The flood situation in Sylhet and Sunamganj has worsened for excessive torrential rain in the districts and India's Meghalaya and Assam. In Sylhet, Gowainghat, Kanaighat, Companiganj, Jaintiapur, and Sylhet Sadar upazilas are the worst hit by the flood. Thousands of people in the low-lying areas remained marooned in the district. In Sunamganj, the situation is worse in Chhatak and Dowarabazar upazilas along with Tahirpur, Bishwambazarpur, Sunamganj Sadar upazilas and municipality area.

Eighty families of Chhatak upazila have been taken to six shelter centres in the upazila, said Shafiqul Islam, relief and rehabilitation officer in Sunamganj. A total of 245 tonnes of rice have been allotted for the people of the flood-affected areas, he said. Meanwhile, 298 tonnes of rice have been allotted for flood-affected people in Sylhet district, said, Nurul Islam, relief and rehabilitation officer in Sylhet. According to Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre, the Surma, the Sarigowain and the Someshwari rivers are flowing above the danger level since early Wednesday (Jun. 15).

The Trading Corporation of Bangladesh is going to procure edible oil, sugar and lentil from local importers to distribute them at a subsidised rate among the low-income group. The cabinet committee on government purchase approved three proposals in this regard. TCB continues working against the backdrop of price spiral in the local market. Additional secretary Zillur Rahman Chowdhury said that the TCB would buy 15,000 tonnes of sugar from local refineries at Tk 123.5 crore at Tk 84 per kg. The City Group and the Meghna Group will be the suppliers.

The trading corporation will also buy 13,500 tonnes of lentil at Tk 117 per kg from ACI Pure Flour Ltd, Sena Kalyan Sangstha, NS Construction, Bangladesh Edible Oil Ltd, Nabil Naba Foods Ltd and Ease Services Ltd. The TCB purchase also includes 1.92 crore litres of soybean oil, with each litre costing Tk 201, with local refineries under the City Group and the Meghna Group among the suppliers.

The parliamentary standing committee on the Information and Broadcast Ministry will sit with stakeholders before finalising the much debated "Mass Media Employees (Services Conditions) Bill 2022". Hasanul Haq Inu, chairman of the parliamentary watchdog, revealed this to the media, after emerging from a committee meeting at Jatiya Sangsad. Information Minister Hasan Mahmud placed the bill in parliament on March 28. It was later sent to the committee for scrutiny.

Various journalist organisations and owners' associations as well as Transparency International Bangladesh have seriously opposed various sections of the proposed law. He said the committee would hold meetings with the Bangladesh Federal Union of Journalists, Dhaka Union of Journalists, Newspaper Owners' Association of Bangladesh, Association of Television Channel Owners and newspaper employees' associations. The Editors' Council (Sampadak Parishad) in a statement on April 19 said the space for independent media will shrink further if the bill is passed.

BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia, now undergoing treatment at Evercare Hospital, was moved to a cabin from the coronary care unit on Wednesday (Jun.15). Khaleda's personal physician Prof AZM Zahid Hossain told UNB. the CCU facilities of the hospital have been made available to the BNP chief in the cabin. He added that doctors would keep her under close observation in the cabin and ensure her proper treatment.

Three blockages were found in the arteries of the BNP chief through a coronary angiogram test conducted at the start of the week, after she was rushed to hospital over the weekend. Zahid, also a BNP vice-chairman, said Khaleda suffered a heart attack due to 95 percent blockage in her left artery. "A stent has been placed there to unblock the artery," he added. About the two other blockages, Zahid said doctors would take proper measures in this regard after observing her condition.