Bangladesh Islami Chhatra Shibir’s Dhaka University unit submitted a memorandum to the vice-chancellor’s office on August 12, 2026, demanding an immediate election schedule for the Dhaka University Central Students’ Union, or DUCSU. The delegation was led by unit president and DUCSU assistant general secretary Muha. Muhiuddin Khan. The organisation presented four demands concerning the next DUCSU election and its administration.

The demands include a prompt schedule, a free, fair, neutral and participatory election at the announced time, a permanent roadmap for regular DUCSU polls, and administrative support and an institutional environment for elected representatives. Shibir said less than a month remained in the current DUCSU term, but the university administration had not announced a clear roadmap or timetable, creating uncertainty among students.

Khan said the administration had informed them that no decision on the election had yet been made. He also said no letter had been sent to the UGC and no DUCSU budget had been allocated. Separately, he said the administration indicated that investigation reports into incidents including attacks at Shahbagh police station and on campus would be released by Sunday and Monday.

A BNP union leader was allegedly beaten in Cumilla after he tried to stop a procession by the banned Chhatra League, police and local sources said. The incident occurred at about 5 pm on Wednesday, August 12, in front of Dhalua High School in Nangalkot. Police detained two people described as members of the banned Chhatra League after the incident.

The procession was led by Hasan Khorshed, a former vice-president of the South District Chhatra League, according to the report. Dhalua Union BNP general secretary Md Azad was injured after being beaten when he obstructed the march. Local sources said Azad received primary treatment and was staying at home. Mahfuzur Rahman, a candidate for president of Nangalkot Upazila Chhatra Dal, alleged that an MP was providing shelter and support to the Awami League.

Rahman also questioned whose instigation enabled such a large procession in one union. Nangalkot Upazila BNP general secretary Kalim Ullah said he was in Dhaka and was looking into the matter. Nangalkot police station officer-in-charge Shahinur Alam said an incident occurred during the procession, two people were detained in a subsequent operation, and the operation was continuing.

National Citizen Party convener and opposition chief whip Nahid Islam blamed the BNP government’s alleged lack of planning and indecision over energy purchases for the current crisis. In a lengthy statement issued to the media on August 12, he listed six causes and presented 15 immediate, medium-term and long-term proposals. He alleged that moves toward private-sector involvement in fuel imports and power distribution were aimed at benefiting oligarchic business interests.

Nahid said the Energy and Mineral Resources Division gave Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation four days from August 6 to submit a draft policy on private imports, storage, transport, distribution and marketing of refined fuel. He also criticized the reduction of the international tender period for September-December fuel imports from 42 days to 10 days on July 28. Citing figures in his statement, he said load-shedding reached 3,757 megawatts on August 10, 41 power plants were shut, and electricity imports from India had nearly halved.

His proposals include suspending the privatization process, restoring the 42-day tender period, approving BPC’s purchase schedule, and publishing an independent investigation into the Maheshkhali FSRU fire. He also called for additional LNG terminals, investment and foreign partners for Bapex, and a roadmap for 10,000 megawatts of solar power by 2030.

The Justice and Democracy Party, or JDP, has identified what it calls six major failures by the BNP-led government during its first six months. At a Wednesday afternoon briefing at Madhur Canteen of Dhaka University, JDP convener Naim Ahmad said the government had not made expected progress on fulfilling the aspirations of the July mass uprising, ending campus violence, ensuring economic and energy security, and reducing unemployment.

JDP said a constitutional reform council had not been formed within 180 days and the government had not clarified its position on establishing an upper house. It called for action against Chhatra Dal and Chhatra Shibir activists involved in campus clashes, student-union-centered politics, and transparent appointments of vice-chancellors. The party also demanded parliamentary presentation and discussion of international agreements under Article 145A of the constitution, citing concerns over the US trade agreement.

The party urged professional, politically independent management of financial institutions and measures addressing bank instability, default loans and repatriation of funds transferred abroad. It proposed renewable energy incentives, 90-day oil-storage capacity, domestic gas exploration and coal extraction. JDP also raised concerns over unfulfilled unemployment allowance and job-creation pledges, proposing cooperative education, skills training, new industries and reliable energy supplies.

Major (retd) Akhtaruzzaman Ranjan, a former BNP member of parliament who recently joined Jamaat-e-Islami, urged Jamaat leaders and activists to attend a programme linked to Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s planned visit to Katiadi, Kishoreganj, on August 16 for National Fisheries Week. Speaking after Zuhr prayers at Gachihata Bazar Jame Mosque on Tuesday afternoon, he said they should attend whether or not they received an invitation.

Ranjan welcomed the prime minister’s visit and described the event as a government programme. He said Bangladesh’s fisheries sector began its journey from Katiadi in 1991, when then-prime minister and BNP chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia held a public meeting at Gachihata College field. He claimed Gachihata gradually became a sub-town after her visit.

He said the government should bear the programme’s costs and urged that money not be collected from ordinary people. Ranjan alleged that pressure was being placed on businesses to raise funds through trade licences and other channels for administrative expenses. He asked Kishoreganj state minister Shariful Alam not to impose such costs on the public.

BNP Chairman and Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has called a standing committee meeting for 12 pm Thursday to finalize the party’s candidate for the presidential election. The candidate will be determined at the meeting, after which BNP plans to submit the nomination papers, according to a report published on August 12, 2026.

Party sources said discussions are continuing at the policymaking level over who should be selected as BNP’s presidential candidate. A final decision is expected at Thursday’s standing committee meeting. BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir’s name had previously emerged in discussions as a possible candidate for the post.

However, BNP has not yet made any formal announcement regarding Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir’s candidacy or any other nominee. August 13 is the final day for submitting nomination papers for the presidential election. The party is therefore preparing to finalize its candidate and file the nomination on the deadline day.

Journalist leaders in Bangladesh said restrictions on media access to the Supreme Court’s Appellate Division and various High Court Division courtrooms are unconstitutional. At a sit-in organized by the Law Reporters Forum outside the Supreme Court’s main gate on August 12, they urged the chief justice to immediately restore access for media workers and warned of tougher action if the demand is not met.

Speakers said journalists have been barred from the Appellate Division and several High Court courtrooms since January 7, preventing direct observation of pending cases and news gathering. Editors’ Council President Nurul Kabir said open-court proceedings are a constitutional obligation and alleged that the public was being denied its right to information.

Dhaka Union of Journalists President Shahidul Islam said journalists would take to the streets if their rights were not secured through the peaceful gathering. Dhaka Reporters Unity President Abu Saleh Akon also called for the restrictions to be lifted. Law Reporters Forum President Muhammad Yasin said the group would soon announce a programme to enter Appellate Division courtrooms if its demand is not accepted. More than 200 journalists joined the sit-in.

State Minister for Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment Nurul Haque Nur said politicians must become more aware of issues in the hill areas or Bangladesh could face major crises that may threaten its sovereignty. He made the remarks on August 12 at a National Press Club seminar on alleged conspiracies, sovereignty challenges and solutions in the Chittagong Hill Tracts, organized by the Ex-Forces Association.

Nur said he had read media reports alleging that weapons were entering the hills through three routes and had been bought from the Arakan Army. He also said armed groups possessed Uzi pistols, and raised India or Myanmar as possible sources of heavy weapons and training. These were presented as his assertions at the seminar.

He criticized calls to withdraw the army from the Chittagong Hill Tracts, while saying some issues could be addressed through dialogue. Prime Minister’s political assistant Rashed Khan said removing the army would increase unrest and create opportunities for extortion. Nur also said intelligence agencies should identify such threats and warned against allowing political interests to override national interests.

Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) founder Abhijit Deepak has warned that a second phase of protest at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar will begin soon. In remarks reported on August 12, 2026, Deepak said Instagram users had asked when “Jantar Mantar Season Two” would arrive, and he told them it was coming very soon.

Deepak alleged that CJP had planned a Wednesday meeting for its volunteers in Delhi but could not secure a hall because venue owners cited pressure “from above.” He said the party eventually found a hall and had a receipt, but claimed its owners were threatened that morning over allowing a CJP meeting.

According to Deepak, the owners were told they would be hung upside down if they permitted the gathering. He described the episode as a staged drama by the BJP and said its actions and statements showed fear of the country’s youth. He added that CJP would not be intimidated by what he called such minor actions.

Prime Minister’s daughter Jaima Rahman has raised questions about Bangladesh’s road management, safety, law enforcement and public-service procedures after taking her second driving test. In a post on her verified page on Wednesday evening, she said she had previously taken a test in London more than a decade ago and passed both tests on her first attempt. She said one test had prepared her for the realities of driving more than the other.

Rahman described frustration among young Bangladeshis, particularly in Dhaka, who are expected to follow rules within a system that does not always appear safe or predictable. She cited inadequate crossings, obstructed or abruptly ending footpaths, and traffic involving buses, motorcycles, rickshaws and private cars. She also noted passengers’ lack of control over bus competition, sudden braking, vehicle fitness and drivers’ training or rest.

She questioned why online procedures are insufficient, why brokers can speed up work, and why people wait months for proof after passing a test. While calling BRTA’s digital services important progress, she said unnecessary in-person contact can create delays, bias and opportunities for transactions. She called for equal services, fair and consistent enforcement, safe complaint mechanisms and road design that prevents a simple error from costing a life.

US President Donald Trump faced a specific threat of an Iranian missile attack while attending a NATO summit in Turkey, according to a New York Times report cited by Amar Desh. The report, published on August 12, 2026, said US officials used an alternative plan to remove Trump from Turkey rather than returning him on Air Force One.

Two unnamed US officials said intelligence agencies gathered information from multiple sources and concluded that a threat against the presidential aircraft was credible. The reported risk involved a surface-to-air missile attack on Air Force One. The article also said a person carrying a shoulder-fired missile had been seen around the NATO summit.

US officials said Iranians knew where Trump was staying in Ankara, including the floor of the building. Trump appeared before cameras to board an older Air Force One, after saying he would use it for “old times’ sake,” but reportedly left concealed in an airport catering container and departed on a military aircraft. The report said two 2024 assassination attempts in Pennsylvania and Florida were unrelated to Iranian threats.

The central Jubo Dal expelled five leaders from its New Market police station unit under Dhaka Metropolitan South over clear allegations of displaying muscle power and creating public fear. The decision, announced in a notice signed by joint general secretary Minhazul Islam Bhuiyan, who is in charge of office affairs, was reported on August 12, 2026. The leaders were removed from the party, including their primary memberships.

Those expelled are New Market unit member secretary KM Chanchal, joint convener Mahbub, Ward 18 Jubo Dal member secretary Shahadat, joint convener Iftekhar and Suman, also known as China Suman. The notice instructed Jubo Dal leaders and activists at all levels not to maintain organisational ties with them. It also called on law enforcement agencies to take visible legal action against people involved in extortion or other unethical activities using the party’s identity.

The report said allegations emerged on Tuesday evening that Chanchal followers Sohel and Azim, known as Gunda Azim, collected extortion money from shops and vans outside Balaka Cinema Hall in New Market. After objections, Chanchal allegedly arrived with 40 to 50 followers. At least 10 Dhaka College Chhatra Dal members were injured in an alleged attack with sharp and locally made weapons. Separately, five Dhaka College Chhatra Dal activists were expelled over allegations of violating organisational discipline.

Supporters of BNP and Jamaat became embroiled in tensions during Meherpur-1 lawmaker Tajuddin Khan’s inspection of Meherpur’s 250-bed General Hospital on Wednesday morning. Jamaat leaders alleged that the lawmaker was harassed, while BNP leaders said Jamaat supporters assaulted a hospital staff member, prompting angry people to confront them. The incident occurred after Khan and his supporters arrived at the hospital at about 11:30am.

During the visit, Khan found Dr Belal Hossain’s room empty despite a signature in the attendance register. He instructed hospital authorities to issue a show-cause notice and keep the room closed. At the pathology department in the new building, a Jamaat worker allegedly slapped a person without a hospital ID card after questioning him about an ID card shown. The dispute then escalated between supporters of the two parties.

Jamaat alleged BNP activists later kept the lawmaker and his group confined from outside at the Ozopadico electricity office. Local BNP leaders and a police team arrived, and police and BNP leaders escorted the lawmaker and Jamaat members out under security. Police said the situation was under control and hospital operations were continuing normally.

Bangladesh Islami Chhatra Shibir central president Nurul Islam Saddam said people whose student life ended 10 or 15 years ago should not serve as university presidents. He made the remarks on Wednesday as chief guest at a freshman reception and career guidance programme organized by the Cumilla University unit of Chhatra Shibir at Fun Town Park in the Dhulipara Choumuhani area of Cumilla city.

Saddam said leadership should emerge from students currently enrolled at universities and connected to students’ daily concerns. He cited accommodation, transport, academic and career-related issues as matters that current students understand. He also said the leadership of a student organization is not any individual’s personal property and argued that working in students’ interests requires being close to them and understanding their real problems.

He questioned how a person brought from outside a university could represent its students after no longer being a student. Saddam said student politics should focus on speaking about students’ problems, standing beside them and working for their rights. The event was moderated by unit general secretary Saiful Islam and chaired by unit president Mozammel Hossain Abir.

U.S. Representative Ilhan Omar won the Democratic primary in Minnesota’s 5th Congressional District on Tuesday, securing her party’s nomination for the U.S. House election. Preliminary results showed Omar receiving more than 80 percent of the vote in the contest, according to the report published on August 12, 2026.

Omar has represented the district since 2018 and has previously been elected to Congress from the seat four times. The district is described as a Democratic stronghold. Her Democratic primary opponents were Julie T. Lee, Abena McKenzie, Latonia Reeves and Nat Schluter. The report said she did not face a major strong challenger in this year’s primary.

Known as a critic of President Donald Trump’s strict immigration policies, Omar won the previous general election by nearly 50 percentage points and defeated a Democratic primary opponent by 13 points in 2024. In the Republican primary for the district, John Nagel was projected to win with 52.1 percent of the vote. Omar’s victory moves her closer to another election to the House from Minnesota’s 5th District.