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.

Polytechnic institute and diploma engineering students have ended their blockade of the Sat Rasta area in Dhaka’s Tejgaon, clearing the major thoroughfare. Jobair Patwary, a student of Dhaka Polytechnic Institute and representative of the protesters, said they cleared the road around 2:30pm on Wednesday at the request of police. However, he announced that the students would conduct a “effigy-burning” demonstration at all private and public polytechnic institutes on Thursday to continue to press for their four-point list of demands. “We will paste the three-point demands by BSc engineering students to the scarecrows and set them on fire,” said Sabbir Ahmed, office secretary of Karigori Chhatra Andolon, which is spearheading the movement. • All activities conducted in support of the “unreasonable” three-point demands of BSc Engineering students must be halted immediately by the state• The outline and recommendations of the reasonable six-point demands raised by the Technical Students' Movement, Bangladesh must be fully implemented.

The weeklong exercise, which began on Sept 13, involves the Bangladesh Air Force and the US Pacific Air Forces. Participating in the exercise are a Bangladesh Air Force C-130J transport aircraft and an Mi-17 helicopter, along with two C-130J transport aircraft from the US Pacific Air Forces. In total, 150 Bangladesh Air Force personnel and 92 from the US Pacific Air Forces are taking part, alongside members of the Bangladesh Army and Navy. The ISPR dismissed these claims as unfounded, reiterating that the US team’s presence is strictly for the joint exercise. It has also announced that a media briefing will be held on Thursday to address the exercise in greater detail.

The original post, published by Nazrul on Jul 12, 2020, highlighted irregularities among government officials, including seeking medical treatment abroad, and suggested tough restrictions. He wrote, “I would make a law if I had the power.”Hasnat shared the post on Tuesday at 3:54pm, bringing it back into the spotlight. It remains unclear in what context he chose to share it, and he has not commented on the matter. By 1:30am on Tuesday night, before this report was compiled, Hasnat’s post had been shared 8,300 times and received 198,000 reactions. In his old post, Nazrul proposed strict restrictions on those in power seeking medical treatment abroad.

India says trade discussions with US 'positive,' 'forward looking'FILE PHOTO: Indian flag, 3D-printed miniature model depicting US President Donald Trump and the word "Tariffs", are seen in this illustration taken Aug 27, 2025. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File PhotoTrade discussions between Indian and US officials on Tuesday were "positive" and "forward-looking", New Delhi said, after President Donald Trump struck a more conciliatory tone following punitive tariffs on India over its Russian oil purchases. A US delegation led by Brendan Lynch, assistant US trade representative for South and Central Asia, met Indian trade officials headed by Chief Negotiator Rajesh Agrawal in New Delhi. Talks covered bilateral trade ties, including a possible India-US trade deal, it added. Trump posted on his Truth Social platform: "Just had a wonderful phone call with my friend, Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The original post, published by Nazrul on Jul 12, 2020, highlighted irregularities among government officials, including seeking medical treatment abroad, and suggested tough restrictions. He wrote, “I would make a law if I had the power.”Hasnat shared the post on Tuesday at 3:54pm, bringing it back into the spotlight. By 1:30am on Tuesday night, before this report was compiled, Hasnat’s post had been shared 8,300 times and received 198,000 reactions. In his old post, Nazrul proposed strict restrictions on those in power seeking medical treatment abroad. I would make life hell for those who are thieves, robbers, or criminals.”Hasnat’s viral post has attracted 27,000 comments, with a variety of reactions.

He emphasised that despite low voter turnout in many countries with postal voting systems, providing expatriates with the opportunity to vote is necessary. EC’S RECENT MOVESCEC Nasir visited Canada in early September to hold discussions on NID services and postal voting for expatriate Bangladeshis. COUNTRY-WISE OUTREACHUnited Arab Emirates: In May 2023, administrative and technical teams visited Dubai and Abu Dhabi. United Kingdom: Technical teams visited Birmingham and Manchester in November 2023. Japan: Technical teams worked in Tokyo, and NID services were inaugurated in August 2024 by the EC secretary.

Anisul Islam Mahmud, chairman of a faction of the Jatiya Party (JaPa), has described calls to ban the party’s activities as “undesirable and wholly undemocratic”. He said such demands are “dangerous” for Bangladesh’s political culture. One of their key demands was a ban on the activities of the JaPa and the allies of the Awami League-led 14-Party Alliance. The former minister said, “At no point in Bangladesh’s political history has the Jatiya Party engaged in any political crime or participated in any activity that would justify a ban. He said, “Demands to politically ban any party weaken the democratic process and silence the public voice.

In the midst of ongoing reforms by the interim government, the number of bank accounts holding balances of over a million taka has risen by nearly 6,000 over the past three months. With the rise in the number of million-taka accounts, the total deposits in these accounts have also grown. By June, the deposit amount stood at Tk 8.88 trillion, compared with Tk 7.83 trillion three months ago. The report also reveals the total number of bank accounts in the country reached 169.02 million by the end of June, with a rise of 3.3 million accounts in the past three months, from 165.77 million in March. However, Bangladesh Bank has not disclosed how many individuals, institutions, or government agencies own these accounts, nor has it released data on the total number of unique customers, as one individual or institution may hold multiple accounts.

Six carriages of the "Padmarag Commuter" train have derailed in Rangpur's Pirgacha Upazila, cutting off inter-city, local, and mail trains in three districts in the Rangpur region, reports bdnews24.com. The accident occurred near the out signal at Pirgacha Railway Station at around 12:40 pm on Tuesday, according to Station Master Genarul Islam. Another train has set off from Lalmonirhat to retrieve the coaches, according to the rail station authority. The Lalmonirhat-bound "Padmarag Commuter" was waiting at the Pirgacha Railway Station's Line No. After the other train crossed, the Padmarag set off for Lalmonirhat, but a connection on the train broke as the line was being changed, derailing six carriages.