United News of Bangladesh

A construction worker died after falling from the 7th floor of an under-construction building in the Shanir Akhra area of Jatrabari in the capital on Thursday afternoon. The deceased was identified as Md Fahim, 28, hailing from Shariatpur district. Co-worker Md Farid Mia, who took him to hospital, said Fahim fell from the building around 3:30pm while working at the site near Molla Kadam Ali Jame Masjid at Matuail. He was rushed to Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) around 5:45pm, where doctors declared him dead on arrival. Farid Mia also said Fahim lived in the Shanir Akhra Club Goli area and was the father of two sons. Inspector Md Faruk, in-charge of the DMCH police camp, said the body has been kept at the hospital morgue.

Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani and Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud held a telephone conversation to discuss the recently signed memorandum of understanding between the United States and Iran and its implications for the region. According to Qatar’s Foreign Ministry, the two leaders reviewed bilateral relations and exchanged views on regional developments following the signing of the agreement between Washington and Tehran. Both Qatar and Saudi Arabia, key energy producers in the Gulf, have long supported diplomatic efforts to secure a deal between Iran and the United States, seeking to prevent further instability that has disrupted the region and affected vital oil and gas exports. In a separate phone call, Sheikh Mohammed also spoke with Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty, with the US-Iran agreement featuring prominently in their discussions. The Qatari Foreign Ministry said the two ministers discussed bilateral ties as well as the latest developments related to the accord reached between Washington and Tehran. During the conversation, Sheikh Mohammed reaffirmed Qatar’s support for resolving outstanding issues through dialogue and peaceful means in accordance with international law, the ministry said. Source: Al Jazeera

Agriculture Minister Mohammad Amin Ur Rashid on Thursday told the Parliament that Bangladesh has around 2.18 crore acres of arable land, accounting for nearly 60 percent of the country's total area. “The total arable land area of Bangladesh is about 88,29,000 hectares (2.18 crore acres), which is about 59.7 percent of the total area of the country,” he said, while replying to a question from MP Khairul Kabir Khokan (Narsingdi-1). Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmad tabled the question-and-answer session for Thursday, immediately after the day’s business started at 3:00pm. The agriculture minister said a huge amount of cultivable land is being lost every year due to unplanned urbanisation, housing and industrialisation in Bangladesh. To address this situation and ensure the country's food security, the government has recently taken several tough and significant steps, including the enactment of the Land Use Control and Agricultural Land Protection Act, 2026. Amin Ur Rashid said the government is providing quality seeds, irrigation facilities, and agricultural loans on easy terms to farmers to convert one-crop or two-crop lands into three-crop lands, so that farmers are motivated to cultivate their land instead of leasing or selling it for non-agricultural purposes.

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman visited ailing former MP Khaleda Rabbani here on Wednesday. The Prime Minister went to Khaleda Rabbani’s residence on Shah Mostafa Road in the town after attending a Family Card distribution programme at the Moulvibazar Govt High School ground. During the visit, an emotional Khaleda Rabbani recalled various memories from her long political career, including her association with former President Ziaur Rahman. She also showed the Prime Minister several old photographs, reminiscing about different moments from the party’s history. At one point, moved by the emotional recollections, Tarique Rahman embraced her affectionately and offered words of comfort and reassurance. The Prime Minister spent some time with the veteran politician and discussed her medical condition and overall health with family members. He wished her a speedy recovery. BNP Assistant Organising Secretary Miftah Siddique, Moulvibazar Zila Parishad Administrator Mizanur Rahman Mizan, and local BNP leaders and activists were present during the visit. Khaleda Rabbani previously served as women affairs secretary of BNP, president of Moulvibazar district BNP and chief adviser to the central committee of Jatiyatabadi Mohila Dal. She was elected MP from reserved women's seat for several times.

The Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) has arrested six people, including alleged top criminal Farid Uddin Babu alias "Excel Babu", in connection with the robbery of a bKash agent and an attack on police officers in the capital's Adabor area. The arrested include Farid Uddin Babu, Rashed Khandaker, 32, Md Liton, 28, Md Tosir, 30, and Md Tariqul Islam, 25. Two other suspects, Amir and Rubel, were also apprehended during subsequent operations. RAB-2 Commander Additional DIG Naimul Hasan disclosed the information at a press briefing at the RAB Media Centre in Karwan Bazar on Wednesday. According to RAB, a group of armed robbers entered a bKash outlet in the Shekhertek area of Adabor around 4:50pm on Tuesday. The attackers allegedly hacked the agent with a machete, snatched around Tk 3 lakh and a mobile phone, and fled the scene. Acting on information, Adabor police later conducted a raid in the Turag Housing area. During the operation, the suspects allegedly attacked police officers with locally made weapons, seriously injuring Adabor Police Station Officer-in-Charge Zaidul Islam and Sub-Inspector Tarun. Police opened fire in self-defence, leaving two suspects, Amir and Rubel, with gunshot injuries, officials said. Naimul Hasan said RAB launched intelligence-led operations immediately after the incident and carried out separate raids in Mohammadpur's Pirerbag area, Adabor and Mirpur from Tuesday night until early Wednesday. During the raids, six suspects, including Excel Babu, were arrested. A motorcycle, a machete and a mobile phone believed to have been used in the robbery were recovered. The RAB official said Excel Babu admitted his involvement with the "wrist-cutting" gang. He claimed that Babu had been a mentor to the gang's founder Anwar and its current leader Abu Sayeed. According to RAB, Abu Sayeed took charge of the gang after Anwar's arrest.

Lionel Messi scored the first World Cup hat trick of his career and matched Miroslav Klose's all-time World Cup scoring record on Tuesday night, giving Argentina fans at Arrowhead Stadium an unforgettable performance in their team's match against Algeria. Messi opened the scoring in the early minutes after receiving a well-placed pass from his Inter Miami teammate Rodrigo De Paul. He added his second goal shortly after the start of the second half and completed his hat trick moments before being substituted, leaving the field to a standing ovation from the crowd. The achievement came exactly 20 years after Messi made his World Cup debut for Argentina against Serbia and Montenegro, a match in which he also scored. With Tuesday's goals, Messi became only the second player in history to score in five different World Cup editions. The Argentine captain now has 16 World Cup goals from six tournament appearances, equalling Klose's long-standing record. With several matches still ahead, Messi appears well positioned to break the mark in the coming weeks. It was the 61st hat trick of Messi's professional career and his 11th for Argentina. He has now scored in five consecutive World Cup matches. Messi's performance overshadowed impressive displays by two other global stars on the same day. France forward Kylian Mbappé scored twice in a 3-1 victory over Senegal and moved into a tie for fourth place on the World Cup scoring list with 14 goals. Norway striker Erling Haaland also netted twice in his team's 4-1 win over Iraq. The Argentine star, who turns 39 next week, had been managing a minor hamstring problem during his time with Inter Miami before the World Cup. However, he showed no signs of discomfort in a warm-up match against Iceland last week, where he scored from the penalty spot during a 20-minute appearance. Tuesday's match against Algeria marked the 200th international appearance of Messi's career, which began in 2005 when he was 18 years old. Only Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo, who is set to earn his 229th cap on Wednesday, and Kuwait's Bader Al-Mutawa, who finished with 202 appearances, have played more international matches. Argentina is one of four national teams using the Kansas City metropolitan area as its World Cup base camp. Since the team's arrival around two weeks ago, enthusiasm surrounding Messi has swept across the region. On match day, thousands of supporters wearing Messi's iconic No. 10 jersey filled the home stadium of the NFL's Kansas City Chiefs, singing songs in support of the football legend from Rosario. At a separate watch party in downtown Kansas City's Power & Light District, former NFL quarterback and current Fox broadcaster Jameis Winston appeared on stage alongside a goat dressed in an Argentina jersey, a playful reference to Messi's status as the "Greatest of All Time" (GOAT). The lighthearted scene appeared to foreshadow Messi's historic night. With every World Cup goal he scores, the argument that he is football's greatest-ever player continues to gain strength.

Road Transport and Bridges, Shipping and Railways Minister Shaikh Rabiul Alam on Tuesday said the government has taken initiative to expand rail connectivity to 10 more districts. The minister said this at a press briefing held at the Press Information Department (PID) conference room at Secretariat following a review meeting on railway development and connectivity chaired by the Prime Minister. The minister said the meeting reviewed the current state of railway services, overall connectivity, ongoing development projects and future expansion plans.“The Prime Minister reviewed the latest activities of the Railways Ministry, assessed the quality of services and connectivity, and provided his observations. Following the review, several important decisions were taken to improve connectivity and railway services across the country,” he said. He said several major railway projects including Akhaura-Sylhet and Sirajganj-Bogura rail links are already progressing. The government has also approved a project to establish an Inland Container Depot (ICD) at Dhirashram while steps are being taken to improve railway infrastructure on Dhaka-Chattogram route, he said. The existing metre-gauge sections between Tongi and Akhaura and between Laksham and Sylhet will be upgraded to dual-gauge double-track lines to remove existing connectivity gaps, he added. Currently, 49 districts of the country are connected to the railway network, he said, adding that the government’s election manifesto pledged to bring all 64 districts under rail connectivity. “To achieve that goal, we have presented possible routes and expansion plans to extend rail services to 10 more districts that currently lack adequate railway connectivity,” he said. The minister said discussions also focused on introducing and expanding commuter train services in areas surrounding Dhaka to ease travel for workers and businesspeople. Citing Manikganj as an example, he noted that the district, despite being located close to the capital, still lacks rail connectivity. “We have plans to establish commuter rail services linking Dhaka with nearby districts, including Manikganj and Narsingdi, similar to existing services on the Dhaka-Narayanganj and Dhaka-Tongi-Joydebpur routes,” he said. The proposed expansion would enable residents of surrounding districts to travel to and from Dhaka more quickly for work, business and other daily activities, he added.

The Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) has arrested alleged notorious criminal Md Akash alias “Tan Akash” in connection with the shooting that took place in the Pallabi area of the capital on June 10. According to the elite force, infighting erupted among members of the “Langra Rubel” group on Avenue-5 of Mirpur-11 under Pallabi Police Station on the day over establishing dominance in the locality. During the clash, Akash, “Gal Kata” Rabbi, Al-Amin, Rapper Parvez and several others allegedly displayed foreign firearms and opened fire, injuring Hridoy, also known as “Gondar," according to a press release issued by the RAB headquarters on Tuesday afternoon.  The suspects also allegedly abducted a man named Abdullah during the incident, spreading widespread panic in the area. Following the incident, RAB-4 launched an investigation to uncover the circumstances surrounding the incident and identify those involved. Based on intelligence inputs and information technology-based surveillance, it tracked down Akash and arrested him from Hemayetpur in Savar in the early hours of Tuesday. During preliminary interrogation, the elite force came to know that Akash has allegedly been involved in various criminal activities, including murder, extortion, robbery and drug-related offences, in Pallabi and surrounding areas of Dhaka. RAB said around 13 cases, including ones filed on murder charges, extortion, robbery and drugs, are currently pending against Akash at different police stations in the capital. The arrested accused was handed over to police for legal action, the release added.

A young man was killed in a road accident in the capital’s Jatrabari area on Monday night. The deceased was identified as Binod Biswas, 23, son of Narayan Biswas. Binod used to live with his family in Shantinagar area. He was taken to Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) in a critical condition around 10:45 pm, where the doctor on duty at the emergency department declared him dead, hospital sources said. Woman killed as truck hits her at Jatrabari His younger brother, Bidhan Biswas, said the accident occurred around 8:45 pm when Binod was riding a motorcycle in Shonir Akhra area of Jatrabari. Inspector Md Faruk, in-charge of the DMCH police camp, said the body has been kept at the hospital morgue .

Dr Debapriya Bhattacharya, Distinguished Fellow at the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) and Convener of the Citizen's Platform on Monday said the budget's fiscal architecture remains "devoid of realism" despite its welfare-oriented rhetoric. The national budget, while thoughtfully designed in its policy framework, falls critically short in reaching the country's most disadvantaged citizens, he said while presenting a detailed analysis at a media briefing at BRAC Centre in Mohakhali. "The real budget question is not how much we are spending, but whose vulnerabilities we are choosing to protect," he said. Debapriya said FY26 economic growth of 4.14 percent became "exclusionary", failing to lower prices, raise real wages or create jobs where disadvantaged people actually work. He noted that headline CPI inflation reached 9.42 percent in May 2026 while wage growth stood at only 8.13 percent, leaving real wages negative and domestic savings also fell sharply from 25.76 percent of GDP in FY23 to 21.38 percent in FY26, weakening household resilience. Large-scale manufacturing growth collapsed to 1.76 percent in FY26, he said, while RMG export receipts fell 1.9 percent between July and April, threatening livelihoods across a sector employing millions of low-income workers, particularly women. The budget targets revenue mobilisation at 10.2 percent of GDP and public expenditure at 13.7 percent, while aiming to contain the deficit at around 3.5 percent of GDP. Debapriya described the macroeconomic framework as prepared "without proper professionalism," noting the budget requires a 52.9 percent revenue growth from a base that missed its FY26 target by 22.7 percent. He raised concern over the revenue mix, pointing out that 59 percent of incremental revenue relies on indirect taxes: VAT, customs duty and supplementary duty, which burden all consumers equally regardless of income. VAT alone accounts for 32.9 percent of the FY27 revenue target, with an incremental share of 41.2 percent. "This raises serious concerns about tax justice and equity," he said. On the positive side, Citizen's Platform acknowledged that 59.5 percent of the incremental budget has been directed toward education, health, and social security marking what it called a "decisive shift" in expenditure priorities. Social protection allocation has risen to 2.11 percent of GDP and 15.39 percent of the national budget, the highest share on record. The platform welcomed the consolidation of social security programmes from 95 to 90, the expansion of the Government-to-Person (G2P) digital payment system to over 3.26 crore beneficiaries across 29 programmes, and the introduction of the Family Card and Farmers Card as pro-poor flagship initiatives. However, it cautioned that civil service pension alone accounts for 24.51 percent of the social protection budget, an occupational entitlement for government employees rather than a universal right. Combined education, health and social protection spending amounts to only 4.82 percent of GDP, roughly 15 percent of the benchmark maintained in welfare states, the platform noted. The budget raises the tax-free income threshold from Tk 3.5 lakh to Tk 3.75 lakh and removes import duties on 60 essential food items including rice, wheat, fish, potatoes, and edible oil, steps the platform acknowledged may ease inflationary pressure on low-income households. Duty exemptions were also extended on 21 categories of assistive devices for persons with disabilities, 51 active pharmaceutical ingredient inputs and nine cancer drug raw materials. But Debapriya said persons with disabilities, the third gender, Dalit communities, indigenous peoples, climate-vulnerable households and urban slum dwellers, the most marginalised groups received the least targeted support. He also flagged that doubling of advance tax on savings certificates from 5 percent to 10 percent and reduction of the tax rebate on listed securities investments would hurt middle-income savers who depend on such instruments. The platform criticised the budget for leaving wealth tax and inheritance tax untapped as revenue sources while offering no unemployment insurance for workers who lose jobs, and no dedicated social protection architecture for urban or informal sector workers. "Bangladesh is deploying welfare state vocabulary without a welfare state fiscal architecture," Debapriya said. He called on the government to publish credible real-time data, require the Finance Minister to present quarterly statements to parliament under the Public Finance and Budget Management Act 2009, and ensure that Leave No One Behind remains a guiding principle across all fiscal decisions. The Citizen's Platform said it has set up a Reform Tracker to monitor progress not only in fiscal terms but against the reform measures and their outcomes.