The Bangladesh Law Commission, formed in 1996 under the Awami League government, has produced numerous reform proposals over three decades, but only a small fraction have been implemented. According to official sources, out of 169 recommendations aimed at modernizing outdated laws, only eight have been adopted. Despite months or years of research and millions of taka in expenses, most reports remain shelved. The commission continues to review colonial-era laws even as global legal systems advance with the aid of artificial intelligence.

Former commission members and legal experts told the newspaper that political appointments and lack of institutional independence have undermined the body’s effectiveness. They noted that the commission’s work on issues such as witness protection, judicial appointments, and the abolition of corporal punishment has rarely influenced policy. Law Minister Md. Anisul Huq acknowledged that over 1.5 billion taka had been spent in two decades with limited results.

Experts argue that bureaucratic inertia, absence of legal obligation, and weak political will are the main barriers. They suggest amending the Law Commission Act to require parliamentary consideration or implementation of recommendations within a fixed timeframe.

A recent intelligence report sent to Bangladesh’s Home, Labour, and Commerce ministries warns that political groups may attempt to exploit growing worker unrest caused by rising production costs and energy shortages. The report states that fuel supply disruptions, worsened by the Iran–US conflict and the shutdown of Eastern Refinery Limited on April 13, have severely affected industrial operations. Production in the garment sector has dropped by about 30 percent, with many small and medium factories facing losses, layoffs, and delayed wage payments.

The report highlights that Bangladesh’s annual fuel demand stands at 8–8.5 million tons, with diesel making up nearly three-quarters of daily consumption. Disruptions in crude oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz have intensified the crisis. Additionally, international price hikes for cotton and yarn have raised local production costs, further straining the textile industry.

To mitigate the crisis, the report recommends limited work-from-home policies, reduced energy use after 8 p.m., alternate-day school operations, vehicle rationing, and prioritizing fuel supply for essential industries and transport. It also suggests financial support for small and medium enterprises.

Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank have compelled the reburial of a Palestinian body in Al-Asasa village near Jenin. According to the Palestinian news agency Wafa, the body had been buried earlier in the day, but Israeli authorities ordered its removal because the grave was located close to an illegal Israeli settlement.

The Wafa report also described a series of Israeli military operations and settler attacks across the West Bank on Friday night. In Al-Lubban Asharqiya, south of Nablus, settlers set fire to a house before Palestinian Civil Defense teams brought the blaze under control. In the Burak Sulayman area south of Bethlehem, Israeli forces fired stun grenades to disperse a group of Palestinians who had gathered for a picnic.

The Palestinian Red Crescent Society reported that two people were treated for tear gas exposure and five others were evacuated from the scene following the incident.

Biman Bangladesh Airlines has been unable to expand its international destinations due to a shortage of aircraft and pilots. The state-owned carrier currently operates 19 aircraft across 20 international and seven domestic routes, despite having air service agreements with 70 countries. The airline’s regular operations have also been affected during Hajj seasons, forcing temporary route suspensions.

To address growing passenger demand, Biman signed a deal with Boeing on April 30 to purchase 14 new-generation aircraft worth about Tk 40,000 crore. The order includes eight Boeing 787-10 Dreamliners, two 787-9 Dreamliners, and four 737-8 Max jets, aimed at expanding long-haul and high-demand routes. The government plans to make Bangladesh an aviation hub, with new routes to Sydney and New York under consideration.

Biman targets launching flights to Malé, Yangon, and New York by the 2026–27 fiscal year, followed by Kunming and Bahrain in 2028, and Sydney, Jakarta, and Seoul in 2029. Route selection is based on passenger demand, with specific focus on business, labor, and tourism markets.

President Md. Shahabuddin left Dhaka for London on the morning of May 9, 2026, to undergo follow-up medical treatment and health examinations. His flight, Biman Bangladesh Airlines’ regular commercial service BG-201, departed from Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport at 7:45 a.m. Senior officials, including the Law Minister Md. Anisul Huq, the Dean of the Diplomatic Corps Yusuf S.Y. Ramadan, and British High Commissioner Sarah Cook, were present at the airport to see him off.

The President is accompanied by members of his family, his medical team, a staff nurse, and officials from Bangabhaban. According to the report, Shahabuddin had previously undergone cardiac bypass surgery in Singapore in October 2023. Following medical advice, he will now complete necessary health tests at a specialized hospital in the United Kingdom.

The President is expected to return to Bangladesh on May 18, 2026, after the completion of his medical procedures.

Suvendu Adhikari will take oath on Saturday at Kolkata’s Brigade Parade Ground as West Bengal’s first chief minister from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), with Prime Minister Narendra Modi attending the ceremony. His appointment was confirmed on Friday after BJP legislators unanimously selected him in a meeting attended by Home Minister Amit Shah. Adhikari formally submitted his letter to Governor R.N. Ravi seeking to form the government.

The BJP won 207 of the state’s 294 assembly seats, ending the 15-year rule of Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress (TMC). Once a close ally of Banerjee, Adhikari became her main rival, defeating her twice — first in Nandigram in 2021 and again this year in Bhabanipur. His political journey began in the Congress, later joining TMC and playing a key role in the Nandigram movement before switching to the BJP in 2020.

Adhikari’s rise marks a major political shift in West Bengal, fulfilling the BJP’s long-standing goal of forming a government in the state where its ideological predecessor, the Jana Sangh, was founded.

U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping are scheduled to meet in Beijing next week for a two-day high-level summit starting Thursday. The meeting is viewed as crucial in shaping the next phase of rivalry between the two global powers. Discussions are expected to cover unresolved issues including the Iran war, trade, and Taiwan. The two leaders last met in South Korea in October, where they agreed to a trade truce.

The Trump administration is currently preoccupied with the Iran war, while Xi faces challenges from slowing economic growth and high energy prices. The U.S. side plans to emphasize the ‘Five Bs’—Boeing aircraft, beef, soybeans, and the establishment of an investment and trade board—while China will focus on the ‘Three Ts’—tariffs, technology, and Taiwan. Beijing may seek an extension of last year’s trade truce and easing of semiconductor export controls. Trump is also expected to raise the imprisonment of Hong Kong activist Jimmy Lai.

Experts predict limited breakthroughs, with possible small investment deals and an extension of the trade truce. Analysts suggest the summit may serve more as a starting point for future engagement than a venue for major agreements.

FIFA has announced that the 2026 World Cup will feature separate grand opening ceremonies in each of the three host nations—Mexico, Canada, and the United States. Each country will hold a cultural and musical event before its first match. The tournament begins on June 11 in Mexico City’s Azteca Stadium, where Mexico will face South Africa. The Mexican ceremony will highlight the nation’s heritage and indigenous culture, featuring performances by Grammy-winning band Maná and other artists.

In Canada, the opening match on June 12 in Toronto will see the hosts play Bosnia and Herzegovina. Performers will include Alanis Morissette, Michael Bublé, Alessia Cara, Jessie Reyez, Bangladeshi-American DJ Sanjoy, and Bollywood star Nora Fatehi. The Canadian event will emphasize multicultural identity through a mosaic-inspired design. The United States will host its first match on June 13 in Los Angeles against Paraguay, preceded by a concert headlined by pop star Katy Perry and other international performers.

According to FIFA, the U.S. ceremony aims to showcase the scale, cultural diversity, and entertainment power of the World Cup, marking the first edition jointly hosted by three nations and featuring 48 participating teams.

A large-scale cyberattack has hit universities and schools in the United States, Canada, and Australia, causing major disruption during end-of-year exams. The hacking group ShinyHunters claimed responsibility for the attack, which disabled the widely used academic software Canvas, affecting an estimated 9,000 institutions. Instructure, the company behind Canvas, said most users regained access by Thursday, though some universities continued to report outages on Friday.

Mississippi State University postponed final exams to allow students to recover lost work, while several others, including the University of Sydney, Penn State, and the University of British Columbia, reported severe interruptions. Students described seeing ransom messages demanding Bitcoin payments to prevent stolen data from being leaked. Universities advised students to avoid suspicious messages and awaited further guidance from Instructure.

Cybersecurity analyst Luke Connelly told the Associated Press that the threats began Sunday and were set to continue through May 12, with ransom negotiations possibly ongoing. The incident coincided with U.S. Senate leader Chuck Schumer’s call for stronger cyber defenses amid rising digital risks in the age of artificial intelligence.

India has appointed Lieutenant General N S Raja Subramani as the new Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) and Vice Admiral Krishna Swaminathan as the next Chief of Naval Staff. The announcement was made on May 9, 2026. Subramani will succeed General Anil Chauhan, whose term ends on May 30, while Swaminathan will replace Admiral Dinesh Kumar Tripathi, whose tenure concludes on May 31.

Upon assuming office, Subramani will also serve as Secretary of the Department of Military Affairs and oversee the Army, Navy, and Air Force as the head of all three services. A graduate of India’s National Defence Academy, he joined the Garhwal Rifles in 1985 and has held several key operational and diplomatic roles, including service at the Indian Embassy in Kazakhstan and as Commander-in-Chief of the Central Command in 2023.

The appointments mark a significant leadership transition in India’s defense establishment, ensuring continuity in strategic and operational command across the armed forces.

A series of targeted killings in Chattogram city over the past 20 months has left at least 30 people dead, with police accused of failing to take preventive action despite prior warnings. Victims often received threats and even filed general diaries (GDs) at local police stations, yet no protective measures were taken. The latest incident occurred in Bayezid Bostami area, where 24-year-old Hasan Raju was shot dead by masked assailants, and a 12-year-old girl was injured.

Families of victims and local residents allege a recurring pattern: threats, complaints, police inaction, and subsequent murders. Lawyers and human rights activists say GDs are routinely filed away without investigation or follow-up. Police officials, however, claim they act according to procedure. In Rauzan upazila alone, 17 killings have occurred in less than two years, mostly linked to political rivalries.

Security analysts and former police officers argue that political patronage and lack of preventive policing have allowed armed groups and youth gangs to operate freely. Experts recommend a special task force under the Home Ministry, regular arms recovery drives, and mandatory investigation of threat reports within 48 hours to curb the violence.

A businessman named Alimuddin, aged 55, was killed in Chuadanga’s Dingedah area on Friday night, May 8, 2026, during a clash that erupted before an arbitration meeting over unpaid dues could start. The incident occurred in front of the house of Shankarchandra Union Parishad Chairman Mohibul Alam Sujon. Locals detained a man named Liakat and handed him over to the police following the attack.

According to the chairman, Alimuddin, a trader from Shankarchandra village, was owed 1.3 million taka by Liakat, with whom he had previously run a business. When both parties arrived for the arbitration, Liakat’s son Alamin, aged 26, allegedly attacked Alimuddin with bricks and punches, causing him to collapse. He was taken to Chuadanga Sadar Hospital, where doctors declared him dead. Police confirmed that the killing stemmed from a dispute over money and said the body would be sent for autopsy.

Police stated that the cause of death would be confirmed after the post-mortem examination. The investigation into the incident is ongoing.

Bangladesh’s only state-owned oil refinery, Eastern Refinery Limited, has resumed full-scale operations after a 24-day closure due to a shortage of crude oil. The main plant restarted production on Friday morning following the arrival of a crude oil shipment from Saudi Arabia. Initially, the refinery will process 4,000 tons of fuel oil daily, with plans to increase capacity to 4,500 tons by Saturday afternoon. The shutdown began on April 14 when crude supplies were disrupted by restrictions on ship movement through the Strait of Hormuz amid conflict in the Middle East.

During the closure, a small unit continued limited production using remaining stock, supplying 120 tons of diesel and 100 tons of petrol daily. The government arranged alternative shipping routes to import crude oil via Saudi Arabia’s Yanbu port, leading to the arrival of the MT Ninemiya tanker carrying 100,000 tons of crude. Maintenance was performed on machinery during the downtime, allowing for a smoother restart.

Energy experts have urged the government to diversify crude sources and expand storage capacity from the current 600,000 tons to 1.6 million tons to strengthen energy security.

Residents of northern Bangladesh remain frustrated as the long-promised Teesta River Master Plan continues to face delays despite repeated political commitments. The river, vital to the livelihoods of millions across eight northern districts, has suffered from erosion, water scarcity, and seasonal flooding due to India’s upstream control and dam operations. Although successive governments pledged to implement the Teesta project, none have delivered tangible progress, leaving local communities disillusioned.

The previous interim government initiated renewed discussions with China to implement a 12,000-crore-taka, ten-year project, with partial funding expected from Chinese loans. However, bureaucratic hurdles and slow loan disbursement have stalled progress. Local residents, losing faith in official assurances, launched the “Jago Bahe Teesta Bachai” movement demanding immediate action. The movement later gained political traction under the current government, which again promised implementation.

As monsoon season approaches, fears of flooding intensify due to rising water pressure at India’s Gajoldoba Barrage. While Bangladesh’s Water Development Board reports no immediate flood risk, residents remain anxious, hoping the long-delayed project will finally begin to secure their livelihoods.

Global oil prices rose by up to 3 percent on Friday following renewed tensions between the United States and Iran in the Hormuz Strait. Brent crude futures increased by 3 percent during trading but settled 1.23 percent higher at $101.29 per barrel by the end of the day. Meanwhile, US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) futures rose by 0.64 percent to $95.42 per barrel.

Market analysts cited by Reuters said that despite ongoing uncertainty, there was strong belief in the possibility of an agreement between Washington and Tehran to prevent further conflict. John Kilduff, a partner at Again Capital, noted that the market was at a crossroads, either approaching a major diplomatic breakthrough or renewed confrontation.

According to the report, market sentiment suggests that a preliminary understanding could soon be reached, with a 30-day window expected for the two nations to finalize a comprehensive accord.