The Sadar Upazila unit of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) organized a protest march and rally in Gopalganj on Wednesday morning, June 24, 2026, to protest against drugs, terrorism, and anarchy. The procession began at 11 a.m. in front of the Sadar Upazila BNP office in the Panchuria area and was led by Sadar Upazila BNP president Sikdar Shahidul Islam Lelin. The march passed through various city streets and concluded in front of the Deputy Commissioner's office, where a brief rally was held.

District BNP convener and Zila Parishad administrator Sharif Rafiquzzaman, district BNP member secretary Advocate Kazi Abul Khayer, BNP leaders Advocate Toufiqul Islam and Ziaul Kabir Biplob, Sadar Upazila BNP general secretary Fazlul Kabir Dara, and district Jubo Dal president Riaz Uddin Lipton addressed the gathering. Leaders and activists from BNP and its affiliated organizations were present at the event.

Speakers urged building social resistance against drugs, terrorism, and anarchy and called for effective measures to improve the law and order situation.

Police in Kaliganj, Jhenaidah, arrested eight leaders and activists of the banned Awami League and its affiliated organizations under the Anti-Terrorism Act. The arrests took place late Tuesday night during operations across several areas of the upazila. On Wednesday afternoon, the detainees were sent to jail through the court following their formal arrest in the case.

According to police sources, the operation was launched after receiving information that former Kaliganj mayor and district Awami League labor affairs secretary Mostafizur Rahman Biju was hosting the party’s founding anniversary event at his residence. Biju reportedly fled the scene as police arrived, while some attendees allegedly engaged in arguments with officers and obstructed their duties. Sub-inspector Moniruzzaman filed the case, naming 11 individuals including Biju and listing 20 to 30 unidentified others as accused.

Police stated that raids were conducted immediately after the case was filed, resulting in the arrest of eight suspects. The court ordered their imprisonment, and efforts to apprehend the remaining accused continue.

Finance Minister Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury informed Parliament that Bangladesh currently has 193.25 million bank accounts, including 177.95 million savings accounts and 1.53 million loan accounts, according to Bangladesh Bank data. He made the disclosure during a parliamentary question session chaired by Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmed. The minister said the government has adopted the National Financial Inclusion Strategy to ensure full adult financial inclusion by 2026, with the current inclusion rate at 64.5 percent.

Responding to separate questions, the minister said around 30 banks affected by loan defaults and illicit fund transfers abroad have engaged nine international legal firms under “no win, no fee” terms to recover funds. He also reported that as of March 2026, Bangladesh’s external debt stood at USD 78,233.448 million, while registered taxpayers increased by 11.86 percent to 13.83 million. Emergency liquidity support totaling Tk 75,903.11 crore has been provided to banks facing cash shortages.

Chowdhury added that five Islamic banks are under the 2025 Bank Resolution Scheme, with depositors being repaid up to Tk 200,000 under the 2026 Deposit Protection Act. Further actions may follow for other liquidity-stressed banks.

In Maheshpur upazila of Jhenaidah, miscreants cut down nearly three thousand dragon fruit trees on about one and a half bighas of land, allegedly due to a longstanding feud. The incident occurred late Tuesday night in the Beltala field area of Azampur Union. The farmer, Shahjalal, who had cultivated the orchard through loans and hard work, suffered a stroke upon discovering the destruction of his fruit-bearing trees on Wednesday morning. He was rescued and admitted to Maheshpur Upazila Health Complex, where he remains under treatment.

According to the victim’s family, the damage amounts to around ten lakh taka. Shahjalal’s father, Robiul Islam, accused two local men, Alamin and Alim, of carrying out the attack after previously threatening to destroy the orchard. Local union leaders, including Chairman Abdus Sattar Khan, visited the site and condemned the act as inhumane and financially devastating. Maheshpur Upazila Nirbahi Officer Sajjad Hossain described the incident as deplorable and directed authorities to take legal action against those responsible.

Officials pledged a thorough investigation and swift arrests of the perpetrators, emphasizing the need for justice for the affected farmer.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz has declared that Israeli forces will not withdraw from southern Lebanon even if pressured by the United States. According to Al Jazeera, citing The Times of Israel, Katz stated that Israel will maintain its military presence in the area despite Washington’s demands.

Katz explained that around 200,000 residents displaced by Israeli attacks and aggression would not be able to return to their homes in southern Lebanon. He argued that previous experiences showed that allowing civilians to live in the security zone led to roadside bombings and attacks on Israeli soldiers. Based on those incidents, he said Israel would not allow a repeat of such situations and would not retreat from the area.

The statement underscores Israel’s firm stance on maintaining control over southern Lebanon, highlighting ongoing tensions in the region amid international calls for de-escalation.

A heated debate erupted in the Bangladesh Parliament over the interpretation of a Quranic verse, leading to a sharp exchange between ruling and opposition lawmakers. The discussion began when Cox’s Bazar-2 MP Alhaj Alamgir Muhammad Mahfuz Ullah Farid cited verse 7 from Surah Ibrahim, interpreting it as a call for gratitude toward the national budget, allocations, and the Prime Minister. He argued that opposition members should show gratitude instead of protesting while seeking budget allocations.

In response, Pabna-1 MP Mohammad Nazibur Rahman of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami criticized the interpretation, saying it distorted the meaning of the verse. He questioned whether failing to praise the government would lead to punishment, calling the explanation a serious misrepresentation of the Quran. Home Minister Asaduddin Ahmed and Jamaat’s senior Nayeb-e-Ameer Professor Mujibur Rahman also spoke on the issue, reflecting the depth of disagreement within the session.

The exchange highlighted rising tensions in parliamentary discourse, with religious references becoming a point of contention between political factions.

Two faculty members of Patuakhali Science and Technology University (PSTU), Professor Dr. S. M. Hemayet Jahan and Professor Dr. Md. Mamunur Rashid, were honored after being appointed vice-chancellors of two separate universities. The felicitation ceremony took place on Wednesday morning at 11 a.m. in the TSC Conference Hall of PSTU, jointly organized by the University Teachers Association of Bangladesh (UTAB) PSTU Unit and Zia Parishad (Officers’ Unit).

The event was presided over by Professor Dr. Mohammad Atikur Rahman, registrar of PSTU and convener of the organizing committee, while Professor Dr. A. B. M. Saiful Islam, dean of the Faculty of Oceanography, conducted the program. Floral greetings, crests, and honorary mementos were presented to the newly appointed PSTU Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr. S. M. Hemayet Jahan and Barishal University Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr. Md. Mamunur Rashid.

Speakers at the event expressed pride in the appointment of the two PSTU teachers as vice-chancellors of universities in southern Bangladesh and voiced optimism that their leadership would enhance education, research, and administrative activities at their respective institutions.

Google has begun rolling out a new feature for Gemini in Chrome called “Select from screen,” allowing users to highlight specific text or images from a webpage and send them directly to the AI assistant. The tool appears in Gemini’s “+” menu and functions like a built-in screenshot utility. Once activated, users can select any visible content in the current browser tab, which is automatically attached to a Gemini prompt. The feature is part of Chrome version 149, and some users may need to restart their browser to see it.

The update is part of Google’s broader effort to make Gemini more integrated with user activity rather than a standalone chatbot. On the same day, Google also announced that developers can now access computer use capabilities through Gemini 3.5 Flash, enabling AI agents to see, reason, and act across browsers, mobile apps, and desktop environments. The company says this integration enhances complex, multi-step automation tasks.

By enabling Gemini to understand and interact directly with on-screen content, Google aims to reduce friction and move toward an AI assistant that can anticipate user intent and assist with tasks more intuitively.

Former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said he secretly helped smuggle thousands of Starlink receivers into Iran to maintain internet access during anti-government protests. He made the statement on Tuesday at the annual policy conference organized by the Jewish News Syndicate (JNS) in Jerusalem. According to Bennett, the plan aimed to assist protesters as Iran’s authorities often cut internet connections during demonstrations.

Bennett explained that the initiative sought to ensure communication among demonstrators even when the government shut down the internet, enabling them to coordinate actions against the regime. He alleged that the program was halted after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government took office, which prevented the establishment of necessary infrastructure for later protests.

Reports indicate that the protests in Iran, which began late last year and intensified in January, resulted in numerous deaths. However, Bennett’s claim about smuggling Starlink receivers into Iran could not be independently verified.

Gulf countries are demanding clear security assurances from the United States in any future agreement with Iran. The issue has gained prominence during U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s current visit to the United Arab Emirates, following recent conflicts in which Iranian counterattacks targeted several Gulf nations. During the war, the UAE faced around 2,800 missile and drone strikes, underscoring its vulnerability.

After his UAE visit, Rubio is scheduled to travel to Kuwait, where key infrastructure such as airports, commercial ports, and desalination plants were also attacked during the conflict. Kuwait considers these facilities critical, as nearly 90 percent of its drinking water comes from desalination plants. The Gulf states view the Strait of Hormuz as strategically vital for their oil and gas exports.

They are therefore seeking U.S. commitments that any future U.S.-Iran deal will include measures to secure the Strait of Hormuz and ensure regional stability, reflecting their heightened security concerns after recent hostilities.

The national task force formed to combat mosquito-borne diseases will carry out regular inspection and monitoring operations in residential and institutional areas of Dhaka to eliminate Aedes mosquitoes during the monsoon season. State Minister for Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Mir Shah Alam announced the initiative while visiting several establishments on roads 107 and 112 in Gulshan-2 as part of the task force’s anti-dengue campaign.

During the visit, the minister urged city residents to keep their balconies, flower pots, rooftop gardens, and surroundings clean to prevent mosquito breeding. Dhaka North City Corporation’s Chief Health Officer Brigadier General Imrul Kayes said the corporation has launched a three-month program focusing on awareness and cleanliness in every household. He also requested public cooperation in removing stagnant water from homes and rooftops.

As part of the operation, Executive Magistrate Marufa Akter Neli fined the owner of Choice Restaurant on road 107 Tk 50,000 for finding mosquito larvae, with a two-month jail term in default. Awareness activities including loudspeaker announcements, leaflet distribution, and sticker campaigns were also conducted.

The Australian government has signed a humanitarian assistance agreement with UNICEF to improve the living standards of Rohingya refugees and local communities in Bangladesh. The signing ceremony took place on Wednesday at the Ministry of Home Affairs in Dhaka, where Australian High Commissioner Susan Ryle and UNICEF Representative in Bangladesh, Sheldon Yett, signed the $16 million (approximately 1.37 billion taka) agreement. Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed attended the event and expressed gratitude to Australia for its continued support.

According to the report, the agreement is part of Australia’s 2026–2028 humanitarian aid package worth 370 million Australian dollars (about 31.62 billion taka) for Rohingya and local populations in Myanmar and Bangladesh. Since 2017, Australia has provided a total of 1.26 billion Australian dollars (around 107.7 billion taka) in humanitarian assistance to address the regional crisis. UNICEF will use the new funds to support education, nutrition, child protection, and safe water, sanitation, and hygiene services for Rohingya and host communities.

The Home Minister expressed hope that such international cooperation would continue until the voluntary, safe, and dignified repatriation of Rohingya refugees to Myanmar becomes possible.

BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi has alleged that a certain group is attempting to destabilize the country. Speaking to the media on Wednesday at the BNP central office in Naya Paltan, Dhaka, he said the government will counter such efforts with the support of the people. Rizvi also stated that those accusing others of new fascism are themselves exhibiting fascist tendencies through their actions.

He added that the judicial process concerning the July massacre is progressing at its own pace and that the government is committed to completing the trial. Referring to the Prime Minister’s upcoming visit to China, Rizvi highlighted the BNP’s historical ties with China and expressed optimism that the visit would help reduce the investment gap. He said the Prime Minister would make timely decisions prioritizing national interests in investment matters.

The remarks came amid ongoing political discussions on governance, justice, and foreign investment priorities, as reported from the BNP headquarters.

A record-breaking heatwave sweeping across Europe has caused a major power outage in northwestern France, leaving around 68,000 households without electricity. Authorities said it was the country’s first large-scale power disruption in recent times linked to the ongoing extreme heat. The incident occurred around 9 p.m. Tuesday near Ergué-Gabéric in the Brittany region’s Quimper area, when a transformer fault disrupted the power transmission system. No casualties were reported.

According to the Finistère department administration, the malfunction was related to unusually high temperatures. Power transmission and distribution companies RTE and Enedis worked overnight to restore supply, but full service was expected only by the end of Wednesday. At the peak of the outage, about 106,000 customers across France were without power as the country faced one of its hottest days of the year.

Finistère is among 58 French departments under a maximum “red alert” for extreme heat. Meteorological forecasts warned that temperatures could reach 39 to 41 degrees Celsius from Brittany to the Paris region, with experts linking the persistent heat to atmospheric conditions and global warming.

U.S. President Donald Trump has ordered an investigation into major oil companies for allegedly failing to reduce gasoline prices in line with falling crude oil costs. The directive came Wednesday amid criticism over the impact of the Middle East war on fuel prices. According to AFP, global energy prices surged after Iran blocked oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz in response to U.S. and Israeli attacks in February.

Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform that large oil companies were not lowering pump prices even though they were paying much less for crude, accusing them of overcharging consumers. Gasoline prices remain a sensitive political issue in the United States, where most people rely on fossil-fuel vehicles for transportation. The controversy comes as congressional elections approach in November.

Economists have disputed Trump’s repeated prediction that fuel prices would drop “like a rock” after the conflict ended, saying it could take months for prices to return to prewar levels. Although a preliminary U.S.-Iran deal has reopened oil transit through Hormuz, pump prices remain higher than before the war.