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.

Chinese leader Xi Jinping met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Beijing on Wednesday, May 20, 2026. At the start of their meeting, Xi warned that the world risked returning to a 'law of the jungle' situation, implying a global order dominated by power rather than rules. He described China-Russia relations as a major force for global stability. The meeting took place just days after Xi hosted U.S. President Donald Trump, highlighting Beijing’s active diplomatic engagements with major powers.

Before the bilateral talks at the Great Hall of the People, Putin received a red-carpet welcome with full state honors. A military band played both national anthems, Chinese troops presented a guard of honor, and children waved Chinese and Russian flags while shouting greetings in Chinese. The ceremony mirrored the recent reception for Trump’s visit, which included discussions on trade, investment, and regional issues such as Iran and Taiwan.

The meeting underscored China’s effort to balance relations with both Russia and the United States amid shifting global dynamics.

BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir stated that the people of Bangladesh will never bring Jamaat-e-Islami to power. He made the remark on Wednesday at a public reception organized by the Thakurgaon district BNP at the abandoned airport grounds in Shibganj, Thakurgaon. Fakhrul accused Jamaat-e-Islami of opposing the 1971 Liberation War, killing freedom fighters, and committing atrocities against women, asserting that such actions make them unacceptable to the nation.

During his speech, Fakhrul criticized politics conducted in the name of religion and said that truth must be the foundation of politics. When he asked the crowd to name the party that uses religion for politics, attendees responded by shouting “Jamaat-e-Islami.”

Fakhrul also inspected the abandoned Thakurgaon airport and mentioned that plans to reopen it are progressing. He said the project has been included in the planning department’s agenda and that, if feasibility and renovation work begin soon, the airport could reopen within two years.

The National Citizens Party (NCP) has strongly criticized the government’s recent decision to withdraw judicial officers assigned to the Supreme Court Secretariat and to effectively nullify its operations. In a statement issued on Wednesday by the party’s law secretary, Advocate Zahirul Islam Musa, the NCP said the move contradicts the principles of judicial independence, separation of powers, and the democratic spirit of the state. The party demanded that the decision be immediately reconsidered and presented four specific demands to safeguard judicial autonomy.

According to the statement, the establishment of a separate Supreme Court Secretariat was intended to ensure constitutional balance by freeing the judiciary from executive influence in matters such as supervision, appointments, promotions, transfers, and discipline. The NCP warned that depriving the judiciary of its administrative structure and decision-making authority would reduce the constitutional promise of an independent judiciary to a mere declaration. It argued that administrative control by the executive undermines justice, the rule of law, and citizens’ rights.

The NCP reaffirmed its commitment to defending judicial independence and announced that it would continue political, legal, and democratic protests against any direct or indirect interference with the judiciary.

An emergency discussion meeting was held at the Kaptai Karnaphuli Range under the South Forest Division of the Chittagong Hill Tracts to address the ongoing human-elephant conflict. The meeting took place at 4 p.m. on Wednesday and included members of the Elephant Response Team (ERT). Organized by the Karnaphuli Range, the session focused on elephant movement, protection, and maintaining active elephant corridors.

Officials present included Jamal Hossain Talukder, Assistant Conservator of Forests for the South Forest Division, Abu Kawsar, Assistant Conservator of Forests for the Karnaphuli Range, Abu Nayeem Shahidul Alam, Range Officer, and Mostafizur Rahman, Beat Officer of Karnaphuli Sadar Beat. Staff members of the Karnaphuli Range and 20 ERT members from Teams 1 and 2 also attended.

The meeting emphasized regular attendance and duty performance by ERT members to ensure effective management of elephant movements and to reduce conflicts between humans and elephants in the region.