Biman pilot in trouble after flying to Jeddah with wrong passportA Biman Bangladesh Airlines pilot has landed in hot water in Saudi Arabia after mistakenly travelling with his mother’s passport instead of his own. Captain Muntasir Rahman flew a Boeing 777 to Jeddah on Tuesday night, but immigration officials discovered he did not have his own passport upon arrival. He was detained and questioned before being released on Wednesday morning following the intervention of Biman officials in Jeddah. Later in the day, Biman arranged for his passport to be flown from Dhaka to Jeddah on an evening flight. “Captain Muntasir mistakenly boarded the flight with his mother’s passport.

A Dhaka court has ordered a five-day remand for Enayet Karim Chowdhury, a Bangladesh-origin US citizen, following his detention for “suspicious roaming” in a car on Minto Road. His associate, SM Golam Mostafa Azad, has also been sent into custody for questioning, for the same period. The decision came after an application by Inspector Akhtar Morshed of the detective police Ramna zone. Enayet was arrested by Ramna Model Police on Saturday around 10:30am, allegedly for suspicious activities. Meanwhile, a terrorism case was filed against him, and he was arrested under this charge, leading to his two-day remand by the Detective Branch.

With a $5 million makeover, Phoenix Theatres transformed a 10-screen cinema at Cleveland's Great Northern Mall into a cinematic escape where wall-to-wall screens, thundering sound, and luxurious recliners lure movie lovers back to the big screens. AMC told investors last month that its upgraded auditoriums attract close to three times the occupancy of a regular theater. Texas-based Cinemark has invested $225 million this year to maintain and enhance its global theaters, according to Cinema United's Cinema Investment Report. Theater owners charge an average $5 per ticket premium for these more luxurious experiences, according to EntTelligence, helping to offset the 23 percent decline in ticket sales since 2019. "If movie theaters were not recovering -- which they've done, pretty amazingly considering they were shut down in March of 2020 -- premium wouldn't even be on the table," said Paul Dergarabedian, Comscore senior media analyst.

The Chattogram University Central Students' Union (CUCSU) election is witnessing increased interest, with 528 candidates now vying for central positions. This follows an extension of the nomination period on Wednesday, which saw an additional 39 students collect forms for the central election. The hall council election also saw a rise in contenders, with 34 more students picking up nomination forms on the final day. For instance, 42 candidates from AF Rahman Hall, 41 from Alaol Hall, and 53 from Atish Dipangkar Srigyan Hall picked up nomination forms. In terms of form submission, 125 central candidates and 246 hall council hopefuls have already turned in their papers.

The interim government has reportedly traced extensive properties of NASSA Group Chairman Nazrul Islam Mazumder in Dubai, Dhaka, and Thakurgaon. Investigations have "uncovered" a palm garden and a resort in Dubai, plots and flats in the capital, and nearly 40 hectares of land in Thakurgaon linked to him. The meeting primarily reviewed Bangladesh’s labour and business situation, with key attendees including Finanace Advisor Salehuddin Ahmed, Home Advisor Jahangir Alam Chowdhury, Labour Advisor M Sakhawat Hussain, Commerce Advisor Sheikh Bashir Uddin, and BGMEA President Mahmud Hasan Khan. Advisor Sakhawat said, “If NASSA Group fails to pay workers’ salaries, legal action will be taken against the owner. Passports of the chairman, his wife, son, and daughter will be cancelled.”The labour ministry has set a deadline of Sept 21 for Nazrul to provide power of attorney for selling assets to pay workers’ salaries.

The National Consensus Commission’s discussions with political parties on implementing the July Charter have now narrowed down to two main approaches: special constitutional orders and a referendum. He said non-constitutional reform proposals would be implemented through ordinances or government orders, while constitutional amendments would require either a referendum or special constitutional orders. The expert panel’s suggestions were presented to political parties, proposing that the interim government could announce a constitutional order based on the 22-point July Proclamation. Riaz clarified that the constitutional order would come into immediate effect once announced but would be legitimised after receiving approval in the referendum. The commission has asked political parties for more time to discuss the options and hopes to narrow down the proposals.

The interim government has traced extensive properties of NASSA Group Chairman Nazrul Islam Mazumder in Dubai, Dhaka, and Thakurgaon. A report detailing the assets registered in the names of Nazrul, his wife, son, and daughter was presented at a meeting of the Ministry of Labour and Employment on Tuesday, according to a media statement. The meeting primarily reviewed Bangladesh’s labour and business situation, with key attendees including Finanace Advisor Salehuddin Ahmed, Home Advisor Jahangir Alam Chowdhury, Labour Advisor M Sakhawat Hussain, Commerce Advisor Sheikh Bashir Uddin, and BGMEA President Mahmud Hasan Khan. Advisor Sakhawat said, “If NASSA Group fails to pay workers’ salaries, legal action will be taken against the owner. Passports of the chairman, his wife, son, and daughter will be cancelled.”The labour ministry has set a deadline of Sept 21 for Nazrul to provide power of attorney for selling assets to pay workers’ salaries.

Guinea is set to vote on Sunday in a referendum on a new constitution that would permit junta leader Mamady Doumbouya to run for president, something he vowed not to do when he seized power four years ago. The new constitution would lengthen the presidential term from five years to seven, renewable once, and create a Senate. "We need a vote so Guinea can be governed by a constitution, a first step towards normalising the country." "I won't vote because the process isn't transparent," said Abdoulaye Diallo, a resident of Hamdallaye, also in Conakry. "You can't talk about voting in Guinea without the main parties.

Muhammad Yunus has reiterated his commitment to holding a “free, fair, transparent, and festive” parliamentary election in the first half of February next year in a meeting with a European Parliament delegation. Yunus was quoted as saying, “We have already announced the election timetable. Yunus expressed confidence that young voters would turn out in record numbers, many of them voting for the first time in over 15 years. “This election will mark a new beginning for Bangladesh, opening a new chapter in our history,” he said. The meeting also covered ongoing EU support for democratic reforms, Bangladesh’s development, and the Rohingya crisis.

Nahid says activists went into hiding to escape arrests amid threats during UprisingNahid Islam, the convenor of the National Citizen Party, has testified at the International Crimes Tribunal-1, revealing how the leaders of the quota reform movement went into hiding when their lives were threatened. “We faced life threats, and to avoid arrests, we went into hiding. Many students were injured and killed across the country that day,” Nahid said. “We realised on the 19th of July that the government was in full control of the media. News of our movement and the injured and dead was being suppressed.”Nahid discussed his involvement in the quota reform movement and the protests in July, highlighting the continuous struggle for similar demands.

“The reasons behind this overenthusiasm also need to be investigated,” the TIB said. The finance ministry had earlier rejected the proposal to buy cars for the next government following criticism. But the renewed proposal to buy them at an even higher price has been labelled by TIB as a repetition of the “overzealous flattery” of some bureaucrats towards possible future ministers, similar to the practices during the previous “authoritarian” government. Why then is the Ministry of Public Administration so eager, in violation of the law, to purchase luxury Toyota Land Cruisers for future ministers? The organisation demanded that the proposal to buy cars for future ministers be cancelled immediately and deferred for a decision by the next government.

The Special Investigation Unit has been tasked with the inquiry, ACC Director General Akhtar Hossain said on Wednesday. The ACC said he owns seven air-conditioned superior coaches worth around Tk 100 million operating on the Dhaka-Kushtia route. Citing its inquiry, the agency said Azad had acquired assets worth Tk 123.4 million through abuse of office. It alleged that in his 2022 wealth statement, Azad concealed Tk 160.3 million worth of assets and provided false information. According to the inquiry, his total wealth amounted to Tk 180.4 million, but only Tk 61.9 million could be traced to legitimate income sources.

Pakistan's last group stage match against the UAE in the Asia Cup has been delayed by an hour amid escalating rumours of the team's withdrawal. At 4:30pm local time, the Pakistan team was supposed to leave their hotel, but by 5:15pm, they had not yet departed. Despite this, the UAE team had arrived on time and completed their warm-up. The tension follows controversy surrounding the India-Pakistan match, where Pakistan’s refusal to shake hands with Indian players led to widespread discussion. The result of the match will determine whether Pakistan advances to the Super Four stage of the tournament.

The Islami Chhatra Shibir has demanded voting through OMR machines in the RUCSU elections, countering the Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal’s call for manual vote counting. On Wednesday afternoon, Chhatra Dal presented six demands, including the manual counting of votes, in front of the RUCSU Treasurer’s Office. In response to the demands, Chief Election Commissioner Prof F Nazrul Islam said: “The objectives we are working towards in the election are in line with the demands presented by them. We will try to organise the election following these procedures.”Earlier in the day, the Chhatra Dal raised six demands, including manual vote counting. In response, the chief election commissioner said: “Manual counting is time-consuming.

For this year’s Durga Puja, schools and educational institutions in Bangladesh will observe extended holidays, with government primary schools set for a seven-day closure, secondary eight days, and colleges for 10 days. The holiday for primary schools will start from Sept 28, with a break until Oct 6, excluding the weekly holidays. Colleges will follow a similar schedule, with holidays starting on Sept 28 and lasting until Oct 9, excluding weekly holidays. Technical schools under the Technical Education Board will have five days off from Oct 1 to Oct 7, excluding the weekly holidays, with classes starting on Oct 8. This year, Durga Puja will begin with the main rituals on Sept 28, with idol immersion on Oct 2 marking the end of the festival.