Information and Broadcasting Minister Zahir Uddin Swapan said young people’s drive to develop skills should not be confined to individual employment or securing jobs, but should be linked to national interests and economic potential. He made the remarks on Thursday at the “From Skill to Opportunity” job fair at the Bangladesh-China Friendship Conference Centre. The event was organised by the Eco-Social Development Organization, with support from ChildFund Korea and Educo.

Swapan said skills development is important, but producing workers only for existing jobs is insufficient. He stressed the equal importance of creating new jobs and expanding the labour market, saying these depend on economic, industrial and production policies as well as political leadership and policymaking.

He cited an initiative during the rule of martyred President Ziaur Rahman that connected Bangladesh’s workforce with modern garment-sector skills through knowledge and technology from South Korea. The minister called for coordinated efforts by the state, entrepreneurs, industries, banks and policymakers to create employment fields. He also urged institutions to include ethics, philosophy and awareness of political and social realities in skills and employment-oriented curricula.

From February to August this year, 225,336 people completed employment-oriented technical training under Bangladesh’s education ministry, aimed at building skilled workers for the production and service sectors and meeting labour-market demand. The training was delivered through the Accelerating and Strengthening Skills for Economic Transformation, or ASSET, project.

Under enterprise-based training, 203,634 participants completed courses, while 21,702 completed 360-hour institutional short courses. Women accounted for 130,470 trainees, or 57.90% of the total. The programme also included small ethnic communities and persons with disabilities as part of efforts to ensure social inclusion.

Project officials said Industry Skills Councils, industry associations and chambers of commerce were involved to align training with industrial demand. The National Skills Development Authority evaluates each batch and issues certificates under national standards. The World Bank approved an 18-month extension and restructuring of the project on July 29, extending its term until June 30, 2028. The extended period will include stronger digital tracking and data-based monitoring systems.

Bangladesh has set a $63.4 billion export earnings target for fiscal year 2026-27, but an intensifying gas and power shortage is casting doubt on whether it can be achieved. The target includes $55.2 billion from merchandise exports and $8.2 billion from services, Commerce Minister Khandaker Abdul Muktadir recently announced. It is about 15 percent above earnings in the outgoing fiscal year, with readymade garments expected to contribute $44.5 billion.

Export earnings during February-July 2026 reached about $24.30 billion, compared with $24.08 billion in the same six months of 2025, a rise of only about 0.9 percent, according to the Export Promotion Bureau. Monthly results were volatile: earnings fell in February, March and May, but rose sharply in April and June. July earnings stood at $4.72 billion, down 0.9 percent year on year, while garment exports declined 1.92 percent.

BKMEA President Mohammad Hatem welcomed measures allowing certain exporters to import raw materials duty-free against bank guarantees and cited tax-policy changes. He said gas and electricity shortages, unresolved banking problems and a deterioration in overall law and order remain major challenges. Merchandise export earnings in 2025-26 were about $48 billion, down 0.58 percent from the previous fiscal year.

Bangladesh’s Agriculture Ministry says it has achieved three major commitments under the government’s first 180-day priority plan: farmer cards, canal excavation and re-excavation, and tree planting. The report, published on August 20, 2026, said about 1.25 million farmers have been added to a database, while 20,748 farmer cards have been issued during the pre-pilot phase. The ministry aims to bring about 25 million farmers under the programme over the next three years.

For canal works, the ministry had targeted 475 kilometres under the 180-day plan and says nearly 483 kilometres have been completed, exceeding the target by eight kilometres. The Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation is carrying out canal excavation and re-excavation in different areas to improve irrigation, drainage and reduce waterlogging. The ministry also says it met its six-month goal of planting 2.5 million saplings.

Agriculture Secretary Selim Khan said the ministry had achieved its assigned targets for farmer cards, tree planting and canal excavation. The ministry also highlighted expansion of BRRI dhan-118 in haor areas, revisions to fertiliser policy, and targets to reduce imported seed dependence, including jute seed self-sufficiency by 2029.

Bangladesh plans to launch a special Probashi Card for overseas workers as part of a government election pledge, with Prime Minister Tarique Rahman expected to inaugurate distribution in the final week of August 2026. The ceremony is planned at the Bangladesh-China Friendship Conference Centre in Dhaka. Workers travelling to Jordan through BOESL are expected to receive the first cards, while travellers to Malaysia and Brunei may also be included.

The government aims to distribute 200,000 cards in three stages by June 2027. The first phase will cover 5,000 people, including 500 on the launch day; 50,000 are targeted by December, followed by 150,000 by June 2027. The Wage Earners’ Welfare Board will bear the card cost. The Expatriates’ Welfare Ministry and Janata Bank signed an agreement on August 10, and Tk10 crore was approved for training, software development and publicity.

Cardholders are promised 10% off Biman tickets, 41% hotel-booking discounts, health-service discounts and remittance incentives of 3% to 3.5%. Initially issued as five-year debit cards through Janata Bank, the cards are intended to later support credit, prepaid and virtual functions. Experts urged trial monitoring, user training and awareness campaigns.

India has approved construction of a fourth railway line through the strategically important “Chicken’s Neck,” or Siliguri Corridor, according to Northeast Frontier Railway General Manager Chetan Kumar Srivastava. The announcement was made at a press conference reported on August 20, 2026. The Malda–New Jalpaiguri route was described as a crucial rail corridor linking India’s northeast with the rest of the country.

Srivastava said approval for the fourth line follows an earlier proposal for a third line, reflecting the corridor’s strategic importance. He also highlighted a proposed double-line underground railway project of about 29 kilometres from Tinmai Ghat to Bagdogra as an important infrastructure initiative.

The Chicken’s Neck is described as a 20–22 kilometre-wide and 60-kilometre-long stretch in northern West Bengal on which transport to the entire northeast depends. Track doubling is under way in the Barsoi section, while rail infrastructure is being expanded across the Katihar division to handle rising passenger and freight demand. Plans also include local trains from Jogbani, Radhikapur and Balurghat, and Vande Bharat services to Tinsukia and Agartala. NFR said its network is fully electrified.

US government debt has exceeded $40 trillion for the first time, according to US Treasury Department data cited by the Associated Press. The milestone was reported on August 20, 2026, as federal spending continues to rise on defence, social programmes and interest payments tied to budget deficits.

The debt reached $39 trillion only five months earlier, in March, meaning it grew faster than forecasts had anticipated. The report said lower revenue from Trump administration tariffs that were cancelled was among the factors accelerating borrowing, as expected revenue worth several billion dollars did not materialise.

The increase highlights tensions among Trump administration priorities, including higher defence spending and efforts to reduce energy and food prices. Defence spending is also required for Trump’s continuing war against Iran, adding pressure on the government’s wider finances. AP said US government debt has more than doubled in less than a decade, during which Donald Trump and Joe Biden both served as president, and has quadrupled in less than 20 years.

A commentary published by Amar Desh on August 20, 2026, questioned the delayed commissioning and operations tender for Bangladesh’s Single Point Mooring (SPM) project off Maheshkhali-Matarbari. The article says the offshore facility is intended to transfer oil from large tankers through pipelines to storage at Maheshkhali and then to Chattogram’s Eastern Refinery. It argues that the project remains uncommissioned after unsuccessful testing and calls for government intervention.

According to the article, the project was contracted in 2015 for about Tk4,936 crore and was due for completion by 2018. After three extensions, its cost reportedly rose to about Tk8,341 crore. The writer says a June 24, 2024 test involving roughly 82,000 tonnes of Saudi crude encountered a pipeline leak, spilling oil at sea. The article states that successful testing, commissioning and the project completion report have not been finalized.

The commentary alleges that the December 2025 operations and maintenance tender was restrictive, leaving one technically responsive bidder from three submissions. It urges a full independent test run, defect assessment, determination of prior contractor liabilities, review under procurement rules and, if needed, an open international retender for an experienced operator.

A floating LNG terminal operated by US company Excelerate Energy in the Bay of Bengal has shut down after running out of LNG cargo, reducing gas supplies and power generation. The disruption has led to increased load-shedding as electricity demand rises after sunset, according to the report published on August 20, 2026.

Petrobangla sources said the terminal’s stored supply was completely exhausted at about 2:40 pm on Wednesday because of the lack of LNG cargo. With less gas available for electricity generation, the power system has faced greater pressure during evening demand periods.

Residents in different areas of the capital reported multiple electricity interruptions after evening. Conditions were described as worse in rural areas, where load-shedding has added to public hardship during intense heat. The report identified the halted floating storage and regasification unit, or FSRU, as a key factor behind the reduced gas supply.

Bangladesh’s Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has given in-principle approval to import 14 additional liquefied natural gas cargoes to keep gas supplies normal in the country. The decision was made at a meeting chaired by Finance Minister Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury on Wednesday. The initiative is intended to serve the public interest by maintaining regular gas availability.

Separately, the Cabinet Committee on Government Purchase approved a proposal from the Energy and Mineral Resources Division to import one LNG cargo. Singapore-based Aramco Trading Singapore Pte Ltd is scheduled to deliver the cargo between September 1 and 2 at a price of $23.93 per MMBtu. It will be the country’s 44th LNG cargo of the year.

Under the broader approval, the government will purchase a total of 14 cargoes directly from seven companies for state emergency needs, with two cargoes from each supplier. LNG import dependence has increased as gas demand has risen in industry, power generation, fertilizer production and other sectors. The government is pursuing supply through spot-market purchases, long-term contracts and emergency direct procurement.

Excelerate Energy’s floating LNG terminal at Maheshkhali stopped supplying gas from Wednesday afternoon after its LNG inventory was exhausted, according to the report published on August 19, 2026. Gas is currently being supplied to the national grid from Summit’s LNG terminal, which remains operational.

Petrobangla data showed total national gas supply at 2,289 million cubic feet at noon on Wednesday, including 1,628 million cubic feet from domestic wells and 661 million cubic feet from LNG. By 6pm, LNG supply had fallen to 562 million cubic feet, while domestic gas supply was about 1,627 million cubic feet. Total gas flow into the national transmission line consequently declined to 2,189 million cubic feet.

An official of Rupantarita Prakritik Gas Company Limited said the final LNG stock at Excelerate’s terminal ran out around 2:40pm Wednesday, after which supply stopped. Officials said the main cause was a shortage of LNG cargoes. Confusion had earlier arisen over boiler repairs: Excelerate initially said activation would take 72 hours, then said the boiler was operational, but insufficient LNG stocks prevented continued supply.

Bangladesh’s Commerce Ministry has formed a two-member committee to investigate allegations of irregularities against the current board of the Real Estate and Housing Association of Bangladesh, or REHAB. The committee was formed on Wednesday and has been instructed to complete its investigation and submit a report within 15 working days. Deputy Secretary Abdul Malek will convene the committee, while Deputy Secretary Mohammad Abdus Sadeq of the Central Digital Commerce Cell will serve as a member.

REHAB Vice-President Mohammad Akhtar Biswas and 10 other board members submitted an application to the director general of the Trade Organisations Wing on July 26. The application made 12 allegations, including financial irregularities, against REHAB President Ali Afzal and Senior Vice-President Abdur Razzak.

Joint Secretary Mostafa Jamal Haider held a hearing at the Commerce Ministry on July 30. Following the hearing, REHAB’s annual general meeting was postponed for 30 days, and the president was advised to discuss the complaints with the complainants within 15 days. The AGM scheduled for August 1 at Radisson Hotel was not held, while the August 12-15 summer housing fair was also temporarily postponed.

Bangladesh Bank has authorized Rupali Bank to release the remaining $3,197,561 from an approved foreign-currency syndicated loan to S Alam Group affiliate SS Power-1 Limited and to open new letters of credit. The central bank issued the notification on Wednesday, August 19, 2026, after previously permitting the company to open LCs on Sunday.

The notification, signed by Deputy Governor Md Kabir Ahmad, invokes powers under Section 121 of the Bank Company Act, 1991. It says Section 27ka(3) of the law will not apply to the loan disbursement and LC opening for SS Power-1. That provision ordinarily prevents a group entity from receiving new credit or credit facilities when the group is a loan defaulter.

Bangladesh Bank said neither the government nor the central bank will assume liability for any loan or financing provided under the facility. Lending banks or financial institutions will not be able to seek future financial support from the government or Bangladesh Bank against such loans. The source also cites allegations that S Alam Group took control of seven banks and one financial institution and borrowed heavily under various names.

Sugarcane cultivation is declining in Muksudpur upazila of Gopalganj as farmers lose interest amid what they describe as a lack of government support. The crop was once widely grown across the area, meeting local demand and being supplied to Dhaka and other parts of the country. Although farmers report good yields and prices, only 35 farmers are now involved in cultivation.

The upazila agriculture department set a target of growing sugarcane on 22 hectares this year, but cultivation has reached only 19 hectares. Farmer Md Idris Molla, who has grown sugarcane for 40 years, said the crop carries lower risk and offers higher profit than other crops, but growers receive little follow-up from the agriculture office. He called for free pesticides and fertiliser similar to support provided for other crops.

Farmer Moktar Sheikh said he cultivated one acre this year at a cost of Tk60,000 and expects about Tk80,000 in profit. He said growers must sell in markets because there is no sugar mill in the area. Agriculture officer Md Mizanur Rahman said the region is outside sugar-mill coverage, so no government incentives are available for growers.

Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit (BFIU) has instructed suspicious transaction reporting entities to immediately provide information on frozen bank accounts and any accounts linked to them. The directive was issued on Wednesday, according to a report published on 19 August 2026.

Under the instruction, when an entity receives an order to suspend an account after filing a suspicious transaction report on it, it must promptly inform BFIU of the account’s current status. It must also submit information about other accounts associated with the suspended account.

The measure expands reporting beyond the individual account subject to a freeze. It is intended to give BFIU a broader picture of the financial transactions and accounts of people or institutions connected to suspicious activity. Relevant stakeholders believe the information could make it easier for the unit to identify and investigate potential money-laundering networks.