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.

British Columbia has declared a state of emergency as the rapidly spreading Bald Range wildfire forced thousands of people from their homes in western Canada. First detected on Friday, the fire quickly doubled in size and spread across more than 136 square kilometres around Summerland, Peachland and nearby communities, according to the provincial wildfire authority. The report was published on August 10, 2026.

Summerland Mayor Doug Holmes said residents must prepare for the worst. Premier David Eby said homes and property had been lost, while some people became trapped as conditions changed rapidly and needed rescue. Officials said flames rose so high that they generated lightning in the area, increasing the risk of further fire spread. Summerland residents were evacuated, while residents in some parts of Peachland were also told to leave.

The emergency declaration allows the provincial government to restrict movement, secure supplies, prevent price gouging and deploy additional resources for firefighting and rescue operations. Officials said more than 20,000 people have left homes across the province. Hundreds of people in care facilities, including seniors’ housing, are being moved to safer locations, though the number of destroyed homes and structures has not yet been confirmed.

A program featuring transplanted Aman rice seedlings using a rice transplanter and the distribution of tree saplings was held at Shopnoneer Agro BD farm in the Sijkandi area of Purbadhala, Netrokona, on Sunday morning. The initiative aimed to expand modern agricultural technology, reduce production costs and labour, and support environmental protection. Netrokona-5 member of parliament Masum Mostafa inaugurated the event.

The programme was organized under the overall supervision of the উপজেলা Agricultural Extension Department and chaired by Agricultural Extension Officer Rakibur Rahman. Mostafa said wider use of modern farm machinery such as rice transplanters, instead of traditional methods, could reduce both farmers' production costs and labour. He added that greater use of technology in agriculture could strengthen food security and improve farmers' living standards.

Shopnoneer Agro BD entrepreneur Sajjatun Nur Niloy said the farm uses modern machinery at different stages of farming, including cultivation and threshing, to save time and labour and popularize technology among farmers. Environment-friendly saplings of different species were later distributed among local farmers. Mostafa also planted a sapling on the farm premises, while local farmers and residents viewed the initiative positively.

Oil prices rose on the first trading day in Asia as uncertainty persisted over the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. The report, published on August 10, 2026, said Brent crude futures gained 91 cents, or 1.09%, to $84.46 a barrel. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures rose 61 cents, or 0.78%, to $78.79 a barrel.

Both benchmarks had fallen more than 7% last week after hopes emerged that the strait could reopen. Markets had anticipated a possible understanding between Iran and Oman that could allow the key maritime route to resume operations. Before the war began, roughly one-fifth of the world’s total oil was transported through the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran said an understanding with Oman was close to being finalized, but added that the United States still had to meet several conditions. The timing of any reopening therefore remains uncertain. That unresolved situation has kept volatility in the fuel market continuing, despite the earlier decline in oil prices linked to expectations of progress on the route.

Typhoon Dolphin struck eastern China on Sunday evening, prompting authorities to move more than one million people to safety from Shanghai and other areas. China’s weather authority said the storm first made landfall in Yuhuan, Zhejiang province, at about 5:30 p.m. local time, with maximum winds of 150 kilometres per hour. About an hour later, it made a second landfall in the city of Wenzhou.

Transport across the region was severely disrupted after the typhoon hit the coast. About 1,400 flights were cancelled in Shanghai alone. Authorities had earlier issued the highest-level red alert for Dolphin, but downgraded the warning to a tropical storm on Monday morning.

The storm is moving farther inland, while authorities have maintained warnings through Wednesday over risks of torrential rain, severe flooding and landslides. Heavy rain is forecast on Monday in Shandong, Henan, Hubei, Anhui, Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces, as well as Shanghai. Local administrations urged residents to stay indoors unless necessary. Parts of Shanghai Disneyland and Legoland, along with several tourist sites and observation platforms in the Bund area, were closed.

Bangladesh Bank has dissolved the boards of four financial institutions undergoing closure and declared their managing director posts vacant. On Sunday, it appointed administrators to Aviva Finance, Far East Finance, FAS Finance and International Leasing, according to a report published on August 9, 2026. Two additional Bangladesh Bank officials have been assigned at each institution to assist the administrators.

Bangladesh Bank Director Alauddin Hossain was appointed administrator of Aviva Finance, while Directors Sadekur Rahman, Ataur Rahman and Mohammad Iqbal Hossain were assigned to Far East Finance, FAS Finance and International Leasing respectively. Peoples Leasing has not yet received an administrator because of litigation-related complications and the absence of a court order. An official said the administrators will advance liquidation and repay individual depositors using government-provided funds.

The five institutions facing closure have non-performing loan rates ranging from 93 percent to nearly 100 percent and total deposits of Tk 16,076 crore. Individual depositors will receive priority, with a maximum repayment of Tk 10 lakh per person. Four other institutions have been given three months to recover; failure to improve could lead to their closure.

Bangladesh’s Meteorological Department said a new low-pressure area may form over the central Bay of Bengal on August 13 or the following day, potentially bringing heavy to very heavy rain across the country from August 14. Rainfall is expected to increase in the northeast from Monday and shift toward southern areas from Wednesday after several relatively drier days.

Meteorologist Tariful Newaz Kabir said rain may increase from Monday in Rangpur, Mymensingh, Sylhet and Chattogram divisions before moving southward. Meteorologist Dr Abul Kalam Mallik said rainfall could rise again from August 12 or 13, with heavy to very heavy showers potentially beginning nationwide from August 15 and continuing for several days. Heavy rain is considered unlikely in Dhaka before August 15.

The evening forecast said light to moderate rain or thunderstorms with gusty winds are likely in multiple divisions on Monday and Tuesday, with moderate heavy to heavy falls possible in places. Rangamati recorded 99 millimetres of rain on Sunday, while Rajshahi recorded the highest temperature at 36.0 degrees Celsius. Water at the Fenchuganj station on the Kushiyara River is flowing above the danger level.

Hong Kong recorded a temperature of 36.9 degrees Celsius at 3:30 p.m. local time on Sunday, its highest since weather records began in 1884, according to the Hong Kong Observatory cited by China’s state media Xinhua. The record was reported as a heatwave gripped the city.

The Observatory said the unusual heat was caused by descending airflow associated with Typhoon Dolphin. The temperature reading surpassed all previous records in Hong Kong’s weather history since systematic records were first kept 142 years ago.

Intense heat may continue over the next several days, with temperatures in some areas expected to exceed 37 degrees Celsius, the Observatory said. Typhoon Dolphin made landfall in China’s eastern Zhejiang province on Sunday afternoon.

Germany’s trade deficit with China widened to nearly €55 billion in the first half of 2026, despite China becoming Germany’s top trading partner. Preliminary data from Germany Trade & Invest, reported by Reuters, showed German exports to China fell by more than 12% from January through June to below €37 billion. China has dropped to ninth place as a market for German goods.

Chinese companies have reduced their reliance on European imports, contributing to the decline in German exports. Around 2021, China was Germany’s second-largest export market, when Germany sold €104 billion in goods there despite the effects of the pandemic. In 2026, several smaller economies, including Austria and Switzerland, bought more German goods than China.

German imports from China rose 8.9% to €91.8 billion during the period, taking total bilateral trade above €128 billion, €3 billion more than Germany’s trade with the United States. The deficit was €40 billion in the first half of last year. Germany’s manufacturing sector is also facing pressure from US tariffs and Chinese competition, with major industrial companies such as Volkswagen seeing substantial job cuts.

Bangladesh Poribesh Andolon, or BAPA, called for waste to be treated as a resource, energy source and economic opportunity rather than a burden at a seminar at the National Press Club’s Tofazzal Hossain Manik Miah Hall on August 9. Speakers said Bangladesh needs integrated, low-cost and locally manageable solutions for municipal waste management. The seminar was chaired by BAPA President Professor Dr Nur Mohammad Talukdar.

In the keynote paper, waste-management specialist Dr Nasir Uddin Khan said the existing system is largely based on collection, transport and dumping, leaving recycling, resource recovery and energy generation opportunities underused. Large volumes of waste end up in open spaces, wetlands and water bodies, increasing pressure on the environment and economy. He cited methane emissions, pollution of rivers and water bodies, waterlogging, air pollution, dengue and other public-health risks.

Speakers stressed simple technology, domestic investment and local participation. A Dhaka North City Corporation official said its waste-to-energy project could receive 3,000 tonnes of waste daily when fully operational and could generate 42 to 45 megawatts of electricity. BAPA also called for a national roadmap for overall waste management.

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman visited the 1,200-megawatt ultra-supercritical coal-fired power plant at Matarbari in Maheshkhali, Cox’s Bazar, on August 9. He said Bangladesh needs to diversify energy sources while meeting rising electricity demand. The prime minister also said economic capacity, environmental impacts and the public’s long-term interests should receive the highest priority in power generation and management of major infrastructure.

He stressed integrated development around Matarbari, covering power, energy, a deep-sea port and related industrial infrastructure. Planned and effective use of these facilities could play an important role in energy security, industrialisation and overall economic activity, he said. Project officials briefed him on the plant’s current status, generation and operational activities, production capacity, fuel supply and management, operating efficiency, maintenance, safety arrangements and future plans.

Arriving by helicopter at 10:45am on Sunday, the prime minister attended a briefing from 11am to 12:15pm and planted a neem sapling in the project area. Officials also outlined a proposed solar power project and showed him sites earmarked for a proposed LNG-based power plant, a metrochemical project and a new refinery. He later inspected the coal jetty and observed the deep-sea port, LNG terminal and other plant facilities.

Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission (BERC) has raised the price of jet fuel used by aircraft in Bangladesh. The commission announced the revised rates in a notice issued on Sunday afternoon, August 9, 2026. Under the new pricing, jet fuel for domestic-route flights will cost Tk159.52 per litre.

For international-route flights, the new jet fuel price has been set at $1.0358 per litre. The revised rates are higher than the previously fixed prices for both domestic and international services. The notice reported the increase but did not state a reason for the adjustment or specify when the revised rates would take effect.

Previously, jet fuel for domestic flights was priced at Tk130.99 per litre. For international flights, the earlier price was $0.8556 per litre. The new BERC decision therefore increases the cost of aircraft fuel across both categories of flight routes.

Dhaka University held an awareness discussion on Bangla QR on August 6, aimed at supporting a cashless and smart Bangladesh. The university’s Accounting Department organized the event at the Professor Abdullah Faruq Multipurpose Conference Hall in the MBA Building, with support from Bangladesh Bank and Dutch-Bangla Bank. Teachers, students and staff were briefed on Bangla QR use, its benefits and interoperable digital payment systems.

Bangladesh Bank Governor Md Mostaqur Rahman attended as chief guest, while Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr A. B. M. Obaidul Islam inaugurated the programme. The governor said a single QR code can enable secure, simple and interoperable digital transactions among banks, mobile financial services and other payment providers. The vice-chancellor said such initiatives could increase student awareness of digital payments and help expand the use of digital financial services.

Dutch-Bangla Bank Managing Director and CEO Md Ehteshamul Haque Khan said digital transactions save both time and money. The event included a live transaction demonstration, an awareness presentation and a question-and-answer session. Organizers said such programmes are important for broadening awareness and use of safe, simple digital transactions.

Islami Bank Bangladesh PLC held a meeting of its Shariah Supervisory Committee at Islami Bank Tower on August 9. The meeting was organized by the bank and was attended by members of the Shariah Supervisory Committee and a management representative, according to the published report.

Mufti Shamsuddin Zia, chairman of the bank’s Shariah Supervisory Committee, presided over the meeting. Committee members Professor Dr Naqib Mohammad Nasrullah, Professor Dr Md Shamsul Alam, Professor Dr Zubair Muhammad Ehsanul Haque and Dr Md Nurullah were present.

Md Altaf Hossain, acting managing director of the bank, also attended. The source did not provide details about the meeting’s agenda, any decisions or recommendations, or subsequent actions.

Actor, director and writer Hasan Masud says a major religious and mental transformation following Hajj has led him to largely withdraw from acting. In an interview with a private satellite channel, reported on August 9, 2026, he said he no longer acts in television dramas or films. He said he may occasionally work only when he receives an advertisement offer he likes.

Masud said the change in him had begun before he went on Hajj and that he now considers himself a completely changed person. He recently returned home after spending 41 days in Mecca and Medina during the pilgrimage. He said becoming more spiritual and religious was the reason he had stepped away from drama and film work.

In the interview, Masud also recalled giving up reading books after a period of intensive reading left him feeling like a machine without emotions. He sold about 1,200 books in Nilkhet and stopped reading afterward. He joined the Bangladesh Army in 1985 and retired as a captain in 1992 before working in journalism. His big-screen debut came in the 2003 film “Bachelor.”