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.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a “serpent,” accusing him of drawing the United States into a war against Iran for Israel’s interests. In a social media post cited by Al Jazeera, Araghchi said Netanyahu had openly described influencing the US administration in a Hebrew-language address to Israelis.

Araghchi said Netanyahu boasted of having “suckered” the US administration into war with Iran and of influencing America through 1,000 hours of airtime on US networks. He contrasted that claim with Netanyahu’s English-language remarks praising US President Donald Trump’s leadership.

The accusation has emerged in international reporting on the ongoing Iran war. The source says reports have previously examined Netanyahu’s role in bringing Washington into conflict with Iran following joint US-Israeli military operations.

A police officer testified before International Crimes Tribunal-2 on Monday about the February 21, 2015 deaths of two BNP leaders, Tipu Howlader and Kabir Mollah, in an alleged crossfire in Agailjhara, Barishal. Ali Ahmed, now a CID police inspector in Barishal, appeared as the 15th witness in the case against four people, including former Barishal MP Abul Hasanat Abdullah, who was sentenced to death for crimes against humanity in connection with the incident.

Ahmed said former Barishal superintendent of police A K M Ehsan Ullah visited Uzirpur police station on the night of February 20, 2015, before the officer in charge instructed him to issue special-operation deployment orders for ASI Jasim Uddin and ASI Mahbul. The next morning, he saw television headlines reporting that the two men had died in a gunfight with police in neighboring Agailjhara.

He said the two ASIs were kept off duty for 10 days and later requested another 10 to 15 days away from duty. Ahmed said he later learned they acted under the SP's instruction and supervision, and heard they received a Tk25,000 reward for the crossfire.

Doping test results for Siddhartha Das and Mugdha Das, accused in the killing of Ganapati Chakraborty and his family in Rangpur, have returned negative, Rangpur Metropolitan Police Deputy Commissioner Sanatan Chakraborty confirmed on Monday afternoon. A court has also allowed investigators to question each accused for two days and three hours at the gate of Rangpur Central Jail.

Chakraborty said the tests found no presence of drugs. The accused had said in statements recorded under Section 164 that they used yaba. Police sought the tests following those claims and the recovery of certain evidence from the scene.

Samples were collected through Rangpur Medical College Hospital and sent for testing, but testing could not be conducted on the day of their arrest. Samples were taken 10 days after the incident, and Chakraborty said detecting drugs in samples after that period is generally very difficult, with experts better placed to explain. The investigation remains ongoing. Police and a medical team collected the samples from the central jail on Sunday afternoon.

Senior US military commanders have warned Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth against prolonging a large-scale operation against Iran, according to US media reports cited by Al Jazeera. The warning was reported by The Washington Post and involved the heads of the US Army, Navy and Air Force, along with commanders responsible for US forces in Europe, Asia and Latin America.

The concerns appeared in a regularly issued confidential report outlining the United States' global military deployments. Senior officers submitted a formal notice saying they disagreed with the deployment order but would carry it out. They said ships, military aircraft and equipment had been moved from different regions for the war against Iran.

Commanders said those transfers had reduced the capacity to conduct other military operations and train troops in affected regions. More than 50,000 US personnel have reportedly been kept on alert for months amid concerns that new attacks on Iran could be ordered. President Donald Trump has continued pressuring Tehran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and accept US conditions to end the war.

Gaza’s Health Ministry said the number of Palestinians killed in Israeli attacks has risen to 73,449 since October 2023, while 174,472 people have been wounded. In the past 48 hours, nine Palestinians were reported killed and 18 injured, with several bodies also recovered from rubble. The source says deaths and casualties have continued despite a ceasefire being in effect.

According to the ministry’s figures, Israeli attacks and other alleged violations since the ceasefire began have killed 1,313 Palestinians and injured 4,361. A study by the Palestinian Center for Missing and Forcibly Disappeared estimated that roughly 2,500 to 3,000 people may have been forcibly disappeared during the war, based on an analysis of 317 cases.

Many people are still believed to be trapped beneath debris from destroyed buildings, raising concerns that the actual death toll could exceed official figures. The war, which began in October 2023, has extensively damaged residential areas, hospitals, infrastructure and other civilian facilities in Gaza, while fatalities have continued in recent days.

National University has released the results of its 2024 Honours fourth-year examinations, reporting an average pass rate of 65.10 percent. The results were announced Monday by the university’s Controller of Examinations office. A total of 232,624 candidates from 881 affiliated colleges took part in the examinations.

The university said the results were published within 47 working days of the examinations ending, describing it as a new record in its examination administration. Last year, publication of Honours final-year results took 89 days. Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr A S M Amanullah said faster procedures from conducting examinations through publishing results were intended to consider students’ time and future.

The 2024 Honours final-year, or fourth-year, examinations began on April 30 and ended on June 15. Candidates can view their results from 5pm on the National University results website, https://results.nu.ac.bd. The university said it retains the authority to correct any detected inconsistencies or errors in the published results, or to cancel results entirely if necessary.

National University has announced a new date for the suspended 2025 first-year honours examination. The examination, held under the university, will take place on September 22, according to a press release issued by the institution on Monday.

The rescheduled examination is listed under examination code 2201. It is scheduled to begin at 1:30 pm. The university did not provide further details in the announcement about the reason the examination had been suspended.

The duration of the examination will be determined by the time stated on the question paper. Students sitting the examination are expected to follow the revised schedule and the instructions indicated in their question papers.

Education Minister Ehsanul Haque Milon said the planned timing of next year’s Secondary School Certificate examinations was changed because of Ramadan. Speaking at a press conference on Monday afternoon at the Technical and Madrasa Education Division meeting room of the Education Ministry, he said authorities considered the overall calendar before setting the schedule.

Milon said a January start would have kept examinations running for about a month, extending into the first week of February. Ramadan is set to begin on 10 February and continue until 10 March, making examinations impossible during that period, he said. He added that the government aims to hold public examinations at fixed times and considers February the most suitable month for SSC examinations in Bangladesh.

The minister had said on 14 May that the examinations would begin on 7 January, a plan criticised by candidates and guardians because Ramadan and Eid would fall during that period. On 2 June, he said the timetable could be revised if stakeholders wanted it. The schedule released on 24 August sets written examinations from 14 March to 15 April.

Leaders of Islami Oikya Jote paid a courtesy call on BNP Acting Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi at the party’s central office in Naya Paltan, Dhaka, on Monday afternoon. The visiting delegation greeted Rizvi with flowers during the meeting.

The delegation was led by Islami Oikya Jote Joint Secretary General Maulana Md Ilias Athari. Others present included Dhaka metropolitan General Secretary Nazmul Haque, Joint General Secretary Mufti Humayun Kabir, Islami Chhatra Samaj central President Hafez Belal Hossain, Secretary General HM Barkatullah and Dhaka metropolitan Publicity Secretary Mufti Al Amin.

During the courtesy meeting, Rizvi said unity between Islamic and nationalist forces had no alternative for moving the country forward. He alleged that associates of fascism were trying in various ways to destabilize the country. He called for united efforts to advance the country, strengthen Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s hand and institutionalize democracy. Rizvi later extended greetings to the Islami Oikya Jote leaders.

Israel is holding nearly 1,700 Palestinian bodies, most of them from Gaza, amid a worsening humanitarian crisis linked to the Gaza war. The bodies are reportedly being retained for possible use in future prisoner or hostage exchange negotiations. The Palestinian group National Campaign for the Retrieval of Martyrs Bodies and Disclosure of the Fate of the Missing says it has documented the names of 799 Palestinians whose bodies are held by Israel, including 81 children and 10 women.

The group says 256 of the documented bodies were buried in military cemeteries known to Palestinians as “numbered graves.” In these sites, graves are marked with numbers rather than names, while identifying records are kept separately. Because the cemeteries are generally in military-controlled areas, relatives cannot visit them and many families remain unaware of burial locations or the circumstances of death.

The policy expanded after 2015, with Israel’s security cabinet approving retention of some bodies in 2017 and its Supreme Court allowing it in specified circumstances in 2019. The group says Israel had returned 930 bodies and 66 boxes of human remains to Gaza by February 4, 2026, but identification is difficult because of limited DNA-testing equipment. Gaza’s Health Ministry says about 7,400 bodies remain beneath rubble.

Severe load shedding in Lalmonirhat has triggered widespread public frustration, disrupting daily life, businesses, education and agricultural work across the district. Residents said electricity outages have become particularly severe after evening and continue until dawn, while power department officials could not specify when the situation may improve.

Children, elderly people and patients are suffering most in the intense heat as fans and refrigerators remain off. Students are unable to complete online assignments because devices cannot be charged, while refrigerated food and fish are spoiling. Residents also complained that they must pay electricity bills and make advance payments through prepaid meters despite not receiving the expected service.

Small and medium industrial owners reported production losses because they must pay workers despite insufficient electricity for operations. Irrigation work has been affected, and factories and small businesses in the Lalmonirhat BSCIC industrial area have slowed or stopped. An unnamed electricity office official said supply is lower than demand, making load shedding necessary. Auto-rickshaw drivers also said inadequate battery charging is threatening their income.

Inter-Parliamentary Union Secretary General Anda Filip held a courtesy meeting with opposition leader and Jamaat ameer Dr Shafiqur Rahman on Monday at the opposition leader’s office in the National Parliament Building. IPU Programme Officer Roberto Rodriguez Valencia and Senior Expert Herieno A Angoro were also present at the meeting.

The discussion focused on making the national parliament more effective and developing it into a centre for discussion and dialogue on important national issues. Dr Shafiqur highlighted the opposition’s role in strengthening parliamentary democracy and stressed the importance of equal participation by the government and opposition.

Participants also discussed regular dialogue between the government and opposition on national and international matters, improving the effectiveness of parliamentary committees, and expanding participation by young members of parliament. The IPU secretary general assured continued support from the organization for the advancement of parliamentary democracy in Bangladesh. MP Barrister Najibur Rahman Momen, foreign affairs adviser Barrister Mir Ahmad Bin Qasem Arman, and advisory committee member Ali Ahmad Mabroor attended.