The Election Commission has introduced new campaign rules for the upcoming 13th national election, banning posters and limiting the number of billboards each candidate can use. Under the draft code of conduct, a candidate can put up a maximum of 20 billboards in their constituency, with sizes restricted to 16 feet by 9 feet. Special provisions have been added to tackle cyberbullying of women and to penalise the spread of misinformation or propaganda using AI. CAMPAIGN RULES AT A GLANCE• Billboards: Maximum of 20 per candidate and only digital billboards can use electric lighting. • Candidacy cancellation: For serious violations, the EC can cancel a candidate’s nomination under Section 91 of the RPO.

A Dhaka court has imposed a travel ban on Jatiya Party leader GM Quader and his wife Sharifa Quader amid an Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) investigation into allegations of graft and money laundering. Investigators also allege that Quader fraudulently consolidated his control of the Jatiya Party and amassed large sums by selling party posts and nominations, with some of the proceeds laundered abroad. In his 2024 election affidavit, Quader declared nearly Tk 5 million in cash, Tk 3.6 million in bank deposits, and a luxury jeep valued at Tk 8.5 million. Sharifa’s assets included Tk 5.9 million in cash, Tk 2.8 million in the bank, a jeep worth Tk 8 million, and property holdings in Lalmonirhat and Dhaka. Quader, the younger brother of former Jatiya Party chairman and military ruler HM Ershad, has been a fixture in Bangladeshi politics since first entering Parliament in 1996.

People wade through a flooded road after a rise in the water level of river Yamuna due to heavy monsoon rains, in New Delhi, India, Sept 3, 2025. REUTERSPeople wade through a flooded road after a rise in the water level of river Yamuna due to heavy monsoon rains, in New Delhi, India, Sept 3, 2025. REUTERSParts of Delhi and Indian Kashmir were flooded on Thursday after two rivers breached the danger mark following heavy rain in several northern areas, but weather officials forecast some respite from downpours. In Delhi, the capital, the Yamuna river passed the danger mark on Tuesday, in a flow the Central Water Commission described as a 'severe' situation. The deluge spurred authorities to release water pent up in dams, further flooding areas in both India and neighbouring Pakistan.

Sayeed Sheikh, a speech-impaired man arrested for allegedly shouting slogans during an Awami League flash procession near Gulistan, has been released on bail after spending nine days in jail. Dhaka Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Zakir Hossain granted Sayeed bail on Tuesday on humanitarian grounds. Upon his release, his mother broke down in tears as she embraced her son, who was also seen crying. In his submission, the officer identified Sayeed as “speech-impaired.”The court ordered him to jail. Meanwhile, Maksudul submitted a separate application requesting that Sayeed not be considered “disabled” but rather “stammering or without clear diction”.

The interim government has reunified the Ministry of Home Affairs, nearly eight years after it was divided into two separate divisions. A fresh order issued on Wednesday brought the Public Security Division and the Security Services Division back under a single structure. According to a Cabinet Division notification, the ministry has been reconstituted under the Rules of Business. The merger means activities of both divisions will now operate under a single secretary. The Security Services Division had under its authority the Department of Immigration and Passports, the Department of Prisons, the Bangladesh Fire Service and Civil Defence, and the Department of Narcotics Control.

The final match of the T20 series between Bangladesh and Netherlands has been abandoned due to persistent rain in Sylhet, allowing the Tigers to clinch the series 2-0. The match began after a delay due to a wet outfield, and Bangladesh, put in to bat after the Netherlands won the toss, started aggressively. The hosts’ new opening pair of Saif Hassan (12) and Litton started strong, posting 39 in 3.1 overs before Kyle Klein (3-53) dismissed Saif. Jaker Ali (20*) and Nurul Hasan (22*) provided a late boost with 42 runs in the final partnership, including two sixes each. Rain returned heavily in the 19th over and continued to pour before the umpires called off the match.

A previously announced Bangladesh Agricultural University (BAU) syndicate meeting has not been held. As a result, the notice closing the university’s residential halls remains closed and the responsibility of enforcing it remains with the local administration. During the talks, Assistant Proctor Prof Shonia Sheheli said: "The vice-chancellor asked the students for a written document to present at a syndicate meeting on reopening the halls. “It will be presented at the syndicate meeting. That is why the syndicate meeting is not being held.”Ehsanul Haque Himel, one of the leaders of the protest, said: "The sirs spoke to us about this.

Some tried to escape by climbing buildings or hiding under tables, but they were all caught, according to him. "When the authorities broke down the door of the premises, seven foreigners were still busy engaged in online gambling unaware of the presence of the operation personnel. They were all arrested. "Of the 770 foreigners detained for immigration offences, 377 were Bangladeshi men, Bernama reports. The rest included 235 Myanmar nationals, 72 Nepalese, 58 Indians, 17 Indonesians and others.

Police have arrested eight people in connection with a clash between Chittagong University students and local residents. They were arrested on Tuesday during a drive in Jobra village, said Kazi Md Tarek Aziz, additional superintendent of police (Hathazari Circle). The arrestees have been identified as Imran Hossain aka Imran, 35, Md Hasan, 22, Md Rasel aka Kala Rasel, 25, Md Alamgir, 35, Nazrul Islam, 30, Md Zahed, 30, Md Arman, 24, and Didarul Alam, 46. 2 of the university and the building’s security guard set off a clash between students and local residents around midnight on Saturday. Hundreds of people, including students, members of the university’s proctorial body, and even the vice-chancellor, were injured in the clashes.

BNP National Standing Committee Member Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury says the crisis in Bangladesh is intensifying each day because of delays in returning to a democratic system. He stressed that for the sake of the nation, elections should have been held soon after the July Uprising to restore democracy. Speaking at a discussion in Dhaka’s Gulshan on Wednesday, Khosru said: “Countries that were able to return to democracy after revolutions survived and are doing well. But those that got stuck in disputes over demands ended up with no democracy, no economy, and no society. The country should have returned to a democratic order much earlier through elections.

Bangladesh has recorded two more deaths from dengue fever in the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of fatalities this year to 127.A total of 445 new patients have also been admitted to hospitals with the Aedes mosquito-borne disease during the period, raising the tally of hospitalisations this year to 32,946.According to the bulletin issued by the Directorate General of Health Services on Wednesday, one of the patients who died was receiving treatment in Dhaka Medical College Hospital, and the other in the 250 Bed General Hospital in Barguna.Both patients were female, aged 35 and 55 years old.The highest number of dengue deaths this year, 41, was recorded in July, followed by 39 in August. The DGHS has reported five deaths this month. �"bdnews24.com

India will allow members of minority communities from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan who came to India to escape religious persecution to stay in the country without a passport or other travel documents, NDTV reports. The decision will apply to Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis, and Christians who entered the country before Dec 31, 2014, India’s Home Ministry said. The Citizenship (Amendment) Act which came into effect last year will also allow members of these persecuted minorities to be granted Indian citizenship. NDTV says the order, implemented under the Immigration and Foreigners Act, 2025, will “come as a “relief” to a large number of immigrants, especially Hindus from Pakistan who entered before 2015. "A person belonging to a minority community in Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan -- Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians -- who were compelled to seek shelter in India due to religious persecution or fear of religious persecution and entered the country on or before December 31, 2024 without valid documents, including a passport or other travel documents, or with valid documents, including a passport or other travel documents, and the validity of such documents have expired" will be exempted from the need to have a valid passport and visa, according to home ministry order.

The South Asians for Human Rights (SAHR) has warned that Bangladesh’s “fragile” political climate may endanger fair elections, despite the fall of the “authoritarian” government through a mass uprising. The regional rights body said years of “autocratic rule” have left a legacy that threatens to distort the newly gained sense of freedom. The delegation, made up of rights activists from across South Asia, visited Bangladesh from Aug 28 to Sept 3. Their mission was to review the human rights situation in the aftermath of the July Uprising, as well as the interim government’s progress in upholding democratic values. During the visit, the delegation met the chief advisor, other advisors, members of reform commissions, civil society representatives, and students.

The Election Commission (EC) has sent a set of reform proposals to the government to amend the Representation of the People Order (RPO). The proposals include disqualifying anyone declared a fugitive by any court for the parliamentary election, setting the initial security deposit at Tk 50,000, and capping election expenses at Tk 10 per voter. The approval of the proposals, based on the recommendations of the Electoral Reform Commission and discussions with the National Consensus Commission, will depend on the Advisory Council's decision. The election commissioner also said that the EC has proposed increasing the security deposit from Tk 20,000 to Tk 50,000 when candidates submit their nomination papers. Although recommended by the Electoral Reform Commission, the provision for online submission of nomination papers has not been included.

A man killed his wife and child to frame a land dispute rival. He and his brother are now jailed until deathA Bhola court has sentenced a man and his brother to imprisonment until death for killing a housewife and her young son in a bid to frame a rival in a land dispute. The convicts, Mahbub Alam, also known as Mafu, and his brother Ibrahim, hail from Afzal village in Char Madraj Union. Prosecutors said that in 2018, Mahbub and Ibrahim killed Mahbub’s wife Jahanara Begum and their 8-year-old son Abir to implicate opponents in a simmering land feud. After hearing testimony from 17 witnesses, the court handed the brothers life sentences along with fines of Tk 20,000 each, Hiron said.