Three people sentenced to death for gang rape, inciting suicide of teenager in NetrokonaA Netrokona court has sentenced three men to death for the gang rape of 14-year-old Panna, inciting her to kill herself in a 2017 case that drew public outrage. On Monday, the Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal in Netrokona also sentenced the convicts to a decade of rigorous imprisonment and fined them Tk 100,000 each. When family members rescued her and brought her home, the accused allegedly threatened them to keep the matter under wraps. Her mother filed a case naming three suspects, but due to their alleged influence, the incident was initially dismissed as a suicide. State prosecutor Nurul Kabir Rubel said police submitted the final chargesheet in the case on Apr 5, 2018.

Bangladesh pacer Taskin Ahmed has been accused of assault and issuing threats against a childhood friend. According to a general diary filed with Mirpur Model Police Station, the incident took place on Sunday night in front of Sony Cinema Hall in Mirpur, Dhaka. Police station chief Sajjad Hossain said a young man named Sifatur Rahman Sourav had filed the complaint. “We’ve received a complaint stating Taskin physically assaulted someone near Sony Cinema Hall. According to Sourav’s complaint, Taskin called him over by phone and then beat him, causing injuries, and threatened him.

The explosion that killed two people at the Bangladesh Institute of Administration and Management (BIAM) Foundation in Dhaka five months ago was a "premeditated" incident, according to the Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI). "The incident was orchestrated by BIAM's administrative officer Zahidul Islam to destroy important documents. The two people who were used as pawns died in the ensuing fire," PBI Superintendent of Police Abdur Rahman said at a media briefing on Monday. He added that the mystery behind the incident was unravelled after the arrest of Zahidul and his accomplice Ashraful Islam. The two were arrested on July 25 in Dhaka and Kurigram.

Passenger held at Chattogram airport with Tk 2.2m in undeclared foreign currencyA passenger has been arrested at Chattogram’s Shah Amanat International Airport with a large amount of undeclared foreign currency. He was detained on Sunday night while attempting to travel from Chattogram to UAE's Sharjah. “Upon further inspection in the presence of customs officials, intelligence agencies, airport AVSEC personnel, the Air Force task force, and CID members, various foreign currencies equivalent to Tk 2.2 million were seized from him,” he said. The seized currencies included $4,700, 47,885 UAE dirhams, 37,062 Saudi riyals, and 346 Omani rials. Customs authorities have filed a case against Majid with Patenga Police Station under the Foreign Exchange Regulation Act, the Special Powers Act, and other relevant laws.

Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus has sought Malaysia’s support for Bangladesh’s entry into the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) as a member state. He made the call on Sunday during a meeting with Nurul Izzah Anwar, vice-president of Malaysia’s People’s Justice Party and daughter of Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, at the State Guest House Jamuna. According to a statement from the Chief Advisor’s Office, Yunus said: "We want to become a part of ASEAN, and we will be needing your support." Yunus expressed hope that Malaysia, currently the ASEAN chair, would play a vital role in approving Bangladesh’s application, which could pave the way for full membership in the future. At the beginning of the meeting, Nurul Izzah offered condolences over the recent jet crash that killed and injured students of Dhaka’s Milestone School and College.

A boy stands with his mother inside a makeshift shelter camp in Goalpara district in the northeastern state of Assam, India, Jul 18, 2025. REUTERS/Sahiba ChawdharyA boy stands with his mother inside a makeshift shelter camp in Goalpara district in the northeastern state of Assam, India, Jul 18, 2025. In just the past month alone, about 3,400 Bengali Muslim homes have been bulldozed in five eviction drives across Assam, according to state data. BJP-ruled states have since rounded up thousands of Bengali Muslims, calling them suspected "illegal immigrants" and a potential security risk. States including Assam have also "pushed back" hundreds of Bengali Muslims into Bangladesh.

Intensifying concerns, on May 15, the Ministry of Education eliminated quotas for female teacher recruitment in MPO-accredited private schools and colleges. 'INDIGENOUS CANDIDATES ARE FALLING BEHIND'Alik Mrong, president of the Bangladesh Indigenous Students' Action Council, believes indigenous candidates have already begun to fall behind since their quota for government jobs was slashed from 5 percent to 1 percent. The organisation issued a statement on Apr 20, demanding that the women's quota in primary teacher recruitment be retained. The Bangladesh Mahila Parishad expresses deep concern over the drafting of these rules without considering the women's quota in the overall context of Bangladesh." The Bangladesh Mahila Parishad expresses deep concern over this decision to abolish the women's quota."

The government has formed the National Pay Commission 2025 to review and recommend revisions to public sector salaries within six months. A 23-member body headed by former finance secretary Zakir Ahmed Khan was announced in a circular issued by the Ministry of Finance on Sunday. The commission will assess salaries, allowances, and other benefits of employees across government, semi-government, autonomous bodies, state-owned banks and financial institutions, government-aided universities, and state-run industrial enterprises. Currently, nearly 1.5 million public servants are paid under the 2015 pay scale, which features 20 salary grades. While no direct allowance hike was announced, Finance Advisor Salehuddin Ahmed unveiled a special benefit package for public employees, effective from Jul 1.

The Ministry of Public Administration has made it mandatory to include the passport number in the Government Order (GO) for foreign travel by public servants. The ministry issued a letter to senior secretaries and secretaries of all ministries on Sunday, stating that although government orders for foreign travel are issued periodically for officers and employees, these orders often do not mention the passport number of the concerned individual. As a result, it is not possible to verify which passport they are using for the trip. In light of this, the letter requests that passport numbers be included in all official foreign travel orders for government staff.

ACC files money laundering case against former Air Force chief and his wifeThe Anti-Corruption Commission has filed two separate cases against former Bangladesh Air Force chief Shaikh Abdul Hannan and his wife Tahmida Begum on charges of acquiring wealth “beyond known means of income”. Including these, the total value of acquired assets stands at about Tk 89.62 million. The national anti-graft agency said that the initial investigation revealed Hannan acquired this wealth through “criminal misconduct” while performing his duties as a high-ranking official of the state. The investigation has also revealed that Hannan acquired business establishments and assets in multiple countries, including Qatar and Dubai. Citing the investigation, the ACC said that out of assets worth Tk 19.49 million registered in Tahmida’s name, only Tk 1.86 million was identified as legitimate income.

Bangladesh has ordered 25 aircraft from the US-based Boeing Company amid ongoing trade talks with Washington to reduce the steep tariffs imposed by the Trump administration. This year, in the context of the tariff issue, we’ve placed fresh orders. We’ve placed an order for 25 Boeing aircraft. Our private sector importers are also considering sourcing more soyabean from the US. We hope that this leads to a mutual understanding.”Highlighting the decision to boost cotton imports from the US, Mahbubur said: “We already import cotton from there.

On Thursday, the Criminal Investigation Department of the police (CID) said that the identities of 5 people had been confirmed through DNA testing. It added that members of the CID's forensic team collected 11 DNA samples from unidentified bodies and body parts kept at CMH. Analysis of these samples yielded DNA profiles corresponding to five students. “From the remaining two full bodies, two partial bodies, and five body parts, the CID forensic team collected DNA samples on the 22nd of July. Dr Sarkar Farhana Kabir, the designated focal person for information about the casualties, said: “CMH has updated its figures based on the DNA test results.

A low-pressure system hovering above India's Jharkhand has weakened and now lies as a well-marked low over Madhya Pradesh, according to the Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD). As a result, the ports of Chattogram, Cox’s Bazar, Mongla, and Payra have been advised to lower their cautionary signals. The monsoon is active over Bangladesh and moderate over the northern Bay of Bengal. Moderately heavy to heavy rainfall may also occur in parts of the Khulna, Barishal, Chattogram, and Sylhet divisions. In the 24 hours to 6:00am on Sunday, various parts of the country recorded light to moderate showers.

The National Consensus Commission will send a preliminary draft of the national charter to political parties on Monday to gather their feedback, according to the panel's Vice-Chairman Ali Riaz. “Our goal is to sign the national charter. The commission has prepared the initial draft of the charter. The draft will be sent to the parties by tomorrow,” Riaz said. “If you give your opinion, it will be included in the initial draft.

Police use tear gas to break up ceramics factory workers' protest in GazipurWorkers of RAK Ceramics factory in Gazipur’s Sreepur Upazila have staged a demonstration by blocking the Dhaka-Mymensingh Highway to press home a series of demands, including backpay. Law enforcement later dispersed the protesters by firing tear gas shells, according to Inspector Abdul Latif of the Gazipur Industrial Police. Protesting workers said they had raised these demands several times in the past, but the factory authorities continued to ignore them. When that failed, tear gas was used to break up the gathering and clear the highway. Abdur Razzak, an official from RAK Ceramics’ Human Resources and Administration Department, said discussions are underway between factory management and senior authorities regarding the workers’ demands.