Mohammad Shahabuddin resigned from the presidency, citing physical illness, and Speaker Major (Retd.) Hafiz Uddin assumed presidential duties under the constitution. At a Friday press conference at the National Parliament Building, Hafiz Uddin said Shahabuddin submitted his signed resignation letter at 4:51pm on 24 July 2026. The speaker said he took over the responsibilities in accordance with Article 54 after accepting the resignation.

According to Hafiz Uddin, Shahabuddin wrote that he suffers from serious heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes and kidney complications. He has undergone bypass surgery, while a recent medical examination diagnosed autonomic neuropathy. The condition causes him to lose consciousness at times. Shahabuddin said his physical complications, physical and mental incapacity, and need for long-term treatment meant he could no longer perform the duties of the constitutional office.

Hafiz Uddin said the resignation letter had been ordered preserved in National Parliament Secretariat records and that necessary administrative steps were directed. He said he had also taken an oath to serve as acting president if required when sworn in as speaker. Addressing discussion surrounding the resignation, he said Shahabuddin had resigned because of physical incapacity and had expressed support and respect for the current elected government.

Acting President Hafiz Uddin Ahmed said no health certificate is needed to establish Chuppu’s illness. He made the remarks at a press conference held at the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban on Friday. Ahmed said there was no room for doubt that Chuppu was physically ill and added that he had occasionally lost consciousness.

Ahmed returned to the country on Friday after cutting short a trip to Thailand because of the possibility of Chuppu’s resignation. The report identifies him as the speaker of parliament. He had travelled to Thailand for medical treatment and returned two days earlier than planned.

According to the report, if a president resigns, the speaker serves as acting president under the constitution until an election is held for the post. The report also states that Chuppu has autonomic neuropathy and occasionally becomes unconscious.

Mohammad Shahabuddin, known as Chuppu, has resigned from the presidency, citing health reasons, according to his assistant private secretary H M Sagar. The resignation was confirmed on Friday, July 24, 2026. Shahabuddin said in his resignation letter that his medical condition prevented him from continuing to perform the responsibilities of the constitutional office properly.

He said he has long suffered from heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes and kidney complications, and had previously undergone bypass surgery. A recent medical examination also diagnosed him with autonomic neuropathy. Shahabuddin stated that the condition causes him to lose consciousness briefly on occasion.

In the letter, he said the physical and mental incapacity caused by the range of illnesses made it no longer possible for him to discharge the duties of president appropriately. He also cited a need for long-term treatment. Shahabuddin said his health situation was the reason for his decision to step down from the post.

The eleven-party alliance said it will hold a divisional rally at Sylhet Government Alia Madrasa Field at 2:30pm on July 25. At a July 24 press briefing at the venue, Advocate Ehsanul Mahbub Zubair, a Jamaat-e-Islami assistant secretary general and alliance central leader, said the Sylhet event would conclude a series of divisional rallies that began in Rajshahi. He said residents were prepared to make the rally successful despite adverse weather.

Zubair said the alliance was continuing its movement to implement the referendum verdict and seek trials of “fascist Hasina” and her associates. He accused the BNP of failing to take an oath for a constitutional reform council and violating a written commitment in the July Charter. He also alleged that the government had abolished the judicial secretariat and Human Rights Commission and was making partisan appointments in state institutions.

Organisers said Jamaat-e-Islami chief and opposition leader Dr Shafiqur Rahman MP will attend as chief guest, while LDP chairman Dr Colonel (retd.) Oli Ahmad will preside. NCP convener Nahid Islam MP and leaders from other parties are listed as special guests. The alliance said speakers would address Sylhet’s alleged deprivation, development disparities, state reform and the political situation, and announce a new programme.

Jawaharlal Nehru University and Delhi University have advised students not to join protests at Jantar Mantar amid a student movement linked to examination question leaks in India. The report, published on July 24, 2026, said the Cockroach Janata Party, or CJP, emerged from the issue and has become one of the country’s largest recent student movements. CJP protesters have called on students across India to join the movement.

In a post on X, JNU advised students, academics and other members of its campus to act responsibly and prioritize personal safety. Citing Supreme Court directions related to public protests, the university asked them to refrain from attending any gathering at or around Jantar Mantar in New Delhi.

JNU also urged responsible use of social media, saying violations could lead to disciplinary action under applicable laws and the university’s code of conduct. It said members were expected to uphold academic responsibility and responsible citizenship. Delhi University had earlier issued similar advice to its students. After that instruction, opposition leader Rahul Gandhi said universities could not “threaten” students.

Parliament Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmed has assumed the role of acting president after Md Sahabuddin resigned, leaving the presidency vacant. The report, published on July 24, 2026, said the speaker will perform the presidential duties under the constitution until a new president takes office.

Article 50(3) of the constitution allows a president to resign through a signed letter addressed to the speaker. Under Article 54, the speaker performs the president’s duties when the office is vacant or when the president cannot serve because of absence, illness or another reason, pending the election of a new president.

Article 123(2) requires a new presidential election within 90 days when the post falls vacant through death, resignation or removal. Article 48(1) states that parliament members elect the president. Hafiz Uddin Ahmed returned to the country two days earlier, cutting short a medical trip to Thailand because of the possibility of Sahabuddin’s resignation.

Opposition leader and Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Dr Shafiqur Rahman said injustice and Jamaat cannot coexist, adding that the party would make no compromise on morality. He made the remarks on Friday morning as chief guest at the Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami Dhaka district’s six-monthly Rukun conference at the IDEB auditorium in Kakrail, Dhaka. He said the party was made up of people, not angels, and urged supporters to identify wrongdoing so it could be corrected.

Addressing colleagues, Rahman called for caution and said violations within a tolerable limit would be corrected while allowing people to continue their duties, but serious breaches would require difficult decisions. He alleged that the government was ignoring the verdict of a referendum, arguing that no state system could endure by disregarding public opinion. He also alleged that internet shutdowns during July operations made it difficult to determine the actual number of deaths, and said his organisation had completed 12 volumes of a martyrs’ list.

Rahman criticised extortion, corruption and insecurity, saying they were obstructing investment. He stressed the right of people of all faiths to practise their religions freely. Other speakers called for organisational discipline, fulfilment of pledges, public outreach and activities based on the Quran and Sunnah. Male and female Rukun members from Dhaka district attended the conference.

Bangladesh President Md Sahabuddin submitted his resignation letter to National Parliament Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmed on Friday, July 24, 2026, at about 4:30pm, according to the report. In the letter, Sahabuddin said he had served with devotion, honesty and full loyalty to the constitution since taking oath as the country’s 22nd president on April 24, 2023.

He referred to the constitutional crisis that followed the fall of the then government amid a student-public uprising on August 5, 2024. Sahabuddin said he sought the opinion of the Appellate Division of the Bangladesh Supreme Court under Article 106 of the constitution. Acting on its advice, he said, an interim government was formed, which held a general election after consultations with political parties.

Sahabuddin cited serious illnesses as the reason for stepping down. He said he suffers from heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes and kidney complications, and has undergone bypass surgery. He said recent medical tests identified autonomic neuropathy, which sometimes causes brief unconsciousness. Citing physical and mental inability to carry out the responsibilities of the presidency and the need for long-term treatment, he resigned under Article 50(3) of the constitution.

Kazi Rawnakul Islam Tipu has been appointed managing director of the Bangladesh Climate Change Trust (BCCCT) on a one-year contractual basis, with Grade-2 status. The Ministry of Public Administration’s Contract and Foreign Employment Wing issued a notification on Thursday. The report was published on July 24, 2026.

The notification was signed by Md. Golam Rabbani, deputy secretary at the Ministry of Public Administration, by order of the President. It said the appointment was made under Section 19(2) of the Bangladesh Climate Change Trust Act, 2010. Tipu will serve as managing director for one year from the date of joining.

Before assuming the role, he must sever existing work relationships with any profession, business, government, semi-government, autonomous or private institution, and organization. Other contractual terms will be set through an agreement between both sides. Tipu had long served as the Bangladesh Nationalist Party’s central committee assistant secretary for forest and environment affairs. Copies of the notification were sent to relevant offices, with instructions to publish it on the ministry’s website.

Iranian state media reported that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, or IRGC, said it attacked an Amazon data center in Bahrain. In a statement broadcast on state television, the IRGC said it targeted and destroyed what it described as an intelligence data center building belonging to the US technology company Amazon. The report was published on July 24, 2026.

According to the IRGC statement, the data center was used to provide information to the US military. The force had also said on Wednesday that it had attacked the facility. Amazon and Bahraini authorities had not commented on Iran’s claim at the time of the report.

A Sylhet-based trader has submitted a written application seeking the return of 6,300 kilograms of cumin seized in Habiganj, saying the goods were legally imported from India through a letter of credit. Mohammad Afzalur Rahman filed the application with the Shaistaganj customs warehouse officer on Thursday afternoon. He said his firm, Afsana Store Crusher, imported 300 sacks through Tamabil land port on July 16 and paid the required duty, VAT and taxes on July 19. He said 210 sacks were loaded onto a covered van on July 22 for delivery to a buyer in Dhaka when Border Guard Bangladesh detained the vehicle and goods.

Rahman alleged that BGB did not accept photocopies of the documents shown by the driver and took the cumin into custody. The goods were later sent to the Shaistaganj customs warehouse under case GR-160/26. BGB said the cumin was seized at a checkpoint near Teliapara rail crossing, about three kilometres inside the border, and that customs officials had said the trader's documents were forged. The customs warehouse officer said the application has been forwarded to divisional customs officials for review and a decision.

Bangladesh will begin the 2026 Asian Games men’s cricket competition directly in the quarterfinals, having secured a knockout-stage place through ICC rankings. The Asian Games will be held in Nagoya, Japan, in September. The draw for the men’s and women’s cricket events was held on 23 July. Ten teams will compete in the men’s T20 tournament, with Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka all exempt from the first round.

Afghanistan, hosts Japan and Nepal are in Group A of the first round, while Hong Kong, Malaysia and Oman are in Group B. The top two teams from each group will progress to the quarterfinals to face Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. The men’s cricket event will run from 24 September to 1 October.

The women’s event will feature eight teams and begin directly at the quarterfinal stage, where Bangladesh will face China. It will take place from 17 to 22 September, with both men’s and women’s competitions played in the T20 format for medals.

Authorities in Mirzapur, Tangail, seized more than fifty gazari trees from the Deohata timber market after allegations that naturally grown sal-gazari trees from government forest land were cut and trafficked to sawmills. The trees were being unloaded from a truck at about 8pm on Thursday when the matter came to light. People involved fled after noticing journalists, and police and Forest Department officials later reached the site and carried out the seizure.

Local residents alleged that illegal trade in sal-gazari trees and sawn timber from forest areas has continued at the market for a long time. Acting chairman of Gorai Union Parishad Kamruzzaman said a timber trader named Anwar brought the trees by truck for sale and fled, leaving them behind. Assistant Forest Conservator Ami Akhtar of Bashtail Range said no Forest Department sal-gazari trees are currently being sold through auction. Officials are investigating the trees’ origin and those involved, while preparations are underway to file a case.

Residents of Satbari Road in Ward No. 5 of Chhagalnaiya municipality, Feni, have demanded urgent repairs and drainage construction for the nearly one-kilometre route, which they say has remained unrepaired for about 15 years. The road serves about 500 families and nearly 1,000 students from primary, secondary and college levels. Recent rain has submerged more than a hundred potholes, creating waterlogging and making the route unusable for rickshaws and other vehicles, according to the report. Residents recently held a human chain under the Satbari Society banner.

Locals alleged that a personal conflict involving former mayor Md. Mostafa and Ward No. 5 councillor Mojaharul Islam Musa left the road neglected. The route is also used to transport crops from several hundred acres of farmland and as an alternative transit road to the Chhagalnaiya-Feni road in emergencies. Municipal assistant engineer Masud Alam said a development proposal had been sent to the ministry under the Sustainable Urban Infrastructure Development Project, with action to follow if approved.

Cricketer Sachin Tendulkar has called for a transparent system amid student protests across India over question paper leaks. In a social media post published on July 24, 2026, he said a system was needed in which no student feels that their hard work has not been valued.

Tendulkar did not directly comment on the movement demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. He instead stressed honesty, hard work and merit, recalling lessons from his father, a professor who taught and guided many students. Tendulkar wrote that failure can be accepted but cheating cannot, and urged people not to choose shortcuts. He said adults have a responsibility to build a culture that values effort over results and makes merit the sole measure of success. He added that students’ frustration is understandable if they believe their hard work has not been recognised, and said the aim should be to prevent any student from facing such a situation in the future.