Bangladesh’s Meteorological Department said Sunday morning that a low-pressure area has formed over the northwest Bay of Bengal and adjacent coastal areas. Chattogram, Cox’s Bazar, Mongla and Payra seaports have been instructed to continue displaying Local Warning Signal No. 3. The notice was published on August 23, 2026.

According to the warning, the low-pressure system remains over the northwest Bay of Bengal and nearby coastal region. Its influence may cause squally weather over the seaports, the northern Bay of Bengal and adjoining coastal areas of Bangladesh.

All fishing boats and trawlers operating in the northern Bay of Bengal have been advised to move close to the coast and navigate cautiously until further instructions are issued. The weather department’s warning applies to vessels in the affected northern bay area and the four named seaports.

A 5.9-magnitude earthquake struck eastern Japan early Sunday, injuring at least 23 people in and around Tokyo, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency. The quake originated in southern Ibaraki Prefecture at a depth of about 70 kilometres. No tsunami warning was issued. The US Geological Survey measured the earthquake at magnitude 5.8.

Nine people were injured in Saitama and nine in Kanagawa, while four were hurt in Chiba and one in Ibaraki. Most injuries occurred when people, startled from sleep, fell or were struck by furniture or doors. In Yokohama, a woman in her 80s suffered a serious hip injury after falling from her bed.

Some rail services, including rapid trains serving Tokyo and Narita airports, were disrupted, though Shinkansen bullet train operations remained normal. A damaged underground water pipe flooded a road in Tokyo's Koto area before being repaired. Power was temporarily cut to about 460 homes and later restored. Nuclear regulators reported no abnormalities at nuclear plants or related facilities, while the government formed a special task force to assess damage.

Bangladesh’s Forest Department has auctioned and begun cutting about 4,500 trees planted along both sides of the Sunamganj-Sachnabazar road after the social forestry contract expired. The felling is under way across a 20-kilometre stretch, including between Niamatpur and Ichcherchar, where workers have cut species including shilkori, Belgian, raintree and acacia over the past week. Haor and river protection activists have held a human chain protest, while residents have voiced anger over the operation.

The trees were planted around 26 years ago with assistance from local beneficiaries under the social forestry programme. The Forest Department said beneficiaries are entitled to a stipulated share of auction proceeds. Beneficiary Manik Mia said those who cared for the trees should have been consulted before they were cut.

Residents and environmental advocates said simultaneous removal of the mature trees could harm roadside beauty and the environment, urging replanting alongside felling. Range officer Riaz Uddin said the jointly owned trees were planted in 2001, many had died, and others could deteriorate within three years. He said auctioning them would ensure beneficiaries receive their contractual share.

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.

Climate change is increasingly an economic crisis as well as an environmental one, with heatwaves, floods, droughts, cyclones, wildfires and rising seas damaging agriculture, industry, infrastructure, health and jobs. The source says poorer and developing countries that emit comparatively less carbon are often more exposed to these losses. World Bank data show that, between 2021 and 2024, 69% of people in low-income countries hit by disasters or extreme weather reported income losses, while 72% reported lost or damaged assets.

Agriculture-dependent economies, small island states, outdoor workers and marginalised groups face particular risks. The World Bank says climate change could push up to 130 million people into extreme poverty by 2030 without effective action. IPCC findings cited in the report say extreme-weather losses can be especially large relative to GDP in small island states, placing pressure on budgets and growth.

Bangladesh is highlighted as a warning case, with cyclones causing average annual economic losses of about $1 billion. By 2050, climate impacts could threaten up to one-third of agricultural GDP and displace more than 13 million people internally. The report calls for climate-resilient infrastructure, early-warning systems, agricultural adaptation, renewable energy and social protection.

College student Al Mamun, 18, died after being struck by lightning while cutting grass for cattle in Malliknagar village of Luneswar Union, Atpara upazila in Netrokona. The incident occurred on Friday morning amid light rain, according to the report published on August 22, 2026.

Residents and police said Mamun was the son of Al Amin of Malliknagar village. He had recently sat for the HSC examination and was staying at home after the exams. During his free time, he helped his parents look after their cattle.

Mamun went to cut grass in front of his home as light rain continued in the area. At about 8:45am, lightning struck and he died at the scene. Atpara police station officer-in-charge Zobaidul Islam confirmed the incident and said an unnatural death case had been filed. Netrokona Deputy Commissioner Khandaker Mushfiqur Rahman said the government would provide Mamun’s family with Tk20,000 in immediate financial assistance for funeral arrangements.

Recent severe flooding, persistent heavy rain and hill runoff have damaged 58 rural roads and 60 bridges and culverts in Banshkhali, Chattogram. The damage became clear after flood and rainwater receded, leaving the upazila’s rural and main transport network in severely disrupted condition. Upazila Engineer Ifrad Bin Munir said 109 kilometres of roads, including road surfaces, were affected.

Internal roads in Saral, Katharia, Shekerkhil, Chambal, Shilkhup, Jaldi municipality, Puichhari, Napora, Bailchhari, Kalipur, Sadhanpur and Pukuria have been washed away in places, with carpeting and bricks removed. Earthen roads have developed large holes and become unusable. Parts of Banshkhali’s only main road were submerged by runoff, making vehicle travel risky and causing daily accidents and damage to vehicles, according to drivers and passengers.

Union representatives said many roads, bridges and culverts remain damaged and hazardous. In Chhanua, roads in Madhukhali, Chhoto Chhanua and Khudukkhali have largely disappeared, while Khankhanabad faces river erosion. Roads and Highways sub-assistant engineer Didarul Islam said six kilometres of road were damaged. Upazila Nirbahi Officer Ruhul Amin said engineers and Roads and Highways officials were directed to repair affected roads quickly.

China’s state media reported that the death toll from severe flooding in the country’s south has risen to 159, with 10 people still missing. The updated figure was reported by state broadcaster CCTV on Friday, following damage caused in July by heavy rain and flooding linked to Typhoon Maysak.

Guangxi was among the areas hit hardest by the disaster. State media had previously reported 39 deaths there. CCTV did not explain why the revised overall death toll was released six weeks after the flooding.

According to information presented at separate meetings on post-typhoon recovery and reconstruction in Nanning and Guigang, more than 1.65 million people were affected in the two Guangxi cities. CCTV said both areas have now fully entered the post-disaster recovery and reconstruction phase.

The Panama Canal Authority will reduce the number of ships permitted through the strategic waterway from next month after El Niño-related drought lowered water levels. From September 3, daily transits will fall from a maximum of 36 to 34 vessels, before declining further to 32 on September 15. The canal links the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, and the restriction follows lower water levels in two artificial lakes that supply it.

Rainfall in the Panama Canal area was 34 percent below its historical average between May and August. Authorities fear El Niño could reduce rainfall further across Central America. They said lower-than-expected rainfall in the canal’s water-collection area made conservation measures necessary to protect the waterway’s long-term operation and sustainability. Authorities have already reduced the maximum permitted draft for large vessels.

About 5 percent of global maritime trade and nearly 40 percent of US container transport use the canal. Authorities said unbooked ships will face longer waiting times, while nine out of every 10 vessels using the canal are booked in advance. Further restrictions may be imposed depending on rainfall in the coming weeks. The lakes supplying the canal also meet water needs for nearly half of Panama’s 4.2 million people.

A powerful earthquake struck Peru at about 1 p.m. local time on Thursday, August 21, 2026, triggering precautionary alarms in several regions. The United States Geological Survey measured the quake at magnitude 6.7, while Peru’s Geophysical Institute reported a magnitude of 7.2. Its focus was about 108 kilometres below the surface.

No immediate casualties were reported, and Peruvian authorities and disaster-risk management agencies did not report major infrastructure damage. Tremors were clearly felt across broad areas of southern and central Peru. Seismologists said the quake’s considerable depth absorbed a significant share of its energy before it reached the surface.

Near the epicentre, shaking registered between three and four on the Mercalli scale, described as light to moderate. Peru has recently experienced a series of earthquakes in its northern and southern areas. The country is located on the Pacific Ring of Fire, where earthquakes occur frequently. In 2007, a magnitude 7.9 earthquake in the Ica region killed about 600 people.

Bangladesh’s Department of Environment has ordered all work stopped on a vessel at Ferdous Shipyard in Bhatiari, Sitakunda, after fears emerged that two remaining ballast tanks may contain toxic gas or harmful chemical substances. Water samples from the two tanks have been sent to a laboratory in Dhaka, and operations will remain suspended until test results are available.

The vessel had four partitioned ballast tanks containing water for balance during dismantling. Nine workers died from toxic gas exposure while working in the third partition after the fourth had been cut. The first and second partitions remain intact. During sample collection, dense black sludge was found at the bottom of three tanks, raising concerns that it could contain chemicals or be a source of toxic gas.

The deaths occurred on August 14 during cutting work inside a ship tank, while several other workers became ill and received hospital treatment. The incident raised questions over gas testing, gas-free certificates, entry safety checks and worker protection. Workers now demand laboratory results and expert safety assessments before anyone enters the remaining tanks.

Barishal City Corporation distributed 20,000 tree saplings for students at educational institutions across Barishal. The distribution programme was inaugurated on Thursday afternoon at the Barishal Auditorium by BCC Administrator Advocate Bilkis Akhtar Jahan Shirin. The initiative was described as part of Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s announced plan to plant 250 million saplings nationwide over five years.

A total of 145 educational institutions received the saplings. The event was attended by Pirojpur District Council Administrator Principal Alamgir Hossain, Barishal Secondary and Higher Secondary Education Board Chairman Professor Abu Taher Mohammad Rashedul Islam, and BCC Secretary Rumpa Shikdar.

Officials from the BCC forestry branch and teachers from colleges, secondary schools and higher secondary schools in Barishal city were also present. In her speech as chief guest, Shirin said the city corporation was actively working to implement the national plantation plan. She called on every educational institution and city resident to join the social forestry programme to maintain environmental balance and build a greener city. Representatives of educational institutions received fruit, forest and medicinal plant saplings after the event.

Bangladesh’s government plans to raise farmers’ awareness and provide training to control pesticide use, Agriculture and Fisheries and Livestock Minister Mohammad Amin Ur Rashid said on Thursday. Speaking at the sixth meeting of the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Council governing body, he said excessive pesticide use is increasing risks of cancer and other serious health and physical complications among farmers.

The minister said proper use of natural or organic fertiliser could help keep soil, the environment, water and fish safe. He also called for research into whether groundwater, fertilisers or pesticides are contributing to rising heavy-metal levels in soil. Soil acidity was described as a concern, with pH levels between 4.5 and 5 in many areas, while a level above 6.5 was said to be needed for good crop production.

He said the Agriculture Ministry is working on improving soil pH and stressed regular follow-up on decisions made at the meeting. He also urged wider use of the Khmari mobile app to bring crop-related services and advice to farmers and other beneficiaries. Co-chair Abdul Awal Mintu praised public research institutions and said private-sector innovations should also be considered for national benefit.

Bangladesh’s Forest Department says intensified patrols, smart monitoring and drone surveillance are improving protection in the Sundarbans, the world’s largest mangrove forest. In the three-month entry ban period of June, July and August this year, officials reported no recoveries of deer meat, skins or dead deer, indicating a marked reduction in deer poaching compared with the same period last year.

Forest officials seized 14,381 feet of nylon traps, 110 snap traps, 86 feet of hata traps and 69 bhoya traps during the period. They also detained two boats and three trawlers used illegally. In the corresponding period last year, the East Sundarbans Division filed 20 cases, arrested 12 alleged poachers and recovered 156.5 kilograms of deer meat, five heads, eight legs, two skins and two dead deer.

Officials also say the use of poison for fishing, which harms aquatic species and the forest food chain, has declined. Patrols now include foot, boat and smart patrols alongside day-and-night operations and drones. Stakeholders have called for filling vacant ranger posts, adding fast vessels and drones, and bringing boats used by fishers and forest-dependent communities under GPS tracking.

Fishers in Talatali, Barguna, say hilsa catches in the Payra River remain poor despite the peak fishing season, leaving about 8,000 coastal fishing families in severe hardship. The report, published on August 20, 2026, says the usual hilsa season spans Ashar, Shraban, Bhadra and Ashwin, when fishers typically earn enough to cover annual expenses. Yet little hilsa has been caught even after two months of the season.

Fishers blame submerged sandbars at the sea estuary and alleged discharge of warm water and chemical waste from the Isotec thermal power plant. The Baraia submerged shoal extends about 20 kilometres across the Payra-Bishkhali estuary, while Nalbunia, Padma and Kumirmara shoals also lie near the river entrance. They become walkable at low tide and create strong currents and rough waves during high tide.

Aquaculture specialist Mir Mohammad Ali said shallow water, navigability problems, warm water and waste could hinder hilsa movement and breeding. Senior Upazila Fisheries Officer Victor Bain also cited reduced navigability and weaker tidal currents. Local fishers have demanded dredging of the submerged shoals and controls on power-plant waste.