World
The day after in Dhaka
Dhaka, Bangladesh – A day after Sheikh Hasina’s 15-year autocratic rule ended, Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, took on a sombre and unusual appearance.
The city’s streets, which had been filled with jubilant crowds following Prime Minister Hasina’s fall around 2pm (08:00 GMT) on Monday, were now notably less busy, with fewer vehicles and pedestrians.
Most striking was the complete absence of police – no constables, officers or traffic sergeants were visible in the city of about 20 million residents.
In many locations, traffic was being managed by people in their early 20s. At the Bijoy Sarani intersection, a major crossroads leading to the airport and parliament, about five or six young men were directing traffic with bamboo sticks, even a cricket bat.
One man with a pointed goatee controlled the flow of cars heading towards the Tejgaon Industrial Area by waving a bamboo stick, first directing traffic towards the airport and then allowing vehicles bound for Tejgaon to proceed in an orderly manner.
The scene where there once stood an iconic bronze statue of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the nation’s father and Hasina’s father, had also dramatically changed.
On Monday night, a throng of people used ropes to topple the statue and dismantled its base using hammers and chisels. Enthusiastic crowds then moved in to collect pieces of the overturned statue.
“It reminded me of the video of Saddam Hussein’s statue being pulled down,” said Asraf Ul Jubair when he shared a video of the scene on Facebook.
It was a similar scene at the Mohakhali intersection, another typically busy area of the city, where young people were directing traffic.
One of them, Rabbi, who did not provide his surname or age, smiled when asked about his role. “There are no police… ‘shob bhagse’ – which means they [the police] have all vanished out of fear,” he explained.
Monday night violence
On Monday night, after the massive crowds celebrating Hasina’s fall had dispersed, a wave of violence erupted. Groups armed with sticks and sharp weapons moved through various parts of Dhaka, attacking individuals affiliated with Hasina’s Awami League party.
Mahbubul Haque, a resident of Dhanmondi, an Awami League stronghold, told Al Jazeera that around midnight, a group of people arrived in a car and began vandalising the gate of an apartment building across from his home.
The building was occupied by a prominent intellectual known for his strong support of Hasina’s controversial actions, such as the suppression of students during the quota protest.
“At one point, they started firing guns, and we were terrified,” Haque recounted. “Then some armed forces arrived, and they fled in the car. It’s frightening.”
The violence continued throughout the night, with hundreds of videos of various attacks across the country circulating on social media and going viral.
This led to widespread speculation, including claims that Hindu homes in Muslim-majority Bangladesh were being burned, and that police were firing bullets from police stations in different places as angry mobs tried to enter and burn those down.
Jumanah Parisa, a third-year student at Brac University, told Al Jazeera that she stayed up all night reading and watching videos about events. She felt panicked. “We didn’t protest to make this land lawless,” she said.
On Monday, clashes across the country resulted in at least 119 deaths – the deadliest day in the week-long protest. Because the police are seen as corrupted by the Hasina administration, many police stations were targeted by protesters. Moreover, Hasina’s close ties with the Indian government had led to rumours Indian agencies were helping her government suppress the protests.
While some protest videos depicted atrocities like arson and violence, the speculation surrounding them was often exaggerated, according to Qadaruddin Shishir, a fact-checking editor for AFP, who spent Sunday night debunking claims and posting clarifications on social media.
“The images of burning temples are outdated,” Shishir explained to Al Jazeera. “Yes, there were attacks on police stations due to grievances over police brutality, but the police involved were Bangladeshi, not Indian.”
Meanwhile, images of people, including madrassa students, standing guard in front of temples and Hindu homes circulated widely on social media.
Gobinda Chandra Pramanik, a leader of the Hindu community in Bangladesh, told Al Jazeera that Hindu temples were protected and no Hindus were killed. However, he noted that many Hindu homes and businesses were attacked by mobs in over 20 districts.
“But those Hindus were associated with the Awami League party and they were not attacked because of their religious identity, rather because of their connection with Awami League,” said Pramanik. “I haven’t heard any news that a regular Hindu family without any political connection was attacked anywhere.”
“Anyway, law enforcement must be immediately reinforced,” he said. “Otherwise, the situation will spiral out of control.”
‘We will leave no trace of the Awami League’
On Tuesday morning, the talk of the town was who would head the interim government.
In most households and places, people were discussing that Muhammad Yunus, the country’s Nobel laureate, is going to head the government as its chief adviser.
Most of the city meanwhile was calm, with no signs of violence or confrontation.
However, in the upscale Dhanmondi area, crowds continued to gather at the remains of the Awami League chairperson’s office, the Bangabandhu Museum and Hasina’s former residence, Sudha Sadan. These sites had been set ablaze by an angry mob the previous afternoon.
At noon, another building beside the Bangabandhu Museum, which was previously used for Awami League gatherings, was burning.
“We will leave no trace of the Awami League in the country,” a young man, who declined to give his name, told Al Jazeera while he struck the building with a hammer.
Road No. 3A, which housed several Awami League buildings including the party chairman’s office, resembled a war zone. At least three buildings were completely destroyed.
Yusuf Banna, a resident of the road, told Al Jazeera he had been in a state of panic throughout the night. “People had such intense anger against the Awami League that it seemed unstoppable. I was worried about my family’s safety, as an angry mob is unpredictable.”
In the nearby Kalabagan area, residents were seen using chisels and screwdrivers to deface a mural of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
Sabur Ali, a middle-aged man, proudly told Al Jazeera that he had been destroying symbols of the Awami League and Rahman since Monday noon.
Saiyeed Abdullah, a law graduate and social media influencer, called for the immediate restoration of law and order. “We have successfully ousted a dictator and aspire to build a just nation. While I understand the grievances against the Awami League and Hasina, allowing angry mobs to control the streets is not sustainable,” he said.
Abdus Shakur, a motor mechanic who spent Monday night awake in front of Dhaka’s Dhakeshwari temple, told Al Jazeera that citizen volunteers would ensure no vandalism, communal violence or crimes occur in the absence of police or law enforcement.
“We are expecting a new government that will not only restore law and order but also provide proper justice,” said Shakur, 28. “Until then, we will remain vigilant on the streets.”
World
Meta appeals landmark jury verdict that found it to blame for social media addiction for young users
Meta, the parent company of Instagram and Facebook, has appealed the verdict of a landmark social media addiction lawsuit in Los Angeles, challenging the jury’s determination that the company designed its platforms to hook young users without concern for their well-being.
Lawyers representing Meta filed a notice of appeal Tuesday in Los Angeles County Superior Court. The lawyers will provide their arguments related to the appeal in subsequent court filings.
The case centered on a 20-year-old woman who said she became addicted to social media as a child and that it worsened her mental health struggles. The jury found that negligence by both Meta and Google-owned YouTube, which was also a defendant in the case, was a substantial factor in causing harm to the young woman, identified in court only by her initials, KGM, and her first name, Kaley.
The jury awarded her $3 million in damages and recommended an additional $3 million in punitive damages. Her lead attorney, Mark Lanier, said in a statement Friday that the legal team is expecting the appellate court to “continue the careful application of the law to this case, affirming the verdict of the trial court.”
A notice of appeal starts what can be a lengthy process. A Meta spokesperson provided a statement Friday that they also gave when the jury returned the verdict in March, saying that teen mental health is “profoundly complex and cannot be linked to a single app.”
José Castañeda, a spokesperson for Google, said in a statement Friday that YouTube plans to appeal and that “these are standard motions for this case to move forward.”
Meta and Google had each filed post-trial motions for judgment notwithstanding the verdict — a routinely filed motion by defense lawyers asking a judge to toss out the jury’s verdict — and for a new trial. The trial judge, Carolyn B. Kuhl, denied those motions in early June.
Tech companies like Meta and YouTube are shielded from legal responsibility for content posted by third parties, based on Section 230 of the 1996 Communications Decency Act. To get around those protections, the plaintiffs focused on the design features of the platforms like “infinite scroll,” or the endless nature of feeds on the platforms, and autoplay functions.
Questions about encroaching into content-related territory were the subject of many objections from the defendants throughout the five-week trial.
The verdict in this case came during a time of legal woes for Meta. A jury in New Mexico returned a verdict finding that Meta’s platforms harm children’s mental health and safety just one day before the California jury reached its decision. The New Mexico jury, siding with state prosecutors who brought the case, landed on a penalty of $375 million. Meta has said the company disagrees with the verdict and will also appeal in that case.
“We will continue to defend ourselves vigorously, and we remain confident in our record of protecting teens online,” a Meta spokesperson said in a statement at the time of the verdicts and again on Friday.
Kaley’s case was a first-of-its-kind lawsuit, and the verdict could influence the outcome of thousands of similar lawsuits accusing social media companies of deliberately causing harm. TikTok and Snapchat parent company Snap Inc. were also initially named as defendants in the case, but each settled for undisclosed sums before the trial began.
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Israel’s leaders are publicly signaling that their country is prepared to strike Iran for a third time, while a U.S. official tells Fox News Digital that Washington remains closely coordinated with Jerusalem.
“The IDF is on high alert and prepared to resume the campaign, regain air superiority, and carry out an independent Israeli strike against Iran to eliminate threats — even for a third time,” Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Minister Israel Katz said Thursday at a graduation ceremony for the Israeli Air Force’s newest pilots.
“If we have to return, we will return with even greater force,” Katz added.
ISRAEL DEFENSE CHIEF WARNS STRIKES ON IRAN COULD RESUME SOON, SIGNALS CAMPAIGN NOT OVER
U.S. Central Command shared this footage in a July 8, 2026, press release about strikes against Iran. (CENTCOM)
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also warned Thursday that Israel’s campaign against Iran was not finished and said Tehran would not be permitted to obtain a nuclear weapon, regardless of any agreement reached with Washington.
“The war has not yet ended,” Netanyahu said at the air force ceremony. “Alongside the old challenges, new challenges are emerging. Axes are falling, and axes are rising. We are paying attention to this. We are prepared for every scenario.”
Two Israeli sources told CNN Friday that the Trump administration does not currently want Israel to participate in the latest U.S. strikes against Iran.
“Netanyahu would really want to join the U.S. strikes, but the U.S. doesn’t want Israel involved at the moment,” one of the sources told CNN.
A U.S. official denied the report, telling Fox News Digital, “This is fake news. The United States has a strong relationship with Israel, which contributed to the resounding success of Operation Midnight Hammer and Operation Epic Fury. We remain in close coordination with our Israeli partners.”
Israel first launched a major campaign against Iran in June 2025, with the United States later joining the fighting by striking the Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan nuclear facilities. On Feb. 28, the two allies launched a new, coordinated military campaign against Iran.
While Israeli leaders are openly presenting the military as ready for another campaign, some Israeli officials and analysts say there is little appetite for renewed fighting unless it produces a clear strategic result.
The public warnings may overstate Israel’s desire to reenter the fighting, said Israeli analyst and journalist for Israeli newspaper Yedioth Aharonoth, Nadav Eyal.
“On the record, Israel is signaling that it is prepared and even eager to strike Iran. But off the record, sources are saying that it is anything but that,” Eyal told Fox News Digital. “The reason is clear: Any Israeli strike in Iran will lead to Iranian ballistic missile attacks against Israel.”
US CLAWS BACK KEY CONCESSION TO IRAN AFTER FRESH ATTACKS ON COMMERCIAL SHIPS IN STRAIT OF HORMUZ
Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s prime minister, from left, US President Donald Trump and US Vice President JD Vance during a bilateral meeting in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, US, on Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025. Trump insisted Egypt and Jordan will take in Palestinians from the Gaza Strip, dismissing the countries’ refusal to accept people from the war-shattered territory. Photographer: Shawn Thew/EPA/Bloomberg via Getty Images (Getty Images)
Eyal said the domestic political consequences could make Netanyahu reluctant to begin another round of fighting, particularly as Israel approaches another election.
“If these strikes are meant to provide meaningful, strategic change, it is something the prime minister can sell to the public,” Eyal said. “But if the intention is only to use Israel as leverage, why should Israelis again experience a couple of weeks or more of sitting in safe rooms and losing their summer vacations, children’s day camps and summer camps? That could play out badly for the prime minister politically.”
“The truth is that Israel was not really enthusiastic about another strike,” he added. “That doesn’t mean it is not going to happen. If President Trump demands that Netanyahu join, it is very hard to see the Israelis saying no. But right now, I don’t see any passion for it.”
The diplomatic outreach continued even as Trump declared that the ceasefire with Iran was over.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran has asked us to continue ‘talks.’ We have agreed to do so, but the United States has stated to them, in no uncertain terms, that the Cease Fire is OVER!” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social.
A source with knowledge of the situation told Fox News that Qatari negotiators have traveled to Iran, in coordination with the United States, to meet with Iranian officials in an effort to de-escalate the situation and create the conditions for negotiations to resume.
On Thursday, Netanyahu and Trump spoke by phone, according to the Israeli prime minister’s office, which said the two agreed to continue coordinating across several regional fronts. Trump briefed Netanyahu on American operations in the Gulf, the statement said.
NETANYAHU REJECTS REPORTS OF A RIFT WITH PRESIDENT TRUMP, SAYS THE TWO REMAIN ALIGNED ON IRAN
A satellite image shows damage at the control tower in the port of Chabahar, Iran, July 9, 2026, after the U.S. military said July 8, 2026, it launched fresh strikes on Iran to keep the Strait of Hormuz open to shipping. ( 2026 PLANET LABS PBC/Handout via Reuters)
The military warnings came as the Wall Street Journal reported Friday that Israel had provided the United States with intelligence about what is described as a fresh Iranian plot to assassinate Trump.
The developments follow renewed attacks on commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, where U.S. naval officials said the maritime threat remained “severe.” U.S. Naval Forces Central Command reminded commercial vessels Friday that an expanded southern route through the strait remained open and that no controlling authority could require ships to pay a fee for passage.
A U.S. official told Fox News on background that Iran’s attacks against commercial vessels were “acts of terrorism” and constituted failed performance under the memorandum of understanding between Washington and Tehran.
“The United States is still committed to finding a resolution, and technical talks continue,” the official said. “Iran can never possess a nuclear weapon.”
Brig. Gen. Yossi Kuperwasser, a former senior Israeli military intelligence officer who now heads the Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security, said Israel had never regarded the memorandum as an adequate guarantee.
“From Israel’s perspective, the MOU was never a good deal,” Kuperwasser told Fox News Digital, speaking of the memorandum of understanding between the U.S. and Iran.
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CENTCOM shared footage of strikes against airplanes amid Iran war (U.S. Central Command on X)
“Israel should be on high alert, ready to face an Iranian attack and prepared to strike back if necessary,” he added.
For now, Israel’s leaders appear to be leaving Iran — and Washington — with little doubt that they are prepared to act. Whether the United States allows Israel to join the renewed campaign, however, could determine whether the latest confrontation remains limited or develops into another full-scale regional war.
Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment.
Published on •Updated
Belgium’s three regions announced on Friday that they would introduce a road tax next year that foreign drivers transiting the country would also have to pay.
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The country does not currently charge drivers to use its highways and the issue of introducing some form of payment has been debated for years.
“Everyone who uses our roads must contribute fairly to their maintenance,” said the transport minister for the southern Wallonia region, François Desquesnes.
Starting on 1 May 2027 drivers will need to register their vehicle and pay the road tax, with day passes available for drivers driving across the country.
An annual pass for a zero-emission car will cost €90 and up to €125 for higher polluting vehicles.
Road cameras that catch cars that haven’t paid for a pass will incur a fine of €70.
In Belgium, the individual regions are responsible for maintaining roads and motorways.
Currently, drivers can use almost all highways toll-free but the possibility of an introducing a charge has been under discussion for several years.
The revenue would be used for the operation and maintenance of the road network.
The proposed toll still needs final approval from the regions and European authorities.
According to the chairman of the liberal-conservative MR party, the government intends to offset the new toll by lowering other taxes for Belgians.
Additional sources • AFP
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