Drug sales and use have spread across Badarganj municipality and remote areas of all 10 unions in Rangpur district, according to allegations in a report published on July 26, 2026. Local residents said transactions and drug-use gatherings operate from morning until late at night at multiple locations. The report said its inquiry found more than 150 drug traders in the upazila and claimed the number of users, including men, women and young people, has exceeded about 50,000.

Residents alleged that law-enforcement operations catch smaller sellers while major operators remain beyond reach. They also accused some police and Department of Narcotics Control officials of maintaining contact with traffickers and alleged administrative inaction. The report named Nagherhat market, railway stations, markets and other locations as places where drugs are allegedly sold openly. Local sources made allegations against several individuals involving yaba, phensedyl, heroin and other drugs.

Sabuj Sonar Member, a local BNP leader, and Ilias Ali denied any involvement with drug trading or users when contacted, though they acknowledged involvement in sand sales. Badarganj police station Officer-in-Charge Hasan Zahid Sarkar said drug trader and user figures could not be provided without checking the register. Rangpur Department of Narcotics Control Deputy Director Abu Jafar cited staff and vehicle shortages, while saying operations continue in Badarganj and other upazilas.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, or IRGC, warned that any country supporting the United States would be considered a legitimate target. The warning, reported on July 26, 2026, said this could include the United Kingdom and Persian Gulf states.

An IRGC spokesperson said Israel would receive a devastating response if it returned to conflict. The report did not provide details on potential operations, types of targets, or any immediate action against a specific country.

The warning followed Tehran’s summoning of Ukrainian diplomats after a bombing of an Iranian vessel in the Caspian Sea. At least one soldier was killed and another injured in the attack. The report said Iran blamed Ukraine for the deadly attack on the vessel.

Israel’s military said it killed two Hamas commanders and a military intelligence official in separate airstrikes across the besieged Gaza Strip over the past week. The claims, reported on July 26, 2026, concerned strikes in central and northern Gaza on Monday and Tuesday, according to the Israeli military.

Israel said Mahankad Asad Mahmoud Abu Ghazal, commander of Hamas’s elite Nukhba cell, was killed in an airstrike in central Gaza on Monday. It said Raed Hani Mohammed al-Amsi, head of Hamas’s Aerial Surveillance Platoon, was killed in a separate strike in northern Gaza on Tuesday.

The Israeli military also said Nabhan Mohammed Nabhan al-Amsi, head of the military intelligence department of Hamas’s Gaza Brigade, was killed in the same Tuesday strike. Hamas had not issued an immediate reaction or comment on the claims. The report said at least 73,317 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s military campaign in Gaza since October 2023, with women and children comprising a large share of those killed.

The Bangladesh Nationalist Professionals Party has announced a programme to plant 10 million trees nationwide as part of a prime minister-declared plan to plant 250 million trees over five years. The programme, titled Tree Planting Programme-2026, was inaugurated on Friday at Harggram Natunpara Cemetery in Rajshahi by the party’s Rajshahi metropolitan and district branches.

Mahfuzur Rahman Riton, administrator of Rajshahi City Corporation and general secretary of Rajshahi metropolitan BNP, attended as chief guest. Ariful Islam Zia, founding president of the party’s central committee, inaugurated the programme. Later on Friday, the organisation held an introduction and discussion meeting for its newly elected Rajshahi district and metropolitan committees.

At the meeting, lawmaker Advocate Mohammad Shafiqul Haque Milon called on people to work together to build the future Bangladesh under Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s leadership. Riton said professional organisation leaders should help implement the prime minister’s 31-point agenda. He also sought public cooperation for city development work, including cleanliness, mosquito control, mud removal, tree planting and greening. The group also held introductory meetings in Manikganj and Pabna on Thursday.

Bangladesh Bank plans to set a maximum amount that a single customer can borrow across the entire banking sector, according to a report published on July 26, 2026. The central bank also intends to prioritize the capital market and bond market over banks for large and long-term financing. The measures aim to restore discipline in banking, reduce lending risks and contain non-performing loans. It has begun seeking views from relevant stakeholders and may issue a circular soon if preparations proceed as planned.

A customer can currently borrow up to 25 percent of an individual bank's capital, but there is no limit covering borrowing from the banking system as a whole. Officials said a sector-wide ceiling would reduce the risk of excessive credit concentration in one borrower. They also cited liquidity pressure created when banks use short- and medium-term deposits to finance long-term projects, producing asset-liability mismatches.

The plan is divided into one-year, two-year and five-year stages. Long-term measures include a borrowing cap across banks, stricter action against willful defaulters, legislation for private asset management companies and instructions to use bond issuance instead of bank loans for financing above Tk1,000 crore. Bankers said implementation should be gradual and alternative financing options should be ensured.

Toxic black waste from industries, factories and nearby residential areas in Chattogram is entering the Halda River through the Katakhali and Bamanshahi canals, according to the report published on July 26, 2026. Monsoon and floodwater are mixing with the waste, turning the river’s clear water dark and black. The pollution is described as a serious threat to brood fish, dolphins, the aquatic environment and biodiversity in the river, identified in the report as Asia’s only natural fish breeding ground.

Residents said foul odours from the black water have made movement difficult in Shikarpur and the Madunaghat Kuwaish College area, while people are suffering from various illnesses. The pollution is occurring during the April to June-July spawning season for brood fish. Egg collectors along the riverbank warned that the Halda could face conditions similar to the Buriganga if the situation continues.

Local residents said industrial and household waste from Bahir Signal, Oxygen and Kulgaon reaches canals through drains before flowing into the river. Professor Dr Manjurul Kibria called for protecting the Halda from toxic waste. The report also cited unplanned sluice gates and embankments across 36 tributary canals, rivers and streams as obstructing natural flow.

The Trump administration has imposed a new 10 percent additional tariff on imports from Bangladesh and 59 other countries under Section 301 of the 1974 Trade Act, citing insufficient action against goods or raw materials produced with forced labor. In an interview published July 26, Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association President Mohammad Hatem said the immediate overall tariff burden had not changed significantly because an earlier 10 percent tariff had expired and was replaced at the same rate.

Hatem said repeated tariff changes over the past 14 months had created uncertainty for businesses. He said Vietnam faces a 12.5 percent tariff, leaving a 2.5 percentage-point gap that could offer Bangladesh some price competitiveness. Competition may become harder against India, Cambodia, Indonesia and several Central American countries, he added. If competitors receive lower tariff rates, buyers could turn to alternative sources and Bangladeshi orders could decline.

The BKMEA president rejected the forced-labor allegation, saying there was no acceptable basis for it in Bangladesh and calling for verification by international bodies. He said the association would ask the United States to reconsider and assess Bangladesh’s situation. Hatem also urged greater production capacity, product quality and diversification, market expansion, lower production costs and action on cotton-use tariff relief in the US market.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called for an immediate end to Israeli military incursions into Syrian territory. In a statement posted on his official X account during an official visit to Syria, Guterres said Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity must be fully respected. The report was published on July 26, 2026, as he undertakes what it describes as a historic visit to the country.

Guterres said Israel was violating the 1974 disengagement agreement and that such violations were wholly unacceptable and must stop. The agreement was signed between Syria and Israel after the 1973 war, according to the report. He also stressed the need to give full importance and respect to Syria’s sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity.

The visit marks the first official trip to Syria by a UN chief in 17 years, the report said. It added that Israel has occupied Syria’s Golan Heights since 1967. After former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad was removed from power in December 2024, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz instructed Israeli forces to take full control of the Golan Heights buffer zone, contributing to renewed tensions in the area.

Former President Md. Shahabuddin Chuppu is set to move into his own residence in Gulshan-2, Dhaka, after resigning from Bangabhaban. The report said he resigned on Friday citing health reasons and was expected to move on Sunday to a fifth-floor flat at Green Villa, House 41, Road 123. Law-enforcement agencies strengthened security at the residence before his arrival.

Dhaka Metropolitan Police Joint Commissioner Nasirul Islam said arrangements required by law for a former president were being made, with the Special Security Force coordinating security. Police were to be deployed at the building entrance, while plainclothes personnel would monitor the surrounding area. Communications, traffic control, checkpoints, regular police patrols, Gulshan police surveillance and occasional RAB patrols were also reported.

Under the presidential pension ordinance, a former president who served at least six months remains eligible for lifetime pension, security, protocol, medical, travel and administrative support after resignation. The pension is set at 75 percent of the last salary received as president, with an option for a lump-sum gratuity within a stipulated period. Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmed will serve as acting president until a new president is elected.

A sixth witness is scheduled to testify on 26 July against dismissed army officer Major General Ziaul Ahsan in a crimes against humanity case involving allegations of enforced disappearances, torture and killings of more than 100 people. International Crimes Tribunal-1 will record the testimony before a three-member panel led by Justice Golam Mortuza Mozumder. The other members are Justice Shafiul Alam Mahmud and retired district and sessions judge Mohitul Haque Enam Chowdhury.

On 21 June, former army member Imrul Kayes, described as Ziaul's former bodyguard, testified as the fifth witness. He alleged that Ziaul was involved in the killing of BNP central leader Ilias Ali and that he saw him kill 150 to 200 people while serving as his personal guard. Kayes also described alleged killings of eight to 10 fugitive BDR members during an operation called “Operation Rebel Hunt.”

Former army chief General Iqbal Karim Bhuiyan, the first witness, presented information on alleged extrajudicial killings on 8 February and called Ziaul a “serial killer.” He said Ziaul had ignored military-rule-related instructions. The tribunal formally framed charges against Ziaul on 14 January this year and ordered the trial to begin.

Yemen's Houthi rebel group has carried out missile and drone attacks on two major facilities of Saudi oil producer Saudi Aramco, according to the report. The oil installations in the Red Sea coastal cities of Jizan and Yanbu were targeted. The report was published and updated on July 26, 2026.

International media confirmed the information citing the Yemen-based Houthi group. The source did not provide details on damage, casualties, or any disruption to operations at the targeted facilities.

The Houthis said the attacks were a response to recent airstrikes by a Saudi-led joint military coalition on Yemen's important Hodeidah port and Kamaran Island. The group described the strikes on Aramco facilities in Jizan and Yanbu as retaliation for those coalition attacks.

Allegations have been raised in Satkhira against Shampa Goswami, also known as Chatterjee, director of the NGO Prerona, over alleged irregularities, illegal business activity, money laundering and land grabbing. The report, published on July 26, 2026, says local residents claiming to be affected have submitted written applications to administrative offices seeking a review of the NGO’s registration, an inquiry into Goswami’s sources of wealth, and verification of the allegations. Goswami denied all accusations.

Complainants alleged that she used foreign-funded environmental and social-service work as a cover for activities supporting a banned political party. The report also raises allegations concerning dual citizenship, Indian identity documents and bank accounts, and operating activities without a work permit. Journalist Ahmadullah Bachchu and former lawmaker Mohammad Shahadat Hossain made further allegations about her conduct and activities.

Former parliamentary candidate Dr. Md. Moniruzzaman said conducting business in Bangladesh without a work permit would be a serious offence for a foreign national. District Commissioner Kausar Aziz said authorities would examine written allegations and take legal action if they were substantiated. Goswami said documents including an Indian Aadhaar card were fabricated or forged using AI, and denied allegations of laundering money through hundi.

Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich announced plans to expand the illegal Israeli settlement of Eli near Nablus in the occupied West Bank with 763 new housing units. Smotrich disclosed the plan in an interview with Israel's Channel 14 on Saturday. According to Turkey-based Anadolu Agency, the additional units would triple the settlement's size over the coming years.

Smotrich said the Israeli government had decided to continue establishing new farms and settlements in the West Bank. The expansion plan was made public after a deadly confrontation near Nablus. According to the Palestinian Authority, clashes followed an attack by extremist Israeli settlers near the village of Tal, southwest of Nablus, last Friday, killing four Palestinians and two Israelis.

Earlier this month, Smotrich said Israel's security cabinet had approved a budget of 1.3 billion shekels, about $434 million, for 34 new settlements in the occupied West Bank. He also said that since the current government took office in late 2022, it had approved 104 new settlements and 160 agricultural outposts in the West Bank. Under international law, all Israeli settlements in occupied Palestinian territory are illegal.

Women in the border village of Satkoraibari in Dantbhanga Union, Roumari, Kurigram, say they stand alongside Border Guard Bangladesh during tense situations on the frontier. Speaking to a reporter on July 12, they said they do not remain spectators when faced with what they described as provocation or aggression by India’s BSF, and are prepared to join local resistance efforts. The report also says children and teenagers in the border area take part in supporting BGB.

Nunijan, a resident of Satkhai village who has lived near the border for about 50 years, said residents would not hesitate to sacrifice their lives if the country were harmed. Shahina Begum said the area is currently peaceful and that relations between local people and BGB personnel are friendly and cooperative. She said residents promptly inform BGB when they receive suspicious information about infiltration or Rohingya-related matters.

Shahina Begum recalled that residents provided shelter and direct support to BGB personnel during the Baraibari conflict of April 18, 2001. Meherchan said BGB members warn people to be careful when grazing livestock near the zero line. Teenagers Mohammad Rabbi and Israfil said they provide water to patrols, report suspicious activity and would help guard the area during tense situations.

Iran has accused Ukraine of carrying out an attack in Iran’s section of the southern Caspian Sea, prompting a strong condemnation, diplomatic action and a warning from Tehran. The report, published on July 26, 2026, said Iranian officials viewed the incident with deep concern over the possibility of further attacks. Citing French or international news agencies, it described the episode as the first of its kind.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry said it summoned Ukraine’s top diplomat in Tehran to register a formal protest over the alleged attack. Tehran said the incident in the Caspian Sea constituted a clear violation of the United Nations Charter. In a separate statement, the ministry described Ukraine’s action as hostile behavior against Iran and issued a stern warning.

Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi discussed the matter by telephone with the European Union’s foreign policy chief. He called on the international community and the UN Security Council to speak out and formally condemn the attack. Analysts cited in the report said the incident came at a critical time for Iran, which is already facing severe pressure on maritime trade because of a US naval blockade.