Bangladesh is advancing a process to buy Chinese-made J-10CE multirole fighter jets as part of efforts to modernise its air force. The country is also pursuing plans to procure attack helicopters, VIP transport helicopters and drone, or UAV, systems. The initiatives are seen as measures that could strengthen air defence, surveillance and military operational capabilities.

The J-10CE is an export version of China’s Chengdu J-10 fighter aircraft and is described as a fourth-generation multirole jet. It can be used for air combat as well as strikes against ground targets. The potential cost of purchasing 20 J-10CE aircraft has been put at about $2.3 billion.

The government has not officially announced the final number of jets, total price or delivery timetable, saying such matters will be determined through final negotiations. Bangladesh’s air force already operates a substantial number of Chinese fighter aircraft, which could offer training, maintenance and supply advantages. However, pilot training, weapons systems, maintenance infrastructure and long-term operating costs will remain important considerations for the new aircraft.

Dhaka Metropolitan Police’s Traffic Division filed 2,119 cases against traffic law violators during operations in different parts of the capital on Sunday, August 30. The enforcement drive covered the traffic divisions of Ramna, Lalbagh, Motijheel, Wari, Tejgaon, Mirpur, Uttara and Gulshan.

Uttara recorded the highest number of cases, with 487, followed by Motijheel with 415 and Gulshan with 334. Mirpur registered 258 cases, Lalbagh 209, Wari 166, Tejgaon 135 and Ramna 115. The cases involved buses, trucks, covered vans, CNG vehicles and motorcycles.

During the operation, authorities also dumped 499 vehicles and towed 210 vehicles using wreckers. DMP’s Traffic Division said its enforcement operations would continue to maintain traffic discipline in the Dhaka metropolitan area.

Workers and employees of the long-closed Ashuganj fertiliser factory in Brahmanbaria held a human chain and protest rally on Monday morning, demanding its modernisation and reopening. Organised by the AFCCL Workers-Employees Union near the toll plaza of Ashuganj Syed Nazrul Islam Bridge, the programme also called for restoring the plant’s former name, Ashuganj Zia Fertilizer Company Limited.

The factory has been fully shut since March 1 last year and has remained closed for about one and a half years, according to the protesters. Speakers said gas shortages have kept production suspended for much of the time since 2010. They alleged that a group has kept the plant closed in the name of gas rationing while engaging in fertiliser imports, causing severe mechanical and financial damage.

Local BNP, NCP and Jamaat-e-Islami activists, transport owners’ associations and CBA representatives from Ashuganj Thermal Power Station joined in solidarity. Speakers said the closure has harmed local employment and the economy, and urged the government to ensure normal gas supplies and restart the factory quickly. They warned of tougher action, including a highway blockade, and briefly demonstrated on the Dhaka-Sylhet highway after the event.

Assistant Public Prosecutor Khandkar Ahmad Al Irfan, injured in an August 4 clash at Jagannath University, remains under close observation and is not yet out of danger. Doctors said he suffered a serious head injury and damaged leg veins. He was first taken to National Hospital’s emergency department for head surgery, then transferred to Dhaka Medical College Hospital and later admitted to Islami Bank Hospital for advanced treatment.

Doctor Anisur Rahman said Irfan’s head injury is highly sensitive and requires regular monitoring. He said the leg injury will require long-term physiotherapy, although injuries to Irfan’s ribs are improving. Allegations that a state prosecutor was seriously injured during violence on a university campus have raised questions about security arrangements.

Irfan’s nephew, Advocate Saad Monayem, said video footage had identified several people allegedly involved. The university has formed a four-member investigation committee, while its convenor could not be reached by phone. Irfan’s phone, identity card, wallet, ATM card and watch remain unrecovered. Kotwali police registered General Diary number 426 and said they attempted to track the phone using technology.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said it struck several air bases in Jordan used by US forces after the United States attacked Iranian launchers and related facilities on Larak Island. The US military said its operation targeted equipment allegedly being prepared to lay sea mines, amid heightened tensions around the Strait of Hormuz. Immediate casualty details were not available.

Washington said it acted over concerns that Iranian forces were preparing underwater mine deployments that could further endanger commercial shipping in the strait. Larak Island is located near a significant section of the Strait of Hormuz and close to strategically important Iranian naval bases and military facilities.

Analysts said the exchange could broaden the ongoing US-Iran confrontation in the Middle East. The Strait of Hormuz is a major route for oil and gas shipments from the Persian Gulf, and military disruption to commercial vessel traffic could affect international energy supplies and global markets. Iran has cited control and security interests in the strait, while the United States has said it seeks to protect safe international navigation.

A Bogura court on Monday sentenced two defendants to death and three others to life imprisonment for the murder of businessman Ragibul Hasan Hridoy, who was attacked after refusing to pay extortion money. Additional District and Sessions Judge-5 Kausik Ahmed Khondkar announced the verdict at about 11:30am. The death-row convicts are Saddam Hossain Swadhin and Md Rabbi, while Ashik, Shakil and Matin received life terms.

The court also fined each of the five convicts Tk50,000. It ordered that half of the fine money be given to Hridoy’s child and the remaining half deposited in the state treasury. According to the case details, the accused went to Hridoy’s business establishment in Bogura city’s Kaipara Pukurpar area on the evening of July 20, 2021, and demanded extortion money.

After Hridoy refused, the accused entered the shop and seriously injured him with sharp weapons, the case account said. His father, Mamunur Rashid, was also injured when he tried to protect his son. Hridoy later died while receiving treatment, and his mother, Ayesha Siddika, filed the murder case. His parents expressed satisfaction with the verdict and called for its swift execution.

Indonesia, the United States and allied countries began their annual joint military exercise on Monday, aimed at strengthening defence capabilities in the Asia-Pacific region and deterring aggression. The exercise, known as Super Garuda Shield, will run until September 11 at various locations across Indonesia, including Sumatra and Borneo islands.

Indonesia follows a neutral foreign policy, which it describes as “free and active,” while seeking to maintain diplomatic balance and good relations with both the United States and China. Earlier this month, the Southeast Asian country joined a naval exercise with China that Taiwan criticised as a provocative activity.

Indonesia, the United States and several allied nations have participated in the annual Super Garuda Shield exercise for nearly two decades. About 4,700 military personnel from several countries, including the United Kingdom, France and Japan, are taking part this year. East Timor, Italy and Thailand are among countries that have sent observers to the exercise.

Fisheries and Livestock State Minister Sultan Salahuddin Tuku called for coordinated efforts to improve law and order, control narcotics and build a healthy society. He made the remarks on Monday at a special meeting and exchange session of the Dhaka District Law and Order Committee at the Dhaka deputy commissioner’s conference room.

Tuku said public expectations of a democratic government can be met only if the administration, law-enforcement agencies, elected representatives and civil society fulfil their duties with sincerity. Describing drugs as one of the country’s major social crises, he said their spread is increasing crime and urged strict law-enforcement action alongside public awareness and a social movement.

He also called on relevant stakeholders to act against the spread of juvenile gangs, saying families, educational institutions, local administration and society must work together to keep young people away from crime. Stressing public welfare and good governance, he urged officials to work with honesty, efficiency and dedication. He also highlighted environmental protection, including action on river pollution, industrial waste management and urban environmental balance.

Dhaka University has appointed Professor Al-Amin of its Accounting Department as acting dean of the Faculty of Business Studies. He will assume the role on September 3, 2026, according to a university announcement signed by Public Relations Office Director Mohammad Rafiqul Islam.

Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr. A B M Obaidul Islam made the appointment on August 30 under Section 17(2) of the First Statutes of the Dhaka University Order, 1973. Professor Al-Amin is currently serving as a teacher in the university’s Accounting Department.

His appointment will remain effective for no more than 90 days or until an elected dean takes office, whichever occurs first. As acting dean, Professor Al-Amin will oversee the academic and administrative activities of the Faculty of Business Studies.

The Election Commission has published the final voter list ahead of upcoming local government elections, with the total number of voters reaching 128.777 million. The list was released on Monday afternoon, according to the announcement.

A draft voter list had previously been published on August 9. At that time, Election Commission Secretary Akhtar Ahmed said that 309,315 new voters had been added through the voter list update process.

Under the commission’s plan, elections at different levels of local government are scheduled to begin from November. The commission is making final preparations for voting, giving priority to elections for union parishads and municipalities.

At least 15 people are missing and one person has died after a flash flood struck Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona, United States. Heavy rain on Saturday afternoon sent floodwaters through the park, with Bright Angel Canyon and Phantom Ranch among the hardest-hit areas.

National park authorities and the Arizona Department of Public Safety launched a joint rescue operation. By Sunday morning, more than 60 people had been airlifted from deep areas of the canyon. Nearly all pedestrian bridges over Bright Angel Creek were destroyed, while boating on the Colorado River was suspended until further notice because of metal structures and large amounts of debris.

Phantom Ranch, Bright Angel Campground, the Phantom Ranch canteen and cabins, and a major section of the North Kaibab Trail have been closed. Authorities are checking whether hikers, backpackers and people with campground reservations who were in the area on Saturday are among those missing. Officials said further rain and thunderstorms were possible through Monday, raising concerns of additional flooding as search efforts continue.

Western countries need long-term action to secure rare-earth minerals essential to modern technology and military equipment, according to a Guardian editorial. Heavy dependence on China for mining and processing has created a strategic risk, making alternative supply systems increasingly urgent. China currently controls about 70 percent of global rare-earth mining and roughly 90 percent of separation and processing.

China halted exports of certain rare-earth minerals during tensions with Japan over disputed islands in 2010, triggering global concern, yet the supply structure changed little afterward. These materials are used in advanced weapons, smartphones, electric-vehicle batteries and wind turbines. Their low concentration in soil makes extraction and processing costly, complex and environmentally harmful, contributing to earlier reductions in Western production.

The United States announced a $12 billion plan in February to build critical-mineral stockpiles and formed an alliance with 54 partners including Australia, the European Commission and the United Kingdom. Europe aims to reduce import dependence by 2030 under its 2025 Critical Raw Materials Act. Recycling, recovering minerals from mine waste, investment and stronger partnerships are presented as parts of a long-term response.

A Guardian editorial has called for a cap on donations to political parties in the United Kingdom, arguing that unlimited contributions allow a small number of wealthy individuals to exert excessive influence over policymaking. It says this concentration of financial power is harmful to democracy and supports a £500,000 annual limit per person, with scope to reduce it gradually.

The editorial says Prime Minister Andy Burnham backed such a limit before entering government but that the government no longer supports a similar proposal. It cites £164,000 of Burnham’s £345,000 in donations over the past year as coming from billionaire Lord Sainsbury. Cryptocurrency businessman Christopher Harborne gave Reform UK £9 million in August 2025, exceeding the £8 million in trade-union donations Labour is expected to receive this year.

Labour figures have raised concerns about effects on progressive donors and trade-union funding. Stella Creasy’s proposed amendment would initially impose a £500,000 limit while exempting political funds collected from union members. Former minister Anneliese Dodds questioned high election-spending limits, while this year’s Rycroft review recommended considering donation and spending caps to restore public trust.

A fire broke out at a food shop in a food court outside Sealdah station in Kolkata, West Bengal, on Monday morning. Thick black smoke covered the area outside one of the city’s busiest stations, causing alarm among passengers. Fire service personnel, Kolkata Police and railway police officials quickly reached the scene.

The food court is located in front of the entrance leading toward Sealdah’s southern branch. Many passengers were present in the station area on the first working day of the week when the incident occurred. The cause of the fire at the food shop was not immediately clear.

According to fire service sources cited by Anandabazar Online, the blaze had not been fully extinguished but was under control. Authorities were examining how the fire started at the food outlet. The source did not report casualties, damage estimates, service disruptions or evacuation measures.

Iran has denied US attacks on Kharg Island, rejecting US President Donald Trump’s claim that the key energy hub was being “blown up.” Trump made the assertion in a one-line social media post on Sunday and shared a video of an explosion. Hamid Bovard, head of the National Iranian Oil Company, said oil production activities on the island had not stopped.

Reuters, citing Nour News, reported that Bovard denied the destruction of the important oil facility. Reuters also said the video clip posted with Trump’s claim was likely generated using artificial intelligence. Bovard described Trump’s posts as laughable and said the situation on Kharg remained calm.

Kharg Island accounts for 90 percent of Iran’s oil exports, according to Bovard. He said US and Israeli forces had previously bombed the site, but oil workers had not allowed operations to stop even momentarily. Contractors are currently rebuilding and modernising oil storage tanks and jetties, he added.