Bangladesh’s top court has asked to hear the Election Commission’s (EC) comments on the gazette issued declaring BNP leader Ishraque Hossain the mayor of the Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC). The High Court had previously dismissed the petition on May 22. Barrister Mahbub Uddin Khokon represented Ishraque at the hearing, while Barrister Mohammad Hossain represented the petition. Petitioner lawyer Mamunur Rashid challenged the High Court’s decision on Monday and requested that the High Court’s decision be stayed. The Local Government Division says that Ishraque’s oath-taking is “under consideration by the judiciary” and is waiting for the court’s decision.

Jamaat-e-Islami leader ATM Azharul Islam, who had been on death row since 2014, has expressed gratitude to the "revolutionary heroes" of the July Uprising at an event organised by the party to mark his acquittal in a war crimes case. Standing on a stage set up near the Shahbagh intersection, Azharul waved to party members and said: “I am now free. Azharul then paid tribute to the Jamaat leaders who were executed or died in custody during their war crimes trials. However, after the July Uprising and subsequent change in government, the Appellate Division agreed to hear a review petition filed by Azharul. This marked the first time that a person convicted of crimes against humanity during the 1971 Liberation War had been acquitted after a review plea.

SpaceX's next-generation Starship spacecraft atop its Super Heavy booster is launched on its ninth test at the company's launch pad in Starbase, Texas, US, May 27, 2025. REUTERS/Joe SkipperSpaceX's next-generation Starship spacecraft atop its Super Heavy booster is launched on its ninth test at the company's launch pad in Starbase, Texas, US, May 27, 2025. Starship, meanwhile, continued into suborbital space but began to spin uncontrollably roughly 30 minutes into the mission. "Not looking great with a lot of our on-orbit objectives for today," SpaceX broadcaster Dan Huot said on a company livestream. In a post on X, Musk touted Starship's scheduled shutdown of an engine in space, a step previous test flights achieved last year.

The Passenger Welfare Association of Bangladesh (PWAB) has demanded that authorities announce holidays on Jun 3 and 4 before Eid-ul-Azha in order to ensure safe and pleasant homebound journeys for holidaymakers. At a press conference held on Tuesday at the Dhaka Reporters Unity, the passengers' rights group recommended reducing the holidays after Eid by two days instead. Therefore, during this Eid, 11 million people will leave Dhaka, and an additional 3 million from surrounding areas, totalling at least 14 million. He added, "If the Eid holiday is only two days, then 4 million people will travel to their villages in a single day. He noted that traffic jams are caused by roadside cattle markets and the movement of trucks carrying livestock during Eid-ul-Azha.

Government employees have continued their protests and work stoppage at the Secretariat in opposition to the recently enacted ordinance amending the Public Service Act. Speaking to staff inside the Secretariat, it was learnt that they had begun their protests with a procession in the morning. Around 11am, ABM Abdus Sattar, president of the BNP-aligned Anti-Discrimination Employees Unity Forum, attempted to enter the premises by car but was turned away by security personnel. This is a black law that would allow the government to dismiss any public official without notice.”The protests inside the Secretariat are being led by the Bangladesh Secretariat Officers and Employees Coordinated Council. Unless the home affairs advisor comes here and presents a concrete roadmap to remove these fascist bureaucrats, we’re not leaving.

Police claim to have "unravelled the mystery" behind the murder of Shahriar Alam Shammo, a leader of the BNP's student affiliate Chhatra Dal at Dhaka University, following the arrest of eight people in connection with the case. On Sunday, the DMP’s Detective Branch (DB) arrested five suspects in the case. By Monday, the eight suspects arrested by the DB had been presented before the court in the case. Following the murder, Shammo's elder brother Shariful Islam filed a case against 10 to 12 unidentified suspects at Shahbagh Police Station. The incident has sparked protests by Chhatra Dal’s DU unit, demanding justice and the resignation of the university’s vice-chancellor and proctor.

Nasdaq futures NQc1 were up 1.26% in Asia while S&P 500 futures ESc1 similarly rose 1.11%. Elsewhere, MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan was down 0.17%, while Japan's Nikkei similarly fell 0.15%. The euro hovered near a one-month high at $1.14035, while the yen JPY=EBS was up nearly 0.5% at 142.18 per dollar. Trump's chaotic trade policies and concerns over the worsening US deficit outlook have undermined sentiment towards US assets and in turn been a drag on the dollar. Brent crude futures LCOc1 eased 0.1% to $64.67 a barrel, while US West Texas Intermediate crude CLc1 fell 0.16% to $61.43 per barrel.

Russia does not see Vatican as a serious arena for peace talks, sources sayPope Leo XIV waves to the faithful from the balcony of the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore (Basilica of Saint Mary Major) where Pope Francis is buried, in Rome, Italy, May 25, 2025. Simone Risoluti/Vatican Media/­Handout via REUTERSRussia does not see the Vatican as a serious venue for peace talks with Ukraine because the Holy See is the seat of Catholicism and is surrounded by Italy, a NATO and EU member, three senior Russian sources told Reuters. Putin's foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, on Friday said the idea of the Vatican as a potential arena for peace talks was "a bit inelegant" given that Russia and Ukraine were Eastern Orthodox countries. The Russian Orthodox Church is by far the biggest of the churches in the Eastern Orthodox communion, which split with Western Christianity in the Great Schism of 1054. Russian sources said they viewed Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Oman as potentially suitable venues for talks.

KOLKATA: Bangladeshi actor Azmeri Haque Badhon is the latest celebrity to be accused of being a RAW agent in her country. "When they cannot counter arguments, they brand the person as a RAW agent. I was branded a RAW agent when I worked as senior editor in bdnews24.com after retiring from BBC. I have a chapter in my book, detailing RAW's involvement in Chittagong Hill Tracts.Can a person be a RAW agent after exposing its operation? "When they understood I was not a RAW agent in real life, they changed track and spread conspiracy theories of me being an ISI, CIA and Mossad agent.

Government to take charge of six troubled banks through merger, says Governor MansurBangladesh Bank Governor Ahsan H Mansur has announced that six financially distressed banks will be consolidated and brought under state ownership as part of a sweeping reform to stabilise the banking sector. The banks in question are Social Islami Bank Limited (SIBL), First Security Islami Bank, Global Islami Bank, Union Bank, Exim Bank, and National Bank. Toward the end of the ousted Awami League government's term, S Alam also gained indirect control of the National Bank board through beneficiaries. Speaking to Channel 24, the governor said, “By July, these banks will be brought under state ownership and recapitalised. Later, Bangladesh Bank gave the green light for National Bank (NBL) to merge with United Commercial Bank (UCB), but the plan was shelved after National Bank objected to the merger.

Dhaka/New Delhi: Hundreds of government employees on Monday briefly locked the main gate of Bangladesh Secretariat, the heart of the administration, in the capital Dhaka, intensifying their protests against a new service law which allows easier dismissal of officials for misconduct. According to eyewitnesses and media reports, officials and employees of the Secretariat, which houses ministries and important government offices, locked the main gate on the third day of their protest against the Public Service Act amendment. The agitating employees gathered near the main entrance around 12:30 pm. The protesting employees moved from the gate and gathered in a scattered way across the secretariat premises. As per reports, official activities inside complex were largely stalled as employees continued the work stoppage.

DHAKA: Hundreds of government employees on Monday briefly locked the main gate of Bangladesh Secretariat, the heart of the administration, in the capital Dhaka, intensifying their protests against a new service law which allows easier dismissal of officials for misconduct. According to eyewitnesses and media reports, officials and employees of the Secretariat, which houses ministries and important government offices, locked the main gate on the third day of their protest against the Public Service Act amendment. The agitating employees gathered near the main entrance around 12:30 pm. The protesting employees moved from the gate and gathered in a scattered way across the secretariat premises. According to the reports, official activities inside the complex were largely stalled as the employees continued the work stoppage.

The European Union, the United Kingdom and other willing countries such as Canada therefore need a way to support Ukraine that does not require Trump’s permission. The best option is to unlock Russia’s $300 billion of frozen central bank assets, the lion’s share of which are in Europe. REPARATION LOANThe UK and Canada have long been open to using Russia’s frozen assets to support Ukraine. So the coalition of willing countries could make a $50 billion loan every six months. But if Moscow then broke the truce, the coalition would make another $50 billion loan.

Several newspapers reported on the subject based on accounts from army officers at different levels. The key points quoting the Army chief in the reports are as follows:General Waker reportedly said at the event that “the national election must be held by December”. On reforms, General Waker said he did not know what reforms were taking place or how they were happening. At Monday’s briefing, a journalist drew attention to the remarks made by the Army chief at the Officers Address event. Col Shafiqul responded: “The Army chief speaks to officers or soldiers at any time, or from time to time, providing guidance.

Below are airlines that have cancelled flights since early May:AIRBALTICLatvia's airBaltic said it had cancelled flights to and from Tel Aviv until Jun 2. AIR FRANCE-KLMThe group's Dutch arm KLM suspended flights to and from Tel Aviv until May 30. IAG's low-cost airline, Iberia Express, has cancelled flights to Tel Aviv until May 31. ITA AIRWAYSThe Italian carrier has suspended flights to and from Tel Aviv until Jun 15. RYANAIREurope's biggest budget airline has cancelled flights to and from Tel Aviv until Jun 11.