The United States has launched a major operation to identify the sources of Iranian government and institutional assets scattered around the world, according to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. In remarks at a recent news conference, Bessent said Washington was searching globally for Iranian assets that could be seized. He said the funds would later be used for the welfare of Iran’s general public. The report was published on July 31, 2026.

The move follows an announcement by US President Donald Trump that seized or confiscated Iranian assets would be used to compensate for damage to any ships and cargo in the Strait of Hormuz. The report describes Trump’s declaration as controversial. Tehran responded strongly and condemned the announcement soon after it was made.

Bessent’s comments were presented as part of the broader sequence of US statements concerning Iranian assets and Hormuz-related damage. According to the report, the developments have generated renewed tension in the Middle East and in the global economic arena. The article cited Al Jazeera as its source.

Italian football legend Franco Baresi has died at the age of 66, his former club AC Milan confirmed in a statement reported on July 31, 2026. The club did not disclose a specific cause of death. Baresi had surgery in August 2025 to remove a lung tumour and had faced health struggles afterward.

AC Milan expressed deep sorrow on social media, saying Baresi’s principles and integrity would remain embedded in the club’s DNA, alongside the legacy of his retired number 6 shirt. Born in Lombardy in May 1960, Baresi joined Milan’s youth team in 1974 and made his first-team debut in 1978 before turning 18. He became captain at 22.

Baresi spent his entire 20-year club career with Milan, playing 719 official matches before retiring in 1997. Under his leadership, Milan won 19 trophies, including six Serie A titles and three European Cups. He made 81 appearances and scored once for Italy between 1979 and 1994, winning the 1982 World Cup and captaining the 1994 World Cup runners-up.

UEFA has strongly opposed FIFA’s plan to sell ownership stakes in its international competitions to private investors, warning it will boycott all FIFA tournaments if the proposal remains in place. The report, published on July 31, 2026, said CONCACAF, the football body for North and Central America, has also backed Europe’s position.

UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin said football is not a product for sale. UEFA described FIFA’s move as undemocratic and as a system of rule through intimidation. The dispute could create major uncertainty over the participation of European teams in FIFA competitions if it continues.

The Under-20 Women’s World Cup in Poland in September and the Under-17 Men’s World Cup in Qatar in November could face serious disruption. Major European teams including Spain, France, Italy and England were expected to take part in those events. If the conflict is not resolved over the longer term, the future of the 2027 Women’s World Cup and the main 2030 World Cup could also fall into deep uncertainty.

FIFA has begun examining the feasibility of expanding the World Cup from 48 to 64 teams from 2030, amid intense debate inside and outside the organisation over tournament expansion and plans to introduce private investment into the competition. The report, published on July 31, said FIFA is pursuing the assessment despite opposition to the proposed changes.

According to an internal document cited by The Times, FIFA completed an initial briefing on July 30. An independent study will assess how a 64-team World Cup could affect broadcasting, sponsorship, revenue and the wider football structure. The deadline for proposals is August 7, a final organisation is due to be selected on August 14, and FIFA plans to receive a full report by September 11.

CONMEBOL president Alejandro Dominguez has publicly supported a 64-team tournament, while the African confederation has not made an official comment. Analysts said the proposal could significantly reshape football diplomacy and tournament formats. The report also said Spain and Portugal, the main hosts of the 2030 World Cup, could lose automatic qualification for the main tournament.

NCP Rangpur divisional organising secretary and Kurigram-2 lawmaker Dr Atiq Mujahid alleged that BNP members carried out a surprise attack on National Citizen Party activists after a peaceful protest march in Fulbaria, Kurigram. He made the allegation on Friday night while visiting an injured NCP leader at Rangpur Medical College Hospital.

Mujahid met injured activists, asked about their physical condition and spoke with relevant people about their treatment. He assured them that the party would stand beside them. He also alleged that the administration was remaining silent in many cases and, in some places, was not taking appropriate action even after complaints. He said failures and inaction were visible at different levels of the administration.

Referring to the Fulbaria incident, Mujahid said Chhatra Shakti general secretary Shawon was attacked while leaving after the peaceful march. He said Shawon's nose was split, his eye was injured and he suffered a serious head injury. Mujahid called for peaceful political campaigning and democratic methods, saying the struggle against those he described as terrorists would continue.

Youth and Sports State Minister Aminul Haque gave a new mobile phone and cash assistance to the mother of Kisku, a leading striker in the Rangpur division’s champion football team at the first edition of Notun Kuri Sports. The assistance was handed over at a special event at the minister’s office in Mirpur on July 31. Kisku had told media that she wanted her mother to have a phone so she could share the joy of becoming champion.

After learning of Kisku’s request through media reports, the minister and ministry officials decided to act. Officials initially could not locate Kisku’s mother, who had come to Dhaka seeking work. Following wider media coverage, the minister ordered swift action, and officials eventually found her, allowing the request to be fulfilled.

The minister said Kisku’s mother has not yet secured permanent work and that arrangements have been decided for her permanent employment. He also said all awarded young athletes from the tournament and their guardians have been invited to a dinner at the state residence Jamuna. Information on the invitees is being collected, and the event will be formally arranged according to the prime minister’s schedule.

Ganosamhati Andolon political council member and State Minister for Planning Zonayed Abdur Rahim Saki said a democratic transition cannot proceed at this stage without minimum national consensus. He made the remarks on Friday at a July public rally organised by the party at the Central Shaheed Minar in the capital, marking two years since the July mass uprising. Saki said efforts would be made to implement political and constitutional reforms in line with the mandate he said voters had given for implementation of the July National Charter.

He said the government should ensure rights and dignity in state life for every person regardless of class, religion, ethnicity or gender identity. Saki warned that, after nationalist fascism had been driven out, another form of fascism was seeking to divide people through religious and other narratives. He said such forces were trying to create public tension while the government pursued the aspirations of July.

The rally was inaugurated by Ayesha Bibi, mother of slain Zulfiqar Ahmed Shakil, and began with silence in memory of those killed. Acting chief coordinator Dewan Abdur Rashid Nilu said the interim government had responsibilities for justice, reform and elections. While election and justice processes had begun, he said the group was disappointed by progress on reforms and hoped the government would complete them promptly.

Russian scientists reported promising initial results from the first use of Neoncovac, a personalized mRNA vaccine developed to treat melanoma skin cancer. The first experimental recipient developed the intended immune response and is currently well, according to a report published on July 31, 2026. The vaccine was first administered in April at Moscow’s Herzen Oncology Research Institute to a 60-year-old man with stage-three melanoma and metastases.

Alexander Ginzburg, scientific director of the Gamaleya National Research Institute, said the vaccine activated immune mechanisms needed to fight the tumour. The patient’s physical condition remains normal and treatment is continuing. Doctors plan to administer two further doses while closely monitoring the effectiveness of the patient’s immune system throughout the treatment.

The approach uses genetic analysis of samples from a patient’s tumour and healthy tissue to create an individual vaccine intended to target cancer cells. Ginzburg said vaccines are being prepared for 10 more patients and may be ready for use within one and a half to three months. Russia’s Health Ministry approved two personalized cancer-treatment technologies last year, including Neoncovac and the peptide-based colorectal cancer drug Oncopepti.

National Citizen Party (NCP) convener and opposition chief whip Nahid Islam said Bangladesh must be specially prepared to confront challenges posed by Indian dominance because of its geography and long border. He made the remarks at a global diaspora conference organized by the NCP Global Diaspora Cell on Google Meet on Tuesday night, marking the July mass uprising. The party announced the remarks on Friday.

Opposing all forms of dominance, Nahid said India’s influence in Bangladesh differs from other forms of dominance. He alleged that the Awami League government remained in power for a long time with India’s direct support, and that issues including Bangladesh’s fair share of river water and border killings reflected attempts to turn the country into a tributary state.

Nahid called for diaspora Bangladeshis to receive proper voting rights and take active roles in national development and state-building. He said the aspirations for state change cannot be met merely by holding elections, stressing implementation of the July Charter and fundamental reforms in the judiciary, administration, police and economic structure. More than 400 expatriate Bangladeshis from various countries and NCP leaders and activists attended the conference.

Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said the United States must pay for what he described as recent US aggression on Qeshm Island in southern Iran. The remarks were reported on July 31, 2026, citing Iranian state media, which said Ghalibaf made the statement on his virtual page.

Ghalibaf wrote that the United States was making its hands “more bloody” through new acts of aggression every day. He described an attack on a residential house on Qeshm Island as a terrorist attack and said it was a continuation of crimes in Minab and Lamerd.

The speaker also said that, in response to what they were receiving as “slaps” on the battlefield, they were committing crimes and shedding the blood of innocent people. He reiterated that the United States would have to pay a price for these actions. The report named Press TV as its source.

Yemen’s Ansarullah movement leader Sayyed Abdul Malik al-Houthi alleged that Saudi Arabia used “all its power” to protect Israel from drones and missiles launched from Yemen. In a Thursday speech reported on July 31, he said Saudi Arabia had attempted to intercept the attacks and had downed some Yemeni missiles and drones directed at Israel.

Al-Houthi said Yemen had informed Riyadh that the flight paths of its drones and missiles would be set outside Saudi airspace. He claimed Yemeni drones deliberately avoided Saudi airspace so that Saudi Arabia would have no pretext to attack, but alleged that Saudi forces nevertheless tried to intercept them. He also said many Arab governments had moved toward pro-Israel policies.

In the same address, al-Houthi condemned what he described as US and Saudi aggression against Iraq and expressed solidarity with Iraq’s people, security forces, fighters and families of martyrs. He claimed the United States and Israel sought to weaken or eliminate forces in Iran, Lebanon, Palestine and elsewhere in the region that they regard as obstacles to their plans.

Information and Broadcasting Minister Zahir Uddin Swapan said work is under way to establish an acceptable media commission aimed at ensuring accountability in the media and an environment for professional journalism. He said a draft for the proposed commission would be prepared within a short time. Swapan made the remarks on Friday afternoon at a discussion meeting at the Barishal Circuit House.

The meeting was organised by the Barishal Television and Multimedia Association and the district committee for preventing harassment of journalists. The minister expressed hope that an acceptable commission could be formed with everyone’s cooperation. He said the body would create a strong framework to encourage honest journalism and establish effective resistance against dishonest journalism.

Participants discussed journalists’ professional responsibilities, media freedom, accountability and measures to ensure a safe working environment for journalists. Representatives from the association, the journalists’ harassment prevention committee, Barishal press clubs and various media outlets attended the meeting.

Rohingya refugees in camps in Ukhiya, Cox’s Bazar, appealed to US Special Envoy for South and Central Asia Sergio Gor for a safe return to Myanmar. On the afternoon of July 31, they stood peacefully in front of his motorcade with leaflets and placards during his camp visit, calling for safe, voluntary and dignified repatriation. They also urged the international community to take prompt and effective action.

Rohingya youth Ahmad Ullah said refugees had endured uncertain lives in the camps for years and wanted to return only with citizenship rights, security and dignity guaranteed. Master Syed Ullah, an organizer of the United Council of Rohingya, thanked Bangladesh for its shelter but said future repatriation must guarantee full citizenship, equal rights, justice, security, international protection and Rohingya participation in decision-making.

The 11-member US delegation visited World Food Programme activities at Ukhiya’s Camp 4 and also toured Camp 8 West and Camp 6 before meeting officials at the Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commissioner’s office in Cox’s Bazar. APBn commander Riaz Uddin Ahmad said security arrangements were in place and the visit and Rohingya programme remained peaceful.

Dr Zubaida Rahman, vice president of the Ziaur Rahman Foundation, has called for a nationwide database and maintained register for people living with thalassemia and other congenital rare diseases in Bangladesh. She made the appeal on Friday afternoon at the “Blood Donor Honour 2026” event at the Institution of Engineers, Bangladesh auditorium in Ramna, Dhaka, marking World Blood Donor Day. The Bangladesh Thalassemia Samity organized the programme.

Rahman said that while thalassemia patients may not be fully cured, patients and their families should receive reassurance through comfort and compassion. She urged screening for mothers during pregnancy and said the disease can be detected through screening tests at any age. She also called for greater public awareness and for diagnostic services to be expanded to district hospitals, upazila health complexes, union and village levels.

She proposed training 100,000 newly recruited health workers on thalassemia symptoms, treatment and ways to reassure patients. She also recommended classifying identified patients as thalassemia major, minor and trait. Health Minister Sardar Md Sakhawat Hossain pledged maximum possible financial support upon application and backed premarital blood testing. Blood donors and institutions involved in blood donation were honoured at the event.

Hefazat-e-Islam Bangladesh has expressed concern over reports that teachers and students from Qawmi educational institutions are increasingly leaning toward Jamaat-e-Islami after several well-known Qawmi scholars joined the party. On July 16, leaders of seven Islamic parties from the Qawmi tradition held a discussion meeting at Jamea Azizul Uloom Babunagar Madrasa in Fatikchhari, Chattogram, at the call of Hefazat chief Allama Shah Muhibbullah Babunagari.

The meeting, chaired by Babunagari, included leaders from Hefazat and several Islamic groups, including Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam, Bangladesh Khelafat Majlish, Nezam-e-Islam Party, Islami Oikya Jote, Khelafat Andolan, Khelafat Majlish and Islami Andolon. Participants were given a message to move forward in unity, and leaders of the parties agreed to remain united.

A person present at the meeting said some students had joined Jamaat because Qawmi scholars were allied with it, and that the number could rise. Hefazat vice amir Maulana Ahmad Ali Qasemi said the issue was not on the formal agenda but arose in discussion. He said many scholars still do not regard Jamaat as an Islamic party of the righteous, while Qawmi youths’ reported tilt toward BNP was not discussed.