United News of Bangladesh

Five people including four members of a family suffered burn injuries in an explosion apparently from gas cylinder blast at a house at Madanpur in Narayanganj district on Thursday. The victims were identified as Hazrat Ali, 8, Meem, 13, Sultana, 34, Mannan, 50 and Siam, 19. Witnesses said  gas cylinder exploded with a big bang in the morning, leaving five people injured. Later, they were taken to National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery and burn unit of Dhaka Medical College and Hospital. Dr. Shaon Bin Rahman, resident surgeon of the National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery, said among the injured Mannan received 30 percent burn injuries while Siam with 77 percent, Meem with 41 percent, Hazrat with eight percent and Sultana Shahir with 90 percent injuries were undergoing treatment at the hospital.  

The Cabinet on Thursday approved the proposed national budget for the fiscal year 2026-27 at a special meeting held at the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban. The meeting was chaired by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman in the Cabinet Room of the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban, said Prime Minister’s Additional Press Secretary Atikur Rahman Rumon. Finance Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury and other ministers and state ministers attended the meeting that began at about 10:00am and ended around 1:00pm. The finance minister is scheduled to place the proposed budget in Parliament at 3:00pm after it receives presidential authentication. The proposed budget, the first under the current government, has an outlay of Tk 9.38 lakh crore. This year’s budget is expected to focus on controlling inflation, generating employment, encouraging investment, strengthening economic stability and supporting lower-income and disadvantaged groups, according to the finance minister and government officials. The government has set an overall revenue mobilisation target of Tk 6.95 lakh crore to finance the expenditure programme. Of the total revenue target, the National Board of Revenue (NBR) is expected to collect Tk 6.04 lakh crore. Another Tk 25,000 crore is projected to come from non-NBR tax sources, while non-tax revenue receipts are estimated at Tk 66,000 crore. A significant portion of the budget will be spent on debt servicing. The government has allocated Tk 1.27 lakh crore for interest payments, including Tk 1.05 lakh crore for domestic debt and Tk 22,500 crore for foreign loans. The proposed budget projects an overall deficit of Tk 2.43 lakh crore. To finance the deficit, the government plans to borrow Tk 1.09 lakh crore from external sources and Tk 1.12 lakh crore from the banking system. The remaining Tk 15,000 crore is expected to be mobilised through national savings certificates. With this, the BNP government is going to present a national budget in Parliament after for 20 years following its return to power with a majority in the 13th parliamentary election.

Two individuals and three institutions have been nominated for the National Wildlife Conservation Award 2026 in recognition of their outstanding contributions to wildlife conservation, education, research and combating wildlife crimes. The nominations were finalised under the National Wildlife Conservation Award Policy 2025, according to a notification issued on Thursday by the Forest-2 Branch of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. According to the notification, wildlife researcher and conservationist Adnan Azad (Faisal Bin Azad) has been nominated for the award in the Wildlife Conservation (Individual Category). In the Wildlife Conservation (Institution/Organisation Category), Nature Conservation Management (NACOM) has been selected for the national award. Meanwhile, Prof Dr Sajeda Begum of the Department of Zoology at Jahangirnagar University has been nominated in the Wildlife Education and Research (Individual Category). The Department of Zoology at Jahangirnagar University has been selected for the award in the Wildlife Education and Research (Institution Category). In addition, the Wildlife Crime Control Unit of the Forest Department has been nominated in the Forest Department Officials/Employees/Unit/Division Category for its role in wildlife conservation and suppression of wildlife-related crimes. The awards recognise exceptional contributions made by individuals and organisations in protecting wildlife, advancing research and education, and strengthening efforts against wildlife trafficking and other wildlife-related offences.

A special meeting of the Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, is underway to approve the proposed national budget for the 2026-27 fiscal year. The meeting began at 10:00am on Thursday at the Cabinet Room of the Parliament Secretariat. According to established practice, the special Cabinet meeting is held before the national budget is placed in Parliament. The Cabinet formally approves the budget proposal at the meeting. After the meeting, Prime Minister Tarique Rahman is expected to join the parliamentary session at 3:00pm along with Finance Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury. The finance minister will then place the national budget for FY27 in Parliament. The proposed budget, the first under the current government, has an outlay of Tk 9.38 lakh crore.

The BNP government is set to present a national budget in Parliament after for 20 years following its return to power with a majority in the 13th parliamentary election. Finance Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury is scheduled to place the budget for the 2026-27 fiscal year in Parliament at 3:00pm today on behalf of the government, led by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman. The proposed budget, estimated at around Tk 9.38 lakh crore, will be Bangladesh’s 55th national budget since independence. Bangladesh’s budget journey began in 1972 when Finance Minister Tajuddin Ahmad presented the country's first national budget worth Tk 786 crore. Since then, successive governments have used the annual budget as the principal instrument for implementing economic and development policies. The last budget presented by a BNP government was for FY 2006-07, when then Finance Minister M Saifur Rahman placed the budget in Parliament during the administration of former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia. The FY27 budget comes in a changed political environment following the July 2024 uprising and the subsequent political transition that paved the way for the 13th parliamentary election and the formation of an elected government. Last year, the budget was presented outside Parliament by Finance Adviser Salehuddin Ahmed of the interim government, led by Prof Muhammad Yunus, and broadcast through state-run Bangladesh Television (BTV). The proposed new budget is expected to be passed by Parliament on June 30 and will take effect from July 1, the first day of the new fiscal year. Since independence, 14 finance ministers, finance advisers and other officials holding responsibility for the finance portfolio have presented national budgets under different democratic, caretaker and military-backed administrations. Two former finance ministers – M Saifur Rahman and Abul Maal Abdul Muhith – jointly hold the record for presenting the highest number of budgets, with 12 each. This year’s budget is expected to focus on controlling inflation, generating employment, encouraging investment, strengthening economic stability and supporting lower-income and disadvantaged groups, according to the finance minister and government officials.

The government is all set to place the national budget –with a financial outlay of Tk 9.38 lakh crore – for the fiscal year 2026-27 in Parliament today, mapping out a strategy targeted at stabilisation and fiscal reform. Finance Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury will present the proposed budget in the House at 3:00pm. This is the first budget of the current BNP government after it took office through the February 12 general election. According to high-level treasury sources, the government has set an ambitious overall revenue mobilisation target of Tk 6.95 lakh crore to fund the massive public expenditure. Out of the total revenue target, the National Board of Revenue (NBR) has been given the task of collecting Tk 6.04 lakh crore. Additionally, Tk 25,000 crore is expected to come from non-NBR tax sectors, while non-tax revenue (NTR) sources are projected to yield Tk 66,000 crore. A major portion of the resource allocation will be consumed by debt servicing obligations. The government has earmarked Tk 1.27 lakh crore solely for interest payments on loans. Of the amount, Tk 1.05 lakh crore will go towards servicing domestic debt, while foreign loan interest payments will require Tk 22,500 crore. The draft proposal estimates the overall budget deficit at Tk 2.43 lakh crore. To bridge this significant fiscal deficit, the government plans to borrow Tk 1.09 lakh crore from foreign funding sources. For domestic deficit financing, the administration will heavily rely on the country’s banking system, planning to borrow Tk 1.12 lakh crore from commercial banks. The remaining gap of Tk 15,000 crore is projected to be met through the sales of national savings certificates. Macroeconomic analysts indicate that the primary challenge for the new government will be controlling inflationary pressures and ensuring efficient revenue collection without disrupting industrial growth, as the country navigates a complex economic transition.

The new government is all set to place its first national budget with a financial outlay of Tk 9.38 lakh crore for the fiscal year 2026-27 in Parliament on Thursday, mapping out a strategy targeted at stabilisation and fiscal reform. Finance Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury will present the proposed budget in the House at 3:00pm. According to high-level treasury sources, the government has set an ambitious overall revenue mobilisation target of Tk 6.95 lakh crore to fund the massive public expenditure. Out of the total revenue target, the National Board of Revenue (NBR) has been given the task of collecting Tk 6.04 lakh crore. Additionally, Tk 25,000 crore is expected to come from non-NBR tax sectors, while non-tax revenue (NTR) sources are projected to yield Tk 66,000 crore. A major portion of the resource allocation will be consumed by debt servicing obligations. The government has earmarked Tk 1.27 lakh crore solely for interest payments on loans. Of the amount, Tk 1.05 lakh crore will go towards servicing domestic debt, while foreign loan interest payments will require Tk 22,500 crore. The draft proposal estimates the overall budget deficit at Tk 2.43 lakh crore. To bridge this significant fiscal deficit, the government plans to borrow Tk 1.09 lakh crore from foreign funding sources. For domestic deficit financing, the administration will heavily rely on the country’s banking system, planning to borrow Tk 1.12 lakh crore from commercial banks. The remaining gap of Tk 15,000 crore is projected to be met through the sales of national savings certificates. Macroeconomic analysts indicate that the primary challenge for the new government will be controlling inflationary pressures and ensuring efficient revenue collection without disrupting industrial growth, as the country navigates a complex economic transition.  

Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) seized smuggled goods worth more than Tk 177.78 crore during operations conducted in border areas and other parts of the country in May 2026. BGB Public Relations Officer Md. Shariful Islam shared the information in a press release on Wednesday. According to the release, the seized items include 3.648 kg of gold, 4.1 kg of silver, 11,419 pcs sarees, 2,831 pieces of three-piece sets, shirt pieces, and blankets, 9,368 pieces of ready-made garments, and 4,514 metres of cloth. Border Security: Ansar-VDP on high alert alongside BGB in 11 districts Other seized goods include 1,28,928 cosmetics items, 37,154 pieces of imitation jewellery, 39,99,797 firecrackers, 6,017 cubic feet of timber, 7,007 kg of tea leaves, 65,700 Gillette blades, 3,310 kg of betel nut, 25,860 kg of coal, 3,465 cubic feet of stone and 170 cubic feet of sand. BGB also seized 405 mobile phones, 2,940 mobile displays, 56,148 mobile parts, 36,411 miscellaneous items, 13,053 glasses, 96,402 kg of cumin, 23,451 kg of sugar, 20,07,869 packets of food items, 4,691 kg of garlic, 597 kg of fertiliser, and 228 litres of fuel including diesel, octane, petrol and mobil oil. Other items include 2,642 packets of pesticides, 2,89,508 pieces of chocolate, 745 cattle including cows and buffaloes, and a number of vehicles, including trucks, covered vans, Mahindra vehicles, pickups, private cars, buses, trolleys, microbuses, CNGs, autorickshaws, motorcycles and bicycles. The recovered weapons include one foreign or local pistol, one rifle, two magazines, 258 rounds of ammunition, one rocket launcher and two other weapons. The BGB also reported a large quantity of narcotics seized during the month. These include 16,49,952 Yaba tablets, 3.883 kg of crystal meth (ice), 260 grams of cocaine, 337 grams of heroin, 2,807 bottles of Phensedyl, 8,605 bottles of foreign liquor, 268 litres of local liquor, 2,037 cans of beer, 1,752 kg of cannabis, 2,85,263 packets of bidi cigarettes, 3,35,729 narcotic tablets or injections, 5,58,059 bottles of various syrups, 1,900 tablets such as Anegra or Senegra, and 6,94,330 pieces of various medicines and tablets. During the operations, the BGB arrested 188 people involved in drug trafficking and smuggling. Legal action was also taken against 92 Bangladeshi citizens, six Indian nationals and 392 Myanmar nationals, who were detained during the drives  for illegal border crossing, reads the release.

Speaking at a seminar at the nation's premier institute of learning, Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Md. Asaduzzaman spoke of his personal opposition to the death penalty from a human rights perspective, before adding that even so, the Ramisa rape-and-murder case hit him differently. “Personally, I am against the death penalty," the minister said. "It is part of my campaign in support of human rights. However, when we see the way an eight-year-old child is murdered, in this social reality, if we move to abolish the death penalty right now, it could create a social backlash for us. We have to keep that in mind.” He made the remarks today at a seminar titled ‘Legal Representation in Death Penalty Cases in Bangladesh: An Empirical and Conceptual Analysis’ held by the Centre for Advanced Legal Studies, Faculty of Law, Dhaka University at Senate Building. The minister said, “When I see that an eight-year-old child was raped and murdered, and even after that the perpetrator was not satisfied, cutting off the child’s genitals and washing the body with water in an attempt to destroy all evidence, then as a member of this society and as a human being, I also feel why such people need trial.” Referring to the Ramisa and Asiya murder cases, he said, “When an attempt is made to rape a five-year-old child, and when demands emerge from society for the perpetrators to be hanged, there is often no social, political or legal reality that allows people to stand against those demands. Even moral considerations bow down before such realities. This is the reality we live in.” Mentioning that the accused in the Ramisa murder case was arrested within seven hours, the minister said, “We treated the case as a top priority and conducted DNA testing within 72 hours. The test report was corroborative. Even then, we could not proceed directly towards the death penalty, because we must uphold the rule of law.” “On June 1, the court fixed a date for framing charges. Then the issue arose that the accused had not been able to appoint a lawyer. We appointed a state defence lawyer in order to comply with the process of law. The state defence lawyer, for defending the client in this case, had to face humiliation on social media. Everybody was blaming him for taking part in such a trial. But under the general principles of the administration of justice, every accused person has the right to be defended. In the history of Bangladesh, we completed a fair trial in accordance with the law within only six working days.” Asaduzzaman said, the problem is that when cases reach the High Court Division and the Appellate Division, they often remain pending there for years. The paper books in death penalty cases are not prepared on time because of the backlog. “We are also trying to find a solution to that problem.” He said, “We can sometimes make popular or populist decisions. But our decisions must be the right decisions. Many times, when we bypass popular decisions and move towards the correct decision, we become victims of yellow journalism.” The minister said that every accused person has the right to be defended, not only in death penalty cases. “To that end, we have already strengthened the Legal Aid Directorate. We have established Legal Aid Committees in every district of Bangladesh. Under the supervision of the District Judge, these committees will begin functioning under the leadership of a Joint District Judge. We have also incorporated legal aid lawyers into the system.”

A total of 18,328 people have been arrested till June 10 in a nationwide special operation launched on May 1, according to Bangladesh Police Headquarters. Among those arrested, 13,020 were alleged smugglers and drug traffickers, while 2,211 were identified as muggers, robbers and dacoits. PHQ warns SI job aspirants against financial transactions Some 1,958 of the arrestees were accused of creating instability, planning such activities or assisting them. Besides, 808 alleged extortionists and terrorists were arrested during the ongoing drive. A total of 331 illegal arms holders were also detained during the period in question, according to the Police Headquarters.