US Ambassador to Bangladesh Brent Christensen marked his first 100 days in Dhaka, claiming significant progress in advancing Bangladesh–US relations. In a video message released on Wednesday, he described a historic trade agreement between the two nations and highlighted new partnerships in trade, health, and cultural exchange. He said these initiatives have brought the people of both countries closer as the United States celebrates its 250th anniversary.

Christensen noted that he and his wife received a warm welcome in Bangladesh and have engaged in local cultural experiences, including visiting historical sites, celebrating Pahela Baishakh, and attending a cricket match. He said he arrived at a crucial time before the national election and is working to implement President Trump’s roadmap for elevating bilateral relations.

The ambassador also mentioned cooperation on combating illegal immigration and visa fraud, strengthening security ties for a free Indo-Pacific, and launching a new health partnership to fight diseases such as tuberculosis and measles. He reaffirmed the US commitment as the largest donor supporting Rohingya refugees and expressed optimism about the future of Bangladesh–US relations.

The Bangladesh Army, deployed for over 20 months as a striking force to maintain law and order, is now awaiting formal government instructions to return to barracks. Around 15,000 soldiers remain stationed across the country, with 50 active camps in 64 districts, including 25 in the Dhaka division. The army took charge of national security after the July 2024 mass uprising that led to the fall of Sheikh Hasina’s government and the collapse of police operations. Since then, it has conducted anti-terror operations, ensured public safety, and supported civil administration in various capacities.

Following the uprising, the interim government led by Dr. Yunus granted army officers limited executive magistrate powers under 17 sections of the Criminal Procedure Code. During the 2025 national election, about 100,000 army personnel, along with naval and air force members, were deployed nationwide to ensure peaceful polling. The army seized over 10,000 weapons and detained more than 22,000 suspects. Although most troops have since returned to bases, 15,000 remain active pending government approval to withdraw.

ISPR Director Lt. Col. Sami-ud-Daula Chowdhury confirmed that the army will return to barracks once the government issues official orders.

The United States Senate has once again rejected a proposal aimed at limiting President Donald Trump’s authority to conduct military operations against Iran. In the fifth such attempt, 46 senators voted in favor of the measure while 51 opposed it, leaving the proposal short of the majority needed for passage.

Before the vote, Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer sharply criticized Republican senators, accusing them of failing to act to end what he described as an unnecessary conflict. Schumer argued that President Trump had been offering only empty promises about ending wars in recent weeks and said this vote represented the fifth missed opportunity for the Senate to stop the war.

The vote leaves President Trump retaining his wartime powers regarding Iran, as efforts to restrict them have repeatedly failed in the Senate.

Police in Debiganj, Panchagarh, detained a 24-year-old man named Md. Shakil Ahmed for allegedly posting an AI-generated offensive image of Jaima Rahman, daughter of Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, on Facebook. The arrest took place on Wednesday afternoon in the Bhaulaganj Bazar area of Chilahat Union. Shakil, a third-year student at Tejgaon College in Dhaka, is the son of Md. Bulbul Islam from Nagar Bhaulaganj.

According to local sources and eyewitnesses, Shakil posted the image and a caption from his personal Facebook account on Tuesday, which later spread widely through screenshots. The post sparked anger among local BNP leaders and activists, leading to tension in the area. Police were informed and a team led by Sub-Inspector Faruk conducted the operation to detain him.

Debiganj Police Station Officer-in-Charge Selim Malik confirmed that the authenticity of the post had been verified. Preparations are underway to file a case against the detainee under the Information and Communication Technology Act.

As the summer heat intensifies across Bangladesh, power outages are becoming more frequent and severe. While urban areas are experiencing relatively fewer disruptions, rural regions are facing widespread and prolonged load shedding, causing significant hardship for residents. In response to the worsening situation, National Citizen Party (NCP) spokesperson Asif Mahmud Sajib Bhuiyan posted on social media late Wednesday night, asking whether electricity is occasionally going out or only occasionally coming on.

According to reports, one unit of Adani’s power plant in India has been shut down due to technical issues, cutting electricity imports from India by half. This reduction has further aggravated Bangladesh’s power supply crisis, leading to increased load shedding across the country.

The situation highlights the growing strain on Bangladesh’s electricity infrastructure during peak summer demand, with rural communities bearing the brunt of the shortages.

Union council member Rustam Ali of ward 9 under Eidgar Union in Ramu, Cox’s Bazar, was released on Wednesday night after his family paid Tk 800,000 to masked armed abductors. He had been kidnapped earlier that morning while traveling from Eidgaon to his home in Eidgar. The release took place around 8 p.m. in a hilly forest area about three kilometers inside the Swapnotori area of Joarianala Union.

According to the victim’s uncle, Karim Maulvi, the abductors initially demanded Tk 3 million as ransom but later freed Rustam Ali after receiving Tk 800,000. Police from Ramu station arrived at the scene after being informed of the release, though attempts to contact the station’s officer-in-charge, Monirul Islam Bhuiyan, were unsuccessful as his phone was found switched off.

The incident highlights ongoing security concerns in the hilly regions of Cox’s Bazar, where abductions for ransom have been reported in the past, though no further details were available from authorities at the time of reporting.

The Non-Government Teachers’ Registration and Certification Authority (NTRCA) has published the results of the recruitment examinations for head and assistant head positions in private schools, colleges, madrasas, and technical institutions across Bangladesh. The results were released at 11:30 p.m. on Wednesday, with 14,942 candidates passing and a pass rate of 31 percent. Results are available on the NTRCA website.

According to the authority, 53,069 candidates applied for the examination against 11,151 vacant posts. The tests were held on April 18 in four separate sessions throughout the day. Successful candidates will receive their results via SMS from Teletalk Bangladesh Limited, and the full results can be accessed online.

NTRCA stated that the schedule for the viva voce (oral) examinations for those who passed the written test will be announced later on its official website.

An Israeli airstrike in southern Lebanon’s Tyre city on Wednesday, April 22, killed Amal Khalil, a journalist for the newspaper Al-Akhbar, and seriously injured another reporter, Zainab Faraj. According to Lebanon’s National News Agency (NNA), Khalil was hit while on professional duty. She is the fourth media worker killed in Israeli attacks in Lebanon since March.

Lebanon’s Health Ministry and state media reported that Faraj was injured while rescuers tried to free Khalil from the rubble. The Lebanese Red Cross transported Faraj to Tibnin Hospital. Authorities said the journalists had taken shelter in a nearby house after an initial strike, which was later targeted again, killing two other people and injuring several others.

The Israeli military acknowledged that two journalists were wounded but denied obstructing rescue operations, claiming the strike targeted two suspected vehicles linked to a Hezbollah military site. The United Nations and the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) condemned the attack on journalists.

A Jahangirnagar University student leader has been accused of throwing a bowl of halim at a restaurant worker after allegedly finding a fly in the food. The incident involved Hosne Mobarak, the central health and food safety secretary of the Jahangirnagar University Central Students’ Union (JAKSU). It occurred on Tuesday night at a restaurant known as Habib Bhai’s Hotel in the university’s Bot Tola area. Following the incident, on Wednesday night, a group of students forcibly closed at least 25 shops in the same area.

Witnesses and CCTV footage indicated that former Chhatra League leader Turjo Kirtania led the shop closures, while other student representatives, including Mohammad Ali Chishti from the Chhatra Shakti panel, opposed the forced shutdowns. Assistant Proctor Professor Abdur Razzak arrived at the scene to calm tensions between the groups. Chishti stated that while students wanted accountability for Mobarak’s behavior, closing shops by force was not a solution.

Mobarak denied physically assaulting the worker, saying he threw the bowl in protest after seeing a fly in the food. The assistant proctor confirmed that the situation had been brought under control and would be resolved through discussion the following day.

The White House stated that U.S. President Donald Trump has not set any specific timeline for the ceasefire with Iran. The clarification came on Wednesday, when White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said reports suggesting a three-to-five-day deadline were incorrect. She emphasized that the duration of the ceasefire would be determined solely by President Trump.

According to the White House, the U.S. administration is awaiting a collective response from Iranian leaders regarding the conditions proposed by Washington for a peace agreement. The statement was reported by Al Jazeera and aimed to counter claims circulating in some media outlets about a fixed ceasefire period.

The remarks highlight the uncertainty surrounding the next steps in U.S.-Iran negotiations, as the final decision on the ceasefire’s duration remains with the U.S. president.

Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf stated that reopening the Strait of Hormuz would only be possible if a full ceasefire is observed and Israeli military actions across all fronts are halted. He made the remarks on Wednesday in a post on social media platform X, emphasizing that a ceasefire would only be meaningful if naval blockades and aggressive actions cease.

Ghalibaf added that amid what he described as severe violations of the ceasefire, reopening the Strait of Hormuz is not feasible. He also rejected the idea that Iran could be pressured into concessions, saying that neither military aggression nor external pressure would achieve such goals. According to him, the only viable path is for others to recognize the rights of the Iranian nation.

The comments come after Ghalibaf led the Iranian delegation in recent discussions with the United States, underscoring Tehran’s firm stance on sovereignty and resistance to coercion.

The government has cancelled the appointments of two ambassadors who were appointed during the interim administration. According to a notification issued by the Ministry of Public Administration on Wednesday, April 22, 2026, the appointments of former Inspector General of Police Md. Moinul Islam and former secretary Dr. M. Mahfuzul Haque have been revoked.

Moinul Islam had been appointed as ambassador to Poland on April 10, 2025, under a contractual arrangement, while Mahfuzul Haque was appointed as ambassador to Portugal on September 19, 2024. Both were among four ambassadors appointed on contract during the interim government period. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs had earlier withdrawn all four on March 8, and the government has now officially cancelled the remaining tenure of their appointments.

The decision marks a continuation of the government’s review of diplomatic appointments made under the interim administration, though no further details were provided in the announcement.

Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami has announced a national rally in Dhaka titled the July Martyrs’ Families and July Fighters National Assembly. The event is scheduled to take place on Saturday, April 25, at Suhrawardy Udyan in the capital. The announcement was made through a press release issued on Wednesday, April 22.

According to the statement, families of July martyrs, July fighters, and senior leaders from various political parties will attend the gathering. The Leader of the Opposition and Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer, Dr. Shafiqur Rahman, will be present as the chief guest. The release also confirmed that top leaders from eleven political parties are expected to join the event.

The announcement highlights Jamaat-e-Islami’s effort to organize a large-scale political assembly involving multiple parties and groups in Dhaka.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has outlined three major obstacles hindering dialogue with the United States over the ongoing conflict between the two countries. In a social media post on Wednesday, he stated that Iran welcomes and continues to pursue dialogue and compromise. Pezeshkian identified broken promises, sanctions, and threats as the main barriers to genuine negotiations.

Referring to the United States, Pezeshkian wrote that the world can see the contradictions between its words and actions. His remarks came as tensions between Iran and the United States remain high. Earlier, Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf posted on social media that a meaningful ceasefire would only be possible if naval blockades and aggressive actions by Zionist forces ceased.

Ghalibaf also stated that reopening the Strait of Hormuz would not be possible amid such severe ceasefire violations. The statements reflect Iran’s position that external pressures and hostilities must end before any substantial peace process can move forward.

Teachers at Barishal University have been observing a two-day academic work stoppage and shutdown program since Tuesday, demanding resolution of promotion issues. All classes and examinations were suspended after the complete shutdown began on Wednesday, raising fears of session delays among students. The protest followed a written declaration signed by 102 teachers on Monday evening.

The teachers cited long-standing faculty shortages, promotion complications, and legal uncertainty as reasons for their action. They said a recent University Grants Commission directive requiring the Chancellor’s approval for employment, promotion, and administrative regulations has created legal ambiguity and questioned the validity of previous activities. Around 51 teaching positions remain vacant, and unpaid part-time lecturers have disrupted teaching. Frustration has also grown over the pending promotion of 24 teachers to professor rank.

Students expressed concern about session jams and academic losses, while university authorities urged teachers to avoid actions harming students. The vice-chancellor stated that efforts are underway to resolve the promotion crisis and called for cooperation until an acceptable solution is reached.