Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Dinesh Trivedi is set to meet Prime Minister Tarique Rahman on Monday as New Delhi and Dhaka seek to rebuild ties amid renewed tensions over former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s activities in India. The latest row followed Hasina’s media interaction in Delhi, where she criticised Bangladesh’s current leadership and spoke of returning home. Dhaka objected, while India said it had no involvement in the private event. Bangladesh has also sought Hasina’s extradition. The Trivedi-Rahman meeting comes ahead of the BRICS summit, to which Rahman has been invited. India wants to preserve ties covering connectivity, trade, security and the Bay of Bengal, while preventing the Hasina dispute from dominating bilateral relations. (PC: The Indian Express)

Carnatic vocalist and public intellectual T.M. Krishna has criticised the Indian hockey team’s decision to replace its traditional blue shirts with saffron kits, calling the move “deeply problematic”. Speaking at the Alipore Jail Museum in Calcutta, Krishna said blue symbolises resistance to oppression, citing the Indigo Revolt, Mahatma Gandhi’s Champaran satyagraha and B.R. Ambedkar’s association with the colour. He argued that removing blue alienates Dalits, queer people and other marginalised communities. Hockey India has cited visibility issues on blue turf and saffron’s national significance for the change ahead of the World Cup in the Netherlands and Belgium from August 15. Former players, administrators and Opposition leaders have criticised the move. (PC: Barbican)

India’s US ambassador Vinay Mohan Kwatra has sought to counter what he called “myths” surrounding the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026. In a thread on X, Kwatra said the legislation seeks greater transparency, better governance and clearer rules for foreign financial flows. He rejected claims that the bill would cut off foreign aid to civil society, restrict NGOs, seize charitable assets or target any particular religion. Kwatra said foreign contributions to registered organisations rose from about $1.2 billion in 2010–11 to $2.67 billion in 2024–25. He added that only 14,450 of India’s over 3 million NGOs hold FCRA registration and said the law applies uniformly.

Talks between the Jharkhand government and students protesting alleged irregularities in recruitment examinations ended without a breakthrough on Sunday, with both sides accusing each other of not being serious about resolving the issue. Students are set to march to the state Assembly on Monday, the 17th day of their protest in Ranchi. The deadlock centres on their demands for a CBI probe into alleged irregularities in recruitment examinations and cancellation of a Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission (JSSC) examination, both of which the government has rejected. Despite appeals from Chief Minister Hemant Soren and Governor Santosh Kumar Gangwar to return to negotiations, protesters said the Assembly march would continue. Security arrangements have been tightened across Ranchi. (PC: IndiaToday)

Prime Minister Narendra Modi met India’s medallists from the 2026 Commonwealth Games and shared a reel with them, using the message, “Jo Khelega Vo Khilega.” The Games were held in Glasgow from July 23 to August 1, with India finishing fourth on the medal tally behind Australia, England and Scotland. India won 39 medals, comprising 13 gold, 17 silver and nine bronze. Despite several sports that have traditionally contributed significantly to India’s medal haul being absent from this edition, the country produced a strong performance. Athletics contributed 16 medals, including three gold, seven silver and three bronze. Boxing delivered 10 medals, while weightlifting won eight and powerlifting added one.

US President Donald Trump may abandon efforts to secure a formal nuclear agreement with Iran if Tehran fully reopens the Strait of Hormuz, according to The Wall Street Journal, citing US officials. The report says Trump has privately told senior aides he could walk away without a new nuclear deal, potentially accepting restored shipping through the strategic oil chokepoint as the basis for ending the US military campaign and extending the ceasefire. Iran has demanded billions in payments, an end to the US naval blockade, withdrawal of American forces, sanctions relief and release of frozen assets. With petrol prices elevated and US midterms approaching, Trump faces pressure to show the campaign achieved its objectives. (PC: NDTV)

The pilot-in-command of Air India flight AI2379 from Phuket to Delhi underwent a psychoactive substance screening after the aircraft suddenly lost around 300 feet of altitude on August 4. The initial test result was described as “not negative” and has been sent to a designated laboratory for confirmatory analysis. The final result is awaited, and the preliminary screening does not establish that the pilot tested positive for a prohibited substance. Both pilots were screened under mandatory procedures and have been removed from the DGCA roster pending investigation and completion of testing. The A320 carrying 137 passengers and eight crew members landed safely in Delhi, though some passengers and crew reported injuries.

A 20-year-old Indian national, Varun Batchigari, has been arrested in Germany after allegedly strangling his 19-year-old girlfriend, Julissa Rubi Salazar, to death in Tucson, Arizona. Salazar, a college student, was found unresponsive with signs of trauma inside her apartment near the University of Arizona on Thursday after her family requested a welfare check. Police suspect Batchigari of first-degree murder. Investigators believe he fled Tucson after the killing and travelled to Germany while attempting to return to India. Detectives also suspect he took Salazar’s phone and credit cards and sent several messages to her mother. German authorities arrested Batchigari at an airport, according to US media reports. (PC: Gofundme and Youtube/ Varun Batchigari)

Russia has proposed exploring a railway route that could eventually connect the country with India and the Indian Ocean. Deputy Prime Minister Marat Khusnullin said Russia should consider alternative land routes to reduce dependence on key sea routes. One possible route could pass through Turkmenistan, Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan before reaching India. Khusnullin said Russia would consider any route that provides access to India. The proposal is still at an early stage. There is no confirmed train service, ticket price or launch date. If developed, the route could improve trade and transport links between Russia, India and other countries in the region.  

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected US President Donald Trump’s 15-point Gaza peace plan. Netanyahu said Israel would not withdraw its forces until Hamas is “genuinely disarmed.” Hamas has said it is ready to discuss the plan but wants Israel to end its military actions and withdraw from Gaza. The plan calls for Hamas to disarm, Israeli troops to leave Gaza and reconstruction to begin. Netanyahu said some parts of the plan were acceptable, while others were not. He said Israel was discussing the next steps with US officials. The rejection has created another challenge for Trump’s Gaza peace efforts.