Model and actress Snigdha Chowdhury has sought justice and security in a case alleging physical abuse by the chairman of an institution. At a press conference on the afternoon of July 27, 2026, she said she was called to a hospital after being offered an advertising contract and was then physically abused. She said she has filed a case over the allegation.

Chowdhury said the accused has already obtained bail, expressing anger that no arrest was made despite the allegation. She appealed to Prime Minister Tarique Rahman for justice, saying she believed he would look into the matter and ensure that she receives a fair outcome.

She also told journalists that she has repeatedly received death threats. Chowdhury said her safety and a fair investigation were urgently needed, while the accused had instead received anticipatory bail. She said those involved would be responsible if anything happened to her or if she suffered an unnatural death. Chowdhury began modelling in 2018 and became known through the film “Pressure Cooker.”

Elon Musk’s paper wealth fell by roughly $650 billion to $700 billion in five weeks, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. At the close of trading on July 23, the index estimated his wealth at about $738 billion. Six weeks earlier, after SpaceX completed its initial public offering on June 12, the company’s valuation reached $2.64 trillion and Musk’s paper wealth rose to around $1.45 trillion.

Much of the loss was tied to SpaceX shares, which fell 41.41 percent from their June 16 peak through the July 23 close, dropping from $201.80 to $118.24. The company’s market capitalization stood at $895.24 billion, more than $1 trillion below its peak valuation. The report cited news of a Starship launch delay, fading IPO enthusiasm and broader market reconsideration of high valuations for AI-related companies.

Tesla provided a second setback despite reporting $28.24 billion in second-quarter revenue and record deliveries of 480,126 vehicles. Its non-GAAP earnings per share of $0.33 missed the $0.5367 analyst forecast, while operating income declined 56.88 percent year on year. Tesla shares closed July 23 at $319.69, down 14.52 percent for the day. Musk nevertheless remained the world’s richest person, with about $650 billion more wealth than the second-ranked individual.

Flavio Bolsonaro, son of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, formally launched his campaign for Brazil’s upcoming presidential election on Saturday. Speaking at the Liberal Party’s national convention, he announced his candidacy against incumbent President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. Argentine President Javier Milei attended the event, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu offered support in a video message.

Flavio Bolsonaro has long been viewed as a potential presidential candidate for Brazil’s right wing, but his campaign has struggled to gain momentum amid political controversies and setbacks. Recent opinion polls place him behind the left-wing president Lula. The convention emphasized endorsements from foreign leaders, while prominent Brazilian political figures were notably scarce and centre-right parties have kept their distance from his campaign.

Jair Bolsonaro, serving a 27-year prison sentence over an attempted coup after losing the 2022 election to Lula, could not attend the convention. An AI-generated video message featuring him was shown instead. Flavio Bolsonaro and his allies face criticism over alleged efforts to use ties with the Trump administration for electoral advantage. Lula’s Workers’ Party plans to formally approve the 80-year-old president’s re-election candidacy at its national convention on August 2.

Information and Broadcasting Minister Zahir Uddin Swapan said journalists must ensure the objectivity of information to maintain professionalism, arguing that neutral work based on facts and data should be the central principle of professional journalism. He made the remarks on July 25 at a Bengal Delta Conference 2026 panel discussion at Hotel InterContinental in the capital.

Swapan said journalism serves as a mirror of society in line with public expectations, and journalists should not become activists. Without proper information and data, a claim is not news but may only be opinion, he said. Speakers at the panel said pressure and challenges facing media differ across South Asian countries, though their effects are often similar, and stressed the need for independent, responsible and professional journalism.

The minister also described protecting people from false, disinformation and misleading information while ensuring freedom of expression as a major challenge. Later, as chief guest at the Global Conference on AI Leadership at the capital's Sonargaon Hotel, he said Bangladesh must keep pace with rapid technological change. He called for effective use of artificial intelligence to improve efficiency in the state, industry and service sectors, and to support innovation, productivity and good governance.

Veteran South Asian singer and composer Runa Laila performed her first solo concert at the main auditorium of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy in Segunbagicha, Dhaka, on the evening of July 24. Although she had sung at the academy two or three times during her 62-year professional music career, this was her first appearance there for a solo musical programme.

Culture Affairs Minister Nitai Roy Chowdhury, State Minister Ali Newaz Mahmud Khaiyam, academy Director General Sheikh Rezauddin Stalin and Secretary Mohammad Zakir Hossain presented her with an honourary memento. Hosted by actor Afzal Hossain, the programme featured about 10 modern, film and patriotic songs over roughly an hour and a half, including a Nazrul song performed in observance of Nazrul anniversary.

Laila opened with a song dedicated to those who gave their lives for the country and ended the evening with “Damadom Mast Kalandar.” She said audiences’ love, respect and prayers were the greatest achievements of her musical life. Organisers said all ticket-sale proceeds would be deposited in the Prime Minister’s Relief and Welfare Fund to support flood-affected people.

Sohel Rana Bayati’s film Noya Manush will open the first three-day New York Bangla Film Festival in New York, United States, on July 30. The screening is scheduled for 7 pm local time at RTV Theatre on the festival’s opening day. The festival will feature selected Bangladeshi short films, documentaries and feature films.

The film is based on A. M. M. Hasanuzzaman’s novel Bedonar Baluchore, with dialogue and screenplay by Masum Reza. Its cast includes A. M. M. Hasanuzzaman, Ashish Khandakar, Jhuna Chowdhury, Rawnak Hasan, Mousumi Hamid, Shikha Karmakar and Nilufar Wahid, among others. Bayati said Noya Manush has already been screened at film festivals in several countries.

The director said the festival is especially significant because only films by Bangladeshi filmmakers will be screened and awarded, adding that it could support the promotion of domestic cinema. The movie was filmed by Kamal Chandra Das in remote Kanudir Char in Chandpur during Super Cyclone Sitrang. The festival’s closing and award ceremony is scheduled for August 2.

Meta is introducing a free verified badge on Facebook to curb the spread of AI-generated fake content, impersonation profiles and low-quality posts. Facebook chief Tom Alison announced the system on July 24. The badge is intended to confirm that a real person is behind an account, and users will not have to pay for the verification.

Under the new process, users must submit a selfie video. Facial-recognition technology will compare the video with an existing profile picture to verify identity, a process Meta said may take only a few minutes. Applicants must be at least 18 and their accounts must comply with Facebook’s Community Standards. Once verified, the badge will appear across areas including Facebook Marketplace and Dating.

Meta said the badge does not signify endorsement of a celebrity, organization or content, and it is not a replacement for its paid Meta Verified service. Pages and promoted accounts will not qualify. The feature will begin rolling out gradually from Monday in a limited number of markets before expanding elsewhere. Meta also announced testing of a TikTok-style full-screen immersive video experience for selected Facebook users.

Facebook is unlikely to open an office in Bangladesh at present, its director of network operations, Dr Hayat Shahid Shipon, told Amar Desh. The report, published on July 25, 2026, says Facebook had previously discussed establishing an office in Purbachal near Dhaka with the former Awami League government, but did not proceed after its conditions were not addressed further.

Facebook reportedly sought security for its office and senior officials, prompt responses when it applied to the government, and protection from intervention when users expressed independent views on the platform. Bangladesh has about 130 million internet users, including 40.5 million Facebook users, nearly 20 million TikTok users and 30.5 million YouTube users, according to the report.

Users said the lack of local offices limits access to quick remedies for fraud, hacked accounts, false identities, harassment, cyberbullying and objectionable content. Telecom-related sources said Facebook believes a local office would have to manage a large volume of customer complaints. The report says the current government is reconsidering the establishment of Google and Facebook offices and has begun work under guidelines while holding discussions with domestic and foreign technology companies.

As crowds continue to grow at Jantar Mantar in Delhi, India, over demands for the education minister’s resignation, the entire protest site has been placed under CCTV surveillance. At least three mobile surveillance vans have been deployed, and police are also using facial-recognition technology, according to the report published on July 25, 2026.

Live video and images collected through the surveillance system are being matched against police databases to identify and separate people with criminal records. The measures have renewed concerns over personal privacy, civil rights and the ethical use of such technology.

Separately, disability-rights organisations have called for a ban on pellet guns and electric shock batons for all police forces in the country. Doctors’ organisations, individuals and concerned citizens have strongly condemned allegations that such weapons were used against protesters during the “Chalo Parliament” programme held in New Delhi on July 20.

Reports in Indian media have put Thalapathy Vijay’s pay for the globally released film Jana Nayagan at about Rs 300 crore. The report, published on July 25, 2026, says the payment for the lead role would be a record in Indian cinema if confirmed. The film, directed by H. Vinoth, has also drawn attention for its reported box-office performance after release.

According to the reports, Vijay was paid the amount directly and did not have an agreement to share in the film’s profits. Neither the makers nor Vijay had issued an official statement on the claim. H. Vinoth reportedly received Rs 30 crore, while music composer Anirudh Ravichander was paid about Rs 15 crore. Lead actress Pooja Hegde reportedly received Rs 10 crore and Bobby Deol about Rs 12 crore.

Other reported payments include Rs 7 crore for Prakash Raj and Rs 5 crore each for Priyamani and Gautham Vasudev Menon. Jana Nayagan, described as a political action thriller, is said to have cost about Rs 500 crore to make. Box-office trackers estimated Indian pre-sales near Rs 30 crore and first-day worldwide earnings between Rs 107 crore and Rs 112 crore, but these figures remain unconfirmed officially.

BTS member Jimin’s outfit worn during a World Cup final halftime show has drawn the highest bid in a FIFA and Global Citizen charity auction organised by Christie’s. In the sale, titled “One Goal: An Auction to Benefit the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund,” the outfit had reached $14,000 before bidding closes on July 29. The auction is intended to support education and sports opportunities for disadvantaged children worldwide.

The bid for Jimin’s outfit is about 1.73 million Bangladeshi taka. Lionel Messi’s autographed jersey and gloves used by Madonna during the halftime show had each jointly reached $6,000, or about 741,000 taka. Other lots include the official match ball used in the Spain-Argentina final, Shakira’s halftime-show outfit, Madonna memorabilia, items used by other BTS members, and jerseys signed by players from different national teams.

More than 40 historic World Cup items are included in the auction. Organisers expect the sale to raise about $100 million for the FIFA and Global Citizen Education Fund. The full proceeds are to be used to provide quality education for children in underserved communities and expand access to sports.

Rubaiyat Hossain’s psychological horror film ‘The Difficult Bride’ has been selected for the Orizzonti competition at the 83rd Venice International Film Festival. The selection marks the first time a Bangladeshi film has secured a place at the Venice festival, according to the report. The film will have its world premiere during the festival in Venice, Italy, scheduled from September 2 to 12.

The film will compete in the festival’s Horizons section, with the selected titles announced on Thursday. In 2010, Ishtiaq Zico’s short film ‘720 Degrees’ was selected for the Orizzonti section, becoming Bangladesh’s first short film to participate at the festival. Khona Talkies, which produced that short film, is the Bangladeshi co-producer of ‘The Difficult Bride.’

Set around Dhaka’s historic Mayfair beauty parlour, the story follows a young woman named Zaineen as she arrives to prepare for her wedding and becomes drawn into an unsettling world involving beauty, body, belief, memory and fear. Zaineen Chowdhury Karim plays the lead role, with Rikita Nandini Shimu and Sunerah Kamal in supporting roles. Hossain and several cast members will join the festival delegation.

Iranian state media reported that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, or IRGC, said it attacked an Amazon data center in Bahrain. In a statement broadcast on state television, the IRGC said it targeted and destroyed what it described as an intelligence data center building belonging to the US technology company Amazon. The report was published on July 24, 2026.

According to the IRGC statement, the data center was used to provide information to the US military. The force had also said on Wednesday that it had attacked the facility. Amazon and Bahraini authorities had not commented on Iran’s claim at the time of the report.

Bollywood actors Nora Fatehi and Pankaj Tripathi have expressed solidarity with students protesting alleged question-paper leaks in India’s National Eligibility cum Entrance Test, or NEET. Students and their supporters have been holding continuous demonstrations at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi since June 20. Their demands include full transparency and accountability in the examination system, justice for affected students, the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, and sweeping reforms to the examination process.

In an Instagram message, Fatehi said education is not only about examinations or marks and that students and their families deserve fairness, dignity and trust. She expressed condolences to families of students who died by suicide and praised protesters’ courage and patience. Tripathi supported the movement in an Instagram story, criticized the police’s strict approach, and urged the government to show compassion toward injured young people. The source also says Alia Bhatt and several other prominent actors had previously voiced support for the students’ demands.

Environmentalists and space experts have warned that proposed orbital data centers backed by major technology companies, including SpaceX and Blue Origin, could pose severe risks to Earth’s atmosphere. A petition has been filed with the US Federal Communications Commission seeking an independent review of the potential harm and calling for a pause on licenses for new space data-center projects, according to a report published on July 24, 2026.

Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, Earthjustice and DarkSky International jointly submitted the petition. They say emissions from satellite launches and atmospheric re-entry, including black carbon, rare metals, aluminum oxide, nitrogen oxides, mercury and chlorine gas, could accumulate in the stratosphere. Scientists fear this pollution could damage the ozone layer, increase exposure to ultraviolet radiation and worsen the global climate crisis. The report says the number of active satellites has risen from about 1,400 in 2015 to about 15,000 currently, while companies have not presented a satisfactory plan to address combined pollution, collisions and debris.