Information and Broadcasting Minister Zahir Uddin Swapan has called on accountants to evolve beyond traditional financial management roles and position themselves as strategic advisors in modern organizations. He made the remarks on Saturday while addressing the 22nd convocation of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Bangladesh (ICAB) held at a hotel in Dhaka.

The minister emphasized that in today’s technology-driven world, accountants must remain aware of emerging technologies, particularly artificial intelligence and the digital ecosystem, rather than limiting themselves to institutional knowledge. Addressing newly certified chartered accountants, he described the current era as one of both challenges and opportunities, urging them to enhance their skills and contribute to national and professional development.

He expressed optimism that the professional success of new chartered accountants would play a significant role in the country’s progress. The event also featured speeches by Professor Dr. Salimullah Khan as the convocation speaker and ICAB President N K A Mobin.

The Manipuri Meitei community’s religious festival ‘Lai Haraoba’ concluded on Friday evening at the Manipuri Cultural Complex in Tetigaon, Adampur, Kamalganj upazila of Moulvibazar. The three-day celebration began on Wednesday and ended with vibrant performances and rituals reflecting the community’s deep spiritual traditions. According to Manipuri belief, the term ‘Lai Haraoba’ literally means ‘the merrymaking of the gods’ and is regarded as the origin of Manipuri dance.

The festival’s central theme revolved around ancient myths of creation, performed through ritual dances led by traditional priests and priestesses known as Maiba and Maibi. The event began with the invocation of deities from water bodies, followed by performances depicting stages of human life from settlement to death. Organizers described the festival as one of the most significant celebrations of the Manipuri people, symbolizing creation, divinity, cosmology, and harmony through music, chants, and distinctive dance forms such as Maibi Jagoi.

The festival reaffirmed the community’s cultural identity and religious heritage, emphasizing continuity of traditional practices within Bangladesh’s Manipuri population.

A man was arrested on Friday after throwing a Molotov cocktail at the San Francisco home of OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. OpenAI confirmed that no one was injured in the early morning attack and expressed gratitude to the San Francisco Police Department for its swift response. The company also reported that threats were made to its headquarters in the city around the same time.

According to the San Francisco Chronicle, firefighters responded to a fire at Altman’s residence just before 4 a.m., which security guards had already extinguished at the property’s exterior gate. The suspect fled before firefighters arrived. About an hour later, police responded to reports of a man threatening to burn down the building housing OpenAI’s headquarters and identified him as the same individual involved in the earlier incident.

The 20-year-old suspect has not been publicly identified, and no charges have yet been filed. OpenAI spokesperson Jamie Radice said the company is cooperating with law enforcement in the ongoing investigation.

A group of drug dealers allegedly attacked Jubo Dal leader Zahid Uddin in Cumilla’s Adarsha Sadar upazila after he tried to stop them from using yaba. The incident occurred on April 10 in the Chapapur area of Jagannathpur Union, shortly after Friday prayers. Zahid Uddin, the joint convener of the upazila Jubo Dal, was seriously injured and is now receiving treatment at Cumilla Medical College Hospital.

Local sources said drug trading has long been active in the border-adjacent area. Following the formation of anti-drug committees under the BNP-led government, tensions rose among local drug dealers. Residents reported that the attackers also injured another man named Rubel, who had earlier informed the anti-drug committee about local drug use. Both victims said the attackers used sharp weapons during the assault.

Victims and local residents believe the attack was retaliation for their anti-drug activities. They have demanded a proper investigation and justice. Cumilla Kotwali Model Police Station’s officer-in-charge said no formal complaint had been received yet but assured action once a report is filed.

Bangladesh’s 13th national parliamentary election was held on February 12, 2026, across 299 constituencies, with one seat postponed due to a candidate’s death. According to the Election Commission, 86 women contested, and only seven were elected directly. The remaining women MPs will be chosen through the reserved seat system, which allocates seats proportionally based on each party’s number of elected members.

Under the 2004 Reserved Women’s Seat Election Act, one reserved seat is assigned for every six general seats won by a party. The Election Commission announces the schedule, and parties nominate candidates who are then elected by their party’s MPs. In past elections, many nominees were declared elected unopposed. This year, the BNP-led alliance won 212 of 297 seats, likely securing around 35 reserved seats, while the Jamaat-e-Islami alliance may receive 12 to 13.

Bangladesh currently has 50 reserved women’s seats. Analysts note that although the number has increased over time, the indirect election process raises questions about the effectiveness of women’s empowerment through this system.

A Bangladeshi worker named Mohammad Yusuf, aged 24, died after being crushed by a collapsing wall at his workplace in Dammam, Saudi Arabia. The accident occurred on Friday local time while he was working at a newly constructed building. Yusuf was from Mahtabpur village in Senbagh upazila of Noakhali and had gone to Saudi Arabia only four months earlier in search of livelihood.

According to eyewitness Mohammad Hasib, the site supervisor, Yusuf was breaking a wall for electrical work at a Saudi citizen’s new house when the entire wall suddenly collapsed on him, causing his death on the spot. His body has been kept at the morgue of Dammam Hospital.

Authorities are completing the necessary legal procedures and formalities to send Yusuf’s body back to Bangladesh, the report added.

A video showing a crocodile dragging a dog from the steps of the pond at the historic Khan Jahan Ali shrine in Bagerhat has gone viral on social media, prompting widespread discussion and criticism. The footage shows the crocodile approaching the dog, biting it, and submerging, while onlookers watched without intervening. The apparent inaction of the spectators has drawn questions from the public.

Local residents later clarified that the dog had been aggressive for several days, attacking people around the shrine area. According to nearby resident Russel and shrine attendant Bina, the dog was not deliberately offered to the crocodile, and misinformation had spread online. They said the dog reached the pond steps while fleeing locals, and the crocodile appeared there coincidentally.

Bagerhat Sadar Upazila Nirbahi Officer Atia Khatun stated that the district administration formed a three-member committee to investigate the incident. The committee is verifying the facts and will confirm the actual circumstances after completing the inquiry.

National Citizen Party (NCP) convener and opposition chief whip Nahid Islam has accused the newly formed government, led by the BNP, of betraying the people and ignoring their sacrifices. Speaking at the triennial national conference of the Workers’ Welfare Federation at Suhrawardy Udyan in Dhaka on Saturday, he said the government came to power through the blood of workers but turned against the spirit of a new Bangladesh within a month. He described the administration as anti-people and claimed the BNP had forgotten the people’s struggles after tasting power.

Nahid Islam recalled that workers had repeatedly sacrificed their lives in the nation’s history, from the 1947 independence struggle to the 1971 Liberation War and later uprisings, including the 2024 movement. He alleged that the BNP broke its promises to turn interim government ordinances into law and to implement reforms. He warned that breaking such commitments would have serious consequences and vowed to build a mass movement to ensure workers’ rights and reform implementation.

Commerce Minister Khandaker Abdul Muktadir stated that the government has adopted a strict position against abnormal price hikes, manipulation, and market syndicates. Speaking at the inauguration of a farmers’ market in Sylhet on Saturday afternoon, he said the goal is to eliminate market syndicates from Bangladesh within the government’s current term.

The minister announced that the Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB) will strengthen its operations. The government currently provides subsidies of about Tk 3,200 to 3,300 crore annually to ensure affordable food supply. He added that while subsidies will gradually be reduced, TCB’s market interventions will increase through higher imports to maintain balance. Efforts are also underway to modernize the entire supply system using advanced technology.

As part of agricultural development, Muktadir highlighted initiatives for canal re-excavation and water drainage in Sylhet. He said Prime Minister Tarique Rahman will inaugurate the re-excavation of the Basia Canal on May 2. Areas prone to waterlogging will receive improved drainage and irrigation facilities to boost crop production. A pilot project by the Department of Agricultural Extension may later expand nationwide if successful.

Opposition leader and Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Dr. Shafiqur Rahman has said that the state must take responsibility for educating the children of workers so they can rise to leadership positions, including that of prime minister. He made the remarks on Saturday afternoon at the triennial national conference of the Bangladesh Workers Welfare Federation held at the historic Suhrawardy Udyan in Dhaka.

Dr. Rahman emphasized that workers are citizens who also contribute through their votes, and their rights should not be left solely to employers. He called for the establishment of quality specialized hospitals in industrial areas alongside general hospitals, with treatment costs shared by employers. He also highlighted the historical role of workers in Bangladesh’s liberation war and later movements, criticizing successive governments for neglecting workers’ demands.

He further stressed the need for harmony between owners and workers, noting that industries can only survive when both sides thrive. The event was chaired by outgoing federation president A. N. M. Shamsul Islam and attended by several political leaders as special guests.

ATM Azharul Islam, central leader of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami and Member of Parliament for Rangpur-2 (Taraganj-Badarganj), called on officials to be more sincere toward farmers. He made the appeal on April 11, 2026, while inaugurating a seed and fertilizer distribution program under the government’s agricultural incentive scheme at the Taraganj Upazila Parishad hall.

The event, chaired by Upazila Nirbahi Officer Monabbir Hossain, was attended by Upazila Agriculture Officer Dhiba Rani and other officials. The program distributed improved-quality paddy seeds and fertilizers to farmers for the 2025–26 fiscal year’s Kharif-1 season to boost jute and Aus paddy cultivation. ATM Azharul Islam emphasized the need for continuous government incentives to ensure farmers’ financial security and national agricultural growth.

He also highlighted the importance of modern technology, improved irrigation, and farmer training to enhance productivity. The event concluded with the distribution of wheelchairs to six persons with disabilities and checks worth over 10 million taka to 15 orphanages under the Capitation Grant program.

Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami Amir and Leader of the Opposition in Parliament, Dr. Shafiqur Rahman, has criticized the government, saying that listening to ministers and ruling party lawmakers gives the impression that the country is floating on oil, while ordinary citizens struggle to obtain fuel. He made these remarks on Saturday, April 11, 2026, at a seminar held at the Krishibid Institute of Bangladesh in Dhaka, organized by the Agricultureist Forum of Bangladesh. The event focused on the impact of the global energy crisis on Bangladesh’s agriculture sector.

Dr. Rahman said that parliamentary democracy should serve the people’s interests through effective legislation, but the current reality is different. He expressed frustration that despite efforts, Parliament has not delivered significant outcomes for the nation. He also criticized the broader system, alleging that the country is being run through manipulation and superficial accounting, and urged for a merit-based rather than politically driven society.

Expressing concern over the situation at the Krishibid Institute, he warned against attempts to seize leadership positions by force and called for ending such unhealthy political practices.

Bangladesh Islami Chhatra Shibir’s central president, Nurul Islam Saddam, has alleged that the country’s ruling class fears the people’s verdict despite speaking of democracy. Speaking on Saturday, April 11, at a discussion marking the martyrdom anniversary of Jamaat leader Kamruzzaman at Dhaka College, he said the rulers consider themselves supreme and disregard public opinion due to corruption and greed. He argued that implementing the people’s electoral mandate is the government’s duty, and when ignored, citizens eventually assert their rights.

Saddam criticized Bangladesh’s political structure, claiming that a privileged class dominates leadership and benefits regardless of political shifts. He accused the Bangladesh Cricket Board of nepotism and alleged that election engineering and a “deep state” influence political outcomes. He cited historical examples, including 1975, 1990, and the July uprising, to argue that regimes ignoring public sentiment cannot sustain power.

He also paid tribute to Kamruzzaman, describing him as a courageous intellectual and journalist who remained steadfast even at the gallows. Saddam claimed Kamruzzaman’s trial was politically motivated and conducted by a questionable tribunal.

Authorities in Gaibandha’s Saghata upazila detained two individuals, including a local BNP leader, for illegally extracting sand from the Jamuna River. The arrests followed a report published in the national daily Amar Desh that highlighted the ongoing illegal sand mining in the area. Police conducted the operation on Saturday and detained Jewel Amin and Sabuj Mia from the river site.

According to police and local sources, the two had been extracting sand from the river for a long time, transporting it by tractor over a flood control embankment built at a cost of about Tk 25 crore, which was reportedly at risk due to the activity. Jewel Amin serves as president of Ward No. 3 BNP in Saghata Union and is accused of using political influence to sustain the illegal business. The local BNP unit confirmed that disciplinary action against him is underway.

Saghata Police Station’s officer-in-charge Mahbub Alam said a regular case has been filed and police operations against illegal sand extraction will continue.

An alleged spiritual leader named Shamim Jahangir, aged 55, was killed by an angry mob in Daulatpur upazila of Kushtia on Saturday afternoon following accusations of desecrating the Holy Quran. The incident occurred around 2:30 p.m. in Dakshin-Pashchim Philipnagar village under Philipnagar Union. The mob also vandalized and set fire to his religious establishment during the attack.

According to police and local sources, outrage erupted after a video of Shamim Jahangir’s alleged offensive remarks about the Quran spread on social media. Protesters organized a procession and attacked his residence, beating and hacking him severely. He was taken to Daulatpur Upazila Health Complex, where doctors declared him dead. Police later arrived at the scene and brought the situation under control, confirming that law enforcement now maintains order.

Police stated that Shamim had previously been arrested in May 2021 on charges of hurting religious sentiments and was later released on bail. Legal proceedings over the latest incident are currently underway.