Gas supply to the national grid has resumed from the Excelerate Energy-operated floating LNG terminal in Maheshkhali after a two-week shutdown. From 3:10am on Thursday, the terminal began supplying 115 million cubic feet of gas a day, Petrobangla officials said. Total gas supplied to the grid from imported LNG has consequently risen to 660 million cubic feet daily.

Officials of Rupantarita Prakritik Gas Company Limited said one unit of the terminal was restarted early Thursday and supply began on a limited scale. Operations are being restored gradually, with the terminal expected to deliver gas at greater capacity within four to five days. Grid supply could increase further if sufficient LNG cargoes are available.

The terminal was completely shut down after a fire on July 21 was followed by technical problems. The outage created a daily shortfall of about 500 million cubic feet of gas in the national grid, while imported LNG supply fell by nearly half. Residential consumers, industrial operators and CNG users faced the greatest disruption, and load-shedding increased in several areas as gas-fired power plants received less fuel.

Russia said it intercepted and destroyed 605 Ukrainian drones during overnight attacks on Wednesday across several regions, including Moscow and the Black Sea. The Russian Defence Ministry made the claim in a statement. The report was published and later updated on August 6, 2026.

Black smoke was seen over the Russian city of Yaroslavl on Thursday morning after the Ukrainian drone attacks. Regional governor Mikhail Evraev said the area faced its largest-scale attack of the night. He claimed that 92 Ukrainian drones were destroyed in the Yaroslavl region.

Yaroslavl is home to one of Russia's largest oil refineries. Meanwhile, the report said three people were killed in a Russian attack on the Ukrainian city of Balakliia. It also reported that 12 people were injured in the Ukrainian city of Sumy following a Russian attack.

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman will formally launch the second phase of the Family Card distribution programme on August 16, Social Welfare and Women and Children Affairs Minister A Z M Zahid Hossain said. The inauguration will take place in Latifabad, Kishoreganj.

Speaking at a press conference at the Secretariat on Thursday, Zahid Hossain said beneficiaries for the Family Card would be selected transparently. He announced both the date and location for the formal opening of the second-phase distribution programme.

According to the minister, Family Card holders will receive multiple services. These include the ability to withdraw money from the state-owned Sonali Bank, Janata Bank and Krishi Bank.

Police stopped leaders and activists of an 11-party alliance as they marched toward the Secretariat on Thursday to protest fuel and gas shortages, disputed electricity bills, worsening law and order, and rising prices of essential goods. The group reached the area near the Secretariat at about 12:45 p.m. and staged a sit-in after police blocked its advance. They later left at around 1:30 p.m. without meeting any government representative.

The alliance had begun its march from Muktangan in the capital at 12:40 p.m., following an earlier sit-in programme. Police erected barricades after the procession crossed Zero Point. Jamaat-e-Islami chief and opposition leader Dr Shafiqur Rahman addressed the gathering near the Secretariat, saying the group had come with public demands rather than to disrespect anyone.

Rahman called for a responsible minister or representative to receive the demands and said further protests and programmes would continue if they were not met. He also asked police officials to convey the alliance's message to the appropriate authorities. Senior alliance figures present included Nahid Islam, Oli Ahmad, Mia Golam Porwar and Rashed Pradhan.

The Election Commission has announced the schedule for the presidential election, setting voting for August 20 from 2pm to 5pm. Senior Election Commission Secretary Akhtar Ahmed disclosed the information to journalists on Thursday afternoon. The election follows the resignation of Md Shahabuddin from the presidency on July 24.

Under the announced timetable, the deadline for submitting nomination papers is August 13. Scrutiny of nomination papers will take place on August 16, while candidates may withdraw their candidacy until August 18. The Election Commission Secretariat has already received the voter list for the presidential election from the Parliament Secretariat after requesting it.

Rules require the Election Commission to arrange a new presidential election within 90 days of a president's resignation. On July 26, the Commission met acting Speaker of the National Parliament Kaiser Kamal to discuss arranging the election. During that meeting, the Commission requested that the voter list be provided.

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman ordered the rapid preparation and effective implementation of an integrated action plan to prevent pollution in rivers surrounding Dhaka. He issued the instruction at a meeting on Buriganga River water and environmental improvement at the Cabinet Division conference room in Bangladesh Secretariat on the morning of August 6.

The meeting discussed the environmental condition, pollution sources, challenges and long-term remedies for the Buriganga, Turag, Balu, Shitalakkhya and other rivers near the capital. Untreated industrial discharge, inadequate sewerage and drainage, reduced canal navigability, and weak solid-waste management were identified as major causes. The prime minister stressed effective operation of effluent treatment plants, improved canals and drainage, regular drives against polluters, strict enforcement of environmental laws, stronger coordination and public awareness.

The meeting decided to form an inter-agency coordination committee under the Prime Minister’s Office to prepare and implement the plan. It will coordinate ministries, divisions and agencies, review progress at set intervals and submit reports to the Prime Minister’s Office. Environmental groups, voluntary organizations, educational institutions and local residents were also directed to be involved.

Students in Jharkhand, India, have held widespread protests for several days over alleged irregularities in recruitment examinations. The movement began in Ranchi on July 25, raising allegations concerning JPSC and JSSC recruitment tests. Congress said it stands with the protesting students and described ensuring justice for them as its main priority.

A delegation led by Jharkhand Congress acting leader K Rauj met Chief Minister Hemant Soren and submitted a memorandum. Congress welcomed the decision to form a cabinet committee to hold discussions with the students. Protesters have demanded cancellation of the 14th Jharkhand PSC Civil Services Examination, an investigation by the CBI or retired High Court judges, and reforms to the recruitment system.

As the movement intensified, five students began a hunger strike, including Devendranath Mahato, a leader of the Jharkhand Loktantrik Krantikari Morcha. Soren said the students' allegations were being examined seriously, action was being taken against those involved in irregularities, and efforts were underway to find a permanent solution. Congress said it would continue discussions with the government over the students' demands and justice.

Ousted former prime minister Hasina, sentenced to death in Bangladesh in a crimes against humanity case, has said she wants to return to the country by December this year. She left for India amid the 2024 anti-government uprising, and legal proceedings against her continued in her absence. Hasina did not announce a date or plan for how she would return.

In an audio address at Delhi’s Foreign Correspondents’ Club marking the second anniversary of her ouster, Hasina said anything could happen to her if she returned but that she would not abandon the decision. She has denied the allegations against her as politically motivated. United Nations investigators said her government had systematically used lethal violence to retain power.

Bangladesh’s government expressed anger toward India for allowing Hasina to participate in a public media event. Analyst David Bergman said she could be arrested immediately if she returned, while political groups might demand implementation of her sentence. The Awami League’s activities were banned after Hasina left, and it was not allowed to contest February’s election.

Prosecutors submitted an alleged phone recording involving Awami League General Secretary and former road transport minister Obaidul Quader to International Crimes Tribunal-2 on Thursday. The recording was presented on the second day of arguments in a crimes-against-humanity case against Quader and seven senior leaders over events during the July uprising.

According to the prosecution, the recording documents a conversation on July 11, 2024 involving Quader, Bangladesh Chhatra League president Saddam Hossain and general secretary Wali Asif Inan. Quader is heard asking Saddam, “Why are you not beating them?” Saddam replies that police had told them not to confront the protesters. Prosecutors said the remarks encouraged Chhatra League activists.

Arguments in the case began on August 4. Prosecutor Gazi MH Tamim described the July-August events as a planned, organized and nationwide “systematic crime,” alleging coordinated action by Awami League leaders, law-enforcement agencies and affiliated organizations. The other accused are AFM Bahauddin Nasim, Mohammad A. Arafat, Sheikh Fazle Shams Parash, Mainul Hossain Khan Nikhil, Saddam Hossain and Wali Asif Inan. The report said all defendants are absconding.

Pakistan Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif will visit Saudi Arabia from August 6 to 8, accompanied by Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar. During the trip, Sharif is scheduled to meet Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry said.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Tahir Andrabi said at a weekly press briefing that the meeting will focus on strengthening Pakistan-Saudi bilateral relations, expanding strategic cooperation, and exchanging views on regional and international issues. He described the visit as highly significant amid continuing tensions in the Gulf region.

Andrabi said the trip would further strengthen the two countries’ longstanding relationship of mutual trust, cooperation and brotherhood. Sharif previously visited Saudi Arabia in April this year. Pakistan has recently supported Saudi Arabia’s proposed multinational maritime defense alliance aimed at safeguarding shipping and energy supplies in the Red Sea, while reiterating its commitment to Saudi security, legitimate maritime trade and strategic cooperation.

Eight leading shipowner and shipping organizations have voiced concern over the prospect of mandatory tolls or service fees for vessels using the Strait of Hormuz. The groups sent a letter to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and International Maritime Organization Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez after reports that Iran and Oman were nearing an understanding on managing the waterway. The letter, sent on Monday, was made public on Wednesday.

The organizations said compulsory charges would contradict established principles of international navigation and weaken recognized legal frameworks governing international waterways. They argued that internationally recognized navigation rights should not become part of political bargaining. A permanent toll system, they said, could raise energy prices, accelerate inflation, create global economic uncertainty and affect livelihoods worldwide. Dominguez had previously said such tolls would violate international law and set a damaging precedent for global shipping.

Trade policy specialist Deborah Elms said Asia could face the greatest impact because it imports much of the Gulf region's energy exports. The IMO confirmed 64 incidents in the region since the conflict began, with 17 deaths. IMO and UN human rights data said at least 6,000 seafarers were stranded in and around the Strait by late July.

The 11-party alliance has announced four long marches and a grand rally in Dhaka, demanding implementation of the referendum verdict. Opposition leader and Jamaat-e-Islami ameer Dr Shafiqur Rahman announced the programme on Thursday afternoon from a sit-in at Muktangan in the capital.

Under the schedule, a road march from Dhaka to Chattogram is set for September 5. Further road marches are planned from Dhaka to Rangpur on September 19 and from Dhaka to Khulna on October 10.

The alliance also announced a rail march from Dhaka to Sylhet on October 24 and a grand rally in Dhaka on November 14. Its leaders said active participation and full cooperation from people at all levels are needed to make the programmes successful, describing them as efforts to establish the public's rightful rights and protect the interests of the country and its people.

Foreign ministers from Arab and Muslim countries agreed to establish a permanent mechanism to document and present Israeli actions in occupied East Jerusalem and at Islamic and Christian holy sites to the world. The decision was announced in a joint statement issued after a meeting in Jordan on Wednesday. The mechanism will include a media-based platform to publicize Israeli actions and incidents involving worshippers to international organizations and global public opinion.

Participants included members of the Arab Ministerial Committee on Jerusalem, Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit, and representatives of Turkey, Pakistan, Indonesia and Malaysia. They called for immediate international intervention to stop Israeli measures in Jerusalem and at its holy sites. The statement condemned policies it said aimed to alter the city’s Arab, Islamic and Christian identity, as well as its legal and demographic character, describing such measures as illegal.

The statement said the platform would raise internationally the growing entry of Israeli settlers and officials into the Al-Aqsa compound, restrictions on worshippers, interference in Jerusalem Waqf work and excavation activities. It also condemned alleged actions against Christian holy sites. Ministers called for a joint OIC-Arab League meeting in New York during the UN General Assembly’s high-level session next September.

Qatar expects the United States and Iran to reach an agreement within the next few hours, Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed Al-Ansari said at a news conference on August 6. He also confirmed that there are no direct talks between the United States and Iran, despite the expectation of a possible deal.

Al-Ansari said Qatar supports mediation efforts, particularly those led by Oman, and continues to call for de-escalation and dialogue. According to him, mediators are speaking with one another while draft agreements are being exchanged between the two sides. Qatar believes the matter should be resolved at the regional level.

On the Strait of Hormuz, Al-Ansari said Qatar’s position is that the waterway should be reopened and operated as it has traditionally been, with freedom of navigation. The strait normally carries 20 percent of global oil and gas supplies, but only a few vessels are currently able to pass each day. Iranians have said ships must pay a fee to transit the strait, a demand the United States has said it will not accept.

Most firearms allegedly displayed publicly during the 2024 anti-discrimination student movement in Jamalpur remain unrecovered two years after a weapons case was filed, according to a report published on August 6, 2026. Images and videos circulated on social media showed people holding weapons, but the report said there has been no visible progress in recovering most of the weapons or arresting those accused. Allegations focused on clashes near New High School intersection, College Road and nearby areas on August 3, 2024.

Witnesses and protesters alleged that Farhan Ahmed, general secretary of the district Jubo League, was seen with a shotgun-like firearm, while Nafizur Rahman Tushar and Shahriar Islam Rafi had pistol-like weapons. A case filed at Jamalpur Sadar Police Station on November 1, 2024 named the three men and several hundred others. It alleged public display of firearms, intimidation and threats against protesters.

Investigating officer SI Bijon Kumar Biswas said a chargesheet naming 70 people had been submitted to court after the investigation. Jamalpur Sadar police station officer-in-charge Nazmul Sakib said information was being collected on the earlier incident and necessary action would be taken to recover the displayed weapons and arrest armed suspects. Student activist Amimul Ihsan called for prompt recovery of the weapons and arrests.