ACC prosecutes former MP Iqbal and son for allegedly acquiring illicit wealthThe Anti-Corruption Commission has brought charges of acquiring illicit wealth against former Awami League MP and Premier Bank chairman HBM Iqbal. The ACC announced on Oct 9 that it had completed its investigation into the family’s illicit assets allegations and approved filing cases against Iqbal and his son. Based on investigations and document reviews, the graftbusters stated that Iqbal accumulated a total wealth amounting to Tk 2.98 billion, including immovable property worth Tk 441.19 million and movable assets worth Tk 2.54 billion. According to the ACC findings, Imran amassed total assets worth Tk 457.31 million. His son Moin Iqbal, who was serving as the bank's vice-chairman, also resigned at the same time without providing a reason.

Transport workers have withdrawn their strike in five districts of Mymensingh Division, calling in protest against the arrest of a worker accused of harassing a July Uprising protester and the suspension of 16 United Service buses. On Sunday night, Mymensingh District Motor Owners’ Association chief Alomgir Mahmud Alom said the strike was withdrawn “considering public suffering”. From Sunday morning, transport workers in Mymensingh, Netrakona, Sherpur, Jamalpur, and parts of Kishoreganj enforced the strike. In response, transport workers blocked the area near the bus stands, halting operations. The transport workers, however, rejected calls to arrest Aminul Haque Shamim or suspend operations of his 16 United Service buses, instead announcing the transport strike.

The International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) has said that those who deliver verdicts must also be held accountable for their mistakes and shortcomings. “The International Crimes Tribunal Act 1973 is a special law,” Tajul said. Only the International Crimes Tribunal has the authority to try them.”“This law is protected by the Constitution of Bangladesh,” Tajul added. “Articles 47(3) and 47(a) of our Constitution clearly state that all laws made in the field of international law -- crimes against humanity, war crimes, genocide -- even if inconsistent with the Constitution, will prevail. That is, the Constitution itself has stated that the value of the Crimes Tribunal Act of 1973 is stronger than the Constitution.

Md Ehsanul Hoque appointed public administration secretary after post was vacant for 3 weeksThe interim government has finally filled the vacant post of secretary of public administration, appointing Md Ehsanul Hoque to the position. Ehsanul had been serving as the senior secretary in the Road Transport and Highways Division for a long time. In a notice on Sunday, the Ministry of Public Administration said: “This order issued in the public interest will take effect immediately.”More to follow

The Bangladesh Army has said it took 15 of its officers into custody following warrants issued against 30 over alleged involvement in enforced disappearances and crimes against humanity. The information was revealed at a media briefing at the Army Headquarters on Saturday amid calls to arrest and prosecute the suspects. The International Crimes Tribunal on Wednesday issued arrest warrants against 30 people after accepting charges filed by the prosecution in two cases involving crimes against humanity for the abduction and torture of political dissidents during the Awami League regime. Of the 30 suspects, 25 are current or former Army officers, the media briefing said. 15 serving officers are now in military custody, while one remains on the run.

The Bangladesh Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JaSaD) has raised objections to the National Consensus Commission’s move to seek opinions on whether portraits of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman should be displayed in government and private institutions, calling it a politically motivated initiative. “Yet the commission is now seeking opinions on a new issue,” JaSaD said in the letter, a copy of which was also shared with the media. Bangladesh JaSaD said the matter was “political” and therefore should be decided by an elected parliament, citing a previous court ruling on the issue. Under the 15th Amendment to the Constitution, the Cabinet Division issued a circular in July 2011 requiring the display of portraits of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in all government and private offices. Bangladesh JaSaD strongly opposed the move, saying: “We support the constitutional provision under Article 4(A) that mandates the preservation and display of the portrait of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the architect of a Bangladeshi state.

A man has died and at least five others, including several tenants, suffered injuries after a septic tank at a house in Dhaka’s Ashulia exploded while being cleaned. Citing local residents, the Fire Service said that a group of people was brought in to clean the septic tank at the house that night. After cleaning one of the two adjacent septic tanks, an explosion occurred while the second one was being cleaned. Pranab said, "It is initially suspected that the explosion was caused by gas accumulated in the septic tank." Sub-Inspector Nazrul Islam of Ashulia Police Station said that police attended the scene upon receiving the news and recovered the deceased’s body.

In a statement signed Friday night by Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, the party said: “Every member of the Army is a proud son of this country. The BNP statement said, “The party believes that impartial and transparent trials of these crimes are essential to protect the nation’s democracy, human rights, and the Army’s professionalism. “Justice does not only ensure punishment for past acts; it prevents future abuses. “Institutional identity is irrelevant; only the individual’s crimes and the rule of law matter. No one’s isolated crime should affect the public’s trust, respect, or confidence in a patriotic armed force -- and it should not.”

The main campus of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta, Georgia, US, Aug 27, 2025. REUTERSThe main campus of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta, Georgia, US, Aug 27, 2025. REUTERSThe Trump administration has laid off dozens of employees at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in its latest round of cuts, including "disease detectives”, high-ranking scientists and the entire Washington office, the New York Times reported on Saturday. The White House and the CDC did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment. The exact number of affected CDC workers is yet to be confirmed, it said.

From dialogue halls to heart of the city: Jamaat and allies ignite protests over election reformsAs discussions over the implementation of the July Charter unfolded at the National Consensus Commission, six political parties, including the Jamaat-e-Islami, took to the streets with coordinated protests. A BNP Standing Committee member, however, maintains that such protests are unlikely to affect the BNP’s politics, negating any perceived pressure. We want the PR system included in the referendum on the national election. Salahuddin Ahmed, a Standing Committee member of the BNP, told bdnews24.com: “I do not see the Islamist parties’ protests as an attempt to pressure the BNP. If they carry this understanding through the election, we may witness the crystallisation of a new political current outside the BNP.

US Ambassador to India Gor says he discussed bilateral issues with PM ModiUS Ambassador to India Sergio Gor said he met with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and discussed bilateral issues which included trade, defense and technology. Gor said he and Modi, in their first meeting in India, also discussed the importance of critical minerals to both the US and India. US President Donald Trump has imposed a 50 percent tariff on most exports from India, among the highest for any US trading partner. "President Trump considers Prime Minister Modi a great and personal friend", Gor said, speaking at the US Embassy in Delhi in his first address in India. Gor also referenced the "incredible" phone call that Trump and Modi had before he left for India in a press statement.

The Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) will work in tandem with Dhaka University (DU), the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET), and Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) to maintain cleanliness on their campuses. DSCC Administrator Md Shahjahan Mia made the remarks on Saturday while leading a cleanup and eviction drive at Dhaka University, BUET, and DMCH areas. He said, “Dhaka South City Corporation will work in coordination with these three institutions. To ensure a healthy environment and reduce traffic congestion in the hospital area, no unauthorised business will be permitted in front of Dhaka Medical College. The drive began at 6am and involved 1,300 DSCC workers, members of the Dhaka University Central Students’ Union (DUCSU), and campus cleaning staff.

"They started this thing," Trump told reporters during an event in the Oval Office, calling the job cuts "Democrat-oriented." Trump has repeatedly threatened to fire federal workers during the shutdown standoff, in its 10th day on Friday, and has suggested his administration will aim primarily at parts of the government championed by Democrats. Labor unions representing federal workers have sued to stop the layoffs, saying they would be illegal during a shutdown. The announcement came on the same day that many federal workers were due to get reduced paychecks that do not include any pay for the days since the shutdown began. Those layoffs could hit the tax-collecting Internal Revenue Service, which has been targeted for steep job cuts this year.

Vehicles loaded with the belongings of Afghan nationals head back to Afghanistan, after Pakistan started to deport documented Afghan refugees, near Torkham border crossing between Pakistan and Afghanistan, Sept 1, 2025. Photo: ReutersVehicles loaded with the belongings of Afghan nationals head back to Afghanistan, after Pakistan started to deport documented Afghan refugees, near Torkham border crossing between Pakistan and Afghanistan, Sept 1, 2025. Photo: ReutersFirefights broke out along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border late on Saturday, with the Afghan Taliban attacking Pakistani posts, according to security officials from both countries, following a Pakistani airstrike in Kabul this week. The Taliban forces claimed to have captured two Pakistani border posts, according to local authorities in the southern province of Helmand. Pakistani security officials confirmed clashes at more than five places on the border, saying that they were hitting back.

Advisors do not need ‘safe exit’, but nation does, says Asif NazrulLaw Advisor Asif Nazrul has dismissed claims that some advisors of the interim government are seeking a “safe exit”, saying none of the advisors require one. “Our advisors do not need any safe exit,” he said, adding: “But as a nation, we do need a safe exit -- from a terrifying, sick, self-destructive state structure.”He made the remarks on Saturday during a meeting organised by the law ministry, titled Draft National Human Rights Commission Ordinance 2025. The issue surfaced after Nahid Islam, convener of the National Citizen Party (NCP), recently claimed that several interim government advisors were looking for a “safe exit”. It’s not my concern or something I need to refute.”Joining the debate on Saturday, Nazrul said: “You all know there’s much talk about safe exits. “What we truly need is a national safe exit -- from a decayed and self-destructive state system.”Speaking on the proposed Human Rights Commission Ordinance, he criticised the past government’s appointment practices.