Saturday, Aug 29, 2026

• Malaysia will send at least 1,500 Rohingya refugees back to Myanmar on September 29 under a voluntary repatriation deal Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim struck with Myanmar's military-backed government, despite human rights groups' concerns about safety on return. (Al Jazeera)
• Thousands of Indonesians marched on parliament in Jakarta demanding tougher penalties for corrupt officials and passage of a stalled asset-seizure bill; the protest, on the anniversary of last year's antigovernment riots, saw police deploy tear gas and water cannon. (Al Jazeera)
• Singapore's plan to clear roughly 25 hectares of the Maju and Gillman forests for housing has drawn rare public opposition in the tightly controlled city-state, with a petition topping 60,000 signatures and a rally of more than 2,000 people; officials say they will now preserve more green space than originally planned. (Al Jazeera)
• Former Malaysian Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob was charged with failing to declare about $40m in assets to the country's anti-corruption agency; he pleaded not guilty and was released on bail, becoming the third recent former Malaysian premier to face corruption-related prosecution. (Al Jazeera)
• Pakistan signed a new defence agreement with Kuwait, part of what Al Jazeera describes as Islamabad's expanding defence ties across the Middle East. (Al Jazeera)

• The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has become the fastest-spreading on record, now affecting 60 health zones after spreading to two new areas in North Kivu province; Al Jazeera cites 5,794 confirmed cases and 2,786 deaths, with fatality rates above 69 percent in some regions. The DRC has also begun vaccinating front-line health workers, starting in Kisangani, though the vaccine in use is licensed for a different Ebola strain and its effectiveness against the Bundibugyo strain circulating now has not been established. (Al Jazeera)
• Ghana faces a $78.2m health-funding shortfall after the suspension of United States (US) aid programmes, putting at risk gains from its malaria vaccine rollout and threatening cold-chain equipment and outreach services for child immunisation. (Al Jazeera)
• Kenyan police fired tear gas at small-scale traders protesting a new import duty increase in central Nairobi, forcing hundreds of businesses to shut; merchants say the measure will disproportionately hurt small importers already squeezed by rising costs. (Al Jazeera)
• An armed raid on a cattle camp in northwest South Sudan killed at least 49 people and wounded 33; local officials blame an armed cross-border criminal network fighting over grazing land and water, and note the attack came three weeks after a similar raid killed 60 people in the same area. (Al Jazeera)
• Chad accused Sudan's army of an air strike near their shared border that killed at least 12 people at a fuel market allegedly used by Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) to refuel. (Al Jazeera)
• A Dutch court sentenced a Rwandan man, identified as Eugene N., to life in prison for genocide and war crimes for directing attackers in a 1994 stadium massacre in Mbazi that killed an estimated 3,000 Tutsis. (Al Jazeera)
• Zambian opposition leader Brian Mundubile, who won about 38 percent of the vote in the August 13 presidential election, is being questioned by police over treason allegations as President Hakainde Hichilema prepares for his second-term inauguration. (Al Jazeera)

• Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella announced a deportation campaign targeting undocumented migrants, a policy expected to primarily affect the roughly 2.8 million Venezuelans in the country; opposition leaders and migrant advocates call it xenophobic and a reversal of previous integration policies. (Al Jazeera)
• The Trump administration is reportedly nearing a deal to secure a long-term US stake in Venezuelan oil fields through American development of select fields, according to people familiar with the negotiations cited by Al Jazeera. (Al Jazeera)
• Haiti's national police faced public criticism over their response after a gang attack on the Kenscoff hillside community near Port-au-Prince killed 47 people and led to more than 50 kidnappings; officials gave few details on their response strategy, and roughly 70 percent of the capital remains under gang control. (Al Jazeera)
• Brazil filed a $97m lawsuit against Discord alleging the platform failed to protect children, following the death by suicide of a 13-year-old girl during a livestream on the platform in July. (Al Jazeera)

• An Israeli drone strike in Jenin in the occupied West Bank killed three Palestinians, the first Israeli air strike in the West Bank since February 2025; the military said one of those killed was a Hamas operative. (Al Jazeera)
• Israeli strikes across Gaza killed at least five Palestinians, including three members of one family in Khan Younis, despite the ongoing ceasefire; Al Jazeera reports nearly half of surveyed Gaza residents said they had gone to bed hungry at least once in the previous 30 days. (Al Jazeera)
• Nikolay Mladenov, the Board of Peace's high representative for Gaza, warned that failure by either Israel or the Palestinians to uphold the ceasefire "roadmap" could cause it to collapse, as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has publicly rejected the plan despite Hamas's acceptance of it. (Al Jazeera)
• Israeli restrictions on cash entering Gaza, combined with damage to banks and ATMs, have created a "cash famine" that is forcing Palestinians onto unreliable digital payment systems dependent on unstable internet access. (Al Jazeera)
• Qatar's Minister of State Mohammed al-Khulaifi visited eastern Libya to meet military commander Khalifa Haftar and pledge support for a recently agreed election pact meant to reunify Libya's rival governments in Tripoli and the east. (Al Jazeera)

• Norway's King Harald V, Europe's oldest reigning monarch, died at 89 following hospitalisation for haemolytic anaemia; his son automatically succeeds him as King Haakon VIII after Harald's 35-year reign. (Al Jazeera)
• Anti-migrant demonstrators in Spain's Ceuta burned tents used to shelter migrants and blocked a Red Cross convoy delivering food and water, demanding the deportation of recently arrived migrants. (Al Jazeera)
• Ratko Mladic, the former Bosnian Serb general convicted of orchestrating the Srebrenica genocide, died in custody in The Hague at 84 while serving a life sentence; Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic criticised the United Nations (UN) court for having denied Mladic's earlier request for release on medical grounds. (Al Jazeera)
• An Al Jazeera investigation found that at least 17 companies tied to illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, including subsidiaries of Motorola Solutions and Heidelberg Materials, hold over £2.1bn in United Kingdom (UK) public contracts, which legal experts say may put Britain in breach of its international obligations. (Al Jazeera)
• Seven Palestine Action activists were charged with malicious damage carrying a "terrorist connection" after spray-painting pro-Gaza messages at Donald Trump's Turnberry golf resort in Scotland last year; an initial hearing is scheduled for August 31 at Glasgow's High Court. (Al Jazeera)

• A US federal judge rejected, for the third time, President Trump's bid to move his New York hush-money criminal case to federal court, ruling his arguments "neither new nor legally sufficient"; his legal team plans to appeal. (Al Jazeera)
• A federal judge declined to block President Trump's new executive order restricting birthright citizenship while the case proceeds, though the judge voiced concern about the measure; it follows the Supreme Court's rejection of Trump's earlier, similar 2025 order. (Al Jazeera)
• Walmart settled with the US Department of Justice over allegations its pharmacies unlawfully dispensed opioids in violation of the Controlled Substances Act; the company called the settlement amount "immaterial" and admitted no liability. (Al Jazeera)
• Thousands rallied in Washington, DC for the "Defend the Vote" march marking the 63rd anniversary of the 1963 March on Washington, protesting voting restrictions and redistricting ahead of November's midterms; speakers included Senator Bernie Sanders and Reverend Al Sharpton. (Al Jazeera)
• US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) signed a no-bid $16.7m contract for 6,000 pairs of electric-shock gloves for use in arrests and civil disturbances; the American Civil Liberties Union warned the purchase risks "more harm to the public and less accountability." (Al Jazeera)
• British far-right commentator Milo Yiannopoulos was detained by ICE at a New Orleans airport after allegedly overstaying his visa since 2019; an immigration judge had already ordered his removal in July after he failed to appear for a hearing. (Al Jazeera)
• Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh said at Jackson Hole that inflation progress remains insufficient, with the Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) price index running at 3.7 percent annually, and signalled the Fed may still need to raise rates; markets now put the odds of a September rate hike at 57.4 percent, according to Al Jazeera. (Al Jazeera)
• The US-Canada trade war has escalated to mutual 50 percent tariffs on $20bn in goods; economists cited by Al Jazeera warn Canada could lose over 100,000 jobs and face a recession if the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) is terminated, with the auto sector especially exposed. (Al Jazeera)
• The US Department of Justice revised earlier statements about a Chinese-linked hacking campaign, clarifying that while the Senate and Federal Reserve were among the targets, not all targeted agencies were actually breached. (Al Jazeera)

• Dhaka's state minister for foreign affairs asked Qatar to prioritise liquefied natural gas deliveries to Bangladesh once shipping through the Strait of Hormuz resumes, raising the request on the sidelines of the 23rd Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Extraordinary Council of Foreign Ministers meeting in Jeddah. (The Daily Star)
• Power generation was disrupted at 62 plants amid an ongoing gas and fuel crunch, pushing load-shedding into Dhaka itself; supply is falling well short of the roughly 16,946 megawatts needed at peak demand. (Prothom Alo)
• With gas supply unreliable, electric cookers are reportedly flying off shelves as households switch away from gas stoves. (The Daily Star)
• A government study by the Urban Development Directorate found Dhaka has lost 83 percent of its surface water over 250 years, shrinking from about 383 square kilometres in 1776 to just 64 square kilometres in 2025, driven by unregulated landfilling and encroachment. (The Daily Star)
• Students at Char Karfarma Government Primary School in Galachipa, Patuakhali, must swim across five canals each day to reach class because their char has no road access, a situation local officials have pledged to address. (The Daily Star)
• The opening day of Parliament's third session turned heated after Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed's remarks angered opposition lawmakers; the Speaker said attempts to stop others from speaking were "not a good sign for parliament." (Prothom Alo)
• Bangladesh and Saudi Arabia reaffirmed a commitment to strengthen bilateral ties after a meeting between a Bangladeshi state minister and Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud at the Jeddah OIC gathering, where a letter from Bangladesh's prime minister was delivered to the Saudi crown prince. (Prothom Alo)
• UK Home Office data showed 2,578 Bangladeshi nationals filed asylum claims in the first half of 2026, declining from 1,483 in the first quarter to 1,095 in the second; about 77 percent of claimants were aged 18 to 49. (Prothom Alo)

• Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar warned that any attempt to deny Pakistan its share of water under the Indus Waters Treaty would have "profound consequences for regional peace and security," calling the 1960 treaty "valid, binding and fully operative" despite India's April 2025 move to hold it in abeyance. (Dawn)
• The government cut petrol prices by 0.58 rupees and high-speed diesel by 0.17 rupees per litre for August 29-31, putting petrol at 342.02 rupees and diesel at 371.44 rupees per litre. (Dawn)
• Barrister Syed Iftikhar Ali Gillani of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz was sworn in as prime minister of Azad Jammu and Kashmir after winning 30 of 44 votes, pledging to focus on employment, education and healthcare. (Dawn)
• In Senate proceedings over Wednesday's fire at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences that killed 14 infants, Health Minister Mustafa Kamal said "no one will be spared" and called for broader health-sector reform, citing a figure of 1,300 children dying of preventable causes nationwide each day. (Dawn)

• The Bhotekoshi/Rasuwa flood disaster in neighbouring Nepal (see South Asia: Nepal, below) prompted President Anura Kumara Dissanayake to direct 1 million US dollars in humanitarian assistance for flood relief. (News First)
• President Dissanayake said a Central Highlands Protection Authority Bill will go before Parliament by year-end or early 2027 to consolidate environmental oversight of the region, and that future agreements with plantation companies, the current ones expire in 2042, will include new clauses protecting estate community rights. (Daily Mirror; News First)
• Sarath Manamendra, leader of the Nava Sihala Urumaya party, filed a Supreme Court petition arguing the proposed 22nd Constitutional Amendment does not require a public referendum because it is not inconsistent with the constitution. (Daily Mirror)
• The Government Pharmacists' Association announced a one-day strike from 8 a.m. on August 31 over an unresolved "additional service allowance" dispute. (Daily Mirror)
• The Port of Colombo climbed six places to 20th globally in Alphaliner's first-half 2026 container port rankings, handling 4.44 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs), an 11.9 percent year-on-year rise, as competitors including Dubai's Jebel Ali fell amid regional disruptions. (News First)
• Sri Lanka's Illegal Assets Investigation Division froze properties worth more than 70 million rupees, including land and a tea estate in Matale, linked to remanded drug trafficker Naufer Jesudasan. (News First)
• Authorities warned of intensifying heat and drought through September 7 as the sun sits directly overhead; El Niño conditions have now affected 84,546 people, with the Kantale reservoir down to 30.2 percent capacity and vegetable prices expected to rise. (News First)
• Sri Lanka's navy commander, Vice Admiral Damian Fernando, met Indian Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh in New Delhi to review progress under the two countries' Bilateral Defence Cooperation Plan. (News First)

• The death toll from the Bhotekoshi flood that struck Rasuwa district on Wednesday reached 538 by day three, with about 977 people still missing, including 517 foreigners; officials also flagged the risk of a second surge from a barrier lake on the Chinese border. Figures are still being revised as recovery continues. (The Kathmandu Post)
• Scientists said the disaster was triggered by a glacier and bedrock collapse of 100 to 200 million cubic metres at high altitude that dammed the Lhende Khola river; the resulting seismic signal was revised from magnitude 4.4 to 5.2 before the dam burst and sent floodwater hundreds of kilometres downstream. (The Kathmandu Post)
• After initially declining international help, Nepal reversed course under diplomatic pressure and agreed to accept expert teams from India, China, Australia and South Korea for tunnel rescues at hydropower sites and for DNA and forensic identification of bodies; Indian nationals account for the largest share of the missing, at 178. (The Kathmandu Post)
• Hospital morgues in Chitwan and Pokhara are overwhelmed, with 137 bodies recovered in Chitwan alone by Thursday morning and an unused building converted into temporary storage for roughly 250 remains as recovery continues downstream in Nawalparasi East and Dhading. (The Kathmandu Post)
• The Prithvi Highway, a key supply route to Kathmandu, has been blocked since Wednesday's floods; vegetable arrivals at the capital's main market nearly halved from 771 tonnes to 477 tonnes, and the state Oil Corporation says its fuel reserves will last four to five days. (The Kathmandu Post)
• US President Donald Trump said Washington would provide "anything" Nepal needs after the flood, with the White House committing 500,000 US dollars in aid and deploying a disaster response adviser. (The Kathmandu Post)

• The 65-bed Gyaltsuen Jetsun Pema Mother and Child Hospital in Mongar is set for formal handover to the health ministry by September 10, after a 13-month delay, easing long travel times for families across eastern Bhutan. (Kuensel)
• Bhutanese pilgrims in Lhasa are safe and are being redirected to an alternative route to Nepal after flooding from the Nepal-Tibet disaster disrupted the Kyirong border crossing. (Kuensel)
• Over 70 participants from Bhutan, Japan, Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Sri Lanka took part in a "Makeathon" in Thimphu designing assistive technology with and for persons with disabilities. (Kuensel)

• The Meghalaya Legislative Assembly's five-day Autumn/Budget session adjourned sine die on August 28. Bills passed include the Official Languages Bill (giving Khasi and Garo full official-language status alongside English, replacing an April 27 ordinance), the Meghalaya Appropriation (No. III) Bill 2026, and amendment bills covering Goods and Services Tax, Value Added Tax, the Forest Authority, the Right to Public Services, and three university statutes. (The Shillong Times)
• A Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report tabled in the Assembly found the state has parked Rs 4,322.52 crore across 11 public sector undertakings through 2024-25 but earned just Rs 0.06 crore in returns that year (Rs 0.20 crore in dividend and interest against a state borrowing cost of 5.31 percent). The report found Meghalaya has no dividend policy and recommended a review of the public sector undertaking portfolio, including closure of unviable units. (The Shillong Times)
• Leader of Opposition Mukul Sangma criticised the government for not moving its own resolution on the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill 2026, which affects civil society organisations' foreign funding, and for leaving the issue to an Opposition private-members' resolution instead. The state has separately announced plans for a Foreign Contribution Regulation Act cell within the Home Department to assist local organisations; the amendment bill was referred to a Joint Parliamentary Committee on August 12 after pressure from the northeast. (The Shillong Times)
• Chief Minister Conrad Sangma declined in the House to give details on the row over Advocate General Amit Kumar, whose comments on a molestation allegation drew rallies from the Shillong Bar Association and the High Court of Meghalaya Bar Association demanding his removal; the chief minister cited the matter as sub judice. (Meghalaya Monitor)

• Health Minister Wailadmiki Shylla told the Assembly the state is targeting 95 percent institutional deliveries within three years, up from 65.6 percent in the latest National Family Health Survey (58.1 percent in the prior round); recent Health Management Information System data puts the current rate near 80-81 percent. Maternal deaths are reported down over 56 percent and infant deaths over 40 percent, with 170 transit homes set up under the Chief Minister's Save Motherhood Scheme. (The Shillong Times)
• The government is seeking Rs 2.37 crore in supplementary funding to cover salaries for 13 newly appointed Food Safety Officers and 21 contractual staff at the State Food Testing Laboratory, after national funding for lab staff was discontinued; the Assembly was separately told 116 samples tested over three years were found unsafe or substandard. (The Shillong Times)
• Tourism Minister Timothy D Shira told the Assembly that Rs 162 crore in tourism infrastructure funds remain unutilised, out of allocations including Rs 595.98 crore for Umiam, Rs 661.44 crore for Sohra, Rs 50.25 crore for Dawki-Shnongpdeng and Rs 37 crore for Nokrek, pointing to a gap between announced investment and on-ground execution. (The Shillong Times)
• Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma released the first instalment of the Umbrella Post-Matric Scholarship to 96,812 Scheduled Tribe students, using the Single Nodal Agency (SPARSH) mechanism for direct Reserve Bank of India-to-student-account transfers. (meghalaya.gov.in)
• The government launched the CM-IMPACT Read & Rise initiative aimed at foundational literacy, which the chief minister described as "one of the few initiatives of its kind in the entire country." (meghalaya.gov.in)

• East Jaintia Hills district (Khliehriat) opened applications under the Chief Minister's Youth Development Scheme for non-governmental organisations, clubs and Self Help Groups to run youth, adventure, awareness and cleaning-drive programmes, to be vetted by a District Level Screening Committee. (meghalaya.gov.in)

• Former Rajya Sabha member and National People's Party (NPP) founding member Dr W R Kharlukhi resigned without stating a reason. NPP state president Prestone Tynsong called it routine political movement rather than an "extraordinary incident," while acknowledging disappointment given Kharlukhi's founding role in the party. (The Shillong Times)

• Special Intensive Revision (SIR) hearings on electoral rolls in East Khasi Hills district are set to resume Monday, September 1. (The Shillong Times)

Government Innovation Lab (GIL) and State Capability Enhancement Project (SCEP): no fresh news on either today. Both run out of statecapability.org's own site, whose most recent posted activity update is from March 2026, and no coverage turned up on The Shillong Times, Meghalaya Monitor or Hub News either.

Sampath Kumar: no news in the last three days. He surfaces in searches only as Principal Secretary, Health and Family Welfare Department, Government of Meghalaya, with no recent activity attached.