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.

A recent study has found high levels of microplastics and toxic heavy metals in sediment from the Kushiyara River in Beanibazar, Sylhet. Reported on August 9, researchers from the Environmental Science and Technology Department collected samples down to 30 centimetres deep from nine populated points along the river. Tests found up to 4,300 microplastic particles per kilogram of sediment, with an average of 2,800 particles per kilogram.

Microplastics were detected at depths of 10 to 30 centimetres, alongside high toxicity levels of chromium, nickel, copper, lead and cadmium. The river sediment was classified as having “very high” pollution, or Class V, under the environmental risk index. The report said fish and other aquatic animals consume microplastics, allowing toxic metals to enter the human food chain and potentially contribute to cancer and other complex illnesses.

Waste from riverbank areas and connected canals is entering the Kushiyara, the report said. Fisherman Javed said catches have declined and water quality has worsened. Fisheries officer Hasibul Hasan called for scientific waste management and pollution-free river flow. Water Development Board engineer Amir Hossain Khan said reduced current has lowered the river's erosion, transport capacity and depth, urging waste removal, public awareness and an end to dumping.

Bangladesh’s Meteorological Department said Saturday that a new low-pressure system has formed over the Bay of Bengal, with rainfall likely to increase nationwide after August 12. Another low-pressure system could bring heavy to very heavy rain across the country from August 15 for several days. The system was located over the southwest Bay of Bengal and adjoining north Odisha coast.

Meteorologist Dr Abul Kalam Mallik said rainfall may remain relatively limited for the next three to four days under the influence of monsoon winds and the low pressure, before increasing on August 12 or 13. He said rain in the capital is unlikely before August 15, apart from occasional light showers. In the 24 hours ending 6pm Saturday, Dhaka recorded one millimetre of rain, while Bhola recorded the highest total, 74 millimetres.

The Kushiyara River was flowing above the danger level at Fenchuganj in Sylhet, although flooding in adjacent low-lying areas may remain stable over the next 24 to 48 hours. Water levels in the Brahmaputra-Jamuna are rising and may cross warning levels in several districts, prompting authorities to urge caution in river basins.

Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister Afroza Khanam said the government aims to raise tourism’s contribution to Bangladesh’s GDP from about 3 percent to between 6 and 7 percent. She made the remarks as chief guest at the inauguration of the Travel Tourism Development Center at Hotel InterContinental in Dhaka on August 9.

Khanam said the country’s tourism sector had seen no significant development over the past 17 years. She said the government is working under Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s instructions to bring the sector to international standards. The minister called for coordinated action across travel, tourism, aviation and hospitality to meet that goal.

She said the new platform could play an important and effective role in enabling stakeholders to work together. Khanam stressed that sustainable tourism development requires active participation by private-sector stakeholders alongside government initiatives. She said the government is ready to provide policy support and necessary assistance, and emphasized cooperation from all stakeholders to establish Bangladesh as an international tourism destination.

State Minister for Water Resources Farhad Hossain Azad said work on a pilot project under the Teesta Master Plan will begin within a short time. He made the announcement to journalists at Chilmari Port on Saturday afternoon after visiting river erosion-affected areas in Chilmari, Ulipur, Roumari and Rajibpur of Kurigram. A technical committee has started work on implementing the master plan, while advice is being sought from specialists from different countries.

Azad said the Teesta project is large and cannot be implemented in a single day. He noted that the government is only five months old and asked for some time. He said work on the master plan would soon start as a pilot project.

The minister also said two projects have been taken up in Kurigram for permanent embankment construction and river erosion prevention. Emergency work is already under way in nearly 100 erosion-affected locations in the district. He said no partisan consideration would be applied in efforts to prevent river erosion. Local lawmakers, district administration officials, a Water Development Board engineer and political leaders were present during the visit.

Bangladesh’s Forest Department rescued and released an olive ridley sea turtle that had become stranded on a new sandbar in Magdhara Union beside the Sandwip Channel in Chattogram. The turtle was released into the channel at 7 pm on Saturday after a video circulated on social media. Forest officials and the upazila administration acted following instructions from Upazila Nirbahi Officer Amzad Hossain.

Local resident Mizan found the large turtle on land on Friday morning while taking cattle to the sandbar. Fearing it could die without water, he moved it to a water-filled pit inside a nearby keora forest. Another resident, Nuruzzaman, recorded and shared a video calling for the animal to be returned quickly to the sea.

Sandwip Range Officer Nizam Uddin said the department took immediate action after receiving the information. Experts identified the animal as an olive ridley, listed globally as endangered by the IUCN. Professor Mohammad Moslem Uddin said the species may weigh 50 to 100 kilograms. The local administration praised residents for helping save the turtle.

Bangladesh’s government has begun drafting a policy for private-sector imports, storage, transport, distribution and marketing of refined fuel oil to ensure uninterrupted and safe supplies. The Energy and Mineral Resources Division said the proposed policy offers no scope for special benefits to any particular individual, institution or group. The statement was issued on Saturday by Deputy Chief Information Officer Muhammad Arif Sadeq.

The proposed 2026 policy aims to strengthen energy security and maintain continuous fuel supplies. It also envisages a transparent, competitive system that can use private-sector infrastructure and investment capacity alongside existing government arrangements in emergencies or crises, in the national interest.

The division said the policy remains under preparation and will be finalized after gathering views and recommendations from all relevant stakeholders. It said consideration of such a policy depends on ensuring public interest, energy security, competitive markets, transparency and accountability. The division also said some media and social-media reports on the proposal contained speculative and false information, and urged all concerned to act responsibly.

A new low-pressure system has formed over the Bay of Bengal, and Bangladesh’s Meteorological Department says rainfall may increase after August 12. Another low-pressure system could bring heavy to very heavy rain across the country for several days from August 15, according to a forecast published on August 8. The system is located over the southwest Bay of Bengal and the adjacent north Odisha coast.

Meteorologist Dr Abul Kalam Mallik said rain activity may remain lower over the next three to four days before increasing again from August 12 or 13. He said Dhaka has little chance of rainfall before August 15, apart from occasional light rain. In the 24 hours ending 6pm Saturday, Dhaka recorded one millimetre of rain, while Bhola recorded the highest total, 74 millimetres.

The Kushiyara River was flowing above the danger level at the Fenchuganj station in Sylhet. Water levels in the Brahmaputra-Jamuna system are rising and may cross warning levels in parts of several districts within 24 hours, temporarily flooding low-lying areas. Authorities advised caution in river basins as they monitor river and flood conditions.

Typhoon Dolphin left more than 50,000 buildings without electricity in Japan’s southern Okinawa and Kagoshima prefectures and injured at least six people, according to a report published on August 8. Five elderly people were injured in Okinawa on Saturday, including three who fell in strong winds, while one other person was hurt in Kagoshima. Local authorities said none of the injuries was serious.

About 39,000 buildings lost power in Kagoshima and just over 12,000 in Okinawa. The typhoon’s maximum sustained winds reached 162 kilometres per hour, with gusts up to 216 kilometres per hour. ANA and Japan Airlines cancelled several flights to and from Okinawa, while Okinawa and the Amami Islands in Kagoshima were expected to be among the areas most affected.

China issued its second-highest orange typhoon warning and raised its emergency response to Level 3 ahead of a possible landfall between Sunday night and Monday morning. Zhejiang closed port operations and suspended 162 passenger ferry routes, while Ningbo Lishe International Airport suspended all Sunday flights. Taiwan cancelled 78 international flights, and heavy rain and strong winds may affect eastern China through August 12.

Bangladesh’s Energy Division said a proposed policy allowing private-sector imports of refined fuel has not yet been finalized. The statement followed media reports alleging that control of the country’s energy sector was gradually being handed to an influential group. The clarification was issued on Saturday in a press release signed by Muhammad Arif Sadek, deputy chief information officer at the Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources.

The government has begun preparing a draft titled the “Policy for Import, Storage, Transportation, Distribution and Marketing of Refined Fuel by the Private Sector, 2026,” the release said. Its stated purpose is to ensure energy security and maintain uninterrupted, safe fuel supplies across the country.

The proposed framework also aims to create a transparent and competitive system, enabling private-sector infrastructure and investment capacity to support national interests during emergencies or crises alongside existing government arrangements. The policy will be finalized after gathering views and recommendations from all relevant stakeholders. The division said it would be considered only if public interest, energy security, competition, transparency and accountability can be ensured, and said it offers no scope for special benefits to any individual, institution or group.

Jute farmers in Kaunia upazila of Rangpur are facing difficulties retting their crop because of inadequate water, despite a good harvest in the current Kharif-1 season. The report, published on August 8, says many farmers have piled cut jute beside fields, roads, canals, wetlands and water bodies. Some are attempting retting in limited water, while others are transporting jute several kilometres to canals or rivers, increasing labour and transport expenses.

According to the upazila agriculture office, the jute cultivation target in Kaunia was 740 hectares, while actual cultivation reached 865 hectares. The production target for the season has been set at 10,101 bales. Farmer Al-Amin of Godai village said good yields have been offset by the added expense of taking jute to distant sites. Babu Haji of Rajib village said insufficient water during retting left fibres dark after washing, leading wholesalers to offer lower prices.

Farmers said the water shortage is affecting hundreds of growers and may prevent them from earning expected profits. Upazila Agriculture Officer Tania Akter said water receded early this year, creating some difficulty, but water remains in local canals and ponds where farmers can ret jute. Local growers called for fair jute prices that account for production and additional retting costs.

Bangladesh and Saudi Arabia have signed a new bilateral Air Services Agreement to expand air connectivity and address longstanding operational complications. Published on August 8, 2026, the report said the agreement raises the permitted number of weekly flights between the two countries from 49 to 85. The deal was finalized after Saudi authorities agreed to Bangladesh’s proposal for 36 additional weekly flights.

Flights from Dhaka, Chattogram and Sylhet to Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam and Madinah are expected to increase significantly. Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh Chairman Mostafa Mahmud Hasan Siddique, who was visiting Saudi Arabia, said the higher flight allocation would make travel easier for Bangladeshi expatriates and reduce ticket shortages and high fares. He also said it would resolve various long-running complications involving Hajj and Umrah flight operations.

Siddique said he led a high-level delegation to Saudi Arabia on August 3, during which the agreement was finalized and signed. The delegation met Saudi Slot Management to raise operational issues faced by Bangladeshi carriers. Representatives of Biman Bangladesh Airlines and US-Bangla Airlines discussed securing practical schedules, while the new arrangement also emphasizes permanent and effective slot management.

The government has announced a series of development plans for Bogura, including a 400-acre BSCIC industrial park, a multidisciplinary university, the Bogura-Sirajganj railway, and efforts to start flights from Bogura International Airport. The plans were presented on August 8, 2026, at an inauguration ceremony for Bogura Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s newly elected board at Moin Convention Centre.

Commerce, Industries, and Textiles and Jute Minister Khandaker Abdul Muktadir said a survey found strong demand for industrial development in Bogura, while development had not matched that demand. State Minister for Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Mir Shahe Alam said Bogura is a food-surplus district whose products create a market worth about Tk3,500 crore across Bangladesh and abroad.

Mir Shahe Alam said the prime minister is expected to lay the foundation stone for the Bogura-Sirajganj rail line in November or December. Authorities are trying to open the airport for domestic routes by January 2027, while work on a drone manufacturing factory is due to begin next month. Plans also include an overpass over the city rail line, Karatoya River restoration, and a sports village with an international-standard football stadium.

Iraq’s oil exports have fallen by 75 percent because of the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, Oil Minister Basem Mohammed Khudair said. In a report published on August 8, 2026, he linked the steep decline to the war involving the United States, Israel and Iran. Before the war began, Iraq exported about 3.4 million barrels of oil per day through the strait.

Speaking at a news conference, Khudair said Iraq is currently producing about 2.7 million barrels of oil a day, with roughly 1.5 million to 1.7 million barrels exported daily. He said Iraq needs to create alternative export routes in the future and is focusing on diversifying export infrastructure and routes.

Khudair said Iraq has discussed with Iran the possibility of enabling Iraqi oil exports through the Strait of Hormuz, but no practical initiative has yet begun. The Iraqi government also opposed any attacks on oil companies and agreed to compensate companies if they are damaged in attacks. The source notes that disruption on the major oil and gas transit route could have significant effects on international energy markets.