Saudi Arabia carried out strikes in Yemen’s Houthi-controlled port city of Hodeidah late Friday, according to an Al Jazeera report published Saturday, as concerns grew that conflict between the United States and Iran could widen regionally. The Houthi-controlled government threatened a forceful response, saying Saudi targeting of Hodeidah had further complicated the situation and would bring serious consequences for Riyadh.

Houthi-backed Al Masirah said Saudi airstrikes targeted facilities belonging to Yemen’s telecommunications authority. It also said a woman was injured in an attack on Kamaran Island. Reuters, citing witnesses, reported loud explosions at Hodeidah port. The port is a vital lifeline for Houthi-controlled Yemen, with most commercial goods and humanitarian aid entering the blockaded area through it.

The Saudi-led military coalition denied directly striking Hodeidah port. Its spokesperson, Major General Turki al-Maliki, blamed the Houthis for the escalation and criticized their recent attacks on commercial ships in the Red Sea. On Wednesday, the Houthis attacked several Saudi oil tankers with drones and missiles, damaging at least one tanker. The Houthis said the vessels had violated their declared maritime blockade.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi thanked the country’s young people for their positive response to discussions on reforming the examination system and preventing question-paper leaks. In a video message posted on Instagram late Friday night, Modi expressed gratitude to students for watching his earlier video and offering feedback and suggestions. He said he hoped their love and support would continue and strengthen the relationship.

In the caption accompanying the video, Modi thanked all young people who sent valuable suggestions after viewing the previous day’s message. On Thursday, he had announced stricter central government action against question-paper leaks, amid allegations of irregularities in the recent NEET examination and protests across the country.

Modi said fast-track courts would be established to ensure swift trials for those involved in such offences. He also said a draft bill containing tougher punishment provisions would be presented to the cabinet soon, with an effort to pass it in parliament next week. According to his statement, legal action had been taken against accused people over the past two and a half months, and about 2.2 million students were given a chance to retake examinations, with results released on July 19.

A technical fault has shut down one liquefied natural gas terminal, worsening residential gas shortages across Dhaka and other areas, according to a report published on July 25. Following last week’s waterlogging, gas supply has stopped entirely in some neighbourhoods, while many others face very low pressure. Residents in Mohammadpur, Dhanmondi, Mirpur, Rampura and Old Dhaka reported unlit stoves, despite continuing to pay monthly bills. Some households are spending more on LPG cylinders or purchased food.

After Friday prayers on July 24, residents held a human chain outside Mohammadpur Allah Karim Mosque, demanding a permanent solution, an end to billing without uninterrupted service, action against alleged Titas negligence and illegal connections. Residents said the disruption has also affected Savar, Gazipur, Narsingdi, Mymensingh and factories in other areas. A knitwear industry representative said lower gas supply over the past three to four days was causing major production losses.

The energy division said daily supply is now 2,700 to 2,800 million cubic feet, against total capacity of about 3,800 million cubic feet. Supply to the national grid has fallen by about 450 million cubic feet since Tuesday. Titas said LNG could resume from Saturday afternoon, with pressure rising gradually and full relief taking another day or two.

BJP leader Ravneet Singh Bittu has resigned as India’s minister of state for railways and food processing industries, according to an NDTV report citing sources published on July 25. His term as a Rajya Sabha member had ended in June.

The report said Bittu may contest Punjab’s assembly election scheduled for next year. He had been closely overseeing efforts to build the BJP’s political space and establish a stronger position in the border state, which is governed by the Aam Aadmi Party.

In a post on X, Bittu thanked President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the opportunity to serve the country as a minister of state. He said serving the people of India, especially Punjab, had been a great privilege and pledged to continue his public-service journey with renewed energy. Bittu, grandson of former Punjab chief minister Beant Singh, formally joined the BJP in 2024. He lost the Lok Sabha election and was later nominated for the remainder of a Rajya Sabha term from Rajasthan vacated by Congress leader K C Venugopal.

Mohammed Shahabuddin Chuppu resigned as Bangladesh’s president on Friday afternoon after serving for three years and eight months, citing serious health problems. His military secretary delivered the signed resignation letter to Parliament Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmad Bir Bikram at 5 pm. Under Article 54 of the constitution, the speaker immediately assumed the duties of acting president.

In his resignation letter, Shahabuddin cited heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, kidney complications and autonomic neuropathy. He said he had undergone bypass surgery and sometimes briefly lost consciousness because of his illnesses. Sources said specialists at the Combined Military Hospital advised him to take complete rest and receive advanced treatment.

The parliamentary secretariat said the resignation was submitted under Article 50(3) of the constitution. The speaker will perform presidential duties until a new president is elected and takes office. Some political leaders and student leaders associated with the July movement described the resignation as positive, while Jamaat-e-Islami and the National Citizen Party, among others, demanded Shahabuddin’s arrest and trial. Officials said he is scheduled to meet Bangabhaban staff on Saturday and move to his Gulshan residence on Sunday.

Four sources told Reuters that Iran sent Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps commanders, military advisers, medium-range missiles and drone-related equipment to Yemen’s Houthi rebels on a special Mahan Air flight from Tehran on July 13. Two Iranian officials said the flight, initially bound for Houthi-controlled Sanaa, was diverted to the Houthi-controlled port of Hodeidah after Sanaa airport was damaged in attacks by the Saudi-backed Yemeni government.

The sources included two Iranian officials, the information minister of Yemen’s internationally recognised government and a regional security analyst. They said Tehran’s aim was to strengthen Houthi military capabilities in the Red Sea. One source said the commanders were sent to train Houthis on operating new missile systems and assist military operations, and alleged that gold was also carried to finance Houthi activities.

Iran’s foreign ministry did not immediately comment and has long denied providing military and missile support to the Houthis. Houthi media official Abdel Rahman al-Ahnomi called the allegation false, saying only civilian passengers were aboard. Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said the flight’s sole purpose was returning a Houthi delegation and Yemeni citizens who had received treatment in Tehran. Yemen’s information minister Muammar al-Eryani said intelligence indicated personnel and equipment had arrived.

Police arrested a 25-year-old suspected drug dealer, Soat Iman Pramanik, with 100 yaba pills during an anti-narcotics operation in Bhangura, Pabna. The arrest was made in the upazila’s Noubariya area on Friday evening. He was identified as the son of Abdur Rauf from Bhadrapara in the municipal town.

Bhangura police station Officer-in-Charge Sakiul Azam confirmed the arrest to Dainik Amar Desh. Police said officers detained Soat Iman during the anti-drug operation in Noubariya and recovered 100 yaba tablets after searching his body.

Police said procedures were under way to file a case against him under the Narcotics Control Act. The officer-in-charge said he would be sent to Pabna jail through a court on Saturday. He also said anti-drug operations would continue in the area. The report was published on July 25, 2026, at 6:54 a.m.

A Jubo Dal worker, Yusuf Ali alias Parvez, was killed in a shooting in Mirpur 13, Dhaka, on Friday night. Two others, Jubo Dal worker Monir Hossain and vegetable seller Salam Sardar, were wounded. Police said four people took part in the attack and detained a man named Chanchal along with a firearm allegedly used in the incident.

According to local residents, Yusuf and Monir were sitting near a shop in front of Opex Garments with Kafrul Thana Jubo Dal member secretary Hafizul Islam Babu at about 11pm. Four or five young men had been moving around the area. When they were asked why they were there, they opened fire indiscriminately, residents said.

Dhaka Medical College Hospital police outpost inspector Md Faruk said Yusuf was taken to the hospital after midnight and was declared dead by the attending doctor. Hospital sources said Yusuf was shot in the chest, Monir in the left leg, and Salam on the right side of the head. The two injured men remain under treatment, while police are conducting operations to detain the other three attackers.

Water Resources Minister and BNP joint secretary general Shahid Uddin Chowdhury Annie said Bangladesh has fallen far behind because of a lack of leadership. He made the remarks on Friday night as chief guest at a discussion marking three decades of Lakshmipur Club Limited, held in the club hallroom at the municipal super market in Lakshmipur town.

Annie said Bangladesh should not have remained in its present condition after so many years since independence. He said there was no lack of sincerity from the prime minister, who had accepted a challenge. He described supporting the government as a moral responsibility for citizens.

The minister said people should think consciously about how to support the government and Tarique Rahman for the country, its people and Bangladesh. He also called for improving the country's image through development and bringing it to a stable position. The meeting was chaired by club president Moin Uddin Chowdhury Kamru and attended by educator Nani Gopal, Bangladesh Football Federation vice-president Md Wahid Uddin Chowdhury Happy, sports organizer Abdul Rab Shamim and club general secretary Humayun Kabir Jewel.

Four police officers from Hatibandha police station in Lalmonirhat have been withdrawn over allegations that they suppressed a large drug consignment and a private car in exchange for Tk10 lakh during a drug recovery operation. Hatibandha Officer-in-Charge Ashrafuzzaman Sarkar confirmed the action on Friday. The officers named were sub-inspectors Tuhin and Rimon Mia, and assistant sub-inspectors Abdul Hakim and Lutfar Rahman.

According to police and local residents, the four officers raided the home of a known drug dealer in the Boarder Hat Bazar area on the afternoon of July 17. They allegedly seized a white private car, a motorcycle and a large quantity of drugs during the operation. The seized items, however, were not taken to the police station.

Instead, the evidence was taken to the premises of Velaguri Union Parishad, where the officers allegedly held a meeting and released the drug consignment for Tk10 lakh. The matter later became known through CCTV footage from the meeting location. OC Ashrafuzzaman Sarkar said the four officers were attached to the police lines after preliminary verification of the allegations.

Times Now reporter Dev Kotak was assaulted while covering protests in India demanding action over question-paper leaks and the education minister’s resignation, according to a report published July 25. Protesters allegedly called his channel “Godi Media,” a term used by critics for pro-government outlets, before striking him and throwing a water bottle. Videos of the incident were recorded on mobile phones and circulated on social media.

Kotak, 36, said the crowd believed the media had not presented its views, though he said his reporting included injuries on both sides. Tensions intensified after police action against a protest march toward Parliament on Monday, in which many students were injured. The Editors Guild of India condemned hostility and attacks against journalists while warning that flawed and biased reporting can worsen the situation and weaken the media’s democratic role.

Separate allegations of attacks on journalists emerged during a march from Sealdah to Esplanade in Kolkata. One television journalist was hospitalized at SSKM Hospital, alongside other injured journalists and camera operators. West Bengal Chief Minister Shubhendu Adhikari condemned the incidents and promised action against identified attackers. The Kolkata Press Club called for accountability, while some protesters denied that those responsible were part of the movement.

Bangladesh’s Department of Narcotics Control arrested Indian national Md. Zulfikar Molla, 33, at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport with 11 kilograms and 800 grams of high-grade cannabis allegedly brought from Thailand. He was detained on Friday afternoon during customs checks at the Green Channel in the airport’s lower-level arrivals hall, according to Assistant Director Dr. Md. Abu Sayeed Mia.

A special team led by Inspector Shahriya Sharmin of the airport circle under the DNC’s Dhaka Metro North office took position at the Green Channel at 1:30 pm. Molla, who arrived from Bangkok on Thai Airways flight TG321, was held as a suspect. In the presence of witnesses and airport authorities, officers searched his travel trolley bag.

The search recovered 21 polythene packets containing the cannabis, concealed beneath clothing. Officers also recovered an Indian passport, a boarding card and an OPPO smartphone with a Jio India SIM card. Molla is a resident of Rajarhat police station in North 24 Parganas, West Bengal. A case has been filed at Airport Police Station under relevant provisions of the Narcotics Control Act, 2018.

National Parliament opposition chief whip Nahid Islam called for the immediate arrest and trial of Chuppu, saying he should not be allowed to leave the country. Speaking at Netrokona’s old DC office field at 9pm on Friday, after a march in Khaliajuri and Mohanganj upazilas, Islam alleged that BNP had enabled Chuppu to resign citing illness rather than removing and arresting him.

Islam accused BNP of abandoning its pre-election 31-point programme after taking power. He alleged that party members had engaged in land grabbing, tender manipulation and business involving false cases in districts, and said the party’s priorities had become power, extortion, occupation and plunder.

He also demanded implementation of the July Charter, justice for the killing of Osman Hadi, action to compel India to stop border killings, and an end to push-ins. Islam said his group would continue campaigning for fairness inside and outside parliament despite having six members. At the meeting, NCP northern region chief coordinator Sarjis Alam also criticised BNP over alleged capture of educational institution chairmanships and drug trade.

Election Commissioner Abdur Rahmanel Masud said the Election Commission will quickly announce a schedule for a presidential election after President Md Sahabuddin resigned, leaving the post vacant. Speaking to the media on Friday, Masud said Article 123 of the constitution requires a new president to be elected within 90 days of a vacancy. He said the election would be held within that period under the Presidential Election Act, 1991.

Masud said the chief election commissioner would serve as the returning officer. The schedule would be announced in the manner used for reserved women’s seat elections. If voting is required, it will take place; if there is only one candidate, that candidate will be declared elected unopposed. Election Commission activities will remain closed on Saturday because of the weekly holiday, with a decision on the schedule expected on Sunday or later.

Under the existing constitution, the 350 members of parliament are voters in the presidential election, and the commission will prepare the voter list before announcing the schedule. Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmad said Sahabuddin’s signed resignation letter was submitted to him around 5pm Friday. He accepted it and assumed presidential responsibilities under Article 54, citing Sahabuddin’s serious illness and inability to continue performing the role.

Monowarul Hasan Russell, also known as “Chit Russell,” allegedly visited Godagari police station in Rajshahi despite being sentenced to life imprisonment with hard labour and remaining at large. A Chattogram court sentenced him on February 23 in a drug case filed by Kotwali police in 2019, also imposing a Tk10,000 fine. He was absent when the verdict was delivered, and the court issued an arrest warrant.

Sources said Russell went to Godagari police station on July 19 and spoke with Officer-in-Charge Atikur Rahman about progress in a theft case involving his home. On the same day, he submitted bail papers in a pending case at Paltan police station in Dhaka. No bail papers related to the Chattogram conviction had reached the station, yet he was not arrested, according to the report.

OC Atikur Rahman said he could not recall the matter. Sub-Inspector Nazmul Islam said he handles warrants in pending cases and that the conviction warrant was handled by another officer. Local civic committee president Salahuddin Biswas alleged influential drug traders can prevent warrants from being enforced and called for an inquiry into Russell’s assets and legal action.