Several isolated incidents were reported in Indian states on Wednesday during Eid Milad-un-Nabi processions. In Ankola town of Karnataka’s Karwar district, police arrested Mohammad Raja Akbar Ali, a resident of Vithalghat in Krishnapur, after allegations that he brought and displayed a Palestinian flag at a procession. Deputy Superintendent of Police Girish said legal action had been taken against him.

A similar incident was reported in Islampur district in West Bengal, where a Palestinian flag was displayed during a procession. West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari said in a post on X that police had seized two foreign flags across the state during Eid celebrations. Police filed FIRs against those accused in connection with the incidents.

In Badaun, Uttar Pradesh, allegations were also raised over singing and displaying weapons during a Muslim procession that included children. A video reportedly showed some Muslim men and a child sitting atop a moving vehicle, waving knives and singing. The source says Indian law contains no specific provision or ban treating the display of a friendly country’s flag, such as Palestine’s, as a crime.

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has sought specific proposals on rebuilding the country from political parties including Jamaat-e-Islami and the National Citizen Party, BNP standing committee member and prime ministerial adviser Nazrul Islam Khan said on Thursday. He made the remarks at a memorial meeting in the capital’s National Press Club marking the death anniversary of former prime minister and Jatiya Party chairman Kazi Zafar Ahmed.

Khan said the government is not rigid in addressing the country’s problems and wants concrete advice from political parties, academics, journalists and intellectuals. According to him, the government intends to consider suggestions and proposals from different groups in seeking solutions to existing problems. He said cooperation is needed to reduce public suffering and move the country forward.

Describing the administration’s condition, Khan alleged that it had been damaged and polluted over the past 17 years, with unqualified people appointed to key positions on partisan and regional considerations while qualified officials were removed. He said the government began work amid a fragile economy and disorganised administrative structure, and asked citizens to remain patient while the administration is rebuilt.

Real Madrid secured a second straight Spanish La Liga victory, beating Real Sociedad 4-1 at home on Wednesday night. Kylian Mbappe was the central figure at Santiago Bernabeu, scoring a hat-trick as Real moved to the top of the table with six points from two wins. Vinicius Junior also scored once and provided an assist.

Real Sociedad challenged the hosts strongly during the first half. Vinicius missed an early chance after receiving a pass from Mbappe, with goalkeeper Alex Remiro making a foot save. Mbappe opened the scoring in the 40th minute after a pass from Valverde, but Sociedad levelled four minutes later by exploiting weakness in Real's defence.

Real Madrid took control after the break. Mbappe completed his hat-trick with goals in the 60th and 80th minutes, including one following an exchange with Bellingham and another from Vinicius's through ball. Vinicius scored in the 68th minute after Bellingham won back possession and delivered a pass from the byline. Dias had a late goal ruled out for offside after a VAR review.

American music star Beyoncé Knowles has pledged $1 million, about Tk 119 million, to support people affected by a devastating 7.4-magnitude earthquake in Colombia. The funding is intended to provide food and emergency housing supplies for residents of the Chocó region, identified as the area hit hardest by the disaster.

According to the report, 331 people had died as of the latest update. More than 29,000 homes were destroyed, while nearly 69,000 people were left homeless by the earthquake. Beyoncé’s announcement comes amid efforts to assist communities facing severe disruption after the natural disaster.

Colombian singer Shakira separately pledged $1.25 million to help rebuild schools damaged by the disaster in her home country. In a statement, she said schools are vital to helping children return to normal life and regain mental stability after a disaster. Both artists called on other wealthy individuals and international organizations to contribute to relief efforts.

Police have submitted a chargesheet against madrasa teacher Aman Ullah Mahmudi, also known as Sagar, and his brother Maimun, also known as Mamun Mia, in a case involving the alleged rape of an 11-year-old madrasa student in Madan upazila of Netrokona. The investigating officer, Sub-Inspector Md Aktaruzzaman of Madan Police Station, filed the chargesheet in court on Thursday, 27 August.

The two accused face charges under Section 9(1) of the Women and Children Repression Prevention Act, 2000, and Section 506 of the Penal Code. Police filed the chargesheet after a CID DNA test found a 99.99 percent match between the newborn delivered by the child and Aman Ullah Mahmudi. Public Prosecutor Advocate Nurul Kabir Rubel said the final DNA report from the CID laboratory in Dhaka had recently reached the court.

The child gave birth to a daughter at Sylhet MAG Osmani Medical College Hospital on 2 July. Her mother filed the case on 23 April, alleging repeated rape. The court sent the child to a Sylhet safe home on 12 May, while the investigation has now concluded and the case will proceed through further legal steps toward trial.

Reduced rainfall in mid-Bhadra has pushed temperatures higher across Bangladesh, causing oppressive humid heat and disrupting daily life. On Thursday, Rajshahi recorded the country’s highest temperature at 37 degrees Celsius, while Dhaka reached 35.5 degrees, up from 34.1 degrees on Wednesday. Weather officials said several districts have experienced conditions consistent with a mild heatwave in recent days, though it was not formally reported as such.

Meteorologist Shahinul Islam said the situation is temporary and temperatures may ease somewhat from Friday, which is why the heatwave has not been highlighted. The weather department defines temperatures from 36 to 37.9 degrees Celsius in multiple districts as a mild heatwave, 38 to 40 degrees as moderate, 40 to 42 degrees as severe, and above 42 degrees as very severe.

Rainfall may remain limited through Saturday, while higher humidity could intensify the muggy conditions nationwide. A low-pressure system may form around September 1, potentially increasing rainfall from Sunday. In the 24 hours ending 6pm Thursday, most areas received no rain; Teknaf recorded 39 millimetres and Dhaka 34 millimetres in the preceding 24-hour period.

Opposition Leader and Jamaat-e-Islami amir Dr Shafiqur Rahman corrected a naming error made by Chief Whip Md Nurul Islam while he presented a proposal to reconstitute the parliamentary Standing Committee on Public Accounts. The incident occurred on Thursday during the third sitting of the 13th National Parliament.

As Nurul Islam read the names of members nominated to the committee, he noticed an apparent mismatch in the names and information and paused, saying there had possibly been an error. When he resumed reading after a correction, Dr Shafiqur Rahman was given the microphone and suggested that Hafiz Ibrahim may have been referred to as Hafiz Uddin.

The chief whip acknowledged the mistake and clarified that the fifth member listed was Md Hafiz Ibrahim, member for Bhola-2 constituency 116. He said he had made another mistake while attempting to correct the earlier one, while the remaining names were correct. Deputy Speaker Barrister Kaiser Kamal praised the opposition leader’s attentiveness, saying he listened carefully at every moment.

A five-working-day Aviation Security Supervisor Training conducted by the United Kingdom’s Department for Transport has concluded at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Bangladesh. The programme was organised on the initiative of the British High Commission in Bangladesh and managed overall by the Aviation Security division of the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh. Aviation security supervisors and officials working at different airports in the country took part.

Trainers from the United Kingdom covered key aviation security issues, with emphasis on addressing changing security risks, improving supervisory capacity and ensuring effective security management. Air Commodore Md Asif Iqbal, CAAB member for security, attended Thursday’s closing ceremony as chief guest, while British High Commission counsellor Ryan Duncanson was a special guest.

Iqbal thanked the British High Commission and DfT for arranging the capacity-building course and stressed regular improvements in aviation security personnel’s knowledge, skills and preparedness. Duncanson highlighted Bangladesh-UK cooperation and expressed the British government’s interest in continuing support for Bangladesh’s aviation security through similar training. Certificates were distributed to participants at the closing ceremony.

Bangladesh’s parliament reconstituted several parliamentary committees on Thursday through proposals presented by Chief Whip Nurul Islam Moni on behalf of the prime minister and approved by voice vote. Zahid Uddin Swapan, who was removed from the information and broadcasting minister’s post, was made chair of the standing committee on the Planning Ministry after Abdul Moyeen Khan became local government minister.

The standing committee on the Law Ministry was also reshuffled after its chair, Andalib Rahman Partha, became information and broadcasting minister. BNP lawmaker Naushad Zamir was appointed the committee’s new chair. Jamaat expelled Satkhira-4 lawmaker Gazi Nazrul Islam, and, at the party’s request, he was removed from the standing committee on the Liberation War Affairs Ministry and from a special committee.

Abdul Warech replaced Gazi Nazrul on the Liberation War Affairs Ministry committee, while Najibur Rahman replaced him on the special committee. Jamaat’s Raihan Siraji joined the Liberation War Affairs committee in place of NCP lawmaker Abdul Hannan Masud. Abdul Moyeen Khan replaced newly elected President Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on the Business Advisory Committee, while opposition Chief Whip Nahid Islam replaced Anwarul Islam on the Public Accounts Committee.

Manchester Airports Group said on Thursday that a cyberattack by an unauthorised third party exposed information belonging to about 8.7 million customers of Manchester, London Stansted and East Midlands airports in the United Kingdom. The group operates the three airports and described the incident as a cyberattack on its systems.

The compromised data relates to bookings for car parking, lounges and fast-track services, as well as airport Wi-Fi sign-ups. According to a MAG spokesperson, the information taken includes email addresses, telephone numbers, vehicle registration numbers and postcodes.

MAG said no customer bank-account or payment-related information was affected. It also said the attack did not disrupt normal airport operations. The company has informed the relevant authorities and is working in coordination with them.

The National Committee for Observing the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances has announced a march toward the National Parliament. The programme will begin from Banglamotor in the capital at 3pm on Sunday, August 30, and participants will later submit a memorandum to the Speaker of Parliament.

The announcement followed a preparatory meeting held on Thursday afternoon at an auditorium in Purana Paltan. Speakers alleged that Bangladesh had been a “state of disappearances” for the past 17 years, saying people lacked safety at home and outside. They alleged that state forces took people from their homes, detained victims in Aynaghar, subjected them to inhumane torture, and that many people were killed after being disappeared.

The speakers said the fall of the “fascist Awami League” on August 5, 2024 had raised hopes for building a new Bangladesh. They argued that preventing a return to fascism requires ending enforced disappearances, ensuring public safety and enacting strict laws. Brigadier General Hasinur Rahman Bir Protik urged people across party lines to join the march.

Journalist Muhammad Kader Gani Chowdhury has been appointed managing director and editor-in-chief of the Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS), the national news agency. The contract-based appointment was announced in a notification issued on Thursday, August 27, by the Contract and Foreign Appointment Branch of the Ministry of Public Administration.

The notification, signed by Ministry of Public Administration Deputy Secretary Md Golam Rabbani, said the appointment was made under Section 10(1) of the Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha Act, 2018. Chowdhury will serve in the two posts for one year from the date he joins.

The appointment is conditional on Chowdhury ending employment relationships with any other profession, business, or government, semi-government, private institution or organisation. The notification said the remaining terms of the appointment will be set through a contract document and that the order was issued in the public interest.

Bangladesh State Minister for Foreign Affairs Humayun Kabir met Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud on the sidelines of the 23rd extraordinary meeting of OIC foreign ministers in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. During the meeting, Kabir handed over a letter from Prime Minister Tarique Rahman to Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman. The meeting took place amid heightened discussion over Bangladesh joining the Mecca defence pact.

According to Bangladesh’s foreign ministry, both sides expressed satisfaction with the positive momentum in bilateral relations and reaffirmed their commitment to elevating the partnership. Kabir said several high-level visits had taken place since the BNP-led government was formed, creating new opportunities for broader cooperation across sectors. He also referred to possible high-level visits by both sides in the near future.

Prince Faisal said Bangladesh was among Saudi Arabia’s priority countries and stressed stronger economic cooperation. He noted growing interest among Saudi companies in Bangladesh and expressed interest in expanding investment and business engagement. He also praised the valuable contribution of Bangladeshi expatriates to Saudi Arabia’s development. Kabir invited the Saudi foreign minister to visit Bangladesh at a convenient time.

The opposition walked out of the national parliament on Thursday, accusing the government of pursuing partial reforms while bypassing comprehensive reform. The walkout began during the introduction stage of the National Human Rights Commission Bill and the Prevention and Remedy of Enforced Disappearance Bill. Opposition member Dr Shafiqur Rahman raised the issue on a point of order before legislative proceedings began.

Rahman spoke about the July Charter, a constitutional reform council and a special committee formed for constitutional amendments. He strongly criticised the failure to establish a constitutional reform council. He then said the opposition would not take part in the introduction of the two scheduled bills and led the walkout at 8:06 pm.

During the interim government, 133 ordinances were issued and presented to parliament on 12 March, with 10 April as the deadline for approval or rejection. Sixteen were not introduced as bills in time and lost effect, while seven were repealed. The cabinet approved draft disappearance legislation on 3 August and the human rights commission law draft on 10 August. Human rights activists, political parties and others have expressed concerns and criticised aspects of the drafts.

Saudi Arabia has reaffirmed that it will not establish diplomatic relations with Israel until an independent Palestinian state is created along the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital. The statement came amid reports that US President Donald Trump seeks to link a civilian nuclear agreement with Riyadh to Saudi normalization of relations with Israel.

The Wall Street Journal reported that Trump sent the proposed US-Saudi civilian nuclear cooperation agreement to Congress for review and stipulated that it would not take effect unless Saudi Arabia joins the Abraham Accords. Citing a US administration official, the report said the president’s position had not changed and that the agreement would not proceed without Saudi participation in the accords.

A Saudi official, speaking to Israel’s Channel 12, rejected reports connecting the nuclear agreement to normalization with Israel. The official said Riyadh’s position remained clear, firm and unchanged, and described the civilian nuclear program as part of Saudi Arabia’s broader strategic partnership with Washington rather than a matter that should be conditioned on diplomatic ties with Israel.