Jahangirnagar University unit of Islami Chhatra Shibir held the “July Uprising Run 2026” mini marathon on Monday, August 3, carrying the memory and spirit of the July mass uprising. The event, themed “Run Against Fascism,” was inaugurated at 6:30am from the university’s Central Shaheed Minar. The report’s headline said around 1,500 students took part.

University students, staff members and college students joined the event. The route began at the Shaheed Minar, passed the Faculty of Biological Sciences, Mir Mosharraf Hossain Hall, cafeteria, women’s halls and Chourangi, and ended at the Shaheed Minar. Islami Chhatra Shibir central president Nurul Islam Saddam attended the opening as chief guest.

Saddam said expected structural changes, autonomous functioning of key state bodies, an end to corruption and transparency had not materialised after July, describing the period as only a transfer of power. University unit president Md Mostafizur Rahman said the event aimed to remember martyrs and the months of July and August, while sending a message to those who may seek to become fascist in the future.

Information Minister Zahir Uddin Swapan said the government wants to implement every letter of the July Charter and is committed to fulfilling all of its pledges. He made the remarks at a discussion meeting at the National Press Club around 11am on Monday, marking the second anniversary of the July mass uprising. He said all implementation must proceed through parliament and that there is no scope to act outside it.

Swapan said efforts were being made to artificially take politics outside parliament. He said the BNP seeks cooperation from all parties to preserve the continuity of democratic culture. According to him, the national parliament should be the central focus of all political activity in the democracy achieved after extensive sacrifice.

The minister said the sacrifices of martyrs of the July mass uprising, the Liberation War and the Language Movement would be properly valued only when parliament becomes an effective democratic institution. He said parliament must be the centre of political debate, decision-making and state governance, adding that signatures on the July Charter carry a bond with the martyrs' blood.

National Citizen Party (NCP) Chief Coordinator Nasiruddin Patwary delivered remarks while wearing an eye bandage at a discussion meeting in the capital’s Diploma Engineers Institution (IDEB) on Monday afternoon. The event was titled “The People’s One-Point Demand in the Voices of Martyrs’ Families and the Injured.”

Patwary wore the bandage in protest over the reported loss of NCP member Alif’s eye in an attack by Chhatra Dal leaders and activists in Habiganj, according to the report. Explaining his action, Patwary said he had put on the bandage to express sympathy for Alif.

NCP convener and opposition chief whip in the national parliament Nahid Islam attended the meeting as chief guest. Other attendees included NCP Member Secretary Akhtar Hossain, northern region chief organizer Sarjis Alam, southern region chief organizer Hasnat Abdullah, spokesperson Asif Mahmud Sajeeb Bhuiyan, Rokeya Begum, mother of martyr Jaber Ibrahim, National Women’s Power member secretary Dr Mahmudah Mitu, and chief organizer Nusrat Tabassum.

Abhijit Deepak, chief of the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP), said he is ready to release documents on his scholarship and education loan while challenging Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to disclose his educational degree. In a video message reported on August 3, 2026, Deepak responded after Surat-based right-to-information activist Amit Tiwari sought an investigation into his family’s financial situation.

Tiwari questioned how Deepak’s father, Bhagwanrao Deepak, a retired junior engineer at the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation, financed his son’s overseas higher education. In the video posted on X, Deepak said he was prepared to show his scholarship letter and education-loan papers, and asked whether Modi would show his original degree.

Deepak said debate should focus on access to education rather than questioning his studies, adding that there should be no problem with an ordinary boy studying at Boston University. The report also revisited the longstanding political dispute over Modi’s degrees. BJP leaders displayed copies of his BA and MA degrees in 2016, while opponents and critics have questioned their authenticity. The government has rejected an RTI request seeking Modi’s graduation certificate, the report said.

Student Dal activist Md. Opi Mia, 21, from Madhyanagar upazila in Sunamganj, was shot during a July movement procession in Ashulia on August 5, 2024. He survived after being taken rapidly to hospital by fellow activists, but continues to suffer physical pain and has not returned to normal life despite lengthy treatment. The report was published on August 3, 2026.

According to his family, a bullet entered below the left side of Opi's navel and exited through his back. Doctors performed two surgeries to save and treat him, and he spent nearly a year receiving hospital care before returning home. Opi is a resident of Dugnoi village, the younger son of late Sabuj Mia, a former upazila BNP president, and a second-year undergraduate student at Netrokona Government College.

Opi said pain at the surgical site can become so severe that he cannot get out of bed for hours, disrupting his daily activities and mobility. His elder brother, M. Shahid, said the family has spent substantial money on treatment. He added that Opi remains under medical supervision with regular treatment and follow-up care, and sought prayers for his recovery.

Eight registered political parties, including the National Citizens Party (NCP), failed to submit their 2025 annual income and expenditure statements to Bangladesh’s Election Commission by the extended deadline. Election Commission Senior Secretary Akhtar Ahmed disclosed the information to journalists at the commission secretariat on August 3. The original July 31 deadline was extended through Sunday, August 2, because July 31 was a public holiday.

The parties that submitted no accounts were JAGPA, Trinamool BNP, Insaniyat Biplob Bangladesh, Bangladesh Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal, Bangladesh Supreme Party, National Citizens Party, Am Janatar Dal and Janatar Dal. Of 59 registered parties, 38, including BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami, submitted their income and expenditure accounts within the prescribed period.

Separately, 13 political parties, including Gono Odhikar Parishad and Jatiya Party, sought additional time because they could not prepare their accounts by the deadline. According to the Election Commission’s senior secretary, the eight listed parties, including NCP and Am Janatar Dal, neither filed their statements nor were identified as having sought an extension.

The Port Protection Committee held a march in Chattogram demanding cancellation of the leases for Chattogram Port’s New Mooring Container Terminal (NCT) and Chattogram Container Terminal (CCT). The march began from Agrabad Badamtali intersection toward the port on the morning of August 3, 2026. Police stopped participants at Barik Building intersection, where the programme concluded with a brief rally.

Engineer Delwar Majumdar, the committee’s convener, chaired the rally, while member secretary Fazlul Kabir Mintu conducted it. Former Labour Reform Commission member Tapan Dutta, former port CBA general secretary Kazi Sheikh Nurullah Bahar and leaders from labour, political and professional organisations spoke. Speakers described Chattogram Port as a core part of the national economy and an asset of millions of people.

They said no decision on the port’s future would be acceptable if workers’ views were ignored. While supporting modernisation, they said it should preserve state ownership and public interests. Majumdar announced a Port Protection Citizens’ Convention at 10am on August 15 at the July Hall of Chattogram Press Club, involving workers, professionals, businesspeople, academics, journalists and civil society representatives.

A section of Dhaka College Chhatra Dal put up posters declaring National Citizen Party chief coordinator Nasiruddin Patwary unwelcome on the campus, accusing him of spreading “propaganda” against the BNP. The posters were placed on Monday, August 3, at locations including the college administrative building and main gate. College authorities later removed them, citing the need to preserve a normal campus environment.

Sheikh Parvez Mosharraf, a suspended member of the Dhaka College Chhatra Dal convener committee who led the poster campaign, alleged that Patwary’s statements spread social hatred and that his political agenda was directed against the BNP. He said they had no objection if Patwary pursued healthy politics. On a possible visit by Patwary to the college, Mosharraf said they would welcome whatever decision general students made, while adding that his group had no plan for further action.

Sajib Uddin, member secretary of Jatiya Chhatra Shakti’s Dhaka College unit, opposed the campaign, saying the college was not anyone’s personal property and no one could be declared unwelcome there. Principal Professor A K M Ilyas said he had heard posters were present and that staff had been sent to remove them. He said the college did not want political unrest on campus.

Information and Broadcasting Minister Zahir Uddin Swapan said Bangladesh must strengthen parliamentary democracy to properly honour the sacrifices of martyrs of the July uprising. He called for the elected national parliament to become the country’s central forum for political activity and policymaking. Swapan made the remarks on Monday at a discussion marking July Uprising Day at the National Press Club in the capital, organised by the Bangladesh Federal Union of Journalists and Dhaka Union of Journalists.

He said political problems should be resolved through constitutional and democratic processes rather than outside parliament. Swapan described the loss of lives for voting rights and democracy as a matter of both pain and national self-reflection. He said the democratic mandate expressed through the uprising requires a more effective and stronger parliamentary system, with parliament serving as the highest democratic venue for debate, exchange of views and decision-making.

The minister also stressed strengthening an independent and dignified judiciary, good governance and constitutional democracy. He urged democratic political forces to work together with national unity, cooperation and tolerance. Swapan warned that intolerance, misinformation and instability on social media could weaken democracy. He said the government is committed to implementing every pledge of the July Charter through the parliament elected by the people.

Prashant Kishor, leader of the Jan Suraaj Party, was leading the Bankipur assembly by-election in Bihar after the ninth round of counting, according to an Election Commission update cited in a report published on August 3, 2026. Kishor had received 17,856 votes, while BJP candidate Neeraj Kumar was in second place, trailing by 5,272 votes. The RJD candidate was third.

The contest is Kishor’s first electoral bid after moving from election strategist to politician. His Jan Suraaj Party contested the 2025 Bihar assembly election, but Kishor did not stand as a candidate and the party won no seats. His decision to contest in Bankipur, described as a BJP stronghold, had surprised many political observers.

BJP’s Nitin Nabin had won Bankipur four consecutive times since 2010, including with more than 62 percent of votes in 2025. The by-election was called after Nabin became a Rajya Sabha member. If Kishor wins, it would be the first time BJP loses Bankipur. The report says the election follows nationwide protests over question-paper leaks and may indicate the mood of young voters.

Local Government Minister Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said opposition leaders’ language on the streets was inappropriate and urged them to ensure their movement does not turn into conflict. He made the remarks at an event at the National Press Club on Monday at 11am, marking the second anniversary of the July mass uprising. He said protesting in the streets was the opposition’s right, but it should not develop into confrontation.

He said the BNP was being misrepresented as opposing implementation of the July Charter. According to him, the Consensus Commission imposed a referendum question and the nation had been deceived. He said the BNP had stated where it disagreed, while maintaining that the party would implement every part of the July Charter that it signed.

Fakhrul said a committee had already been formed to implement the July Charter. Differences had emerged over whether the process involved reform or amendment, and he said those issues should be discussed in parliament. He also said the government was not interfering with the media, denied factionalism within the BNP, and called for qualified people to be appointed at media institutions.

Protests over alleged recruitment examination irregularities have intensified in Jharkhand, India, where student leader Devendranath Mahato began an indefinite hunger strike at Jaipal Singh Munda Stadium in Ranchi. Job aspirants are demanding cancellation of the 14th JPSC preliminary examination, an impartial inquiry into allegations of a question-paper leak, and reforms to the state’s recruitment system.

The protest has received support from the Cockroach Janata Party, or CJP, which the report said strengthened the agitation. The movement arose from allegations involving question-paper leaks, irregularities in recruitment procedures and administrative negligence. Students say such incidents have repeatedly harmed their career prospects.

Mahato said the dispute began after the 14th preliminary test results were announced last month. He said protesters began the movement on July 5, met the governor on July 7, burned an effigy on July 8, and submitted evidence to the chief minister on July 20. Mahato alleged that the government and Jharkhand Public Service Commission had failed to adequately address student concerns. He said he would continue fasting until demands presented to Chief Minister Hemant Soren are met.

Preliminary third-party-mediated talks have reportedly begun on a possible conditional release of jailed former Pakistani prime minister Imran Khan on health grounds. Sources close to Pakistan’s influential military and Khan’s family confirmed the information, according to the report published on August 3, 2026. Khan, founder of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, has been held in Rawalpindi’s Adiala jail for three years.

Khan was arrested in a corruption case in 2023 and has not been seen in public since. A source familiar with the discussions said Pakistan’s political deadlock needed to end because prolonged instability had caused irreparable damage. The report said a specific, credible reason is generally required for prison release under legal and administrative procedures, and Khan’s health could provide that basis. The 73-year-old underwent eye surgery earlier this year.

Family members say they have been barred from seeing Khan for months and fear for his physical condition. His sons said he has been isolated from the outside world for more than seven months. Analysts believe any arrangement could include leaving Pakistan, staying inactive in politics and making no political statements. His friend Clive Stafford Smith said Khan may resist such strict conditions.

US President Donald Trump is losing credibility on Iran, according to Trita Parsi, executive vice president of the US-based Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft. In a special interview with Al Jazeera published on August 3, 2026, Parsi said Trump’s conduct had become a “tiring pattern” involving severe threats followed by a retreat from that position.

Parsi said Trump first issues frightening threats of destructive attacks, then steps back while presenting the move as his own achievement. According to the analyst, Trump seeks to frame the outcome as though the other side had backed down, leading him to refrain from an attack. Parsi nevertheless viewed a retreat and renewed space for diplomacy more positively than the start of a disastrous war or further escalation of conflict.

However, Parsi cautioned that the situation cannot continue indefinitely. He voiced deep concern about the future of negotiations, saying repeated reversals could completely destroy their credibility. He added that commitment to any agreement could then be questioned, as could the acceptability of proposals or concessions made in talks. Trump’s threats themselves could lose significance and credibility through repeated changes of position.

In an analysis published on August 3, 2026, Ashutosh Varshney argues that student protests in Delhi’s Jantar Mantar and elsewhere in India began over education reform but developed into sharp criticism of Narendra Modi’s government. The article says authorities attempted to suppress the demonstrations through force, including pellet guns and nail-studded batons, but failed to intimidate students as the number of protesters continued to grow. It claims the government ultimately yielded.

The analysis says students also displayed courage online, using satire, mockery and humour to challenge what it describes as the BJP’s long-standing dominance of social media. It argues that familiar allegations branding protesters anti-national, foreign-funded or disrespectful of Indian culture did not succeed. Government-aligned television presenters and reporters also faced students’ anger, while the BJP’s ability to control the public narrative was described as badly weakened.

Varshney cautions that it would be unwise to conclude that the atmosphere of fear has permanently disappeared, saying the BJP may retaliate when conditions are favourable. Still, he says space for criticism and dissent has opened for now. The article suggests the movement could affect parliamentary strategy and the forthcoming Uttar Pradesh assembly election.