The Bangladesh government has appointed Md Abdur Rahman Khan on a contractual basis as alternate executive director for Bangladesh’s relevant constituency at the World Bank headquarters in Washington, United States. The appointment will run for three years from his date of joining, according to a notification issued by the Ministry of Public Administration’s contract and foreign employment branch on Sunday.

The notification says Khan’s post-retirement leave and related benefits will remain suspended during the appointment. It also requires him to sever employment links with any other profession, business, government, semi-government, private institution or organisation before taking up the role.

The Ministry of Public Administration said the remaining terms of the appointment will be set through a contract agreement. The notification described the order as having been issued in the public interest. The report, published on August 23, 2026, did not specify Khan’s joining date or provide further details about the contractual conditions.

CARBODIT, an innovation team of students from Gazipur Agricultural University, has become Bangladesh’s regional champion in the CIRDAP–REEDS International Rural Development Innovation Challenge 2026. The team was also selected among the top five innovations in the Asia-Pacific region for its proposal to turn trees owned by rural households into measurable climate-economy assets.

The team is led by co-founder and chief executive Saifullah Manwar. Other members are co-founder and chief operating officer Fabian Taskin, chief financial officer Aditi Ghosh and developer Arfa Sayara Riza. The competition received 187 innovation proposals from 13 countries, with selections made through an evaluation by an international judging committee. The award was presented on July 6 during CIRDAP’s 47th anniversary event.

CARBODIT has been formally invited to present its model at the Asia Pacific Conference on Innovations in Rural Development in Colombo, Sri Lanka, from October 6 to 10, 2026. Its proposed digital system would measure trees’ carbon-storage capacity, connect them to carbon markets and climate finance, and involve local youth in data collection and digital management.

On August 23, 2026, onion growers in Salta upazila of Faridpur said they were facing mounting losses after a bumper harvest pushed market prices below production costs. Farmers reported production expenses of Tk1,500 to Tk2,000 per maund, while onions were selling for roughly Tk800 to Tk1,250. Many growers who stored onions for later sales said 40 to 50 percent of their stock was rotting on storage platforms.

The upazila agriculture office said more than 30,000 farmers cultivate onions on 90 to 95 percent of land during the season across eight unions. The onion cultivation target was 11,250 hectares, but cultivation reached about 11,500 hectares, alongside 200 hectares of murikata and 50 hectares for onion seed. Market visits found prices ranging from Tk800 to Tk1,300 per maund, with some farmers reportedly discarding onions in water after failing to secure fair prices.

Trader Md Masum Sardar attributed the weak market to high supply and low demand at wholesale hubs, although small onions sold for Tk1,600 to Tk1,800 per maund. Agriculture officer Ahsanul Habib Al Azad Jony said 800 farmers received free onion seed and fertiliser under an incentive programme. He said higher incentives and onion storage facilities would be raised with higher authorities.

State Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change and Bagerhat-3 lawmaker Lion Dr Sheikh Faridul Islam said water tanks would gradually be delivered to every household along the coast to address shortages of safe drinking water. He made the announcement on Sunday morning while distributing rainwater-storage tanks to residents of Burirdanga ইউনিয়ন in Digraj, Mongla, Bagerhat.

The Department of Public Health Engineering in Mongla distributed tanks to more than 300 families in six unions on Sunday. The programme also covered residents of Chila, Chandpai, Sonailtala, Mithakhali and Sundarban unions. The tanks are intended to help households in highly saline coastal areas store rainwater to meet drinking-water needs.

Faridul Islam said initiatives had also been taken to re-excavate government ponds to create safe-water sources. Local residents said salinity has caused a long-standing drinking-water crisis in Mongla and other coastal areas, particularly during the dry season. They said recipient families were relieved to receive the tanks and hoped wider distribution would substantially reduce the shortage.

Fisheries, Livestock and Agriculture Minister Mohammad Amin Ur Rashid said Bangladesh must increase fish production to meet public demand without compromising quality. He made the remarks on Sunday at Aquaculture Knowledge Day-2026, organised by Fishtech BD Limited at a hotel in the capital. He called for coordinated work by researchers, scientists and entrepreneurs to ensure safe food and improve the acceptance of Bangladeshi products in international markets.

The minister said Bangladesh does not currently face a major shortfall in food production, but producing high-quality food remains a major challenge. He said quality agricultural products are essential if the country wants to advance its economy through agricultural exports. About 75 percent of the population is directly or indirectly involved in agriculture, he said, adding that strengthening this group economically would help build a more stable national economy.

Amin Ur Rashid urged researchers to explore natural solutions that reduce dependence on antibiotics and vaccines, and warned against food-production methods that could harm long-term health. He said the government has begun research into rising heavy-metal contamination in soil, water and rice, including lead and arsenic. He also stressed reducing groundwater extraction for irrigation and considering the use of freshwater from rivers.

UK water regulator Ofwat has advised Muslims to use less water during wudu, the ritual ablution, as part of a wider water-saving initiative. The advice was issued through the Ofwat-funded Water Efficiency in Faith and Diverse Communities programme. A pilot project in Cambridge encouraged worshippers to use one litre of water rather than leaving taps running, and recommended wider promotion through Islamic television channels.

Ofwat said some people use up to about 12 litres of water across five daily ablutions. It estimated that using a one-litre bottle could save up to 55 litres per person each day. The Cambridge pilot reportedly saved around 5,900 litres of water daily. Water companies were also told to communicate the campaign carefully so that Muslims would not be portrayed as responsible for water waste.

The initiative has drawn criticism from some UK Muslims, who questioned whether religious practice should be singled out for conservation measures. They argued that leaks and infrastructure problems should receive priority. Citing Greenpeace UK research published in July, the report said leaking pipes waste about 2.87 billion litres daily in England and Wales. Ofwat said the project was not intended to change religious practices and ended in April 2025.

Prime Minister Tareque Rahman instructed naval and air force selection board members to base officers’ promotions on integrity and merit, above political ideology and personal preferences. He gave the directive on Sunday morning while inaugurating the Navy and Air Force Selection Board 2026 at Air Force Headquarters in Dhaka Cantonment.

He said assessments should emphasize professional competence, leadership, discipline, integrity, reliability, loyalty and, above all, suitability for appointment. The prime minister said the Bangladesh Navy and Air Force have contributed not only to protecting national independence and sovereignty but also to supporting civilian authorities in maintaining internal peace, stability and disaster response.

Rahman later visited several key Air Force operational facilities, including the Air Defence System Integration site, the Air Command Operation Centre and the Aerospace Research and Development Complex. He observed Air Force-produced unmanned aerial vehicles, including drones, kamikaze drones, interceptor drones and VTOL systems, as well as a quadcopter flight. He expressed hope that such domestic capabilities would advance research, innovation and technological self-reliance.

Bangladesh’s government is targeting a soft opening of the third terminal at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport on December 16, Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister M Rashiduzzaman Millat said. Speaking to journalists at the Civil Aviation and Tourism Ministry at the Secretariat on Sunday, he said work on the terminal remains under way. He added that full operations could begin within a maximum of three months after the soft opening.

Millat said the Japanese side is expected to submit its bid by the 25th of this month. The bid will be evaluated in detail, and the government hopes to sign a contract by September. After that, he said, about three and a half months would remain to prepare for a possible soft opening.

The minister said the government would try to hold the soft opening within that period. However, if additional time is needed to complete the work properly, the deadline could be extended by one or two months. Despite that possibility, he said the government is still sticking to its December 16 target for the soft opening.

Operations at Ferdous Shipyard in Bhatiari, Sitakunda, Chattogram, have been halted across the entire yard following a worker’s death from toxic gas, raising fresh concerns about a severe crisis in the shipbreaking industry. The report, published on August 23, 2026, said business owners and entrepreneurs were concerned that investigations after the accident had brought all yard activities to a standstill.

Owners said several government investigation agencies had verbally instructed them to stop work throughout the yard, although it was unclear which authority had issued the instruction in writing. They said permits from agencies including the Department of Environment and the Department of Explosives for other vessels in the yard were nearing expiry, while renewal was not easy despite the shutdown.

Former Bangladesh Ship Breakers and Recycling Association president Amjad Hossain Chowdhury said work on the vessel involved in the accident could remain suspended during the investigation, but questioned stopping work on other ships. He said active yards in Sitakunda had declined from 124 to 35-38 amid losses, bank debt and administrative complications. Owners also cited ongoing salary payments and accumulating bank interest as major financial pressures.

TikTok is preparing a new payment feature that could allow users to send money to one another through direct messages. TechCrunch, citing Bloomberg, reported that evidence of the feature was found through an analysis of code in the latest iPhone version of the TikTok app. The feature has not been officially launched, and TikTok has not provided a timeline for its wider release.

Under the proposed system, recipients could accept a transfer by pressing a designated button. Users may also be able to attach short messages to payments. The service could use TikTok’s own payment system, which is already used for TikTok Shop purchases in several Southeast Asian countries.

TikTok has previously shown interest in financial services. A Reuters report in March said the company had sought permission to operate as a financial technology company in Brazil to offer lending and money-transfer services. The payment feature remains in experimental development, leaving its global rollout and initial availability by country uncertain.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said Canada will soon impose retaliatory tariffs on US goods after tariff-related trade talks between Washington and Ottawa ended without an agreement. Carney said the measures, covering products including US steel, dairy and electronics, will take effect on September 8. He described the US proposal as economically irrational, unethical and unfair.

Carney said President Donald Trump had started a trade war and that Canada had come under attack. He said Canada could neither accept Washington’s proposed terms nor provide what the United States had demanded, arguing that the conditions would harm Canada’s overall interests.

The prime minister said the response would be based on a “dollar-for-dollar” approach against the United States. He presented the planned tariffs as a measure to protect Canadian workers, farmers, families and businesses following the failed negotiations.

Amazon plans to launch its Prime Air drone delivery service in nearly 500 US cities by the end of 2026, expanding the ability to send small packages to customers by air. The US e-commerce company said the planned network would reach major cities including Chicago and Atlanta, as well as Syracuse, Cleveland and Boise.

Amazon currently operates drone deliveries across 11 active bases in 10 metropolitan areas in the United States. The proposed expansion would substantially broaden that existing network and make the service available in a wider range of cities.

Prime Air drones can carry lightweight packages weighing up to 5 pounds, or about 2.26 kilograms. Eligible packages must be roughly the size of a large shoe box. The service is designed to deliver qualifying products and orders to customers in around 60 minutes.

BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi said gas supply has begun returning to normal after repairs to the LNG terminal in Maheshkhali. He also said electricity load-shedding has started to decline. Rizvi made the remarks to journalists on Sunday morning after paying tribute at the graves of former president Ziaur Rahman and former prime minister Begum Khaleda Zia.

Rizvi said the government was not responsible for the ongoing energy crisis, attributing the situation to war. He said a fault had developed at the Maheshkhali LNG terminal and that it had already been repaired. An LNG-filled cargo has also arrived, he said, increasing pressure in gas supply.

Addressing organisational matters, Rizvi said BNP would dissolve expired committees of its various affiliated organisations and form new ones. New leadership will be brought into responsibility in those bodies, he said. According to Rizvi, the process of restructuring the party’s affiliated organisations will continue.

Invest Bangladesh formally began operations on Sunday after the Bangladesh Investment Development Authority, Bangladesh Economic Zones Authority and Public-Private Partnership Authority were merged. The new body started its first working day following publication of the gazette under the Invest Bangladesh Act 2026. Operating under the Prime Minister’s Office, it was introduced as the country’s leading investment promotion agency and unveiled a new brand identity.

According to a press release, the authority brings investment facilitation, policy coordination, economic zone development and public-private partnership capacity under one institution. It said domestic and foreign investors will be able to receive assistance on investment opportunities and services across the country from a single point. The release noted that investors and partners had long sought a unified contact centre for coordinated engagement with the government on services, incentives and policies.

Chairman Ashik Chowdhury said the aim was not merely to merge three institutions, but to organise government work more effectively around investors. Invest Bangladesh will continue operating BanglaBiz, the single digital platform for investment services, and is working to implement a 14-day business licensing framework. It said a progress report on commitments announced in March will be released before the 180-day deadline expires.

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.