In a move that was becoming more and more unavoidable in the absence of effective law enforcement, the government decided to grant the Army magistracy powers for 2 months (from September 18). Commissioned army officers will act as executive magistrates, with the power to arrest people, put them in custody, or issue search warrants. Explaining the rationale behind the move, Law Adviser Asif Nazrul said, "We are witnessing subversive acts and unstable situations in several places, especially in the industrial belts. In this context, army personnel have been given magistracy power."

There was no other option to try and fill the vacuum created by the collapse in confidence of the police force on August 5. Almost the entire nation acknowledges that police reform is one of the most important tasks in front of the interim government, and it is likely to extend beyond them to the next elected government.

Health authorities reported six deaths due to dengue on Wednesday (Sep. 18), marking the highest number of deaths in a single day this year from the mosquito-borne disease, that has been endemic in Bangladesh since 2000. In the same period, 865 new patients were hospitalised, signalling an alarming rise in dengue cases across the country. Of the six deaths, three were reported from the Dhaka North City Corporation and three from the Dhaka South City Corporation areas, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).

With the latest figures, the total number of dengue-related deaths so far this year has climbed to 119, while the number of confirmed cases now stands at 21,079. Of these, 11,612 cases were reported from areas outside the capital. As many as 2,460 dengue patients were receiving treatment in hospitals across the country as of Wednesday, including 1,018 in hospitals outside the capital.

A fresh reserve of 5.1 trillion cubic feet (tcf) of natural gas has been identified in Bhola, a southern island district, which could wean the country off its recent dependence on imported gas. Russian state-owned hydrocarbons giant Gazprom, in collaboration with its Bangladeshi counterparts, Petrobangla and BAPEX, made the discovery after a four-year of exploratory study. Gazprom International's Alexey Belebezyev said the research was conducted adhering to international standards using advanced technologies and reliable data.

The findings of the study, initiated in 2020 and completed in June 2023, have now been submitted to the Energy and Mineral Resources Division. It reveals two major extractable gas reserves- 2.423 tcf in the district's Shahbazpur and Ilisha, and 2.686 tcf in Char Fashion. In total, these reserves represent 5.109 tcf of recoverable gas, valued at approximately Tk 6.5 trillion based on the current spot market price of LNG ($10.46 per mmbtu).

The World Bank said it is committed to increasing lending to Bangladesh in the current fiscal to support the reform agenda of the Interim Government. Country Director Abdoulaye Seck disclosed that the World Bank can mobilise about $2 billion in new financing this fiscal to support critical reforms, for flood response, in the health sector, and bettering air quality. Seck already conveyed this to the government when he met Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus this week, according to a World Bank press release.

"We would like to support you as fast as possible and as much as possible," Seck said, adding that the bank would support the critical financial needs of the country. He said that in addition to the new commitments, the multilateral lender would repurpose an extra $1 billion from its existing programmes in consultation with the government, in response to the calls for support by the chief adviser directed at all development partners of Bangladesh.