Israeli forces reportedly disrupted dawn prayers in Husan village of Bethlehem in the occupied West Bank on July 18, 2026. According to the Wafa news agency citing a security source, soldiers raided a mosque, prevented the call to prayer and the performance of prayers, and forced worshippers out of the building. The occupying troops then fired stun grenades and tear gas at the people gathered outside.

The Palestinian news agency further reported that Israeli forces closed all entrances and gates to Al-Arqub village, located southwest of Bethlehem. They also attacked a resident of Nahalin city while he was crossing the main gate that separates the city from the rest of the governorate.

The report, sourced from Al Jazeera, did not mention any casualties or official responses from either side, leaving the extent of injuries or arrests unclear.

Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed announced that the government has adopted long-term plans, including the construction of sustainable embankments, to minimize losses from floods and tidal surges. He said the government’s primary goal is public welfare and that as an elected administration, it is committed to standing by citizens during any disaster. He made the remarks on Saturday at an event in Pekua, Cox’s Bazar, where 100 houses are being built for flood-affected families under the Shamsul Haque Foundation’s initiative.

The minister stated that assistance programs have been introduced for affected farmers, fishers, and livestock owners, including the distribution of fertilizers, seeds, and other agricultural materials. Damaged educational institutions, roads, and other infrastructure will be repaired quickly. He added that local administrations and representatives, not the Water Development Board, will manage sluice gates to ensure timely water drainage.

Ahmed emphasized that floods and tidal surges are natural realities in coastal areas but said strong, permanent embankments and new sluice gates are being planned across Cox’s Bazar to reduce future damage.

The Department of Architecture under the Ministry of Housing and Public Works has issued a recruitment notice to fill 33 positions across nine categories. According to the announcement, applications opened on July 15, 2026, at 10 a.m. and will remain open until August 6, 2026, at 5 p.m. Interested candidates must apply online, and both men and women are eligible. The appointments will be made on a temporary basis, and selected candidates may be posted anywhere in the country.

Applicants must be between 18 and 32 years of age as of July 1, 2026, though departmental candidates for position number five may apply up to age 37. Affidavits will not be accepted as proof of age. Applications must include a scanned photograph sized 300×300 pixels and a signature sized 300×80 pixels. Incomplete or late submissions will not be accepted.

Application fees must be paid through Teletalk pre-paid SIM within 72 hours. The fee is 168 taka for positions 1 and 2, 112 taka for positions 3 to 8, and 56 taka for position 9.

A BNP leader in Langadu upazila of Rangamati has been served a show-cause notice after allegations surfaced on social media that he sold trees worth about Tk 2.4 million from a teak garden owned by an Awami League leader. The notice was issued on July 17 by the upazila BNP, signed by its president Md Tofazzal Hossain and general secretary Abul Kalam Azad, asking member Abdur Razzak to explain his actions.

According to party sources, a video circulating online showed Razzak claiming that after the political change on August 5, the upazila BNP sold the trees from the garden owned by Awami League leader Fayezul Azim Fayez. The video went viral, sparking widespread discussion locally. The upazila BNP has dismissed the allegation as false and politically motivated, saying it was intended to damage the party’s image.

Razzak has been asked to submit a written explanation with evidence within three working days. The upazila BNP warned that failure to provide a satisfactory response could lead to permanent expulsion and further organizational or legal action under district BNP directives.

Dr. Mahmudur Rahman, editor of Amar Desh, stated that Hindutva and Hinduism are distinct concepts and that Hindutva’s foundation lies in hostility toward Muslims. Speaking as chief guest at a book unveiling ceremony at Dhaka University’s R. C. Majumdar Auditorium on Saturday, he said India, as Bangladesh’s largest neighbor and a major regional power, should be engaged intellectually rather than militarily or economically. The event marked the release of two books published by Bedouin Publications: A. M. Abdullah’s “Bangladeshe July Biplob” and the Bengali translation of Syed Sadatullah Husaini’s “Hindutvabadi Extremism: Ideological Conflict and Muslims.”

Rahman emphasized that Hindutva is a political ideology, not merely a religious identity, and must be countered through intellectual and political discourse. He argued that the Muslim world has fallen behind due to a lack of research and intellectual leadership, urging renewed focus on knowledge and critical study. He also stressed preserving historical accuracy, promoting reading habits, and encouraging research-based publications to strengthen intellectual leadership among the younger generation.

He concluded by urging students to debate, question, and research before forming opinions, asserting that intellectual strength is essential to confront ideological challenges.

Iran has issued a strong warning to the United States, threatening a full-scale military operation if US bombings continue. Major General Mohsen Rezaei, a senior military adviser, declared that no political borders would remain safe should the attacks persist. He emphasized that Iran would no longer limit its response to proportional retaliation.

Rezaei stated that the era of negotiations during wartime has ended. He explained that until now, Iran’s focus had been on deterrence and ending conflict rather than expanding the war or pursuing aggression. According to him, Iran’s capture of Hormuz was aimed at bringing the conflict to an end.

The warning comes amid escalating tensions between Tehran and Washington, with recent reports of Iranian attacks on key oil facilities in Kuwait and a US airbase in Jordan, as well as continued violence involving other regional actors.

An elderly man who had been missing for six days in Banshkhali, Chattogram, was found dead on Friday morning. Police recovered the body of 75-year-old Md. Nur Siddiq from a hilly stream in the Pairang Godarpara area of Saral Union around 10 a.m. He was a resident of West Chechuria Ghonapara in Bailchhari Union and the father of Mannan and Munaf Soudagar.

According to family members, Nur Siddiq went missing six days earlier after leaving home during continuous rainfall to visit his daughter’s house. It is believed that he was swept away by flash floodwaters. Despite informing the police and searching several areas, the family could not locate him until his body surfaced.

Officer-in-Charge Md. Robiul Haque of Banshkhali Police Station said locals spotted the body floating in the stream and alerted police, who later recovered it. After filing an unnatural death case, the body was handed over to relatives and buried at the family graveyard following funeral prayers at 3 p.m.

Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmad said the government will always stand by the people in times of crisis, describing it as their ideal, purpose, and commitment. He made the remarks on Saturday afternoon while visiting flood-affected areas in Pekua, Cox’s Bazar.

The minister noted that floods, tidal surges, and natural disasters are regular realities in riverine and coastal regions. He emphasized that the government’s main goal is to build sustainable and strong embankments to better protect coastal areas. Ahmad also said that Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has introduced a policy prioritizing Bangladesh and its people before power.

He added that the government will assist those who lost their homes in the recent floods and urged wealthy citizens to support the poor. The visit and remarks came as part of the government’s ongoing disaster response efforts in affected regions.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has issued a stern warning to Middle Eastern countries that host United States military bases, urging them to prepare for potential retaliation. According to a report by Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency, the IRGC advised these nations to activate civil defense units and move civilians away from possible military targets, claiming their territories are being used for attacks against Iran.

The report further stated that the IRGC carried out drone and missile strikes on a US military logistics center at Camp Arifjan in Kuwait, alleging casualties among American troops. It also claimed responsibility for an attack on the Ali Al Salem Air Base in Kuwait, asserting that the base’s radar system was disabled and that a weapons maintenance hangar and drone facility were destroyed.

The report, citing Al Jazeera as its source, did not include independent confirmation of the IRGC’s claims or details of any US or Kuwaiti responses to the alleged attacks.

Sheikh Hasina, who has been in India for nearly two years, has expressed her intention to return to Bangladesh in December with her party members and surrender to court. Her remarks, made in a Reuters interview, have stirred reactions in both Bangladesh and India. Indian officials maintain that New Delhi neither invited Hasina to stay nor is forcing her to leave, saying she is free to decide based on circumstances.

Analysts and former diplomats in Delhi view Hasina’s statement as a strategic test rather than a firm declaration. They believe her return will depend on how Bangladesh’s political situation and international attitudes evolve in the coming months. Observers agree that Hasina’s comments likely carry India’s tacit approval, as her move could ease Delhi’s diplomatic discomfort whether she returns or not.

Former Indian envoy Pinak Ranjan Chakravarty suggested that Hasina’s return is crucial to preserve the Awami League, while discussions between Dhaka and Delhi on her security cannot be ruled out. Among Awami League members in India, reactions remain mixed, with uncertainty over how many will accompany her back.

Seven prison guards, including three matrons and four female warders, have been temporarily suspended after a convicted female inmate escaped from Kashimpur Central Women's Prison in Gazipur. The prison authorities confirmed that the disciplinary action was taken following preliminary evidence of negligence in duty. The suspended officials are identified as matrons Laila Anjuman Sumi, Merina, and Rehena, and warders Shayla, Sharmin, Jemi, and Asma Akter.

According to prison sources, the escape occurred on Thursday evening while 40 inmates were engaged in work inside the prison. Taking advantage of the supervising matron’s negligence, the inmate, Rimpa, aged 21, climbed over the boundary wall near the administrative building. CCTV footage later confirmed her escape. Rimpa, from Meherpur’s Gangni upazila, had been serving a three-month sentence in a Dhaka CR case.

Following the incident, a general diary was filed at Konabari Police Station, and law enforcement agencies have launched operations to recapture the fugitive. An investigation is underway to determine how the escape occurred despite strict security measures.

A US attack has damaged a water purification pump in Bunji village of Iran’s Jask County, completely halting clean water supply to 20 nearby villages. Around 10,000 residents are now facing severe water shortages as a result of the strike, according to local reports.

Hamzeh Pour, chief executive of the Hormozgan Water and Wastewater Company, described the US strike as a “continuing crime and terrorist attack.” He said the pumping station that draws water from the sea and the transformer supplying electricity to the Bunji purification facility were both destroyed in the assault.

The incident has intensified hardship for residents in the affected coastal region, where water scarcity has become acute following the destruction of key infrastructure.

Lionel Messi has spoken publicly about a viral photograph taken in 2007 showing him bathing a five-month-old baby, who turned out to be Spain’s current football star Lamine Yamal. The image resurfaced ahead of the 2026 World Cup final between Argentina and Spain, drawing global attention to the remarkable coincidence. Speaking in New York during a conversation with Tom Brady, Messi described the photo as “crazy” and a symbol of life’s unpredictability.

Messi praised Yamal’s exceptional talent, noting that he has followed the young player closely because Yamal plays for a club Messi loves. He called Yamal one of the world’s best players at just 19 years old and said the youngster has a long career ahead with many chances to make history. However, Messi also reminded that Argentina will give their best effort in the final to prevent Yamal from writing that history against them.

The original photo was part of a UNICEF and Diario Sport charity calendar project in Barcelona. Yamal’s father shared it on social media in 2024, making it viral once again before the World Cup final.

A fire erupted at a power and water purification plant in Kuwait following Iran’s recent attack, according to the country’s Ministry of Electricity, Water and Renewable Energy. The ministry stated that precautionary measures were immediately taken to protect the facility and its workers, including disconnecting several generating units to maintain grid stability.

In its statement, the ministry added that all operational and emergency plans were activated right after the fire. These actions helped ensure the continuity and stability of both electricity and water networks while limiting any potential impact on services. Continuous technical and operational monitoring remains in place to oversee the situation.

The ministry’s statement, cited by Al Jazeera, did not specify the extent of the damage or the exact cause of the fire, but emphasized that essential services were not significantly disrupted.

A BJP leader has reignited controversy over the Taj Mahal by filing a petition claiming the monument was originally a Hindu temple. After a district court dismissed the plea, the petitioner approached the Allahabad High Court, which has issued notices to India’s central government and the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) seeking their stance on conducting a survey inside the monument’s basement. The petitioner alleges that remnants of a temple remain hidden in 22 sealed rooms beneath the structure.

Historians cited in the report, including Dr. Ruchika Sharma, reject such claims, emphasizing that all historical and architectural evidence confirms the Taj Mahal was built by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his wife Mumtaz Mahal. They note that similar theories trace back to writer P.N. Oak, whose assertions that the Taj was once a Shiva temple were dismissed by the Supreme Court and contradicted by ASI findings.

Dr. Sharma questioned the court’s renewed interest, arguing that the issue had already been legally settled and that reopening it risks undermining established historical consensus.