Prime Minister’s political adviser and BNP standing committee member Ruhul Kabir Rizvi said Bangladesh seeks friendly relations with all countries based on equality, mutual respect and sovereignty. He made the remarks on Wednesday, August 19, in the capital’s Zia Udyan after paying tribute at the graves of former president Ziaur Rahman and former prime minister Khaleda Zia on the 46th founding anniversary of the Jatiyatabadi Swechchhasebak Dal.

Rizvi said Bangladesh is an independent and sovereign state and that friendship cannot be built on conditions. He said international relations must be developed by respecting every country’s independence and sovereignty, while the government would pursue ties founded on mutual dignity and equality. Bangladesh would invite other countries and accept their invitations, he said, but would not accept secret or unilateral conditions.

Addressing relations with India, Rizvi said Bangladesh would welcome friendly engagement without conditions tied to particular interests. He said any relationship with India must rest on equal status and mutual respect, and that a BNP government would not accept proposals outside those principles. He also expressed hope that Swechchhasebak Dal activists would publicize government welfare initiatives linked to the BNP election manifesto.

Russia has directly rejected allegations that it is trying to interfere in France’s 2027 presidential election, saying Moscow does not intervene in the internal affairs of sovereign states. In comments to Anadolu, the Russian Embassy in Paris said Western policies against Russia, justified by what it called a “Russian threat,” would ultimately fail. France’s presidential election is scheduled for April 18, 2027, with a second round set for May 2 if no candidate wins a majority in the first round.

The embassy said Western countries repeatedly make unfounded accusations against Russia and use the idea of a Russian threat to pursue anti-Russian policies and raise military spending. It also argued that increased military expenditure would harm socially important sectors, expand budget deficits and public debt, and leave future generations with the burden.

French officials and political leaders have accused Russia of intervening in domestic politics in recent months. France’s foreign digital interference monitoring agency, Viginum, alleged that two pro-Russian networks, Matryoshka and Storm-1516, spread misleading information during the summer. French authorities said the campaigns targeted Gabriel Attal, Edouard Philippe and European Parliament member Raphael Glucksmann.

The newly elected president is scheduled to take the oath of office at 7pm on Friday, August 21, at the Darbar Hall of Bangabhaban. National Parliament Chief Whip Nurul Islam Moni disclosed the information on Wednesday afternoon, according to the report published on August 19, 2026.

The ceremony may be attended by the acting president, head of government, cabinet members, politicians, members of parliament, Supreme Court judges, senior civilian and military officials, diplomats and other invited guests. The report described the planned event as a colourful ceremony.

Mohammad Shahabuddin resigned from the presidency on July 24. Following his resignation, National Parliament Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmed assumed the responsibilities of acting president. Voting to elect the new president is due to take place in the National Parliament on Thursday.

Shehzad Poonawalla has resigned as a national spokesperson of India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party and relinquished his primary membership of the party. He submitted his resignation letter to BJP president Nitin Nabin on Monday, according to the report published on August 19, 2026. Poonawalla said he was leaving politics because of urgent financial and personal circumstances and planned to return to private-sector employment.

He said he had been considering a return to professional life since 2024. The BJP spokesperson role was unpaid and voluntary, he said, making it necessary for him to resume work to meet financial needs. Poonawalla added that he had devoted nearly every day of the year to politics for a long period, but ultimately had to choose between a job and political activity.

Poonawalla had previously expressed an intention to resign on July 30, but the party asked him to reconsider. His departure has drawn discussion amid a major reshuffle among BJP national office-bearers, although he did not cite any political disagreement. He began politics through Congress’s student wing NSUI, left Congress in 2017 alleging irregularities and nepotism, and later joined the BJP.

Former Pakistani prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf founder Imran Khan met his wife Bushra Bibi and sister Noreen Niazi at Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail, marking their first meetings with him this year. The meetings followed a Supreme Court order allowing the jailed politician to meet family members weekly. Khan has been held at Adiala Jail since 2023 and is serving a 14-year sentence in the Al-Qadir Trust corruption case.

According to Dawn, Niazi met Khan in the prison conference room and spoke with him for about 15 minutes. They discussed his health and other matters. She also informed him about an earlier Supreme Court order calling for his transfer to Shifa International Hospital for medical examinations.

Prison sources cited by Express Tribune said Khan’s meeting with Bushra Bibi on Tuesday lasted about 30 to 35 minutes. Bushra Bibi also met her children Musa and Mubashshara Maneka and Khan’s sister Mehrunnisa for about 40 minutes. Other sisters Alima Khan and Uzma Khan, cousin Qasim Zaman, and PTI political leaders were not permitted to meet Khan.

Lawyer Md. Yunus Ali Akand has appealed against a High Court order dismissing his petition seeking suspension of the presidential election schedule and challenging the validity of Article 70 of the Constitution. He disclosed the appeal on Wednesday, 19 August 2026. The High Court bench of Justice Khizir Ahmed Chowdhury and Justice A F M Saiful Karim dismissed the petition on Tuesday, 18 August.

Akand filed the petition on Thursday, 13 August, naming the law secretary, the secretary of the Parliament Secretariat and others as respondents. Attorney General Md. Ruhul Quddus Kajal represented the state at the hearing, along with Deputy Attorneys General Mamun Chowdhury and Akhtar Hossain Md. Abdul Wahab.

The petitioner argued that Article 70 prevents members of parliament from voting independently, obstructing their democratic rights. Voting in the presidential election is scheduled for Thursday, 20 August, from 2pm to 5pm in the session hall of the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban. The Election Commission has declared two candidates valid, and said there are 349 voters in the election.

Bangladesh’s eighth Anti-Corruption Commission formally began operations on Wednesday after the commission had remained vacant for five months. Newly appointed chairman retired Justice A K M Asaduzzaman, along with commissioners Jahangir Alam Khan and Sajjad Hossain Bhuiyan, started work at the ACC headquarters in Segunbagicha, Dhaka, on 19 August 2026.

The three members had formally assumed their responsibilities at the Cabinet Division on Tuesday. Their arrival marks the end of a prolonged wait for a functioning commission, according to the report.

With the new chairman and two commissioners joining, the ACC’s activities have officially resumed. The report did not provide details about the commission’s immediate priorities, planned cases, or any public remarks from the newly appointed members.

The Cockroach Janata Party (CJP), which is protesting Narendra Modi’s government in India, has made conditions in government schools a new focus of its campaign. The group urged supporters to inspect local schools’ infrastructure, educational quality and facilities under a four-point initiative called “Fix the Schools.” On 13 August, 26-year-old Abdul Hafiz visited a primary school in Karisunda village, Bankura district, West Bengal, where he had previously studied.

Hafiz alleged that local BJP workers later went to his home and assaulted him and his father, Mohammad Mofik. Mofik, who was seriously injured, died two days later. BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari described the attackers as criminals with no connection to his party and promised action. After his father’s burial, Hafiz said his family would continue seeking justice and demanding better education and facilities in government schools.

CJP’s demands include safe drinking water, usable toilets, electricity, adequate classrooms, boundary walls, security, quality midday meals and teacher attendance. In Rajasthan, authorities restricted outsiders’ entry and unauthorized photography or video recording at government schools. Education expert Samina Bano said structural reforms and stronger institutions are needed for lasting change.

Governance and public policy expert Dr Yusuf Zarif argues that political reform and good governance in Bangladesh depend fundamentally on reform-minded political parties and leadership. Writing on August 19, 2026, he says the July Charter received broad public support in the February 12 parliamentary and referendum election, but the post-election government has not approved key ordinances related to state reform and human-rights protection.

Zarif says reform is a political process because parties ultimately run governments. He argues that Bangladesh’s major parties have repeatedly endorsed reform publicly and in election pledges, yet set aside governance reforms after taking power. He attributes this gap partly to party cultures that, in his view, do not cultivate ethics or good-governance values among activists and supporters.

The article cites Hong Kong, South Korea, Rwanda and Singapore as examples where governing leadership played important roles in governance or economic progress. Zarif criticizes patronage-based politics and non-merit appointments in Bangladesh, while alleging that politically connected business groups have used influence to take over banks, loot resources and move money abroad. He concludes that sustained reform is unrealistic unless leading political forces promote accountability and ethics.

A dispute has emerged in Texas over planned and existing airport facilities for Muslim passengers to perform ablution before prayers. Governor Greg Abbott ordered a review of state funding for Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport and Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport, and said grants could be halted. The issue was also referred to the US Department of Transportation for investigation.

The controversy began over a proposal for a separate ablution area at Dallas-Fort Worth. Abbott argued that publicly operated airports should not give special treatment to one religious group. The airport subsequently cancelled the plan, saying a rapid review found that the project would not provide the expected operational benefits.

Houston’s airport has had an ablution facility since 2024. Airport officials said it is available to all passengers, staff and others with terminal access, rather than only Muslims. Houston Mayor John Whitmire similarly said it does not provide preferential treatment to any religion. The Council on American-Islamic Relations called the governor’s stance political and anti-Muslim, describing ablution space as a routine passenger service that can also support cleanliness and management.

In a column published by Amar Desh on August 19, 2026, Mahmudur Rahman praised Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s foreign-policy approach during his first six months in office. The writer said Rahman’s decision to make Malaysia and China his first foreign destinations, rather than India, demonstrated diplomatic skill and an independent stance for Bangladesh.

The article argues that Bangladesh should maintain a self-respecting position in relations with India while recognizing India as an important and powerful neighbour. Rahman says a high-level bilateral visit is necessary, but contends it should not take place hurriedly on the sidelines of an international summit or without preparation. He attributes various political positions and motivations to BNP, Jamaat-e-Islami, NCP, India and other actors.

The columnist lists unresolved matters he says require substantive discussions, including the return of Sheikh Hasina and other fugitives, the Ganges water treaty, the Teesta agreement, border killings, alleged push-ins, narcotics, smuggling, trade, travel, cricket and visas. He says a Delhi visit by the prime minister should take place this year at a mutually convenient time.

A report published on August 19, 2026 alleges that Bangladesh’s ruling BNP has fallen short of its election pledge to build a merit-based, politically neutral public administration. The report says political considerations have shaped appointments across government agencies, institutions and offices during the government’s first six months. Prime Minister Tarique Rahman said on Tuesday that the government wants to give honest and skilled officials greater opportunities to work and build a people-friendly administration.

The report says 28 public universities received new vice-chancellors in the first six months, with teachers alleging that partisan affiliation was prioritized over merit and qualifications. It also cites concerns over appointments of party figures to senior posts in 11 agencies and institutions, as well as administrators in city corporations and district councils. Former cabinet secretary Ali Imam Majumder warned that broad political appointments could make the administration more controversial.

Transparency International Bangladesh Executive Director Iftekharuzzaman said appointments and removals in key institutions reflected a continuing culture of partisan dominance. Service recipients interviewed in eight districts alleged that bribery, corruption and delays in public offices remain widespread. The report also says recommendations from an administrative reform commission led by retired civil servant Abdul Muyeed Chowdhury have not yet been implemented.

A recent YouGov survey found that 47% of British respondents support reducing or completely stopping immigration to the United Kingdom from Israel. The result, reported on August 19, 2026, places Israel behind Russia, Pakistan and Nigeria among countries whose immigration Britons are most likely to want reduced or halted.

Only 5% of respondents said the United Kingdom should allow more immigrants from Israel, while 24% supported maintaining immigration at its current level. Compared with a similar survey in 2016, support for reducing or ending immigration from Israel rose by 8 percentage points.

The survey analysis said international conflicts, including the Gaza war, and changing global perceptions of Israel may be contributing to the trend. The source also noted broader concern in Britain about overall immigration levels. Attitudes were comparatively more positive toward immigration from countries such as Ireland, Canada and Australia, indicating that views vary depending on immigrants’ country of origin.

The National Freedom Fighters Council, or JAMUKA, has recommended cancelling the gazettes of 6,465 people identified as non-freedom fighters since 2010. The information was presented on Tuesday at the first meeting of the 13th National Parliament’s standing committee on the Ministry of Liberation War Affairs at Parliament House. The meeting reviewed the activities of the ministry, JAMUKA, the Bangladesh Freedom Fighters Welfare Trust and the July Mass Uprising Directorate.

Since JAMUKA was formed in 2010, it has recommended listing 18,417 people as freedom fighters. This includes 768 martyrs, 198 war-wounded freedom fighters, 529 Birangonas and 16,922 general freedom fighters. Applications from 222 people seeking inclusion as Birangonas remain pending.

The meeting was also told that 104 recommended freedom fighters are awaiting gazette publication following scrutiny by a subcommittee formed after the July uprising. Hearings are pending on 202 applications filed against freedom fighters receiving allowances. Sources said committee member Gazi Nazrul Islam, who was expelled from Jamaat, was not invited at the party’s request, and Jamaat has sent a letter seeking his removal from the parliamentary committee.

India’s Ministry of External Affairs said the request concerning the extradition of Bangladesh’s former prime minister Sheikh Hasina remains under review under its established process. Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal made the statement on Tuesday in response to a question about requests from Dhaka connected to Bangladeshi Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s planned visit to India.

A journalist said the requests included Sheikh Hasina’s extradition and the return of people arrested over allegations linked to Hadi’s killing. Jaiswal said India seeks a positive, constructive and forward-looking relationship with Bangladesh based on mutual interests and bilateral ties.

Jaiswal said there was no need to restate India’s position on the former Bangladeshi prime minister’s press conference. Before that event, he had said the Indian government had no involvement in it and did not endorse any statements made there. Bangladesh had expressed strong anger over the opportunity for direct interaction at the event, according to the report.