Bangladesh’s National Board of Revenue has issued a new permanent order to speed up the transparent and modern disposal of uncleared goods and goods seized over smuggling allegations at customs houses and customs stations. Permanent Order No. 43/Customs/2026 was issued on Monday, August 17, 2026, with immediate effect under provisions of the Customs Act 2023. It replaces Permanent Order No. 91, issued on July 2, 2023.

The order makes online or live e-auctions the main method for disposing of seized or uncleared goods, while allowing conventional public auctions in exceptional cases where e-auctions are not possible. ASYCUDA World will be used to prepare lists and lots of uncleared goods. Reserve prices will consider quality and quantity, with reductions of 10 percent annually after the first year, up to 40 percent. E-auction bidders must deposit 5 percent earnest money through e-payment.

Perishable essentials such as sugar, salt, lentils and soybean oil may be sold directly to TCB at NBR-set prices. Edible uncleared perishables with less than three months of shelf life may be donated to government orphanages. Claimants will receive seven working days’ notice before auction, and legal action may follow disruption or fraud attempts.

Rabindra Srijonkola University has awarded actor, director, painter and advertising maker Afzal Hossain the Srijonkola Guni Jon Sommanona 2026 in recognition of his outstanding contributions to creative arts and Bangladesh’s cultural sphere. The award, a new institutional honour introduced by the university this year, was presented with a commemorative crest and certificate at the university auditorium on August 16.

Trustee Board Chairman Robin Khan chaired the ceremony. Retired Lieutenant General Dr Chowdhury Hasan Sarwardy, Bir Bikrom, Farzana Rashid Brownia and Monira Parvin attended as special guests, while Professor Dr Md Rafiul Islam, the university’s honorary academic adviser, delivered the welcome address. Khan described Hossain as a multidimensional creative talent whose work has offered audiences joy and helped them see beauty in new ways.

After receiving the honour, Hossain shared experiences from his long creative career and took part in a direct question-and-answer session with students. Students from different university departments also presented cultural performances. The stated purpose of the award programme is to introduce younger generations to indigenous arts and the creative legacy of distinguished cultural figures.

Bangladesh Commerce Minister Khandaker Abdul Muktadir has called for rapid construction of infrastructure to resolve longstanding cargo-handling problems at the country’s airports. At a review meeting at the Commerce Ministry on August 17, 2026, he urged authorities to move ahead with temporary and permanent warehouse projects on an emergency basis rather than allowing lengthy administrative processes to delay them. The meeting reviewed cargo capacity and warehouse construction in support of expanded Bangladesh-European Union trade and investment.

Muktadir said airport infrastructure construction and management are the responsibility of relevant authorities, while customs is responsible for ensuring the legality of imports and exports, declarations, documentation and duty-related matters. Customs would operate once the necessary facilities are built, he said. He added that modern airport cargo management is important for expanding trade with the European Union and said the Commerce Ministry was ready to provide necessary support.

Participants discussed seven potential sites for a temporary warehouse near the airport and four potential sites for a permanent facility. Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister Afroza Khanam stressed faster implementation while preserving transparency and accountability. Muktadir proposed an inter-ministerial coordination structure that could include a Commerce Ministry representative to speed decisions and implementation.

Bangladesh Bank has set a Tk60,000 crore lending target for banks in the agriculture and rural sectors for fiscal year 2026-27. Governor Md Mostakur Rahman announced the agriculture and rural credit policy and programme at the central bank’s Jahangir Alam Conference Hall on August 17. The target is 53.85 percent higher than the Tk39,000 crore target set in the previous fiscal year.

State-owned commercial and specialised banks have been assigned Tk20,495 crore, while private and foreign commercial banks have been assigned Tk39,505 crore. The revised policy allows certifications from local agriculture extension, fisheries and livestock officers to be used as information for obtaining farmer cards. It also relaxes the prescribed membership limit for farmer groups and provides rural lending guidance for farmers involved in income-generating crop and cultivation activities.

The policy prioritises women and marginal farmers for loans up to Tk5 lakh in fisheries and livestock and advises use of alternative collateral instead of land or immovable property. It adds hatchery fry production, poultry chick production and camel rearing to agricultural lending. Bangladesh Bank said the financing should support food production, employment, rural incomes and inflation control.

Finance Minister Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury said the government will announce and implement a new pay scale within the current year. He made the remarks to journalists on Monday afternoon after a meeting on the pay scale at the Finance Ministry. The minister said the government is working on the new structure and discussions on different aspects are continuing.

Chowdhury said more detailed discussion is needed on the pay scale, and the relevant authorities will meet again. He said the government is considering all matters related to announcing the pay scale with great importance. The minister also gave assurance that the new pay scale would be implemented on time.

He said the government would formally present the pay scale after reaching a final and comprehensive decision. Detailed information will be disclosed by the government only after that decision is made. The finance minister asked everyone to remain patient while the discussions continue and the full decision is completed.

Istanbul Airport has emerged as one of Europe’s strongest aviation hubs, according to a report published on August 17, 2026. Less than eight years after its official opening on October 29, 2018, the Turkish airport is competing with established major European airports in passenger traffic, cargo handling and technology. In July this year, 8.15 million passengers travelled through Istanbul Airport, exceeding Heathrow’s roughly 7.9 million passengers and making Istanbul Europe’s busiest airport for the month.

The report attributes the airport’s rapid rise to Turkey’s strategic location, Turkish Airlines’ broad international network and the scale of its infrastructure. Located at the junction of Europe, Asia and Africa, Istanbul is used as an international transit hub by large numbers of travellers. Turkish officials say that 1.5 billion people in 67 countries can be reached within a four-hour flight from Istanbul.

The airport has introduced a system, described as a European first, allowing three aircraft to use runways simultaneously for take-offs or landings. Cargo traffic rose 10.8 percent year on year to more than one million tonnes in the first six months, overtaking Frankfurt. A direct metro link is operating, while a fourth runway and annual capacity for 200 million passengers are planned.

Spider-Man: Brand New Day remained atop the North American box office in its third week, according to a report published August 17, 2026. The film earned $19 million in the United States and Canada on Friday, and its weekend total was projected to reach about $67 million.

Its third-week revenue was about 53 percent lower than the previous week, but that was still enough to retain first place. With the current weekend’s earnings included, the film’s cumulative North American gross was projected to reach about $783 million.

Warner Bros.’ science-fiction thriller The End of Oak Street ranked second on Friday, earning $8.1 million from 3,446 North American theaters on its opening day. Paw Patrol: The Dino Movie placed third with $7.3 million on Friday. Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey also held a strong position, earning $6.5 million on the Friday of its fifth weekend.

State Minister for Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Mir Shahe Alam said battery-powered autorickshaws will face fines if they are charged from sources other than solar power. Speaking to journalists after a review meeting on solar power use on August 17, he said vehicles charged without solar electricity would not receive registration, while renewals would be denied if such charging occurred after registration.

The government is bringing battery-powered autorickshaws under registration by city corporations and municipalities within the Local Government Ministry. Alam said the registration conditions will require charging through solar power. The Bangladesh Road Transport Authority will no longer issue registrations for these vehicles, he added.

A law on the matter has been passed in Parliament, and regulations are being prepared to set registration fees, renewal fees and other conditions. For registration and renewal, autorickshaws will be required to obtain fitness certificates from BUET or the automobile department of government polytechnic institutes at district level. The certificate must then receive a countersignature from traffic police before being submitted to the relevant city corporation or municipality.

Heavy rainfall again inundated several parts of Chattogram city, causing widespread waterlogging and hardship for residents, according to a report published on August 17. Low-lying areas including Muradpur, Bahaddarhat, Chawkbazar, Bakalia, Katalganj, Kapasgola and Agrabad were flooded, affecting daily movement across the city.

Patenga weather office official Ismail Bhuiyan said 189 millimetres of rain was recorded in the previous 24 hours up to Monday morning. Of that total, 109 millimetres fell between 6am and 9am. Office-bound commuters and students faced difficulties in the morning, while knee-deep water in some places disrupted vehicle movement.

Residents alleged that rickshaw operators charged extra fares during the flooding. Rainwater also entered shops and business establishments in some locations. Habib, a resident of Khwaja Road in Bahaddarhat, said water enters the ground floor of their home even after light rain and that taking his child to school was difficult that morning. The weather office forecast very heavy rain in Chattogram and nearby areas for the rest of the day, and warned district authorities about possible landslides.

Bangladesh’s Finance Division has increased spending authority for ministries, autonomous bodies and project directors to accelerate government project delivery and reduce delays in procurement. A recently issued circular allows entities and individuals to approve spending limits that have risen by two to three times in some cases without approval from the procurement committee. The report was published on August 17, 2026.

Under the new rules, ministries and divisions may approve up to Tk100 crore for construction works and contracts in development projects, as well as for purchasing goods, machinery and materials, up from Tk50 crore. In the operating budget, ministries may approve up to Tk100 crore for construction work and Tk50 crore for goods purchases. Their authority for hiring consultants in development projects has doubled from Tk10 crore to Tk20 crore.

Agency heads may now approve up to Tk25 crore for construction work, from Tk20 crore, and up to Tk20 crore for goods and equipment purchases, from Tk7 crore. Project directors’ powers have been set in three categories based on project size. Economist Abu Ahmed and former finance secretary Mahbub Ahmed welcomed the move but called for stronger oversight and accountability to prevent misuse or waste of funds.

Seventeen banks have preliminarily agreed to provide Tk41,000 crore for Bangladesh Bank’s Tk60,000 crore incentive package aimed at restarting long-closed factories and reviving a stagnant economy. The initiative comes as gas and electricity shortages disrupt industrial production, close factories and threaten jobs and exports. Bangladesh Bank is expected to sign formal agreements with the participating banks this week.

Bangladesh Bank announced the package on May 23. Commercial banks are to provide Tk41,000 crore, while Tk19,000 crore will come from the central bank’s refinancing fund. The largest allocation, Tk20,000 crore, is reserved for reopening closed factories, with private-sector borrowers expected to receive loans at an average interest rate of 7.5 percent. Thirty-seven banks have already signed agreements for loan disbursement under the fund.

Industry entrepreneurs warned that financing closed factories without resolving the energy crisis could increase risks for banks. Economists said the plan could help if eligible firms are selected properly and loans are monitored closely. Bangladesh Bank officials said a dashboard will track lending, verify whether firms are genuine and productive, and monitor the use of loan funds.

Trading operations at 22 Dhaka Stock Exchange, or DSE, trekhholder companies remain suspended over irregularities, including shortfalls in consolidated customer accounts and net worth. The report, published on August 17, 2026, said investors linked to the affected houses are facing difficulty recovering their money. DSE officials said the suspensions followed allegations that customer deposits in consolidated customer accounts, or CCAs, had been used unlawfully for personal purposes over years.

The report said five brokerage houses, including Crest, Banco, Tamha and Mashiur Securities, were involved in the alleged misappropriation of Tk607 crore in investors' funds. DSE found shortfalls of Tk126 crore at Crest, Tk128 crore at Banco, Tk140 crore at Tamha and Tk161 crore at Mashiur. It also found a Tk52 crore shortfall at NRBC Securities, although trading at that house remains open.

The Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission said investors' misappropriated money and shares should be promptly paid from the investor protection fund. It has directed stock exchanges to form special auditor panels for unannounced inspections, while the commission will also inspect brokerage houses. It said serious irregularities could lead to temporary closure or licence cancellation. A Mashiur director said asset sales were under way and the firm hoped to issue cheques within two to three months.

A magnitude 5.9 earthquake struck Indonesia’s quake-hit Flores region on Monday, days after a powerful magnitude 7.7 tremor hit East Nusa Tenggara province on Saturday. Germany’s GFZ Research Centre for Geosciences said the latest quake originated about 10 kilometres below the surface. No immediate reports of additional casualties or damage were available from the new tremor.

Indonesia’s national disaster management agency said 47 bodies were recovered on Saturday and six more on Sunday, bringing the death toll from the earlier earthquake to 53. More than 130 people were injured. Authorities recorded at least 995 aftershocks, including 46 felt by residents, with the strongest measuring magnitude 6.2. Thousands of people spent the night outdoors because of fears of further aftershocks.

More than 900 homes were completely destroyed across East Nusa Tenggara, while about 450 were damaged and nearly 5,000 people moved to temporary shelters. More than 100 public facilities, including schools, health centres and churches, were damaged or destroyed. Landslides cut sections of the Trans-Flores highway, hampering rescue work, and a helicopter was deployed to deliver aid and evacuate people if needed.

The government led by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman is preparing a 10-year energy master plan to address Bangladesh’s gas and power crisis over the long term. Rahman first publicly outlined the plan at a rally in Banshkhali, Chattogram, on August 9, and the proposal is expected to be presented to the national parliament. The stated aim is to reduce import dependence and set a defined framework for power generation, management and supply.

According to the article, partial repairs at an LNG terminal operated by Excelerate Energy have enabled 300 million cubic feet of gas to enter the national grid. Supply reached 460 million cubic feet from Saturday morning, with repairs expected to finish by August 19. Once completed, Excelerate and Summit LNG are expected to supply a combined 1,100 million cubic feet to the grid.

Short-term measures cited include maximizing coal-fired generation, pursuing a 10,000-megawatt solar target and installing solar panels on major government buildings. Fuel allocations for government officials have been cut by 30 percent. The article also says work is under way to improve Bapex technical capacity through international cooperation and connect gas from Bhola and other fields to the national grid.

Shipping, Road Transport and Bridges, and Railways Minister Sheikh Rabiul Alam said Mongla’s economy will undergo major change through an economic zone, an LNG station, power generation, a bridge and port-centred infrastructure. Speaking on August 16 at a civic reception organised by Mongla municipal BNP at the permanent port bus stand in Mongla, Bagerhat, he said work on the Mongla special economic zone would begin next October and could create jobs for about 60,000 people.

The minister said an LNG station would be built at Akram Point near Mongla Port, with gas transported to Mongla through an approximately 23-kilometre pipeline. He said there was also an initiative to use the gas for power generation. Ensuring gas supply, he added, could accelerate industrialisation, electricity production and port-based trade, potentially making Mongla an important industrial and commercial centre in the southwest.

Alam also cited plans for the country’s 10th Bangladesh-China Friendship Bridge over the Mongla River, saying it would be implemented quickly. He said new jetties, cold storage facilities and industrial infrastructure were planned at Mongla Port. Local BNP leaders at the event pledged commitment to Mongla’s development, establishing people’s rights and strengthening the party’s organisational capacity.