Postal, Telecommunications and Information Technology Minister Fakir Mahbub Anam said digital transformation must go beyond digitising technology and government services to make public institutions more coordinated, efficient and accountable. He made the remarks on Tuesday as chief guest at a seminar on accelerating e-government and digital public services in Bangladesh at Hotel Pan Pacific Sonargaon in the capital.

The minister said interoperability is not solely a technical issue, linking it to good governance, common standards, accountability and institutional cooperation. He called for shared infrastructure and reusable digital capabilities instead of repeatedly building similar digital systems. He also stressed that information exchange must be secure, responsible and governed by clear policies.

Prime Minister’s adviser on postal, telecommunications and IT affairs Rehan Asif Asad said the government will focus over the next five years on laws and policies, secure connectivity, digital public infrastructure, AI and cybersecurity, skilled manpower, and electronics manufacturing. ICT Division Secretary Md Mamunur Rashid Bhuiyan and other relevant officials attended the event.

Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) has welcomed cabinet approval of a new national pay structure for government employees, while calling for annual public disclosure of income, expenditure and assets as a condition for receiving higher pay. In a media statement issued Tuesday, the organisation said the disclosure requirement should also cover dependent family members.

TIB Executive Director Dr Iftekharuzzaman said implementing the pay scale in three phases was reasonable despite severe financial constraints. He said salaries and allowances need to match living costs if the government expects professional excellence and corruption-free services. However, he argued that only employees who annually update and publish their financial and asset declarations should receive the revised benefits.

TIB said honest public employees deserve the new scale, but applying it broadly without effective accountability could deepen corruption. It cited concerns that irregularities, corruption and bribery increased after the eighth pay scale was implemented in 2015. The organisation also warned that salary increases could contribute to higher prices and inflation, worsening hardship for low-income workers and the public.

More than 100 people, including activists from Qaumi, BNP and other political groups, formally joined Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami at an outreach gathering in Dhaka on Tuesday. The event, held at the Institution of Engineers auditorium in Kakrail, was part of the party’s month-long public contact programme. Participants included teachers from Qaumi madrasas, lawyers and people from different professions.

Jamaat leaders welcomed the new members with flowers, while several of those joining delivered brief remarks at the gathering. In his address as chief guest, the Jamaat-e-Islami amir said the party would not compromise with what he described as falsehood or bow to anyone. He said obstacles could arise and there could be a time to sacrifice lives, adding that Quranic law would be established in the country.

The amir also referred to the role of young people, saying that God’s religion had been established in different eras through youth and that workers should continue their efforts energetically. He expressed a commitment not to push society toward division on the basis of religion. Other speakers called for strengthening Jamaat-e-Islami and establishing Islamic values in the country and society.

Bangladesh is finalising draft Civil Aviation Rules 2026 to replace the Civil Aviation Rules 1984 after 42 years, Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister M Rashiduzzaman Millat said at a Tuesday meeting. He said the new framework must be business- and investment-friendly while incorporating provisions to improve passenger service standards and ensure safety and security in civil aviation.

The minister told airline representatives that they are key stakeholders and should participate actively in developing the rules to facilitate investment. The government plans to revise maintenance provisions with private airlines’ needs in mind and address complications involving maintenance, repair and overhaul of complex aircraft components. It also plans rules protecting rights related to international financing and leasing of aircraft assets in line with Cape Town Convention conditions.

Millat said airport physical infrastructure should undergo fire-safety inspection drills every three months. The government is planning an international-standard maintenance, repair and overhaul unit to support domestic and foreign airlines. It will also take steps to simplify procedures for privately established and expanded civil airports, alongside its stated goal of developing an aviation hub.

A Dhaka special judge has postponed the hearing on framing charges against ousted former prime minister Sheikh Hasina and 33 others in the murder case of truck driver Hossain during the July mass uprising. Judge Rabiul Alam of Dhaka’s Fourth Special Judge Court set September 24 as the next date on Tuesday, September 1.

State lawyer M. Anichur Rahman said prison authorities could not produce former state minister Junaid Ahmed Palak because he had been taken to the International Crimes Tribunal. The court therefore deferred the charge-framing hearing. Hossain was shot dead in the Chand Udyan area of Mohammadpur on July 19, 2024, while returning home after leaving his truck at Gabtali.

Hossain’s mother, Reena Begum, filed the murder case at Mohammadpur police station on August 31, 2024. The investigating officer submitted charges against Hasina and 33 others on November 23, 2025. Twenty accused, including Hasina, are absconding and arrest warrants were issued against them on January 26. Four accused are in custody, while 10 are on bail.

Bangladesh’s securities regulator has finalized a plan to launch a derivatives market in the country’s capital market by 2028, beginning with index futures trading. The Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission approved a detailed implementation plan submitted by the Dhaka Stock Exchange at a commission meeting chaired by BSEC Chairman Masud Khan on Tuesday, according to a press release signed by Executive Director and spokesperson Abul Kalam.

Financial analysts said index futures would allow investors to hedge against movements in the overall market index and could provide protection for portfolios during market declines. They said the derivatives market would add modern investment instruments and create a route for better risk management in Bangladesh’s capital market.

The commission also approved a draft direct-listing rule that would allow eligible companies to list without an initial public offering, subject to offloading 10% to 20% of existing shareholders’ holdings. It set deadlines for remitting dividends to foreign investors after obtaining a double taxation avoidance certificate and eased approval requirements for certain share transfers involving Z-category companies.

US President Donald Trump wrote to Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman on August 31, 2026, praising what he described as the decision to purchase Boeing aircraft. The letter, issued from the White House in Washington and addressed to the Bangladesh government in Dhaka, said Trump had just received Rahman’s letter concerning the proposed purchase.

Trump said Boeing would not disappoint Bangladesh and thanked Rahman for his attention to the matter. He also said he would not forget the prime minister’s decision and expressed anticipation of meeting him soon. The letter was signed by Trump in his capacity as president of the United States.

In the message, Trump asked Rahman to convey his sincere greetings and affection to the people of Bangladesh. He said the country’s people had endured many storms, while expressing confidence that Bangladesh and its people would see a bright future under Rahman’s leadership. The source provides no further details on the aircraft purchase, including the number of planes, financial terms, or delivery timeline.

West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari voiced concern over rising prices of essential goods in Kolkata’s retail markets on Tuesday. Speaking at the launch of Consumer Protection Week outside Hogg Market, he said sugar and vegetables had become more expensive and questioned why rice prices were rising when rice is produced in the state.

Adhikari said the state’s consumer protection department had previously been neglected and described the week-long programme as an effort to publicise and expand awareness of a law effective before 2019. He said authorities were taking action against cheating consumers through artificial colouring and manipulation of weighing scales. He warned that artificial colours used to make vegetables and fish appear fresh were poisonous, and said banned colours were also being used in sweets for profit.

He said some police officers, consumer officials or food inspectors could be involved in such practices. Adhikari also raised concerns about fraud in flat sales and referred to a New Town search conducted 10 days earlier, where 120 people were allegedly taking money through false food-delivery app bookings without supplying products. He said both consumers and sellers needed protection and awareness.

The Dhaka Education Board has issued strict instructions to educational institutions not to submit incorrect student information. The directive was issued in an emergency public notice signed by board member secretary Professor S M Kamal Uddin Haider on Monday. It addresses student names, parents’ names and dates of birth submitted during admission, registration and examination-related processes.

The board said applications to correct such information are increasing across education boards, particularly as students move through different stages of education. It warned that inaccurate records create administrative complications and can directly affect students’ future education, employment and the accuracy of official documents. Institution heads must verify birth registration certificates and other authentic documents before recording or sending any information to the board.

Authorities of institutions are responsible for ensuring accuracy in their records and before submission, and administrative action may follow negligence. Parents were asked not to provide false information to alter a child’s age or identity details for benefits. Students were urged to check all details carefully and promptly report errors to their institutions, as corrections after results or certificates are issued can become more complicated.

Bangladesh national football team captain Jamal Bhuyan has become a brand ambassador for mobile financial service provider Nagad under a six-month agreement. The contract was signed on Tuesday at Hotel Sheraton in Dhaka, with Nagad administrator Md Motasim Billah present. Bhuyan will take part in the company’s promotional activities and customer-engagement initiatives during the term.

Nagad said it wants to use Bhuyan’s association to highlight the importance of financial inclusion among young people and sports fans. Expressing his enthusiasm, Bhuyan said he had worked with Nagad before and was happy and honoured to sign as its brand ambassador. He also referred to an earlier World Cup-based Nagad campaign, describing it as very good.

Bhuyan said Nagad was bringing change to digital transactions in Bangladesh through innovation and customer-friendly services. Motasim Billah said Nagad was seeking to build relationships with Bangladeshi footballers and planned to bring more star athletes into the Nagad family in the future. He also said the company would stand beside sports and athletes at all levels in the country.

India’s Supreme Court has quashed all cases filed against students over protests by the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) between 20 and 25 July. On Tuesday, a bench led by Chief Justice Surya Kant declared the related FIRs invalid nationwide, covering all states and union territories. The order excludes cases involving people with prior records of serious criminal offences.

The court acted under its special powers under Article 142 after the central government assured it that cases linked to the 20 July CJP protest would be withdrawn and that no new cases would be filed over the matter. The court nevertheless allowed Delhi Police to pursue one specified FIR against 2,873 people who joined the Jantar Mantar protest and have records of serious criminal offences.

Following the ruling and the government’s assurance, CJP spokesperson and co-convener Saurabh Das withdrew the party’s planned 5 September Delhi march. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta said Delhi Police and the governments of Bihar, Assam, West Bengal and Maharashtra had sought dismissal of protest-related FIRs. The court also directed the central government to complete compensation procedures within three months for families of students who died by suicide after the NEET-UG 2026 examination was cancelled.

Agriculture, Fisheries and Livestock Minister Aminur Rashid Yasin said Bangladesh has fertiliser stocks sufficient for four to five months and rejected allegations that fertiliser prices have risen. He alleged that a syndicate was attempting to create the appearance of a fertiliser shortage, adding that police were searching for those responsible. He made the remarks on Tuesday while answering reporters’ questions after a discussion meeting in Cumilla.

The minister spoke at an event organised by Cumilla Metropolitan BNP to mark the party’s 48th founding anniversary. He said Bangladesh would become self-sufficient in cultivating import-dependent spices within the next three years. He also said vegetable prices rise during the monsoon because farmers’ production costs increase, and that the government is considering incentives for monsoon vegetable production.

Yasin said no onions had been imported so far this year, unlike in previous years, and expressed hope that imports would not be needed in the future. He said efforts were underway to end imports of onions, chillies and tomatoes within two years. He also said Bangladesh imports 100,000 tonnes of ginger annually and described agricultural products as potential leading export goods.

Education Minister Dr. A N M Ehsanul Haque Milon said MPO-enlisted teachers and employees at private educational institutions will be included in the new pay scale and receive salaries and allowances accordingly. He made the announcement in a post on his verified Facebook page on Tuesday, following cabinet approval of the National Pay Scale 2026 on Monday afternoon.

After the cabinet meeting, Cabinet Secretary Nasimul Ghani had said no decision had yet been made on including MPO-enlisted teachers and staff in the new scale. The MPO-Enlisted Education Nationalisation Aspirants Alliance, representing more than 625,000 teachers and employees, immediately expressed anger and demanded a notification formally including them in the pay scale.

MPO-enlisted personnel receive the main portion of their salary and some allowances from the government each month. BANBEIS data list 398,000 under secondary and higher education, nearly 175,000 under madrasa education and more than 23,000 under technical education. Their house-rent allowance was recently raised to 15 percent of basic pay in two stages, with the final 7.5 percent effective from July 1 this year.

The Bangladesh Cricket Board has temporarily banned three people, including former director and former Audit Committee chairman Muhammad Mokhlesur Rahman Shamim, from all cricket activities over serious corruption allegations linked to the 12th Bangladesh Premier League. The BCB Integrity Unit took the action under multiple provisions of the International Cricket Council Anti-Corruption Code.

The other two accused are former BCB Security Liaison Officer Zakir Hossain and former Bogura district BCB councillor and former Audit Committee member secretary Rakibul Islam Sani. A BCB-compiled investigation report alleged that the three directly or indirectly tried to improperly influence match results or the natural course of play, encouraged corrupt activity, concealed information about unethical proposals and failed to cooperate with investigators.

Shamim faces specific allegations of attempting to fix or influence parts of BPL matches, encouraging others to engage in wrongdoing, failing to report proposals to BCB ACU and deleting sensitive evidence. BCB has given all three 14 days to submit written explanations. After reviewing their responses, the board will determine final disciplinary action or further legal steps under the ICC code.

The Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI) has urged traders not to raise prices of essential goods by citing the newly announced pay scale. FBCCI Convener Md Fazlul Haque made the appeal on Tuesday morning at a consultation meeting with businesses at the organisation’s headquarters, convened to help keep stocks, supply, imports and prices of daily necessities stable.

Haque said the public had become concerned about essential-goods prices after approval of the pay scale and called on businesses to assure consumers that there was no connection between the pay scale and price increases. Traders, wholesalers and importers said prices need not rise if supplies remain normal, but warned that fuel shortages, supply-chain obstacles and unchecked middlemen could make market stability difficult.

Participants sought uninterrupted fuel for production-oriented factories, solutions to letter-of-credit complications, stronger monitoring of prices at mill gates and wholesale and retail markets, and action against harassment in supply channels. Haque said observations from the meeting would be conveyed to the government and that he would pursue discussions with relevant ministries and agencies within his three-month term.