India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bharatiya Janata Party are placing greater emphasis on Instagram Reels and short videos to reach young voters after Gen Z protests over limited job and education opportunities. The Reuters report, published on August 7, says Modi’s messaging has shifted from tightly prepared political content toward lighter, more natural and less edited videos. Recent clips show him in a biker jacket and sunglasses with rap music, while a vertical video released on July 31 featured him looking into the camera and saying, “Hi, friends.”

The protests, triggered by an exam paper leak, grew as thousands of students and job seekers took to the streets, and India’s education minister resigned. Protesters used Reels and short videos to challenge Modi’s image and question the government’s control over public political messaging. Political columnist Asim Ali and University of Michigan professor Joyojeet Pal said Instagram rewards spontaneity, humour and authenticity, while overly staged political messaging can appear artificial to younger audiences.

After a cabinet meeting following the protests, Modi instructed ministers to become more active on youth-focused platforms and keep videos less polished. Ministries and government departments have released lighter edited clips, and the foreign ministry plans to become active on Snapchat. With the 2029 general election ahead, the BJP is seeking to reach more than 400 million Gen Z voters, though observers question whether the generation will embrace or mock the campaign.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday amid continuing tensions between the United States and Iran, according to the report. The leaders discussed recent developments in the Middle East, also described as West Asia, and reviewed progress across areas of the India-Israel special strategic partnership. Modi disclosed the conversation in a post on X after the call.

India's Prime Minister's Office said the two leaders expressed satisfaction with continued progress in bilateral relations. They reaffirmed their commitment to strengthen cooperation in areas of mutual interest and to deepen ties between the two countries. The call cited notable progress in cooperation on emerging technologies, cybersecurity, agriculture, water management, health, entrepreneurship development, defence and security.

Modi and Netanyahu agreed to take the special strategic partnership to new heights with peace, innovation and prosperity as priorities, the report said. They also agreed to remain in regular contact. Modi visited Israel for two days with a high-level delegation in February at Netanyahu's invitation. A joint statement issued on February 26 said both prime ministers had reaffirmed their commitment to shared goals of peace, security and prosperity through technological innovation and entrepreneurship development.

Separate attacks by Iranian-backed Houthi rebels killed at least 30 soldiers from Yemen’s internationally recognized government in the central and eastern provinces of Marib and Hadramout, according to government officials cited by the Associated Press on Thursday. More than 50 soldiers were wounded in the attacks, which targeted several military bases.

The officials confirmed the casualty figures on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media. Yemen’s military also confirmed that Houthi forces had attacked military bases, but did not release specific casualty figures. There was no immediate comment from the Houthis on the attacks.

The Houthi group said, without providing details, that it would soon issue an official statement on a major military operation. The clashes were described as the largest since an informal truce took effect in April 2022 and as a major deterioration in Yemen’s security situation. Yemen has been in civil war since 2014, while the Saudi-led coalition intervened in 2015 to support the internationally recognized government.

Bangladesh has expressed strong anger over ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s remarks to journalists in New Delhi, saying India allowed a political platform for a “convicted genocidaire.” In a statement issued Wednesday night, Bangladesh’s foreign ministry renewed its demand that Hasina be extradited. The report, published on August 7, said the episode has added fresh tension to already strained Bangladesh-India relations.

The ministry said Hasina and her associates made hostile remarks against Bangladesh and its people, and described such comments from Indian soil as an affront to Bangladesh’s sovereignty. India said it had no role in organizing the press conference and would not support political statements made there. Hasina, 78, addressed the event through an audio link during a programme marking the second anniversary of the 2024 student-led movement.

Hasina said she intends to return to Bangladesh in December despite possible imprisonment or death. She called the criminal cases against her politically motivated and accused the new government of mismanagement and repression. Former national cricket captain Shakib Al Hasan attended the event; hours later, unidentified attackers threw petrol bombs at and vandalized his home in Bangladesh. Police said no one was injured.

Bangladesh’s Foreign Ministry has expressed deep anger after former prime minister Sheikh Hasina held a virtual press conference from New Delhi on August 5, saying the event created fresh strain in relations with India. In a statement issued Wednesday night, Dhaka described the gathering as an affront to Bangladesh’s sovereignty and an insult to those killed during the July Revolution, according to the report.

The ministry said India had been informed in advance about the possible implications of the event, but it was still allowed to proceed. India had earlier told a parliamentary committee that Hasina had not been permitted to conduct political activities from Indian territory. India’s External Affairs Ministry also said Bangladesh’s extradition request was being reviewed by relevant authorities under applicable laws and procedures.

At the press conference, Hasina called the 2024 uprising an organised political conspiracy, reiterated that she would return to Bangladesh by December, and sought removal of restrictions on the Awami League and withdrawal of cases against its members. The report said uncertainty has emerged over Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s attendance at the BRICS summit in New Delhi on September 12 and 13.

National Citizens Party (NCP) convener and opposition chief whip Nahid Islam met British High Commissioner to Bangladesh Sarah Cook on Thursday at the British High Commissioner’s residence in Dhaka. The meeting addressed Bangladesh’s changing political situation and issues of mutual interest between Bangladesh and the United Kingdom.

NCP spokesperson Asif Mahmud Sajeeb Bhuiyan attended the meeting, along with joint member secretary and Global Diaspora Cell head Alauddin Mohammad. Navid Nowroz Shah, convener of the National Professionals Alliance, the NCP’s professionals’ organisation, was also present.

According to Alauddin Mohammad, discussions covered democratic governance, institutional reform and the protection of fundamental rights. Participants also stressed the importance of constructive engagement with international partners in building a democratic, accountable and inclusive Bangladesh. The NCP said the two sides exchanged views on matters of mutual interest concerning Bangladesh and the United Kingdom.

An Amardesh report said Indian officials have become frustrated with Sheikh Hasina’s alleged inflexibility. It said expectations arose after she reached Delhi following Bangladesh’s 2024 student-public uprising that India would help rehabilitate the Awami League in Bangladeshi politics. The report said India was not entirely unwilling, citing what it described as historic state-level ties between India and the Awami League.

According to the report, Hasina did not accept proposals made by Delhi over the past two years. It said Indian officials indicated that advice on the Awami League’s strategy before Bangladesh’s February general election did not suit her. The report also alleged that she rejected even minor or temporary changes to party leadership and would not accept leadership moving briefly away from herself or a family member.

The report described India’s sheltering of trusted foreign friends in danger as a long-standing policy. Comparing Hasina’s situation with the Dalai Lama and the family of former Afghan president Muhammad Najibullah, it said Delhi observers viewed her more as a liability than an asset. Her precise location in India was said to be unconfirmed, although the report stated that she is being kept with respect.

The National Citizen Party (NCP) has described remarks attributed to Sheikh Hasina from India as a threat to Bangladesh’s sovereignty. Speaking at a Thursday night press conference at the party’s central office in Rupayan Trade Center, Banglamotor, Dhaka, NCP spokesperson Asif Mahmud Sajib Bhuiyan said the party viewed outside intervention in Bangladesh’s internal affairs as a deep conspiracy to create disorder in the country.

Asif Mahmud alleged that the Indian government was using Hasina as a pawn. He also raised doubts about Hasina’s reported online appearance, saying only a voice was heard and questioning whether the material could have been AI-generated. Alauddin Mohammad, the party’s joint member secretary and head of its Global Diaspora Cell, delivered a written statement at the press conference.

Alauddin said Hasina and her associates had been allowed to speak publicly in New Delhi on the second anniversary of the July mass uprising. NCP said it supports democracy, accountability and the end of fascist politics. The party opposed using Hasina as an instrument in bilateral political calculations and said it would reject any arrangement that could harm Bangladesh’s sovereignty, judicial process or democratic future.

Ajit Doval has largely stepped back from regularly briefing Sheikh Hasina during her stay in India, according to a report published by Amar Desh Online on August 6, 2026 and updated early the following day. The report says India has a practice of holding regular “debriefing sessions” for foreign guests who arrive under special circumstances, citing the Dalai Lama’s arrival in 1959 as an example.

Such sessions are intended to inform guests about the overall situation, explain India’s perspective on different issues, and clarify what is expected of them, the report says. Doval initially performed this role himself for several months after Hasina arrived in India. It says his announced and unannounced visits to Dhaka had helped establish a positive personal equation with Hasina, making the process smoother.

The report says responsibility has shifted to Intelligence Bureau chief Tapan Deka, or to current chief Mahesh Dixit after Deka’s retirement last month. It attributes Doval’s reduced involvement to his workload or other reasons. Some observers cited in the report view the change as evidence that Hasina no longer holds the same level of importance in Delhi’s eyes.

Bangladesh’s Liberation War Affairs Ministry has expressed regret over controversy surrounding a documentary on the July mass uprising shown at its reception and discussion meeting for July martyrs’ families and July fighters. The ministry said several important events and contributions were not properly presented. In a press release issued on August 6, it pledged to correct the documentary and make it public again after considering relevant opinions.

The ministry said it would examine complaints about the film, make necessary revisions and release it as quickly as possible. It stated that it remains committed to preserving the history of the July mass uprising accurately, inclusively and on the basis of facts.

The release said citizens have the right to raise complaints, but urged that they do so in a refined and orderly manner. It alleged that disruption in front of the president, foreign diplomats, media and invited guests harmed Bangladesh’s image and mentally hurt invited martyrs’ families and injured July fighters. The ministry also called on those concerned to refrain from spreading what it described as misleading and defamatory information involving the prime minister.

Bangladesh’s apparel exports to the United States declined in the first six months of the year, but the drop was smaller than for China and India, according to a Thursday report by the US Department of Commerce’s Office of Textiles and Apparel, or OTEXA. The United States is Bangladesh’s largest single-country garment market, receiving about 20 percent of the country’s total apparel exports.

US apparel imports fell 8.04 percent year on year to $35.09 billion from January through June, amid higher tariffs and pressure on global demand. Imports from Bangladesh declined 5.75 percent to $4.01 billion. In contrast, imports from China dropped 37.69 percent and imports from India fell 25.27 percent. Bangladesh’s apparel imports rose 5.74 percent year on year in June alone, reaching $763.57 million.

By volume, US apparel imports from Bangladesh fell 3.69 percent, compared with declines of 26.30 percent for China and 22.74 percent for India. Bangladesh’s average unit price declined 2.15 percent, the same decrease recorded for Vietnam. The price decline was close to Pakistan’s but lower than the declines reported for China and India.

Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister Nurul Haque Nur alleged that the National Citizen Party, or NCP, could not have established itself politically without support from the interim government and that Jamaat-e-Islami has strategic influence within it. He made the remarks on Thursday at a remembrance and discussion event at the Dhaka Reporters Unity organized by the Bangladesh Lawyers’ Rights Council.

Criticizing the NCP, Nur said no political party survives through state patronage and predicted that its fate would resemble that of the Freedom Party. He also alleged that Jamaat is seeking political advantage by infiltrating different political parties. He said the spirit of July had been harmed by forming new parties rather than preserving broader national unity after the mass uprising.

Nur said the fall of Sheikh Hasina and the July mass uprising were not sudden, but resulted from long-running movements, struggles and sacrifices. He linked the foundation of the uprising to the 2018 quota reform movement and subsequent student and youth participation in several political movements. He said Gono Odhikar Parishad joined an alliance with the BNP to help ensure political stability and urged people to avoid misinformation and hate speech on social media.

A fire broke out at the official residence of Pakistan’s High Commissioner in the diplomatic area of Baridhara, Dhaka, early Thursday. Pakistan High Commissioner Imran Haider and his wife, Naima Imran, experienced breathing difficulties after smoke spread inside the residence. They were taken to a hospital in Gulshan at about 9 a.m. and were receiving treatment under close observation.

According to Fire Service information, the blaze began at approximately 4:55 a.m. Two units started firefighting operations at 5 a.m. and brought the fire under control by 5:10 a.m. Preliminary information indicated that an electrical short circuit in a television at the residence may have triggered the fire.

Hospital sources said the couple’s condition was not serious. Security and emergency service agencies treated the incident seriously because it occurred at an important facility in the diplomatic area. No confirmed information has emerged on whether sabotage or another cause was involved, and the report said no final conclusion should be reached before the investigation is completed.

Bangladesh will begin sending new workers to Malaysia through BOESL in the final week of August, Mahdi Amin said at a meeting with journalists at the Bangladesh High Commission in Kuala Lumpur. The announcement was reported on August 6, 2026, and concerns the reopening of worker recruitment to Malaysia.

Amin addressed the press as the prime minister’s representative in the presence of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister Ariful Haque Chowdhury, who was visiting Malaysia. Amin is identified as the minister’s spokesperson and an adviser to the prime minister.

He said senior-level discussions between the two countries had been positive and productive, aimed at reopening the previously closed labor market and swiftly completing arrangements for transparent, low-cost worker recruitment. The government is committed to keeping the labor market free of syndicates and transparent so ordinary workers can travel safely to Malaysia at lower cost, he said.

A fire broke out at the official residence of Pakistan’s high commissioner in Baridhara, Dhaka, on Thursday, August 6. The Fire Service said the blaze began in the television room at about 4:55am following an electrical short circuit. High Commissioner Imran Haider and his wife, Naima Imran, were injured by smoke and admitted to Continental Hospital in Gulshan.

According to Fire Service sources, two units from Baridhara were dispatched after receiving the report. However, people at the residence extinguished the fire before the units reached the scene. Fire Service media cell official Anwarul Islam Dolon said the incident caused no significant damage.

The high commissioner and his wife sought hospital treatment at about 9:30am. They are receiving care under Dr Amina Sultana. Their physical condition was reported to be stable, and both were said to be out of danger.