Australia has announced A$25.25 million in funding, worth about Tk217.82 crore, to sustain life-saving humanitarian assistance for Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh and local host communities. The announcement was made Monday in the presence of Bangladesh foreign affairs adviser Khalilur Rahman and Australian assistant minister Julian Hill. UNHCR confirmed the pledge in a statement issued Monday afternoon.

The funding will be spent through UNHCR under a humanitarian assistance programme running from 2026 to 2028. UNHCR said the multi-year, flexible support would help maintain essential services amid global funding shortages and uncertainty, including protection activities, skills development, disaster-risk reduction and other necessary services in Rohingya camps. Hill said Australia remained committed to meeting Rohingya humanitarian needs in Myanmar and Bangladesh.

UNHCR said about 1.2 million Rohingya are currently in Bangladesh, most living in Cox’s Bazar camps and almost entirely dependent on humanitarian assistance. More than 150,000 additional Rohingya have sought refuge in Bangladesh since 2024. The agency said international support remains necessary until conditions allow voluntary, safe and dignified returns to Myanmar with guarantees of full citizenship.

Journalist leaders from Cox’s Bazar Press Club and the Cox’s Bazar Journalists’ Union visited the graves of five July uprising martyrs in Cox’s Bazar on Sunday, marking July Mass Uprising Day. The daylong programme also included meetings with relatives of the martyrs, including Wasim Akram, described in the report as the second martyr of the July movement.

The delegation first met the family of martyr Tanvir Siddiqui, including his father Badsha Mia, in Kalamarchhara of Maheshkhali before visiting his grave. It later visited Wasim Akram’s grave in Mehernama of Pekua and joined prayers there with local journalists present. The leaders also visited the grave of Ahsan Habib near Baitur Rahman Jame Mosque in Chakaria’s Fasiakhali Union and met his family.

Ahsan Habib’s father Mohammad Helal Uddin and younger brother Raihan Habib demanded exemplary punishment for those involved in the killing. In Eidgaon, the delegation visited the graves of Nurul Amin and Nurul Mostafa and gave gifts to their families. Further activities in the seven-day programme include graffiti drawing, poetry recitation, Quran recitation, a discussion meeting, prayers and participation in a government programme.

BNP Senior Joint Secretary General and the prime minister’s political adviser Advocate Ruhul Kabir Rizvi Ahmed warned that continued division and polarization could encourage Sheikh Hasina to seek a return to Bangladesh. Speaking on Monday at Bangladesh Medical University auditorium in the capital, he addressed the remarks to Jamaat-e-Islami during a discussion and documentary screening titled “Nurses’ Contribution in the Blood-Soaked July.”

Rizvi said the July revolution had a philosophical foundation tied to civil liberty, freedom of speech and the assurance of living without fear. He described the July mass uprising as the final expression of a 17-year blood-soaked movement, saying hundreds of leaders and activists from Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal, BNP and affiliated organizations had died. He alleged that Sheikh Hasina had used the state apparatus to shut down politics and civil rights.

He called on those entering politics to improve political culture and stop spreading hatred and division, saying otherwise the fall of authoritarianism would be rendered meaningless. Rizvi said BNP had supported the quota reform movement, complete shutdown and Bangla Blockade programs from the outset. He praised nurses for assisting injured people during the uprising and said the current government was working on health-sector reform and nurses’ professional development.

A Mongla resident, Sanjit Majumdar, has alleged irregularities, harassment and a demand for Tk30,000 in bribes during the mutation process for his ancestral property at the Mongla উপজেলা land office in Bagerhat. Speaking at a press conference at Bagerhat Press Club at noon on Sunday, he said the mutation had remained pending for a long time because he did not pay the alleged bribe. He sought an impartial investigation and urgent intervention by the district commissioner.

In a written statement, Majumdar said his applications for mutation and registration had been rejected repeatedly on different grounds. He said he later submitted all required documents but received no positive response. He alleged that office assistant Naimul Islam demanded Tk30,000 for each mutation case and that he was told the assistant commissioner for land would not sign the application without payment.

Majumdar said he had informed the district commissioner but had not received effective relief, causing his family mental distress and financial loss. He demanded legal action against those responsible and prompt completion of the mutation. Mongla Assistant Commissioner for Land Nowsheena Arif said mutation was not processed because the heirs’ documentation was inaccurate, adding it would be completed once the documents were corrected.

Chattogram Superintendent of Police Masud Alam said Md Didarul Alam, known as Didar, and his associate Morshed, alias Akhil, allegedly became involved in killings for payments of Tk10,000 to Tk15,000. Speaking at a news conference at the district police superintendent’s office on Monday, he said Didar was arrested in Keraniganj, Dhaka, late Sunday night. Police brought him to Chattogram for questioning after identifying him as the main accused in the Nurul Azim murder case.

According to police, Didar faces 13 cases, including murder, and had arrest warrants in six of them. Nurul Azim was hacked to death on July 10 in Khalifapara of Mekhal union, Hathazari upazila. Didar was named the principal accused in a case filed by the victim’s family and had been absconding since the incident.

Police said operations are continuing to arrest Morshed and other members of the alleged criminal group. Investigators are also examining allegations that the group was involved in extortion, terrorist activities and contract attacks. In recent operations, police arrested three other identified criminals—Didar, Afsar and Borhan—and recovered two foreign firearms and ammunition, according to the police.

Fisheries and Livestock State Minister Sultan Salahuddin Tuku said nature-based solutions are an effective and sustainable way to protect coastal livelihoods, strengthen food security and increase climate resilience. He made the remarks on August 3 as chief guest at a national technical workshop titled “Prioritizing Nature-Based Interventions for Resilient Coastal Bangladesh” at Hotel Westin in the capital. Friendship and Conservation International organized the workshop.

Tuku said forests, wetlands, coastal vegetation belts and integrated agroforestry systems can support environmental conservation while increasing livestock feed availability and improving animal health. He said such measures also reinforce the integrated One Health concept linking human, animal and environmental health. Bangladesh has gained global recognition for addressing climate impacts, he said, but its coastal regions remain among the world’s most vulnerable areas.

Cyclones, storm surges, sea-level rise, salinity expansion and coastal erosion threaten the environment, economy, food systems and livelihoods, he said. Fisheries and livestock are major contributors to the national economy and a key livelihood base for rural people, but both sectors face climate-related risks. The government is committed to sustainable natural-resource management, ecosystem restoration and evidence-based development planning. Tuku said a national plan to plant 250 million trees over the next five years would help restore ecosystems and build resilience among vulnerable communities.

The US military is seeking new ways to pressure and punish Iran, according to a CNN report cited by Amar Desh. Military personnel have been asked to develop creative and unconventional plans as part of the effort. The report did not identify specific measures under consideration.

Citing sources, CNN said an officer from the intelligence branch of US Central Command, or CENTCOM, sent a message on Wednesday to a large group of military analysts. The message said the command was looking for new, creative and non-traditional ways to exert pressure on Iran and punish the country.

A second source said a senior US military official sent the message last week seeking fresh ideas and proposals on what actions could be taken against Iran. The report provided no further details about the possible actions, any decisions made, or a timetable for implementation.

A police constable in Khagrachhari has been taken into custody over allegations that he posed as a Detective Branch police officer to commit fraud. Police acted on information from the Khagrachhari unit of the National Security Intelligence agency, according to a report published on August 3, 2026. Officers raided Dar Al Hijaz residential hotel on Pankhaiya Para Road after receiving confidential information and detained the man, who had reportedly been staying there with a woman for about a month.

Police identified him during questioning as Md. Shimul Hossain, constable No. 1516, with BP No. 9716190695, assigned to the Khagrachhari District Police Lines. He had left his workplace on May 19, 2026, with permission from Armed Reserve Inspector Ayub Ali to attend a court appearance in a case in Kushtia, but did not return to duty.

Police said departmental notices and letters sent to his home address received no response. His salary and allowances were suspended as an initial administrative measure for unauthorized absence. Locals alleged he intimidated people and tried to collect money while claiming to be a DB officer. Legal proceedings are under way, and police said further details would be disclosed after the investigation.

Turkey said recent deadly Israeli military attacks in the Gaza Strip demonstrate that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government has no genuine willingness or mindset to establish peace with Palestinians. The Turkish Foreign Ministry made the statement in a declaration cited by Anadolu Agency in a report published on August 3, 2026.

The ministry said Netanyahu's main objective was to displace Palestinians from their homeland and undermine conditions for lasting peace and stability in the region. It also accused him of taking steps that seriously disrupt the Middle East's fragile regional balance and repeatedly derail peace and mediation efforts led by the United States.

Turkey warned the international community that Netanyahu's expansionist and military policies were seeking to turn the entire Middle East into a zone of major conflict. It called for a firmer, united and tougher international stance against those policies. The report said the United States had recently announced a major plan to address the long-running Gaza conflict, but at least 19 Palestinians were killed in Israeli air strikes across Gaza on Sunday shortly after the proposal was announced.

Jahangirnagar University unit of Islami Chhatra Shibir held the “July Uprising Run 2026” mini marathon on Monday, August 3, carrying the memory and spirit of the July mass uprising. The event, themed “Run Against Fascism,” was inaugurated at 6:30am from the university’s Central Shaheed Minar. The report’s headline said around 1,500 students took part.

University students, staff members and college students joined the event. The route began at the Shaheed Minar, passed the Faculty of Biological Sciences, Mir Mosharraf Hossain Hall, cafeteria, women’s halls and Chourangi, and ended at the Shaheed Minar. Islami Chhatra Shibir central president Nurul Islam Saddam attended the opening as chief guest.

Saddam said expected structural changes, autonomous functioning of key state bodies, an end to corruption and transparency had not materialised after July, describing the period as only a transfer of power. University unit president Md Mostafizur Rahman said the event aimed to remember martyrs and the months of July and August, while sending a message to those who may seek to become fascist in the future.

Trita Parsi, an analyst at the US-based Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, said the United States and Iran must reach understandings on far more than the Strait of Hormuz for diplomatic efforts to succeed. Speaking to Al Jazeera in remarks published on August 3, he described the strait as a highly important issue in negotiations.

Parsi said a memorandum of understanding signed by the United States and Iran in June called for a ceasefire across the region. He argued that using that memorandum as the basis for a new diplomatic initiative could return conditions to their previous state, and make them worse, because Israel continues attacks in Lebanon and Gaza despite the call for a regional ceasefire.

He warned that neither side can afford for the diplomatic initiative to fail, saying the alternative would be catastrophic. Parsi added that Iran still doubts whether US President Donald Trump has genuine willingness to pursue diplomacy. Tehran believes Trump will not commit to a long-term agreement until he is convinced that military action is not an effective alternative.

Three people, including a woman and a child, died in separate incidents in Sarishabari, Jamalpur. Five-year-old Sakhawat Hossain drowned in a pond in Char-Dhanata village of Sarishabari municipality on Sunday afternoon. Housewife Sadia Sabrin Brishti, 19, died in Baiser Char village of Pogaldigha union the same day, while motorcyclist Akram Hossain, 22, was killed in a road crash in Panchpir Bazar on Saturday night.

Local residents said Sakhawat entered the water while trying to retrieve a football that had fallen into a pond beside his home. He was taken to Sarishabari উপজেলা Health Complex, where he was declared dead. Duty doctor Samiul Haque said the child had died before being brought to hospital and that drowning caused the death.

Local and family sources said Brishti died by hanging after becoming upset with her husband; police recovered her body and took it to the police station. Akram was seriously injured after his motorcycle collided head-on with a van and died while being taken to hospital. Two others were injured: motorcycle passenger Nirab is being treated at Mymensingh Medical College Hospital, while van passenger Aminul Islam is receiving treatment at Sarishabari উপজেলা Health Complex.

All officials and employees of the Kashimpur Land Office in Gazipur were temporarily suspended over corruption allegations, the district administration said. Gazipur Deputy Commissioner Nurul Karim Bhuiya ordered the action on Monday morning after an operation at the office involving the additional deputy commissioner for revenue, the upazila land officer and other relevant officials.

During the operation, the officials spoke with members of the public present at the office to receive services and heard a range of complaints. They also reviewed all office activities. According to the deputy commissioner, evidence supporting the allegations was found, leading to the temporary suspension of every official and employee at the Kashimpur Land Office.

Local residents who had come to receive services praised the deputy commissioner’s action. Bhuiya said his office had received written complaints about several land offices in Gazipur over a long period. He said the operation was conducted to provide corruption-free land services in line with public expectations. The deputy commissioner said the campaign would continue, with action to be taken after evidence is verified wherever corruption reports emerge.

Iran has executed two Iranian citizens accused of spying for Israel and transferring information on sensitive military and security locations, Reuters reported, citing the state-affiliated Fars News Agency. The report was published on August 3, 2026, and said the allegations concerned actions during an ongoing wartime situation.

According to the report, the two men were accused of sending coordinates of sensitive military and security installations to Israel. The source did not provide their names, the location of the executions, details of the court proceedings, or when the sentences were handed down.

Amnesty International says at least 26 people linked to protests in January this year have been executed so far. Human rights organizations allege that Iranian authorities have used broad and vague national security accusations in such cases, including espionage and cooperation with a hostile state. The source attributes the execution report to Reuters, which cited Fars News Agency, while Amnesty International and rights groups provided broader context on the use of capital punishment.

A major cyberattack in the United Kingdom has exposed the names and contact details of nearly 100,000 police officers on the dark web, according to a report published on August 3, 2026. Hackers allegedly infiltrated a key law-enforcement database and obtained sensitive information, raising serious concerns over the personal safety of officers involved in crime-fighting work over many years.

British media reported that the attackers targeted the Police National Legal Database, an online system used by police forces across the UK for routine administrative work and legal support. Following an initial investigation, police believe a cybercrime group called ExfilSquad may be behind the breach. Investigators view the incident as part of a series of recent cyberattacks against Western government and strategic institutions.

A police officer whose name appeared on the leaked list said exposure of sensitive details had put the officer and colleagues at extreme risk after work against dangerous organised criminal groups. Authorities fear the number affected could rise, as most officers in England and Wales use the database during their careers. About 145,000 full-time police officers currently serve in the two regions. Authorities have begun a high-level investigation and taken urgent steps to strengthen cybersecurity.