Feni University students staged a protest on the Dhaka-Chattogram highway on Thursday, demanding a permanent campus and six other key demands. The demonstration at Mohipal area blocked both lanes for about 30 minutes. Their demands include appointing a new vice-chancellor and initiating campus bus transport services. Students noted that despite 13 years since the university’s establishment, a permanent campus has yet to be built, affecting their studies. The protest followed the resignation of Vice-Chancellor Dr. Jamaluddin Ahmed the previous night.

Pakistan’s former Prime Minister Imran Khan has been granted bail in eight cases linked to attacks on military installations in May 2023. The Supreme Court approved his appeal against the Lahore High Court’s rejection of his bail requests. The 72-year-old will be released unless accused in other cases but remains in prison for a corruption conviction. Several PTI leaders have faced similar convictions. The 2023 unrest followed Khan’s arrest, with protesters vandalizing military sites in Rawalpindi.

The Health Department reported that five people died from dengue in the past 24 hours, while 311 others were admitted to hospitals with dengue fever. Among the deceased were three women and two men. This brings the total dengue fatalities this year to 110, including 64 men and 46 women. Between 8 AM Wednesday and 8 AM Thursday, hospital admissions included 112 in Dhaka city hospitals, 42 in the Dhaka division, 37 in Chattogram, 82 in Barishal, 15 in Khulna, 21 in Rajshahi, and 2 in Mymensingh. Since January, 27,782 dengue patients have been hospitalized nationwide.

The Appellate Division will announce its verdict on September 4 regarding the state’s appeal against the acquittal of Tareq Rahman, Lutfuzzaman Babar, and other accused in the 2004 Dhaka grenade attack case. In 2018, the lower court sentenced several accused to death, life imprisonment, and varying jail terms. The High Court later acquitted all, but the state filed an appeal. The 2004 attack killed 24 people, including Ivy Rahman, and injured nearly 300, narrowly missing Sheikh Hasina.

Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam confirmed that holders of Bangladeshi diplomatic and official passports will be allowed to visit Pakistan without a visa. The approval was granted during an advisory council meeting, authorizing a reciprocal visa exemption agreement with Pakistan for five years. Pakistani diplomats and officials will similarly enjoy visa-free entry into Bangladesh. This agreement follows similar arrangements with 31 other countries. Shafiqul Alam also highlighted ongoing efforts to repatriate 40,000 crore BDT misappropriated during the previous government, involving Bangladesh Bank, international organizations, and domestic institutions, although the process will take several years. Additionally, the Chief Advisor will attend an international conference on Rohingya issues in Cox’s Bazar on August 25.

Law enforcement agencies have submitted 26 charge sheets in connection with cases filed during incidents that occurred amid the recent mass uprising. According to the Police Headquarters, eight of these cases are murder charges from Sherpur, Feni, Chandpur, Cumilla, Kurigram, and Chattogram Metropolitan Police. The remaining 18 relate to other criminal offenses in Bogura, Chapainawabganj, Sirajganj, Pabna, Jamalpur, Dhaka Metropolitan Police, Barishal Metropolitan Police, Rajshahi Metropolitan Police, and the Police Bureau of Investigation. A total of 1,153 individuals have been charged in the murder cases, while 682 stand accused in other cases. Authorities stated that investigations into remaining cases are ongoing, with a commitment to bring all perpetrators to justice under close supervision of senior officials.

Tulsi Gabbard, Director of National Intelligence, has announced plans to cut nearly half of the agency’s workforce and reduce its annual budget by $700 million as part of a major restructuring. The move aims to streamline operations, merge teams, and ensure impartial, timely intelligence. Hours earlier, she revealed that the Trump administration would revoke security clearances of 37 current and former officials accused of politicizing intelligence, though no formal evidence or charges were presented.

NCP convenor Md. Nahid Islam is set to embark on a three-day visit to Malaysia from August 22 to 24. The visit is organized by the NCP Diaspora Alliance–Malaysia Chapter. During his stay, Nahid Islam will engage with the Bangladeshi expatriate community, social and political organizations, journalists, human rights activists, and professionals through discussions and evening gatherings. He is also scheduled for a courtesy meeting with officials of the Bangladesh High Commission in Malaysia. As part of the visit, a grand public event is planned, expected to draw over 300 Bangladeshi expatriates. Nahid Islam is slated to return home on August 25.

Sub-Inspector Sheikh Afzalul Haque has applied to become a state witness in the Ashulia case involving the killing and burning of six victims. On Thursday, he submitted his petition to the International Crimes Tribunal-2, which also ordered the commencement of trial proceedings against eight accused in the case. The tribunal, led by Justice Nazrul Islam Chowdhury, directed that the hearings begin after the accused were produced before the court earlier in the day. Among the 16 accused, former lawmaker Saiful Islam and seven others remain absconding. The tribunal has appointed lawyers to represent them.

The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court will announce its verdict on September 4 regarding the state’s appeal against the acquittal of all accused in the August 21 grenade attack case, including BNP Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman and former state minister Lutfozzaman Babar. The fifth day of hearings on the appeal was held this morning under the leadership of the Chief Justice. In 2018, a lower court sentenced Babar, BNP leader Abdus Salam Pintu, and 17 others to death, while 19—including Tarique Rahman—were sentenced to life imprisonment. Eleven others received varying prison terms. However, on December 1 last year, the High Court acquitted all accused, prompting the state to file a leave-to-appeal petition on March 19 this year. The Appellate Division granted the appeal but did not stay the High Court verdict.

The European Union’s Ambassador to Bangladesh, Charles Whiteley (Michael Miller in local reports), held a meeting on Thursday with Dr. Ali Riaz, Vice Chairman of the National Consensus Commission. The discussion focused on the commission’s activities, objectives, and achievements. Riaz briefed the envoy on the dialogues held with political parties, efforts to build national consensus, and progress in implementing the National Charter announced in July. Ambassador Whiteley praised the commission’s work, expressing optimism that its ongoing efforts would be successfully completed.

BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi has strongly criticized a section of poets, writers, and actors, accusing them of expressing grief on August 15 without genuine emotion. Speaking at a public gathering, he alleged that many of these figures have aligned themselves with fascism out of material greed rather than standing by democratic values. Rizvi claimed that during the past government, the position of the country’s top police officer was awarded to someone merely for writing a book on the ruling party’s founder. Similarly, flats near the runway were allegedly given to cultural personalities as rewards for loyalty. Highlighting the July Revolution, Rizvi described it as an “epic event” and said every martyr, injured, and participant holds historical significance. “The July movement was the collective expression of all forms of rebellion,” he added. He further accused former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina of spending public funds for personal gain while in power, sparking widespread resentment. At the same event, Gono Odhikar Parishad leader Nurul Haque Nur stated, “We want to see a Bangladesh where the state and law enforcement never stand against the people.”

The International Crimes Tribunal-2 has ordered the commencement of trial proceedings against former MP Saiful and 15 others in connection with the Ashulia mass killing case, where six bodies were burned during the uprising. The tribunal also issued arrest warrants for eight fugitives linked to the case. Prosecutors allege that on August 5, 2024, five victims were killed and set ablaze, while another injured man was also burned alive. A day earlier, on August 4, another individual was shot dead outside Ashulia police station. The formal charges are supported by 313 pages of documents, 62 witnesses, 168 pages of evidence, and two pen drives.

Sukhranjan Bali, a controversial witness in the war crimes trial of Delwar Hossain Sayeedi, has lodged a formal complaint with the International Crimes Tribunal alleging abduction and torture. Bali claimed that in November 2012, as he attempted to testify in Sayeedi’s favor, plainclothes police abducted him and held him in secret detention for two months and 17 days, before forcing him across the border into India, where he was imprisoned for five years. His petition names 32 individuals, including Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, former Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha, and several senior figures in the judiciary and prosecution.

The Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, carried out an attack in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, injuring several Israeli soldiers. The assault reportedly involved anti-personnel shells. According to the Israeli military, around 18 armed fighters launched a raid on an army camp early Wednesday, leaving at least three soldiers wounded, one critically. Palestinian media, however, claimed that as many as seven soldiers were injured. Meanwhile, in Syria’s Golan Heights, seven Israeli soldiers were injured while attempting to defuse bombs.