Eastern University Bangladesh Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr Farid Ahmad Sobhani said Bangladesh needs fundamental changes to its education system to keep pace with a changing world. Speaking as chief guest at a Tuesday evening seminar in Uttara, Dhaka, he called for combining vocational and moral education to develop skilled, patriotic citizens capable of meeting global challenges. The event was titled “Education Crisis in Bangladesh and Ways to Overcome It” and was organised by the University Study Forum, Uttara, Dhaka.

City University Pro-Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr Kazi Shahadat Kabir presented the keynote paper, identifying key causes of the current education crisis and offering practical recommendations for addressing them. The seminar was chaired by Dr Md Rashedul Alam, president of the University Study Forum and a faculty member at Asian University of Bangladesh.

During an open session, deans, professors and university teachers discussed shortcomings in moral education within the curriculum, improving educational quality, teacher training and creating a research-friendly environment. Speakers said a prosperous country and nation cannot be built without moral and vocational education, and stressed that joint public and private initiatives are needed to address the sector’s existing challenges.

State Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Sheikh Faridul Islam has called for recognising party leaders and activists who have made long-term sacrifices and participated in movements and struggles when selecting candidates for local government elections. He made the remarks on Tuesday afternoon in Bagerhat as chief guest at a discussion and cultural programme marking the BNP’s 48th founding anniversary.

He said those who remained active during the party’s difficult times and stood beside its leaders and activists should receive proper recognition. According to him, candidate selection for upcoming local elections should give importance to qualified, sacrificing and popular leaders and activists.

The state minister also said evaluation should not be limited to organisational posts, but should consider close ties with the public and roles played on the streets during hard times. He urged party members to work in unity to gain public trust. The programme was chaired by Bagerhat district BNP convener ATM Akram Hossain Talim and moderated by member secretary Mozaffar Rahman Alam.

Bangladesh Khelafat Majlis Secretary General Maulana Jalaluddin Ahmad urged the government to promptly implement the referendum verdict, warning against what he described as growing public anger. He made the remarks on Tuesday at the party’s central office in Purana Paltan, Dhaka, during a meeting to prepare for a September 5 long march organised under the 11-party alliance initiative.

Ahmad said the government would have no opportunity to ignore the public turnout expected at the long march. He cited gas and fuel shortages, rising prices of essential goods and factory closures as government failures that had disrupted public life. He said disregarding the referendum verdict in such circumstances would be an imprudent decision.

He also said people understood the difference between amending and reforming the constitution, and cautioned against misleading them in the name of constitutional amendment. The meeting, chaired by joint secretary general and long march implementation committee chief Maulana Ataullah Amin, called on Dhaka’s party workers to intensify preparations, public outreach and campaigning to make the September 5 programme successful.

US Ambassador to Bangladesh Brent T. Christensen said the United States has been involved with Bangladesh Railway from its early years, highlighting American technology and engineering services during a visit to Saidpur Railway Station in Nilphamari on Tuesday afternoon. Responding to journalists, he said the locomotive used for the train was made by Progress Rail, which he described as a leading US company.

Christensen said US technology and American locomotives have served Bangladesh for years and continue to serve its people. He described the technological partnership as a combination of US technology and craftsmanship with the skills and dedication of Bangladeshis. He said Progress Rail, Webtec and other American companies were very interested in continuing the partnership with Bangladesh.

The ambassador later visited the Saidpur Railway Workshop, the historic Chini Mosque and Saidpur Christian Church. Earlier in the day, he visited the Lokayan Biodiversity Museum in Thakurgaon, Kantajew Temple and Nayabad Mosque in Dinajpur, and the central locomotive workshop near Parbatipur Railway Station. He travelled from Parbatipur to Saidpur by rail in President Saloon Coach No. 1265.

Bangladesh’s Education Ministry has decided to restore the previous recruitment and registration examination system for entry-level teachers at private educational institutions. The decision was made at a meeting held Tuesday at the ministry, according to relevant sources. Candidates will again need to obtain registration certificates through the established preliminary, written and MCQ examination process, while teacher recruitment through the Non-Government Teachers’ Registration and Certification Authority, or NTRCA, will remain in place.

The meeting was chaired by Abdul Khaleq, secretary of the Secondary and Higher Education Division. NTRCA Chairman Alif Rudaba, Joint Secretary Helaluzzaman Sarkar and other relevant officials attended. An official who participated in the meeting, speaking anonymously, said the earlier decision to alter the teacher recruitment or registration examination system had been cancelled.

Officials said a formal circular implementing the latest decision will be issued soon. The restoration means the NTRCA registration examination will retain its previous importance for those seeking teaching positions in private educational institutions. Authorities expect the circular to end recent uncertainty surrounding the teacher registration and recruitment process.

Rainfall linked to a low-pressure system affected Bangladesh on Tuesday, bringing relief from several days of humid heat as temperatures fell across parts of the country. The Bangladesh Meteorological Department said the increased rainfall is likely to continue on Wednesday and Thursday, before easing somewhat for two days and increasing again from Sunday.

The highest rainfall on Tuesday was recorded at Teknaf in Cox’s Bazar, at 84 millimetres, while Dhaka received 21 millimetres. Temperatures in various areas dropped by up to 2 to 3 degrees Celsius compared with previous days. The country’s highest temperature was 33.9 degrees Celsius on Tuesday, down from 35.6 degrees Celsius recorded in Nikli, Kishoreganj, on Monday.

Meteorologist Shahinul Islam said the well-marked low-pressure area had moved northwest and was located over Gangetic West Bengal and adjoining Jharkhand. Light to moderate rain or thundershowers with gusty winds are forecast in many areas on Wednesday and Thursday, with moderately heavy to heavy rainfall possible in some places. Daytime temperatures are expected to remain nearly unchanged, while nighttime temperatures may fall slightly.

US Ambassador to Bangladesh Brent T. Christensen said the United States and Bangladesh would continue their partnership to improve rail connectivity in Bangladesh. He made the remarks to journalists on Monday after travelling from Parbatipur to Saidpur on the Nil Sagar Express, his first train journey in Bangladesh.

Referring to his visit to the Parbatipur Railway Workshop, Christensen said the Nil Sagar Express locomotive was made by a US company. He said the United States has contributed to railway-sector development by supplying modern technology, and expressed hope that his visit would further strengthen cooperative relations between the two countries.

At Saidpur Railway Workshop, divisional superintendent Shah Sufi Nur Mohammad, workshop manager Mumtazul Islam, other senior railway officials and labour leaders welcomed the ambassador with flowers. He later visited the historic President Saloon associated with Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II, different workshop sections, the railway museum and several British-era structures. He also toured a historic Catholic church, a Christian cemetery and the adjacent Chini Mosque.

Mohammad Selim Uddin, amir of Dhaka Metropolitan North Jamaat and a Dhaka North City Corporation mayoral candidate, said the Clean Dhaka campaign cleaned 290 canals and drains and removed about 204 tonnes of waste. At a Tuesday press briefing in Baridhara, he also called on the government and Election Commission to quickly hold city corporation elections and hand responsibility to elected representatives.

Uddin said the programme ran simultaneously in all 54 wards of Dhaka North City Corporation from August 25 to 31. According to him, 25,828 volunteers took part in clearing canals, removing accumulated waste and reopening encroached footpaths. He said the initiative was intended to demonstrate that such work is possible and to bring together residents’ voices, rather than claim that all city problems could be solved in seven days.

The campaign installed 20 smart bins in different parts of Dhaka, with waste to be deposited in three stages. Uddin said pens made from the waste would be distributed to students on the upcoming Literacy Day. He also urged transparent ward-level budgets and spending, digital complaint systems, functioning streetlights, and action against alleged waste-management syndicates.

Finance and Planning Minister Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury said only the BNP can pull Bangladesh out of the “deep hole” he said was created by past governments. Speaking on Tuesday, September 1, at a pre-rally gathering in Chattogram marking the BNP’s 48th founding anniversary, he said the party, led by Tarique Rahman, could resolve the country’s problems.

Khasru accused what he called a fascist government and an interim government of damaging the country through looting and inaction. He said recovery would take time, urged party activists not to worry, and said the BNP would remain active both in government and, if needed, on the streets. He also said the party viewed economic difficulties as problems affecting the public rather than any specific group.

He said steps had already been taken and further measures would be introduced in the public interest. Calling for patience and cooperation with the government, he asked people to identify drug dealers, extortionists and illegal occupiers and hand them to police. State Minister Mir Mohammad Helal Uddin said a long march involving 1,000 vehicles was planned for September 5.

Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami said 650 people, including a former judge, former military and police officers, lawyers, businesspeople, Qawmi scholars and political activists, formally joined the party at an outreach rally in Dhaka on Tuesday afternoon. The event was organised by the party’s Dhaka South unit as part of its month-long public-contact programme at the Muktijuddho Smriti auditorium of the Institution of Diploma Engineers.

Opposition leader and Jamaat ameer Dr Shafiqur Rahman attended as chief guest and welcomed the new members with flowers and Islamic books. Dhaka South Jamaat ameer Md Nurul Islam Bulbul MP chaired the gathering. Named entrants included former judge Syed Shahidur Rahman, senior Supreme Court lawyer Dr ASM Khalequzzaman, former army officer Colonel Faruk Hossain, former police superintendent Obaidul Haque and former national footballer and former UN official Selim Ahmed.

The group also included business figures, BNP activists from several wards and local units, mosque secretary Niamat Ullah Kollol, Nurani Education Board secretary general Maulana Muhammad Jasim Uddin, and several Qawmi scholars. Several new members and Jamaat leaders addressed the rally, which was jointly moderated by Dhaka South secretary Dr Shafiqul Islam Masud MP and assistant secretary Delwar Hossain.

SalamAir on Tuesday resumed regular international flights by a foreign airline at Sylhet’s Osmani International Airport after an eight-year gap. The airline’s Muscat-Sylhet service arrived at 7:55am carrying 133 passengers and departed for Muscat at 9:23am with 224 passengers. Airport manager Hafiz Uddin Ahmed confirmed the development.

SalamAir marked the restart with a cake-cutting ceremony and discussion at the airport’s VIP lounge. Oman’s deputy ambassador in Dhaka, Fateha Ahmed Al Balushi, SalamAir Chief Commercial Officer Steven Allen, Bangladesh managing director M A Latif Shahriar Zahidi, and airport manager Ahmed attended. Flydubai had become the first foreign carrier to operate international flights from Sylhet on April 1, 2015, before ending its Sylhet service in September 2018.

SalamAir initially plans three weekly direct flights on the Muscat-Sylhet route, increasing to five weekly flights from next month. It aims to operate daily flights from January 2027. Sources said Air Arabia, Flydubai and several other foreign airlines may begin direct services from Sylhet by December this year.

Dhaka University Central Students’ Union assistant general secretary Muha. Mohiuddin Khan said those who killed Shaheed Osman Hadi could not destroy his writings, thoughts or ideals. Khan made the remarks in the foreword to “Barudmakha Kothamala,” a compilation of statements by Shaheed Sharif Osman Bin Hadi, edited by DUCSU literary and cultural secretary Musaddiq Ali Ibn Mohammad.

Khan described Hadi as an unyielding hero who fought for Bangladesh’s reconstruction from before July until his death. He said Hadi examined the views of people from opposing political camps and different religious and ideological backgrounds, including BNP, Jamaat, Hindus, Buddhists, Muslims, Christians, and the political right and left.

According to Khan, Hadi’s assessments were not violent or aggressive; instead, he sought to answer arguments with reason and present his views logically. Khan said Hadi’s statements emphasized nation-building and how the country could regain a place of excellence. He called for continued study and transmission of Hadi’s thoughts and speeches across generations, saying this would keep his legacy alive for centuries.

United Healthcare says it successfully completed Bangladesh’s first full robotic surgeries at its hospital on Madani Avenue in Dhaka on Monday. Using the Medbot Tumai Endoscopic Surgical Robot, doctors performed robotic cholecystectomy to remove gallstones from a 57-year-old man and robotic hysterectomy for abnormal uterine bleeding in a 45-year-old woman. The organisation disclosed the procedures at a press conference on Tuesday.

Professor Dr Rafiqus Saleheen, head and chief consultant of surgery at United Medical College Hospital, led the first operation. Professor Dr Shamsad Jahan Shelly, senior consultant and head of obstetrics and gynaecology, performed the second. Saleheen said the robot’s arms can rotate up to 360 degrees, allowing more precise work in narrow and complex areas, with potentially less cutting, blood loss and recovery time.

The hospital received approval from the Directorate General of Drug Administration before formally starting robotic surgery. Saleheen said costs may be about two to three times higher than conventional surgery, though he expects them to fall as use expands. United Healthcare plans to extend robotic surgery to cardiac, neuro, urology, general surgery, gynaecology and thoracic departments.

Bangladesh’s Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has decided to issue notices seeking asset declarations from Farhana Rahman Happy, wife of former national cricketer and former Manikganj-1 lawmaker A M Naimur Rahman Durjoy; former Ghior upazila chairman Mahbubur Rahman Jony; and Jubo League leader Md Abul Bashar. ACC Deputy Director Md Aktarul Islam disclosed the decision to journalists on Tuesday.

The commission said its preliminary inquiry found assets inconsistent with known sources of income and unusual financial transactions in the names of the three individuals. It will issue the notices under Section 26(1) of the Anti-Corruption Commission Act, 2004, requiring them to submit asset statements.

The ACC said it found information on Tk 1 crore 39 lakh 67 thousand 167 in assets beyond known income in Happy’s name. It cited Tk 69 lakh 94 lakh 184 in inconsistent assets in Jony’s name. Bashar is accused of earning substantial funds through illegal sand trading, corruption and money laundering between 2010 and 2025, with unusual transactions totaling Tk 86 crore 80 lakh 47 thousand 449 in 14 bank accounts. The ACC said Bashar may also hold undisclosed movable and immovable assets.

Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Dr Shafiqur Rahman said scholars joining the party from Qawmi madrasas should remain connected to both the Qawmi sphere and Jamaat-e-Islami. He made the remarks on Tuesday as chief guest at a dawah gathering organised by Jamaat-e-Islami Dhaka Metropolitan South at the IDEB Muktijuddho Memorial Hall in Kakrail, Dhaka.

Rahman said Jamaat does not view the Qawmi community separately and does not regard its religious service as insignificant. He said he prays sincerely for Qawmi scholars and asked Allah to grant greater blessings to their service. He described speaking in parliament for the rights of Qawmi scholars as his responsibility, saying the position stems from conscience rather than an effort to please any individual or social group.

Addressing party leaders and activists, Rahman urged them not to compromise with what he called falsehood or bow before anyone. He said obstacles could arise and there could be a time to give one’s life, while expressing hope that Quranic law would be established in the country. Teachers from Qawmi madrasas, lawyers and people from other professions attended the event, where new joiners were welcomed with flowers.