Social Welfare and Women and Children Affairs Minister Professor Dr. AZM Zahid Hossain stated that there will be no exemption for corruption, even for himself. He made the remarks on Wednesday in Savar after inspecting the construction work of a sports complex for persons with special needs. The minister clarified that the project has not yet entered any procurement phase and that only building construction is underway under the Public Works Department. He emphasized that the government maintains a strict zero-tolerance policy toward corruption and urged anyone with information to report it for investigation.

Dr. Hossain explained that the Savar sports complex aims to support the physical and mental development of persons with disabilities and help them achieve social acceptance through participation in sports and training. The project will include modern facilities such as a gymnasium, swimming pool, mosque, and both indoor and outdoor gaming areas. He said the initiative aligns with the government’s commitment to building an inclusive and humane Bangladesh.

The minister added that despite earlier delays, the project continues under the prime minister’s directive to fulfill electoral commitments regarding persons with disabilities.

Global crude oil prices fell by more than 5 percent after U.S. President Donald Trump indicated progress in diplomatic discussions concerning the Middle East. The decline came amid easing investor concerns over potential conflict involving Iran. On Wednesday, Brent crude dropped to 105.70 dollars per barrel, marking a significant downturn in the international energy market.

Analysts attributed the fall to reduced fears of escalation in the region following Trump’s remarks that negotiations with Iran were in their final stage. However, he also warned that further attacks could occur if Tehran refused to agree to a peace deal. This mixed message created both optimism for a possible settlement and lingering uncertainty about future tensions.

Experts noted that while the market experienced temporary relief, the overall uncertainty in the global energy sector remains unresolved, leaving investors cautious about the next developments in U.S.-Iran relations.

The provost of Nawab Abdul Latif Hall at Rajshahi University has accused a university Chhatra Dal leader, Murad Hossain, of threatening him over the phone. The alleged threat occurred on Tuesday after the provost locked a room that had been occupied by two non-residential students without permission. Professor Md. Ataullah said the caller identified himself as Murad Hossain and demanded the room be reopened within half an hour, warning that the lock would be broken and adding a personal threat.

According to hall sources, the two students had moved into room 158 without authorization. When summoned by the provost, they left the hall and locked the room from outside. The hall authorities then added another lock, which was later removed to avoid tension. The issue has been raised in the provost council meeting and will be discussed further after the vice-chancellor returns from abroad.

Murad Hossain denied issuing any threats or placing students in the hall. The university’s Chhatra Dal president said a written complaint would prompt an internal investigation. A former pro-vice-chancellor noted that such incidents could disrupt the hall’s restored discipline.

Bangladesh Bank has announced that the country's total foreign currency reserves have increased to 34,376.53 million, or 34.37 billion US dollars, as of May 20, 2026. The information was confirmed by Arif Hossain Khan, Executive Director and Spokesperson of the central bank. According to the latest data, the gross reserve stood at 34,376.53 million dollars, while under the IMF’s BPM6 calculation method, the reserve amounted to 29,719.44 million dollars.

The previous day, on May 19, the gross reserve was recorded at 34,324.12 million dollars, and the BPM6-based reserve was 29,665.46 million dollars. The central bank clarified that the net reserve is calculated following the IMF’s BPM6 standard, which deducts short-term liabilities from the total reserve to determine the actual amount.

The increase in reserves reflects a modest day-to-day improvement in Bangladesh’s foreign currency position, as reported by the central bank’s official data.

Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI) in Jamalpur has uncovered the motive behind the murder of a young man named Alamin in Sherpur Sadar’s Natun Bagalgor area. The investigation revealed that Alamin was killed on May 13 in a premeditated attack driven by a romantic conflict, family dispute, and personal humiliation. Two suspects, Shuvo (19) and Samrat (20), both from Pathalia village in Jamalpur, have been arrested in connection with the case.

According to PBI officials, Alamin was lured to a secluded area by Shuvo, where Samrat was already waiting. They strangled him with a nylon rope and slit his throat before dumping the body in a Napier grass field. The headless, decomposed body was discovered on May 18 and later identified by Alamin’s father. PBI seized the motorcycle and rope used in the crime, and Shuvo has given a confessional statement under Section 164 of the Criminal Procedure Code.

PBI Superintendent Pankaj Dutta stated that technology-assisted investigation enabled the case to be solved swiftly. The brutal killing has caused fear in the area and renewed concern over relationship-driven violence and social decay.

At least 21 people, including children, were killed on Tuesday in Israeli airstrikes on southern Lebanon, according to the country's health ministry and local media. The state-run National News Agency reported that 12 of the victims died in a single strike targeting a house in Deir Kanoun al-Nahr, where three children and three women were among the dead. The Israeli military did not comment on the incident but previously stated that its operations were aimed at Iran-backed Hezbollah forces. Earlier the same day, a Hezbollah attack on Israeli troops in southern Lebanon killed one Israeli soldier.

The escalation comes less than a week after the United States announced that Lebanon and Israel had agreed to extend a ceasefire by 45 days, with talks expected to resume next month. Lebanon became involved in the broader conflict between Iran, Israel, and the United States on March 2, when Hezbollah launched rockets at Israel in retaliation for the killing of Iran’s supreme leader in an Israeli strike.

Despite the U.S.-brokered ceasefire being in effect for about five weeks, both Israel and Hezbollah have continued exchanging attacks, particularly in southern Lebanon, where Israeli air raids persist day and night.

A military training aircraft crashed during a routine exercise in Pakistan’s Punjab province on Wednesday, May 20, 2026. According to local and international media reports, the plane went down in an open field in Mianwali district. Both pilots managed to eject in time and survived the crash. The Pakistan Air Force has not yet released details about their physical condition.

Initial reports suggest that a mechanical fault in the engine during takeoff caused the aircraft to lose control and crash. No casualties were reported, and because the plane fell in an uninhabited area, major damage was avoided. Videos circulating on social media showed two uniformed personnel being assisted by local residents, while the wreckage burned nearby.

Authorities have launched an investigation to determine the exact cause of the crash. Some Indian media outlets claimed the aircraft was Chinese-made, but Pakistan has not issued any official statement on that claim.

Israel is considering closing its consulate in Istanbul due to ongoing tensions with Iran and heightened security risks, according to an Israeli diplomatic source. Internal discussions are underway regarding the future of the consulate, one of Israel’s oldest diplomatic missions. Even if the Istanbul office is closed, the Israeli embassy in Ankara will remain formally open but without Israeli diplomats on duty.

Following the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, Israeli officials were withdrawn from Turkey, and both the Ankara embassy and Istanbul consulate have since been operated by local Turkish staff. The consulate building, located in Istanbul’s commercial district, faces potential demolition due to earthquake risks and high maintenance costs. A shooting incident near the consulate on April 7 further intensified security discussions.

Relations between Turkey and Israel have deteriorated since the Hamas-Israel war began, with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan sharply criticizing Israel’s actions in Gaza. The two countries had restored diplomatic ties in 2016 after years of strained relations following the 2010 Mavi Marmara incident.

National Citizen Party (NCP) leader and Member of Parliament Hasnat Abdullah alleged that the current government has undermined the independence of the judiciary and brought it under the control of the Ministry of Law. He made the remarks on Wednesday afternoon at a rally and march organized by the NCP in Lalmai, Comilla. The event began near Bagmara High School and concluded at Bagmara South Bazar, where Abdullah addressed the gathering as chief guest.

During his speech, Abdullah said the NCP is working to build a just and discrimination-free state and aims to strengthen its organizational presence across all administrative levels in Comilla. He criticized the government for politicizing state institutions and claimed that merit is being ignored in university recruitment in favor of political loyalty, which he described as a threat to the education system.

Abdullah urged young people to engage in political activism and said the NCP would shape its future programs based on public expectations ahead of the next election. Party leaders reaffirmed their commitment to building a Bangladesh based on justice, solidarity, equality, and prosperity.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps announced that 26 ships safely crossed the Strait of Hormuz within the past 24 hours under its supervision. According to Iran’s Tasnim news agency, the vessels included oil tankers, container ships, and other commercial ships, all of which passed through the strait with official permission.

State broadcaster IRIB reported that at least five of the vessels were supertankers. The report added that ships from several countries, including China and South Korea, have requested permission to transit the strategic waterway.

The Strait of Hormuz is a key maritime route for global energy shipments, and Iran’s control over transit permissions highlights its continuing influence over regional maritime traffic.

Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami has strongly condemned recent comments made by BNP Secretary General and LGRD Minister Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir in Thakurgaon’s Ranishankoil, describing them as provocative, false, and politically motivated. In a statement issued to the media on Wednesday, Jamaat Secretary General Mia Golam Porwar said Fakhrul’s remarks were irresponsible and aimed at gaining cheap popularity by maligning a disciplined and people-oriented Islamic party.

Porwar rejected Fakhrul’s allegation that Jamaat engages in politics under the guise of religion, asserting that the party operates as a lawful, ideological, and transparent religious political organization. He accused the BNP of exploiting religious sentiments during elections, calling their approach hypocritical. Porwar also dismissed Fakhrul’s claim that Jamaat would never gain power, arguing that the party has long enjoyed popular support and representation in parliament.

He further stated that Jamaat has always defended the country’s sovereignty and independence and urged Fakhrul to withdraw his “false and provocative” remarks, emphasizing that sustainable politics must be based on truth, honesty, and public welfare.

Awami League-backed lawyers, who are barred from court activities, staged a public demonstration and march at the Chattogram court premises on Wednesday afternoon. Witnesses said the lawyers gathered in the courtyard, chanted slogans against Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, and conducted a one-hour procession while police remained present but took no action.

Videos from the scene reportedly showed the lawyers promoting the Awami League and shouting various slogans against the Prime Minister. Observers described the event as alarming, recalling that the same political group had allegedly been involved in mass killings two years earlier. Several lawyers present expressed anger over what they saw as the administration’s silence during the demonstration.

Kotwali Police Station Officer-in-Charge Aftab Uddin stated that he was unaware of the rally and that no prior information had been received. He added that the police would investigate and take necessary measures.

US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee has become the first official from President Donald Trump’s administration to publicly criticise Israel’s far-right national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir. Huckabee’s remarks came after Ben-Gvir posted a video showing detained foreign activists from a Gaza-bound aid flotilla being taunted and mistreated. Several countries, including Italy, France, the Netherlands and Canada, summoned Israeli ambassadors in protest. Huckabee condemned Ben-Gvir’s behaviour as a betrayal of national dignity but his comments followed closely after the US Treasury sanctioned the flotilla’s organisers.

Analysts said the episode highlighted a double standard in US policy toward Israel and Palestinians. The sanctions targeted four organisers of the Global Sumud Flotilla, which sought to break Gaza’s blockade and deliver aid. The US Treasury described the effort as supporting Hamas, while organisers rejected the accusation, calling the sanctions an act of complicity in genocide. Advocacy groups such as DAWN and the Quincy Institute argued that Washington’s actions reinforced Israeli impunity and showed the Trump administration’s unwillingness to meaningfully criticise Israel.

Observers said the incident underscored growing divergence between the US and other Western nations on international law and humanitarian principles.

Israeli forces carried out a series of airstrikes and gunfire attacks across at least eight towns in southern Lebanon, according to Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency. The operations included heavy machine-gun fire and a major ground assault in Khiam, along with air raids in the Tyre district’s Tair Debe area. Additional strikes were reported in Yatar, Sarbin, and Hadatha in the Bint Jbeil district, while Kfardounine, Fraoun, and Jibkin were also targeted.

The report stated that bombs were dropped from aircraft over Jibkin, but no casualties had been confirmed as of the latest updates. Local sources indicated that the intensity of attacks across southern Lebanon has been escalating. The information was attributed to Al Jazeera and Lebanon’s National News Agency.

The situation suggests a growing pattern of military escalation in the region, though the report did not specify any official responses or broader strategic context.

A Cox’s Bazar court has sentenced four people to death and nine others to life imprisonment for the 2024 murder of army officer Lieutenant Tanzim Sarwar Nirjon in Chakaria. The verdict was delivered on Wednesday by Mohammad Abul Monsur Siddique, Additional District and Sessions Judge (Fifth Court) of Cox’s Bazar. In a separate arms case linked to the same incident, 13 defendants were each sentenced to 17 years in prison. Five others were acquitted for lack of involvement.

According to the case details, Lieutenant Tanzim was fatally stabbed by an armed robbery gang on September 23, 2024, during a joint operation in Dulahazara union to prevent a robbery. Following the incident, two separate cases were filed—one for murder and robbery preparation, and another under the Arms Act. The charge sheet was submitted on January 19, 2025. Among the four sentenced to death, one convict, Morshed Alam, remains absconding.

Prosecution lawyers said the verdict followed extensive hearings and evidence review. The plaintiff’s counsel noted that the ruling marked a significant step toward justice.