Chief adviser Dr Muhammad Yunus has said the United Arab Emirates (UAE) granted amnesty for all 57 Bangladeshis earlier convicted by the UAE Federal Court for protesting against the Sheikh Hasina government in Dubai. "All 57 Bangladeshis who were earlier convicted by the UAE Federal Court have been granted pardon by His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the president of the UAE, today," he told a meeting with the editors here.

Chief Adviser's Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam confirmed the newsmen saying the pardoned people will be deported to Bangladesh soon. However, foreign affairs adviser Md Touhid Hossain said they may get a chance to work again in the oil-rich nation. "As far as I know, they may be able to work again in the UAE," he told reporters at the foreign ministry. On 28 August, UAE president Alam said Zayed Al Nahyan phoned professor Yunus and during their telephonic conversation, the issue of amnesty to 57 Bangladeshis was focused.

Default loans in the banking system surpassed Tk 200,000 crore for the first time, underlining the fragile condition of the sector that fell prey to rampant scams and irregularities under the tenure of the Awami League government over the past 16 years. At the end of June this year, bad loans in the sector climbed to Tk 211,391 crore, which accounts for 12.56 percent of the total disbursed loans of Tk 1,683,396 crore, as per the latest Bangladesh Bank data. This is the highest ratio of non-performing loans to total disbursed loans in the past 16 years.

Industry insiders said that the actual information regarding the health of banks, which had been meticulously swept under the rug by vested quarters, began to trickle out due to pressure from the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Their actual condition started to be fully uncovered after Sheikh Hasina, who led the Awami League government during its 15-year tenure, was ousted on August 5 by a mass uprising.

The government will now purchase LNG from the international spot market through open tender instead of negotiation. The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) in a meeting on Wednesday (Sep. 4) in principle approved a proposal in this regard. Adviser of the interim government for Finance Dr. Salehuddin Ahmed, who presided over the meeting, said that the government will procure LNG through open tender. The Energy and Mineral Division of the Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources placed the proposal where it sought approval to import LNG from 23 listed companies in the international spot market.

The adviser said that though 23 such companies were enlisted by the previous Awami League government and signed Master Sales and Purchase Agreement, they will remain unchanged. He said that instead of applying the Speedy Increase of Energy and Power Supply (Special) Act 2010, the interim government will follow the Public Procurement Rules 2008 to ensure the competitive bidding process.

Chief Election Commissioner Kazi Habibul Awal and all four other election commissioners have resigned. At a press briefing held at the EC office on Thursday, September 5, Habibul announced the resignations. The CEC and the four commissioners -- Brig Gen (retd) Ahsan Habib Khan, Rashida Sultana, Md Alamgir and Anisur Rahman - resigned exactly a month after the fall of Sheikh Hasina's government on August 5.

The Habibul-led commission took office on February 27, 2022, for five years. The president dissolved the 12th parliament on August 6. EC officials said the commissioners decided to resign as there is a constitutional obligation for the commission to hold parliamentary polls within 90 days after the dissolution of a parliament.