Prime Minister and BNP Chairman Tarique Rahman has convened a meeting of the party's standing committee to finalize the party's candidate for the upcoming presidential election. The meeting is scheduled to be held on Thursday morning (August 13).
To address the ongoing power crisis and conserve electricity across the country, the government has ordered that all shopping malls, markets, and shops must close by 8pm. Additionally, directives have been issued to shut down all illuminated billboards by 7pm and completely prohibit all forms of decorative lighting.
The country is facing a severe deterioration in its power situation due to declining electricity generation driven by gas shortages, with rural areas bearing the brunt of the crisis. Consumers in many regions are enduring extreme suffering, reporting blackouts lasting up to 16 to 18 hours a day. This prolonged absence of electricity has disrupted daily life, severely impacted education for students, and caused widespread distress among children, the elderly, and the sick amidst intense heat.
Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) has expressed deep concern over the drafts of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) Act and the Enforced Disappearance Prevention Act. The organization claims that while the drafts contain some positive aspects, they retain significant weaknesses regarding the independence and effectiveness of the human rights commission, alongside provisions that could create opportunities for impunity in cases of enforced disappearances.
The government has simultaneously transferred 23 police officers holding the ranks of Metropolitan Police Commissioner, DIG, Additional DIG, and Superintendent of Police. The Ministry of Home Affairs issued these administrative changes through four separate notifications on Wednesday.
The government has dismissed six police officers from service on charges of unauthorized absence from their workstations and negligence of duty. The decision was announced through six separate gazette notifications signed by Senior Secretary of the Ministry of Home Affairs Monzur Morshed Chowdhury under the orders of the President on Wednesday (August 12).