Mohammad Ismail Jabiyullah, adviser to the prime minister on public administration with ministerial status, has directed that Annual Development Programme projects under the Ministry of Public Administration be implemented swiftly within their scheduled timeframes. He issued the instruction on Monday while addressing a meeting reviewing July implementation progress for the ministry’s projects in the 2026-27 fiscal year. State Minister for Public Administration Mohammad Abdul Bari, MP, was present.

Jabiyullah said the physical and financial progress of ongoing projects must be reviewed regularly. Problems affecting implementation should be identified quickly and necessary action taken. He highlighted infrastructure development, capacity building for BCS cadre officers, modernization of training centres and digitization among the priorities of projects being implemented under the ministry.

He said that if a project nears the end of its approved duration and needs more time, an extension should be pursued through proper procedures. However, he said no increase in project costs would be allowed when extending a project’s duration. At the start of the meeting, Jabiyullah unveiled publications including the Organisation and Management Guidelines 2026, the first and second volumes of the O&M Manual, and Government Employees Statistics 2025.

Nazrul Year was observed across Bangladesh on Monday to introduce National Poet Kazi Nazrul Islam’s life, work, literature and humanist ideals to younger generations. Programmes included rallies, discussion meetings, cultural events and education institution-based competitions in districts including Jamalpur, Rangpur, Barishal, Naogaon, Shariatpur and Gopalganj.

In Madarganj of Jamalpur, students joined a gathering at the upazila premises before an opening and cultural programme at Kharka Hall Room, organized by the upazila administration. In Taraganj, Rangpur, the upazila administration inaugurated an institution-based cultural competition at the upazila auditorium. In Bakerganj, Barishal, a colourful rally travelled through major roads of the municipal town before a discussion meeting and performances of Nazrul’s songs.

Sapahar in Naogaon opened a competition at the upazila parishad hall room, while Bhedarganj in Shariatpur launched its observance with a discussion featuring a keynote paper by lecturer Ashraful Alam. In Kotalipara, Gopalganj, local officials, teachers and a journalist addressed an opening programme at the upazila parishad auditorium.

National Citizens Party spokesperson Asif Mahmood Sajeeb Bhuiyan has described the Bangladesh government’s interest in joining the Mecca Pact as positive, while stressing that national interests, strategic independence and balance must guide foreign relations. He made the remarks to journalists at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka on Monday morning after returning from Saudi Arabia following Umrah.

Asif Mahmood said Bangladesh should keep its doors open to relations with all sides before entering any commercial or military agreement. He said foreign policy should avoid damaging Bangladesh’s interest-based ties with other states or regions while deepening relations with one party. He also expressed concern over the country’s oil, gas and electricity situation, saying citizens are not receiving adequate gas and power despite high prices and alleged ghost bills.

He said Saudi airline tickets, which had fallen to about $350 or Tk40,000 during the interim government, now cost Tk60,000 to Tk70,000 and sometimes Tk80,000 due to alleged syndicate manipulation. He also called for action against intermediaries and syndicates in overseas labour recruitment, saying Bangladeshi workers can face costs of up to Tk800,000 to go to Malaysia. He said the announced 11-party alliance long march would highlight public hardship.

A Dhaka court has barred Faisal Karim Masud, the main accused in the murder case of Inqilab Mancha spokesperson Sharif Osman Hadi, and his wife Shahida Parveen Samiya from travelling abroad. Metropolitan Senior Special Judge Md Shahjahan Kabir issued the order on Monday following an application by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) linked to corruption allegations.

ACC public relations officer Akhtarul Islam confirmed the information. Assistant Director Md Saifur Rahman filed the application on behalf of the commission, seeking the travel restriction for the couple.

The application said an inquiry is under way into allegations of Tk127 crore in transactions through bank accounts belonging to Faisal Karim and people linked to his interests. It cited information from reliable sources that those connected to the allegations could flee abroad, making the restriction necessary for a proper inquiry. Faisal was arrested by West Bengal Police and the Special Task Force in the Bongaon border area on March 8 and has remained in prison in India since then.

Health and Family Welfare Minister Sardar Md. Sakhawat Hossain alleged that two MRI machines in Faridpur and Barishal have remained unused for nine years despite being bought at a stated value of Tk18 crore. Speaking as chief guest at a coordination meeting in Manikganj on Monday morning, he said the machines were acquired without technicians or manpower and may now only be sold as scrap.

The minister alleged that the previous Awami League government bought equipment and left it unused, claiming that large sums were stolen through such purchases. He also called for uncompromising action against narcotics, saying people involved in drug activities and those who shelter them should be brought under the law. He said repeat offenders released on bail should be rearrested where necessary.

Hossain said sustainable district development requires security, healthcare, education, employment and improved living standards alongside infrastructure. He urged attention to medicine, equipment and staffing shortages at public hospitals in Manikganj, and said the government was working toward major changes in the health sector within three years. Food Minister Afroza Khanam Rita also called for coordinated work among government offices and urged BNP leaders not to engage in factionalism.

Operations of the Social Development Foundation (SDF) have collapsed across all 10 unions of Badarganj in Rangpur, amid allegations that crores of taka were misappropriated. The programme, launched in 2011 to organize and provide loans to women from poor and disadvantaged households, is now inactive in every local association. Many offices have been abandoned, overgrown, or damaged, while some are reportedly being used to store crops, fuel and livestock.

The project was funded by the Bangladesh government and the World Bank, with land purchased and association offices built at union level. Local residents alleged irregularities and corruption in land purchases and construction. Members were expected to deposit instalments collected by association presidents into the project’s own bank, but activities weakened after about a year and eventually stopped in most associations. Several members said they have not recovered savings deposited with the groups.

Sources said about $600 million was invested in the SDF project, which began in 2011 and was scheduled for three years before activities ended around November 2015. SDF officials did not provide requested records or comments on spending, land purchases, construction, loan disbursement or recovery.

India’s Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) has launched a campaign to raise 5 million rupees for Sheikh Abdul Hafiz after his father, Mafik, died following an alleged assault in Karisunda village under Indas police station in Bankura. CJP said Hafiz and his father were attacked at their home on August 13, and Mafik died on August 15 after sustaining a serious head injury.

According to CJP, 25-year-old Hafiz had visited a government school in the village on August 13 under its “Fix the School” campaign and highlighted poor infrastructure. The party alleged that armed people identified as local BJP workers assaulted the pair and pressured Hafiz to record an apology video and say he had acted at others’ instigation. CJP said Hafiz was seriously injured in the neck and later moved to Kolkata for security reasons.

Hafiz has declined government compensation, saying he wants a world-class school named after his father instead. A CJP national working committee delegation led by co-convenor Ashutosh Ranka visited Hafiz and his family on August 17. The party said the fundraising will support the family and sustain its demand for improved government schools in the area.

State Minister for Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment Nurul Haque Nur said the government is working to arrange overseas employment for 10 million working-age young people over five years. He made the remarks while answering journalists’ questions during a visit to Barishal Government Brojomohun College campus at 12:30 pm on Monday, ahead of a freshmen reception.

Nur said loans of up to Tk300,000 without collateral are being provided to 1 million students seeking to go abroad and to expatriates. He said overseas employment policy is placing importance on skills, arguing that certificate-based education alone cannot ensure jobs in the current labour market.

The state minister said textbooks, syllabuses and curricula are being assessed to align with areas of demand in the job market. He also said the cyber law would soon be amended to make social media safer, and stated that the government has taken a strong position against drugs. Later, he attended a freshmen reception organised by the BM College unit of Chhatra Odhikar Parishad.

Four people died from mosquito-borne dengue fever in Bangladesh in the past 24 hours, while 1,163 newly infected patients were admitted to hospitals. The admissions figure is the highest recorded in a single day this year. The Health Directorate’s Health Emergency Operation Center and Control Room released the update in a dengue bulletin on Monday, August 31.

With the latest deaths, the country’s dengue death toll for the year rose to 97. Total infections reported so far this year reached 35,846, according to the bulletin. The update identifies hospital admissions among newly infected patients during the latest 24-hour reporting period.

On Sunday, August 30, three people died from dengue and 1,097 people were infected in one day. The latest daily admissions therefore exceeded the previous day’s reported infection figure, while the cumulative totals were updated following the four additional deaths and new hospitalizations.

Astronomy in Islamic civilization developed from a discipline serving religious needs into an increasingly independent science, according to the source. Muslim thinkers including Ibn Sina, Imam Ghazali, Nasir al-Din Tusi, al-Jurjani and Ali Qushji played important roles in this intellectual shift. Mathematical and astronomical centers in Maragha and Samarkand strengthened the field through observation, calculation and mathematical modelling.

The discipline had practical importance for determining prayer times, the direction of qibla, the start of Ramadan and the Islamic calendar. Its study therefore extended beyond philosophical and courtly discussion to mosques and madrasas. Ibn Sina distinguished astronomy from astrology and sought to ground it in observation and mathematical proof, although his work remained connected to Aristotelian ideas of the universe and nature.

Ghazali and Adud al-Din al-Iji recognized astronomy's mathematical and practical value but questioned its ability to determine ultimate reality. Al-Jurjani argued that astronomical models could relate to reality, while Tusi pursued stronger mathematical foundations. Ali Qushji advanced the separation of astronomy from Aristotelian physics and metaphysics, emphasizing observation, insight and mathematics as routes to reliable knowledge of nature.

Nagorik Oikya president Mahmudur Rahman Manna on Monday, August 31, called on the government to clearly present its specific plan for addressing Bangladesh’s energy and electricity crisis. Speaking as chief guest at a discussion titled “Energy and Life Security” at the National Press Club in Dhaka, he said the government’s actions in the sector appeared to show populism rather than a defined roadmap.

Manna said irregularities and mismanagement in the power and energy sectors over the past 15 years had affected public safety. He questioned why the government was saying that meaningful action could not be completed within two years, warning that a prolonged power crisis could threaten the economy, garment sector and other industries. He also cited claims that solar generation by Dhaka garment owners could produce 1,700 megawatts.

Referring to United Nations information, Manna said solar panels in major cities could potentially generate about 6,000 megawatts, while the current shortfall was 3,500 megawatts. He urged rapid alternative measures and called for an investigation into allegations that none of six expected LNG cargoes arrived. He said the government should explain the causes of the shortage and its timetable for improvement.

An Israeli airstrike on Abu al-Duhur airbase in rural Idlib, Syria, on August 18 has heightened tensions involving Turkey, the United States and Israel. Israeli warplanes targeted the runways of the largely inactive airbase near the Turkish border. The strike was widely viewed as a message to Turkey rather than an operation against a militarily significant target.

Israel said Syria was preparing to deploy Turkish forces at the base, a claim denied by both Syria and Turkey. US Ambassador to Turkey and Syria special envoy Tom Barrack said Israel had informed Washington about possible Turkish activity about six days before the strike. After checking its own intelligence, the United States told Israel that no Turkish military activity was present, but Israel carried out the attack anyway.

Barrack said Israel withheld operational details, fearing Washington might warn Turkey. Israeli aircraft came within about 80 kilometres of the Turkish border, creating a risk of an unintended encounter with Turkish jets. Analysts said Syria has the sovereign right to renovate airbases and pursue defence cooperation with Turkey. The report also cited previous US-Israeli differences over a proposed Israeli ground operation in Iran.

Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) seized seven sacks of Indian sarees valued at an estimated Tk 1.92 million during an operation in Khagrachhari. The Khagrachhari Battalion, 32 BGB, confirmed the seizure in a statement issued on Monday afternoon. The goods were intercepted while they were allegedly being smuggled.

According to BGB, the operation was conducted on Sunday night at a border-area location known as Janmaratila Down. Suspected smugglers fled into hilly forest areas after noticing the presence of the patrol team, the force said.

The sacks contained 160 pieces of Indian silk and Jamdani Katan sarees. Lieutenant Colonel Md Shahriar Rajib, the battalion commander, said Border Guard Bangladesh remains actively engaged around the clock in border security and in preventing drug trafficking and smuggling.

The source says a new prospect of regional stability is emerging in the Middle East as armed-group activity has declined in Turkey, Syria and Iraq. It identifies the reported dissolution of the PKK and affiliated groups, alongside moves to integrate them into state structures, as a significant development. Turkey’s “terror-free Turkey” initiative is described as expanding beyond its borders toward a vision of a “terror-free region.”

In Syria, the source says YPG forces linked to the PKK faced government troops in recent clashes, after which the national army defeated armed groups and restored state authority in several areas. Syrian President Ahmed al-Shara said Kurdish citizens would enjoy equal rights and dignity. The YPG then announced its dissolution and integration into Syria’s state structure, while Ferhat Abdi Shahin was reported to have been appointed a presidential adviser.

Turkey’s parliament has approved an anti-terrorism framework law and formed a special commission to oversee the process, chaired at its first meeting by Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz. Iraq has called on all armed groups to disarm, surrender or join the national army from September. The source says reduced border threats could lessen Turkey’s military activity along Syrian and Iraqi borders.

The National Editors Council (NEC) held its first general meeting at a hotel in the capital on Monday, attended by editors of 29 daily newspapers published in Dhaka and other regions. Jaijaidin editor Shafik Rehman was elected president for an interim period, while Amar Desh editor Mahmudur Rahman became secretary general. Wada editor Shafiqul Alam was elected treasurer. Participants approved the council’s constitution with amendments.

Editors discussed press freedom and improving professional standards. Mahmudur Rahman said the organisation aimed to expand communication among journalists and help editors remain united for independent journalism. Shafik Rehman said journalists had an important role in maintaining peace and stability and called for cooperation to bring editors nationwide onto one platform.

Jugantor editor Abdul Hai Shikdar proposed an award named after Kazi Nazrul Islam for contributions to journalism, and the meeting accepted the proposal. The council decided to award the Nazrul Medal annually for journalism. Other participants called on the NEC to work toward press and freedom of expression and to become a voice for editors across Bangladesh.