Zahir Uddin Swapan has resigned as Bangladesh’s information and broadcasting minister, according to a Cabinet Division notification issued on Saturday, August 22, 2026. The notification, signed by Cabinet Secretary Nasimul Goni, said the president had accepted his resignation and that it would take effect immediately.

Following his resignation, Swapan was appointed political adviser to Prime Minister Tarique Rahman. A separate Cabinet Division notification said the appointment was made under Rules 3B(1) and 3B(2) of the Rules of Business, 1996. While serving as adviser, he will receive the rank, salary, allowances and related benefits of a minister.

Barrister Andaleeve Rahman Partho has been assigned responsibility as the BNP government’s information and broadcasting minister. A notification signed by the Cabinet Secretary on Friday night said the prime minister had made the official allocation and reallocation of responsibilities under Rule 3(4) of the Rules of Business, 1996.

State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaid said the government decided to appoint two state ministers at Bangladesh’s Foreign Ministry to expand and accelerate its work. She made the remarks while answering journalists’ questions at a hotel in the capital on Saturday, August 22, 2026.

The government on Friday also assigned Prime Minister’s foreign affairs adviser Humayun Kabir as state minister for foreign affairs, issuing a notification the same day. Shama said the ministry had handled substantially more work during the past six months than at any time in the previous 17 years.

She said new wings had been launched and work was under way on migration and preventing irregular migration. The ministry has also formed interministerial focal-point committees with the expatriates’ welfare, cultural, labour and commerce ministries, arrangements she said did not previously exist. According to Shama, the ministry’s scope of work, workload and pace have increased sharply, prompting the decision to appoint two state ministers.

Rajshahi University unit of Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal submitted a memorandum to the vice-chancellor on Saturday, seeking an investigation into alleged irregularities involving about Tk 12.5 million withdrawn from the Rajshahi University Central Students’ Union, or RAKSU, fund. The group demanded accountability, punishment for anyone found responsible, recovery of improperly spent money and its return to the students’ fund.

The memorandum presented seven demands, including publication of a complete account of every withdrawal, its purpose, timing and approval. It called for written explanations regarding money withdrawn without specified expenditure heads, proper bills and vouchers, or adherence to financial rules. The group also sought an independent audit committee to examine income and expenditure records, bank accounts, cheque documents, bills, vouchers and other financial papers, with its report made public.

Unit president Sultan Ahmed Rahi alleged that RAKSU office-bearers, including the vice-president and general secretary, withdrew money for personal purposes and conducted programmes without vouchers. Deputy Vice-Chancellor Professor Abdul Alim said the university would examine the matter after the vice-chancellor returns to Rajshahi and would act under regulations if irregularities in spending public tax money or student contributions are found.

State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obayed Islam said political parties must make psychological and policy changes to advance women and ensure their equal participation in leadership. She made the remarks on Saturday at about 11:30am during a dialogue titled “Strengthening Young Women’s Political Leadership and Restoring Democratic Space” in Siddheshwari, Dhaka.

Islam said the BNP is working on women’s empowerment and has made women’s participation mandatory in grassroots committees. She also said the new budget has been made women-friendly. According to her, women’s empowerment has not been achieved despite the country having women prime ministers for a long time.

She said women’s leadership at union and upazila levels is virtually absent, and argued that women could have entered parliament if they had received nominations in those areas. Islam added that when one of three candidates in a constituency is a woman, she is not promoted. She called on women to move forward despite obstacles at every stage.

US President Donald Trump said Iran is not yet ready to make what he called the “right deal” with Washington, while claiming the country has become economically and militarily weaker. Trump made the remarks to reporters aboard Air Force One before departing for South Carolina on Friday, according to the report published on August 22, 2026.

Trump said Iran was interested in reaching an agreement but, in his view, was not prepared for the proper terms. He said Washington wanted to see the effect of sanctions on Iran’s economy, which he described as already under pressure following a war with the United States.

Describing Iran’s condition, Trump claimed it had no money, navy or air force, and was not paying its soldiers or police. He also claimed Iran’s inflation stood at 350 percent. Trump further asserted that the United States maintained complete control over the area around the Strait of Hormuz.

Bangladesh’s Thakurgaon-1 parliamentary seat has been declared vacant after its lawmaker, Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, was elected the country’s 23rd president. The Bangladesh National Parliament Secretariat announced the vacancy on Saturday afternoon in a notice signed by Barrister Md Golam Sarwar Bhuiyan, secretary of the Legislative Support Wing’s Law Drafting Branch-2.

The notice said Mirza Fakhrul, elected from Electoral Area 3, Thakurgaon-1, to the 13th National Parliament, assumed the duties of president on 21 August. His assumption of presidential office triggered the vacancy in his parliamentary seat.

According to the parliamentary secretariat, the seat became vacant from the date he assumed the presidential role under Article 50(4) of Bangladesh’s Constitution. The announcement formally records the change in representation for the Thakurgaon-1 constituency.

Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s planned visit to India has been put on hold, despite Indian interest in arranging a bilateral trip in August. Dhaka said a “supportive environment” was needed before the visit and presented conditions including the return of Sheikh Hasina and other fugitives under the bilateral extradition treaty, as well as suspects accused in the killing of Sharif Osman Bin Hadi.

The issue gained urgency after Hasina, described as Bangladesh’s ousted former prime minister, spoke at a press briefing in Delhi. Dhaka reacted angrily, while concerns also grew over Awami League efforts to re-enter Bangladeshi politics from India. Delhi has said Bangladesh’s request is under review and denied links to Hasina’s political activities.

Analysts cited in the report say placing difficult demands ahead of a visit may complicate ties, but argue that dialogue remains necessary. They point to unresolved issues including water, border killings and energy. Former diplomat M Humayun Kabir said Bangladesh appears to seek a reconfiguration of relations under a “Bangladesh First” approach, based on non-interference, sovereign equality and national dignity.

India’s Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said technical-level discussions with Bangladesh are continuing on the Ganges water-sharing treaty and other river-related issues. He made the remarks at a press conference in India on Friday while responding to a question about renewing the agreement.

Jaiswal said the 1996 Ganges water-sharing treaty has a 30-year term. He added that all river-related matters between India and Bangladesh are discussed under the Joint Rivers Commission. Meetings of the committee established under the Ganges treaty are also being held regularly at the technical level, he said.

The 1996 agreement is due to expire in December this year. It governs the sharing of Ganges water flows at the Farakka Barrage in West Bengal during the dry season, from January 1 to May 31. The source attributes the report to The Economic Times.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has congratulated Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on becoming Bangladesh’s 23rd president. In a message issued on Friday, Pezeshkian also said Iran was ready to further deepen bilateral relations with Bangladesh and expand cooperation between the two countries.

Pezeshkian said the confidence placed in Mirza Fakhrul’s commitment, foresight and contribution to establishing and consolidating democracy was encouraging for Bangladesh’s future. The Iranian president described that confidence as a hopeful sign for the country.

At the end of his message, Pezeshkian wished Mirza Fakhrul success in carrying out his responsibilities as the new president. He also conveyed wishes for peace, happiness and prosperity for the people of Bangladesh.

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.