Discussion over moving Northern Electricity Supply Company, or NESCO, Limited’s headquarters from Rajshahi to Bogura has resurfaced after a recent Power Division letter. Issued on July 16 by the Company Affairs-1 branch, the letter asked the company’s managing director to assess and submit views on the possible financial, administrative and operational effects of a relocation. The disclosure has prompted concern among political, social, business and professional groups in Rajshahi.

A feasibility committee had previously been formed in March after a DO letter from the state minister for Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives. The report says that effort largely stalled amid strong public reaction in Rajshahi. Managing Director Md Mashiuor Rahman said he had received the ministry’s letter and that the company would discuss the matter with its board before sending its views to the government.

Protesters at a human chain outside NESCO’s headquarters said a move could harm Rajshahi’s administrative standing, employment, commerce, housing, transport and local economy. Sources supporting a review cited delays in some administrative work for the Rangpur region, while NESCO operates across 16 districts in Rajshahi and Rangpur divisions. Opponents urged consideration of digital management and stronger regional offices as alternatives.

Border Guard Bangladesh’s Nildumur Battalion, known as 17 BGB, destroyed seized narcotics worth Tk319.4 million from border areas of Satkhira. The destruction took place formally at the Nildumur Battalion headquarters at 11 a.m. on Tuesday. Brigadier General Mahmudul Hasan, regional commander of BGB’s South West Region, attended as chief guest.

According to BGB sources, 41 people were detained in operations conducted at different times in the border areas of Shyamnagar, Debhata and Kaliganj between September 7, 2023, and July 11, 2026. Authorities seized smuggled goods worth Tk518.6 million during those operations, including narcotics valued at Tk319.4 million.

The destroyed items included alcohol, Phensedyl and similar drugs, yaba, cannabis, heroin, LSD and crystal meth, also known as ice. Indian leaf cigarettes, illegal medicines, Sukhi pills and narcotic tablets were also destroyed. Mahmudul Hasan said BGB was working firmly toward a drug-free country and called for public participation alongside law enforcement agencies to build awareness and social resistance against drug trafficking.

United States and Saudi Arabian joint forces carried out airstrikes against Iran-backed armed groups in Iraq, killing eight members and injuring four others, according to a report published on July 29, 2026. US Central Command said the strikes targeted weapons depots and logistics facilities of several groups across eastern Iraq.

CENTCOM said the groups had acted under instructions from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, or IRGC, to attack US forces and Saudi Arabia's energy infrastructure. It described the joint action as a response to more than 30 IRGC-directed drone attacks over the previous 72 hours and said the strikes were precise.

In its statement, CENTCOM called the IRGC drone attacks “unprovoked” and said they had failed to achieve any objectives. The command also claimed that Iran-backed Iraqi armed groups attempted more than 600 attacks against US citizens and various facilities between February and April this year. CENTCOM warned that the United States could take further military action if such attacks continue.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met US President Donald Trump at the White House and described the meeting as “one of the best ever,” according to a report published on July 29, 2026. Netanyahu also rejected suggestions of strains in relations between the United States and Israel.

Speaking to Fox News after the meeting, Netanyahu said the two countries shared the same goal of preventing Iran’s nuclear programme. He said those waiting to find a crack in the alliance would instead see a relationship as strong as a granite wall.

Addressing Iran, Netanyahu said they did not want Tehran’s “extremist government” to possess nuclear weapons that could threaten Americans, world peace and Israel’s existence. Since Trump returned to office for a second term in January 2025, Netanyahu has visited the White House eight times, more than any other foreign leader, the report said.

A Dhaka court sentenced private driver Hridoy Bepari, also known as Md Hridoy Mia, to death for the killing of homeowner Afroza Sultana in Middle Badda. Dhaka Third Additional Metropolitan Sessions Judge Mohammad Moin Uddin Chowdhury delivered the verdict on the morning of Wednesday, July 29. Sultana was found brutally killed with her throat cut at her second-floor flat in a multistorey building in Middle Badda on March 13, 2022.

Additional Public Prosecutor Md Zahidul Islam (Kaiyum) said the court convicted Hridoy under Section 302 of the Penal Code, 1860. He cited the motive, the accused's exclusive presence in CCTV footage, physical evidence, recovery of looted items and the continuity of forensic evidence. He said the victim's family and the prosecution were satisfied with the ruling.

In its observations, the court described the crime as among the rarest of rare, saying a trusted employee exploited that trust to kill an innocent woman in a brutal and calculated manner. The victim's brother filed the murder case the following day. The trial concluded within 30 working days after charges were framed, with testimony and cross-examination of 12 witnesses. The defence said it would appeal to the High Court.

A Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami delegation met the Election Commission led by Chief Election Commissioner A M M Nasir Uddin on Wednesday, July 29. The meeting began at about 11:30am in the meeting room of the Election Building.

The delegation was led by Jamaat-e-Islami Secretary General and former member of parliament Mia Golam Porwar. Election commissioners and other Election Commission officials also attended the meeting.

The report did not provide details on the meeting’s agenda, discussions, decisions or statements from either side. It said the meeting between the commission and the Jamaat delegation was under way.

Hundreds of people protested in Washington, United States, demanding the arrest of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during his visit to the country. Demonstrators called for enforcement of an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court against Netanyahu. The report was published and updated on July 29, 2026.

Verified Al Jazeera video showed protesters moving toward the White House despite heavy rain and tight security. Demonstrators chanted slogans describing Netanyahu as a genocidaire while calling for action against him.

Some protesters entered the lobby of the Four Seasons hotel in Georgetown, where Netanyahu was having dinner. Security officials forcibly removed them from the site. The ICC issued arrest warrants in 2024 against Netanyahu and former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant over allegations of war crimes and crimes against humanity during Israel's genocide in Gaza.

Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission has decided to seek an explanation from the Dhaka Stock Exchange over the renewal of stock broker and stock dealer registration certificates for Monarch Holdings, owned by former national cricket captain Shakib Al Hasan. The decision was taken at a commission meeting chaired by BSEC Chairman Masud Khan on July 29, according to a notice signed by BSEC spokesperson Abul Kalam.

The notice said DSE had earlier made a positive recommendation for renewal without properly completing required information in prescribed Form “Cha” under the relevant 2000 regulations. BSEC described this as contrary to the rules and a clear failure in DSE’s regulatory responsibilities. After BSEC sought an explanation, DSE submitted the form and necessary information but did not provide a specific regulatory recommendation either for or against renewal.

BSEC also decided to instruct DSE to send a definite recommendation on Monarch Holdings’ renewal within five working days of receiving the letter, along with necessary information, analysis and regulatory assessment. DSE said the earlier omission resulted from unavailable necessary information. The report says Monarch Holdings began operations on October 20, 2020.

The death toll from a major landslide in Pengshui County, Chongqing municipality in southwestern China, has risen to 41, authorities said Tuesday night. The landslide struck on July 17, burying several residential buildings at the foot of a mountain and along a riverbank. Officials identified 30 additional victims after DNA testing and confirmation of identities from bodies and remains recovered at the site.

The reported death toll had stood at 11 as of last Friday. State media footage showed large amounts of rock and earth covering a residential and commercial road. Hundreds of rescue workers carried out operations at the scene, according to the report.

Rescuers had previously said there were no signs of survivors while searching for 50 people missing under the debris. Two weeks earlier, another landslide in the northwestern province of Gansu buried 33 people, with at least 21 deaths reported in that incident.

Iran is expected to receive its first shipment of 300 to 400 Chinese-made shoulder-fired air-defense missile systems within the next few weeks, Reuters reported, citing three sources. The report, published on July 29, 2026, said the deal is valued at about $60 million to $70 million and includes QW-12 and FN-16 portable air-defense systems.

According to Reuters, the agreement was concluded with a Hong Kong-based company named Zhongqing Baoshang International Investment. China’s Foreign Ministry called the report “completely groundless.” Iran’s Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to the matter.

Reuters said Iran has moved to strengthen its short-range defensive capabilities after its air-defense system was weakened during recent conflict with the United States and Israel. The mobile missile systems can be deployed quickly and are capable of countering drones, helicopters and low-flying aircraft. Reuters also reported that Iran is discussing the acquisition of other Chinese military equipment, particularly anti-ship missiles.

In an opinion article published by Amar Desh on July 29, 2026, Md. Rahel Islam argues that the July movement was not limited to changing a government or holding elections. He describes it as an expression of public expectations over the state system, politics and citizens’ rights, shaped by sacrifice, courage and participation. The article says its central aspiration was a just, accountable and unequality-free state.

Islam argues that an electoral change of government cannot by itself make a state genuinely democratic if impunity, corruption, partisan administration, human-rights violations, economic inequality and accountability crises remain. Under the existing system, the candidate receiving the most votes wins a seat even without more than half of all votes, he writes. Therefore, parliamentary majorities do not necessarily equal full political consent from the public.

The article calls for an independent judiciary, an administration free from political influence, law-enforcement bodies that protect citizens’ rights, and effective action against corruption. It also identifies employment, price control, banking governance, energy-sector transparency, workers’ and farmers’ rights, and social security as key concerns. Islam says elections should be viewed as the beginning of democracy, not its conclusion.

Delhi Police have sent notices to multiple X account holders and some news portals over allegedly objectionable posts about Prime Minister Narendra Modi and security forces during protests by the Kokroach Janata Party in Delhi and other parts of India. The report, published on July 29, 2026, said the notices sought the identities and information of those who made the posts. Police did not disclose how many accounts received notices.

Police said they were reviewing social-media posts, videos and comments published during and after the protests to examine possible legal violations and potential effects on public order. They alleged that more than 450 accounts circulated false information, rumours and artificial-intelligence-generated deepfake videos during the movement.

Two days earlier, Delhi Police directed various social-media platforms to remove posts and videos containing objectionable comments about Modi. Police said their cyber and social-media monitoring teams regularly track online activity and are taking necessary action against content deemed unlawful. Several objectionable posts and videos have already been removed, according to police.

India’s chief justice Surya Kant reportedly called unemployed young people “cockroaches” in May, prompting widespread anger and the formation that month of the youth-led Cockroach Janata Party, or CJP. The group has gained online popularity among young Indians while protesting exam paper leaks, weak accountability in competitive examinations, and alleged irregularities and corruption in education. The article says the movement has created significant pressure on Narendra Modi’s government.

From June 6, CJP and several nationwide student organisations held a sit-in at Jantar Mantar in Delhi. Environmentalist and social activist Sonam Wangchuk began an indefinite hunger strike in support; police took him to hospital on the 21st day. Protesters demanding Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation marched toward Parliament, breached police barricades and entered the Parliament complex, where violence occurred.

According to the article, pressure from CJP forced the education minister to resign, while the prime minister promised to meet several additional youth demands. It links the protest to unemployment, rising living costs, exam disruptions and frustration among educated young people. The article also says more than 800 million Indians depend on state food assistance and describes sharp concentration of income and wealth among the top 1%.

The murder case of retired Major Sinha Md Rashed Khan remains unresolved six years after his death, despite lower court and High Court verdicts upholding death sentences for two defendants and life terms for six others. The case is now before the Appellate Division of Bangladesh’s Supreme Court. As of early July 2026, leave-to-appeal applications filed by the six life-term convicts had not been listed for hearing.

Sinha was killed by police gunfire at the Shamlapur checkpoint on the Cox’s Bazar-Teknaf Marine Drive on the night of July 31, 2020. His sister, Sharmin Shahriar Ferdous, filed the murder case five days later. RAB submitted a charge sheet against 15 people, describing the killing as planned. On January 31, 2022, the Cox’s Bazar District and Sessions Judge’s Court sentenced former OC Pradeep Kumar Das and inspector Liaqat Ali to death.

The High Court upheld the lower court ruling on June 2, 2025, with its full judgment published on November 20. The state has supported retaining both verdicts, while Pradeep’s lawyer said he would challenge the High Court ruling. Sharmin said justice would be fully established only after an Appellate Division ruling and its implementation, and called for a swift final hearing.

According to the report, Bangladesh’s Anti-Discrimination Student Movement rejected a government decision to observe state mourning on July 30, 2024. The decision was made at a cabinet meeting on July 29, amid the quota reform movement and reported killings nationwide. The movement called the mourning declaration a “cruel mockery” and announced a July 30 programme asking people to wear red cloth over their faces and eyes, photograph themselves and circulate the images online.

The report said Facebook turned visibly red from midnight on July 29 as students, teachers, intellectuals and some celebrities changed profile images in solidarity. During a writ hearing that day, a High Court bench questioned the state side and said, “Do not make a mockery of the nation.” Transparency International Bangladesh was reported to have condemned the detention of coordinators in DB custody as “unethical” and “illegal.”

The report also described obstruction and attacks against student protesters in Dhaka and elsewhere, saying at least 50 students were detained in Dhaka. Teachers described the violence of the preceding month as the “July killings” and demanded an end to disappearances, arrests and harassment. It said a National People’s Investigation Commission was formed by prominent citizens to seek independent investigations into reported deaths.