National Citizens Party (NCP) chief organizer Sarjis Alam has accused the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) of attempting to consolidate power by delaying local government elections. Speaking at a press conference at the NCP’s temporary central office in Dhaka’s Bangla Motor on Tuesday, he said BNP leaders and the prime minister’s information adviser have indicated that local elections may be postponed until December 2027.

Sarjis claimed that there are currently no elected chairmen at the upazila level and alleged that BNP is planning to dissolve district councils. He warned that any attempt to centralize authority and suppress public rights would backfire. He further alleged that BNP has appointed defeated and unqualified leaders to administrative positions in district councils and city corporations, turning these institutions into centers of corruption and extortion.

Calling for city corporation, upazila, and municipal elections within this year, Sarjis urged the Election Commission and local government authorities to prepare accordingly. He cautioned that any delay could force opposition parties to take to the streets.

Bangladesh’s Foreign Minister Dr. Khalilur Rahman departed for China on May 5, 2026, for a three-day official visit, marking his first trip to Beijing in this role. The visit is taking place at the invitation of Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, a member of the Communist Party of China’s Political Bureau. During the visit, Rahman and Wang Yi are scheduled to hold bilateral talks covering a wide range of issues, including mutual interests, regional and global developments, and particularly the evolving situation in the Middle East.

Discussions are expected to emphasize alignment of development policies and strategic priorities, as well as cooperation in trade, investment, connectivity, infrastructure, and people-to-people exchanges. The Chinese government has expressed its willingness to work closely with Bangladesh’s new administration to deepen political trust and strengthen cooperation under the framework of their “comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership.”

Rahman will also meet Wang Huning, chairman of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, and attend a luncheon hosted by Liu Haixing, minister of the CPC’s International Department. Senior Bangladeshi officials, including the prime minister’s foreign affairs adviser and the BIDA chairman, are accompanying him.

Prime Minister’s Information and Broadcasting Adviser Dr. Zahed Ur Rahman announced that Bangladesh’s local government elections are expected to begin toward the end of this year. He said the full election process, including all phases such as union councils, could take between ten months and one year to complete. He made the remarks on Tuesday during a weekly press briefing at the Department of Information in Dhaka.

During the briefing, the adviser also discussed progress across various ministries. He clarified that the government has not decided to curtail the powers of upazila parishads, noting that members of parliament serve as advisers to these councils by law. He added that providing offices for MPs within upazila parishads does not diminish the councils’ authority.

Dr. Rahman further highlighted several government initiatives, including the ongoing bus route rationalization project in Dhaka, duty exemptions for importing electric school buses, free Wi-Fi at five airports and four railway stations, and financial aid for flood-affected farmers in the haor region.

Khelafat Majlis leaders have called for exemplary punishment for those involved in the killings during Hefazat-e-Islam’s rally at Shapla Chattar on May 5, 2013. In a statement issued to the media on Tuesday, party Amir Maulana Abdul Basit Azad and Secretary General Dr. Ahmad Abdul Kader described the incident as a brutal massacre and urged authorities to ensure justice through the ongoing trial under the International Crimes Tribunal.

The leaders alleged that the peaceful gathering of religious scholars and madrasa students was attacked by ruling party cadres and law enforcement agencies, resulting in numerous deaths and injuries. They demanded that the investigation be completed swiftly and the perpetrators brought to justice to prevent similar crimes in the future.

In their statement, the Khelafat Majlis leaders prayed for the victims, sought government compensation for affected families, and urged unity against what they termed anti-Islamic forces in the country.

The mango harvesting season has officially begun in Satkhira following the district administration’s fixed mango calendar. The inauguration took place on Tuesday morning, led by Acting Deputy Commissioner Bishnupad Pal. According to the agriculture department, due to favorable soil, water, and climate, mangoes in Satkhira ripen earlier than in other districts. The first phase includes harvesting of local varieties such as Gobindobhog, Gopalbhog, and Golapkhas.

Despite adverse weather earlier in the season, the agriculture office reported that yields are expected to exceed production targets. Mango cultivation covers 4,140 hectares across 5,350 orchards, with a production target of 70,380 metric tons. However, farmers and traders expressed dissatisfaction over market management, claiming that the absence of designated mango markets forces them to sell at Sultanpur Boro Bazar, where a syndicate allegedly controls prices.

Acting Deputy Commissioner Bishnupad Pal stated that regular monitoring led by executive magistrates will be conducted to break the syndicate and urged growers not to market immature mangoes for higher profit.

The Dhaka Secondary and Higher Secondary Education Board has issued a strict directive after many examiners appointed to evaluate SSC exam answer scripts failed to collect them on time. The board expressed concern that this reluctance could delay the evaluation process and create administrative complications, potentially affecting the timely publication of results. The announcement was made in a notice released on Tuesday, May 5, 2026.

According to the notice, qualified teachers registered under the ITIF were appointed as examiners for specific subjects. However, many have not appeared at the board office on the scheduled dates to receive the answer scripts. The board warned that failure to collect scripts within the designated time would be considered negligence of duty, and administrative action would be taken against those responsible.

The directive also instructed heads of institutions to ensure that appointed examiners collect their answer scripts as required. The board emphasized that the order must be followed strictly and described the matter as highly urgent.

In Brahmanbaria’s Nasirnagar upazila, floodwaters have submerged 305 hectares of Boro paddy fields, including those in Medi Haor. The incident occurred as water levels rose sharply over the past two days, damaging newly planted crops. Although the weather improved on Tuesday with clear skies and sunshine, farmers are still facing a shortage of laborers for harvesting and drying their crops.

According to the upazila agriculture department, Boro paddy was cultivated on 11,000 hectares in Nasirnagar this season. About 70 percent of the crop was harvested before the early floodwaters arrived, but more than a thousand farmers have suffered losses. Many farmers said they had cultivated their land with borrowed money at high interest rates and now face severe financial hardship after losing their crops.

Officials stated that a list of affected farmers is being prepared. During the ongoing Boro harvest season, priority and relief assistance will be provided to those who have suffered the most damage.

Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) Md. Nurul Islam has submitted the audit reports for the 2021–22 fiscal year to Prime Minister Tarique Rahman. The submission took place on Tuesday, May 5, at the Prime Minister’s Office in the Secretariat, according to Press Secretary Saleh Shibli. A total of 38 compliance and performance audit reports covering various government offices and agencies were presented to the Prime Minister.

The Prime Minister’s Office stated that the reports were prepared under Article 128(1) of the Constitution of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh and Section 5 of the Comptroller and Auditor General (Additional Functions) Act, 1974. The audits covered 17 ministries and divisions, along with their subordinate departments, offices, institutions, and projects. The CAG briefed the Prime Minister on key observations and recommendations from the reports.

During the presentation, the Prime Minister emphasized the importance of ensuring transparency and accountability in government spending and project implementation through both compliance and performance audits. Senior officials, including the Cabinet Secretary Nasimul Gani and Finance Secretary Khairuzzaman Mozumder, were present at the event.

Airbus Vice President Edward Delahaye met with Bangladesh’s Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister Afroza Khanom in Dhaka on Tuesday, just four days after Biman Bangladesh Airlines signed a deal to purchase 14 Boeing aircraft. The meeting was also attended by State Minister M. Rashiduzzaman Millat and Biman’s Managing Director Kaiser Sohel Ahmed. Airbus representatives expressed hope that their aircraft would join Biman’s fleet alongside Boeing models and briefed the ministry on mixed fleet operations.

According to a ministry statement, Airbus reiterated its interest in contributing to a mixed fleet for Biman, while the minister and state minister affirmed their willingness to work closely with the European manufacturer. The discussion follows earlier plans from 2024, when Biman’s board had approved the purchase of four Airbus aircraft at around 180 million dollars each, though that deal was halted after a change in government.

The current government later finalized a Boeing deal due to U.S. tariff adjustments, but Airbus has renewed its engagement with Bangladesh’s aviation authorities.

Disaster Management and Relief Minister Asadul Habib Dulu announced that short, medium, and long-term plans have been taken to assist farmers affected by flooding in the haor areas of Sunamganj. He said accurate lists of affected farmers will be prepared to ensure proper financial support, with members of parliament serving as advisers in the related committees. The minister made these remarks on Tuesday at a meeting with district officials at the Sunamganj Circuit House.

He noted that Sunamganj’s single-crop boro fields face recurring losses due to flooding, and called for research on sustainable embankment construction. Dulu also mentioned plans to explore methods for harvesting submerged paddy and drying wet rice. Farmers who lost crops entirely will receive three months of financial aid, with priority given to those most affected. The minister added that the current budget runs until June but may be extended.

To reduce lightning-related deaths and livestock losses, he announced that lightning-protected sheds equipped with sirens will be built across the haor region. After the meeting, relief materials were distributed among 400 affected farmers in Bishwambharpur upazila.

Islami Chhatra Shibir organized a human chain in Motijheel, Dhaka, on Tuesday afternoon demanding justice for the killings that took place at Shapla Chattar in 2013. The organization accused the then Awami League-led government of committing mass killings against Islamic scholars and called for immediate legal action.

According to the source, the demonstration followed an earlier announcement made on Monday by Islami Chhatra Shibir, which declared a series of programs seeking justice for what it described as a massacre carried out by the government on May 5, 2013. Speakers at the event termed the incident a dark chapter in the nation's history and alleged it was part of a plan to eliminate Islamic leaders.

The group reiterated its demand for swift judicial proceedings, framing the 2013 Shapla Chattar incident as a key moment in the country’s anti-fascist movement.

Prime Minister’s Information and Broadcasting Affairs Adviser Zahid-ur Rahman stated that the outcome of the West Bengal state assembly election will not disrupt India-Bangladesh relations. He made the remarks on Tuesday at a press conference held at the Department of Information auditorium in Dhaka, where various government activities were presented.

Responding to a question about Bangladesh’s observation on the neighboring Indian state’s election, the adviser said there was no official observation or statement. He emphasized that India as a state maintains cordial and mutually beneficial relations with Bangladesh, and those ties will continue regardless of political changes in West Bengal. He added that while West Bengal shares the longest border with Bangladesh, bilateral cooperation is conducted between the two sovereign states.

The adviser also noted that although Bangladesh was mentioned in political rhetoric during the West Bengal election, he believes such remarks are part of campaign politics and that cooperation between the two sides will remain positive after the new government is formed.

Bangladesh’s Minister of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources, Iqbal Hasan Mahmud Tuku, stated that there is currently no load shedding anywhere in the country. Speaking at a press briefing following a session with district commissioners at the Osmani Memorial Auditorium in Dhaka, he explained that the recent power disruptions were temporary and caused by mechanical problems. He said two machines had broken down but were repaired within a week, restoring full power supply.

The minister clarified that any local power outages now are due to line faults, not generation shortages. He emphasized that the country’s current generation capacity is sufficient to maintain an uninterrupted power supply. Addressing questions from journalists, he added that rural areas might experience delays in power restoration because of long distribution lines, but these are promptly fixed once faults are located.

Tuku also dismissed concerns about fuel shortages, asserting that load shedding has never occurred due to a lack of fuel. He said Bangladesh has sufficient fuel stock and continues to make regular purchases. On the issue of capacity charges, he noted that discussions are ongoing to find a solution.

The University of Canberra has expressed interest in setting up a branch campus in Bangladesh under the supervision of the Bangladesh Army. The announcement came after an eight-member delegation from the Australian university met with University Grants Commission (UGC) Chairman Professor Dr. Mamun Ahmed on Monday evening. The UGC confirmed the discussion in a press release issued on Tuesday. The delegation was led by Major General Md Hasan Uz Zaman, chairman of the Jolsiri Housing Project, and included senior university officials such as Vice-Chancellor and President Professor Bill Shorten and Deputy Vice-Chancellor Professor Michael Lincoln.

During the meeting, both sides discussed the potential for establishing the campus to enhance higher education and international collaboration. The delegation noted that the initiative would allow Bangladeshi students to access world-class education and improve professional skills without leaving the country. UGC Chairman welcomed the proposal, emphasizing that it could expand employment opportunities and support the development of a knowledge-based economy.

The meeting also highlighted the importance of incorporating subjects like artificial intelligence, big data, and machine learning into curricula to align with global demands and improve students’ competitiveness in the international job market.

Dr. Zubaida Rahman, wife of Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, inaugurated a new 50-bed intensive care unit (ICU) at Kurmitola General Hospital on Tuesday morning. The event marked the formal opening of the expanded ICU facilities aimed at strengthening critical care capacity in the hospital.

Alongside the ICU unit, the hospital has also established a pathology pavilion and a gastro-liver center. According to the source, the initiative seeks to ensure equitable access to healthcare and deliver modern medical services to the general public. It is part of Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s election pledge for the Dhaka-17 constituency.

The inauguration ceremony was attended by Health and Family Welfare Minister Sakhawat Hossain, Information and Broadcasting Minister Zahir Uddin Swapan, as well as the hospital’s director, doctors, and staff members.