A human chain was organized in the Purba Bhuterdia area of Kedarpur Union under Babuganj upazila of Barishal, demanding permanent and sustainable measures to prevent river erosion. The event took place on Saturday in front of Purba Bhuterdia Secondary School near Mollarchar Bazar, initiated by local residents. The program was presided over by the school’s head teacher, Md. Mozzafar Hossain, and organized by Maulana Md. Helal Uddin. Several local leaders and community members addressed the gathering, highlighting the urgent need for government intervention.

Speakers said that the intense erosion of the Sugandha River has been destroying vast areas of farmland, homesteads, and public and private establishments every year, forcing many families into hardship. They warned that the erosion threatens not only lives and property but also the very existence of the area.

Participants urged authorities to take immediate and effective action, including installing CC blocks or geo-bags in the affected areas, to ensure long-term protection against river erosion.

In Kenya, a growing debate over language use in education is reshaping classroom experiences. Students like Lona Chepkemoi, who returned to study fashion design at a technical college in 2023, found new confidence when lessons were taught in her native Kalenjin language alongside Swahili and English. Her experience reflects a wider global issue highlighted by UNESCO’s Global Education Monitoring report, which notes that nearly 40 percent of students worldwide are taught in languages they do not fully understand.

Kenya’s policy allows mother-tongue instruction up to grade three, after which English becomes the main medium. However, in practice, language use varies by region and teacher ability. Across Africa, colonial-era languages such as English, French, and Portuguese still dominate classrooms, even though many children speak different languages at home. UNESCO continues to advocate for mother-tongue-based multilingual education as key to improving literacy and learning outcomes.

Kenyan educators and students acknowledge the benefits of local-language instruction but also recognize the necessity of English for higher education and global employment. Balancing these competing needs remains a central challenge for the country’s education system.

Four members of a family in Kerala, India, have died by suicide after being unable to pay their house rent. Police reported that the body of a seven-year-old girl was recovered from a river near Piravom on Sunday, marking the completion of the search for all four family members. Earlier, on Friday evening, the bodies of the girl’s visually impaired mother Viji and her two-year-old brother were found in the same river, followed by the father’s body on Saturday.

Investigators identified Viji and her son as residents of a rented house in Kothamangalam. The father, Narayanan, originally from Palakkad, had been living there with his family. Police said the family had recently sought help from the Kothamangalam police station after failing to pay rent due to financial hardship. Authorities had arranged alternative housing for them, where they were scheduled to move on Sunday.

CCTV footage from a restaurant in Piravom showed the family dining together on Thursday. Police have registered an unnatural death case and will hand over the bodies to relatives after autopsy.

Allegations have surfaced that around 50 dredgers are being used to extract sand from the Padma River in Naria upazila of Shariatpur, threatening nearby farmland and riverbanks. Locals claim that the operation, allegedly led by Naria BNP general secretary Farid Ahmed Royal, is removing sand directly from the riverbed, endangering about 5,000 acres of agricultural land in Bosarchar and Charatra mouzas. Royal, however, insists he is legally extracting sand purchased through a government auction and denies cutting sand from the riverbed.

Officials from the Water Development Board said a major river protection project was implemented in 2019 after severe erosion between 2013 and 2018 displaced 25,000 families. The auctioned sand was originally stockpiled during river dredging under that project. Local authorities confirm the auction covered only stored sand, not riverbed extraction, and have pledged to investigate the current activities.

Residents fear that unregulated dredging could undermine the costly river protection works and trigger renewed erosion. The district BNP president and local MP stated that any illegal sand extraction, regardless of political affiliation, would face legal action.

Pakistan’s High Commissioner to Bangladesh, Imran Haider, paid a courtesy call on Prime Minister’s Defense Adviser A K M Shamsul Islam on Sunday at the adviser’s office in the Armed Forces Division located in Dhaka Cantonment. The meeting was attended by a three-member delegation from Pakistan.

During the meeting, both sides discussed existing bilateral relations and issues of mutual interest between Bangladesh and Pakistan. They exchanged views on enhancing military-level cooperation, sharing experiences, and strengthening training programs between the two countries.

According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the courtesy meeting is expected to contribute to further strengthening and expanding defense cooperation and friendly relations between Bangladesh and Pakistan in the future.

Kuwait has condemned Iran’s recent attack, describing it as a clear violation of the country’s sovereignty. In a statement issued by the Kuwaiti Ministry of Foreign Affairs on June 28, 2026, the government said Iran’s aggression undermines ongoing regional and global efforts to reduce tensions and poses a direct challenge to the international community supporting these initiatives.

The statement emphasized Kuwait’s full right to take necessary measures to protect its sovereignty, maintain security and stability, and safeguard its citizens and residents. The condemnation followed reports that Iran launched an attack on the Ali Al Salem base in Kuwait, targeting U.S. forces, after the United States bombed Iran’s coastal areas in response to an earlier assault on ships in the Strait of Hormuz.

The developments have heightened regional tensions, with Kuwait reaffirming its commitment to defending its territory while urging restraint to prevent further escalation.

Residents of Madarganj upazila in Jamalpur are facing severe disruptions to daily life due to prolonged power outages amid intense heat. For several weeks, electricity has been unavailable for 16 to 18 hours a day, affecting both urban and rural areas. The shortage has disrupted normal routines, business operations, and students’ studies, with children, the elderly, and the sick suffering the most.

According to the Madarganj zonal office of Palli Bidyut, the upazila’s current electricity demand stands at 18 megawatts, but only 7 megawatts are being supplied—about 39 percent of total demand. The shortfall has forced authorities to impose long hours of load-shedding. Residents report frequent power cuts lasting two to three hours at a time, with electricity returning only briefly before going out again.

Local businesses are incurring financial losses, and students preparing for exams are struggling to study by candlelight. The deputy general manager of the Madarganj zonal office said the situation would improve once power supply from the national grid increases.

Education Minister Ehsanul Haque Milon told the National Parliament on June 28, 2026, that around 67,000 applications for retirement benefits from private educational institution teachers and employees remain unresolved. Each applicant is entitled to an average of 1.3 million taka in retirement benefits. To settle all pending applications, about 8,710 crore taka is required, but the retirement fund currently holds only 1,300 crore taka, leaving a shortfall of roughly 7,410 crore taka.

The minister also said that the Private Educational Institution Teachers and Employees Welfare Trust has about 45,000 pending applications from August 2023 to June 21, 2026, requiring a one-time allocation of 3,150 crore taka. He stated that the government is committed to ensuring timely disbursement of retirement and welfare benefits and has initiated measures to address the financial crisis.

To speed up processing, the government has taken steps including reactivating software systems, increasing manpower, expanding online operations, and enabling direct fund transfers to teachers’ and employees’ bank accounts through the iBAS++ system.

Democratic Congressman Ro Khanna has warned that President Donald Trump could face legal action if he continues military operations against Iran. Khanna stated that the recent US attacks on Iranian targets violate a war powers resolution passed by Congress this week, which restricts the president’s authority to engage in hostilities without explicit congressional approval.

The Senate passed the resolution on Tuesday by a 50–48 vote, following a similar bill passed earlier in the House on June 3. The measure directs the president to withdraw US armed forces from hostilities against Iran unless Congress has declared war or specifically authorized such action. The US Central Command claimed responsibility for airstrikes on ten Iranian military targets, while Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps reported bombings in five coastal areas.

The dispute underscores growing tensions between the executive branch and Congress over control of military actions, with potential legal challenges looming if the administration does not comply with the resolution.

A nonprofit organization called the Hind Rajab Foundation has filed a request in the United States seeking prosecution of Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir on charges of war crimes, genocide, and direct incitement to genocide. The petition was submitted to the US Department of Justice ahead of Ben-Gvir’s possible visit to New York City in early July.

The foundation stated that the move comes amid growing international concern over Ben-Gvir’s actions and rhetoric. Last year, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Norway, and the United Kingdom imposed sanctions on him for allegedly inciting violence against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank. He has repeatedly called for intensifying Israeli military operations in the region.

Following a Hezbollah attack that killed four Israeli soldiers last week, Ben-Gvir reportedly said that “the whole of Lebanon should be burned.” The Hind Rajab Foundation’s US representative, Jake Rome, described Ben-Gvir as one of the most serious offenders of the time and urged Washington to arrest and prosecute him.

State Minister for Primary and Mass Education Bobby Hajjaj announced that Bangladesh’s education system will be restructured to produce skilled, ethical, and employable citizens rather than merely degree holders. Speaking as chief guest at the 2026 freshman reception for Tejgaon College’s undergraduate program in Dhaka, he emphasized that the government’s priority is to align education with real-life skills, values, and employment opportunities.

Citing World Bank data, Hajjaj noted that the average Bangladeshi higher secondary student’s learning level is comparable to that of a sixth-grade student in Singapore, calling the situation alarming. He attributed the decline in education quality to long-standing corruption, mismanagement, and poor planning, which have left many graduates unemployed. The government, he said, is implementing reforms to reverse this trend.

Hajjaj also stressed the importance of moral education, stating that building a developed nation requires citizens with integrity and responsibility. The event was chaired by Tejgaon College Principal Professor Shamima Yasmin and attended by National University Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr. A.S.M. Amanullah and other faculty members.

A major tragedy was averted in Mumbai during the Ashura Tazia procession when police arrested a man accused of attempting to poison thousands of participants. On Friday, authorities detained Fayaz Premji in the Byculla area after several people fell ill from consuming pills he had distributed. Tests revealed the pills contained zinc phosphide, a toxic compound commonly used in rat poison. Premji reportedly admitted that he planned to kill around 15,000 people by distributing the poisonous tablets.

According to NDTV, Premji was seen handing out the pills near the Rehmatabad cemetery on Reay Road, claiming they were painkillers or immunity boosters. At least eleven people became sick after taking the capsules and were hospitalized, though all are now out of danger. One of the affected individuals, Salman Sayed, reported stomach pain and vomiting after ingestion.

A local court on Saturday placed Premji in police custody for two days as the investigation continues into the attempted mass poisoning plot.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that there is no possibility of establishing an independent Palestinian state. Speaking to reporters, he said there is no room for two states between the sea and the Jordan River. When asked whether a Palestinian state could be allowed if he returns to power after the upcoming Israeli elections, Netanyahu reiterated that one of the principles of the broad national government he seeks to lead is that there is no place for two states.

Netanyahu added that three years ago, public opinion on the issue was divided, with most people opposing a Palestinian state but a significant portion supporting it. He claimed that the situation has now changed and that this shift forms the basis of a new agreement. Earlier, he described a framework agreement with Lebanon as a historic achievement and a major blow to Iran and Hezbollah.

The remarks underscore Netanyahu’s firm stance against a two-state solution and highlight his focus on regional security and political consolidation ahead of the elections.

The International Crimes Tribunal-1 in Dhaka on Sunday sentenced former Dhaka Metropolitan Police Commissioner Habibur Rahman, former ADC of Rampura Zone Rashedul Islam, and former OC of Rampura Police Station Moshiur Rahman to death for crimes against humanity. The verdict relates to the killing of Amir Hossain, Maya Islam, and Md. Nadim during the July uprising in Rampura. The tribunal also sentenced former SI Tarikul Islam to life imprisonment and former ASI Chanchal Chandra Sarkar to 20 years in prison.

The three-member panel, led by Justice Golam Mortuza Mojumdar, delivered the verdict at around 12:15 p.m. The other members were Justice Shafiul Alam Mahmud and Judge Mohitul Haque Enam Chowdhury. Of the five accused, four remain absconding, with only Chanchal Chandra Sarkar appearing in court from prison. Chief Prosecutor Aminul Islam stated that the prosecution presented all evidence and sought the highest punishment for the accused.

The trial began in October last year, with arguments concluding on June 15. The tribunal had earlier deferred the verdict to allow submission of new digital evidence before setting June 28 for pronouncement.

Government party lawmaker Mahbub Uddin Khokon, representing Noakhali-1, stated in the Bangladesh Parliament on Sunday that the country does not need so many banks. Speaking during the national budget discussion, he said that public money is being used to cover bank deficits and criticized the practice of politicians seeking to establish banks or leasing companies. He suggested reducing the number of banks and proposed canceling 500 and 1,000 taka notes to encourage people to deposit money and legalize undeclared funds through taxation.

Mahbub Uddin also highlighted money laundering as a persistent problem since independence, noting that despite publishing white papers, no laundered funds have returned to the country. He argued that Bangladesh’s financial system must change so that people feel their money is safe domestically. He cited examples of other countries where money flows despite limited legal restrictions and urged reforms to make domestic investment more secure.

He further described the proposed budget as a vision for one year’s development, emphasizing social protection, training, and employment initiatives, while identifying law and order deterioration and unemployment as key challenges to implementation.