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.

Pakistan’s recent military activity has raised questions in India over whether Islamabad could be preparing for renewed action before the festival season, though no reliable evidence confirms an imminent attack on India. On August 29, Pakistan Army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir visited the Pakistan Ordnance Factories complex at Wah Cantonment near Islamabad, described as the country’s largest arms factory.

Pakistan’s military media wing, ISPR, said Munir reviewed plans to strengthen domestic defence industry capacity and increase weapons production. He was briefed on weapons designs, production capacity and ammunition testing, while factory officials outlined expansion plans. Two additional weapons-production centres are expected to begin production later this year. Pakistan has also expanded defence cooperation with China and Turkey and signed a joint defence and military cooperation agreement with Kuwait on August 27.

Reports of heavy artillery deployment near the border, including Chinese-made SH-15 155mm self-propelled howitzers, have added to scrutiny. However, Pakistan also faces security pressures along the Afghan border and insurgency-related concerns in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The source says Islamabad’s preparations cannot conclusively be interpreted as preparations for an attack on India.

A woman from Chennai gave a cheque for 40 million rupees to the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust in Ayodhya, India, for the welfare of Ram Temple workers. After the trust deposited it, the bank found that her account held only three rupees, causing the cheque to bounce. The bank is preparing to issue her a notice seeking an explanation.

The woman separately donated 10,000 rupees to the temple. She had sought a written assurance from the trust that the 40 million rupees would be spent only on staff welfare, but the trust did not provide that assurance. The matter is now being handled through discussions, according to the report.

During the 2020 Nidhi Samarpan Abhiyan for temple construction, nearly 35 billion rupees was collected in 45 days. Cheques worth about one billion rupees initially bounced, though most of that money was later recovered; about 220 million rupees remains unrecovered. The temple currently receives about 30 million to 40 million rupees in monthly donations through cash, online payments and cheques. The trust has not issued an official statement on this case.

The United Arab Emirates has rejected reports that Iran launched a missile attack on the Al Minhad Air Base, described in the source as a US military base in the country. The UAE Defence Ministry issued the denial in a statement posted on X, calling media reports about a missile strike on the base unfounded.

Earlier, Iran said on Monday that it had carried out an attack using several dozen drones against US military bases in the UAE. Tehran described the reported action as a response to a US attack, according to the source.

The UAE had previously said that an Iranian drone was shot down in its waters. The source does not provide further details on the reported drone incident, the alleged Iranian operation, or any damage or casualties.

Hundreds of people protested outside Madison Square Garden in New York over an event involving Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat. Demonstrators called for Bhagwat’s visa to be cancelled and for the RSS to face a ban. The protest was organized by the Indian American Muslim Council and other religious and civil rights groups.

Former New York City Comptroller Brad Lander and City Council member Julie Won joined the demonstration. They criticized the staging of the event, citing the RSS’s Hindutva ideology and allegations of violence against religious minorities. The organizers said 65 US civic and interfaith organizations opposed the event.

The US Commission on International Religious Freedom had earlier recommended cancelling Bhagwat’s visa and imposing targeted sanctions on the RSS. It cited allegations of violence against Muslims, Christians, Dalits and Sikhs. More than 1,000 people also urged US Secretary of State Marco Rubio not to permit Bhagwat to enter the United States, according to the IAMC. Founded in 1925, the RSS is described as a Hindu nationalist organization and an ideological foundation of India’s Hindutva movement.

President Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has urged Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) to take more effective measures to stop smuggling, drug trafficking, push-ins and border killings. He made the call on Monday during a courtesy meeting at Bangabhaban with BGB Director General Major General Mohammad Ashrafuzzaman Siddiqui, according to the president’s press secretary Md Sarwar Alam.

The president also praised the BGB for its work in carrying out the important responsibility of protecting the border. He said the force’s role as a vigilant guard was highly important in preventing smuggling, narcotics and human trafficking along the frontier.

During the meeting, the BGB director general congratulated the president on assuming office. He briefed him on the force’s overall activities and initiatives to incorporate advanced drones and modern technology to increase border surveillance. The president praised those technology-related initiatives and assured overall cooperation. The president’s secretaries and senior officials were present at the meeting.

Bangladesh Agricultural University Research System held a final review workshop in a Gulshan hotel in the capital on Monday for 22 research sub-projects focused on agriculture, livestock, fisheries, environment and livelihoods in haor areas. The three-year initiatives, funded by City Bank, directly benefited 904 farmers across seven haor-surrounded districts. Research priorities included climate-resilient agricultural production, crop diversification, pest and disease management, food and nutrition security, and increasing farmers’ incomes.

The workshop marked the conclusion of the City Bank-supported Agricultural Research, Development and Innovation project in Bangladesh’s agro-ecological region. City Bank provided a total of Tk4 crore. The project involved 22 principal researchers from the university, 81 researchers overall, 36 postgraduate students and four PhD fellows. Its inaugural workshop was held on September 30, 2023.

Researchers held 21 workshops and 13 international conferences to bring findings to field level. The work produced 43 research papers in nine impact journals and created 124 short-term employment opportunities. Project activities also included efforts on technology commercialization, coordination among industry, academia and government, market links, farmer-centered innovation platforms and a digital knowledge repository for research results, data and training materials.

The United States is providing $2.4 million, equivalent to 293.28 million taka, in medical equipment and supplies to Bangladesh’s Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. The assistance is intended to strengthen maternal, newborn and child health services across the country. At Panchagarh District Hospital, US Ambassador Brent T. Christensen handed a maternal and newborn health-care training model to Civil Surgeon Dr. Md. Mizanur Rahman.

According to a US Embassy press release, the wider support includes equipment to keep newborns warm and assist breathing, therapeutic food for children with severe malnutrition, and materials to maintain vaccine effectiveness. The supplies are being distributed to hospitals and health centres nationwide, including in remote areas.

The assistance is funded by the United States and delivered through FHI 360, Jhpiego, JSI and UNICEF. The embassy said the effort supports implementation of the America First Global Health Strategy by strengthening health systems through practical partnerships and advancing US health-sector innovation. It also said the United States remains committed to working with the Bangladesh government to expand access to quality health care nationwide.

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.