Hannan Masud, Member of Parliament for Noakhali-6 and Senior Joint Chief Coordinator of the National Citizen Party (NCP), said the country's economy survives on remittances sent by expatriate workers. Speaking at a rally organized by Jatiya Sramik Shakti in Shahbagh, Dhaka, on International Workers’ Day, he accused corrupt individuals of looting the hard-earned money of migrant workers while making grand speeches in parliament. He criticized the appointment of a garments businessman as Bangladesh Bank governor, claiming the sector is a major source of money laundering. NCP Joint Convener Ali Ahsan Junaid said workers played a vital role in past mass movements but have not received state recognition or effective dialogue since. He noted that factory closures, job shortages, and declining living standards have worsened, urging fair wages, safety, and representation for workers. NCP Member Secretary and Rangpur-4 MP Akhtar Hossain warned that allowing those who looted billions from banks to regain ownership would endanger the economy and harm workers and the general public.

At a discussion meeting in Singra, Natore, marking International Workers’ Day, BNP leader and Member of Parliament Principal Anwarul Islam Anu stated that Prime Minister Tarique Rahman had fulfilled all his promises within two months and eighteen days of forming the government. The event took place at the Singra Central Bus Terminal on Friday afternoon, following a rally organized by the Combined Workers Unity Council. In his speech, Anu highlighted the implementation of several commitments, including the introduction of farmer and family cards, canal excavation, stipends for imams and muezzins, and tree planting to maintain environmental balance. He praised the prime minister’s address in parliament and his pledge to govern inclusively. Anu also warned that anyone misusing the party’s name for wrongdoing would face organizational and administrative action. The MP added that issues at Singra Upazila Hospital had been raised with relevant authorities and that initiatives would be taken to improve agriculture and fisheries in the Chalan Beel region. The meeting was chaired by Sakhawat Hossain Sakha, with participation from local BNP leaders and workers.

National Citizen Party (NCP) member secretary and Rangpur-4 MP Akhtar Hossain warned that allowing individuals accused of embezzling billions from banks to regain ownership would endanger the economy and severely affect workers. Speaking at a May Day rally organized by Jatiya Sramik Shakti in Dhaka’s Shahbagh on Friday, he said the economy was already on the brink and that such decisions would collapse financial flows, reduce employment, and lower wages. Hossain added that most workers still live below the minimum wage, with their children deprived of education and opportunities, trapping families in generational labor. He argued that returning ownership to those who once looted banks would further weaken the national economy. At the same event, NCP senior joint coordinator and Noakhali-6 MP Hannan Masud said the economy survives on remittances from expatriates, while corrupt elites misuse those funds. He criticized the appointment of a garments businessman as Bangladesh Bank governor, claiming the sector is linked to major money laundering. NCP joint convener Ali Ahsan Junaed called for fair wages, safety, and representation for workers.

Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami’s central Naib-e-Ameer and Member of Parliament Professor Mujibur Rahman stated that sustainable development in the country cannot be achieved without ensuring fair rights and dignity for workers. He made the remarks on Friday morning at a rally organized by the Bangladesh Workers Welfare Federation’s Godagari municipal and upazila branches in Rajshahi. The rally paraded through key streets before turning into a discussion meeting at the upazila hall room. During his speech, Mujibur Rahman emphasized that workers are one of the main driving forces of the national economy. He called for guaranteeing fair wages, workplace safety, and social respect for workers, saying that a just society cannot be built without establishing their rights. He urged all to work together for workers’ rights, reopening closed factories, ensuring fair pay, and creating safe working environments. He also called for building worker-employer relations based on Islamic values, free from exploitation and inequality. The event was attended by local leaders including Professor Abdul Khalek, Professor Kamruzzaman, and Nomayan Ali Master. It concluded with prayers for the welfare of the nation.

A CNN investigative report has revealed that 16 US military installations across at least eight Gulf countries have been severely damaged by sustained Iranian missile and drone attacks. The strikes, ongoing for several weeks, have raised new questions about the security and viability of the United States’ military presence in the region. Among the affected sites is Camp Buehring in Kuwait, a key base housing thousands of American troops, which reportedly suffered extensive damage. According to the report, Iran targeted strategically valuable assets including Boeing E-3 Sentry surveillance aircraft, radar systems, and communication equipment, all of which are costly and time-consuming to replace. Pentagon sources confirmed that over 90 percent of US personnel have already been evacuated from the affected bases due to security risks. Analysts cited in the report noted that the scale and impact of these attacks surpass previous US military losses in Iraq or Afghanistan, sparking renewed debate among experts over whether Washington’s extensive Gulf presence ensures security or exposes strategic vulnerabilities.

Iran has sent a revised proposal to Pakistan aimed at ending the ongoing conflict. According to an Iranian diplomat, the proposal was handed over to Pakistan on Thursday, with the country acting as a mediator. The diplomat told Al Jazeera on Friday that the document had been delivered the previous day. The new proposal had been awaited by U.S. President Donald Trump, who had rejected Iran’s earlier offer last week. Reports indicate that the previous proposal called for a ceasefire first, followed by discussions on Iran’s nuclear program. Trump, however, preferred to finalize a nuclear agreement while hostilities continued. Details of the revised proposal have not yet been disclosed. The conflict began after a joint U.S.-Israeli attack on Iran on February 28, which triggered 40 days of fighting. A ceasefire brokered by Pakistan on April 8 between Iran and the United States remains in effect.

At Rajshahi University’s Bijoy-24 Hall, student leaders of the hall council organized a unique initiative on Friday afternoon by picking lychees from the hall’s trees and distributing them directly to students’ rooms. The hall’s provost, Professor Md. Jamirul Islam, was present during the activity. According to the organizers, around five thousand lychees were collected from the hall premises and distributed equally among 135 rooms, including the PhD block, as well as among hall staff members. Each room received about 25 to 30 fresh lychees. Hall council vice president Russell Mia said the initiative continued a tradition started the previous year, aiming to share the seasonal fruit with all residents and create a festive atmosphere reminiscent of childhood memories. Provost Professor Jamirul Islam noted that one of the hall’s lychee trees had produced an abundant harvest this year, and the distribution allowed everyone to enjoy it together. The event fostered joy and community spirit among students and staff.

Continuous heavy rainfall and flash floods have submerged large areas of ripe Boro paddy in the haor regions of Nabiganj upazila in Habiganj district. Farmers in villages such as Fatehpur have seen their nearly harvested crops go underwater as embankments broke under the pressure of rising water. Many farmers, including Haralal Baishnab and Jamal Mia, expressed despair as they could not harvest their crops due to a shortage of laborers and boats. According to the Department of Agricultural Extension in Nabiganj, around 400 hectares of ripe Boro paddy have been submerged, with 27,355 hectares cultivated in haor areas this season. About 67 percent of the haor paddy had been harvested before the floods. Private sources reported that 40 percent of the total crop had been cut, but 15 percent of that is at risk of rotting due to lack of sunlight. The affected unions include Bara Bhakoir (West and East), Dighalbak, Kargaon, Bausa, and Paniunda. Farmers who cultivated paddy with loans fear they will be unable to repay their debts, as the sudden floods have destroyed their expected yields.

The United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) reported that the ongoing conflict surrounding Iran has sharply increased the cost of delivering humanitarian aid to Sudan and caused significant delays. According to the agency, instability in key Gulf shipping routes, particularly the Strait of Hormuz, along with port congestion, rising fuel prices, and higher insurance costs, have driven up transportation expenses and slowed relief operations. Speaking in Geneva, UNHCR spokesperson Carlotta Wolf said that aid shipments previously sent from Dubai through Gulf routes must now travel via Europe and around the Cape of Good Hope, extending delivery times by up to 25 days. She noted that people in urgent need are receiving assistance much later than required. The cost of sending aid from Dubai to Sudan and neighboring Chad has risen from 927,000 to 1.87 million dollars, more than doubling. The UN described Sudan’s ongoing conflict as the world’s largest displacement crisis, leaving millions dependent on humanitarian aid now facing higher costs and longer delays.

Prime Minister and BNP Chairperson Tarique Rahman stated that Bangladesh will prosper when its working people are well-off. He announced that the government will ensure employment opportunities for laborers. Rahman made these remarks on Friday afternoon while addressing a rally organized by the Labor Party to mark International Workers’ Day. During his speech, Rahman said that many factories had been shut down during the previous authoritarian government, and his administration has taken initiatives to reopen them. He emphasized that his government is working for the welfare of workers and also supporting farmers by introducing farmer cards and standing beside them. The event highlighted the government’s focus on labor welfare and agricultural support as part of its broader development agenda.

Detectives in Dhaka have found evidence linking Joseph, brother of former army chief Aziz Ahmed, to the killing of top gangster Naeem Ahmed Titon. Police believe Joseph orchestrated the murder out of longstanding enmity. The attack took place on Tuesday night near Shahnewaz Hostel in the New Market area, where Titon was shot dead. His brother later filed a murder case against eight to nine unidentified suspects. According to investigators, Joseph, currently in Sweden, allegedly financed the killing mission from abroad. Titon, once a leading member of the Five Star group in the 1990s, had rivalries with the Seven Star group, which Joseph was associated with. Police suspect the murder was an act of revenge following Titon’s release from prison. Another gangster, Pichchi Helal, denied involvement in an audio message, claiming Titon’s brother-in-law Iman was responsible. Dhaka Metropolitan Detective Police said the killers have not yet been identified or arrested. CCTV footage from the area has been collected, and efforts are ongoing to track down those involved.

Despite a ceasefire lasting more than two weeks between Iran and the United States, regional tensions remain high. On the 63rd day of the conflict, U.S. President Donald Trump again hinted at possible military action, while Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian described the American naval blockade of Iranian ports as intolerable. Reports from Tehran indicated activation of air defense systems targeting small drones and aircraft. In Lebanon, despite a ceasefire, Israeli attacks in the south killed at least 15 people, including women and children, while two Israeli soldiers were injured in retaliatory strikes. U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told the Senate that 1,701 civilians, including 254 children, have died in the war so far, though he said the Pentagon is taking measures to minimize civilian casualties. Trump is also considering withdrawing troops from Italy and Spain due to opposition to the Iran war. The United Arab Emirates has banned travel to Iran, Lebanon, and Iraq, urging citizens already there to return home. The conflict has pushed global oil prices to a four-year high, with Brent crude rising 7 percent to $126.41 per barrel. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz warned that further action might be needed to prevent Iran from posing renewed threats.

Experts have warned that the Iran war’s impact on global oil markets could inflict lasting harm on the US economy. The International Energy Agency (IEA) described the situation as one of the worst oil supply crises in history, triggering what economists call “demand destruction,” where soaring prices force consumers to permanently change spending habits. Rising fuel costs are already draining Americans’ savings and tax refunds, hitting low-income households hardest. RSM US chief economist Joe Brusuelas said the US economy faces a chain reaction: higher energy prices act like an extra tax on families and businesses, eroding confidence, halting major purchases, reducing profits, and prompting layoffs. The Federal Reserve may raise interest rates, worsening the downturn. With the Strait of Hormuz closed, fertilizer and industrial raw material supplies are also disrupted, raising fears of further food price increases in coming months. Michigan State University’s David Ortega noted that food price shocks may take six months or more to fully appear. Oxford Economics’ Nancy Vanden Houten said a ceasefire and partial oil price stabilization may have prevented a total collapse, though conditions remain volatile.

Supreme Court senior lawyer and Jamaat-e-Islami central working committee member Mohammad Shishir Monir has criticized the construction of unplanned embankments in the haor areas of Sunamganj. Speaking live on Facebook from Chhaya Haor in Shalla on Friday morning, he said hundreds of crores of taka are spent every year on embankments that lack proper water drainage systems. He emphasized that canals and wetlands are not being excavated and called for immediate dredging of haor canals, rivers, and wetlands to ensure water flow. Monir stated that heavy rainfall has submerged boro paddy fields in Sunamganj, causing the crops to rot and resulting in widespread distress among farmers. He described the situation as a humanitarian disaster, with people struggling to find food for themselves and their cattle. He urged the government to declare Sunamganj an environmentally affected area and to stand beside the farmers. He also mentioned that the government has announced three months of financial assistance but questioned how many people would actually receive the support.

The Fire Service and Civil Defence of Bangladesh has launched an e-Fire License system aimed at simplifying public service access. The initiative was inaugurated on Thursday at the EOC building in Mirpur-10 by Director General Brigadier General Muhammad Zahed Kamal. From May 1, all activities related to new fire license issuance, renewal, and reassessment will be conducted online, ending the manual process. Applicants can now complete all steps—from application to license receipt—digitally from home. During the inauguration, officials emphasized that the manual method of issuing fire licenses has officially ended. The event was attended by senior officials including the Director (Operations and Maintenance) Lieutenant Colonel Md. Mahmudul Hasan, who led the e-Fire License implementation team. Participants joining online, including directors and deputy directors from various divisions, praised the initiative. Representatives from Perky Rabbit Corporation Limited, the implementing partner, were also present. The Fire Service requested cooperation from all concerned to ensure smooth implementation of the new online system.