India has reiterated that Bangladesh’s request for the extradition of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is being considered in accordance with established procedures. On August 11, 2026, the Ministry of External Affairs said there had been no change in New Delhi’s position on the matter. During a regular media briefing in New Delhi, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said the request was being examined within India’s existing legal and procedural framework. He also said that the investigation into the killing of Bangladeshi activist Sharif Osman Hadi is still in progress.
Jaiswal’s comments came a day after Indian High Commissioner Dinesh Trivedi met Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman in Dhaka. According to the MEA, the two sides discussed issues of mutual interest, with the broader focus remaining on strengthening bilateral relations. The meeting also reportedly touched on the extradition of Hasina and the return of individuals wanted in connection with the Hadi murder case. Bangladesh has been pressing India to accelerate the extradition process.
A statement from Prime Minister Rahman’s office said Dhaka hoped New Delhi would move faster on the request for Hasina’s extradition. Bangladesh has also asked India to hand over suspects wanted in connection with Hadi’s killing, according to local media reports.
Hadi Murder Case Remains Under Investigation: Sharif Osman Hadi was attacked on December 12, 2025, while travelling by rickshaw on Paltan Road in Dhaka. According to reports, gunmen riding a motorcycle opened fire at him, striking him in the head. Hadi was subsequently flown to Singapore for medical treatment. However, he died from his injuries on December 18.
The investigation later extended to India. Earlier this year, the Bangladesh High Commission in Kolkata confirmed the arrests of two Bangladeshi nationals, 37-year-old Faisal Karim Masud and 34-year-old Alamgir Hossain. Indian media reports linked the two men to the murder investigation. Following their arrest, Bangladesh’s Deputy High Commission in Kolkata approached Indian authorities seeking consular access to the detained individuals.
India-Bangladesh Relations Remain a Key Focus: The meeting between Trivedi and Rahman came at a sensitive point in India-Bangladesh relations, with extradition and security-related issues addng to the diplomatic agenda. Describing his discussion with the Bangladeshi prime minister as productive, Trivedi highlighted the longstanding relationship between the two neighbouring countries. He said India and Bangladesh do not merely share a border but also “share dreams.”
The Indian High Commission also said on X that Trivedi conveyed New Delhi’s willingness to engage with Bangladesh in a constructive, positive and forward-looking manner. Both sides exchanged views on areas of mutual interest and explored ways to deepen bilateral ties with a people-focused approach. The handling of Hasina’s extradition request, alongside the investigation into Hadi’s death, reflects the delicate balance India and Bangladesh must maintain between legal procedures, security concerns and diplomatic relations. With both matters still unfolding, New Delhi’s emphasis on established procedures indicates that the extradition request will continue to be dealt with through the relevant legal framework rather than through an immediate political decision.
Disclaimer: This image is taken from Indian Defence News.
There is no evidence of any gradual Chinese encroachment into Arunachal Pradesh, government and security sources said on Tuesday, dismissing claims circulating on social media. The sources stressed that the Indian Army and Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) remain fully prepared to maintain border dominance, closely monitor developments and respond to any Chinese activity along the frontier. China has long laid claim to Arunachal Pradesh, referring to the region as “South Tibet”. During the 1960 border discussions, Beijing reportedly claimed around 69,000 square kilometres of territory in the state. India has consistently rejected these claims and maintained that Arunachal Pradesh is an integral and inseparable part of the country.
According to the sources, tensions in the region have historical roots. In 1959, Chinese forces attacked an Assam Rifles post at Longju and took control of the area. The location has remained under adverse possession and has periodically attracted attention because of infrastructure development undertaken by China. The sources also recalled that Arunachal Pradesh witnessed significant military operations during the 1962 India-China war, particularly in the Kameng, Subansiri, Siyom, Siang and Lohit valleys. Following the ceasefire, however, Chinese forces withdrew to positions north of the Line of Actual Control (LAC).
Arunachal Pradesh shares a lengthy and strategically important boundary with the Tibetan region across the Great Himalayan range. In recent years, India has significantly strengthened infrastructure along the frontier, improving its ability to conduct patrols, surveillance and monitoring. Because the India-China boundary has not been formally demarcated, patrols from both sides can occasionally come face-to-face in areas where their perceptions of the LAC differ. Such incidents are generally addressed through established protocols and existing communication mechanisms.
“The Army and ITBP are geared up to dominate the border, monitor and check Chinese activities,” a source said, describing sweeping social media allegations without specific evidence as attempts to attract attention. The clarification came after posts on social media claimed that China was gradually occupying parts of Arunachal Pradesh.
MEA reiterates India's position on Arunachal Pradesh: The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) also reaffirmed India's position on Arunachal Pradesh on Tuesday, saying the state remains an “inalienable and integral part of India”. The statement came after China again attempted to assert its claims over the northeastern state, including through its practice of assigning Chinese names to locations in Arunachal Pradesh. India recently identified 27 locations in the state using their official standard names on the Survey of India map.
MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said India's position on the matter remains unchanged and stressed that China's claims cannot alter the ground reality. Jaiswal also highlighted the importance India places on maintaining peace and stability along the LAC. He referred to the 36th Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination (WMCC) meeting on India-China border affairs, held in New Delhi on August 6. During the meeting, both sides reviewed the situation along the LAC and held detailed discussions on border-related issues. India reiterated that peace and tranquillity in the border areas are critical to the broader development of bilateral relations.
The two countries agreed to continue using established diplomatic and military channels, including the WMCC, meetings between local commanders and other agreed mechanisms, to address unresolved matters and reduce the risk of misunderstandings or miscalculations along the LAC. The discussions also covered boundary delimitation, border management, institutional mechanisms and cooperation on trans-border matters. India further called for an early meeting of the Expert Level Mechanism dealing with trans-border rivers and stressed the importance of obtaining technical information concerning upstream projects. With increased infrastructure, surveillance and military preparedness on the Indian side, authorities maintain that the situation along the Arunachal Pradesh frontier is being closely monitored and that there is no basis for claims of a “slow” or gradual Chinese encroachment into the state.
Disclaimer: This image is taken from ANI.
On International Youth Day, Rahima Mahmut, Executive Director of Stop Uyghur Genocide, has drawn attention to the alleged separation of Uyghur children from their families, warning that the practice is contributing to the erosion of their cultural and religious identity. Mahmut said the day is meant to celebrate the hopes, aspirations and potential of young people, but argued that many Uyghur children have been deprived of the opportunity to grow up within their own families and communities.
According to Mahmut, as many as 900,000 Uyghur children had been separated from their parents by 2019 and placed in state-run boarding schools and residential kindergartens. She alleged that the policy has resulted in children becoming increasingly disconnected from the Uyghur language, culture and faith, adding that the number of children affected could now be significantly higher.
She also pointed to footage that she said showed Uyghur children between the ages of five and 11 being encouraged or pressured to pledge allegiance to the Chinese military. The children were reportedly speaking Mandarin rather than Uyghur. Mahmut described the alleged practice as indoctrination rather than education.
Mahmut further claimed that some Uyghur children had been left without their parents after both were allegedly detained in political prison camps. She cited estimates suggesting that the wider detention system could involve up to three million people, while also alleging that forced labour transfers had separated other children from their families.
She additionally raised allegations concerning forced abortions and sterilisation involving Uyghur women, arguing that such policies had prevented some children from being born. Mahmut described the alleged measures as part of a broader attempt to weaken Uyghur identity by targeting younger generations. She argued that separating children from their parents and placing them under state control could undermine family ties and reduce children's exposure to their language, traditions and religious beliefs.
"The CCP's goal is clear: replace the family with the Party," Mahmut said. On International Youth Day, she urged the international community to support Uyghur children and young people and defend their right to grow up with their families, speak their native language and maintain their cultural identity. Mahmut said Uyghur youth should be able to build their futures with dignity, freedom and without fear, stressing that the next generation should have the opportunity to determine its own future.
Disclaimer: This image is taken from X/@HumanRightsCtte.
Google’s Gemini artificial intelligence assistant has crossed the 1 billion monthly active user mark, giving the company a major boost in the increasingly competitive global AI race. Google CEO Sundar Pichai announced the milestone on August 11, describing Gemini as the fastest-growing product in the company’s history. The achievement highlights the rapid shift in consumer behaviour as AI assistants become part of everyday digital life. Gemini’s user base has expanded sharply over the past year, helped by Google’s decision to integrate its AI technology across a wide range of products and services.
Google had reported around 400 million monthly active users for the Gemini app at its 2025 I/O developer conference. By May 2026, the figure had risen to more than 900 million, before approaching the billion-user mark in the following months. The latest milestone means Gemini has added hundreds of millions of users in a relatively short period.
The 1 billion figure specifically relates to monthly users of the Gemini app. Google also offers Gemini-powered features through products such as Search and Android, giving the company an even wider reach for its artificial intelligence technology. Gemini’s growth comes as Google continues to expand the capabilities of its AI assistant. The platform can handle text, images and voice interactions and is increasingly being developed to perform more complex, multi-step tasks. Google has been working to move Gemini beyond a traditional chatbot and make it a more capable digital assistant that can help users with research, writing, planning, learning and other activities.
The company’s existing ecosystem has also played an important role in Gemini’s expansion. Because Google operates some of the world’s most widely used internet services and the Android mobile operating system, it has numerous opportunities to put Gemini in front of consumers. The milestone puts Gemini firmly alongside other leading consumer AI platforms. OpenAI’s ChatGPT has also reached the billion-user level, intensifying the competition between the two companies. The battle is increasingly shifting from attracting users to keeping them engaged and convincing them to rely on AI assistants for more sophisticated tasks.
For Google, the challenge now is to turn Gemini’s enormous audience into sustained usage and, potentially, a significant source of revenue. The company has introduced paid Gemini plans with additional capabilities while continuing to offer free access to its AI assistant. The rapid growth also comes with greater responsibility. As more people use AI to obtain information, create content and make decisions, accuracy and reliability are becoming increasingly important. A mistake made by an AI system can have a much wider impact when the platform is used by a billion people each month.
Gemini’s latest milestone nevertheless represents a significant achievement for Google. The company has managed to turn its AI assistant into a mainstream consumer product in a remarkably short period. With artificial intelligence becoming increasingly embedded across Search, Android and other Google services, Gemini’s next phase could determine how central AI becomes to the company’s future. For now, crossing the 1 billion monthly user mark gives Google a powerful position in the global AI market and signals that the era of mass-market AI assistants is already well underway.
Disclaimer: This image is taken from Reuters.
Seven people, including three children, were killed and seven others injured after a landslide struck Ghatkopar’s Ashok Nagar in Mumbai early Wednesday following heavy rain. The landslide occurred around 3:48 am at Gaushiya Chawl, when soil and debris from a hillside collapsed onto several houses. The victims included children aged two and four. The injured were taken to Rajawadi and Bhabha hospitals and are reported to be stable. Rescue teams from the BMC, fire brigade, police and NDRF are conducting search operations, though the narrow access route is hampering the use of heavy machinery. Mumbai Mayor Ritu Tawde announced ₹4 lakh compensation for each deceased victim’s family and ₹50,000 for each injured person. Authorities said residents in landslide-prone areas had previously been warned about the risks during the monsoon.
Disclaimer: This image is taken from Business Standard.
Only weeks after basking in the success of the World Cup, FIFA president Gianni Infantino is now facing growing pressure over his position. Infantino has apologised for his controversial proposal to sell the World Cup, but the apology has failed to stop calls for him to step down. The plan has sparked widespread criticism, raising fresh questions about his leadership and whether this latest controversy could prove too damaging. Why did the proposal trigger such a strong backlash, and could it ultimately bring Infantino’s FIFA presidency to an end? Sport reporter Jack Snape joins host Reged Ahmad to examine the growing crisis surrounding the FIFA chief and what could happen next.
Disclaimer: This podcast is taken from The Guardian.
Meta’s Ray-Ban smart glasses have rapidly emerged as one of the world’s most popular new tech products, with reports suggesting that more than seven million pairs were sold in 2025. Supporters praise the glasses for making photography and accessibility more convenient, but the technology has also sparked privacy concerns. Critics have dubbed them “pervert glasses,” while some UK pubs and restaurants, including Wetherspoons, have reportedly banned customers from using the devices on their premises.
Disclaimer: This podcast is taken from The Guardian.
Every Wednesday and Friday throughout August, we’re revisiting some of the standout audio long reads from 2026, giving listeners another chance to experience stories they may have missed. Each feature is accompanied by a note from our editorial team explaining why it earned a place among this year’s highlights. This edition revisits a story first published in February, chronicling one writer’s decades-long search for answers to a mysterious illness before finally receiving a diagnosis. The piece also explores whether techniques aimed at retraining the brain could offer a path toward recovery.
Disclaimer: This podcast is taken from The Guardian.
Myanmar's military government has released rare images of detained leader Aung San Suu Kyi meeting a Red Cross official, marking her first known contact with the outside world since the 2021 coup. The photos were released just ahead of junta chief Min Aung Hlaing's first official visit to Thailand, prompting speculation about their political significance.
Disclaimer: This podcast is taken from CNA.
