Opposition Leader Dr. Shafiqur Rahman told Parliament that everyone ‘lovingly blames’ him for various issues, prompting laughter in the chamber. He made the comment on Tuesday during a discussion on the motion of thanks to the President’s address, responding to remarks by Bangladesh National Party (BJP) MP Andaleeve Rahman Partha. The exchange began when Partha referred to statements about freeing people from the Zia family, which Rahman denied making.

Dr. Rahman challenged Partha to clarify when, where, and how he allegedly made such comments, insisting he never speaks recklessly about anyone, including the family of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Partha replied that his reference came from another leader’s statement, not Rahman’s, calling the situation a misunderstanding. The Deputy Speaker, Barrister Kaiser Kamal, intervened to restore order as tensions rose.

Dr. Rahman later emphasized that any parliamentary references or documents must be clear and accurate to avoid confusion. He urged members to present evidence precisely when citing sources during debates.

Police in Pabna have arrested a 41-year-old man named Mojaharul Islam on charges of raping a three-year-old girl in the Radhanagar area of the city. The incident reportedly occurred on Monday evening at a mess in the Radhanagar Degree Bottola area. After the assault, the accused fled but was later apprehended that night from Dashpara in Khanmarich Union under Bhangura upazila. The child’s mother filed a case at Pabna Sadar Police Station on Tuesday, and the station’s officer-in-charge, Tarikul Islam, confirmed the arrest.

According to police and local sources, the victim’s mother worked as a cook at the mess where the incident took place. While she was busy in the kitchen, Mojaharul allegedly lured the child into his room under the pretext of collecting mosquito coils and then assaulted her. The child’s screams drew her mother to the scene, prompting the accused to flee. The injured child was taken to Pabna General Hospital’s One-Stop Crisis Centre for treatment.

Police said Mojaharul confessed to the crime during preliminary questioning. He has been charged and will be sent to jail through the court process.

Rajshahi University of Engineering and Technology (RUET) has expelled five students for two years for adopting unfair means during examinations. The decision was made on Tuesday at a meeting of the university’s Board of Discipline, which reviewed the allegations and confirmed the violations.

According to the board, the students were found carrying and using unauthorized materials in the exam hall, including handwritten notes, small slips, and papers containing subject-related formulas and information. The expelled students include two from Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) of the 2021–22 session, one from Computer Science and Engineering (CSE) of the same session, one from Civil Engineering of the 2023–24 session, and one from Mechanical Engineering of the 2024–25 session.

Board member-secretary and Director of Student Welfare, Robiul Islam Sarkar, emphasized that maintaining academic integrity is vital and that the university follows a zero-tolerance policy toward unethical behavior. The administration stated that such actions will continue to preserve a fair academic environment and uphold moral standards.

A witness has testified before International Crimes Tribunal-1 in Dhaka regarding the Rampura shooting during the July Revolution, where 28 people were killed and many others injured. The testimony came in a case filed against Lieutenant Colonel Redwanul Islam and three others. The statement was recorded by a two-member judicial panel led by Justice Golam Mortuza Majumdar, with Justice Shafiul Alam Mahmud as the other member.

Witness Maruf Hossain, a colleague of slain protester Rakib Hossain, described how security forces opened fire on students demanding quota reform on July 18, 2024. He recounted that Rakib was shot in the abdomen while filming the protest near Rampura Bridge and later died after being taken to Dhaka Medical College Hospital. Maruf said he later identified the alleged shooters through social media and CCTV footage.

The accused in the case include Major Rafat Bin Alam, former DMP ADC Rashedul Islam, and former Rampura Police Station OC Mashiur Rahman. The witness demanded justice for Rakib’s death and accountability for those involved.

Feni recorded 126 millimeters of rainfall between 11 a.m. and 12 p.m. on Tuesday, April 28, 2026, marking the heaviest hourly rainfall of the year. Over the past 24 hours, the district experienced a total of 150 millimeters of rain, leading to widespread waterlogging and public suffering across the city.

Field reports showed that continuous rainfall submerged low-lying roads in several neighborhoods, including Doctorpara, Shahid Shahidullah Kaiser Road, Old Registry Office, Shaheen Academy area, Pathanbari, Nazir Road, Mizan Road, Sadar Hospital intersection, and Petrobangla. Feni Municipality’s executive engineer Zakir Uddin said that slow drainage through canals and drains caused the flooding, and twelve municipal teams were deployed to address the situation.

According to the acting officer of the Feni Meteorological Office, Md. Mojibur Rahman, this was the highest rainfall of the current season, and thunderstorms with rain are likely to continue across the district for the next two to three days.

Fuel loading has begun at the first unit of the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant, officially positioning Bangladesh as the 33rd country to use nuclear energy. The plant, located in Pabna and built with Russian technical assistance, is the country’s most expensive infrastructure project. Construction began in 2017 during the previous Awami League government, following the issuance of a siting license in 2016 by the Bangladesh Atomic Energy Regulatory Authority. The total project cost is about 12.65 billion US dollars, with Russia financing 90 percent of the amount.

According to Professor Md. Shafiqul Islam of Dhaka University’s Nuclear Engineering Department, electricity generation will start during the pilot operation phase, though full commercial production may take another six months to a year. The Grid Company of Bangladesh’s Managing Director, Abdur Rashid Khan, confirmed that grid capacity and transmission line work for the first unit were completed by May 2025, ensuring readiness to handle 1,100 megawatts of power.

The completion of fuel loading and grid preparation brings Bangladesh closer to producing nuclear-generated electricity for the first time.

European allies are reportedly losing patience with the ongoing war involving Iran, as both the United States and Iran continue to believe time favors them. The observation came from Mohammad Elmasry, an analyst at the Doha Institute of Graduate Studies, who noted that the prolonged conflict has strained transatlantic unity.

Elmasry referenced a recent statement by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who remarked that Iranians are negotiating with great skill. According to Elmasry, this indicates that former U.S. President Donald Trump is under increasing pressure from European partners who believe he led them into a major crisis and has failed to resolve it. The analyst added that such remarks are unlikely to please Trump and highlight growing discomfort among allies.

Elmasry further suggested that the situation reflects a broader trend of the United States and Israel becoming increasingly isolated, even from their traditional allies, as the conflict drags on without resolution.

A Dhaka court has granted bail to former Biman Bangladesh Airlines Managing Director Shafiqul Rahman in a case over the alleged abuse of a child domestic worker named Mohona. The bail was approved on Tuesday by the Third Additional Metropolitan Sessions Judge Moin Uddin Chowdhury, requiring a bond of 5,000 taka. Rahman’s lawyer, Advocate Khorshed Alam, argued for bail citing his client’s illness and long detention since February 2, after which the court granted bail until the police report is submitted.

According to the case statement, the complainant, a hotel employee, arranged through a security guard for his 11-year-old daughter to work as a domestic helper at Rahman’s home in June of the previous year. The family alleged that the child was last seen healthy on November 2 and later found with severe injuries when returned on January 31. The girl reportedly said she had been beaten and burned with a hot spatula. She was admitted to Shaheed Tajuddin Ahmad Medical College Hospital in Gazipur.

Following the incident, the child’s father filed a case at Uttara West Police Station, leading to the arrest of Rahman, his wife, and two others on February 2.

Two people were killed in separate lightning strikes in Noakhali district on Monday afternoon. The incidents occurred in Kabirhat and Hatiya upazilas. In Kabirhat’s Dhanshalik Union, a nine-year-old boy named Md Ayman died after being struck by lightning while playing in the yard. Locals took him to the upazila health complex, where doctors declared him dead.

In another incident in Hatiya’s Char Ishwar Union, 22-year-old Arafat Hossain died after being struck by lightning while returning home from collecting peanuts in a field. According to family members, he was struck in front of his mother and died on the spot. Hatiya Police Station’s Officer-in-Charge Kabir Hossain confirmed one death in the lightning strike.

The deaths occurred amid stormy weather in the region, highlighting the recurring danger of lightning during the pre-monsoon season in coastal areas like Noakhali.

A visual investigation by Al Jazeera’s fact-checking team has revealed that the historic city center of Bint Jbeil in southern Lebanon has been reduced to rubble. The 400-year-old Grand Mosque, once a symbol of the city’s cultural heritage, has been destroyed along with more than 1,500 buildings. The report attributes the devastation to Israel’s ongoing military operations in the region.

According to the investigation, satellite imagery and open-source intelligence analysis indicate that Israel has implemented a deliberate policy aimed at making southern Lebanon permanently uninhabitable. The destruction pattern in Bint Jbeil closely resembles the devastation seen in Gaza, with residential and cultural structures systematically demolished.

The report concludes that Israel’s “wipe out” strategy in southern Lebanon has placed local communities in extreme distress, effectively erasing parts of the region from the map.

European governments are expressing deep concern over potential fuel shortages as the ongoing war involving Iran disrupts global oil supplies. Several European countries fear severe energy deficits in the coming months. Sweden’s Minister for Economic Affairs voiced particular worry about the nation’s jet fuel reserves, describing them as a major cause for concern.

The Swedish government had earlier stated that the Middle East conflict was shifting from having a limited to a significant impact on its economy. Authorities have prepared contingency plans, including possible fuel rationing, to manage the situation. Meanwhile, the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and its allies are set to hold a key meeting in Vienna, Austria, tomorrow.

The meeting is expected to be the last attended by the United Arab Emirates, which has announced its withdrawal from the alliance effective May 1. The crisis has been worsened by a blockade in the Strait of Hormuz, driving up global oil prices and intensifying pressure on major markets such as Europe and India.

Leaders and activists of the Jubo League in Kamalnagar, Lakshmipur, reportedly took an oath at night to bring back Sheikh Hasina to the country. A video that surfaced on social media on Monday showed the group swearing allegiance under the leadership of Char Kalkini Union Jubo League president Zahidul Islam Riad. Locals said the event took place secretly at a remote riverside location along the Meghna River.

The two-minute, forty-one-second video showed around a hundred participants standing in rows and pledging readiness to make any sacrifice for their leader. Following the student and public uprising, most Awami League members and affiliates have gone into hiding, and the video has sparked curiosity and concern among residents. Omar Faruk, joint convener of the local Jubo Dal, condemned the act, alleging that the group was planning unrest in Kamalnagar.

Kamalnagar Police Station Officer-in-Charge Md Faridul Alam stated that the video is under investigation and that legal action will be taken against anyone attempting to disrupt law and order.

The ongoing Middle East tensions are placing immense pressure on the global economy, with analysts estimating that the crisis could add nearly $1 trillion in extra costs. While the world faces rising economic burdens, major oil and gas companies are reporting soaring profits. The situation has intensified concerns that U.S.-Israel attacks on Iran are worsening global inequality, poverty, and hunger in a world still heavily dependent on fossil fuels.

According to climate group 350.org, based on International Monetary Fund data, even if the Strait of Hormuz returns to normal, high oil and gas prices could generate $600 billion in additional expenses. Continued supply disruptions could push losses beyond $1 trillion. Experts warn that this estimate likely understates the full impact, excluding long-term inflation, food and fertilizer price hikes, slower economic activity, and rising unemployment.

350.org has called for an emergency windfall tax on excess corporate profits to fund social protection and renewable energy investments. The demand was echoed at an international conference in Santa Marta, where over 50 countries discussed reducing fossil fuel dependence amid protests and warnings from developing nations about severe economic strain.

Heavy rainfall in Kutubdia upazila of Cox’s Bazar submerged around 4,000 acres of salt fields on Tuesday afternoon, causing an estimated loss of about 10 crore taka to local farmers. The downpour lasted for about an hour and flooded salt-producing areas across six unions, according to a survey by the local BSCIC office.

Local farmer and former union member Nur Mohammad said the heavy rain destroyed their salt fields, leaving them unable to recover production costs. He added that with the current market price of 170 taka per maund, farmers would still face losses if prices do not rise. Salt trader Abdu Rahim noted that many farmers had taken advance payments from traders, and with the fields now flooded, they may struggle to repay those advances.

The sudden flooding has created uncertainty about the continuation of salt cultivation in the affected areas, raising concerns about the financial stability of local producers and traders.

Five members of a Hindu family from Koyra village in Paiksha Union, Dhanbari upazila of Tangail, have formally converted to Islam through an affidavit at the Tangail District and Sessions Judge Court. Following their conversion, a prayer was held for them at a local mosque after Friday prayers. The family, now led by Mohammad Ali (formerly Sagar Biswas) and his wife Fatema Begum (formerly Baby Rani), reported being expelled from their home and forced to live in makeshift shelters, including a neighbor’s abandoned cowshed.

Mohammad Ali said he had long been interested in Islam and, with his wife’s support, decided to embrace the faith after studying its practices. Local former union council member Badol Hossain confirmed that the family joined communal Eid prayers but are now homeless. He appealed for government intervention and housing support for the new Muslim family.

Dhanbari Upazila Executive Officer Miz Nurjahan Akter Sathi stated that the administration has provided dry food to the family and will assist with their children’s education and other needs.