The Bangladesh Bank has announced plans to issue new licenses for digital banks, raising the minimum paid-up capital requirement to Tk 300 crore, up from the previous Tk 125 crore.

According to a central bank circular, licenses will be granted under the 1991 Bank Company Act, while payment services will be regulated under the 2014 Bangladesh Payment and Settlement Systems Regulations.

Digital banks will operate without physical branches, offering services exclusively through apps and online platforms. Customers will be able to deposit and spend money digitally, while receiving access to virtual cards, QR codes, and other advanced tools. However, plastic debit or credit cards will not be issued.

Each licensed digital bank will be required to go public and release primary shares within five years of operation.

Russia and Ukraine exchanged 146 prisoners of war each on Sunday in a swap mediated by the United Arab Emirates. Moscow confirmed that freed Russian soldiers were taken to Belarus for medical and psychological care.

The deal follows three rounds of negotiations held in Istanbul between May and July. Among those released were eight Russian citizens from Kursk, whom Moscow says were “illegally detained” by Kyiv.

Meanwhile, Russia accused Ukraine of launching a drone strike overnight on a nuclear power plant, sparking a fire and damaging an auxiliary transformer. Authorities said the attack forced a 50% reduction in output at the plant’s third reactor.

Chief Adviser Dr. Muhammad Yunus joined the main session of the three-day international dialogue on the Rohingya crisis in Cox’s Bazar on Monday. He is scheduled to deliver the opening address at the session. Earlier in the morning, Dr. Yunus arrived at Cox’s Bazar airport on a scheduled flight. The dialogue, which began on Sunday with an inaugural session featuring interactive discussions with Rohingya representatives, will continue until August 26. According to official sources, the Chief Adviser is expected to leave Cox’s Bazar later today around 1 PM.

At least 51 Palestinians were killed in Gaza in a single day of Israeli strikes, while 24 others died in chaos as they tried to collect humanitarian aid. An additional eight people perished from hunger and malnutrition.

According to Al Jazeera, Israel’s ongoing assault has destroyed more than 1,000 buildings in Gaza City’s Zeitoun and Sabra neighborhoods since August 6, leaving hundreds trapped beneath rubble. Hospitals are overwhelmed, with doctors struggling to cope with waves of wounded civilians.

Civil defense teams warn that the humanitarian crisis is spiraling out of control. No place in Gaza is safe—bombs are falling on homes, shelters, and even aid distribution centers in areas already declared famine zones.

Actor-turned-politician Thalapathy Vijay drew a massive crowd of nearly 400,000 at a rally in Madurai, Tamil Nadu, on Friday, declaring the BJP his party’s “ideological enemy.”

Invoking a jungle metaphor, Vijay said: “In the wild, there may be foxes and leopards, but there is only one lion. Even if the lion stands alone, it remains a lion. Tamizhaga Vettri Kazhagam fears no one. All of Tamil Nadu is with us.”

Vijay’s party, which grew out of his fan club, won 115 of 169 seats it contested in the 2021 local elections. In 2024, he formally launched the Tamizhaga Vettri Kazhagam, positioning himself against the BJP and DMK. From protesting fuel price hikes on a bicycle to joining Iftar meals during Ramadan, Vijay has actively courted the masses. Analysts believe he could pose a serious challenge to the DMK in the 2026 state elections.

Israeli forces have destroyed more than 3,000 olive trees in the occupied West Bank during a three-day military campaign, leaving Palestinian farmers devastated. The operation, launched in Al-Mughayir village after an Israeli settler was shot, also damaged nearly 500 acres of farmland and razed homes.

For the village’s 4,000 residents, olive trees are their primary livelihood. Farmers say the destruction has left many families destitute. “They may uproot our trees and gardens, but they will never uproot us,” one farmer said defiantly. “Our roots run deeper than the olive trees.”

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has called for the formation of a united national front to resist what he described as U.S. attempts to subjugate Iran.

“Never will the Islamic Republic bow to America,” he declared in a Sunday address.

Khamenei linked last June’s joint Israeli-U.S. attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities to broader efforts to destabilize the country.

Meanwhile, Iran is preparing to reopen negotiations with world powers over its nuclear program, signaling a new round of diplomacy amid escalating tensions.

Russian President Vladimir Putin will visit China next week to attend a high-level summit in Tianjin scheduled for August 31 to September 1.

The summit will host leaders from more than 20 countries and representatives of international organizations, according to Russian media.

Speculation had earlier surfaced about a possible trilateral meeting involving Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping, and former U.S. President Donald Trump, though the Kremlin later denied knowledge of such plans.

Putin last met Xi Jinping during the Chinese leader’s visit to Moscow in May.

Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus is set to formally inaugurate the main session of a three-day international conference on the Rohingya crisis in Cox’s Bazar today.

The opening session, held on Sunday evening, featured an interactive dialogue with Rohingya representatives, focusing on building trust for safe and dignified repatriation.

Rohingya participants expressed frustration at what they called the international community’s silence, saying they remain trapped in refugee camps with little hope. “We want to return to our homeland as rightful citizens, not through forced repatriation,” one representative said.

The conference has brought together foreign and domestic experts, diplomats, politicians, academics, international organizations, and Rohingya delegates.

At least two people were killed and five others injured in Israeli airstrikes on Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, on Sunday.

The Israeli military said the strikes targeted a military base near the presidential palace, two power stations, and a fuel storage facility, in retaliation for Houthi missile launches.

Houthis had earlier claimed to have fired a ballistic missile toward Israel as a show of solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza. Israeli officials said the projectile may have carried multiple sub-munitions designed to explode midair.

This marks the first reported launch of such a missile from Yemen. The Houthis vowed to continue attacks “in solidarity with Gaza.”

A Dhaka court has granted bail to Shahidul Islam Babul, general secretary of the BNP’s farmers’ wing, in a 2017 case filed by Paltan police for obstructing government duties and unlawful assembly.

Babul had surrendered to the court on August 18 seeking bail pending appeal, but his plea was initially rejected, and he was sent to jail.

In November 2023, he was sentenced to two and a half years in prison with hard labor and fined Tk 2,000, with an additional week in jail in case of default. He also received a separate one-year prison term under another charge.

Local BNP activists expressed anger at his earlier imprisonment, but his release on bail has eased tensions.

Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus has stressed the importance of cultural exchange in strengthening ties between Bangladesh and Pakistan, saying, “Whenever Pakistani artists perform in Bangladesh, they are warmly praised. This spirit must guide our relationship.”

He made the remarks during a meeting with Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, where both leaders emphasized deeper bilateral cooperation in trade, education, culture, and regional collaboration through SAARC.

Dar conveyed greetings from Pakistan’s Prime Minister and hailed Yunus’s role in poverty alleviation and community empowerment. “Bangladesh is fortunate to have you as its head of government,” he said.

Dar also announced that Pakistan’s Fly Jinnah is expected to launch direct Dhaka-Karachi flights by October.

Relatives of those killed and injured during the July uprising staged a demonstration outside the Ministry of Liberation War Affairs on Sunday, protesting bail granted to accused perpetrators.

The protesters also demanded the resignation of Legal Adviser and Special Assistant Khoda Bux Chowdhury, accusing him of shielding the culprits.

Speaking under the moderation of Rabiul Hasan, brother of slain protester Imam Hasan Tayim, victims’ families alleged that police attacked them under Chowdhury’s direction when they attempted to demonstrate earlier.

They vowed to continue their movement until justice is delivered. “Killers are still walking free, and now they are being granted bail,” one protester said, citing the release of a police sub-inspector charged in the killings. The group later marched to Hotel Intercontinental, declaring plans for a hunger strike if their demands remain unmet.

Revolutionary Student Masses staged a protest outside BNP leader Fazlur Rahman’s residence in Segunbagicha on Sunday, demanding his arrest and punishment for labeling participants of the July uprising as “dark forces.”

Protesters accused Rahman of attempting to “revive fascism” in the country. “Students gave their lives to free Bangladesh from fascism. We will not allow another fascist to emerge here,” they declared.

They also warned that political activities would be denied to those who refuse to acknowledge the 2024 uprising, just as earlier regimes tried to undermine the struggles of 1952 and 1971.

Protesters vowed to continue their demonstration outside Rahman’s home until he is arrested and jailed.

The BNP has formally lodged a complaint against the investigation agency of the International Crimes Tribunal, accusing it of failing to act on the party’s allegations.

On Sunday, BNP leader Salah Uddin Khan, coordinator for enforced disappearances, killings, and data preservation, submitted the written complaint to the tribunal’s chief prosecutor.

The letter claims that despite numerous complaints about enforced disappearances and killings of BNP leaders and activists over the past decade and a half under the Awami League government, no charge sheets have been filed and no suspects arrested.

The BNP alleges that 2,276 of its members were killed in staged “gunfights” and that 526 of the 848 people killed during July’s mass uprising were BNP activists and supporters. Nine formal cases have been filed so far, the party said.