Bangladesh

The fire gutted import cargo terminals areas at Dhaka airport, destroying an estimated $1bn of ‘urgent air shipments’.

A fire that decimated a cargo complex in Bangladesh’s largest airport has caused devastating losses to garment exporters during the peak export season.

The blaze – which ripped through the cargo import area of Dhaka’s Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport on Saturday afternoon – gutted storage areas holding huge quantities of raw materials, apparel and product samples belonging to exporters.

“We have witnessed a devastating scene inside,” said Faisal Samad, director of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA).

“The entire import section has been reduced to ashes,” he said, estimating losses could reach as high as $1bn.

Smoke continued to rise from the charred remains of the facility on Sunday as firefighters and airport officials assessed the damage.

Among the destroyed goods are “urgent air shipments”, including garments, raw materials, and product samples, added Inamul Haq Khan, senior vice-president of BGMEA.

He warned that the loss of samples could jeopardise future business in the country’s crucial garment industry, worth $47bn per year. “These samples are essential for securing new buyers and expanding orders. Losing them means our members may miss out on future opportunities,” he said.

Cause of blaze unclear

The airport cargo village that caught fire is one of Bangladesh’s busiest logistics hubs, handling more than 600 metric tons of dry cargo daily – a figure that doubles during the October to December peak season.

“Every day, around 200 to 250 factories send their products by air,” Khan said. “Given that scale, the financial impact is significant.”

The cause of the blaze has not yet been determined, and an investigation is under way.

The incident marks the third major fire reported in Bangladesh this week. A fire on Tuesday at a garment factory and an adjacent chemical warehouse in Dhaka killed at least 16 people and injured others. On Thursday, another burned down a seven-storey garment factory building in an export processing zone in Chittagong.

The government said the security services were investigating all incidents “thoroughly”, and warned that “any credible evidence of sabotage or arson will be met with a swift and resolute response.”

“No act of criminality or provocation will be allowed to disrupt public life or the political process,” it said, urging calm.

Bangladesh is the world’s second-largest exporter of apparel after China. The sector, which supplies major global retailers such as Walmart, H&M and the Gap, employs about four million workers and generates more than a tenth of the country’s GDP.

The fire is expected to delay shipments and pose additional challenges in meeting international delivery deadlines.

The campaign aims to protect the children from the drug-resistant disease spreading across South Asia.

Bangladesh has begun a nationwide vaccination campaign to protect millions of children from typhoid, a life-threatening disease that is becoming increasingly resistant to antibiotics.

The monthlong drive, launched on Sunday, aims to immunise about 50 million children aged between nine months and 15 years with a single dose of the typhoid conjugate vaccine (TCV).

The vaccine, approved by the World Health Organization (WHO), offers protection for up to five years and is being distributed free under the government’s Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI).

The campaign follows mounting concerns over drug-resistant typhoid strains spreading across South Asia. Pakistan has been battling a strain since 2016 that is resistant to nearly all antibiotics except one.

Health workers in Bangladesh are administering the vaccine through schools, clinics, and door-to-door visits, prioritising urban slums and remote villages. The campaign will run until November 13, after which TCV will be included in the country’s regular immunisation schedule.

Typhoid, caused by Salmonella Typhi bacteria, spreads through contaminated food and water. It triggers fever, abdominal pain, and nausea, and can cause fatal complications if untreated.

Researchers in Bangladesh have recently identified ceftriaxone-resistant strains – a worrying development, as ceftriaxone remains one of the last effective treatments.

Experts warn that without preventive action, resistant strains could make typhoid far harder to manage. Supported by Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, the campaign aims to lower infection rates and limit the spread of resistance.

Inaugurating the drive, the government’s health adviser, Nurjahan Begum, said it was “shameful” that children still die from typhoid in Bangladesh. She expressed hope that the country would defeat the disease as it did diarrhoea and night blindness.

Officials highlighted the vaccine’s strong safety record in neighbouring countries such as Pakistan, Nepal, and in India’s Mumbai, where no major side effects were reported.

This decisive decade demands unprecedented action to address humanity’s greatest challenge. With global access, this three-part series examines the real consequences of climate change for our civilisation, through the rest of the 21st century and beyond.

Irish journalist Philip Boucher-Hayes visits climate hotspots, from Greenland’s melting glaciers to sub-Saharan Africa’s weather extremes, from the flooding of agricultural land in Bangladesh to the thaw of the Siberian permafrost. He meets experts and witnesses who explain the interconnectivity of the world’s fragile ecology, as we reach tipping points from which there may be no return.

The series looks at new climate science and faces the harsh realities of a changing world – collapsing ecosystems, marine die-offs and escalating extreme weather phenomena. But it also explores a positive vision for reimagining economies, landscapes and infrastructure – and practical solutions, ways of mobilising collective resolve, and challenging humanity to become a transformative force, harnessing innovation to safeguard the future of civilisation.

Episode 1, Into the Storm, highlights the immediate and escalating effects of climate change. It opens in Ireland, where extreme weather events are becoming increasingly common. In Greenland, it explores the rapid melting of the ice sheet, with potentially devastating consequences – rising sea levels and disruptions to the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC), the main ocean current system in the Atlantic Ocean. It also touches on the effects of climate change in Malawi and Siberia, a grim picture of widespread damage.

Episode 2, Against the Tide, focuses on adaptation strategies. It explores how countries and communities are responding to rising sea levels, increased flooding and more frequent droughts. The Netherlands serves as a case study in proactive adaptation, coming up with innovative solutions in the form of sea barriers and climate-resilient infrastructure. This episode also examines the challenges faced by vulnerable communities in Wales, Bangladesh and Florida.

Episode 3, Decarbonising the Global Economy, addresses the urgent need to transition away from fossil fuels. It opens with the world’s dependence on carbon-based energy sources and then explores ways to a cleaner, more sustainable future. It travels to Ukraine, the United States, Sweden, Finland and Florida, presenting a range of approaches to decarbonisation.

Throughout the series, experts from different fields offer insights into the latest climate science and potential solutions. The series aims to challenge viewers to confront the realities of climate change but also to inspire collective action. It emphasises the need for bold policies, innovative technologies and individual responsibility in safeguarding the future of the planet.

Brooke Halliday puts in a player of the match performance, with a 69 run knock to help New Zealand on their way to a comfortable 100-run win over Bangladesh to get their first win of the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup.

MATCH REPORT: New Zealand beat Bangladesh to earn first win

Available to UK users only.

Varanasi, India – Mohammed Ahmad Ansari has spent his entire life in the narrow and congested lanes of Varanasi, a city often described as the spiritual capital of India, and the constituency of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The 55-year-old has spent decades weaving Banarasi saris and thoroughly enjoys the clacking noises of handlooms at work against the backdrop of temple bells and evening calls of azan in the holy city that is widely believed to be the oldest settlement in India, dating back as early as 1800 BCE and known for the blend of Hindu-Muslim culture.

But of late, sales have taken a hit for a range of reasons, the latest being ongoing tensions between India and its neighbour, Bangladesh.

Diplomatic relations between the once-close allies have been sharply tested since August last year, when former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina fled to New Delhi from Dhaka after an uprising against her rule.

Bangladesh blames India for some of its troubles, including Modi’s support for Hasina when she was in power.

There have been a few attacks on religious minorities, including Hindus, since her overthrow, as those communities were viewed as Hasina supporters, and Indian businesses, too, have been boycotted or attacked in Bangladesh as the country demands that New Delhi hand over Hasina to face charges in her home country.

In April, Bangladesh restricted the imports of certain items from India, including yarn and rice. On May 17, India retaliated by banning the imports of readymade garments and processed food items from Bangladesh across land borders. While Bangladesh can still send its saris to India, it will have to use the more expensive and time-consuming sea route.

Banarasi saris are globally known for their exquisite craftsmanship, luxurious silk, meticulous zari work of fine gold and silver wire embroidery, and it can often take up to six months to weave a single sari. These can sell for as much as 100,000 rupees ($1,130) each, or more, depending upon the design and the material used.

“These saris are in high demand in Bangladesh during festivals and weddings, but the ban has led to a more than 50 percent drop in business,” Ansari told Al Jazeera.

This is the latest blow to the industry that has already been hit with earlier government policies – including the so-called demonetisation when India overnight invalidated high-value notes and a hike in power tariffs – as well as the COVID-19 pandemic and cheaper competition from saris made on advanced power looms in other parts of the country, particularly Surat in Gujarat in western India.

This onslaught of the past few years has added up, forcing weavers out of the business and halving their numbers to about 200,000 now, as the rest either left the city in search of other jobs or took up new jobs, like driving rickshaws to earn a living.

Pawan Yadav, 61, a wholesale sari trader in Varanasi, told Al Jazeera that the business has come to a standstill since the change of regime in Dhaka.

“We used to supply around 10,000 saris annually to Bangladesh, but everything has come to a halt,” Yadav said, adding that he is still owed 1.5 million rupees ($17,140) by clients in the neighbouring country, “but the recovery seems impossible due to the political turmoil.”

India has 108 documented ways of draping sarees that hold a special position globally for their intricate designs, vibrant colours symbolising timeless elegance and beauty.

Despite the current turmoil, the textile sector employs the second-highest number of people after agriculture in India, with more than 3.5 million people working in it, per government data. Within that, the sari industry is valued at approximately 80,000 crore rupees ($9.01bn), including some $300m in exports.

Varanasi’s weavers and traders, who voted Modi into parliament for the third consecutive time, are waiting for the prime minister to find an amicable solution to the trade issue with Bangladesh.

In 2015, the Modi government designated August 7 as the National Handloom Day and promised to bring a change in the lives of handloom weavers by promoting domestic products. But nothing meaningful has come of that so far, traders and weavers who spoke to Al Jazeera said.

“India has a unique handloom craft which no country can compete with,” but without sufficient businesses or reliable income, many artisans have been forced to abandon the trade, and now “it is difficult to even find a young weaver”, Ramesh Menon, founder of Save the Loom, a social enterprise working for the revival of handloom, said. “The need of the hour is to re-position handloom as a product of luxury, and not poverty.”

West Bengal traders welcome ban

The situation, however, is completely different in West Bengal, around 610km (380 miles) from Varanasi and along the border with Bangladesh.

The ban on the sari trade between the two countries has offered a new lease of life to the traders of cotton saris in Bengal, who had been losing market share to Dhaka’s saris.

Tarak Nath Das, a cotton sari trader for the past four decades in Shantipur in West Bengal, supplies saris woven by local artisans to various showrooms across the country.

After years of losses, the 65-year-old finally saw business boom in the last few weeks in the lead-up to the main festival of Durga Puja, and was all smiles.

“The saris from Bangladesh had devoured at least 30 percent of our market, and the local industry was bleeding. We have slowly started to recapture our old markets as orders have started pouring in. The sale of the saris during the just concluded festival was better by at least 25 percent as compared to last year,” Das told Al Jazeera.

Shantipur is home to more than 100,000 weavers and traders and is regarded as the hub of the sari business in eastern India. The town and surrounding areas in Nadia district are famous for their handloom weaving industry, which produces a fine variety of saris, including the highly popular Shantipur cotton sari.

Nearby areas of Hooghly and Murshidabad district are also famous for their cotton saris, and these are sold both locally and across the country as well as exported to Greece, Turkiye and other countries.

Sanjay Karmakar, 40, a wholesale trader of cotton saris in Nadia district, is also happy with the ban.

“The local women prefer to buy Bangladeshi saris as they come in attractive packaging and the fabric used there is slightly superior to ours,” he said.

That, coupled with younger women choosing leggings, tunics and other modern clothes over traditional saris, had been pinching sales.

Santanu Guha Thakurta, 62, a fashion creator, told Al Jazeera that Indian weavers and traders would benefit immensely from the import restrictions on Bangladesh. That also shut down cheap knockoffs of the more expensive designs.

“The restrictions came at the right time, just before the onset of the festival season and that immensely benefited the industry.”

Cricketing wisdom would tell you that you can’t win a 100-over game in the first over, but you can go a long way to losing it.

That is certainly how Pakistan will view it with two of their top three – Omaima Sohail and Ameen – gone for golden ducks thanks to the new-ball brilliance of Marufa Akter.

The 20-year-old had the ball hooping from the off and with just her fifth delivery she produced a superb swinging delivery that beat Omaima through the gate and crashed into middle and leg.

Next ball she was at it again. Slightly wider this time, but the same prodigious swing back into the right-hander – with a bit of help from Ameen’s inside edge – made a mess of the stumps once more.

“How Marufa bowled in the powerplay – she stole the show!” Joty said after the match.

“She’s very young, but she’s very mature and she knows her role very well. Everyone backed her up very well, but she was incredible.”

It was Ameen’s first duck in a one-day international since February 2019 and, given the form she has been in, it seemed to shock Pakistan.

With scores of 121 not out, 122, 50 not out and 37 not out in her past four innings, the significance of Ameen’s wicket for Bangladesh was huge.

Marufa’s impact lessened once the swing diminished, but the Bangladesh spinners were ready and waiting to do their part.

All six bowlers used claimed at least one wicket, with leg-spinner Shorna Akter taking 3-5 and left-armer Nahida Akter 2-19.

There was no respite for Pakistan, and any hopes they had of defending such a low total were scuppered by the class and coolness of Jhilik on debut.

New York – Members of the Rohingya community who fled violence in Myanmar have addressed a United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) conference seeking to bring attention to the suffering of the persecuted Muslim minority, as fighting continues in Myanmar’s Rakhine state.

Maung Sawyeddollah, the founder of the Rohingya Student Network, addressed his fellow Rohingya in a livestreamed speech in the vast UNGA hall in New York City on Tuesday, telling them: “Dear brothers and sisters, you are not forgotten. You might feel that the world doesn’t see your suffering. Rohingya see you.”

“Now this message is for the world leaders and the United Nations: It has already been more than eight years since the Rohingya genocide was exposed. Where is justice for the Rohingya? Where?” Sawyeddollah asked.

He then held up a photograph of the bodies of several people lying in a river, who he said had been killed in a drone attack by Myanmar’s rebel Arakan Army in August 2024.

“These are not isolated cases; they are part of a systematic campaign,” said Sawyeddollah, a student who spent seven years in Cox’s Bazar refugee camp in southeastern Bangladesh after fleeing Myanmar in 2017.

“Why is there no prevention of these inhumane atrocities by Arakan Army?” he asked.

Wai Wai Nu, the executive director of the Women’s Peace Network-Myanmar, who also addressed the high-level UNGA meeting, told Al Jazeera that the event was a “historic moment”, which she hoped would “draw the attention back to the UN on the issue of Rohingya”.

Wai Wai Nu used her speech to highlight several pressing priorities, including that humanitarian aid has been blocked from flowing to Rakhine State, where Rohingya communities are located, an issue she said was discussed on the sidelines of the conference.

“If we get this, the conference is worth it,” she said.

“We need to save Rohingya inside Rakhine state.”

I delivered opening remarks at the #UN General Assembly conference on the Rohingya and other minorities in Myanmar this morning.

I urged ending impunity, immediate action to protect the #Rohingya, advancing justice,& addressing root causes for lasting solutions.#UNGA80 #Myanmar pic.twitter.com/PtSqCf2afM

— Wai Wai Nu (@waiwainu) September 30, 2025

Nu also told Al Jazeera that “many member states also emphasised or highlighted addressing the root causes, and advancing justice and accountability”, in their speeches.

However, she added, the UN event also illustrated that a “coherent and cohesive approach” to finding a solution to the Rohingya crisis is “lacking leadership and coordination, including in the ASEAN region“, a grouping of states in Southeast Asia.

She also told Al Jazeera that it was important for countries to implement targeted sanctions on Myanmar and “all the perpetrators, including military and other armed sectors, including Arakan Army”, as well as a “global arms embargo” to protect the Rohingya.

‘Massive aid cuts’

Speaking on behalf of the UN secretary-general, Chef de Cabinet Earle Courtenay Rattray, told the meeting of UN member states that “massive aid cuts” have further worsened conditions for the Rohingya, including more than 1 million who fled ethnic cleansing by the military in Myanmar and who have sought refuge in neighbouring Bangladesh.

“In the past 18 months alone, 150,000 Rohingya have fled to Bangladesh, which has generously kept its borders open and given them refuge,” Rattray said.

Yet, while Rattray said Bangladesh has shown “remarkable hospitality and generosity”, the chief adviser of Bangladesh, Muhammad Yunus, said his country is struggling to continue assisting Rohingya refugees, eight years into the crisis.

“Eight years since the genocide began, the plight of the Rohingya continues,” said Yunus, who jointly convened the meeting as well as another similar summit in Cox’s Bazar last month, to try to bring attention back to the plight of the Rohingya in Myanmar and Bangladesh.

“Bangladesh is a victim of the crisis,” said Yunus.

“We are forced to bear huge financial, social and environmental costs,” he said.

“As funding declines, the only peaceful option is to begin their repatriation.”

“The Rohingya have consistently pronounced their desire to go back home”, he said, adding that “as an immediate step, those who recently crossed into Bangladesh escaping conflict must be allowed to repatriate”.

Yunus also told the meeting that, unlike Thailand, Bangladesh could not offer work rights to Rohingya, given his own country’s “developmental challenges, including unemployment and poverty”.

Charles Harder, the United States special envoy for best future generations, was among several speakers to thank Bangladesh and Thailand for hosting Rohingya refugees.

He also announced that the US would “provide more than $60m in assistance for Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh”, which he said would be tied to Bangladesh making “meaningful” changes to allow access to work.

But funding refugees in Bangladesh was “not a burden the United States will bear indefinitely”, he said.

“It is long past time for other governments and actors in the region to develop sustainable solutions for Rohingya,” Harder said.

About 50 other UN member states also addressed the meeting on Tuesday, although few announced specific measures they were taking, aside from the United Kingdom, which announced $36m in aid for Rohingya refugees.

Dawda Jallow, The Gambia’s minister of justice, also addressed the meeting, saying that his country hopes to see a judgement from the International Court of Justice (ICJ) “soon after” an oral hearing scheduled for January next year on its case accusing Myanmar of perpetrating genocide against its Rohingya population.

“We filed our case in November 2019, almost six years ago. Now, we are preparing for the oral hearing on the merits in this case, which the court has scheduled for mid-January 2026,” Jallow said.

“The Gambia will present its case as to why Myanmar is responsible for the Rohingya genocide and must make reparations to its victims,” he added.

Bangladesh crumble as Pakistan’s Shaheen Afridi and Haris Rauf take three wickets each in Super Fours match in Dubai.

Pakistan have set up a blockbuster Asia Cup 2025 final against archrivals India after defeating Bangladesh by 11 runs in a thrilling Super Fours match in Dubai.

Chasing 136 to win in a winners-take-all match at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Thursday, Bangladesh’s batting collapsed dramatically in front of Pakistan’s pace bowling attack, led by Shaheen Shah Afridi.

Once Pakistan took the field after posting a meagre total of 135-8 in 20 overs, Afridi put on an authoritative display of fast bowling by picking up two wickets in his first two overs and ended with match figures of 3-17 in four overs.

Fellow pacer Haris Rauf contributed with three wickets of his own, two of which helped wrap up Bangladesh’s innings, while part-time, left-armed slow bowler Saim Ayub bowled a tidy spell of 2-16 from four overs.

Bangladesh opener Saif Hasan (18) formed brief partnerships with Mahedi Hasan (11) and Nurul Hasan (16), but none of the batting stands lasted long enough to see the team through.

Some late resistance by lower middle order batter Shamim Hossain (30) briefly raised the hopes of Bangladeshi fans, but once Shamim became Afridi’s third victim in the 17th over, Pakistan became clear favourites to wrap up the win.

Rishad Hossain, who had an excellent outing with the ball and in the field, hit two fours and a six in his innings of 16 but kept losing batting partners as Bangladesh’s innings came to a close on 124-9 in 20 overs.

Earlier, when Pakistan were sent in to bat by Bangladesh’s stand-in captain Jaker Ali, the decision paid off almost instantly as the Pakistani openers struggled to score runs.

Taskin Ahmed’s disciplined opening spell led to the dismissal of Sahibzada Farhan on the fourth ball of Pakistan’s innings while one-down batter Ayub fell in the next over to Mahedi.

Fakhar Zaman (13) and captain Salman Agha (19) formed a brief and sluggish partnership but could not hit a single six.

Rishad, who took two catches before coming on to bowl, dismissed Zaman in the seventh over and then sent back Hussain Talat in the ninth. Agha fell to Mustafizur Rahman between the two Rishad wickets as Pakistan were reduced to 49-5.

A lower order flourish from Mohammad Haris (31 off 17), Muhammad Nawaz (25 off 15) and Afridi (19 off 13) took Pakistan to 135-8 on a tricky Dubai pitch.

Afridi was named player of the match for his all-round heroics.

Pakistan will be especially delighted to see their premier pace bowler return to wicket-taking form before the final against bitter rivals India on Sunday.

The South Asian neighbours have already met twice in the tournament, and India recorded thumping wins on both occasions.

Sunday’s match, also to be played in Dubai, will be the first India-Pakistan clash in the final of the Asia Cup since the tournament’s inception in 1984.

Tensions have run high, and political standoffs have spilled onto the cricket field in both of the previous two meetings between the teams this month.

Fans can expect another politically charged match, especially with the trophy on the line.

Pakistan will hope it will be a case of third time lucky while India will look to complete a 3-0 drubbing in the tournament.

Pakistan and Bangladesh headed into the penultimate match of the Super Four stage knowing the winner would advance to the final and Bangladesh had one foot in Sunday’s trophy match when they restricted Pakistan to 135-8.

Taskin Ahmed (3-28) and Mahedi Hasan (2-28) struck early to reduce Pakistan to 5-2 inside 10 balls and wickets continued to fall as the batting side teetered on 49-5 in the 11th over.

Wicketkeeper Mohammad Haris top-scored with 31 (23) to drag Pakistan into three figures, enjoying partnerships with Shaheen Shah Afridi (19) and Mohammad Nawaz (25), but Mahedi and Taskin dismissed the trio to prevent any late fireworks.

Bangladesh had their own struggles with the bat, losing three wicket in the powerplay and later slumping to 44-4.

Shamim Hossain’s 30 (25) briefly revived their hopes of a successful chase but his dismissal by Shaheen (3-17) in the 17th over was quickly followed by two wickets in three balls from Haris Rauf and despite some late boundaries from Rishad Hossain, Bangladesh fell short.

Bangladesh, who are yet to win the men’s Asia Cup, join Sri Lanka in being eliminated in the Super Fours, with the latter facing unbeaten India in the final group match on Friday.

The Super Fours stage of the Asia Cup opens with Bangladesh beating Sri Lanka by four wickets in Dubai.

Attacking half-centuries from Saif Hassan and Towhid Hridoy helped Bangladesh stun Sri Lanka by four wickets in the opening Super Four match at the Asia Cup.

Hassan scored 61 runs off 45 balls, with two fours and four sixes, and Hridoy hit 58 off 37 with two sixes, as Bangladesh won with a ball to spare after a dramatic final over on Saturday.

With five runs needed off the last six balls, Jaker Ali hit Dasun Shanaka for a first-ball four, and then was bowled. Shanaka then sent back Mahedi Hasan for a two-ball duck.

On the penultimate delivery, Nasum Ahmed and Shamim Hossain, 14 not out off 12, ran hard to end Sri Lanka’s unbeaten run.

Bangladesh finished with 169-6 for its third-highest successful chase in Twenty20s.

Earlier, Shanaka’s 64 not out off 37 balls helped power Sri Lanka to 168-7.

India and Pakistan face off in the next Super Four game on Sunday — their second clash in the tournament after the controversial no-handshakes group match.

Despite a quick opening stand between Pathum Nissanka (22) and Kusal Mendis (34), Sri Lanka was reduced to 65-3 in 9.1 overs after Mahedi Hasan struck twice.

Shanaka then took charge and scored 50 off 30 balls, including two fours and five sixes. He hit six sixes in all, and put up 57 off 27 balls with Charith Asalanka for the fifth wicket.

In the 19th over, Asalanka was dropped and then run out off the same delivery in his 21 off 12 balls. Shanaka, also dropped, stayed unbeaten till the end.

Vital momentum was lost in the over by the run out and Mustafizur Rahman two wickets.

Tanzid Hasan was bowled for a two-ball duck, but it did not deter his partner, who counterattacked Sri Lanka. Bangladesh skipper Litton Das (23) shared 59 off 34 balls for the second wicket.

Bangladesh was 59-1 in the powerplay with Saif Hassan leading. He reached 50 off 36 balls.

Hassan and Hridoy combined for 54 as Bangladesh’s chase gained momentum.

Hridoy guided the chase towards the finish line with 50 off 31 balls. He was trapped in the 19th over by Dushmantha Chameera, but Shamin Hossain helped to finish off the game despite the final over drama.

It was Bangladesh’s first successful 160-plus chase in 16 attempts — the previous instance was in March 2024, also against Sri Lanka.

Eight-run cricket win keeps Bangladesh in the running for the next phase, while Afghanistan must beat Sri Lanka to make it.

Bangladesh have kept themselves in contention for the next round of cricket’s Asia Cup 2025 by defeating Afghanistan by eight runs in their Group B encounter in Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates.

Afghanistan came close to securing their place in the Super Four stage and knocking out Bangladesh, but fell short in their chase of 155 on Tuesday.

The Bangladeshi pacers kept Afghanistan’s batters in check with regular wickets as Mustafizur Rahman (3-28 in four overs), Nasum Ahmed (2-11 in four overs) and Taskin Ahmed (2-34 in four overs) applied the brakes on Afghanistan’s innings.

Apart from Rahmanullah Gurbaz 35 (31) and Azmatullah Omarzai 30 (16), none of the Afghan batters could move into the 30s.

Captain Rashid Khan’s flurry at the end of the innings – 20 (11) – did look threatening for Bangladesh at one point, but once he was dismissed, Afghanistan’s chances were all but gone.

Despite a couple of late sixes from spinner Noor Ahmad, Afghanistan fell short and were dismissed for 145 in their 20 overs.

Earlier, Tanzid Hasan top-scored for Bangladesh with a half-century (52 off 31) to help set up a challenging target of 154-5 in 20 overs.

Rashid and Noor took two wickets apiece for Afghanistan.

Bangladesh have now played all three of their group games and will await the result of Afghanistan’s all-important match against Sri Lanka on Thursday.

Sri Lanka are at top spot with four points, and Bangladesh move to second place with four points.

The Tigers will hope that Sri Lanka beat Afghanistan to open their path to the Super Fours.

Should Afghanistan win, the net run rate could come into play as a deciding factor.

Follow the build-up, score and live text commentary stream from the Asia Cup match at Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi.

Follow our live build-up, with toss and team news, ahead of our full text commentary stream.

Who: Bangladesh vs Sri Lanka
What: Asia Cup T20 Group B match
Where: Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi, UAE
When: Saturday, September 13 at 6:30pm (14:30 GMT)

How to follow: We’ll have all the build-up on Al Jazeera Sport from 3:30pm (11:30 GMT) in advance of our live text commentary stream.

The first crunch game of the 2025 Asia Cup comes in Group B with six-time winners Sri Lanka taking on a Bangladesh side that will very much fancy their chances in a game that is likely to go a long way to deciding the fate of the tough group.

With Afghanistan already up and running in the four-team group with their win against Hong Kong, who Bangladesh also beat in their group opener, Sri Lanka will be feeling the pressure to get on the board in their first outing.

Al Jazeera Sport takes a look at a battle between two sides hoping to lift the trophy following the September 28 final.

What is Bangladesh’s T20 form coming into the game?

A 33-ball half-century from captain Litton Das handed Bangladesh an opening win in the Asia Cup on Thursday.

Bangladesh cruised to 144-3 for a seven-wicket victory after Hong Kong, which lost to Afghanistan in its opening game, made 143-7 after being put in.

Litton made a watchful start after Parvez Hossain Emon (19) was deceived by Ayush Shukla’s slower ball and was caught at deep mid-wicket in the third over.

Hong Kong struck once more inside the powerplay when Nizakat Khan ran back from mid-off and held onto a catch over his shoulders to dismiss Tanzid Hasan, who struggled to score 14 off 18 balls with only one boundary.

But Litton and Towhid Hridoy (35 not out) ensured Hong Kong did not get a sniff to repeat its historic win against Bangladesh at the T20 World Cup in 2014.

“Very important to win the first game,” Litton said. “Last couple of series, we have played good cricket, but in the Asia Cup, a little bit of pressure comes automatically.”

Bangladesh had beaten both Pakistan and Sri Lanka 2-1 in their last two bilateral series.

What is Sri Lanka’s T20 form like?

An unbeaten 73 from Kamil Mishara led Sri Lanka to an eight-wicket victory over Zimbabwe in Harare last Sunday to seal a 2-1 win in their Twenty20 series to warm up for the Asia Cup.

Put in to bat after losing the toss, Zimbabwe made 191-8, but Sri Lanka cruised to the target with 14 balls to spare.

Mishara and Kusal Perera put on 117 runs in an unbeaten third-wicket stand as Sri Lanka completed a white-ball double, having won the preceding one-day international series against Zimbabwe 2-0.

Having scored just 35 runs in four previous T20I innings, 24-year-old Mishara made his mark with a match-winning knock, hitting three sixes and six fours from the 43 balls he faced.

“It is a privilege to win a game for my country, I just feel very good,” said Mishara.

“There was pressure, of course, but the coaching staff just told me to play my normal game. I just wanted to get into my rhythm and then played my normal game.”

On top of the 2-1 series defeat by Bangladesh, Sri Lanka lost their previous T20 series 2-1 to their hosts, New Zealand, in December and January.

What happened the last time Bangladesh played Sri Lanka?

Bangladesh beat Sri Lanka by eight wickets to seal their three-game T20 bilateral series earlier this year.

Having won the toss in Colombo, Sri Lanka were restricted to 132-7 with opener Pathum Nissanka top scoring with 46 off 39 balls for the hosts.

Only two other batters made it to 20, however, with Dasun Shanaka coming in at seven and hitting 35 off 25 to top up the modest total.

Shak Mahedi Hasan claimed 4-11 off his four overs for Bangladesh before Tanzid Hasan’s unbeaten 73 off 47 made short work of the chase.

What is Bangladesh’s Asia Cup record?

Bangladesh have yet to win the Asia Cup, but with each tournament that passes, the experience grows, and with it the expectation that they will soon hold aloft the trophy.

They have been runners-up on three occasions, the last being the 2018 final, when they were defeated by India by three wickets.

It was Bangladesh’s third appearance in four finals, with India also claiming victory in the 2016 final and Pakistan beating them in 2012.

What is Sri Lanka’s Asia Cup record?

Sri Lanka has claimed six Asia Cup titles already. The islanders last lifted the trophy in 2022, beating Pakistan on home soil by 23 runs in the final.

Their first victory came in the second edition, in 1986, when they also beat Pakistan.

Between 1997 and 2008, Sri Lanka won three out of four editions, and were the defeated finalists when Pakistan claimed the title in 2000.

Bangladesh and Sri Lanka team news

After their opening win, Bangladesh look set to be unchanged for the crunch second match in the group.

Janith Liyanage, meantime, was a late addition to the Sri Lanka squad for the Asia Cup. The seam bowling all-rounder’s addition to the squad means the Sri Lankans have a 17-strong group for the tournament.

Sri Lanka chopped and changed their way through the bilateral series against Zimbabwe, with Nuwanidu Fernando replaced for the final match by Kusal Perera.

Kamil Mishara was not selected for the first match of the three-game series, with the former two both playing, but played both the second and third games of the series.

Maheesh Theekshana also dropped out of the side from the second match to be replaced by Matheesha Pathirana.

Nuwan Thushara, like Theekshana, played the first match of the series, only to be replaced by Binura Fernando for the final two games.

Predicted Bangladesh lineup

Litton Das (c & w), Tanzid Hasan Tamim, Parvez Hossain Emon, Tawhid Hridoy, Jaker Ali, Shamim Hossain, Shak Mahedi Hasan, Rishad Hossain, Tanzim Hasan Sakib, Mustafizur Rahman, Taskin Ahmed

Predicted Sri Lanka lineup

Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis (w), Kamil Mishara, Nuwanidu Fernando, Charith Asalanka (c), Kamindu Mendis, Dasun Shanaka, Dushan Hemantha, Dushmantha Chameera, Maheesh Theekshana, Binura Fernando

Captain Litton Das hit a 33-ball half-century to guide Bangladesh to a comfortable seven-wicket win over Hong Kong in the Asia Cup.

Having restricted Hong Kong to 143-7, Bangladesh – led by Das’ 59 from 39 balls – knocked off the runs with 14 balls to spare.

The Tigers opted to field first in Abu Dhabi and struck twice during the powerplay, and despite Nizakat Khan leading a recovery, top-scoring with 42 from 40, Hong Kong were never able to get away from their Test-playing opponents.

Seamer Tanzim Hasan Sakib was the pick of the Bangladesh attack, taking 2-21, while his fellow quick Taskin Ahmed and wrist-spinner Rishad Hossain also took two wickets.

Bangladesh also lost two wickets in the powerplay but the experienced Das quickly got them back on track in the chase, hitting six fours and a six, as he put on 95 for the third wicket with Towhid Hridoy.

Das fell with just two needed for victory so it was left to Hridoy, who finished unbeaten on 35, to hit the winning run in the 18th over and get Bangladesh’s campaign off to a winning start.

The Asia Cup cricket tournament starts on Tuesday, but for tournament organisers, sponsors and cricket fans from India and Pakistan, it won’t be before Sunday, when the two regional superpowers face each other, that the event will spring into action.

Any India vs Pakistan match is considered a marquee event, but the recent conflict between the two countries has brought extra heat to the encounter in Dubai.

After all, it will be their first meeting since the South Asian archrivals returned from the brink of an all-out war in May, when both countries clashed at their shared border before an internationally-brokered ceasefire.

It has been almost 18 years since India and Pakistan last met in a Test match – the five-day version of cricket widely regarded as the pinnacle of the sport – and almost 13 years since either side crossed the border to play a bilateral series.

But between September 14 and 21, if results go the way the organisers hope for, Pakistan and India could end up playing three times.

A decades-old political rift between the two nuclear-armed countries is blamed for the frosty sporting ties, but the same differences are set aside when a regional or global cricket event comes around.

Pakistan was carved out of India in 1947, resulting in a bloody division of the subcontinent by the colonial British. Over the past 78 years, the nations have fought four wars, exchanged countless skirmishes and remained at odds primarily over the disputed Kashmir region that both claim in entirety but administer parts of.

The Asia Cup is no stranger to political influence and has faced the repercussions of strained ties between the two.

When India hosted the tournament in 1990-91 amid an uprising in India-administered Kashmir, Pakistan pulled out. The following edition, in 1993, was called off amid heightened tensions between the two sides.

But despite the strained relations on a political level and the current cricket impasse, which began in 2013, India and Pakistan have regularly faced each other at tournaments for the International Cricket Council (ICC) and for the Asian Cricket Council’s (ACC) Asia Cup.

‘Maximising eyeballs and revenue’

Why, then, is it impossible for both sides to separate politics from sport for bilateral exchanges if they can agree to share a cricket field potentially three times in two weeks?

“It’s all about maximising eyeballs and tournament revenue,” Sami Ul Hasan, former head of the ICC’s media and communication departments, told Al Jazeera.

“When the ICC plans a global event, organisers do not consider rankings or any other factors. It’s all about making sure India and Pakistan play against each other at least once.

“Over the last two decades, the ICC has changed the format of its tournaments multiple times in order to ensure that happens.”

The ICC has, in the past, admitted to fixing tournament draws to ensure Pakistan and India end up in the same group.

Post-tournament viewership figures confirm the high ratings for India-Pakistan matches.

According to the ICC, the India vs Pakistan fixture at the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 was one of the most-watched one-day international matches in India.

It generated over 26 billion minutes of watch time on TV, surpassing the India-Pakistan match from the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023, which had recorded 19.5 billion viewing minutes.

Tournament organisers, such as the ICC and the ACC, typically sell broadcasting rights and sponsorships to the highest bidders.

The ICC and ACC distribute the revenue generated at these tournaments amongst their member nations, who stand to benefit from a higher number of India-Pakistan matches as well.

According to Hasan, the first question posed by broadcasters and sponsors is on India-Pakistan matches.

“It’s tricky to pull off multiple India-Pakistan games at global events, but easier to achieve this outcome in smaller tournaments such as the Asia Cup,” he said.

“Even at the Asia Cup, the most they’ve got so far is two matches per tournament. They have been trying for a third [in the final] but it hasn’t materialised yet.”

In the tournament’s 16 iterations since its inception in 1984, India and Pakistan have never met in a final.

‘Don’t care about India vs Pakistan’

Although India versus Pakistan is always the biggest draw at any cricket tournament, fans from other participating nations are not bothered by the lack of attention and respect shown to their teams.

“I only care about Sri Lanka and not about what happens in an India-Pakistan match as long as Sri Lanka walks away with the cup,” Mohammad Akram, a Sri Lankan, said.

“For us, it’s about our team and the same goes for fans of Afghanistan, Bangladesh and other countries.

“Sri Lanka has always been sidelined. It has always been about India and Pakistan, but we don’t mind because our team has played the most finals.”

Sri Lanka are the second most successful team in the Asia Cup and have qualified for a record 13 finals, lifting the trophy six times. Another win in the final would tie them with the reigning champions India.

Bending the rules

The focus on this rivalry can sometimes lead to unprecedented decision-making and bending of the rules.

At the last Asia Cup held in Sri Lanka two years ago, the India-Pakistan group-stage game was abandoned due to rain. As both teams reached the next round, and with more rain expected, organisers set aside a reserve day to their Super Four fixture, the only match in that round to benefit from the allocation.

That decision was taken in the middle of the tournament, raising eyebrows and attracting criticism from cricket experts and fans of other participating countries.

“Rules must not be bent for anyone. What happened then did not set a good example for the game,” Hasan said. “Playing conditions and rules are signed off prior to the tournament and are not tinkered with.

“Changing them to accommodate certain fixtures gives out a message that everything is about money and commercialisation of that single fixture.”

India’s sporting ambitions

Despite the ongoing political rift between India and Pakistan, both sets of cricket boards and governments have given these fixtures a green light.

In August, India announced a new sports policy whereby its teams and athletes will not be allowed to engage in bilateral sports events with Pakistan, but can face them in international tournaments.

It also prohibited Indian athletes from travelling to Pakistan and refused to host teams and individuals from Pakistan.

The move, according to former ICC official Hasan, is to ensure that India’s ambitions of bidding for the 2036 Olympics and the 2030 Commonwealth Games are not affected.

“For India to say it doesn’t want to play against Pakistan due to political reasons would weaken its case as a potential global sporting hub,” he said.

Bangladesh has sheltered more than a million Rohingya refugees for eight years, since they fled ethnic cleansing in Myanmar. Now, the government says it cannot cope alone. As aid falls and pressure rises, what future awaits the refugees in Cox’s Bazar – and what will it take for them to return safely to Myanmar?

Weapons of war have increasingly found their way into the arsenals of domestic police forces.

Few people know that better than protesters in Bangladesh. During the 2024 student uprising, the UN estimates that as many as 1,400 people were killed – the vast majority of them by firearms used by state security forces.

But over the past few decades, police forces in wealthier parts of the world have also come to look and act more like armies. Leading the way has been the United States, where military tools and methods developed for faraway conflicts have found their way back home, onto the streets.

Hind Hassan travels to Bangladesh and France to investigate the companies providing military-grade equipment to police forces and speak with citizens who’ve been on the receiving end of excessive police violence.

West Sonatala, Bangladesh – An ordinary day for Andharmanik, a small community newspaper, begins in a crowded fish market.

Walking down the steps from the road to the fish landing point in Mohipur, a town in the district of Patuakhali bordering the Bay of Bengal, the smell of salt and fish hangs heavy in the air. Next to the main landing platform, colourful fishing boats, painted in faded reds, blues and greens, are moored.

At this busy market in late July, larger fishing depots and much smaller shanty-style stalls stand side by side. At one of the small, tin-roofed stalls, Hasan Parvez, 44, with black cotton trousers rolled up to his knees, shovels ice into plastic crates piled high with silvery hilsa – Bangladesh’s prized national fish – which is transported each day to cities including the capital Dhaka and Barisal.

Hasan works surrounded by plastic barrels and crates glistening with the fresh catch of the day, and there is a constant background thrum of diesel-powered trawlers humming as boats pull in and out of the dock.

“It’s a busy morning, and it is a fish market with all the chaos,” Hasan says with a smile.

He works there as a daily wage labourer sorting, weighing and packing fish into white thermocol boxes during the monsoon season. In the dry season, he works at a nearby brick kiln, and over the winter months, around December and January, he works at a market selling sun-dried fish known as “shutki”.

Hasan’s day at Mohipur market starts early – around 4am – with the fajr prayer and a cup of tea without milk, and earns him about 600 taka ($5) per day.

Today, as usual, he is impatient to finish because, besides this job, which he needs to provide for his family, Hasan has another occupation to get back to. He is the editor-in-chief of a handwritten community newspaper called Andharmanik (“jewel from the darkness” in Bengali, and also the name of the nearby river), which features stories from his village of West Sonatala. He publishes it every two months from his home in the coastal village about an hour by road from the fish market and more than eight hours from Dhaka.

Since Hasan and his team of reporters don’t own or use computers, the newspaper is handwritten and then photocopied. But they also believe writing stories by hand, in a place where newspapers weren’t available before Andharmanik began, makes the paper feel more intimate and brings their community closer together.

Finally, at around 11am, when the last boxes of fish have been loaded onto carts and the shop floor has been cleaned, Hasan prepares to head home.

He hops onto a van-gari – a battery-driven, three-wheeled bicycle with a large wooden platform at the rear of the vehicle where passengers sit – to get home.

As Hasan climbs into the vehicle, he explains that the three-room home he shares with his wife, Salma Begum, whom he married in 2013, and three daughters, is also the editorial headquarters for Andharmanik. It is where he meets with the team once or twice in each publication cycle.

‘My village’

On the bumpy, broken road to his home, past paddy fields and scattered houses, a few two-wheelers and electric rickshaws passing by in the opposite direction, Hasan explains what drove him to start a newspaper.

“I used to write a lot of poems in my childhood,” he says, speaking loudly over the noisy van-gari engine. “Reading and writing always attracted me.”

He would read works by the Indian Nobel prize-winning poet, Rabindranath Tagore, and self-help books. But despite his love of reading and learning, he wasn’t able to finish school. When he was 14, Hasan, the eldest of two brothers and two sisters, had to drop out to work as a day labourer to support his family. “I was supposed to pass my secondary school certification (SSC) exam back in 1996, but I couldn’t do it because of money problems,” he explains.

He didn’t complete his SSC examination (10th grade) until the age of 35 in 2015. Two years later, he finished high school. In 2021, he enrolled in a Bachelor of Arts degree at a college in Kalapara, about 10km (6.2 miles) away. Having to juggle supporting his family with the newspaper and his studies, he is just now in his second semester. This has been an important journey because the future of the newspaper hinges on it, he says.

Hasan wants to register the newspaper in the district as an official media organisation, as he believes this would help protect it from political volatility. “For that, the rules are that the publisher has to be a graduate,” he says.

The idea for the paper arose in June 2016 when Hasan met Rafiqul Montu, a Dhaka-based environmental journalist who was visiting the area. Montu covers the impact of the climate crisis in Bangladesh’s coastal areas and travels the region throughout the year for his work. One day, Hasan saw him taking pictures of the Andharmanik River. Curious, he went to talk to him.

As they spoke, Hasan shared some of his poems and other writings. In those, he talked about his village’s problems – like the cyclones that afflict them or worsening climate conditions for farmers. No newspaper covered these stories, and with the local government often slow to help, people felt neglected.

Montu, impressed by what he heard, encouraged him to turn these stories into a newspaper.

“He wanted to do something for his community,” Montu explains. “I told him he could publish a newspaper and cover local news. I said he should focus on spreading good faith and hope in his community.”

He suggested naming the paper after the river where they spoke and taught Hasan how to write a story, craft headlines and take photos with his mobile phone.

“Montu bhai (brother) is my ustaad (mentor),” Hasan says. “He inspired me to write stories about my village and people’s lives – both problems and solutions. I had never thought of becoming a newspaper publisher since I can’t afford to be one. But it’s been six years that Andharmanik has been coming out.”

As a tribute to the working-class community of West Sonatala, the paper’s first issue was published in 2019 on May 1, Labour Day.

Forgotten by the world

Around noon, and under a light drizzle, Hasan nears his village in the quiet countryside. Green rice fields spread out from both sides of the road, and the trees lining it are wet from the rain.

Ducks swim in a few ponds along the roadside. The van-gari bounces over the last stretch of broken road until it finally runs out altogether. This is as far as the driver can go.

From there, it is a 10-minute walk along muddy paths to reach Hasan’s house.

“Officially, the road comes up to my house,” he says, “but this is what it looks like.”

A narrow strip of slushy mud is all there is to walk on, and the monsoon has made conditions worse. Villagers have no choice but to walk barefoot, holding their shoes or sandals.

“Wearing shoes isn’t practical as they can get stuck in the mud and cause someone to slip and fall,” Hasan says as he hurries to meet his team, who will arrive for a 1pm meeting to discuss ideas for the August edition. The newspaper started with 10 contributors and has grown to a team of 17 reporters who contribute stories and photos voluntarily.

“In our meetings, we share story ideas, but also talk about our own lives and families. Most times my wife gives us tea and muri (puffed rice),” he adds.

West Sonatala is home to 618 families – mostly farmers, fishermen and daily wage labourers. Electricity only arrived a few years ago.

“There’s one community clinic in the village with no doctors. People who fall sick in the village are taken to hospitals in Kalapara, a small sub-district town which is an hour-long drive,” Hasan says.

“No national or regional newspapers come to the village, and most homes don’t have a TV. Those with smartphones watch the news there, but the internet is so patchy, even that’s difficult,” he adds, gesturing at his mobile phone, which shows no network connection.

“Our area is so remote and cut off from basic information that we feel forgotten by the mainstream world,” he says. “This feeling of being left behind was what drove me to start Andharmanik. It’s our community newspaper to tell our own stories.”

‘A collective’

In Hasan’s living room is a wall covered with framed newspaper clippings and a few bookshelves packed with Bengali books. A long, wooden table sits in the centre where Hasan’s reporters gather, arriving one by one along the muddy paths. Three have braved the heavy rain to make it there today. Abdul Latif is the first to arrive, followed by Russiah Begum, then Nazrul Islam Bilal. They enter the room with smiles on their faces, asking about each other’s wellbeing by saying, “Kemon asen?” (“How are you?” in Bengali).

The group is small, but diverse, and they all live near each other within a cluster of villages. Abdul, 42, dressed in a crisp, white checkered shirt, is an English teacher in high school. Nazrul, 31, is an electrician. Russiah, 43, is one of three women on the team, and runs a tailoring business from her home in West Sonatala.

The two other members of the core team who have been prevented by the rain from attending the meeting are Sahana Begum, 55, who walks with a limp in her right leg due to polio. Sahana, who is also a seamstress, lives in West Sonatala and writes about women’s issues. There is also 29-year-old Ashish Garami, the only Hindu member of the team. He belongs to a minority group in Bangladesh, which in recent years has reportedly faced discrimination.

Other contributors work as e-rickshaw drivers and farmers, while some are unemployed.

“We work as a collective. Our newspaper focuses on local news, community events, and what happens in West Sonatala and sometimes nearby villages,” says Abdul, who joined Andharmanik in 2021. “In this edition, I am going to write about the bad road conditions,” he adds. “I’ll show how people are suffering because of it during the monsoon.”

The school where he teaches is three kilometres (1.9 miles) from his home, and he has to cross the Andharmanik River by boat each day to reach it.

“Crisis is the reason Andharmanik is published. The way Hasan pointed out the problems of our village through his writings inspired me to join the team,” he says.

‘Something beautiful happened’

Russiah has been with Hasan’s team since the beginning. She explains that she finished 10th grade before marrying a farmer from the village. To help support her family, she started a tailoring business, which became a window into the village’s hidden struggles. “When women come to me to stitch their clothes, they open their hearts,” she says. “I hear about problems that never make it to the outside world – especially the pain that women and children carry in silence.”

One of her stories was about a woman named Abejaan Begum from Rehmatpur village, a few kilometres from West Sonatala. Abejaan had lost her house to devastating floods in 2023 and had been forced to decamp to a makeshift hut made of plastic sheets.

“My story was shared by Hasan on his Facebook page,” Begum says. “Then something beautiful happened – help started pouring in from Bangladeshis living abroad. In total, she received 60,000 taka ($420) to build a new house and buy a few goats.” Today, Abejaan is living with dignity again in a three-room house, Russiah says.

Their stories have helped others. For one edition, Hasan wrote a poem about a child in his village named Rubina who lived in a broken mud hut with her grandmother and mother, who had mental health problems and was kept in chains. Because they were so poor, Rubina was forced to beg for food. After Hasan published the poem, it was widely read and caught the attention of local government officials, who decided to give Rubina and her family some land and a house.

Hasan and his team often focus on stories about how people are affected by the climate crisis. The coastal areas of Bangladesh are particularly vulnerable to flooding, heatwaves, rising sea levels and saltwater intrusion. Bilal owns a small rice field, and he feels connected to other farmers in the area, particularly as he sees his harvest get smaller every year due to the erratic rainfall.

“In the next issue, I’ll write about the struggles of local day labourers during the monsoon,” he says.

Hasan’s reporters submit their stories on sheets from notebooks. “Our contributors send me their stories in handwritten notes. I make the final decision on what goes in the paper and edit the language,” he says. He then writes out the stories with a fountain pen on A3-size paper and has these photocopied at a copy shop in Kalapara.

Each newspaper is four pages long and bound together using colourful plastic tape. Hasan makes 300 copies – each of which costs him approximately 10 taka ($0.08) to publish. The process is labour-intensive and the final handwriting, printing and binding takes about a week.

Once published, Hasan and his team distribute the paper in West Sonatala and the nearby villages of Tungibari, Chandpara, Rehmatpur and Fatehpur. They have no newspaper stall or subscription system, relying solely on local demand. They give it away for free or, where they can, sell it at cost. “People are poor in our village, so it’s mostly given free. Honestly, I don’t make any money out of it. This is not my goal,” Hasan says.

A loyal reader

Azizur Rehman Khan, 84, a resident of West Sonatala, is one of the newspaper’s most loyal readers and Hasan’s neighbour. He has read every issue for the past two years and happily pays for each issue, which is delivered to him personally by Hasan.

“I have seen Parvez since his childhood days,” Azizur says. “I love his passion and motivation to tell stories of happiness and sadness of our villagers. When the rest of the world forgot us, it is Andharmanik that shares our story to the world.”

The former tax officer says he understands the financial insecurity that Hasan shoulders in order to publish the newspaper. However, he adds, “I pray to Allah that there will be a day when everything will fall into place and this paper will be published fortnightly.”

Khan lives a couple of kilometres from the Andharmanik River. He explains the meaning behind the name, which comes from two Bengali words – “andhar” meaning dark and “manik” meaning jewel.

Looking out at the dark, rain-heavy sky beyond the doorway of his house, he quietly adds, “Hasan is our ‘Andharmanik’ – the shining jewel in our darkness.”

The US has taken a stake in Intel chipmaker as part of a push to secure domestic production and reduce reliance on China. The acquisition is the most significant intervention in private business since the 2008 financial crisis. Supporters call it a smart industrial policy that will protect jobs and national security. But critics warn that this could mark a shift in the relationship between government and private companies, raising concerns about how much control a president should have over business.

Also, Bangladesh warns it can no longer bear the cost of sheltering Rohingya refugees.

Plus, meat prices are at an all-time high.