Faruk Ahmed Kajol, widely known as 'Hundi Kajol' from Kotchandpur in Jhenaidah, died on June 24 while undergoing treatment at a hospital in India, according to family and local sources. Kajol was accused of embezzling around Tk 2,500 crore through illegal hundi operations and fraudulent multi-level marketing schemes between the early 1990s and 2000. He allegedly lured thousands of people, including expatriates and local businessmen, with promises of high returns before disappearing with the money.

The scam left hundreds of middle- and lower-income families destitute, and some victims reportedly took their own lives. Multiple cases were filed against Kajol, and the situation in Kotchandpur became tense, prompting a ministerial visit in 1996 to reassure investors. Kajol later fled to India after securing bail and remained in hiding until his death.

Following news of his death, local victims expressed mixed reactions, with many lamenting that his passing ended their hopes of recovering lost funds. Police confirmed awareness of his death but said no official information had yet been received regarding burial or subsequent procedures.

Three Democratic candidates known for their strong criticism of Israel won by large margins in New York’s House primaries, marking what analysts describe as a significant shift in the party’s internal stance on Israel and growing support for Palestinians. The winners—Brad Lander, Claire Valdez, and Darializa Avila Chevalier—made criticism of Israeli government policies a central campaign theme, with backing from New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, a vocal advocate for Palestinian rights.

Analysts note that support for Israel among younger Democratic voters has declined sharply, especially after Israel’s military actions in Gaza following October 7, 2023. Recent surveys show 60 percent of Democratic supporters sympathize more with Palestinians, compared to 15 percent with Israel. Senator Chris Van Hollen said more Democrats now oppose unconditional U.S. aid to Israel and expect this stance to influence the next Congress.

The results also highlight the weakening influence of pro-Israel lobbying group AIPAC, whose supported candidates lost several key races. Upcoming Democratic primaries in states like Michigan and Minnesota are expected to further test the party’s evolving position on the Israel-Palestine issue.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino has confirmed that he will jointly present the World Cup trophy with U.S. President Donald Trump at the final on July 19. The decision marks a break from FIFA’s long-standing protocol, under which the FIFA President alone hands the trophy to the winning team’s captain. Infantino disclosed the plan during an interview with Fox & Friends, saying, “We are always together.”

The move has sparked renewed debate in the football world about Infantino’s close relationship with Trump. The FIFA chief had previously drawn criticism for awarding Trump the “FIFA Peace Prize” during a World Cup draw event. Trump also broke protocol last season by handing the Club World Cup trophy to Chelsea captain Reece James, which caused confusion among players and widespread criticism. Historically, only FIFA presidents such as Sepp Blatter or Infantino have presented the trophy, though exceptions occurred when Queen Elizabeth II and King Juan Carlos did so in 1966 and 1982 respectively.

Infantino’s latest decision has reignited controversy over the blending of politics and football ceremonies.

Bangladesh has described India’s explanation regarding an incident at Delhi airport involving Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s adviser Dr. Zahed Ur Rahman as unsatisfactory. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Dhaka said the event was unfortunate and regrettable. The spokesperson noted that Indian authorities had been duly informed through diplomatic channels that Dr. Rahman would lead Bangladesh’s delegation to a meeting of the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA).

Despite prior notification, Dr. Rahman was reportedly prevented from continuing his journey at Delhi airport earlier this month, when he was scheduled to head the delegation at the IORA meeting. The spokesperson reiterated Bangladesh’s disappointment over the treatment of its delegate.

Responding to a separate question about India’s comments on minorities in Bangladesh, the spokesperson said Bangladesh believes every state has an equal responsibility to ensure the rights and security of all its citizens, including minorities, and reaffirmed the government’s commitment to protecting those rights.

Thousands of residents in Sitakunda, Chattogram, have faced severe difficulties after a central server failure disrupted the prepaid electricity system for two consecutive days. The outage has affected around 40,000 customers from Kumira to Darogahat, leaving many unable to recharge their meters through mobile banking services. Although money is being deducted from users’ accounts, the amounts are not being added to their meters, and no recharge tokens are being issued.

Local reports indicate that many customers have repeatedly tried to recharge without success, forcing some to rely on emergency loan features to maintain temporary power supply. Families with children, elderly, students, and sick members are reportedly suffering the most as daily activities, education, and healthcare face disruption. Residents have criticized the lack of an effective backup system for such a vital digital public service.

Officials from the Barabkunda residential electricity office confirmed the issue, while the Bangladesh Power Development Board’s regional chief engineer said efforts are underway to restore the server soon. Observers have called for stronger backup and risk management systems to prevent similar crises in the future.

Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami has expelled four members following an incident of assault on journalists during a protest in Dhaka’s Dhanmondi area. The decision was announced on Wednesday, June 24, 2026, through a press release signed by Abdus Sattar Suman, assistant publicity secretary of Dhaka Metropolitan Jamaat. The expulsions came a day after the incident, based on recommendations from a party investigation committee.

According to the statement, the attack occurred after a speech at an anti-fascism protest march organized by the Dhanmondi zone of Jamaat’s Dhaka South unit. The expelled members were identified as Shafiqul Islam, Khairul Alam Russel, Abul Kalam, and Mamun Hossain. Party leaders from Dhaka South Jamaat visited the home of injured journalist Mahfuzur Rahman Shishir and expressed regret over the incident. A four-member committee was immediately formed to investigate the matter.

The decision to expel the four members was made following the committee’s report, reflecting the party’s stated effort to address the incident promptly.

Ghana held England to a goalless draw but controversy erupted over a late penalty appeal that was not reviewed by VAR. Ghana’s coach Carlos Queiroz expressed frustration, sarcastically suggesting that the video assistant referee might have been on a coffee break. The incident occurred when Ghana’s Prince Kwabena Adu was challenged by England defender Ezri Konsa inside the box, with replays showing contact on Adu’s knee rather than the ball.

Queiroz questioned whether VAR was functioning properly and argued that the foul warranted both a penalty and a red card. BBC analysts, including former England captain Wayne Rooney and ex-defender Micah Richards, agreed that the challenge could easily have been penalized. Former assistant referee Darren Cann also said the referee should have been advised to review the incident.

Analysts noted that FIFA’s current VAR policy under chief refereeing officer Pierluigi Collina gives more authority to on-field referees, reducing VAR intervention in borderline cases. Ghana, despite earning one point, left the match questioning whether VAR had truly seen the incident.

Finance Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury announced that the nomination for the managing director of Islami Bank Bangladesh PLC has been finalized and the appointment will be made soon. He made the statement in the National Parliament on Wednesday in response to a question from Jamalpur-3 MP Md. Mostafizur Rahman Babul regarding plans to make the newly formed Combined Islami Bank fully functional.

The minister explained that under the Bank Resolution Scheme 2025, customers of five banks under resolution are able to withdraw their deposits from the Combined Islami Bank. The government has already appointed a chairman for the bank’s board of directors, who has assumed responsibility, and directors have also been appointed. The process of appointing the managing director is ongoing.

He added that the new board, under close supervision of the relevant division, is working to make the bank fully operational as soon as possible. Preparations include developing organizational structure and service rules, integrating IT and CBS systems, merging staff and branches, and recruiting key officers such as the company secretary, chief finance officer, and chief technology officer.

Pirojpur-1 MP Masud Sayeedi stated that the district had been deprived for 17 years because it was the birthplace of Allama Delwar Hossain Sayeedi. He confirmed that the government has now approved Pirojpur as an economic zone and initiated plans to extend rail connectivity with Dhaka. The approval came during an Executive Committee of the National Economic Council meeting on June 14, followed by confirmation from the rail minister on June 16. Masud Sayeedi said he had personally met the prime minister to present the district’s development needs and received assurances of support.

According to the report, the establishment of the economic zone is expected to transform the coastal region’s economy by creating large-scale employment and expanding industries in fisheries, agriculture, and marine resource processing. Improved rail connectivity will ease transport of goods and passengers, boost trade, and enhance living standards. Local residents have expressed gratitude to the prime minister and the MP for these initiatives.

Stakeholders believe the projects will end Pirojpur’s long-standing development deprivation and position it as a key economic hub in southern Bangladesh.

The Bangladesh Embassy in Riyadh has issued an urgent warning to all Bangladeshi expatriates in Saudi Arabia, advising them not to sign or provide fingerprints on any blank papers. The advisory, signed by Counselor Md. Mehbub Zaman and released on Wednesday, emphasized that such actions could expose individuals to serious legal and financial risks.

According to the embassy notice, signing blank documents at the request or instruction of any person or organization is highly dangerous. Unscrupulous individuals or groups may exploit such signatures for financial fraud, forgery, illegal transactions, or other criminal activities. Victims could face criminal charges, financial losses, imprisonment, fines, or other legal penalties as a result.

The embassy urged all expatriates to fully understand and verify the content of any written document before signing or providing fingerprints, and to exercise utmost caution to avoid potential exploitation or legal complications.

A court in Madaripur has sentenced Nafiz Molla to 14 years in prison for abducting and raping a 15-year-old girl in Rajoir upazila. The verdict was delivered on Wednesday afternoon by Judge A.S.M. Shahidullah Kayser of the Madaripur Child Violence Suppression Tribunal. Nafiz, son of Matiar Molla from Purkandi Shakharpara village, was also fined 50,000 taka, with an additional six months’ imprisonment in case of non-payment.

According to the case details, on March 21, 2023, the ninth-grade student was abducted by Nafiz and his accomplices while going for private tuition early in the morning. Nafiz later raped her at an undisclosed location. Police rescued the victim and arrested the main accused following the complaint filed by the girl’s mother at Rajoir Police Station.

After three years of legal proceedings, the court delivered the verdict and sent Nafiz to jail. Public Prosecutor Sharif Md. Saiful Kabir confirmed the judgment, stating that both the plaintiff and the prosecution were satisfied with the outcome.

Locals in Ghorashal area of Palash upazila, Narsingdi, detained a microbus driver on Wednesday morning for allegedly trying to abandon a severely injured elderly man by the roadside, believing him to be dead. The incident occurred near Bagdi area on the Panchdona–Ghorashal road. Witnesses said the driver was caught red-handed while attempting to leave the bloodied man in a secluded spot. An angry crowd beat the driver before handing him over to police. The injured man was taken to Palash Upazila Health Complex, where he later died.

Police identified the detained driver as Monir Hossain from Banaripara upazila in Barishal. During initial questioning, Monir claimed that several people in Dhaka’s Gabtoli area had placed the unconscious man in his vehicle and asked him to take the man to a hospital. He said he panicked about possible police trouble and decided to leave the man in Narsingdi. The incident has caused public uproar, and locals demanded a fair investigation and punishment for those responsible.

Police said they are working to identify the deceased and uncover the full circumstances behind the incident.

Bangladesh’s foreign exchange reserves have crossed 36 billion dollars, reaching 36.10 billion dollars by the end of Wednesday, the highest level in 43 months. According to the IMF’s BPM-6 calculation method, the reserves stand at 31.55 billion dollars. The information was confirmed by Bangladesh Bank spokesperson Arif Hossain Khan.

Earlier, on June 14, Bangladesh received a 1 billion dollar loan from the Asian Development Bank as budget support, which raised the reserves to 35.63 billion dollars. Under the BPM-6 method, the reserves were then 31.07 billion dollars. The central bank began publishing reserves under BPM-6 in June 2023, when they stood at 24.75 billion dollars. The reserves had first crossed the 30 billion dollar mark under BPM-6 on January 19 of the current year.

Bangladesh’s reserves had reached an all-time high of 48 billion dollars in August 2021 but later declined due to increased money laundering and currency depreciation. At the time of the Awami League government’s fall, reserves under BPM-6 had dropped to 20.48 billion dollars.

The Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) has distributed financial aid totaling Tk 14 million among 38 families affected by road accidents in Cox’s Bazar. The checks were handed over at a ceremony held on Wednesday afternoon at the Cox’s Bazar Deputy Commissioner’s conference room. The assistance was provided under government directives to support families who lost members or suffered severe injuries, including permanent disabilities.

The event was organized by the BRTA Trustee Board, with Cox’s Bazar Deputy Commissioner Md. A. Mannan serving as chief guest and presiding over the ceremony. Additional Deputy Magistrate Mamnun Ahmed Anik conducted the program, which was attended by BRTA officials, local journalists, labor leaders, and family members of the victims. According to BRTA sources, the beneficiaries include passengers, pedestrians, drivers, and helpers. Injured individuals received between Tk 100,000 and Tk 300,000, while the families of deceased victims received Tk 500,000 each.

BRTA expressed hope that the financial assistance would help the affected families rebuild their lives and support their rehabilitation efforts.

The water level of the Teesta River at Dalia point in Nilphamari dropped slightly below the danger mark on Wednesday, measuring 52.1 centimeters against the danger level of 52.15 centimeters. According to the Water Development Board, the situation in four northern districts has improved as water levels receded, though some low-lying areas in Sylhet and Sunamganj remain temporarily affected by flooding. The board confirmed that all major rivers in the country are currently flowing below danger levels.

The Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre reported that several rivers, including Teesta, Surma, Kushiyara, and Someshwari, are flowing near the warning level at various monitoring stations. Heavy to very heavy rainfall has been recorded in Sylhet and Chattogram divisions, with moderate to heavy rainfall in Rangpur. Upstream regions in India’s West Bengal, Meghalaya, and Tripura have also experienced heavy rainfall, contributing to rising river levels.

Forecasts indicate that water levels in the Brahmaputra-Jamuna and Ganga-Padma river systems may continue to rise over the next five days, potentially causing temporary flooding in some low-lying areas of Kurigram, Gaibandha, Jamalpur, and Bogura districts.