Bangladesh’s Minister of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources, Iqbal Hasan Mahmud Tuku, told the National Parliament on April 7, 2026, that there is a regular system for adjusting fuel prices, which is reviewed every month. He stated that Bangladesh is currently the only country where fuel prices have been kept unchanged.

The minister said the government is sourcing fuel from all possible channels to maintain stable supply. He added that operations against illegal hoarding and black market activities will continue to ensure market discipline. Presenting data to Parliament, he reported that the country currently holds 164,944 metric tons of diesel in reserve.

He further informed that by the end of April, Bangladesh will import an additional 138,000 tons of diesel, 71,443 tons of octane, and 36,000 tons of petrol to strengthen supply security.

Mojtaba Khamenei, identified as Iran’s top leader, has been seriously injured and is currently unconscious, according to a report by The Times published on April 7, 2026. The report states that he is receiving treatment at a hospital in the city of Qom and is unable to make state decisions due to his condition.

The Times cited a joint U.S.-Israeli intelligence assessment sent to Gulf Arab states, which described Khamenei’s critical health status. This is reportedly the first detailed disclosure of his current medical condition. The same intelligence report also claimed that preparations are underway for the burial of his father, former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in a joint U.S.-Israeli attack in Iran on February 28.

Meanwhile, the report noted that the United States proposed a temporary ceasefire to ease tensions, but Tehran rejected it, demanding a permanent end to hostilities, permission to collect tolls from ships in the Strait of Hormuz, national reconstruction, and a halt to attacks on Lebanon’s Hezbollah.

The Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education (DSHE) has submitted a proposal to the Ministry of Education seeking approval for festival allowances for 390,239 teachers and employees working in non-government educational institutions under the MPO scheme. The proposal was sent to the ministry’s budget branch on Monday, and the allowance will be disbursed upon official approval.

According to DSHE, the proposal covers 302,693 teachers and staff from schools and 87,546 from colleges. The process will follow the existing system used for monthly salary and allowance disbursement, where institutions submit online requests, which are then verified by DSHE and coordinated with the Ministry of Finance for fund release.

Education sector stakeholders believe that if approved, the move will fulfill a long-standing demand and enhance the festive spirit among teachers and staff during the celebration period.

Two ships carrying a total of about 51,000 tons of fuel are scheduled to reach Bangladesh waters on Wednesday under the supervision of the Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC). According to BPC officials, one vessel named MT Central Star, flying the Marshall Islands flag, is bringing around 26,000 tons of refined octane, while another vessel, MT Eastern Queens, is carrying 25,000 metric tons of furnace oil. Both ships are expected to take one to two additional days to reach the outer anchorage of Chattogram Port.

BPC’s public relations officer Farzin Hasan Moumita confirmed the arrival schedule. Officials said unloading operations will begin promptly once the ships dock at the jetty. Despite ongoing global conflict affecting supply chains, BPC continues efforts to maintain steady fuel imports and distribution across the country.

The timely arrival of these shipments is expected to support Bangladesh’s domestic fuel supply and help stabilize the energy distribution system amid challenging international conditions.

The Bangladesh Parliament has introduced three bills to repeal ordinances issued during the caretaker government concerning the Supreme Court Secretariat, judicial appointments, and the National Human Rights Commission. Law Minister Asaduzzaman presented the bills separately on Monday, with discussions expected later in the week. The bills aim to nullify caretaker-era decrees and reinstate the 2009 law governing the Human Rights Commission.

During the session, confusion arose when the Law Minister mistakenly introduced the wrong bill, leading to one bill being presented multiple times while another was not introduced at all. The Speaker and Deputy Speaker addressed the procedural errors, and the minister acknowledged the mistake. Opposition members raised objections to the Supreme Court-related bills, citing dissent notes in the special committee.

In the same session, Parliament passed seven other bills, including amendments to the Representation of the People Order and the Voter List Act, without debate. The legislative push is part of a broader effort to regularize 133 ordinances issued under the caretaker administration before the April 9 deadline.

Bangladesh’s Finance Minister Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury presented a list of the country’s top 20 loan defaulters in the National Parliament on Monday. The report showed that 11 of these companies belong to the controversial S Alam Group. Two companies each from Beximco Group, owned by Salman F Rahman, and Sikder Group, owned by Ron and Rick Haque Sikder, were also listed. The minister did not disclose the total amount of defaulted loans for these entities.

The report noted that S Alam Group had taken loans totaling Tk 225,000 crore during the previous Awami League government, causing significant losses to several Islamic banks. These struggling banks were later merged into a new entity, Sammilit Islami Bank, with government and depositor contributions. The finance minister also stated that as of December, total defaulted loans in Bangladesh stood at Tk 544,831.88 crore.

The government has initiated measures to recover defaulted loans, including monitoring progress on top defaulters, updating banking guidelines, and publishing lists of willful defaulters. The minister emphasized ongoing reforms to stabilize the economy and strengthen financial discipline.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei stated that attacks targeting the country’s top officials will not weaken its military power. He made the remarks in a written statement issued early Monday following the killing of Majid Khademi, the intelligence chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

Khamenei said Iran has built a strong and organized resistance composed of self-sacrificing fighters and armed forces, which cannot be broken through acts of terror or attacks. Since a joint U.S.-Israeli offensive began on February 28, a series of strikes have targeted Iran’s political and military leadership, resulting in the deaths of several senior officials.

Israel has claimed responsibility for Khademi’s killing and also asserted that it killed Asghar Bagheri, commander of the IRGC’s Quds Force special operations unit. Tehran has not yet issued an official response to these claims.

Seven directors of the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) have resigned, all citing personal reasons. The latest to step down was Faiyazur Rahman Mitu, who spoke to Amader Desh after his resignation. He said he felt unable to perform his duties effectively within the board and expressed dissatisfaction with the working environment. Mitu, who had a long personal relationship with BCB president Aminul Islam Bulbul, said he nonetheless found it difficult to contribute meaningfully.

Mitu described a growing divide between Bulbul and several directors within just five months of the board’s formation. He said Bulbul tended to rely on a small circle of trusted individuals when making decisions, limiting broader participation. Mitu also noted that his own responsibilities in the disciplinary committee and the CCDM were restricted, and that key reports and complaints never reached him. He added that the Dhaka League’s mismanagement reflected a lack of visible effort to resolve club disputes.

The BCB board has since been dissolved, with an 11-member ad hoc committee led by Tamim Iqbal formed to oversee operations until elections are held within three months.

An Israeli drone strike near a school sheltering displaced Palestinians in the Gaza Strip killed at least ten people and injured several others on Monday, April 6, according to the Daily Sabah. The attack occurred near the Maghazi refugee camp in central Gaza, where two missiles were reportedly fired. The strike took place despite a ceasefire agreement brokered by the United States.

Witnesses and medical sources said the incident followed clashes between residents and an armed group allegedly supported by Israel, which had entered the school area and attempted to abduct several people. A local resident, Ahmed al-Maghazi, claimed that Israeli forces launched the attack as residents resisted the armed group. The densely populated area houses many displaced civilians, and it remains unclear how many of the victims were noncombatants.

A video message released by a leader of the armed group claimed responsibility for killing at least five Hamas members, though the authenticity of the video could not be independently verified. Hamas has not issued an immediate response. Gaza’s Health Ministry reported that since the ceasefire began in October 2025, 713 Palestinians have been killed and 1,940 injured.

The government of Bangladesh has declared a general holiday on April 9, 2026, in areas under two constituencies—Bogura-6 and Sherpur-3—where by-elections will be held. The Ministry of Public Administration issued a notification on April 1 announcing the decision, which was made under the authority of the Rules of Business 1996. The holiday will apply only to the respective electoral areas on the day of voting.

According to the notification, the decision was taken based on a request from the Bangladesh Election Commission Secretariat. The by-elections are being held to fill two vacant parliamentary seats. The Bogura-6 seat became vacant after BNP Chairperson Tarique Rahman, who had won both Bogura-6 and Dhaka-17 in the 13th national election on February 12, chose to retain Dhaka-17. The Sherpur-3 seat remained vacant after the death of the Jamaat-e-Islami candidate before the February election, leading to the postponement of voting there.

Voting in both constituencies is scheduled for April 9, 2026, with the declared holiday intended to facilitate voter participation.

The Bangladesh National Parliament has decided to conduct two daily sittings starting Tuesday to meet the constitutional requirement of converting 133 ordinances, issued during the interim government, into laws. The first session will begin at 10:30 a.m. and adjourn at noon, while the second will start at 3:30 p.m. and continue into the night. The decision was announced by Chief Whip Nurul Islam following an emergency meeting of the Business Advisory Committee on Monday.

Nurul Islam explained that all 133 ordinances must be passed by April 9. He expressed regret that copies of all bills could not be distributed earlier due to time constraints. He added that bills already agreed upon in special committees would be passed immediately, while those with dissent notes or proposed amendments would be presented separately by the next day. According to parliamentary sources, nine ordinances have already been passed, including seven on April 6, with three more introduced the same day.

The move to hold two sessions daily aims to ensure completion of the legislative process before the April 12 constitutional deadline for final decisions on the ordinances.

Former Speaker of Bangladesh’s National Parliament, Dr. Shirin Sharmin Chowdhury, was arrested early Tuesday morning from her residence after remaining out of public view for 20 months. According to reports, she was detained by the Detective Branch (DB) police around 4:30 a.m. She had gone into hiding on August 5, 2024, amid mass protests and an uprising that led to the fall of the previous government.

Sources indicated that during her disappearance, Chowdhury was under strict government surveillance and lived with her husband and younger son. She had resigned from her position as Speaker on September 2, 2024, though questions persisted about whether the resignation was voluntary. Allegations also surfaced that she applied for an e-passport while in hiding, possibly to leave the country. Chowdhury faces a murder case filed in Rangpur related to the July 2024 uprising, in which former minister Tipu Munshi is already in custody.

Following her arrest, she was taken to the DB office on Minto Road in Dhaka. Authorities may show her arrested in the ongoing murder case, which would require her appearance before a Rangpur court.

Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Dr. Shafiqur Rahman has strongly condemned the arrest of Bibi Sawda, a female activist of the Bhola Municipality Women’s Jamaat-e-Islami. In a Facebook post on Tuesday morning, he described the treatment of Sawda as a message of neo-fascism, accusing those in power of silencing dissenting voices to hide their failures.

Earlier, Jamaat Assistant Secretary General Advocate Moyazzem Hossain Helal issued a statement on Monday night expressing deep concern and protest over the arrest, which took place at Sawda’s home around 11 p.m. on April 5. He said law enforcement officials cited “higher orders” as the reason for the arrest, calling it inhumane and undemocratic. Helal noted that Sawda has a three-year-old speech-impaired child who depends on her care.

Helal demanded Sawda’s unconditional release and urged authorities to ensure a humane and democratic environment in the country, stating that such actions contradict the public’s expectations following the 2026 election.

Bangladesh Bank’s latest report shows that by the end of September last year, 23 banks in the country faced a combined capital shortfall of Tk 2.82 trillion, up from Tk 1.56 trillion in June. The increase is attributed to a surge in non-performing loans, which reached Tk 6.44 trillion. The report also notes that the banks failed to maintain the required loan-loss provisions, resulting in a provision deficit of Tk 3.44 trillion and pushing the sector’s capital adequacy ratio (CRAR) to a negative 2.90 percent, below the international minimum of 10 percent.

Among the affected institutions, four state-owned banks accounted for Tk 37,698 crore of the deficit, nine private banks for Tk 36,607 crore, eight Islamic banks for Tk 175,822 crore, and two specialized banks for Tk 32,477 crore. The largest individual shortfall was recorded at First Security Islami Bank with Tk 65,090 crore. Bangladesh Bank’s assistant spokesperson Shahriar Siddiqui explained that rising defaults have increased provisioning needs, while limited profits have prevented banks from meeting those requirements.

The report indicates that banks outside these 23 institutions remain adequately capitalized, suggesting that the broader sector’s stability depends on addressing the weaknesses of the deficit banks.

The United Nations Security Council is expected to vote today, Tuesday, on a resolution aimed at ensuring the safety of commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. Diplomats indicated that the draft has been significantly softened due to objections from China, a veto-wielding member of the Council. According to Reuters, the revised draft removes authorization for the use of force and instead calls for defensive coordination among member states.

The situation in the region has remained tense since February 28, when the United States and Israel launched attacks on Iran, leading to a sharp rise in global oil prices. Over the past five weeks, Tehran has largely restricted vessel movement through the Strait of Hormuz, severely affecting global energy supplies. Despite U.S. pressure, Iran has stated it will not fully reopen the strait unless there is a permanent end to the conflict.

Diplomats believe that the softened resolution may attract broader support, but the outcome of the vote remains uncertain.