The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) has approved eight development projects with a total estimated cost of Tk 2,266.41 crore. Of this, Tk 2,229.13 crore will come from government funds and Tk 37.28 crore from agency financing. The approval was given at an ECNEC meeting held on Tuesday at the Bangladesh Secretariat, chaired by Prime Minister and ECNEC Chairperson Tarique Rahman. The approved projects include three new, three revised, and two extended-duration projects.

The approved projects cover multiple sectors, including water resources, transport, public administration, health, defense, education, and power. Notable projects include maintenance and rehabilitation of the Barishal Irrigation Project, upgrading of the Anwara–Banshkhali–Chakaria regional highway, expansion of the Bangladesh Shishu Hospital and Institute, and construction of a cancer center at Dhaka CMH. The meeting also reviewed six smaller projects under Tk 50 crore previously approved by the planning minister, covering water supply, sanitation, waste management, postal services, military training facilities, child marriage prevention, and agricultural education.

The approvals reflect a broad government focus on infrastructure, education, and health development across Bangladesh.

Renowned Bangladeshi singer Syed Abdul Hadi, who has enriched Bengali music for over six decades, will receive a special state honor from the Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy. The award ceremony, titled “Kaljoyi Kontho: Shraddha O Bhalobasay Syed Abdul Hadi,” will take place on Friday at 6:30 p.m. at the National Theatre Hall. The event is being organized under the patronage of the Ministry of Cultural Affairs.

Syed Abdul Hadi is celebrated for his timeless voice and numerous popular songs that have become part of Bangladesh’s musical heritage. Over his long career, he has been recognized five times with the National Film Award for Best Male Singer and received the Ekushey Padak in 2000, the country’s second-highest civilian honor.

The upcoming ceremony aims to pay tribute to his lifelong contribution to Bangladeshi music and to celebrate his enduring influence on the nation’s cultural landscape.

Islami Bank has failed to maintain its required cash reserve ratio (CRR) with Bangladesh Bank amid growing internal unrest. Following the appointment controversy of former deputy governor Khurshid Alam as the bank’s new chairman, depositors have withdrawn around Tk 4,000 crore. As a result, the bank’s principal account balance at the central bank fell from Tk 7,015 crore to Tk 2,600 crore, prompting a request for Tk 10,000 crore in liquidity support.

According to a senior Islami Bank official, the bank’s principal account remains positive but has fallen below the CRR maintenance threshold. The official confirmed that a formal request for liquidity assistance has been submitted to Bangladesh Bank, though no decision has yet been made. The unrest follows the resignation of former chairman Professor M Zubaydur Rahman on May 24 and the subsequent appointment of Khurshid Alam, which triggered protests by customers and shareholders.

Bangladesh Bank officials have acknowledged receiving the liquidity support request but stated that the matter is still under review.

Customers of Islami Bank continued their protest for the ninth consecutive day on Tuesday, demanding the resignation of Chairman Khurshid Alam along with six other points. The demonstration, organized by the Conscious Customers Forum, took place in front of Islami Bank Tower from 10 a.m. This time, more than a hundred female customers joined the protest, marking the first significant participation of women in the ongoing movement.

Female participants expressed concern over allegations of financial irregularities and scandals involving the chairman, saying they feared for the safety of their deposits. They demanded Khurshid Alam’s removal and called for the appointment of a chairman with expertise in Islamic finance. Additionally, the protesters sought the reinstatement of Managing Director Omar Faruk, who was appointed after August 5.

The demonstration reflects growing dissatisfaction among depositors regarding the bank’s leadership and management decisions, with participants emphasizing the need for transparency and trust in the institution’s governance.

Bangladesh Bank has convened a special board meeting on Tuesday at 1 p.m. at its headquarters to make key decisions regarding nine financial institutions that have long been in crisis. The meeting is expected to decide on proceeding with the closure of five institutions and granting three months to four others for recovery. The institutions proposed for closure include FAS Finance, Fareast Finance, Aviva Finance, Peoples Leasing and Financial Services, and International Leasing and Financial Services.

According to central bank sources, the five institutions facing closure hold around Tk 2,700 crore in individual deposits. The meeting will also discuss how these deposits will be refunded and may consider appointing administrators to oversee the process. If approved, the appointment of administrators and the refund process will begin soon.

Institutions given three months—Bangladesh Industrial Finance Company, Premier Leasing and Finance, GSP Finance, and Prime Finance—must demonstrate their ability to repay depositors within that period. Failure to do so will bring them under the resolution or closure process. The financial sector has been struggling with liquidity shortages, high default loans, and weak governance, prompting this new resolution initiative.

Share prices of Islami Bank and Beximco fell sharply after the withdrawal of floor prices became effective on Tuesday, June 9, 2026. Both companies’ shares hit the lower circuit breaker limit, placing them among the top decliners in the stock market. The Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission (BSEC) had issued an order on Monday removing the floor price restrictions and directed the country’s two stock exchanges to take necessary actions.

Following the implementation of the decision, heavy selling pressure emerged at the start of trading, with very few buyers for the two companies. Islami Bank’s share price dropped from its floor price of Tk 32.60 to Tk 29.40, a decline of 9.82 percent within the first one and a half hours of trading, with 28,000 shares changing hands in 174 trades. Beximco’s share price fell from Tk 110.10 to Tk 99.10, marking a 9.99 percent drop, with 7,863 shares traded during the same period.

The sharp declines followed BSEC’s move to lift the floor price, signaling immediate market reactions to the regulatory change.

Hundreds of acres of government-owned agricultural land inside the Sirajganj town protection embankment have reportedly been illegally occupied for sand stockpiling and the construction of the Choyamoni Dockyard. The facility was allegedly built by Abdus Sattar, president of the Awami League’s Ward 10 unit in Sirajganj municipality. Officials from the Water Development Board warned that the dockyard could obstruct monsoon water flow and endanger the embankment’s stability, raising fears among residents.

Local landowners claimed that Sattar used political influence to seize land that had re-emerged after river erosion and silt deposition, building permanent structures and conducting sand trading. Sattar denied all allegations, asserting that he legally purchased the land and obtained clearance from the Department of Environment. However, the Upazila Nirbahi Officer stated that the land is classified as government property and that occupying or constructing on it is a punishable offense. An investigation has been initiated, and authorities plan to remove illegal structures.

Officials from the Water Development Board confirmed that no permission was granted for construction within the river area, adding uncertainty over the dockyard’s legal status.

Residents of Chapainawabganj municipality are facing a severe water crisis as boiling water and gas are emerging from several deep tube wells installed to supply safe drinking water. The issue has caused widespread concern among locals, who report that the water is unusually hot, salty, and emits flames when exposed to fire. The affected tube wells were installed a few years ago under a safe water and sanitation project funded by Japan’s development agency JICA, costing about 2.5 million taka.

The project aimed to provide arsenic-free and safe drinking water to areas suffering from long-term shortages. However, the recent anomalies have raised questions about the project’s effectiveness. Locals complain that the water is now unusable and poses health risks, forcing many to collect drinking water from distant areas. Laboratory tests found chloride levels in the water at about 1,280 milligrams per liter, more than double the normal range. Experts warn that excessive chloride can alter taste and harm health over time.

The Department of Public Health Engineering has collected water samples for testing and pledged to take necessary action once the cause is confirmed.

Allegations of corruption and irregularities have surfaced at the Cumilla Rice Research Institute, where a modern rice harvester has reportedly been left unused under the open sky for a year. Despite having access to advanced machinery, the institute has been hiring laborers at inflated wages to harvest rice, leading to significant financial losses for the government. Reports also claim that a large portion of the rice produced at the institute is being divided among officers and employees instead of being used for research purposes.

A field visit to the Shashongacha area of Cumilla Sadar Upazila revealed that workers from Thakurgaon were harvesting rice manually, earning Tk 900–1,000 per day, which exceeds the local market rate. Sources indicated that this practice has caused unnecessary expenditure of public funds. Additionally, the institute’s harvester remains idle despite its potential to harvest large areas efficiently.

Farm manager Zahidul Haque Shamim stated that the institute’s harvester has been out of order for about a year, forcing them to rely on manual labor. He added that waterlogged fields have further complicated the use of machinery.

On May 24, a one-megawatt on-grid rooftop solar power system was inaugurated at Bangladesh’s National Parliament building. The project is described as both a power generation initiative and a symbol of the state’s commitment to renewable energy. It highlights the potential of utilizing unused rooftops across government, industrial, educational, and residential buildings to produce clean electricity and reduce pressure on the national grid.

Bangladesh’s geographic position provides strong solar potential, with most regions receiving 4.5 to 5 kilowatt-hours of solar radiation per square meter daily. The country’s Renewable Energy Policy 2025 targets at least 20 percent of total power generation from renewable sources by 2030. Rooftop solar systems are seen as a practical solution amid rising load-shedding and limited land for new power plants. They offer economic, environmental, and energy security benefits while creating new employment opportunities in installation, maintenance, and technical services.

The article notes challenges such as high initial investment, dependence on sunlight, technical maintenance needs, and administrative barriers. It calls for easier financing, quality standards, training programs, and public awareness to expand rooftop solar adoption nationwide.

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman chaired a meeting of the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) on Tuesday morning, June 8, at the Cabinet Division’s Public Administration Conference Room in the Secretariat. The meeting was confirmed by Deputy Press Secretary Sujan Mahmud.

The session discussed several development projects, including a new Chinese Economic and Industrial Zone in Anwara, Chattogram. The proposed project, covering 800 acres, is expected to create 100,000 jobs and attract $500 million in foreign investment. The total cost is estimated at Tk 4,190 crore, with Tk 1,722 crore from the government and Tk 2,467 crore in project assistance from China. Implementation is planned from January 2027 to December 2031.

The meeting follows the earlier cancellation of the Indian Economic Zone project in Mirsarai, which had been halted by the interim government in February after the public uprising. The new proposal aims to revive industrial growth and foreign investment momentum in the region.

The National Board of Revenue (NBR) is considering launching a new Withholding Identification Number (WIN) system to strengthen monitoring of tax deductions at source. The proposal may be presented in the national budget speech on June 11. Under current law, institutions deduct 5 percent tax from house rent payments and deposit it into the government treasury, but there is no effective mechanism to verify whether the deductions are properly made or deposited. The WIN system aims to ensure transparency and accuracy in withholding tax collection.

According to NBR officials, the new system would help increase revenue and reduce tax evasion by tracking how much tax each institution deducts and from whom. Certificates issued against deducted taxes would assist taxpayers in claiming adjustments or refunds during annual income tax returns, while deducting authorities could prove compliance with government rules. Institutions involved in salary payments, product or service transactions, and financial institutions deducting tax on interest income would be required to register for a WIN.

The NBR is also dropping plans to reintroduce wealth tax and to allow whitening of undisclosed money in the upcoming budget, while 67 top taxpayers will receive awards to encourage compliance.

A magnitude 5 earthquake struck southern Iran on Tuesday morning, shaking areas near Sargaz in the Hormozgan and Kerman provinces, according to Mehr News Agency. Initial reports indicated no casualties or major damage from the tremor.

Meanwhile, the Philippines continues to recover from a powerful 7.8 magnitude earthquake that hit the southern region a day earlier. The death toll there has risen to 37, with more than 150 people injured. Rescue teams in the Soccsksargen region have recovered 31 bodies from collapsed buildings, and several people remain missing. Authorities fear the number of casualties could increase as many structures were destroyed.

Footage captured on CCTV and mobile phones showed the scale of destruction across affected areas in the Philippines, where the quake struck during morning hours when workplaces and schools were occupied.

A powerful 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck southern Philippines early Monday, killing at least 37 people and injuring more than 150 others. The quake hit at 7:37 a.m. local time, with its epicenter located about eight miles southwest of General Santos City in Mindanao at a depth of 6.2 miles. The Civil Defense authorities confirmed that 31 bodies were recovered from the debris in the Soccsksargen region, while several people remain missing. Over 10,000 residents have lost their homes due to the disaster.

According to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology, the quake caused significant structural damage in affected areas. The U.S. Geological Survey also measured the tremor at magnitude 7.8. Shortly after the quake, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center issued an alert warning of possible waves up to 10 feet along parts of the Philippine coast and up to one meter along some Indonesian and Malaysian shores. The warning was later lifted after assessments indicated no tsunami threat.

Authorities continue rescue and recovery operations as search efforts persist for those still missing.

The United Nations has warned that the world’s oceans are under “intense and rapidly growing” pressure due to human activities, with the rate of sea level rise doubling over the past decade. The findings come from the UN’s third World Ocean Assessment, released on World Oceans Day, which highlights escalating threats from pollution and industrial-scale fishing that are severely damaging marine biodiversity and ecosystems.

Based on research by about 600 scientists from 86 countries between 2021 and 2025, the report shows that sea levels now rise by 4.3 millimeters per year, compared to 2 millimeters before 2015. Ocean temperatures have increased sharply, with 16% of the total rise since 1955 occurring after 2018. UN Secretary-General António Guterres urged urgent global cooperation to protect marine ecosystems, emphasizing a science-based and law-governed approach.

The report notes progress such as the new High Seas Treaty, which aims to protect two-thirds of international waters, but warns that fragmented governance still hampers effective action. Greenpeace called the findings an urgent warning to world leaders, urging the creation of fully protected marine sanctuaries to restore ocean health by 2030.