Allegations have emerged that dredger pipes were installed through tunnels dug beneath the Nalchity-Barishal main regional highway in Khojakhali, Nalchity upazila of Jhalakathi. The July 31, 2026 report said the pipes are allegedly being used to extract and transport sand illegally from a river. Residents fear the riverbank highway, which is prone to erosion, could collapse after being damaged in this way.

A field visit found several sand depots in Khojakhali, with nearly all allegedly pulling dredger pipes under the road through tunnels without permission. On Sunday night, a sand depot called Bondhon Traders allegedly dug a deep new tunnel and installed another pipe. Its proprietor, Tanzir Hossain, denied creating the tunnel. Heavy vehicles use the river-adjacent highway day and night, adding to local concerns about a major accident.

Nalchity executive officer Rizvi Ahmed Sabuj said strict legal action would follow if the pipe is used to supply sand. Jhalakathi Roads and Highways sub-divisional engineer Md Al-Amin said his department had not authorized road excavation for pipes, calling it illegal. He said officials would inspect the site and take legal and administrative measures. Local residents have demanded pipe removal and exemplary punishment for those involved.

Security analyst and writer retired Major General Rokon Uddin argues in an opinion article that Sheikh Hasina is unlikely to return to Bangladesh in the near future. The article says International Crimes Tribunal-1 sentenced her to death for crimes against humanity in November 2025, with a 457-page full verdict published in January 2026. It contends that a return would expose her to both legal punishment and possible public anger.

The writer says that although Bangladesh and India have an extradition treaty, Delhi has not returned Hasina. Because the tribunal is a specialised court formed under domestic law rather than a body with universal jurisdiction, enforcement of its ruling depends on bilateral extradition arrangements and India’s political willingness, the article says. It also raises concerns about weakened police morale, organisational capacity and public confidence following the 2024 political change.

The article says direct involvement by Hasina in the 2009 BDR mutiny has not been conclusively established by a final criminal verdict, while noting continuing questions about her role. It cites India’s strategic calculations, potential political changes and Awami League internal dynamics as complicating factors. The writer urges the government to pursue a diplomatic resolution with international cooperation.

Israel and Hamas have reached a major understanding aimed at ending the war in the Gaza Strip, senior Hamas officials told AFP on July 31. Under the arrangement, Hamas agreed to give up its weapons to protect Gaza’s residents, while Israeli forces would withdraw from the territory in stages. A ceasefire has been in effect since October, but Hamas’s disarmament had remained a major obstacle to progress, amid near-daily violence in Gaza.

Hamas negotiator Ghazi Hamad said the group adopted a flexible position to protect people from killing and displacement. He said the weapons issue is directly linked to an Israeli military withdrawal, deployment of a national committee and Gaza’s reconstruction. Hamas said Israel would have no role in disarmament, which would be handled solely by the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza.

The committee is expected to oversee weapons inventories and their storage under a predetermined schedule, though it has not yet entered Gaza. US President Donald Trump said his Board of Peace had reached an understanding on disarming Hamas and other armed groups. Hamad warned that Hamas would not implement any part of the agreement if Israel failed to fulfill its commitments.

An opinion article by Joe Gill, published by Amar Desh on July 31, 2026, criticizes the legacy of the British Empire and the contemporary roles of the United States, Israel and the United Arab Emirates. The article argues that Britain’s imperial influence remains visible in modern global politics despite the empire’s formal decline, and portrays the three states as products of that legacy.

The writer identifies the 1947 partition of India and the creation of Israel as major late-era disasters imposed during Britain’s imperial decline. It says partition caused one million deaths and displaced 15 million people, while Israel’s establishment was followed by the displacement of 750,000 Palestinians in 1948. The article also characterizes the three countries’ political and social systems as different but linked by colonial-era structures.

The article further criticizes British foreign policy, citing Nathaniel Raymond of Yale University’s Humanitarian Research Lab. It says British officials dismissed or questioned warnings about an anticipated RSF assault on Al-Fashir in Sudan. The writer argues that Britain prioritized diplomatic, economic and security ties with the UAE over preventing civilian atrocities in Sudan.

Bangladesh’s job market is facing intense competition, with 159 to 235 applications submitted for each vacancy, according to a Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies research report released Thursday at the BIDS Bhaban auditorium in the capital. Professor Atanu Rabbani, research director of the General Economics Division, presented the report, which highlighted particularly strong competition among entry-level jobseekers.

The study used vacancy advertisements and submitted applications from Bdjobs, described as the country’s largest online job portal, covering data from June 28, 2015, to December 28, 2025. Rabbani said Bangladesh’s informal economy accounts for 85 to 89 percent of the economy, while the Bdjobs data represent 2.5 percent of the formal sector. He said the data still reflect part of the country’s employment market.

Before Covid-19, vacancies received an average of 173 applications, rising to 287 in the post-pandemic period. During lockdowns from March to June 2020, job advertisements fell 70.2 percent and vacancies declined 75.2 percent. The report said the market took about 41 weeks to normalize and remained about 21 percent above expected abnormal levels during 2022-2025. It also noted some easing in the final two quarters of 2025.

A mobile court in Singari village of Bhangura upazila, Pabna, sentenced alleged fake milk producer Ashraful Ali, 42, to one year of simple imprisonment and fined him Tk 200,000. Upazila Nirbahi Officer and Executive Magistrate Md Arifuzzaman delivered the ruling after conducting an operation on Thursday night. Ashraful is the son of Nur Islam of the village, according to the report.

During the operation, officials seized three drums of jelly, various chemicals and fake milk from the site. The seized materials and fake milk were destroyed. Upazila sanitary inspector Nurul Islam and police personnel were present during the operation.

Mobile court sources said Ashraful had allegedly operated a sealing centre at his home and produced fake milk for a long time, supplying it to sealing centres of various companies. The operation began at around 9pm following a confidential tip, and the court was convened after authorities found evidence supporting the allegation. The executive magistrate said the punishment was imposed under the Consumer Rights Protection Act, and Ashraful was handed over to police that night.

Retired army officer Shahjahan Ali, 65, was killed after a speeding passenger coach struck him while he was crossing the Dhaka-Bogura highway in Sherpur, Bogura. The crash occurred at about 7:45pm on Thursday, July 30, in the Hawakhana area of Shahbandegi Union. Ali was a resident of the Sherua Bottola area in the same union.

Local people said Ali was crossing the highway when the Bogura-bound coach hit him forcefully. He died at the scene, according to the report. The incident cast a shadow of grief over the area. Sherpur Fire Service and Civil Defence rescue personnel went to the location after receiving information about the crash and recovered the body.

Station Officer Bakhtiar Uddin said the rescue team handed the body to Sherpur Highway Police for legal procedures. Ayub Ali, in-charge of the Sherpur Highway Police outpost, said the bus hit Ali during the road crossing and that he died on the spot. He said the body would be handed over to relatives after preparation of the inquest report.

Bangladesh Border Guard (BGB) seized one foreign pistol, seven rounds of live ammunition and 10 cartons of foreign cigarettes during a special operation in the border-area Majhipara locality of Baghaichhari upazila in Rangamati. The operation was conducted on the night of July 30 by the Marishya Battalion after intelligence indicated that a large consignment of yaba and foreign cigarettes would enter Bangladesh through the Majhipara area of the border road.

An operational team led by Battalion Commander Lt Col Zahidul Islam Zahid, with Assistant Director Mohammad Hafizur Rahman, conducted the operation in the Majhipara 16-kilometre area of the border road. At 10:15pm, BGB members saw two unidentified people entering the area carrying bags and challenged them.

The two people fled into the hilly area after noticing the BGB presence. Searches of the site and nearby areas later recovered an abandoned 7.62mm foreign, Chinese pistol, seven rounds of fresh ammunition and 10 cartons of foreign cigarettes. The report did not identify the fleeing individuals or provide information on arrests or subsequent legal action.

Bangladesh’s Anti-Discrimination Student Movement held its nationwide “March for Justice” on July 31, 2024, protesting killings, mass arrests, attacks, cases and disappearances linked to the quota reform movement. Teachers and students joined events in Dhaka, Chattogram, Khulna, Barishal, Rajshahi, Sylhet and other locations. The report said police used baton charges, sound grenades and tear-gas shells, leaving more than 100 people, including journalists, injured and detaining more than 100 protesters.

Coordinator Abdul Kader announced the programme through Telegram on the night of July 30. Its nine demands included the release of central coordinators and arrested students, alongside demands concerning student killings. Demonstrators gathered near the High Court’s Mazar Gate in Dhaka before later holding a rally at the Central Shaheed Minar. At least 20 people were injured in Sylhet, while Barishal reported at least 20 injuries including four journalists. Police detained 15 people in Rajshahi.

The movement announced a new August 1 programme, “Remembering Our Heroes,” featuring recollections by families and classmates of those killed or injured, as well as artwork, graffiti and digital portraits. Social media platforms resumed on July 31 after 14 days, prompting online protests featuring red cloth. The UN human rights commission voiced concern, while the EU suspended talks on a new partnership agreement.

Bangladesh’s national fish, hilsa, has recorded declining production for two consecutive fiscal years, according to government survey data cited in a report published on July 31, 2026. The Department of Fisheries said output fell from 529,487 tonnes in fiscal year 2023-24 to 500,288 tonnes in 2024-25, a decrease of about 5.5 percent. Officials fear production may decline further in the current fiscal year, with preliminary field information putting output so far near 400,000 tonnes.

Fishers in coastal areas and along routes including the Meghna, Jamuna and Tetulia rivers said catches remain below expectations even during the peak Ashar-Shraban season. Experts cited reduced river navigability, sediment-created shoals, climate change, adverse weather, plastic pollution, excessive harvesting, jatka killing, illegal nets and uncontrolled trawling as combined threats to hilsa stocks and reproduction.

Researchers said fewer large hilsa and a growing presence of small fish in markets signal an imbalance in the species’ population. Sector representatives called for tighter control of industrial trawlers, enforcement of prescribed fishing depths, dredging of rivers and estuaries, plastic-pollution control and coordinated conservation with neighbouring countries.

A report published on July 31, 2026 says use of monosodium glutamate, or tasting salt, is expanding in restaurants, fast-food outlets, wedding meals and home cooking in Bangladesh. Medical and nutrition experts cited in the report urged people to limit consumption, warning of potential long-term health risks from frequent and excessive intake. The additive is reported to be used in foods including halim, fuchka, grilled items, pizza, noodles, chips and soup.

Doctors and nutritionists said tasting salt may harm the nervous system and could be associated with headaches, heartburn, muscle pain, reduced memory and other health problems. They said children and adolescents may face greater risks because many of the foods containing the additive are appealing to them. A National Food Safety Laboratory survey by the Institute of Public Health reportedly found excessive tasting salt in potato chips and in 55 noodle, popcorn and French-fry products.

BSTI said tasting salt is not among the 154 products it oversees, while monosodium glutamate is not prohibited for import. IEDCR Director Professor Dr Meerjady Sabrina said no research on the issue has yet been conducted in the country, though the institute has long raised public awareness about avoiding it. Experts also recommended natural alternatives such as tomatoes to improve flavour.

Gianni Infantino’s plan to remain FIFA president for a third consecutive term may face a significant challenge, with influential officials in European football administration considering Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser Al-Khelaifi as a possible candidate. FIFA’s next presidential election is scheduled for March 2027. Infantino, who has been elected unopposed since 2016, could face strong competition for the first time, according to the report.

The dispute centres on Infantino’s new commercial plan. FIFA has proposed creating a new affiliate to manage commercial operations for the World Cup and other tournaments, with outside investors taking minority stakes. Infantino says the proposal would secure more funding for FIFA’s 211 member countries and accelerate football development worldwide. European football circles, however, have strongly criticised the initiative.

Critics say no meaningful consultation was held with relevant parties before bringing a global asset such as football into commercial investment. Al-Khelaifi is also chairman of the European Club Association, a UEFA Executive Committee member and a FIFA Council member. His spokesperson said he has no ambition, desire or interest in running for FIFA president. Nevertheless, growing European dissatisfaction has made the election a major talking point.

The July 31, 2026 sports broadcast schedule features the ninth day of the Commonwealth Games, women’s and men’s matches in The Hundred, and two club football friendlies. The schedule, published by the sports desk, lists live coverage across television channels and online platforms.

The ninth day of the Commonwealth Games will be shown live on Sony Sports 2 from 1 pm. In cricket, Manchester Super Giants will face Trent Rockets in The Hundred women’s match at 8 pm. The same teams will meet in the men’s competition at 11:30 pm.

In football, Juventus and Nice will play a club friendly live on Star Sports at 10 pm. Birmingham City’s friendly against Barcelona is scheduled for live coverage at 12:45 am on YouTube and Barca Play.

Residents of Doalipara village in Alampur ইউনিয়ন, Taraganj upazila of Rangpur, have begun repairing a collapsed bridge approach road without waiting for government action. According to a report published on July 31, villagers started the work on Thursday using collected donations and volunteer labor. They brought rods, cement and sand to fill the damaged section with soil and carry out repairs, with residents from younger and older generations participating.

The collapse has caused severe hardship for thousands of people in Doalipara and nearby villages, local sources said. With no alternative road, students, farmers, traders, workers and patients had to travel at risk every day. Conditions became worse during the monsoon. Residents have contributed in different ways, including cash, construction materials and labor, while soil filling, rod installation and other repair work continues.

Resident Abdur Rahman said authorities had taken no visible initiative despite the road’s importance, prompting villagers to act. Student Jaman Sarkar said residents had informed the upazila administration several times but received no effective response. Locals want the relevant authorities to permanently rebuild the bridge and approach road, describing their volunteer effort as a temporary solution.

Disaster Management and Relief Minister Asadul Habib Dulu said Rangpur Medical College Hospital plans to recruit additional personnel through outsourcing to curb the influence of broker networks. Speaking to journalists after a hospital management committee meeting on Thursday, he said the government was taking steps to stop harassment of patients and relatives and improve service standards at the hospital.

Dulu said hospital officers and employees have been instructed to wear identification cards and designated uniforms so patients and relatives can distinguish genuine staff from brokers and avoid fraud. Other planned measures include bringing the entire hospital under CCTV surveillance, establishing a police control room, ensuring adequate nighttime lighting, and strengthening security.

The minister said ICU capacity would rise from 10 beds to 20 within the next two months. He also said steps would be taken to address a shortage of anaesthesia specialists to maintain round-the-clock surgical services. To prevent irregularities in transporting bodies, hearse ambulances will be registered, kilometre-based fares will be set through a chart, and bills will be paid through vouchers. Dulu said the measures should help create a patient-friendly environment and reduce broker activity and irregularities.