Rajshahi divisional commissioner withdrawn after airport send-off video

The Bangladesh Navy seized and destroyed illegal fishing nets with an estimated market value of Tk 25.79 crore during an operation in rivers around Barishal on Monday, the Inter-Services Public Relations Directorate said, as a nationwide ban on hilsa fishing entered its second week.

The naval vessel BNS Kushiyara carried out the drive in Hijla, Mehendiganj, Gobindapur, Laharhat, Babuganj, Char Monai, Sreepur and Paterhat in Barishal district and surrounding areas, according to the ISPR statement released through the state news agency BSS.

The nets and other equipment were seized while illegal fishing was taking place in violation of the ban, ISPR said. The seized gear was later destroyed in line with regulations in the presence of local administration officials and fisheries officers.

Across all operations in waters under naval jurisdiction since 8 October, authorities have seized and destroyed 3,031,620 metres of illegal nets and 74 other nets, ISPR said. The combined market value was put at Tk 257,896,900, or about Tk 25.79 crore. The length is a cumulative figure for the gear seized over the period, not a count of separate nets.

The drive is part of the "Mother Hilsa Conservation Operation 2026", which the navy is running under the "In Aid to Civil Power" arrangement. It began on 8 October and is due to continue until 29 October. Naval ships, contingents and speedboats have been deployed to potential spawning grounds in the sea, along the coast and in inland rivers.

During the 22-day period, catching, transporting, storing, buying, selling and exchanging hilsa are prohibited. Fishing for all species is also banned in designated marine fishing areas, according to the release.

The timing follows the breeding cycle of Tenualosa ilisha, the hilsa that is Bangladesh's national fish and one of the most sought-after items in the country's markets. The closure is meant to let adult fish spawn without disturbance, so that the next generation of hilsa reaches the rivers and the coast. The navy said it would keep operating to protect hilsa breeding and reproduction, prevent illegal fishing and conserve marine and inland water resources.

The scale of the seizure illustrates how much gear is still being used despite the ban, but the statement left several questions unanswered. It did not say whether anyone was detained, charged or fined in Monday's operation, how many people were involved, or what kinds of nets were found. It also gave no breakdown of where the largest seizures were made.

The Tk 25.79 crore valuation is an official estimate supplied by the navy through ISPR and has not been independently verified. Nor did the release address what the ban is doing to supplies and prices, or whether affected fishermen are receiving any support during the three-week closure.

Enforcement is not limited to the navy. On 11 October, a mobile court in Barishal seized and destroyed 20,000 metres of current and monofilament nets in the Kirtankhola, Arial Kha and Kalabadar rivers and fined four people Tk 10,000 each for fishing during the ban, BSS reported at the time.

What happens next depends on the remaining days of the operation. The navy has said the drives will continue until 29 October, when the restriction is scheduled to lift. Until then, legally caught hilsa should stay off the market, and any fish sold openly will have been caught, moved or stored in breach of the order.

For consumers, the practical test will come after the ban ends, when the first legal landings reach the markets and prices adjust to the new supply. For the authorities, the test is whether the seizures translate into a measurable gain in breeding stock, a result that will only be known in the coming season.

WhatsApp has started letting people who do not have an account join voice and video calls, removing one of the app's oldest barriers and making it easier for families, tutors and small businesses to bring outsiders into a conversation.

Meta announced the guest-calling feature on 14 October. A WhatsApp user opens the Calls tab, taps the plus icon, creates a call link and sends it to the people they want to invite. A guest opens the link in a computer browser, types a name and waits in a virtual waiting room until the host admits them. The feature works for one-to-one and group calls, with up to 32 participants.

Meta says guest calls are free, end-to-end encrypted and have no time limits. Guests can share their screen, send reactions and raise a hand to signal that they want to speak. There are limits: guests cannot see other participants' phone numbers, send messages through WhatsApp or add anyone else to the call. The host can remove a guest at any time, and only people with a WhatsApp account can create a call link.

"Today we're making WhatsApp calling more open than ever," Meta said in its announcement, describing the change as "free, end-to-end encrypted calls for everyone with no time limits." The company said the waiting room and host approval are meant to keep control of the call with the person who created it.

The update follows WhatsApp's addition of calling on the web earlier this year and is part of a broader effort to keep the service at the centre of everyday communication. Meta also plans to add calendar integrations later this year, so users can create a WhatsApp call link from a Google Calendar or Microsoft Outlook invitation after installing a plugin and connecting their account. Invitees would be able to join with or without a WhatsApp account.

For Bangladeshi users, the appeal is practical. WhatsApp is already the default place for many family calls, tutoring sessions, job conversations and small-business dealings. A guest link means a student can join a class from a laptop without installing the app, a trader can bring a client into a call, or a family can include a relative who uses a computer but has never signed up. The guest still needs an internet connection, and video calls use mobile data or Wi-Fi like any other call.

The feature also brings WhatsApp closer to video-conferencing services such as Zoom, Google Meet and FaceTime, which have long allowed people to join through a link. WhatsApp's version keeps the host in charge: guests wait outside until admitted, and the host can cut them off. That matters because call links can be forwarded. Users who share a link publicly could find strangers asking to join, although they would still need the host's approval.

Several details are still unclear. Meta has not said when the feature will reach every user in Bangladesh or whether guests will be able to join from a phone browser as well as a computer. The company has also not published guidance on how much data a guest call uses, which matters for users on limited mobile packages. Reports describe the guest joining from a browser, while the account holder needs the app.

For now, users who see the option can create a link from the Calls tab and share it with the people they want on the call. Guests need a browser, a name and the host's approval. The change does not remove the need for an internet connection, but it does remove the need to download an app or create an account before saying hello.