Dhaka Metropolitan Police’s Detective Branch arrested two alleged members of a fraud ring in Chattogram for using artificial intelligence to imitate a doctor’s image and voice in online videos promoting a product called “Prostulin F.” Police said the videos falsely presented urologist and kidney transplant surgeon Professor Dr. Md. Kamrul Islam as endorsing the product for prostate problems, physical weakness and sexual weakness. The arrests were made in separate operations in Bayezid Bostami and Panchlaish on August 18 and 19.

The suspects, Tanvir Alam alias Rahat, 23, and Md. Nurnabi Islam alias Manik, 23, were sent to court with a request for seven days’ remand. Police seized three mobile phones, SIM cards and seven fake herbal food supplements during the operation. Investigators said the group created false Facebook accounts and pages using the physician’s name, photograph and professional identity.

The case began after the doctor learned that his identity was being misused, and his personal assistant filed a case at Sher-e-Bangla Nagar police station. Police said an initial examination of seized digital devices found information linked to fake Facebook pages and the alleged fraud. Investigators are seeking to identify other possible members of the network.

US total government debt surpassed $40 trillion for the first time, according to updated US Treasury Department data released on Wednesday. The threshold was crossed nearly two years earlier than a May 2023 Congressional Budget Office forecast that projected the debt would reach that level in 2028. The report, published on August 20, 2026, said US debt had exceeded $39 trillion in March, adding another $1 trillion in less than five months.

Debt has nearly doubled from about $19.95 trillion when Donald Trump first became president in January 2017. It rose by about $7.8 trillion during his first term, largely amid coronavirus pandemic spending, and by about $3.8 trillion since his return in January 2025. Under Joe Biden from 2021 to 2025, debt increased by about $8.4 trillion.

About 80% of the debt, or roughly $32 trillion, is held by the public, including domestic and foreign investors. Japan, the United Kingdom and China were listed as major foreign creditors in 2025. Analysts cited crisis spending, persistent gaps between revenue and expenditure, and rising pension and healthcare costs as drivers, warning of risks to inflation, interest rates, investment and growth.

Four children died after drowning in a pond in Khanpara area of Duptara Union in Araihazar, Narayanganj, on Thursday evening, August 20. The victims were identified as Ojaifa, 10, Afsa, 12, Ria Moni, 8, and Rubaiya, 8. All lived in Duptara Khanpara and attended different classes at local schools.

Police and local sources said family members began searching when the children could not be found at home in the afternoon. They became suspicious after finding the children’s shoes and sandals on the bank of a pond beside Munna’s house. Relatives and local residents entered the pond and recovered all four children from beneath the water.

After the recovery, two children were taken to Araihazar উপজেলা Health Complex and the other two to a local clinic. Doctors declared all four dead after examination. Emergency department physician Dr Shimul said the children had died before being brought to medical facilities. Araihazar police sent officers to the scene, and the officer-in-charge said no complaint had been filed by the families. The bodies were being prepared for handover to relatives.

M Abdullah, former managing director of the Bangladesh Journalists Welfare Trust and former president of the Bangladesh Federal Union of Journalists, said the freedom to speak openly and without fear is among the mass uprising’s major achievements. He made the remarks on Thursday afternoon at a Tongi Press Club discussion marking the uprising’s second anniversary in Tongi, Gazipur.

As the event’s chief discussant, Abdullah said journalists had previously faced pressure and interference over what could be published and who could appear on television talk shows. He claimed journalists can now criticize the government without threats or pressure. He called for an environment of independent journalism and for professional journalists to be valued and supported to counter what he described as improper journalism.

Gazipur City Corporation Administrator Md Shawkat Hossain Sarkar outlined initiatives on traffic congestion, road safety, foot overbridges, playgrounds, waste management and urban infrastructure. He said fencing is being installed on road dividers, incomplete BRT foot overbridges are to be activated, and one of four proposed new foot overbridges has already been tendered.

Police detained 53 people, including 29 women and 24 men, during separate nighttime raids at two spa and salon businesses in Gulshan, Dhaka. The operations took place between 8:00pm and 9:30pm on Wednesday, according to information released by the Dhaka Metropolitan Police media division on Thursday. Police said the businesses were allegedly being used as fronts for immoral and illegal activities.

Gulshan police conducted the raids at Gulshan One Salon on Road No. 24 and Hot Stone Spa on Road No. 99. Authorities said there had been allegations for a long time that immoral activities were taking place behind the businesses’ normal operations. Police launched the operations after verifying confidential information.

Gulshan Police Station Officer-in-Charge Daud Hossain said no illegal activity would be allowed under the cover of spa centres in the area, and raids would continue if such allegations emerged. Legal action against those detained is being processed, while the specific allegations proven against each person will be determined through legal proceedings. The report also noted that 28 people were detained in a Gulshan spa-centre raid in June this year.

The Bangladesh Cricket Board has decided not to hold the Bangladesh Premier League this year after reporting major financial losses from the previous two editions. Speaking on Thursday, BCB president Tamim Iqbal said the board was working on a formula for the tournament and wanted to return with a newly planned BPL next year rather than rush an event.

According to the BCB’s calculations, organising the BPL over the past two years resulted in losses of about Tk 40 crore. Tamim said franchise cricket should generate profit for the board rather than sustained losses, and that staging the tournament before its problems are resolved is not important.

Tamim said the BPL is not being discontinued and that the board has a full intention to organise it. The BCB has begun contacting franchises and plans to address issues including outstanding dues and bank guarantees in stages. It aims to complete the franchise process by April or May next year, while prioritising proper cricket operations and the board’s reputation.

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.