More than 100 soldiers and Special Task Force commandos were deployed to contain a riot at overcrowded Mahara Prison on the outskirts of Colombo, Sri Lanka. Police said one inmate was killed and six others were injured. The unrest occurred on Saturday, and police said on Sunday that additional security personnel had brought the situation under control.

Deputy Inspector General Sanjeewa Medawatte said inmates vandalized several buildings inside the prison before security forces intervened. He said armed forces and STF commandos helped restore order and return inmates to their cells. Police said the prison kitchen, hospital, newly built rehabilitation building and vocational training centre were completely destroyed during the riot.

Mahara Prison has capacity for about 1,000 people but currently holds about 4,100 inmates, nearly four times its intended capacity. Overcrowding is described as a longstanding problem across most Sri Lankan prisons. A riot at Mahara in November 2020 killed 11 inmates and injured about 120 others. Last month, the government announced plans to convert abandoned government buildings into prisons. Prison authorities say more than three-quarters of Sri Lanka’s inmates are remand prisoners, most held in drug-related cases.

Four people who went missing after a boat capsized while returning from a Hindu kirtan event in Jagannathpur, Sunamganj, have been found dead. The incident occurred around 3:30 a.m. on Friday near the sandbar area of Moiyar Haor. The victims were Hemendra Debnath, 35, Adhir Debnath, 35, Satyendra Nath Sati, 65, and Arun Debnath, 45, all from the Purba Bhabanipur area.

According to local sources, nine people left Purba Bhabanipur by boat at about 8 p.m. on Friday to attend the religious programme in nearby Bharaut. The boat sank while they were returning after the event. Five passengers managed to swim ashore, while four others sank and went missing. Two diving teams from the Sunamganj and Sylhet fire services recovered two bodies after searching throughout Saturday.

The remaining two bodies were recovered from the haor on Sunday morning with assistance from local people. Jagannathpur Upazila Nirbahi Officer Md Islam Uddin said all four bodies were recovered and handed to relatives after necessary procedures. Police said no autopsies were conducted because no complaint was filed. The upazila administration will provide Tk10,000 to each victim’s family.

A memorial installation for children killed in Israeli attacks on Gaza was held in the Netherlands on August 1. Thousands of pairs of children’s shoes were placed in rows on Scheveningen beach in The Hague, with 7,000 shoes serving as symbols of the lives lost. The initiative commemorated children killed since the Israeli offensive in Gaza began in October 2023.

Participants gathered at the beach throughout the day to pay tribute to those killed and express solidarity with Palestinians. Organizers said the purpose of the action was to raise awareness about the Israeli offensive in Gaza and illustrate the depth of its human impact, which the source describes as genocide.

According to recent United Nations data cited in the report, about 20,000 children have been killed and more than 44,000 injured in Gaza since October 7, 2023. Thousands more children are missing and are believed to be trapped beneath rubble. At least 132,000 children under five in the besieged territory face extreme risk because of severe hunger, while many have died from starvation.

The family of former Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh says more than 75 of its close members have been killed in the ongoing Gaza war with Israel. In an interview with Turkey’s Anadolu Agency marking the second anniversary of Haniyeh’s killing, his son Abdul Salam Haniyeh said nearly 250 members of their wider Al-Hajj clan had also died in the war.

Abdul Salam said a large portion of relatives shown in a family photograph hanging on the wall had been killed in Israeli attacks. On April 10, 2024, the day of Eid al-Fitr, an Israeli airstrike killed Haniyeh’s three sons, Hazem, Amir and Mohammad, along with their children. He described his father as a teacher, adviser, political leader and affectionate friend who urged his family to remain close to and serve ordinary people.

The report says Haniyeh was killed in Tehran on July 31, 2024, while attending the inauguration of Iran’s new president, Masoud Pezeshkian. Abdul Salam praised Turkish political and humanitarian support for Palestinians and voiced hope in mediation by Egypt, Qatar and Turkey. Gaza’s Health Ministry put the war toll since October 2023 at 73,349 killed and 174,162 wounded.

Opposition leader and Jamaat-e-Islami chief Shafiqur Rahman accused the government of acting as an “exact copy” of the previous fascist rulers. Speaking at an event at the Press Club on Sunday, he said the government should not forget the suffering of 17 years and alleged that it was carrying out repression against opposition parties.

Rahman said nothing new was being witnessed, claiming that the current authorities were repeating what the previous fascists had done. He questioned why the verdict of 70 percent of people was being ignored. He also referred to the 1970 election, saying that ignoring that election had led to the events of 1971.

The Jamaat chief also responded to BNP criticism over the 1996 election. He said BNP had been able to form a government in 1991 because of Jamaat’s selfless support. Rahman further alleged that partisan individuals had been placed in an institution meant to remain neutral, such as the Election Commission.

Bangladesh’s Ministry of Primary and Mass Education has issued conflicting notices on when 14,384 candidates selected under the “Assistant Teacher Recruitment-2025” for government primary schools will join. A Sunday notice from the ministry’s School-2 branch said candidates would report to their respective district primary education offices on October 1, with appointment letters to be sent in due course. They would then be posted and sent for training.

However, following an emergency virtual meeting on Saturday evening, Primary and Mass Education Secretary Md. Sakhawat Hossain said the delayed joining process would begin on October 29. A notice signed by ministry information and public relations officer Md. Asif Ahmed also said the 14,384 assistant teachers would join on October 29 before receiving postings and professional training. The process had been delayed by investigations and procedural complications.

Recommended candidates continued a sit-in on Sunday in front of the National Museum in Shahbagh, Dhaka. Police stopped more than 500 teachers before they reached the Shahbagh intersection. The candidates demanded joining and posting by August under the 2025 recruitment rules, along with a written government website notice carrying a specific date.

Bangladesh’s government is considering shifting retail electricity distribution and customer management to private companies, while retaining electricity generation and wholesale supply under state control. Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Iqbal Hasan Mahmud said the prime minister had given consent to move ahead with the idea, but stressed that it is not being implemented immediately and is still under study.

The government cites mounting financial pressure in the power sector, including Tk67,000 crore in overdue bills and a possible Tk41,000 crore subsidy requirement in the current fiscal year. The Power Development Board buys electricity at higher prices and sells it at lower, regulator-set rates to six distribution companies, with the government covering losses through subsidies. The minister said private management could improve efficiency, billing collection and supply operations.

Energy experts warn that privatization without a strong, independent regulator could raise consumer costs and create service disparities in remote, hilly or sparsely populated areas. They argue that strengthening the Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission, improving accountability and revising existing contracts should come before any transfer of distribution responsibilities. Concerns were also raised about workers’ futures and potentially opaque agreements.

A special race was organized in the besieged Gaza Strip to draw global attention to children who have lost parents during the ongoing war. Published on August 2, 2026, the report said hundreds of Palestinian children took part in the symbolic marathon. The event was initiated by the human rights and relief organization International Networking for Humanitarian.

The organization said many children are becoming orphaned every day after losing parents or guardians in the war. It said the main purpose of the event was to bring the suffering and wider hardship of children facing extreme uncertainty and a humanitarian crisis to the world stage. Organizers presented the race as a symbolic effort to highlight the situation of Gaza’s children.

During the marathon, children and organizers called on local and international communities to play a stronger role in protecting orphaned children in besieged Gaza. They also appealed for urgent humanitarian assistance for them. The report did not provide further details about the race’s exact location, duration, or the type of aid sought.

Hungary’s only nuclear power plant, Paks, is set to shut down fully as persistent drought and intense heat across Europe have driven the Danube River’s water level to a record low. Prime Minister Peter Magyar announced the decision on Sunday, saying the plant south of Budapest would cease operations completely for the first time in 44 years.

Paks normally supplies about one-third of Hungary’s total electricity demand. Its cooling system depends on water pumped from the Danube, but a lack of rainfall since May and successive heatwaves have reduced the river to its lowest recorded level. Magyar wrote on X that one of the final two generating units would be shut at 1:30 a.m.

He said the move would reduce the plant’s output to 240 megawatts before a complete closure the following day. The operator said on Friday that a full shutdown could be necessary by the middle of the following week if water levels continued to fall. National weather agency HungaroMet forecast temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius in coming days, with 42 degrees possible on Thursday.

The Youth and Sports Ministry has formed a five-member inquiry committee following the death of BKSP karate student Yasar Ahmed Jim, who was electrocuted at the Bangladesh Krira Shikkha Protisthan campus in Savar, Dhaka. The ministry’s Sports-2 branch announced the decision in an office order on August 2. The committee will investigate the actual cause of the accident, which the order said occurred at 11:10pm on July 29.

Additional Secretary for Sports-2 Md Mahfuzul Alam Khan will convene the committee. Its members include BKSP Director of Training Colonel Md Golam Mabud Hasan, National Sports Council Director for Planning and Development ABM Ifthekharul Mamun, and Government Physical Education College Principal Md Shamim Hasan. Deputy Secretary for Sports-1 Md Minhaj Rahman will serve as member secretary.

According to the family, BKSP authorities initially said Yasar was electrocuted while climbing a campus wall after training. His body was sent to the Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College Hospital morgue for an autopsy. The committee has been instructed to examine the incident in detail, recommend measures to prevent similar accidents, and submit a report with necessary observations to the ministry. Family members and sports stakeholders have demanded an impartial investigation and action against those responsible.

Bangladesh Commerce Minister Khandaker Abdul Muqtadir met Myanmar Ambassador to Bangladesh Kyaw Soe Moe at the Commerce Ministry on August 2. They discussed expanding bilateral trade, increasing imports and exports, strengthening maritime transport links, LNG imports and opportunities for mutual investment. The meeting also addressed the safe, voluntary, sustainable and dignified repatriation of forcibly displaced Rohingya people sheltering in Bangladesh.

Muqtadir said Bangladesh is committed to strengthening relations with neighbouring countries through mutual respect, trust and economic cooperation. He said matters involving trade, transport, investment and border connectivity that concern other ministries would be reviewed through inter-ministerial coordination. The ambassador expressed interest in raising trade volumes and said resuming long-suspended border trade could benefit businesses and people in both countries, possibly initially on a limited or temporary basis.

The sides exchanged views on trade in agricultural and fisheries products, rice, medicines and frozen food, while stressing stronger business-to-business contacts. Myanmar said verification of repatriation lists was continuing and that steps would be taken when security and field conditions allowed. Both sides supported regular institutional talks and joint committee meetings, and emphasized finalizing a proposed agreement on direct maritime and shipping links.

A court in Chattogram granted 10 days’ remand to alleged top criminal Mobarak Hossain Iman, also known as David Iman, and four others in two separate cases under murder and arms laws filed at Fatikchhari police station. Chattogram Judicial Magistrate Mutasim Billah issued the order on the afternoon of August 2. Iman, 25, is from Kanchannagar in Fatikchhari upazila.

Additional Superintendent of Police Kazi Md Tarek Aziz of Hathazari Circle said police had sought seven days’ remand in each case, for a total of 14 days, against Iman. He and four others were arrested on July 29 from the Jhumjhumpur area under Kotwali police station in Jashore.

Chattogram district police said Iman’s location was identified through information obtained during the investigation into the June 13 killing of Maksudul Haque Chowdhury in the Pahartali area and subsequent intelligence operations. Acting on information from arrested accused, police recovered a foreign pistol, two locally made LG firearms and other local weapons from an abandoned house in Manikpur, Kanchannagar Union, on July 30. Police say Iman faces 13 cases, including murder, arms and extortion allegations.

M Nasir Rahman, member of parliament for Moulvibazar-3 and a member of the BNP national executive committee, has alleged that fake, manipulated and obscene videos made using AI are being circulated on social media. In a Facebook post on August 2, he described the material as politically motivated propaganda and announced legal action against those involved.

Rahman said his facial image had allegedly been attached to another body to create the false video using AI technology. He alleged that the content was then spread online to demean him politically and to create controversy around both him and his political party.

He said necessary legal measures had already been taken, while digital evidence was being preserved and technical analysis and identification of those involved were under way. According to Rahman, a specialised government agency was also working to identify the accused and bring them under the law quickly. He urged the public not to share or circulate unverified AI-generated videos, images or information, warning that distributing or redistributing such content could be punishable under information technology laws.

US European Command chief General Alexus Grynkewich warned the Pentagon that the United States lacks sufficient military resources to protect Israel from missile attacks amid the ongoing conflict with Iran. The Washington Post reported on August 2 that Grynkewich sent the warning in an urgent message to senior Pentagon military officials.

He said that without the rapid deployment of another US Navy destroyer, Washington could eventually have to choose between protecting its own forces and defending Israel. Five US Navy destroyers are deployed in the eastern Mediterranean for Israel’s air defense. After five months of continuous operations, missile stocks are declining and the ships require urgent maintenance.

The Pentagon assesses that US forces have fired more than 200 THAAD interceptor missiles in the conflict, nearly half of total stocks. Navy destroyers have also launched more than 100 interceptors. A CSIS analysis said the United States has used about 45 percent of precision strike missiles, at least 50 percent of THAAD and Patriot interceptors, and about 30 percent of Tomahawk cruise missiles.

Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed said police are not the enforcers of any special party or group and that the government follows a zero-tolerance policy against corruption. He made the remarks on Sunday morning, August 2, at the 27th BCS Police Batch training graduation parade at the Police Academy in Sardah, Rajshahi. He also called on police personnel to remain vigilant.

Ahmed said the government has taken various measures, including increasing manpower, to restore police morale and build the force into an efficient, modern law-enforcement institution. He identified the introduction of a policy of rewards and reprimands as a key measure. Police members are being rewarded for bravery and commendable work, he said.

The minister added that action is being taken against police personnel involved in disciplinary violations and crimes. He described controlling the law-and-order situation to establish public comfort and peace as the government’s main priority. Ahmed said police have a leading role in establishing the rule of law and stated that, like other institutions, the force was harmed during the previous fascist government.