The death toll from a 7.4-magnitude earthquake in Colombia has risen to 132, with more than 480 people injured, according to the report published on August 11, 2026. The quake struck Chocó province at 7:34 a.m. local time on Monday, at a depth of about 107 kilometres near San José del Palmar. Authorities fear more people may remain trapped beneath collapsed buildings, raising the prospect of further casualties.

Tremors were felt across Colombia and in neighbouring Venezuela and Ecuador, though no tsunami warning was issued. Risaralda province, known for coffee production, was among the worst-hit areas. In Pereira and nearby districts, at least 40 people died and 65 buildings collapsed. People were feared trapped in the rubble of 15 of those structures, while a curfew was imposed in parts of Pereira until 5 a.m. Tuesday.

President Abelardo de la Espriella declared a national disaster situation, enabling special government powers and possible budget reallocations. More than 1,500 homes were damaged nationwide, he said. Several regional airports were affected, while Bogotá reported cracks in some buildings but no major infrastructure damage.

Severe riverbank erosion has emerged in Kazipur, Sirajganj, as water levels in the Jamuna River rise following upstream hill runoff and heavy rainfall. Published on August 11, the report says erosion has become particularly intense in the Chargiris area, placing Chargiris Government Primary School, homes, trees and other structures at risk. Low-lying areas in Kazipur, সদর, Belkuchi, Shahjadpur and Chauhali upazilas are also being inundated.

Chargiris resident Abdur Razzaq said erosion had eased for several days but intensified over the past two days. Roads, cropland and trees are being washed into the river, while homes are collapsing so quickly that residents have no time to move them, he said. He alleged that no measures are being taken to stop the erosion. Water levels have also risen in Sirajganj’s Gumani, Gohala, Bara Pangasi, Ichamati, Fuljor, Bangali, Baral and Hurasagar rivers.

Water Development Board Sub-Divisional Engineer Zakir Hossain said the Jamuna has risen for seven consecutive days. In the past 24 hours, water rose six centimetres at the Sirajganj town protection embankment hard point and three centimetres at Meghai Ghat, remaining 60 centimetres and 106 centimetres below danger levels respectively. Executive Engineer Mokhlesur Rahman said water may continue rising for three to four days, but flooding or crossing danger levels is not expected.

At least 47 people were killed after a powerful 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck Colombia’s Choco region on Monday, according to reports cited by Al Jazeera. The US Geological Survey and Colombia’s Geological Service said the quake hit near the municipality of San Jose del Palmar, about 400 kilometres west of Bogota. Building collapses and extensive damage were reported in several areas.

USGS data placed the earthquake’s origin about 107 kilometres below the surface. Colombia initially reported the magnitude as 6.6. The US tsunami warning system said no tsunami warning had been issued. Residents in Choco and other areas were being moved to safer locations, while rescue and emergency personnel assessed damage and responded to the disaster.

Local officials reported at least 18 deaths in Pereira, two in Manizales and at least 27 in the Valle del Cauca region. Choco Governor Nubia Cordoba said strong shaking was felt across the province and raised concern about possible aftershocks. Casualties and damaged buildings were also reported in Quibdo. People were evacuated from several buildings in Bogota, and authorities said a preliminary official damage report would be released soon.

Bangladesh Bank has removed the maximum two-year term limit for boards of directors it appoints at various banks. The central bank issued a circular on Monday under Section 121 of the Bank Company Act, 1991, allowing such appointed boards to remain in office beyond two years if necessary.

The circular said the provisions of Section 47(2), concerning the duration of orders dissolving boards of directors, would generally not apply to bank companies. Previously, Bangladesh Bank could extend the duration of an order dissolving a board from time to time, but the total term, including extensions, could not exceed two years.

As a result, newly appointed boards installed by Bangladesh Bank after a previous board is dissolved will no longer face a maximum two-year service limit. After the fall of the Awami League government, the central bank dissolved and reconstituted the boards of 14 banks. Their two-year terms were approaching expiry, and Bangladesh Bank was under pressure over their tenure, according to the report.

Bangladesh has formed a 22-member National Task Force on Deregulation and Ease of Doing Business to simplify the business and investment environment. Chaired by the finance and planning minister, the body was established through a Cabinet Division notification issued on August 9. The government says the initiative aims to identify and reform unnecessary rules, approvals and administrative complexities affecting businesses and investors.

The task force will approve sector-based reform road maps and review implementation progress. It will identify excessive licences, approvals, clearances and administrative steps in areas including taxes, duties, banking, capital markets, construction, environmental services and local services, and direct measures to reduce them. It will also provide policy guidance on introducing a single window, service level agreements, deemed or automatic approvals and online tracking systems.

The panel includes ministers, advisers, the Bangladesh Bank governor, the executive chairman of BIDA and senior officials from relevant ministries and agencies. Presidents of major business bodies, including FBCCI, FICCI, DCCI, MCCI, BGMEA and BKMEA, are also members. A dedicated website is planned through the Invest Bangladesh Authority to monitor complaints, irregularities and service delays. The task force will review reform progress every three months.

Fire Service and Civil Defence’s Dhaka Division held a preparatory meeting with stakeholders for post-earthquake firefighting and coordinated rescue operations. The meeting took place at 11am on August 10 at the Fire Service EOC Centre conference room in Mirpur. Owners and representatives of public and private institutions with cranes, excavators and other heavy rescue equipment from six districts attended.

The meeting covered Dhaka, Gazipur, Narayanganj, Manikganj, Munshiganj and Narsingdi, as Dhaka was described as among the country’s most earthquake-vulnerable areas. Director of Operations and Maintenance Lt Col Md Mahmudul Hasan instructed zone commanders and district officials in the six districts to strengthen coordination and communication with stakeholders. He also offered views on planning firefighting and rescue operations and arranging training.

Participants in the open discussion expressed commitment to support rescue operations during national disasters. Heavy Equipment Association Bangladesh President Md Afzal Hossain said the association would work jointly with the Fire Service and proposed forming an “Emergency Equipment Support Team.” Dhaka Division Deputy Director Md Saleh Uddin called for greater coordination, training and drills after presenting images of the Rana Plaza collapse and recent earthquakes in Turkey and Myanmar. About 70 owners and representatives attended.

A powerful earthquake struck several parts of Colombia at about 7:34 a.m. local time on Monday, August 10. The US Geological Survey initially measured the quake at magnitude 7.4. Its epicenter was about five kilometres east of San José del Palmar in Chocó department, with a depth of about 107 kilometres below the surface.

The US tsunami warning system listed the earthquake at magnitude 7.1, but no tsunami warning was issued. Initial reports said the tremor was felt across areas of Colombia as well as in regions near the Venezuelan border. Chocó Governor Nubia Carolina Córdoba-Curi said several people were injured in the departmental capital, Quibdó, where several permanent structures were also damaged.

Authorities are working to determine the full extent of the damage, the governor said. Residents have also been urged to remain alert for possible further tremors or aftershocks. Colombia is considered vulnerable to earthquakes because of its location near multiple tectonic plate boundaries and active fault lines. The Colombian Geological Service records more than 100 major destructive earthquakes in the country.

Oil from a damaged tanker has spread across about 390 square kilometres in Oman’s coastal waters, authorities said. Oman’s government said the sanctioned vessel, Caroline Bezengi, was carrying Russian crude oil. The environmental authority is working to contain the spill near the Hallaniyat Islands in Dhofar Governorate, according to information published on August 10.

The authority said the oil slick had moved northeast from the islands toward the mainland. Its closest point to the coast was estimated at about seven kilometres offshore. The spill is within Omani waters near the southern Hallaniyat Islands, where officials said containment work was under way.

Two maritime security sources told Reuters that the ship’s crew first reported problems near Yemen’s Mukalla port on June 8. An initial assessment had suggested an explosion inside the vessel, but the cause of the damage remains unclear and Omani authorities have provided no explanation. Shipping data showed the tanker had loaded Russian crude before its voyage and last transmitted a public AIS tracking signal near Yemen’s coast on June 11.

Bangladesh Bank has removed inter-institution fees on all Bangla QR transactions to promote digital payments, meaning customers will face no fee or service charge. The central bank also introduced incentives for small-value transactions under a circular issued Monday. Both measures will take effect on October 1.

For each Bangla QR payment of up to Tk2,000 at small merchants and service providers, a total incentive of 0.3 percent will be available. The bank or mobile financial service app used by the customer will receive 0.2 percent, while the bank or payment institution providing the QR code through which the merchant receives payment will receive 0.1 percent.

Transactions cannot be split into multiple smaller payments, or conducted through other artificial means, to obtain incentives. Failed, cancelled, refunded, chargeback, disputed, or subsequently cancelled payments will not qualify. Bangladesh Bank may inspect transaction records, merchant information and supporting documents, recover wrongly paid incentives, or adjust them against future incentives. Acquiring institutions must monitor unusual merchant transactions and take action where artificial splitting, cash-out activity, or other irregularities are found.

Bangladesh Bank has allowed the use of international cards to pay tuition fees and other education-related expenses for higher education abroad. In a circular issued on Monday, the central bank said authorised dealer banks may issue debit, credit or prepaid cards in the name of a student or the person bearing the student’s education costs. The report was published on August 10, 2026.

The decision follows growing demand for card-based payments to foreign universities and international admission platforms. Bangladesh Bank said transactions made through such cards for overseas education will be considered separately. These expenses will not be counted under existing travel quotas or other foreign-exchange facilities.

Under the circular, authorised dealer banks must complete all required regulatory formalities before issuing the cards. They must also ensure within the specified period that cards are used only for approved education-related payments. Banks have been instructed to maintain proper records of these transactions and regularly report them to Bangladesh Bank using the designated purpose code.

Bangladesh has launched an initiative to strengthen bilateral trade and investment ties with New Zealand, focusing on agriculture technology, dairy, green energy, pharmaceuticals, leather, jute, sustainable textiles and information technology. At a meeting with New Zealand Trade and Enterprise, Bangladesh highlighted opportunities for joint investment, business connections and export expansion. The Commerce Ministry disclosed the information in a Monday statement. Commerce Ministry Secretary Md Ataur Rahman led Bangladesh’s delegation, while Rachel McGakian, NZTE’s market manager for Southeast and East Asia, took part in the discussion.

Annual trade between the two countries currently stands at about $450 million. Bangladesh imports significant dairy and metal products from New Zealand, while its exports to New Zealand total about $147 million and are largely ready-made garments. Bangladesh sought NZTE support to diversify trade by expanding non-garment exports, particularly pharmaceuticals, environmentally friendly jute products, leather goods, sustainable textiles and IT services.

Bangladesh invited New Zealand companies to invest in its special economic zones in dairy processing, cold-chain logistics, agriculture technology, advanced manufacturing, renewable energy and environmentally friendly technology. It proposed direct contact between BIDA and NZTE, virtual business-to-business meetings involving Bangladeshi pharmaceutical, IT and leather exporters and New Zealand buyers, and coordination with New Zealand’s foreign and trade ministry. Both sides also agreed to establish a bilateral business council and arrange or participate in trade fairs.

Bangladesh lawmaker Sachinpru Jery called for increased tree planting to protect environmental balance and reduce landslide risks in Bandarban. Speaking as chief guest at a tree-planting and sapling-distribution event organised by the Bandarban Timber Traders Association in Ruma upazila on Monday morning, he linked heavier rainfall and landslides to climate change.

Jery said the declining number of trees is increasing soil erosion and the risk of landslides. He stressed that planting trees alone would not be sufficient and that regular care of planted trees must also be ensured. He described the traders association’s initiative as commendable in implementing the government’s election manifesto on environmental protection.

The event was attended by Ruma Upazila Nirbahi Officer Tajmin Alam Tuli, Bandarban Forest Department Divisional Forest Officer Md Toufiqul Islam, Pulpwood Plantation Division Forest Officer Abu Yusuf, and leaders of the district timber traders association. Local residents and students from different educational institutions also participated. After the discussion, guests distributed fruit and forest saplings of different species among local communities and students.

Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit has identified 42 loan-defaulting groups suspected of laundering bank-borrowed money abroad, according to a report published on August 10, 2026. Their combined defaulted loans total $2.549 billion, or about Tk31,557 crore at Tk123.80 per dollar. Authorities identified nearly $221.9 million allegedly laundered by four companies and said related banks have begun efforts to recover funds and assets.

The listed groups include SB Exim, Habib, Yasir, AWR, Liberty, Premier, Laskar and Saad Musa. Reported identified amounts include $26.8 million for SB Exim, $134.1 million for Habib, about $40 million for Yasir and about $20 million for AWR. The 42 entities were identified in a second phase using Bangladesh Bank Credit Information Bureau data covering institutions with more than Tk200 crore in defaulted loans.

Eight international legal and professional advisory firms have been contracted to identify and recover overseas assets on a no-win, no-pay basis. Preliminary information points to possible laundering in countries including the United States, United Kingdom, United Arab Emirates, Canada and Singapore. Bangladesh Bank officials said identified assets would first be frozen or seized under relevant foreign laws before legal steps are taken to return proceeds to Bangladesh.

Commercial banks in Bangladesh are increasingly directing investments toward government Treasury bills and bonds rather than productive private-sector financing, according to the report published on August 10, 2026. At the end of March, government securities accounted for 91.32 percent of banks’ total investments, while other sectors received 8.68 percent. Bangladesh Bank Governor Mostaqur Rahman recently instructed banks in a meeting to increase new lending.

During the March quarter, bank investment in government securities rose 10 percent, while investment in other sectors fell 0.83 percent and loan growth was only 0.37 percent. BKMEA President Mohammad Hatem said entrepreneurs were reluctant to borrow because gas and electricity shortages put investments at risk. Bangladesh Steel Mills Association founding president Sheikh Masadul Alam said banks were focusing more on recovering existing loans than issuing new ones.

In 2025, government securities represented 67.46 percent of banks’ investments. Banks recorded a Tk12,537 crore loss in net interest income that year, while non-interest income from Treasury operations and investments rose to Tk83,171 crore. The government plans to borrow Tk1.12 lakh crore from the banking system in the current fiscal year to finance the budget deficit.

Bangladesh’s trade deficit climbed to its highest level in three years in fiscal year 2025-26, as import spending rose sharply while export earnings declined. Latest Bangladesh Bank data put the deficit at $27.28 billion in the fiscal year that has just ended, up 34 percent from $20.39 billion in fiscal year 2024-25.

Merchandise exports totalled $43.85 billion in 2025-26, a 1 percent decline from the previous year. Import expenditure rose 10.5 percent to $71.14 billion, the fastest annual import growth rate since fiscal year 2021-22. Sector representatives attributed the wider gap mainly to global conditions, including higher fuel prices, tariffs imposed by the Trump administration in the United States, high inflation in Western countries, and war-related disruptions to global supply systems.

Record remittance inflows of $35.58 billion helped limit the current-account deficit to about $1.6 billion. The financial account posted a $7.89 billion surplus, supported by foreign direct investment, foreign grants and foreign loans, while the overall balance of payments showed a $6.6 billion surplus. Economists said reducing reliance on remittances requires export diversification, stronger production capacity and improved competitiveness.