S M Ziauddin Haider from Jhalokathi has been appointed as the Prime Minister’s Special Assistant on Health Affairs with the rank of a state minister. The Cabinet Division issued a notification on Wednesday, April 22, 2026, confirming his appointment under the Rules of Business. According to the order, he will receive the salary, allowances, and privileges equivalent to those of a state minister.

Ziauddin Haider hails from Keora Union in Jhalokathi Sadar upazila. Following the announcement, a celebratory atmosphere emerged in his home district. Local political, social, and cultural leaders extended their congratulations and expressed optimism that Dr. Ziauddin Haider would play a significant role in promoting national welfare through his new responsibilities.

The appointment underscores the Prime Minister’s continued focus on strengthening health-related advisory roles within the administration, as reflected in the formal notification issued by the Cabinet Division.

Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) hosted a reception and award ceremony for the Bangladesh Under-20 football team that won the SAFF U-20 Championship. The event took place on Wednesday morning at the Gulshan Nagar Bhaban in the capital. Each player received a cheque of 50,000 taka, a crest, and a commemorative gift from the city corporation, while the coaching staff were presented with honorary mementos.

DNCC Administrator Md. Shafiqul Islam Khan attended as the chief guest, and Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) President Tabith Awal was present as the special guest. DNCC Chief Executive Officer Muhammad Asaduzzaman delivered the welcome speech. In his remarks, the DNCC administrator expressed pride in the team’s achievement and mentioned that initiatives are underway to free public spaces from illegal occupation and make them suitable for sports under the Prime Minister’s directive.

Tabith Awal thanked the DNCC administrator for his patronage of sports and highlighted the corporation’s contribution to national sports development, emphasizing the role of sports in fostering unity and social well-being.

The Narayanganj District Council has extended support to Rahat, a physically challenged student from Fatullah, by providing him with an electric motorcycle to ease his daily commute to college. The donation was handed over on Wednesday afternoon at the district council premises by its administrator, Mamun Mahmud, in the presence of other officials. Rahat, who lost his ability to walk due to polio in childhood, is currently a third-year degree student and has continued his studies despite severe mobility challenges.

Rahat expressed deep gratitude to the council, saying the assistance would make his educational journey much easier. He shared that traveling to college had long been a struggle, especially during the rainy season when waterlogging and mud made movement difficult. The district council administrator stated that supporting determined students like Rahat reflects their commitment to ensuring that physical limitations do not hinder education. He added that the initiative aligns with the Prime Minister’s directive to use local government institutions for public welfare.

The council hopes this initiative will inspire others and promote inclusivity in education across the district.

Dr. Md. Saimum Parvez has been appointed as the Special Assistant to the Prime Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change. The appointment was announced through a notification signed by Md. Golam Rabbani, Deputy Secretary of the Ministry of Public Administration, on Wednesday under the order of the President. The appointment is contractual for one year, effective from the date of joining, with the rank equivalent to a secretary. He must relinquish any other professional or institutional affiliations before assuming the role.

Dr. Parvez previously served as Special Assistant to the BNP Chairperson’s Foreign Affairs Advisory Committee and was a member of the party’s Central Election Steering Committee. He also leads the BNP’s think tank and content generation team and contributed to the party’s election manifesto committee. Additionally, he has been working as a technical expert in the government’s five-year project to plant 250 million trees.

The appointment places Dr. Parvez in a key advisory position on environmental and climate policy matters at the Prime Minister’s Office.

The High Court has directed that all election documents, including ballot papers and result sheets, for the Jhalakathi-1 (Rajapur-Kathalia) constituency be preserved. The order was issued on Wednesday by Justice Md Zakir Hossain’s bench following a petition filed by Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami alleging irregularities and vote rigging in the 13th National Parliamentary Election.

According to court sources, the petition was filed citing election irregularities, prompting the court to order the safekeeping of all related materials after a preliminary hearing. Jamaat-e-Islami’s candidate for the constituency, Dr. Faizul Haque, contested the election, while BNP’s Rafiqul Islam Jamal was declared the winning Member of Parliament.

Dr. Faizul Haque stated that the election had seen widespread irregularities and that the court’s directive would help uncover the truth. Senior Supreme Court lawyer Shishir Mohammad Monir represented the petitioner during the hearing.

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman expressed strong dissatisfaction in parliament over the failure to import measles vaccines during the periods of autocratic and interim governments. Responding to a question from Jamaat-e-Islami MP Salah Uddin during the parliamentary question session chaired by Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmed, the prime minister said that the lack of vaccine imports over several years had led to the deaths of many children. He added that the government has taken swift measures to address the situation, including efforts to procure measles detection kits.

Salah Uddin raised concerns about the suspension of measles testing facilities in most institutions, including the country’s only infectious disease institute in Chattogram, forcing samples to be sent to Dhaka. In response, the prime minister acknowledged the shortage of testing kits and confirmed that the government is working to resolve it. She noted that UNICEF Bangladesh had provided significant assistance by sending vaccines quickly, enabling the government to plan immunization for about 20 million children.

The prime minister reiterated that the government is taking steps to control the situation and expedite the release of testing kits held in customs.

A Union Parishad member named Rustam Ali from Ward 9 of Eidgar Union in Ramu upazila, Cox’s Bazar, was reportedly abducted on Wednesday morning while traveling from Eidgaon to Eidgar. According to local sources, a group of assailants forcibly took him away around 6 a.m. and later contacted his family demanding a ransom of Tk 3 million. The abductors allegedly threatened to kill him if the ransom was not paid, causing panic in the area. Family members have urged authorities for his immediate rescue.

Police confirmed that they visited the scene after receiving the report and have launched a rescue operation. Sub-Inspector Khurshid Alam of Eidgar police outpost said law enforcement teams were conducting searches in possible locations. Ramu Police Station Officer-in-Charge Monirul Islam Bhuiyan stated that operations began immediately after the abduction. Sources also indicated that the abducted UP member has multiple cases filed against him in Ramu and Naikhongchhari police stations.

Authorities continue their search efforts, but no further details about the abductors or the victim’s condition were available at the time of reporting.

The government of Bangladesh has fixed procurement targets and prices for rice, paddy, and wheat during the 2026 Boro season. The collection drive will begin on May 3 for paddy and wheat, and on May 15 for rice, continuing until August 31, 2026. The Food Planning and Monitoring Committee, chaired by Home Minister Salah Uddin Ahmed, decided to procure 500,000 metric tons of paddy, 1.2 million metric tons of parboiled rice, 100,000 metric tons of non-parboiled rice, and 50,000 metric tons of wheat. The purchase prices were set at Tk 36 per kg for paddy, Tk 49 for parboiled rice, Tk 48 for non-parboiled rice, and Tk 36 for wheat.

At a press briefing, the Home Minister said the country currently holds 1.7 to 1.8 million metric tons of rice in government stock, maintaining a mandatory food security reserve of 1.3 million metric tons. The government can raise reserves to 2.4–2.5 million metric tons if needed. He added that favorable weather is expected to yield a bumper harvest, eliminating the need for rice imports, though wheat remains largely import-dependent.

To meet wheat demand, the government plans to import 800,000 metric tons through G2G and open tender methods, including a memorandum with the United States for about 700,000 metric tons. Regional supply adjustments will ensure no food shortages across the country.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) naval branch has seized two ships from the Strait of Hormuz and taken them toward the Iranian coast, according to reports published on April 22, 2026. The vessels, identified as MSC Francesca and Epaminondas, were detained as part of what the IRGC described as a move to protect order and security in the strategic waterway.

Iranian media reported that the IRGC considers any disruption to security in the Strait of Hormuz a red line. The force emphasized that all ships or oil tankers passing through the strait must coordinate with the IRGC. The organization has also indicated that discussions are underway to impose specific charges and transit fees on vessels using the route.

The seizure aligns with Iran’s long-term strategy to assert control and authority over maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, a critical global shipping passage. The IRGC reiterated that coordination with its forces will be mandatory for all future navigation through the area.

The Election Commission on Wednesday, April 22, 2026, cancelled the nomination of Nusrat Tabassum, joint convener of the National Citizen Party (NCP), for a reserved women’s seat in the 13th National Parliament. The commission stated that her nomination was not accepted because it was submitted after the official deadline. According to the report, Tabassum submitted her papers at 4:19 p.m. on April 21, while the deadline was 4:00 p.m.

The commission also suspended the nomination of another NCP candidate, Monira Sharmin, citing that she had not completed three years since resigning from government service. Under Article 12(1)(ch) of the Representation of the People Order (RPO), a person is ineligible to contest parliamentary elections if less than three years have passed since their resignation or retirement from public service.

Both decisions reflect the Election Commission’s enforcement of legal and procedural requirements for candidate eligibility in the reserved women’s seat selection process.

Farida Khanam, a Deputy Secretary at the Ministry of Home Affairs, has been appointed as the new Deputy Commissioner (DC) and District Magistrate of Dhaka. The appointment was confirmed on Wednesday, April 22, 2026, through an official notification issued by the Ministry of Public Administration. The order, signed by Senior Assistant Secretary Md. Ismail Hossain, stated that the decision was made in the public interest and would take immediate effect.

According to the notification, Farida Khanam will replace the current DC, Md. Rezaul Karim, who has been transferred to the Cabinet Division as a Deputy Secretary. As the new DC, Farida Khanam will serve as the administrative and judicial head of Dhaka district. The Ministry of Public Administration issued the order to ensure continuity in the district’s governance and administrative functions.

The reshuffle reflects routine administrative adjustments within the government, aimed at maintaining effective management and coordination across ministries and districts.

Chittagong Metropolitan Police (CMP) Commissioner Hasan Mohammad Shawkat Ali said police operations are ongoing to identify and arrest those carrying homemade weapons after two rounds of clashes between Chhatra Dal and Chhatra Shibir at Chittagong Government City College. Speaking to reporters at the CMP headquarters in Laldighi, he stated that CCTV footage is being reviewed to bring all involved under the law. The commissioner added that if any police negligence is found, it will be investigated and action will be taken.

He confirmed that no cases have been filed and no arrests made so far, but police surveillance has been increased in the college area to control tension. Separate lists are being prepared to identify those who used weapons or threw bricks during the clashes. The violence erupted on Tuesday over graffiti changes, leading to renewed confrontations later in the day.

Following the incident, a video showing a Shibir activist’s severe leg injury spread widely, prompting heightened police deployment. The CMP commissioner emphasized that campus violence will not be tolerated and that operations against armed individuals will continue.

China has reduced petrol and diesel prices at the pump for the first time since the start of the Iran war, according to the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC). The commission, which serves as China’s top economic planning body, stated that the decision reflects recent changes in global crude oil prices. Fuel prices in China are reviewed every ten working days based on international crude oil market trends.

The NDRC noted that the price cut will allow drivers to save about three US dollars when filling a 50-liter tank. Previously, Beijing had raised the maximum retail prices of petrol and diesel several times as global oil prices surged following the outbreak of the Iran war.

The adjustment marks a shift in China’s fuel pricing policy amid fluctuating global energy markets, aligning domestic prices more closely with international trends.

A three-year-old boy named Araf Pramanik died after falling into a drum filled with diesel stored at his home in Palanpara village under Dhaperhat Union of Sadullapur upazila, Gaibandha. The incident occurred on Tuesday, April 21, 2026, when the child was playing on the veranda where the drum was kept. He was rescued and taken to Rangpur Medical College Hospital but died early Wednesday, April 22, while undergoing treatment.

According to local sources, the diesel had been stored by the child’s father, truck owner Ashiqur Rahman Babu Pramanik, who kept about 50 liters in a half-cut plastic drum to prepare for possible fuel shortages. Local Union Parishad member Mehedi Hasan Ekramul confirmed the child’s death, describing a heartbreaking scene when the body reached the family home. Sadullapur Police Station Officer-in-Charge Habibul Islam also verified the incident, stating that the child was injured after falling into the diesel and later died during treatment.

Authorities have confirmed the death as accidental, and the incident has deeply shocked the local community.

The National Citizen Party (NCP) has appointed two of its Members of Parliament, Advocate Abdullah Al Amin and Dr. Atik Mujahid, to its highest policymaking body, the Political Council (PC). The announcement was made in a press release issued on Tuesday, April 21, 2026. The appointments were approved by NCP Convener Nahid Islam and Member Secretary Akhtar Hossain.

According to the release, Dr. Atik Mujahid, Joint Convener and MP for Kurigram-2, and Advocate Abdullah Al Amin, Joint Member Secretary and MP for Narayanganj-4, have been added to the Political Council. Abdullah Al Amin also serves as the head of the party’s disciplinary committee.

With these additions, the NCP Political Council now consists of 12 members, including the convener, member secretary, and other senior organizational leaders from different regions and departments of the party.