Former Israeli diplomat Alon Pinkas said European countries’ condemnations and criticism do not carry much weight with Israel and can instead strengthen the government’s position. Speaking to Al Jazeera in remarks published on August 23, 2026, he addressed recent European criticism of Israel’s E1 settlement project in the West Bank.

Pinkas said such criticism gives the Israeli government an opportunity to advance its long-standing argument that the whole world is against Israel, that others are antisemitic, and that an anti-Israel atmosphere has been created. Before his comments, several European countries and Canada issued a joint statement on Thursday criticizing the E1 project and warning of possible legal and reputational consequences.

The E1 project is linked to the expansion of Israeli settlements in the West Bank, an issue that has long caused disagreement between Israel and European countries. Pinkas, who served as Israel’s consul general in New York from 2000 to 2004, said statements and condemnations from EU countries’ parliaments or foreign ministries do not create real pressure. He said criticism limited to words and “hollow condemnations” is unlikely to prompt major policy change.

A group of motorcycle-borne criminals allegedly stopped a pickup van at gunpoint with local weapons and stole 400 kilograms of processed hair in Chuadanga. The robbery occurred around 1:30pm on Saturday in the Purapara area of the Chuadanga-Damurhuda road. The hair, packed in 23 sacks, was being transported to Dhaka from a factory in Karpasdanga, Damurhuda.

Atiar Rahman, president of the Bangladesh Hair Processing Small Traders Cooperative Association, said the shipment contained processed hair belonging to 23 traders and was valued at about Tk1 crore. Police and traders began searching for the perpetrators after receiving information about the incident.

Affected trader Montu Mia said about 22 small traders and 100 workers depend on the shipment. He said traders had borrowed money to operate their businesses and expected to settle dues with proceeds from the hair sale. Damurhuda Model Police Station officer-in-charge Sheikh Mesbah Uddin said police had started an investigation and deployed multiple teams to identify and arrest those involved and recover the stolen hair.

Several state ministers have emerged as influential figures within the government, according to a report published on August 23, 2026. The cabinet reshuffle following the government’s six-month assessment during the presidential election elevated BNP central treasurer and Jamalpur-1 lawmaker M Rashiduzzaman Millat from state minister to full minister for Civil Aviation and Tourism. Afroz Khanam Rita was moved from that ministry to the Food Ministry.

Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives State Minister Mir Shahe Alam is also described as influential. Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed called him the “most powerful state minister” at a Cox’s Bazar meeting on June 13. Shah Alam’s ministry has received a new full minister, BNP standing committee member Dr Abdul Moyeen Khan, while sources cited in the report believe Shah Alam’s influence will remain unchanged.

Chittagong Hill Tracts State Minister Mir Mohammad Helal Uddin was also portrayed as influential after Minister Dipen Dewan resigned on June 1 amid a dispute linked to a Rangamati district council chairmanship recommendation. Bandarban lawmaker Saching Prue Jerry has taken responsibility for the ministry. Prime Minister’s foreign affairs adviser Humayun Kabir has been sworn in as a state minister for Foreign Affairs, joining existing state minister Shama Obaed Islam.

Iran’s security chief Mohsen Rezaei warned that any Gulf country joining US sanctions against Iran would be treated as an enemy. He said Tehran could respond by striking the interests of countries taking such action. The warning was issued amid continuing tensions between Iran and the United States and was reported on August 23, 2026.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Tehran would not bow down or surrender to its enemies. He also urged people in the country to maintain unity, stressing internal cohesion as tensions with the United States continue.

Yemeni authorities said a naval mine planted by the Houthis was detected and destroyed in an important area of the Bab al-Mandab Strait, raising fresh security concerns around a major maritime route. Separately, Lebanon’s National News Agency reported that Israeli forces carried out an attack on the town of Hadatha in the Bint Jbeil district of southern Lebanon. The developments underline broader regional security strains.

The Bangladesh government led by BNP Chairman Tarique Rahman expanded and reshuffled its cabinet for the first time 185 days after taking office. Four new ministers and two state ministers took oath on Friday at Bangabhaban’s Darbar Hall before newly elected President Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir. The changes included new portfolio assignments and transfers involving existing ministers.

Zahir Uddin Swapan was moved from the information and broadcasting ministry to become an adviser to the prime minister with ministerial status. Andaleeve Rahman Partha replaced him as information minister, while Yasir Khan Chowdhury remained state minister in the same ministry. Rashiduzzaman Millat was promoted from state minister to minister for civil aviation and tourism, and Afroza Khanam Rita was transferred to the food ministry.

Humayun Kabir, the prime minister’s foreign affairs adviser, was appointed state minister for foreign affairs as Foreign Minister Dr Khalilur Rahman is expected to spend substantial time in the United States after beginning duties as UN General Assembly president in September. Sachin Prue Jerry became minister for Chittagong Hill Tracts affairs. Mohammad Shamim Kaysar Lincoln was appointed state minister for religious affairs, prompting criticism and calls for cancellation of his appointment from Hefazat-e-Islam leader Maulana Junaid Al Habib.

Law-enforcement agencies are investigating a series of bomb recoveries and explosions in Dhaka and other districts of Bangladesh, following what the report describes as a renewed pattern since an explosion at Al Kura Madrasa in South Keraniganj on December 26, 2025. Police recently arrested two people with cocktails in Demra’s Sanarpara area, while officers have also seized chemicals, gunpowder, electric wires, bearing balls, nitric acid and plastic containers in related operations.

Authorities believe incidents in different locations may be connected, although police say there is no militant activity in Bangladesh and no indication of major sabotage. Dhaka Metropolitan Police counterterrorism chief Mohammad Shamsul Haque said recovered bombs in Dhaka were under investigation and extremism remained under government control. Criminologist Touhidul Haque urged intelligence agencies to examine whether domestic or foreign conspiracies or deeper political motives were involved.

Police and counterterrorism units are reviewing the online and offline activities of people arrested in past extremism cases. They are also focusing on weapons looted from police stations and barracks after the 2024 mass uprising. Police said 1,320 weapons, including SMGs, China rifles and pistols, remain unrecovered, describing their recovery as a major challenge.

Iran is changing its military doctrine to place greater emphasis on preventing threats before they develop into attacks, amid concerns that future conflict could intensify. Hamidreza Azizi, an Iran researcher at the Clingendael Institute and writer of the Iran Analytica newsletter, described the shift in comments reported on August 23, 2026. He said Tehran is seeking to build deterrence at an earlier stage.

Azizi said Iran’s previous deterrence strategy had failed to stop repeated attacks by the United States and Israel. In a post on X, he wrote that Tehran aims to signal it can respond even when preparations for an attack against Iran are underway. He identified two elements in what he called Iran’s new offensive military policy: pre-emptive or preventive action and disproportionate retaliation.

According to Azizi, preventive action is intended to stop a potential threat before it becomes real, while disproportionate retaliation would raise the cost of attacking Iran. He also described Iran’s warning to Gulf countries not to join the United States in economic warfare against Tehran as a final warning. Iran’s military and security structures, he said, are increasingly preparing for another round of tension or conflict.

Police arrested Shikha Inn owner Bireshwar Mitra on Saturday, four days after a fire at the hotel on Mirza Ghalib Street in central Kolkata killed nine people. Seven of the dead were Bangladeshi citizens. Mitra, 46, was detained at his home on Diamond Harbour Road in Behala after being missing since the fire broke out early Wednesday.

According to police sources cited by the Indian Express, Mitra left Kolkata by car after the fire and went into hiding in Dhanbad, Jharkhand. Police are examining why he returned home and whether anyone helped him hide. His two bank accounts have been frozen, stopping financial transactions, and police believe financial difficulty may have prompted his return.

Police searched two other hotels owned by Mitra in Digha and Mandarmani on Friday but did not find him. He is due in court on Sunday, when police will seek custody for questioning. The hotel’s lessee, Abu Jafar, was previously arrested. Authorities have also issued fire-safety notices to 25 hotels, inns and restaurants in central Kolkata and closed several establishments following inspections.

An opinion article published by Amar Desh Online on August 23, 2026 argues that Islamophobia and anti-Arab discrimination have intensified in the United States. It says human-rights and civil-rights groups have reported record complaints of discrimination and harassment, linking negative attitudes toward Muslims to the Gaza war, tensions in the Middle East, and political rhetoric.

The article cites the Council on American-Islamic Relations as saying complaints related to anti-Muslim and anti-Arab discrimination and harassment have reached an all-time high. It recalls a 2008 campaign event in which Republican Senator John McCain responded to a voter describing Barack Obama as an Arab, saying Obama was a decent family man and a US citizen despite their political differences.

It also describes attacks on Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul Al-Sayed, including statements by Republican figures and former CIA director Mike Pompeo. The article argues that criticism of Israel is treated as disqualifying for Muslim politicians, and extends this argument to Jewish critics of Israel, citing comments attributed to Robert Kagan, Alan Dershowitz, Mike Huckabee, Michael Barenboim and the Jewish Chronicle.

Blitzer CUET, a Formula Student racing team formed by students of Chittagong University of Engineering and Technology, is preparing to represent Bangladesh internationally. The team is designing and building its own racing car with the aim of competing in the Formula Student competition scheduled in China in 2027. Its stated goal is to showcase young Bangladeshi engineers’ innovation, technical knowledge and practical experience on an international stage.

The multidisciplinary team is working on the vehicle’s design, aerodynamics, powertrain, suspension, electrical systems and manufacturing, as well as testing. Team member Ashab Sifat said Formula Student is not only a racing competition but also an important platform for students to gain skills by applying engineering knowledge in practice.

Sifat said the members are continuing design and construction work despite limited resources and other challenges. Another member, Ahnaf Tajwar Ohi, identified the shortage of sponsorship and financial support as a major obstacle. The team expects that sufficient financial and technical support would enable it to enter a competitive vehicle in 2027 and help promote interest in Formula Student and automotive engineering in Bangladesh.

Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan signed the Mecca Joint Defence Treaty in Mecca on 7 August, according to the report. The trilateral framework treats an armed attack on any one signatory as an attack on all three. The report examines the possibility of Bangladesh joining an economic or defence arrangement involving the three countries and the implications it says this could have for India.

It says Bangladesh has sought to diversify strategic and security partnerships under a declared “Bangladesh First” policy and has warmed relations with Islamabad. Foreign affairs adviser Humayun Kabir reportedly said this month that Dhaka was positive about participating in a possible economic or defence framework if it aligned with national interests and sovereignty. Bangladesh has not formally announced plans to join any military alliance.

The report says Bangladesh has become a founding member of a 14-country multinational maritime defence alliance established in Saudi Arabia. It also says Turkish media have discussed including Bangladesh in the Mecca security framework. The analysis cites Bangladesh’s Bay of Bengal location and possible Turkish naval or Pakistani military access as factors that could complicate India’s security planning.

An expatriate, Shariful Islam, and his co-sharers have formally regained possession of 8.15 acres of ancestral, recorded land in the Dhapaar Gher area of Balitha mouza under Debhata police station in Satkhira. The family said the land had remained under the alleged forcible control of Rowshan Ara Ruby, organisational secretary of the now-banned district women’s Awami League, for 17 years. They expressed gratitude to those who assisted them in recovering the property last Tuesday.

According to Shariful, Ruby, her son Zayed Bin Kader and associates began fish cultivation on the land after allegedly occupying it through political influence in 2018. The family said fear of threats to their lives prevented them from speaking out for a long period. After returning to Bangladesh following the political change on August 5, 2024, Shariful visited the land with relatives on July 3 this year.

The family alleged that an armed group drove them away with death threats during that visit. They submitted a written complaint to the Satkhira superintendent of police and said mediation efforts followed. They also alleged a plan to file a false extortion case against Shariful and sought urgent intervention and security from authorities.

The Panama-flagged cargo vessel MV Ocean-Winner sank about 240 nautical miles off India’s Odisha coast, with all 24 crew members reported missing. The crew included 20 Chinese nationals, three Myanmar nationals and one Bangladeshi national. The vessel had departed Paradip port for Singapore at about 10:30pm on August 20 carrying 1,700 tonnes of iron ore.

The Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre in Sri Vijaya Puram received information that contact with the ship had been lost at 11:48am on August 22. Victory Star Group Company Limited, the vessel’s operator, reported the matter and requested support for search and rescue operations.

India’s Coast Guard and Navy have launched a joint operation to locate the vessel and rescue its crew. Officials had not confirmed how many crew members, if any, had been rescued. A senior IPS officer told PTI that authorities were unsure of the number of crew members recovered. Other ships near the accident site have been alerted and asked to assist the rescue effort.

Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, said the US attack on Iran has increased the desire to acquire nuclear weapons around the world. The remarks, reported by Al Jazeera and published by Amar Desh Online on August 23, 2026, criticized what he described as US President Donald Trump’s reckless actions.

Rezaei said the trend has grown particularly because people saw that Iran’s membership in the International Atomic Energy Agency and its participation in the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty did not effectively prevent a US attack. He said Trump had created nuclear insecurity rather than nuclear security.

The Iranian official said Iran has accepted and followed all international security rules. He noted that Iran is a member of the NPT and has agreed to inspections. Rezaei also claimed that Iran is more committed than any other country to complying with international regulations related to nuclear matters.

An Israeli media report, citing a senior Israeli intelligence official, warned that Turkish military and naval forces could move closer to Israel’s northern and maritime borders unless Israel establishes clear “red lines” in Syria and the eastern Mediterranean. Published on August 23, 2026, the report said Israel could eventually face Turkish tanks on the Golan Heights and Turkish warships near the coast of Caesarea.

The warning echoed concerns in Israel’s 2025 Nagel Commission report, which assessed the country’s security budget and troop mobilization. That report described Turkey as moving toward an Ottoman-era dominant regional order and said threats from Syria could become more serious than those posed by Iran. It said Israel should prepare for direct confrontation with Ankara, Turkish-aligned Syrian proxies and military forces.

The report linked an Israeli airstrike near an airbase in Idlib, northern Syria, to suspected Turkish efforts to deploy radar and air-defense systems. It also highlighted Turkey’s naval expansion, including 12 submarines and additional vessels under construction, and called for agreements with Ankara to be linked to its foreign policy and military actions.