Dr Mir Hossain Mithu of Chandpur Medical College has faced criticism after referring to July fighters as “so-called revolutionaries” in a Facebook post. The doctor, from Ichapur village in Burichang upazila of Cumilla, made the post from his personal Facebook account at around 10pm on Wednesday. In it, he compared a newborn’s cry announcing its arrival in the world with alleged revolutionaries using abusive language to announce that they had come to become leaders.

Fakhrul Islam Mithu, an active worker in the Cumilla July movement and former president of the metropolitan Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal, said a government official should not rebuke July revolutionaries. He called on the Health Ministry to take necessary action. Golam Samdani, convener of the Cumilla metropolitan Inqilab Mancha, described the comment as inappropriate and said action should be taken against those disrespecting the July movement.

Responding to the criticism, Dr Mithu said his post was not aimed at everyone. He said it targeted some “so-called July revolutionaries” who engage in unnecessary shouting. The report also said an investigation committee was formed after allegations in June 2025 that a government jeep was used for personal or unauthorized purposes; its findings have not been published.

Authorities in Sataria, Manikganj, have returned Tk 12,202,156 in unspent funds to the state treasury after completing a 6.9-kilometre re-excavation of Chandrakhali Canal. The project ran from the source of the Gazikhali River to Baliati Khalilabad and had an allocation of Tk 28,327,623. The report, published on July 30, 2026, said the work was completed while maintaining the specified quality standards.

According to the upazila administration, the project covered the full planned length of the canal. It also included an initiative to plant various species of trees along both banks to protect water bodies and maintain environmental balance. Upazila Project Implementation Officer Md Khalilur Rahman said canal banks had to be repaired several times because of rain, and trees were planted on both sides.

Sujan Manikganj district general secretary Jahangir Alam Biswas described the return of unused funds as a positive step that ensured transparency in project implementation. Upazila Nirbahi Officer Md Kazi Anik Islam said the canal had become nearly unusable after long-term encroachment and filling. He said varying widths along the canal allowed the work to be completed below the estimated cost.

Chattogram Superintendent of Police Masud Alam said no one involved in crime or militant activity in the city would escape, warning that their fate would be like that of David Iman. He made the remarks at a news conference at the SP office at 11am on Thursday. Iman and three associates were arrested around 3am on Tuesday night in Jhumjhumpur, under Jashore Kotwali police station, by Jashore district detective police with Chattogram district police personnel participating.

Alam said Iman and his associates were among the shooters of the group led by fugitive top criminal Sajjad Ali Khan, also known as Boro Sajjad. He claimed their arrests dealt a major blow to the group’s organizational structure and that Boro Sajjad’s chain was breaking. The SP said the arrests followed prolonged intelligence surveillance, checkpoints in Companiganj of Noakhali, and intensified monitoring at the Jashore border.

Police said the suspects changed clothes, vehicles and drivers while in Dhaka, then tried to flee to India through the Jashore border via Khulna. Police said an Indian Aadhaar card was recovered from Iman, but gave no details on whether it was genuine. Rayhan Alam was not arrested in the Companiganj operation and remains under surveillance, Alam said. The four suspects are in Chattogram district police custody.

With less than three months until Israel’s election, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is seeking to demonstrate US President Donald Trump’s full support and the strength of US-Israel ties. Netanyahu used a Washington visit following the death earlier this month of US Senator Lindsey Graham to meet Trump privately at the White House for 90 minutes. The report says the meeting also exposed existing discomfort and psychological distance between the two leaders.

While the White House called the discussion positive and constructive, Trump’s recent remarks suggested differences over Iran. He said Netanyahu wanted the United States to remain involved in war, while Trump may no longer want that. Responding to Israeli objections to possible US F-35 sales to Turkey, Trump said no one could tell him what the United States should sell. Analysts cited in the report say Netanyahu is again emphasizing Iran’s nuclear threat amid a lack of visible achievements on Gaza and Lebanon.

Protesters carrying Palestinian flags demonstrated during Netanyahu’s Washington stay and called him a war criminal as his convoy passed. An Economist-YouGov poll found 49 percent of respondents supported his arrest, while separate YouGov and CBS News polls found 67 percent of Americans wanted the war against Iran stopped immediately. Netanyahu is expected to return to Washington in September for the UN General Assembly.

A US strike on a residential building on Iran’s Qeshm Island killed three people, including a couple and their two-year-old child, according to Fars news agency citing Hormozgan University of Medical Sciences. The report was published on July 30, 2026.

Two other children, aged seven and nine, were injured in the attack and are receiving hospital treatment. Officials also said electricity supplies on the island were disrupted after the strike.

Semi-official Tasnim news agency reported that US warplanes carried out multiple missile strikes on Qeshm, Kish Island, and the outskirts of Kazerun city in Fars province. Explosions were reported on Kish Island, though airport, ferry and port operations there remained normal. The article cited Al Jazeera as its source.

In an opinion column published by Amar Desh on July 30, 2026, Minar Rashid questions whether Sheikh Hasina can return to Bangladesh before December. The writer argues that, despite campaigning and speculation around a possible return, such an outcome is unrealistic under the current political circumstances. The column makes strongly critical assertions about Hasina's departure and the situation of Awami League leaders and activists.

The article examines four possible routes for a return: a new mass uprising leading to a change of power, political maneuvering between the government and opposition, foreign military intervention, and surrendering to the courts for a legal battle. The writer assesses strategic cooperation between the Awami League and BNP, Jamaat or NCP as highly unlikely. Indian military intervention is also described as having very limited prospects.

The columnist describes surrender before the courts as the comparatively most realistic route, but argues that Hasina would not choose it because of alleged accusations and possible legal consequences. The article also calls for a proper investigation and action over an attack in Habiganj on Sarjis Alam and Nasiruddin Patwary.

Amar Desh reported allegations that then-prime minister Sheikh Hasina ordered hospitals to deny treatment and discharge to people injured during the July 2024 student movement. The report said Hasina visited several hospitals between July 27 and 30, including Pangu Hospital and Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College, where she allegedly told doctors: “No treatment, no release.”

According to the report, the then chief prosecutor disclosed the allegation on February 23 last year at the International Crimes Tribunal prosecution office after a hearing. He said injured patients, relatives and on-duty doctors had acknowledged the alleged instruction, and that the prosecution held supporting information and evidence. The report characterized the alleged actions as crimes against humanity and war crimes.

The report also alleged irregularities involving death certificates and burials of those killed during July and August. It said at least 10,000 people were arrested nationwide, while 264 cases were filed in Dhaka. Courts sent 134 people to jail and granted remand for 17 others in cases over alleged attacks, vandalism and sabotage at key sites in the capital.

Foreign banks operating in Bangladesh more than doubled their transfers of profit and income abroad in the second half of 2025 while sharply cutting reinvestment in the country. Bangladesh Bank data showed they sent Tk1,314.60 crore overseas during July-December 2025, up about 128% from Tk577.30 crore in the same period of 2024. They also remitted Tk562.70 crore as dividends, compared with Tk476.80 crore a year earlier.

Reinvested earnings fell from Tk4,594.80 crore in the second half of 2024 to Tk2,096.40 crore a year later. Sector sources said lower reinvestment and the resumption of dividend payments contributed to higher overseas profit transfers. Foreign banks' net profit after tax rose to Tk3,738.70 crore in July-December 2025 from Tk3,557.60 crore in the corresponding period of 2024.

Their total loans and advances declined 11.3% year-on-year to Tk46,123 crore. During the period, foreign banks brought in $4.12 billion in export earnings and paid $4.29 billion in import bills. Nine foreign commercial banks operate in Bangladesh through 70 branches and five sub-branches.

Bangladesh’s National Citizens Party, or NCP, alleged that a vehicle carrying its chief organizer for the northern region, Sarjis Alam, was attacked in Golapganj, Sylhet, on Thursday. NCP convener and parliamentary opposition chief whip Nahid Islam said in a Facebook post that the incident occurred while Alam was returning to Sylhet after meeting families of martyrs in Golapganj. Alam also alleged an attack and vandalism of the vehicle on social media.

Nahid accused what he called a BNP “terrorist force” of carrying out the attack. Alam said there was an initial attack in Golapganj and a second attack at Panch Mile Bazar in Sylhet, blaming BNP activists. He also addressed a question to Tarique Rahman in his post. The report did not include an immediate BNP response to the latest allegations.

Sylhet police said stones were thrown at Alam’s vehicle after a program in Golapganj as it headed toward Kanaighat. The vehicle’s glass was broken, but nobody was injured, police said. On Tuesday, NCP had alleged that local BNP and Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal leaders and activists attacked its march in Habiganj; BNP leaders denied that earlier allegation.

West Bengal singer Anupam Roy’s solo concert, “One True Sound with Anupam Roy,” has been postponed for a second time. The event had been scheduled for August 1 in Dhaka. Organiser Triple Time Communication announced the postponement before the planned date through a notice posted on its Facebook page on the night of July 29.

The organiser said it had completed all required preparations, approvals and formalities for the concert. However, after those processes were completed, it was instructed by the Ministry of Cultural Affairs not to hold the event, citing “unavoidable reasons.” Triple Time Communication said it was accepting the decision out of utmost respect for the state’s decision and the directives of the relevant authorities.

The notice said music fans, ticket holders, the artist, sponsors, partners and others involved were disappointed by the sudden decision. All ticket holders will receive full refunds through the official ticketing platform. The concert had previously been scheduled for June 26 in Dhaka but was postponed at the last moment. August 1 was later announced as the new date, which has now also been deferred.

A court in El Salvador has handed prison terms totaling more than 1,000 years to 28 members of the criminal group known as El Gremia, according to the attorney general’s office. Prosecutors said on X that the defendants were convicted of drug and money laundering and links to a banned organization. The ruling was confirmed on Wednesday, with two members each receiving 1,048-year sentences.

Right-wing President Nayib Bukele has led a major crackdown on criminal groups since 2022. More than 90,000 suspected gang members have been arrested under the campaign, and many have been placed in the country’s high-security prisons.

In March, the Bukele-controlled Congress approved a constitutional reform that removed the previous 60-year maximum prison term and introduced life imprisonment for crimes including murder, rape and terrorism. The maximum penalty was later extended to offenders under 18. Human rights groups allege that the judiciary has no independence under Bukele’s rule. Amnesty International says hundreds of people have died in custody and thousands have been held unlawfully without specific evidence.

A man identified as Mohammad Zubayer, 34, was shot dead by unidentified assailants at Camp-8 West in Ukhiya, Cox’s Bazar, on Thursday dawn, July 30. The incident occurred in H/29 Block. Zubayer, the son of Rahmat Ullah, lived in the Main Block-C area of the camp. Initial information described him as allegedly linked to ARSA.

Local sources said several unidentified attackers took Zubayer out of his home and fired indiscriminately at him. He died while being taken to an MSF hospital in H/59 Block of Camp-8 West. The 14 Armed Police Battalion said organised assailants fired about five rounds at Zubayer in front of a house belonging to a man named Ibrahim before fleeing.

Police said their preliminary information pointed to a long-running internal dispute and factionalism between alleged ARSA and RSO groups. Investigators are also examining Zubayer’s presence at the scene around 3:30 a.m. The 14 APBn said police reached the site after receiving the report and brought the situation under control. Investigation and operations to establish the motive, identify suspects and make arrests are continuing.

Saudi Arabia has been drawn into a difficult strategic dilemma amid the Iran war after trying to remain outside the conflict that began when the United States and Israel launched military operations against Iran on February 28. Following recent drone attacks, Riyadh jointly struck Iran-backed Iraqi militias with the United States. The report says Saudi Arabia is now facing attacks from three directions and must decide whether to build deterrence through retaliation or pursue diplomacy to reduce tensions.

The conflict pits Iran, the IRGC, Yemen’s Houthi rebels, Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces and Lebanon’s Hezbollah against a US-led coalition supported in various ways by several Gulf Arab states and Jordan. Saudi Arabia does not want direct involvement, as a prolonged war could jeopardize Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s Vision 2030 plan to reduce reliance on oil and attract foreign investment.

After Iran obstructed movement through the Strait of Hormuz, Saudi Arabia began exporting oil via the Red Sea. Houthi attacks on Saudi airports and Red Sea shipping, described as a response to Saudi strikes in Yemen, have also put oil transport through the Bab al-Mandab Strait at risk. Despite seven years of war against the Houthis, Saudi Arabia did not defeat them, and faces renewed threats from the south and Iraqi-based militias in the north.

Law Minister Md Asaduzzaman said former prime minister Sheikh Hasina would be arrested if she enters Bangladesh’s territory. He made the statement on Thursday morning while answering journalists’ questions at a memorandum of understanding signing event in the Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Ministry conference room.

Responding to questions about Hasina’s possible return, raised after a recent interview, the minister said the government was taking necessary measures regarding whether the Foreign Ministry was pursuing extradition efforts. How she would return was her own matter, he said, but legal action would be taken under Bangladeshi law once she came within the country’s legal jurisdiction.

The minister also said there had been no formal government discussion yet on a presidential election. Under Article 123(2) of the Constitution, a new president must be elected within 90 days of a vacancy, he said. He added that the government did not currently see a need for a special parliamentary session, though one could be called if necessary. He said Human Rights Watch observations or allegations would be considered and examined. The legal aid directorate also signed memorandums with BLAST and BRAC’s SELP.

Ferdousi Shahriar Rita, an additional secretary at Bangladesh’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, died while undergoing treatment at Bangladesh Specialized Hospital in the capital on Wednesday at about 4:30pm. She was 54 and was from Sahebbari in Chitri village of West Union, Nabinganji upazila, Brahmanbaria. Her death was confirmed by her uncle Saiful Islam, a former chairman of Nabinganji West Union.

According to Saiful Islam, she suddenly fell ill three days earlier and was admitted to the hospital. As her physical condition deteriorated, she was placed on life support. She died on Wednesday afternoon during treatment.

Shahriar began her career at the foreign ministry as an assistant secretary on January 25, 1999. She held important duties at Bangladesh diplomatic missions in Bangkok, Rome, Manchester and Washington, and also served as Bangladesh’s high commissioner to Singapore. Her funeral prayer is scheduled after Zuhr prayers on Thursday in Mirpur-6, followed by burial at Mirpur 10 cemetery. Foreign affairs officials, local authorities and others expressed deep condolences.