Five UN experts have urged Canada to take all possible measures to protect Sikh rights activist Maninder Singh and his family. In a letter sent to the Canadian government on June 3 and made public nearly two months later, they said Canadian authorities had warned Singh four times since 2022 about credible and imminent threats to his life. Singh is a Canadian citizen.

The experts raised concerns over allegations of foreign intimidation and reprisals involving Singh. They also called on Canada to ensure the safety of other people in the country facing similar circumstances, promptly complete investigations into the allegations, hold those responsible accountable, provide appropriate remedies to affected people, and prevent recurrence. A copy of the letter was also sent to the Indian government.

The experts said they were concerned that threats against Singh could form part of a broader alleged pattern of transnational repression by Indian authorities against Sikh rights activists in Canada and elsewhere. Sikh activists have made such allegations, including claims involving criminal groups, while India has denied them. Singh, 44, supports Khalistan and was a friend of slain Sikh leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

Growing frustration among India’s young people over exam paper leaks and unemployment has emerged as a major political and social challenge for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government. Following multiple entrance-exam paper leak cases last month, Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigned amid public anger. Modi announced special courts for swift trials of the accused and assigned technology entrepreneur Nandan Nilekani to reform the examination system.

Analysts say the issue extends beyond exam reform to a widening gap between education and employment. India has more than 360 million people aged 15 to 29, but many graduates struggle to enter the workforce. Azim Premji University’s State of Working India 2026 report said youth unemployment is nearly four times higher than among other age groups. In 2023, 67 percent of graduates aged 20 to 29 were not employed, while only 2.8 million of roughly five million new graduates entering annually between 2004-05 and 2023 found jobs.

Economist Santosh Mehrotra called for reviving small and medium enterprises and adopting a manufacturing-focused industrial policy. Manufacturing’s GDP share fell from 17 percent in 2015 to 14 percent, while AI could put 8 to 12 percent of non-agricultural jobs at risk, according to a Goldman Sachs report.

The Bangladesh Cricket Board has launched a new initiative to improve the skills of domestic pitch curators, arranging its first formal training workshop for the role. The Level-1 Curator Certification Workshop will be held on August 11 and 12 at the Bir Sreshtho Shaheed Flight Lieutenant Matiur Rahman Stadium in Chattogram under BCB’s organisation.

Tony Hemming will conduct the workshop. The report says Bangladesh has recently achieved success in preparing sporting wickets under his guidance, with positive effects from wicket changes seen in series against New Zealand, Pakistan and Australia.

BCB Grounds Committee member secretary Mazhar Uddin said the first-stage certification course is being introduced for the first time to strengthen the capabilities of the country’s curators and ground staff. At least 30 curators from Dhaka, Sylhet and Chattogram are expected to take part in the workshop.

The Bangladesh Textile Mills Association (BTMA) and the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) signed a memorandum of understanding to strengthen Bangladesh’s textile and ready-made garment sectors on the global stage. BTMA President Showkat Aziz Russell and BGMEA President Mahmud Hasan Khan signed for their respective organizations at an event at Gulshan Club in the capital on Tuesday. The initiative is linked to Bangladesh’s goal of reaching $100 billion in exports.

The organizations plan to hold the Bangladesh International Textile and Apparel Machinery Exhibition, or BITMA, with support from an internationally reputed event organizer. The stated aims are to improve global competitiveness, advance technology-driven modernization and expand into new markets. Stakeholders said the effort would bring together automation, artificial intelligence, advanced technology and sustainable fashion.

A 10-member joint committee, with five representatives from each organization, will oversee exhibition management, strategic decisions and financial transparency. Its chairmanship will rotate annually between the two bodies; BTMA will appoint the chair and BGMEA the co-chair in the first year. Leaders said the platform could support technology transfer, foreign investment, skills development and new global commercial networks.

The government website of the Adamdighi উপজেলা Social Services Office in Bogura was still displaying photographs of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and former Prime Minister Hasina, according to a report published on August 4, 2026. The images remained visible on the office website under the Bangladesh National Web Portal until 5:30 p.m. Tuesday. The issue prompted discussion among local residents, with some sharing screenshots on Facebook.

One image on the website showed উপজেলা Social Services Officer Al-Amin seated at his designated office position. Several people, including Chhatianagram Union Parishad member Mohsin Ali, were standing to his right holding money, while the two portraits were visible in the background. Locals alleged that information and images on government websites needed updating after the political change in 2024, but many had not been updated.

Santahar City Press Club General Secretary Aminul Islam Sohag called the prolonged display of old images or information an administrative lapse and urged a prompt update. Al-Amin said the website had not been updated because there was no office assistant, adding that he could remove the image himself if necessary. Upazila Nirbahi Officer Masuma Begum said the matter would be reviewed and necessary changes made quickly.

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, in a message issued on August 4 ahead of July Mass Uprising Day, described the August 5, 2024 uprising as a historic victory that ended more than a decade and a half of fascist rule and restored people’s democratic rights. He called for preserving, at any cost, the national unity forged through the sacrifice of those killed in the movement.

Rahman said the government he described as fascist was forced to flee the country in the face of the uprising, and that the day is being observed nationally as July Mass Uprising Day. He said the BNP, other anti-fascist political parties and dissenting people had faced repression, disappearances, killings, attacks and cases over many years. He also referred to former BNP lawmaker Ilias Ali and commissioner Chowdhury Alam among people who remain missing.

The prime minister said thousands were killed and at least 30,000 injured during the July-August uprising. He urged efforts toward political and economic empowerment, equality, human dignity and social justice to build a democratic Bangladesh. He also said differing views should not turn into hostility and called for preventing any return of authoritarianism, fascism, extremism or militancy.

Bangladesh Cricket Board's High Performance team has named a 15-member Twenty20 squad for a home series against Malaysia. Malaysia are due to arrive in Bangladesh on Wednesday. Experienced players Sabbir Rahman and Shamim Hossain have been selected for the two-match T20 series, which is part of a tour also featuring three one-day internationals.

The two T20 matches will be played in Dhaka on August 8 and 10. The three ODI matches are scheduled for August 12, 14 and 16. Every match in the series will be held at Bashundhara Sports Complex.

The T20 squad also includes Jisan Alam, Jawad Abrar, SM Mehrab Hasan, Ariful Islam, Rubel and Mrittunjoy Chowdhury. New national-team pacer Abdul Gaffar Saklayen has been included, along with Abu Hider Rony, Swadhin Islam, Rakibul Hasan, Pritom Kumar, Mahfuzur Rahman Rabby and Iqbal Hossain.

A rally and discussion meeting commemorating the July movement of 2024 was held in Baksiganj, Jamalpur. Organised by July Oikya Baksiganj, the programme recalled the movement and paid tribute to those killed. The rally began from the Baksiganj উপজেলা complex at about 3:30pm on Tuesday.

The procession travelled through major roads of the উপজেলা and ended in front of Ulfatunnnessa Girls High School, where the discussion meeting took place. Chhatra Dal member secretary Md Bayezid Alamin chaired the event, while Gono Odhikar Parishad president Shahriar Ahmed Sumon moderated it.

Speakers included freedom fighter commander Nawshed Ali, municipal Jamaat president Abdul Matin, Sarkar Russell, Saad Ahmed Raju and Chhatra Shibir president Rezuanul Haque Siddique, along with leaders from political groups and July Oikya organisations. Family members of two martyrs killed during the July movement also attended. Speakers said the victims' sacrifice would remain memorable in the country's political history and stressed presenting the movement's history accurately to future generations. The programme ended with prayers for the martyrs and for the speedy recovery of those injured.

Jagannath University’s teachers’ organisation, the White Panel, has strongly condemned and expressed concern over a clash involving Chhatra Dal and Shibir at a discussion meeting marking the second anniversary of the July mass uprising. The condemnation was issued in a statement signed by White Panel president Professor Dr Md Azam Khan on August 4.

According to the statement, the university had arranged a discussion meeting, photography exhibition and prize-giving ceremony for “July Mass Uprising Day-2026.” University Grants Commission Chairman Professor Dr Mamun Ahmed, along with the vice-chancellors of Dhaka Central University and Dhaka University of Engineering and Technology, attended the programme.

The White Panel alleged that shortly after the event began, several Jagannath University Central Students’ Union members and other students attempted to enter the auditorium without permission and display placards. It said the proctorial body and personnel assigned to maintain discipline tried to stop them, but they continued. The statement said the incident later led to scuffles and chase-counterchase, injuring several students.

Professor Mahmud Obaidul Haque, principal of Government Alia Madrasa in the capital, was injured during a clash involving Chhatra Dal and Chhatra Shibir activists. He suffered a head injury and was admitted to the emergency department of Dhaka Medical College Hospital in a bloodied condition. He was taken to the hospital at about 5:45pm on Tuesday, August 4, and remains under treatment.

Government Alia Madrasa teacher Ali Hasan said the principal was struck on the head while the clash between Chhatra Dal and Chhatra Shibir was taking place. He was later rescued and quickly taken to Dhaka Medical College Hospital.

Inspector Md Faruk, in charge of the police camp at Dhaka Medical College Hospital, said at least 17 injured people from different colleges and universities had been brought to the hospital. Some left after receiving primary treatment, while others remained under care. He also confirmed that the Government Alia Madrasa principal was receiving treatment after being injured in the clash.

Human rights organization Odhikar has voiced deep concern over several provisions of the “Prevention and Remedies for Enforced Disappearance Act, 2026,” approved by the cabinet on August 3. In a statement reported on August 4, the group said victims of disappearance and their families could face greater legal complications and risks if the law is passed in its current form. It urged the government to amend the legislation before presenting it to parliament.

Odhikar objected particularly to Section 14, which assigns police responsibility for investigating disappearance allegations against law-enforcement agencies. The organization argued that police investigations into an accused force would not likely be impartial or fair in Bangladesh’s context, potentially creating bias and facilitating impunity for law-enforcement personnel. It said police did not accept general diary complaints in disappearance cases during the previous fascist government.

The group also criticized Section 21, which allows up to five years of rigorous imprisonment for a complainant if an allegation is found false by a court following investigation. Odhikar said the provision could deter victims and families from seeking legal remedy. It called for an independent National Human Rights Commission or a special disappearance investigation commission to handle such inquiries.

Jagannath University history professor Mohammad Bilal Hossain has described a recent statement by the university’s Teachers’ Association as a “stained statement.” In a social media post on Tuesday, he criticized the association’s position and identified himself as its joint general secretary.

Hossain wrote that a Teachers’ Association was not formed to “serve someone’s purpose.” He questioned what response other than regret was possible toward a statement that, in his view, lacked even a minimum sense of justice. He also expressed regret over his own role in the association.

Earlier, the Jagannath University Teachers’ Association issued a statement on the university’s ongoing situation. It included various remarks concerning the security of teachers and students, the campus environment, and recent events. Responding after that statement, Hossain said an organization such as a Teachers’ Association should reflect a sense of justice and neutrality in its statements.

Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer and parliamentary opposition leader Dr Shafiqur Rahman extended greetings to Bangladeshis at home and abroad ahead of the historic August 5 “July Mass Uprising Day.” In a message sent to the media on August 4, he said the spontaneous student movement had eventually become a one-point movement seeking Sheikh Hasina’s fall.

He alleged that orders were given for indiscriminate firing on students and the public to suppress the movement. He said Sheikh Hasina left for India with senior party leaders and ministers and members of parliament in the face of the mass uprising on August 5, 2024. According to his statement, this ended more than 16 and a half years of dictatorship, oppression and fascist rule.

Rahman claimed that about 1,500 people were killed and around 30,000 seriously injured during the movement, with several thousand losing limbs or eyesight. He remembered Abu Sayeed, Mughdho and Wasim among those killed. He said the martyrs’ blood debt could be partly repaid by building a discrimination-free, fully democratic, humane Bangladesh based on good governance and social justice.

Disaster Management and Relief Minister Asadul Habib Dulu said the July student-public uprising was the final expression of 17 years of accumulated anger, deprivation and sustained struggle. Speaking to Amar Desh at the Secretariat on Tuesday, he said the mass uprising ended an authoritarian rule on August 5 and prompted hopes for a new Bangladesh.

Dulu said the movement began as a quota protest by general students but expanded into a wider mobilisation of the public, farmers, workers and other groups because of the government’s rigid and harsh response. He cited alleged repression, disappearances and killings of BNP activists, and said Khaleda Zia’s imprisonment and Tarique Rahman’s guidance contributed to sustaining the movement. He also described deaths linked to the movement in Lalmonirhat and among people from the district working in Dhaka.

The minister said state institutions had become fragile because of nepotism and corruption, making structural reform or “state repair” a central need. He referred to BNP’s 31-point reform proposal and said it would be implemented if the party received a public mandate. He also called for respect for those killed, treatment for people left disabled, political restraint, mutual respect and adherence to the public mandate.

Thirteen-year-old madrasa student Mohammad Arafat remains missing two weeks after he left his home in Chauddagram, Cumilla. Arafat, the son of Ali Haidar from Chandishkara village in Chauddagram municipality, is a fourth-grade student at Mahini Madrasa. His parents, Ali Haidar and Sultana Akter Simu, and other relatives are living in anxiety as they await his return.

According to the family, Arafat returned home from madrasa on the morning of July 23, changed his clothes and left saying he was going to play. Instead, he went to his maternal grandfather's home in Basantapur village. After learning there that his grandmother was in Chauddagram for treatment, he travelled to Feni and met a former teacher before setting out for home.

Family members said they did not previously know that he had gone to his maternal grandfather's home or to Feni. They began searching in different places after he failed to return by the night of July 23. A general diary has been filed with Chauddagram Model Police Station, and Officer-in-Charge Mohammad Arif Hossain said police are making their utmost effort to recover him.