 crore annually and meet roughly 70 percent of Kalapara upazila's vegetable demand. Surplus produce is sent daily by bus, truck and pickup to wholesale markets in other parts of the country. During monsoon, earthen internal roads become muddy and unusable, forcing distant farmers to use boats.

Farmers currently depend on a wooden floating deck built on drums with their own funds to cross the roughly 300-foot-wide canal. Officials say a 490-metre girder bridge is planned under the Local Government Engineering Department. Upazila Engineer Moniruzzaman said implementation is expected as quickly as possible if ECNEC approval is obtained.