US Ambassador to Bangladesh Brent T. Christensen assured cooperation in Bangladesh’s infrastructure and renewable energy sectors during a courtesy meeting at the Secretariat on Monday with newly appointed Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Minister Dr Abdul Moin Khan. The discussion also covered prospects for US investment in these areas, according to State Minister Mir Shahe Alam.

Shahe Alam said Bangladesh proposed investment in several specific sectors under a public-private partnership model. Water supply and improved water management were among the priorities for which US cooperation was sought. The two sides also discussed opportunities for investment and cooperation in urban waste collection and management.

Renewable energy discussions placed particular emphasis on waste-to-energy projects, including the potential for investment in generating electricity from waste. Shahe Alam said the ambassador expressed satisfaction with several public welfare policies of the current government. Both sides agreed to deepen existing Bangladesh-US relations and advance them further, while the US representative welcomed the new cabinet and pledged that the two countries would work together.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced on Monday a worldwide economic pressure campaign against Iran, dubbed Operation Economic Outcast. He said the United States would seek to target Tehran’s revenue sources, including oil, and deter countries and companies from conducting business with Iran through the threat of secondary penalties.

Bessent described the initiative as “economic D-day” and said its objective was to sever economic support for Iran until Tehran is isolated. He warned countries and entities involved in transactions that turn Iranian oil into money that they could be targeted, saying no one was beyond the reach of US sanctions. He also said President Donald Trump had called world leaders with requests to end interaction with Iran.

The sanctions push comes nearly six months into a war involving Iran, the United States and Israel, according to the source. It said attacks and diplomacy have not resolved the crisis, while Tehran has responded with regional missile and drone attacks and asserted control over the Strait of Hormuz. US officials said the new measures would target digital assets, technology, gold, aviation and shipping.

Bihar Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary asked West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari to open all gates of the Farakka Barrage as Ganges water levels rise and flooding affects Bihar. Choudhary said he made the request during a telephone conversation with Adhikari on Sunday, according to a post on X.

Choudhary said opening the barrage gates would help normalize the Ganges flow and assist efforts to control Bihar’s flood situation. He said Adhikari assured him that prompt action would be taken, adding that Bihar’s safety was the state government’s highest priority.

Separately, JDU MP Sanjay Jha called for Bihar’s interests to be considered before renewal of the 1996 India-Bangladesh Ganges water-sharing treaty, which he said completes 30 years in December. The treaty governs dry-season water distribution at Farakka. India and Bangladesh share 54 rivers, while negotiations over Teesta water sharing have yet to produce an agreement.

Two brothers and members of their families fought over inherited land while their father’s body remained at their home in Sannyasgacha village of Keshabpur, Jashore, on Monday afternoon. The dispute left the two brothers and their wives injured, and all four were admitted to Keshabpur উপজেলা Health Complex.

Family sources said Abdul Khaleq, 75, died of old age on Monday morning. Before his burial, his sons Mahbubur Rahman, 52, and Achhabur, 45, became involved in an argument over the division of land left by their father. The confrontation escalated into a clash involving machetes and bamboo sticks.

Local residents and relatives intervened to settle the dispute, after which the situation calmed down. With assistance from people in the neighborhood, Khaleq was buried in the family graveyard. Keshabpur police station officer-in-charge Reksona Khatun said police went to the scene after receiving reports of the fight and later found the situation under control. A video of the incident circulated on social media.

BNP chairperson’s adviser Syed Moazzem Hossain Alal urged the government to give greater attention and care to gas, electricity and law-and-order conditions, describing them as acute national problems linked to unfinished work from the past. He made the remarks on Monday at the founding anniversary programme of the Janatar Odhikar Party at the Kazi Nazrul Islam Auditorium of the National Press Club.

Alal said he did not see a lack of sincerity in the government, but argued that coordination and internal coordination should be strengthened. He described Bangladesh as the motherland and said citizens have significant responsibilities toward it. He said the government was already paying attention to the three issues, while calling for more focus on them.

The BNP leader praised the prime minister’s simple lifestyle and said it had opened a new chapter in Bangladesh’s politics. He cited reduced official protocol, fewer vehicles, work on Fridays and Saturdays, and a donation of 10 percent of the prime ministerial allowance to the government’s zakat institution. Alal also called for scrutiny of people he described as remnants of past fascists in law enforcement, the secretariat, educational institutions and other public offices.

Police arrested Pallabi police station Assistant Sub-Inspector Md Shafiqul Islam, 43, and Wasim, 24, on allegations of drug dealing after recovering 5,310 yaba pills in raids in Uttara’s Azampur Kacha Bazar and Bismillah Palli areas. Southkhankhan police said the arrests were made on Sunday night, while the information was disclosed on Monday, August 24.

Acting on a tip-off about yaba sales, police searched Wasim as he tried to flee from Azampur Kacha Bazar and found 50 pills. Based on his information, officers raided a rented residence and arrested Shafiqul with 200 pills. A subsequent raid at a flat in Noor Building, house number 67, Bismillah Palli, recovered another 5,110 pills.

A case under the Narcotics Control Act was filed at Southkhankhan police station on Monday, naming the two detainees and two or three unidentified people. The court ordered the two men sent to jail. The case statement says they initially admitted bringing yaba from different parts of the country for sale in Southkhankhan and nearby areas. Pallabi police said Shafiqul had been serving there irregularly.

The football used by Diego Maradona to score two historic goals against England in the 1986 Mexico World Cup quarter-final has sold at auction for $3.355 million, or about Tk 410 million. Texas-based auction house Heritage Auctions recently sold the ball, an Adidas Azteca model associated with both the “Hand of God” goal and the goal later voted FIFA’s Goal of the Century.

The ball had been kept for 36 years by Ali Bin Nasser, the Tunisian referee of the match. Maradona’s first goal in the game became known as the “Hand of God,” while his second was recognized in a FIFA vote as the Goal of the Century. The two goals made the ball one of football history’s most discussed and controversial objects.

The ball was first sold in 2022 through Graham Budd Auctions for $2.37 million. It was offered again in 2023 but did not sell because its reserve price was not reached. Maradona’s shirt from the same match was sold for a record $9.3 million in 2022.

Dhaka University Central Students’ Union (DUCSU) has given the university administration 48 hours to meet five demands, including removal of the accused provost over alleged student abuse at Fazlul Huq Muslim Hall. DUCSU said it would begin a sit-in in front of the vice-chancellor’s office from Thursday if the demands are not met.

On Monday, August 24, DUCSU leaders met the university’s vice-chancellor, pro-vice-chancellor for administration and the proctorial body. The five-point demand letter was signed by DUCSU leaders and vice-presidents, general secretaries and assistant general secretaries of most hall unions. DUCSU Vice-President Sadik Kayem said action had been taken against the victim and students who protested, while no action had been taken against the accused provost.

The demands include legal action against the provost, withdrawal of show-cause notices issued to the victim and protesting students, publication of CCTV footage from the provost’s room, and investigation of attacks on protesters. They also seek publication of a committee report on an alleged attack on DUCSU, hall union and journalists’ association leaders at Shahbagh police station. Victim Ibrahim questioned the investigation committee’s fairness and said he was under mental trauma while taking examinations.

The Trump administration is moving to sharply raise fees for US H-1B visas for highly skilled foreign workers, with a proposed charge of $103,265. The Department of Homeland Security is preparing to publish the proposed rules, which appeared in the Federal Register on Monday. The plans also include a new fee for Optional Practical Training, or OPT, for F-1 students.

Immigration consulting firm Fragomen said the proposals would significantly increase the cost of employing foreign workers in the United States. Indian nationals could face the largest impact because they account for more than 70 percent of H-1B beneficiaries. USCIS data show that 399,402 H-1B applications were approved in 2024, with people of Indian origin comprising about 71 percent of beneficiaries.

Fragomen said an approximately $100,000 fee could also be proposed for OPT applicants. The OPT proposal was sent to the White House Office of Management and Budget for review on August 20, while a proposal covering certain H-1B applications reached the office on August 19. DHS has also proposed ending the existing 60-day grace period for H-1B workers who lose their jobs.

Dollar prices are declining in Bangladesh as supply exceeds demand, with the interbank rate falling by Tk1.24 over the past two weeks. On Monday, dollars traded at Tk122.56 in the interbank market, while banks sold cash dollars at Tk124. Money changers, however, said they want to buy each dollar at Tk125.50 and sell it at Tk126.50.

The Money Changers Association of Bangladesh made the request for this rate at a press conference on Monday. Association president MS Zaman said money changers mainly obtain dollars from returning expatriates and people bringing foreign currency from abroad. He said neither the central bank nor commercial banks supply foreign currency to money changers.

Zaman said money changers are blamed for market instability whenever the dollar rate rises, although they do not have the authority to control the foreign-exchange market. He also alleged that Bangladesh Bank treats them unfairly. According to him, Bangladeshis abroad can easily learn international dollar rates, making it unrealistic to expect them to sell their hard-earned foreign currency at lower prices.

Bangladesh’s women’s cricket team has completed preparations for two major international events, the Asia Cup and the Asian Games in Japan. The team will leave the country on Wednesday, captain Nigar Sultana Jyoti said at a press conference and official photoshoot at Mirpur Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium. Jyoti said the side’s main objective in the Asia Cup is to reach the final.

Bangladesh won its first continental title by defeating India in the 2018 Asia Cup final in Malaysia, but recent campaigns have been marked by exits at the semifinal stage. Jyoti said the team wants to break that pattern, adding that reaching the final would create an opportunity to win the title. For the Asian Games, she said the team’s first goal is to win a medal, with an effort to return home with gold.

The players held intensive training and several internal practice matches to adapt to tournament conditions. The Asia Cup will run from August 28 to September 13 at Dubai International Cricket Stadium in the United Arab Emirates. Bangladesh open against Indonesia on August 31, followed by Sri Lanka on September 6 and the UAE on September 8. The Asian Games run from September 19 to October 4 in Aichi and Nagoya, with some events beginning September 17.

Neymar Jr. delivered an influential all-round performance, but Santos drew 1-1 with Mirassol in a Brazilian Serie A match. The Brazilian star spent the full 90 minutes troubling the opposition defence with dribbles, passes and attacking creation, yet could not secure a victory for his side.

Playing as the main creative force rather than only a conventional striker, Neymar supplied the assist for Santos’ lone goal. He created six key passes, more than any other player in the match, made 37 dribbles over 338 metres, and touched the ball 98 times. In the opposition half, he completed 42 of 54 passes, a success rate of 79 percent.

Neymar also took seven shots, including three on target, but Mirassol’s goalkeeper and defence prevented him from scoring. Mirassol were reduced to 10 players late in the match after a red card, but Santos could not find a winner during seven minutes of added time. After returning from a long injury layoff, Neymar has six goals and three direct assists in 11 matches this season.

Police in the Jorarganj police station area of Mirsarai upazila, Chattogram, conducted anti-drug operations on Sunday and Monday and detained four drug users. A mobile court sentenced them in four cases to prison terms ranging from three days to one month. The court was led by Mirsarai Assistant Commissioner (Land) Tanvirul Kader.

Separately, police arrested two men, Mosharraf, 42, and Hasan, 34, in a criminal case. They were detained at 1:45am on Monday from the area beside the rail gate at Baraiyarhat Bazar. Police also arrested Md Ismail Hossain, 23, an accused wanted in a case under the নারী ও শিশু নির্যাতন দমন আইন.

Ismail Hossain was arrested from his home in the Geramara area of Jorarganj on the same night. Jorarganj police station Officer-in-Charge Abdul Halim said legal action had been taken against the arrested people and they were sent to jail through the court.

Bangladesh’s cabinet has given in-principle and final approval to the draft Armed Police Battalion Act, 2026, which proposes granting the Armed Police Battalion, or APBn, authority to investigate and conduct proceedings in criminal cases. The decision was made at a cabinet meeting at the Secretariat on Monday, chaired by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman. The law would take effect after parliamentary passage.

According to a Cabinet Division press release, the draft modernises and replaces The Armed Police Battalions Ordinance, 1979, while retaining provisions safeguarding actions taken under that ordinance. The proposed Bangla-language law was prepared to make the force more people-friendly and has been posted on the Home Ministry website for public opinion.

The APBn would operate under the control and supervision of an additional inspector general of police. Its duties include protecting public safety, VIPs and government-declared installations; acting against terrorism, drugs, human trafficking, rape and crimes against humanity; and assisting other law-enforcement agencies. The draft also proposes special and summary courts and related trial procedures, subject to legal vetting.

National University and Bangla Academy have initiated steps to sign a memorandum of understanding on co-publications, aiming to jointly develop, print, publish and market quality textbooks, translated works and other important publications. A joint meeting on the proposed agreement was held Monday at the Shaheed Munier Chowdhury Hall of Bangla Academy in the capital.

National University Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr A S M Amanullah, Pro-Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr Mohammad Ali Jinnah and Bangla Academy Director General Professor Mohammad Azam attended the meeting. Participants discussed different aspects of jointly publishing textbooks, translated books and other works under the co-publications programme, and decided the two institutions would also work together on printing, publishing and marketing.

Amanullah said ensuring quality and reliable textbooks for National University students was a key responsibility. He said cooperation with Bangla Academy could help publish better textbooks, translations and research-oriented books suited to students’ needs, while expanding knowledge practice and research in Bangla. The meeting expressed hope that collaboration would later broaden into education, research and other publishing fields.