Lok Sabha opposition leader Rahul Gandhi demanded that Prime Minister Narendra Modi remove Home Minister Amit Shah over alleged police force against student protesters in India. At a July 30 news conference in New Delhi, Gandhi also called for an independent investigation supervised by the Supreme Court into the July 20 incident. He alleged that pellet guns, baton charges and abuse were ordered against students.

Gandhi said the Delhi Police and Rapid Action Force fall under the Union Home Ministry, making the home minister responsible for their actions. He said he wrote to Shah on July 25 asking whether pellet-gun use had been authorised and whether people in plain clothes involved in attacks were police personnel, but received neither a response nor acknowledgement. His similar allegation in the Lok Sabha prompted protests from ruling members and demands for an apology.

Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office Jitendra Singh rejected the allegation, saying no shots were fired at protesters and only tear gas was used. Gandhi responded that pellet guns can be lethal and said an injured person presented at the news conference had pellet marks and a medical report documenting such injuries. He also alleged students were being identified and intimidated using facial-recognition technology.

Two people were injured in repeated clashes between groups within the Jatiya Kabi Kazi Nazrul Islam University branch of Chhatra Dal, reportedly over the inclusion of expelled Chhatra League leaders. Witnesses said an argument began during a Chhatra Dal programme on Tuesday night between senior and junior activists over the inclusion of a worker linked to the banned Chhatra League. Joint convener শাহজালাল জনি was injured in the first clash and admitted to hospital. Hours later on Wednesday morning, EEE student রিজওয়ানুল করিম রাব্বী was attacked at the Agnibina Hall dining facility and hospitalised.

Former Chhatra Dal leader Abdur Rahim alleged that Rabby, a follower of member secretary Mamun Sarkar, and others launched a surprise attack on Chhatra Dal activists in Sarkar’s presence. He said Rabby had previously been linked to Chhatra League and was barred from the university for three years over allegations of assaulting journalists. The two sides blamed each other for the incident.

Branch convener Habib described the episode as an unwanted escalation of a minor issue between senior and junior members, rather than a clash between two factions. He said alleged Chhatra League links were under investigation and would be considered organisationally if confirmed. Mamun Sarkar and the university proctor said mediation resolved the dispute and the situation was normal.

Myanmar has agreed to take back 300,000 Rohingya sheltering in Bangladesh, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said. He also said Myanmar had agreed to receive 5,000 Rohingya living in Malaysia. Anwar disclosed the information at a meeting with local voters in the Chennah area of Malaysia on Wednesday, according to a report published on July 30 by Malaysia’s The Star.

Anwar said the agreement followed long-running diplomatic discussions by Malaysia. He described maintaining good relations with Myanmar as important and said such matters must be pursued through highly careful diplomatic efforts. He said previous calls to send Rohingya back to their homeland could not be implemented because Myanmar had not agreed to receive them.

The Malaysian prime minister said Rohingya in Malaysia had therefore been kept in designated locations. He urged Rohingya living in the country to follow local laws and not cause hardship for the public. Anwar also said he had instructed the inspector-general of police to take swift action under the law if any Rohingya refugee created disorder in public gathering places or on roads.

Touhidul Islam, central literature and library secretary of Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal, says he is still facing a case filed by Chhatra League during the Awami League government. The case, linked to clashes during a student strike at Dhaka University after the 2019 DUCSU election, remains under trial. He called for the swift withdrawal of what he described as false and harassing politically motivated cases.

Islam said he was injured in an alleged Chhatra League attack at the university’s TSC area on 12 March, a day after the DUCSU election, but was later named as an accused in a Shahbagh police case. Mahfuz Chowdhury, Ahmed Arif and Tanvir Azadi were also accused. He said two other cases accusing him of vehicle vandalism and explosives-related offences had concluded.

He appeared before Court No. 4 of the Dhaka Chief Metropolitan Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday, where his lawyer submitted a petition seeking completion of witness testimony. Islam said the government’s move to withdraw some political and harassment cases was positive, but many cases from the previous period remain pending, requiring people to attend court regularly.

Housing and Public Works Minister Zakaria Taher said the government is committed to planned urbanisation and creating housing opportunities for low-income people. He made the remarks as chief guest at a workshop at Hotel Pan Pacific Sonargaon in the capital on Wednesday.

Taher said green buildings and climate-resilient infrastructure are necessary for Bangladesh, which faces climate-change risks. He said environmentally friendly building materials, energy-saving technologies and low-carbon designs would reduce carbon emissions and strengthen the country’s ability to confront climate-related disasters.

The minister said urban residents will outnumber the rural population by 2037, while more than 56 percent of the country’s people will live in cities by 2050. He cited the HBRI DESH Sustainable Building Labelling Framework as a future guideline for green construction. State Minister Ahmad Sohel Monzur said relevant stakeholders would coordinate to implement needed policies and action plans based on the workshop’s recommendations.

An eleven-party alliance condemned alleged attacks on a National Citizen Party, or NCP, leaders’ motorcade in Habiganj and alleged police obstruction of senior party figures travelling there. In a statement sent to the media on July 29, alliance coordinator and Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami assistant secretary general Hamidur Rahman Azad protested the incidents involving NCP chief coordinator Nasiruddin Patwary, northern chief organiser Sarjis Alam and opposition chief whip Nahid Islam MP.

The statement said the motorcade of senior NCP leaders was attacked and vandalised at about 7pm on July 28 while returning after the “July March-2026” programme near Court Mosque and the district administration office in Habiganj town. It alleged that police stopped Nahid Islam, also the NCP convener, and other senior leaders at Srimangal and other locations while they travelled from Moulvibazar to join a July 29 programme in Habiganj, where Section 144 was imposed.

The alliance described the actions as a denial of democratic rights and demanded that those responsible be identified and face prompt legal action. Azad also called for the arrest and trial of BNP activists alleged to have attacked NCP leaders. The group urged authorities not to obstruct peaceful opposition programmes and asked law-enforcement agencies to respect citizens’ fundamental rights.

Cameroon’s Emmanuel Eseme and New Zealand’s Zoe Hobbs won gold in the men’s and women’s 100-metre sprints at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games. At Scotstoun Stadium, 29-year-old Eseme clocked 9.83 seconds in the men’s final, setting a new Commonwealth Games record. Hobbs won the women’s final in 10.93 seconds, with the report describing her victory as historic.

Eseme accelerated late in the race to beat Australia’s Lachlan Kennedy, who took silver in 9.85 seconds, while England’s Jeremiah Azu earned bronze in 9.90. Eseme had previously won bronze at the Birmingham 2022 Games and delivered gold for Cameroon this time. In the women’s event, Olympic champion Julien Alfred of Saint Lucia took silver, while England’s Daryll Neita won bronze.

No Jamaican sprinter reached the medal podium in either the men’s or women’s 100 metres, a notable outcome at the Games. Jamaica did win gold elsewhere through Demario Prince in the 110-metre hurdles and Romaine Beckford in the high jump.

University Grants Commission Chairman Professor Dr Mamun Ahmed said the commission will ensure full transparency, impartiality and accountability at every stage of evaluating research subprojects under the HEAT Project’s Academic Innovation Fund. He made the remarks as chief guest at a daylong discussion titled “Subproject Evaluation Orientation” at the Bangladesh Academy of Sciences on Wednesday, July 29. Research project evaluators attended the event.

Ahmed said a section of the research community had developed negative perceptions about the evaluation and selection process during the fund’s first phase. The second-phase call for proposals was issued nearly six months ago, but preliminary screening took time to ensure transparency. About two-thirds of applications were rejected at the initial stage for failing to provide required information. Applicants had also been instructed not to include researchers’ names or institutional identities in proposals.

UGC has formed separate expert panels for each subject and assigned each evaluator a unique identification number. Two evaluators for each project will be selected by lottery from a list of six to eight possible experts. Ahmed said assessments must consider research quality, originality, practical application and national needs. Evaluators should review no more than one project per day and maintain strict confidentiality.

Ain o Salish Kendra (ASK) has called for an impartial judicial investigation into allegations that Bangladesh Coast Guard personnel forcibly took away Miraj Sheikh, 30, from Joymonir Ghol in Mongla, Bagerhat. The rights group said it conducted field-level inquiries after Sheikh went missing and urged authorities to determine his whereabouts and disclose accurate information to his family. The report was published on July 29, 2026.

ASK said family members and multiple eyewitnesses consistently alleged that several people identifying themselves as Coast Guard members in plain clothes seized Sheikh near Al Amin’s tea stall at about 7 p.m. on April 10. Witnesses said he was later placed on a Coast Guard speedboat. Sheikh’s wife said she saw him in Coast Guard custody at Harbaria station’s pontoon before he was taken away by speedboat.

The Coast Guard denied detaining Sheikh, with its headquarters public relations officer calling the allegation deliberate propaganda. Mongla police said a general diary was filed on April 23, but no formal information about Sheikh’s detention or arrest was provided by the Coast Guard. ASK said those responsible should face legal action if the allegation is proven.

Veteran journalist and freedom fighter Khandakar Mohammad Abul Hasnat, known as Kismat Khandakar, has died while receiving treatment at Nagarik Hospital in Aftabnagar, Dhaka. He died at 5 pm on Wednesday, aged 69, according to the report.

His nephew, Risat, said Khandakar had been suffering from stomach problems for several days. He saw a doctor on Wednesday morning and was due to consult the doctor again in the afternoon after reviewing medical reports. Khandakar was a permanent member of the Dhaka Reporters Unity.

The family said his body would be washed at the Combined Military Hospital at night. It will be taken to Mirzapur in Tangail on Thursday morning, where funeral prayers will be held before burial at the family graveyard. Dhaka Reporters Unity expressed condolences, with its president Abu Saleh Akon and general secretary Mainul Hasan Sohel praying for the deceased and offering sympathy to the bereaved family.

Bangladesh Petroleum Exploration and Production Company Limited, or Bapex, has formally begun drilling the Sundarpur-4 appraisal-cum-development gas well in Bara Charigaon village of Nabipur union, Senbag upazila, Noakhali. Bapex Deputy General Manager for drilling and drilling in-charge Zakir Hossain Khan confirmed on July 29 that drilling had started on Tuesday afternoon. Initial assessments indicate potential production of 5 to 7 million cubic feet of gas per day.

The well has a target depth of about 1,600 metres, with a potential gas-bearing layer expected at roughly 1,361 metres. Khan said total gas reserves cannot yet be determined, but Bapex expects the projected daily output after analysing information from nearby wells. Land acquisition and infrastructure development were completed before a rig was installed at the site in late April.

The well is named Sundarpur-4 because it belongs to the same underground gas reservoir as the Sundarpur field, despite being about 12 to 13 kilometres from Sundarpur-2. Drilling is targeted for completion within two months, followed by a drill stem test lasting 15 to 20 days. Final results are expected within about two and a half months, and a successful well could contribute new gas supplies to the national grid.

An Israeli military court has rejected petitions seeking to halt the demolition of a girls’ secondary school and three homes in Masafer Yatta, south of Hebron in the occupied West Bank. The decision, reported on July 29, 2026, creates a legal path for Israeli forces to demolish the school and residential structures at any time.

According to sources speaking to Al Jazeera, the court dismissed a request to suspend a military order directing the demolition of the girls’ school. The school had faced the threat of demolition since 2016. In the same ruling, the court also rejected three separate petitions filed against the demolition of three homes belonging to local Palestinian residents of Masafer Yatta.

Sources told media outlets that the ruling means the Israeli military can now demolish the school and the Palestinian residents’ homes at any moment. They said the decision also allows the forces to conduct eviction operations. The report did not provide a specific timetable for demolitions or say when any eviction operation might begin.

The United States Treasury Department has imposed new sanctions on eight Iranian oil tankers and 10 affiliated entities, seeking to intensify pressure on Iran’s energy sector. Information on the latest measures was published on the Office of Foreign Assets Control website, according to a report published on July 29, 2026.

The US administration said the action is part of its “maximum pressure” policy aimed at cutting revenue flows from Iran’s oil trade and its covert fleet. Washington alleges that Tehran has used proceeds from oil sales to produce weapons and finance regional allies or proxy groups.

The announcement comes amid heightened tensions in the Middle East, where reciprocal military strikes between the United States and Iran are continuing, the report said. Conflict has effectively blocked the Strait of Hormuz, disrupting international shipping routes and severely affecting oil and energy supplies to global markets.

Attorney General Barrister Ruhul Quddus Kajol has urged everyone to exercise caution when providing court-related information so that confusion does not arise. He made the request on July 29 during a courtesy meeting with leaders of the newly elected committee of the Law Reporters Forum, an organization of journalists covering law, justice, the constitution and human rights.

Addressing forum members, Kajol said journalists who report on courts have developed expertise and often practice self-restraint. He said they understand how much of court statements or proceedings should be made public beyond written judgments or orders. He also said journalists who have worked for a long time in media and on court affairs have developed professionalism, and that Law Reporters Forum members are aware of and will remain cautious about the issue.

On access to the Appellate Division, the attorney general said he had asked the chief justice to reconsider the decision soon after assuming office. He said he had also raised the matter with senior lawyers recently and would again inform the chief justice. Forum president Muhammad Yasin, secretary Arafat Munna and other office-bearers attended the meeting.

Mahmudur Rahman, joint convener of the National Editors Council and editor of Amar Desh, said winning the cultural struggle is essential to winning the political struggle. He made the remarks on Wednesday at the Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy’s National Theatre Hall during the day-long “July Revolution Theatre Festival and July Revolution Photography Exhibition,” organized by Mahanagar Natya Sangsad. He said cultural activities must be expanded to free Bangladesh’s cultural sphere from what he described as the control of rivals since independence.

Rahman stressed the role of films, theatre, songs, music, poetry, stories and novels in carrying history to ordinary people. Referring to the film Spartacus, Che Guevara imagery and the drama Sultan Suleiman, he said cultural works can keep historical narratives alive across generations. He expressed hope that future generations would tell the stories of Abu Sayeed, Mugdha, Anas, Osman Hadi and other martyrs alongside figures such as Spartacus and Che.

He said remembering martyrs and making them part of Bangladesh’s history was more important than justice, while also saying justice must be pursued. Rahman called for many films and narratives about the July Revolution. Three plays on the July Revolution were staged at the event, where actor Abdul Aziz, Delwar Hossain, Sharif Bayezid Mahmud and Abedur Rahman also spoke.