The government of Bangladesh is considering extending weekly holidays for public sector employees as part of energy-saving measures. The move comes amid fuel supply challenges caused by the ongoing conflict involving Iran, Israel, and the United States. A decision on the proposal is expected to be made at the cabinet meeting scheduled for Thursday, April 2, 2026. According to the report, the energy sector is struggling to manage the situation with limited fuel reserves as new supplies have declined. To cope with the pressure, the government is exploring cost-saving strategies, including reducing energy consumption through extended holidays. The cabinet will also decide whether to introduce three days of online classes per week in educational institutions. If approved, the measures would represent a short-term response to the energy strain, aiming to reduce fuel use across government offices and schools.

A rare scene unfolded in Munshiganj’s Tongibari upazila on April 1 when a man transported his motorcycle on a van to a filling station amid a fuel shortage. The incident occurred at Messrs K Ali Filling Station in Sonarang area, where long queues of motorcyclists were waiting for fuel. The man, identified as Imran Hossain, brought his motorcycle by van after running out of fuel on the way to Kalibari. Unfortunately, the station’s fuel ran out just as he arrived. Assistant Sub-Inspector Shafiqul Islam of Tongibari Police Station intervened after noticing the situation and arranged 200 taka worth of fuel for Imran through special consideration. The filling station owner, Shahidul Islam, said fuel supply had resumed only the previous evening after a week-long halt, leading to heavy demand and long queues. Each motorcycle was being given a maximum of 200 taka worth of fuel. The owner added that despite official claims of no fuel crisis, actual supply remained insufficient, worsening the situation for both sellers and consumers.

Spanish footballer Lamine Yamal has strongly condemned anti-Muslim chants heard during the Spain-Egypt friendly match held at Barcelona’s RCDE Stadium. The match ended in a goalless draw, but the incident in the stands drew widespread attention. Several Spanish supporters were heard chanting anti-Muslim slogans, prompting stadium authorities to issue a warning on the big screen during the first half. Despite the warning, similar chants continued in the second half. Spain’s football authorities and national team coach Luis de la Fuente have both denounced the incident and expressed firm opposition to such behavior. Yamal, who is Muslim, responded on social media, calling the chants disrespectful and labeling the use of religion as a joke an act of ignorance and racism. He emphasized that football should be a game of enjoyment, not a platform for mocking anyone’s faith or identity. Yamal concluded his message by thanking supporters and expressing hope to meet them again at the World Cup.

Rail communication between Sylhet and the rest of Bangladesh has remained suspended for 12 hours after five wagons of a fuel-carrying train derailed at Shahpur in Madhabpur upazila of Habiganj. The incident occurred around 9:45 p.m. on Wednesday, April 1, when the Chattogram–Sylhet train went off the tracks near Montola station. As of Thursday morning, April 2, train operations had not resumed, and officials could not confirm when services would return to normal. According to railway sources, two of the overturned wagons have been recovered so far, while one fell into a roadside ditch. Locals reportedly attempted to collect spilled fuel before Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) and other law enforcement agencies intervened to control the situation. BGB personnel recovered about 1,000 liters of fuel from the site. Fire service teams and railway workers are continuing the recovery operation. Station officials said the restoration of rail traffic depends on the completion of the salvage work, which was still ongoing as of Thursday morning.

Bangladesh is facing an escalating fuel crisis despite official claims of normal supply. Long queues at fuel stations, halted river transport, and disruptions in industrial production have become widespread. The country’s only refinery, Eastern Refinery Limited (ERL), is running at reduced capacity due to a lack of crude oil, with current reserves expected to last only until mid-April. The refinery has not received new crude shipments since mid-February, as scheduled vessels from the Middle East were delayed by regional conflict. Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC) maintains that supply levels match those of the previous year and attributes visible shortages to panic buying and black-market activity. However, Customs data contradict BPC’s claims, showing a sharp decline in fuel imports since early 2026. Between March 2025 and March 2026, total imports by major state-run oil companies fell by over 65,000 tons. Most vessels arriving at Chattogram port in recent weeks carried gas-based fuels rather than liquid oil, further straining supply. Officials warn that if new crude shipments do not arrive soon, ERL may face a temporary shutdown, potentially worsening the national fuel shortage.

A bus helper named Md. Raju, aged 29, died after falling from a moving passenger bus in Noakhali’s Sadar upazila on Wednesday night. The incident occurred around 9:30 p.m. near the Income Tax Office area of Maijdi Bazar on the Maijdi to Chaumuhani regional highway. Raju, son of Md. Sakhayet Ullah from Lakhinarayanpur village in Begumganj upazila, was working on a Sugandha Paribahan bus when he suddenly fell onto the road and was critically injured. Locals rescued him and took him to the 250-bed Noakhali General Hospital, where doctors declared him dead. According to Chandraganj Highway Police Station Officer-in-Charge Mobarak Hossain Bhuiyan, police visited both the accident site and the hospital. Preliminary findings suggest that Raju may have fallen accidentally from the bus. Authorities have handed over the body to his family after completing legal formalities, and an investigation is underway to determine the exact cause of the accident. The incident has cast a shadow of grief among Raju’s colleagues and relatives, while police continue their inquiry into the circumstances of his death.

Global oil prices rose sharply following a televised address by U.S. President Donald Trump, in which he pledged to continue the war with Iran and threatened to bomb Iranian power plants. Within minutes of his remarks, the benchmark Brent crude price climbed more than 4 percent to exceed 105 dollars per barrel, while U.S. benchmark WTI rose over 3 percent to surpass 103 dollars per barrel. The conflict began more than a month ago, during which Iran effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz, a key route for about 20 percent of the world’s oil supply. This closure has triggered a global energy crisis and driven fuel prices sharply higher, with U.S. gasoline prices surpassing 4 dollars per gallon. Despite the economic impact, Trump downplayed the significance of the disruption in his speech, asserting that the United States does not need the strait and suggesting that its allies should take responsibility for securing access. The continued closure of the Strait of Hormuz and rising oil prices indicate sustained pressure on global energy markets if the conflict persists.

Residents of Alikadam upazila in Bandarban are facing a severe shortage of safe drinking water as a long-delayed water purification project remains incomplete. The project, launched about ten years ago with funding from the Bandarban Hill District Council and implemented by the Department of Public Health Engineering, was halted within six months due to financial constraints. Despite repeated development initiatives in the district, the crucial project has not resumed. Field reports indicate that for the past three months, Alikadam town and nearby hilly areas have been experiencing an acute water crisis. In response, the Bangladesh Army’s Alikadam Zone has been distributing drinking water to affected residents. Locals allege that small-scale ring-well projects are approved annually but are only implemented after the rainy season begins, limiting their effectiveness. A local primary school headteacher said that both drinking and household water are scarce in the Panbazar area. The local public health engineer confirmed hearing about a new allocation of 4.6 million taka for the unfinished purification project, but work has yet to restart.

Two journalists were allegedly handcuffed and taken to a police station in Chandina, Cumilla, after filming at the Upazila Assistant Commissioner (Land) office on Wednesday, April 1, 2026. The incident occurred when Abdul Alim and Russell Sarkar attempted to record the behavior of Assistant Commissioner (Land) Faisal Al Noor during a hearing related to a land mutation case. The journalists claimed their phones were seized, videos deleted, and they were released only after signing a written statement. Faisal Al Noor stated that the journalists entered his office during a hearing and began recording without permission, which made him uncomfortable. He said he called the police, who handcuffed the men due to their unruly behavior, and that the handcuffs were removed once he learned they were journalists. Chandina Police Officer-in-Charge Atikur Rahman said police acted on the magistrate’s order. Cumilla Deputy Commissioner M. Reza Hasan acknowledged awareness of the incident and promised an inquiry. Cumilla Press Club’s organizational secretary, Imtiaz Ahmed Jitu, condemned the incident, calling it an abuse of power and urging a fair investigation by the district administration.

A parliamentary committee has recommended installing a new sound system in the Bangladesh National Parliament to improve audio quality during sessions. The recommendation was made at a committee meeting held on Wednesday at the National Parliament building. The committee emphasized that the new system should be capable of absorbing sound within one second or less and eliminate echoes. It also urged prompt action to implement the upgrade. The meeting, chaired by Chief Whip Md. Nurul Islam, was attended by several committee members and relevant officials. In addition to the sound system proposal, the committee discussed issues such as slow internet connectivity, renovation progress of MPs’ residential buildings on Manik Mia Avenue and in Nakhalpara, safe drinking water shortages, emergency medical services for MPs, and security measures at MP hostels. According to the Parliament Secretariat, these recommendations aim to enhance the functionality and comfort of parliamentary facilities and ensure better working conditions for members.

U.S. President Donald Trump announced that American forces are close to achieving their objectives in Iran, describing the ongoing military campaign as being in its final stage. In a televised address delivered Wednesday local time, Trump said the operation, named “Epic Fury,” began a month ago and has inflicted devastating blows on Iran’s military. He claimed Iran’s navy and air force have been destroyed and that most of its leaders are dead. Trump stated it may take another two to three weeks to finish the mission and warned that Iran’s power plants could become targets if no agreement is reached. Trump reiterated that Iran was close to developing a nuclear bomb, though he provided no evidence. He credited the U.S. withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear deal for protecting Israel’s existence and thanked allies including Israel, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the UAE, and Bahrain for their support. Experts, however, cautioned that such claims should be treated carefully without verified battlefield evidence. Trump acknowledged rising fuel prices in the U.S. since the war began, saying they had increased by more than 25 percent but described the surge as temporary.

Fuel pump owners and workers in Sylhet division withdrew their indefinite strike around 3 a.m. on Thursday, April 2, 2026. The strike, called late Wednesday night by the Sylhet divisional committee of the Bangladesh Petroleum Dealers, Distribution Agents and Petroleum Owners Association, had shut down all petrol pumps and CNG refueling stations. The withdrawal was confirmed by the committee’s spokesperson, who said pumps were reopening gradually and normal operations were expected by 10 a.m. The strike had been launched in protest against mobile court fines and alleged extortion. Truck drivers who had blocked the Sylhet–Dhaka highway over similar grievances also ended their blockade after discussions with police officials. The highway had been paralyzed for several hours, causing long traffic jams. Sylhet Metropolitan Police Commissioner Abdul Kuddus Chowdhury said the situation normalized within two hours and that a meeting would be held the next morning with the divisional and district administrations to seek a permanent solution to the disputes.

NASA successfully launched the Artemis-2 mission on April 1 from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, sending four astronauts toward the Moon for the first time in 54 years. The crew includes three Americans—Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch—and one Canadian, Jeremy Hansen. The launch took place at 6:35 p.m. local time, drawing cheers from NASA staff and spectators after years of delays and budget increases. Before liftoff, the astronauts delivered brief remarks, with Hansen emphasizing that the mission represents all of humanity. Launch Director Charlie Blackwell-Thompson addressed the crew, highlighting the global partnerships and the hopes of a new generation carried by the Artemis team. The mission’s first phase will test the spacecraft’s safety and reliability. Over a roughly 10-day flight, the astronauts will orbit the Moon without landing, while also testing manual control capabilities during docking simulations.

Police in Dhaka’s Bangshal area have arrested two individuals in connection with a theft that took place in a rented flat. The arrested are Sheikh Zalamim, aged 34, and Madhab Chandra Dhar, aged 60. According to a press release issued on Wednesday night by the DMP’s Media and Public Relations Division, cash and gold ornaments were recovered following the arrests. According to Bangshal police, the incident occurred after Sheikh Zalamim and his wife were sublet tenants in a flat on the seventh floor of Mokka Dulary Tower on Malitola Road. When the flat owners returned from a trip to Chandpur on March 27, they found the door lock broken and valuables missing. The stolen items included 30,000 taka in cash, multiple gold ornaments weighing 11 vori 2 ana, a smartphone, property documents, a checkbook, and business papers. A case was filed by the victim, Md. Saiful Islam Sohan, at Bangshal Police Station. Police said Zalamim was arrested on March 31 from Fulbaria intersection, and based on his information, Madhab Chandra Dhar, a jewelry shop manager, was later detained with a gold chain. Efforts to identify and arrest other suspects are ongoing.

The Narsingdi district administration conducted two separate raids on Wednesday night, April 1, following intelligence provided by the National Security Intelligence (NSI). The operations targeted shops in the Paikdona Bazar and Paikdona Mor areas of Narsingdi Sadar upazila, where large quantities of fuel were allegedly hoarded illegally. Executive Magistrates Md. Masud Rana and Khalid Hasan led the raids, seizing octane, petrol, and diesel from the sites. According to the district administration, Humayun Enterprise in Paikdona Bazar was fined 40,000 taka for storing 270 liters of octane and 700 liters of diesel. Ayaz Enterprise on Danga Road was fined 50,000 taka for hoarding 1,000 liters of diesel and 200 liters of octane. The seized fuel from Ayaz Enterprise was sold in the open market, and proceeds were returned to the owner, while the fuel from Humayun Enterprise was sold and deposited into the government treasury. Officials stated that similar operations will continue to prevent artificial fuel shortages in the district.