Poland’s digital affairs minister Krzysztof Gawkowski has accused Meta of censorship after the Instagram account of Polish billionaire and InPost founder Rafal Brzoska was temporarily blocked. The action followed Brzoska’s criticism of fraudulent AI-generated advertisements using his image. His account was later restored, according to the report published on August 18, 2026.

Gawkowski called the incident the worst form of censorship. He accused Meta, the owner of Facebook and Instagram, of profiting from advertisements using stolen identities while shifting responsibility to anonymous advertisers. Brzoska had publicly criticized Meta over a fraudulent Facebook advertisement featuring an AI-generated image of him surrounded by police and wearing handcuffs.

The minister said the issue extends beyond one businessman’s interests and concerns the safety of millions of Polish citizens who could lose savings through fraudulent advertisements, deepfakes and false investment schemes. In 2024, Poland’s data protection authority ordered Meta to temporarily stop advertisements using Brzoska’s personal data. Earlier this year, a Polish court ruled in Brzoska’s favor in his continuing dispute with Meta over responsibility for scam ads.

Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) seized illegal Indian current nets, banned Chinese nets and cannabis in separate operations along the Daulatpur border in Kushtia, according to information released Tuesday at 1 pm. BGB sources put the total estimated value of the seized goods at Tk 57,432,500, or nearly Tk 60 million.

A BGB patrol team seized 5,050 kilograms of ownerless illegal Indian current nets and 4,845 kilograms of banned Chinese nets at about 10 pm on Monday, the sources said. The nets were estimated to be worth Tk 57,380,000. They were later burned and destroyed in the presence of the upazila fisheries officer.

In another operation at Rangmahal at 1:50 am on Monday night, a patrol team from the same battalion recovered 15 kilograms of ownerless Indian cannabis. Its estimated market value was Tk 52,500. Lieutenant Colonel Rashed Kamal Rony, commander of Kushtia Battalion 47 BGB, said the force remains vigilant to protect the border and prevent smuggling.

An artificial intelligence-based Auto Fine System has officially begun operating on the Dhaka-Chattogram highway to improve road safety, enforce traffic discipline and reduce accidents. Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed inaugurated the technology-driven system on Tuesday at the Highway Police Command, Control and Monitoring Centre in Meghnaghat, Sonargaon, Narayanganj.

The minister described the initiative as a major Highway Police step toward restoring order on highways and said it would bring a transformative change to traffic management. He said the system’s results and experience on the Dhaka-Chattogram route would be assessed before automated AI technology is introduced gradually on highways nationwide. He also warned against illegal extortion, saying CCTV and AI camera records would be preserved.

AI cameras have been installed on 490 pillars under a project focused on the highway. The system can detect speeding, dangerous overtaking, signal violations, wrong-way driving and illegal parking. Information will be sent to the BRTA database, and registered vehicle owners will receive case details by SMS. Fines may be paid through mobile financial services, while repeated violations can lead to registration cancellation and other legal action.

Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin met Inspector General of Police Md Ali Hossain at the Election Building on Tuesday, August 18, to discuss local elections and the law-and-order situation. The meeting focused on maintaining normal law and order in connection with the upcoming local polls.

Speaking to journalists after the meeting, the police chief said the discussion with the CEC covered efforts to keep the security situation normal during the elections. He said the police force would soon inform the Election Commission of detailed progress on the matter.

The Election Commission is preparing to begin local government elections from October. The report said the local election process may initially start with Union Parishad elections.

Upazila, municipal and college units of Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal held a sit-in in Dirai, Sunamganj, demanding the removal of UNO Sanjib Sarkar over alleged irregularities and nepotism in hiring for a family card census. The programme was held on Tuesday at the upazila Shaheed Minar premises, where activists also sought cancellation of appointments made through what they described as a disputed process.

Student leaders alleged that rules were ignored in recruiting data collectors and supervisors for the census and that former Chhatra League activists were given priority. Salman Mia, former convener of Dirai Degree College Chhatra Dal, said transparency and neutrality were needed for such an important activity. He called for a proper investigation into the allegations of irregularities and politicisation, as well as action against those responsible.

During the programme, participants chanted slogans demanding the UNO’s removal and cancellation of the contested appointments. They warned of a tougher movement with general students if their demands were not met. Upazila Chhatra Dal convener Abu Hasan Saju, member secretary Tanbir Chowdhury, Salman Mia and joint convener Rezaul Karim were among those present.

India’s Cockroach Janata Party, or CJP, has launched its “Fix the Schools” campaign to assess conditions in government schools, but the initiative has triggered tensions in West Bengal. On August 13, 26-year-old activist Abdul Hafiz visited a government primary school in Bankura district where he had once studied. He alleged that local BJP workers attacked his home hours later, injuring him and his father, Mohammad Mafik. Mafik, 51, died two days afterward.

CJP has asked supporters to inspect safe drinking water, working toilets, electricity, usable classrooms, school safety, midday meals and teacher attendance. West Bengal BJP leaders denied that the alleged attackers were connected to the party and promised an investigation. Hafiz said the campaign for better education would continue despite his father’s death. CJP founder Abhijit Deep called attacks and deaths over demands for better schools deeply concerning.

The group says Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigned in July after a 37-day sit-in and wider youth protests. In Alwar, Rajasthan, local officials said they would accept demands for extra classrooms, clean toilets and drinking water. Rajasthan has imposed restrictions on outsiders entering schools and recording images or videos, citing student privacy; activists view the move as an attempt to obstruct their campaign.

Police have filed an unnatural-death case after nine workers died from toxic gas while working in a confined section of a ship at Ferdous Shipyard in Bhatiari Union, Sitakunda, Chattogram. Faujdarhat police outpost inspector Rubel Afrad filed the case at Sitakunda police station on Monday, August 17, after no family member came forward to file one. No factory owner or other person has been named as an accused.

The deaths occurred on the morning of August 14 while the workers were employed at the ship-breaking facility. Afrad said the workers died after being exposed to toxic gas during work, describing the incident as accidental negligence. The deaths of nine workers at once have raised questions about overall safety arrangements at the shipyard.

Investigators had not entered the main site by August 17 because gas levels inside the vessel remained high, preventing the collection of gas samples and other key evidence. According to Afrad, gas intensity decreases somewhat when the tide rises but increases again as water recedes. The report identifies gas-free certification, gas detection checks, protective equipment, rescue arrangements, entry authorization and safety supervision as issues requiring scrutiny.

A Dhaka court ordered folk singer, composer and music director Mujib Pardeshi to be shown arrested in another old cheque dishonour case while he remains in jail in a separate case. The Fifth Joint Metropolitan Sessions Judge of Dhaka, Sadik Ahmed, issued the order on Tuesday after an application by the complainant’s side. Pardeshi had been sentenced to one year in prison in the older case nearly 19 years ago.

According to court bench assistant Shah Alam Mia, Pardeshi was sentenced on November 21, 2007, in a case filed by Mojibur Rahman. The sentence included one year of simple imprisonment and a fine of Tk 880,000. Of that amount, Tk 500,000 was to be paid to the complainant and Tk 380,000 deposited in the state treasury.

Case records say Pardeshi took Tk 440,000 in 2003 from Solaiman Sardar, the complainant’s younger brother, promising to take him to the United Kingdom. After failing to do so, he issued two cheques of Tk 220,000 each, which were repeatedly dishonoured for insufficient funds. He was sent to jail on August 4 in another Tk 1 million cheque dishonour case.

Education Minister A N M Ehsanul Haque said discussions are under way on introducing a separate pay scale for teachers. He made the remarks at an event in the capital on Tuesday, saying teachers’ salaries or pay scales should not be compared with those of any other group.

The minister said the proposed teachers’ pay scale should remain distinct whether it is lower or higher, and should not be assessed against other professions. He specifically said it would not be compared with the pay scale of a secretary or an MLS.

Describing teachers as ornaments who build the nation, Ehsanul Haque said they must be viewed separately. He reiterated his view that teachers should have an independent pay scale. The report did not provide details of a decision, timeline or implementation plan for the proposal.

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman inaugurated a programme to distribute 20,000 raincoats to tea garden workers in Bangladesh’s Sylhet division, supported by private-sector corporate social responsibility funds. The launch took place on Tuesday at the Prime Minister’s Office in the Secretariat, where he handed raincoats to 10 tea workers and inquired about their welfare.

According to assistant press secretary Gazi Shahriar Pamir, the Social Welfare Ministry initiated the programme to protect workers in tea gardens across Sylhet, Moulvibazar and Habiganj districts from adverse weather and help ensure safer working conditions. The Bangladesh Association of Pharmaceutical Industries will provide 10,000 raincoats, while Chevron Bangladesh and Pandughar Group will provide 5,000 each.

Rahman said major problems could be addressed if all members of society contributed in small ways, and pledged government support for private-sector humanitarian and social initiatives. Private-sector representatives said supporting disadvantaged and working people was part of their social responsibility and expressed interest in continuing such efforts with the government. Tea workers thanked the prime minister, the government and the contributing companies.

US President Donald Trump is seeking to revive relations with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un amid a complicated US situation over Iran, according to a report published on August 18. Citing his “very good relationship” with Kim, Trump ordered a significant reduction in joint military exercises with South Korea. The move raises new questions over Washington’s long-standing military relationship with Seoul.

On Sunday, Trump said Kim had responded to his outreach, but he gave no details about the message or whether a new meeting between the two leaders could occur. Trump described the joint drills as costly and as a “sign of hostility” toward North Korea. He also expressed dissatisfaction that South Korea had not supported the US initiative to address Iran’s nuclear programme.

During Trump’s first term, he and Kim held several meetings, but they did not reach a lasting agreement to end North Korea’s nuclear programme. North Korea has since strengthened ties with Russia and China while continuing to expand its military capabilities. Analysts said the renewed diplomatic effort signals a potentially important shift in US foreign policy, though they questioned whether it would succeed while unsettling a close ally such as South Korea.

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s disputed visit to the Kuril Islands has renewed tensions between Japan and Russia, according to a report published on August 18, 2026. Japan responded strongly to the visit, while Moscow summoned Japan’s ambassador in a countermeasure. Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi called Putin’s trip “completely unacceptable.”

Japan claims four islands in the southern part of the Kuril chain as its own territory, referring to them as the Northern Territories. Russia regards the islands as part of its Kuril Islands. The dispute has continued since the final stage of World War II, when the Soviet Union seized four islands near Japan.

The contested area is important for historical and political reasons, as well as for its rich fisheries and potential valuable mineral resources. Its location between the Sea of Okhotsk and the Pacific Ocean is strategically important to Russia and supports the movement of its Pacific fleet. The report says this was Putin’s first visit to the islands after a long time in power. Analysts say bilateral relations had already deteriorated after Japan imposed sanctions on Russia following the Ukraine war.

Bangladesh’s High Court has dismissed a writ petition challenging the validity of Article 70 of the Constitution and seeking suspension of the announced presidential election schedule. A bench comprising Justice Khizir Ahmed Chowdhury and Justice A F M Saiful Karim issued the order on Tuesday.

Attorney General Md Ruhul Quddus Kajal represented the state, while Advocate Yunus Ali Akand argued for the petitioner. Akand filed the petition last Thursday. The petition questioned Article 70 and the validity of the election schedule announced on August 6 for the presidential election.

It sought a rule asking why Article 70 should not be declared inconsistent with the Constitution and why the Election Commission’s schedule should not be declared beyond legal authority. Akand said the provision prevents lawmakers from voting independently. The High Court’s dismissal means there is no legal obstacle to the presidential election process under the current schedule.

Women with breast cancer in Gaza face a severe treatment crisis because of Israel’s blockade and war, according to a report published on August 18, 2026. Shortages of essential tests, medicines and medical equipment are delaying diagnosis, leaving many patients to reach doctors only after their cancer has progressed to advanced stages.

Gaza’s health system has nearly collapsed under the pressure of war and a prolonged blockade. Since October 2023, shortages have affected medicines, medical supplies and specialized diagnostic services. Mammography machines, vital for detecting breast cancer, have repeatedly become inoperative, while replacement parts are difficult to obtain. Gaza physician Hala al-Buhaysi said many women are arriving at hospitals with complicated or advanced cancer because normal access to diagnostic and treatment services has been disrupted.

The World Health Organization estimates that Gaza has about 10,000 cancer patients and identifies more than 2,000 new cancer patients annually. Its research says patients are being denied needed chemotherapy, radiotherapy and diagnostic equipment. Electricity and fuel shortages, along with a lack of health workers, have further complicated care. Doctors warn that the crisis could worsen without prompt provision of medicines, equipment and specialized treatment.

President Donald Trump threatened “severe bombing” of Oman if it obstructs a prospective US agreement with Iran over the Strait of Hormuz, according to an August 18 report. Trump also urged Tehran to surrender as the conflict, which began on February 28, approaches six months. Iran has effectively kept the strait closed since the conflict started, the report said.

Speaking to Fox News journalist Trey Yingst, Trump said Oman would be bombed if it stood in the way. Oman, a US ally in the Gulf, made no public response. Tehran and Muscat have been discussing future shipping arrangements for several weeks, and Iran’s Foreign Ministry said Monday that both sides were working on a joint declaration.

The talks began after a Pakistan-mediated attempt at an interim US-Iran agreement on keeping shipping normal failed. Shipping through the strait has fallen sharply, though Trump has repeatedly claimed the United States controls Hormuz. The conflict and energy-price volatility have increased pressure on Republicans before November’s midterm elections. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan stressed the need to use diplomacy fully to reduce tensions.