Headlines in This News Package:

• Workers Party of Bangladesh Claims Menon’s Arrest Is Political Revenge

• Hezbollah Launches Massive “First-Phase Strike” in Retaliation for Top Commander’s Assassination

• Even as President, Guatemala’s New Leader Continues to Face Attacks From Attorney General

• Scale up Mpox Response, Health Groups Urge

[NEWS ITEM TEXT]

Workers Party of Bangladesh Claims Menon’s Arrest Is Political Revenge

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The President of the Workers Party of Bangladesh (WPB), 81-year-old former member of parliament and left leader Rashed Khan Menon was arrested at his home on August 22. The following day, a court in Dhaka placed him on a five-day judicial remand in connection with a case related to the death of a man during the quota reform protests.

The case against Khan was filed by the relatives of the deceased, a trader named Abdul Wadud. Wadud was killed during clashes between security forces and protesters in Dhaka on July 19.

The WPB said Khan’s arrest was a “political vendetta,” emphasizing that he neither held an administrative role in Sheikh Hasina’s ousted government nor opposed the student movement’s demand for government job quota reforms, which were at the center of the demonstrations ongoing at the time of Wadud’s death.

The interim government, led by Muhammad Yunus, which took over following the resignation of the previous administration, has filed numerous cases against former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her cabinet ministers. They are being held directly responsible for the deaths of hundreds of protesters in clashes with security forces between mid-July and Hasina’s resignation at the beginning of August.

Khan has been named as a co-accused in several of these cases, although he was not a government official at the time. Previously, he served as the Minister of Civil Aviation, Tourism, and Social Welfare. In the latest administration, the WPB was part of a 14-party alliance led by Hasina’s Awami League.

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Hezbollah Launches Massive “First Phase Strike” in Retaliation for Top Commander’s Assassination

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The Lebanese resistance movement Hezbollah launched 320 Katyusha rockets against strategic targets in Israel in the early morning of August 25. A few hours after the strikes, Hezbollah said in a statement that the first phase of the announced attack to respond to the assassination of the movement’s top commander, Fuad Shukr, on July 31, has been completed.

The statement also said the operation included attacks by a large number of drones towards the interior of Israel, specifically towards a significant military target yet to be named by the movement.

Israel responded by launching what it called “pre-emptive” strikes on various areas of southern Lebanon, killing at least three people. Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant announced a 48-hour state of emergency, limiting gatherings and closing sites, after the attacks were launched. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu commented on the Israeli strikes, stating that they “were not the end of the story.”

Later on August 25, Hezbollah Secretary-General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah delivered a speech detailing the movement’s large-scale operation and explaining the reasons for its delay. Nasrallah stated that the American and Israeli mobilization was one reason, and another was to allow sufficient time for Gaza’s ongoing ceasefire talks. Additionally, the delay was intended to punish the Israeli enemy, Nasrallah said. Nasrallah explained that the operation targeted military sites directly linked to the assassination of Shukr.

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Even as President, Guatemala’s New Leader Continues to Face Attacks From Attorney General

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On August 21, Guatemala’s Public Prosecutor’s Office again lashed out at President Bernardo Arévalo, claiming that he is involved in an alleged case of corruption in the Department of Communication. It is requesting the Supreme Court to authorize the process and allow Congress to approve the removal of presidential immunity.

If this legal process is successful, the Public Prosecutor’s Office could request Arévalo’s preventive imprisonment.

According to the public ministry led by María Consuelo Porras (a fervent opponent of Arévalo), the corruption case revolves around alleged illegal payments to certain construction companies. Were that true, this would imply that the Executive allegedly committed an abuse of authority, usurpation of powers, and actions in violation of the constitution.

The accusation is based on audio in which President Arévalo said that he was dismissing the then-communications secretary, Jazmín de la Vega, for not complying with an order to pay certain companies. The Public Prosecutor’s Office alleges that this conversation confirms the supposed responsibility of the president for corruption. “According to the facts, which were made known to the Special Prosecutor’s Office Against Impunity, [it can be said] that the main person responsible for fostering corruption in Guatemala is President… Bernardo Arévalo,” said Rafael Curruchiche, the prosecutor in charge of the investigation.

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Scale up Mpox Response, Health Groups Urge

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Thousands across the African continent have been infected with the Mpox virus, resulting in hundreds of deaths and the ongoing spread of the disease. In response, over 55 health groups have urged the British government to support health systems in the affected countries.

In a letter circulated on August 23, the groups demand rapid distribution of vaccines to countries in Africa currently struggling with mounting a response to the outbreak. The letter also calls for the sharing of technologies between existing vaccine producers and manufacturers in Africa to increase global supply.

Elia Badjo, a medical doctor and global health expert with Conseil sur la Santé et l’Académie de Médecine, a health providers’ association in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), is among the signatories of the letter. In a conversation with People’s Health Dispatch, Badjo detailed the challenges the country faces due to the Mpox outbreak, including shortages of vaccines and testing.

Speaking from South Kivu, one of the regions hardest hit by the crisis, Dr. Badjo highlights that health workers can only confirm about half of the suspected cases through testing. He emphasizes that without adequate testing capacities, responders are unable to accurately determine the true number of infections.

Even without full confirmation, it’s known that approximately 95 percent of Mpox cases in this outbreak are in the DRC. The country has reported around 14,000 cases and 500 deaths while struggling with unequal access to treatment. Contact tracing remains a “real challenge,” as Dr. Badjo highlighted in a statement accompanying the open letter.