Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) has indicted former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and two senior officials over alleged crimes against humanity linked to a deadly crackdown on protesters during last year’s July uprising.
The tribunal, led by Justice Golam Mortuza Mozumder and comprising justices Shafiul Alam Masud and Mohitul Enam Chowdhury, formally charged Hasina on Thursday.
Proceedings will begin on August 3 with opening statements, followed by the first witness testimony.
Hasina, who fled to India following a student-led uprising last August, had been facing several charges. Earlier this month, in a separate ruling, she was sentenced to six months in prison for contempt of court by the ICT. That had marked the first time she had received a formal sentence in any of the cases.
Chief Prosecutor Muhammad Tajul Islam said that the sentence delivered in absentia will take effect if Hasina is arrested or voluntarily returns to Bangladesh.
The two other accused on Thursday are former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal and former police chief Chowdhury Abdullah al-Mamun. While al-Mamun appeared before the court and remains in custody, both Hasina and Kamal have fled abroad.
The charges stem from Hasina’s now ousted government’s violent response to mass demonstrations, which critics say resulted in widespread human rights abuses and hundreds of deaths.
Hasina, who now lives in self-imposed exile in India after being deposed following a 15-year rule, has dismissed the tribunal as politically motivated.
The recent flare-up between Russia and Azerbaijan is far more than a diplomatic spat: It marks a potential turning point in the balance of power in the South Caucasus.
On June 27, Russian special forces conducted a violent raid on ethnic Azerbaijanis in Yekaterinburg, an industrial city in Russia’s Ural region. About 50 people were detained, several were reportedly injured, and two Azerbaijani brothers – Ziyaddin and Huseyn Safarov – died in custody under suspicious circumstances. Autopsies revealed blunt-force trauma and broken ribs, contradicting Russian claims that the men died of heart failure. Survivors reported beatings, electrocution, and degrading treatment. Far from being seen as a routine law enforcement action, the operation has been widely interpreted in Baku as a politically motivated act of intimidation – prompting sharp condemnation from Azerbaijani officials and a wave of anger from the public.
On July 1, Azerbaijan’s ambassador to Russia, Rahman Mustafayev, delivered a formal protest to Moscow, denouncing what he described as the unlawful killing and mistreatment of Azerbaijani citizens, including dual nationals. This diplomatic fallout unfolded just as Baku launched its own high-profile crackdown on organised crime – one that notably included the arrest of several Russian nationals, some reportedly linked to Kremlin-funded media outlets and others accused of cyberfraud and drug trafficking. Among those detained were local staff of Sputnik Azerbaijan, the state-run Russian news agency. While the two episodes are officially unrelated, the timing suggests Azerbaijan is signalling a rejection of external coercion and asserting its sovereignty with new intensity.
These developments reflect a deeper geopolitical shift. Russia’s traditional levers of influence in the post-Soviet space – military alliances such as the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO), energy dependency, and soft power through Russian-language media – are weakening. Strained by the war in Ukraine and international sanctions, the Kremlin has increasingly turned to diaspora policing, symbolic shows of strength, and nationalist rhetoric to maintain control. The Yekaterinburg raid appears to fit this pattern: A demonstration of power aimed at a former Soviet republic now carving out a more independent path.
Azerbaijan’s traditionally balanced foreign policy is now entering a more assertive phase. For years, Baku carefully navigated its relations with Russia, the West, and Turkiye. But the events of the past week have marked a clear shift: Azerbaijan is adopting a firmer stance against Kremlin pressure while deepening its strategic alignment with Ankara. This evolving alliance is not only strengthening bilateral ties but fostering broader regional integration through organisations such as the Organization of Turkic States (OTS).
The implications extend well beyond Azerbaijan. Moscow’s deteriorating relationship with Baku may trigger a wider realignment across Central Asia. Kazakhstan has already taken steps to distance itself from Russian influence, while Armenia, under Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, has publicly questioned the reliability of Russian security guarantees. Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan are simultaneously strengthening ties with Turkiye and China. In this context, Azerbaijan’s defiance signals not an isolated dispute, but a broader erosion of Moscow’s soft power across the former Soviet sphere.
For the Kremlin, traditional diplomatic tools are proving increasingly ineffective. In Azerbaijan, public outrage over the deaths in Yekaterinburg is helping shape foreign policy in ways that go beyond formal statecraft. Moscow now faces the real prospect of Baku firmly embedding itself in the Turkish geopolitical orbit – supporting projects such as the Zangezur corridor, and reinforcing a trans-Caspian Turkic axis stretching from Anatolia to Central Asia. This vision stands in stark contrast to the Kremlin’s fading Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) project, which now looks more like a symbolic construct than a meaningful alliance.
Meanwhile, the media landscape has become another battleground. Russian state outlets – particularly firebrand figures like Vladimir Solovyov – have adopted openly anti-Azerbaijani rhetoric, stoking ethnic and religious tensions. These attacks blur the line between journalism and state propaganda, further inflaming bilateral tensions and undermining traditional diplomatic protocols.
Yet, amid the escalating tensions, Azerbaijan faces a rare strategic opportunity. If managed wisely, Baku can leverage this moment to strengthen its leadership role within the Turkic world and reset its relationship with Russia on more equal terms. In the years ahead, Azerbaijan has the potential to emerge not just as a key energy hub, but as a central geopolitical actor in the South Caucasus and beyond.
The Yekaterinburg raid is not simply a matter of domestic policing. It is a symptom of the accelerating breakdown of Moscow’s grip over its “near abroad”. What happens next – whether Russia adapts to the changing dynamics or attempts to reassert control through more coercive means – will shape the next chapter of Eurasian geopolitics. One thing is already clear: The regional balance of power is shifting, and Azerbaijan stands squarely at the centre of that transformation.
Liam and Noel Gallagher are set to take to the stage at Manchester’s Heaton Park this weekend and organisers have decided to bend one rule in light of the scorching temperatures
Oasis are performing five huge sold-out shows in Manchester(Image: PA)
Some might say it’s going to be the biggest set of the tour. Oasis fans are ready to head to Manchester’s Heaton Park this weekend for the iconic band’s homecoming.
And with the weather forecast set to hit huge heights, the venue is ready to bend the rules just for the fans in attendance. Get your bucket hats at the ready to sing along the Liam and Noel Gallagher, with temperatures set to reach up to 32C (90F) this weekend.
And with such heat, comes responsibility for the venue who are said to be preparing to relax some of their strict guidelines. With organisers advising attendees to take extra care of themselves and each other in the heat, they are now allowing concert goers to bring a sealed plastic bottle of water up to 500ml into the venue.
Follow along the Mirror’s live Oasis updates for Heaton Park here.
Heaton Park is getting ready for Oasis(Image: William Lailey)
For safety reasons, any bottle brought on the day must be made of collapsible plastic. Therefore, metal and solid plastic bottles will not be allowed in. Any unsealed bottles will also be emptied before entry.
To help with the weather situation, there will also be water refill points dotted around the location. And small bottles of sunscreen up to 200ml will also be allowed in for the event.
Liam and Noel make their highly-anticipated return to Manchester this weekend (Image: Getty Images)
“With a very hot weather forecast on both Friday and Saturday please stay hydrated, you will be permitted to bring a sealed bottle of water up to 500ml. This must be collapsible plastic,” organisers said.
They added: “Wear sunscreen, you will be permitted to bring in a small bottle 200ml or under and protect yourself from the sun overall/wear a hat; we know the legendary bucket hat will be making an appearance, so you’ll fit right in! Look after yourself and those around you.”
On Saturday, the lowest temperature is set to come at 4am – 18C. However, it’s also thought to peak between 4pm and 7pm, with temperature predicted to be between 27-32C. And with the staggering temperatures, it’s said the highest UV warning will be at 1pm, which is a level 7.
According to the BBC: “Friday should then be dry with sunshine throughout the day. Becoming very warm or hot.”
As well as the potential overheating, fans heading to Heaton Park have been issued a travel warning. Ticket platform Trainline saw a 20 per cent increase in passengers travelling to Manchester ahead of Oasis’ historic Heaton Park shows.
And they say this surge suggests thousands of music fans will travel from all around the country to see the home town reunion of the band after initial shows in Cardiff last weekend. Therefore, fans have been urged to “book as soon as possible to secure a seat” by Sarah Helppi, UK Country Director at Trainline.
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Just like Cardiff, fans can warm up for the occasion with Richard Ashcroft. Confirmed stage times see the doors open at 3pm. Richard takes to the stage at 7pm to belt out some of his own classics.
Oasis will then be ready to entertain the crowd at 8.15pm.
READ MORE: Oasis have released new tickets for UK tour – how to buy yours if you missed out
Ireland interim head coach Paul O’Connell has included new caps Shayne Bolton and Alex Kendellen in his line-up as he makes five changes for Saturday’s Test against Portugal in Lisbon (19:00 BST).
Connacht wing Bolton and Munster back row Kendellen will make their debuts from the start, while Connacht centre Hugh Gavin is set to earn his first cap off the bench.
Bolton replaces Ulster wing Jacob Stockdale, who injured his shoulder in the 34-5 win over Georgia in Tbilisi last week, while Kendellen comes in at open-side flanker for Nick Timoney, who drops out of the squad.
Six players made their Ireland debuts against Georgia: Tommy O’Brien and Darragh Murray started, while Michael Milne, Jack Aungier, Tom Ahern, and Ben Murphy came off the bench.
Jack Crowley will start at fly-half with Sam Prendergast, who scored 14 points against Georgia, not named in O’Connell’s 23-man matchday squad.
O’Connell opts for the same front row of Jack Boyle, Gus McCarthy and Tom Clarkson, while Munster’s Tom Ahern comes in for his first start in the second row alongside Darragh Murray, as Cormac Izuchukwu drops to the bench.
Connacht’s Cian Prendergast, who was forced to withdraw from last week’s game because of illness, starts at number eight.
“I have been really pleased with the attitude of the players over the last number of weeks,” said O’Connell.
“The dedication and diligence of the squad in testing conditions over in Tbilisi demonstrated the players’ willingness to embrace challenges and hopefully that bodes well again this weekend.”
Ireland: J O’Brien; T O’Brien, J Osborne, S McCloskey, S Bolton; J Crowley, C Casey (capt); J Boyle, G McCarthy, T Clarkson; T Ahern, D Murray; R Baird, A Kendellen, C Prendergast.
Liam Gallagher has never minced his words, and an interview has resurfaced of him hitting out at musicians who bagged a quick pay cheque before he and Noel Gallagher reunited
Daniel Bird Assistant Celebrity and Entertainment Editor
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Liam Gallagher hit out at musicians ‘in it for the money’ before Oasis reunion(Image: BBC)
Liam Gallagher slammed musicians who are “in it for the money”. The comments were made by the Mancunian legend years before he and his older brother, Noel Gallagher, reunited as Oasis.
Last weekend, the 52-year-old and Noel, 58, reunited on stage for the first time in 16 years, just shy of a year after they announced their long-running feud had come to an end and they were bringing the legendary band back. But after their first performance at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium, Liam immediately exited the venue by car, with Noel leaving a little later on.
It’s claimed that both brothers are set to rake in around £50million each from the tour, which sold out in hours. Fans were left paying thousands after Ticketmaster introduced dynamic pricing, a surge in costs due to the huge demand. However, the band had no input in this.
Liam previously hit out at musicians being in the industry for a simple pay cheque(Image: PA)
But in 2017, while appearing on The Graham Norton Show, Liam took a subtle swipe at fellow musicians. The singer, who is not shy when it comes to saying what’s really on his mind, said: “A lot of these rock n’ roll stars these days are coming in and just getting the cheque, do you know what I mean?
“Imagine Keith Moon drumming his a**e off and then going home. You need to boot a few things and that, know what I mean?” Despite their once frosty bond, Noel and Liam settled their differences and left fans emotional when they walked on stage, holding hands – a sight many thought they would never see.
This weekend, they return to their hometown for the first home show since 2009. Oasis will play five sold-out shows at Heaton Park on July 11, 12, 16, 19 and 20. Each night, they will be performing to around 80,000 fans. But before the band take to the stage, Liam could face a very rocky reception.
He and his brother Noel will perform in Manchester for the first time in 16 years this weekend(Image: AFP via Getty Images)
The frontman urged all fans at both Cardiff gigs to turn around and bounce up and down during the anthem Cigarettes & Alcohol. He said on Saturday: “I don’t ask you to do the Mexican wave or sh*t like that, but I want you to do the Poznan so everyone turn around and put your hands on each other. It’s 2025, don’t be shy. When the tunes start, you jump up and down, it’s very easy, you don’t need GCSEs.”
And he also posted a clip of the Poznan on his official social media with his comments from Friday night where he similarly said: “I want you to do the Poznan, so turn around and put your hands on each other.” However, the Poznan is a move used by Manchester City fans and he and Noel face performing in front of thousands of rival Manchester United fans this weekend.
One music source told the Mirror: “Liam loves seeing the crowd do it, but it will be a higher risk strategy at Heaton Park. It will be no surprise if he does do it or gives City a shout-out on stage because he and Noel are such big fans. Bonehead is the only red (United fan) in the line-up.”
China has agreed to sign a Southeast Asian treaty banning nuclear weapons, Malaysia’s and China’s foreign ministers confirmed, in a move that seeks to shield the area from rising global security tensions amid the threat of imminent United States tariffs.
The pledge from Beijing was welcomed as diplomats on Thursday gathered for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) foreign ministers’ meeting, where US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is also due to meet regional counterparts and Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov.
Malaysia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Mohamad Hasan told reporters China had confirmed its willingness to sign the Southeast Asian Nuclear Weapon-Free Zone (SEANWFZ) treaty – an agreement in force since 1997 that restricts nuclear activity in the region to peaceful purposes such as energy generation.
“China made a commitment to ensure that they will sign the treaty without reservation,” Hasan said, adding that the formal signing will take place once all relevant documentation is completed.
ASEAN has long pushed for the world’s five recognised nuclear powers – China, the United States, Russia, France and the United Kingdom – to sign the pact and respect the region’s non-nuclear status, including within its exclusive economic zones and continental shelves.
Last week, Beijing signalled its readiness to support the treaty and lead by example among nuclear-armed states.
Rubio, who is on his first visit to Asia as secretary of state, arrived in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday amid a cloud of uncertainty caused by President Donald Trump’s aggressive tariff strategy, which includes new levies on six ASEAN nations as well as key traditional allies Japan and South Korea.
The tariffs, set to take effect on August 1, include a 25 percent duty on Malaysia, 32 percent on Indonesia, 36 percent on Cambodia and Thailand, and 40 percent on Laos and Myanmar.
Japan and South Korea have each been hit with 25 percent tariffs, while Australia – another significant Asia Pacific ally – has reacted angrily to threats of a 200 percent duty on pharmaceutical exports to the US.
Vietnam, an ASEAN nation, along with the UK, are the only two countries to have signed separate trade deals with the US, whose administration had boasted they would have 90 deals in 90 days.
The US will place a lower-than-promised 20 percent tariff on many Vietnamese exports, Trump has said, cooling tensions with its 10th-biggest trading partner days before he could raise levies on most imports. Any transshipments from third countries through Vietnam will face a 40 percent levy, Trump said, announcing the trade deal on Wednesday. Vietnam would accept US products with a zero percent tariff, he added.
Reporting from Kuala Lumpur, Al Jazeera’s Rob McBride says Southeast Asian nations are finding themselves at the centre of intensifying diplomatic competition, as global powers look to strengthen their influence in the region.
“The ASEAN countries are facing some of the highest tariffs from the Trump administration,” McBride said. “They were also among the first to receive new letters announcing yet another delay in the imposition of these tariffs, now pushed to 1 August.”
Family photo of the attendees of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Post-Ministerial Conference with Russia during the 58th ASEAN foreign ministers’ meeting and related meetings at the Convention Centre in Kuala Lumpur on July 10, 2025 [Mohd Rasfan/AFP]
The uncertainty has pushed ASEAN states to seek alternative trade partners, most notably China. “These tariffs have provided an impetus for all of these ASEAN nations to seek out closer trade links with other parts of the world,” McBride added.
China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi has been in Kuala Lumpur for meetings with ASEAN counterparts, underscoring Beijing’s growing engagement.
Meanwhile, Russia’s top diplomat, Sergey Lavrov, has also been holding talks in Malaysia, advancing Moscow’s vision of a “multipolar world order” – a concept backed by China that challenges what they see as a Western-led global system dominated by the US.
“Lavrov might be shunned in other parts of the world,” McBride noted, “but he is here in Malaysia, meeting with ASEAN members and promoting this alternative global structure.”
At the same time, Rubio is aiming to counter that narrative and ease tensions. “Many ASEAN members are traditional allies of the United States,” McBride said. “But they are somewhat nervous about the tariffs and recent US foreign policy moves. Rubio is here to reassure them that all is well in trans-Pacific relations.”
As geopolitical rivalry intensifies, ASEAN finds itself courted from all directions, with the power to influence the future shape of international alliances.
US seeks to rebuild confidence in ASEAN
Rubio’s presence in Kuala Lumpur signals Washington, DC’s intention to revive its Asia Pacific focus following years of prioritising conflicts in Europe and the Middle East.
The last meeting between Rubio and Russia’s top diplomats took place in Saudi Arabia in February as part of the Trump administration’s effort to re-establish bilateral relations and help negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine.
Analysts say Rubio faces a difficult task of rebuilding confidence with Southeast Asian countries unnerved by the US’s trade policies. Despite the economic fallout, he is expected to try and promote the US as a more dependable alternative to China in terms of both security and long-term investment.
According to a draft communique obtained by Reuters, ASEAN foreign ministers will express “concern over rising global trade tensions and growing uncertainties in the international economic landscape, particularly the unilateral actions relating to tariffs”.
Separately, a meeting involving top diplomats from Southeast Asia, China, Russia and the United States will condemn violence against civilians in war-torn Myanmar, according to a draft statement seen Thursday by AFP.
