Messi scores twice, provides assist as Inter Miami beat Atlanta United 3-1
Publish : 19 Oct 2026, 09:06 UNB Photo Lionel Messi scored twice and provided an assist as Inter Miami cruised to a 3-1 victory over Atlanta United in Major League Soccer (MLS) on Saturday. Germán Berterame opened the scoring in the final minute of the first half, converting a move set up by Messi and Luis Suárez to put Miami ahead. Messi then scored twice in four minutes, finding the net in the 56th and 60th minutes to extend Miami’s lead to 3-0. Berterame assisted on both goals, while Suárez provided an assist on Messi’s second strike. With his 15th assist of the season, Messi drew level with Los Angeles FC’s Son Heung-min at the top of the league’s assist standings. He also became the first player in MLS history to record at least 15 assists in three consecutive seasons. The Argentine star’s goals took his league-leading tally to 25. He won the Golden Boot last season with 29 goals and, alongside Josef Martínez, is one of only two players in MLS history to score at least 25 goals in two regular seasons. Messi now has 40 goal contributions this season, nine short of Carlos Vela’s MLS record of 49, set with Los Angeles FC in 2019. Miami have four matches remaining. Berterame has recorded eight assists, while Suárez registered a career-
Major reshuffle in the Secretariat, seven secretaries change offices
Published: 18 October 2026, 21:49 The government has made major changes to the Secretariat, the heart of the country’s administration. Along with changing the offices of seven secretaries, one additional secretary has been promoted to the rank of secretary and two additional secretaries have been given the responsibility of acting secretaries. The orders for these transfers, promotions and postings were issued in a separate notification by the Ministry of Public Administration on Sunday (October 18). According to the notification, Shipping Ministry Secretary Zakaria has been transferred to the post of Chairman of the National River Protection Commission. Commerce Ministry Secretary Md. Ataur Rahman Khan has been given the responsibility of Shipping Ministry Secretary. Sharaf Uddin Ahmed Chowdhury, Secretary of the Ministry of Textiles and Jute, has been made Secretary of the Ministry of Commerce. On the other hand, Ayesha Akhter, Additional Secretary of the Ministry of Commerce, has been promoted to the rank of Secretary and appointed as Secretary of the Ministry of Textiles and Jute. National Academy of Development Administration Rector Dr. Md. Kamruzzaman has been made Secretary of the Department of Posts and Telecommunications. The Secretary of this department, Bilkis Jahan Rimi, has been transferred to the post of Member of the Planning Commission. The post of Member of the Planning Commission is of the rank of Secretary. Meanwhile, Secretary of the Ministry of Youth and Sports Md. Mahbub-ul-Alam has been withdrawn from the post of Secretary and attached to the Ministry of Public Administration. Additional Secretary of the same ministry Mahfuzul Alam Khan has been given the responsibility of Acting Secretary. In addition, Secretary of the Ministry of Liberation War Affairs Md. Ashraful Islam has been appointed as the Rector of the National Administration Academy. This post is also of the rank of Secretary. On the other hand, Director General (Additional Secretary) of the Department of Land Records and Survey Md. Abul Hasanat Humayun Kabir has been given the responsibility of Acting Secretary of the Ministry of Liberation War Affairs.
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Published: 18 October 2026, 22:46 Anisul Haque and Hasanul Haque Inu. Photo: Collected Former law minister Anisul Haque, former mayor of Dhaka North City Corporation Atiqul Islam, Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JSD) president and former information minister Hasanul Haque Inu, and former judge AHM Shamsuddin Chowdhury Manik have been taken to Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) for medical check-ups. They were taken to Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) under the supervision of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the police and with the assistance of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) on Sunday (October 18) at around 5:30 pm. After a preliminary health check at the hospital, they were taken away at 5:50 pm. According to CID sources, the court has granted them remand for questioning in two murder cases filed at Badda and Mirpur police stations in the capital during the July uprising. They were subjected to this medical examination as part of the implementation of the remand as per the rules. CID Inspector Nasir Uddin Sarkar said, “A suspect is medically examined before being remanded. After interrogation, he is medically examined again before being sent to court.”
NCP will not participate in the Constitution Amendment Committee: Akhtar Hossain
NCP member secretary and MP Akhtar Hossain National Citizens Party (NCP) member secretary and MP Akhtar Hossain told the government, “You will not be able to advance your activities for long by deceiving the people. Maybe you have a two-thirds majority, with the strength of which you are thinking of amending the constitution.” But where there is no public opinion, a two-thirds majority cannot move forward. A one-party Constitution Amendment Committee is a step in the opposite direction of reform and a way to sabotage it. That is why the National Citizens Party (NCP) will not participate in this Constitution Amendment Committee. He made these remarks at a press conference at the NCP office in Bangla Motors in the capital on Saturday night. Akhtar Hossain said, “We want to express our demand to the government to abolish this Constitution Amendment Committee and form a Constitution Reform Council according to the referendum verdict. Unfortunately, we hear various things from the government – they will implement reforms, they are the father of reforms, we hear various things from their mouths. But the unfortunate thing is that they came to power after the outline of the three alliances was outlined in ’90 and then they did not want to implement the outline of those three alliances, it was clear to the nation that they did not want to implement it. This issue remains within the BNP that just as they did not want to implement the outline of the three alliances after ’90, they will not want to implement the reforms of this July.”
Driving without a July license is like getting into a car without fitness: Hasnat
National Citizens Party (NCP) Chief Organizer (South) Hasnat Abdullah at the Dhaka Reporters Unity in the capital. Photo: Collected National Citizens Party (NCP) Chief Organizer (South) Hasnat Abdullah has compared running a state without a charter to getting into a car without a fitness certificate. He alleged that the government is pushing the state towards business interests instead of public welfare. Follow Google News to get the latest news from Dainik Ittefaq He made these remarks at an open discussion titled ‘One Year of the July Charter: The Struggle of Promises and Expectations’ organized by the Amar Bangladesh Party (AB Party) at the Shafiqul Kabir Auditorium of Dhaka Reporters Unity (DRU) in the capital on Sunday (October 18). Speakers at the meeting said that it is now the demand of the hour to implement the aspirations of the July mass uprising, reform the state, and implement the referendum verdict. They alleged that the government, despite promising to implement the July Charter, is backing away from it, which is contrary to the expectations of the people. Hasnat Abdullah said, “BNP has deceived the nation with the July Charter and violated several clauses of the Charter. The demand for the formation of the Reform Council was to ensure the continuity of reforms and implement the referendum verdict.” He also said that if the state is run ignoring the basic spirit of the July Charter, a new political crisis will arise. The meeting was chaired by AB Party Chairman Mujibur Rahman Manju and moderated by the party’s Joint General Secretary Barrister Jobayer Ahmed Bhuiyan. In his speech as president, Manju said, “The nation is fed up with hearing the government’s assurance of implementing the July Charter to the letter. They never imagined that the government would back down from its promise so quickly.” He said, BNP itself has claimed that 848 of its workers were martyred in July. The government should implement the July Charter out of its responsibility towards the blood and lives of the martyrs. Manju further said that Sheikh Hasina has suffered the consequences of not keeping her promises. BNP should not make the same mistake. The July Charter contains 84 reform proposals and seven-point
From now on, we will destroy drug dens with bamboo sticks: Ishraq Hossain
Declaring a strict stance against drugs, State Minister for Liberation War Affairs and Dhaka-6 MP Ishraq Hossain has said that from now on, drug dens will be crushed with bamboo sticks. He made this announcement in an explosive post on his verified Facebook page recently. After the publication of his announcement, a wide discussion has started in the political and social arena. Criticizing a section of the media in a Facebook post, State Minister Ishraq Hossain wrote, “Some well-known media outlets have renowned panels of lawyers who are able to clearly explain the provisions of the law and they also practice it. But despite knowing everything, looking at the way they publish news, it seems that those media outlets may have had exclusive suppliers or distributors of drugs in their ‘secret chambers’. He commented that after the anti-drug campaign, the behavior of those media outlets has become like wild animals.” Ishraq Hossain warned in the post, “Wait and see.” The drug lords or gangsters who finance these papers will have their hideouts razed to the ground. Referring to his personal security, he said that he has a legally licensed weapon. Regarding the next steps in the anti-drug campaign, the state minister wrote, “From now on, these drug dens will be destroyed with bamboo sticks. The police will stand by and watch and arrest the accused before the magistrate.” He expressed his firm conviction in a Facebook post that the ’16 arts’ of this anti-drug struggle will be completed.