Water Resources Minister Shahid Uddin Chowdhury Annie said the government is working to introduce environmentally friendly, low-cost technology for industrial waste management. He made the remarks on Wednesday at a Dhaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry seminar on canal excavation, revitalising circular waterways and expanding inland water trade in Bangladesh.

The minister said chemical waste harms canals and rivers when industrial establishments do not install effluent treatment plants, or ETPs. He said conventional ETPs are too expensive for many small and medium-sized industries, making lower-cost but effective treatment technology necessary. As an example, he said an industry valued at Tk20 crore could struggle to survive if installation of an ETP alone costs Tk10 crore.

During a recent visit to China, the minister discussed the issue with relevant people and received technical ideas for low-cost waste treatment. Such technology could potentially be implemented privately for Tk10 lakh to Tk20 lakh, though the government will decide only after assessing its effectiveness. He also said canal recovery programmes have begun in several districts and stressed continued dialogue with businesspeople, experts and other stakeholders.

Flood conditions have worsened in Assam, India, with the death toll rising to 75, according to a report published on July 29. Thousands of people have taken shelter in relief camps after their homes were inundated. The flooding has caused extensive damage to homes, roads, bridges and agricultural land.

Assam’s disaster management department said more than 332,000 people in 622 villages are enduring severe hardship. About 45,341 hectares of farmland remain under water. Sivasagar district has recorded the greatest damage this year and also the highest number of deaths, the report said.

Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced financial assistance in response to the situation. One-time support for families of people killed in the floods has been raised to 900,000 rupees. More than 100,000 of the worst-affected families will also receive immediate cash assistance of 15,000 rupees each to buy food, clothing and daily necessities.

Customers of five merged banks can now withdraw up to Tk10 lakh for medical treatment and other urgent needs, following a Bangladesh Bank board decision on Wednesday, July 29, 2026. Governor Mostakur Rahman chaired the meeting. The decision covers First Security Islami Bank, Social Islami Bank, Union Bank, Global Islami Bank and EXIM Bank.

Previously, the repayment scheme allowed withdrawals only for a depositor’s own medical treatment. The revised scheme also prioritises treatment needs for parents, children, siblings and spouses, while permitting withdrawals for other emergencies. A Bangladesh Bank official said customers may need money for matters such as a daughter’s wedding or treatment of a family member, which had not been covered under the earlier arrangement.

The interim government merged the five Shariah-based banks last year to form Sammilito Islami Bank. Under payments from the deposit insurance fund, Tk3,887 crore has so far been paid to 822,000 depositors, including Tk1,600 crore to 350,000 First Security Islami Bank customers. At the end of last December, the five banks had Tk170,500 crore in defaulted loans, equal to 87.43 percent of their total loans.

Bangladesh Bank has launched a new bank-intermediated digital payment framework to make foreign digital transactions more modern, secure and accessible. According to a circular issued by the central bank on Wednesday, authorised dealer banks will be able to provide outbound remittance services through partnerships with foreign digital payment service providers. The report was published on July 29, 2026.

The circular collectively describes foreign payment platforms and service providers as Cross-Border Digital Payment Service Providers, or CDPSPs. The framework will introduce Digital Value Accounts, or DVAs, which will function as digital wallets or stored-value accounts. These accounts will operate under a master DVA managed by the relevant bank.

Users will be able to use DVAs for foreign-currency spending related to personal travel, medical treatment, official visits and other travel purposes. Payments will also be allowed for membership fees, information technology services, visa fees, hotel bookings and other approved services, as well as online e-commerce transactions within prescribed limits. Bangladesh Bank said the facility can also be accessed against retention quotas and Resident Foreign Currency Deposit account balances, while banks must obtain prior approval before launching such services.

A protest march and rally demanding the arrest of former president Md Shahabuddin Chuppu was held outside Islami Bank’s head office in Motijheel, Dhaka, on Wednesday afternoon, July 29. The Islami Bank Conscious Customers Forum organized the programme, accusing Chuppu of being an associate of S Alam and of involvement in alleged Islami Bank share manipulation and bank looting.

Speakers at the rally alleged that Chuppu had assisted irregularities, corruption and looting in the banking sector, including at Islami Bank, through the S Alam Group. They called for an impartial investigation into people involved in damaging the banking sector and their associates, and demanded exemplary punishment.

Protesters also sought the arrest of Chuppu, prosecution of those involved in alleged bank-looting incidents, and effective measures to protect depositors’ interests. During the programme, participants chanted slogans and called for the swift trial of people linked to corruption in the banking sector. The march later ended peacefully.

Fisheries and Livestock State Minister Sultan Salahuddin Tuku called for greater public awareness and a conservation mindset among younger generations to protect tigers. Speaking after a World Tiger Day rally at Bangladesh National Zoo on Wednesday, he described tigers as among the world’s most important wild animals and an essential part of biodiversity.

Tuku said the global tiger population was about 100,000 roughly a century ago but is now about 5,000, a decline he said shows the species faces an existential threat. He warned that tigers could face an even deeper crisis unless effective steps are taken immediately and people are made more aware of conservation.

The minister said the Sundarbans currently has 124 tigers, while Bangladesh National Zoo has about 15 and zoos across the country have about 50 in total. Responding to a question on tiger-counting funds and transparency, he said the matter falls under the Forest Department, not his ministry, and that the department runs the process through its own procedures. He later inaugurated the zoo’s souvenir shop.

A 40-year-old farmer, Shafiqul Islam, died after being struck by lightning while planting rice in his field in Pakundia upazila of Kishoreganj. The incident occurred at about 3:30pm on Wednesday in Charpalash Purba Para village of Sukhia union. Shafiqul was the son of Abdul Razzak and worked as a farmer.

Local sources said Shafiqul was planting rice on his own land when lightning struck amid light rain. He died at the scene from the lightning strike.

Sukhia Union Parishad chairman Abdul Hamid Titu confirmed the death of the farmer. The report did not provide information about medical assistance, rescue efforts, or any administrative action following the incident.

Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission has decided to seek an explanation from the Dhaka Stock Exchange over the renewal of stock broker and stock dealer registration certificates for Monarch Holdings, owned by former national cricket captain Shakib Al Hasan. The decision was taken at a commission meeting chaired by BSEC Chairman Masud Khan on July 29, according to a notice signed by BSEC spokesperson Abul Kalam.

The notice said DSE had earlier made a positive recommendation for renewal without properly completing required information in prescribed Form “Cha” under the relevant 2000 regulations. BSEC described this as contrary to the rules and a clear failure in DSE’s regulatory responsibilities. After BSEC sought an explanation, DSE submitted the form and necessary information but did not provide a specific regulatory recommendation either for or against renewal.

BSEC also decided to instruct DSE to send a definite recommendation on Monarch Holdings’ renewal within five working days of receiving the letter, along with necessary information, analysis and regulatory assessment. DSE said the earlier omission resulted from unavailable necessary information. The report says Monarch Holdings began operations on October 20, 2020.

The death toll from a major landslide in Pengshui County, Chongqing municipality in southwestern China, has risen to 41, authorities said Tuesday night. The landslide struck on July 17, burying several residential buildings at the foot of a mountain and along a riverbank. Officials identified 30 additional victims after DNA testing and confirmation of identities from bodies and remains recovered at the site.

The reported death toll had stood at 11 as of last Friday. State media footage showed large amounts of rock and earth covering a residential and commercial road. Hundreds of rescue workers carried out operations at the scene, according to the report.

Rescuers had previously said there were no signs of survivors while searching for 50 people missing under the debris. Two weeks earlier, another landslide in the northwestern province of Gansu buried 33 people, with at least 21 deaths reported in that incident.

Construction on the six-lane upgrade of the Jhenaidah-Jashore highway is moving slowly amid delayed land acquisition and allegations of contractor negligence. The report, published on July 29, says the project’s extended term is due to end in December, but engineer Tuhin Al Mamun, project manager for phases 2 and 3, said completion within this year’s December is not possible. Slow progress has caused severe public inconvenience on the highway.

The project, under Western Economic Corridor, or WeCARE, Phase 1, was approved on November 24, 2020. It planned to acquire about 304 acres across Jashore and Jhenaidah, including 214 acres in Jhenaidah. Land acquisition has been completed for 45 percent in Kaliganj and about 50 percent in Jhenaidah Sadar. Coordination failures among six government departments delayed survey and inspection reports, slowing acquisition.

A revised proposal sent in June 2024 raised the estimated cost from Tk4,187 crore to Tk7,100 crore. Mamun said only 2 percent of work has been completed despite land handovers, and contractors have ignored repeated letters and requests to speed up. World Bank Division Director Jean Pem and Operations Manager Gail Martin expressed strong dissatisfaction during a July 19 site visit. A future World Bank meeting will decide whether the project term is extended.

Pulao rice prices have risen sharply in Bangladesh despite what the report describes as adequate supply. By July 29, 2026, prices had increased by about Tk70 per kilogram over three months and by roughly Tk40 in one week. Packaged pulao rice was selling for as much as Tk230 per kilogram, depending on brand, while a 50-kilogram wholesale sack reached Tk10,200. Price increases were observed in Dhaka’s Babubazar, Nayabazar, Badamtali and Karwan Bazar markets.

Retailers and buyers alleged that mill owners and major corporate firms created an artificial shortage, arguing that higher fuel, gas and electricity costs did not justify the scale of the increase. Aminul Islam Swapan, managing director of Nabil Group, rejected manipulation claims. He cited lower aromatic paddy production, higher fuel costs, exports and increased demand from weddings and social events, and suggested a temporary halt to pulao rice exports.

Complaints of adulteration and counterfeit packaging have also increased. Authorities fined a trader Tk200,000 in Old Dhaka for mixing atap rice into pulao rice, while another trader was fined in Jashore over allegedly selling chinigura rice in fake packaging. Samples have been sent for testing over alleged artificial fragrance use, and the consumer rights directorate said regular drives and legal action are continuing.

At least 13 people were killed after a powerful magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck the Kumamoto area of Kyushu, Japan’s main southern island, on Tuesday afternoon. Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi announced the death toll. More than 36,000 households remained without electricity, while the affected area lies about 900 kilometres southwest of Tokyo.

Takaichi said rescue operations for missing people continued after overnight efforts. Many people were injured and several remained missing, she said. Japan’s Fire and Disaster Management Agency advised more than 260,000 people to move to safer locations, most of them in Kumamoto Prefecture. Evacuation instructions were also issued in neighbouring Nagasaki Prefecture.

According to an AP report, part of a shopping centre collapsed after the earthquake, with a gas leak initially suspected as the cause. Fire department information said several people were trapped when the second floor of Aeon Mall in Kashima city collapsed. A large chimney also fell at Nippon Paper Industries’ Yatsushiro plant, and Kumamoto emergency rescue teams said several people were trapped beneath the debris.

Construction on the six-lane upgrade of the Jhenaidah-Jashore highway is moving slowly amid delayed land acquisition and allegations of contractor negligence. The report, published on July 29, says the project’s extended term is due to end in December, but engineer Tuhin Al Mamun, project manager for phases 2 and 3, said completion within this year’s December is not possible. Slow progress has caused severe public inconvenience on the highway.

The project, under Western Economic Corridor, or WeCARE, Phase 1, was approved on November 24, 2020. It planned to acquire about 304 acres across Jashore and Jhenaidah, including 214 acres in Jhenaidah. Land acquisition has been completed for 45 percent in Kaliganj and about 50 percent in Jhenaidah Sadar. Coordination failures among six government departments delayed survey and inspection reports, slowing acquisition.

A revised proposal sent in June 2024 raised the estimated cost from Tk4,187 crore to Tk7,100 crore. Mamun said only 2 percent of work has been completed despite land handovers, and contractors have ignored repeated letters and requests to speed up. World Bank Division Director Jean Pem and Operations Manager Gail Martin expressed strong dissatisfaction during a July 19 site visit. A future World Bank meeting will decide whether the project term is extended.

Bangladesh’s government has sought Malaysian technical assistance after a technical fault shut gas supplies from the Maheshkhali floating LNG terminal to the national grid on July 21. The outage has cut about 450 million cubic feet of gas daily, worsening shortages for households, factories, power plants, CNG stations and other users. State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Anindya Islam Amit outlined the government’s response at a Secretariat press conference on July 29.

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman sent a letter to Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and later spoke with him by phone, requesting help to address the energy crisis. Education Adviser Mahdi Amin delivered the letter in Kuala Lumpur. Amit said Anwar had pledged to consult his team and relevant ministries quickly and inform Bangladesh’s prime minister. The government has also discussed possible LNG imports from Malaysia and using Malaysian experience and advice.

The energy division expects daily supplies of 280 to 300 million cubic feet to resume early next week, with the FSRU expected to be fully operational by the end of the following week. Residents of Mohammadpur and Adabor have announced a Friday protest over severe household shortages, low pressure and prolonged service problems.

Dhaka North City Corporation Administrator Md Shafiqul Islam Khan said student participation in cleanliness campaigns and public-service activities can help implement the prime minister’s Clean Dhaka, Green Dhaka initiative. He made the remarks on Tuesday while inaugurating a cleanliness campaign at Bangladesh Navy College in Mirpur, where he attended as chief guest.

Khan said the prize-giving event was arranged to encourage school and college students to participate and to motivate other educational institutions through their involvement. He said the programme would be spread to different places through campaigning to raise public awareness and make city corporation responsibilities and civic services easier.

The administrator praised Navy College students for their talent, songs and dance performances. He said their ideas would be shared among residents in every city ward and neighborhood as part of efforts to create a cleaner city. After the prize distribution, students from Navy College, Dental College and Navy School joined a rally, where they were taught how to use modern dustbins and took part in the cleanliness campaign.