The first day of voting in the 2026–27 Dhaka Bar Association election concluded on Wednesday, with 2,759 votes cast out of a total of 20,727 registered voters. The two-day election will continue on Thursday, following the same schedule from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Despite rain, lawyers participated enthusiastically, choosing their preferred candidates in what was described as a peaceful and festive environment.

Chief Election Commissioner Alhaj Mohammad Borhan Uddin confirmed that 54 candidates are contesting for 23 posts, including 13 editorial and 10 executive positions. The BNP-backed Blue Panel, led by Anwar Zahid Bhuiyan and Md. Abul Kalam Khan, and the Jamaat-backed Green Panel, led by S.M. Kamal Uddin and Abu Bakar Siddique, are the main contenders. Six independent candidates, including Md. Yunus Ali Biswas and Mohammad Shahidullah, are also running.

Due to a state restriction, no Awami League-backed candidates are participating in this election. Both major panels expressed optimism about achieving a decisive victory.

State Minister for Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment Nurul Haque Nur has alleged that certain vested groups are trying to monopolize the July Movement, comparing it to attempts to control the Liberation War narrative. Speaking in the national parliament on Wednesday during the discussion on the motion of thanks to the President’s address, Nur urged an end to misinformation regarding the July Movement.

As president of the Gana Adhikar Parishad, Nur emphasized the collective struggle and sacrifices behind the movement, criticizing those who claim undue credit. Addressing opposition remarks about the July Charter, he explained that the document allowed political parties to take unresolved issues to the public for a mandate. He stated that it was natural for the BNP to implement parts of the charter where it had earlier expressed dissent, but warned against spreading falsehoods.

Nur called on opposition parties to engage in constructive criticism and positive cooperation over the next five years, expressing confidence in advancing under Tarique Rahman’s leadership.

A thief who stole two IPS batteries from a school in Roumari, Kurigram, later returned them secretly. According to local sources and a general diary filed at the police station, the incident occurred around 2 a.m. on April 25 during a storm. The thief entered the school by climbing over the veranda grill and broke the office room lock to take the batteries, leaving the IPS unit behind. The head teacher subsequently filed a general diary with the Roumari police.

Three days later, on Wednesday, the two batteries were found in an abandoned room of the school, suggesting the thief had returned them at night. A guardian named Ruhul Amin said the thief’s conscience might have awakened, realizing that stealing school property was wrong. Another local resident, Samiul, speculated that the thief might have feared being caught due to the ongoing police search.

Head teacher Aminul Islam stated that this was the third theft at the school, following previous incidents involving stolen electrical wires and a water pump, and expressed frustration over the repeated troubles.

The cross-examination of Jamal Uddin, father of slain lawyer Saiful Islam Alif and plaintiff in the murder case, continues at the Speedy Trial Tribunal in Chattogram. On Wednesday, defense lawyers questioned him before Judge Md Zahidul Haque’s court. One of the accused, Chinmoy Krishna Das, appeared virtually, while other defendants were present in person.

According to Assistant Public Prosecutor Md Raihanul Wazed Chowdhury, the cross-examination of Jamal Uddin has been postponed about four times due to repeated time petitions from Chinmoy Krishna Das’s defense. The court again accepted a new time request on Wednesday and set May 20 as the next date. Cross-examinations for other accused, including Deb, Sukanta, and Bidhan, have already been completed.

The case stems from the killing of lawyer Saiful Islam Alif on November 26, 2024, during a clash at the Chattogram court area. Jamal Uddin filed a murder case naming 31 people, later expanded to 39 accused after investigation. Currently, 26 are in custody and 13 remain absconding, with the trial being closely monitored due to its public significance.

Jamaat-e-Islami has expressed deep concern over ongoing heavy rainfall and worsening flood conditions across several districts in Bangladesh, urging the government to provide immediate assistance to affected people. In a statement issued on Wednesday, the party’s Secretary General, Mia Golam Porwar, highlighted that continuous rain and hill torrents have inundated large areas of Chattogram, Cumilla, Netrakona, Moulvibazar, Sylhet, Habiganj, and Sunamganj, causing severe damage to crops, livestock, and homes. He noted that low-income residents are suffering greatly.

Porwar stated that floodwaters have entered roads and SSC examination centers, disrupting students’ ability to attend exams safely. He called on the government to ensure safe transportation and proper exam conditions. He also criticized authorities for failing to maintain flood control embankments, arguing that timely repairs could have reduced the damage.

The statement demanded urgent relief supplies, clean water, food, medical care, and shelter for affected areas, along with special incentives and rehabilitation programs for farmers. Jamaat also urged long-term maintenance of flood control infrastructure and appealed to citizens and organizations to support flood victims.

An elderly woman was killed when a wall collapsed due to heavy rainfall in Chattogram’s Karnaphuli upazila on Wednesday afternoon. The incident occurred around 2:30 p.m. in the Shikalbaha area under the local police beat. The deceased was identified as Delowara Begum, 60, wife of Fazal Ahmed from the Master Hat area. She was taken to Chattogram Medical College Hospital, where doctors declared her dead after examination.

According to the Chattogram Medical College Hospital police outpost in-charge, the wall beside a road suddenly gave way following intense rainfall, trapping Delowara Begum underneath. Locals rescued her and rushed her to the hospital, but she could not survive her injuries.

The report highlights the impact of heavy rainfall in the region, which has caused structural damage and safety hazards in parts of Chattogram.

Rajshahi University of Engineering and Technology (RUET) held a seminar and competition titled “PSREF Industrial Energy Challenge: Designing a Green Transition” on April 29, 2026. The event, jointly organized by RUET’s Institute of Energy and Environment Studies (IEES) and the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD), focused on sustainable energy, renewable power potential, and industrial green transformation. RUET Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr. S. M. Abdur Razzak attended as chief guest, alongside senior faculty and CPD representatives.

Speakers emphasized the importance of renewable energy research and investment for sustainable development. They discussed plans to install solar power systems on campus dormitory rooftops in collaboration with NESCO to promote green energy use. The PSREF initiative, under CPD’s Power and Energy Studies, aims to expand renewable energy adoption in the private sector through advocacy and collaboration with industry associations.

A total of 33 teams participated in the competition, with 10 reaching the final round. RUET’s “Team Everfresh” won the PSREF Innovator Award, followed by “Team Opchoy Zero” and “Team Greenery Grid.” Organizers said the initiative would raise youth awareness and foster research-driven solutions for a sustainable energy future.

At a roundtable organized by Shushashoner Jonno Nagorik (SUJAN) at the National Press Club on Wednesday, civil society representatives warned that creating ‘inspection rooms’ for Members of Parliament (MPs) in upazila parishad buildings would destroy the local government system. They said such a move would place local governance entirely under MPs’ control and revive the dominance of ‘MP rule’ at the local level. SUJAN Secretary Badiul Alam Majumdar described the government circular authorizing these rooms as a dangerous decision that could even lead to the abolition of upazila parishads, similar to 1991.

Speakers emphasized the need for prompt local elections, legal reforms, and an end to political interference to make local government effective. They criticized the government for appointing party administrators in city corporations and district councils instead of holding elections, and for failing to implement reform commission recommendations. They argued that strong local government ensures decentralization, accountability, and social justice.

Participants urged the government to withdraw the circular and reconsider recent decisions that they believe undermine local empowerment and democratic decentralization.

Residents and BNP activists in Kaharol upazila of Dinajpur staged a protest and surrounded the local police station late Tuesday night following an extortion allegation against upazila BNP secretary Md. Shamim. The complaint was filed by decoration businessman Harichandra, who claimed that police detained him near Harisva with two liters of petrol and later called Shamim to the scene. Harichandra alleged that Shamim threatened him with legal trouble and demanded Tk 15,000, taking Tk 10,000 on the spot and pressing for the remaining amount the next day.

The protest took place inside the police station in the presence of local BNP and Jubo Dal leaders, including Sadeq Hossain and Anarul Islam, who demanded punishment for Shamim. Union Jubo Dal vice president Saidul Islam Rubel accused Shamim of habitual extortion and urged his removal from the party. Kaharol police circle officer Moniruzzaman, who arrived at the scene, said the situation was brought under control and an investigation was underway. He stated that no police officer was found to have taken money, but action would follow if involvement was proven.

Bangladesh may begin importing fertilizer from Belarus, according to Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed. He made the statement after meeting Belarus’s non-resident ambassador Mikhail Kasco at his office in the National Parliament on Wednesday. The minister noted that Belarus is one of the world’s leading producers and exporters of potash fertilizer, while Bangladesh currently imports fertilizer from Saudi Arabia, Russia, and other countries.

During the meeting, the ambassador highlighted Belarus’s agricultural mechanization capabilities, and the minister said Bangladesh could seek technical cooperation in that area as an agriculture-based country. The two sides also discussed law and order, defense, fertilizer imports, trade expansion, and mutual legal matters.

Ambassador Kasco emphasized the strong political and economic ties between the two nations and called for further strengthening of bilateral relations. He mentioned Belarus’s capacity in producing military equipment, including drones, and offered defense cooperation. The minister responded that Bangladesh would review the proposal before making any decision.

Jamaat-e-Islami lawmaker and party Nayebe Ameer ATM Azharul Islam questioned how the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), founded in 1978, could claim to be a Liberation War party. Speaking in Parliament during the discussion on the motion of thanks for the President’s address, he argued that the Liberation War took place in 1971, seven years before the BNP’s formation, and therefore the party’s claim was inconsistent. He added that while BNP has freedom fighters, Jamaat-e-Islami also has members who fought in the war.

Azharul Islam reflected on his own past as a death-row convict and linked his release to the July uprising of 2024, which he described as a movement for change rather than merely a power shift. He credited the uprising with leading to a referendum supported by 70 percent of voters. He also praised former presidents Ziaur Rahman and Khaleda Zia for their roles in establishing democracy and unity politics in Bangladesh.

Azhar criticized the current President as a collaborator of the Awami League, which he labeled fascist, and questioned how BNP could support such a figure. He further alleged that BNP nominated a local Awami League leader for a reserved women’s seat, suggesting it reflected weakness or an attempt to appease certain powers.

The body of six-year-old Azmain Hossain was recovered from a pond near his home in Barura, Cumilla, on Wednesday morning, two days after he went missing. According to local sources, Azmain, son of Shahjahan Hossain and Beauty Begum of Odda village in Chitadda Union, disappeared on Monday afternoon while playing near the central mosque of the village. His disappearance had caused concern in the area, and appeals for his recovery were shared on social media.

Local residents discovered the child’s body floating in a nearby pond and informed the authorities. Barura Police Station Officer-in-Charge Md Azharul Islam stated that the child likely fell into a water-filled pit near the house, and the body surfaced due to rainwater. He also confirmed that the family had not filed any complaint regarding the incident.

The tragic death has left the parents devastated, and the local community deeply saddened by the loss.

The National Citizens Party (NCP) has issued a four-point demand seeking urgent government intervention in the Haor region, where ongoing heavy rains, upstream floods, and sudden inundation have severely disrupted the current Boro rice harvest. The demands include immediate supply of sufficient combine harvesters and laborers for harvesting, a special incentive package and fair compensation for affected farmers, rapid repair and strengthening of crop protection embankments with effective drainage, and prompt initiation of government rice procurement to ensure fair prices for farmers.

In a press release signed by NCP’s joint chief coordinator and agriculture secretary Golam Mortuza Selim, the party expressed deep concern over the worsening situation in Netrokona and Sunamganj. It said farmers are struggling to save their ripe paddy as many areas remain waterlogged, with large portions of crops submerged. The NCP noted that labor shortages, lack of modern machinery, and weak embankments have intensified the crisis.

The statement warned that delays in effective action could have far-reaching negative effects on national food security and the economy, urging the government to act swiftly to protect farmers’ livelihoods.

Widespread paddy fields in the haor areas of Kendua and Atpara in Netrokona were submerged within a short time due to continuous rainfall and sudden flooding. Many farmers tried to harvest their crops in waist-deep water but failed to save most of them. Losing their only annual harvest, they now face severe uncertainty about their livelihoods.

Local Member of Parliament Dr. Rafiqul Islam Hilali stated on Facebook that the situation has been brought to the Prime Minister’s attention. Following her directive, the Chief Secretary contacted him, and the district administration was instructed to prepare a three-month rehabilitation and assistance plan for affected farmers. However, on the ground, frustration and anger are evident among farmers who demand permanent solutions instead of temporary aid.

According to the Upazila Agriculture Office, about 3,100 farmers have been affected in Kendua, with 375 hectares of Boro paddy, 5.5 hectares of vegetables, 5.7 hectares of jute, and 0.45 hectares of Aman seedbeds submerged. The agriculture officer said a list of affected farmers is being prepared for future assistance through the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief.

A three-member UNESCO delegation led by Country Representative Susan Vize met with Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed at the Parliament Secretariat on Wednesday. The meeting discussed cooperation on police training and reform, strengthening relations between police and media, safeguarding freedom of expression, and journalist training. Vize congratulated the minister on his new portfolio and outlined UNESCO’s ongoing projects related to police and journalist training.

During the meeting, Vize said UNESCO had already trained 700 police officers of SP and OC rank before the national election and planned to start new training by June, pending ministry approval. The minister welcomed the proposal and instructed relevant officials to expedite the process. He suggested including officers from police media units and holding sessions on Saturdays for convenience.

UNESCO is also preparing similar training programs for journalists. The minister reaffirmed the government’s commitment to press freedom and accountability, emphasizing the importance of improving relations between police and journalists.