The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has arrested Haider Kabir Mithun, 54, deputy managing director of Holistic Home Builders Ltd, for allegedly embezzling around Tk 120 crore from hundreds of clients under the guise of a housing project. The arrest was made under a case filed with Uttara East Police Station, according to a CID press release issued on Sunday.

According to the case statement, the company promoted a project near Uttarkhan Police Station, offering 36 shares of a proposed (G+9) building on 10 kathas of land, each priced at Tk 15 lakh. Many clients, including the complainant, invested significant sums at the company’s Uttara Sector-4 office. Despite issuing receipts and cheques, the company failed to register the promised land shares and instead delayed the process with various excuses. Later, clients discovered that the accused had collected funds from about 470 people through similar fraudulent schemes.

Investigators found that Mithun, as DMD, was directly involved in collecting and misappropriating client funds. The company’s managing director reportedly went into hiding, and a new board later disclaimed responsibility for transactions made between June 2022 and September 2024.

Students of the University Laboratory School and College, operated by the Institute of Education and Research (IER) at Dhaka University, have accused Assistant Professor of Physics Barun Kumar Saha of inappropriate behavior, indecent remarks, and secretly recording videos of female students. On May 10, students boycotted classes and staged demonstrations demanding exemplary punishment and permanent dismissal of the accused teacher.

According to the students, Saha had been making offensive comments, particularly targeting hijab-wearing students, and misinterpreting normal interactions between male and female students. They alleged that he secretly filmed them, followed them outside campus, and used the videos to intimidate or blackmail them. The students submitted a written complaint to the college administration seeking immediate action.

Acting Principal Md. Jamil Uddin confirmed that a fact-finding committee has been formed and has begun its work. Dhaka University’s Assistant Proctor Dr. Mohammad Rafiqul Islam said the matter is being taken seriously. The Dhaka University Central Students’ Union (DUCSU) condemned the incident, expressed solidarity with the protesting students, and called for clear institutional policies to prevent such misconduct.

A woman was killed and her husband and daughter were critically injured after being stabbed by her drug-addicted son in Feni’s Daganbhuiyan upazila on Sunday night. The attack took place around 8:30 p.m. in Dilpur village under Sindurpur Union. According to locals, the 22-year-old son, Rafi, attacked his mother, Lucky Akter, with a knife he had bought online after she refused to give him money for drugs. When his sister Mithila tried to intervene, he stabbed her as well, and later attacked their father, Mostafa Bhuiyan, who rushed in to save them.

Locals rescued the victims and took them to the hospital, but Lucky Akter, 55, died on the way. Mostafa Bhuiyan, 65, who had recently returned from abroad, and 18-year-old student Mithila were admitted to Feni General Hospital in critical condition. Police arrested Rafi the same night and recovered two knives used in the attack.

According to Daganbhuiyan Police Station’s officer-in-charge Muhammad Fayzul Azim, the body was sent for autopsy and the injured were transferred to Chattogram for advanced treatment. Legal action is being taken regarding the incident.

The High Court has granted bail to journalist couple Shakil Ahmed and Farzana Rupa in several cases filed over the July uprising. The bench of Justice K M Zahid Sarwar and Justice Sheikh Abu Taher issued the order on Monday, May 11, 2026. Farzana Rupa received bail in six cases, while Shakil Ahmed was granted bail in five. However, both still face one case each where the court issued a rule instead of granting bail, meaning they will not be released immediately.

According to lawyers, the couple remains in custody as bail has not been granted in all cases. Barrister Jyotirmoy Barua represented the bail petitions, while Additional Attorney General Anik R Haque appeared for the state. The couple had been detained earlier on August 21, 2024, at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport.

The High Court’s partial bail order marks a significant development in the legal proceedings surrounding the July uprising cases, though the couple’s release remains pending until all bail matters are resolved.

The High Court of Bangladesh has ruled that revealing the gender of an unborn child is prohibited. The verdict, delivered on February 25, 2024, by a bench comprising Justice Naima Haider and Justice Kazi Zinat Haque, was officially published on May 11, 2026. The court stated that determining and disclosing the gender of a fetus constitutes discrimination against women and violates constitutional rights.

According to the full judgment, such practices contribute to female infanticide, social imbalance, and undermine women's dignity, equality, and right to life. The court further noted that gender disclosure breaches international human rights obligations. It emphasized that Bangladesh has long lacked effective control, monitoring, and accountability mechanisms in this area.

The court observed that issuing mere guidelines is insufficient to curb unethical practices. It called for proper implementation, digital surveillance, and effective regulatory measures to ensure compliance and protect women's rights.

Bangladesh Bank has announced that it will launch an Islamic interbank money market by June 30, aiming to address liquidity management challenges faced by Islamic banks that cannot participate in conventional interest-based call money markets. The initiative acknowledges a long-standing structural weakness in the country’s Islamic banking system, where banks lack a Shariah-compliant mechanism for short-term borrowing and lending.

However, economist M. Kabir Hassan argues that the proposed model overlooks the sector’s ongoing financial distress and governance failures. Several Islamic banks reportedly have negative equity, high default rates, and allegations of large-scale fund misappropriation. The author warns that introducing an interbank liquidity pipeline among such institutions could spread financial contagion rather than resolve liquidity issues. He notes that Bangladesh lacks essential Shariah-compliant instruments such as central bank sukuk or Islamic treasury bills, which are prerequisites for a functional market.

Hassan recommends that Bangladesh Bank first develop tradable Islamic financial instruments, set eligibility criteria for participating banks, ensure separate clearing systems for Islamic transactions, and strengthen Shariah supervision. He emphasizes that broader reforms, including new legislation and stronger central bank independence, are necessary to restore public trust in Islamic banking.

Arguments in the war crimes case against Awami League Joint General Secretary Mahbubul Alam Hanif and three others are set to begin today, Monday, before International Crimes Tribunal-2. The case concerns the killing of six people in Kushtia during the July Revolution. The three-member tribunal panel is chaired by Justice Nazrul Islam Chowdhury, with judges Manjurul Bashid and Nur Mohammad Shahriar Kabir. According to sources, the prosecution will present all evidence and arguments related to the killings.

Testimonies in the case concluded on April 23, with 19 witnesses appearing before the tribunal, including the investigation officer Abdullah Al Mamun as the final witness. The four accused face three charges: agreeing with a statement about suppressing movements, holding a meeting on July 29 in Kushtia to instruct killings, and conspiracy leading to six murders.

All four accused, including Hanif, are absconding. The tribunal formally framed charges and ordered the trial to begin on November 2 of the previous year.

Continuous heavy rainfall, cyclone-related adverse weather, and frequent power outages have severely disrupted operations in several tea estates of Bahubal upazila in Habiganj. Both production and processing activities have been significantly affected, leading to large-scale financial losses estimated at several million taka across five major tea gardens.

According to local sources, persistent rain has prevented timely plucking of tea leaves, causing over-maturity and reduced quality. Lack of sunlight and excessive humidity have further damaged leaf development, while strong winds and landslides have broken branches and harmed plantation structures. Frequent load-shedding has also hindered tea processing, resulting in spoilage of fresh leaves and deterioration in product quality.

Representatives from the Bangladesh Tea Estate Staff Association and local plantation managers have urged uninterrupted electricity supply and immediate assistance from authorities to restore normal operations and mitigate ongoing losses.

Farmers in Bangladesh’s haor regions have suffered major losses this season due to inadequate disaster preparedness by local authorities, the agriculture department, and the farmers themselves. Sudden flash floods and continuous rainfall have submerged large areas of Boro paddy fields, leaving farmers unable to harvest their crops. Heavy reliance on machinery has worsened the situation as rising water levels rendered harvesters and reapers unusable. Labor shortages have intensified the crisis, with workers demanding higher wages but unable to meet expected productivity.

According to the Department of Agricultural Extension, around 455,000 hectares of land were cultivated with Boro paddy this season, of which nearly 49,073 hectares were affected to varying degrees. Between 40 and 50 percent of crops in these areas are feared lost, with an additional 10 percent at risk due to unharvested fields. Farmers in Sunamganj, Kishoreganj, and Netrokona reported that many agricultural workers have shifted to other professions such as driving auto-rickshaws, making it difficult to find laborers.

Officials said lists of affected farmers are being prepared and government assistance is under process. Experts emphasized the need for a dedicated disaster preparedness plan for haor regions and direct procurement systems to ensure fair prices for farmers.

Nineteen banks in Bangladesh received a total of Tk 263,210 crore in deferral facilities from Bangladesh Bank to offset provisioning shortfalls amid rising non-performing loans. According to 2025 financial reports, eleven of these banks reported profits, while eight incurred significant losses. Although the profitable banks showed positive net income, none were able to distribute dividends due to regulatory restrictions. The deferral mechanism allowed banks to present improved financial statements despite underlying capital pressures.

Central bank officials explained that the deferral facility is granted annually to banks with provisioning deficits to help them maintain a stable financial appearance. However, most banks have repeatedly failed to adjust their shortfalls, leading to prolonged dependency on such support. Under new dividend policy rules effective from 2025, banks with non-performing loans exceeding 10 percent are barred from declaring dividends, resulting in 34 banks unable to pay shareholders last year.

Officials noted that without the deferral facility, capital shortfalls would have been more severe, raising costs for international trade financing as foreign banks assess capital adequacy before engaging in transactions.

A 2025 study by the National Heart Foundation of Bangladesh has revealed that nearly two-thirds of processed packaged foods sold in the country contain salt levels exceeding safe limits. The research, titled “Assessment of Salt Content and Label Compliance of Commonly Consumed Processed Packaged Foods of Bangladesh,” found that about 97 percent of these products pose high health risks. Items such as biscuits, chips, noodles, and instant soups were found to contain excessive sodium, sugar, and harmful chemicals that increase the risk of heart disease, diabetes, and cancer.

Public health experts attribute the growing dependence on such foods to aggressive marketing, especially targeting children with colorful packaging and promotional gifts. They warn that these products are engineered to trigger temporary pleasure in the brain, leading to addiction and reduced interest in nutritious home-cooked meals. Experts have called for the introduction of Front-of-Pack Labeling (FOPL) to clearly display warnings about high salt, sugar, or fat content.

Officials from the Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution and the Global Health Advocacy Incubator have supported stronger labeling laws and public awareness campaigns to curb rising non-communicable diseases linked to unhealthy diets.

A magnitude 5 earthquake struck Myanmar shortly after midnight on Sunday, May 10, 2026, shaking parts of neighboring Bangladesh. According to the German Research Center for Geosciences (GFZ), the quake occurred at 1:36 a.m. Bangladesh time, with a depth of about 10 kilometers. The epicenter was located near 20.46°N latitude and 93.94°E longitude. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) reported the origin to be around 11 kilometers from Sidoktaya, Myanmar. No immediate reports of casualties or major damage were received.

Residents in several areas of Chattogram city reported mild tremors lasting a few seconds, prompting some to rush outdoors in fear. The quake followed another mild tremor that shook northern Bangladesh on the afternoon of May 9. That earlier quake, measuring between 4.4 and 4.5 in magnitude, had its epicenter in Bilasipara, Assam, India, and caused brief panic though no significant damage.

The shallow depth of both quakes contributed to their being felt across border regions, highlighting the region’s seismic sensitivity.

The human rights organization Ain o Salish Kendra (ASK) has strongly condemned the killing of two Bangladeshi nationals by gunfire from India’s Border Security Force (BSF) along the Kasba border in Brahmanbaria. In a press release issued on Sunday, ASK expressed deep concern over the incident and criticized the use of lethal force at the border.

ASK stated that even if individuals attempt to cross the border or are accused of smuggling or other crimes, they should be dealt with through proper legal procedures, not extrajudicial killings. The organization emphasized that the use of deadly force is not an acceptable or common practice in other countries for border violations and that the right to life must be prioritized under human rights and international law.

According to ASK, at least six Bangladeshi citizens have been killed by BSF gunfire or torture between January and May 9, 2026. The group urged the Bangladesh government to raise the issue in bilateral and diplomatic discussions and called on India to ensure accountability, end the use of lethal weapons, and uphold human rights standards.

Members of the Bangladesh Police have submitted a set of demands to Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, including a separate pay scale, a 50 percent overtime allowance for extra duty, and phased honorary promotions until retirement. The demands were presented on Sunday, May 10, during the police welfare parade held at the Rajarbagh Police Auditorium following the Police Week program. The Prime Minister listened attentively and assured gradual implementation of the proposals.

The welfare parade was attended by Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed, Senior Secretary of the Home Ministry Manzur Morshed Chowdhury, Inspector General of Police Md. Ali Hossain Fakir, and other senior officials. Police members from across the country joined online. Officers raised issues such as insufficient transport for sub-inspectors, requests for interest-free motorcycle loans, fuel cost reimbursement, and increased investigation expenses. A female constable from Khulna Metropolitan Police demanded honorary promotion, while an additional DIG sought renewed development funding for police infrastructure.

This year, no police medals were awarded amid controversy over previous nominations involving politically connected or disputed officers, marking a departure from the usual Police Week tradition.

The Bangladesh Police Headquarters has refuted media reports claiming that the issuance of the police medal notification was delayed because the President was abroad. In a statement released on Sunday, the headquarters clarified that no responsible police official made such a comment and that the reports quoting an unnamed senior officer were inaccurate and misleading.

According to the statement, the administrative and procedural activities related to the police medal notification are still ongoing. It emphasized that publishing speculative statements before any official decision or notification could cause public confusion. The Police Headquarters urged media outlets to verify information properly before publishing news on this matter.

The clarification aims to dispel misinformation and maintain transparency regarding the ongoing process of issuing the police medal notification.