The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has arrested Md. Majedul Haque Helal from Chattogram for allegedly selling the firearm used in the murder of Sharif Osman Hadi, spokesperson of Inquilab Moncho. CID has sought a seven-day remand for Helal to facilitate further investigation. The hearing on the remand petition is scheduled to take place before Dhaka’s Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Jashita Islam on Wednesday.

According to the remand petition, the pistol used in the killing was recovered from Narsingdi, where a case under the Arms Act was filed. Forensic tests confirmed that bullets found at the crime scene were fired from the recovered weapon. The investigation traced the pistol’s serial number, revealing that it was imported by M I H Arms Co. in Dhaka, later sold through several dealers before reaching Helal’s shop, Hamidul Haque Arms & Co. in Chattogram.

The petition further stated that Helal’s shop license, originally issued to his father, expired in 2014 and was not renewed. Investigators aim to determine how the weapon reached the suspects’ possession through Helal.

Several Gulf countries have shown interest in supporting Pakistan’s diplomatic initiative to bring the United States and Iran back to the negotiating table. The move comes amid ongoing regional tensions that analysts say have significantly affected security and energy infrastructure across the Middle East. Concerns have grown over the potential closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a vital route for global oil shipments.

Kuwait, which relies almost entirely on oil exports through the strait, faces particular vulnerability as about 90 percent of its national income comes from the energy sector. A spokesperson for Qatar’s foreign ministry confirmed that Doha has already held discussions with Pakistan and the United States on the issue and is maintaining direct contact with Iran. Recent days have also seen multiple telephone conversations among Iran, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia.

Analysts believe Gulf countries want the ceasefire to hold and tensions to ease through diplomatic engagement. They expect more active regional diplomacy in the coming days to strengthen Pakistan’s mediating role.

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman announced that the government has decided to recruit 500,000 new government employees. He stated that recruitment for 2,879 positions under the Ministry of Public Administration and its affiliated offices is already underway. The announcement was made on Wednesday morning during the 14th day of the first session of the National Parliament, in a written reply to a question from a member of parliament.

In another written response, the Prime Minister said that a project related to the ‘e-Health Card’ initiative is awaiting approval. Under a 180-day program, the government plans to distribute e-Health Cards to citizens once the project is approved. He also addressed a question regarding training for primary school teachers in English, emphasizing that the government’s manifesto prioritizes improving teaching quality and skills through special training programs.

These initiatives reflect the government’s focus on expanding public employment, enhancing healthcare access through digital means, and strengthening the education sector through teacher training programs.

Joint Secretary of the Energy and Mineral Resources Division, Monir Hossain Chowdhury, stated that Bangladesh will not face any fuel shortage in the next two months based on current supply and reserves. He made the remarks during a briefing at the Secretariat on Wednesday afternoon.

According to Monir, from March 3 to April 14, a total of 9,116 operations were conducted across the country, resulting in 3,510 cases filed. Authorities collected fines amounting to 15.6 million taka and sentenced 45 individuals to imprisonment. The drives led to the recovery of 542,236 liters of illegal fuel, including diesel, octane, petrol, and furnace oil.

He further detailed that the country currently holds reserves of 101,385 metric tons of diesel, 31,821 metric tons of octane, 18,211 metric tons of petrol, 77,546 metric tons of furnace oil, and 18,223 metric tons of jet fuel, ensuring stability in fuel supply for the near term.

The government will begin issuing licenses to footpath vendors in Dhaka as part of a new initiative led by the Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC). Administrator Md. Abdus Salam announced the plan on Wednesday after inaugurating a pilot project to clear the sidewalks in front of Dhaka Medical College Hospital. He emphasized that all businesses, including those on footpaths, must obtain permission from the city corporation and operate through legal procedures.

According to Abdus Salam, the government will prepare a list of footpath vendors and issue licenses accordingly. Guidelines will also be introduced to ensure that vendors are properly spaced and that overcrowding is avoided. He added that the police will conduct a survey within a week to help bring order to the system.

The initiative aims to balance urban order and livelihood needs by regulating street vending through formal licensing and coordination between citizens and the city corporation.

Gaza’s Civil Defense agency reported on Tuesday that at least ten people were killed in separate Israeli airstrikes across northern Gaza. Among the dead was a three-year-old child named Yahia al-Mallahi. The agency’s spokesperson, Mahmoud Basal, said four people, including the child, were killed when a police vehicle in Gaza City was targeted. Al-Shifa Hospital confirmed receiving the bodies of the victims, while the Palestinian Interior Ministry stated that the airstrike on the police vehicle caused multiple casualties and injuries.

Earlier, one person was killed in Beit Lahia, where the Israeli military claimed to have targeted an “armed individual” described as a “terrorist.” Later, another strike near the Al-Shati refugee camp killed several more people when a drone fired two missiles at a group near an electrical equipment warehouse. The Israeli army said it was reviewing the incidents.

Authorities noted that despite a declared ceasefire following the October 7, 2023 conflict, violence in Gaza continues, with hundreds reportedly killed since the truce. Analysts warned that the ongoing clashes are worsening the humanitarian crisis.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has stated that much of the anticipated damage to the global economy from the ongoing conflict involving the United States, Israel, and Iran has already occurred. During its spring meeting in Washington, the IMF released a new economic forecast, noting that even if the conflict were to end immediately, global growth would still slow down.

The IMF further cautioned that if the conflict continues and infrastructure damage worsens, global growth could fall to around 2 percent, while inflation may exceed 6 percent next year. According to IMF experts, the impact will not be uniform across countries, with Middle Eastern oil-producing nations facing the greatest losses.

Developing economies are expected to feel nearly twice the impact compared to advanced economies, particularly those dependent on energy imports. Analysts also warned that continued instability in global energy markets and supply chains could further drive inflation in food, energy, and transport sectors.

Ziaul Haque, a 67-year-old retired agriculture officer and adviser to the Jamalpur District Awami League, died late Tuesday night while being taken to Mymensingh Medical College Hospital. He had been suffering from diabetes and kidney disease and fell seriously ill while in Jamalpur District Jail. His condition worsened on Tuesday afternoon, prompting authorities to transfer him for advanced treatment, but he passed away en route.

Ziaul Haque, a resident of Haridrata village in Digpait Union under Jamalpur Sadar upazila, had been in custody since January 15 after being arrested in a case filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission over recruitment irregularities at Digpait DK High School, where he served as managing committee president. His family alleged that negligence in providing medical care led to his death.

Jamalpur Jail Superintendent Lipi Rani Saha confirmed the death but denied any negligence, stating that the prison’s on-duty doctor had provided treatment to the detainee before his transfer.

Bangladesh has been ranked 95th in the latest global passport index published by Henley & Partners, moving down from its previous position of 93rd. According to the new ranking released on April 15, 2026, Bangladeshi passport holders can now travel to 36 countries without obtaining a visa in advance.

The list of 36 destinations includes Barbados, Bhutan, British Virgin Islands, Burundi, Cambodia, Cape Verde Islands, Comoro Islands, Cook Islands, Djibouti, Dominica, Fiji, Grenada, Guinea-Bissau, Haiti, Jamaica, Kenya, Kiribati, Madagascar, Maldives, Micronesia, Montserrat, Nepal, Niue, Rwanda, Samoa, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Sri Lanka, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Bahamas, Gambia, Timor, Trinidad and Tobago, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu. However, not all of these countries allow direct entry; some require on-arrival or electronic visas.

Globally, Singapore retained the top position in the index, followed by Japan, South Korea, and the United Arab Emirates in joint second place. Sweden ranked third, while Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, and Switzerland shared the fourth position.

US President Donald Trump has said that discussions between the United States and Iran could resume within the next two days. He made the remarks in a phone interview with the New York Post, noting that talks were ongoing but progressing slowly. About half an hour later, Trump called the newspaper again, suggesting that their correspondent should stay in Islamabad, where the first round of talks had taken place, because something might happen soon.

Trump added that the likelihood of renewed discussions was high, crediting Pakistan’s army chief for doing an excellent job. He had previously referred to the Pakistani military leader as a close ally. The comments were reported by the BBC and cited by the Bangladeshi outlet Amar Desh.

The report also mentioned that Gulf countries have shown interest in helping Pakistan facilitate renewed dialogue between the United States and Iran, indicating a possible regional effort to ease tensions.

Israeli forces are carrying out large-scale destruction in villages across southern Lebanon, mirroring tactics used in Gaza, according to a report by Israeli newspaper Haaretz published on April 15, 2026. The report cites an Israeli military officer who said troops are following the same approach as in Gaza, maintaining a list of houses to demolish and measuring success by the number of buildings destroyed each day.

Haaretz reported that bulldozers are flattening homes in border villages to clear space for new military outposts. A soldier interviewed by the outlet suggested that the nature of new constructions indicates Israel may be planning a long-term presence in the area. The report also noted that Israeli troops have advanced to villages about 20 kilometers south of Lebanon’s Litani River.

The Gaza-style “scorched earth” policy in Lebanon has raised concerns about a renewed humanitarian and geopolitical crisis in the region, according to the report sourced from Al Jazeera.

U.S. President Donald Trump wants to reach a major agreement with Iran, Vice President JD Vance said, according to a CBS News report cited by BBC. Speaking at a Turning Points USA event in Athens, Georgia, Vance noted that significant progress had been made during recent discussions between U.S. and Iranian representatives held in Pakistan. He emphasized that Trump is not interested in a minor deal but aims for a 'Trumpian grand bargain' of historic scale.

Reuters reported that Vance also acknowledged the deep mistrust between the two nations, saying that decades of distrust cannot be resolved overnight. Washington views the high-level talks, the first of their kind in 49 years, as a positive development. Despite the U.S. military maintaining a strict naval blockade on Iran, the Trump administration’s proposal for a major deal has sparked new debate in Middle Eastern geopolitics.

The renewed diplomatic engagement signals a potential shift in U.S.–Iran relations, though the outcome of the proposed negotiations remains uncertain.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has warned that escalating conflict in Iran and continued volatility in global energy markets could push the world economy to the brink of recession. According to the IMF, repeated shocks in the energy sector may reduce global growth from the current 3.1 percent to 2 percent.

The IMF outlined three possible scenarios. In the best case, if the war remains short-lived, oil prices could normalize to an average of 82 dollars per barrel in the second half of 2026. Under a moderate scenario, if the conflict drags on, oil prices may hover around 100 dollars this year and fall to 75 dollars in 2027, bringing global growth down to 2.5 percent from 3.4 percent in 2025. In the worst case, oil could reach 110 dollars per barrel in 2026 and 125 dollars in 2027.

IMF Chief Economist Pierre-Olivier Gourinchas said current supply disruptions and the lack of a clear path to peace make the moderate or adverse scenario more realistic. The organization also warned that the crisis could further fuel global inflation.

Ireland’s coalition government survived a no-confidence vote in parliament on Tuesday, retaining power amid criticism of its response to an energy crisis triggered by the Middle East conflict. The motion, brought by the main opposition party Sinn Féin, was defeated with 92 votes in favor of the government and 78 against after a heated debate.

The vote followed a week of protests by transport operators and agricultural contractors over soaring petrol and diesel prices. Demonstrations had disrupted major roads in Dublin and partially blocked the country’s only oil refinery and several fuel depots. In response, the government convened an emergency cabinet meeting on Sunday and announced tax relief measures.

Under the new measures, fuel prices were reduced by 10 cents per liter, and a planned carbon tax increase was postponed from May until the October budget. The government’s victory in the vote allows it to continue implementing these measures to ease public discontent.

Sri Lanka has repatriated 238 Iranian sailors who had been stranded in the country following damage to an Iranian naval vessel caused by a U.S. submarine torpedo attack. Deputy Defence Minister Aruna Jayasekara said 32 sailors rescued from the warship IRIS Dena and 206 from IRIS Bushehr left Sri Lanka on Tuesday aboard a chartered flight. Fifteen Iranian sailors remain in Sri Lanka to operate the Bushehr, which is anchored near Trincomalee.

According to Iranian authorities, the IRIS Dena was destroyed in the attack, killing 104 sailors, of whom 84 bodies have been recovered and sent home. Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake stated that the Bushehr crew were sheltered under the 1907 Hague Convention for humanitarian reasons. Iran’s ambassador Alireza Dilkhoush confirmed that Tehran and Colombo had been in talks over the sailors’ return.

Analysts view Sri Lanka’s decision as a humanitarian gesture that underscores its diplomatic neutrality amid regional tensions.