Families of five journalists killed while reporting during the July uprising say they are still waiting for justice two years later. They allege there has been no visible progress in murder investigations, with many accused people remaining beyond reach. The families also claim some suspects are in hiding while trying to exert influence, and that witnesses have faced intimidation. The report says five journalists were killed by gunfire during the uprising and more than 300 others were injured.

Shakil Hossain Parvez, a Manarat University student and journalist, was shot dead while gathering news in Uttara on July 18, 2024. Dhaka Times senior reporter Hasan Mehdi was shot in Jatrabari the same day; witnesses said gunfire came from a police APC, and doctors later declared him dead. His wife, Farhana Islam Popy, said she submitted complaints to the International Crimes Tribunal and elsewhere.

Journalist Tahir Zaman Priyo was shot in the Science Lab area on July 19, and his body was identified the following day. Naya Diganta Sylhet bureau chief ATM Turab was also shot dead while on duty at Court Point in Sylhet on July 19. Daily Lokaloy staff reporter Sohel Akhanji was killed in Baniachong, Habiganj, on August 5. Relatives seek swift exemplary trials, accountability for those who ordered and carried out the killings, administrative reform, and security for their children’s futures.

BNP leaders say marches entered Dhaka from eight major entry points on the morning of August 5, 2026, including Jatrabari, Shonir Akhra, Sayedabad, Postogola, Abdullahpur, Uttara, Ashulia and Gabtoli. They said the separate processions converged within hours into crowds moving toward Ganabhaban. According to the party, the mobilization followed organizational preparations beginning on July 20, when activists from around the country were instructed to remain at approaches to the capital rather than inside Dhaka.

Party leaders said their strategy changed after shootings and deaths involving students and members of the public on July 16. They argued that staying inside the capital created a high risk of arrest, so activists were directed to positions around Dhaka. Leaders from metropolitan BNP and affiliated organizations arranged accommodation in relatives’ homes, messes, student hostels and rented rooms for arrivals from multiple districts.

BNP leaders said then acting chairman Tarique Rahman coordinated politically from London through regular online communication. After a one-point demand was announced on August 3, organizers asked more activists to move urgently toward Dhaka’s entry points in anticipation of a possible March to Dhaka program. North city Chhatra Dal president Mehdi Hasan said a procession reaching Abdullahpur on August 5 grew as local activists and members of the public joined.

California authorities arrested a 38-year-old man, Jinin John Tylee, near Trump National Golf Course in Rancho Palos Verdes, Los Angeles, after he was seen behaving suspiciously around the site. The arrest occurred Sunday afternoon on allegations of carrying a concealed firearm and possessing prohibited ammunition. President Donald Trump was scheduled to attend a fundraising dinner at the course, which he owns.

The Los Angeles Sheriff’s Office said Tylee had been seen moving around different areas of the course, taking photographs and videos, and observing security operations. Plainclothes federal agents alerted local authorities about a suspicious person after noon on Sunday, and police subsequently detained him. Authorities recovered a pistol and illegal ammunition from him.

Police said Tylee was also being sought in connection with an alleged robbery case involving the El Segundo Police Department. A search of his home, conducted because of a potential security concern, found an AR-platform rifle, a .45-caliber pistol, body armor, high-capacity magazines, large quantities of pistol and rifle ammunition, and notebooks containing concerning statements. The investigation remains under way, and officials said additional charges may be filed.

A Jamaat-e-Islami-led 11-party alliance held a large public rally at the south gate of Baitul Mukarram National Mosque, demanding implementation of the referendum verdict. The gathering was organized to mark the second anniversary of the mass uprising and formally began on Wednesday at 10:30am with recitation from the Holy Quran.

A substantial presence of leaders and activists from the 11 parties was visible before the rally officially started. Many leaders had already arrived on the event stage ahead of the opening. The source described the event as a major public gathering.

Opposition leader and Jamaat-e-Islami chief Dr Shafiqur Rahman was scheduled to address the rally as chief guest. Bangladesh Khelafat Majlis chief Maulana Mamunul Haque was to preside over the gathering, where senior leaders of the 11 parties were also expected to speak.

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman formally opened the July Uprising Memorial Museum in the capital at about 11 a.m. on Wednesday. He said the museum would expose the face of fascism and described the day as a landmark in Bangladesh’s democratic history. According to the prime minister, the institution would help chart a new path toward building a new country.

In his address, Rahman referred to allegations of disappearances, killings, abductions and torture during more than a decade and a half of fascist rule. He said thousands of students, civilians, women and children were killed during the July-August uprising, while at least 30,000 people were injured. July fighters and relatives of martyrs recalled stories of courage and sacrifice at the event, which also included a documentary and cultural programme.

After the inauguration, the prime minister toured galleries, preserved artifacts, photographs, documents and memorabilia. Cultural Affairs Minister Nitai Roy Chowdhury said the museum would be reserved for special guests and martyrs’ families on opening day before opening to the public on August 6. Tickets will be available online, priced at 50 taka for adults and 25 taka for children.

Gaza held what was described as its largest mass burial, burying 112 people killed in an Israeli attack. The burial took place on Tuesday after the bodies were recently recovered from beneath rubble. All those buried were members of two large families killed in an attack in 2023.

Gaza authorities said about 40 of the dead were children. The report said many members of the two families were killed in the 2023 attack, and their bodies remained buried under the debris afterward. The remains were recovered three years later and handed over to the families.

Relatives of the victims and local residents attended the collective burial on Tuesday. The source did not provide further details about the attack, the identities of those buried, or the location of the burial. It described the event as the largest mass burial in Gaza's history.

Ahsan Kabir Sharif, 33, was killed on July 21, 2024, after being struck in the chest by gunfire allegedly fired from a helicopter over the Signboard area of Dhaka, according to his family. A resident of South Sanarpar in Demra, Sharif had completed a master’s degree in microbiology at Dhaka University and worked for a private company. His family said he had gone out during the ongoing movement and was recording scenes on his mobile phone when the shooting began around 3pm.

His father, retired teacher Humayun Kabir, said he found his son’s body on the road and took it to hospital on a vegetable seller’s van, where a doctor declared him dead. The family alleged that local people aligned with the Awami League pressured and intimidated them to arrange a quick burial without an autopsy. Citing security concerns, they buried him at Shukursi cemetery in Demra after Maghrib prayers that day.

Humayun Kabir has filed a murder case naming former prime minister Sheikh Hasina as the principal accused, along with several others. The family said it received Tk200,000 from Jamaat-e-Islami and Tk500,000 from the July Shaheed Smriti Foundation. Relatives and volunteer organizer Ahmedur Rahman Tanu called for justice.

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman said August 5 would remain a landmark in Bangladesh’s democratic history and would chart a new path toward building a new country. He made the remarks on Wednesday at about 11 a.m. during the formal inauguration of the July Mass Uprising Memorial Museum in the capital.

Rahman said people in the country had been subjected to enforced disappearances and killings during what he described as one and a half decades of fascist rule. He compared the 1971 Liberation War, which he said was fought to achieve independence, with the 2024 mass uprising, which he described as a struggle to protect the independence of the country and its people.

The prime minister said people had not forgotten the freedom fighters and would likewise never forget those killed while protecting independence in 2024. He said thousands had faced disappearance, abduction and torture during more than one and a half decades of anti-fascist movements, while millions had been displaced by attacks, persecution and false cases. He also said thousands of students, members of the public, women and children were killed in the July-August uprising, and at least 30,000 people were injured.

Heavy rainfall and upstream flows have made the Teesta turbulent in Nilphamari, where water is running 13 centimeters above the danger level. At 9am on Wednesday, the water level at the Dalia point in Dimla was recorded at 52.28 centimeters, against a danger mark of 52.15 centimeters. The river remained at the same level at 10am.

Floodwater has begun entering low-lying areas in Dimla upazila, including Purba Chhatnai, Khagakharibari, Tepakharibari, Khalisha Chapani, Jhunagach Chapani and Goyabari unions. Low-lying areas of Golmunda, Dawabari and Shaulmari unions in Jaldhaka upazila have also started receiving floodwater.

The district’s average rainfall was recorded at 132.0 millimeters. Authorities opened 44 sluice gates on the barrage. Amitabh Chowdhury, executive engineer of the Dalia Water Development Board, said Teesta water had been flowing 13 centimeters above the danger level since 6am.

Former Pentagon official David Des Roches said Iran must formally declare an end to attacks on neutral civilian vessels before normal maritime trade can resume through the Strait of Hormuz. In remarks published on August 5, 2026, the former Pentagon director for Arabian Peninsula affairs said such a commitment should be part of any credible agreement involving Iran.

Des Roches said Iran has the capability to disrupt sea traffic because of its geographic position and could use that capability if it chooses. He argued that the immediate priority is restoring neutral civilian ships’ right to safe passage. Any agreement, he said, should ensure vessels can travel through other countries’ sovereign waters without fear of Iranian attack.

He said Iran should formally state that it will not attack neutral civilian ships either in Omani waters or in international waters. Des Roches described the issue as one of commercial insurance rather than a military problem. Insurers need assurance that Iran will no longer attack civilian ships, he said, before normal trade can restart, benefiting Iran, Gulf coastal states and their commercial partners.

International crude oil prices declined on hopes of a possible agreement to normalize shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. The report, published on August 5, said Brent crude, a key global benchmark, had fallen below $80 a barrel after exceeding $100 during the most intense period of the war.

By 1:10 p.m. Greenwich Mean Time on Wednesday, Brent had risen 26 cents, or about 0.33 percent, to $79.62 a barrel. US West Texas Intermediate crude was trading 12 cents, or 0.16 percent, higher at $75.90 a barrel. Investor confidence also increased amid expectations of a possible deal to restore shipping through the strait.

Analysts said ongoing talks between Iran and Oman, the stability of the US economy, and record profits at US companies contributed to positive market sentiment. On Tuesday, as Brent declined, the Dow Jones ended above 54,000 points at a new record. Analysts cautioned, however, that the positive market situation could change quickly if the Hormuz discussions fail to produce an agreement.

Kuakata, a tourist destination in Patuakhali, is experiencing up to 15 or 16 power cuts a day because it receives roughly half of its electricity demand from the national grid. The report, published on August 5, says tourists, hotel and resort owners, restaurant operators and local residents are facing severe disruption. Many tourism-related businesses are relying on generators for much of the day to keep operating.

The Kuakata zonal office of Patuakhali Palli Bidyut Samity supplies Kuakata municipality and the unions of Mahipur, Latachapli, Dhulasar and Dalbuganj. Residents said outages have occurred frequently during both day and night for several days. About 200 residential hotels and motels, more than 100 restaurants and other tourism businesses have had normal operations disrupted, while generator fuel and operating costs have increased.

Deputy General Manager Mostafa Aminur Rashed said local demand stands at 11 to 12 megawatts, while the area receives only 5 to 6 megawatts from the national grid. He said Kuakata has no additional allocation or special budget as a tourist destination, and the office has requested extra power allocations from higher authorities. Residents and tourism stakeholders called for a separate allocation and increased grid supply.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said negotiations with Iran aimed at reopening the Strait of Hormuz have made progress. Rubio made the comments on Tuesday, but did not disclose the nature of the progress or provide details about any potential agreement.

He spoke during a ceremony to sign a memorandum of understanding on nuclear cooperation with Paraguayan Foreign Minister Ruben Ramirez Lezcano. Rubio did not identify other parties involved in the discussions or give a timetable for the talks.

The secretary of state’s remarks signaled US optimism about the effort to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. The available information did not explain which issues had advanced, whether a settlement was nearing, or what further steps might follow in the negotiations.

Hospitals across Bangladesh, including Dhaka Medical College Hospital, faced an overwhelming influx of injured people and bodies during the July-August violence surrounding the anti-discrimination student movement of 2024, according to witnesses, doctors and patients. Emergency departments, corridors and wards were described as crowded with gunshot victims, bloodied patients, grieving relatives and bodies. Former Dhaka Medical intern Dr Abrar Hamim said that on the night of July 19, injured people and bodies arrived continuously at the hospital.

Doctors said many patients suffered injuries from pellet shots, metal pellets and direct bullets affecting their eyes, faces and other parts of the body. Some people avoided hospitals or left after initial treatment because they feared arrest, leaving the actual number of injured undetermined. Dr Al Kaysar Sarkar said Dhaka Medical provided continuous roster-based care in several departments after July 18, and credited doctors, students, interns and volunteers with helping save many lives.

A nurse said Dhaka Medical's permanent and temporary morgues were full on August 3, with some bodies kept outside. Official figures listed 186 deaths there, while doctors claimed the real toll exceeded 300. The National Institute of Ophthalmology admitted 864 injured people, treated about 1,000 more without admission, and performed 650 operations. Sources also reported that Farazi Hospital treated more than 1,000 injured people and Uttara Crescent treated at least 500.

Jordan has called an emergency meeting of Arab and Muslim foreign ministers amid renewed tensions around Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock. The meeting, scheduled for Wednesday, is to include Arab League members as well as the foreign ministers of Turkey, Indonesia, Malaysia and Pakistan, according to a report published on August 5, 2026. Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi is organizing the gathering.

Jordan cites repeated entries by Jewish religious extremists into the Al-Aqsa compound and the performance of religious rituals there as the central concern. Under the Hashemite royal family’s custodianship, only Muslims are currently permitted to pray at the site. On July 23, about 2,000 Israelis led by National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir entered the compound, known to Jews as Temple Mount, and performed prayers and rituals. Jordanian officials called it the most serious violation at the site in modern history.

Amman also voiced concern over plans for a special police unit at Temple Mount and possible escalation during Jewish religious holidays in September. Safadi warned that interference with the status quo could trigger a religious conflict. Jordan further fears large-scale displacement of Palestinians from the West Bank into Jordan, describing any such effort as a red line.