Prime Minister’s Defense Adviser A K M Shamsul Islam has described the Rohingya crisis as a major national security challenge for Bangladesh. He made the remarks on Sunday at a seminar organized by the Center for Genocide Studies under the University of Dhaka’s International Relations Department. ISPR disclosed the information in a press release on Monday.

In his closing address, Islam said the crisis should not be viewed solely as a humanitarian matter. He identified it as a growing threat to human security, national security, diplomatic relations and regional stability. He said the unplanned responsibility had become an increasing burden for Bangladesh over the past nine years.

He cited deteriorating security conditions among about 1.18 million Rohingya living in 33 camps in Cox’s Bazar and Bhasan Char, saying six to 11 armed groups were active and drug trafficking, including yaba, continued. He also referred to more than 2,000 cases filed since 2017 and an alarming population growth rate. Islam said the government was pursuing the issue under a “Bangladesh First” policy combining humanitarian responsibility, national interest and continuous diplomatic engagement.

Prime Bank PLC organized a seminar at Central Women’s University (CWU) to raise student awareness of financial inclusion, financial literacy, responsible money management, career development and women’s financial empowerment. Held under the bank’s PrimeAcademia initiative, the event was titled “Financial Inclusion: Engaging and Inspiring Youth in Banking” and was arranged with support from the Central Women’s University Business Club.

Prime Bank Senior Executive Vice President and Head of Liability and Women Banking Shaila Abedin said women’s financial inclusion involves financial independence, confidence, decision-making ability and leadership development, not only access to banking services. She urged students to develop financial knowledge alongside academic and professional skills. Senior Vice President and Head of Financial Inclusion and School Banking M M Mahbub Hasan discussed balancing income and expenses, regular savings, informed decisions and long-term financial discipline.

Hasan also described the bank’s sign-language video-call service and Braille books and accessible banking materials for visually impaired customers. CWU Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr Parveen Hasan praised the initiative and stressed practical financial and career skills. The programme included student questions, group discussions and awards for participating high-achieving students.

Former interim government press secretary and Daily Wada editor Shafiqul Alam said leading editors met the opposition leader and Jamaat-e-Islami ameer at the opposition leader’s official residence on Minto Road in the capital on Monday. He described the gathering as an open, lively exchange without a fixed agenda or prearranged schedule. The Jamaat ameer made brief opening remarks before the editors offered views and advice.

According to Alam, participants openly discussed the opposition’s current activities and what it should do in the future. The meeting strongly criticized the previous Awami League government, which Alam said had become fascist and authoritarian and had closed political avenues for opposition parties. Participants also recalled what they described as negative roles played by opposition parties in the past.

Editors agreed that the national parliament should become the centre of all political activity in Bangladesh. They said parliament should be made effective and strengthened so it can genuinely represent the demands and aspirations of people from all sections of the country. The discussion also criticized frequent walkouts and hartals by the then opposition led by Sheikh Hasina between 1991 and 1996, saying they prevented parliament from functioning effectively.

Israeli authorities denied entry to two Swedish members of the European Parliament, Jonas Sjöstedt and Hanna Gedin, who were travelling to visit the occupied West Bank. Israel’s Foreign Ministry said the two Left Party members were sent back from Ben Gurion Airport on Sunday.

Israel said the legislators had consistently acted against Israel, including by calling for international legal action against Israelis. The ministry also accused them of spreading what it called false allegations against Israel, including allegations of genocide, deliberate starvation and intentionally targeting children and medical workers.

The lawmakers said they had planned to meet human rights and humanitarian organisations, including Save the Children, and visit refugee camps. Sjöstedt said in a Facebook post that they were not going to meet the Palestinian Authority, and that EU and Swedish embassies in Israel had protested the decision. Palestinian National Council president Rawhi Fattouh condemned the move, calling it an attempt to impose silence through force and criminalise criticism of the occupation.

Bangladesh’s High Court is scheduled to deliver its verdict on Tuesday, August 25, on the death reference and appeal involving Hitu Sheikh in the rape and murder case of an eight-year-old child from Magura. A bench comprising Justice Bhishmadev Chakrabortty and Justice K M Rasheduzzaman Raja fixed the date after concluding the hearing on Monday, August 24.

The hearing began on August 11 and was conducted on a priority basis. State-appointed lawyer Hafizur Rahman Khan argued for death-row convict Hitu Sheikh, while Deputy Attorney General Imam Hossain Tarek represented the state. Assistant Attorneys General Rohani Siddika and Mahbuba Tasnim Ankhi were also involved in the state’s hearing.

The Magura Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal sentenced Hitu Sheikh to death on May 17, 2025, while acquitting three other accused. The child was assaulted in early March 2025 in Nijnanduali village and died during treatment on March 13. The case is being heard by a special High Court bench formed for priority hearings of death references and appeals under the women and children repression law.

Witness Sakib Ahmed Tulon told Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal-1 on Monday that former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, former food minister Kamrul Islam and Workers Party president Rashed Khan Menon were responsible for the deaths of 23 people in the Rampura and Badda areas during the July uprising. He made the claim while testifying in a case against Kamrul and Menon over the killings in Rampura. It was the second day of his testimony, following his first appearance on June 23.

Tulon said he was stopped by police, the army and Border Guard Bangladesh at Rampura Bridge on August 3, 2024, while trying to join a Shahid Minar programme. On August 4, he said protesters gathered near BRAC University and headed toward Shahbagh, where he saw police and activists of Awami League, Jubo League and Chhatra League throwing cocktails and bricks. He said an unidentified boy beside him was shot in the right shoulder.

He said police fired indiscriminately near Badda police station on August 5 and that he heard one local person was shot in the head. Tulon said he later learned through media reports about a meeting on the July 19 curfew and sought exemplary punishment for those he said ordered or advised the violence.

Dhaka University Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr. A B M Obaidul Islam said the Rohingya crisis has placed broad economic, social and environmental pressure on Bangladesh. Speaking on Monday at a seminar in the university’s Faculty of Social Sciences, he said voluntary, safe and dignified repatriation of Rohingyas to Myanmar is the only sustainable solution. The seminar, jointly organised by the Department of International Relations and the Centre for Genocide Studies, focused on challenges to repatriation, international politics and national priorities.

Obaidul Islam described the crisis as a major humanitarian and geopolitical challenge, saying Bangladesh has faced multidimensional pressure after sheltering a large number of Rohingyas for a long period. He called for a more active international role and said humanitarian assistance alone cannot provide a long-term solution without meaningful diplomatic and political intervention to address the causes of displacement in Myanmar.

Retired Brigadier General Dr. A K M Shamsul Islam said the issue affects humanitarian and national security, diplomacy and regional stability. He said Bangladesh cannot bear permanent responsibility and urged sustained international pressure, backed by coordinated diplomacy and a credible, durable security strategy. Speakers also called for using multilateral forums including the United Nations and ASEAN, while panel discussions examined humanitarianism, national security and restoring repatriation to international discourse.

University Grants Commission member Professor Dr Abdullah-Al-Mamun said the government is prioritising ICT, AI and self-development skills for madrasa students as part of efforts to make madrasa education modern and employment-oriented. He made the remarks on Monday morning as chief guest at a workshop on improving higher-education quality and employment in madrasas, organised by the Kamil Education, Training and Research Centre of Islamic Arabic University.

Mamun said the government is working to reduce the gap in skills and opportunities between madrasa students and students from other education streams. The initiatives seek to improve students’ capabilities and create employment opportunities, enabling them to contribute to nation-building and economic development. He said the government is giving maximum importance to human-resource development alongside infrastructure development.

He said an action plan based on the workshop discussions would be finalised within the current month and presented to the Education Ministry and the prime minister. He added that a bottom-up approach is being used to update curricula, with teachers and students involved in curriculum formulation. Before the workshop, Mamun inspected progress on construction of Islamic Arabic University’s permanent campus.

A Syrian court has sentenced Ahmed Badr al-Din Hassoun, a senior religious official close to ousted former president Bashar al-Assad, to life imprisonment for crimes committed during the country’s nearly 14-year civil war. Hassoun served as Syria’s grand mufti from 2005 to 2021. He was arrested at Damascus airport in March last year, and judicial proceedings against him began in June this year.

Judge Fakhr al-Din al-Arian said Hassoun and the state religious institution under his authority were used to provide religious legitimacy for Assad government military operations. The court found allegations proven that he incited the military to displace civilians from eastern Aleppo, ordered the destruction of homes of Idlib residents, and was linked to deadly barrel-bomb attacks on civilians.

The court imposed 20 years in prison for incitement to murder and an additional 10 years for prolonging violence, alongside compensation orders. Hassoun is barred from general or special pardons because of the gravity of the crimes. His movable and immovable assets were ordered confiscated for the state treasury.

Rangpur-2 lawmaker and Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami Nayeb-e-Ameer ATM Azharul Islam urged police in Badarganj to listen carefully to people seeking help and provide necessary legal assistance. During a visit to Badarganj police station on Monday, he said officers must ensure that innocent people are not targeted by harassment cases, particularly for political reasons.

Azharul also called for strict and effective action against drugs and drug traders to maintain normal law and order in the upazila and keep young people away from narcotics. Officer-in-Charge Hasan Zahid Sarkar showed him the station’s infrastructure and offices, while police personnel presented their problems, which he heard.

Earlier, Azharul visited the Badarganj zonal office of Rangpur Palli Bidyut Samity-2 and discussed power supply, load-shedding and public complaints about services. He asked staff to ensure improved customer service, while officials described their limitations. He later attended a programme at Gopinathpur Haidaria High School, advising students on study, sports, conduct and moral values, and handed footballs to head teachers of 10 educational institutions in Gopinathpur union.

Nahid Islam said Bangladesh should reassess its relationship with India and establish new ties only after receiving assurances on several issues. Speaking at an emergency press conference at the NCP’s temporary central office in Banglamotor, Dhaka, on Monday afternoon, he said a new relationship would require India not to allow Awami League activities, not to provide Sheikh Hasina shelter, and to respect Bangladesh’s judiciary and democracy.

He also called for the return of Osman Hadi’s killers and alleged that Sheikh Hasina’s press conference in Delhi could not have taken place without support from the Indian government. Nahid said the expiring Ganges treaty, Bangladesh’s fair share of water, an end to push-ins at the border, and a permanent halt to border killings should form the basis for renewed relations.

Nahid questioned what message would be conveyed if Tarique Rahman again visited Delhi while Sheikh Hasina was there, calling it an insulting development for Bangladesh. At the conference, he also read a written NCP statement criticizing the government’s 180 days, citing alleged economic mismanagement, energy shortages, rising prices, pressure on opposition parties and journalists, and politicisation of state institutions.

Opposition leader and Jamaat-e-Islami ameer Dr Shafiqur Rahman asked newspaper editors to support the opposition’s responsible role in the transition to democracy at a meeting on Monday in Dhaka. The exchange was held at his official residence on Minto Road, where he said Jamaat wants to help keep parliament effective as a constructive and responsible opposition.

Rahman said his party is cooperating with the government in line with its commitment, but asked, “How far, how long?” He described participation in the presidential election as a protest. Jamaat Secretary General Mia Golam Porwar said the party would support the government’s good work while constructively and constitutionally protesting actions deemed against public interest.

Participants discussed the political situation, geopolitics, relations with neighbouring countries, energy shortages, prices, expatriates’ rights and alleged disparities facing opposition lawmakers in allocations, bill distribution and speaking opportunities. Porwar said the 11-party alliance and Jamaat would not compromise on implementing the referendum verdict. He announced a long march convoy from Shapla Chattar toward Chattogram at 7am on the fifth day of the coming month.

Bangladesh’s State Minister for Forest, Environment and Climate Sheikh Faridul Islam called for stronger regional cooperation among South Asian countries to confront climate-change risks and protect the environment. He made the appeal on Monday at the South Asia Regional Climate Cooperation meeting at the CIRDAP auditorium in Dhaka, attended by climate experts, policymakers, researchers, development workers, journalists and youth representatives.

Sheikh Faridul Islam said climate impacts cross national borders and require coordinated policymaking with neighbouring countries. He cited government measures including planting 250 million trees and initiatives to control pollution. He also stressed cooperation on fair river-water shares and cross-border environmental challenges, saying rivers including the Buriganga, Shitalakkhya, Turag and Balu cannot be protected unless pollution sources are stopped.

Speakers urged stronger climate diplomacy, shared river management and action against transboundary air pollution. They also highlighted renewable energy, green connectivity, knowledge and technology exchange, and joint bargaining capacity for international climate finance. The prime minister’s special assistant on environment, forests and climate change, Dr Md Saimum Parvez, called for making SAARC and BIMSTEC more active, while participants said political will and dialogue are essential for resolving cross-border challenges.

Key European allies of Ukraine are due to meet in Kyiv on Monday as Russian attacks intensify, with discussions expected to focus on expanding urgently needed air-defence supplies and increasing pressure on Moscow. Leaders of the “Coalition of the Willing,” jointly chaired by the United Kingdom, France and Germany, will take part, while some national leaders are expected to join by video conference. European Council President António Costa is also expected in Kyiv.

The meeting comes as civilian deaths from Russian attacks have reached their highest level since the first months after the war began in 2022, according to AFP. Recent weeks have seen repeated ballistic missile strikes on Kyiv, destroying residential buildings and killing many people in the capital. Thousands of residents have sought shelter in metro stations after nearly every attack, while others have gone to basements and shelters.

British Prime Minister Andy Burnham is making Kyiv his first international trip after taking office and said Britain would not retreat until a just and lasting peace is established. French President Emmanuel Macron pledged new missile-defence systems on Saturday. Ukraine says its own weapons cannot intercept the fast, high-flying ballistic missiles and relies on advanced systems, especially US-made Patriot defences.

The debate over whether Pluto should again be called a planet has resurfaced 20 years after the International Astronomical Union reclassified it as a dwarf planet in August 2006. The IAU decision followed growing questions about Pluto’s status, especially after discoveries of similar distant objects beyond Neptune and the July 2005 discovery of Eris, which is comparable in size to Pluto and farther from the Sun.

The IAU established three conditions for planet status: an object must be nearly round through its own gravity, orbit the Sun, and gravitationally clear its orbital neighbourhood. Pluto meets the first two but not the third, because it shares its region with many Kuiper Belt objects and has an orbit linked with Neptune. Critics argue that the clearing requirement contains ambiguities and has shifted public discussion away from Pluto’s scientific features.

Washington University in St. Louis planetary astronomer Paul Byrne says Pluto, Ceres, Eris, Makemake and Haumea should be considered planets. He favors classification based on an object’s physical and geological nature, while acknowledging that any reversal should rest on scientific grounds rather than nostalgia or nationalism.