Dr. Atik Mujahid, the Member of Parliament for Kurigram-2 and a representative of the 11-party alliance, has called for all political and social groups in Fulbari upazila to unite in eliminating drugs and advancing local development. He made the appeal on Wednesday afternoon while addressing a meeting of the Fulbari upazila law and order and anti-smuggling committee, chaired by Upazila Nirbahi Officer Dilara Akter.

During his speech, Dr. Mujahid urged leaders of all political parties to identify local problems and submit them to him for presentation in the national parliament and relevant government offices. He warned government officials against corruption and emphasized that those who fail to serve the public would not be allowed to remain in their positions. Addressing the police, he stated that drug trafficking could not continue if law enforcement acted decisively.

The meeting was attended by local officials, political leaders from various parties, and representatives from law enforcement, agriculture, education, and health sectors, who also shared their views on the issues discussed.

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman announced that the government will construct a Teesta Barrage similar to the Padma Barrage. He made the declaration on Wednesday at a gathering in Sataish, Gazipur, held on the premises of the National Disaster Management Research and Training Institute. Earlier, he laid the foundation stone of the institute, which will be built on about eight acres of land and include administrative and residential facilities for trainees. The institute will provide specialized training for members and volunteers of disaster management organizations.

Explaining the importance of the Padma Barrage, the Prime Minister said it aims to ensure water availability during dry and rainy seasons and to counter the effects of reduced river flow caused by upstream structures. He linked the project to protecting the environment and preventing saline water intrusion in southern regions, including the Sundarbans. Rahman also emphasized the need for environmental awareness, citing deforestation in Cox’s Bazar due to Rohingya settlements and road construction.

He urged citizens to be conscious of disaster preparedness and resource protection, stating that safeguarding national assets is essential for Bangladesh’s progress toward becoming a developed nation.

Israel’s parliament, the Knesset, has taken a significant step toward early elections after a bill to dissolve the legislature passed a preliminary vote on Wednesday. Out of 120 members, 110 lawmakers supported the measure. The bill will now proceed to committee review and must pass three further readings before becoming law.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu continues to favor holding the general election as scheduled at the end of October, despite the preliminary approval. He is expected to continue talks with ultra-Orthodox (Haredi) parties to delay the dissolution process. Haredi factions have recently shown willingness to back opposition-led dissolution bills, though their cooperation remains uncertain.

Several controversial legislative proposals remain under discussion, including plans to divide the attorney general’s powers, place the police internal affairs unit under the justice minister, and reform media oversight. These measures require Haredi support, which has been inconsistent. Additionally, the Knesset’s Foreign and Defense Committee is set to discuss bills on extending mandatory military service and exempting Haredi men from conscription, reportedly at Netanyahu’s direction.

Caritas Bangladesh has called for mandatory birth registration immediately after childbirth at hospitals and community clinics, along with the introduction of a conditional child allowance for street children and those from ultra-poor families. The organization made these demands during a media consultation held at the Dhaka Reporters Unity auditorium, where officials and representatives of street children were present. Caritas Development Institute Director Theophil Nokrek read a written statement outlining eight specific demands to strengthen child protection and social inclusion.

According to data cited at the event, only nine percent of children in 2024 were registered within 45 days of birth, despite legal requirements. Caritas emphasized that children without birth certificates face barriers to education, healthcare, and social benefits. The group also highlighted that 58.2 percent of street children lack birth certificates, and most do not know their parents’ national ID numbers, making registration nearly impossible under current rules.

Caritas urged the government to expand social safety nets, simplify registration for parentless children, and ensure coordinated action among state and non-governmental actors to secure the rights and future of disadvantaged children.

Pakistan has continued its diplomatic efforts to ease regional tensions, with Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi departing for Tehran to attend an important meeting, according to Iran’s Tasnim News Agency. This marks Naqvi’s second visit to Tehran within a week, underscoring Islamabad’s active role in promoting dialogue between conflicting parties.

Earlier this year, Pakistan facilitated discussions among relevant stakeholders, and diplomatic sources indicate that the country is maintaining contact at various levels to organize a second round of talks. The initiative reflects Islamabad’s ongoing commitment to mediation and conflict resolution in the region.

Analysts cited in the report suggest that Pakistan’s diplomatic engagement could play a significant role in maintaining regional stability, as the country continues to position itself as a mediator in ongoing disputes.

Students of Dhaka University of Engineering and Technology (DUET) in Gazipur have declared a complete shutdown of the campus, rejecting the appointment of a new vice-chancellor. The protesting students locked the university’s main gate and announced that the shutdown would continue until further notice. Administrative activities have come to a standstill as a result of the ongoing demonstration.

The students are pressing a three-point demand, including the cancellation of the new vice-chancellor’s appointment and the selection of a replacement from within DUET. The protest follows a day of intense demonstrations and clashes that turned the campus into a tense zone. Despite the continued unrest, the university administration has not yet issued any formal statement or solution.

The continued shutdown has created a state of paralysis across the DUET campus, with students remaining firm in their demands and showing no sign of ending their movement until their conditions are met.

BNP Secretary General and LGRD Minister Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has said that the people of Bangladesh will never bring Jamaat-e-Islami back to power. Speaking at a grand reception organized by the Thakurgaon district BNP at the abandoned airport grounds in Shibganj on Wednesday afternoon, he accused Jamaat-e-Islami of opposing the 1971 Liberation War, killing freedom fighters, and committing atrocities against women. He added that politics based on falsehoods and religion would not succeed in the country.

During the event, Mirza Fakhrul, accompanied by Aviation Minister Afroza Khanam Rita and State Minister M. Rashiduzzaman Millat, inspected the abandoned airport. The crowd welcomed the ministers with traditional dances and flower showers. In his speech, Fakhrul announced that the previously closed airports in Bogura and Thakurgaon had been included in the Planning Division’s green list for reopening.

He stated that feasibility studies and renovation work would begin soon, and if all goes well, flights could resume at the Thakurgaon airport within two years.

The White House has confirmed that U.S. President Donald Trump will attend the Group of Seven (G7) summit scheduled to take place in France from June 15 to 17. His participation had previously been uncertain due to tensions with allied nations. The confirmation ends speculation about whether Trump would join the high-level gathering.

According to the report, Trump is interested in shaping the meeting as more trade-focused than a traditional diplomatic event. French President Emmanuel Macron had earlier proposed hosting a post-summit dinner at the Palace of Versailles to encourage Trump’s attendance. The summit dates were also adjusted to avoid a scheduling conflict with a planned UFC fight at the White House on Trump’s 80th birthday.

The announcement signals renewed engagement between the U.S. and its G7 partners, though the tone and focus of discussions are expected to reflect Trump’s emphasis on trade issues.

Bakerganj Upazila Nirbahi Officer Milton Chandra Pal stated that village courts are enabling ordinary people to receive justice more quickly while reducing the pressure on formal courts. He made the remarks on Wednesday, May 20, during a workshop held at the Upazila Parishad conference room, organized by the Upazila administration to develop a coordinated plan for raising public awareness about village courts.

During his address, the official noted that village courts play an important role in resolving family disputes, land-related conflicts, and other social issues efficiently and easily. He emphasized that regular participation and effective roles of local representatives could further speed up dispute resolution at the community level. According to him, village courts have already earned public trust.

The workshop was supported by the Bangladesh Village Court Activation Phase-3 Project and attended by local government officials and representatives from organizations including BRAC, Proshika, Wave Foundation, and SAINT Bangladesh.

Reports indicate that during the early days of the Iran war, following Israeli strikes that killed Iran’s supreme leader and senior officials, US President Donald Trump publicly suggested that someone from within Iran should take charge. It has now emerged that both the United States and Israel had considered former hardline president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad for that role. According to American officials, Israeli planners even consulted Ahmadinejad about the idea, but the plan quickly collapsed.

Ahmadinejad was injured in an Israeli airstrike on his Tehran home on the war’s first day, an attack reportedly aimed at freeing him from house arrest. After surviving, he became disillusioned with the regime-change plan and has not been seen publicly since. The plan was part of a broader Israeli effort to topple Iran’s religious government through targeted strikes and internal unrest, though most of it failed to materialize.

White House spokesperson Anna Kelly declined to comment directly on the plan but said Trump’s “Operation Epic Fury” achieved its military goals, including destroying Iran’s missile and naval capabilities.

A heated verbal exchange erupted in the US House of Representatives over the ongoing Iran war, when Democratic lawmaker Seth Moulton questioned Admiral Brad Cooper, head of the US Central Command, about the country’s plan to achieve victory. Moulton, a former Marine Corps officer during the Iraq war, expressed concern that the United States appeared to be losing, citing the absence of a nuclear deal and restricted access to the Strait of Hormuz. He asked how many more Americans would have to die due to what he described as strategic mistakes.

Admiral Cooper, known for his calm demeanor, reacted sharply, calling Moulton’s remarks “completely inappropriate.” Earlier, Cooper had asserted that the United States had achieved all its military objectives in the Iran war and remained prepared for any large-scale developments despite the current ceasefire. He avoided commenting on reports that a US strike on an Iranian school on February 28 killed about 170 children.

The exchange highlighted growing tensions within US leadership over the direction and justification of the Iran conflict.

Senior lawyer Advocate Muhammad Shishir Monir has accused the government of committing serious contempt of court by dissolving the Supreme Court Secretariat and transferring its officials. He made the remarks on Wednesday while speaking to journalists in front of the Supreme Court’s annex building. Monir stated that the Secretariat was established under the directive of the highest court and that the matter remains under judicial consideration. He announced plans to file a contempt petition against those responsible on the following day.

The controversy follows a government order issued on Tuesday that dissolved the Supreme Court Secretariat and reassigned its senior secretary and 15 other officials to the Ministry of Law. The order, issued by the Law and Justice Division under presidential authority, stated that the officials were attached to the ministry until further notice. The Secretariat had been inaugurated on December 11, 2025, by then Chief Justice Dr. Syed Refaat Ahmed in the Supreme Court’s Administrative Building-4, in the presence of interim government legal adviser Dr. Asif Nazrul.

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has emphasized that maintaining discipline and the chain of command is essential for any orderly force. Speaking on Wednesday morning at the 46th National Assembly of Bangladesh Ansar and Village Defence Party (VDP) in Safipur, Gazipur, he said that even minor negligence in these principles prevents a force from becoming truly disciplined. He warned that a lack of discipline erodes public trust in any force.

The Prime Minister recalled the Ansar force’s historic role in the Liberation War, noting that around 40,000 members participated and 670 were martyred. He highlighted the post-independence deterioration of law and order and said that former President Ziaur Rahman had strengthened the Ansar and VDP to restore stability. He also credited the 1995 Ansar-VDP Act under Khaleda Zia’s government for transforming the force into a structured disciplined organization.

Rahman further noted that the Ansar and VDP played key roles after the August 5, 2024 uprising, providing security and managing traffic. He praised their contributions to social awareness, disaster management, and technology-based services, urging continued efficiency and strategic planning for future operations.

A commentary published on 20 May 2026 in the Bangladeshi daily ‘Amar Desh’ draws parallels between Zionism and Hindutva, arguing that both movements emerged from religious nationalism and rely on force and propaganda to sustain themselves. The article traces the origins of Zionism under Theodor Herzl and its culmination in the 1948 establishment of Israel, describing the state’s expansion into Palestinian territories and its control over the West Bank and Gaza. It alleges systematic oppression of Palestinians, including mass detentions and violence.

The piece then compares Israel’s treatment of Palestinians with India’s political trajectory under the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its ideological parent, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). It claims that since 2014, Hindu nationalist politics have intensified anti-Muslim sentiment, drawing inspiration from Zionist strategies. The article cites BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari’s campaign remarks in West Bengal, where he labeled Muslims as outsiders and invoked Israel’s Gaza actions as a model.

Following BJP’s electoral win in West Bengal, the article reports incidents of violence against Muslims and calls to identify Muslim homes. It concludes that such developments mirror pre-genocide propaganda seen in other regions and pose grave risks for India’s Muslim population.

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman attended the 46th National Assembly of the Ansar and Village Defence Party (VDP) held on Wednesday, May 20, in Safipur, Gazipur. The event took place at the Ansar and VDP Academy in a festive and colorful atmosphere, marking a major national gathering of the force.

Upon his arrival at the venue in the morning, the Prime Minister was warmly received by senior officials of the Ansar and VDP. He inspected a well-organized parade on the decorated parade ground and received the state salute from the saluting dais. Special guard of honor units of the force presented ceremonial honors to the Prime Minister during the proceedings.

The assembly highlighted the discipline and ceremonial traditions of the Ansar and VDP, reflecting the organization’s continued role in national service and community defense activities.