The Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) said pending legal cases against its current members will continue even as the government advances plans to replace the force with a police-run Special Response Battalion (SRB). At a press briefing at the RAB Media Centre in Karwan Bazar on Thursday, Legal and Media Wing Director Wing Commander MZM Entekhb Choudhury said the draft law for the new force preserves proceedings under the existing law.

He said no legal vacuum would arise from RAB’s organisational change because the draft’s final section addresses ongoing trials involving members under RAB. The proposed law has been opened for public opinion, and relevant authorities will consider suggestions and possible amendments. Choudhury said the proposal would redefine the force’s responsibilities, command structure, operations and member accountability, including action against wrongdoing or corruption.

RAB also reported solving the robbery of Tk 12.1 million from a DL Filling Station cash vehicle near Airport Road on August 9, recovering Tk 4.8 million and arresting three people. It said 12 people were detained over alleged extortion at Kamarpra fruit market in Turag, with Tk 11,220 recovered. Over the past month, RAB said it seized 104 weapons and arrested 60 people in operations nationwide.

Gaza’s Health Ministry said 10 more Palestinians were killed and 25 wounded in Israeli attacks across the Gaza Strip during the past 24 hours. The ministry released the latest figures on Thursday, according to Middle East Eye, with the article published on August 20, 2026.

The ministry said the bodies of 10 people and 25 injured people were taken to hospitals in different parts of Gaza. It did not provide details about the conditions of those injured. It also said many people remained trapped beneath rubble, while rescue and emergency workers were unable to reach them.

With the latest casualties, the ministry put the number of Palestinians killed in Israeli attacks in Gaza since October 2023 at 73,417. It said 174,360 others had been injured. The ministry also reported that 1,283 Palestinians had been killed and 4,248 wounded in Israeli attacks since a so-called ceasefire took effect in October 2025.

Bangladesh’s Department of Environment has ordered all work stopped on a vessel at Ferdous Shipyard in Bhatiari, Sitakunda, after fears emerged that two remaining ballast tanks may contain toxic gas or harmful chemical substances. Water samples from the two tanks have been sent to a laboratory in Dhaka, and operations will remain suspended until test results are available.

The vessel had four partitioned ballast tanks containing water for balance during dismantling. Nine workers died from toxic gas exposure while working in the third partition after the fourth had been cut. The first and second partitions remain intact. During sample collection, dense black sludge was found at the bottom of three tanks, raising concerns that it could contain chemicals or be a source of toxic gas.

The deaths occurred on August 14 during cutting work inside a ship tank, while several other workers became ill and received hospital treatment. The incident raised questions over gas testing, gas-free certificates, entry safety checks and worker protection. Workers now demand laboratory results and expert safety assessments before anyone enters the remaining tanks.

Turkey, Egypt and Qatar have strongly condemned recent Israeli attacks in Gaza in a joint statement issued Thursday. The three countries said Israel must fulfill its obligations under the ceasefire agreement and refrain from any actions that could increase tensions. They called for efforts to preserve the ceasefire and prevent a further expansion of the conflict.

The mediator countries said the increased intensity of Israeli attacks was undermining regional and international efforts being pursued to implement a “comprehensive plan” aimed at ending the Gaza conflict. Their statement linked the attacks to risks facing the wider diplomatic process.

Turkey, Egypt and Qatar said constructive progress was being made in discussions, including meetings between the Board of Peace and Israeli officials. They warned that the Israeli attacks were harming those efforts. The three countries urged the international community and the Board of Peace to take necessary measures to maintain the ceasefire and avert further escalation.

Tejgaon College marketing student Ratul Hasan testified before International Crimes Tribunal-1 that his left knee was shattered after he was shot during a July protest in Rampura. The 23-year-old gave his statement on Thursday before a two-member tribunal led by Justice Md Golam Mortuza Mozumder, with Judge Md Mohitul Haque Enam Chowdhury as the other member.

Hasan said he joined Anti-Discrimination Student Movement programmes from the beginning and became more determined after the deaths of Abu Sayed in Rangpur and Wasim in Chattogram, and attacks on students at Dhaka University. He said police and Border Guard Bangladesh personnel opened fire without warning near Rampura Multicare Hospital after Friday prayers on 19 July.

According to his testimony, a bullet entered below his left knee from behind and exited through the front, causing about one and a half inches of bone loss. He received treatment at Dhaka Medical College Hospital and later underwent prolonged treatment at Sina Hospital. Hasan said he has not fully recovered and sought justice for those who ordered and carried out the shooting.

Bangladesh received $2.031 billion in expatriate income during the first 19 days of August, according to information confirmed by Bangladesh Bank spokesperson Arif Hossain Khan on Thursday. The inflow indicates that the country’s remittance trend has continued, while foreign-exchange reserves have also increased alongside the stronger expatriate income.

Remittances during the first 19 days of August were 29.10 percent higher than in the same period a year earlier. Bangladesh received $1.573 billion during the corresponding 19-day period of last August. The reported figures show a substantial year-on-year rise in remittance inflows during the current month.

From July 1 to August 19 of the current fiscal year, total remittance inflows reached $4.89 billion, compared with $4.051 billion in the same period of the previous fiscal year. This represented an increase of 20.70 percent. Bangladesh Bank’s latest data put total foreign-exchange reserves at $37.24 billion, while reserves measured under the IMF’s BPM6 methodology stood at $32.43 billion.

Bangladeshi rock musician James, leader of the band Nagarbaul, and his travelling companions have faced allegations after a show in Rome, Italy. Best Western hotel management alleged that an apartment room was left dirty and disorganised and that the group departed without informing reception. The hotel sought a minimum €200 cleaning fee to resolve the matter.

Photos and screenshots circulated on social media showed plastic water bottles and polythene bags on the floor, leftover food on a dining table, and dirty dishes in a kitchen sink with broken raw eggs. Hotel authorities reportedly told an organiser’s representative that a final additional €200 cleaning charge would be required for future use of the hotel.

James’s manager, Rubaiyat Thakur Robin, dismissed the issue as trivial and denied that the group left without notice. He said the team occupied four rooms, while the complained-about room, number 549, was occupied by another musician. Organiser Hossain Ahmed Moaz also accused Robin of fraud, accounting irregularities and illegal money transfers; no clear formal response has been issued by James or Robin on those financial allegations.

A Facebook post by Mohammad Rayhan Alam, described as an associate of alleged top criminal Boro Sazzad, has drawn renewed attention in Chattogram after the recent arrest of Mobarak Hossain, also known as David Emon. In the post made Tuesday, Rayhan said he was not alone despite associates being in jail and suggested that more people linked to “Sazzad bhai” remained abroad. He also wrote that an update would come within a few days.

Rayhan claimed that “hundreds” like him were in Sazzad’s network and said he would establish his identity through actions rather than increasing numbers. He also alleged that groups in Raozan were preparing to attack him, but did not identify them or provide evidence. The claims in his Facebook post could not be independently verified.

District Police Superintendent Masud Alam said police were bringing criminals such as David Emon and Dhama Ilyas under the law and were trying to apprehend Rayhan as well. Police and intelligence officials are examining whether anyone is attempting to assume leadership after arrests of key associates. They say surveillance continues on people still outside who are linked to the group.

Mastul Foundation says its Mastul Mehmankhana initiative is providing free, cooked nutritious meals daily to more than a thousand people at 20 designated locations across Dhaka. The programme targets hungry, low-income and disadvantaged people, including street children, rickshaw pullers, day labourers, workers and elderly people. Meals are prepared in the foundation’s own kitchen and delivered by separate volunteer teams to the designated points.

Founder and Executive Director Kazi Riaz Rahman said feeding a hungry person is a humanitarian and moral responsibility, rather than merely charity. He said the initiative seeks to ensure that those receiving food are treated with dignity rather than as recipients of alms. Chief Executive Officer Mohammad Akmal Hossain Azad described the programme as an effort to protect human dignity and said every visitor is regarded as an honoured guest.

The foundation called on government and private institutions, corporate bodies, donors, volunteers and financially capable people to support expansion of the initiative beyond the capital. Mastul Foundation is a registered, non-profit, non-political volunteer humanitarian organisation that has worked for disadvantaged people and children for more than a decade.

US Central Command said the aircraft carrier USS George Washington has been deployed to the Middle East. In a statement posted on X, CENTCOM said the George Washington Carrier Strike Group arrived in its area of responsibility on Tuesday as part of a scheduled deployment and began operations in the region.

The deployment comes as concerns have been raised over the strain and quality of life of personnel aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, which has been stationed in the Middle East for more than 250 days. The source did not provide further details about the reported concerns.

US officials had previously said the George Washington was planned to replace the Abraham Lincoln in the Middle East. CENTCOM described the arrival as part of the carrier group's scheduled deployment, while the report did not specify its operational tasks or the timetable for the Lincoln's departure.

Biman Bangladesh Airlines has transferred and appointed five pilots to several operational and training positions, according to separate office orders issued by its Administration and Human Resources Directorate. The orders, issued on August 19, direct the officials concerned to take the necessary steps to assume duties at their new workplaces and state that the changes take effect immediately.

Line pilot Mohammad Abdur Rahman Ahmed has been appointed deputy chief of training. Deputy chief of training Saleq Aladin has been moved to deputy chief of technical, while deputy chief of technical Anita Rahman has been assigned as a line pilot.

In a separate order, chief of technical operations Tanvir Khurshid has been transferred to a line pilot role. Line pilot Golam Kaysar Rashedin has been appointed chief of technical operations. Biman’s directors, general managers, chiefs, chief engineers and relevant departments have been notified of the transfers and appointments.

Three motorcycles belonging to a journalist and two other people were reported stolen from the garage of Golapbanu Tower, a residential building in West Shewrapara, Mirpur, Dhaka. The theft allegedly occurred between after 11pm on August 16 and 9:30am on August 17. Journalist Shimul Hossain filed a case under Penal Code section 380 at Mirpur Model Police Station on August 20.

The motorcycles were a Yamaha FZ Version 2 owned by Hossain, a Suzuki Monoton 150cc owned by Rifat Alam Farhad, and a Pulsar N-160 owned by Kazi Nesar Ahmed. Their combined estimated market value was about Tk697,000. The complainants said they regularly paid to use the garage and had locked their motorcycles there.

The case alleges that garage guard Md Abdul Mannan was asleep on the night of the theft and has not been seen at work since. It also expresses suspicion of direct or indirect assistance by building owners Nur Alam, Akram and Akbar, while they deny responsibility. Mirpur Model Police Station officer-in-charge Hafizur Rahman said CCTV footage is being reviewed to identify those involved and recover the motorcycles.

Bangladesh’s government has ordered stricter attendance controls for doctors and health workers at public hospitals and health-service institutions. Under an office order issued on August 20, employees who are absent will not have their salary bills released until their absence is resolved. The government also decided to introduce biometric attendance and geofencing technology across all health-service institutions within 30 days.

The order, signed by Assistant Director of Administration-1 Dr Kamrul Islam on behalf of the Directorate General of Health Services, followed an August 16 meeting chaired by Health Services Division Secretary Md Kamruzzaman Chowdhury. The meeting reviewed progress on implementing instructions issued by the prime minister after an inspection of the Health Services Division.

A real-time digital dashboard under the directorate’s Management Information System is to be launched within three weeks. Attendance data will be integrated with the government’s iBAS payroll software and linked to salaries, leave and promotions. Ministry officials have been assigned as divisional and district-level tag officers, while health administrators must submit weekly electronic attendance reports.

A tenth-grade student named Limon, 16, died after drowning in the Punarbhaba River near Dinajpur city. His body was recovered on Thursday afternoon from the river near Ulipur in Dinajpur Sadar upazila. Police detained four of his classmates for questioning in connection with the incident.

Limon, son of Liton Islam of Sipahipara in Dinajpur city, was a student at Tofiyuddin Memorial High School. According to local residents cited by Kotwali police Sub-Inspector Sahadat Hossain, several students entered the river to bathe in Mahutpara on Wednesday afternoon. Limon went missing in the water during the bath.

Fire Service personnel and local people searched for him but could not find him, after which a diving team from Rangpur Fire Service joined the rescue operation. His body surfaced in the river beside Ulipur village at 1pm on Thursday. Kotwali police recovered the body and sent it to Dinajpur Medical College morgue for an autopsy. SI Sahadat Hossain said legal action would be taken.

Bangladesh Bank has launched a Tk 100 billion refinancing scheme to expand financing for agriculture and rural sectors, completing participation agreements with 42 banks. The central bank disclosed the development in a press release on Thursday, August 20, 2026. The scheme runs for three years from June 8, with the customer-level lending interest rate set at 8 percent.

Loans under the scheme are available for crops, agricultural machinery, livestock, fisheries, and rural income-generating activities. A customer may receive up to Tk 3 million for crops, Tk 1.5 million for income-generating activities and other rural loans, Tk 2 million for agricultural machinery, and up to Tk 10 million for fisheries and livestock.

Small, marginal and sharecroppers may obtain collateral-free individual loans of up to Tk 500,000 for crop cultivation, using only crop lien arrangements. Bangladesh Bank said the initiative will widen agricultural financing, support agricultural production and rural income, create employment opportunities, and contribute to ensuring the country’s food security.