Bangladesh’s film history marks August 3 as the 70th anniversary of the 1956 release of ‘Mukh O Mukhosh,’ described as the country’s first full-length Bengali sound film. Directed by Abdul Jabbar Khan, the film is regarded as the starting point of the Dhaka film industry and a landmark in the country’s cultural history. It was released on August 3, 1956, with the anniversary falling on August 3, 2026.

The project emerged after a 1953 meeting on the prospects for filmmaking in East Pakistan, where a comment suggested films could not be made in the region’s humid climate. Theatre worker Abdul Jabbar Khan challenged that view and declared that Bengali-language films could be made there. Despite having no prior filmmaking experience, he adapted his own play, ‘Dakat,’ into a screenplay. Filming took place at locations in Dhaka amid limited technology and other difficulties, while editing and printing were completed at Shahnoor Studio in Lahore.

Samar Das directed the music, Abdul Alim and Mahbuba Hasnat provided vocals, and Gawhar Jamil directed dance. The film premiered at Rupmahal Cinema Hall in Dhaka and was also shown in Chittagong, Narayanganj and Khulna. Its strong audience response demonstrated the viability of Bengali filmmaking in the country.

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.

Bangladesh has begun distributing rice at Tk15 per kilogram under its food-friendly programme to support food security for low-income people. Starting on August 1, 5.5 million cardholding families in 495 upazilas are receiving the benefit. Each eligible family can collect 30 kilograms of rice per month.

A government notice said beneficiaries will receive rice for six months each year: August, September, October, November, and March and April of the following year. Fortified rice is being distributed to about 2.529 million beneficiaries in 248 upazilas to address malnutrition and improve nutrition among women and children. Regular rice is being distributed to 2.971 million beneficiaries in 247 upazilas.

Rice and flour sales also continue under the Open Market Sale programme through 1,108 outlets and trucks nationwide. As of August 2, government warehouses held 2,349,385 metric tonnes of food grains, including 1,966,148 tonnes of rice, 280,010 tonnes of wheat and 152,109 tonnes of paddy in rice-equivalent terms. The Food Ministry said the government remains committed to food security, reducing malnutrition and expanding social protection programmes.

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.

Former interim government chief adviser’s special assistant Fayez Ahmad Tayyeb warned that lower interest rates, higher reserve money, increased cash holdings amid weak banking confidence and flood-driven price increases are creating multiple inflationary pressures. Inflation reached a 16-month high of 9.42 percent in May 2026 before easing to 9.16 percent in June, while the writer said flooding could push it higher in July. The government’s budget target is 7.5 percent.

The government cut the repo rate by 0.5 percentage points to 9.5 percent and reduced the Standard Lending Facility ceiling to 11 percent. Tayyeb argued that these measures could expand money supply and directly affect inflation. He said the average banking spread was 5.72 percent against a government-set 4 percent cap, with 56 of 61 banks above the limit. After inflation adjustment, the real deposit interest rate was negative 2.8 percent.

The article said Tk19,000-20,000 crore of a Tk60,000 crore package for reopening closed factories would come from central bank reserve money. Reserve money growth reached 12.1 percent in January-June of fiscal 2025-26, above the 8 percent projection. Bangladesh Bank’s model projects 8.6 percent inflation in June 2027, exceeding the announced target.

Ernst & Young has warned that the UK economy could enter recession in 2027 if the strategically important Strait of Hormuz is not reopened by the middle of next year. The forecast, reported by Al Jazeera and published on August 3, 2026, says a prolonged closure would raise inflation and increase pressure on the British economy.

Peter Arnold, EY’s UK chief economist, said the country could avoid a major economic downturn if the strait reopens within the next few months. However, he said an extended closure lasting into 2027 would drive inflation higher and could push the economy towards contraction or recession next year.

EY estimates that if the strait remains closed until the beginning or middle of 2027, UK growth this year could fall to 0.5 percent, followed by a 0.2 percent economic contraction in 2027. Under a more positive scenario in which the route reopens by September, EY forecasts 0.9 percent growth this year, up from its earlier 0.8 percent estimate, and 1.2 percent expansion in 2027.

Bangladesh’s dollar rate has risen again as higher fuel and gas import costs combine with reduced foreign-currency supply, according to a report published on August 3, 2026. Banks bought dollars at Tk122.45 in May, while some are now buying at Tk123.90-95, with the market rate near Tk124. The central bank has set a dollar rate for banks amid the pressure.

Bankers said increased government letters of credit for energy imports have raised demand for dollars. Remittance inflows fell by about $1 billion over the past two months, export earnings also declined, and import spending remained broadly unchanged. Remittances totalled $2.81 billion in June and $2.85 billion in July. International fuel oil prices rose from $60-70 per barrel to about $90, a Bangladesh Bank official said.

A state-owned bank official said monthly spending for BPC, BPDB and fertilizer imports increased by about $100 million. Petroleum-product imports reached $9 billion in July-May of fiscal 2025-26, up from $4.80 billion a year earlier. Former Bangladesh Bank governor Ahsan H Mansur opposed selling reserve dollars and suggested allowing a Tk2-3 market-aligned depreciation.

Seven OPEC Plus member countries have decided to increase crude oil production by about 188,000 barrels per day from September this year. Saudi Arabia, Russia, Iraq, Kuwait, Kazakhstan, Algeria and Oman formally announced the decision in a joint statement. They said the higher production quota forms part of a coordinated commitment to maintain stability in the global energy market.

The September increase will fully reverse a 2023 agreement to cut supply by 1.65 million barrels per day. The United Arab Emirates had also participated in that supply-cutting decision, but left the OPEC alliance in May this year.

Jorge Leon, a senior analyst at Rystad Energy, said OPEC Plus had ended its voluntary supply cuts and now faced the challenge of managing a potential oil surplus if export flows normalize. He cautioned that immediate market effects may be limited because shipping through the strategically important Strait of Hormuz still faces restrictions and disruptions. Leon said the decision's full impact on the market would be felt if overall export movement returns to normal.

A coordination dispute between the Wage Earners’ Welfare Board and Jiban Bima Corporation has left nearly Tk56 crore in insurance claims unpaid for about 1,000 migrant workers and their families through June this year. The claims involve deceased workers, workers who lost limbs, and those who returned home. Both institutions blame each other while families remain waiting. The family of Liton Mia, who died in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on September 9 last year, has not received insurance money, and the family of Jamal Mia, who died in Kuwait in January last year, has not received the Tk1 million benefit.

Mandatory insurance for migrant workers began under the 2018 Welfare Board Act. An agreement with Jiban Bima Corporation was signed in December 2019 and renewed in December 2023. Workers aged 18 to 55 pay a one-time Tk1,000 premium for a five-year policy. From 2019 through May this year, 5,773,062 workers joined the scheme, while the board paid Tk4.885 billion in premiums. Claim settlement stood at 56.11 percent through April.

Jiban Bima Corporation said the board’s new MIS software was not integrated with its system, creating a documentation backlog, and alleged more than Tk220 million in premiums remained due. A high-level review meeting on July 1 adopted several measures to address the crisis. Officials from both institutions said they were working on the software issue and expected insurance payments to be resolved quickly.

US President Donald Trump announced a pause in planned military strikes on Iran’s infrastructure, triggering a sharp decline in global crude oil prices. The report, published on August 3, said oil prices fell by more than $4 per barrel immediately after the announcement.

According to Reuters, Brent crude futures had fallen $4.08, or 4.64%, to $83.85 a barrel by early Monday Bangladesh time. US West Texas Intermediate crude dropped $4.01, or 4.74%, to $80.66 a barrel over the same period.

Oil markets had previously faced major volatility as tensions rose in the Middle East. Prices for both crude benchmarks had increased by more than 20% after the United States resumed attacks on Iran last month and Iranian forces attacked several oil tankers in waters near Oman. Analysts said indications that Washington and Tehran may avoid military conflict had eased concerns about potential supply disruptions, contributing to the market decline.

Europe has been disrupted by intense heat and heatwaves, driving a sharp increase in demand for air conditioners. Chinese home-appliance companies are using China-Europe freight trains rather than conventional sea routes to supply the market faster, according to a report published on August 3, 2026. Major firms are seeking to move larger volumes in less time as demand rises across Europe.

At a special briefing, China’s National Development and Reform Commission said companies including Midea Group and Gree Electric Appliances had altered their logistics arrangements for faster air-conditioner deliveries. Sea shipments take about 40 days, compared with roughly 15 days by China-Europe freight train, reducing transport time by more than 60 percent. The report said Europe’s relatively limited local air-conditioner manufacturing capacity leaves much of its market dependent on Chinese production.

More than 80 percent of global air-conditioner production capacity is located in China’s Pearl River Delta, the report said. In the second quarter, the value of air conditioners and related parts carried by Guangzhou Railway Group’s China-Europe trains reached $52 million, with more than 100,000 complete units shipped. The rail network currently operates on 96 routes linking 236 cities in 26 European countries.

Power generation at the first, or Unit 1, of the Barapukuria Thermal Power Plant in Parbatipur, Dinajpur, was temporarily suspended after a mechanical fault was detected on Saturday. Plant authorities said they expect to restart the unit quickly after completing necessary repairs. Before the shutdown, the unit had been supplying 50 to 55 megawatts of electricity to the national grid.

Barapukuria Thermal Power Plant Chief Engineer Abu Bakar Siddique confirmed the development. He said the fault was identified and the required repair work had been completed. If everything remains in order, electricity generation from Unit 1 will resume within the night and its output will be connected to the national grid.

The plant's Unit 3 remains operational. The unit, which has a capacity of 275 megawatts, is currently generating about 175 megawatts for supply to the national grid. Meanwhile, the plant's Unit 2 has remained shut since 2020. The source did not provide further details on the nature of the mechanical fault or the reason for Unit 2's prolonged closure.