Twenty popular songs by Bangladeshi band music legend Ayub Bachchu are set to be released in new arrangements to mark his birthday. The special album, titled “Uttoradhikar,” will be issued on double CD and digital platforms. Eight bands and 12 artists from the country have reinterpreted the songs for the project.

Dalchhut performed “Rupali Guitar,” Arbovirus recorded “Nil Bedona,” Shonar Bangla Circus performed “Gotokal Rate,” and Shubhojatra recorded “Cholo Bodle Jai.” Calypso performed “Chand Mama,” RockSalt recorded “Ochena Jibon,” Dopamine performed “Madhobi,” and A K Rahul sang “Mon Chaile Mon.”

Other performers include Babna Karim and Russell Ali, Romel Ali, Chandan Jaman Ali-Menon, Kaniz Suborna and Sajjad, Palash, Joy Shahriar, Adit, Bakhtiar Hossain, Atika Yamin, Autumnal Moon, Kanak Acharya, and Taufiq-AB-Menon. Iqbal Asif Jewel mastered all the tracks. Project coordinator Chishti Iqbal said Ayub Bachchu’s wife Ferdous Akhtar Chandana initiated the idea, after which discussions finalized the 20-song album.

Shawon Khan, president of Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal’s Rangashree Union unit in Bakerganj upazila of Barishal, was relieved of his organisational post on Saturday night after a video allegedly showing him using yaba went viral on social media. The decision was announced in a press release signed by upazila unit convener Niamul Haque Nahid and member secretary Rakib Talukdar.

The report said a 16-second video circulated throughout Saturday, showing Khan sitting on one corner of a bed in a room and allegedly using yaba. It could not be confirmed where or when the footage was recorded. The video’s circulation prompted various comments and reactions on social media, and local Chhatra Dal leaders took notice of the matter.

The press release cited specific allegations of activities contrary to party policy, ideals and organisational discipline in removing Khan as president of the No. 12 Rangashree Union unit. Khan denied the allegation, claiming the video was created using artificial intelligence to discredit him after a fight at an event on August 14. Talukdar said the matter had been sent to the district level for investigation and that organisational action had been taken.

Highway Police will launch an AI-based “Auto Fine System” on the Dhaka-Chattogram highway on August 18, according to a notice published on August 15. The initiative is intended to strengthen road safety and traffic discipline and provide a more effective, transparent, technology-driven response to vehicles that violate traffic laws on the highway.

Under the system, authorities will take action under existing laws against speeding, illegal parking, driving in the wrong direction and other traffic violations. Modern AI cameras will identify offending vehicles, after which case information will be sent automatically by SMS to the mobile phone of the vehicle’s registered owner.

Once case information is received, vehicle owners will be able to pay fines through designated mobile financial services, including bKash and Nagad. Highway Police said the technology-based system would allow faster identification and preservation of traffic-violation information, while making fine collection more rapid, transparent, accurate and effective. It said the system is expected to raise public awareness of compliance with traffic laws, establish greater order in vehicle movement and help reduce road accidents.

The National Press Club held a qawwali evening on Friday, featuring performances by Bangladeshi qawwali and Sufi music artists Samir Qawwal and Syed Sajjad Hossain Arman with their teams. The programme began at 7pm and presented qawwalis in Urdu, Hindi and Bangla for the audience at the National Press Club.

The performers sang “Ali Ali Maula Ali,” “Parda Hai Parda,” “Amar Deho Mon Bole Nabi Nabi,” “Ishqe Nabi Dil Me Payda Karo,” “Damadum Mast Qalandar,” and “Khwaja Baba Khwaja Baba Marhaba Marhaba,” among other selections. The report said the performances captivated audience members.

Press Club General Secretary Ayub Bhuiyan delivered the opening welcome address, while club President poet Hasan Hafiz declared the event open. Kader Gani Chowdhury, convenor of the special events and hospitality subcommittee, moderated the programme. Attendees included Information and Broadcasting Minister Zahir Uddin Swapan MP, Professor Dr A Z M Zahid Hossain MP, former Dhaka University vice chancellor Professor Dr Anwarullah Chowdhury, and Manab Zamin editor Matiur Rahman Chowdhury, alongside several club management committee members.

Turkey’s Defense Ministry has outlined plans for regular coordination under the Mecca joint defense agreement signed by Turkey, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia. The mechanism will include the three countries’ defense and foreign ministers as well as senior military officials. The report was published on August 14, 2026.

Under the agreement, the countries will hold joint exercises involving land, naval and air forces, as well as air defense and drone systems. The ministry said cooperation will also expand in joint defense-industry development and production, technology exchange, maintenance and logistics. Drones and autonomous systems, electronic warfare and artificial intelligence will receive particular emphasis.

According to the pact signed on August 7, an armed attack on any one of the three countries will be treated as an attack on all. Turkey said the agreement is open to other countries and is not a substitute for existing alliances. Turkey is also taking part in an initiative to form an international coalition to protect shipping in the Red Sea.

Taiwan’s Ministry of Digital Affairs said an “unusual” cyberattack using artificial intelligence targeted multiple government agencies from a foreign source beginning on July 20. The country’s cybersecurity monitoring unit detected the operation, while the National Institute of Cyber Security issued several alerts during the investigation. Israeli AI company Dream said attackers used open-source AI agents to build an automated hacking tool that operated like a coordinated cyber team.

Dream said the attackers accessed at least 85 government user accounts and collected information on more than 2,500 employees. The operation was later expanded to target Taiwan’s nuclear safety agency and at least seven energy companies. Dream described the case as unprecedented, though cybersecurity researcher Chris Thomas cautioned that AI should not be viewed as a fully autonomous hacking weapon because humans still determine targets, objectives and instructions.

The ministry said its investigation into the attack’s source, methods and impact had concluded, and affected agencies had taken necessary measures. Taiwan has prepared defensive guidance and strengthened monitoring to detect and stop attacks earlier. Authorities did not directly blame China, while reports cited suspicions of China-linked hackers and Dream noted simplified Chinese in internal communications connected to the attack.

Palestinian digital rights group 7amleh, working with a Utrecht University research team, alleges that Meta has reduced the reach of Palestinian advocacy content, suspended accounts and limited live broadcasts on Facebook and Instagram. The Al Jazeera report, published on August 13, 2026, cites “The Platformside of Palestine 2021–2025,” which analyzed more than 3,500 verified incidents documented through 7amleh’s 7or monitoring system.

Researchers say the cases indicate a structural trend limiting Palestinians’ digital presence, visibility and participation rather than isolated technical errors. From January 2021 through December 2025, only 32.5 percent of documented incidents specified a policy violation. Among cases where a reason was identified, 57.2 percent cited Meta’s Dangerous Organizations and Individuals policy; the figure was 71.1 percent for journalists.

Meta said reported content is now routed to moderators who understand relevant Arabic dialects and that its policy has been revised to allow more social and political speech in certain cases. But 7amleh said it filed 2,828 appeals for affected users over five years and received no response in nearly half. The report also warns that removed Gaza videos and testimony could be lost as potential evidence for future war-crimes investigations.

Salman Shah’s mother, Neela Chowdhury, has said there was no romantic relationship between the late Bangladeshi actor and his frequent co-star Shabnur. In remarks reported on August 12, 2026, she said Salman, who had no sister of his own, treated Shabnur like a younger sister and affectionately called her “Pichchi.”

Chowdhury said Shabnur relied on Salman for various needs and that he looked after her like an elder brother. She argued that people and media outlets at the time misinterpreted their close relationship and spread romance rumours. Shabnur had previously denied the claims several times, describing Salman as a respected senior co-star and elder brother, and saying the false rumours caused her mental distress during her career.

Salman acted in 27 films during his short career, with Shabnur starring opposite him in 14 of them. Their pairing began with “Tumi Amar” and later featured commercially successful films including “Sujon Sokhi” and “Anondo Oshru.” The old controversy resurfaced recently following the arrest of villain actor Don, nearly three decades after Salman’s mysterious death on September 6, 1996.

AI-based digital surveillance has been deployed at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport and two other international airports in Bangladesh to help prevent suspects in serious crimes from fleeing abroad. The system, operational since August 5, 2024, combines AI-powered CCTV cameras, facial-recognition technology and highly sensitive gold-detection equipment. Security sources said authorities can provide a suspect’s photograph to airport agencies, allowing the system to match the face and alert security officers when the person enters an airport.

The facial-recognition system covers sensitive locations including arrival and departure terminals, boarding bridges, immigration counters and the cargo village. It is intended to identify people attempting to leave without passports or using different identity documents. The AI system can also issue automatic alerts when a person behaves unusually for an extended period or when an abandoned object is detected.

Authorities said modern gold-detection machines can identify small metal objects and gold concealed in clothing or inside the body, including material hidden as liquid or paste. Civil Aviation Authority member for security Air Commodore Asif Iqbal said government agencies use advanced equipment with their own funding and have achieved notable success over the past two to two-and-a-half years. Airport Executive Director Group Captain S M Ragib Samad said agencies maintain round-the-clock monitoring with high-tech equipment.

Meta is set to face a major federal lawsuit brought by four US states over allegations that Instagram and Facebook were made addictive for children. Jury selection is scheduled to begin Wednesday in a federal court in Oakland, near San Francisco, as part of ongoing litigation against social media companies in the United States. The report was published on August 10, 2026.

Attorneys general from California, Colorado, Kentucky and New Jersey allege that Meta intentionally made its platforms addictive for minors. They are seeking broad restrictions on how Instagram and Facebook are operated for underage users, along with fines of up to $1.4 trillion. The requested amount is close to Meta's entire market value, which exceeded $1.5 trillion on Friday.

Hearings for both sides are expected to begin on August 18. The trial is expected to last about six weeks, with a verdict possibly coming in early October. Meta founder and chief executive Mark Zuckerberg is considered a potentially important witness for the prosecution. He testified in a separate case in Los Angeles six months ago.

Dhaka Residential Model College’s Arup-Bit team won the secondary-category championship at South Korea’s education ministry-organized 16th e-Icon World Contest. The final competition was held on August 7. The team included ICT department lecturer Syed Mahbub Hasan Amiri, Grade 12 student Md. Shafiul Alam Siddiqui Shreshtho, and SSC examinee Aranya Abir Khan Prapyo. The college disclosed the achievement in a press release on Sunday.

The contest received 242 projects from 37 countries, with 10 selected for the final. Finalist projects included teams from Bangladesh, the Philippines, Thailand, Rwanda, Moldova and Uzbekistan. The competition required participants to develop web applications to support implementation of SDG-3. Professors from three well-known South Korean universities and senior Samsung officials served as judges.

The contest had two stages. From July 1 to 31, the Bangladeshi team collaborated online with a Korean team; from August 2 to 7, it travelled to South Korea to present its project. Arup-Bit’s web application, Light House, focuses on reducing students’ screen time. It uses AI hardware intended to assist students, help prevent excessive workload-related problems, and encourage them to stay away from screens. The app is available at arupbit.com.

A five-day training programme on using artificial intelligence in trade and economic analysis has begun for 30 officials of Bangladesh’s Ministry of Commerce. Running from August 9 to 13, the programme is jointly organised by UK International, the United Nations Development Programme and the ministry. Commerce Minister Khandaker Abdul Muktadir inaugurated the first batch on Sunday afternoon at the ministry’s conference room.

The course covers AI applications in trade administration, policymaking, preparation and analysis of government documents, import-export data analysis and international trade agreements. Sessions will address generative AI fundamentals, prompt engineering, drafting letters, memos, speeches and press releases, market-price analysis and supply chains. Participants will also study AI applications for WTO agreements, FTA and PTA analysis, global trade policy, policy formulation and e-governance.

The minister said AI could make government work faster, more efficient and data-driven, while supporting quicker decisions and more effective public services. He stressed the need for data security, personal privacy, transparency and human oversight. UNDP Senior Economic Adviser Wise Parry also cautioned against complete reliance on AI and called for human judgement and supervision. The programme, funded by UNDP, will conclude with capstone projects and live presentations.

Elon Musk’s net worth has again surpassed $800 billion after SpaceX shares rose 11.7%, according to Forbes. By the close of trading on Friday, his wealth reached $823.6 billion. His fortune increased by more than $100 billion in less than two weeks as SpaceX shares climbed to $129, their highest level in three weeks.

Musk’s wealth had fallen below $700 billion on July 27 after a sharp decline in SpaceX shares. The company released quarterly financial results early last week showing that quarterly spending had risen nearly sixfold over a year, which initially pushed its share price down. SpaceX reported quarterly revenue of $7.8 billion, above Wall Street’s forecast of about $6.9 billion.

The company’s net loss narrowed from $1 billion to $541 million in the latest quarter. Starlink satellite internet is one of SpaceX’s main revenue sources, and its revenue nearly doubled in the second quarter. Capital expenditure rose to $18.3 billion, including $15.8 billion spent on artificial intelligence. Musk owns about 38% of SpaceX, making his personal wealth directly sensitive to changes in the company’s share price.

Actor, director and writer Hasan Masud says a major religious and mental transformation following Hajj has led him to largely withdraw from acting. In an interview with a private satellite channel, reported on August 9, 2026, he said he no longer acts in television dramas or films. He said he may occasionally work only when he receives an advertisement offer he likes.

Masud said the change in him had begun before he went on Hajj and that he now considers himself a completely changed person. He recently returned home after spending 41 days in Mecca and Medina during the pilgrimage. He said becoming more spiritual and religious was the reason he had stepped away from drama and film work.

In the interview, Masud also recalled giving up reading books after a period of intensive reading left him feeling like a machine without emotions. He sold about 1,200 books in Nilkhet and stopped reading afterward. He joined the Bangladesh Army in 1985 and retired as a captain in 1992 before working in journalism. His big-screen debut came in the 2003 film “Bachelor.”

Actor Ashraful Haque Don, known as Don Haque and popular for villain roles, has been arrested in the murder case of film star Salman Shah. Law enforcement personnel detained him at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport on Sunday, August 9, and later handed him over to the Criminal Investigation Department, or CID.

Salman Shah’s body was recovered under mysterious circumstances on September 6, 1996. After prolonged debate over the cause of his death, his maternal uncle Alamgir Kumkum filed a murder case at Ramna police station to revive the investigation. The case names 11 accused, including Salman Shah’s former wife Samira Haque and Don.

Salman Shah’s family has alleged that there were efforts from the beginning to conceal the incident as a planned killing. His mother, Neela Chowdhury, had alleged that when the family sought to file a murder case, police recorded it as an unnatural death case. Salman Shah acted in 27 commercially successful and popular films during a four-year career, and supporters see the renewed case as bringing fresh hope of resolving the widely discussed death.