The government has announced a reshuffle involving the secretaries of the Ministry of Textiles and Jute and the Posts and Telecommunications Division. Bilkis Jahan Rimi, previously serving as secretary of the Ministry of Textiles and Jute, has been appointed as the new secretary of the Posts and Telecommunications Division. Meanwhile, Abdun Naser Khan, whose tenure as secretary of the Posts and Telecommunications Division has ended, has been appointed as secretary of the Ministry of Textiles and Jute on a one-year contractual basis.

According to a notification issued by the Ministry of Public Administration on Thursday, Abdun Naser Khan’s post-retirement leave and related benefits have been suspended under the condition that he will not engage in any other profession, business, or employment with any government, semi-government, or private organization during his contractual term.

The reshuffle reflects the government’s administrative adjustments within key ministries, ensuring continuity in leadership and management of both the textile and telecommunications sectors.

A private car fell into the Shitalakshya River along with its driver while boarding a ferry at Nabiganj Ghat in Bandar upazila of Narayanganj on Thursday afternoon. The incident occurred around 5 p.m., prompting witnesses to immediately alert emergency services through the 999 hotline and the Fire Service. Locals assisted with boats and trawlers to rescue the driver alive, but the car sank into the river.

Following the alert, teams from Hajiganj Fire Station, Bandar Fire Service, and the Narayanganj river diving unit conducted a joint operation. They successfully recovered the submerged vehicle around 6:30 p.m. According to Hajiganj Fire Service Senior Station Officer Nurul Alam Dulal, no casualties occurred in the incident. He stated that the accident was caused by the driver’s carelessness.

Authorities confirmed that the situation was brought under control after the rescue operation, and no further damage or injuries were reported.

Road Transport and Bridges Minister Sheikh Robiul Alam told the National Parliament that the Chattogram-Cox’s Bazar highway will be upgraded to four lanes by 2029. He made the statement in response to a proposal raised by Shahjahan Chowdhury, MP for Chattogram-15 (Satkania-Lohagara) and secretary of Jamaat-e-Islami’s parliamentary party. The minister said the project is part of the Highway Improvement Project (Phase-1), under which 26.21 kilometers of the road will be widened to four lanes, with completion targeted for 2029.

He added that a 2.6-kilometer six-lane flyover will also be built under the same project, while feasibility studies for the remaining 48 kilometers are ongoing. Discussions with JICA are underway, and the government expects to finalize the Development Project Proposal soon. The minister acknowledged that the highway is accident-prone and said preventive measures have been planned for identified risky areas.

During the parliamentary discussion, Shahjahan Chowdhury urged the government to upgrade the highway to six lanes, citing its strategic importance for trade, border connectivity, and accident reduction. Other MPs also emphasized the need for rapid improvement and safer travel conditions.

Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC) has announced a major reshuffle involving several key management positions amid the country’s ongoing energy crisis. The administrative and human resources department issued an official order on Thursday, transferring seven officials to new posts. The order stated that the changes were made in the interest of administration and that the transferred officials must assume their new roles immediately, with their previous positions considered released until they join.

According to the directive, Md. Yunus Hossain Bhuiyan, previously Deputy General Manager of the D&P Division and Managing Director of DGSL, has been appointed Managing Director of Musa & Company Limited. Md. Amin Masud, who held additional charge as Managing Director of Musa & Company Limited, has been reassigned as Managing Director (additional charge) of MRL Gas Limited. Several other senior officials, including Md. Abul Kalam Azad, Md. Shahen Mohammad Hossain, Forhan Masud Rizvi, Mohammad Zaher Hossain, and Md. Jahangir Hossain, were also given new responsibilities across BPC and its subsidiaries.

The reshuffle comes as power generation declines in various regions, raising questions about the operations of energy-related agencies. A sector expert, speaking anonymously, suggested that such large-scale changes may signal strategic shifts, emphasizing the importance of leadership stability during crises.

State Minister for Public Administration Md. Abdul Bari announced that the government plans to replace the memorization-based syllabus in the Bangladesh Civil Service (BCS) and other government recruitment exams with a skill-based evaluation system. He made the statement in parliament on Thursday, April 16, in response to a written question from ruling party member Md. Harun-ur-Rashid of Rajbari-2 constituency.

The minister said a committee has been formed to revise the BCS syllabus, reviewing civil service exam structures from other countries to incorporate necessary updates. He added that the Public Service Commission will soon introduce competency-based interviews to assess candidates’ knowledge, skills, and attitudes. Efforts are also underway to reduce delays in the recruitment process so that one BCS examination can be completed within a year.

In response to another question, the minister detailed the current quota system: 93 percent merit-based, 5 percent for freedom fighters and their descendants, 1 percent for ethnic minorities, and 1 percent for persons with disabilities and the third gender.

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman met with Professor Abdullah Abu Sayeed, founder of Bishwo Shahitto Kendro, at the Prime Minister’s Office in the Secretariat on Thursday afternoon. The meeting was confirmed by Additional Press Secretary Atikur Rahman Rumman, who said the discussion focused on promoting reading habits among school students.

During the meeting, both sides agreed that the government and Bishwo Shahitto Kendro would work jointly to encourage students to read more books. The initiative will cover primary, secondary, and higher secondary school levels. The Prime Minister’s Adviser on Information and Broadcasting Affairs, Zahed Ur Rahman, was also present at the meeting.

Following the discussion, Prime Minister Rahman hosted a luncheon for Professor Sayeed, marking a gesture of goodwill and cooperation toward advancing educational and cultural development through reading programs.

NCP Member of Parliament Akhtar Hossain from Rangpur-4 expressed anger in Parliament after learning that the Bangladesh Bar Council election had been postponed through a midnight notice. The postponement was attributed to a severe fuel crisis. Speaking on a point of order, Hossain questioned the government’s contradictory stance, noting that while officials deny any fuel shortage, a state institution cited it as the reason for delaying the election. He demanded statements from the energy and law ministers to clarify the issue.

The law minister, Asaduzzaman, responded by saying that the Bar Council is an autonomous body that independently decided to defer the election. He mentioned that several bar associations, including the Dhaka Bar, had requested a postponement to ensure their own election processes could continue smoothly. The minister emphasized that the government had not interfered in the council’s decision and supported a fair and independent election process.

The Bar Council election had been scheduled for May 19, following an extended period under an ad hoc committee formed after the interim government took office.

A Chattogram court has granted bail to Chinmoy Krishna Das Brahmachari, a former ISKCON leader and one of the accused in the murder case of lawyer Saiful Islam Alif. The bail was granted on Thursday, April 16, 2026, by Judicial Magistrate Md. Shakhawat Hossain in a separate complaint case filed by former minister and BNP leader Mir Mohammad Nasir Uddin. The plaintiff’s lawyer, Nazmul Haque, confirmed the bail order in the afternoon.

According to court sources, after the Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI) submitted its report, Chinmoy—who was already in custody—was shown arrested in this complaint case. The case, filed in 2023 under the Penal Code, accuses Chinmoy and five others of trespassing on Mir Nasir’s property in Hathazari’s Mekhal Union, damaging trees, seizing fish, and establishing a poultry farm, causing financial and environmental losses.

The report also recalls that in November 2024, a violent clash occurred at the Chattogram court premises over Chinmoy’s bail in a separate sedition case, during which lawyer Saiful Islam Alif was killed. Police have since submitted a charge sheet in that murder case, and witness testimony is ongoing.

Bangladesh’s foreign exchange reserves have once again crossed 35 billion dollars after one and a half months. As of Thursday, the total reserves stood at 35.03 billion dollars, according to Bangladesh Bank. Under the IMF’s BPM6 calculation method, the reserves amounted to 30.36 billion dollars. The information was confirmed by Arif Hossain Khan, executive director and spokesperson of Bangladesh Bank.

According to central bank data, reserves were 35.49 billion dollars at the end of March 5, and 30.76 billion dollars under the IMF method. The reserves had declined after payments under the Asian Clearing Union (ACU). Officials said the reserves dropped to 34 billion dollars following those payments but later rose again due to record remittance inflows and renewed dollar purchases by the central bank.

Bangladesh Bank purchased 120 million dollars over Wednesday and Thursday, bringing total purchases this fiscal year to 5.61 billion dollars. Officials noted that earlier, concerns over the Iran war led banks to settle dues early, temporarily raising dollar demand. With that pressure easing, the central bank has resumed buying dollars as the exchange rate stabilizes.

Chinese Ambassador to Bangladesh Yan Wao paid a courtesy call on Information and Broadcasting Minister Zahir Uddin Swapan at the minister’s office in the Secretariat on Thursday. The meeting was also attended by State Minister for Information and Broadcasting Yasser Khan Chowdhury, Prime Minister’s Information Adviser Dr. Zahedur Rahman, and Information Secretary Mahbuba Farzana.

During the meeting, the ambassador expressed interest in signing a memorandum of understanding with the ministry to strengthen cooperation between the state media of both countries. He also proposed organizing two summits in China in July and October, where Bangladeshi journalists and intellectuals could exchange technological knowledge and skills. The information minister described China as a long-standing and reliable friend of Bangladesh and emphasized the importance of expanding cooperation in information and communication technology.

He noted that rapid global changes in ICT require international collaboration to build skilled human resources. The minister said joint initiatives with China would create new opportunities for Bangladesh and hoped that enhanced media and training exchanges would further deepen bilateral relations.

Information and Broadcasting Minister Zahir Uddin Swapan emphasized the importance of building national and international networks for women journalists during a courtesy meeting with a delegation from the Bangladesh Women Journalists Forum (BWJF) on Thursday afternoon at his office. He discussed protecting professional dignity, enhancing skills, and improving the overall quality of women journalists.

The minister assured full cooperation for the development and advancement of women journalists and highlighted the need for research, seminars, and workshops on women and media engagement. He also expressed his ministry’s commitment to support such initiatives.

The six-member BWJF delegation was led by the forum’s adviser Momtaz Bilkis Banu and included Vice President Ayesha Parveen (Junan Nashit), Treasurer Shahnaz Begum Polly, Organizational Secretary Masuda Sultana, and members Shirin Sultana and Mashreka Mona. The BWJF, established in 1989, works to uphold the dignity and professional growth of women journalists in Bangladesh.

The Chattogram City Corporation (CCC) has announced a month-long measles and rubella vaccination campaign targeting 300,000 children aged six to 59 months. The campaign will begin on April 20 and continue until May 20 across health centers and hospitals in the city. Mayor Dr. Shahadat Hossain shared the details at a press conference held at the CCC Library Building near Laldighi, emphasizing the public health importance of protecting children from highly contagious diseases like measles.

To implement the program, the city’s 41 wards have been divided into seven zones, with vaccination running daily from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The CCC has formed 48 permanent and 205 temporary teams, along with 41 mop-up and 41 evening teams to reach missed children. Online registration using a 17-digit birth certificate is encouraged, but no child will be denied vaccination for lack of registration. Special focus will be placed on slum and high-risk areas.

The campaign is being conducted with support from the Directorate General of Health Services, UNICEF, and the World Health Organization. Mayor Hossain urged journalists, teachers, and community leaders to help ensure the success of the initiative.

Bangladesh’s health authorities have reported 166 child deaths and over 19,000 suspected measles cases in the past month, signaling a severe outbreak. The government has instructed hospitals to prepare isolation and ICU facilities, while a special vaccination campaign began on April 5 targeting children aged six months to five years. Health Minister Sardar Shakhawat Hossain Bokul attributed the crisis to missed vaccination cycles and weaknesses in vaccine supply management.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that declining immunization rates have led to measles outbreaks in 57 countries in 2023, up from 36 the previous year. The Lancet reported that 2024 and 2025 saw the highest global measles outbreaks in two decades. Experts link the resurgence to disruptions in routine immunization during the COVID-19 pandemic and rising anti-vaccine sentiment in several countries.

WHO data show that while global measles cases and deaths fell sharply between 2000 and 2024, recent outbreaks threaten to reverse progress. Researchers are investigating whether new virus variants or reduced vaccine effectiveness are contributing factors, though no evidence has yet confirmed these possibilities.

A second murder within three days has alarmed residents of Dhaka’s Mohammadpur area after 28-year-old Asadul Haque, known locally as 'Lombu Asadul', was hacked to death late Wednesday night near the Beribadh brickfield area. Police recovered him in critical condition around 12:50 a.m. and took him to Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College Hospital, where doctors declared him dead. The victim sustained deep stab wounds to his chest and back, leading police to suspect a premeditated killing.

According to police, Asadul, originally from Kalna in Barishal’s Gournadi upazila, had multiple cases pending against him for drug dealing and robbery. Investigators believe the murder may have stemmed from disputes over drug trade control and old enmities. Three suspects—Munna, Nayon, and Miraj—have been identified, and special police teams are conducting raids across the capital to arrest them.

The killing follows the April 12 murder of a youth named Alex Imon in a nearby area, intensifying fears among locals. Police have increased patrols and surveillance to restore public safety and prevent further violence.

Jagannath University has initiated a modernization project for its TSC area, located in front of the main gate, to create a more aesthetic and organized environment. The university administration plans to remove unplanned shops and construct new ones in a planned manner. According to a notice confirmed by Proctor Professor Dr. Mohammad Nasir Uddin on April 16, 2026, the rent collected from these new shops will be used for the welfare of financially disadvantaged students.

The notice stated that the modernization is part of a broader effort to beautify the main gate area. The administration has expressed sympathy toward existing shop owners, assuring that their updated list will be maintained and new shop allocations will be made under university supervision. Shop owners have been instructed to vacate the area by April 23, 2026, at noon, or face eviction in the presence of university and city corporation magistrates.

The proctor emphasized that the initiative responds to long-standing student demands and aims to create a clean environment similar to Dhaka University’s TSC. Discussions will also be held with a bank regarding land-related complexities.