A Thakurgaon court has granted bail to two leaders of the banned Awami League who are accused in murder and other cases, prompting public discussion and criticism in the district. District and Sessions Judge Jamal Hossain granted bail to Sadar Upazila Awami League president and former upazila chairman Arunanshu Dutta Tito on Tuesday, and to district Jubo League president Abdul Majid Apple on Wednesday.

The two leaders had reportedly been absconding since the July uprising of 2024 and face several cases, including murder allegations. Tito has two cases and Apple has four, and both have obtained bail in all of them, according to the report. Tito received permanent bail in two Explosives Act cases after previously receiving four weeks' bail. Apple was granted bail in four cases, including under the Explosives Act, until final reports are submitted.

July movement organiser Abu Raihan Apu and Jamaat district secretary Alamgir Hossain criticised the bail decisions and alleged political influence, claims not addressed by the court. BNP vice-president Obaidullah Masud said bail is granted by courts. Defence lawyer Imran Hossain said the clients were already on High Court bail and surrendered before the lower court as directed. Government prosecutor Abdul Halim said granting bail is entirely within the court's jurisdiction.

India’s Home Minister Amit Shah said on Friday that the government is taking all necessary measures to secure the Siliguri Corridor, a key link between Indian territory and the country’s northeastern region. Speaking in Siliguri, he announced a special triangular security grid intended to strengthen protection of the corridor, also known as the Chicken’s Neck.

At an event at the Sashastra Seema Bal’s North Bengal Frontier headquarters in Ranidanga, Siliguri, Shah inaugurated and laid foundation stones for several new administrative and residential projects worth about 180 crore rupees. He said the grid is based at Chopra, Kishanganj and Dhubri, increasing surveillance, military presence and administrative authority across the corridor.

Shah said the area is being protected through regular military exercises such as “Teesta Prahar.” He also referred to projects worth 6,839 crore rupees under the Vibrant Village Programme 2.0, aimed at connecting villages along the Bangladesh and Bhutan borders not only by roads but more closely with the mainland.

President Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir paid tribute to the martyrs of the Liberation War by laying a wreath at the National Martyrs’ Memorial in Savar on Saturday morning. After the tribute, he stood in silence for some time at the memorial.

A smart contingent from the army, navy and air force gave the newly elected president a guard of honour during the ceremony. A mournful tune was played on the bugle as the tribute was observed.

After the formal tribute, the president signed the visitors’ book kept at the memorial premises and planted a sapling there. On Friday night, he took oath as the country’s 23rd president at the Darbar Hall of Bangabhaban. Acting Speaker Barrister Kaiser Kamal administered the oath to the former BNP secretary general.

Humayun Kabir, a native of Habspur village in Umarpur union of Osmaninagar, Sylhet, has been sworn in as a state minister after serving as the prime minister’s adviser on foreign affairs. The oath ceremony took place on Friday evening after the president’s swearing-in, when new members of the cabinet were administered their oaths. Five other ministers and state ministers were also sworn in.

The report says Kabir’s appointment ends a long wait for Sylhet-2, as no BNP leader from the constituency had entered the cabinet since independence. His supporters and followers held celebratory processions, distributed sweets and expressed enthusiasm in Osmaninagar, Bishwanath and other parts of Sylhet after the news spread.

Kabir studied at Sussex, the London School of Economics, Cambridge and Leeds, and previously worked at the UK Cabinet Office during the periods of former prime ministers Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak. He returned to Bangladesh in November after the July-August 2024 mass uprising and became BNP joint secretary general for international affairs on October 22, 2025.

Former Turkish Prime Minister Professor Dr. Necmettin Erbakan used a crocodile metaphor to explain Western foreign policy and Israel’s role in the Middle East, according to the report published on August 22, 2026. His comparison of Israel and Zionism with parts of a crocodile continues to be discussed in Turkish political movements and media.

Erbakan described the United States as the crocodile’s upper jaw, representing the main political and military power in this structure. He described the European Union as the lower jaw, referring to Europe’s institutional and economic cooperation within the Western system. He compared Israel to the crocodile’s tail, portraying it as a small but effective component supported and directed by larger powers for activities in the Middle East.

Erbakan led the Islamist Milli Gorus movement, a political current strongly opposed to Western-led globalization, capitalism and Zionism. Its ideology regarded these issues as interconnected and as threats to the Muslim world. Erbakan served as Turkey’s 23rd prime minister from 1996 to 1997 and died on February 27, 2011.

The Jamaat-e-Islami-led 11-party alliance says it has sought to act as a responsible and constructive opposition during the BNP government’s first six months, both in parliament and on the streets. Formed after the February 12 election, the alliance entered the 13th parliament as a major opposition force with 90 members, including 13 women in reserved seats. It says it supports government measures it considers beneficial while opposing policies it views as against public interests.

Opposition members raised issues including implementation of the July Charter and referendum verdict, fuel shortages, expatriate concerns, banking problems, killings, rape, terrorism and extortion. They took part in bill debates, sometimes supported the government in voice votes, offered budget proposals and presented a shadow budget. The alliance also staged five parliamentary walkouts over disputes including speeches, constitutional reform, bills and ordinances.

After saying parliamentary interventions received limited response, the alliance began street programmes on April 4 and later announced long marches in four divisions from October 5 to 24 and a Dhaka rally on November 14. Opposition figures alleged obstruction, discrimination and attacks against their members. The alliance also faced embarrassment over allegations involving some MPs; Jamaat expelled MP Gazi Nazrul Islam over what it termed moral misconduct.

A federal judge in New York has struck down a Trump administration policy that suspended immigrant-visa issuance for nationals of 75 countries, including Bangladesh. In a ruling issued Friday, Judge Jeannette Vargas of the Southern District of New York said the policy was plainly unlawful and conflicted with federal immigration law. The policy had taken effect in January this year.

Judge Vargas said a blanket halt on immigrant visas for citizens of specified countries based on nationality directly violated the existing legal framework. The ruling came in a lawsuit filed by immigrant-rights groups Catholic Legal Immigration Network and African Communities Together, visa applicants, and US citizens seeking to bring family members from the affected countries to the United States.

The suspended-visa policy covered countries including Brazil, Colombia and Uruguay in Latin America; Bosnia and Albania in the Balkans; and Pakistan and Bangladesh in South Asia, alongside many countries in Africa, the Middle East and the Caribbean. Trump’s administration said its broader immigration-control measures were intended to strengthen domestic security. The US State Department had not commented on the ruling.

Supporters and local residents distributed sweets across Palash in Narsingdi after BNP Standing Committee member and Narsingdi-2 lawmaker Dr Abdul Moyeen Khan was sworn in as a full minister on Friday evening. He took the oath at Bangabhaban as minister for local government, rural development and cooperatives, according to the report published on August 22, 2026.

After news of his appointment spread during the day, party leaders, activists and people from different professions in the Narsingdi-2, or Palash, constituency showed widespread enthusiasm. At 9pm on Friday, sweets were distributed among party workers and people from various professions in the Ghorashal municipal area of Palash upazila.

Party workers also distributed sweets in other parts of Palash upazila. Local people described Moyeen Khan as an experienced and clean political figure, saying he had not encouraged unethical conduct during his teaching and political careers. They also said he had previously served successfully as a minister and state minister in several important government ministries.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said newly imposed US economic sanctions on Iran amount not only to an illegal economic war against one country but also to a “declaration of war” against all governments. His remarks, reported by Al Jazeera citing Iran’s Fars News Agency, were published on August 22, 2026, after the United States announced fresh economic sanctions against Tehran.

Baghaei said Washington was seeking to establish its jurisdiction over all independent United Nations member states through the sanctions announcement. He described this as an attempt to impose extraterritorial sovereignty. He argued that no government has the right to force foreign banks, institutions or airports operating under another country’s sovereign jurisdiction to avoid lawful trade with a third country.

The spokesperson said such secondary sanctions have no basis in international law and violate the principle of sovereign equality recognized in Article 2, Paragraph 1 of the UN Charter. He called economic coercion an international crime and wrongful act, warning that adding a naval blockade would make other states’ sovereignty dependent on another power’s wishes. Tehran has long described US sanctions as unilateral and contrary to international law.

An article published by Amar Desh on August 22, 2026 alleges that documents recovered from Ganabhaban included a “target profile” on Salahuddin Quader Chowdhury and his family. The report says the file recorded his biography, education, political career, election history, legal cases and detailed family relationships, including his parents, siblings, wife and children. It describes the document as evidence that he and his family were treated as political targets under Sheikh Hasina’s government.

The article cites remarks by Chowdhury’s son, Hummam Quader Chowdhury, in a Culture Ministry documentary titled “Aynaghar Files.” He said decisions concerning his father’s execution and burial came from Ganabhaban. The report also alleges that defence witnesses connected to Chowdhury’s studies at Punjab University were prevented from testifying and that four Pakistani witnesses were denied visas under a Foreign Ministry cipher message.

It further recounts Hummam Quader Chowdhury’s allegation that he was taken by people identifying themselves as DB officers on August 4, 2016 and held for seven months in a Joint Interrogation Cell. The article says the recovered documents are now displayed at the July Museum.

Bangladesh’s Cabinet Division issued a notification on Friday night assigning portfolios to newly sworn ministers and state ministers, followed by publication of an official gazette. Abdul Moyeen Khan was appointed minister for Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives after the post became vacant when Mirza Fakhrul Islam became president.

Rashiduzzaman Millat, previously state minister for Civil Aviation and Tourism, was promoted to minister of the same ministry. Afroz Khanam Rita, who had served as civil aviation and tourism minister, was made food minister. Bandarban lawmaker Saching Prue Jerry was appointed minister for Chittagong Hill Tracts Affairs.

Bangladesh Jatiya Party chairman Andaleeve Rahman Partho was assigned the information and broadcasting portfolio. Mohammad Shamim Kaiser was named state minister for religious affairs, while Humayun Kabir received responsibility as state minister for foreign affairs. The notification was issued by the Cabinet Division after the new ministers and state ministers took their oaths.

China, India, Pakistan, the United Kingdom, France, Switzerland, Germany and Nepal sent congratulations to Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir after he was elected Bangladesh’s 23rd president in a parliamentary vote on Thursday. According to the report, messages began arriving from foreign embassies in Dhaka and international leaders shortly after his victory.

China said it expected the strategic partnership and bilateral cooperation with Bangladesh to reach new heights under the new president’s leadership. The United Kingdom said it wanted to work with him on climate change, trade and resolving the Rohingya crisis. Indian President Droupadi Murmu described bilateral ties as rooted in shared history, culture and friendship, and voiced hope for stronger partnership.

Pakistan’s President Asif Ali Zardari invited the new president to visit Pakistan at a convenient time and called for expanded cooperation in areas of mutual interest. France highlighted his political career and referred to economic prosperity and human rights. Switzerland stressed friendship and sustainable development, while Germany cited exports to Europe and technical assistance. Nepal expressed optimism about regional connectivity and trade between the two SAARC countries.

Bandarban member of parliament Rajputra Saching Prue Jerry has been sworn in as a full minister for the Ministry of Chittagong Hill Tracts Affairs, prompting celebrations across the district. The appointment was reported on August 21, 2026, and has raised expectations of development and public welfare among people in Bandarban’s seven upazilas and 34 unions.

Jerry was elected to parliament for a second time in the February 2026 election as a BNP nominee, after a long political career. He previously won the February 1996 election as a BNP candidate, but Bir Bahadur U Shwe Sing won the rerun held in June that year. Jerry later lost as an independent candidate in 2001 and received 51,540 votes in the 2008 national election, losing by about 19,000 votes.

Local BNP leaders welcomed the appointment, saying it had energized residents and party workers. They expressed hope that Jerry would promote communal harmony, treat all ethnic groups equally and ensure development benefits reach no community. His father, Aung Shwe Prue Chowdhury, had served as deputy minister for food, civil aviation and tourism under Ziaur Rahman’s government.

Indian President Droupadi Murmu congratulated Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir after he took the oath as Bangladesh’s 23rd president at Bangabhaban on Friday, August 21. In a message published on the verified Facebook page of the Indian High Commission in Dhaka, Murmu said she was interested in working with Bangladesh’s new president to further advance relations between the two countries.

Murmu said Fakhrul’s long political career and leadership experience would, she hoped, begin a successful chapter for the welfare of Bangladesh’s people. She described India-Bangladesh ties as being founded on a shared history of sacrifice, close cultural links and mutual friendship.

The Indian president said bilateral cooperation has expanded over time in areas including energy, technology, connectivity, youth development, health and education. She expressed willingness to work jointly with Fakhrul to strengthen the partnership between the two neighbouring countries. Murmu also wished him good health and happiness, success in carrying out his presidential duties, and continued progress and prosperity for Bangladesh’s people. Fakhrul assumed the presidency after taking the oath before acting parliamentary speaker Kaysar Kamal.

Former NCP senior joint member secretary and independent candidate for the 13th parliamentary election Dr Tasnim Jara praised Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir after he was sworn in as president. In a Facebook post published Friday night, she said people like him are rare in Bangladesh’s political arena and expressed hope that his conduct would restore the presidency’s dignity, prestige and stability.

Jara recalled casting her first vote in 2018 after watching a video in which Fakhrul addressed first-time voters and urged them to show they were the country’s owners. She said she saw alleged irregularities at her Khilgaon polling centre that morning. Despite winning his own seat, she wrote, he did not join parliament because he did not want to sit in a legislature formed through a rigged vote.

She described Fakhrul as a strong speaker whose earlier career as a teacher was apparent in his words. Jara said he openly shared political lessons, suggested books and gave her his own books. She also said that, despite imprisonment and efforts by the Awami League government to destroy him, no corruption case had been established against him over 15 years.