Bangladesh drew their Test series in Australia 1-1 after defeating Australia in Darwin and then losing the following Test in Mackay, according to a commentary published on August 24, 2026. The writer says the Darwin result was Bangladesh’s first Test victory after returning to Australia 23 years later, while the Mackay loss exposed shortcomings rather than erasing the significance of the earlier win.

The article argues that Bangladesh’s Darwin victory was earned through planning and a strong collective performance, not a fluke. It highlights the team’s pace bowling as the series’ biggest gain and notes former fast bowler Shaun Tait’s view that pace bowling is now Bangladesh’s strength. Taking 20 wickets, the author says, is fundamental to winning a Test, and Bangladesh demonstrated that ability in Darwin.

Mackay raised questions about Bangladesh’s batting against sustained high-quality pace bowling in difficult conditions. The writer says batters lacked sufficient patience, application and resistance, and calls for preparation on demanding wickets at home. The series, the article concludes, gave Bangladesh greater belief that it can take 20 wickets away from home, while underlining the need for batting capable of supporting that progress.

Oil prices fell in Asian trading on Monday morning as investors awaited details of possible new US sanctions on Iran. Brent crude futures dropped by more than 1% to $93.45 a barrel, while US crude futures also declined by more than 1% to $86.14 a barrel. The report was published on August 24, 2026.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent had previously said an “economic D-Day” was coming for Iran. He was scheduled to hold a news conference on Monday afternoon regarding the announcement of new sanctions against Iran. Investors were watching Washington’s expected announcement closely.

The scope and nature of the potential sanctions had not yet been fully clarified. Their possible effect on Iran’s oil exports and supplies to international markets has become an important issue for the oil market. Market participants were awaiting further information on whether the measures would affect Iranian crude flows and global supply.

An Israeli airstrike hit a tent sheltering displaced people near Al-Aqsa Hospital in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza, killing two Palestinian brothers and injuring several others, medical officials said. The report was published on August 24, 2026. Further details about the casualties were not immediately available.

Medical officials said the tent had been set up as a shelter for people displaced by the war and was located near the hospital. The strike targeted the shelter area, according to the reported account, while the number and condition of those injured were not specified.

Shelling was also reported earlier south of the Maghazi refugee camp in central Gaza. Deir al-Balah is described as an important area of central Gaza where many people displaced by the war have sought refuge, including around hospitals and nearby areas.

International relations researcher Mohsen Farhani said China and Russia are unlikely to participate in new United States sanctions against Iran. In an interview with Al Jazeera from Tehran, published on August 24, 2026, he said Washington may struggle to win sufficient support from allies and other important countries for the measures.

Farhani attributed China and Russia’s expected non-participation to their already tense relations with the United States. He also pointed to Iran’s economic ties with China, saying large volumes of Iranian oil are exported there and that Iran is an important economic partner for Beijing.

The researcher said Iran retains influence over global trade routes and has significant leverage through the Strait of Hormuz and Bab al-Mandab. He also said regional countries increasingly doubt the credibility and capacity of US security guarantees. According to Farhani, this loss of confidence could discourage countries from joining the sanctions, leaving the measures largely unilateral.

The United States is preparing new sanctions against Iran, though the Treasury Department has not formally announced the measures or specified what they will cover. The report, published on August 24, 2026, says Washington is seeking to increase pressure on countries and entities that maintain trade or other economic ties with Iran.

The US treasury secretary warned that countries maintaining economic relations with Iran could also face US economic isolation. The secretary said last week that allies and other parties with ties to Iran would have to choose a position either with or against the United States. Other US officials said Central Command was working to strictly enforce a blockade at Iranian ports.

The treasury secretary also said Iran's current governing system was moving toward collapse, indicating that maximum economic pressure may aim at changing the country's governing system as well as its policies. This contrasts with the US administration's earlier statement when the war against Iran began that regime change was not among its main objectives. With sanction details still unpublished, their scope and practical enforcement remain unclear.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Washington aims to cut every economic relationship that helps sustain Iran’s economy, according to an opinion article published in the Financial Times. The remarks were reported on August 24, 2026, after President Donald Trump announced economic sanctions against Iran last week.

Bessent described the US campaign against Iran as entering its “final stage” and said Tehran faced an “economic D-Day.” He said Washington would pursue what he called the largest financial attack yet undertaken against an adversary. The stated objective, he said, is to isolate all economic routes supporting Iran’s governing system until Tehran is left alone.

The Treasury secretary said countries and companies maintaining any relationship with Tehran could face greater economic isolation, whether those links were deliberate or knowingly overlooked. He had previously warned that the United States could impose additional secondary sanctions on other countries and companies doing business with Iran. His comments indicate Washington is preparing to intensify economic pressure, including possible measures affecting third countries and institutions with commercial ties to Iran.

Iraq plans to gradually bring weapons held by armed groups under state control after the international coalition’s scheduled departure on September 30. National Security Adviser Qasim al-Araji announced the plan in an interview with the Iraqi News Agency on Sunday, describing it as a strategic Iraqi decision. He said Baghdad would pursue the process through dialogue rather than conflict.

Al-Araji said the government is working seriously to sever links between political parties and brigades of the Popular Mobilization Forces, or PMF, and that ongoing discussions have produced positive results. He said the weapons of armed groups would become part of state power and would not be handed to any external party. He added that all political forces agree that only the state has the right to decide questions of war and peace.

Several armed groups close to Iran oppose the initiative. Kataib Hezbollah has linked disarmament to the departure of US and other foreign troops from Iraq, while also demanding Turkish troop withdrawal from northern Iraq and the dissolution of Kurdish Peshmerga forces. Al-Araji called conflict a red line and said Baghdad would guarantee PMF fighters’ rights.

Islami Bank Bangladesh’s non-performing loans rose to about Tk98,915 crore at the end of June 2026, equal to 52.14 percent of total loans, according to the report. The bank’s financial condition has deteriorated amid renewed confidence concerns and pressure from deposit withdrawals. Its provision shortfall exceeded Tk82,334 crore, while the actual capital shortfall was about Tk90,188 crore at the end of March. The bank recorded a net loss of Tk1,316.48 crore in the first six months of 2026.

The report says much of the troubled lending is linked directly or indirectly to S Alam Group-related entities. Bank sources said 15 of the top 20 defaulting borrowers were associated with the group and its owner Saiful Alam’s family, accounting for Tk57,175 crore, or about 62 percent, of total defaulted loans. Another five top borrowers owed Tk5,697 crore, with information indicating indirect benefits involving S Alam Group and Nabil Group.

Additional Managing Director Jamal Uddin Majumdar attributed the rise partly to borrowers failing to make scheduled installments, including on previously rescheduled loans. After unrest and increased withdrawals in June, Bangladesh Bank pledged support on June 12 and dissolved the full board on June 14, assigning its powers to Executive Director Zahir Hossain.

Central Depository Bangladesh Limited (CDBL) plans to introduce an e-KYC system to verify investor and nominee information when beneficiary owner, or BO, accounts are opened. The initiative is intended to enable immediate identity checks, prevent national identity card fraud or use of another person’s ID, and support transparency in the capital market. An Election Commission team visited the CDBL office on August 19 to inspect software and preparations.

CDBL Managing Director Abdul Motaleb said the system will allow the institution to confirm the identities of people opening BO accounts in the future. The Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission has already issued a no-objection for the rollout. The system will require an application programming interface connection between CDBL’s software and the Election Commission-controlled National ID server.

All BSEC-registered entities, including brokerage houses, asset management firms, merchant banks and custodians, will use the e-KYC system. Information of existing BO account holders will also be verified gradually after launch. CDBL expects the system could begin within the next one or two months. No additional fee will be charged beyond charges for using the Election Commission server and software management.

Bangladesh has decided to replace its long-standing July–June fiscal year with an April–March cycle from fiscal year 2028–29. Fiscal year 2027–28 will serve as a nine-month transition period running from July to March. The government says the change is intended to better align development activities with the country’s weather conditions.

Under the present calendar, the fiscal year’s final three months—April, May and June—coincide with increasing monsoon effects, disrupting road, infrastructure and other development work. The timing can also encourage rushed spending near the fiscal year-end. Policy Exchange of Bangladesh Chairman and Chief Executive Dr M Mashrur Riaz called the change a positive step, though he said a January–December fiscal year would have offered a longer weather-friendly work period.

Analysts said calendar reform alone will not resolve chronic project delays linked to approvals, land acquisition, tender procedures, administrative complications and weak project management. The government is reviewing required adjustments to budgeting, tax collection, accounting, financial-management software and regulations. FBCCI Administrator Md Fazlul Haque said the initiative could reduce waste and save funds in public development projects.

Bangladesh’s government plans to build and open 500 kilometres of expressways over the five years from July 2026 to June 2031, under a strategic framework prepared by the Planning Commission’s General Economics Division. The plan also includes initiatives to examine second bridges over the Padma and Jamuna rivers, improve rural roads, modernise public transport and strengthen road safety.

A national expressway network would link districts, ports, economic zones, border areas and the Asian Highway network through four-lane highways. About 3,000 kilometres of expressway corridors have been identified initially, with high-demand routes to receive priority. The government also plans feasibility studies for the second Jamuna and Padma bridges within one year, while listing bridges at Rajbari-Pabna, Meghna-Chandpur and Bhola-Barishal among proposed initiatives.

The framework calls for axle-load controls, road-safety legislation, driver training, vehicle fitness checks, tracking systems and CCTV monitoring at transport hubs. It also proposes electronic toll collection, shared parking, separate two-wheeler lanes, monorail feasibility work, bicycle sharing, pilot electric vehicles and regulated rickshaw zones and licensing.

Bangladesh’s Financial Institutions Division has ordered state-owned Janata Bank PLC to prepare a specific, measurable turnaround plan to address severe financial stress and irregularities. The instruction was issued at a high-level meeting with the bank’s board, managing director and other officials, chaired by Financial Institutions Division Secretary Nazma Mobarek. The bank was told to pursue priority targets over the next 12 to 24 months.

Officials said nearly 70 percent of Janata Bank’s total loans are now non-performing, while its capital base has become very weak and it is operating with a sharply negative net interest margin. A large share of bad loans is concentrated among a small number of influential clients. The bank was directed to identify these major accounts and create separate, time-bound resolution plans, with cash recovery treated as a distinct performance indicator.

The division also called for caution on new large loans, increased quality lending to SMEs, agriculture and productive sectors, and stronger internal controls, audits and compliance. Janata Bank must decide quickly whether to continue or orderly close its Dubai or UAE operation. Chairman M Fazlur Rahman said the bank had begun work under the division’s instructions.

Bangladesh’s Ministry of Primary and Mass Education has issued strict instructions for all primary educational institutions to observe Eid-e-Miladunnabi with due dignity. The directive, issued Sunday by the ministry’s Administration-2 branch and signed by Deputy Secretary Md Shamsul Arif, requires schools nationwide to hoist the national flag and hold special programmes.

The measure follows decisions from an inter-ministerial meeting on the observance, chaired by the Religious Affairs Ministry secretary. That meeting decided that national flags would be raised at government, semi-government and autonomous institutions, armed forces facilities, universities and all educational institutions across the country.

Primary schools must arrange discussions on the life and work of Prophet Muhammad (SAW) and Islamic teachings including peace, progress, harmony, tolerance, universal brotherhood, human rights and women’s dignity. They are also instructed to hold prayer gatherings, hamd-naat performances, poetry recitals, cultural contests and quizzes. Education officials at divisional, district, upazila and thana levels have been directed to ensure implementation. A public holiday will be observed on Wednesday, August 26.

Liverpool drew 2-2 with Newcastle United in an English Premier League match at St James’ Park, with Dominik Szoboszlai scoring a stoppage-time penalty to rescue a point. It was Liverpool’s first game under new coach Andoni Iraola following the dismissal of former coach Arne Slot and the departures of Mohamed Salah, Ibrahima Konate and Andrew Robertson.

Newcastle took the lead in the fifth minute when Anthony Elanga scored from a fine William Osula pass. Liverpool levelled in the 55th minute through Cody Gakpo’s long-range strike from 25 yards, but Joe Willock restored Newcastle’s advantage two minutes later after beating Jeremie Frimpong.

Liverpool debutant winger Victor Munoz was fouled inside the penalty area by Newcastle defender Lewis Hall in injury time, prompting the referee to award a penalty. Szoboszlai converted calmly from the spot. Before kick-off, both clubs paid tribute to former player Kevin Keegan, who recently died aged 75. Liverpool’s defensive frailties remained evident despite avoiding defeat.

Six train derailments have been reported in Gafargaon on the Dhaka–Mymensingh rail route over the past three months, heightening uncertainty for passengers. The latest incident occurred on Saturday morning, when the engine of a Dewanganj-bound commuter train failed in Gafargaon, delaying its departure by about two and a quarter hours. The report was published on August 24, 2026.

On August 7, four coaches, including the power car, of a Dhaka-bound Jamalpur commuter train derailed before entering Gafargaon railway station. Train operations on the Dhaka–Mymensingh route remained suspended for about seven and a half hours. Railway Station Master Hanif Ali said the repeated derailments were linked to the railway line being many years old, with breaks in several sections and insufficient stones along the track.

Railway officials said replacement work is under way from Sripur in Gazipur to Sutiyakhali, including new tracks, sleepers, ballast, polling bags and other work. Senior Sub-Assistant Engineer Mostafizur Rahman said trains had operated at lower speeds because of the old line, and that safety and speed would improve after completion. Local MP Mohammad Akhtaruzzaman Bachchu also raised the issue in parliament and said renovation work began Saturday.