Hefazat-e-Islam Bangladesh has demanded the immediate removal of sculptures, including figures depicting its leaders and activists, from the July Museum. The organisation’s amir, Allama Shah Muhibbullah Babunagari, and secretary general, Allama Sheikh Sajidur Rahman, made the demand in a joint statement sent to the media on Monday. They expressed strong anger and protest over the installations and called for their eviction and removal from the museum without delay.

In the statement, the Hefazat leaders described the installation of sculptures as a grave violation of Sharia and said it was contradictory to, and mocking of, the sacrifices of religious scholars. They said the construction of sculptures of any person is completely forbidden and unlawful from the perspective of Islam and Sharia. They added that no one has the scope to disregard Sharia rules, regardless of a person’s stature, political identity or contribution.

The leaders said the nation would remember with respect the historic July uprising of 2024, its martyrs and the sacrifices of protesters. However, they argued that preserving those memories should not be placed in opposition to the religious sentiments and Islamic values of the country’s majority population. Their stated demand is the removal of all sculptures from the July Museum.

NCP spokesperson and opposition chief whip Nahid Islam said Bangladesh should not pursue normal diplomatic relations with India before resolving the question of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s extradition. In a statement issued Monday night, August 11, he alleged that India has allowed Hasina to use its territory for anti-Bangladesh activities for the past two years. He described this as a direct affront to Bangladesh’s sovereignty, judiciary and people’s democratic mandate.

Nahid alleged that a purported press conference by Hasina in Delhi, held despite Bangladesh’s objections, showed no fundamental change in India’s allegedly domineering and aggressive policy toward Bangladesh. He criticized Bangladesh’s Foreign Ministry for issuing a statement but, in his view, failing to secure effective accountability from India. He also said no public explanation or expression of regret over the August 5 incident emerged after the prime minister met the Indian high commissioner.

He called for formal diplomatic protest to be turned into effective action. Nahid sought a clear explanation and apology from India, extradition of Hasina and Osman Hadi’s killers, and assurances that anti-Bangladesh political activities would stop from Indian territory. He said efforts by Bangladesh’s head of government to normalize bilateral ties would be meaningless if the Awami League could continue political and anti-state activities from India.

Bangladesh’s government will fund treatment for conjoined twins Zaynab and Umme Kulsum from Daulatpur upazila in Kushtia at Dhaka Medical College Hospital, Health and Family Welfare Minister Sardar Md. Sakhawat Hossain Bakul said. The children were admitted to the hospital’s paediatric department at 8pm on Monday. The minister visited them shortly after their admission.

Bakul told journalists that the family had returned to their village because poverty prevented them from obtaining treatment. He said authorities contacted the parents on the prime minister’s instruction after a report in Amar Desh brought the matter to attention. The family was asked to bring the children to Dhaka after being informed that treatment would be arranged at the hospital.

The minister said available specialist doctors would provide treatment and that a medical board could be formed with doctors brought from abroad if necessary. He said the prime minister would bear all treatment expenses. Hospital authorities have arranged daily meals for the parents and provided them with Tk5,000 for personal expenses. The twins were born at Bangladesh Medical University three months and seven days earlier.

SSC results in Sitakunda, Chattogram, showed a sharp contrast between Faujdarhat Cadet College and Sitakunda Government Model High School, according to a report published on August 11. All 47 candidates from Faujdarhat Cadet College passed, with 41 earning GPA-5. At the government school, 75 of 151 candidates failed and 76 passed, producing a pass rate of 50.33 percent. The outcome has raised concerns among parents over teacher shortages, lottery-based admissions, student attendance and academic supervision.

Other institutions in the upazila also recorded substantially stronger results. Bangladesh Military Academy High School had 61 passes among 64 candidates, including 17 GPA-5 results. Faujdarhat Collegiate High School had 137 passes among 166 candidates, with 13 GPA-5 results. Acting headteacher Salimullah attributed the government school’s result to lottery-based enrollment, irregular student attendance and a shortage of teachers.

Parents questioned whether weaker students had been identified early and given special classes, extra practice and subject-based support. They called for scrutiny of teaching, attendance, internal and selection examination results, teacher shortages and school management. Upazila Nirbahi Officer Fakhrul Islam said the result was unacceptable and that administrative action would be taken quickly following an investigation.

At least 47 people were killed after a powerful 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck Colombia’s Choco region on Monday, according to reports cited by Al Jazeera. The US Geological Survey and Colombia’s Geological Service said the quake hit near the municipality of San Jose del Palmar, about 400 kilometres west of Bogota. Building collapses and extensive damage were reported in several areas.

USGS data placed the earthquake’s origin about 107 kilometres below the surface. Colombia initially reported the magnitude as 6.6. The US tsunami warning system said no tsunami warning had been issued. Residents in Choco and other areas were being moved to safer locations, while rescue and emergency personnel assessed damage and responded to the disaster.

Local officials reported at least 18 deaths in Pereira, two in Manizales and at least 27 in the Valle del Cauca region. Choco Governor Nubia Cordoba said strong shaking was felt across the province and raised concern about possible aftershocks. Casualties and damaged buildings were also reported in Quibdo. People were evacuated from several buildings in Bogota, and authorities said a preliminary official damage report would be released soon.

Jahangirnagar University Central Students’ Union, or JAKSU, held a protest march against the Education Ministry’s decision to transfer teacher recruitment authority at private educational institutions from the Non-Government Teachers’ Registration and Certification Authority (NTRCA) to institutional managing committees. The march began at the university’s central library area at about 9:15pm on Monday, August 10, 2026, and ended at Bottola.

Students chanted slogans supporting merit and education during the procession. Their slogans included calls against commercialisation of education, objections to what they described as deception over education, and demands for continued struggle.

JAKSU executive member Muhammad Ali Chishti alleged that the government was seeking to politicise recruitment by taking the authority from NTRCA. JAKSU general secretary Mazharul Islam also strongly opposed the decision, saying managing committees of schools and colleges are often staffed by partisan loyalists. He urged the government to withdraw what he called a harmful decision and warned that officials understood its possible consequences.

Fisheries, Livestock and Agriculture Minister Mohammad Amin Ur Rashid said Bangladesh is committed to taking its historical, cultural and economic ties with ASEAN member states to a higher level. He made the remarks on Monday night at a reception marking ASEAN’s 59th founding anniversary at the Renaissance Dhaka Gulshan Hotel in the capital. The ASEAN Dhaka Committee, comprising ambassadors and high commissioners of ASEAN member states posted in Bangladesh, organized the event.

The minister said Bangladesh’s long-standing ties with ASEAN countries rest on history, culture and mutual trust, and have been strengthened by land and maritime connectivity, people-to-people links and trade. He said the government led by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman gives the highest importance to relations with ASEAN’s 11 member states. He also expressed hope that the prime minister’s first state visit to Malaysia would positively advance Bangladesh’s relations with ASEAN countries.

Bangladesh has applied to become an ASEAN Sectoral Dialogue Partner, and the minister sought support from ASEAN mission chiefs attending the event. A Bangladesh-ASEAN fisheries and aquaculture cooperation project with a budget of about $1 million is being implemented under his ministry. Additional cooperation projects in tourism, information and communication technology, culture and other sectors are under process.

Bangladesh Bank has removed the maximum two-year term limit for boards of directors it appoints at various banks. The central bank issued a circular on Monday under Section 121 of the Bank Company Act, 1991, allowing such appointed boards to remain in office beyond two years if necessary.

The circular said the provisions of Section 47(2), concerning the duration of orders dissolving boards of directors, would generally not apply to bank companies. Previously, Bangladesh Bank could extend the duration of an order dissolving a board from time to time, but the total term, including extensions, could not exceed two years.

As a result, newly appointed boards installed by Bangladesh Bank after a previous board is dissolved will no longer face a maximum two-year service limit. After the fall of the Awami League government, the central bank dissolved and reconstituted the boards of 14 banks. Their two-year terms were approaching expiry, and Bangladesh Bank was under pressure over their tenure, according to the report.

Leaders of the Dhaka University Central Students’ Union, or DUCSU, protested in heavy rain outside the university’s central library on August 10, demanding the withdrawal of a decision to shift entry-level teacher recruitment in private educational institutions from NTRCA to managing committees and governing bodies. Demonstrators chanted slogans calling for merit-based recruitment rather than committee-led appointments.

DUCSU Vice President Sadik Kayem said a stronger movement than the July movement would be built if the decision was not revoked. He called for restoring the previous system under which NTRCA centrally recommended teacher appointments for schools and colleges. DUCSU leaders alleged that local committees could enable political influence, bribery and nepotism, undermining recruitment based on merit and qualifications.

The Education Ministry made the decision at a meeting on August 3, applying it from the 19th teacher registration examination. DUCSU announced a student gathering at 3 p.m. on August 11 outside the central library and urged students and job seekers from colleges and universities to join. Jatiya Chhatra Shakti and some students also announced separate programmes over the same demand.

At least 13 people, including children, were killed and 39 others injured in a Ukrainian drone strike on Nizhnekamsk in Russia’s Tatarstan region, Russian officials said. Reuters reported the information on Monday, citing Russian officials. Ukrainian military authorities said the strike targeted Tatneft’s Taneko oil refinery in Tatarstan, about 800 kilometres east of Moscow. Local authorities described it as one of the largest recent attacks in Russia in terms of civilian casualties.

A fire spread at the refinery after the attack, while videos circulating on social media showed thick smoke rising above the facility. Russian investigators opened a criminal investigation, calling the incident a terrorist act. They alleged that Ukrainian forces had also targeted residential areas. Nizhnekamsk’s mayor said in a Telegram message that Tatarstan leader Rustam Minnikhanov expressed condolences over the deaths.

The Taneko refinery had previously been hit by a Ukrainian drone attack in early June. The report said Ukraine has been striking oil refineries and energy infrastructure across Russia for months to increase pressure on its energy sector, creating fuel-supply strain in some Russian regions. Russia and Ukraine both deny intentionally targeting civilians.

Students and members of the influential Mizo Zirlai Pawl (MZP) protested outside the Mizoram Public Service Commission (MPSC) office in Aizawl, Mizoram’s capital, on Monday. They demanded administrative reforms in recruitment, additional staffing, and the withdrawal of the contested One Time Registration (OTR) system. Protesters staged a sit-in outside the office and prevented officials and employees from entering.

According to a Press Trust of India report, some protesters scuffled with police when officials attempted to enter the office, although the demonstration was peaceful overall. MZP alleged that repeated administrative weaknesses and errors in recent recruitment processes had reduced job seekers’ confidence in the commission. The organisation said the OTR system had also created concern among applicants.

The protesters called for structural reform of the MPSC and for more staff to make its operations more efficient and credible. They also sought separate application forms based on requirements and posts instead of the current OTR system. MZP demanded a one-time offline document-submission opportunity for applicants rejected over incomplete OTR uploads, and reconsideration for written-test qualifiers disqualified during document verification because of missing papers.

University Teachers Link, or UTL, has strongly opposed an initiative to place responsibility for entry-level teacher recruitment at private schools, colleges and madrasas in the hands of institutional management committees. In a statement sent to the media on Monday, UTL President Professor Dr Md Atiar Rahman and General Secretary Professor Dr Zubair Muhammad Ehsanul Haque called on the government to immediately cancel the decision.

UTL leaders said implementing the move could restore opportunities for political and local influence, nepotism, bribery and irregularities in teacher appointments. They said recruiting talented, qualified and skilled teachers is a principal condition for ensuring quality education. The group maintained that teacher recruitment should not be subject to political, personal or financial influence and should instead be based on merit, qualifications, skills and professional capability.

The statement said the NTRCA-based system used since 2015 for recruitment at private MPO-listed educational institutions has enabled competitive examinations and merit-based appointments, while ensuring transparency and accountability to a considerable extent. UTL said any limitations in that system should be reformed and modernized rather than returning to an older arrangement that could create room for irregularities. It urged stronger, more effective NTRCA recruitment mechanisms and safeguards for transparency and accountability.

Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami has condemned and protested an Education Ministry initiative to give managing committees authority to recruit entry-level teachers at private schools, colleges and madrasas. In a statement sent to the media on August 10, the party’s secretary general, Mia Golam Parwar, urged the government to cancel the proposed process for MPO-listed private educational institutions.

Parwar said the matter was reportedly decided at an August 3 meeting at the Education Ministry conference room on the overall activities of the Non-Government Teachers’ Registration and Certification Authority, or NTRCA. He warned that implementation could revive corruption, nepotism, partisan influence and bribery in teacher recruitment. He said appointing qualified, meritorious and skilled teachers is a key condition for ensuring quality education.

The Jamaat leader said the existing NTRCA recommendation process gives greater weight to merit, qualifications and competitive examinations, helping improve transparency and accountability. He called for shortcomings and complexities in that system to be addressed rather than restoring recruitment authority to managing committees. He also proposed, if necessary, an independent and neutral institutional framework similar to the Public Service Commission for appointments in MPO-listed private institutions.

Education Minister Ehsanul Haque Milon said no final decision has been made on returning teacher recruitment authority to managing committees at private schools and colleges. He conveyed the government’s position to the media on Monday, August 10, 2026.

The minister said there has been no conclusive decision to give managing committees the power to appoint teachers. The process for appointments will be determined after the selection of 77,000 teachers is completed.

His clarification followed recent reports in several media outlets that recruitment authority could be restored to the managing committees or governing boards of private educational institutions. The minister outlined the government’s position amid that discussion.

The National Citizen Party (NCP) has demanded that the interim government reverse its decision to scrap the expanded Essential Drugs List-2026 and Drug Price Determination Method-2026. In a joint statement issued Monday by convener Nahid Islam and member secretary Akhtar Hossain, the party called the move contrary to public interest and warned of a broader public movement if it is not withdrawn. The report was published on August 10, 2026.

NCP said the list had contained 117 medicines before the July mass uprising, claiming that about 40 percent had become ineffective in practice. It said reforms expanded the list to 295 medicines and introduced strict price controls, and claimed those medicines could meet the primary treatment needs of about 80 percent of people. The party also said earlier policy required companies to produce and supply essential medicines equal to at least 25 percent of annual sales.

The party alleged that the government reduced the list back to 117 medicines and weakened price controls in the interests of drug companies. NCP said higher prices could particularly affect patients with chronic illnesses and raise treatment costs for middle- and lower-income families. It sought effective price controls for 295 medicines, government control over maximum retail prices, and a science-based, public-oriented national drug policy.