Social Welfare Minister Professor Dr Zahid Hossain said the government would make no compromise in protecting people’s interests and rights. Speaking on Saturday in Dhaka at the 2nd Dhaka International Knee Summit 2026, organised by the Bangladesh Arthroscopy and Arthroplasty Academy, he said the government is committed to free primary and emergency healthcare for all and affordable specialised treatment.

The minister said effective responses to existing healthcare challenges require a real combination of skills and modern knowledge. He urged relevant departments and specialist teams to play a leading role, saying the country must keep pace with modern health technologies during an era of super-specialisation and artificial intelligence to meet growing healthcare needs.

He said the government has given the health sector the second-highest allocation in the national budget, describing it as a historic first for the sector. He stressed efficient use of the funds for medical education, treatment, disease prevention and quality services. Invited specialists thanked the prime minister for the allocation. Six specialist doctors received fellowships from the Dhaka Arthroplasty Society, and a book titled Save your knees was unveiled.

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.

TikTok has agreed to pay the United States $400 million to settle a lawsuit alleging violations of children’s personal-data privacy. The US Justice Department filed the case against TikTok and its parent company ByteDance in 2024, during then-President Joe Biden’s administration. Authorities alleged that the platform collected large amounts of personal information from millions of children under 13 without required parental consent.

Under the settlement, TikTok and ByteDance will immediately pay $300 million to the Justice Department. They will pay a further $100 million after ending a 2019 legal settlement with the Federal Trade Commission, bringing the total to $400 million. Assistant Attorney General Brett Shumate said children and parents are better protected now than when the case began.

The Justice Department said TikTok has made major changes since the lawsuit, including changes to ownership, privacy policies and controls for younger users. No new punitive measures were announced beyond the payment. TikTok did not immediately respond to a BBC request for comment. The article says TikTok’s US business is now 81% owned by an investor consortium, while ByteDance holds 19%.

Postal, Telecommunications and Information Technology Minister and Science and Technology Minister Fakir Mahbub Anam said recognising people who have made important contributions to society and the country can encourage young people to engage in positive social work. He made the remarks on Friday at the “Centenary Successful Persons Memorial Honour, Publication and Reception-2026” event at the Osman Jamal Auditorium of Dhaka University’s Faculty of Fine Arts.

The minister said contributors should be honoured and their work presented to younger generations above religious, political or identity differences. He warned that excessive mobile-phone and social-media use is reducing reading habits among young people, while harmful and inappropriate online content is negatively affecting children and adolescents. He said the government is discussing necessary measures with relevant social-media stakeholders.

Anam also described AI-generated fake and harmful content as a concern, saying the ICT Division is working to prevent misuse and is pursuing a coordination framework with social-media platforms. Eight books were unveiled at the event, where distinguished people were honoured and publications released. Organisers said the initiative aims to preserve the lives, work and contributions of successful figures and promote positive thinking.

Israel has established a purported think tank aimed at influencing how artificial intelligence chatbots respond to users’ questions, according to a Responsible Statecraft report cited by Amar Desh Online on August 21, 2026. The organisation, called the Hanover Institute for Public Policy, presents itself as a US-style research body focused on Israel and Palestine. It was created by Piro Inc on behalf of an Israeli government advertising agency.

Since August 6, the institute has published more than 100 reports addressing politically and socially significant questions, including the displacement of Palestinians in 1948 and the current situation in the Gaza Strip. The reports use footnotes, tables of contents, specific statistics and neutral language in an effort to make their content acceptable to AI chatbots and large language models.

Although the institute says its research is peer-reviewed and academic, the reports give greater prominence to government sources, including the Israeli military and foreign ministry. Israel’s government paid Piro Inc $900,000 for the work. The subcontract was managed through the French public relations firm Havas Media.

Prime Minister’s Public Administration Affairs Adviser Md Ismail Jabiullah on Thursday urged Bangladesh to use artificial intelligence efficiently to make public services faster, simpler, more transparent and citizen-friendly. Speaking at an AI seminar at the Bangladesh Institute of International and Strategic Studies auditorium in Dhaka on August 20, he stressed data privacy, informed consent for personal information and caution in AI deployment.

He said AI has become a major component of national capability, governance, the economy, security and geopolitics. Bangladesh should build a strong, integrated AI ecosystem that turns talent into technology, institutional capacity and national strength, he said. He identified public administration as a major initial area for AI use, including access to approved government information, project planning, spending review, procurement, recruitment, healthcare, taxation, social protection and file management.

Jabiullah called for clear rules on what data can be used or shared, alongside data classification, strong cybersecurity, legal frameworks and public awareness to address fraud risks. He said AI could also improve passport, driving licence and district-level services. Emphasising employment balance, he said the aim should be an AI-assisted government, not a government without people.

Dhaka Metropolitan Police’s Detective Branch arrested two alleged members of a fraud ring in Chattogram for using artificial intelligence to imitate a doctor’s image and voice in online videos promoting a product called “Prostulin F.” Police said the videos falsely presented urologist and kidney transplant surgeon Professor Dr. Md. Kamrul Islam as endorsing the product for prostate problems, physical weakness and sexual weakness. The arrests were made in separate operations in Bayezid Bostami and Panchlaish on August 18 and 19.

The suspects, Tanvir Alam alias Rahat, 23, and Md. Nurnabi Islam alias Manik, 23, were sent to court with a request for seven days’ remand. Police seized three mobile phones, SIM cards and seven fake herbal food supplements during the operation. Investigators said the group created false Facebook accounts and pages using the physician’s name, photograph and professional identity.

The case began after the doctor learned that his identity was being misused, and his personal assistant filed a case at Sher-e-Bangla Nagar police station. Police said an initial examination of seized digital devices found information linked to fake Facebook pages and the alleged fraud. Investigators are seeking to identify other possible members of the network.

Bangladeshi rock musician James, leader of the band Nagarbaul, and his travelling companions have faced allegations after a show in Rome, Italy. Best Western hotel management alleged that an apartment room was left dirty and disorganised and that the group departed without informing reception. The hotel sought a minimum €200 cleaning fee to resolve the matter.

Photos and screenshots circulated on social media showed plastic water bottles and polythene bags on the floor, leftover food on a dining table, and dirty dishes in a kitchen sink with broken raw eggs. Hotel authorities reportedly told an organiser’s representative that a final additional €200 cleaning charge would be required for future use of the hotel.

James’s manager, Rubaiyat Thakur Robin, dismissed the issue as trivial and denied that the group left without notice. He said the team occupied four rooms, while the complained-about room, number 549, was occupied by another musician. Organiser Hossain Ahmed Moaz also accused Robin of fraud, accounting irregularities and illegal money transfers; no clear formal response has been issued by James or Robin on those financial allegations.

Highway police arrested Faruk, 40, after he allegedly attempted to steal equipment from an AI technology camera on the Dhaka-Chattogram Highway in Cumilla’s Daudkandi upazila. The incident occurred around 1:30am on Wednesday at pillar number 179 in the Raipur area. Following a court order, Faruk was sent to jail.

According to the report, Faruk tried to climb a pole to take equipment from the AI camera installed on the Dhaka-bound lane. Local residents saw him and caught him at the scene before calling the national emergency service, 999. Police from Daudkandi Highway Crossing Police Station arrived and handed him over to Daudkandi Model Police Station.

A case was filed against Faruk over an alleged attempt to steal government property. Daudkandi Highway Police Station officer-in-charge Premdas Ray said the court ordered his imprisonment after he was produced before it. Cumilla highway region Superintendent of Police Mohammad Shahinur Alam Khan said the AI cameras are state assets important for road safety and discipline, and sought public cooperation in protecting them.

AI camera surveillance on the Dhaka-Chattogram Highway detected traffic violations in 464 cases and imposed Tk 1.551 million in fines over 27 hours, according to monitoring officials. The violations were recorded from 11am on August 18 to 5pm on August 19. They included speeding, driving in the opposite direction and illegal parking.

Mohammad Anisur Rahman, officer-in-charge of the AI Camera Monitoring Data Center in the Meghnaghat area of Sonargaon, Narayanganj, confirmed the figures. On the first day, the approved speed limit was 80–85 kilometres per hour and was raised to 90 kilometres per hour on the second day. Of the 446 cases filed on Tuesday, most involved exceeding the speed limit; only 18 additional cases were recorded by 5pm Wednesday.

Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed inaugurated the AI-based auto fine system at Meghnaghat on Tuesday. The automated coverage extends about 250 kilometres from Jatrabari in Dhaka to Chattogram City Gate, using 1,427 AI cameras at 490 points. Vehicle owners will receive mobile messages on fines and can pay through mobile banking.

Meta has changed how Facebook calculates content reach, prioritizing original, high-quality posts while reducing distribution for low-quality or mass-produced AI-driven material. The policy, reported on August 19, 2026, does not ban AI-generated content outright, but posts lacking meaningful human creative input or editing will appear less often in News Feed and Reels.

Meta assesses originality by looking for a creator’s contribution, including an original idea, editing, commentary or distinctive presentation. Downloading and reposting others’ videos, adding logos or subtitles, or changing playback speed will not qualify as original content. A Meta newsroom announcement in March said original creators would receive greater reach and earning opportunities, while unoriginal material would be deprioritized.

AI-generated images, audio and realistic videos must carry a “Made with AI” label. The label has appeared on regular posts since May and has been automatically added to advertisements since July. Meta said AI use alone will not remove monetization eligibility, but monetization will be stopped for unoriginal, mass-produced or reposted content. Analysts say Facebook increasingly recommends content from pages users do not follow, while artificial engagement is receiving less reach.

India’s rapid expansion of private higher education has widened access for young people but also increased student debt, unemployment and uncertainty about future earnings. In Greater Noida’s planned Knowledge Park, near New Delhi, about 100,000 students attend universities, colleges, management institutes and technology and research centres. Many families use savings or bank loans to enrol children in private colleges.

The number of private colleges in India has nearly tripled over the past decade. Higher-education enrolment reached 45 million in 2024, up 41 percent in a decade, with more than two-thirds of students studying at private institutions. Yet well-paid jobs have not grown at the same pace. Research by Azim Premji University found that nearly 40 percent of graduates under 25 are unemployed, while only about 250,000 new jobs paying more than $500 annually are created each year.

Education entrepreneur Akshay Saxena said students were sold the mistaken belief that a degree guarantees employment. He estimated that about 400,000 students annually spend more than $20,000 on private engineering colleges, while graduates’ median annual salary is about $3,000. Students are increasingly focused on earning enough to repay loans and reduce family pressure.

Bangladesh is working on an artificial intelligence policy as officials and technology specialists warn that AI-generated fake videos, images and voices could create major challenges. The report, published on August 19, 2026, says AI is already being used in government and private offices to speed up work, but the country has not yet adopted a related policy. The government says it is taking UNESCO’s assistance in drafting one.

Technology specialist Tanvir Hasan Zoha said misinformation and deepfakes would be among the biggest future challenges and called for stronger digital skills among people. Ministry officials said AI could create immense opportunities but may also enable misinformation, deepfakes and efforts to influence public opinion. They said excessive reliance on AI could weaken creativity and critical thinking.

Officials said the government has formed a committee for the AI policy and that it is consulting UNESCO. The report cited a Dismislab finding that nearly 1,000 AI-made fake videos were uploaded to YouTube channels in Bangladesh in July, causing public confusion. It also described a fake video portraying Sheikh Hasina meeting Indian President Droupadi Murmu and holding a joint press conference.

Bangladesh is preparing a five-year action plan to strengthen trade capacity, improve investment conditions and protect domestic industries as it approaches graduation from the least developed country category. The scheduled graduation date is November 24 this year, while the country faces the prospect of reduced tariff preferences and tougher competition in global markets. The Trade Ministry says the plan contains 12 priority actions, including export capacity, trade facilitation, institutional capability, training, research and greater use of artificial intelligence.

Bangladesh sought an extension of its preparation period from the UN Committee for Development Policy on February 18. The committee said an extension could be appropriate if Bangladesh makes significant progress on internal reforms to address structural weaknesses. On July 21, the UN Economic and Social Council noted the committee’s decision and recommended that the General Assembly take necessary action before November 24.

A Bangladesh Foreign Trade Institute report for the Bangladesh Trade and Tariff Commission calls for stronger anti-dumping, countervailing and safeguard capacity. It recommends coordinated partnerships among government, industry and universities, alongside a national trade defence council, support centres, specialised cells, digital information systems and skilled personnel. Economists and business leaders also stress energy security, banking reform, policy continuity, skilled human resources and export diversification.