A federal appeals court based in Boston has refused to allow key provisions of President Donald Trump’s executive order tightening mail-in voting rules to take effect before the upcoming November congressional elections in the United States. On Saturday, the First US Circuit Court of Appeals rejected the Trump administration’s request by a 2-1 vote, leaving a lower-court injunction in place.

The US Justice Department had asked for the injunction to be temporarily lifted while litigation continued, arguing that relevant federal agencies had not yet finalized implementation policies and that the lawsuit was premature. The appeals court rejected that argument, saying states must prepare now as the September and November elections approach and face deadlines requiring coordination with federal authorities.

US District Judge Indira Talwani issued the injunction on June 25, finding that several parts of Trump’s March order likely exceeded presidential constitutional authority and interfered with state and congressional powers over elections. Twenty-three states and the District of Columbia brought the case. The blocked provisions will remain suspended in those states through the November congressional election, though the administration may seek emergency relief from the US Supreme Court.

AIMIM chief and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi has offered an electoral alliance to Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav ahead of Uttar Pradesh's 2027 assembly election. Speaking at an event in Moradabad on July 26, Owaisi said he did not want the BJP to form the state government again and was ready to join hands and form an alliance. He said discussions should begin now so there is no regret after the election.

Owaisi urged the parties to contest together rather than affect each other's votes. Addressing claims that his participation in elections harms the Samajwadi Party, he said he was prepared to fight alongside it. The Samajwadi Party is currently the main opposition party in Uttar Pradesh and is the principal challenger to the BJP led by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.

Owaisi said AIMIM's fight was not against any religion, but for dignity, rights, justice and equality. He said he would discuss rights and justice with Akhilesh if they sat together. BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla mocked the offer as politics of appeasement, alleging that both the Samajwadi Party and AIMIM pursue vote-bank politics.

Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami Assistant Secretary General and central publicity and media department secretary Advocate Ehsanul Mahbub Zubair expressed deep concern over severe public hardship caused by gas shortages. In a statement published on July 26, 2026, he said acute shortages of LPG and CNG were disrupting household cooking, CNG-powered vehicle use and industrial production across the country.

Zubair said long queues of vehicles had appeared at CNG stations in the capital for several days because of the crisis. He said this was wasting millions of working hours and intensifying public suffering. According to him, people believe illegal gas connections, government mismanagement, irregularities and syndicates are largely responsible for the problem.

He called for an investigation into whether any group was attempting to create an artificial shortage to raise gas prices. Zubair also demanded measures to reduce public hardship, including exploration and drilling of new gas wells, ensured extraction from existing wells and necessary LNG imports. He urged the government and relevant authorities to take firm steps to resolve the ongoing crisis quickly and provide relief to the public.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has written to Indian Home Minister Amit Shah seeking answers over allegations that pellet shots were fired at student protesters at Jantar Mantar in Delhi. Gandhi posted the letter on his X account on Sunday morning after sending it on Saturday. The allegations relate to a July 20 march toward Parliament held by students protesting an exam paper leak.

Several protesters were reportedly injured after pellet shots were allegedly fired at students during the march. Gandhi said medical records for one injured protester mention pellet injuries. Delhi Police, however, has denied firing pellets. Gandhi also alleged that hundreds of students were injured and that women protesters were beaten.

In his letter, Gandhi asked whether Shah, as home minister, authorized pellet firing at students and, if not, who did. He also asked whether people in plain clothes who allegedly beat students with batons were police personnel or volunteers, and who recruited them. On Friday, Gandhi presented injured protester Sahil Lohchab before the media and pointed to his wounds as evidence while the government denied firing.

Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed said Bangladesh’s recently departed president, Md Shahabuddin, cannot face conventional criminal proceedings under the law. Speaking to journalists at his Secretariat office on July 26 after awarding police personnel, he said Shahabuddin had performed his duties constitutionally and had not carried out any act outside the rules during his tenure.

Ahmed said political parties, opposition groups, the NCP and others have the right to speak out, protest and raise allegations against the former president. However, he said the government had not found any statement or allegation that warranted consideration. He said Shahabuddin had served through the end of authoritarian rule, the full interim-government period and about five to six months of the current political government.

The minister said the president is legally in a privileged position, meaning no court case can be filed against him over criminal offences or other matters in that status. Any complaint or record from before he assumed office would proceed under applicable rules and law, he added. Ahmed said Shahabuddin will receive legally entitled former-presidential benefits, including six months of SSF and PGR facilities, along with security arrangements by police and other agencies.

Amar Desh editor Mahmudur Rahman said the July revolution remains unfinished and must be completed. He made the remarks on Sunday as chief guest at the first session of the Bangladesh Conference at the Institute of Diploma Engineers auditorium in the capital. The discussion was titled “July Revolution and Bangladesh-oriented Thought: Theoretical Perspective.” He described the revolution as an ongoing process.

Rahman said weakness in the rural economy has pushed people toward Dhaka in search of employment, making the capital unsuitable for living. He called for increased employment in agriculture and maximum priority for the production sector. Strengthening agriculture, he said, would keep the rural economy active and reduce migration to Dhaka driven by a lack of work.

He also said agriculture and manufacturing are essential to expanding employment and strengthening the economy. Citing Vietnam’s per capita income of more than $5,000, he said Bangladesh should first aim to reach Vietnam’s position. In the keynote paper, Professor Dr. Md. Saidul Islam proposed an integrated state philosophy combining Bangladesh’s history, Islamic ethics, modern democracy and the spirit of the July revolution, calling it Bangladesh-oriented thought.

Israel has intensified military activity, arrests, movement restrictions and expansion of illegal settlements and military outposts across the occupied West Bank, according to a report published July 26. Near Nablus, Israeli forces were raiding homes in the village of Tal belonging to Palestinians accused in the killing of two Israeli soldiers. Military spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Ella Waweya said the operation was intended to temporarily seal the homes as an initial step toward demolition.

Four Palestinians and two Israeli soldiers were killed in clashes southwest of Nablus last Friday. Palestinian sources said the violence began after settlers attacked Tal, near the illegal Havat Gilad settlement, while the Israeli military gave a different account. International human rights groups have repeatedly criticized Israel's policy of demolishing homes of accused attackers, describing it as collective punishment and a clear violation of international law.

WAFA reported that Israeli forces detained at least 80 Palestinians from areas including Nablus, Ramallah, Jenin, Hebron, Bethlehem and Tulkarem. Local sources said settlers set fire to the Al-Rahma Mosque in Qusra; Israeli authorities made no immediate comment. Analysts cited in the report said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is relying on hard-right supporters before elections due in three months.

Members of the Dhaka Metropolitan Detective Branch took three quota reform movement coordinators—Nahid Islam, Asif Mahmud Sajib Bhuiyan and Abu Bakar Majumdar—from Gonoshasthaya Nagar Hospital in the capital on July 26, 2024. At about 11:30pm, the DB acknowledged holding them, saying they had been brought in for their security and would be asked whether they had information about violence.

Nahid’s family alleged earlier that afternoon that people in plain clothes identifying themselves as law enforcement personnel first took Nahid, then Asif and Bakar. The report said Nahid had previously been taken from Nandipara in Khilgaon on July 19 and left in Purbachal on July 21. Asif and Bakar were also reportedly taken that day and left in separate areas on July 24.

Then-home minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal told journalists the three coordinators were feeling unsafe and that the DB had taken responsibility for protecting them. The report also described nationwide arrest operations and “block raids” surrounding the movement, stating that 9,121 people were arrested in 11 days, including 2,536 in Dhaka.

Acting President Major (Retd.) Hafiz Uddin Ahmed paid tribute to the martyrs at the National Martyrs’ Memorial in Savar, Dhaka. He laid flowers at the memorial altar at 11:40am on Sunday, July 26.

A smart contingent from the three armed services presented the acting president with a guard of honour during the ceremony. The tribute took place at the altar of the National Martyrs’ Memorial in Savar.

After laying the flowers, Hafiz Uddin Ahmed stood silently for some time in remembrance of the martyrs. He later signed the visitors’ book at the memorial.

Bangladesh Azad Party, or BAP, has filed a complaint with the International Crimes Tribunal against recently former president Md Shahabuddin, known as Chuppu, over alleged involvement in killings and repression during the July Revolution. BAP president Brigadier General (retd) Hasinur Rahman submitted the complaint to the chief prosecutor’s office on Sunday afternoon.

Speaking to reporters after the filing, Hasinur Rahman said about 1,400 people were killed and thousands were injured during the July Revolution. He alleged that the then president took no action despite witnessing the events while holding the country’s highest office, and instead maintained a silent role.

Hasinur Rahman said Shahabuddin could have resigned as president at the time but did not do so. BAP said it filed the complaint under the principle of “superior command responsibility,” or accountability of higher authorities. The party expressed hope that a proper investigation by the International Crimes Tribunal would provide justice to victims.

Mahbub Anwar Bablu, senior vice president of Chandpur district BNP, died while undergoing treatment at Chandpur 250-bed Government General Hospital on Sunday morning. His family said he had been suffering from various physical ailments for a long time.

BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir expressed deep sorrow and condolences over Bablu’s death. In a condolence message, he prayed for forgiveness for the deceased’s soul and conveyed deep sympathy to the bereaved family.

Chandpur district BNP president and Chandpur Sadar MP Sheikh Farid Ahmed Manik also offered condolences. He described Bablu as a highly prudent leader of the district BNP and said his death was an irreparable loss to the party. District BNP general secretary and district council administrator Advocate Salim Ullah Selim said Bablu’s funeral prayer would be held at Chandpur Government College ground after Asr prayers on Sunday, and requested party leaders, activists and members of the public to attend.

Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed said there is no legal scope to take criminal action against recently outgoing President Md Shahabuddin Chuppu. He made the remarks on Sunday, July 26, while speaking with journalists at the Secretariat about awards and honours for police bravery and commendable work. Ahmed said Chuppu will receive all state facilities, including security, for the next six months under the constitution.

Ahmed said the president served constitutionally during the final phase of autocratic rule, throughout the interim government’s tenure and for about six months of the current government. He said Chuppu performed his duties according to rules and regulations and that the government received the president’s cooperation. During that period, Ahmed said, the president was constitutionally privileged and could not face criminal proceedings or a court case on the matter.

The minister said people were free to make statements about periods outside that time, but the government had found nothing requiring consideration. Asked about a telephone conversation between the former prime minister and the outgoing president, he said communication can take place from anywhere in the world in the internet era, making a claim that travel to London was necessary appear unrealistic to him.

Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) founder and movement spokesperson Abhijit Dipke said the group’s achievement was only a beginning after India’s Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigned following a 37-day protest. In a video posted on X on Sunday, Dipke said the group still had a long way to go. CJP withdrew its movement after the government accepted other demands and assured protesters that no action would be taken against them.

Protesters had held Pradhan responsible for the NEET question-paper leak and the suicides of exam candidates, demanding his resignation. As the government’s decision was delayed, new supporters continued joining the campaign. Thousands of supporters identifying themselves as “cockroaches” later gathered at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi, where the protest stage echoed with “Inquilab” slogans.

Dipke described the continuous 37-day protest as extremely difficult, while saying he could now sleep and wake up at home without constant anxiety. He said he could not personally meet everyone at Jantar Mantar on the day the movement was withdrawn because he had typhoid and fever. He thanked supporters and also expressed gratitude to critics, saying constructive criticism and reasonable questions helped the movement correct shortcomings and operate more effectively.

Former President Md. Shahabuddin Chuppu is set to move into his own residence in Gulshan-2, Dhaka, after resigning from Bangabhaban. The report said he resigned on Friday citing health reasons and was expected to move on Sunday to a fifth-floor flat at Green Villa, House 41, Road 123. Law-enforcement agencies strengthened security at the residence before his arrival.

Dhaka Metropolitan Police Joint Commissioner Nasirul Islam said arrangements required by law for a former president were being made, with the Special Security Force coordinating security. Police were to be deployed at the building entrance, while plainclothes personnel would monitor the surrounding area. Communications, traffic control, checkpoints, regular police patrols, Gulshan police surveillance and occasional RAB patrols were also reported.

Under the presidential pension ordinance, a former president who served at least six months remains eligible for lifetime pension, security, protocol, medical, travel and administrative support after resignation. The pension is set at 75 percent of the last salary received as president, with an option for a lump-sum gratuity within a stipulated period. Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmed will serve as acting president until a new president is elected.

India’s emerging student-youth movement, the Cockroach Janata Party, announced a suspension of its protests after reaching an understanding with the government, according to an Amar Desh Online report published on July 26, 2026. The report said the central government made concessions before the movement was withdrawn, including Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation, a promise of examination reforms, and an assurance that cases against protesters would be withdrawn.

The protests began over an alleged question-paper leak in the NEET admission examination and expanded into wider demands concerning education, employment and government accountability. The Financial Times described Pradhan’s resignation as the movement’s largest symbolic and political success. An Associated Press analysis said participants used satire, memes, social media and creative protest to criticize the Modi government directly.

The Economic Times reported that the government negotiated directly with CJP, leaving established opposition parties, including Congress, outside the movement’s main center. Analysts cited in the report said youth dissatisfaction over education, jobs and accountability had deepened. The report also noted that CJP is not a recognized major political party, but a new student-youth-centered movement and political platform.