An unprecedented heatwave is continuing across South Korea, where severe heat alerts remained in force across most areas, according to a report published on August 3. Temperatures have surpassed previous records, while heat-related illnesses have increased and raised public-health concerns. The Korea Meteorological Administration said temperatures exceeded 40 degrees Celsius in several parts of the country on July 29.

In the southeastern city of Daegu, the temperature rose above 40 degrees Celsius for the first time since August 1942. Nearby Yangsan recorded a high of 42.5 degrees Celsius the previous day, the highest temperature since modern weather observations began in 1904. The report described the reading as a record-breaking national high.

At least 14 people have died during the heatwave since mid-May. On Monday, a 40-year-old man died in Incheon with a body temperature of about 40 degrees Celsius. Two farmers, aged 60 and 80, were also found dead in South Chungcheong Province over the weekend. The weather administration attributed the prolonged heatwave to multiple high-pressure systems over the Korean Peninsula and intense sunlight under clear skies.

Italy issued its highest-level red heat alert for 25 cities on Monday as the country faced its fourth heatwave of the summer. The alert is the largest number of cities placed under the warning simultaneously this summer. According to local newspaper Corriere della Sera, the Health Ministry increased the number of alerted cities from 23 on Sunday to 25 on Monday.

Only Reggio Calabria and Messina were outside the red-alert list, although yellow alerts remained in force there. The Po Valley and central Italy were identified as the areas most affected, while temperatures in inland areas and Sardinia could exceed 40 degrees Celsius. Terni province in central Italy reached 41 degrees Celsius on Sunday.

Some parts of central and northern Italy could see night-time temperatures remain above 25 degrees Celsius, described by meteorologists as “super-tropical nights.” Experts cited the African anticyclone and unusually warm Mediterranean waters, with sea-surface temperatures at or above 30 degrees Celsius across broad areas. Authorities also issued orange wildfire alerts for Sicily and Emilia-Romagna, while yellow alerts warned of possible heavy rain in Apennine areas and inland Sicily.

Fisheries and Livestock State Minister Sultan Salahuddin Tuku said nature-based solutions are an effective and sustainable way to protect coastal livelihoods, strengthen food security and increase climate resilience. He made the remarks on August 3 as chief guest at a national technical workshop titled “Prioritizing Nature-Based Interventions for Resilient Coastal Bangladesh” at Hotel Westin in the capital. Friendship and Conservation International organized the workshop.

Tuku said forests, wetlands, coastal vegetation belts and integrated agroforestry systems can support environmental conservation while increasing livestock feed availability and improving animal health. He said such measures also reinforce the integrated One Health concept linking human, animal and environmental health. Bangladesh has gained global recognition for addressing climate impacts, he said, but its coastal regions remain among the world’s most vulnerable areas.

Cyclones, storm surges, sea-level rise, salinity expansion and coastal erosion threaten the environment, economy, food systems and livelihoods, he said. Fisheries and livestock are major contributors to the national economy and a key livelihood base for rural people, but both sectors face climate-related risks. The government is committed to sustainable natural-resource management, ecosystem restoration and evidence-based development planning. Tuku said a national plan to plant 250 million trees over the next five years would help restore ecosystems and build resilience among vulnerable communities.

Bangladesh Coast Guard held a public awareness meeting in Chandpur to conserve fish resources, prevent illegal fishing and raise awareness among fishing communities. The meeting was organized by Coast Guard Station Chandpur at 11am on August 2 in areas adjacent to the Meghna and Dakatia rivers. Media officer Lieutenant Commander Sabbir Alam Sujon disclosed the information in a press release later in the day.

Participants discussed the importance of national fish resources, ending the use of illegal and prohibited nets, abstaining from fishing during breeding seasons, and protecting rivers and aquatic biodiversity. Sustainable fisheries management was also addressed. Local fishers shared their views and problems, while the Coast Guard and relevant agencies assured them of full cooperation in conserving fish resources.

Coast Guard officials attended alongside the district fisheries officer, upazila fisheries officer, other Fisheries Department officials, representatives of local fishers' associations and members of fishing communities. The Coast Guard said it would continue such public-service initiatives to protect fish resources, curb illegal harvesting and increase public awareness.

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has ordered the phased installation of solar panels at all important government buildings in Bangladesh to address the ongoing energy crisis and accelerate renewable-energy use. The directive was issued on Monday at a solar power-related meeting at the Prime Minister’s Office of the Cabinet Division in the Secretariat, according to Deputy Press Secretary Hasan Shiplu.

The initial phase will cover Bangabhaban, the Prime Minister’s Office in Tejgaon, the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban, the Prime Minister’s Office and Finance Ministry buildings at the Bangladesh Secretariat, and the Planning Commission building, alongside other key government facilities. The government will also provide support for importing raw materials used to manufacture solar inverters and develop an economic model intended to make solar power affordable, accessible and profitable for the public.

The prime minister said solar use in government buildings would encourage wider public adoption of the technology. Separate presentations by PRAN-RFL Group and Walton Group addressed residential solar installations and connecting generated electricity to the national grid. They said the initiative could save electricity and energy while creating new employment opportunities.

Dhaka South City Corporation handed over and planted 500 tree saplings at the University of Dhaka campus as part of the national tree-planting programme. The event, coordinated with the university unit of Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal, was held on Monday at the university’s Mall Chattar premises. DSCC Administrator and freedom fighter Md Abdus Salam formally inaugurated the programme.

Speaking as chief guest, Salam described Dhaka University as a cradle of Bangladesh’s history, heritage and democratic movements. He said its students had played leading roles in movements from the Pakistan era through the most recent July uprising. He paid deep respect to those killed in the July movement and wished a speedy recovery to those injured.

Salam urged joint action by the government and citizens to make the prime minister’s initiative to plant 250 crore trees nationwide successful. Citing Dhaka’s poor position among polluted cities, he called for planting trees wherever vacant space is available, including across the university and metropolitan areas. Pro-Vice Chancellor Professor Dr Mohammad Almojaddeedi Alfechani, student leaders and general students attended.

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has called on citizens to act more responsibly in protecting the environment, saying a clean and livable Bangladesh requires efforts from both the state and the public. In a message posted on his verified Facebook page on Monday, he urged people across the country to help keep the nation clean and attractive.

Rahman said every citizen has a duty to conserve the environment and that a cleaner setting and better country can be built if individuals properly fulfil their responsibilities. He pointed to litter visible around markets, river landing areas and busy roads in Dhaka, district towns, upazilas and, in some cases, villages.

The prime minister cited discarded tissues, chips packets, plastic cooking-oil bottles and water bottles among waste scattered in public places. He said people would not like such rubbish spread around their own homes, and appealed for collective action to keep the country and its environment clean. He said this would help ensure a healthy country and healthy environment for future generations.

Residents of Rajibpur in Kurigram demanded a permanent river-protection embankment to shield Kodalkati Union and surrounding char areas from continuing Brahmaputra erosion. The demand was raised at a human chain and rally on Sunday at 5 pm on the riverbank in Paikantari Ballabhpara, organized by the Rajibpur upazila branch of the Char Development and Implementation Council. Erosion-affected women, men, elderly people, youths and local residents joined the programme.

Speakers called for the rapid implementation of a proposed permanent erosion-control project, estimated at about Tk 8.5 billion, from Saheber Alga in Ulipur to Mohanganj in Rajibpur. They also sought compensation for erosion victims and a separate ministry for char affairs, alleging insufficient effective action by the Water Development Board and BIWTA. Speakers said homes, farmland, educational institutions and livelihoods are being lost to erosion.

Kurigram Water Development Board Executive Engineer Rakibul Hasan said emergency work placed 522,000 sand-filled geobags at 42 erosion points on several rivers this monsoon, at a cost of Tk 240 million. Six additional erosion points have emerged, with work planned once funding is received. District Commissioner Annapurna Debnath said 174,000 geobags have been arranged for immediate protection measures.

A severe wildfire in the Spokane area of Washington state has destroyed at least 600 structures, including homes, businesses and other buildings, according to the report published on August 3, 2026. About 60,000 people have been evacuated for safety as fires continue to affect Spokane and nearby areas in the United States.

Over the weekend, roughly 21 square kilometres of Spokane and surrounding land burned. Across Washington state, wildfires have damaged about 1,000 square kilometres in total. Authorities said several fires, including the Spokane blaze, had not yet been brought under control. No deaths, injuries or missing people had been reported so far.

Officials warned that continuing dry weather could further complicate conditions, while the cause of the fires remains unknown. A separate major wildfire near the Idaho and Oregon border burned about 1,360 square kilometres of grassland, placing more than 600 homes and 800 other structures at risk. In Utah, another wildfire expanded to 145 square kilometres over the weekend, killing more than 100 livestock animals.

Rising water driven by upstream hill runoff and rainfall has intensified erosion along the Bangali and Karatoya rivers in Sherpur upazila of Bogura, according to a report published on August 3. Severe erosion has been reported at at least 14 points, threatening homes, farmland and long-established homesteads. Khanpur, Sughut and Khamarkandi unions are the most affected by erosion on the Bangali, while areas in Garidaha and Mirzapur unions are affected along the Karatoya.

Information from the Bangladesh Water Development Board, local representatives and field observations identified erosion at several locations. These include Baraithali Uttarpara, Chak Khanpur, Dah Khanpur, Sughut Bazaar, Madhyabhag, Binodpur, Chakpahari or Ghasuria, Bilnothar and Jhajhar Uttarpara. Erosion is also affecting Binodpur Mohona and Uttarpara, areas near Kalshimati School, Fulbari Ghatpar, and a road and madrasa near Kashiabala.

Riverside residents have demanded urgent action to protect homesteads, educational institutions and religious sites. Affected people called for permanent geo-bag protection or durable block embankments. Bogura Water Development Board sub-assistant engineer Sabuj Kumar Shil said officials had inspected the sites and that work to prevent erosion was under way.

The Bangladesh Meteorological Department forecast rain across several parts of the country on August 3, with moderate to heavy rainfall possible in isolated areas of Rangpur, Mymensingh and Sylhet divisions. Many places in those three divisions may receive rain or thundershowers, while day and night temperatures nationwide are expected to remain nearly unchanged.

In its forecast valid until 6 p.m., the department said some areas of Rajshahi, Dhaka, Khulna, Barishal and Chattogram divisions could also see light to moderate rain or thundershowers accompanied by gusty winds. For Dhaka and surrounding areas, the forecast issued from 7 a.m. for the following six hours said skies could remain partly cloudy, with light rain or thundershowers possible until noon.

Dhaka recorded a minimum temperature of 28.4 degrees Celsius at 6 a.m., with relative humidity at 87 percent. The capital received 1 millimetre of rain in the previous 24 hours, while its highest temperature yesterday was 34 degrees Celsius. No warning was issued for inland river ports from 5 a.m. to 1 p.m., meaning no warning signal was required.

Fast-moving wildfires in the Spokane area of Washington state have created a severe emergency, prompting local authorities to order thousands of residents to move to safety. Acting Governor Rob Ferguson declared a statewide emergency as fire intensity increased. On the afternoon of Saturday, August 1, the fire crossed the Spokane River and entered the city’s main area. Authorities placed broad parts of Spokane under the highest alert and told residents to leave their homes quickly for safe shelter.

According to Anadolu Agency, more than 80,900 hectares of land have been damaged across 12 major wildfire areas in the state. Four consecutive years of drought have made Washington’s forests and open areas highly vulnerable to fire, in what the report described as one of the state’s longest drought periods. Ferguson said persistent drought combined with strong gusty winds had made the fires more severe.

A strict ban on open burning and the use of fire in agricultural work will remain in force until the end of September. Suburban residents have faced the greatest losses, the report said, and authorities have opened temporary shelters for people whose homes are at risk or have been damaged. Officials fear that, despite August only beginning, 2026 may become one of the most severe wildfire seasons in recent years.

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman ordered authorities to make waterways around Dhaka operational, while directing steps to prevent river pollution, improve drainage and maintain navigability and normal water flow. The instructions were issued at a Sunday meeting on reopening waterways around the capital, chaired by the prime minister at the Cabinet Division’s special meeting room in the Bangladesh Secretariat.

According to Deputy Press Secretary Shahadat Swadhin, the meeting decided to revive the waterways surrounding Dhaka. It also decided to consider proposals from interested private companies and allow them to operate water buses on the routes. The prime minister instructed relevant authorities to examine ways to prevent pollution in Dhaka’s rivers and improve the drainage system.

He also directed that various species of trees be planted beside walkways built around the rivers to support environmental protection and enhance the beauty of riverbanks. The meeting was attended by Road Transport and Bridges, Railways and Shipping Minister Sheikh Rabiul Alam, State Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Sheikh Faridul Islam, city corporation administrators and senior officials from relevant ministries and agencies.

A farmer, Abu Bakkar Siddik, 50, died after being struck by lightning while planting transplanted rice in Dhamoirhat upazila of Naogaon. The incident occurred on Sunday morning in a cropland area of Mongolia locality under Alampur union. Siddik was the son of the late Abdur Gafur Mondal of the area.

According to local sources, Siddik went to a field beside his home in the morning to plant rice amid rain. He was seriously injured when lightning suddenly struck during the work. Local people rescued him and took him to Dhamoirhat উপজেলা Health Complex for treatment.

Siddik died while undergoing treatment at the health complex. Dhamoirhat police station duty officer ASI Raihan described the death as caused by a natural disaster. After completing necessary legal procedures, the body was handed over to his relatives.

A meeting chaired by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman decided to revive waterways surrounding Dhaka and consider allowing interested private companies to operate water buses. The meeting began at 10:30am on Sunday, August 2, 2026, in the Cabinet Division’s special meeting room at the Bangladesh Secretariat. The decisions covered restoring the capital’s surrounding river routes and reviewing proposals from private operators.

The prime minister instructed relevant authorities to prevent pollution in Dhaka’s rivers, improve drainage systems, and maintain normal navigability and water flow. He also directed them to plant different species of trees beside walkways built along the rivers, with the stated aims of environmental protection and improving the appearance of riverbanks.

Those attending included Road Transport and Bridges, Railways and Shipping Minister Sheikh Rabiul Alam and State Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Sheikh Faridul Islam. Dhaka North City Corporation Administrator Md Shafiqul Islam Khan, Dhaka South City Corporation Administrator Md Abdus Salam, Additional Press Secretary to the Prime Minister Atikur Rahman Rumon, and senior officials from relevant ministries and agencies also attended the meeting.