Bangladesh will conduct its first nationwide “Vessel Census 2026” from August 20 to 29 to support safer, orderly and more effective water transport. The Ministry of Shipping will carry out the census with assistance from the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics, State Minister for Shipping Md. Rajib Ahsan said on August 11. He spoke while opening a three-day training programme for coordinators responsible for data collection at Bangladesh Statistics Bhaban in the capital.

Ahsan said Bangladesh’s rivers and waterways are deeply connected to the economy, commerce and daily life, but their potential has not yet been fully used. He said pressure on road transport for passengers and freight is increasing, and the government has taken initiatives to ensure the maximum and effective use of waterways. He said greater waterway use could support trade, cargo and passenger transport, tourism and economic activity.

The census is expected to provide reliable information on the actual number, type, use and ownership of vessels, helping future planning, policymaking and measures for safer navigation. Planning State Minister Jonaed Saki called for professionalism, transparency and neutrality in data collection, warning that legal action would be taken over any discrepancies, irregularities or inconsistencies.

Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) seized smuggled goods worth Tk202 crore 63 lakh 49 thousand during operations in border areas and other locations across the country in July, according to a report published on August 11. The confiscated items included gold, diamond nose pins, silver, sarees, garments, fabric, imitation jewellery, cosmetics, fireworks, timber, coal, tea leaves, mobile phones, displays and mobile components.

BGB also seized medical equipment, razor blades, glasses, cumin, garlic, sugar, fertiliser, current nets, fuel, pesticides, medicines, snake venom and stone items. Vehicles allegedly used for smuggling included 12 trucks or covered vans, eight pickups, three private cars, six trolleys, 55 CNG vehicles, e-bikes or autorickshaws, 59 motorcycles, 47 bicycles or vans and 127 boats.

The force recovered nine local and foreign pistols, one rifle, five magazines, 60 rounds of ammunition and seven other weapons. Drug seizures included 2,110,258 yaba tablets, crystal meth, heroin, Phensedyl, foreign liquor, cannabis and narcotic tablets. Authorities detained 191 alleged smugglers linked to drug trafficking and other smuggling. Another 31 Bangladeshi, three Indian and 81 Myanmar nationals were detained for illegally crossing the border, and legal action was taken against them.

The third session of Bangladesh’s 13th National Parliament will convene on August 27 at 3pm. Acting President Hafiz Uddin Ahmed called the session under his constitutional authority, according to a notification issued by the National Parliament Secretariat.

The announcement was signed by Parliament Secretariat Secretary Barrister Md Golam Sarwar Bhuiyan and released on Tuesday. The current parliament’s second session ended on July 15. Under the constitutional provision cited in the report, the interval between two parliamentary sessions cannot exceed 60 days.

A special parliamentary sitting will also be held on August 20 for the presidential election. The Election Commission, in consultation with the acting speaker, is expected to call that sitting within the next day or two. The chief election commissioner will conduct the election at the parliamentary meeting.

The United States announced a $15.5 million emergency assistance package for Colombia on Monday after a powerful earthquake killed more than 100 people in the South American country. The announcement was reported by AFP from Washington and published on August 11, 2026.

In a post on X, the US State Department said it stood with the Colombian people in prayer. It also said the United States was prepared to assist Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella.

The aid announcement came three days after de la Espriella, described in the report as supported by Washington, took office as Colombia’s president. The source did not provide details on how the emergency package would be used or further information about earthquake damage.

Anwar Gargash, senior diplomatic adviser to the UAE president, said the Middle East cannot remain indefinitely in a state of “neither war nor peace.” In a post on X on August 11, 2026, he called for clarity of vision and objectives to support regional stability and the future of its people.

Gargash said the foundations of the future cannot be built on a “fragile foundation” or on arrangements inconsistent with international law. He said the aim should be to move toward sustainable stability based on clear and common rules. He identified peaceful coexistence, respect for sovereignty and the logic of peace as essential foundations for any lasting solution.

His comments came amid continuing tensions between the United States and Iran. Diplomatic efforts to restore a memorandum of understanding between the two countries remain unresolved, while both sides have warned about the possibility of renewed conflict. Against that backdrop, the UAE diplomat emphasized clear rules, mutual respect and diplomatic solutions as necessary for long-term stability in the Middle East.

Hindu Raksha Dal has claimed that a Shiva lingam and a Shiva temple exist within the premises of Darul Uloom Deoband, a historic Islamic educational institution in Uttar Pradesh, India. In a video message on August 8, Uttarakhand state president Lalit Sharma said a group led by national president Pinky Chaudhary would travel from Haridwar to Deoband with Ganges water on August 11 to offer it there.

Sharma alleged that the Muslim structure had been built after a temple was demolished. He also said the group had previously approached the administration seeking permission to conduct an examination at Deoband, but its request was not considered.

The announcement has raised concerns about renewed tension in the area. Deoband Circle police officer Amit Kumar Singh said deterioration of law and order would not be tolerated. He said legal action would be taken against anyone attempting to disturb the peace or disrupt public order. Darul Uloom Deoband, founded in 1866, is described in the report as a renowned religious educational institution.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Iran had shown the world that it is a “tough and unbeatable force.” Speaking at a televised news conference on August 11, 2026, he said the recent conflict had displayed Iran’s military and strategic capabilities, as well as its ability to build resistance under difficult conditions.

Araghchi said he had repeatedly heard from foreign ministers and officials in various countries that Iranians had performed a miracle and surprised the world. He said nobody had expected Iran to be able to mount resistance against the United States in that manner.

The foreign minister said the United States’ position against Iran was backed by Israel, the Western world and several other countries. Despite that support, he claimed Iran’s resistance had surprised the world. The report did not provide details about the timing of the conflict, specific military actions, or reactions from other parties.

A criminal court in Damascus has sentenced former Syrian president Bashar al-Assad, his brother Maher al-Assad, and former Daraa political security chief Atef Najib to death. The ruling, issued Tuesday, found Bashar al-Assad guilty of premeditated killings involving multiple people, including children, as well as torture, arbitrary detention and crimes against humanity.

Najib faces accusations of murder, torture, arbitrary detention, participation in suppressing peaceful protests through the use of gunfire, and systematic killings and torture inside detention centres. The court said investigations and witness testimony established that Najib was involved in interrogating detainees and in a security operation against civilians after protests began in Daraa in 2011.

Najib was tried in his presence, while Bashar and Maher al-Assad were tried in absentia. The Fourth Criminal Court also ordered an international arrest operation against Bashar and Maher al-Assad. In 2024, the Assad government fell after an 11-day campaign by fighters led by current Syrian president Ahmad al-Sharaa, after which Bashar al-Assad fled to Moscow.

Islami Andolon Bangladesh has demanded that authority to recruit teachers at private educational institutions be restored to the Non-Government Teachers’ Registration and Certification Authority, or NTRCA. In a statement published Tuesday, party Secretary General Maulana Gazi Ataur Rahman called for the immediate cancellation of a decision to give school management committees recruitment powers and for the previous system to be reinstated.

He said a merit-based central system had operated for a decade, under which NTRCA conducted teacher registration examinations, issued certificates and recommended teachers for appointment. According to him, this system had largely closed opportunities for nepotism and corruption by management committees. He said a high-level meeting on August 3 at the Secretariat reviewed NTRCA operations and decided to abolish the arrangement.

Ateur Rahman alleged that transferring recruitment authority to management committees would open the way for irregularities, financial transactions, political recommendations and nepotism. He also cited the introduction last September of a district commissioner-led committee for employee recruitment and its cancellation through a July 21 Education Ministry notification. He urged the government to reverse the decision, saying it could cause major dissatisfaction because it concerns employment for millions of unemployed young people.

The number of Palestinians killed in Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip has risen to 73,387, Gaza's Health Ministry said on August 11, 2026. The ministry said one person who had been wounded in earlier attacks died over the previous 24 hours. One additional person was injured in renewed Israeli violence during the same period.

The ministry released the figures in a statement on Telegram. It said that since the ongoing war began in October 2023, at least 174,257 people have been wounded in Gaza. The reported toll includes casualties accumulated throughout the conflict.

According to the ministry, 1,259 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks even after a ceasefire mediated by the United States took effect in October last year. Human rights and international organizations have expressed concern over continued casualties in Gaza despite the ceasefire, the report said.

John Mearsheimer, an international relations theorist and professor at the University of Chicago, said Iran’s ballistic missiles have demonstrated high effectiveness in attacks on US military bases and facilities in the Middle East. In comments published on August 11, 2026, he said this capability would be a major reason for a reduced US military presence in West Asia.

Mearsheimer said neither the United States nor other countries in the region have an effective solution for defending against Iranian ballistic missiles and drones. He asserted that their attacks had severely damaged or completely destroyed nearly all bases in the Middle East. He also said evidence showed US forces had withdrawn from bases in the Persian Gulf region, first to Jordan, then to Israel, and ultimately to Europe.

According to Mearsheimer, the United States is unlikely to return to the region even after the ongoing conflict ends because of the continuing missile threat and Persian Gulf countries’ reluctance to host US forces. He described current US policy as ensuring a “devastating defeat” and said Iran had resisted what he called a US-imposed war through geographic advantages, military strategy and support from Russia and China.

US President Donald Trump signed a directive recommending fewer childhood vaccines and separate administration of measles, mumps and rubella vaccines. Published on August 11, 2026, the report says the guidance would reduce the recommended number of vaccines from the American Academy of Pediatrics’ current 18 to 11. It is not mandatory, because states, rather than the federal government, determine vaccines required for school attendance.

The proposed core vaccines cover measles, mumps, rubella, diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, polio, Haemophilus influenzae type b, pneumococcal disease, human papillomavirus and varicella. Trump suggested that combined MMR vaccination could be deadly, but when asked for evidence said he had heard some people say so. The CDC says most MMR recipients have no serious problems and that vaccination is much safer than contracting the three diseases.

The CDC says there is no published scientific evidence that splitting combined MMR shots provides benefits. AAP President Dr Andrew Racine called the order dangerous amid the highest US measles transmission in 35 years. Republican Senator Bill Cassidy called it wrong and urged parents to consult pediatricians. Multiple studies, including a 2019 Danish study of 657,461 children, found no link between MMR vaccination and autism.

Prime Minister’s Information Adviser Dr. Jahed Ur Rahman said cricketer Shakib Al Hasan may be a quality player but described him as a “spoiled, rotten person.” Responding to journalists at a weekly press briefing at the Information Department conference room in the Secretariat on Tuesday morning, he said necessary legal action would be taken if Shakib returned to Bangladesh.

Criticising Shakib’s recent remarks, the adviser said the cricketer was still speaking from a politically affiliated position with Sheikh Hasina. He described Shakib’s comments as an attempt to put some pressure on the government. Rahman also said discussion of the names and reputations of people aligned with Hasina, who remain aligned with her, was meaningless.

Rahman said he did not believe Shakib would think a crowd would harm him at the airport if he came to Bangladesh to face cases, the law and judicial proceedings. He said he saw no problem if Shakib returned while accepting the allegations and legal issues involved. He also said Sheikh Hasina would receive full security and due rights in judicial proceedings if she returned.

Bangladesh Nationalist Party has not yet selected a candidate for the presidency, Chief Whip Nurul Islam Moni said after a preparatory meeting on the election at the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban on Tuesday. He said the party’s standing committee had assigned Prime Minister Tarique Rahman to decide the matter. The Election Commission meeting with acting Speaker Barrister Kaiser Kamal began at 11am.

Moni said voting would take place in the presence of the leader of the House, the opposition leader and the Speaker, with live media coverage continuing until results are announced. The vote will be held inside parliament under the rules of Article 70, with lawmakers casting ballots according to their seat numbers. He said members voting against their party’s decision would lose their parliamentary membership.

Opposition Chief Whip Nahid Islam alleged that the government was not implementing a presidential election in line with the July Charter. He said the 11-party alliance had nominated a candidate to prevent an uncontested election. Nominations are due on August 13, scrutiny is set for August 16, withdrawal closes on August 18, and voting will run from 2pm to 5pm on August 20. The Election Commission began preparations after the 22nd president, Md Shahabuddin, resigned on July 24.

Dhaka Metropolitan Police’s traffic division filed 915 cases in July against vehicles emitting black smoke in the capital. The cases were brought during operations in different areas of Dhaka aimed at preventing environmental pollution and stopping excessive black smoke emissions from vehicles using the roads.

Among DMP’s eight traffic divisions, Motijheel recorded the highest number with 354 cases. Wari filed 172 cases, Tejgaon 131, Uttara 128 and Gulshan 56. Mirpur registered 36 cases, Ramna 34 and Lalbagh four, according to DMP traffic division sources.

The traffic division said it conducts such operations regularly as part of efforts to curb pollution caused by black smoke-emitting vehicles. It said the drives and legal action against vehicles responsible for black smoke emissions will continue.