Bangladesh’s Culture Affairs Ministry Secretary Ms Kaniz Mowla has been removed from her current post and attached to the Ministry of Public Administration for a subsequent posting. The decision was announced in a notification issued on Wednesday, September 2, by the Senior Appointment-1 branch of the Ministry of Public Administration. The order said it would take effect immediately in the public interest.

Following Kaniz Mowla’s removal, Cabinet Division Additional Secretary Ms Yasmin Begum was promoted and appointed as secretary of the Culture Affairs Ministry. The notification carrying the changes was signed by Deputy Secretary Jeti Pru.

Kaniz Mowla came into discussion after being elected president of the Bangladesh Administration Service Association, an organisation of administration cadre officers, on January 27 this year. After an elected government took office, she was first transferred to the post of secretary at IMED. She was then transferred shortly afterward to serve as secretary of the Culture Affairs Ministry before the latest reassignment.

The Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission (BERC) has reduced the September retail price of a 12-kilogram liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) cylinder to Tk1,585 from Tk1,598. The regulator announced the revised prices on Wednesday, September 2, and said they would take effect after 6pm that day.

BERC also set prices for other cylinder sizes. A 5.5kg cylinder will cost Tk727, a 12.5kg cylinder Tk1,652, and a 15kg cylinder Tk1,982. The listed prices include Tk2,114 for 16kg, Tk2,378 for 18kg, Tk2,642 for 20kg, Tk2,907 for 22kg and Tk3,303 for 25kg cylinders.

For larger cylinders, the commission fixed prices at Tk3,964 for 30kg, Tk4,360 for 33kg, Tk4,624 for 35kg and Tk5,945 for 45kg. BERC said the newly announced rates will remain in force until a further order is issued.

Bangladesh’s government has sought Japan’s support in its effort to develop the country into a regional aviation hub and deepen cooperation in civil aviation and tourism. The request was made during a Wednesday morning courtesy meeting at the Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism between Minister M Rashiduzzaman Millat and Japanese Ambassador to Bangladesh Saida Shinichi. The ambassador congratulated Millat on assuming responsibility as a full minister.

The two sides discussed the current government’s plans for developing Bangladesh’s civil aviation and tourism sectors. Millat described Japan as a trusted development partner and cited Biman Bangladesh Airlines’ recently launched direct Dhaka-Narita flight as reflecting Bangladesh’s growing interest and firm commitment to expanding connectivity and cooperation between the two countries.

On Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport’s third terminal, the minister said the government is determined to inaugurate it on time and must begin Operational Readiness and Airport Transfer activities quickly. He said techno-financial evaluation of a Japanese sub-working group proposal has been completed, with negotiations set to begin next week. The ministry is also working on a letter of assurance for the terminal’s operation. Japan’s ambassador reaffirmed Tokyo’s commitment to closely support implementation of the government’s election manifesto.

Intern doctors at Shaheed Ziaur Rahman Medical College Hospital in Bogura held a press conference at the hospital premises at 11am on Wednesday, protesting an attack on colleagues and demanding workplace security. They announced that their work stoppage would continue until those directly involved in attacking doctors are brought under the law and face exemplary punishment.

Describing the previous night’s incident, the doctors said only one Ansar member was assigned to the entire floor. Relatives of a patient, alleging that the patient died because of wrong treatment, became involved in a heated argument with the doctor on duty. Other intern doctors rushed in after the relatives became aggressive, leading to a clash.

The intern doctors said the lone Ansar member was unable to control the situation because adequate security personnel were unavailable. They expressed strong concern over insecurity at the hospital and said they would not return to any duty until a comprehensive security arrangement is ensured at their workplace.

The United States has resumed attacks on Iran after a one-month pause, prompting deep concern from security analyst Samir Puri, a lecturer in the Department of War Studies at King’s College London. Puri said Iran’s retaliatory strikes have demonstrated clear accuracy and effectiveness, while Tehran has retained the capacity to continue responding more than six months after US and Israeli attacks began.

Speaking to Al Jazeera, Puri said there were no signs that Iran’s weapons and ammunition were running out. Instead, he said indications suggest that Washington wants to compel Iran to make several visible concessions, creating a substantial risk that the conflict could intensify further.

Puri described US President Donald Trump’s messages about the eventual outcome of the six-month war as highly confusing. He also said support for Iran from China, Russia, India and other countries at this week’s Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit showed that Tehran was clearly not as isolated internationally. In his assessment, the United States is highly confused about its strategic objectives in the situation.

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman said the government has initiated efforts to increase liquefied natural gas imports and supplies to address the country’s growing energy shortage. Speaking in the national parliament on Wednesday, he said discussions are underway with an interested institution to establish a floating LNG terminal in the deep sea near Kutubdia, Maheshkhali, in Cox’s Bazar.

The prime minister said LNG supply through the proposed terminal could begin by December 2028. If implemented, the project is expected to significantly raise LNG imports within the next two years and further improve the overall energy supply situation, according to the government head.

The government is also prioritising energy demand in the country’s southwest. Rahman said work is under way on proposals to urgently establish two additional floating LNG terminals in the areas of Payra and Mongla ports. He said the planned terminals are intended to meet southwestern energy needs and could improve national energy supplies while substantially reducing gas shortages.

Critical minerals are emerging as a new form of strategic power in the 21st-century economy, technology and geopolitics, according to an article by researcher Anubha Mishra published on August 31, 2026. Lithium, cobalt, nickel, graphite, rare earths, copper, gallium and germanium are increasingly essential for electric vehicles, renewable energy, semiconductors, defence technology and digital infrastructure.

The article argues that mineral reserves alone do not ensure strategic strength. Countries also need capacity for extraction, processing, separation, refining, component manufacturing and recycling. China is cited as an important example because of its investments in mines, processing, refining and manufacturing, particularly in rare-earth processing and battery materials. Recent restrictions on exports of selected critical minerals also show how supply chains can be used as part of state strategy.

For India, rising ambitions in electric vehicles, renewable energy, semiconductors, defence modernisation and telecommunications will require substantial mineral supplies. The country has launched initiatives including a critical-minerals list, expanded exploration, commercial mining and a national mission. The article also stresses international partnerships, environmental safeguards, local participation, recycling, alternative materials and research into new battery technologies.

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman announced that the national parliament’s electricity system will become fully dependent on solar power within the next few months. He made the announcement on Wednesday while speaking in parliament as leader of the House, addressing the Speaker.

The prime minister said the planned transition would help address the current energy crisis and substantially expand the use of renewable energy. He presented the move as part of an effort to increase reliance on solar energy at the national parliament.

He also said the current government has taken various effective steps to generate public interest in tackling the energy crisis and increasing renewable-energy use. The source did not provide further details on the project’s implementation, cost, capacity, or specific timeline beyond the coming months.

Severe and sudden erosion along the Padma River has struck the West Gaondia area of Lauhajang upazila in Munshiganj, placing homes, roads, social institutions and cropland at risk. Strong winds, rain, rising river water, powerful currents and whirlpools reportedly displaced geobags near a riverbank protection project, worsening the erosion. About 100 riverside families are spending sleepless nights fearing the loss of their homesteads.

Residents began moving houses and livestock to safer places as the bank collapsed. Locals said erosion began on Monday and that roughly 200 feet of riverside land disappeared into the river within several hours. Union Parishad member Tobarak Dhali said the area, dry in the morning, had become more than 30 hands deep after the erosion.

Residents said previously placed geobags had shifted in the strong current and whirlpools, and called for urgent new geobags as well as permanent blocks along the bank. Water Development Board sub-assistant engineer Md Shahadat Hossain said sand-filled geobags were being placed at the site. Lauhajang UNO Farzana Bobby Mitu inspected the area on Tuesday morning and said measures involving geobags and blocks were being considered.

A devastating flood on the Nepal-China border on August 26 has renewed calls for rapid, regular sharing of environmental and disaster-risk information across Himalayan borders. The event began when a glacier and a large mass of rock collapsed from about 5,200 metres, sending ice, rock, mud and water into the Lende Khola before spreading through the Bhotekoshi and Trishuli river systems.

Water levels rose by several metres within a short time, damaging settlements, roads, bridges and hydropower infrastructure. The impact also reached Tibet’s important Gyirong trade and border areas. Analysts say climate change is making glaciers, snow and mountain terrain less stable, while stressing that scientists are cautious about attributing any single glacier collapse solely to climate change.

The article urges stronger early-warning systems using satellites, seismic sensors, drones, river gauges and computer models, alongside alerts for local communities. Nepalese officials cited limited high-altitude weather stations and constraints on cross-border information exchange, while China said information had been shared on time. Nepal and China had discussed joint monitoring and risk identification in May.

Four of five railway stations in Mirsharai, Chattogram, have remained closed for years, while no intercity train stops in the upazila despite expanding industry, employment, business and tourism. Chinki Astana is the only operating station, and it is served only by two local and mail trains. The other closed stations are Nizam Pur, Barotakia, Mirsharai and Mastannagar.

Assistant Station Master Md Jahangir Alam said the stations were busy nearly two decades ago, but became inactive and insecure after train stops were withdrawn. He said much property has been encroached upon and abandoned buildings have become gathering places for drug users. Resident Nizam Uddin said rail travel could offer substantially lower fares than buses for trips to Chattogram and Dhaka, benefiting workers and students if local or Mirsharai Commuter services run morning and evening.

Industry is expanding around the National Economic Zone and BEPZA Economic Zone, increasing demand for reliable rail links. Local representatives and officials called for reopening stations and adding intercity stops, including for tourism destinations. Railway official Asif Khan Chowdhury said higher authorities should assess why intercity service is absent and take necessary action.

The Bangladesh government has raised the price of bottled soybean oil by Tk5 per litre, setting the new retail price at Tk204 from Tk199. Commerce Secretary Md Ataur Rahman Khan announced the adjustment at a media briefing in his office at the Commerce Ministry Secretariat on Wednesday afternoon.

The secretary said the adjustment was prompted by higher international transport costs and geopolitical conditions in the Middle East. The change currently applies only to bottled soybean oil; no decision has been made to alter prices of palm oil or any other edible oil.

According to the secretary, the edible oil traders’ association had long discussed a price increase with the government. The Bangladesh Trade and Tariff Commission gathered data from Bangladesh Bank, the National Board of Revenue and other sources, finding an impact that could support an increase of up to Tk10. The government limited the rise to Tk5, citing consumers’ purchasing capacity. Importers and traders assured authorities that normal supply would continue ahead of Ramadan without any artificial shortage.

Fifty-nine members of five pirate groups active in the Sundarbans surrendered to Bangladesh’s Rapid Action Battalion on August 31, according to RAB Forces Director General Md Ahsan Habib Palash. At a Wednesday news conference at RAB-6 headquarters, he said follow-up raids at hideouts and forest locations recovered 59 firearms, 541 live rounds, 14 spent cartridges and seven walkie-talkies.

The surrendering members included 16 from the Boro Jahangir group, 13 from the Anarul group, 15 from the Afzal alias Dulabhai group, eight from the Aftab group and seven from the Mizan group. RAB said the recoveries during three days of searches included four shotguns, 47 one-shooter guns, four pipe guns, three air guns and one .22-bore rifle.

RAB said its Operation Restore Peace in Sundarbans, involving the Coast Guard, local administration, naval police and Forest Department, has continued since March 2. The agency said the surrender came a day before the forest reopened on September 1 after a three-month closure, and urged remaining pirates to surrender or face legal action.

Nepal’s Foreign Minister Shishir Khanal said rapid Himalayan glacier melt is threatening water security not only in Nepal but across South Asia. Speaking recently to the media, he said China, the United States and India, described as major greenhouse-gas emitters, have a historical responsibility to compensate climate-vulnerable countries such as Nepal.

Nepal has requested emergency financial assistance from the UN-led Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage. The country is seeking money for immediate relief, rehabilitation and reconstruction after floods hit Rasuwa, Nuwakot and nearby areas particularly hard. Several hydropower projects have been disrupted, workers remain missing, and rescue operations have been complicated by rugged terrain, debris and damaged roads.

The government’s preliminary assessment indicates rebuilding damaged infrastructure could require several billion dollars, while the finance minister had previously put reconstruction costs at $4 billion to $5 billion. USGS said the August 26 disaster began with a rapid slope collapse that triggered a destructive debris flow and flooding. Nepal plans to raise its case more strongly at international climate conferences and UN forums, calling for equitable financing for climate-related losses.

President Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir called for a review and simplification of the existing US visa bond system for Bangladeshi businesspeople and genuine tourists. He made the request on Wednesday at Bangabhaban during a courtesy meeting with US Ambassador to Bangladesh Brent T. Christensen.

The president sought increased US investment and cooperation in agriculture, recalling past support for the Bangladesh Rice Research Institute and Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute. He also requested greater American investment in energy, noting Chevron’s investment and important role, and highlighted opportunities in information technology, infrastructure, health and high-technology industries, with emphasis on technology and skills transfer.

On the Rohingya crisis, the president said continued US support was needed to ensure safe, dignified and sustainable repatriation to their home country. The ambassador assured continued support and stressed stronger cooperation among ASEAN countries. They also discussed a bilateral trade agreement, which the president described as progress while saying it could be made more balanced and mutually beneficial. The ambassador reaffirmed US interest in deepening relations with Bangladesh.