U.S. President Donald Trump has urged Iran to make what he called a wise decision, warning that the country’s economy is heading toward failure. Speaking on May 5, 2026, he said U.S. sanctions have played a major role in Iran’s economic decline and described them as the toughest ever imposed. Trump praised Treasury Secretary Scott Besent for effectively implementing the sanctions.

Trump claimed that Iran’s currency has become nearly worthless and that inflation may have reached 150 percent. Despite his harsh economic assessment, he expressed reluctance to pursue military action, saying he does not want to kill people in Iran and calling the issue very difficult.

Expressing sympathy for the Iranian people, Trump said he knows many Iranians in New York and elsewhere and described them as wonderful people. He concluded by emphasizing that Iran should act wisely to avoid further deterioration of the situation.

Bangladesh Labor Party Chairman Dr. Mostafizur Rahman Iran has described the killings that took place on May 5, 2013, at Shapla Chattar in Dhaka’s Motijheel area as a disgraceful chapter in the country’s political history. In a statement signed by the party’s office secretary Md. Miraj Khan, he said that the state-sponsored operation by law enforcement agencies against unarmed religious scholars, devout citizens, and ordinary people was a severe violation of human rights and democratic values.

Dr. Iran emphasized that the state’s duty is to ensure the safety and security of its citizens, but the midnight operation at Shapla Chattar created deep concern and anger among the public. He stated that justice cannot be established in national life without a proper investigation into the incident.

He prayed for the souls of those killed and expressed sympathy for the injured and affected families. Dr. Iran also urged the government to guarantee human rights, freedom of expression, and democratic rights to prevent such incidents in the future.

Post-election violence has spread across several districts of West Bengal, including South 24 Parganas, Birbhum, Nadia, Howrah, and Bankura. Reports indicate incidents of murder, assault, vandalism, and party office takeovers, leading to rising tension in multiple areas. In a particularly brutal case in Nanur, Birbhum, a Muslim Trinamool Congress worker named Abir Sheikh was killed. His family alleged that BJP supporters attacked him with sharp weapons when he was alone. Police have been deployed to control the situation.

In another incident, tension flared in Champahati under the Baruipur East constituency of South 24 Parganas. Allegations surfaced that BJP workers blocked the entrance of a panchayat office with bamboo poles after hoisting their party flag. The BJP has completely denied these accusations.

Authorities are maintaining a heightened presence in affected areas to prevent further escalation, as political unrest continues following the election results.

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has directed authorities to urgently repair the roads in Pirojpur district to make them suitable for traffic. The instruction came during a meeting at the Prime Minister’s Office in the Cabinet Division of the Bangladesh Secretariat on Tuesday. The meeting reviewed the progress, challenges, and next steps of various development projects under the Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) in Pirojpur.

During the discussion, the Prime Minister emphasized the government’s commitment to maintaining a smooth and functional road communication system across the country. He particularly stressed the need to bring long-neglected and severely damaged roads under immediate repair programs to reduce the suffering of local residents. Relevant departments were instructed to take prompt and effective measures.

Officials present at the meeting reported on the previous progress of LGED projects in Pirojpur and noted that irregularities and corruption had occurred during the previous Awami League government’s tenure. The Prime Minister underscored the importance of transparency and accountability in implementing development activities going forward.

Italian Ambassador to Bangladesh Antonio Alessandro met with Brigadier General Dr. A K M Shamsul Islam, the Prime Minister’s Defense Adviser, on Tuesday afternoon in Dhaka. The meeting took place at the office of the Defense Adviser in the Armed Forces Division within Dhaka Cantonment, with a four-member Italian delegation present.

During the meeting, both sides exchanged greetings in a cordial atmosphere and held productive discussions on strengthening bilateral relations, particularly in the area of defense cooperation. They emphasized deepening the existing friendship between Bangladesh and Italy and making it more multidimensional.

The discussions also covered expanding collaboration in defense training, capacity building, and experience sharing, as well as enhancing cooperation in the context of regional and global security. Both parties stressed the importance of elevating mutual trust, cooperation, and strategic partnership to a new level.

Islami Chhatra Shibir Central President Nurul Islam has alleged that the Awami government carried out the Shapla Chattar killings as part of a plan to eliminate Islam and its leaders. Speaking at a human chain organized by the Dhaka South unit of Chhatra Shibir at Motijheel’s Shapla Chattar, he demanded the immediate publication of a white paper on the incident and the trial of those responsible in an international crimes tribunal.

Nurul Islam claimed that after the 2013 incident, many Islamic scholars were unjustly arrested, tortured, and imprisoned for years. He also alleged that several television channels were shut down to conceal the events of May 5. He urged the government to reveal the actual death toll, compensate affected families, and punish those who planned and executed the killings. He further called for a blasphemy law to prevent anti-Islamic activities.

Special guest Maulana Abdul Halim of Jamaat-e-Islami also demanded justice, claiming that some former RAB and military officials were directly involved. He reminded that the opposition alliance led by Begum Khaleda Zia had protested the killings the following day.

Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Minister Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir called on district administrators to engage closely with citizens and lead alongside them. Speaking as chief guest at the sixth session of the 2026 Deputy Commissioners’ Conference held Tuesday at Osmani Memorial Auditorium in Dhaka, he emphasized the administrators’ vital role in nation-building and urged them to focus on genuine public welfare. He also announced that the government would organize local government elections soon and stressed decentralization as key to strengthening democracy.

State Minister Mir Shah Alam, attending as special guest, highlighted the government’s commitment to women’s empowerment, noting that among 64 district commissioners, 18 are women, and one of eight divisional commissioners is female. He instructed authorities to ensure coordinated waste removal within 12 hours during the upcoming Eid-ul-Azha. The session, chaired by Cabinet Secretary Nasimul Gani, included presentations and discussions among divisional commissioners and district administrators on local challenges and development priorities.

The event underscored the government’s focus on administrative innovation and effective local governance to advance national development goals.

Hefazat-e-Islam organized a rally in Narsingdi on Tuesday afternoon demanding justice for the killings at Shapla Chattar. The gathering took place at Darul Ulum Dattapara Madrasa and was attended by leaders of the organization’s Narsingdi district branch, including President Hafiz Maulana Shawkat Hossain Sarkar, Organizing Secretary Maulana Sadekul Islam, and several other clerics and activists.

Speakers at the rally alleged that people devoted to Islam were brutally killed during the incident and compared the violence to extreme acts of brutality. They accused the government of supporting anti-Islamic activities through the Shahbagh Gonojagoron Mancha movement. The speakers also announced the formation of the Shapla Foundation and demanded that the events of Shapla Chattar be included in school textbooks.

The rally reflected Hefazat-e-Islam’s continuing demand for official recognition and judicial action regarding the Shapla Chattar incident, which the group describes as a massacre.

Army Chief General Walker-Uz-Zaman has described the recent national election as the most remarkable in the country’s history. Speaking on Tuesday at the Deputy Commissioners’ Conference held at the Osmani Memorial Auditorium in Dhaka, he said the election demonstrated that both military and civilian forces can successfully complete even the most challenging tasks when working together. Before his remarks, the chiefs of the navy and air force, along with the prime minister’s defense adviser, also addressed the event.

The army chief thanked the deputy commissioners for their role in organizing the election, noting that while the army provided support, the responsibility for conducting the polls rested entirely with the civil administration. He added that despite earlier doubts about whether the election would take place, the process had restored the nation to a democratic path. He assured the officials that the army would remain ready to assist them promptly in any emergency, disaster, or other critical situation.

His comments underscored the military’s commitment to supporting civil authorities and maintaining stability following the election.

Dhaka Metropolitan Police’s (DMP) Deputy Commissioner of Ramna Division, Md Masud Alam, has been transferred to Chattogram as Superintendent of Police. The transfer order was issued on Tuesday through a circular from the Police-1 branch of the Ministry of Home Affairs, signed by Deputy Secretary Tawsif Ahmed. The order stated that the decision was made in the public interest and would take immediate effect.

The same circular also appointed new Superintendents of Police in eleven other districts, including Panchagarh, Bandarban, Joypurhat, Pabna, Nilphamari, Narail, Satkhira, Chandpur, Jhalakathi, Moulvibazar, and Feni. Md Masud Alam, a 28th batch BCS (Police) officer, previously served as Deputy Commissioner of DMP’s Ramna Division after the fall of the Awami League government.

During his tenure, he was responsible for key areas such as Dhaka University, the residence of the former Chief Adviser of the interim government, the Supreme Court, the Chief Justice’s residence, Shahbagh, and the Press Club, where he gained attention for his role during various protests and road blockades.

Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer and opposition leader Dr. Shafiqur Rahman declared that the recent referendum result in Bangladesh would be implemented without fail. Speaking as chief guest at a community reception in Nagoya, Japan, he said nearly 70 percent of voters supported the referendum, and ignoring their decision would insult the nation. He pledged that the opposition would continue its movement both inside and outside parliament to ensure the verdict’s execution.

The event, organized by the Bangladesh community under the supervision of Islamic Mission Japan, was attended by expatriate Bangladeshis, academics, and professionals from the Aichi Prefecture. Dr. Rahman expressed gratitude to expatriates for their support during past political movements and promised to work with the expatriate ministry for the release of 39 detained Bangladeshis in the UAE. He also urged the government to adopt a zero-tolerance policy against extortion and corruption, citing rising commodity prices.

Dr. Rahman emphasized moral and religious education as essential for eradicating crime and corruption and reaffirmed his commitment to building a moral, educated, and advanced Bangladesh in cooperation with friendly nations like Japan.

NCP’s southern regional organizer and Member of Parliament Hasanat Abdullah stated that Bangladesh’s recent fuel crisis resulted mainly from inadequate preparation. He made the remarks on Tuesday afternoon after a views-exchange meeting at the office of the Upazila Nirbahi Officer in Debidwar, Comilla. Abdullah said that after the new government was formed, a lack of readiness led to problems in diesel supply, allowing a syndicate to take advantage and cause public suffering. He also criticized certain power-producing groups for exploiting capacity charges.

Addressing broader national issues, Abdullah emphasized the need to uphold communal harmony to counter negative portrayals of Bangladesh. He added that ensuring unity among people of all faiths would help dispel post-election concerns in India. On law and order, he noted that public discussions reflect serious deterioration, claiming current crime reports have surpassed those during the interim government.

The meeting, chaired by Debidwar Upazila Nirbahi Officer Rakibul Islam, was attended by officials from the Roads and Highways Department and local political and community leaders.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has dismissed speculation about her resignation following the Trinamool Congress’s (TMC) major setback in the state assembly election. Speaking to journalists in Kalighat on Tuesday, she appeared defiant and accused the Election Commission of bias, alleging that the central government seeks one-party rule. Banerjee insisted that she would not resign, declaring, “Why should I resign? We have not lost.”

According to the election results, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won 207 of the 293 assembly seats, while the TMC secured 80. The outcome triggered widespread political discussion about Banerjee’s future as chief minister. Senior TMC leaders, including Abhishek Banerjee, Firhad Hakim, and Derek O’Brien, were present during her remarks.

Banerjee said she had endured much during her tenure but now felt free to fight against what she described as oppression. She vowed to continue her struggle from the streets, emphasizing her identity as a grassroots leader.

The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of Bangladesh, Md. Nurul Islam, has submitted 38 audit reports from various ministries and agencies to Prime Minister Tarique Rahman at the Secretariat on Tuesday afternoon. Among these reports is the investigation into the widely discussed 'pillow scandal' corruption that occurred during the construction of the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant’s Green City residential complex. The scandal, first exposed in 2019, involved abnormally inflated prices for furniture and electronic items, including pillows purchased at Tk 5,957 each and additional lifting charges.

According to the Prime Minister’s Press Secretary Saleh Shibli, the Prime Minister reacted to the report by remarking that such an expensive pillow should be kept in a museum. The audit found irregularities in purchases worth Tk 169 crore for the residential project, with several items priced far above market value, such as comforters at Tk 16,800 and bed sheets at Tk 5,936.

Senior officials including the Cabinet Secretary Nasimul Gani and Finance Secretary Khairuzzaman Mojumdar were present during the submission of the 2021–22 fiscal year audit reports.

Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami Assistant Secretary General Advocate Ehsanul Mahbub Zubair described May 5 as an important chapter in the country’s anti-fascist movement. He made the remarks on Tuesday at a discussion organized by Sushil Forum at the National Press Club’s Akram Khan Hall, marking the Shapla Chattar killing day. Zubair said the incident of May 5, 2013, opened a new chapter in Bangladesh’s history and accused the Awami League government of implementing its political plans through planned incidents.

The discussion was presided over by Sushil Forum President Md. Zahid and attended by several speakers, including freedom fighter Major (Retd.) Akhtaruzzaman, Md. Kamal Hossain, Professor Iqbal Hossain Pradhan, Altaf Uddin Molla, and Professor Nur Nabi Manik. Major Akhtaruzzaman said May 5 opened a new door in Bangladesh’s history and that although victory was hindered by a lack of leadership, the movement’s continuity remains.

Speakers at the event called for unity in support of democracy, justice, and human rights in Bangladesh.