A 10-kilometer road renovation and expansion project in Adamdighi upazila of Bogura has remained incomplete even after two years, causing severe suffering for residents of ten nearby villages. The project, costing around Tk 18 crore, covers the Chapapur-Nashratpur via Bihigram road. Locals allege that poor-quality materials are being used due to collusion between contractors and officials, and that the responsible department has failed to take effective action against the influential contractor.

According to local sources, the Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) invited tenders in 2024 to repair and widen the road by six feet. The contract was initially awarded to Ananta Bikash Tripura Limited, which later sold it to another contractor. Work began in May last year but soon stopped, and despite several contractor changes, progress has been minimal. Locals report the use of substandard brick chips and old rubble, raising fears that the road will not last long.

Local leaders have repeatedly complained about the slow pace and poor quality of work, but no effective measures have been taken. Residents are urging urgent government intervention to ensure timely and quality completion of the project.

Islami Andolan Bangladesh has announced its mayoral candidates for the upcoming Dhaka North and South City Corporation elections. Atiqur Rahman Mujahid, central president of Islami Jubo Andolan, has been nominated for Dhaka North, while Sheikh Fazlul Karim Maruf, the party’s central publicity secretary, will contest in Dhaka South. The announcement was made on Monday at the party’s central office in Purana Paltan, Dhaka, by the party’s Amir and Charmonai Pir, Mufti Syed Muhammad Rezaul Karim.

During the event, the Charmonai Pir called for holding local elections soon and stated that the national election held on February 12 had been questioned and could not be termed transparent. He emphasized the need for transparency in the upcoming local polls and confirmed that Islami Andolan Bangladesh would participate independently. The party’s secretary general, Principal Yunus Ahmad, and other senior leaders were present at the announcement.

The declaration signals the party’s preparation to contest the city polls separately, underscoring its focus on electoral transparency and independent participation.

A Dhaka court has ordered that former army officer and ex-MP Masud Uddin Chowdhury be shown arrested in a corruption case filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC). The case accuses him of embezzling Tk 119 crore through irregularities in sending workers to Malaysia. The order was issued on Monday by Dhaka Metropolitan Senior Special Judge Md Sabbir Foyez, confirmed by ACC prosecutor Delowar Jahan Rumi.

According to the case, Masud Uddin and others allegedly misused government authority by taking extra money from workers beyond the fixed amount of Tk 78,990 for recruitment to Malaysia. The illegally collected funds were reportedly laundered through various means, leading to charges under the Penal Code, the Money Laundering Prevention Act, and the Anti-Corruption Commission Act. The ACC argued that releasing Masud Uddin on bail could obstruct the investigation.

Masud Uddin was earlier arrested on March 23 from his residence in Baridhara DOHS in connection with multiple murder cases linked to the July uprising. He has since been shown arrested and remanded in several other cases.

Nawab Sharif Sajib, a student of Shahjalal University of Science and Technology, has appealed to Prime Minister Tarique Rahman for employment assistance. Sajib was shot during the July uprising and still carries splinters in his body. The injuries have left him with limited physical ability, forcing him to leave his previous job and halting his studies. He now lives in Natore with his pregnant wife and young child, struggling to meet family expenses despite receiving some government allowances.

Before the movement, Sajib worked as a front desk officer at a hospital in Sylhet but had to resign due to his physical condition. He has been listed as a “July fighter” in the government gazette and received some financial support, but rising living costs have made survival difficult. Regular therapy is required for his recovery, which he cannot afford.

Sajib has applied for a job at his university and written to the Prime Minister seeking direct intervention. His only wish now is for stable employment that would allow him to manage his medical treatment and family responsibilities.

The government has decided to keep all CNG filling stations across Bangladesh open 24 hours a day for 13 consecutive days to ensure smooth travel for passengers during the upcoming Eid-ul-Azha. According to a letter issued by the Energy and Mineral Resources Division to the chairman of Petrobangla, the stations will operate continuously from May 21 to June 2.

The directive means that all filling stations will remain open seven days before and five days after Eid-ul-Azha. The government has also announced a seven-day holiday for the festival, while garment factories will close in phases to accommodate the holiday period.

The decision aims to facilitate uninterrupted fuel supply and ease transportation pressure during one of the country’s busiest travel seasons.

The National Economic Council has approved a record Annual Development Programme (ADP) worth nearly Tk 3 trillion for the 2026–27 fiscal year. The approval came on Monday at a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman at the NEC conference room in Agargaon, Dhaka. The session emphasized government development planning, economic restructuring, social protection, and balanced regional growth.

According to the Planning Commission’s working paper, the total ADP size is set at Tk 3 trillion, with Tk 1.9 trillion from domestic resources and Tk 1.1 trillion from foreign loans and grants. Including self-financed projects by autonomous bodies and corporations, total development expenditure will exceed Tk 3.08 trillion. The plan aligns with a five-year reform and development strategy built on five pillars: state system reform, equitable socioeconomic development, economic reconstruction, regional balance, and social cohesion.

The transport and communication sector receives the highest allocation of Tk 50,092 crore, followed by education, health, power and energy, and housing. A total of 1,121 projects are included, with 1,277 new unapproved projects listed for future consideration. The council directed faster project implementation, financial discipline, and timely completion by June 2027.

National Citizen Party (NCP) South Region chief organizer and Cumilla-4 MP Hasnat Abdullah called for national unity and reform during a rally in Chauddagram Bazaar on Monday. He said that parties whose leaders flee the country have no right to do politics in Bangladesh and vowed that the Awami League would not be allowed to return to power. Abdullah emphasized the need to eliminate unemployment, modernize education, and strengthen the SME sector, urging that these priorities be included in the upcoming national budget.

He criticized the influence of politicians over the police, saying that some officers harass opposition activists for personal gain. Abdullah cited past and current governments’ actions against social media users as examples of political misuse of law enforcement. He demanded a politically neutral police force and a zero-tolerance policy against drug trafficking, particularly in border areas like Chauddagram.

The event was chaired by Abu Sufian Raihan of Jatiya Jubo Shakti and attended by several NCP and allied leaders, who echoed calls for unity and reform.

Two albino buffaloes named ‘Donald Trump’ and ‘Netanyahu’ have become a major attraction in Narayanganj ahead of Eid-ul-Azha. The animals, known for their unusual appearance and behavior, are being raised at two separate farms. The ‘Netanyahu’ buffalo, weighing over 750 kilograms, is kept at SS Cattle Farm in Bandar upazila and has gone viral on social media. It was sold to a Dhaka businessman for six lakh taka, surpassing the price of ‘Donald Trump’, another albino buffalo from Rabeya Agro Farm in Paikpara.

According to the farms, the names were inspired by the animals’ distinctive looks resembling the world leaders. The ‘Donald Trump’ buffalo, weighing around 700 kilograms with a pinkish hue, was sold at 550 taka per kilogram live weight. Visitors from different areas are flocking to see the animals after watching viral videos online.

Farm owners said the social media buzz has significantly increased public interest in unique sacrificial animals this year, alongside the usual demand for large cattle.

A farmer named Samad was killed and two others were injured after being struck by lightning in Lalurkandi area of Khagkanda Union under Araihazar upazila in Narayanganj on Monday morning. The incident occurred around 6 a.m. when Samad, along with Yusuf Ali and Ismail, was returning home from working in a paddy field during a storm. Locals and family members rescued the victims and took them to Araihazar Upazila Health Complex.

At the hospital, the on-duty doctor declared Samad dead, while Yusuf Ali and Ismail received primary treatment for their injuries. Police confirmed the incident through Officer-in-Charge Mohammad Alauddin.

The report highlights the fatal lightning strike as part of ongoing weather-related hazards affecting rural agricultural workers in the region.

An internal investigation has revealed that 23 out of 34 officials of the Bangladesh Tea Board received appointments and promotions in violation of regulations during the Awami League government. The inquiry found that some officials used political or personal connections to secure positions, including relatives of ministers and associates of senior police officials. The findings, submitted on March 30 after four months of investigation, identified multiple cases of rule violations in both the Tea Research Institute and the Project Development Unit. The committee recommended canceling several promotion orders and recovering funds improperly received by some employees.

The investigation also uncovered large-scale corruption involving fake and deceased workers in state-owned tea estates, particularly at the New Samanbagh Tea Garden. Out of 1,820 listed workers, only 315 were verified as genuine, while over 1,000 had mismatched or missing identification records. The report estimated that the government loses millions of taka monthly due to salaries and benefits paid to non-existent workers.

Officials involved in the inquiry confirmed the irregularities and submitted their reports to higher authorities, but no further action has yet been reported.

A Feni court has granted bail to a charge-sheeted accused in the Shahid Mahbubul Hasan Masum murder case, which occurred during the July–August student and public uprising in Feni’s Mohipal area. On Sunday, Additional District and Sessions Judge-2 Mashfikul Haque issued the order. The prosecution confirmed that the accused, Jubo League leader Sohel, had been arrested earlier and was in jail for about three months. The charge sheet, filed on 31 July 2025 by SI Alamgir Hossain of Feni Model Police Station, named 221 individuals.

The case also lists several high-profile figures, including Sheikh Hasina, Obaidul Quader, Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, Nizam Uddin Hazari, and Masud Uddin Chowdhury, as accused. Despite strong opposition from the prosecution, the court approved Sohel’s bail following a petition by his defense lawyers. This marks the first instance of a charge-sheeted accused receiving bail in the Feni court related to the July uprising murder case.

The plaintiff’s lawyer described the decision as unprecedented, while local BNP leader Sheikh Farid Bahar said the bail raised public questions about transparency and justice in such a sensitive case.

A Rajshahi divisional special judge court on Sunday sentenced former Godagari Upazila cooperative officer Nripendranath Das to five years in prison in a corruption case filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC). The verdict was delivered by Judge Mostafa Pavel Raihan. The conviction includes two years of rigorous imprisonment and a fine of 5,000 taka under Section 161 of the Penal Code, and three years of rigorous imprisonment with an 8,000 taka fine under Section 5(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1947.

According to the case details, on May 14, 2019, Abdul Baten applied to register the Sharamangla Ekata Fish Farmers Cooperative Society in Godagari municipality. During the registration process, the then cooperative officer Nripendranath Das demanded a bribe of 15,000 taka, of which 7,000 taka was initially paid. After the complaint was lodged, an ACC team set a trap and caught him red-handed while receiving the remaining 8,000 taka at his office.

Following his arrest, Das was handed over to Godagari police, and a case was filed against him. The court later delivered its verdict based on the investigation and evidence presented.

A major loan fraud has been uncovered in five merged Islamic banks in Bangladesh, where 75 percent of loans were issued without collateral. The banks—Exim, Social Islami, First Security Islami, Union, and Global Islami—distributed loans without meeting minimum requirements, leading to massive defaults and failure to repay depositors. The government merged the banks into a new entity, Sammilit Islami Bank, after depositors faced losses. Around Tk 4,000 crore has already been paid to customers from the deposit insurance fund.

According to Bangladesh Bank data, as of December, the five banks had total loans of Tk 1.95 trillion, with collateral covering only 24.56 percent. Defaulted loans reached Tk 1.705 trillion, or 87.43 percent of total loans. The S. Alam Group alone took Tk 1.016 trillion, more than half of total loans, mostly without collateral. Former BAB chairman Nazrul Islam Majumder’s firms borrowed Tk 17.96 billion. Officials said bank insiders aided the process by overvaluing collateral.

The interim government formed Sammilit Islami Bank with Tk 35,000 crore paid-up capital, including Tk 20,000 crore from the state. However, uncertainty over the return of previous owners and lack of clear government communication have renewed depositor anxiety.

The banned Awami League is reportedly attempting to reorganize and return to political activity despite ongoing restrictions. The party has begun forming new committees at various levels and is focusing on issues such as the measles vaccine controversy and agreements with the United States to influence public opinion. It has also initiated legal actions against Dr. Muhammad Yunus and his former interim government, seeking to discredit them and demand their trial. Political analysts believe these issue-based campaigns could evolve into broader anti-government movements if not contained.

Government authorities have maintained strict surveillance and arrests to prevent the group’s resurgence, while Awami League supporters abroad and some professional groups have called for lifting the political ban. Former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has reportedly communicated online with party members, encouraging organizational revival and hinting at her return to Bangladesh within the year. Several new committees have already been formed, and social media activity has intensified.

Analysts note that despite the ban and public resentment, Awami League retains influence through professional and local networks. However, continued law enforcement pressure and anti-fascist political unity make a full-scale comeback difficult in the near term.

Bangladesh maintained firm control over Pakistan in the Sylhet Test, ending the second day with a 156-run overall lead. After dismissing Pakistan for 232 in their first innings, Bangladesh reached 110 for three in their second innings, adding to their 46-run first-innings advantage. The hosts aim to bat through the third day to build an insurmountable total. Pakistan’s batting struggles continued, with only Babar Azam showing resistance through a composed 68, while the rest of the middle order faltered again.

Bangladesh’s bowlers dominated early, with Taskin Ahmed taking two wickets in his first two overs, supported by Nahid Rana, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, and Taijul Islam, who dismantled Pakistan’s middle and lower order. Despite Khurram Shahzad’s earlier optimism about scoring 400-plus, Pakistan collapsed for 232. Bangladesh’s openers had mixed fortunes, with Mahmudul Hasan Joy scoring a half-century after a first-innings duck, while debutant Tanzid Hasan Tamim managed only 26 and 4.

As the match heads into the third day, Pakistan face a daunting task to recover, with their confidence visibly shaken and Bangladesh poised to push for a decisive victory.