The International Energy Agency (IEA) has forecast that global oil supply will decline by 3.9 million barrels per day throughout 2026 due to disruptions caused by the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. In its latest report, the agency said the stalemate in the region, particularly around the Strait of Hormuz, has led to a rapid depletion of global oil inventories.

According to the IEA, global oil demand is also expected to fall by 420,000 barrels per day this year. The agency noted that more than ten weeks after the start of the Middle East conflict, the continuing supply shortfall through the Hormuz Strait is driving inventories down at a record rate.

The report added that the ongoing deadlock and fast-declining reserves could signal a potential rise in oil prices in the near future.

The West Bengal government led by Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari launched a demolition drive in Kolkata’s Tiljala area on Wednesday, following a deadly fire at an illegal leather factory in Topsia the previous day. Acting on Adhikari’s directive, the Kolkata Municipal Corporation and KMDA jointly began demolishing unauthorized buildings, citing the state’s ‘zero tolerance’ policy against corruption. A large police, RAF, and central force presence was deployed to maintain order during the operation.

The fire at the four-storey building in Topsia had claimed two lives and injured five others. Investigations revealed that the building lacked a valid plan and basic fire safety measures. The chief minister’s office received the report on Wednesday morning and ordered the demolition within 24 hours. Two individuals, including the factory owner, were arrested in connection with the incident.

Adhikari warned that any building without a valid plan would face disconnection of electricity and water supply. The Tiljala operation is being viewed as a strong warning to illegal builders across the city.

The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) on May 13, 2026, approved nine development projects with a total estimated cost of Tk 36,695.72 crore. Of this amount, Tk 36,490.93 crore will come from government funds and Tk 204.79 crore from the implementing agencies’ own resources. The meeting, held at the Bangladesh Secretariat, was chaired by Prime Minister and ECNEC Chairperson Tarique Rahman.

The approved projects include three new, five revised, and one extended project. Among them are initiatives under the ministries of culture, health, ICT, social welfare, defense, housing and public works, water resources, and power, energy and mineral resources. Notable projects include the Padma Barrage (Phase 1), Chattogram City Outer Ring Road (5th revision), and infrastructure for Hi-Tech City-2. Senior ministers and government officials attended the meeting.

The meeting was also informed about two additional projects costing less than Tk 50 crore that had already been approved by the planning minister, including infrastructure development at Mymensingh Zilla School and construction of an airmen barrack complex at Kurmitola Air Base.

Delegations from China and the United States have begun trade discussions in South Korea, according to Chinese state media reports released on Wednesday. The meeting is taking place near Seoul’s Incheon International Airport, just hours before U.S. President Donald Trump’s scheduled visit to Beijing. No further details about the discussions have been disclosed.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent had earlier confirmed plans to meet Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng, both of whom have previously led multiple rounds of trade negotiations. The talks are believed to be final preparations for potential announcements expected during an upcoming summit between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping. Last year, Washington and Beijing imposed reciprocal tariffs exceeding 100 percent on each other’s goods, but in October they agreed in South Korea to suspend the trade war for one year.

Bessent stated that economic security is national security and announced he would travel to Beijing for the Trump-Xi summit, accompanied by more than a dozen business executives, including Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang and Tesla CEO Elon Musk.

A joint convener of the Gafargaon upazila unit of Jubo Dal, Saleh Akram Khan Taslim, has been accused of forcibly taking over a commercial fish farm, attacking workers, looting fish, and issuing death threats in Mymensingh. The allegations were made at a press conference at the Mymensingh Press Club by freedom fighter Moin Khan and Tushar Khan, joint general secretary of the Gafargaon Government College unit of Chhatra Dal. The victims said they had leased land in Sholposhapila village under Pagla police station in January 2025 to establish the farm.

According to Moin Khan, Taslim had previously leased the same land but failed to pay rent from 2020 to 2023, including dues to a local mosque’s waqf property. After landowners canceled his lease, they signed a new agreement with Moin Khan. He alleged that Taslim later attacked the farm in September 2025, injuring Moin’s brother, and repeatedly looted fish worth about Tk 750,000 from February 2026 onward.

A case has been filed with Pagla police station and is under court trial. Moin Khan demanded recovery of the farm, compensation for losses, family security, and legal action against the accused. Taslim acknowledged a dispute over 22 kathas of land, saying the matter is before the court.

At the International Crimes Tribunal-1 in Dhaka, Arisha Afroz, mother of slain school student Shahid Ashikul Islam, gave her testimony as the fifth witness in the case concerning the killing of 28 people during the July Revolution in Rampura. The hearing took place before a three-member judicial panel led by Chairman Golam Mortuza Majumdar, with Justice Shafiul Alam Mahmud and retired judge Mohitul Haque Enam Chowdhury as members.

In her statement, Arisha Afroz described how her 14-year-old son, a ninth-grade student at Bonoshree Nibrash Madrasa, joined demonstrators after Friday prayers on July 19, 2024. She recounted seeing protesters shot as security forces opened fire, and later identified her son’s body at a hospital, where doctors confirmed he had died from a gunshot wound to the head. She alleged that several officials, including a Border Guard Bangladesh officer, were involved in the shooting and demanded justice for her son’s death.

The tribunal proceedings are part of an ongoing case against four accused officers, including Lieutenant Colonel Redwanul Islam, over the Rampura killings.

Russia has successfully conducted a test launch of its new-generation intercontinental ballistic missile, Sarmat, which President Vladimir Putin described as the world's most powerful. According to Al Jazeera, the announcement was made after a video aired on Russian state television showing Strategic Missile Forces Commander Sergei Karakaev informing Putin of the successful launch. Putin stated that the missile would be formally inducted into Russia’s armed forces by the end of the year.

Putin claimed that Sarmat’s warhead capacity is four times greater than comparable Western missiles and that it can travel more than 35,000 kilometers due to its sub-orbital flight capability. The missile, known in the West as “Satan 2,” has been in development since 2011 and is designed to replace the Soviet-era Voyevoda system. The report noted that the Sarmat program has faced setbacks, including a major explosion during a 2024 test.

The test comes amid renewed global security concerns following the expiration of the New START arms control treaty between Russia and the United States, leaving both nations free to develop nuclear weapons without formal limits.

Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer and opposition leader Dr. Shafiqur Rahman visited the grave of martyr Osman Hadi after attending the wedding ceremony of Dhaka University Central Students’ Union (DUCSU) Vice President Sadiq Kayem. The visit took place following the ceremony held at the Dhaka University Central Jame Mosque. Party leaders and activists, including Member of Parliament Nurul Islam Bulbul, accompanied him during the visit. After paying respects, special prayers and supplications were offered for the departed soul.

Earlier, the wedding ceremony of Sadiq Kayem was attended by various political and social figures, marking a gathering of diverse participants at the university mosque. The event and subsequent grave visit reflected the presence of senior Jamaat leaders in social and commemorative activities.

The report did not specify further details about the duration of the visit or any additional remarks made by the participants.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Aragchi announced that work is underway to draft regulations for managing the Strait of Hormuz. He said the framework will be based on international law. Aragchi made the statement during a meeting in Tehran with Norway’s Deputy Foreign Minister Andreas Motzfeldt Kravik.

Earlier, senior Iranian officials had indicated Tehran’s intention to establish a new legal system for the strategic waterway. Aragchi criticized the United States for what he described as extremist attitudes, threats, and provocative rhetoric, saying these factors, along with a lack of goodwill, have hindered progress toward any potential agreement.

He added that tensions surrounding the Strait stem from U.S. and Israeli military aggression against Iran and the continued blockade of Iranian seaports. Aragchi emphasized that Iran’s regulatory initiative aims to align with international legal standards.

Twelve people were burned in an explosion caused by a gas leak at the canteen of the JERA Meghna Ghat power plant in Sonargaon, Narayanganj, on Wednesday, May 13, 2026. The injured were taken to the Burn Institute in Dhaka for treatment. The victims include both power plant officials and canteen staff.

According to colleagues, the explosion occurred during lunchtime when employees were eating at the canteen. Flames and heat caused burns to the hands, faces, and legs of at least twelve people. Burn Institute resident surgeon Shawon Bin Rahman confirmed that twelve patients had been admitted and their burn percentages were being assessed.

The plant’s safety officer, Fakhrul Islam, stated that four of the injured were canteen workers while the rest were plant officials. He suggested that the incident might have occurred because a gas stove was left on after cooking, and when someone lit a flame, the explosion took place.

In the U.S. state of Georgia, the mayor of the small town of Cohutta has dismissed the entire police department following social media criticism of his wife. Mayor Ron Shinic reportedly terminated all ten police employees after online posts targeted his wife, Pam Shinic. A notice posted at the mayor’s office announced that the police department had been dissolved and advised residents to rely on the county sheriff’s office for law enforcement matters.

The dispute began last month when Pam Shinic, a former employee of the mayor’s office, was accused by several officials of continuing to work despite being dismissed and of having access to confidential information. She had been fired the previous year for allegedly failing to maintain proper office conduct, which led to local gossip in the town of fewer than one thousand residents. Tensions escalated after police officers criticized her on social media.

Following the dismissals, the Whitfield County Sheriff’s Office is set to assume policing duties for Cohutta, as the mayor faces growing criticism for his decision.

Police in Chattogram recovered the body of a 27-year-old man, Abu Kausar, found hanging from the Sagorika flyover on Tuesday evening. Despite widespread social media rumors suggesting murder, police stated that CCTV footage, forensic examination, and other evidence indicate suicide. The footage reportedly shows Kausar walking alone onto the flyover before taking his own life. Officers said no signs of struggle or external injuries were found on the body.

Kausar, a resident of the Akbar Shah area, was described in several social media posts as a banned Chhatra League leader, and some political pages claimed he was murdered. The incident quickly drew national attention. However, police said they have no verified information about his political affiliation, and his family did not file any murder complaint. Instead, they initially tried to take the body without an autopsy, which was later completed at police request.

Police reiterated that all evidence supports suicide and dismissed online claims as baseless, emphasizing that their findings are based on physical and forensic proof.

The Padma Barrage Project has received final approval from the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) at its meeting chaired by Prime Minister and ECNEC Chair Tareq Rahman on Wednesday at the Secretariat. The first phase of the project, proposed by the Ministry of Water Resources, will be implemented by the Bangladesh Water Development Board between this year and June 2033 at a cost of Tk 344.97 billion, fully funded by the government. The total estimated cost of the entire project is Tk 504.43 billion.

According to planning commission sources, the project aims to mitigate dry-season water shortages caused by the Farakka Barrage by storing about 2,900 million cubic meters of water in the Padma River. The stored water will help revive five rivers—Hisna-Mathabhanga, Gorai-Madhumati, Chandana-Barasia, Baral, and Ichamati—by supplying around 800 cubic meters per second during the dry season. The first phase includes constructing a 2.1-kilometer barrage at Pangsha in Rajbari with 78 spillways, 18 under-sluice gates, two fish passes, and a navigation lock.

The project is expected to enhance agriculture and fisheries production and benefit 19 districts across four divisions in its initial phase, with further expansion planned in later stages.

U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday posted a graphic on his Truth Social platform showing Venezuela’s map with an American flag and labeling it as the “51st state.” The post, described as provocative, was made while Trump was en route to China for a high-level summit, according to AFP.

A day earlier, Venezuela’s interim president Delcy Rodríguez said her country had “never” considered becoming the 51st U.S. state, even after former leader Nicolás Maduro was detained by U.S. forces in January. Rodríguez emphasized that Venezuela would not accept U.S. intervention or dominance. Trump had told Fox News on Monday that he was considering turning Venezuela into a new U.S. state and claimed to have established “control” over the oil-rich nation for several months.

Since taking office, Rodríguez has sought to normalize relations with Washington, reopening Venezuela’s mining and oil sectors to foreign investment, particularly from U.S. companies. The country’s opposition has called for elections, but Rodríguez said on May 1 that the timing remains uncertain.

A Chattogram court has ordered the transfer of a case involving violence, vandalism, and the murder of lawyer Advocate Saiful Islam Alif to the Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI). The case was previously under the Chattogram Metropolitan Detective Branch (DB). The order was issued on Wednesday, May 13, 2026, by Metropolitan Magistrate Abu Bakar Siddique. The case was filed by Alif’s brother, Jane Alam, following the unrest that erupted after the bail rejection of ISKCON leader Chinmoy Krishna Das Brahmachari in a sedition case.

According to court sources, the DB had been investigating the case since the violent incidents at the Chattogram court premises on November 26, 2024, but made little progress. Dissatisfaction with the investigation led the plaintiff to request a change of investigating agency. During the hearing, the court found the DB’s explanation unsatisfactory and ordered the PBI to take over for a more impartial investigation.

The case names 116 individuals and 400–500 unidentified suspects, including Chinmoy Krishna Das. Despite the large number of accused, no arrests have been made so far, prompting the court’s decision to shift the investigation.