Singapore has called on Israel to stop its planned expansion of settlements in the occupied West Bank, saying such settlements violate international law. A Foreign Ministry spokesperson stated Monday that plans for new construction in the E1 area would further fragment the territory and seriously damage prospects for a two-state solution.

The ministry also voiced deep concern over increased violence by Israeli settlers against Palestinians in the West Bank. It said Israel must take firm action to end violence against Palestinian civilians and hold those responsible for attacks accountable. Singapore described a negotiated two-state solution, based on relevant UN Security Council resolutions, as the only effective path to a just and lasting resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

On August 18, the Israeli government invited tenders for more than 1,200 housing units in E1, an area of about 12 square kilometres near East Jerusalem. Around 3,700 Palestinians, mostly Bedouin residents from 18 villages, live there. The plan could make connections between East Jerusalem and the West Bank more difficult. Britain, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway and Canada have also raised concerns.

The United States has imposed sanctions on Singapore-based commodities trading company Wellbred Capital over alleged ties to Iran, according to the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control. OFAC announced the action on its website Monday, Reuters reported. Washington also alleged that the company is linked to Mohammad Hossein Shamkhani, son of the late Iranian senior security official Ali Shamkhani.

The Treasury Department said Wellbred Capital is effectively controlled by Mohammad Hossein Shamkhani, who operates a large fleet of tankers and cargo ships. It said the vessels transport Iranian and Russian oil to buyers around the world. The department said Shamkhani built Wellbred Capital outside Iran’s core business network while retaining control over its operations.

The sanctions also cover Wellbred Capital branches in Dubai and Geneva, as well as a biofuel refinery in France. The Treasury Department said the measure forms part of a wider US campaign targeting companies and governments accused of helping move Iranian oil and money abroad. The source said Ali Shamkhani was killed in air strikes launched by the United States and Israel on February 28.

The United States has sought information on five senior officials of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, offering a reward of up to $10 million and possible relocation assistance. The appeal was issued by the US State Department’s Rewards for Justice programme in a notice posted on X yesterday.

The officials named are IRGC commander Ahmad Vahidi, Ali Abdollahi, head of the Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, and Saeed Aghajani, commander of the Aerospace Force drone unit. The list also includes Hamidreza Lashgarian, head of the Cyber Electronic Command, and Majid Khademi, commander of the intelligence division.

The State Department said submitted information must be capable of helping authorities take action against the five officials. It said people providing qualifying information may be considered eligible for both the reward, capped at $10 million, and relocation benefits.

Argentina’s Swiss Medical health insurer acknowledged that medical test reports submitted to an investigating medical commission under Diego Armando Maradona’s name were actually records belonging to his father, Diego Salustiano Maradona. The error emerged in the ongoing medical negligence case over the Argentine football legend’s death, with documents seen by AFP indicating that the reports dated from 2015, the year his father died.

A lawyer representing one of seven health professionals on trial brought the mistake to public attention last week. Swiss Medical admitted the serious error in a letter filed with the court. The case concerns allegations by Maradona’s family that there was serious negligence in his medical treatment.

Maradona died in November 2020 at age 60, two weeks after successful surgery for a brain bleed. The source says his death involved cardiac arrest and acute pulmonary edema. The widely watched trial began in mid-April this year and is expected to continue at least until September.

Japan is seeing fewer people visit its beaches while erosion and climate change are causing sandy shorelines to disappear, forcing closures at several popular sites. Otake Coast Hokota Beach in Ibaraki Prefecture, northeast of Tokyo, once known as Ibaraki’s Gold Coast, was not officially opened in 2026 for the second time in three years because of severe erosion and damage to sea-defence embankments.

Visitor numbers have fallen sharply at other beaches. Osaka’s Tokimeki Beach received 101,000 visitors in 2016 but 33,000 in 2025, while Kumanoe Beach in Miyazaki Prefecture declined from about 25,000 visitors in 2005 to only 1,000 in 2025. Nationwide beach attendance dropped from about 37.9 million in 1985 to 4.4 million in 2024, while approved summer beaches fell from 1,379 in 1993 to 966 in 2025.

Experts cite changing lifestyles, extreme heat, declining interest and environmental damage. Sea level along Japan’s coast has risen by an average 3.4 millimetres annually over two decades. A 2025 sand replenishment project at Hokota cost about 40 million yen, but waves removed 12,000 cubic metres of sand within months.

Argentina defeated India 5-3 in a crucial Hockey World Cup pool match in Amstelveen, securing a place in the semifinals after 12 years. The result confirmed India’s elimination from the tournament. Argentina started aggressively, with Joaquin Toscani scoring in the first minute and Nicolas Della Torre extending the lead to 2-0 in the sixth minute.

Argentina increased their attacking momentum in the second half. Tomas Domene scored twice, in the 33rd and 45th minutes, to make it 4-0. Toscani then completed his second goal in the 53rd minute, giving Argentina a commanding 5-0 advantage.

India attempted a late comeback through two field goals from Sukhjit Singh in the 34th and 58th minutes, while Hardik Singh scored from a penalty stroke in the 36th minute. The fightback was not enough to avoid defeat. Defensive mistakes and Argentina’s planned attacking play ended India’s hopes, while Argentina secured a historic place in the last four.

Bagerhat District Detective Police recovered 59 allegedly stolen mobile phone sets with altered International Mobile Equipment Identity, or IMEI, numbers during a raid in Fakirhat. The operation was conducted at 9:40pm on Monday night at the mobile phone shops Rezaul Rahman Palash and Pushpa Telecom. Four people were detained in connection with the recovery.

The detainees were identified as Rezaur Rahman Palash, 34, of Pagla Shyamnagar in Fakirhat; Mohammad Wahidul Islam, 26, of Ataikathi in Bagerhat; Chandan Saha, 30, of Ghatbhog under Rupsa police station; and Huchhain Khan, son of Jahangir Khan of Bhat Baliaghata. Bagerhat Police Superintendent Hasan Mohammad Naser Rikabdar disclosed the information at a press briefing at his office on Tuesday morning.

The police superintendent said every mobile phone has an IMEI number used to identify the device, but members of the alleged theft ring changed those numbers. Three additional people linked to the group fled during the recovery operation. Police have filed a case against both the detained and absconding individuals and are continuing efforts to arrest those who fled. A process has also begun to return the recovered phones to their actual owners.

At least 20 sailors and port workers have been killed in the Strait of Hormuz since fighting between Iran and the United States-Israel began in late February this year, according to the International Maritime Organization. The deaths occurred in 68 incidents on the strategic waterway, the IMO said.

The organization reported that a further 35 people were injured in the incidents, while one person remains missing. It said most of the events were classified directly as “attacks.”

Based on IMO calculations, one incident has occurred on average every 2.6 days since the conflict began. The source did not provide further details on the individual incidents, the identities of those killed or injured, or the vessels and ports involved.

Three-wheeler drivers staged a blockade at Rahmatpur bus stand on the Barishal-Dhaka highway from 9am Tuesday, stopping internal-route bus services. Protesters turned back buses operating on the highway, leaving passengers travelling from Barishal to upazilas and other internal destinations facing severe disruption. Students, office commuters and people travelling for urgent needs were among those affected.

Driver Abdullah Mamun alleged that Mahindra and easy-bike drivers departing from Nathullabad in Barishal city are repeatedly obstructed by bus owners' association and workers' union activists. He alleged workers strike vehicles with sticks when drivers try to stop at Nathullabad bus terminal to pick up passengers. Bus owners, meanwhile, say unauthorized three-wheelers on the highway are causing financial losses, passenger shortages and increased accident risks.

The dispute over passenger transport has continued for a long time, according to the drivers. Bus owners and workers had begun a protest on Monday afternoon, halting long-distance services from Barishal, following allegations that several buses were vandalized near Shimultala on the Barishal-Banaripara route. Police are discussing the situation with both sides, and Airport Police Station officer-in-charge Md Shakhawat Hossain said traffic was expected to resume soon.

Yemen’s Houthi deputy foreign minister Abdulwahid Abu Ras described newly announced United States sanctions on Iran as part of a “psychological war.” In an interview with the Saba News Agency, he said Washington had turned to economic sanctions after military action had failed, aiming to create pressure on the Iranian people.

Abu Ras said the sanctions were directed against Iran’s population and characterized them as part of a US campaign of psychological warfare. The comments were issued by the Houthis following the announcement of the new US sanctions on Iran.

According to the Saba News Agency report, the Houthi official also warned countries in the region. He urged them not to allow themselves to be used as instruments in implementing what he described as unjust US measures against the Iranian people.

Chelsea began the new English Premier League season with a dramatic 3-2 away win over neighbouring Fulham, ending a four-year wait for an opening-match league victory. Joao Pedro scored after 31 seconds from Cole Palmer’s pass, while Palmer later struck the winning goal through goalkeeper Bernd Leno’s legs.

The match also brought together former Real Madrid coaches Xabi Alonso, now in charge of Chelsea, and Fulham’s Alvaro Arbeloa. Fulham levelled in the first half when teenage midfielder Josh King beat Chelsea goalkeeper Roberto Sanchez with a powerful shot.

Chelsea’s new record signing Morgan Rogers scored the team’s second goal on his debut, assisted by fellow debutant Maxence Lacroix. Fulham’s new recruit from Real Madrid, Gonzalo Garcia, restored parity and raised hopes of a point for Arbeloa’s side. Palmer’s late finish, however, secured Chelsea’s 3-2 win and gave Alonso a victorious start to his Premier League chapter.

Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal ordered Brigadier General Miftah Uddin Ahmed and former Cox’s Bazar lawmaker Abdur Rahman Bodi sent to jail in a crimes against humanity case over the alleged killing of Ekramul Haque in Teknaf in 2018. The two were brought before Tribunal-2 on Tuesday morning, where a judge issued the detention order after a hearing.

The prosecution submitted formal charges on July 26 against 11 people, including the death-sentenced Hasina, in the case. After taking the charges into cognizance, the tribunal issued arrest warrants for eight fugitives. Other defendants include former ministers, police officials and military officers, according to the case details.

Ekramul Haque was killed in what was described as a “gunfight” in Teknaf, Cox’s Bazar, on the night of May 26, 2018. He was a councillor for Ward 3 of Teknaf municipality and president of the local Upazila Jubo League. The incident drew widespread discussion, and the case is now under judicial proceedings at Tribunal-2.

International Crimes Tribunal-2 has ordered newspaper notices directing seven accused, including Sheikh Hasina, to appear in a crimes against humanity case over the alleged killing of Ekramul Haque in Teknaf, Cox’s Bazar, in 2018. The three-member panel, led by Justice Nazrul Islam Chowdhury, issued the order on Tuesday afternoon after the seven did not appear before the court.

The other accused named in the notice order are former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, former road transport minister Obaidul Quader, former inspector general of police Benazir Ahmed, Major Ruhul Amin, army officer Nazmus Sakib and former army officer Ashiqur Rahman. The panel’s other members are Manjurul Basid and Nur Mohammad Shahriar Kabir.

On 26 July, prosecutors submitted formal charges against 11 people, including Sheikh Hasina. The tribunal took cognisance of the charges and issued arrest warrants for eight fugitives, directing them to appear on the scheduled date. Brigadier General Miftah Uddin Ahmed appeared, while former MP Abdur Rahman Badi, Brigadier General Mahbub Alam and Colonel Anwar Latif were brought before the tribunal and sent to jail in the case.

Egypt’s government has approved the establishment of a special free economic zone in New Alamein for Fujairah Alamein Oil and Gas Company, which is linked to Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates. The zone will cover about 738,000 square metres and will be used for storing and trading crude oil and various petroleum products.

Egypt’s Ministry of Investment and Foreign Trade said the project aims to use New Alamein’s geographical location and infrastructure to expand regional energy trade. Under the government decision, the company must export all of its produced goods outside Egypt and use at least 50 percent local components in production.

The company must obtain environmental clearance and other required government approvals before implementing the project. The initiative follows earlier energy-sector cooperation between Egypt and Fujairah: in October 2025, the sides signed agreements on creating a logistics zone in Alamein for crude oil and petroleum-product storage and trade, including plans to develop and expand El-Hamra Petroleum Port.

Police detained Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation storekeeper Md Akhtarul Islam, 35, over allegations that about 227 metric tonnes of government fertiliser were sold without approval in Dinajpur. The operation was conducted around 11pm on Monday at a BADC government fertiliser warehouse in the Nashipur area of Dinajpur Sadar upazila. Police said the warehouse official was taken into custody during the raid.

According to police, Akhtarul Islam admitted during preliminary questioning that he sold a total of 227 metric tonnes of fertiliser at different times in July and August without permission from higher authorities. Police also said they found information indicating the involvement of two BADC-contracted dealers, Sohag Hossain of Birganj upazila and Ansarul Islam of Kaharol upazila.

BADC said Nashipur has two government fertiliser warehouses, named Kanchan and Steel, with a combined storage capacity of about 18,000 metric tonnes for MOP, DAP and TSP fertilisers. Kotwali police station officer-in-charge Mohammad Nurnabi said BADC authorities were preparing to file a case and legal procedures were under way. He said police would take action against others if the investigation finds evidence of their involvement.