Bangladesh’s Department of Environment has fined Ferdous Steel Ship Recycling Industries Tk 500,000 for cutting the ship MT Rasi without renewing its environmental clearance. The order was issued after a hearing at the Department of Environment’s Chattogram regional office on Wednesday. The yard, located on H Akbar Ali Road in Bhatiari, Sitakunda, was also instructed to halt all cutting work on MT Rasi until the clearance is renewed.

Department officials said an on-site inspection and review of documents by the Chattogram district office found that cutting was underway despite the expired clearance. At the hearing, the violation was established, and compensation was set under Section 7 of the Bangladesh Environment Conservation Act, 1995, as amended in 2010, using the approved environmental damage assessment method.

The company must deposit the amount in the government treasury through the designated challan within seven working days. The order said failure to pay or implement it could lead to legal action, including a criminal case. A yard official said the vessel’s clearance had expired only two days earlier and could not be renewed in time.

Russia has directly rejected allegations that it is trying to interfere in France’s 2027 presidential election, saying Moscow does not intervene in the internal affairs of sovereign states. In comments to Anadolu, the Russian Embassy in Paris said Western policies against Russia, justified by what it called a “Russian threat,” would ultimately fail. France’s presidential election is scheduled for April 18, 2027, with a second round set for May 2 if no candidate wins a majority in the first round.

The embassy said Western countries repeatedly make unfounded accusations against Russia and use the idea of a Russian threat to pursue anti-Russian policies and raise military spending. It also argued that increased military expenditure would harm socially important sectors, expand budget deficits and public debt, and leave future generations with the burden.

French officials and political leaders have accused Russia of intervening in domestic politics in recent months. France’s foreign digital interference monitoring agency, Viginum, alleged that two pro-Russian networks, Matryoshka and Storm-1516, spread misleading information during the summer. French authorities said the campaigns targeted Gabriel Attal, Edouard Philippe and European Parliament member Raphael Glucksmann.

Claims that Brazilian football legend Roberto Carlos has converted to Islam spread widely on social media, according to a report published by Amar Desh Online on August 19, 2026. Turkish outlet Daily Sabah said various sources were making the claim, which was amplified by Ali Sahin, an AK Party member of parliament from Gaziantep, after a visit to Brazil.

Sahin said he learned of the alleged conversion directly from Sheikh Jihad Hammadeh, described as a prominent senior Islamic figure in Brazil. He said Carlos and Hammadeh had maintained positive contact for some time and met privately in Sao Paulo about four weeks earlier. According to Sahin, Carlos recited the shahada in Hammadeh’s presence during that meeting.

The report said Carlos has not issued any public video, social-media statement or formal announcement confirming the claim. As a result, the information cannot be presented as confirmed, and doubts about its reliability remain. Carlos, a 2002 World Cup winner with Brazil and former Real Madrid player, has prompted extensive online discussion, with many Muslim fans offering congratulations.

Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami has expressed deep sorrow over the deaths of 10 Bangladeshi citizens in two separate incidents in Kolkata, India, and East London, United Kingdom. In a statement sent to the media on Wednesday, party Secretary General Mia Golam Parwar said at least nine Bangladeshis, including a child, died in a fire at a residential hotel on Free School Street in Kolkata’s New Market area around 2am the previous night.

Parwar said several others were burned and injured in the hotel fire. He described the deaths of Bangladeshis who had travelled to India for medical treatment and other needs as heartbreaking and painful. Separately, he said a Bangladeshi man, Mashum Mia, 40, was shot dead by miscreants in East London on August 17.

The Jamaat leader prayed for the forgiveness of those killed and conveyed condolences to the families of the dead and injured. He also wished a speedy recovery for those burned or seriously injured. Parwar urged the Bangladesh mission in India and relevant authorities to arrange the swift and dignified return of the bodies to Bangladesh and ensure proper treatment for the injured.

A senior Russian military official said Israel’s main objective is to intensify the Middle East conflict and draw the United States and NATO into war. Apti Alaudinov, commander of Russia’s Akhmat Special Forces and deputy head of the army’s main military-political directorate, made the remarks in an interview with Russia’s state news agency TASS, published August 19, 2026.

Alaudinov said the situation in the Middle East would become more heated in the coming days. He said the war in the region would expand and argued that Israel sought to increase the conflict as much as possible in order to involve the United States and the entire NATO alliance.

The Russian official also said Israel would ultimately overestimate its own strength. He stated that this could result in the country’s existence as a state being eliminated. The source article attributes the report to Al Jazeera and does not include a response from Israel, the United States, NATO, or other parties.

The newly elected president is scheduled to take the oath of office at 7pm on Friday, August 21, at the Darbar Hall of Bangabhaban. National Parliament Chief Whip Nurul Islam Moni disclosed the information on Wednesday afternoon, according to the report published on August 19, 2026.

The ceremony may be attended by the acting president, head of government, cabinet members, politicians, members of parliament, Supreme Court judges, senior civilian and military officials, diplomats and other invited guests. The report described the planned event as a colourful ceremony.

Mohammad Shahabuddin resigned from the presidency on July 24. Following his resignation, National Parliament Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmed assumed the responsibilities of acting president. Voting to elect the new president is due to take place in the National Parliament on Thursday.

Shehzad Poonawalla has resigned as a national spokesperson of India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party and relinquished his primary membership of the party. He submitted his resignation letter to BJP president Nitin Nabin on Monday, according to the report published on August 19, 2026. Poonawalla said he was leaving politics because of urgent financial and personal circumstances and planned to return to private-sector employment.

He said he had been considering a return to professional life since 2024. The BJP spokesperson role was unpaid and voluntary, he said, making it necessary for him to resume work to meet financial needs. Poonawalla added that he had devoted nearly every day of the year to politics for a long period, but ultimately had to choose between a job and political activity.

Poonawalla had previously expressed an intention to resign on July 30, but the party asked him to reconsider. His departure has drawn discussion amid a major reshuffle among BJP national office-bearers, although he did not cite any political disagreement. He began politics through Congress’s student wing NSUI, left Congress in 2017 alleging irregularities and nepotism, and later joined the BJP.

Former Pakistani prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf founder Imran Khan met his wife Bushra Bibi and sister Noreen Niazi at Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail, marking their first meetings with him this year. The meetings followed a Supreme Court order allowing the jailed politician to meet family members weekly. Khan has been held at Adiala Jail since 2023 and is serving a 14-year sentence in the Al-Qadir Trust corruption case.

According to Dawn, Niazi met Khan in the prison conference room and spoke with him for about 15 minutes. They discussed his health and other matters. She also informed him about an earlier Supreme Court order calling for his transfer to Shifa International Hospital for medical examinations.

Prison sources cited by Express Tribune said Khan’s meeting with Bushra Bibi on Tuesday lasted about 30 to 35 minutes. Bushra Bibi also met her children Musa and Mubashshara Maneka and Khan’s sister Mehrunnisa for about 40 minutes. Other sisters Alima Khan and Uzma Khan, cousin Qasim Zaman, and PTI political leaders were not permitted to meet Khan.

Meta has changed how Facebook calculates content reach, prioritizing original, high-quality posts while reducing distribution for low-quality or mass-produced AI-driven material. The policy, reported on August 19, 2026, does not ban AI-generated content outright, but posts lacking meaningful human creative input or editing will appear less often in News Feed and Reels.

Meta assesses originality by looking for a creator’s contribution, including an original idea, editing, commentary or distinctive presentation. Downloading and reposting others’ videos, adding logos or subtitles, or changing playback speed will not qualify as original content. A Meta newsroom announcement in March said original creators would receive greater reach and earning opportunities, while unoriginal material would be deprioritized.

AI-generated images, audio and realistic videos must carry a “Made with AI” label. The label has appeared on regular posts since May and has been automatically added to advertisements since July. Meta said AI use alone will not remove monetization eligibility, but monetization will be stopped for unoriginal, mass-produced or reposted content. Analysts say Facebook increasingly recommends content from pages users do not follow, while artificial engagement is receiving less reach.

Jannatul Ferdous Jemi, a college student from Shayestaganj upazila in Habiganj, has received a scholarship worth about Tk73 lakh, or $60,000, to study at the Asian University for Women in Chattogram. The four-year scholarship will provide her with $15,000 annually. The university’s admissions committee director, Mouri Rahman, confirmed the award in a letter on Tuesday.

Jemi passed her Higher Secondary Certificate examination in 2025 from Johur Chan Bibi Mohila College in Shayestaganj. From July 20, she joined a one-month summer school programme supported by Chevron Bangladesh. After successfully completing the programme, she secured the opportunity for higher education at the university with Chevron’s support.

Jemi said she initially found the scholarship news difficult to believe and reread the letter repeatedly. She said she has begun preparing herself and hopes more students will earn such scholarships. Her college principal, Mohammad Abdullah Al Mamun, said her achievement showed that determination, effort and talent can overcome obstacles. The news has also been widely shared on social media in the area.

Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission decided on August 18 to send 17 officials into compulsory retirement over alleged violations of service rules. The commission also reduced the salaries of five other officials to the lowest step or grade. The decisions were taken at a BSEC commission meeting after show-cause notices were issued to the accused officials on July 23.

According to BSEC sources, the measures followed a March 5 incident last year in which then chairman Khondkar Rashed Maqsood and several commissioners were allegedly confined for several hours. A government-directed investigation and departmental process recommended action against 23 officials. Punishment was implemented against 22 on Tuesday, while one other official had already been dismissed over a separate allegation.

Those retired compulsorily include Executive Director Rezaul Karim and officials from several ranks. Five employees, including assistant directors Johnny Hossain, Raihan Kabir, Tarikul Islam and Maksud Mila, received salary demotions. An unnamed affected official said the grounds for the decision were unclear and said legal action could be pursued. Officials were informed Tuesday, and many collected formal retirement letters at the BSEC office in Agargaon on Wednesday.

Lawyer Md. Yunus Ali Akand has appealed against a High Court order dismissing his petition seeking suspension of the presidential election schedule and challenging the validity of Article 70 of the Constitution. He disclosed the appeal on Wednesday, 19 August 2026. The High Court bench of Justice Khizir Ahmed Chowdhury and Justice A F M Saiful Karim dismissed the petition on Tuesday, 18 August.

Akand filed the petition on Thursday, 13 August, naming the law secretary, the secretary of the Parliament Secretariat and others as respondents. Attorney General Md. Ruhul Quddus Kajal represented the state at the hearing, along with Deputy Attorneys General Mamun Chowdhury and Akhtar Hossain Md. Abdul Wahab.

The petitioner argued that Article 70 prevents members of parliament from voting independently, obstructing their democratic rights. Voting in the presidential election is scheduled for Thursday, 20 August, from 2pm to 5pm in the session hall of the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban. The Election Commission has declared two candidates valid, and said there are 349 voters in the election.

Bangladesh’s Roads and Highways Department plans to deploy 60 advanced basic life support ambulances on selected highway corridors in a pilot programme, Chief Engineer Md Moniruzzaman said on August 19, 2026. The initiative is intended to speed the rescue and hospital transfer of road-crash victims during the critical “golden hour.” Initial routes include the Chandra-Elenga-Rangpur corridor, the Hatikumrul-Natore-Rajshahi Katakhali corridor, and parts of the Dhaka-Mymensingh highway.

Ambulances will be strategically stationed, with plans for one every roughly 10 kilometres on designated sections. A central call centre, operating around the clock, will collect callers’ locations, crash-site details and the number of injured people before dispatching the nearest vehicle. Each ambulance is planned to have three health technologists working eight-hour shifts, while drivers will also operate in shifts.

The service is planned to be free for crash victims and will transport patients to the nearest appropriate hospital. The vehicles are not ICU ambulances but will provide basic life support, including oxygen and necessary medical equipment. Local volunteers along highways are also being trained in first aid, with two volunteers planned every 200 to 300 metres. Authorities say the pilot will identify operational gaps before possible expansion.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the recent war has changed thinking about security in the Middle East. In remarks reported on August 19, 2026, he said Gulf countries now understand that relying on foreign military bases cannot ensure their security. He argued that regional security must be collective and regional in nature.

Araghchi said foreign bases had failed to protect their host countries and instead provided security for Israel. He also said the bases had become a source of insecurity. According to the foreign minister, regional stability cannot be achieved without a balance in both economic and security matters.

He claimed that after 40 days of resistance, Iran is viewed not as weak but as a strong and resilient state. Araghchi said Iran's foreign policy would be “completely different” after the war. He also praised President Masoud Pezeshkian, saying his firm stance to prevent a repeat of war played an important role in achieving the Islamabad memorandum of understanding.

Information and Broadcasting Minister Zahir Uddin Swapan said halal food culture and values can become a major asset and source of strength for all human civilization, not only the Muslim world. He made the remarks on Wednesday at the “Think Halal, Grow Global” seminar organized by the Malaysian High Commission at an upscale hotel in the capital.

Swapan said the development of halal products and culture is not solely a religious or cultural issue, but is directly linked to the global economy and human welfare. He noted that halal food has a large global market and said consumers and investors are prepared to use the sector’s potential. He urged entrepreneurs, investors, traders and relevant institutions to work in coordination.

The minister said Bangladesh and Malaysia share values in religious and social spheres and could jointly expand the halal industry and its global market reach. He said clear ideas, information, knowledge and business structures were needed for investors. Malaysian High Commissioner Mohammad Shuhada Othman and Bangladesh Malaysia Chamber of Commerce and Industries President Anwar Shahid also spoke at the seminar.