Social Welfare and Women and Children Affairs Minister Professor Dr A Z M Zahid Hossain said Bangladesh must acquire modern technology and international expertise to advance its healthcare system. Speaking as chief guest at a World Hepatitis Day event organised by the Bangladesh Gastroenterology Society at Bangladesh Medical University on July 28, he said improved hepatitis B treatment at home could reduce patients’ need to seek care abroad, lower medical costs and save foreign currency.

The minister said a significant share of Bangladesh’s population has fatty liver disease without knowing it. He attributed the growing number of cases to excessive carbohydrate consumption and called for greater public awareness. Referring to the appointment of Imperial College London emeritus hepatology professor Simon Taylor Robinson to BMU’s hepatology department, he said involving foreign and regional experts would help improve medical education through evaluation against international and regional standards.

Members of the Bangladesh Gastroenterology Society called for mandatory hepatitis B screening for all pregnant women. Hossain described the proposal as timely and pledged his highest possible support from his position for its implementation. Robinson presented the keynote paper at the event, chaired by Professor Dr Md Shamsul Arfin.

District Detective Branch police arrested a man in Taraganj, Rangpur, over allegations of involvement in online gambling and fraud using fake visas. The report, published on July 28, 2026, identified the suspect as Md Azmaul Islam, also known as Azam, son of Abul Hossain of Nekirhat Darogapara village in the upazila.

Police said the operation was conducted late Monday night in the Nekirhat Darogapara area. Officers seized a laptop allegedly used in the fraud, several mobile phones, fake visas, documents related to a false lottery, and other evidence from the suspect.

The accused and the seized materials were handed over to Taraganj police station. Officer-in-Charge Ruhul Amin said a case had been filed under the Cyber Security Act and the Gambling Prevention Act. The report did not provide further details about the alleged online gambling operation, the method used to create fake visas, or any alleged victims of the fraud.

The mother of Ekramul Haque Sajid, a Jagannath University student described as a martyr of the July mass uprising, became emotional while recalling her son at an event on Tuesday, July 28. Speaking at the university’s central auditorium, she said she still sleeps with Sajid’s vest and described attending the programme as the mother of a martyr.

The discussion and prize-giving event was titled “July Mass Uprising: From Spark to Continuing Revolution.” Sajid’s mother said her son would not return, but his memory pursues her every moment. Holding his vest close while sleeping makes her feel that he is still near her, she said. Her remarks moved many teachers, students and guests to tears.

She remembered the sacrifices of those killed in the uprising and said Bangladesh, achieved in exchange for their blood, should not return to discrimination, injustice and autocracy. National Citizen Party convener Nahid Islam, university teachers and students, relatives of those killed and injured, and representatives of political and social organisations attended. Other speakers also called for united efforts to build a Bangladesh free of discrimination.

Mugda Medical College student Wasif Munim gave testimony as the second witness against 28 people, including former Dhaka South City mayor Fazle Noor Taposh and former textiles and jute minister Jahangir Kabir Nanak, over the killing of Farhan Faiyaz and eight others in Mohammadpur during the July uprising. He testified before International Crimes Tribunal-1 on Tuesday.

Munim said he joined protests after Abu Sayeed was killed on July 16, 2024. On July 18, protesters gathered at Asad Gate for a peaceful sit-in, but police fired tear gas and Awami League activists chased them, he said. Around 1 pm, he said, Chhatra League, Jubo League and Awami League activists armed with lethal weapons chased protesters into lanes around Dhanmondi 27.

Munim said he saw his classmate Faiyaz with a gunshot wound to the chest and helped arrange an ambulance after four people brought him over. Faiyaz was taken to hospital and then to intensive care. Munim said he used Faiyaz’s identity card to call his father and report the shooting. He later learned Faiyaz had died and sought justice.

A United States Department of Agriculture delegation visited a Farmers Mini Cold Storage facility run by Bangladesh’s Department of Agricultural Extension in Savar, near Dhaka, on Tuesday. The visitors praised the technology used to preserve agricultural products and said small-scale modern storage at farm level could reduce waste and support market management. The delegation expressed interest in the potential of such technology and in working with Bangladesh on the issue.

The group included Dr Catherine Fiedler, director of USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Services for South Asia; Erin Covert, agricultural attaché at the US Embassy in Dhaka; and USDA agricultural specialist Md Tanvir Ahmed. They inspected mangoes, gourds, papayas, green chilies and other produce stored in plastic crates, asking about storage dates, duration and temperature control. Project officials said most fruits and vegetables can remain fresh for one week to one month.

Project director Talha Zubair Mashrur said the storage system helps farmers avoid losses from rapidly perishable produce and sell at more favorable times. The delegation said it would meet the Agriculture Ministry after the field visit. Funded by the Bangladesh Climate Change Trust Fund, the project has built 147 mini cold storage facilities in districts across the country.

Prime Minister’s Defence Adviser Brigadier General (Retd) A K M Shamsul Islam visited the Survey of Bangladesh in Tejgaon, Dhaka, on Tuesday, where Director General Brigadier General Mohammad Azizur Rouf received him. During the visit, he was briefed on national map production and updates, international boundary surveys, geospatial data collection, satellite-image analysis and digital elevation model preparation.

The adviser said accurate and updated maps are an important foundation for development planning, infrastructure construction, disaster management, border management and national security. He stressed coordination of geospatial information among government institutions and the need for regular updates.

He directed officials to expand the use of surveying and geospatial knowledge in training, examine the potential for locally developed digital mapping applications, and regularly collect and analyse updated information on geostrategically important areas. He also instructed that digital elevation models for Dhaka and Chattogram be completed within four months, followed by work in Sylhet and Cumilla. The information was released in an ISPR press statement.

Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution, or BSTI, has announced plans to verify reported microplastics in toothpaste and take action based on the findings. The agency made the announcement in a Tuesday press release after research conducted by Environment and Social Development Organization reported the presence of microplastics in toothpaste. The report was published on July 28, 2026.

BSTI said microplastics are plastic particles measuring 5 millimetres or less and are generally not visible to the naked eye. It cited the World Health Organization’s view that microplastics are an emerging environmental and health concern whose health risks remain under research. Bangladesh’s toothpaste standard lists 81 permitted production ingredients, and microplastics are not listed, although the standard has no direct prohibition on their use.

The agency has sought full research data and testing methods from the research institution and is collecting information on raw materials, ingredients and synthetic polymers from manufacturers and importers. BSTI will collect samples from markets and factories for retesting at recognised domestic or foreign laboratories. It said legal action will follow if tests prove a product fails Bangladesh standards or uses unauthorised ingredients.

Cox’s Bazar Sadar Model Police Station Officer-in-Charge Sheikh Mohammad Ali received an award for the highest drug recoveries and courageous work. The Chattogram Range DIG Office presented the commemorative honor in recognition of his work during June and July.

The award was handed to Mohammad Ali at an event held Monday afternoon at the Chattogram Range DIG office. Mohammad Moniruzzaman, Deputy Inspector General of Chattogram Range Police, attended as chief guest. Senior officials of the Chattogram Range Police were also present at the ceremony.

After receiving the special honor, Sheikh Mohammad Ali expressed gratitude to the Cox’s Bazar district police superintendent, additional police superintendents, colleagues at Cox’s Bazar Sadar Model Police Station, community police members and senior officers who provided guidance. He said that whoever commits a crime must be brought under the law and that society must be made drug-free at any cost.

Bangladesh’s National Citizen Party, or NCP, alleged that its convoy was attacked after a July Awakening March in Habiganj on Tuesday evening. The confrontation occurred around the town’s Thana Mor and Sadar Hospital areas, involving chasing, counter-chasing and brick throwing. NCP said at least 20 people were injured, including its northern region chief organiser Sarjis Alam and district member secretary Mahbubur Rahman Mubin, while vehicles carrying party members were vandalised.

NCP Habiganj convener Abu Hena Mostafa Kamal alleged that Chhatra Dal activists attacked as central leaders Nasiruddin Patwary and Sarjis Alam were returning to the Circuit House after a rally. Alam said several activists suffered broken hands and head injuries, Mubin’s hand was broken after he was beaten with a rod, and one person sustained an eye injury. He also alleged another attack occurred outside the hospital while injured people were being taken there.

Habiganj district Chhatra Dal president Shah Rajib Ahmed Ringon denied involvement by Chhatra Dal or BNP members, saying he had heard angry people had chased the group over alleged indecent remarks. Patwary, Alam and others took shelter inside Sonali Bank and were later surrounded. Police calmed the crowd and rescued them at 8pm, taking them to the Circuit House.

Indian opposition leader Rahul Gandhi sharply criticized the decision to assign Prahlad Joshi additional charge of the education ministry. Speaking to reporters outside Parliament on July 28, Gandhi alleged that the BJP had given the education portfolio to a person who had previously supported rapists. He said the appointment came while many young people and students were protesting over the education system.

Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also raised the issue in the Lok Sabha. She said Prime Minister Narendra Modi had made education minister a person who supported the decision to release convicts in the rape of a pregnant woman. According to Priyanka Gandhi, the appointment sends a clear message to millions of women in the country.

Joshi supported in 2018 the premature release of 11 people serving life sentences in the gang rape of Bilkis Bano and the killing of her family members during the 2002 Gujarat riots. He said they had spent a long time in prison and were eligible for release under the law, citing good conduct. India’s Supreme Court cancelled the remission order in 2024, saying the authority lacked legal jurisdiction.

A fire in a moving scrap-laden truck halted traffic on the Dhaka-bound lane of the Dhaka-Chattogram Highway in Sitakunda, Chattogram, for nearly an hour on Tuesday. The incident occurred around 6pm near the Fakirhat-Kalushah Mazar overbridge. Traffic queues stretched for several kilometres on both sides of the highway as movement was stopped during the fire response.

Witnesses said the truck, carrying iron scrap for Abul Khair Group, was travelling from a scrap depot in Chattogram toward a factory on the Dhaka-bound lane. Smoke began emerging from the vehicle’s engine cabin near the overbridge, and the fire quickly spread through the cabin. Highway police immediately closed the Dhaka-bound lane to prevent an accident.

Fire Service personnel and police from Bar Aulia Highway Police Station responded and brought the blaze fully under control around 7pm after about an hour of work. Officer-in-Charge Ariful Amin said a mechanical fault caused the fire. Sitakunda Upazila Nirbahi Officer Fakhrul Islam said traffic was gradually restored through one Dhaka-bound lane after the fire was controlled.

Jagannath University Proctor Professor Mohammad Nasir Uddin warned that the banned Chhatra League would not be allowed to conduct any activity around the university campus. He made the remarks on July 28 at an discussion and prize-giving event held at the university’s central auditorium by the Jagannath University branch of Jatiya Chhatra Shakti. He also made harsh remarks addressed to Sheikh Hasina.

Speaking at the event titled “July Mass Uprising: From Spark to Continuing Revolution,” Nasir Uddin said the revolution was not over and its spirit must be maintained. He claimed that some banned organisations were attempting to resume organisational activity in different parts of the country. He said no one would be allowed to carry out such activity around Jagannath University, regardless of how many people came.

The proctor said people still involved in banned politics should learn from past mistakes, adding that the university community would resist attempts to create instability on campus. NCP convener Nahid Islam attended as chief guest, while Treasurer Professor Dr Sabina Sharmeen was a special guest. Teachers, students, student union representatives, and family members of July uprising martyrs and injured people also attended.

A mobile court sealed a factory accused of producing and marketing counterfeit edible oil in Shahjatpur, under Melandaha municipality in জামালপুর, on Tuesday afternoon. The joint drive by the Directorate of National Consumer Rights Protection and the Melandaha upazila administration fined the owner of Shashi Oil Mill Tk100,000. Authorities also disconnected the factory's electricity supply.

Melandaha Upazila Nirbahi Officer and Executive Magistrate Jinnatul Ara conducted the mobile court, while Jamalpur district consumer rights office Assistant Director Md Shariful Islam led the operation. Officials said the establishment had been producing edible oil while using the BSTI logo without approval. They also found that the factory had no valid authorization or documents.

Authorities said evidence was found of adulterated mustard oil being produced and sold. Jinnatul Ara said tests confirmed adulteration and that all adulterated oil stored at the factory had been discarded. Shariful Islam said samples had previously been sent to a laboratory, whose report found no recognized edible oil identity in the product. He said the business mixed a small amount of mustard oil with other ingredients and marketed the adulterated oil, which he described as highly harmful to human health.

Dhaka South City Corporation administrator and freedom fighter Abdus Salam donated two fogger machines to Bangladesh-Kuwait Maitree Hall and Sheikh Fazilatunnesa Mujib Hall at Dhaka University. The machines were handed over to the authorities of the two women’s residential halls at a programme held at 4pm on July 28, with support from the Dhaka University unit of Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal.

The donation was aimed at protecting resident students’ health and preventing mosquito-borne diseases. Chhatra Dal leaders said waterlogging and mosquito infestations had recently increased in several parts of the university campus, causing difficulties for residential students. They said the rainy season had heightened concerns over dengue and other mosquito-borne illnesses, making preventive measures necessary.

Salam said plans had been taken for a permanent, long-term solution to waterlogging in residential halls and nearby areas, stressing the need for sustainable infrastructure. He also announced that 500 saplings would be given to the Dhaka University Chhatra Dal unit to encourage tree planting and campus greening. Hall provosts, residential teachers, students and Chhatra Dal leaders attended the event.

Jatiya Ganatantrik Party, or Jagpa, Vice-President and spokesperson Rashed Prodhan alleged that ruling BNP leaders received contractual appointments to Grade-2 senior posts at 11 important government agencies and corporations. He made the allegation as chief guest at a Jubo Jagpa discussion meeting in Paltan, Dhaka, on Tuesday, according to a report published on July 28, 2026.

Prodhan described the alleged appointments as authoritarian and unprecedented, saying the placement of so many political leaders in top bureaucratic positions would open the way for unlimited corruption in public institutions. He said the moves amounted to turning the state machinery into a party office and alleged that the government had shown BNP, rather than Bangladesh, was its priority.

He also alleged that BNP began betraying the nation by failing to form a constitutional reform council while disregarding the referendum mandate. Prodhan called for an “inevitable revolution” and said the BNP government had no right to remain in power if the referendum mandate was not implemented. The meeting was chaired by Jubo Jagpa President Nazrul Islam Bablu and moderated by General Secretary Engineer Sirajul Islam.