Bangladesh is developing a standardized, evidence-based national framework to assess climate change-related loss and damage, including both economic and non-economic impacts. An interim workshop on the initiative was held Tuesday at the Department of Environment auditorium in Agargaon, Dhaka, under a project to formulate a National Framework for Loss and Damage of Bangladesh. The Bangladesh Climate Change Trust Fund is financing the project, while the Center for Environmental and Geographic Information Services is providing technical support.

The proposed framework will measure losses affecting livelihoods, health, education, culture and displacement alongside financial damage. Officials said Bangladesh previously had no standardized national method for assessing climate-related losses, leaving major non-economic impacts outside formal calculations. The government will own the framework, which is being designed using existing knowledge, data and institutional capacity.

Speakers stressed reliable data, institutional coordination, local participation and a strategy for climate finance. They said the framework could support evidence-based national planning and budget allocations, as well as post-disaster recovery. It is also expected to provide a reliable basis for Bangladesh to seek its fair share of international climate funding, including the Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage.

Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami’s Dhaka North unit has begun a weeklong cleanliness campaign in Ward 6, covering Rupnagar, Eastern Housing and extended Pallabi in Mirpur. The programme was inaugurated on Wednesday in Eastern Housing by Advocate Md Hasanul Banna Chapal, the party-nominated councillor candidate for Dhaka North City Corporation’s Ward 6.

Chapal said the initiative was taken under the direction of Selim Uddin, Jamaat’s nominated mayoral candidate for Dhaka city corporation and amir of the party’s Dhaka North unit. He urged the city corporation to perform its responsibilities properly, saying Jamaat had joined the effort despite not being in office out of civic, humanitarian and moral responsibility.

He called for participation from residents to build a clean, traffic-free and waterlogging-free ward, while stressing qualifications, competence, honesty and public-service commitment in choosing representatives. The campaign was attended by Rupnagar police station secretary Mosharraf Hossain Bhuiya, executive council member Latiful Kabir, Eastern Housing organisational ward president Hafez Mahbub and local residents and party activists. The special campaign runs from August 25 to 31.

Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister Ariful Haque Chowdhury said the government has initiated a plan to send 10,000 workers to Malaysia without any official cost. He made the announcement as chief guest at a discussion meeting on safe migration and preventing illegal overseas travel at the Sunamganj deputy commissioner’s conference room on Tuesday.

The information was published on the BNP media cell’s Facebook page. The minister stressed that workers need necessary training and language skills before going abroad, saying it is essential not only to send workers overseas but also to make them skilled.

He said there are plans to establish five training centres across Sunamganj’s five electoral areas. Elected representatives and the administration will need to work together to ensure trainers and trainees at those centres. He also called on prospective migrant workers to receive training in English, Arabic, Japanese, Chinese and Korean, and to travel abroad through legal channels after acquiring the required skills.

President Donald Trump has sent a proposed civil nuclear technology assistance agreement with Saudi Arabia to the US Congress for final review, while making its implementation conditional on Saudi normalization of relations with Israel. A senior US administration official, speaking anonymously to Reuters on Tuesday, said the agreement will not proceed unless Riyadh joins the US-mediated Abraham Accords and formally recognizes Israel.

The 30-year agreement was finalized in July and would allow US technology companies to help develop Saudi civilian nuclear infrastructure and export technology. Westinghouse, jointly owned by Canada-based Cameco and Brookfield Asset Management, is expected to benefit from a project worth tens of billions of dollars involving construction of US AP1000 nuclear reactors. The proposal was sent to lawmakers on Monday and is expected to reach the relevant committee on Wednesday.

Congress will have 90 session days to review the agreement. It will take effect automatically if Congress passes no objection or resolution, while Trump could veto a congressional rejection. Saudi Arabia says it will not recognize Israel until an irreversible and clear path toward an independent Palestinian state is ensured. Democratic lawmakers and non-proliferation analysts have raised concerns over the absence of a direct legal ban on uranium enrichment.

The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has announced a five-day programme to mark its 48th founding anniversary. Acting Secretary General Advocate Ruhul Kabir Rizvi Ahmed announced the activities on Wednesday afternoon after a joint meeting at the party’s central office in Nayapaltan, Dhaka.

On September 1, the anniversary day, BNP leaders will offer Fateha and place floral wreaths at the grave of party founder Shaheed President Ziaur Rahman at 9am. Party chairman Prime Minister Tarique Rahman is scheduled to attend. A special discussion meeting will be held on September 5 in connection with the anniversary.

The party will also organise nationwide tree-planting and fish-release programmes on convenient dates. BNP leader Habib Un Nabi Khan Sohel will inaugurate the fish-release programme, while Shahid Uddin Chowdhury Annie will lead the tree-planting initiative. Rizvi said Ziaur Rahman founded BNP with commitments to independence, sovereignty, security and democracy.

The Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and Industry said Bangladesh’s economic recovery process began in the April-June quarter of 2026, but warned that major pressures remain. In its report, “Bangladesh’s Economic Situation: April-June 2026,” MCCI said sustaining the recovery requires lower inflation, stronger private investment and credit flows, a healthier banking sector, and continued stability in the external sector.

MCCI identified inflation control, revival of export growth, increased private investment and lending, and addressing banking-sector weaknesses as the country’s principal challenges. Provisional GDP growth for fiscal year 2025-26 was 4.14%, up from 3.49% in the previous fiscal year, though the chamber said the rate remains below Bangladesh’s long-term potential. Overall inflation fell to 9.16% in June from 9.42% in May, while food inflation declined to 8.60%.

The report said remittances and foreign-exchange reserves provided notable relief, even as domestic strains persisted. Remittances reached $9.38 billion during April-June, and reserves rose to $37.58 billion at the end of June from $34.48 billion in May. June export earnings reached $4.19 billion, but total exports grew only 0.17% in the full fiscal year, reaching $48.38 billion.

Al Nassr came from two goals down to beat Al Ittifaq 3-2 in a Saudi Pro League match in Dammam, despite playing with 10 men from the 12th minute. Brazilian goalkeeper Bento was sent off directly for fouling an opposing player. Al Ittifaq then scored in the 31st minute and first-half stoppage time to take a 2-0 lead.

Cristiano Ronaldo, described as out of form, had a difficult first half, touching the ball only seven times and failing to register more than one shot on target. Coach Ange Postecoglou substituted the captain at the start of the second half, a decision the Portuguese star reportedly did not accept well.

The tactical change transformed Al Nassr's performance. Sadio Mane reduced the deficit in the 74th minute before Abdullah Al Amari equalised three minutes later. Mane scored again in stoppage time to secure the comeback. After the match, the coach said the team used a different second-half strategy and that players showed great courage. The result marked Al Nassr's third straight league win and strengthened their position at the top of the standings.

The Trump administration has temporarily suspended visa appointment scheduling for applicants worldwide as US embassies and consulates adjust services to accommodate a global training programme. A US State Department spokesperson announced the change on Tuesday, but the department did not say how long appointments would remain suspended or provide further details on the training.

The State Department said the programme is intended to help consular officers identify visa applicants who may become dependent on US government public benefits. It also aims to ensure that applicants are assessed comprehensively and consistently. Financial Times first reported that immigrant visa applicants with scheduled interviews at several US missions were informed by email that their appointments would be rescheduled, with new dates to be announced later.

The move follows broader immigration policy changes under President Donald Trump’s second term, including intensified action against illegal immigration and stricter treatment of legal immigration. A US judge last Friday struck down a policy that had suspended immigrant visas for citizens of 75 countries, including Bangladesh, ruling that Secretary of State Marco Rubio had exceeded his legal authority. Human rights groups have criticized the administration’s measures as discriminatory and harmful to free expression and due process.

US President Donald Trump has claimed that all sea mines laid by Iran in the Strait of Hormuz have been removed amid the war between the United States and Iran. In a Truth Social post on Tuesday, Trump said the US Navy searched the strategic waterway with support from US defence satellites and the Space Force, declaring it mine-free.

Trump warned Iran that the United States would apply a “zero tolerance” policy if mines were laid in Hormuz again. He said US forces had been ordered to destroy any warship or vessel sent there to lay mines. The 167-kilometre Strait of Hormuz lies between Iran and Oman and carries about one-fifth of global energy products.

According to the report, Tehran blocked foreign shipping in Hormuz after the war began on February 28, while the United States announced a blockade on Iranian seaports. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps placed more than a dozen mines in the strait. Trump announced mine-clearing operations in mid-March, and US forces deployed Littoral Combat Ships in mid-April. Defence officials had estimated the work could take about six months, but Trump said it was completed within four months.

Brazil’s data protection authority has fined TikTok parent ByteDance nearly $30 million for allegedly failing to adequately protect the personal data of children and teenagers. The decision is part of Brazil’s recent efforts to strengthen safeguards for minors on social media. Regulators said TikTok breached data protection law for both logged-in users and people browsing the platform as guests.

The authority said TikTok may have processed data from at least 8 million children and adolescents without sufficient safeguards or a valid legal basis. Its decision also cited structural weaknesses in the platform’s age-verification system. Regulators expressed particular concern about TikTok’s logged-out feed, which allows people to view videos and other content without creating an account or signing in.

ByteDance has been given 10 days to appeal the decision. Alongside the fine, TikTok was ordered to delete all unlawfully collected data and develop a more effective, coordinated framework to protect minors’ information. Brazilian authorities recently also ordered Discord to suspend live-streaming nationwide over concerns involving the online safety of children and teenagers.

Anjuman-e Rahmania Moinia Maizbhandaria and the Eid-e-Miladunnabi Celebration Council organized a colorful Jashne Julus rally in the capital to mark the holy Eid-e-Miladunnabi. The procession began after 11 a.m. on Wednesday from the south gate of Suhrawardy Udyan in Dhaka.

The rally travelled through Doel Chattar, the Education Building and in front of the Secretariat before returning to Suhrawardy Udyan. A peace grand rally was held at the venue after the procession concluded.

People entered the park in groups through different gates from the morning. Buses carrying attendees from various districts were stationed on Abdul Gani Road and nearby areas. Separate pandals were arranged for women and men on the southern side of the park. Rain in the morning left parts of the venue muddy, but participants gathered for the event despite the weather.

A farmer couple died after being electrocuted by an electric machine used to cut grass for cattle in Madhabpur village of Shailkupa upazila, Jhenaidah, on Wednesday morning. The victims were identified as Amarendra Nath Bhowmik, 72, and his wife Mina Bhowmik, 58, both residents of Madhabpur village.

According to local residents, Amarendra Nath was operating the electric grass-cutting machine in the cowshed at his home when he was electrocuted. Mina was seriously injured after attempting to rescue her husband when she saw him struggling from the electric shock.

Neighbours immediately disconnected the electricity supply and took the couple to the upazila health complex. Dr Asaduzzaman Joha, an emergency department physician at Shailkupa Upazila Health Complex, confirmed the incident and said both had died before they were brought to the hospital.

Dengue conditions are worsening across Bangladesh, raising public concern over the greater danger of a second infection, according to the source. The dengue virus has four serotypes: DEN-1, DEN-2, DEN-3 and DEN-4. A person infected with one type develops lifelong immunity only to that serotype, while remaining vulnerable to infection from the other three types.

DEN-2 had been the dominant serotype in the country for four years, but DEN-3 has been detected this year in Dhaka and several other areas. A second infection with a different serotype can trigger antibody-dependent enhancement, making severe complications more likely. These include haemorrhagic dengue, dengue shock syndrome, rapidly falling platelet levels and internal bleeding, with a substantially higher risk of death than in a first infection.

Warning signs described in the source include severe fever, intense body or abdominal pain, persistent vomiting, bleeding from the gums or nose, breathing difficulty and extreme fatigue. It advises medical consultation and NS1 and CBC tests within the first 24 to 48 hours of fever. Patients should use paracetamol only for fever and pain, avoid aspirin, ibuprofen and diclofenac, drink sufficient fluids, prevent standing water and use mosquito nets.

The article warns that frequent use of smartphones, tablets and television to calm or feed children may affect language, social communication, attention and overall development. It describes excessive screen dependence as being linked to what it calls “virtual autism,” while stressing that screens provide one-way communication and cannot replace conversation, play and direct interaction with parents and surroundings.

Warning signs listed include delayed speech, poor eye contact, not responding to one’s name, reluctance to socialise, limited joint attention, reduced play skills, difficulty understanding instructions and distress when screens are removed. The article cautions that these signs do not automatically mean screen use is responsible or that a child has autism, as hearing problems and other developmental factors may also be involved.

It recommends consulting a paediatric specialist or speech and language therapist for proper assessment. Citing World Health Organization guidance, it advises avoiding recreational screen use for children under two and limiting it to no more than one hour daily for children aged two to five, with active parental involvement. Parents are encouraged to talk, tell stories, play and include children in safe household activities.

Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed said all offenders in crimes reported during the BNP government’s first six months have been brought under the justice process. Speaking on Wednesday afternoon at a prayer and milad gathering outside the BNP central office in Nayapaltan, Dhaka, he also said suspects in the four-murder case in Rangpur were arrested within a reasonable time.

The event was organised to mark Eid-e-Miladunnabi (PBUH), where Ahmed attended as chief guest. He said the Bangladesh inherited after the 2024 student-public uprising required the government to consider public expectations, the rule of law and the overall law-and-order situation together.

Ahmed said the law-enforcement agencies inherited by the government had been operating in a disorderly situation. He said work is being carried out simultaneously to modernise the forces, raise their morale and encourage them to serve the public. According to the minister, police morale has returned during the six months since the government assumed responsibility.