The Teachers-Employees Nationalisation Alliance and the Retired Teachers-Employees Combined Forum announced a new programme over 10 demands for MPO-listed private teachers and staff. At a Wednesday press conference at the National Press Club, the groups called for inclusion in the ninth national pay scale and nationalisation of their jobs, setting August 31 as the deadline for meeting the demands.

Their demands include salaries under existing rules, nationalisation to remove disparities, faster transfers, full festival allowances, government-rate housing allowances and MPO enrolment for recognised institutions. They also sought replacement of NTRCA with PSC-2 in teacher recruitment, appointments for holders of first through twelfth registrations, raising retirement age to 65, and leave and a second night guard for night guards.

Chief adviser Jasim Uddin Ahmad alleged that planned lump-sum payments from the Welfare Trust and Retirement Benefits Board from August 15 would be lower than previous benefits. He said no nationalisation initiative had appeared despite nearly 180 days of the government, while a declared 10 percent festival allowance increase had not been implemented. If demands remain unmet, the groups plan to seek a meeting with the prime minister, hold divisional rallies and form a broader struggle committee.

US President Donald Trump confirmed that he changed aircraft while returning from Turkey because of an Iranian threat. He acknowledged the move on August 12 while answering reporters’ questions in the Oval Office. The incident occurred on July 8 after a NATO summit in Turkey, when Trump was departing Ankara International Airport for the United States.

Footage recorded by journalists showed Trump boarding Air Force One, the official presidential aircraft. Shortly afterward, he left the plane under security guard and was taken in a catering truck to another end of the airport tarmac. He then boarded a smaller US Air Force C-32A aircraft and later returned to Washington on that plane.

The Washington Post had reported the aircraft change several days earlier. Trump said the decision was made by the Secret Service and that he followed the advice of security personnel and the military. Asked about the nature of the Iranian threat, he said he had not asked many detailed questions. Trump said he receives many threats but does not worry excessively about security.

Former US diplomat Michael Ratney believes Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu may be prepared to oppose US President Donald Trump’s Gaza plan in order to protect his domestic political future. The assessment was reported by Al Jazeera in an article published on August 12, 2026.

Ratney, a former US ambassador to Saudi Arabia and former charge d’affaires at the US embassy in Israel, told Al Jazeera that Netanyahu could benefit from publicly rejecting the plan regardless of Trump’s response. He said Netanyahu’s electoral prospects over the coming months are now the most important consideration.

According to Ratney, the nature of Netanyahu’s actual communication with Trump and the extent to which he may ultimately agree with parts of the proposal are secondary matters. More important for Netanyahu’s political future is the position he presents to Israeli voters. Ratney said Netanyahu’s public stance on the Gaza plan may be shaped by voter sentiment, meaning he could reject it publicly despite the risk of possible repercussions for relations with the US president.

West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari said the proposed Uniform Civil Code would be implemented in the state very soon, followed by strict legislation to prevent forced religious conversion. He made the announcement at a meeting in Bankura on Tuesday. The chief minister also indicated that new legal restrictions could be imposed on land purchases and sales among different communities.

Adhikari said the Uniform Civil Code would be introduced to advance the goal of “one country, one law.” Laws would then be drafted to regulate conversion and land transactions. He did not specify what restrictions the proposed land sale and purchase law would contain. The report said his comments on conversion and land were consistent with the Bharatiya Janata Party’s longstanding political position.

The proposed Uniform Civil Code envisages a common civil framework for marriage, divorce, inheritance, transfer of inherited property and adoption. Under the proposal, a general law would replace religion-based personal laws in these matters. Exemptions or special protections provided under the constitution for certain classes would remain in place, according to the report.

US President Donald Trump has not publicly responded after Israel rejected his proposed peace plan for Gaza, while the White House has also declined to comment. The report, published on August 12, 2026, says the silence has raised questions about Trump’s relationship with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and possible strain between the two leaders.

At a White House briefing the previous day, Trump was asked about Gaza and Netanyahu. He told reporters to look at his Truth Social post, but no post on the matter was found on his account. The episode prompted questions over whether there had been a communication problem and added to speculation that the relationship between Trump and Netanyahu has become more tense.

Netanyahu visited Washington two weeks earlier to attend the funeral of US Senator Lindsey Graham and met Trump at the White House during that trip. Media cameras were not allowed into the meeting, and no detailed account of their discussion was released. The report says there are rumors that Trump has grown irritated by some of Netanyahu’s actions and statements. Analysts cited in the report say the two may now be becoming electoral liabilities for each other.

An opinion analysis published on August 12, 2026 argues that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s personal popularity and ability to attract votes have been the central strengths of India’s BJP government during its roughly 12 years in power. It says the BJP received about 31 to 36 percent of the vote in general elections fought under Modi. However, recent student protests at Jantar Mantar, ridicule directed at Modi and BJP defeats in two by-elections are presented as pressures on his previously invincible image.

The article compares Modi’s situation with the rise and later unpopularity of former prime minister Indira Gandhi. It says Gandhi’s newly formed Congress won 43 percent of votes in 1971 and 1980, and 48 percent after her assassination in 1984. Yet protests in 1974-75 made her a principal target, and Congress lost in 1977, when Gandhi also lost her own seat.

According to the analysis, the education minister was dismissed after the student protests, while several efforts by Modi to reach younger people did not receive the intended response. The author says the BJP hopes for victory in next year’s Uttar Pradesh assembly election. Addressing anger among young people without jobs is described as a major challenge for Modi.

An opinion article in Amar Desh says Prime Minister and BNP chairman Tarique Rahman instructed leaders from Joypurhat and Naogaon not to treat the party and government as one. In a meeting, he compared the governing party and government to parallel railway tracks: moving toward the same destination without touching. The article frames the instruction as a question of preserving the boundary between the state and a political party.

The writer argues that while an elected party forms a government, the state and government belong to all citizens, including those who did not support it. It warns that merging party and state can make administration, policing, lending, tenders and responses to criticism subject to partisan influence. The article also cites the prime minister’s recent comments about instability, alleged misinformation around power and energy issues, and a plan to present a 10-year energy and electricity strategy in parliament.

It says the real test of separation will be tolerance of criticism, prevention of partisan lobbying and evidence-based distinctions between legitimate demands and sabotage. The article proposes institutional measures, including relieving ministers of party executive duties, blocking party recommendations in public appointments and creating internal accountability channels.

Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami assistant secretary general Maulana Abdul Halim said the party’s leaders never spoke of forgiving the Awami League. In comments published on August 12, 2026, he responded to remarks by BNP senior joint secretary general and prime minister’s adviser Ruhul Kabir Rizvi.

According to Abdul Halim, Rizvi said at a Tuesday event at the Dhaka Reporters Unity that, after August 5, a Jamaat leader had spoken about forgiving the Awami League. Abdul Halim rejected that assertion, saying no Jamaat leader had made such a statement.

He called on Rizvi to present evidence before the nation identifying which Jamaat leader made the alleged remark, when and where it was made, and in what context. Abdul Halim alleged that Rizvi made the claim without proof to make Jamaat’s image controversial. He said the public could not be misled about Jamaat through what he described as baseless statements, and urged Rizvi to refrain from making unsubstantiated comments about the party.

State Minister for Primary and Mass Education and Dhaka-13 lawmaker Bobby Hajjaj has announced a direct public-engagement initiative for residents of his constituency. Under the programme, titled “Tea with the Minister, Your Home Address,” he will visit invited residents at their homes across Dhaka-13 on Wednesday, August 12, to hold informal tea discussions outside formal meetings or political events.

Hajjaj will listen to residents’ concerns, expectations, ideas and advice, according to the report. Discussions are expected to cover civic issues, education, transport, gas, water, electricity, cleanliness, security and youth employment, as well as promising local initiatives and residents’ proposals. Dhaka-13 residents can invite the state minister to their homes online.

Hajjaj said representation should not be limited to speeches in parliament or hearing people in an office, adding that representatives must visit people, observe their lives and listen to them. He said informal tea gatherings could bring out matters that may not be raised in formal meetings. Those associated with the initiative said it could reduce the distance between residents and their representative.

Dinesh Trivedi, India’s high commissioner to Bangladesh, met Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to discuss Bangladesh-India bilateral relations, the recent diplomatic situation and ongoing issues between the two countries. UNB reported the meeting on Tuesday, according to the source.

The meeting followed Trivedi’s first meeting with Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman on Monday after taking up his post in Dhaka. During that discussion, the two sides stressed advancing relations between the countries, increasing mutual trust and resolving unresolved matters through dialogue.

Trivedi travelled to Delhi on Monday afternoon after meeting Tarique Rahman. The source says he subsequently met Modi, but does not provide details of any decisions, announcements or follow-up measures from the discussion with the Indian prime minister.

Bangladesh Adarsha Teacher Federation condemned a government decision to transfer teacher recruitment authority in MPO-listed schools and colleges to institutional managing committees. At a central committee meeting on Tuesday evening at Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami’s central office in Moghbazar, Dhaka, the federation’s chief adviser and Jamaat naib-e-ameer Professor Mujibur Rahman MP said the move showed a departure from the spirit of July.

Rahman accused the BNP government of failing to implement the referendum verdict, calling it a grave offence. He also alleged that the government had politicised institutions by appointing vice-chancellors at nine public universities and administrators to most district councils. He criticised the proposed recruitment arrangement, claiming it could enable money-based appointments and partisan hiring of unqualified people in educational institutions.

The meeting discussed strong protest programmes against the decision, and a proposal was adopted to conduct the movement in several phases. Participants demanded that the existing recruitment process through NTRCA remain in place for private schools, colleges and madrasas. Federation Secretary General Professor ABM Fazlul Karim chaired the meeting.

Chief Election Commissioner A M M Nasir Uddin has called a meeting of members of Parliament for Bangladesh’s presidential election. An Election Commission Secretariat notification said the meeting will be held at 2 p.m. on August 20 in the Parliament chamber at the National Parliament Building, the day set for voting in the election.

The notification said the chief election commissioner convened the meeting after consultation with the speaker of Parliament, using powers provided under Section 5(3) of the Presidential Election Act, 1991. Earlier, Election Commission Secretariat Senior Secretary Akhtar Ahmed said voting would continue without interruption from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. in the assembly chamber of the National Parliament Building.

Vote counting will begin immediately after polling ends at 5 p.m., in front of ballot boxes kept inside the assembly chamber. The deadline for submitting nominations is August 13, scrutiny is scheduled for August 16, and the final date for withdrawing candidacy is August 18. The Election Commission began preparations for the 23rd presidential election after Bangladesh’s 22nd president, Md Shahabuddin, resigned on July 24.

India says it has invited Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman on two separate occasions: for a bilateral visit and to attend a BRICS summit in Delhi. Indian External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal made the statement at a weekly press briefing on Tuesday, August 11, 2026, saying letters had been sent to the prime minister for the separate invitations.

Responding to a journalist’s question about an invitation for Rahman to visit India, Jaiswal said India’s high commissioner met Bangladesh’s prime minister on Monday. The meeting covered matters of bilateral interest, he said. Jaiswal added that Rahman had been invited both for a bilateral visit and to join the BRICS summit in Delhi, and that further information would be provided later.

Bangladesh has not yet made a decision on whether its prime minister will attend the BRICS summit, Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman said. After Indian envoy Dinesh Trivedi met the prime minister, the minister said the BRICS invitation was not issued to the “prime minister” but to the “chairperson of BIMSTEC.” He also said Narendra Modi had previously sent an invitation letter, which the government would consider.

Education Minister Dr A N M Ehsanul Haque Milon alleged that nearly Tk 7,000 crore from teachers’ retirement allowances and the welfare trust was misappropriated during the previous Awami League government. He made the allegation on Tuesday while speaking as chief guest at a session on rebuilding a fragile economy and achieving sustainable development goals at Windy Town Hall of the Bangladesh-China Friendship Conference Centre in the capital.

Milon said the financial crisis had left teachers unable to receive their dues and allowances for a long time. He also alleged that the previous government spent thousands of crores in the name of observing August 15 and misappropriated money from various sectors. The minister urged political parties to work together rather than only criticising.

He said the government was working to improve the education system on the prime minister’s instructions and stressed that education must receive the highest priority for sustainable development. Planning State Minister Md Jonaed Abdur Rahim Saki said reliable data were essential for public welfare, sound policymaking and effective planning. Secondary and Higher Education Division Secretary Abdul Khaleque presented detailed ministry matters related to the SDGs.

Bangladesh’s Election Commission Secretariat Senior Secretary Akhtar Ahmed said voting in the presidential election will take place from 2pm to 5pm on August 20 in the session chamber of the National Parliament Building. Speaking to journalists at the Election Building in Agargaon, Dhaka, he said voting would continue without interruption. Members of parliament will remain in their assigned seats while Election Commission-appointed officials deliver ballot papers to them.

Each ballot paper will have a counterfoil and a main ballot. The counterfoil will include the candidate’s serial number, the voter’s name, division number and a signature field. On the main ballot, candidates’ names will be listed, and voters will write their full name beside their preferred candidate and sign. Three transparent ballot boxes will be placed in the chamber for members to use.

Counting will begin immediately after voting closes at 5pm, in front of the ballot boxes inside the session chamber. A team of four or five ballot counters will sort and count the papers. The chief election commissioner will announce the valid and invalid ballots and votes received by each candidate from 349 ballots. The commission will later publish the final official gazette, while live coverage and designated seating for journalists will be available.