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.

Iceland is holding a referendum on Saturday on whether to reopen talks on joining the European Union, as US President Donald Trump’s aggressive stance on Greenland heightens Arctic security concerns. The vote in the Nordic country of about 400,000 people concerns restarting negotiations rather than immediate EU membership. A Gallup survey found 51.5% of decided voters supported renewed talks, while 48.5% opposed them.

Iceland applied to join the EU in 2009 after the global financial crisis, but a later centre-right government suspended the process over concerns about sovereignty and control of fishing waters. Prime Minister Kristrún Frostadóttir says voters can support talks without committing to membership, arguing that negotiations would reveal what terms the EU could offer. She cites potential investment stability, eurozone access, agricultural support, infrastructure loans and research links.

Opponents, including Independence Party leader Guðrún Hafsteinsdóttir, warn that EU membership could weaken national control over resources and fishing grounds. Iceland has no military or defence ministry but belongs to NATO, the European Economic Area and Schengen. A yes vote would begin membership negotiations, which Iceland’s foreign minister estimates could take about 18 months, followed by another national referendum on final accession.

Export-oriented garment factories in Fatullah, Narayanganj, are facing major production disruptions amid a severe nationwide gas crisis. Industry sources say output at many factories has fallen by nearly half because low gas pressure is preventing timely supply of dyed fabric. Of 256 garment factories in the Fatullah BSCIC industrial area, 122 have closed over the past two years, while most of the remaining 134 are affected by the shortage.

Factory owners say July to December is the period when foreign buyers place the highest volume of orders, supporting production in subsequent months. However, they report that many buyers are not placing new orders because of the ongoing disruption. BKMEA President Mohammad Hatem said garment, knitting, dyeing and textile operations form one production chain, meaning gas supply interruptions can halt the entire cycle.

A July 26 Titas Gas directive stopped cascade CNG supplies for non-vehicle use, removing an alternative that some factories had used to operate boilers. Owners warn of uncertainty over worker wage payments, higher production costs, lower exports and reduced competitiveness. Hatem said Bangladesh could lose $1.5 billion in exports if the crisis continues.

Bangladeshi youths continue attempting irregular sea crossings from Libya to Italy or Greece despite deaths, disappearances, abuse and extortion, the report says. In March, at least 18 Bangladeshis died while travelling from Libya toward Greece, including 12 from Sunamganj. On August 3, a boat carrying 42 people, including 38 Bangladeshis, left Libya for Greece; 10 people, including nine Bangladeshis, died after the vessel broke down and ran out of fuel.

Survivors reached Egypt's Marsa Matruh coast on August 13 after nearly 10 days at sea, and police took them for hospital treatment. Families described paying brokers millions of taka and losing contact with relatives during the journey. Frontex data cited in the report show 20,259 Bangladeshis entered Europe across the Mediterranean in 2025, while 4,249 reached Italy and 3,608 reached Greece from Libya in the first half of 2026.

IOM data recorded at least 1,329 Bangladeshi deaths and 859 disappearances on nine irregular migration routes between 2015 and 2025. Migration expert Asif Munir called for awareness campaigns, law enforcement and international coordination. Expatriates' Welfare Minister Ariful Haque Chowdhury said action was being planned against trafficking networks, alongside a month-long awareness campaign in several districts.

Rangpur Metropolitan Police’s new commissioner Mahbubur Rashid said police are working to complete investigations into prominent and sensational cases quickly and submit chargesheets to ensure justice. He made the remarks on Friday afternoon after visiting the home of retired Rangpur Zilla School teacher Ganapati Chakraborty in Daspara, eight days after the killings. Rashid joined as commissioner of Rangpur Metropolitan Police on Thursday.

The commissioner said narcotics are not only a problem for Rangpur but a social scourge across the country. He said visible operations and activities against drugs would be seen within the next week. Police would work with public cooperation to develop Rangpur into a city of peace, security and good governance, he added.

On the night of August 20, police recovered the bodies of Ganapati Chakraborty, his wife Pritilata Chakraborty, daughter Agami Chakraborty and son Ayus Chakraborty from their home in Machhuapara. Police said all four were strangled. Ganapati’s elder brother Gopinath Chakraborty filed a murder case, and police later arrested Mugdha Das and Siddhartha Das.

Keraniganj in Dhaka has gone without gas for seven days, leaving household stoves unusable and forcing industrial establishments and factories to close, according to the report. The prolonged disruption has increased reliance on electricity and LPG cylinders, while shortages of cylinders have also been reported in several parts of the area. The situation was observed on Thursday at Titas Gas Zone-5’s Jinjira office, where residents were gathering daily to demand service.

Residents said gas shortages have persisted in Keraniganj throughout the year, but supply has been completely absent for the past week. They alleged that illegal customers outnumber legal Titas subscribers after new legal connections were halted in 2016. The report said operations of 5,673 industrial customers have stopped. A former local women’s wing leader said residents across nine unions were using electric stoves, LPG, firewood or restaurant food, and blamed the government for the crisis.

The government-set price for a 12-kilogram private LPG cylinder is Tk1,598, but cylinders were reportedly selling for Tk1,800 to Tk2,000 in several areas. Titas manager engineer Bidhan Chandra Maitra said pressure on the Keraniganj gas line had fallen to 2, compared with usual household pressure levels, preventing supply. He also cited possible burner, regulator, pipe, leak, water and low-pressure problems, and said numerous illegal lines exist.

Emergency repairs to a crack and large pothole near Ashariar Char Bridge in Narayanganj triggered severe congestion on the Dhaka-Chattogram Highway on Friday. With one Dhaka-bound lane closed from Friday dawn until Saturday dawn, the traffic jam spread about 40 kilometres, from Ashariar Char to Elliotগঞ্জ in Cumilla, by around 2am.

Long-distance bus passengers, drivers and freight workers faced major disruption, with some passengers reporting they had been stuck in one place for nearly five hours. A passenger named Nur Mohammad, travelling from Feni to his workplace in Dhaka, said he had been stranded in the Gazaria area for more than three hours and was suffering discomfort in the heat. Sick people, women, children and elderly passengers were among those facing particular hardship.

Roads and Highways Department officials said recent heavy rainfall had created potholes at several points on the highway, creating risks and disrupting vehicle movement. Divisional Engineer Al Razi said micro-concrete had been poured over a pothole spanning about five metres and would need at least 24 hours to harden. Highway police said they were working to control the congestion.