Russia is reportedly sending explosives, drone components and missile equipment to Iran to bolster its capacity in conflict with the United States and Israel. The claim was published by NBC News, citing a European government document reviewed by a Western official. The report said the supplies followed recent US and Israeli airstrikes that damaged Iran’s weapons stockpiles and production capability.

NBC News reported that more than two dozen Russian vessels crossed the Caspian Sea and delivered military equipment to Iran’s Amirabad port. Many of the vessels are under US and European sanctions. The ships are alleged to be owned by maritime company MG-FLOT, which Western countries sanctioned in 2024.

Former CIA analyst Jim Lamson said Iran’s procurement of drone parts and small-arms ammunition from Russia suggests attacks significantly weakened its domestic production sites. Russia has long used Iranian-made Shahed suicide drones in the Ukraine war, while Iran aided Moscow with drones and other equipment after Russia’s 2022 invasion. The amount of Russian equipment supplied to Iran remains unclear, and the Kremlin has consistently rejected such allegations as fake news.

A Kushtia court has sentenced Ekram Molla to life imprisonment with hard labour for raping a 15-year-old girl with a mental disability in Bheramara. The judge of the Kushtia Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal, H M Shafiqul Islam, delivered the verdict on Tuesday afternoon in the presence of the convicted man. The court also imposed a fine of Tk50,000.

Ekram Molla is the son of the late Majid Molla of Goshaipara village in Bheramara upazila. According to court sources, the incident occurred at around 7am on October 10, 2020, when the girl had taken shelter at the accused’s home. The source said Molla forcibly raped her there.

The girl later told her mother about the incident. Her mother then filed a rape case against Molla with Bheramara Police Station. Public Prosecutor Advocate Abdul Majid said seven witnesses testified in the case, and the court found the charge against the accused proven beyond reasonable doubt after the hearing.

Bangladesh is facing a continuing measles outbreak despite routine immunisation and emergency vaccination efforts, with reported infections and deaths still increasing about six months after the spread began. Government figures cited on August 19 said 918 children had died, including 99 confirmed measles deaths and 819 deaths with measles symptoms. More than 162,000 children had been affected, while more than 1,000 infections and three deaths were reported on Tuesday.

The Directorate General of Health Services said Dhaka division recorded the highest death toll, at 423, and the highest number of measles and symptomatic cases, at 74,595 children. World Health Organization analysis found that 90 percent of those who died had received no vaccine. Children under five accounted for 72 percent of infections, while 20 percent of deaths were among infants younger than six months.

Public health experts attributed the crisis to insufficient vaccine coverage, delayed risk assessment, weak contact tracing and isolation, nutritional deficiencies, and management failures. An MR campaign vaccinated 18.48 million children aged six months to five years, but later figures indicated about 4.1 million children in that group were missed. Experts called for stronger surveillance, isolation, hospital arrangements, staff training and vaccination coverage of at least 95 percent.

Bangladesh is working on an artificial intelligence policy as officials and technology specialists warn that AI-generated fake videos, images and voices could create major challenges. The report, published on August 19, 2026, says AI is already being used in government and private offices to speed up work, but the country has not yet adopted a related policy. The government says it is taking UNESCO’s assistance in drafting one.

Technology specialist Tanvir Hasan Zoha said misinformation and deepfakes would be among the biggest future challenges and called for stronger digital skills among people. Ministry officials said AI could create immense opportunities but may also enable misinformation, deepfakes and efforts to influence public opinion. They said excessive reliance on AI could weaken creativity and critical thinking.

Officials said the government has formed a committee for the AI policy and that it is consulting UNESCO. The report cited a Dismislab finding that nearly 1,000 AI-made fake videos were uploaded to YouTube channels in Bangladesh in July, causing public confusion. It also described a fake video portraying Sheikh Hasina meeting Indian President Droupadi Murmu and holding a joint press conference.

US President Donald Trump has temporarily suspended a proposed 50 percent tariff on Canadian goods following last-minute talks with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney. The announcement came shortly before the measure was due to take effect on Tuesday, August 19, 2026. Trump said the tariff would not be implemented until August 22, while details of the reported agreement have not been released.

The proposed duties were set to cover about $20.2 billion in Canadian products, including electronics, industrial machinery, furniture, dairy goods and wine. Trump linked the discussions to reviving the long-disputed Keystone XL pipeline. Carney said the talks had made significant progress, but that important work remained.

About 70 percent of Canadian exports depend on the US market, meaning the tariffs could have harmed several export sectors. The tariff dispute has also increased anti-US sentiment in Canada. Experts cited in the report said concerns over economic losses, alongside protecting national sovereignty, have become important issues for Canadians.

Hamas said on August 19, 2026, that it remains committed to reaching a ceasefire agreement in Gaza, while accusing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of obstructing negotiations. The Palestinian group issued the statement after an Israeli attack in an area of Gaza City killed seven Palestinians, including a child.

Hamas described the attack as “genocide” and a deliberate step to create tensions. It alleged that Netanyahu was intentionally seeking to derail international efforts aimed at advancing US President Donald Trump’s peace plan for Gaza.

Referring to recent talks in Cairo and continuing mediation efforts, Hamas said the strike showed that Netanyahu wanted to sabotage negotiations. The group called on the US administration, mediator countries and guarantors of the agreement to pressure the Israeli government to comply with the deal’s terms, stop what it called crimes, and prevent Netanyahu from obstructing implementation of the Sharm el-Sheikh agreement.

A woman in Netrokona has filed a fraud case against a 30-year-old man, alleging that he converted to Islam, married her and later returned to Hinduism before secretly marrying another woman. The complainant, Shipul Akhtar Khanam of Daulatpur in Mohanganj municipality, filed the case at the Netrokona Sadar cognizance court on July 20. The court ordered the Police Bureau of Investigation to investigate.

The accused, Arjun Dhar Hira, also known as Hira Dhar, is from Shaldigha village in Khaliajuri upazila. His mother, Krishna Rani Ghosh, 58, has also been named as an accused. According to the complaint and local sources, Hira adopted Islam in 2014, took the name Md Hira Mia and married Shipul. The couple has a son and a daughter.

The complaint alleges that he returned to Hinduism in 2022 at his mother’s instigation and married a Hindu woman from a neighbouring area. Shipul alleged that he began abusing her over dowry demands when questioned. She voiced concern over her children’s identity. Hira said he had divorced Shipul long ago. PBI sub-inspector Md Jaman Ali said the investigation was under way and a report would be submitted to court.

The body of college student Hafizur Rahman, 28, was recovered on Wednesday morning from a roadside ditch in Paikhati area of Boalmari, Faridpur, three days after a passenger bus crashed there. Rahman, a final-year student at Boalmari Institute of Engineering and Technology, had left home on Monday to travel to Faridpur for his final examination.

Police said a passenger bus and a truck collided head-on in front of an electricity substation in Paikhati on Monday. The bus fell into the ditch and at least 20 people were injured. The following day, the bus was lifted with a crane and taken to the police station, while searches of the scene and nearby areas did not locate any missing person.

A farmer saw the body floating in the ditch where the bus had fallen on Wednesday morning. Police and Fire Service personnel recovered it, and relatives identified it as Rahman. His uncle said Rahman had not returned home after leaving for the examination. Police said they believe he had been trapped underwater beneath the bus. A general diary had been filed in connection with his disappearance.

Bangladesh’s Financial Reporting Council (FRC), the body overseeing audit firms and auditors, is facing operational constraints because permanent staff recruitment is stalled by litigation and four proposed regulations remain unapproved. The FRC began operations in April 2016 but has yet to appoint permanent personnel, relying on 25 to 30 student interns. Its chairman, Sajjad Hossain Bhuiyan, resigned after being appointed an Anti-Corruption Commission commissioner on Monday, raising concerns about further delays until a new chairman is named.

The FRC submitted four regulations to the Finance Division nearly a year ago: administrative penalties, financial statement submission, accounting and appellate authority, and chartered legal fees. Joint Secretary Syed Rashedul Hossain said work on the administrative penalties regulation was complete and it was being sent to the Law Ministry for vetting, while amendments to the other three were under way.

A recruitment notice for 57 posts was issued on December 31, 2025, but a court case halted the process. The FRC has sought approval to recruit the remaining 93 of 150 proposed staff. Until an appellate authority is formed, aggrieved parties may seek review from the FRC Council under an August 11 notice.

Governance and public policy expert Dr Yusuf Zarif argues that political reform and good governance in Bangladesh depend fundamentally on reform-minded political parties and leadership. Writing on August 19, 2026, he says the July Charter received broad public support in the February 12 parliamentary and referendum election, but the post-election government has not approved key ordinances related to state reform and human-rights protection.

Zarif says reform is a political process because parties ultimately run governments. He argues that Bangladesh’s major parties have repeatedly endorsed reform publicly and in election pledges, yet set aside governance reforms after taking power. He attributes this gap partly to party cultures that, in his view, do not cultivate ethics or good-governance values among activists and supporters.

The article cites Hong Kong, South Korea, Rwanda and Singapore as examples where governing leadership played important roles in governance or economic progress. Zarif criticizes patronage-based politics and non-merit appointments in Bangladesh, while alleging that politically connected business groups have used influence to take over banks, loot resources and move money abroad. He concludes that sustained reform is unrealistic unless leading political forces promote accountability and ethics.

Bangladesh’s garment sector is producing about 30% to 35% less because of gas and electricity shortages, according to Mahmud Hasan Khan, president elected for the 2025-27 term of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association. In an interview published on August 19, 2026, he identified energy supply as the industry’s most urgent problem, ahead of high interest rates and frequent policy changes.

Khan said factories are extending working hours to 12 to 13 hours from a normal nine to 10 hours to maintain production and prevent order cancellations. He said this raises business costs and can make factories non-compliant. He also said weaker purchasing power in Europe and the United States, linked in his account to wars, energy costs and inflation, has reduced clothing demand and orders.

International buyers are unlikely to raise prices when lower-cost suppliers are available, Khan said, citing India, Cambodia, Pakistan and China. BGMEA has asked the government to lower interest rates or provide low-cost funds, while Bangladesh Bank has already taken an initiative. Khan said the government has indicated a permanent solution could take at least two years, during which Bangladesh could lose market share.

Bangladesh is preparing a five-year action plan to strengthen trade capacity, improve investment conditions and protect domestic industries as it approaches graduation from the least developed country category. The scheduled graduation date is November 24 this year, while the country faces the prospect of reduced tariff preferences and tougher competition in global markets. The Trade Ministry says the plan contains 12 priority actions, including export capacity, trade facilitation, institutional capability, training, research and greater use of artificial intelligence.

Bangladesh sought an extension of its preparation period from the UN Committee for Development Policy on February 18. The committee said an extension could be appropriate if Bangladesh makes significant progress on internal reforms to address structural weaknesses. On July 21, the UN Economic and Social Council noted the committee’s decision and recommended that the General Assembly take necessary action before November 24.

A Bangladesh Foreign Trade Institute report for the Bangladesh Trade and Tariff Commission calls for stronger anti-dumping, countervailing and safeguard capacity. It recommends coordinated partnerships among government, industry and universities, alongside a national trade defence council, support centres, specialised cells, digital information systems and skilled personnel. Economists and business leaders also stress energy security, banking reform, policy continuity, skilled human resources and export diversification.

At least 30 workers were killed after a gold mine collapsed on Tuesday morning in the Abba area of Nana-Mambéré prefecture in western Central African Republic. Local authorities and residents said several other workers remained trapped inside the mine following the collapse. The report was published on August 19, 2026.

Deputy sub-prefectural mayor Souleyman B said rescuers and local residents recovered 30 bodies from the rubble after several hours of efforts. Injured workers were receiving treatment. Survivor Florian Gaguende said rescue teams were searching for those trapped underground, though the prospect of finding them alive was diminishing as time passed.

Souleyman B appealed for help from organizations and other supporters to rescue people unable to leave the pit on their own. Government spokesperson Evariste Ngamana offered condolences to the victims’ families and said the government was working fully to provide relief and assistance. Small-scale mines without technical support frequently collapse in the country, where inadequate safety equipment and protections make mining work highly dangerous.

Premier League chief executive Richard Masters has sharply criticised FIFA president Gianni Infantino’s leadership and plans to sell ownership stakes or partnerships in FIFA competitions, including the World Cup. In an interview with the BBC reported on August 19, 2026, Masters described the proposal as “self-destructive” and said FIFA should not have considered selling shares in the World Cup.

Masters said FIFA had created the problem itself and would have to find a solution. He argued that, as a non-profit body, FIFA should stage its competitions as a custodian for the long-term interests of world football rather than pursue the proposed arrangement. He called the idea a bad plan.

The report said criticism of Infantino has also come from other football bodies. UEFA has criticised his actions, while the English and Scottish football associations have withdrawn support for him. La Liga president Javier Tebas has called for Infantino to resign. Infantino is preparing to seek re-election as FIFA president next year, and Masters said a potential unity candidate should pursue FIFA reform and structural changes concerning the president’s role and powers.

Bangladesh Health and Family Welfare Minister Sardar Md. Sakhawat Hossain met Malaysian High Commissioner to Dhaka Mohammad Shuhada Othman at the minister’s office in the Secretariat on Tuesday, 18 August. The two sides emphasized strengthening mutual cooperation between Bangladesh and Malaysia, particularly in the health sector.

The high commissioner cited Malaysia’s advances in medical care and said Cambodian patients who previously travelled to Thailand now go to Malaysia. He said treatment costs and medicine prices in Malaysia are fixed and lower than in other countries. He added that Malaysia could be a suitable destination for Bangladeshi patients seeking treatment.

According to the high commissioner, interested Bangladeshis can obtain necessary services and assistance through the Malaysia Health Care Travel Council. Praising Malaysia’s medical system, the health minister said arrangements could be made for Bangladeshi specialist doctors to receive training in complex procedures, including kidney, liver and bone marrow transplantation.