National Citizen Party (NCP) northern chief organiser Sarzis Alam called on young people to work together for change at the party’s “July Awakening” programme in Ajmiriganj, Habiganj, on Tuesday afternoon. Speaking as chief guest at the Shaheed Minar premises, he said the country’s people want change and that the youth must unite to help bring it about.

The NCP organised the programme to demand implementation of a referendum verdict, job creation for young people and stronger protection of the country’s borders. Alam said implementing the referendum verdict while respecting public opinion, creating employment for unemployed youth and strengthening border security were demands of the time.

Alam also said that the country and its people could not be safe in the hands of a political party capable of killing 158 of its own leaders and activists. He called for an accountable, people-oriented state system to safeguard people’s lives, property and democratic rights. The NCP is presenting its various demands to the public through its nationwide “July Awakening” programme. Central and local party leaders attended the event.

The State Dialogue Forum, or SDF, has called for organizational action against people in Bangladesh’s film and cultural sectors accused of supporting mass killings and repressive actions against students and the public during the 2024 uprising. On July 28, the organization submitted a memorandum to the president of the Bangladesh Film Artists Association. The memorandum was delivered by SDF central member secretary A N M Ayas.

SDF said art and culture are powerful means of promoting justice, human values and democratic consciousness. It called for an impartial investigation to determine responsibility of artists, filmmakers, producers and others accused of supporting human rights violations, violence or mass killings. The memorandum named various actors, actresses, filmmakers, producers, cultural figures and related individuals and sought investigations into the allegations.

If allegations are proven, SDF urged organizational bans at the Artists Association and Bangladesh Film Development Corporation, alongside necessary legal action. It also demanded an investigation committee, permanent policies to prevent artists’ involvement in human rights violations, violence and activities contrary to democratic values, and a clear, effective stance by the Artists Association on human rights, professional ethics and cultural responsibility. SDF said fair, impartial and lawful investigations are consistent with democracy and the rule of law.

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman directed the Education Ministry to improve education quality, ensure regular classroom attendance, and strengthen effective teaching. He issued the instructions on Tuesday, July 28, after visiting the ministry for the first time since assuming office. The directions were delivered during an exchange meeting with senior ministry officials, heads of departments and agencies, and experienced education কর্মকর্তারা working at the field level.

The prime minister also emphasized modern, continuous training for teachers, expansion of technology-based education, and stronger administrative accountability. The review meeting received detailed presentations on the ministry’s ongoing activities, development projects, progress in implementing education policy, and administrative effectiveness. After reviewing those activities, he gave necessary guidance to the officials concerned.

Field-level education officials presented their experiences on conditions in the sector, existing challenges, and measures needed to improve standards. Rahman said their experience and advice should receive proper importance in policymaking and implementation. He described quality education for every student as a government priority and said integrated initiatives, effective oversight, and timely planning would continue across all levels of the education system.

Jagannath University unit Chhatra Dal has provided financial assistance to the family of Ikramul Haque Sajid, a Jagannath University student described as a martyr of the July-August mass uprising. The assistance was handed to Sajid’s mother at an event held at the unit’s office on July 28. Unit convener Mehedi Hasan Himel, member secretary Shamsul Arefin, joint conveners, activists and family members attended.

Arefin said Sajid’s blood had contributed to the struggle to establish voting rights for Bangladesh’s people. He said the group would work to build a country with stronger democracy and protected rights to speak and receive education. Himel said the central Chhatra Dal and the Jagannath University unit, acting on BNP acting chairman Tarique Rahman’s instructions, had stood beside martyr families and would continue to do so.

Sajid’s mother thanked the university unit for its support and urged those holding responsibilities to remember the martyrs’ sacrifices and check on their families. Sajid was a 2018-19 academic session student in the Accounting and Information Systems department. He was seriously injured by police gunfire in Mirpur on August 4 last year during the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement and died while receiving treatment at CMH on August 14 at 2:15 pm.

Six Bangladeshi nationals killed in a severe fire at a shop in Queenstown, Eastern Cape, South Africa, have been identified. The fire broke out around 3 a.m. local time on Monday night, according to the report. Several Bangladeshis inside the shop were unable to escape and suffered burns, and six deaths were later reported at the scene.

Five of those killed were from Alirtek and বক্তাবলী unions under Fatullah police station in Narayanganj, while one was from Mir Kadim municipality in Munshiganj Sadar. The victims included Md Fahim, Apon Ahmed and Nur Mohammad from Kroker Char village in Alirtek, and Md Faisal from Toilkhirar Char village.

Md Shahin, from Kanain village in বক্তাবলী, was also among the dead. The sixth victim was Md Rajiq from Kalindipara village in Mir Kadim municipality. The report listed the victims' ages as 29, 23, 55, 26, 30 and 55 respectively. It did not provide the cause of the fire or information on subsequent actions.

The Bangladesh Ambulance Owners Welfare Association has called an indefinite nationwide ambulance strike from Wednesday morning, July 29, over five demands. General Secretary Badal Madbar confirmed the announcement to Amar Desh on Tuesday, saying the stoppage would begin at 6am across the country.

The demands include implementation of a commercial policy concerning ambulances and parking facilities for ambulances at every government hospital. The association also seeks toll-free arrangements for ambulances in line with a High Court verdict.

Other demands include toll-free facilities for freezer vans carrying bodies and ambulances transporting bodies, as well as ensuring round-the-clock fuel supplies for ambulances. Association leaders said they were compelled to pursue an indefinite nationwide strike because no effective initiative had been taken to implement the demands.

Police in Ramu, Cox’s Bazar, have filed an anti-terrorism case against 71 people over allegations that members of the banned Chhatra League held a motorcycle showdown and procession. The case also names 30 to 40 unidentified people as accused. Ramu police sub-inspector Muhammad Nurul Absar filed the case on Monday. According to the first information report, the event took place at about 11:30am on 26 July on the highway in front of Zamzam Filling Station in Purba Murapara, Jowarianala.

The report alleges that the procession was held on the instruction of Cox’s Bazar district Chhatra League president SM Saddam Hossain and under the leadership of Ramu upazila joint conveners Tarek Uddin Mishuk and Ershadul Kawsar Sakib. Participants allegedly carried banners bearing Sheikh Hasina’s image, festoons and sticks, and chanted anti-government slogans. Police alleged that the gathering sought to create public fear and conduct anti-state activities.

Police said participants fled on motorcycles when officers arrived around noon, leaving behind a banner, 13 wooden sticks and 19 pieces of brick. A seizure list was prepared in the presence of three local witnesses. Police said they identified 31 people through local information and video footage analysis. Operations are under way to arrest the accused and identify those who remain unnamed.

Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami has condemned an alleged attack and vandalism at the home of Jessore-4 lawmaker and Jessore district Jamaat chief Golam Rasul. In a statement sent to the media on July 28, the party’s secretary general, Mia Golam Porwar, protested the incident, which he said occurred in the Nilগঞ্জ area of Jessore city.

Porwar alleged that the attack was planned and carried out by a group of assailants with backing from BNP leaders and activists. He said an attack on a lawmaker’s residence could worsen the law-and-order situation. He demanded the immediate identification and prosecution of those involved in the attack and those who allegedly incited it.

The statement said one of Rasul’s daughters is mentally ill and is receiving treatment in places including Hyderabad, India, and elsewhere in Bangladesh. Porwar said an attack over her conduct was unacceptable and described the matter as already settled. Jamaat also alleged targeted misinformation on social and other media intended to make the party controversial, urging accurate reporting and calling on law-enforcement personnel to act responsibly.

Bangladesh and Japan have agreed to strengthen cooperation on infrastructure development, transport modernization, and public transport, including metro rail. The issue was discussed on Tuesday at a courtesy meeting in the Road Transport and Highways Division conference room at the Secretariat between Sheikh Rabiul Alam, minister for road transport and bridges, shipping, and railways, and Uno Yoshimasa, special adviser to Japan’s prime minister.

Sheikh Rabiul Alam thanked Japan for its longstanding support for Bangladesh’s infrastructure and communications sectors. He said Japan’s continued assistance as a development partner was highly important, particularly for building modern, safe, sustainable and environmentally friendly public transport systems. He said Japanese experience, technical knowledge and technical cooperation were playing an important role in developing such systems, including metro rail.

Yoshimasa said modern and sustainable public transport infrastructure was essential to match Bangladesh’s growing urbanization and economic growth. He said both countries could work more closely on infrastructure, metro rail, rail connectivity and road transport on the basis of mutual trust and cooperation. He also assured continued Japanese support for Bangladesh’s development. Senior transport officials and the managing director of Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited attended the meeting.

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has been named chairman of the trustee board of the Bangladesh Freedom Fighters Welfare Trust, while Liberation War Affairs Minister Ahmed Azam Khan has been appointed president of the trust’s executive committee. The Ministry of Liberation War Affairs issued separate notifications on the two bodies, according to the report.

Ahmed Azam Khan has also been made vice chairman of the trustee board led by the prime minister. The same individuals have been included in both committees. Their members include State Minister for Liberation War Affairs Ishraq Hossain, Kishoreganj-4 lawmaker Md Fazlur Rahman, Cumilla-6 lawmaker Monirul Haque Chowdhury, and Noakhali-2 lawmaker Zainul Abdin Farroque.

The managing director of the Freedom Fighters Welfare Trust has been appointed member secretary of both committees. The secretaries of the finance, industries and liberation war affairs ministries have also been named trustees or members. The notifications, dated July 22, were published in gazette form on Monday.

Dirai Municipality in Sunamganj has announced its proposed budget for fiscal year 2026-27, estimating total allocations of Tk 15 crore 4 lakh 90 thousand 819 and 37 paisa for overall municipal development. The budget was formally presented at a modest event at the municipal premises at 12 noon on Tuesday by Dirai Assistant Commissioner (Land) and municipal administrator Md Ziaul Hasan Saurav. It gives the highest priority to infrastructure development to strengthen urban transport and physical facilities.

The proposed revenue income for the next fiscal year is Tk 3 crore 66 lakh 40 thousand, against revenue expenditure of Tk 2 crore 58 lakh 60 thousand. This would leave a revenue surplus of Tk 1 crore 7 lakh 80 thousand. Development-sector allocations are estimated at Tk 12 crore 46 lakh 30 thousand 819 and 37 paisa, while expenditure in that sector is set at Tk 12 crore 39 lakh.

After accounting for income and expenditure in both revenue and development sectors, the overall budget surplus is projected at Tk 7 lakh 30 thousand 819 and 37 paisa. The proposal earmarks the largest allocation, Tk 11 crore 18 lakh, for infrastructure construction. Speakers at a post-budget discussion called for improved citizen services, planned drainage to address monsoon waterlogging, reduced traffic congestion and sustainable development.

Ad-din Medical College Hospital in Moghbazar, Dhaka, resumed full medical services from 8am Tuesday after being closed for about one and a half months. The Health Ministry returned the hospital’s licence and permitted services to restart on Monday afternoon. Outpatient, inpatient, emergency and other necessary services are now operating again.

Between 8am and 4pm, the outpatient department served 607 patients, while 56 new patients were admitted. Eight pregnant patients delivered by Caesarean section and three had normal deliveries. Medical students and patients expressed satisfaction over the reopening. Foreign intern doctor Ilyas Mansur said the restart would allow interns to complete their internships through patient care.

Executive Director Professor Dr Jamalunnesa said infrastructure renovations were completed under government instructions, including ventilation, light and oxygen arrangements in every ward, alongside staff training. The hospital said it remains committed to providing quality treatment at low cost. It offers ICU, NICU, CCU and dialysis services using infection-prevention methods, and operates ambulance services in Dhaka for Tk380.

Bangladesh Railway Posso Society (BRPS) has issued eight demands over the continuing locomotive shortage and controversy surrounding an Asian Development Bank-funded plan to buy 30 new locomotives. At a press conference at the National Press Club on Tuesday, the group said a vested-interest circle was creating instability at the state railway, affecting passenger services, freight transport and the national economy.

BRPS president Md Moniruzzaman Monir said the planned procurement of 30 new metre-gauge locomotives was timely and was being deliberately drawn into controversy. He identified the cancellation of a separate project to procure 70 metre-gauge locomotives as a major cause of the current crisis, saying its implementation would have substantially eased shortages in the eastern region.

The group said Bangladesh Railway needs 268 locomotives daily but has an average of only 180 operational units. It said this results in the cancellation of 32 trains in the eastern region and 36 in the western region each day, or 68 in total. Its demands include completing the 30-locomotive purchase quickly, investigating the cancelled project and procurement allegations, revising the 2020 recruitment rules, and acting on allegations of attempts to destabilise the railway.

RAB detained former army sergeant Nezam Uddin, 45, in Kutubdia, Cox’s Bazar, after seizing two locally made guns and 10 rounds of ammunition, according to police sources. The operation took place at College Gate on Monday, and the weapons and cartridges were recovered during a search at about 9:30pm.

Nezam Uddin is the son of Abdul Haque of Nozor Ali Matbar Para in Kaiyarbil. RAB-15 DAD Prashanta Kumar Ghosh filed a first information report at Kutubdia police station in connection with the incident.

Kutubdia police station Officer-in-Charge Mahbubul Haque said Nezam Uddin was sent to court on Tuesday. The report did not provide information on the reason for the arrest or the source of the seized weapons and ammunition.

National Citizen Party-NCP convener and opposition chief whip Nahid Islam said activists used to wait for Jagannath University processions during the July movement. He made the remarks as chief guest at a discussion and prize-giving event at the university’s central auditorium on 28 July, marking the second anniversary of the July mass uprising. The Jagannath University unit of Jatiya Chhatra Shakti organized the event, titled “July Mass Uprising: From Spark to Continuing Revolution.”

Nahid praised Jagannath University students’ role in the uprising and remembered those killed and others who made sacrifices. He said the institution’s students had played leading roles in nearly all democratic movements in Bangladesh but had not always received proper recognition. He also stressed the need to develop and modernize the university, saying its central location enables talented students from across the country to study there.

Families of those killed and injured, teachers, students, and representatives of political and social organizations addressed the meeting. Speakers called for a discrimination-free Bangladesh, an end to political repression and violence on campuses, and united work to fulfill the aspirations of July. The university proctor said the banned Chhatra League would not be allowed to return to campus.