John Mearsheimer, an international relations theorist and professor at the University of Chicago, said Iran’s ballistic missiles have demonstrated high effectiveness in attacks on US military bases and facilities in the Middle East. In comments published on August 11, 2026, he said this capability would be a major reason for a reduced US military presence in West Asia.

Mearsheimer said neither the United States nor other countries in the region have an effective solution for defending against Iranian ballistic missiles and drones. He asserted that their attacks had severely damaged or completely destroyed nearly all bases in the Middle East. He also said evidence showed US forces had withdrawn from bases in the Persian Gulf region, first to Jordan, then to Israel, and ultimately to Europe.

According to Mearsheimer, the United States is unlikely to return to the region even after the ongoing conflict ends because of the continuing missile threat and Persian Gulf countries’ reluctance to host US forces. He described current US policy as ensuring a “devastating defeat” and said Iran had resisted what he called a US-imposed war through geographic advantages, military strategy and support from Russia and China.

US President Donald Trump signed a directive recommending fewer childhood vaccines and separate administration of measles, mumps and rubella vaccines. Published on August 11, 2026, the report says the guidance would reduce the recommended number of vaccines from the American Academy of Pediatrics’ current 18 to 11. It is not mandatory, because states, rather than the federal government, determine vaccines required for school attendance.

The proposed core vaccines cover measles, mumps, rubella, diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, polio, Haemophilus influenzae type b, pneumococcal disease, human papillomavirus and varicella. Trump suggested that combined MMR vaccination could be deadly, but when asked for evidence said he had heard some people say so. The CDC says most MMR recipients have no serious problems and that vaccination is much safer than contracting the three diseases.

The CDC says there is no published scientific evidence that splitting combined MMR shots provides benefits. AAP President Dr Andrew Racine called the order dangerous amid the highest US measles transmission in 35 years. Republican Senator Bill Cassidy called it wrong and urged parents to consult pediatricians. Multiple studies, including a 2019 Danish study of 657,461 children, found no link between MMR vaccination and autism.

Prime Minister’s Information Adviser Dr. Jahed Ur Rahman said cricketer Shakib Al Hasan may be a quality player but described him as a “spoiled, rotten person.” Responding to journalists at a weekly press briefing at the Information Department conference room in the Secretariat on Tuesday morning, he said necessary legal action would be taken if Shakib returned to Bangladesh.

Criticising Shakib’s recent remarks, the adviser said the cricketer was still speaking from a politically affiliated position with Sheikh Hasina. He described Shakib’s comments as an attempt to put some pressure on the government. Rahman also said discussion of the names and reputations of people aligned with Hasina, who remain aligned with her, was meaningless.

Rahman said he did not believe Shakib would think a crowd would harm him at the airport if he came to Bangladesh to face cases, the law and judicial proceedings. He said he saw no problem if Shakib returned while accepting the allegations and legal issues involved. He also said Sheikh Hasina would receive full security and due rights in judicial proceedings if she returned.

Bangladesh Nationalist Party has not yet selected a candidate for the presidency, Chief Whip Nurul Islam Moni said after a preparatory meeting on the election at the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban on Tuesday. He said the party’s standing committee had assigned Prime Minister Tarique Rahman to decide the matter. The Election Commission meeting with acting Speaker Barrister Kaiser Kamal began at 11am.

Moni said voting would take place in the presence of the leader of the House, the opposition leader and the Speaker, with live media coverage continuing until results are announced. The vote will be held inside parliament under the rules of Article 70, with lawmakers casting ballots according to their seat numbers. He said members voting against their party’s decision would lose their parliamentary membership.

Opposition Chief Whip Nahid Islam alleged that the government was not implementing a presidential election in line with the July Charter. He said the 11-party alliance had nominated a candidate to prevent an uncontested election. Nominations are due on August 13, scrutiny is set for August 16, withdrawal closes on August 18, and voting will run from 2pm to 5pm on August 20. The Election Commission began preparations after the 22nd president, Md Shahabuddin, resigned on July 24.

Dhaka Metropolitan Police’s traffic division filed 915 cases in July against vehicles emitting black smoke in the capital. The cases were brought during operations in different areas of Dhaka aimed at preventing environmental pollution and stopping excessive black smoke emissions from vehicles using the roads.

Among DMP’s eight traffic divisions, Motijheel recorded the highest number with 354 cases. Wari filed 172 cases, Tejgaon 131, Uttara 128 and Gulshan 56. Mirpur registered 36 cases, Ramna 34 and Lalbagh four, according to DMP traffic division sources.

The traffic division said it conducts such operations regularly as part of efforts to curb pollution caused by black smoke-emitting vehicles. It said the drives and legal action against vehicles responsible for black smoke emissions will continue.

US President Donald Trump has publicly backed FIFA President Gianni Infantino amid demands for his removal, according to a report published on August 11, 2026. In a Truth Social post, Trump said FIFA would make a “serious mistake” if it considered removing Infantino. He described Infantino as an outstanding administrator and said the official had overseen the most successful World Cup ever.

Infantino recently proposed selling commercial rights for the FIFA World Cup and all other FIFA tournaments to private investors for $15 billion. The report said the proposed deal was accused of involving a company owned by the brother of Trump’s son-in-law. Infantino withdrew the proposal after strong opposition from UEFA, CONCACAF and the Asian Football Confederation. The report also said Infantino has faced fresh controversy over allegations of an extramarital relationship in the workplace.

Despite the withdrawal of the commercial-rights proposal, UEFA, the AFC and CONCACAF remain committed to calls for Infantino’s resignation and are planning an alliance to remove him. Trump said FIFA would never again be as successful or profitable if Infantino left. The report noted that Trump and Infantino have long had close ties, including a special FIFA peace award presented to Trump during a World Cup draw event.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the United States asked Iran for talks 20 days after initially demanding its “unconditional surrender.” He made the remarks at a news conference broadcast on Iranian state television on August 11, 2026, amid continuing tensions over war and possible negotiations between the two countries.

According to Araghchi, US President Donald Trump wrote only two words on social media at the start of the war: “unconditional surrender.” Araghchi said this was what the United States sought from Iran, but claimed that the same adversary later had to appeal for negotiations.

The senior Iranian diplomat argued that Washington’s initial hard-line position gave way to an acknowledgment of the need for dialogue. The report does not include a response from the United States to Araghchi’s assertions, nor does it provide details about any talks or a timetable for possible negotiations.

Israel is accused of holding the bodies of about 1,700 Palestinians for possible future prisoner exchanges, according to a report by the Israeli daily Haaretz cited by two unnamed sources. The report, published Tuesday, said the issue was recently discussed within Israel's security establishment.

Haaretz reported that Shin Bet chief David Zini supports retaining Palestinian bodies for a potential exchange if an Israeli citizen is detained or goes missing in the future. Israel's military is also said to support that position, according to the report.

In October 2025, a Palestinian rights group said Israel was holding the bodies of about 1,500 Palestinians killed in Gaza at the Sde Teiman military facility. Gaza's Health Ministry said at least 1,258 Palestinians have been killed since a ceasefire took effect on October 10, 2025, while Palestinian deaths in Israeli attacks since October 2023 have exceeded 73,000. Palestinian rights groups have called for the bodies to be returned for burial under religious and family customs.

Afghanistan secured a place in the 2027 ODI World Cup main round after a thrilling three-wicket victory over Ireland in the third ODI. The result also confirmed Bangladesh’s direct participation before the 30 September cutoff date, according to the report published and updated on 11 August 2026.

Under ICC rules, the top eight teams in the rankings by the cutoff date qualify directly for the main round. Because host South Africa are already among the top eight, the team ranked ninth also receives direct entry. Following the conclusion of the Ireland-Afghanistan series, ninth-ranked Bangladesh’s place in the main round became fully assured.

The other directly qualified teams are hosts South Africa, Zimbabwe, defending champions Australia, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and England. Tenth-ranked West Indies have two ODIs remaining against India before the cutoff, but cannot rise to ninth even by winning both matches. They have therefore failed to gain direct main-round entry for a second consecutive World Cup and must return to qualifying next February.

US President Donald Trump secretly departed Ankara, Turkey, for Britain aboard a smaller C-32A aircraft on July 8, according to an unnamed US official cited by The Washington Post and reported by Amardesh. The official said Trump was moved inside a catering container after initially boarding Air Force One.

Several US media outlets said Trump had arrived in Ankara on a new Air Force One obtained from Qatar to attend a NATO summit. They reported that a threat to his life prompted the last-minute aircraft change, citing a threat from an Iran-backed group. Journalists aboard the older Air Force One were instructed to keep their window shades down during the return from Ankara.

A Washington Post video reportedly showed a catering truck leaving the older Air Force One minutes after Trump boarded and moving toward the smaller C-32A. After both aircraft reached the United Kingdom, video showed Trump leaving the larger aircraft and walking toward the new Air Force One. It remains unconfirmed how he returned to the larger plane. White House communications director Steven Cheung said the new aircraft has high-level security systems.

A sand-laden vessel struck and collapsed an iron bridge over Jalobari canal in Rajapur, Jhalakathi, cutting road communication for three days. The incident occurred on Sunday morning on a connecting road from Putiyakhali Mirerhat in Galua union to the Arua-Sonargaon road. Thousands of people in Rajapur, Bhandaria and Kathalia upazilas have been affected.

Residents are crossing by ferry at risk and paying Tk5 per person because vehicles cannot use the route. The vessel was recovered and removed after the collision, but traffic has not resumed because the bridge has not been repaired. Locals said the bridge had already been in a vulnerable condition and required repairs for a long time.

They also alleged that bridges in different areas are damaged by sand-carrying vessels, while no effective action is taken against those responsible. The vessel’s owner, Badsha Sikdar, declined to comment. Rajapur Upazila Nirbahi Officer Rifat Ara Mouri said swift action would be taken to ease public suffering. Upazila Engineer Abhijit Majumdar said legal action would be taken against the vessel owner.

Education Minister A N M Ehsanul Haq Milon said no final decision has yet been made on an NTRCA-related issue involving MPO teachers. He described the matter as being at a preliminary discussion stage while speaking as chief guest at a seminar at the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Council auditorium on Tuesday afternoon.

Milon said someone among the “Guptas” had selectively quoted remarks and published them in newspapers, while students were responding to provocation without verification. He said the recruitment process for 77,000 teachers would be decided after selection. The minister also said it would not be acceptable for teachers to receive salaries and allowances while institutions record zero results.

He said action would be taken against educational institutions with zero passes. Milon described the education system as fragile and said the country had moved further backward over the past 20 years. He called the teacher shortage severe. Rejecting claims that SSC results had dropped, he said results or passes could not be forced.

Residents of Shibchar upazila in Madaripur are facing severe load-shedding, with some areas reportedly without electricity for 12 to 14 hours over recent days. Repeated daytime outages and prolonged nighttime disruptions have intensified hardship during hot weather, particularly for children, older people and those who are ill. Consumers have also complained of unusually high electricity bills in June and July despite what they describe as normal or lower usage.

Shibchar Palli Bidyut office said daytime demand is about 28 megawatts while supply is 12 megawatts. At night, demand rises to about 35 megawatts but supply reaches 17 megawatts, requiring rotational outages. Electricity-dependent businesses, including clinics, diagnostic centres, computer and photocopy services, mobile servicing and refrigeration-based operations, have reported disruptions and added generator fuel costs.

Battery-powered van and easy-bike drivers say inadequate overnight charging has reduced their earnings. Residents also report problems charging phones, operating water pumps and preserving food. Junior Engineer Jahirul Haque said supply is less than half of demand and said complaints about higher bills would be investigated, while conditions would improve if power supply increases.

Former India cricket captain and current Cricket Association of Bengal president Sourav Ganguly and his wife, Dona Ganguly, have received death threats, according to the report. A letter delivered to the CAB office threatened to kill them and their family. Ganguly filed a written complaint at Thakurpukur police station in south Kolkata on Monday.

Police and eyewitness sources said anonymous letters of various kinds had been arriving in Ganguly’s name for about six months. The matter had not initially received much attention, but alarm grew after one of two recent letters sent to the CAB office explicitly threatened Ganguly, his wife and close relatives. The report said the incident caused concern and commotion among cricket circles and fans.

According to PTI, police began an investigation immediately after receiving the complaint. Preliminary findings indicate the letters were sent through a courier service, with the suspected sender believed to be in the Belgharia area of North 24 Parganas district. Investigators are examining the letters’ origin, movements of SIM cards used and courier agency consignment records. Police are also taking steps to strengthen security for Ganguly and his family.

Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman will not attend the BRICS summit outreach programme scheduled in Delhi on September 12-13, according to multiple diplomatic sources in Dhaka and Delhi cited by Amar Desh. The decision has reportedly been conveyed informally to India, and a representative will attend in his place. The government has not yet made a formal announcement. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had invited Rahman on July 14 in his capacity as BIMSTEC chairperson.

Foreign Minister Dr Khalilur Rahman said no policy decision had been made on the prime minister's India visit, stressing that the invitation was addressed to the BIMSTEC chairperson rather than the prime minister. Foreign Ministry officials said the diplomatic letter did not use the title prime minister before Rahman's name and regarded that omission as disrespectful. A senior diplomat said he had received no information indicating the prime minister would attend.

During Indian High Commissioner Dinesh Trivedi's courtesy meeting with Rahman in Dhaka, Bangladesh raised the extradition of convicted Sheikh Hasina and suspects in the killing of Sharif Osman Hadi. Sources said there was limited preliminary discussion of a possible full bilateral India visit, but no final decision. Officials said preparations are under way for Rahman's September 21 trip to New York for the UN General Assembly.