Malaysia has published the names of 25 Bangladeshi recruiting agencies on its Foreign Workers Centralized Management System (FWCMS), signalling that recruitment of Bangladeshi workers may resume in the long-closed labour market. The list was posted on Friday, while Bangladesh’s expatriates’ welfare minister Ariful Haque Chowdhury said an official announcement on reopening was expected within the week.

The publication has raised questions over Bangladesh’s earlier plan to give priority to the state-owned Bangladesh Overseas Employment and Services Limited, or BOESL, in the first phase of recruitment. Chowdhury said workers would be sent through BOESL, but all recruiting agencies listed by Bangladesh would have an opportunity to participate. Former BAIRA secretary general Ali Haider Chowdhury said agencies had received no official information and wanted equal work opportunities, worker protection and lower migration costs.

Malaysia closed its labour market to Bangladesh and several other countries at the end of May 2024. Bangladesh had earlier submitted 423 agencies to Malaysia, and the current government later finalised 340 after scrutiny. Bangladesh’s High Commission labour wing in Kuala Lumpur said Malaysian authorities had not yet informed it about the 25-agency list.

The Pentagon said an estimated 20,492 US military members experienced sexual assault during fiscal year 2025, according to an annual report released Friday. The survey-based estimate covers active-duty women and men and is not the same as the number of formal complaints submitted to military authorities. The report was issued as required by Congress and included findings from the 2025 Workplace and Gender Relations Survey.

The survey measures unwanted sexual contact, sexual harassment and gender discrimination, including experiences that may not have been formally reported. Estimated sexual-harassment rates among active-duty women declined from 24.7 percent in 2023 to 17.5 percent in 2025. Among men, the rate fell from 5.8 percent to 4.4 percent. Meanwhile, the estimated share of incidents reported to authorities rose from 25 percent in 2023 to 33 percent in 2025.

Pentagon officials said reporting helps connect victims with medical, mental-health and other recovery services, while enabling investigations and accountability. Under Secretary Anthony J. Tata said sexual assault and harassment undermine military values, trust and readiness. The Pentagon did not release branch-level figures, detailed victim demographics or the number of disciplinary actions in Friday’s announcement.

Police in Maheshkhali, an island upazila in Cox’s Bazar, said they uncovered an alleged weapons-making workshop while investigating theft allegations in the Mitha Chhari area of Shaplapur union on Friday night. One person, Rahmat Ullah, was detained after local residents caught him and informed Maheshkhali police, according to the report.

Police said Rahmat Ullah was accused of stealing from shops and homes in different parts of Shaplapur union over a long period. During questioning, he allegedly told officers that stolen goods had been kept with Nomi Uddin, Moyna and Shabnur in Mitha Chhari. Police then launched an overnight operation in the area based on that information.

During the operation, officers found what they described as a large quantity of weapons-manufacturing materials at the home of a woman named Motahera. Items recovered from beneath a bed included gun stocks, triggers, barrel parts, springs, a drill machine, grinder and saw. Police said several people fled after noticing officers. An arms-law case has been filed, and operations to arrest other accused people are continuing.

State Minister for Foreign Affairs Humayun Kabir said Bangladesh is not rushing to arrange the prime minister’s visit to India and will proceed at an appropriate time after ensuring national interests through discussion. He made the remarks on Saturday, August 22, 2026, while answering reporters’ questions after paying tribute to Liberation War martyrs at the National Memorial in Savar.

Kabir said Bangladesh wants to maintain positive and effective relations with India as a neighbouring country, but would not compromise its national interests in relations with India or any other state. He said a prime minister-level visit cannot be organized suddenly because it requires necessary discussions and preparations before the two heads of government meet.

On Sheikh Hasina’s extradition, Kabir described her as having fled to India and said judicial proceedings against her are ongoing, with verdicts delivered in several cases and others still pending. He said Bangladesh and India have an extradition treaty, making the matter an ongoing bilateral issue. He added that Bangladesh would communicate and discuss with India the return of other alleged offenders who have fled there.

Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed said action will be taken against relevant law-enforcement personnel if extortionists and terrorists are not quickly brought under the law. He made the remarks on Saturday while visiting a doctor injured in a terrorist attack at Dhaka Medical.

Ahmed also said legal action would be taken against any member of a law-enforcement force found involved in such activities. His comments linked accountability for criminal activity both to perpetrators and to force members who may be implicated.

The minister said instructions have been issued to bring extortionists, identified terrorists and drug dealers under the law quickly in all metropolitan areas of the country, including the Dhaka Metropolitan Police area. The report did not provide further details about the attack, the injured doctor, or a timeline for the enforcement actions.

Iranian parliament speaker and senior negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said the United States has put the security and existence of its Middle Eastern allies at risk while protecting Israel’s interests. In a post on X, Ghalibaf said the situation had left US allies in the region concerned about their own survival. The report was published on August 22, 2026.

Ghalibaf attributed the risks facing US partners to what he described as US “bullying” and an extreme disregard for the interests of its allies. He said every US ally in the region had been exposed to major security threats as a result.

He also said Iran had received numerous messages from neighbouring countries on creating a new framework for regional security and expanding economic cooperation. Ghalibaf argued that genuine peace and security require an independent regional arrangement built through local initiative rather than reliance on outside powers. He said a local and independent system centred on regional countries’ interests and security could ensure long-term peace and stability.

Four people, including a five-year-old child, were killed after a Dhaka-bound oil tanker truck struck them in Brahmangram area of Osmaninagar, Sylhet, on Saturday at about 2:30pm. The crash occurred on the Dhaka-Sylhet highway. Three other people were seriously injured, though their identities were not immediately available.

The deceased were identified as Md Lalon Mia, 26, of Sherpur Majherbari in Osmaninagar; Md Niamat, 45, of Sriramshi in Jagannathpur; Usufa Begum, 30, from the same area; and Niamat’s daughter Aysa Akhtar, aged five. Osmaninagar police investigation officer Zainal Abedin confirmed that four people died in the accident.

Police and local residents rescued the dead and injured and sent them to Sylhet MAG Osmani Medical College Hospital for treatment. The report said at least seven people, including women and children, were injured in a head-on collision between a private car and an ambulance in the same Kashikapon area on August 17. Residents have expressed alarm and dissatisfaction over frequent accidents there.

Tensions have emerged in Beanibazar উপজেলার of Sylhet over a boat race planned for August 28 on the Sunai River. The event is being organized by young people from the Lauta-Bahadurpur area, while two sides have taken opposing positions over whether it should proceed.

Posts seeking cancellation of the competition have circulated on Facebook. There are also allegations that a group using the banner “Tawhidi Janata Lauta Union” demanded cancellation at Barigram Bazar Mosque on Thursday. Local residents said boat races have been held on the Sunai River for a long time and traditionally draw large crowds along both riverbanks.

Concern has increased because a killing occurred in connection with last year’s boat race. Upazila Nirbahi Officer Umme Habiba Majumdar said organizers had not informed the administration or sought permission or assistance. She said the administration is treating the matter seriously and a discussion is scheduled for Saturday.

Bangladesh is working toward a target of producing 10,000 megawatts of solar power as part of efforts to address electricity and energy shortages, Commerce, Industries, Jute and Textiles Minister Khandaker Abdul Muktadir said on Saturday. He made the remarks in Sylhet after inaugurating a display and sales centre set up by the Bangladesh Small and Cottage Industries Corporation at Osmani International Airport.

The minister said expanding solar use is necessary for a sustainable solution to power and fuel constraints in industry. Bangladesh can make optimal use of solar energy for about three and a half to four hours daily, he said. Adding storage capacity could allow electricity generated during the day to be used during evening peak hours. He said meeting the 10,000-megawatt target would substantially reduce load-shedding in industry and facilitate more reliable electricity supplies to factories.

The government is also preparing a framework for industrial plots to use rice husk and coal alongside gas as alternative fuels. Muktadir said reducing energy disruptions to industrial production is a priority and that alternative energy could lower pressure on the power sector and dependence on fossil fuels. He also said the CMSME sector contributes about 34 percent to the national economy, with a government target of raising that share to 50 percent.

More than 350,000 patients in the Gaza Strip urgently need medicines, but medical supplies entering the territory remain far below demand, according to Mohammad Abu Afash, director of the Palestinian Medical Relief Society. He made the remarks in an interview with Al Jazeera, as reported on August 22, 2026.

Abu Afash said there is a shortage of medicines and other medical supplies needed to treat the large number of patients. The aid currently entering Gaza is not sufficient to meet people’s needs, he said, warning that the health situation in the strip could become more severe if access for medical assistance is not arranged.

He also cautioned that continued failure to supply emergency medical materials would place greater pressure on Gaza’s health system and make it extremely difficult to ensure treatment for patients. The Palestinian Medical Relief Society official stressed the need for rapid and adequate delivery of medical assistance to Gaza.

State Minister for Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Mir Shahe Alam said that “true democracy” currently prevails in Bangladesh. Speaking on Saturday at the foundation-stone ceremony for the Mokamtala Union Parishad office and a relief distribution event in Mokamtala upazila, Bogura, he said the democratic election of the president was major evidence of democratic practice and development in the country.

Alam thanked the opposition party for taking part in the presidential election. He said democracy is not limited to holding elections, but is expressed through respect for public opinion, political tolerance and ensuring everyone’s participation. He also said politicians should not be arrogant, saying honour can be given or taken away at any time by Allah.

The state minister described Prime Minister Tarique Rahman as a humble and decent politician who is running the country responsibly. He said public welfare and national development are the central aims of the prime minister’s politics. Local elected representatives, political leaders, administrative officials and people from different professions attended the event. Alam later distributed relief materials among families affected by natural disasters.

The deaths of 10 workers after exposure to toxic hydrogen sulfide gas at Ferdous Shipyard in Bhatiary, Sitakunda, Chattogram, have pushed Bangladesh’s shipbreaking industry into a multifaceted crisis, according to the report published on August 22, 2026. The workers were affected while working in the ballast tank of the vessel MT Rashi on August 14; one additional worker later died during treatment.

The incident has raised questions about whether gas testing, gas-freeing, ventilation and emergency rescue arrangements were adequate before entry into the tank. The report says hydrogen sulfide dissolved in water accumulated at the tank bottom may have been released into the air during drainage. It also says poor safety standards could discourage international shipowners from sending old vessels to Bangladesh amid obligations linked to International Maritime Organization standards and the Hong Kong Convention.

Industry representatives called the tragedy a warning but opposed shutting down the sector. They urged modern gas detectors, quality protective equipment, ventilation, rescue systems, strict safety audits and training. A yard owner said any proven negligence should be addressed under state law, while warning against unnecessary harassment of entrepreneurs. The sector supplies raw materials for steel, re-rolling and construction and supports wider economic activity, employment and government revenue.

Bangladesh Agricultural University held the AI-focused “Build with AI” hackathon on Saturday, August 22, in the Faculty of Agriculture conference room. The Computer Science and Mathematics Department organized the event, selecting about 100 participants, including master’s and PhD students, from different levels of the university.

The hackathon aimed to move beyond conventional competitive programming by promoting team learning, community building and the use of artificial intelligence to solve real-world problems. Participants received specialized training and sessions on AI topics across three categories. Organizers emphasized developing applications using the APIs of Gemini and ElevenLabs, alongside finding sustainable solutions to existing challenges in agriculture.

Five prizes were announced across the three main categories: two for API-based app development and three for sustainable agricultural solutions. Evaluation will focus on impactful web applications, successful API use and apps capable of contributing effectively to agriculture. All participants will receive digital certificates. Speakers urged students to verify AI-generated information, avoid sharing personal data and prevent excessive reliance on technology from weakening independent thinking and fundamental problem-solving skills.

The Television Playwrights Association announced its new executive committee for the 2026-28 term at its biennial general meeting on Friday, August 21. The meeting was held at the International Mother Language Institute in Segunbagicha, Dhaka. Shihab Shaheen was named president and Mezbah Uddin Suman general secretary of the association.

Zakir Hossain Uজ্জ্বল, Litu Sakhawat and Masum Shahriar were appointed vice presidents. Mansur Rahman Chanchal, Elina Shammi and Bidyut Roy were named assistant general secretaries. Other office-bearers include Prabhat Ahmed as organisational secretary, Pappu Raj as finance secretary and Dayal Saha as office secretary.

Sayem Khan was named events and information technology secretary, Faridul Islam Rubel publicity secretary, Afrin Jessica law and welfare secretary, and Maruf Hossain Sajib training and research secretary. Dr Lipi Monowar, Ahmed Tawqir, Sheikh Hannan and Orko Mostofa were appointed executive members. Speakers said drama is a powerful medium for depicting society, culture and human life, while the new leaders pledged to build a more organised and effective platform over the next two years.

Jumman Tapadar, a Bangladeshi-origin young man from Khatra Bilwai in Ward No. 3 of Hajiganj municipality, Chandpur, has joined the United States Army. The report, published on August 22, 2026, said his achievement has brought joy to his family, relatives and local residents.

Tapadar is the youngest son of Billal Hossain Tapadar and Shahnaz Begum and comes from the Tapadar family of Khatra Bilwai village. His five-member family includes two sisters and one brother. He travelled to the United States in June 2023 in search of a livelihood.

While in the United States, he worked hard and completed the required process to join the US Army as part of efforts to build his future, the report said. Local people described the achievement as a matter of pride for Hajiganj and offered wishes for his future and career. His entire family currently lives in the United States.