Bangladesh Nationalist Party has named its secretary general, Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, as its candidate for president. He resigned from both the party’s secretary general post and its standing committee immediately after becoming a candidate, BNP senior joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi said at a Thursday press conference at the Secretariat. The decision to nominate him was made at a party committee meeting led by BNP chairman and Prime Minister Tarique Rahman.

Rizvi is expected to become BNP’s secretary general following Fakhrul’s resignation. Fakhrul had served as secretary general since March 30, 2016, after five years as acting secretary general. He was elected a member of parliament from Thakurgaon-1 in 2001 and served as state minister for agriculture and for civil aviation and tourism between 2001 and 2006.

Under the Election Commission schedule, presidential nomination papers can be submitted on Thursday from 10am to 4pm. The commission will scrutinize nominations on August 16, while August 18 is the deadline for withdrawal. If more than one candidate remains, voting will take place on August 20. BNP and an 11-party alliance led by Jamaat have fielded candidates, creating the prospect of multiple contenders.

Students in India’s Jharkhand state have continued protests for 20 days over alleged irregularities in recruitment examinations. The protesters said they would maintain the movement until their demands are met. They are seeking transparency in recruitment tests, cancellation of several examinations, and an independent inquiry by the CBI or a panel of retired judges from outside Jharkhand.

A march toward the state assembly on Monday led to clashes between protesters and police. Police used baton charges, water cannons and tear gas to control the situation. The BJP called a statewide shutdown in protest and accused the state government of suppressing the movement. The ruling Congress countered that the BJP was using the protests for political gain.

Former chief minister Raghubar Das warned that he would begin a hunger strike if the demand for a CBI inquiry was not accepted within a week. JLKM leader Devendranath Mahato is receiving hospital treatment after falling ill during a hunger strike, while four student hunger strikers are also hospitalized. Six rounds of talks between the government and student representatives have not ended the deadlock. Chief Minister Hemant Soren promised recruitment-exam reforms and assured cancellation of the 14th JPSC examination.

Bangladesh’s National Identity Registration Wing has instructed officials to process applications to correct birth dates on national identity cards under Category A when supported by online-verifiable JSC, secondary, or equivalent educational certificates. The directive was issued on Thursday. Relevant upazila or police-station election officers, senior district and district election officers, and NID Wing officials from assistant director to director level may settle these applications.

The instruction says existing standard operating procedures must be followed when accepting other supporting evidence alongside educational certificates. Processing must follow a notification issued on December 24, 2025. Director (Operations) Md Saiful Islam said officials may decide such applications under the prescribed category, but must properly follow procedures and verify evidence before approval or rejection. Officials must also enter a mandatory note in CMS when electronically approving or rejecting an application.

Regional and additional regional election officers were told to regularly monitor subordinate staff. Each month, at least three applications handled by every deciding officer must be randomly checked and reported to the Director (Operations). Applications based on Open University certificates, and applications seeking complete changes to birth date, personal name, and parents’ names, must be settled at director general level.

BNP has nominated its secretary general and local government minister, Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, for the post of Bangladesh’s 23rd president. BNP chairman and Prime Minister Tarique Rahman finalized his candidacy in a meeting with senior leaders at the Secretariat. Senior joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi disclosed the decision to reporters on Thursday afternoon, August 13.

Rizvi said Mirza Fakhrul resigned from the posts of BNP secretary general and standing committee member immediately after becoming a candidate. He had served as secretary general since March 30, 2016, following five years as acting secretary general. He was elected an MP from Thakurgaon-1 in 2001 and served as state minister for agriculture and for civil aviation and tourism between 2001 and 2006.

Thursday is the final day for filing presidential nomination papers, with submissions accepted from 10am to 4pm at the Election Building. Nomination papers have also been filed for retired Colonel Oli Ahmed, the candidate of an 11-party alliance. The Election Commission will scrutinize papers on August 16, withdrawals close on August 18, and voting will be held on August 20 if more than one candidate remains.

India has invited Bangladesh Prime Minister and BIMSTEC chair Tarique Rahman to the outreach session of the 18th BRICS summit in New Delhi, scheduled for September 12 and 13. As of August 13, Bangladesh had not made a decision on whether Rahman would attend or travel to India, according to Foreign Ministry spokesperson Shahidul Karim.

Bangladesh is not a BRICS member, but the invitation was extended because it has held the BIMSTEC chair since 2025. India sent a diplomatic note through its High Commission in Dhaka in July. Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman said no policy decision had been taken, while India’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said New Delhi would provide an update if available.

Former diplomats described the visit as important for improving Bangladesh-India relations and for Bangladesh’s interest in joining BRICS. They said a bilateral meeting between the two prime ministers could make the trip more meaningful. Analysts also cited strains linked to Sheikh Hasina’s stay and recent remarks in India, as well as anti-India political sentiment in Bangladesh, as factors behind the government’s caution.

The White House wants to continue advancing a US peace plan for Gaza despite public objections from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, according to a report published on August 13, 2026. The Trump administration is seeking to avoid an open confrontation with Israel for now and instead pursue its diplomatic goals gradually. White House officials are said to be placing greater importance on Israel’s actions than on Netanyahu’s statements.

The proposed 15-point plan calls for Hamas to disarm, step away from governing Gaza, and for Israeli forces to withdraw in stages. A central dispute concerns the sequence of those commitments. Hamas says disarmament must be linked to an Israeli troop withdrawal, while Netanyahu says Israel will not withdraw forces from Gaza until Hamas is fully disarmed.

A White House source said Netanyahu faces difficult political conditions before an upcoming election and needs to maintain support from right-wing allies. The Board of Peace said separate discussions with Israel are continuing and that the plan remains in effect. Israel remains deeply doubtful that Hamas will fulfill any disarmament pledge, leaving the process uncertain.

A petition has been filed in the Supreme Court challenging the validity of Article 70 of the Constitution and seeking suspension of the presidential election schedule. Supreme Court lawyer Advocate Yunus Ali Akand filed the petition on Thursday morning. A hearing on the petition may take place next Sunday.

Article 70 states that a member of parliament elected as a nominee of a political party will lose their seat if they resign from that party or vote against it in parliament. The provision also says that such a member will not be disqualified from becoming an MP in any subsequent election for that reason. The petition challenges the legality of this constitutional article.

The deadline for submitting nomination papers for the country’s 23rd presidential election is 4pm on Thursday. Under the Election Commission schedule, papers may be filed from 10am to 4pm. Scrutiny is set for August 16, withdrawal of candidacy is due by August 18, and voting is scheduled from 2pm to 5pm on August 20 in the Parliament Building’s session chamber.

Law Minister Md Asaduzzaman said Bangladesh has formally introduced the digital e-bail bond, or electronic bail bond, system in 12 additional districts to modernize and energize the judiciary and reduce hardship for justice seekers. He made the announcement on Thursday morning at the inauguration of the e-bail bond system.

With the latest expansion, the digital e-bail bond system now covers 28 districts nationwide, the minister said. The newly covered districts are Tangail, Kishoreganj, Munshiganj, Cox's Bazar, Chandpur, Rangamati, Sirajganj, Bagerhat, Patuakhali, Habiganj, Thakurgaon and Jamalpur.

Asaduzzaman said the government is also placing the highest importance on ensuring speedy justice through mediation, or alternative dispute resolution, outside the courts. He said there is a plan to give special awards to encourage districts that perform well in the judiciary and show strong results in quickly disposing of pending court cases.

Lebanon’s parliament passed a long-awaited general amnesty law on Wednesday, according to a report published on August 13, 2026. The measure is expected to benefit thousands of prisoners and fugitives. It was approved during a parliamentary session, though authorities did not immediately say how many people would qualify.

Political parties had been calling for passage of the law. Its stated aim is to reduce overcrowding in prisons, where many detainees have spent years awaiting trial. The office of the parliament speaker announced approval of draft legislation to grant amnesty and, exceptionally, reduce the duration of certain specified sentences.

The issue of amnesty returned to discussion after the fall of former Syrian ruler Bashar al-Assad in 2024. The report said many prisoners in Lebanon had been jailed in connection with events related to the Syrian civil war. No immediate official estimate was provided on the total number of people expected to benefit from the newly passed law.

Students staged a sit-in outside the main gate of Dhaka College on Thursday at noon, demanding that students from all academic sessions of the seven colleges be included in Dhaka Central University. Demonstrators called for the inclusion of running sessions, academic migration and an end to delays over the central university. Their slogans also demanded freedom from affiliation arrangements.

Abdullah Al A Fahad, a 2022-23 session student of Dhaka College, said students had called for a protest march over running sessions and academic migration. He alleged that a group emerging from the college’s administrative building forced students who were gathered on campus to leave, locked the Dhaka College gate and said no protest march would be allowed from there.

Fahad said the government had passed the university law in support of students, with the aim of resolving academic complications for running sessions and addressing their lack of institutional identity. He said students were told a decision would follow a consultation meeting, but that the Education Ministry later sent a letter calling for mass signatures. He described this as unnecessary delay and said the sit-in at the main gate followed the alleged intimidation and removal of students from campus.

Turkey has raised doubts over intelligence alleging an Iranian plot to kill US President Donald Trump during a NATO summit in Turkey last month. A report published on August 13, 2026 said some Turkish officials suspect Israeli intelligence may have shaped the information to derail possible US-Iranian diplomatic contacts or an eventual agreement. Israeli intelligence had reportedly warned Washington that Iranian operatives could target Trump’s Air Force One with shoulder-fired missiles.

Reports said special security measures were taken when Trump departed Turkey because of the alleged threat. Some Turkish officials, however, questioned how reliable the intelligence was. They believe the timing of the allegation could portray Iran as an immediate threat to the United States and create obstacles to renewed talks between Washington and Tehran.

Turkey is concerned that a possible US-Iran diplomatic settlement may not be comfortable for Israel, particularly if it creates new political conditions in the Middle East. No conclusive public evidence has been presented to support the Turkish suspicions, and Israel has made no public statement confirming them. US security officials reportedly treated the Iranian threat seriously, while media reports said changes were made to Trump’s travel route and aircraft arrangements.

The Intercept and the Freedom of the Press Foundation have sued US President Donald Trump, seeking to stop a plan that would let paying customers see his social media posts before publication. The lawsuit was filed Wednesday local time and is set to be heard in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York.

The plaintiffs argue that the service would restrict public access to important information of public interest. They describe the plan as corrupt, alleging that the president could financially benefit his private company by providing market-moving government information to people willing and able to pay. They also say the arrangement would undermine equal access to information for news organizations.

The complaint says Trump’s company offers Truth API subscriptions costing $60,000 to $100,000 per month, with advance access to important government announcements. The plaintiffs contend the system is unconstitutional and violates the First and Fifth Amendments. Truth API launched on August 1 and had attracted more than 10 customers by August 10, according to the lawsuit. The subscription service is run by Trump Media & Technology Group.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi criticized France and other Western countries for condemning Tehran’s handling of internal protests, according to a report published on August 13. In a post on X, Araghchi said countries such as France should stop lecturing the world about human rights and international law, calling their double standards clear and embarrassing.

He accused Western governments of speaking out about Iran’s human rights situation while taking no effective action over what he described as Israeli war crimes and human rights violations in the Middle East. Araghchi also said Western support for Israel’s alleged “genocide” in Gaza and aggression against Iran had undermined their claims to moral standing.

His comments followed a French announcement on Wednesday that the European Union and 20 other countries had issued a joint statement condemning death sentences for protesters in Iran. The statement urged Iran to take meaningful measures to respect human rights, end the use of the death penalty, and release people arbitrarily detained. The remarks came amid tensions between Tehran and Western countries over internal protests and the government’s response.

A formal International Crimes Tribunal charge sheet over killings and violence during the July mass uprising in Rajshahi has prompted anger after several prominent names were not included. The prosecution submitted the charge sheet against 38 people, including former Rajshahi city mayor AHM Khairuzzaman Liton, to the tribunal registrar on July 30. The report was published on August 13, 2026.

Local activists say former MPs Shafiqul Rahman Badsha and Fazle Hossain Badsha, former councillor Tarikul Alam Poltu, and several others were omitted. Witnesses and residents alleged that Poltu was seen carrying a weapon during the August 5 movement and led multiple attacks. The report says he is in jail as an accused in the murder cases of Ali Raihan and Sakib Anjum.

According to the prosecution, Raihan Ali was shot dead near Lobongo Restaurant in Sheikh’s Chak on August 5, while Anjum Sakib was killed in front of Shah Makhdum College. At least 45 others, including Salman alias Shimul, were injured. Legal experts said supplementary charges or other legal action remain possible if new evidence emerges. Chief Prosecutor Aminul Islam said names can be added later upon new evidence.

Long-running internal conflict in Jhalokathi district BNP has become increasingly public, with leaders from rival groups airing grievances on social media, according to a report published on August 13, 2026. One bloc includes Jhalokathi-1 MP Rafiqul Islam Jamal, Jhalokathi-2 MP Israt Sultana Elen Bhutto and their followers. The other is led by district convening committee convener Syed Hossain and member secretary Shahadat Hossain, along with leaders under committees controlled by the convening body.

Tensions intensified after photographs showed Kirtipasha Union chairman and Union Awami League vice-president Abdur Rahim Miah giving flowers to BNP leaders at a union BNP meeting. Grassroots activists alleged that he was being brought into BNP for money, an allegation denied by Sadar Upazila BNP president Professor Ejaj Hasan, who said the chairman offered flowers as a courtesy because the event was held at the union council office.

Jamal then posted allegations on Facebook against party activists, including claims involving Awami League figures and money. Shahadat Hossain responded in a post later deleted, saying it was not directed at anyone. Central leader Mahbubul Haque Nannu said differences among leaders should not appear on social media and would be resolved soon.