Islami Chhatra Shibir central president Nurul Islam Saddam said that since July, Bangladesh has seen only a transfer of power rather than meaningful reform or structural change. He made the remarks on Monday morning while inaugurating the “July Uprising Run 2026,” a mini-marathon organised by the group at Jahangirnagar University. The event was held under the theme “Run Against Fascism” and invoked the memory and spirit of the July mass uprising.

Saddam said Shibir wanted to rebuild Bangladesh and use every organ of the country for a new Bangladesh. He alleged that the current ruling government was betraying its own stated commitments after coming to power. He said the government should value the bloodshed and sacrifices on which it was formed, warning that young people would again stand against it otherwise.

Teachers, students, officers, employees and students from Jahangirnagar University School and College joined the run. University teachers, JAKSU leaders, central and university-unit Shibir leaders, and representatives of several student organisations were also present. Unit president Md Mostafizur Rahman said the event sought to preserve the memory of martyrs and sacrifices and convey a message to those aspiring to become fascists.

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman invited South Korea’s president to visit Bangladesh at a convenient time during a courtesy meeting with South Korean Trade Minister Yeo Han-koo. The meeting took place at 2:30 p.m. on Monday at the Cabinet Division in the Bangladesh Secretariat. The invitation came as Bangladesh and South Korea move toward signing a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, or CEPA, aimed at strengthening trade, investment and economic cooperation.

According to Deputy Press Secretary Shahadat Swadhin, Yeo briefed the prime minister on the proposed agreement at the start of the meeting. The South Korean minister said the deal, once effective, would expand bilateral trade and economic cooperation and significantly increase South Korean investment in Bangladesh. He said many Korean companies already operate successfully in Bangladesh and that more are interested in investing there.

Rahman invited Korean companies to invest in toys, electronics, telecommunications, automobiles, semiconductors and shipbuilding. He said South Korea could establish training centres in Bangladesh to provide training and language education for Bangladeshi workers for its shipbuilding industry. The government would take necessary measures if Korean companies seek to invest in Bangladesh’s shipbuilding sector, he said. Plans for a Bangladesh seminar involving Korean companies were also discussed.

Prime Minister’s Finance and Planning Adviser Professor Dr Rashed Al Mahmud Titumir said completion of the Padma Barrage project could add between 0.5% and 1% to Bangladesh’s gross domestic product. He made the remarks on Monday at a National Press Club roundtable titled “Padma Barrage: Prospects and Challenges,” organised by the Institute for Global Co-operation Foundation.

Titumir said the project could store about 2,900 million cubic metres of water for agriculture, irrigation and hydropower generation. It is expected to produce an estimated 113 megawatts of environmentally friendly hydropower. Plans also include developing seven modern townships along riverbanks as part of sustainable urbanisation.

The barrage is intended to maintain dry-season flows in the Hisna, Mathabhanga, Gorai, Madhumati, Chanda, Barashia, Baral and Ichamati rivers. Regular irrigation could be ensured for about 4.69 million hectares of farmland across the greater Kushtia, Faridpur, Jashore, Khulna, Barishal, Pabna and Rajshahi regions. The first phase is targeted for completion by 2029, with the full project planned by 2033.

Nahid Islam, opposition chief whip and convener of the National Citizen Party (NCP), said the Awami League would not be given an opportunity to be rehabilitated. He made the remarks on Monday afternoon at a discussion titled “One Point of the People in the Voices of Martyrs’ Families and the Injured” at the Institution of Diploma Engineers, Bangladesh, in the capital. He challenged those seeking to pursue the Awami League’s rehabilitation to demonstrate their ability in the political field.

Islam said discussions were under way about rehabilitating the Awami League. Addressing those who want to take such an initiative, he said they should implement a plan to rehabilitate the party and conduct politics in Bangladesh if they have the courage. He said the extent of each side’s capability would be proven once they entered the field.

He also said that if Sheikh Hasina returns to the country in December, she would be taken directly from the airport to the gallows, with no concessions. Islam claimed that members of the public, martyrs’ families, injured people and students would remain on Dhaka’s streets that day and would not leave until a death sentence was carried out.

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman will visit three flood-affected upazilas in Chattogram—Hathazari, Fatikchhari and Banshkhali—on August 9, according to Press Secretary Saleh Shibli. Shibli said the Chattogram visit has been finalized so far. It will be Rahman’s first visit to Chattogram after assuming office as prime minister. During the trip, he will distribute relief among flood victims and hand over newly built homes to families left homeless by flooding.

Chattogram’s administration has begun preparations for the visit, while party organizers are also preparing to welcome the prime minister. Local authorities in the upazilas have nearly completed construction of new homes for flood-displaced families, the report said. Chattogram South District BNP convener Idris Mia said he and the member secretary had been summoned to the prime minister’s Gulshan office in connection with the visit and that party preparations were already under way.

A helipad is being prepared at a suitable landing site for the prime minister. From there, he will attend a gathering and distribute relief in western Banshkhali. He will also hand over 100 homes rebuilt with government assistance in the same area. Additional Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Sharif Uddin said detailed official instructions had not yet been issued, but preparations would be completed once the final itinerary was communicated.

Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind president Maulana Mahmood Asad Madani expressed concern over allegations that India exports arms and military equipment to Israel, calling such supplies a stain on humanity and India’s values. In a Jamiat statement posted on X on Sunday and reported on August 3, he urged the central government to immediately stop the exports through both public- and private-sector defence institutions.

Madani said supplying weapons despite knowing they are used in indiscriminate killings of innocent civilians, women and children is criminal and equivalent to assisting genocide. He described it as a blatant violation of international law and a betrayal of humanity and India’s core values. He also said military supplies to Israel conflict with India’s historical support for the rights and just demands of the Palestinian people.

An Amnesty International investigative report said several Indian government and private entities supplied significant arms, ammunition and military equipment to Israel between October 2023 and November 2025. India’s Ministry of External Affairs said dual-use goods are approved under strict legal and regulatory mechanisms, and maintained that all exports comply with national law, export-control policy and international obligations.

The Directorate of Primary Education has issued urgent instructions on transfer procedures for teachers working in government primary schools. In a directive published on August 3, 2026, it said four tiers of committees have been formed to review transfer-related activities. Applications are to be handled according to the jurisdiction of committees at the upazila, district, divisional and national levels.

The directorate said applications that can be resolved by other committees are also being submitted directly to the national committee. It noted complaints that member secretaries of upazila, district and divisional committees were not accepting applications, forcing teachers to submit them to the national committee. The directive described this situation as undesirable.

It said direct submissions to the national committee without using the proper authority are disrupting discipline in government work. Committees were instructed to accept applications within their jurisdictions and complete the necessary procedures. Applications falling under the national committee’s jurisdiction must also be filed through the appropriate authority; otherwise, no action will be taken on them. The directorate labelled the matter highly urgent and ordered necessary measures.

Bangladesh’s Election Commission has asked the National Parliament for the voter list as part of preparations for a presidential election, although no date or schedule has yet been fixed. Senior Election Commission Secretary Akhtar Ahmed disclosed the request while speaking to journalists at the Election Commission Secretariat on August 3. He said the commission had not determined any timetable for the presidential election but had sought the list in preparation for it.

Ahmed also said the government and the commission had not yet held discussions on local government elections, though the commission was maintaining its preparations. He indicated that the deadline for finalising the voter list might need to be extended if elections do not begin by October.

The extended deadline for registered political parties to submit their 2025 annual income and expenditure statements was August 2. Of 59 registered parties, 38, including BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami, submitted statements. Thirteen parties, including Gono Odhikar Parishad and Jatiya Party, sought more time. Eight parties, including the National Citizen Party, did not submit accounts.

Debate and public dissatisfaction over the political influence of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, or AIPAC, are increasing in the United States. In a televised Democratic Senate candidates’ debate in Michigan, progressive candidate and former health official Abdul El-Sayed accused rival and four-term congresswoman Haley Stevens of relying on funding from AIPAC and other pro-Israel lobby groups.

El-Sayed said the key difference between the candidates was $46 million in AIPAC spending, while Stevens denied the allegation and said she was accountable only to Michigan residents. Analysts said the issue could significantly affect voter decisions in Tuesday’s primary. AIPAC has faced criticism from both left and right as international criticism has grown over Israeli military operations in Gaza, the West Bank and Lebanon.

AIPAC has raised more than $47 million during the current election cycle. Its affiliated super PAC, United Democracy Project, held about $83 million through June 30. Support for AIPAC also became a major issue in a New York City Democratic primary. Analysts say AIPAC remains a powerful US lobby, but changing public opinion and developments in the Middle East have created new challenges for its political influence.

The family of Shaheed Rabiul Islam Rahul, who was shot dead during the July-August mass movement, has demanded a swift trial for those involved in his killing. In a report published on August 3, 2026, relatives also asked the government to arrange employment for Rahul’s elder brother because of the family’s financial hardship. Rahul was the youngest of three sons of Md Muslim Uddin and Farida Begum from Bidurshahi village in Fazilpur union of Dinajpur Sadar upazila.

According to the family, Rahul was shot while joining an Anti-Discrimination Student Movement programme near Kachari intersection beside Dinajpur city’s Judge Court on August 4, 2024. They say he sustained 19 bullet wounds. He was treated first at Dinajpur General Hospital and then Dinajpur Medical College Hospital. After initially returning home, he was hospitalised again on August 7 as his condition worsened and died in intensive care on the evening of August 9.

His father said Rahul’s elder brother, Faridul Islam, filed a case, but no one has been arrested so far. The family owns only a five-and-a-half-decimal homestead and no farmland. Muslim Uddin, formerly a vegetable and fish seller, says trauma, illness and heart problems have left him unable to work.

The US military has asked its own personnel for new, creative and unconventional ways to increase pressure on and impose punitive measures against Iran, CNN reported. A senior official in US Central Command’s intelligence branch sent an internal email to military analysts last week seeking proposals, according to two sources familiar with the message. The request comes as the Trump administration seeks ways to bring Tehran to negotiations on US terms.

CENTCOM spokesperson Captain Timothy Hawkins said the command believes in innovative thinking and action, and that Admiral Cooper seeks ideas from team members regardless of rank. The report said the United States has conducted sustained air strikes for weeks to weaken Iran’s military capability and return Tehran to talks, but no sign of an agreement has emerged. CIA, DIA and Joint Chiefs Chairman General Dan Caine have assessed that the current air campaign is unlikely to significantly alter Iran’s negotiating position.

Sources said the administration is considering strikes on nuclear sites including Pickaxe Mountain, while planners believe deeply underground facilities may require ground forces to destroy completely. The report cited major military and political risks and said 18 US troops have been killed in the conflict. Other options under discussion include a one- to two-week air campaign, seizing Kharg Island and a symbolic strike.

Bangladesh plans to formally seek permission for 84 weekly flights to Saudi Arabia, up from the current 49, as it moves to modernise and revise its bilateral air services agreement with the kingdom. A high-level delegation led by the chairman of the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh is travelling to Saudi Arabia on Monday to finalise discussions. The initiative aims to expand air connectivity, resolve landing and take-off slot complications for Bangladeshi carriers, and ease travel for Hajj and Umrah passengers.

Industry participants say Bangladeshi airlines face recurring difficulties securing Saudi airport slots during the Hajj season. Last-minute allocations, unsuitable landing times and sudden schedule changes can leave passengers waiting for hours and lead to flight delays or cancellations. The problems affect travellers from the Ashkona Hajj Camp to Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka, while also increasing airlines’ operating costs.

If approved, the additional 35 weekly flights could increase services from Dhaka, Chattogram and Sylhet to Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam and Madinah. Officials from Biman Bangladesh Airlines and US-Bangla Airlines will join direct talks with Saudi slot management authorities. Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister Afroza Khanam Rita said a new agreement could expand commercial opportunities and make travel easier and more affordable for Bangladeshi expatriate workers.

An unprecedented heatwave is continuing across South Korea, where severe heat alerts remained in force across most areas, according to a report published on August 3. Temperatures have surpassed previous records, while heat-related illnesses have increased and raised public-health concerns. The Korea Meteorological Administration said temperatures exceeded 40 degrees Celsius in several parts of the country on July 29.

In the southeastern city of Daegu, the temperature rose above 40 degrees Celsius for the first time since August 1942. Nearby Yangsan recorded a high of 42.5 degrees Celsius the previous day, the highest temperature since modern weather observations began in 1904. The report described the reading as a record-breaking national high.

At least 14 people have died during the heatwave since mid-May. On Monday, a 40-year-old man died in Incheon with a body temperature of about 40 degrees Celsius. Two farmers, aged 60 and 80, were also found dead in South Chungcheong Province over the weekend. The weather administration attributed the prolonged heatwave to multiple high-pressure systems over the Korean Peninsula and intense sunlight under clear skies.

Two disaster shelters built at a combined cost of nearly Tk5 crore in Gobindashree union of Madan upazila, Netrokona, are lying neglected, according to the report published on August 3, 2026. The Disaster Management and Relief Ministry funded the projects in fiscal year 2018-19. The Badda centre cost Tk2.135 crore, while the centre in front of Monika village cost Tk2.217 crore.

A site visit found doors, windows and other furniture deteriorating because of inadequate maintenance. Questions have also been raised about the need for the new facilities, as the area already has shelters in cluster villages and educational institutions. Union Parishad chairman Maidul Islam Khan Mamun said he had heard that drug use and gambling occur at the Badda shelter.

Taj Enterprise representative Abu Hanif said work on the Badda shelter was completed about two years ago, but nobody has taken it over. However, upazila project implementation officer Humayun Kabir said work at the Monika centre was complete but the Badda centre remained unfinished, preventing formal handover of either facility. UNO Nadir Hossain Shamim said he would discuss the matter with district officials and take necessary steps.

Two people died in separate lightning and drowning incidents in the Dhumghat area of Ishwaripur Union, Shyamnagar upazila in Satkhira on Monday. Around 1pm, Khairunnesa, 40, a homemaker from Moterchar village, was killed by lightning while working in a field beside her home. She was the wife of Abdul Aziz Gazi.

Relatives of the victim and local Union Parishad member Md Abul Kalam said Khairunnesa died at the scene after lightning struck while she was working in the field. Earlier that day, at around 10am, farmer Krishnapada Baidya, 50, died after drowning in a pond in Shiltala village of the same Dhumghat area. He was the son of the late Narayan Baidya.

Family members said Krishnapada Baidya accidentally fell into a roadside pond while heading to the fields for farming work. After he could not be found for a long time, relatives began searching and later recovered his body from the pond. Shyamnagar police station officer-in-charge Md Shafiul Alam Patowary said police were looking into the drowning death, alongside confirming the lightning fatality.