Opposition Leader and Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Dr. Shafiqur Rahman accused the BNP government of adopting fascist practices, citing Thursday’s two-seat by-elections as evidence. Speaking at a press briefing at the National Parliament complex on Thursday night, he said the elections showed no change in political behavior and condemned the killings of two local Jamaat leaders in Sherpur. He demanded justice through the Speaker and criticized the government for undermining democratic norms.

Dr. Rahman said the opposition had raised objections to several bills in Parliament, arguing that some sought to curtail citizens’ rights, weaken the Supreme Court’s authority, and damage the electoral system. He alleged that ministers were given unlimited time to speak while opposition members faced restrictions. The opposition walked out in protest but did not boycott Parliament, pledging to continue representing public interests.

He further warned that the BNP’s approach to local government appointments and judicial control could lead to a one-party system similar to past authoritarian models, vowing to resist any return to fascism with public support.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered the initiation of direct talks with Lebanon. He stated that Lebanon had requested to sit for direct discussions, prompting him to instruct that the process begin as soon as possible.

The directive comes despite continued Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon following a ceasefire agreement between the United States and Iran. According to the report, Israeli attacks on Beirut and other areas have resulted in 203 deaths and at least 1,000 injuries as of Wednesday. The situation remains tense as regional actors respond to the escalating violence.

The report cites Al Jazeera as the source of information, indicating that the developments are unfolding rapidly amid heightened regional tensions.

In Bangladesh’s National Parliament on Thursday, State Minister for Liberation War Affairs Ishraq Hossain stated that if the Supreme Court verdict declaring him the elected mayor was considered invalid, then the entire interim government should also be declared illegal. His remarks came in response to an allegation from Opposition Chief Whip Nahid Islam, who claimed Ishraq had demanded recognition as a legitimate mayor from an election held during Sheikh Hasina’s tenure.

The discussion arose during a point of order while debating the Local Government (City Corporation) (Amendment) Bill. Local Government State Minister Mir Shahe Alam questioned the circumstances under which Ishraq was declared mayor and why he was not sworn in despite a Supreme Court ruling and a gazette notification. Nahid Islam later clarified that he had resigned from the interim government before Ishraq’s 2025 protest and requested correction of what he called false information.

Speaker Nurul Islam Moni allowed Ishraq to respond, after which he reiterated that his mayoral verdict had been upheld by a seven-judge bench of the Supreme Court’s Appellate Division.

Religious Affairs Minister Kazi Shah Mofazzal Hossain Kaikobad has emphasized that the government’s image is closely tied to the management of Hajj and warned that any negligence will not be tolerated. He made the remarks on Thursday afternoon at an inter-ministerial meeting held at the Ashkona Hajj Camp in Dhaka to review overall preparations for this year’s pilgrimage. The minister said this year’s Hajj is the first under the current government and must be managed more efficiently and beautifully than in the past.

Kaikobad described pilgrims as guests of Allah and instructed officials to serve them as family members. He announced that offices and agencies providing exemplary service during the Hajj will be rewarded. Representatives from various ministries and organizations involved in Hajj management presented their readiness and pledged to ensure smooth and efficient operations.

The meeting was attended by senior officials including the Religious Affairs Secretary, the Additional Secretary of the Hajj Wing, the Director General of the Islamic Foundation, and leaders of the Hajj Agencies Association of Bangladesh, along with representatives from multiple government and private entities.

Revolutionary Workers Party General Secretary Saiful Haque stated that the BNP-led government must stand with the people's democratic aspirations rather than citing constitutional limitations. He made the remarks on Thursday afternoon at the representative conference of the Industrial Area Police Station unit of Revolutionary Youth Solidarity in Ashulia.

Haque emphasized that the BNP government should fulfill the people's hopes for change and prioritize employment for millions of unemployed youth. He called for rapid expansion of investment and necessary measures to prevent frustration among young people, noting their repeated sacrifices in national movements. He also stressed that the opportunity created by the formation of a new BNP-led government to build a democratic, progressive, pluralistic, and non-communal state and society must not be wasted.

The event was presided over by Liton Mondal, convener of the Industrial Area Committee of Revolutionary Youth Solidarity, and attended by party leaders including Akbar Khan, Bepari Bindu, Babor Chowdhury, Anisur Rahman, and Faruk Hossain.

Education Minister A N M Ehsanul Haque Milon announced that schools and colleges in metropolitan areas will begin a combined online and offline class system, reducing holidays by one day. The initiative, set to start on Saturday, was revealed during an event at Dhonia College in Dhaka organized by the National University, the ICT Division, and UNICEF. The plan aims to promote digital education while addressing the ongoing global energy crisis triggered by conflicts in the Middle East.

Under the new schedule, students will attend classes in person on Saturday, Monday, and Wednesday, and join online sessions on Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday. The policy will initially apply to institutions with large student populations in metropolitan areas and will not be mandatory for all schools. The minister emphasized that no decision should disrupt the education system.

Teachers have requested uninterrupted electricity during online classes and additional offline support for students facing technical issues. The government also announced duty-free school buses for institutions providing transport facilities to students.

Bangladesh Bank has extended the tenure of its pre-shipment credit refinancing facility, allowing clients to access loans under the scheme until December 31, 2030. The central bank’s Banking Regulations and Policy Department issued a circular on Thursday announcing the extension. The decision aims to help export-oriented sectors, including the ready-made garment industry, overcome ongoing challenges caused by global economic instability and conflicts in the Middle East and Europe.

Previously, the refinancing facility was scheduled to remain in effect until April 2025. Under the revised terms, up to Tk 5,000 crore will be allocated for pre-shipment credit refinancing from the Tk 10,000 crore Export Facilitation Pre-Finance Fund (EFPF). All scheduled banks are eligible to participate but must sign new participation agreements with the central bank. Banks must apply for refinancing within one week of disbursing pre-shipment loans to exporters, with an additional 15 days allowed for justified delays.

The Banking Regulations and Policy Department-3 will manage and oversee the fund’s operations, while all previous conditions from the 2022 and 2023 circulars will remain unchanged.

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has launched an investigation into allegations of embezzling several crore taka and laundering the money abroad under the guise of operating, repairing, and maintaining the sound system installed in the plenary hall of the National Parliament building. The inquiry targets Zahidur Rahim Jowardar, Chief Executive Officer of Communication Technology Limited, along with others linked to the project.

According to the ACC, Zahidur Rahim is a close relative of former Health Minister Zahid Maleque and served as a cashier for former Chief Whip Noor-e-Alam Chowdhury. The information was disclosed by ACC Deputy Director (Public Relations) Md. Akhtarul Islam at a press conference held at the commission’s headquarters in Segunbagicha, Dhaka, on Thursday afternoon.

The ACC’s investigation marks the beginning of formal scrutiny into alleged misuse of public funds related to the Parliament’s technical maintenance, with potential implications for accountability in government-linked contracts.

Bangladesh’s National Board of Revenue (NBR) reported that the government granted tax exemptions totaling Tk 1,07,132 crore in the 2022–23 fiscal year, equivalent to 2.39 percent of the country’s GDP. The report, released on Thursday, revealed that the value of these exemptions was nearly 99 percent of the revenue collected from direct taxes. The data highlights how tax holidays, rebates, and exemptions have significantly reduced the amount of revenue reaching the national treasury.

According to the NBR report, more than two-thirds of the total tax exemptions were provided to businesses and institutions. Corporate tax exemptions amounted to Tk 73,989 crore, or 69 percent of the total, mainly benefiting sectors such as microfinance, social welfare, power and energy, and the ready-made garment industry. Personal income tax exemptions totaled Tk 33,143 crore, with the largest share going to salaried income.

The report recommended a phased withdrawal of unnecessary tax exemptions and aligning incentives with national priorities such as export diversification, green economy, SME growth, gender equality, and regional balance to enhance revenue collection without raising tax rates.

Saudi Arabia has suspended operations at several energy facilities following recent attacks that targeted oil, gas, and electricity sites in Riyadh, the Eastern Province, and Yanbu Industrial City, according to the Saudi Press Agency citing the Ministry of Energy. The attacks resulted in the death of one Saudi industrial security worker and injuries to seven others. The disruption has reduced the kingdom’s oil production capacity by about 600,000 barrels per day.

The Saudi Press Agency reported that the attacks were part of a series of drone and missile strikes launched by Iran against Gulf countries, including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, and Qatar. These assaults have occurred in response to the US and Israeli war on Iran that began on February 28. The Ministry of Energy warned that continued attacks could further reduce supply, slow recovery, and heighten volatility in global oil markets.

Oil prices rose on Wednesday amid uncertainty over a fragile Iran-US ceasefire and the potential reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran had blocked during the conflict. The truce remains uncertain due to ongoing hostilities involving Israel, Lebanon, and Iran.

A surge in the collection of nomination papers has been observed at the Election Commission (EC) for the reserved women’s seats in Bangladesh’s 13th National Parliament. According to Returning Officer and EC Joint Secretary Md. Moin Uddin Khan, 49 nomination papers were collected on the first day following the announcement of the election schedule on April 8. Candidates can submit their papers until April 21, accompanied by the required documents and deposit.

The EC announced that the BNP-led alliance will receive 36 of the 50 reserved seats, the Jamaat-led alliance 13, and one seat will go to an independent alliance. The verification of nomination papers will take place from April 22 to 23, appeals can be filed on April 26, and decisions on appeals will be made on April 27 and 28. The deadline for withdrawal is April 29, symbol allocation will occur on April 30, and voting is scheduled for May 12.

The strong turnout for nomination papers indicates heightened political interest and competition surrounding the reserved women’s seats in the upcoming parliamentary session.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF), World Bank Group (WBG), and World Food Programme (WFP) issued a joint statement warning that the ongoing war in the Middle East poses a serious threat to global energy markets, food security, and economic growth. The statement, released on Wednesday, said the conflict has already caused one of the largest energy disruptions in modern history, driving up prices of oil, gas, and fertilizer, and disrupting transport systems. These effects are expected to worsen food insecurity and raise prices worldwide.

The organizations cautioned that the heaviest burden will fall on low-income, import-dependent countries with limited fiscal capacity to respond. Rising energy and food prices could further strain economies already struggling with debt, reducing governments’ ability to protect vulnerable households. The IMF, WBG, and WFP said they are closely monitoring the situation and will coordinate all available tools to support affected countries and communities.

The conflict escalated after the United States and Israel launched attacks on Iran on February 28, prompting retaliatory strikes by Iran. A two-week ceasefire agreement reached last Tuesday has brought some relief globally.

Two hotel owners in Osmaninagar upazila of Sylhet have been fined and sentenced for dumping waste beside Joybunnecha Girls High School. The mobile court, led by Upazila Nirbahi Officer Munmun Nahar, conducted the operation on Wednesday afternoon following a report published on April 3 about the persistent waste problem near the school. The owner of Capital Hotel was initially sentenced to five years in prison and fined 20,000 taka under three sections of the Consumer Rights Protection Act, but the jail term was waived after he promised to build a drainage system within a week and apologized for his actions.

The owner of Gram Bangla Hotel was fined 2,000 taka for dumping garbage next to the school wall and was strictly warned against repeating the offense. The operation freed around 200 students from the foul odor and improved the school’s environment. The administration announced that regular monitoring would continue to protect the school’s surroundings and directed steps to establish a permanent waste management system in the area.

The school’s teachers and students expressed relief and gratitude, hoping that the initiative would restore a healthy learning environment soon.

Dr. Badiul Alam Majumdar, Secretary of Citizens for Good Governance (SUJAN), has warned that the current government’s failure to learn from past mistakes signals danger for everyone. He made the remarks on Thursday, April 9, at a roundtable discussion titled “Citizen Thoughts and Challenges on Human Rights Protection and Ordinances Related to an Independent Judiciary,” organized by the Human Rights Support Society (HRSS) at the National Press Club in Dhaka.

Majumdar questioned the government’s decision to repeal two ordinances concerning the appointment of judges to the higher court and the judicial secretariat. He recalled that in 2018, many BNP leaders and activists sought legal protection from the courts but received no remedy. He cautioned that repeating such patterns could endanger everyone’s safety. He urged lawmakers to consider the consequences of their decisions and warned that excessive parliamentary majority could lead to authoritarian tendencies.

Other speakers at the event included HRSS Chairman Shahjada Al Amin Kabir, Supreme Court lawyer Barrister Shishir Monir, journalist Abu Sayeed Khan, and several civil society representatives.

Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami has announced a boycott of the Sherpur-3 by-election, alleging widespread irregularities. Election Commission (EC) Secretary Akhtar Ahmed said that returning officers of the two constituencies concerned have been instructed to investigate the allegations and submit reports. He stated that the commission will take necessary action after receiving the findings. The secretary made these remarks at his office on Thursday afternoon while speaking to journalists.

Earlier in the day, Jamaat Secretary General Mia Golam Porwar alleged at a press conference that the ruling party had engaged in vote rigging, ballot stuffing, and expulsion of Jamaat polling agents. He claimed that presiding officers had signed result sheets early in the morning and later allowed fake votes, while agents were forced out of polling centers. Jamaat also alleged that women voters were obstructed, workers assaulted, and the administration remained inactive.

The party demanded suspension of voting in affected centers, re-voting, and legal action against presiding officers. The EC secretary reiterated that the allegations are being taken seriously and that results should not be delayed while the investigation proceeds.