President Mohammad Shahabuddin, known as Chuppu, has resigned from the presidency, ending speculation over his position. The report was published on July 24, 2026. His assistant personal secretary, H M Sagar, confirmed the resignation to Amar Desh and said it was made for health-related reasons.

Shahabuddin also personally confirmed his resignation in a telephone conversation with an Amar Desh reporter. He said that he had resigned because he was very ill and asked people to pray for him. The source provides no other reason for his decision and gives no details about the formal resignation process.

Related headlines accompanying the report said the president’s protocol was then in the parliament building area and that Speaker Hafiz Uddin was due to hold a press conference. The source does not provide further information on a successor, constitutional procedures, the timing of the press conference, or any subsequent official action.

Students held a protest in Sealdah, Kolkata, demanding the resignation of India’s Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over an exam paper leak. The demonstration, supported by the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP), drew a large gathering, according to the report published on July 24, 2026.

The Sealdah rally was called by several student organisations and was described by local students as part of a broader student movement continuing across the country. Protests over the same demand are under way at Jantar Mantar in Delhi, and the movement has spread to several nearby Indian states, the report said.

Local students said the Kolkata event followed a nationwide protest programme called by CJP leaders. CJP founder Abhijit Dipke said the movement would continue until the education minister resigns. The report did not identify the other student organisations involved or provide details of further planned activities.

Mohammad Sahabuddin Chuppu has resigned as president because of health reasons, according to confirmation on Friday from his assistant private secretary, H M Sagar. Sagar said the president decided to step down due to physical illness.

Following the resignation, National Parliament Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmad assumed responsibility as acting president under the constitution. The report said the development ended several days of speculation.

Later in the afternoon, a government vehicle for the acting president and two Special Security Force protocol vehicles were seen in the National Parliament complex. The vehicles were observed there at 4:26 pm and were described as indicating formal preparations related to the transfer of responsibility.

Mohammad Selim Uddin, amir of Jamaat-e-Islami’s Dhaka North metropolitan unit, said the party wants to ensure accessible and quality health care for every citizen. He made the remarks on Friday morning while visiting a free medical camp organised by the Urban Development Forum at Badshah Faisal School and College field in Mohammadpur, Dhaka. He said health care is a basic right and called for a corruption-free, humane health system, alongside honest, skilled and accountable leadership. About 70 specialist doctors provided services at the camp, where several thousand patients received free treatment.

Selim Uddin said ordinary people remain deprived of the desired health services, citing shortages of necessary equipment at government hospitals. He said some available equipment is unusable or lacks proper testing arrangements. He identified bribery, extortion and other forms of corruption as major causes of the health-sector crisis. He said Jamaat’s activities include digital health cards, free medical camps and free cataract operations. Earlier camps were held in wards including Uttara, Bhatara and Moghbazar, while arrangements were made for free operations for more than 150 cataract patients.

The Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) said it would not compromise on its demand for Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation during a second meeting with India’s central government. The two-hour meeting was held Saturday at VP House in Delhi. Union Health Minister J.P. Nadda and Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office Jitendra Singh represented the government, while CJP national spokesperson Saurabh Das and Ashutosh Ranka attended for the party.

After the meeting, CJP representatives said the Modi government had not given a clear message on the education minister’s resignation and had requested another day to decide. Ranka said the government sought time until Saturday afternoon. He added that the government had agreed in principle to two demands: compensation for families of examinees who died by suicide, and withdrawal of FIRs and legal cases filed against students. The report said another meeting between the two sides could take place Saturday.

Educator and environmental activist Sonam Wangchuk delivered his first video message after ending a 26-day hunger strike. According to the report, he withdrew the fast late Thursday after assurances from the central government. In a video message on Friday morning, Wangchuk said the fast had ended and that the next phase was accountability.

Wangchuk said the government had provided several important written assurances. The most significant, he said, was that students who participated in peaceful protests would not face punitive action. He also said the issue of accountability over examination paper leaks would be raised in Parliament for discussion with all political parties. The central government also assured appropriate compensation for families of examination candidates who died by suicide in connection with the recent paper leak case.

Wangchuk said the movement was not over and that its future would depend on how effectively the assurances were implemented. He urged protesters to continue their demonstrations through peaceful and democratic means.

President Md Shahabuddin Chuppu has resigned, according to a report published by Amar Desh on July 24, 2026. The president’s assistant personal secretary, HM Sagar, confirmed the development on Friday and said the resignation was due to health reasons.

The president also told Amar Desh by phone that he had resigned and was very ill, asking people to pray for him. The report did not provide further details on when the resignation took effect or on the process that would follow.

Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Minister Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said the government is working to build Bangladesh as a democratic, inclusive and exploitation-free state. Speaking as chief guest at the opening of the Bengal Delta Conference 2026 in Dhaka on Friday, he said strengthening democratic institutions, rebuilding the economy and improving living standards are the government’s main goals.

He said student-public movements, aspirations to restore democracy and expectations of political change had opened new possibilities for the country. He paid tribute to those killed and who struggled in the 1971 Liberation War, as well as people who died in the 2024 movement for restoring democracy. Citing global conflict, economic instability, corruption, money laundering and irregularities as pressures on the economy, he referred to measures on investment, jobs, banking and the rural economy. He also said efforts were under way to build broad consensus on constitutional reform through discussions with political parties.

Bangladesh Khelafat Majlis Secretary General Maulana Jalaluddin Ahmad has condemned a recent Bangladesh Madrasa Education Board circular directing Alia madrasas to form separate football teams for the Prime Minister’s Gold Cup Football Tournament 2026. In a statement published on July 24, he described the instruction to form girls’ football teams as part of an anti-Islam conspiracy. The circular asks institutions to include one male and one female student from Dakhil classes and one male and one female student from Alim levels, and submit lists to the board by July 30.

Ahmad said the instruction conflicts with the distinct character and religious values of Islamic education. He stated that Alia madrasas operate on Islamic ideals, Shariah rules and religious values. He called for the immediate withdrawal of the circular, an end to imposing such decisions on madrasas, and effective measures to protect the distinctiveness of the Islamic education system.

Amid speculation over a possible resignation by President Md. Sahabuddin, Parliament Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmed returned to Dhaka from a shortened Thailand visit on July 24. Speaking to journalists at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, he said he had no prior information about any resignation. He said that if the president resigns, the resignation letter would be submitted to the speaker and parliament would elect a new president within 90 days.

The speaker said he would serve as acting president if the presidential post becomes vacant or the president is unable to perform duties, until a new president is elected. The report cites Article 50(3) of the constitution, under which a president may resign through a written, signed letter addressed to the speaker. Under Article 54, the speaker carries out acting presidential duties when the post is vacant. The speaker had been due to return on July 26 but said he returned two days earlier after completing a medical checkup early, on personal work and doctors’ advice.

Rasheda Begum Hira, a member of parliament from a reserved seat, made a series of allegations against the Awami League and Hasina at a BNP exchange meeting in Chauddagram, Cumilla, on Thursday evening. She said people, frustrated by repression, had driven out Hasina, whom she described as a destroyer of democracy. The event was organised by the Chauddagram upazila and municipal BNP at Shaheed President Ziaur Rahman Bir Uttam Hall in Chauddagram Bazar.

Hira alleged that the Awami League damaged the power, health and education sectors and destroyed the structure of the economy. She also alleged money was stolen from Bangladesh Bank and smuggled abroad, and said people suffered mental repression for the past 17 years because of one family’s greed. Upazila BNP president Md Kamrul Huda was the chief speaker, while local BNP, Jubo Dal, Swechchhasebak Dal and Chhatra Dal leaders also addressed the meeting.

Security analyst and researcher retired Major General Rokon Uddin argues that stability in the Chittagong Hill Tracts must be treated as a national strategic priority rather than only a regional security issue. In an article published on July 24, 2026, he calls on the new administration to pursue three goals together: protecting national sovereignty, ensuring effective security and delivering inclusive development. He says security operations may be necessary, but cannot substitute for a political settlement.

The article says many key provisions of the 1997 Chittagong Hill Tracts Peace Accord remain unimplemented, including effective land resolution, stronger local governance and resettlement of displaced hill families. It cites the Land Commission's limited effectiveness, continued temporary army camps, and dissatisfaction linked to unresolved issues. Uddin also identifies instability in Myanmar, activity by border-area armed groups, divisions between JSS and UPDF, and drug and arms trafficking as complicating factors. He stresses resolving land disputes, implementing the accord, building trust, strengthening governance, encouraging dialogue and supporting coexistence between hill communities and Bengali residents.

The US State Department summoned Malaysia’s ambassador in Washington, Muhammad Shahrul Ikram Yaakub, to explain Malaysia’s position and policy concerning Israel, Malaysia’s state news agency Bernama confirmed. After the summons, Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan said the ambassador told the United States that Malaysia’s refusal to recognize Israel as a state was not a new decision, but a longstanding institutional and government position.

Hasan said Malaysia’s immigration policy gives no recognition to the state of Israel or Zionist rule, describing it as a policy followed for many years. He said a person holding both US and Israeli citizenship recently entered Malaysia using a US passport, but was instructed to leave quickly after checks identified the person’s Israeli citizenship. Last week, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said any Israeli citizen found in Malaysian territory would be immediately deported. Malaysia’s Home Ministry has also opened an investigation into the Network School project following social-media allegations that several participants were Israeli dual nationals using passports from other countries to enter Malaysia, potentially violating immigration law.

Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) said it would continue its protest demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, despite Sonam Wangchuk withdrawing his fast. Protesters are scheduled to meet representatives of India’s central government at Constitution Club in Delhi at 12:30 p.m. local time on Friday. The representatives attending from either side had not been formally announced.

CJP had requested a neutral venue rather than the residence of a central minister, and Constitution Club was selected accordingly. Its three demands are the education minister’s resignation, financial compensation for families of people who died by suicide over question-paper leaks, and withdrawal of FIRs filed against protesters. Party spokespersons said the protest would continue and their demands would be presented to the government. Crowds were increasing again at Jantar Mantar on Friday, while 17 Delhi Metro stations were closed for security reasons.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi issued a late-night video address on Thursday amid an ongoing protest by the Kokroch Janata Party at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar. He said a draft for a strict new law to prevent examination paper leaks had been submitted to him and would be discussed at Friday’s cabinet meeting. Modi said the draft includes provisions for fast-track courts and severe penalties, and that the government would seek to pass the bill in Parliament as soon as possible.

Modi said paper leaks cause severe mental distress for millions of students and their parents, and that arrests and other measures had been taken over the past two and a half months. He said examinations for about 2.2 million students were arranged and results released on July 19 to prevent the loss of an academic year. The CJP said Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan must resign. Environmental and climate activist Sonam Wangchuk ended a 26-day hunger strike in solidarity with the protest on Friday.