Bangladesh secured a 55-run victory over New Zealand to win the three-match ODI series 2–1 on April 23, 2026. The hosts dominated most of the match, maintaining pressure through both batting and bowling. Despite a late surge from New Zealand’s pacer Will O’Rourke, who took three wickets, Bangladesh built a solid total with a century from Najmul Hossain Shanto and a half-century from Liton Das.

In reply, New Zealand’s innings collapsed after Nick Kelly’s dismissal, with Dean Foxcroft’s 75 off 72 balls proving insufficient to turn the tide. Mustafizur Rahman, returning to the side, delivered a match-winning performance by taking five wickets for 43 runs, while Nahid Rana and Mehidy Hasan Miraz claimed two wickets each. Bangladesh bowled out New Zealand for 210 in 44.5 overs.

Najmul Hossain Shanto was named Player of the Match for his 105-run innings, and Nahid Rana earned Player of the Series honors with eight wickets across the series.

On Thursday, the second day of the Secondary School Certificate (SSC), Dakhil, and equivalent examinations across Bangladesh, absenteeism and expulsions increased compared to the first day. According to the Inter-Education Board Coordination Committee, 26,865 students were absent out of 1,492,806 registered candidates under 11 education boards, while 19 students were expelled for cheating. On the first day, 25,408 students were absent and only six were expelled.

The committee’s statement, signed by Professor Dr. Khondoker Ehsanul Kabir, chairman of the Dhaka Education Board, detailed that 12,316 absentees were from nine general boards, 12,150 from the Madrasa Board, and 2,399 from the Technical Board. The day’s exams included Bangla Paper II for SSC, Arabic Paper I for Dakhil, and English-2 for vocational students. The written exams began on April 21 and will continue until May 20, followed by practical tests from June 7 to 14.

The data showed varying absentee rates across boards, with the general boards averaging 1.10 percent absenteeism and the Madrasa Board recording 4.79 percent. The Technical Board reported 2,399 absentees out of 120,160 registered candidates.

West Bengal recorded an exceptionally high voter turnout during the first phase of its assembly elections, following the removal of about 9.1 million names from the electoral roll through the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process. According to the Election Commission, by 5 p.m. on Thursday, the average turnout across 152 constituencies had reached 89.93 percent, surpassing previous records from 2021 and 2024. South Dinajpur district reported the highest turnout at 93.12 percent, followed by Cooch Behar at 92 percent. Seven of the sixteen districts voting that day saw participation above 90 percent.

Analysts and observers noted that voter enthusiasm was unusually strong from early morning. Political analyst Biswajit Bhattacharya described the steady rise in turnout as unprecedented. Researcher Sabir Ahmed from the Sabar Institute suggested that many migrant workers may have returned home to vote, driven by concern over the SIR process. Asif Farooq of the Migrant Workers’ Unity Forum said voters were eager to ensure their names remained on the rolls, even keeping photocopies of voter slips as proof.

Observers believe the heightened turnout reflects public determination to assert voting rights amid uncertainty caused by the SIR exclusions.

US President Donald Trump has ordered the US Navy to destroy any boats or small vessels found laying mines in the Strait of Hormuz. The directive was issued on Thursday through a post on his social media platform, Truth Social, where Trump instructed naval forces to act without hesitation. He also stated that US mine-sweeping operations in the area would be tripled to ensure maritime safety.

Following Trump’s announcement, tensions in the region have sharply escalated. The US Department of Defense said it remains committed to maintaining safe navigation in international waters and preventing illegal activities by Iran. A recent Pentagon assessment indicated that fully clearing mines from the Strait of Hormuz could take about six months.

Experts cited in the report warned that the situation could drive global oil prices higher as uncertainty grows over maritime security in one of the world’s most critical shipping lanes.

Lebanese Prime Minister Tamam Salam has declared that Lebanon will not sign any agreement that does not include the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces. He made the statement in an interview ahead of scheduled talks in Washington on Thursday. The remarks followed his meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris, where he reiterated Lebanon’s firm stance against any proposal allowing Israeli presence in buffer zones that would prevent displaced Lebanese from returning or rebuilding destroyed areas.

Salam emphasized that Lebanon is entering the discussions with the belief that the United States is the only actor capable of exerting real influence over Israel. He credited Washington’s role in achieving a ceasefire and urged continued U.S. pressure on Israel. Addressing Western demands for Hezbollah’s disarmament, he described it as a long-term process that cannot happen overnight.

The prime minister underscored that Lebanon’s participation in talks should not be interpreted as a sign of flexibility, stating that while the outcomes remain uncertain, Lebanon’s objectives are clear.

Electricity generation at the Barapukuria Thermal Power Plant in Dinajpur has come to a complete stop after its last operational unit ceased production at midnight on April 22. The 125-megawatt Unit 1 stopped functioning when stones mixed with coal caused a boiler pipe to burst, according to the plant’s chief engineer Abu Bakkar Siddique. The shutdown has disrupted power supply to the national grid.

Repair work is underway, and it may take four to five days to resume production. The plant’s other two units—one of 125 megawatts and another of 275 megawatts—had already been out of operation due to mechanical faults. The Barapukuria plant, built in 2006 beside the Barapukuria coal mine, was designed to produce 525 megawatts through three units but has never reached full capacity because of recurring technical issues.

The complete halt in production marks another setback for the coal-based facility, which has faced repeated operational interruptions over the years.

State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Anindya Islam Amit announced in parliament that the government has decided to implement a 110-megawatt load shedding in Dhaka on a trial basis. The decision aims to ensure that farmers are not affected by electricity shortages during the irrigation season and to reduce inequality between rural and urban areas. The announcement was made on Thursday under Rule 300 in the National Parliament.

The minister expressed regret for the public suffering caused by ongoing power cuts, noting that current nationwide load shedding stands at around 2,000 megawatts but is expected to decline within seven days. He explained that despite high theoretical generation capacity, actual production remains lower due to gas shortages and maintenance at some power plants. Bangladesh currently faces a daily gas shortfall of about 1,164 million cubic feet.

Amit said the government, guided by the Prime Minister and in consultation with the opposition leader, is prioritizing uninterrupted electricity for agriculture. He added that visible progress in expanding gas infrastructure is expected within 180 days under the government’s priority plan.

A Dhaka court has granted a four-day remand for former DGFI officer Md. Afzal Naser in connection with a murder case filed over the killing of a man during the July Movement in Uttara. The order was issued on Thursday, April 23, 2026, by Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Sefatullah. The prosecution was represented by state lawyer Shamsuddoha Suman. Earlier, the investigating officer, Sub-Inspector Mohammad Ashraful Alam of Uttara East Police Station, had sought a seven-day remand for interrogation.

According to the remand petition, preliminary investigation indicated Naser’s involvement in the incident. Investigators claimed that under his direction, violent activities were carried out to suppress the anti-discrimination student movement. The petition stated that sufficient evidence had been found and that police custody was necessary for further investigation. Naser was previously arrested on March 30 from his residence in Mirpur DOHS and had been remanded multiple times in other cases before being sent to jail.

The case alleges that on August 5, 2024, victim Mahmudul Hasan was shot dead during a student rally against discrimination in Uttara, leading his family to file the murder case at Uttara East Police Station.

Two teachers, including the exam center secretary, were dismissed in Uzirpur, Barishal, after an SSC examination was conducted using the wrong question paper. The action was taken by Upazila Nirbahi Officer Md. Ali Suza following confirmation of the allegations. The dismissed individuals are center secretary Faruk Hossain and assistant teacher Khagen Mondal.

According to the report, the exam was mistakenly held with the 2026 question paper meant for regular students instead of the 2025 paper designated for irregular candidates. This error raised concerns about potential complications in the affected students’ results. The dismissal followed an investigation that verified the complaint.

Authorities stated that measures are being taken to ensure that students do not suffer academic consequences due to the incident.

Syed Muhammad Reza Ali Mirza, known as 'Chhote Nawab' and a descendant of Mir Jafar, was unable to vote in the recent West Bengal election held on April 23, 2026. According to his family, more than 150 members of Mir Jafar’s lineage, including his son Syed Muhammad Fahim Ali Mirza, were excluded from the official voter list. The first phase of polling took place in Murshidabad, but those whose names were missing could not cast their votes.

The family resides in and around Kella Nizamat in Lalbagh, Murshidabad. They stated that after the preliminary voter list was published, several family members were called for hearings and submitted all required documents. Despite this, their names were reportedly removed from the final list.

The report, citing BBC Bangla, highlights the family’s complaint but does not include any official response or explanation from election authorities regarding the omission.

A new analysis by real estate consultancy Knight Frank projects that the number of billionaires worldwide could rise to nearly 4,000 within the next five years. The firm’s report indicates that the current global billionaire population stands at 3,110 and is expected to grow by 25 percent to 3,915 by 2031. The study also found a sharp increase in multimillionaires, with individuals holding assets worth at least 30 million dollars rising from 162,191 in 2021 to 713,626 globally.

Knight Frank’s head of research, Liam Bailey, attributed the rapid wealth expansion to profits from the technology sector, particularly artificial intelligence. He noted that business scalability has reached record levels, enabling faster accumulation of wealth through technology and AI. The report highlights that Saudi Arabia is expected to see the fastest growth in billionaires, from 23 in 2026 to 65 by 2031, while Poland and Sweden will also experience significant increases.

The findings come amid widening global inequality. The World Inequality Report shows that 0.001 percent of the world’s population controls more than three times the total wealth of the poorest groups, while Oxfam reported a record number of new billionaires last year.

The first phase of the West Bengal Assembly elections saw an average voter turnout of 78.77 percent by 3 p.m. on Thursday, according to data from the state election commission. The highest turnout was recorded in Shamsherganj constituency of Murshidabad district, where 87.53 percent of voters cast their ballots. Shamsherganj, a Muslim-majority area, had previously seen the highest number of names removed from the voter list.

Lalgola and Bhagabangola constituencies, which also had large numbers of names deleted from the electoral rolls, recorded approximately 85 percent and 84 percent turnout respectively. BBC correspondents visiting these areas observed that many migrant workers had returned home from other states specifically to vote. Residents reportedly feared that failing to vote might lead to their names being removed from the voter list.

In Nandigram, where opposition leader Suvendu Adhikari is contesting, the turnout reached 81.3 percent by 3 p.m., while Purulia recorded the lowest turnout at 72.22 percent.

Habibur Rahman Mallik, uncle of the slain Nazrul Islam Mallik, testified before the International Crimes Tribunal-1 that intelligence officials told his family RAB intelligence chief Ziaul Ahsan was responsible for Nazrul’s killing. His statement came during cross-examination by defense lawyer Aminul Gani Tito before a two-member judicial panel led by Justice Shafiul Alam Mahmud on Thursday, April 22.

Habibur Rahman is the fourth witness in a crimes against humanity case involving allegations of enforced disappearances and killings during one and a half decades of Awami League rule. During cross-examination, Tito disputed the witness’s claim, arguing that Ziaul’s name was introduced under the investigator’s influence. Habibur Rahman maintained that intelligence personnel had repeatedly visited their home and informed them of Ziaul’s involvement.

The tribunal set May 6 as the next date for testimony. Ziaul’s sister and lawyer Naznin Nahar objected to the schedule, arguing that other cases receive longer intervals between hearings. Prosecutor Uday Tasmir responded that the defense complains both when witnesses are delayed and when they appear regularly. The tribunal upheld its decision and adjourned the session.

Nahid Islam, convener of the National Citizens Party (NCP) and a member of parliament, warned that his party and its 11-party alliance would not hesitate to take to the streets if the ruling BNP government fails to initiate reforms. In an interview with Amar Desh published on April 23, 2026, he said that while his party does not seek another mass uprising, public anger could erupt if the government ignores popular demands.

He argued that the current administration has become deeply unpopular within two months of taking office, citing fuel shortages, rising commodity prices, and difficulties in handling international pressure. Nahid Islam questioned whether the government could complete its five-year term under such conditions.

Referring to the post-July uprising political landscape, he described Bangladesh as standing at a crossroads between old political forces trying to retain power and a new generation eager for state reconstruction. He suggested that the direction of future politics will depend on how this tension unfolds.

The University Grants Commission (UGC) of Bangladesh has initiated the formulation of a national policy to ensure the ethical use of artificial intelligence (AI) in education, research, and administration across the country’s universities. The announcement was made by UGC Chairman Professor Dr. Mamun Ahmed during the opening of a two-day workshop titled “Building Equity: Assessing the Extended Inclusive Education Toolkit,” held in Dhaka on Thursday.

The workshop was jointly organized by the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, American International University-Bangladesh, Nottingham Trent University of the UK, and King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals of Saudi Arabia, with funding from the British Council. The UGC chairman emphasized AI’s transformative role in building equitable and inclusive education and said the policy aims to ensure responsible and ethical AI practices. He added that training programs are being developed to enhance teachers’ and academic leaders’ skills, while research and innovation are being encouraged to address local challenges such as rural access, language barriers, and equitable resource distribution.

The UGC is also working on institutional guidelines and quality assurance frameworks to align AI use with national goals and international standards.