Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited West Bengal and took a boat trip on the Ganges River during his tour. After he shared photos of the visit on social media, political criticism followed. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee mocked the prime minister, suggesting he should also take a dip in the Yamuna River.

According to Indian media reports, Banerjee made the remarks at a public rally in Howrah, saying Modi chose the Ganges because it is clean, unlike the polluted Yamuna in Delhi. She contrasted the two rivers, arguing that while the Ganges in Bengal is suitable for travel, the Yamuna remains heavily polluted under Modi’s government.

The Yamuna’s pollution has been a long-standing issue in Delhi, with little visible progress in controlling it despite repeated political discussions. Analysts view Modi’s Ganga trip as politically significant ahead of the West Bengal elections, especially after the recent budget announcement of a corridor to improve connectivity between Varanasi and Kolkata.

Bangladesh Khelafat Majlis Amir Maulana Mamunul Haque has said that the ruling BNP cannot survive if it betrays the legacy of Shaheed Ziaur Rahman and Begum Khaleda Zia. Speaking at a public rally at Suhrawardy Udyan in Dhaka on Friday, he called on BNP leaders not to turn away from the political foundation that emerged from the February 12 election. He also linked the proposed July Revolution to the historical movements of 1905, 1921, 1947, 1971, 2013, and 2024, describing it as a continuation of Bangladesh’s national and Islamic heritage.

Haque warned that if BNP goes against the referendum that led to its formation, it would be seen as the only party in the world to betray such a process. He further criticized the government for growing unrest and the presence of weapons in educational institutions, saying the authorities would bear full responsibility if the situation worsens.

The rally also featured speeches from leaders of Jamaat-e-Islami, the National Citizen Party, the Liberal Democratic Party, and other allied political groups.

The central committee of the Bangladesh Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (BNP’s student wing) has formed a four-member investigation committee following an incident involving journalists near Dhaka University. The decision was announced on Friday, April 24, 2026, through a press release signed by the organization’s office secretary, Md. Jahangir Alam. The statement described the attack on journalists as an undesirable event.

According to the release, the incident occurred a day earlier near Shahbagh Police Station, reportedly linked to a controversial Facebook post. Some leaders and activists of the Chhatra Dal were accused of involvement in the altercation with media workers. The committee includes central and Dhaka University unit leaders, led by Vice President Zahid Raihan Ahmed, with instructions to submit a written report within five days.

The directive for the investigation was issued by Chhatra Dal President Rakibul Islam Rakib and General Secretary Nasir Uddin Nasir. The committee’s findings are expected to clarify the circumstances surrounding the incident and determine any organizational action.

A NATO official stated that the alliance’s founding Washington Treaty contains no provision for suspending or expelling member states. The clarification came after reports suggested that the United States had considered measures targeting Spain. According to those reports, an internal Pentagon email mentioned possible actions against allies that did not support U.S. military operations, including Spain.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez dismissed the reports, saying Madrid bases its policies on official communications rather than internal correspondence. Speaking to journalists before an informal European Union meeting in Cyprus, he emphasized that Spain cooperates fully with allies but always within the framework of international law.

The reports followed Spain’s refusal to allow the United States to use its bases or airspace for a potential military operation against Iran. U.S. President Donald Trump had previously criticized Spain and other NATO allies over such decisions and hinted at reducing the U.S. role within the alliance.

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam stated that Lebanon’s goal is to end Israeli occupation and bring back security and prosperity across the country. He made the remarks in an interview with Kuwaiti newspaper Al-Anba, which was later published by Lebanon’s state news agency on April 24, 2026.

Salam emphasized that his government is working to secure both internal strength and international support, particularly from Arab nations, to overcome the country’s current difficulties. He described a sense of emerging hope in Lebanon despite the sensitivity and challenges of the situation, urging the nation to seize this opportunity to move toward solutions.

According to the prime minister, the Lebanese government remains active in seeking Arab backing to navigate ongoing crises and restore stability nationwide.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi may visit Pakistan for talks, according to state media reports, though Tehran’s Foreign Ministry has not yet confirmed the trip. The visit could be part of a broader tour including Islamabad, Muscat, and Moscow, scheduled to begin Friday evening.

The development comes amid escalating tensions between the United States and Iran. US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth recently declared that the country is “locked and loaded,” signaling readiness for military action. In response, Iran warned that its “finger is on the trigger.” Both nations have reportedly adopted a policy of seizing each other’s ships, described by analysts as a “blockade-for-blockade” strategy. The US military has claimed to disrupt Iranian-linked vessels, while Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps said it seized at least two ships in the Strait of Hormuz.

Conflicting claims of battlefield success have further deepened the standoff. Observers now await whether diplomacy through Araghchi’s potential visit can ease tensions or if the conflict will escalate further.

Russia and Ukraine conducted a prisoner exchange on Friday, releasing a total of 386 soldiers, with each side freeing 193 individuals. According to Russia’s Defense Ministry, the United Arab Emirates and the United States acted as humanitarian mediators in facilitating the exchange. The freed Russian soldiers are receiving medical and psychological assistance in Belarus before being repatriated to Russia.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that 193 Ukrainian fighters returned home as part of the exchange. In a post on social media platform X, he said the released personnel include members of the armed forces, National Guard, border guards, national police, and the State Special Transport Service. Some of those freed had been facing criminal charges in Russia, and several were wounded soldiers.

The exchange follows a previous swap on April 11, when Moscow and Kyiv exchanged 175 prisoners each, marking another step in ongoing humanitarian negotiations between the two countries.

Nahid Islam, convener of the National Citizens Party (NCP), stated that power politics is re-emerging in Bangladesh’s universities and that institutions are being increasingly politicized. Speaking on Friday afternoon at the Diploma Engineers Institute in Dhaka, he said that after the July uprising, tendencies of inequality and partisanship have grown again across the country. He warned that if attempts are made to sustain fascism or authoritarianism, people will once again unite under the NCP’s banner.

Nahid Islam described the NCP as a political party born out of the historical struggle of the July uprising. He said the party aims to harness youth energy to bring reform and transformation to Bangladesh. According to him, the NCP has received overwhelming support nationwide and seeks to build an organized political force that reflects the aspirations of the young generation, ensures employment, eliminates inequality, and establishes democracy.

He also alleged that the government has turned the recent election into a mere power transition, separating it from the legacy of the July uprising, and that key constitutional reform proposals are being gradually dismissed.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has publicly confirmed that he was diagnosed with early-stage prostate cancer and has completed treatment. In a statement on Friday, April 24, 2026, he said the cancer was detected following prostate surgery he underwent in late 2024. The 76-year-old leader revealed that the tumor was identified after his prostate gland had enlarged, and he has since finished medical treatment.

Netanyahu kept the diagnosis secret during a period of heightened conflict with Iran, only disclosing it now through his annual health report. He explained that after a successful operation for a non-harmful prostate issue about a year and a half ago, doctors later found a small, less than one-centimeter mark that turned out to be an early-stage cancerous tumor. He emphasized that the cancer had not spread elsewhere in his body.

Following treatment, Netanyahu stated that he has fully recovered and is currently in very good health. He said he chose active treatment over observation, citing his preference to confront risks quickly both in state affairs and personal life.

National Citizen Party (NCP) spokesperson Asif Mahmud Sajib Bhuiyan alleged that the ruling Awami League’s student wing, Chhatra League, has reintroduced a reign of terror on campuses similar to past incidents. He made the remarks on Friday afternoon at a joining ceremony of leaders from various political parties at the Diploma Engineers Institute in Dhaka.

Mahmud said the struggle to establish merit- and qualification-based politics is ongoing and must continue nationwide. He urged NCP members to strengthen organizational capacity and invite respected individuals not associated with fascism or atrocities to join the party. He also emphasized the importance of converting public support into votes in the upcoming local government elections to build what he called a “new Bangladesh.”

Mahmud further criticized the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), claiming it now follows the political culture of the Awami League and the ideology of the 1972 Constitution, making it indistinguishable from the ruling party.

A new UN-backed Global Report on Food Crises has identified Bangladesh among the ten countries where two-thirds of the world’s food-insecure population are concentrated. The report, released on Friday, shows that in 2025, the majority of people suffering from acute food insecurity lived in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Myanmar, Nigeria, Pakistan, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen. Together, Sudan, Nigeria, and Congo accounted for one-third of the total affected population.

According to the report, around 266 million people worldwide experienced severe food insecurity in 2025, nearly double the number recorded in 2016. Experts cited conflict and extreme climate conditions as the main drivers of the crisis. The report warned that little improvement is expected in 2026, with ongoing wars and instability continuing to disrupt food production and supply chains.

While Bangladesh and Syria showed slight improvements, conditions worsened in Afghanistan, Congo, and Myanmar. The report also expressed concern over declining international aid and noted that rising fuel and fertilizer prices could further strain food production, urging investment in local fertilizer production and climate-resilient crops.

The Bangladesh Red Crescent Society (BDRCS) is joining the ongoing nationwide measles vaccination campaign under the Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI) to strengthen outreach in Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) areas. The government began the campaign on 20 April 2026 to combat a measles outbreak, with activities running from 12 April to 11 May. DNCC currently operates 599 vaccination centers, including permanent, temporary, and evening sites, and has vaccinated 378,990 children, achieving 78% of its target.

To ensure no child is left unvaccinated, BDRCS will deploy 104 trained volunteers across 30 high-risk wards of DNCC. The plan, finalized in a coordination meeting at the DNCC office, will be implemented from 25 April for 11 days. Additionally, 124 volunteers will serve at 50 selected centers in 31 wards, with 10 centers featuring child-friendly corners.

DNCC will also display measles awareness visuals on billboards and continue public awareness campaigns through loudspeaker announcements across its 54 wards.

Bangladesh’s Environment Minister Abdul Awal Mintu announced that the interim government will maintain its existing decision on tourism control for Saint Martin’s Island. According to a report citing the minister, scientific field research showed that the island’s environment, ecosystem, and biodiversity improved after a nine-month closure to tourists. The government had finalized the tourism regulation policy in 2024 after nearly seven years of consultation with relevant agencies.

Under the policy, a maximum of 2,000 tourists are allowed to visit the island daily from November to January, while tourism remains closed from February to October to allow natural recovery. The minister said the restriction has yielded positive results and must continue to preserve the country’s only coral island and its ecological balance.

However, some residents have been demanding the withdrawal of the ban, arguing that tourism is the main source of income for most islanders and that the restrictions have severely affected the local economy and livelihoods.

The International Criminal Court (ICC) has approved the start of a trial against former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte on charges of crimes against humanity. The ICC’s pre-trial judges unanimously confirmed the allegations, stating there was sufficient reason to believe Duterte committed the crimes. The charges relate to thousands of alleged extrajudicial killings during his controversial anti-drug campaign between 2011 and 2019.

Duterte, aged 81, has been detained for over a year and repeatedly sought release, but the court rejected his appeals. He has refused to recognize the ICC’s jurisdiction, arguing that the Philippines withdrew from the Rome Statute in 2019. However, ICC judges ruled that the alleged crimes occurred while the country was still a member, giving the court authority to proceed. More than 500 victims have been allowed to participate in the proceedings.

Human rights groups claim Duterte’s campaign targeted small drug dealers while sparing major criminals. Duterte has denied the accusations as false, and police have maintained that their actions were in self-defense.

Leaders and activists of the Rajshahi University Central Students’ Union (Raksu) and various hall unions held a protest march on Thursday condemning the recent attack on Dhaka University Central Students’ Union (Daksu) leaders and members of the Dhaka University Journalists’ Association. The procession began in front of the Raksu office, paraded through key campus roads, and ended at the starting point, with participants chanting slogans demanding justice and accountability.

Raksu’s assistant general secretary Salman Sabbir denounced the attack as premeditated and urged authorities to identify and punish those responsible. Senate member Fahim Reza warned against growing unrest on campuses and called for maintaining peace and respect for elected representatives. Raksu vice president Mostakur Rahman Zahid said the assault targeted not only one organization but also students, journalists, employees, and traders, warning of larger movements if justice is not ensured.

Around three hundred students joined the demonstration, which emphasized unity among students and a demand for campus safety and accountability.