Rear Admiral Khondker Misbah Ul Azim has been appointed as the 18th Chief of the Bangladesh Navy. According to a Ministry of Defence notification, he will assume office on July 23, 2026, after being promoted to the rank of Vice Admiral. His tenure will continue until July 22, 2029, succeeding the current Navy Chief Admiral M Nazmul Hassan. The Inter-Services Public Relations Directorate (ISPR) confirmed the appointment in a press release on Friday.

Azim joined the Bangladesh Navy on January 1, 1987, and was commissioned in the Executive Branch on July 1, 1989, after completing naval training with distinction at the Royal Malaysian Navy. He holds a PhD in Maritime Governance from the Bangladesh University of Professionals and multiple master’s degrees in strategic, defense, and operational studies. Over nearly four decades, he has held key command and staff positions, including Commander of Chattogram and Dhaka Naval Areas, Commander Submarine, and Commandant of the Bangladesh Naval Academy.

He has also served in UN peacekeeping missions in Lebanon and the Democratic Republic of Congo and most recently as Bangladesh’s ambassador to Oman, contributing to bilateral relations and expatriate welfare.

Bangladesh Islami Chhatra Shibir observed 'Anti-Terrorism Day' on July 17 at Dhaka University by organizing a 'League Dhar' marathon and a three-day art exhibition titled 'Roktakkhore July'. The events commemorated the July 17, 2024 incident when the group claims students expelled Chhatra League from the campus. The marathon began at 6 a.m. from Curzon Hall and ended at the Faculty of Arts, followed by the exhibition’s inauguration under the banyan tree at 8 a.m. Dhaka University Central Students’ Union (DUCSU) Vice President Sadiq Kayem inaugurated the exhibition.

The exhibition, running from July 17 to 19, features photographs, documents, and memorabilia related to the so-called July movement and alleged fascist oppression. Shibir leaders including DUCSU General Secretary S.M. Farhad, International Secretary Asif Abdullah, and DU Shibir Secretary Kazi Ashik attended the opening. Speakers emphasized preserving the memory of July’s martyrs, resisting historical distortion, and upholding the spirit of the movement.

Organizers invited students, teachers, and citizens to visit the exhibition, which will include daily cultural performances and remembrance sessions throughout its three-day run.

Authorities have imposed a ban on prayers at the 136-year-old Gauripur Jama Masjid, located near the second runway of Kolkata Airport. The restriction led former state minister Siddiqullah Chowdhury to call for demonstrations on Friday. To maintain order, Section 163 was enforced in the airport area from Friday morning, with additional police and central forces deployed, along with water cannons.

The Bidhannagar Police announced through loudspeakers that gatherings of more than four people would not be allowed, warning of legal action for violations. Security forces have cordoned off the mosque’s entrance and surrounding areas, preventing any unauthorized assembly. The situation has created tension in nearby localities such as Birati and Bankra.

Airport authorities have claimed that the mosque’s location within the airport premises poses a risk to aircraft operations, which reportedly prompted the restriction on prayers.

India’s Home Minister Amit Shah began a three-day visit to West Bengal on July 17, 2026, to review security arrangements in the Siliguri corridor, a narrow stretch connecting mainland India to the northeastern states. His agenda includes meetings on border protection, prevention of illegal infiltration, and progress in constructing barbed-wire fencing along the India-Bangladesh border. Shah is also scheduled to visit the Jumagachh border outpost near Siliguri on Saturday.

The visit focuses on assessing security in the ‘Chicken’s Neck’ area, a 60-kilometer-long corridor located between Nepal and Bangladesh, with its narrowest section only 20 to 22 kilometers wide. The region holds strategic importance as it links India’s northeast to the rest of the country and lies close to the borders of China and Bhutan. During his stay, Shah will interact with Border Security Force personnel and inaugurate several development projects related to border safety.

High-level meetings will also address the current security situation along the India-Bangladesh border, underscoring the government’s emphasis on strengthening surveillance and infrastructure in this sensitive zone.

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has called for the revival and greater effectiveness of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC). He made the appeal during a meeting with outgoing SAARC Secretary-General Ambassador Golam Sarwar at the Prime Minister’s residence in Islamabad, according to a press release from the Prime Minister’s Office.

The statement said Sharif praised Sarwar’s leadership in advancing regional cooperation during his tenure and reaffirmed Pakistan’s firm commitment to the SAARC Charter. He emphasized the importance of revitalizing regional collaboration to promote connectivity, sustainable development, and shared prosperity among the people of South Asia. Sarwar expressed gratitude to Sharif for Pakistan’s support during his term.

The report also noted that Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar had made a similar call for SAARC’s revival a day earlier. Established in 1985 to promote socio-economic and cultural development across South Asia, SAARC has faced significant challenges in recent years, largely due to tensions between India and Pakistan, and has not held a summit since 2014.

The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has distributed humanitarian aid to 2,000 families affected by recent floods and landslides in Lama upazila of Bandarban district. Acting under the directive of party leader Tarique Rahman, the relief effort covered seven unions and the municipal area. The distribution, organized by the upazila and municipal BNP units, took place on Thursday afternoon at the upazila parishad premises and was inaugurated by Javed Reza, member secretary of the Bandarban district BNP convening committee.

Several BNP leaders, including Jasim Uddin Tushar, Riton Biswas, and Abdur Rob, attended the event. Party representatives assured continued support for those impacted by the disaster while visiting affected communities. Recipients such as Ali Akbar, Banu Begum, and Luna Akter expressed gratitude, noting that many families had lost homes and livelihoods due to the disaster and were facing food shortages.

Former upazila BNP president Abdur Rob confirmed the initiative, describing it as a humanitarian duty and pledging that similar assistance efforts would continue in the future.

A commentary published on July 17, 2026, in the newspaper Amar Desh examines why certain groups seek to label the July 2024 uprising in Bangladesh as a failure. The author argues that the uprising, which led to the fall of Hasina Shahi’s rule and the end of Awami League governance, was inherently successful. The piece compares the event to a cyclone, describing its prelude, impact, and aftermath as stages of political transformation.

The analysis identifies three main groups attempting to depict the uprising as unsuccessful. The first group consists of supporters of Mujibist politics who must discredit the uprising to preserve the legitimacy of Awami League rule. The second includes participants whose unrealistic post-uprising expectations were unmet. The third group, described as the urban secular elite, is said to resent not leading the movement themselves. The author contrasts this with the 1990 anti-Ershad movement, which is widely celebrated because its leaders were visible in that struggle.

The article concludes that the emergence of a political party from the uprising demonstrates its success, calling the July 2024 movement the most successful mass uprising in Bangladesh’s 54-year history.

A commentary published on July 17, 2026, highlights Bangladesh’s long tradition of interfaith coexistence and warns against divisive forces seeking to exploit religious differences. The article cites examples from Dhaka, Lalmonirhat, Moulvibazar, Tangail, Narayanganj, and Rangpur, where mosques and temples have coexisted peacefully for decades. It emphasizes that Bangladesh’s communal harmony is rooted in everyday social life rather than state policy.

The piece notes that religious minorities make up about 8.86 percent of the population and receive significant state support, including national holidays for major festivals, optional leave for religious observances, and financial allocations for temples and clergy. Despite these measures, some groups continue to claim minority rights violations, which the author argues may sometimes reflect external or political motives. Others, however, reject this view and insist that genuine grievances must not be dismissed.

The article concludes that Bangladesh’s pluralism and tolerance are its greatest strengths, urging both the state and citizens to remain vigilant against communal incitement and politically motivated division.

Former US President Donald Trump has alleged that China interfered in the 2020 US presidential election. On Thursday, he released several classified government documents, claiming they show that China collected US election data and attempted to weaken the electoral system. Trump reiterated his claim that the 2020 election was stolen from him and warned that future elections could face similar risks unless voting rules are significantly changed.

According to Trump, China illegally gathered data on about 220 million American voters over several years surrounding the 2020 election, calling it possibly the largest data theft in election history. He also stated that the current US voting system is insecure and announced plans to release intelligence information that he says will prove the system is vulnerable to hacking.

China has rejected Trump’s allegations. Liu Chang, spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in Washington, said Beijing adheres to a policy of non-interference in other nations’ internal affairs and has never and will never interfere in US elections.

Colombia’s newly elected president, Abelardo de la Espriella, has announced plans to strengthen relations with Israel. In a statement released by his office, he confirmed that Colombia will open an embassy in Jerusalem and withdraw its participation from the ongoing genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ). The move is described as part of efforts to reestablish a 'historic alliance' with Israel.

The ICJ case, initiated by South Africa, accuses Israel of committing genocide during the ongoing war in Gaza. De la Espriella’s decision marks a sharp policy reversal from outgoing leftist president Gustavo Petro, who had been a vocal critic of Israel’s military operations in Gaza and an open supporter of Palestine.

The announcement signals a major shift in Colombia’s foreign policy direction, aligning the country more closely with Israel and distancing it from the previous administration’s stance on the Gaza conflict.

Major (retired) Mohammad Mozzaffar Hossain, one of the convicted killers of Bangladesh’s late President Ziaur Rahman, was arrested by the Detective Branch (DB) police from a flat in Banani DOHS, Dhaka, late Wednesday night. The flat reportedly belonged to his father-in-law. Following legal procedures, Mozzaffar was handed over to the Bangladesh Army’s Military Police on Thursday evening, according to a Dhaka Metropolitan Police statement.

Mozzaffar had been sentenced to death in absentia for his involvement in the 1981 assassination of President Ziaur Rahman in Chittagong. Law enforcement sources said he had long been under surveillance before being captured through a planned operation. Investigators revealed that he had fled to India after the killing, lived there under a false identity, and later returned to Bangladesh during a previous government, living quietly in Dhaka.

The arrest has sparked widespread reaction on social media, with many users describing it as a historic step toward justice and closure for one of Bangladesh’s most controversial political assassinations.

The United States has introduced new restrictions on visas for foreign students, cultural exchange participants, and journalists under the administration of President Donald Trump. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released the final regulation on Thursday, setting fixed validity periods for F (student), J (exchange), and I (journalist) visas. The rule will take effect 60 days after publication in the Federal Register, pending congressional review. The new policy limits student and exchange visas to a maximum of four years, while journalist visas will be capped at 240 days, and only 90 days for Chinese journalists.

The DHS stated that the changes were necessary due to the rising number of non-immigrant visa holders, which has made monitoring more difficult. In 2024, over 1.8 million student visas were issued, an 11 percent increase from the previous year. The new rule also restricts graduate students from changing study programs or institutions without approval and shortens the post-study departure period from 60 to 30 days.

Critics, including former DHS officials and immigration experts, argue that the policy lacks legal basis and could discourage international students from studying in the United States.

Prime Minister Tareque Rahman has decided not to visit India for now, according to senior officials of Bangladesh’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and diplomatic sources. The decision comes amid internal political considerations, national interests, and shifting geopolitical dynamics. Sources described the planned Delhi trip as highly sensitive and challenging, especially given unresolved bilateral issues such as water sharing. The current Ganges water-sharing treaty expires in December, and India has yet to respond to Dhaka’s request to extend it. Officials said the trust necessary for a high-level visit is currently absent.

Analysts and diplomats cited India’s negative reaction to Rahman’s recent China visit, border tensions, and the reemergence of Sheikh Hasina in political discourse as key reasons for the postponement. They argued that India’s actions have created an uncomfortable environment for dialogue. Instead, Rahman is preparing to attend the UN General Assembly in New York in late September and may visit Japan and Saudi Arabia beforehand. Both Tokyo and Riyadh have expressed interest in hosting him soon.

Foreign ministry officials said Rahman’s upcoming trips to Japan and Saudi Arabia will help maintain strategic balance following his China visit, while the India visit remains unlikely this year.

NCP member secretary and MP Akhtar Hossain warned that those producing statements in favor of Sheikh Hasina in the media will not survive in Bangladesh. He made the remarks on Thursday night at the NCP’s northern rally held at Palichara Government Primary School field in Pirgacha, Rangpur. Hossain claimed that Hasina’s 17 years of rule were marked by oppression and that those supporting her narrative would not endure in the current political climate.

During his speech, Akhtar Hossain described the day as the beginning of a new life for Bangladesh, recalling that two years earlier Abu Sayeed had sacrificed his life, which he said led to the creation of a new Bangladesh. He criticized individuals in the media and cultural sectors who oppose the “July movement” and favor what he called the fascist rule of the Awami League. Hossain emphasized that the country after August 5 is a new Bangladesh where Hasina’s supporters cannot persist.

The rally was chaired by NCP’s Pirgacha upazila convener Krishna Ranjan Barman, with several central and local leaders addressing the gathering. The event also announced Barman as a candidate for upazila chairman.

Ukraine’s parliament has approved Serhii Koretskyi, a top energy executive, as the country’s new prime minister. The appointment, announced on July 17, 2026, is part of President Volodymyr Zelensky’s major government reshuffle. Koretskyi becomes Ukraine’s third head of government since the start of the ongoing war.

Koretskyi, aged 48, is an engineer and economist with over two decades of experience in international finance, energy retail and wholesale management, and oil production and refining. Before this appointment, he served as CEO of Naftogaz, Ukraine’s largest state-owned oil and gas company, since May 2015. He previously led Ukrnafta and worked with Continuum Group and the WOG fuel chain. Analysts note that his lack of political affiliation and reputation as a capable manager may aid his performance in office.

With Russia’s continued missile and drone attacks damaging Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, Koretskyi’s main task will be to prepare the country’s power and energy systems for the coming winter, which President Zelensky has identified as the government’s top priority.