At least 13 people were killed after a powerful earthquake struck Japan’s southwestern Kyushu island on Tuesday, with many others believed trapped beneath rubble. More than 100 aftershocks were recorded through Wednesday. The Japan Meteorological Agency measured the quake at magnitude 7.1, while the US Geological Survey put it at 6.8. Its epicentre was 20 kilometres south of Kumamoto city at a depth of 10 kilometres.

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said more than 20 hours after the earthquake, people were still waiting for help and rescuing those trapped was a race against time. More than 4,600 personnel, including military members, have been deployed. At the Aeon Mall in the Kashima area, an explosion about an hour after the quake caused part of the second floor to collapse, killing three people and leaving three workers missing.

Two people were found unconscious at a paper factory in Yatsushiro, where nine more workers were missing. Thousands of homes lost power and thousands of people moved to shelters. With temperatures at 35 degrees Celsius, 300 air-conditioning units were being sent to affected centres in Kumamoto. Authorities warned of stronger aftershocks over the coming week, especially within two to three days.

Rangpur City Corporation Administrator Advocate মাহফুজ উন নবী চৌধুরী Don said Prime Minister Tarique Rahman had asked officials to prepare plans for all development in Rangpur and identify existing problems for submission to him. He made the remarks on Wednesday afternoon after inaugurating repair work on nearly three kilometres of roads from Mahiganj Shaheed Minar to Gosaibari and on Kasaituli Road in the city.

The administrator said the prime minister was sincere about development and that unified support was needed. He said four roads in Rangpur city would be newly constructed at a cost of nearly Tk14 crore. If the work is completed properly within the scheduled time, he said, travel hardship for residents of the affected areas would be reduced.

He declared zero tolerance for irregularities and corruption in road work and asked city residents to give him time and trust as the administration seeks to ease problems gradually. City Corporation sources listed four projects, including 4,100 metres of work on the Terminal-to-Barabari Road costing Tk8.68 crore. Superintending Engineer Md Azam Ali and other corporation officials were present.

Golam Mohiar Khan Shiper, a 73-year-old freedom fighter and former leader of several Manikganj organisations, died while receiving treatment at Manikganj Sadar Hospital on Wednesday at about 1:30pm. He was a resident of Panjankhara village in Garpara union of Manikganj Sadar upazila.

Shiper had served as former convenor and general secretary of the Bangladesh Red Crescent Society’s Manikganj district unit and was a life member of the organisation. He was also a former president of the district Jubo Dal and former commander of the Bangladesh Muktijoddha Sangsad Manikganj district unit command.

Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister and Manikganj district BNP convener Afroza Khanam Rita expressed deep grief over his death. In a condolence message, she said Shiper had remained committed to the ideals of martyred President Ziaur Rahman and played an important role in the movement to restore democracy. His funeral prayers were held after Asr at Manikganj Government Boys’ High School field. He received a guard of honour before being buried beside his mother’s grave at the family cemetery in Garpara.

Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) has called for investigations into enforced disappearances under the draft Prevention and Remedy of Enforced Disappearance Act, 2026 to be handled by an independent institution rather than police. In a statement reported on July 29, TIB said the Home Ministry uploaded the draft on July 27 and set July 28 as the deadline for comments, describing the one-day consultation period as a farce. The group demanded at least two additional weeks for feedback.

TIB Executive Director Dr Iftekharuzzaman said the draft contains positive provisions, including recognition of disappearance as a distinct and continuing criminal offence and accountability for senior officials and those giving orders. However, he said the limited consultation period showed a lack of government willingness to gather views from victims and relevant stakeholders.

TIB questioned whether police could conduct impartial investigations given specific allegations that sections of police, intelligence, security agencies and law-enforcement forces were involved in most disappearance cases. It also raised concerns over provisions in Article 15, saying they could shield accused senior officials. The organisation urged revisions based on stakeholder recommendations and international best practices.

Gaza’s Health Ministry said more than 60,000 children in the Gaza Strip have lost a father or mother since Israeli military aggression began in October 2023. Its latest report put the number of children who lost at least one parent at 60,737. The report was published on July 29, 2026.

According to the ministry, 52,095 children lost their fathers, while 5,929 lost their mothers. A further 2,713 children lost both parents and became fully orphaned. The report presented the figures as part of the human toll of the war and attacks in Gaza.

The ministry also said 2,276 families, comprising 8,858 people, were entirely killed, erasing their whole family lines from the civil registry or official records. More than 73,000 Palestinians have been killed in the conflict and attacks since October 2023, the report said. It added that attacks did not stop despite a ceasefire agreement last October, with more than 1,100 additional people killed in Gaza after the deal was signed.

Ruling BNP has called a meeting of its standing committee, the party’s highest policymaking forum, for Saturday, August 1. BNP media cell member Shayrul Kabir Khan confirmed the development on Wednesday. The meeting will be held at the chairman’s political office in Gulshan, and committee members have been informed.

Khan said he had not yet received any instruction regarding the meeting’s formal agenda. As a result, the party has not specified which organisational or political matters will be officially taken up during the session. The report does not identify the expected participants or provide details of any planned announcement after the meeting.

Asked about possible agenda items, Khan said it was believed that the presidency issue could be discussed at Saturday’s meeting. The matter was presented as a possibility rather than a confirmed agenda item, with no final instruction reported. No further details were provided about the scope of a potential discussion or any decision the standing committee may make.

Neymar has confirmed that his 16-year career with Brazil’s national team is over, saying he will not return to wear the yellow shirt. The 34-year-old made the announcement after Santos won in the Copa Sudamericana, speaking to Brazilian media and Globo. He had previously signalled his departure after Brazil lost to Norway in the round of 16 at the 2026 World Cup.

In the interview, Neymar said his journey with the national team had ended and that he had given everything for Brazil, but no longer wanted to continue. Since making his debut against the United States in 2010, he played 130 international matches, scoring 80 goals and providing 58 assists. His goal total makes him Brazil’s all-time leading scorer.

Neymar played in four World Cups but did not win the tournament. His major achievements with Brazil included the 2013 Confederations Cup and helping the country win its first Olympic football gold at the 2016 Rio Olympics. His World Cup campaigns included an injury in 2014, defeat to Belgium in 2018, a dramatic exit against Croatia in 2022, and the 2026 loss to Norway. He intends to continue his club career with boyhood club Santos.

Jahangirnagar University proctor and Environmental Sciences professor Dr A. K. M. Rashidul Alam has resigned from the post. The university accepted his resignation at his request and relieved him of his proctorial duties. Philosophy professor Md Zakir Hossain has been appointed as the university’s new proctor on a temporary basis.

The change was announced in an office order signed by acting Registrar Dr A. B. M. Azizur Rahman on Wednesday evening. The order said the authorities had accepted Rashidul Alam’s resignation following his request and informed all concerned that he had been released from the position.

According to the order, Zakir Hossain’s temporary appointment took effect from the afternoon of July 29 and will continue until further instructions are issued. He will receive benefits under the existing rules, the office order stated.

An inquiry committee investigating reports of a blade found in a mid-day meal bread at Harisena Government Primary School in Gournadi, Barishal, has submitted its report. The report said it found no evidence of negligence by the food supplier or that the blade had been inside the bread from the factory. It concluded that a student had brought a blade in her bag by mistake and hid it inside the bread because she feared being punished by a teacher.

Committee convener and Gournadi Upazila agriculture officer Sekendar Sheikh confirmed that the report was submitted to the upazila executive officer. Upazila executive officer Md Ibrahim said the team inspected the bread-supplying factory on instructions from higher authorities and reviewed every production stage. He said members conducted practical tests with a blade from the mixer onward and found that an intact blade could not enter the bread at the factory.

The report said another student, Jannat, saw the blade when the bread was broken. The student who hid it then reportedly told the teacher that a blade had been found. Assistant teacher Sharmin Jahan was temporarily suspended for allegedly circulating photographs of the bread without verification in Messenger groups. District primary education officer Mohammad Mostafa Kamal said departmental action had also been initiated. No comment from the suspended teacher was available.

Heavy rainfall in India’s capital Delhi caused waterlogging across several areas after sustained rain on Monday, with water entering buses operated by the Delhi Transport Corporation. Videos shared on social media showed knee-deep water on bus floors, forcing passengers to move with difficulty. In some buses, the water level was reported to have risen as high as the seats.

The footage spread widely online, prompting users to question Delhi’s transport services and the city’s management during the monsoon season. Social media users criticised the efficiency of the Delhi Transport Corporation and pointed to perceived shortcomings in urban planning for seasonal rainfall.

The report said Delhi faces waterlogging problems every year during monsoon rains. However, water entering the interiors of buses is not commonly seen, and many observers said the incident highlighted a lack of adequate preparedness by transport authorities for the rainy season.

Gazipur Agricultural University researchers have developed a technology to produce a mineral-rich food concentrate from jackfruit seeds, an often discarded agricultural by-product. Food scientist Professor Dr. Md. Emdadul Haque and postgraduate researcher Md. Akram Hossain developed the technology after three years of research, completed in November 2025. It has received a Bangladesh government patent, registered as P/BD/2024/000040.

The research found that dried jackfruit seeds contain about 2 percent minerals, while the new process can produce a concentrate containing more than 33 percent minerals. The report says this raises mineral concentration by roughly 16 to 17 times. The Ministry of Education's Grants for Advanced Research and Education project funded the research. The patent was granted by the Department of Patents, Designs and Trademarks under the Ministry of Industries.

Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr. GKM Mostafizur Rahman described the development as a milestone for agricultural, food and nutrition research. Researchers said the concentrate could be used in processed foods to improve nutritional value. They said commercial use could create opportunities for jackfruit-based industries, higher farmer income and more effective use of agricultural resources.

Mobile financial service provider Nagad paid Bangladesh Post 185.69 million taka as its revenue-sharing portion for fiscal year 2025-26, according to a report published on July 29. Bangladesh Bank-appointed Nagad administrator Md Motasim Billah handed over the cheque to Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology Minister Fakir Mahbub Anam at an event held Wednesday at Dak Bhaban in Agargaon, Dhaka.

The payment was nearly 50 million taka, or more than 34 percent, higher than in the previous fiscal year. The minister said Nagad was needed to prevent a monopoly in the market and should remain competitive and become more profitable. He urged journalists not to pay attention to rumours surrounding the company. Secretary Bilkis Jahan Rimi said work would be undertaken to expand cooperation between Bangladesh Post and Nagad.

Nagad said it has paid 946 crore taka in taxes to the government and 47 crore taka in revenue to Bangladesh Post since its launch. Operating under an agreement with Bangladesh Post since March 2019, the service allocates 51 percent of earnings to the postal department and 49 percent to Nagad Limited. Its FY2025-26 transaction volume rose 25.50 percent to 427,000 crore taka, while active customers exceeded 30 million.

India’s Supreme Court has cleared late former prime minister Dr. Manmohan Singh in a coal allocation case, declaring closure of proceedings against him on Wednesday. The decision, reported on July 29, 2026, came about a year and a half after Singh’s death in 2024. The case concerned alleged irregularities in the allocation of coal mines in Odisha while the UPA government was in power.

Singh held the coal ministry portfolio at the time, while allegations were also raised against the then coal secretary. The report says the CBI questioned officials in the prime minister’s secretariat but was accused of not questioning Singh, an issue that was also raised before the court. Singh had rejected the allegations from the beginning. In 2015, the CBI submitted to the court information obtained after questioning him.

The Supreme Court said the trial court had no strong basis to reject the CBI’s closure report and take cognizance of the matter. A bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V. Mohanan announced the decision after accepting Singh’s challenge to summons issued by the trial court in 2015. Congress welcomed the ruling and demanded that the prime minister apologize to the country.

FIFA’s plan to bring private investment into the commercial operations of its major competitions has triggered sharp opposition across football. Published on July 29, 2026, the report says several European football federations could move toward boycotting future World Cups if the proposal is implemented. The dispute has created a major impasse around FIFA president Gianni Infantino’s new initiative.

FIFA recently announced it would create a new company, FIFA Forward Enterprises, to manage commercial activities for the World Cup, Club World Cup and other leading tournaments. It plans to sell up to 21 percent of the company to private investors and raise about $4.2 billion. FIFA says the money would be spent on development projects in its 211 member countries.

UEFA has opposed the plan, while several federations within its membership are preparing for an emergency meeting. They may discuss tougher measures, including a future World Cup boycott, if FIFA does not withdraw the proposal. CONCACAF, the English Football Association, the Asian Football Confederation, and authorities in Germany, Denmark and France have also voiced concern. La Liga president Javier Tebas called the proposal election campaigning, and former FIFA president Sepp Blatter criticized it.

Postal, Telecommunications and ICT and Science and Technology Minister Fakir Mahbub Anam rejected rumors that Nagad is being sold and urged news outlets to verify information before publishing. He made the remarks on Wednesday at the inauguration of a franchise post office in Agargaon, Dhaka, and a ceremony where Nagad transferred part of its 2025-26 fiscal-year profit to the Directorate of Posts.

Nagad formally handed over Tk 18.57 crore to the Directorate of Posts. The minister said government management of the financial institution would continue to maintain market competition. He said the government aims to make state-owned institutions more efficient, profitable and public-oriented, while digital financial services help deliver safe, simple and affordable services to people.

Anam said franchise post offices, already operated in many countries, would help bring postal services closer to citizens in Bangladesh. He expressed hope that all post offices could eventually operate under the model. The government is also pursuing plans to turn more than 9,000 post offices into modern service centers. Postal and Telecommunications Division Secretary Bilkis Jahan Rimi said the partnership with Nagad has increased public confidence, government revenue and postal department income.