Mahmudur Rahman, editor of Amar Desh, called for a serious assessment of Bangladesh’s development as a nation over the past 55 years and for a clear definition of national identity. Speaking as chief guest at a University Teachers Link seminar at Dhaka University’s Muzaffar Ahmed Chowdhury Auditorium on Saturday, he also urged efforts to free higher education from partisan influence and to help teachers develop students into human resources.

He said universities are not only institutions for distributing knowledge but can help shape the future of the state and nation. Rahman called for deeper research into the historical development of Bengali identity and Bangladesh’s national identity. He raised concerns that qualified people have been denied jobs and opportunities at universities because of political affiliation, and urged teachers’ organisations to work together for a merit-based environment.

Rahman said teachers could serve as a strong intellectual pressure group by preparing a clear national roadmap. Lawmaker Engineer Mardia Mumtaz called for regular training and classroom evaluation for university teachers. Former Dhaka University vice-chancellor Niaz Ahmed Khan described UTL’s work during its first year as encouraging.

Indian Muslim leaders have voiced deep concern after Parliament passed the Prevention of Insults to National Honour (Amendment) Bill, 2026 on Thursday. The measure makes deliberate disrespect for or obstruction of the national song Vande Mataram an offence, punishable by up to three years in prison, a fine, or both. It gives Vande Mataram legal status equal to the national anthem Jana Gana Mana.

In a statement released Friday, the All India Muslim Personal Law Board said the law runs counter to the Constitution, secularism and democratic values, and seriously harms citizens’ religious freedom. Its spokesperson, Dr S. Q. R. Ilyas, said any attempt to make Vande Mataram compulsory for people of all religions and communities was objectionable and contrary to fundamental constitutional principles.

Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind president Arshad Madani similarly called the bill contrary to the Constitution and religious freedom, describing it as an effort to divert attention from people’s real problems for electoral politics. He said Muslims do not object to anyone singing or reciting the song, but some sections do not align with Islamic belief and Muslims cannot be compelled to sing or accept it. The board said only its first two verses were adopted nationally after Constituent Assembly discussions.

Authorities and the BNP are making extensive preparations for Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s planned visit to flood-affected areas of Banshkhali in Chattogram. The prime minister is scheduled to visit on Sunday, August 9. Security has been strengthened, while preparations are under way for possible visit locations and transport arrangements.

Chattogram Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Zahidul Islam Miah, Superintendent of Police Masud Alam, and South Chattogram district BNP senior joint convenor Mishkatul Islam Chowdhury Pappa inspected the helipad area at Baharchhara sea beach. Upazila Nirbahi Officer Ruhul Amin, Banshkhali police station officer-in-charge Md. Rabiul Haque, and other senior administrative officials also joined the inspection.

During the visit, officials reviewed the proposed venue, security arrangements, communications and overall preparations. Pappa said the prime minister was coming to stand beside people affected by flooding. He also said residents of Banshkhali were waiting to welcome the prime minister. Local enthusiasm has been reported around the planned visit, and authorities and relevant stakeholders are continuing preparations to ensure it is orderly and successful.

Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami held a mass procession and brief rally in Ranishankail, Thakurgaon, demanding implementation of the July Charter and the referendum verdict. Organized by the party’s upazila unit on Saturday, the procession travelled through several streets in the town before ending at Shibdighi July Square, where leaders addressed the gathering.

Mizanur Rahman Master, former amir of Thakurgaon district Jamaat, spoke as chief guest. The event was chaired by Upazila Jamaat amir Vice Principal Rafiqul Islam. Speakers included upazila secretary Minnatullah Pathan, district Workers Welfare Federation president Matiur Rahman, upazila youth division president Mokarram Hossain and district Chhatra Shibir president Amir Ahmed, along with other organizational leaders.

Speakers said implementing the July Charter would close avenues for corruption, money laundering and irregularities. They alleged that a group opposed its implementation and did not want to accept the referendum verdict. Calling on the government to act immediately, they said 70 percent of people had supported reforms in the referendum and claimed that delays in implementing reform proposals had created public disappointment.

Former Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu announced on Wednesday that he is dissolving his Future Party, or Gelecek Partisi, and stepping back from politics. In a Turkish-language statement posted on X, Davutoglu attributed the move to Turkiye’s “dirty political climate,” saying it was not a surrender but a moral decision to distance himself and a call to rethink politics.

Davutoglu said corruption, favouritism and a lack of accountability were eroding moral values. He also criticised the normalisation of politicians changing parties and the appointment of government trustees, known as kayyum, instead of elected officials, calling these practices a blow to democratic ethics. He warned that the presidential system introduced in 2018 had opened the way to authoritarianism and removed checks and balances.

A former key adviser to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Davutoglu was foreign minister from 2009 to 2014 and later prime minister. Political differences with Erdogan led to his replacement by Binali Yildirim in 2016. Davutoglu left the AKP in September 2019 and launched the conservative, pro-democracy Future Party that December. The party received 0.11 percent of votes in the 2024 elections.

Bangladesh Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal held a protest procession in the capital on Saturday to mark the second anniversary of the mass uprising. The rally protested what the organisation described as anti-national conspiracies by fallen fascists and political practices outside accepted norms. The procession began in Fakirapul, travelled through major roads in Dhaka, and ended in Kakrail. Central committee vice-president Kazi Zia Uddin Basit led the march.

Leaders and activists from different levels and units of Chhatra Dal joined the demonstration. Participants chanted slogans against the alleged anti-national conspiracies and called for maintaining a democratic environment and political decorum.

Basit said the organisation remained united on the streets to uphold the spirit of the mass uprising and resist all conspiracies against the country's independence, sovereignty and democracy. He also pledged that Chhatra Dal would remain vocal against what it termed anti-national activities and political conduct outside accepted norms. The procession concluded in Kakrail after passing through important city roads.

Public discontent is intensifying in Tunisia five years after President Kais Saied’s power takeover, driven by political repression, a worsening economy, deteriorating public services and prolonged electricity and water shortages. Thousands recently protested in the capital, Tunis, against what they described as Saied’s growing authoritarian rule and declining living conditions. Saied supporters held a counter-rally, calling opponents traitors and demanding their imprisonment.

Human Rights Watch Tunisia director Salsabil Chellali said criticism of the government has become effectively intolerable, alleging that opposition parties, civil society and media have been targeted and political rights curtailed. Many leading government opponents are either imprisoned or in exile. Most senior leaders of Ennahda are detained, including its 85-year-old leader Rached Ghannouchi, whose condition has not been disclosed since he reportedly fainted in prison last month.

A heatwave and wildfires have burned about 4,400 hectares, while rolling blackouts have left some areas without electricity for up to 12 hours. Researcher Hamza Meddeb said censorship makes people fearful of openly blaming the president. Analysts cited continued support for Saied’s government from the European Union, Algeria and Libya, while saying hopes for reforms have diminished.

Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami's Barishal metropolitan unit held a rally and public procession in Barishal on Saturday, August 1, 2026, demanding implementation of the referendum's public verdict and the July Charter. The gathering began at 5:30 pm at Ashwini Kumar Town Hall premises and also protested rising commodity prices and deteriorating law and order.

Assistant Secretary General Advocate Muazzam Hossain Helal, the chief guest, called for swift implementation of the referendum verdict. He also demanded that Sheikh Hasina and her associates allegedly involved in the July killings be brought under the law and tried. Helal urged the administration not to be used for political interests and called for protection of constitutional and democratic rights.

Chairman Maulana Zahir Uddin Muhammad Babar alleged that the home minister had failed to play an effective role in improving law and order. He condemned attacks on July fighters during the second anniversary of the July uprising and demanded the rapid arrest and exemplary punishment of those involved. The procession travelled through major roads, including Sadar Road, Fazlul Haque Avenue and Girja Mohalla, before returning to the Town Hall premises.

DUCSU Vice President Sadiq Kayem said the public would not accept any betrayal of the spirit, sacrifices and popular aspirations of the July movement. He made the remarks as the main speaker at a July conference titled “Jagrat,” held on Friday night at Grand Deshpriyo Restaurant and Convention Hall in Kandirpar, Cumilla city. The event was organised by the Cumilla district unit of the National Doctors Forum.

Kayem said a group was making planned attempts to question the history, sacrifices and achievements of the July movement. He urged people across the country to remain alert to what he described as such activities. He also called for united efforts to uphold national interests and the aspirations of the people.

He said the nation would always remember with respect the sacrifices of those killed in the July movement and the contributions of those injured. Kayem called on people to play a responsible role in building a just, non-discriminatory and democratic Bangladesh guided by the movement’s ideals. National Doctors Forum Secretary General Professor Dr Mahmood Hossain addressed the conference as chief guest.

Bangladesh Khelafat Majlis adopted nine resolutions at a meeting of its central Majlis-e-Shura for the 2025–2026 session. The session was held on Saturday at the Institution of Engineers, Bangladesh auditorium in Ramna, Dhaka, and was chaired by party Ameer Maulana Muhammad Mamunul Haque. The report was published on August 1, 2026.

The resolutions called for restoring full faith and trust in Allah in the constitution and adding provisions to invalidate laws, rules and policies contrary to the Quran and Sunnah. They also demanded a death-penalty law for insults against Allah, Prophet Muhammad and Islam, implementation of the July Charter and referendum verdict, and international action over alleged persecution of Muslims in Palestine and India. The party reiterated its demand for international recognition of Palestine as an independent and sovereign state.

Other resolutions sought legal measures to declare the Qadiani community non-Muslim at the state level, stronger diplomatic action against alleged push-ins at the border, and steps to control prices and improve law and order. The session also urged Muslim unity for a peaceful movement to establish a caliphate. It condemned an alleged attack on an MCP programme in Habiganj and demanded arrests and punishment of those involved.

Bangladesh Khelafat Majlis Ameer Maulana Muhammad Mamunul Haque said the party will continue and intensify its movement for implementation of the July Charter and constitutional reform based on the referendum verdict. He made the remarks on Saturday while chairing the third session of the party’s central Majlis-e-Shura for the 2025–2026 term at the Institution of Engineers, Bangladesh auditorium in Ramna, Dhaka. Secretary General Maulana Jalaluddin Ahmad conducted the session.

Mamunul Haque said full implementation of the July Charter was essential to reflect public aspirations. He said the party would remain careful that its statements, decisions and political steps do not weaken the ongoing movement or create divisions in public unity. He also said political decisions would be made considering the current political situation, the country’s overall reality and public interest.

He urged preparations for elections at all local government levels, including unions, municipalities, upazilas and city corporations, with capable candidates selected. The meeting adopted a nine-point resolution seeking restoration of “full faith and trust in Allah” in the constitution, provisions to invalidate laws and policies contrary to the Quran and Sunnah, price control and improved law and order. It also condemned attacks on peaceful opposition political programmes and demanded punishment for those involved and protection of constitutional rights.

The National Olama Alliance alleged that its human chain outside the National Press Club in the capital was attacked on Saturday under the leadership of Aminul Islam Imon, a Dhaka South leader of Swechchhasebak Dal. In a statement, the organisation said its convener Ashraf Uddin Mahdi, Dhaka South convener Mahmud Hasan and several central leaders were attacked.

The previously announced programme was held to protest the gouging out of Alif's eye in Habiganj, attacks on National Citizen Party activists in different parts of the country, and alleged attacks on the alliance's Dinaj Minhaz in Kurigram and Shah Alam in Netrokona. The report said video footage showed Chhatra Dal leader Hadis Hawlader and Swechchhasebak Dal leader Farhad Islam leading the attack.

Sources said that after the human chain began following Asr prayers, a group led by Imon held a daytime torch procession drill carrying sticks. They later approached participants while chanting slogans including “bhua bhua.” Mahdi alleged the attack occurred in the presence of police and said a press release was snatched. Mahmud Hasan urged the administration to ensure the right to peaceful programmes and expression.

Liberation War Affairs State Minister Ishraq Hossain said Sheikh Hasina’s stated plan to return to the country in December this year was intended only to energise party workers. He described it as political posturing by the banned Awami League. Ishraq made the remarks on Saturday as chief guest at a mock parliament titled “Responsibility for the July Killings” at FDC.

At the event organised by Debate for Democracy, Ishraq said the Awami League had pursued flawed political strategies and moved toward fascism rather than democracy. He alleged that the party had suffered political, social and moral defeat over the July killings and lost international acceptability. He also said that, after August 5, 2024, its allies remained active in the administration, business and cultural spheres.

Ishraq urged all anti-fascist groups to remain united, warning that divisions could create conditions for fascist forces to rise again. Debate for Democracy chairman Hasan Ahmed Chowdhury Kiron also described the July uprising as the Awami League’s political and moral defeat. In the debate competition, Bangladesh University of Business and Technology defeated Gono Bishwabidyalay, with trophies, crests and certificates awarded afterward.

Suvendu Adhikari, described as West Bengal’s chief minister, spoke about India’s Citizenship Amendment Act at the launch of the state’s 16th digital census on Saturday. He said Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians entering India from neighbouring countries are not infiltrators but refugees. Muslims were not included in the categories he described.

The disputed CAA provides for faster citizenship for six religious minority communities, including Hindus, arriving from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan, while excluding Muslims. Critics and human rights groups say the law conflicts with Article 14 of India’s Constitution, which provides equality before law, as well as with secular principles.

Adhikari cited a September 1, 2025 government notification, saying refugees who arrived by December 31, 2014 to save their religion or lives cannot face cases or police harassment. He said illegal infiltrators would be identified through legal procedures and returned. Referring to an earlier error in Birbhum in which an Indian citizen faced difficulties before being brought back, he said his government would ensure that no genuine Indian citizen suffers in the process.

Former Bangladesh Islami Chhatra Shibir central president Zahidul Islam said the July movement united people against oppression under a shared identity as the oppressed. He made the remarks on Friday as chief guest at the “July Awakening Cultural Evening” at the Central Shaheed Minar premises in Feni town.

Islam said genuine justice could not be established until what he described as the “deep state” was removed from Bangladesh. He said martyr Osman Hadi had begun public discussion about invisible and subtle forces within the state. Referring to the July movement, he cited the image of martyr Abu Sayed standing with both arms outstretched, saying protesters were prepared to risk their lives but did not bow to injustice.

He said members of martyrs’ families place greater emphasis on ending impunity than on their personal grief, and seek justice for those involved in killings. Raising the issue of a Chhatra League procession in Feni, he criticized its participants and urged the administration not to favour any side or encourage muscle politics. Several Jamaat leaders, relatives of martyrs, injured protesters and Chhatra Shibir activists attended the event.