Germany’s trade deficit with China widened to nearly €55 billion in the first half of 2026, despite China becoming Germany’s top trading partner. Preliminary data from Germany Trade & Invest, reported by Reuters, showed German exports to China fell by more than 12% from January through June to below €37 billion. China has dropped to ninth place as a market for German goods.

Chinese companies have reduced their reliance on European imports, contributing to the decline in German exports. Around 2021, China was Germany’s second-largest export market, when Germany sold €104 billion in goods there despite the effects of the pandemic. In 2026, several smaller economies, including Austria and Switzerland, bought more German goods than China.

German imports from China rose 8.9% to €91.8 billion during the period, taking total bilateral trade above €128 billion, €3 billion more than Germany’s trade with the United States. The deficit was €40 billion in the first half of last year. Germany’s manufacturing sector is also facing pressure from US tariffs and Chinese competition, with major industrial companies such as Volkswagen seeing substantial job cuts.

Bangladesh Poribesh Andolon, or BAPA, called for waste to be treated as a resource, energy source and economic opportunity rather than a burden at a seminar at the National Press Club’s Tofazzal Hossain Manik Miah Hall on August 9. Speakers said Bangladesh needs integrated, low-cost and locally manageable solutions for municipal waste management. The seminar was chaired by BAPA President Professor Dr Nur Mohammad Talukdar.

In the keynote paper, waste-management specialist Dr Nasir Uddin Khan said the existing system is largely based on collection, transport and dumping, leaving recycling, resource recovery and energy generation opportunities underused. Large volumes of waste end up in open spaces, wetlands and water bodies, increasing pressure on the environment and economy. He cited methane emissions, pollution of rivers and water bodies, waterlogging, air pollution, dengue and other public-health risks.

Speakers stressed simple technology, domestic investment and local participation. A Dhaka North City Corporation official said its waste-to-energy project could receive 3,000 tonnes of waste daily when fully operational and could generate 42 to 45 megawatts of electricity. BAPA also called for a national roadmap for overall waste management.

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman visited the 1,200-megawatt ultra-supercritical coal-fired power plant at Matarbari in Maheshkhali, Cox’s Bazar, on August 9. He said Bangladesh needs to diversify energy sources while meeting rising electricity demand. The prime minister also said economic capacity, environmental impacts and the public’s long-term interests should receive the highest priority in power generation and management of major infrastructure.

He stressed integrated development around Matarbari, covering power, energy, a deep-sea port and related industrial infrastructure. Planned and effective use of these facilities could play an important role in energy security, industrialisation and overall economic activity, he said. Project officials briefed him on the plant’s current status, generation and operational activities, production capacity, fuel supply and management, operating efficiency, maintenance, safety arrangements and future plans.

Arriving by helicopter at 10:45am on Sunday, the prime minister attended a briefing from 11am to 12:15pm and planted a neem sapling in the project area. Officials also outlined a proposed solar power project and showed him sites earmarked for a proposed LNG-based power plant, a metrochemical project and a new refinery. He later inspected the coal jetty and observed the deep-sea port, LNG terminal and other plant facilities.

Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission (BERC) has raised the price of jet fuel used by aircraft in Bangladesh. The commission announced the revised rates in a notice issued on Sunday afternoon, August 9, 2026. Under the new pricing, jet fuel for domestic-route flights will cost Tk159.52 per litre.

For international-route flights, the new jet fuel price has been set at $1.0358 per litre. The revised rates are higher than the previously fixed prices for both domestic and international services. The notice reported the increase but did not state a reason for the adjustment or specify when the revised rates would take effect.

Previously, jet fuel for domestic flights was priced at Tk130.99 per litre. For international flights, the earlier price was $0.8556 per litre. The new BERC decision therefore increases the cost of aircraft fuel across both categories of flight routes.

Dhaka University held an awareness discussion on Bangla QR on August 6, aimed at supporting a cashless and smart Bangladesh. The university’s Accounting Department organized the event at the Professor Abdullah Faruq Multipurpose Conference Hall in the MBA Building, with support from Bangladesh Bank and Dutch-Bangla Bank. Teachers, students and staff were briefed on Bangla QR use, its benefits and interoperable digital payment systems.

Bangladesh Bank Governor Md Mostaqur Rahman attended as chief guest, while Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr A. B. M. Obaidul Islam inaugurated the programme. The governor said a single QR code can enable secure, simple and interoperable digital transactions among banks, mobile financial services and other payment providers. The vice-chancellor said such initiatives could increase student awareness of digital payments and help expand the use of digital financial services.

Dutch-Bangla Bank Managing Director and CEO Md Ehteshamul Haque Khan said digital transactions save both time and money. The event included a live transaction demonstration, an awareness presentation and a question-and-answer session. Organizers said such programmes are important for broadening awareness and use of safe, simple digital transactions.

Islami Bank Bangladesh PLC held a meeting of its Shariah Supervisory Committee at Islami Bank Tower on August 9. The meeting was organized by the bank and was attended by members of the Shariah Supervisory Committee and a management representative, according to the published report.

Mufti Shamsuddin Zia, chairman of the bank’s Shariah Supervisory Committee, presided over the meeting. Committee members Professor Dr Naqib Mohammad Nasrullah, Professor Dr Md Shamsul Alam, Professor Dr Zubair Muhammad Ehsanul Haque and Dr Md Nurullah were present.

Md Altaf Hossain, acting managing director of the bank, also attended. The source did not provide details about the meeting’s agenda, any decisions or recommendations, or subsequent actions.

Actor, director and writer Hasan Masud says a major religious and mental transformation following Hajj has led him to largely withdraw from acting. In an interview with a private satellite channel, reported on August 9, 2026, he said he no longer acts in television dramas or films. He said he may occasionally work only when he receives an advertisement offer he likes.

Masud said the change in him had begun before he went on Hajj and that he now considers himself a completely changed person. He recently returned home after spending 41 days in Mecca and Medina during the pilgrimage. He said becoming more spiritual and religious was the reason he had stepped away from drama and film work.

In the interview, Masud also recalled giving up reading books after a period of intensive reading left him feeling like a machine without emotions. He sold about 1,200 books in Nilkhet and stopped reading afterward. He joined the Bangladesh Army in 1985 and retired as a captain in 1992 before working in journalism. His big-screen debut came in the 2003 film “Bachelor.”

Bangladesh Bank has allowed tour operators to sell overseas travel packages in Bangladeshi taka and remit necessary payments in foreign currency to overseas service providers. The central bank issued a circular on Sunday. The facility is available to members of the Tour Operators Association of Bangladesh, or TOAB, that have contracts or business relationships with foreign tour operators, hotels, or destination management companies.

Under the new rules, operators may collect package prices in taka from Bangladeshi travellers and pay actual overseas travel costs, including accommodation and transport, in foreign currency. Outside a traveller’s regular annual travel quota, foreign currency of up to $3,000 per traveller may be remitted annually. Transaction information must be retained against the traveller’s passport number, and travellers must declare that the limit has not been exceeded through another tour operator.

Packages priced above $3,000 may also be sold, but the amount must be paid in foreign currency through international cards. Before remitting funds, banks must verify invoices, contracts, itineraries, traveller lists, and proof of taka collection. Authorised dealer banks must report the information to Bangladesh Bank within seven days of sending the funds. Businesses said the move would simplify customer transactions and make outbound tourism more transparent and institutionalised.

Actor Ashraful Haque Don, known as Don Haque and popular for villain roles, has been arrested in the murder case of film star Salman Shah. Law enforcement personnel detained him at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport on Sunday, August 9, and later handed him over to the Criminal Investigation Department, or CID.

Salman Shah’s body was recovered under mysterious circumstances on September 6, 1996. After prolonged debate over the cause of his death, his maternal uncle Alamgir Kumkum filed a murder case at Ramna police station to revive the investigation. The case names 11 accused, including Salman Shah’s former wife Samira Haque and Don.

Salman Shah’s family has alleged that there were efforts from the beginning to conceal the incident as a planned killing. His mother, Neela Chowdhury, had alleged that when the family sought to file a murder case, police recorded it as an unnatural death case. Salman Shah acted in 27 commercially successful and popular films during a four-year career, and supporters see the renewed case as bringing fresh hope of resolving the widely discussed death.

Eight international legal firms are seeking overseas assets linked to 42 institutions with defaulted loans exceeding Tk 200 crore, following an earlier initiative involving Sheikh Hasina’s family and 10 industrial groups. Using information supplied by the relevant banks, the firms are identifying the location, nature and value of assets held abroad by defaulting borrowers. The stated aim is to seize or attach assets through legal procedures and return the money to Bangladesh for repayment of the banks’ outstanding claims.

The firms involved include Grant Thornton, RI Consortium, Baker McKenzie and PwC, DLA Piper and Kroll, EY and Dentons, Rahman Ravelli and Interpath, BCG and HHR, and Animus Associates. They will not charge advance fees or costs. Instead, they will receive an agreed share of recovered funds if they successfully identify and recover overseas assets, under a no-win, no-pay arrangement.

Countries initially considered possible locations for transferred money or assets include the United States, United Kingdom, United Arab Emirates, Canada, Singapore, Belgium, New Zealand, Hong Kong, China, Malaysia, Thailand and Australia. Once assets are identified, legal action will be taken under the laws of the relevant country. Earlier recovery efforts also involved the Anti-Corruption Commission, CID, customs and income tax units.

Information and Broadcasting Minister Zahir Uddin Swapan said Prime Minister Tarique Rahman is pursuing sustainable rather than cheap development, citing an initiative to plant 250 million trees across Bangladesh over the next five years. Swapan made the remarks on Sunday morning while inaugurating a tree-planting campaign and tree fair at Bells Park field in Barishal city. The plan calls for planting 50 million trees annually, with tree fairs being organised nationwide to support the target.

The minister said people in the southern region understand the effects of climate change, pointing to changes in rainfall, sunshine, temperature and water levels. He described Bangladesh as one of the world’s most vulnerable countries and said coastal areas would face the greatest risks. He also said the problem requires a global solution.

Swapan warned that temperatures could become unsuitable for habitation if people are not conscious about energy use. He urged public cooperation with Forest Department initiatives and called for greater recognition of afforestation and greening. He later visited nurseries participating in the fair, where 50 nurseries from different districts are taking part. The Barishal divisional tree fair will run daily from 9am to 10pm.

Authorities in Canada’s western province of British Columbia declared a state of emergency after rapidly spreading wildfires forced more than 20,000 people to move to safety. The fire intensified on the night before Saturday. Strong winds late Friday caused the Bald Range wildfire to spread quickly, reaching the Summerland area and affecting communities in surrounding valleys.

British Columbia Premier David Eby said Saturday that several homes and properties had suffered significant damage. He said some people had also been trapped as conditions changed rapidly. Kelly Greene, the province’s minister of emergency management and climate readiness, declared the emergency as the situation worsened. CTV News reported that more than 50 people from the Fouldar area were evacuated by air as the fire advanced quickly.

Eby said air evacuations were under way to rescue people isolated within the fire perimeter. The first wildfire report emerged early Friday evening, and Eby warned that the blaze remained highly active on Saturday, with major challenges still ahead. Prime Minister Mark Carney thanked firefighters and frontline emergency workers and said the federal government was ready to provide necessary support and assistance to the British Columbia government.

Biman Bangladesh Airlines has resumed flights on the Dhaka-Sylhet-Manchester and Dhaka-Narita routes despite a history of losses. The Dhaka-Sylhet-Manchester service restarted on July 5 after a four-month suspension, operating twice weekly on Saturdays and Tuesdays with a 298-seat Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner. Direct Dhaka-Narita-Dhaka flights resumed on July 27 after a year-long closure, initially operating once a week.

A parliamentary committee report said the Dhaka-Manchester route incurred an average loss of Tk 11 million per flight. It reported losses of Tk 1.87 billion over one year and Tk 1.72 billion in January and February of the current year. Biman said Narita flights previously filled about 69 percent of 271 seats on average but lost around Tk 9.5 million per flight, with total losses reaching Tk 2.1558 billion.

Civil Aviation Minister Afroza Khanam Rita said the Manchester route was restored following long-standing demands from Bangladeshis in the United Kingdom, while aircraft leasing is being pursued to maintain service continuity. She said marketing, passenger growth and cost controls could gradually make the route profitable. Biman public relations general manager Bosra Islam said Narita had been profitable in its final six months before closure and tickets have sold out since its relaunch.

A firefighting helicopter crashed while working to contain a severe wildfire in Utah, killing the pilot and one crew member. The crash occurred at about 10 a.m. local time on Friday near the Three Creeks Reservoir area, southwest of Richfield.

The National Interagency Fire Center confirmed the deaths of the two crew members on Saturday. Rescue personnel could not reach the crash site for more than 24 hours because of the remote mountainous terrain and intense fire conditions. Their bodies were later recovered.

Authorities ordered local residents to move to safety because of the wildfire and imposed travel restrictions on several roads. Firefighting operations were temporarily suspended after the crash but later resumed. More than 111,000 acres have already burned in the wildfire.

Bangladesh’s CMSME lending shifted toward trade by the end of March this year, with 44.93% of loans going to the sector, above the central bank’s 40% ceiling. Manufacturing received 34.96%, below the minimum 40% target, while services received 20%. The allocation highlights a move away from the financing goal of expanding production capacity among cottage, micro, small and medium enterprises.

A senior Bangladesh Bank official said banks are more comfortable lending to traders because repayment risk is relatively easier to assess. The central bank, however, aims to reduce trade lending and increase financing for production and manufacturing. Former BIBM director general Taufiq Ahmad Chowdhury said greater lending to manufacturing and services is needed to strengthen production, technological capacity and employment.

CMSME loan outstanding fell from Tk314,273 crore at the end of 2025 to Tk298,089 crore at the end of March. Banks disbursed Tk52,108 crore in the first three months, while recoveries totalled Tk65,291 crore. Non-performing CMSME loans reached 26.04% in March. Bangladesh Bank issued a circular on February 12 for a separate cluster-based industry fund, whose full amount is intended for manufacturing.