India’s chief justice Surya Kant reportedly called unemployed young people “cockroaches” in May, prompting widespread anger and the formation that month of the youth-led Cockroach Janata Party, or CJP. The group has gained online popularity among young Indians while protesting exam paper leaks, weak accountability in competitive examinations, and alleged irregularities and corruption in education. The article says the movement has created significant pressure on Narendra Modi’s government.

From June 6, CJP and several nationwide student organisations held a sit-in at Jantar Mantar in Delhi. Environmentalist and social activist Sonam Wangchuk began an indefinite hunger strike in support; police took him to hospital on the 21st day. Protesters demanding Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation marched toward Parliament, breached police barricades and entered the Parliament complex, where violence occurred.

According to the article, pressure from CJP forced the education minister to resign, while the prime minister promised to meet several additional youth demands. It links the protest to unemployment, rising living costs, exam disruptions and frustration among educated young people. The article also says more than 800 million Indians depend on state food assistance and describes sharp concentration of income and wealth among the top 1%.

The murder case of retired Major Sinha Md Rashed Khan remains unresolved six years after his death, despite lower court and High Court verdicts upholding death sentences for two defendants and life terms for six others. The case is now before the Appellate Division of Bangladesh’s Supreme Court. As of early July 2026, leave-to-appeal applications filed by the six life-term convicts had not been listed for hearing.

Sinha was killed by police gunfire at the Shamlapur checkpoint on the Cox’s Bazar-Teknaf Marine Drive on the night of July 31, 2020. His sister, Sharmin Shahriar Ferdous, filed the murder case five days later. RAB submitted a charge sheet against 15 people, describing the killing as planned. On January 31, 2022, the Cox’s Bazar District and Sessions Judge’s Court sentenced former OC Pradeep Kumar Das and inspector Liaqat Ali to death.

The High Court upheld the lower court ruling on June 2, 2025, with its full judgment published on November 20. The state has supported retaining both verdicts, while Pradeep’s lawyer said he would challenge the High Court ruling. Sharmin said justice would be fully established only after an Appellate Division ruling and its implementation, and called for a swift final hearing.

According to the report, Bangladesh’s Anti-Discrimination Student Movement rejected a government decision to observe state mourning on July 30, 2024. The decision was made at a cabinet meeting on July 29, amid the quota reform movement and reported killings nationwide. The movement called the mourning declaration a “cruel mockery” and announced a July 30 programme asking people to wear red cloth over their faces and eyes, photograph themselves and circulate the images online.

The report said Facebook turned visibly red from midnight on July 29 as students, teachers, intellectuals and some celebrities changed profile images in solidarity. During a writ hearing that day, a High Court bench questioned the state side and said, “Do not make a mockery of the nation.” Transparency International Bangladesh was reported to have condemned the detention of coordinators in DB custody as “unethical” and “illegal.”

The report also described obstruction and attacks against student protesters in Dhaka and elsewhere, saying at least 50 students were detained in Dhaka. Teachers described the violence of the preceding month as the “July killings” and demanded an end to disappearances, arrests and harassment. It said a National People’s Investigation Commission was formed by prominent citizens to seek independent investigations into reported deaths.

More than 223,000 cubic feet of government-seized sand has been found missing from 170 sand piles in Joypur, Shuvapur Union of Chhagalnaiya upazila along the Feni River. A court-ordered remeasurement identified a shortfall of 223,830 cubic feet, with an estimated value of Tk 6,714,900 at Tk 30 per cubic foot. A theft case has been filed at Chhagalnaiya police station under Penal Code sections 379/34.

On February 18, upazila engineer Touhidul Islam measured the 170 piles and reported 3,898,697 cubic feet of sand. A later on-site remeasurement, ordered by the court, found a major discrepancy. The case statement says unknown individuals removed the seized sand sometime between 8pm on February 18 and 5:20pm on July 20. Police also seized trucks carrying allegedly stolen sand and jailed three truck drivers in separate cases.

Investigating officer SI Tanvir Mehdi said preliminary findings indicate theft of more than 200,000 cubic feet, while the investigation continues to establish the actual quantity and identify those involved. Police said detained drivers gave no information about the sand’s owner or destination. The report also describes disputes among several BNP groups over control of seized sand and sales proceeds, alongside allegations of clashes and attacks.

Patients at Goalanda উপজেলা Health Complex in Rajbari are facing disrupted care after its X-ray machine remained out of service for about a year and a half. The 50-bed facility receives an average of more than 400 patients daily, hospital sources said. The machine has been completely unusable since March 25 last year.

The Japanese-made Ekoma-100 analog X-ray machine was installed in 1985. Although it initially operated, it later suffered repeated mechanical faults and was kept running through repairs. The medical technologist (radiology) post has also been vacant since the same period, leaving X-ray services closed.

Patients needing tests advised by doctors must visit private clinics and diagnostic centres, resulting in added expense and hardship, according to affected patients. Upazila Health and Family Planning Officer Dr Maruf Hasan said the complex has no modern digital X-ray machine, while the older unit is unusable. He said higher authorities have been informed and efforts are underway to take necessary action.

A Chattogram metropolitan sessions judge court has ordered the withdrawal of a “shown arrest” against Ismail Hossain, also known as Tempur, and directed his release from jail. The order followed an application by his lawyer after an interim High Court order. The report, published on July 29, said the process for Tempur Ismail’s release has begun.

Court-related sources said a High Court bench comprising Justice Rajik-Al-Jalil and Justice Debashish Roy Chowdhury issued a rule after hearing Writ Petition No. 7948/2026 on July 8. The bench also said Ismail Hossain should not be harassed if there was no specific case or legal ground against him, and asked respondents to reply within four weeks.

Lawyer Mohammad Mizanur Rahman said his client was shown arrested in a case while the interim order remained in force, which he said conflicted with the court order. Police records say more than 30 cases, including murder, robbery, abduction, arms, narcotics and extortion allegations, are pending against Tempur in Chattogram and Cumilla.

Businessman S M Shahidullah Roni, 46, narrowly escaped after gunmen fired at his moving private car in Hathazari, Chattogram. The attack occurred around 11:30pm on Tuesday night in the Ichapur Charabot Tala area of the Chattogram-Rangamati highway, as Roni was driving himself from Chattogram city toward his home in Raozan.

Police and the victim said assailants first threw bricks in front of the vehicle in an apparent attempt to stop it. Roni switched off the car lights and stopped after sensing danger. Two armed men arriving on a motorcycle then fired four rounds at the rear of the vehicle before fleeing. Roni said the bullets passed through one side of the car and exited through the other.

Roni said he survived because he ducked in the driver's seat. He believed the attackers may have assumed he was seated in the rear and therefore targeted that part of the car. Hathazari police and Assistant Superintendent of Police Kazi Md Tarek Aziz visited the scene. Police said preliminary information suggests Roni may have disputes with individuals and groups in Raozan, while the planning, perpetrators and motive are under investigation.

Australian airline Qantas has set a new record for the world’s longest commercial flight after one of its Airbus A350-1000ULR aircraft flew nonstop from Melbourne to Toulouse, France. The aircraft covered 23,075 kilometres in 24 hours and 24 minutes. It departed Melbourne Airport at 5:27 p.m. local time on July 27 and landed successfully in Toulouse on July 28.

The journey was conducted as part of Qantas’ Project Sunrise program. Equipped with additional fuel tanks, the aircraft reached its destination without stopping while flying over the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. According to Airbus, the flight surpassed the previous record of 22 hours and 42 minutes, set by a Boeing 777-200LR in 2005.

The flight generated substantial attention online. FlightRadar24 data showed that more than 3.6 million people tracked its route. Under Project Sunrise, Qantas plans to begin regular nonstop commercial flights between Sydney and London from October 2027.

Additional Inspector General of Police Barrister Mohammad Mosharraf Hossain formally assumed charge as head of Bangladesh Police’s Criminal Investigation Department, or CID, on Wednesday, July 29. He took over at the CID headquarters in Dhaka after being appointed to the post through a June 28 notification issued by the Public Security Division of the Ministry of Home Affairs.

Before joining CID, Hossain served on deputation as a director at the National Security Intelligence agency, where he was promoted to the rank of additional IGP. He joined Bangladesh Police as an assistant superintendent of police through the 15th BCS in 1995. His career has included assignments in police training, research, curriculum development, investigations, intelligence work and administration.

He previously served at CID headquarters and its Chattogram and Cumilla units as special superintendent of police, and as superintendent of police in Pirojpur and Chapainawabganj. His postings also included DMP, CMP, RAB, Police Headquarters and units in several police ranges. CID officers, including deputy inspectors general, additional deputy inspectors general, superintendents and additional superintendents, attended the handover event and congratulated him.

Dhaka Metropolitan Police arrested 503 people in special operations across different police stations and divisions of the capital during the past 24 hours. A total of 30 cases were filed in connection with the operation, according to a report published on July 29, 2026.

Mirpur division recorded the highest number of arrests, with 122 people detained. Motijheel division arrested 82 people, followed by Tejgaon with 74, Uttara with 69, Wari with 41, Gulshan with 38, Lalbagh with 35 and Ramna with 34. The Detective Branch also arrested eight people.

Police said the operation recovered 107 kilograms of cannabis, 25 yaba tablets, gold ornaments weighing 8 bhori, 13 ana and 5 roti, nine mobile phones and two old motorcycles. One victim was also rescued. DMP Media and Public Relations Additional Deputy Commissioner Niaz Mehdi said necessary legal action was being taken against those arrested and that operations to control crime and drugs in Dhaka would continue.

Construction on the six-lane upgrade of the Jhenaidah-Jashore highway is moving slowly amid delayed land acquisition and allegations of contractor negligence. The report, published on July 29, says the project’s extended term is due to end in December, but engineer Tuhin Al Mamun, project manager for phases 2 and 3, said completion within this year’s December is not possible. Slow progress has caused severe public inconvenience on the highway.

The project, under Western Economic Corridor, or WeCARE, Phase 1, was approved on November 24, 2020. It planned to acquire about 304 acres across Jashore and Jhenaidah, including 214 acres in Jhenaidah. Land acquisition has been completed for 45 percent in Kaliganj and about 50 percent in Jhenaidah Sadar. Coordination failures among six government departments delayed survey and inspection reports, slowing acquisition.

A revised proposal sent in June 2024 raised the estimated cost from Tk4,187 crore to Tk7,100 crore. Mamun said only 2 percent of work has been completed despite land handovers, and contractors have ignored repeated letters and requests to speed up. World Bank Division Director Jean Pem and Operations Manager Gail Martin expressed strong dissatisfaction during a July 19 site visit. A future World Bank meeting will decide whether the project term is extended.

Pulao rice prices have risen sharply in Bangladesh despite what the report describes as adequate supply. By July 29, 2026, prices had increased by about Tk70 per kilogram over three months and by roughly Tk40 in one week. Packaged pulao rice was selling for as much as Tk230 per kilogram, depending on brand, while a 50-kilogram wholesale sack reached Tk10,200. Price increases were observed in Dhaka’s Babubazar, Nayabazar, Badamtali and Karwan Bazar markets.

Retailers and buyers alleged that mill owners and major corporate firms created an artificial shortage, arguing that higher fuel, gas and electricity costs did not justify the scale of the increase. Aminul Islam Swapan, managing director of Nabil Group, rejected manipulation claims. He cited lower aromatic paddy production, higher fuel costs, exports and increased demand from weddings and social events, and suggested a temporary halt to pulao rice exports.

Complaints of adulteration and counterfeit packaging have also increased. Authorities fined a trader Tk200,000 in Old Dhaka for mixing atap rice into pulao rice, while another trader was fined in Jashore over allegedly selling chinigura rice in fake packaging. Samples have been sent for testing over alleged artificial fragrance use, and the consumer rights directorate said regular drives and legal action are continuing.

The Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) has warned it will resume protests across India unless all cases filed against NEET anti-question-leak demonstrators are withdrawn. The warning followed Tuesday hearings on petitions alleging excessive force against students at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar and elsewhere. A bench led by Chief Justice Surya Kant ordered that peaceful protesters face no coercive action and that detained people with no prior criminal record be released.

The court also said the Delhi government and other state governments could continue investigating FIRs already filed, while barring harsh action against peaceful student protesters. CJP spokesperson Saurabh Das said the government had promised on July 25 to withdraw all FIRs and prevent direct or indirect harassment of those who joined peaceful protests. He said CJP had withdrawn its nationwide movement on the basis of that assurance.

Das said CJP feared the central government and BJP-ruled states could use the court order to retain cases and harass protesters. He called for withdrawal of all FIRs and guarantees against future punitive action. CJP began continuous protests at Jantar Mantar on June 20, held a “March to Parliament” on July 20, and later withdrew its movement after assurances and Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation.

Two people died within two days in Lalpur, Natore, after coming into contact with electrified fencing reportedly installed around poultry farms to deter foxes and thieves. On Tuesday morning, Sihab Ali, 55, of Bhatpara village, was electrocuted while attempting to disconnect a farm’s electricity connection at night.

Earlier on Sunday morning, local farmer Jiarul Islam, 30, died in the Bilmaria area after electrifying a GI-wire fence to protect his poultry farm from fox attacks. Police and local sources said electricity had been illegally connected to GI-wire fencing around farms to prevent foxes and thieves, and both men became entangled with the live wires.

Sohan Ali, son of Sihab Ali, filed a case at Lalpur police station against farm owner Md Aslam Hossain. Police visited the scenes and sent the bodies to Natore Sadar Hospital morgue. Lalpur police chief Shafiqul Islam said a regular case had been filed, no one had been arrested, and the matter remained under investigation. The upazila administration and rural electricity association have taken a strict position against illegal electricity use and risky connections.

An indictment has been filed at the International Crimes Tribunal in the killing case of Teknaf councillor Ekrmul Haque. The development, alongside reports that former RAB-7 commander Brigadier General Miftah Uddin Ahmed has been taken into army custody, has renewed discussion of alleged crossfire incidents during his tenure. At least 14 people were killed in RAB-7 operations in Chattogram, Cox’s Bazar and Feni between 2016 and 2018.

RAB said Ekrmul was shot during an anti-drug operation at Mithapani on Teknaf’s Marine Drive on May 26, 2018, and described him as a listed drug trader. His family said he was deliberately killed, not killed in a gunfight. A preserved audio recording of his final conversation with family members, followed by gunshots, caused nationwide concern after it was made public. The National Human Rights Commission called for an investigation.

Ekrmul’s wife Ayesha Begum said the family had sought an impartial investigation and justice for eight years. Chattogram Sujan secretary Akhtar Kabir Chowdhury said each alleged crossfire case from the period should face separate, impartial and independent investigation. The mother of 17-year-old Jahid Hasan, missing since 2018, alleged he was forcibly disappeared; the relevant force has not accepted responsibility.