UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has been given until the end of this week by his cabinet allies to announce a timetable for his departure. If he fails to do so, he could be forced out of the Labour Party leadership. The pressure follows Labour’s Andy Burnham winning the Macclesfield by-election by a large margin, with many MPs expecting him to become the next prime minister within weeks.

Around 200 Labour MPs are reportedly ready to sign nomination papers supporting Burnham, while his backers prefer an uncontested transition. Senior ministers including Heidi Alexander, Ed Miliband, and Shabana Mahmood have urged Starmer to set a clear exit timeline. Veteran figures David Blunkett and Harriet Harman have also called for a leadership schedule. Starmer, however, has vowed to continue and warned that a leadership contest could cause chaos within the party.

Party insiders say that if Starmer does not signal resignation or succession plans by this week, the next cabinet meeting could see major intervention. Meanwhile, his supporters are rallying behind Chief Secretary Darren Jones as an alternative to Burnham, while former health minister Wes Streeting may back Burnham in exchange for a senior role.

More than 300 leaders of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) have started preparing for the upcoming Chattogram City Corporation (CCC) election, even though no official schedule has been announced yet. The city’s 41 wards have been operating without councillors since the July uprising, but political activity is intensifying as BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami candidates begin groundwork. Among BNP hopefuls are current and former city committee members, ex-councillors, and leaders from affiliated wings such as Jubo Dal, Swechchhasebak Dal, and Chhatra Dal.

Two major BNP figures, current mayor and former city president Dr. Shahadat Hossain and city general secretary Nazimur Rahman, are leading contenders for the mayoral race. Shahadat, declared mayor by court in 2024 after disputing the 2021 election results, said he seeks a new mandate through a full council election. Jamaat-e-Islami has also named its city organizational secretary Shamsuzzaman Helali as mayoral candidate and plans to field women councillors for the first time.

Both parties are finalizing ward-level nominations, with BNP seeing five to twelve aspirants per ward. Local campaigning includes community meetings, social media outreach, and small-scale development initiatives.

Foreign investors are increasingly showing interest in operating existing container terminals at Chittagong Port, such as NCT, CCT, and JCB, instead of investing in new greenfield projects like Matarbari, Bay Terminal, and Laldia. Global operators including DP World and A.P. Moller-Maersk have submitted proposals to manage these ready terminals, creating a complex situation for the port authority and the ministry.

The shift in investor focus has slowed progress on major new port projects, delaying around six billion dollars in potential foreign investment. The Bay Terminal project, initiated in 2017, has seen little progress beyond design work, while Matarbari Deep Sea Port and other projects are advancing slowly despite secured funding. Meanwhile, Saudi firm Red Sea Gateway, which operates the Patenga Container Terminal, has also proposed to manage NCT despite underperforming at its current terminal.

Experts note that investors prefer ready terminals for quicker returns, while port officials maintain that each project will proceed on separate timelines. The Chittagong Port Authority has pledged to protect national interests in any future agreements.

Widespread extortion and gang violence have turned Dhaka’s Mohammadpur, Adabor, and surrounding areas into zones of fear, according to a June 20, 2026 report by Amar Desh. Residents, traders, and transport workers are being forced to pay extortion money in nearly every sector, from markets to construction. A recent killing of a political activist protesting extortion and repeated attacks on police have intensified public concern. Law enforcement agencies have set up temporary army camps and launched special drives, yet crime remains rampant.

Police data show 696 extortion cases were filed nationwide between January and May, with 236 in Dhaka alone. Experts cited political patronage and the release of underworld figures on bail as key drivers of renewed violence. Mohammadpur and Adabor now host over 50 active criminal groups, including several major gangs involved in drug trade, mugging, and contract violence.

Residents have staged protests demanding increased police presence, CCTV surveillance, and stronger patrols. Police officials claim regular operations are underway but note that offenders often secure bail, limiting enforcement impact.

A man named Shafiqul Islam Chan, aged 60, died after being bitten by a venomous snake in Nilakhia Union of Bakshiganj upazila, Jamalpur. The incident occurred on Friday afternoon in Puran Bashkanda village while he was cutting grass for his cattle. Shafiqul Islam Chan was known to be a rural medical practitioner.

According to family and local sources, the snake bit him around 11 a.m. while he was working in a jute field near his home. He returned home after the bite, and his family took him to Bakshiganj Upazila Health Complex. As his condition worsened, he was referred to Jamalpur General Hospital, where he died later in the afternoon. The acting chairman of Nilakhia Union Parishad, Hamidur Rahman Forsa, confirmed awareness of the incident.

Local authorities have been informed, but no further details about the type of snake or official investigation were reported in the source.

Bangladeshi intelligence agencies have reportedly uncovered a plan by the banned Awami League to create unrest across the country ahead of its June 23 founding anniversary. According to the report, the group intends to stage sudden processions, detonate crude bombs, and vandalize vehicles in Dhaka and other key cities to spread panic and disrupt public order. Security sources said recent small-scale explosions in Dhaka, Chattogram, and Meherpur were seen as rehearsals for larger coordinated actions.

The report claims that 16 former leaders from affiliated organizations are coordinating the plan, with a Dhaka city councillor allegedly financing the operations. Police headquarters have warned that the group may attempt to raise flags and hold rallies, potentially clashing with other political groups. A parallel campaign involving a controversial “Ram temple” issue in Gaibandha is also being linked to efforts to inflame religious sentiment.

Police officials stated that strict security measures, including checkpoints and additional forces at sensitive points, have been deployed to prevent any banned organization from taking to the streets.

The BNP-led government has initiated a major plan to make Bangladesh’s agricultural irrigation fully solar-powered. According to the Ministry of Agriculture, a policy decision is being prepared to convert all diesel and electricity-driven irrigation pumps to solar energy. The Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation (BADC) has been instructed to implement the plan, which includes a proposed five-year project from July 2025 to June 2030 to install 50,900 solar irrigation units across the country at a cost of about Tk 6,996 crore.

Field-level farmers have welcomed the initiative but raised concerns about technical challenges. Some reported that earlier solar pumps failed to provide sufficient water during cloudy weather or at night, forcing them to rely on deep tube wells. Experts and economists have supported the solar transition, noting potential savings in fuel imports, reduced carbon emissions, and long-term cost benefits for farmers.

If implemented effectively, the project could save hundreds of crores of taka in diesel costs annually and add around 150 megawatts of electricity to the national grid through net metering, easing pressure on Bangladesh’s energy supply.

Iran’s National Security Committee chief Ebrahim Azizi has warned that the United States will have to pay a price if it fails to honor the commitments made under a memorandum of understanding with Tehran. He stated that the Trump administration did not uphold the first clause of the agreement, which required both sides to immediately and permanently halt military operations on all fronts, particularly in Lebanon.

In a post on social media platform X, Azizi said that Washington’s failure to adhere to the first clause demonstrates that the United States still lacks the goodwill necessary to gain the trust of the Iranian nation. He added that if this situation continues, the U.S. will face significant consequences.

Azizi further noted that the first response to the violation of the agreement’s commitments would be an intelligent and deterrent reaction from Iran. The comments were reported by Al Jazeera, according to the source.

Two young sisters drowned while bathing in a pond in Mohanganj upazila of Netrokona district on Friday afternoon. The incident occurred in Pabai village under Barkashia-Birampur Union during a family wedding. The victims were Niha Akter, aged 7, and Noha Akter, aged 3, daughters of local hand trolley driver Nizam Uddin. They were the couple’s only children.

According to Mohanganj Police Station Officer-in-Charge Hafizul Islam Harun, the children’s mother was busy with wedding activities while their father was also engaged in related tasks. Taking advantage of the moment, the two sisters went to bathe in the pond near their house and drowned. Locals noticed one child floating and raised an alarm, after which both were rescued and taken to Mohanganj Upazila Health Complex, where doctors declared them dead.

Neighbor Mizanur Rahman said the deaths cast a shadow of grief over the family and the entire area.

Bangladesh’s Prime Minister Tarique Rahman will embark on his first bilateral visit to China from June 22 to 26, following a stop in Malaysia. The visit, which includes meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang, aims to establish a new foundation for Dhaka–Beijing political and strategic relations. More than ten memoranda of understanding and three agreements are expected to be signed, covering cooperation in education, human resource development, agriculture, trade, investment, artificial intelligence, media, communication, and development assistance.

Senior diplomats and analysts describe the trip as highly significant amid ongoing tensions in Dhaka–Delhi relations and debates over a recent trade deal with the United States. Bangladesh is expected to express support for China’s position on Taiwan and may announce participation in the Global Development Initiative. Discussions could also include Bangladesh’s interest in joining RCEP, BRICS, and the SCO, as well as cooperation on the Teesta River project.

Preparations for the visit are ongoing, with multiple meetings held between the Chinese embassy and Bangladesh’s foreign ministry. Observers view the trip as both a strategic and economic opportunity for Bangladesh to secure political backing and potential financial support from China.

At least 25 of Bangladesh’s 59 public universities have seen new vice-chancellors appointed since the BNP government took office, with reports indicating that political considerations have outweighed academic merit. The appointments began within a month of the new administration’s formation, replacing many who were appointed by the post-uprising interim government. Critics claim that the government is prioritizing party loyalty over qualifications, with several new vice-chancellors linked to BNP-affiliated teacher organizations such as Zia Parishad and the Sada Dal.

The Education Ministry’s search committee, reconstituted in April, is formally responsible for recommending candidates, but its procedures have reportedly not been consistently followed. Protests and controversies have erupted at several universities, including Begum Rokeya and Jamalpur Science and Technology, where appointments were quickly reversed. Opposition parties, including Jamaat-e-Islami, have condemned the mass replacements as politically motivated.

The BNP’s election manifesto had pledged merit-based recruitment in public institutions, but the recent wave of politically aligned appointments has raised doubts about that commitment. Education experts have urged adherence to ethical and legal standards in university leadership selection.

Former U.S. President Barack Obama has said the current situation in the United States is worse than it was before the start of the Iran war. In an interview with NBC News ahead of the inauguration of the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago on Friday, he expressed concern over the heavy costs of the conflict, including billions of dollars spent, pressure on the military, and loss of lives, while achieving no tangible results.

Obama criticized the Trump administration’s withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear deal, known as the JCPOA, arguing that it allowed Iran to expand its nuclear capabilities. Meanwhile, U.S. Vice President JD Vance claimed that the peace plan has weakened Iran’s conventional military power and reduced fuel prices, though his postponed trip to Switzerland has created uncertainty over new talks. Iran’s chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf warned that Tehran’s red lines must be respected in any future negotiations.

Oil transport disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz have raised global market concerns, with ExxonMobil’s senior vice president Neil Chapman warning that prices could rise to $150–160 per barrel if strategic reserves fall critically low.

Iran and the United States have signed a memorandum of understanding that reopened the Hormuz Strait after months of closure. Despite this development, analysts warn that the global oil crisis is far from over. Data from analytics firm Kpler show that about 1.15 billion barrels of oil have been lost from global supply during the conflict, leaving the market fragile and near collapse.

The International Energy Agency reports that global oil reserves are now at their lowest since 1990, while U.S. emergency reserves have hit a 43-year low. At the G7 summit in Versailles, U.S. President Donald Trump warned that American reserves could run out within four weeks if the strait had remained closed. Although oil prices have dropped below 80 dollars per barrel from a wartime high of 126.41 dollars, experts caution that prices may rise again as supply recovery will be slow.

According to the IEA, even with an additional daily output of five million barrels, it could take nearly a year to restore lost supply. Some analysts, however, believe OPEC Plus members are eager to boost production, suggesting the crisis may ease within weeks.

A 14-year-old school student named Md. Mahim Sheikh died after being electrocuted while putting up a Brazil flag in Gafargaon, Mymensingh. The incident occurred on Friday evening in Dakshin Harina village under Paikbag Union of the upazila’s Pagla Police Station area. Mahim was the son of Md. Nayon Sheikh and a student of class eight at Paikbag Islamia High School.

According to police and family sources, Mahim had earlier erected a bamboo pole to hoist the Brazil flag. A few days later, the pole tilted, and while he was trying to straighten it on Friday, it came into contact with a nearby 33 kV power line. He was electrocuted and collapsed on the ground. Locals rescued him and took him first to Gafargaon Upazila Health Complex and later to Mymensingh Medical College Hospital, where doctors declared him dead.

The report did not mention any further investigation or official statement regarding the incident.

Intelligence agencies have reported that the banned Awami League is allegedly planning nationwide unrest and sabotage on June 23, coinciding with its founding anniversary. The group is accused of preparing flash processions, cocktail explosions, and attacks in Dhaka, Savar, and Chattogram to create panic and disrupt public order. Security sources said at least 15 key points in Dhaka, including Motijheel, Dhanmondi, and Mirpur, have been identified for coordinated disturbances.

According to the report, 16 individuals, including former leaders of affiliated organizations such as the Chhatra League, Jubo League, and Krishak League, are coordinating the plan, with a Dhaka city councillor named as a main financier. Recent small-scale explosions in Dhaka, Chattogram, and Meherpur are described as trial runs. A parallel attempt to stir religious tension through a Ram Mandir issue in Gaibandha’s Palashbari has also been linked to the alleged plan.

Police officials stated that strict security measures are in place, with checkpoints and additional forces deployed across the capital. Law enforcement has adopted a zero-tolerance policy to prevent any banned organization from taking to the streets.