Allegations of extensive irregularities and corruption have been raised against Liton Kumar Ray, officer in charge of the government food warehouse in Roumari, Kurigram, during the current boro paddy procurement season. The claims include collusion with a syndicate, farmers being unable to deliver paddy despite being selected by lottery, demands for bribes, and alleged payments or bills being allocated to others. Paddy procurement in the upazila began on May 24 with a target of 966 metric tonnes.

Sources said the farmer list was supposed to contain 322 names but included 323. The report also alleged that digitalized procurement rules were not followed and that old, worn sacks were used despite a requirement for new sacks. Farmers alleged that names and mobile numbers on the list did not match in several cases, while one individual said his number had been used although he had not applied.

Ray said procurement at his warehouse had ended, but later said he had spoken with farmers whose paddy he would accept. He did not answer questions about mismatched names and phone numbers. Roumari Upazila Nirbahi Officer Mahbubul Hasan said he was aware of the matter and that it was being verified and investigated.

The Bhurungamari upazila administration in Kurigram has formed a five-member committee to investigate fertiliser looting after a warehouse door was broken in Shilkhuri ইউনিয়ন. The committee visited the scene on Monday afternoon, while authorities said 115 sacks of fertiliser had been recovered so far.

Assistant Commissioner (Land) Aminul Haque Tarek has been named committee chair, with Upazila Agriculture Officer Abdul Jabbar serving as member secretary. Other members are Election Officer Nazmul Huda, Project Implementation Officer Sabuj Kumar Gupta and Academic Supervisor Saifur Rahman. Tarek said the committee was speaking with witnesses, the dealer and farmers to determine the real cause.

UNO Amrit Dev Nath said officials expected to recover another 20 to 25 sacks by Monday. The fertiliser dealer has received a show-cause notice from the agriculture office, and the committee was instructed to submit its report by Monday. The situation was calm, he said. Dealer Taifur Rahman Mukul, proprietor of Messrs Shah Amanat Enterprise, filed a written complaint with police, which the Bhurungamari police station officer confirmed.

Bangladesh Army Chief General Waker-Uz-Zaman attended the 21st annual commanders’ conference of the Bangladesh Infantry Regiment (BIR) on Monday at Shaheed Nakib Hall of the Bangladesh Infantry Regimental Centre in Rajshahi Cantonment. He held discussions with commanders of the regiment and instructed BIR personnel to continue serving the country.

During the exchange, the army chief expressed hope that BIR units would function as the backbone of the infantry force. He also praised the Bangladesh Infantry Regiment’s training and administrative activities. The event focused on engagement between the army chief and the regiment’s commanders.

The army chief was received at the BIRC conference hall by the acting GOC of the Army Training and Doctrine Command, the BIRC commandant, and the GOC of the 11 Infantry Division and area commander of Bogura Area. Senior officials from army headquarters and relevant areas, BIR commanders, and army personnel from different organizations attended the conference.

Bangladesh’s government has approved the purchase of two cargoes of liquefied natural gas from suppliers in South Korea and the United Kingdom. The decision was taken on Monday at the 41st meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Government Purchase, which approved a proposal submitted by the Energy and Mineral Resources Division.

The proposal was presented under an international quotation collection process for procuring the two LNG cargoes. Under the approved plan, one cargo will be purchased from POSCO International Corporation for delivery during September 13-14 at $24.625 per MMBtu.

A second LNG cargo will be bought from TotalEnergies for delivery during September 23-24 at $24.25 per MMBtu. The LNG procurement proposal was among 13 proposals presented at the committee meeting.

Police arrested a mother and her son in Faridganj, Chandpur, after recovering 2,000 yaba tablets from a bag they were carrying. The operation was conducted at Faridganj bus stand on Monday by a police team led by Sub-Inspector Mohammad Humayun Kabir.

According to Officer-in-Charge Ershad Ullah, the two suspects were standing in front of Hotel Arafat and Restaurant at the bus stand. Police identified them as Abdul Mannan, also known as Ashiq, 41, and his mother Chhemon Khatun, 60. They were described as residents of Purba Pankhali in Teknaf upazila of Cox’s Bazar.

Police searched the suspects and found the yaba tablets inside their bag. A regular case has been filed against both detainees, and they have been sent to court, police said.

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has directed relevant authorities to examine the feasibility of restoring universal stipends for female students from class six through graduation. The instruction was issued at a Monday afternoon meeting arranged by the Prime Minister’s Education Assistance Trust in the Cabinet Division meeting room at the Bangladesh Secretariat, according to Deputy Press Secretary Shahadat Hossain.

The meeting stressed preparing a clear proposal assessing potential costs, beneficiary numbers, implementation methods, and expected social and educational effects of reinstating the programme. Officials also briefed the prime minister on the trust’s ongoing work, objectives and role in preventing student dropouts through financial support. Merit- and eligibility-based stipends for boys were also discussed as a way to encourage their education.

Participants reviewed the impact of the universal stipend programme for girls introduced during the tenure of late former prime minister Begum Khaleda Zia, including its reported positive effects on attendance, continued schooling and discouraging child marriage. The prime minister also ordered pilot projects in two separate districts to assess two alternative mid-day meal delivery methods, with attention to cost, management, local participation and food-quality control.

A rare marine fish locally known as bhola poa was caught in a fishing net in the deep Bay of Bengal near Kuakata in Patuakhali. The roughly three-kilogram fish was brought to Sifat Fish at Alipur fishing port on Monday morning and bought by local fish trader Rakibul Islam for Tk 11,125. It was caught by helmsman Shaikhul aboard the MS Sifat trawler.

The fish, also known as big-eyed poa, white poa and poa, was sold through an open auction at about Tk 150,000 per maund. Shaikhul said the unusually large fish drew crowds after it was brought ashore. Sifat Fish owner Mizanur Rahman said catches of such uncommon fish encourage both fishers and traders.

Experts said its external features suggest it belongs to the poa or croaker family, Sciaenidae, but scientific testing is needed to confirm the exact species. Fisheries official Apu Saha said such catches are a positive sign for marine biodiversity and could provide useful information for future research. Rakibul said he bought the fish against an order from a Dhaka businessman, whose partner plans to export it.

The National Citizen Party (NCP) has strongly condemned the denial of permission for the State Reform Movement to hold a pre-scheduled peaceful political rally at the Central Shaheed Minar. In a joint statement, the party described the incident as a blatant attack on independent political practice and constitutionally recognized freedoms of assembly.

The NCP convener and member secretary said that no political party’s democratic rights should be taken away in the new Bangladesh achieved through the July mass uprising. They alleged that the elected government was continuing an old practice of obstructing opposition and dissenting political programmes, similar to what they called the defeated authoritarian and fascist era.

The party urged the government to abandon what it termed an authoritarian and undemocratic stance and immediately ensure constitutional rights for all parties to hold peaceful, lawful meetings, rallies and programmes. It also demanded an end to the misuse of administrative and police powers against political opponents. NCP said it would resist any effort to curtail public freedom of expression and assembly, and could mobilize people nationwide if equal democratic and political opportunities are not ensured.

Saudi Ambassador to Dhaka Dr Abdullah Jafar H. bin Abiyah met President Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir at Bangabhaban on Monday, according to the president’s press secretary Md Sarwar Alam. The ambassador conveyed congratulations from Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Alamgir assuming the presidency. The president called for Saudi cooperation with Bangladesh amid the global energy crisis.

Alamgir urged expanded trade and investment between Bangladesh and Saudi Arabia in both public and private sectors. He also asked for Bangladeshi Hajj pilgrims’ travel to be made easier and for their hardships to be reduced, particularly through improved bathroom and toilet facilities in Mina. The Saudi ambassador assured him that appropriate steps would be taken.

The president thanked Saudi Arabia for hosting more than 3.5 million Bangladeshi workers and requested priority recruitment of manpower from Bangladesh in the future. He invited the Saudi king and crown prince to visit Bangladesh at a convenient time. The ambassador pledged continued energy, assistance and investment support. The meeting was Alamgir’s first with a foreign diplomat after taking office as president.

Chief Election Commissioner A M M Nasir Uddin said the Election Commission expects to conduct local government elections better than previous polls despite challenges. Speaking on Monday at the Electoral Training Institute in Agargaon, Dhaka, after an IFES leadership dialogue, he said the commission had no shortcomings in its preparations and would seek cooperation from all parties.

Nasir Uddin said the commission would not allow election standards to fall below those established in earlier elections and would improve them where possible. He said local election dates could not yet be announced, as the commission would decide them after discussions and consultation with the government. Necessary amendments to laws and rules are being prepared and have been sent to the ministry for vetting.

The CEC said election arrangements also depend on preparations by law enforcement agencies and other relevant bodies. He noted that local government polls have historically seen comparatively more violence than national elections, making security responsibilities especially important. Scheduling will consider Durga Puja, monsoon and flood risks, annual examinations, and the deployment of teachers and officials. He said the Thakurgaon-1 by-election would be held within the legally required 90 days.

Bangladesh implemented only 0.69 percent of its Annual Development Programme (ADP) in July, the first month of fiscal year 2026-27. Ministries and divisions spent Tk 2,121.18 crore during the month, according to a report published Monday by the Implementation Monitoring and Evaluation Division (IMED). The ADP spending target, including own financing by public agencies, is Tk 308,924.86 crore for the fiscal year.

The July implementation rate matched the rate recorded in the same month of the previous fiscal year, while it was 1.05 percent in July of fiscal year 2024-25. Ten ministries and divisions recorded no expenditure, including the Health Services Division, Health Education and Family Welfare Division, Bridges Division, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Religious Affairs. Another 43 ministries and divisions remained below 1 percent implementation.

The Public Service Commission posted the highest July implementation rate at 7.52 percent, followed by the Parliament Secretariat at 6.69 percent and the Cabinet Division at 5.57 percent. Planning Commission and IMED officials said agencies usually spend the start of the fiscal year on project preparation and work plans. IMED plans regular review meetings to address implementation obstacles quickly.

Iran will not accept an end to war dictated by pressure or conditions from any aggressive party, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said at a Monday news conference. He said Tehran did not initiate the war and has adopted a defensive position to protect its territorial sovereignty and security. Iran will not allow the terms for ending the conflict to be determined by an aggressor, he added.

Baghaei said there was no room for compromise with aggressors. Addressing US officials’ claims that the Strait of Hormuz remains open, he described the statements as part of psychological and media-based propaganda by the opposing side, saying conditions on the ground do not match those claims.

He also called Iran’s maritime blockade a direct act of aggression, warning that Iran’s hands were not tied and that the consequences would not be good. Baghaei said other countries have no right under international law to cooperate with the United States in such actions. He added that Iran and Pakistan are interested in expanding bilateral cooperation, describing relations as currently at a very good level following Pakistani army chief Asim Munir’s visit to Tehran.

Police in Rupsa, Khulna, said they uncovered a group allegedly slaughtering dead and severely sick cattle, freezing the meat and supplying it to hotels and meat sellers. Members of the group were detained during a special late-night operation on August 23, and harmful meat was recovered from the site.

According to the report, the operation took place at a location in front of Fresh Sea Food and Southern Sea Food in the Ilaipur area of Rupsa upazila. The group had allegedly operated there for a long time, collecting sick and dying cattle at low prices before slaughtering and storing the meat in freezers for sale.

The raid was conducted on the basis of confidential information by the Rupsa Bus Stand Camp in-charge, Newton Roy, along with police personnel. Roy said operations against activities posing a serious threat to public health would continue. Legal action against those detained is under process, while local residents expressed anger and demanded severe punishment for those involved.

A Faridpur women and children repression prevention tribunal on Monday sentenced Hanif Sheikh, described in the case as a fraudulent traditional healer, to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment for sexually assaulting a young woman under the pretext of treatment. Judge Shamima Parvin, also district and sessions judge, delivered the verdict. The court also fined him Tk 20,000 and ordered an additional six months in jail if the fine is not paid. Sheikh was absconding when the judgment was announced.

According to the case complaint and court sources, Sheikh had long been involved in improper treatment through spiritual rituals and in abusing women. On March 22, 2025, the survivor went to his home with her younger sister seeking treatment. The accused allegedly took her to a tin-roofed room on the promise of providing treatment and forcibly sexually assaulted her.

The sources said Sheikh threatened and intimidated the survivor after she protested, telling her not to disclose the incident. Public Prosecutor Advocate Golam Rabbani Bhuiyan Ratan said the prosecution proved the allegation beyond reasonable doubt after extensive testimony and hearings. He said the verdict sends a strong message against malpractice and deception and has delivered justice to the survivor's family.

Retired Israeli General Itzhak Brick has warned that Israeli society is nearing a deep crisis from which preventing decline is becoming increasingly difficult. In an article published by the Israeli newspaper Maariv, Brick said society is losing its ability to understand reality as political divisions and narrow partisan interests make people increasingly intolerant of one another.

According to Iranian media reports citing the article, Brick said Israel has become a conflict-ridden society in which different groups place their own interests above all else. He said this has led to incorrect decisions and actions being justified in the name of partisan interests. Brick said critics are attacked according to political identity rather than the substance of their views.

Brick said some left-wing figures labelled him a Netanyahu-supporting right-winger after he criticized recent army chiefs, while right-wing figures called him left-wing after he blamed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other political leaders for the current situation. He also said members of the Haredi community insulted him after he criticized their group. Brick warned that continued internal conflict could further weaken social stability and increase the risk of national decline.