The Trump administration has issued a memorandum imposing stricter restrictions on university approval of internships for international students in the United States. The memorandum, issued on August 24, warns that institutions could lose certification to enroll foreign students if they fail to comply with rules governing Curricular Practical Training, or CPT.

The memo says monitoring under Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Student and Exchange Visitor Program found an alarming increase in CPT approvals. Under existing rules, CPT is permitted only when it is an essential component of a student’s academic curriculum. The Department of Homeland Security said the rules themselves have not changed, but misuse of them will no longer be tolerated.

Following the memorandum, several universities have temporarily paused some internship applications. Berkeley, however, continues to process applications for internships that are required for degree completion. Rights advocates have voiced concern over free expression, academic freedom and due process amid broader pressure by the Trump administration on universities over policies and programs.

Bangladesh’s Meteorological Department has forecast temporary rain or thunderstorms and gusty to squally winds in 11 regions, with speeds reaching up to 60 kilometres per hour. The warning applies from 5 a.m. until noon on Saturday, 29 August, and was issued for inland river ports.

The affected regions are Mymensingh, Dhaka, Faridpur, Khulna, Barishal, Patuakhali, Cumilla, Noakhali, Chattogram, Cox’s Bazar and Sylhet. Winds from the south or southeast may blow at 45 to 60 kilometres per hour over these areas, according to the department’s advisory.

River ports in the relevant areas have been instructed to display local cautionary signal number 1 because of the potential for squally weather and rain. The advisory specifically cites the possibility of temporary rainfall or thunderstorms alongside the stronger winds during the stated period.

Mauritanian diplomat and former foreign minister Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed has been elected secretary-general of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation. He was chosen on Thursday during a special meeting of OIC foreign ministers in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The 66-year-old will succeed Chad’s Hissein Brahim Taha, whose term is formally due to end next November.

The special meeting also discussed Palestinian statehood and the recent situation in Jerusalem. The OIC works on major issues concerning the Muslim world, with Palestinian national rights and the status of Jerusalem among its principal concerns.

Ahmed served as Mauritania’s foreign minister from 2018 to 2022. Before that, he was the United Nations secretary-general’s special envoy for Yemen between 2015 and 2018 and worked with the UN Support Mission in Libya. He also held UN humanitarian coordination and UNFPA representative roles in Yemen from 2012 to 2014 and in Syria from 2008 to 2012. He speaks Arabic, French and English.

Uncertainty is growing over whether follow-up elections will be held on time for five student unions elected at Bangladesh’s public universities after the 2024 revolution. The terms of four unions at Dhaka, Jahangirnagar, Chittagong and Rajshahi universities end in September and October, while Jagannath University’s union term ends next January. Student leaders say university administrations have shown limited progress toward announcing new election schedules.

The student unions were revived after demands from general students and student organisations, and candidates backed by ইসলামী ছাত্রশিবির won most positions in the five elections. Leaders of the unions say they have pursued student services and campus improvements, but allege that administrative obstacles and lack of cooperation have hampered implementation. Student Dal says it supports regular union elections and expects to win future contests.

At Dhaka University, union representatives demanded an election schedule by September 12, while the vice-chancellor said a preliminary cell had been formed and a schedule would be announced soon. Elections at Shahjalal University remain stalled in court, while polls at BUET, Bangladesh Agricultural University and Begum Rokeya University face separate obstacles including political restrictions, constitutional disputes and administrative delays.

US President Donald Trump announced that Americans have secured majority control over more than 65 billion barrels of Venezuela’s proven oil reserves through private-sector partnerships. He said the arrangement could help US companies revive the OPEC member’s troubled energy industry while ensuring a new crude oil source for the US domestic market and potentially reducing fuel prices.

Trump provided no further details of the agreement. In a Truth Social post, he said Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had worked closely with Venezuela’s interim president, Delcy Rodriguez, under his direction. Trump said the arrangement required no spending by US taxpayers.

The announcement followed weeks of bilateral talks on granting US companies long-term access to specified Venezuelan oilfields and supplying the produced crude to the United States. Venezuelan officials are preparing to sign agreements next week allowing several US companies to conduct new oil exploration and production. Venezuela’s government welcomed the deal, saying it would increase the economy and public revenue. Despite holding the world’s largest oil resources, Venezuela currently produces only 1.25 million barrels daily because of prolonged underinvestment, mismanagement and US sanctions.

Six months after a US-Israeli war against Iran began on February 28, the source says Iran’s governing system remains intact despite extensive air strikes and heavy military damage. The report says Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and several senior officials were killed in the joint operation, while his son and successor, Seyyed Mojtaba Khamenei, was seriously injured. Washington has now shifted from military action to intensified economic pressure.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced “Operation Economic Outcast” on Monday, saying it aims to isolate Iran further and collapse its already damaged economy. Analysts cited in the report question whether additional sanctions can force Tehran to surrender, change behavior or face government collapse, particularly as Iran is already under thousands of sanctions. They also say Washington’s ultimate objective remains unclear.

The conflict is currently described as stalled, with neither side directly attacking the other and blockades around the Strait of Hormuz relatively eased, allowing some oil supplies to move. Iran and Oman are continuing talks over the strait, but Tehran remains unwilling to relinquish control. Experts warn that deepening economic pressure could instead increase risks of renewed military escalation.

Thursday’s Champions League draw determined opponents for 36 teams in the league phase, which will run from September 8 to January 28. The schedule has produced several high-profile meetings, including Real Madrid versus Inter Milan at the Santiago Bernabeu, Arsenal hosting Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain facing Barcelona, and Manchester City playing PSG.

Real Madrid will begin their campaign against Italian champions Inter while pursuing a 16th European title. Arsenal remain unbeaten against Real Madrid in Champions League matches, having won both legs of last season’s quarter-final. PSG, the previous champions, beat Barcelona 2-1 in last season’s league phase, while City hold four wins, two losses and one draw against the French club.

Other notable fixtures include Aston Villa against PSG at Villa Park, Manchester City versus Barcelona, Inter against Liverpool at San Siro, Liverpool against Atletico Madrid, Arsenal against Bayern Munich, and Manchester United against Bayern. United return to the competition after two seasons, with their Old Trafford meeting with Bayern carrying added historical significance.

The Bangladesh-India white-ball cricket series scheduled for September is now highly unlikely to take place as planned, although neither board has formally announced a postponement. The tour was due to begin with India’s arrival in Bangladesh on 28 August and included three one-day internationals and three Twenty20 matches in Dhaka and Chattogram. Bangladesh Cricket Board officials and a BCCI source cited by ANI said discussions are continuing on a possible move to January next year.

An unnamed BCB director said it was certain that the series would not be held in September, while stressing that a January arrangement was not final. The director said the matter largely depended on relations and goodwill between the two governments. A BCCI source said discussions with the Indian government were under way, while the BCB was also seeking a suitable window early next year.

The source says political tensions have contributed to uncertainty around the series. Communication between the boards continues, and BCB president Tamim Iqbal recently visited the BCCI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru. India last toured Bangladesh in December 2022, playing two Tests and three ODIs.

Bangladesh Agricultural University held a candlelight vigil and observed one minute of silence for people killed and affected by sudden floods and landslides in Nepal. The university’s International Desk organized the programme at Amtala beside the auditorium at 7pm on Friday. Nepali students, other international students and students from different faculties joined the event.

Participants lit candles in memory of those killed before observing silence for the victims, bereaved families and affected people. Nepali students expressed grief and concern over conditions in their country and called for humanitarian and financial support. Students Jaruri Pachai, Angel Gurung and Dibakas Kafle urged donations, fundraising and assistance for rescue and relief efforts.

International Desk Director Professor M. Ariful Islam said the university stood in solidarity with Nepal, particularly its Nepali students and their families. Student Affairs Adviser Professor Md Rafiqul Islam Sardar said it was not yet confirmed whether any students’ families had been directly affected. He said the university and relevant departments would stand by them for any needs.

Nepalese authorities are struggling to preserve and identify bodies recovered after devastating flooding in the Bhotekoshi River system, as hospital morgues run out of space and refrigeration capacity. Bodies swept from Rasuwa and Nuwakot have been recovered in districts including Chitwan, Tanahun and Nawalparasi. By 9:30 a.m. Thursday, officials said 137 bodies had been recovered along the Trishuli and Narayani rivers in Chitwan, where recovery operations were continuing.

Morgues in Nuwakot, Dhading and Nawalparasi have already filled, while Pokhara faces similar pressure after receiving 93 bodies over two days from nearby districts. Chitwan hospitals can hold only 30 to 50 bodies at once. Authorities are converting an abandoned building in Bharatpur into a temporary morgue with capacity for about 250 bodies, using air conditioning and dry ice supplied with support from industrial and business associations.

Police are collecting photographs, fingerprints, autopsy records and DNA samples before unidentified bodies are buried under the 2021 management guidelines. Officials plan to publish photographs of recognizable bodies to help families identify relatives. Authorities are coordinating with local government to select burial sites and expect to bury bodies that remain unidentified within one to two weeks.

Manchester City defeated Crystal Palace 4-1 away on Saturday, August 29, with Erling Haaland and Rayan Cherki each scoring twice. City controlled the Premier League match, holding 70 percent possession and recording nine shots on target, compared with Palace’s one. Haaland opened the scoring in the 17th minute from Antoine Semenyo’s cross, and Cherki doubled the lead in the 54th minute after receiving a pass from Phil Foden.

Palace reduced the deficit two minutes later when Yeremy Pino’s free-kick struck the crossbar and rebounded off City goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma into the net for an own goal. Their relief was brief, however, as Cherki scored again three minutes later with a powerful effort from outside the box that deflected past Dean Henderson.

Haaland completed the scoring in the 84th minute, finishing Foden’s pass with an angled shot. His two goals took his tally against Palace to nine in six matches, described as the Premier League record for most goals against a specific opponent. City remained top of the table with six points and two unbeaten matches, while Brighton, Brentford and Arsenal each had one win.

An Amardesh investigation alleges that insufficient water releases from India’s Ganges pushed the Padma River level at Hardinge Bridge below the threshold needed to operate the Ganges-Kapotaksha irrigation project in 2024. Pumps at the main station in Bheramara, Kushtia, were shut from February 19 until water levels rose above 4.5 metres in the last week of May, according to project and hydrology officials cited in the report.

The report says the public was told all three pumps had failed, although two were operational at the time. Project officials said pumping is not feasible below 4.5 metres because water must be drawn from 0.70 to 1.20 kilometres away, despite the pumps’ stated capability at 3.96 metres. One official described the earlier mechanical-failure explanation as an instructed rather than actual report.

The project serves 13 upazilas across Kushtia, Chuadanga, Jhenaidah and Magura. Officials and farmer representatives said the shutdown disrupted irrigation, lowered groundwater availability and caused severe water shortages and crop losses. The report says Bangladesh recorded dry-season levels below 4.5 metres in 23 of 30 years after the 1996 Farakka agreement.

Government colleges face persistent teacher shortages that are undermining efforts to improve educational quality, according to an article by a professor from Government Iqbal Memorial College in Daganbhuiyan, Feni. Many colleges have fewer teachers than approved posts, while key positions in some departments remain vacant for long periods. Teachers are often required to handle multiple courses alongside administrative, government and examination-related duties.

The article says increasing teacher numbers alone will not resolve the problem. It calls for regular professional training, research opportunities and wider exposure to modern teaching methods as artificial intelligence, digital technology and the fourth industrial revolution reshape education. It also identifies shortages of classrooms, laboratories, libraries and technology-based learning materials, with science students particularly constrained by limited practical and laboratory facilities.

Research opportunities and funding are described as highly limited in most government colleges, restricting research-oriented attitudes among teachers and students. The article also highlights student attendance, attention and self-discipline, as well as gaps between curricula and job-market needs. It recommends filling vacant posts quickly, upgrading infrastructure, expanding co-curricular activities and strengthening links between education and employment.

Bangladesh’s Health Sector Reform Commission has proposed creating a Bangladesh Health Commission to oversee the quality, scale and accountability of health services. The proposed body would supervise public health, hospital and diagnostic services, medical and allied education, staffing conditions, procurement complaints and financial and administrative accountability. It would oversee three directorates: hospital and diagnostic services, public health, and medical and allied education.

The commission recommends that the Health Commission report directly to the head of government and operate independently of the ministry, while implementation agencies remain separate from the oversight body. Its members would include specialists in public health, epidemiology, law, gender, economics, accounting, engineering, planning, clinical care, hospital management, nursing and paramedical services. The proposal received support in meetings with three political parties, three medical associations, representatives of nurses and paramedics, and students. A Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics survey found 72 percent of respondents supported the institutional framework.

The recommendations include a separate public health directorate, free universal primary health care, referral-based higher-level treatment, and stronger hospital support services. The commission also proposes allocating 5 percent of GDP to health care and introducing social health insurance for formal-sector workers.

A proposed Mecca Joint Defence Pact signed by Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan on August 7, 2026 has prompted debate over Bangladesh’s possible participation. The pact would treat an armed attack on one member as an attack on all members, though its military structure, decision-making, obligations and admission rules remain unclear. Bangladesh has not signed it. State Minister for Foreign Affairs Humayun Kabir said Dhaka views possible involvement in an economic or defence framework with the three countries positively, subject to national interests and changing global economic and trade realities.

The source says there is no confirmed public evidence that Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar specifically called Bangladesh’s entry into the pact dangerous. India’s official position was described as closely monitoring developments related to Bangladesh’s interest. India may view Pakistan’s membership as strategically sensitive, but the article argues that Bangladesh retains sovereign authority over its foreign and defence policy.

The article also urges Bangladesh not to make an emotional decision. It calls for publication of the full draft, parliamentary debate, expert assessment and review of economic effects. It says Dhaka should clarify whether membership could require involvement in external conflicts, troop deployments, or other automatic military commitments before reaching a final decision.