National Consensus Commission Vice-chairman Professor Ali Riaz Tuesday said that as all political parties are in agreement on the existing constitutional provision regarding the caretaker government, they have collectively decided to pursue a referendum should any future amendments to the system become necessary. He made this remark while presenting a summary of the ongoing discussion with political parties at the Doel Hall of the Foreign Service Academy in the capital, following the 14th day of the second phase of daylong talks, reports BSS. Professor Ali Riaz said that any future amendment to the caretaker government provision will require a referendum after the incorporation of it in the existing constitution by the caretaker government.  As there is no disagreement among political parties on the reintroduction of the caretaker government, the idea of a referendum for any future change has been proposed, he said. He also expressed hope that a consensus would be reached by next week regarding the appointment of the head of the caretaker government. The Commission's vice-chairman further mentioned that certain decisions have been reached during the discussion regarding constitutional amendments, saying if an upper house (bicameral parliament ) is not formed, or until it is formed, amendments to the constitution will require the approval of the majority of the members of the parliament.  However, for specific articles — such as the Preamble, the Fundamental Principles of State, Articles 48, 56, and 142, and Articles 58B, 58C, 58D, and 58E related to the caretaker government system — a referendum will be mandatory if these are to be amended, he added. Noting that the majority party and alliances support the establishment of a bicameral parliament, Professor Riaz said the majority party expressed similar views during the first phase of discussions.  But, consensus on the process of forming the bicameral parliament has not yet been achieved, he said, adding that some political parties suggest the upper house should be formed based on proportional representation of votes, while others propose it be based on the number of seats. Ali Riaz said that since the political parties and alliances have not reached a consensus on this matter even after several rounds of discussions, they have entrusted the Commission with the responsibility of making a decision. He made an expectation that the National Consensus Commission would reach a position by next week through internal consultations and informal discussions with political parties regarding the bicameral parliament. Representatives from 30 political parties, including the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, National Citizen Party (NCP), Gono Odhikar Parishad, Gonosonghoti Andolon, Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB), Biplobi Workers Party, and Amar Bangladesh (AB) Party joined the talks. Commission members- Justice Md. Emdadul Haque, Dr. Iftekharuzzaman, Dr. Badiul Alam Majumdar, Safar Raj Hossain, and Dr. Md. Ayub Mia, and Special Assistant to the Chief Adviser, Monir Haidar were present.

Shanti Mardi slammed a brilliant hat-trick as defending champions Bangladesh registered their third successive wins in the four-nation SAFF U-20 Women’s Championship beating lowly Bhutan by 4-1 goals in the rain-hit encounter on Tuesday. The first half of the match held at Bashundhara Kings Arena but due to unplayable condition of the ground following heavy shower in the capital, the match was halted nearly three hours and eventually the second half of the match was shifted to Bashundhara Kings arena practice ground, which is situated beside the tournament venue. Everyone witnessed a rare event - one match in two venues.  The day’s win saw, Bangladesh maintained their domination the points table with nine points from three matches while Bhutan yet to secure any points playing the same number of outings.     The breakthrough came early when midfielder Shanti Mardi scored the first goal for Bangladesh in the 7th minute. After the breather, Bhutan staged a brilliant fight back when Sangay restored the parity in the 53rd minute of the match. Shanti scored her second for Bangladesh in the 57th and Munki Akter made the score line 3-1 in the 76th minute. Shanti Mardi sealed the victory completing her first international hat-trick goal in the 79th minute of the match.     Earlier, the tournament favorite Bangladesh thrashed Sri Lanka by 9-1 goals and edged past Nepal by 3-2 goals. Bangladesh will play their remaining matches against Bhutan (July 17), Sri Lanka (July 19) and then Nepal (July 21). Only four teams —- Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, and Sri Lanka --are participating in the 6th edition of the tournament. The team that tops the league table after a double round-robin will be crowned champion.

President Vladimir Putin intends to continue the war in Ukraine until the West agrees to peace on his terms, undeterred by former US President Donald Trump’s threats of harsher sanctions. As Russian forces make further gains, Putin’s territorial ambitions may expand, according to three sources familiar with Kremlin thinking. Putin, who launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 following eight years of conflict in the country's east between Russian-backed separatists and Ukrainian forces, believes Russia's economy and military can withstand any additional Western pressure, the sources told Reuters. On Monday, Trump voiced frustration over Putin’s refusal to accept a ceasefire and announced a new package of arms for Ukraine, including Patriot surface-to-air missile systems. He also warned of further sanctions against Russia unless a peace agreement is reached within 50 days. Despite this, the Kremlin insiders said Putin will not be swayed by Western threats. They claimed that Moscow has already survived the most severe Western sanctions and is prepared to endure more economic hardship, including potential US tariffs targeting countries that buy Russian oil. “Putin believes no one – not even the Americans – has seriously engaged with him on the details of peace in Ukraine, so he will keep going until he secures what he wants,” one source said, speaking on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter. Despite several phone calls between Trump and Putin, and visits to Moscow by US special envoy Steve Witkoff, the Russian president reportedly sees no meaningful negotiations over a potential peace plan. “Putin values his relationship with Trump and had constructive talks with Witkoff, but Russian national interests come first,” the source added. When asked to respond to the Reuters report, White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly criticised former President Joe Biden for allowing the war to escalate on his watch. “Unlike Biden, President Trump is focused on stopping the bloodshed. If Putin refuses a ceasefire, he will face crippling sanctions and tariffs,” she said. According to the Kremlin sources, Putin’s conditions for peace include a legally binding pledge that NATO will not expand eastward, a declaration of Ukrainian neutrality and military limits, protection for Russian-speaking populations, and international recognition of Russia’s territorial gains in Ukraine. President Vladimir Putin is reportedly open to discussing a security guarantee for Ukraine involving major powers, although it remains unclear how such an arrangement would function, according to sources close to the Kremlin. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has repeatedly stated that Ukraine will never recognise Russia’s sovereignty over any occupied territory and retains the sovereign right to pursue NATO membership. His office did not respond to a request for comment. A second Kremlin-linked source said Putin regards Russia’s strategic goals as outweighing any economic fallout from Western pressure and is unconcerned by US threats to impose tariffs on nations such as China and India that continue to purchase Russian oil. Two of the sources asserted that Russia currently holds the advantage on the battlefield and that its war-driven economy is now outproducing the US-led NATO alliance in key areas, including artillery shell production. Russia, which already occupies nearly 20% of Ukrainian territory, has advanced approximately 1,415 square kilometres (546 square miles) over the past three months, according to open-source intelligence platform DeepStateMap. “Appetite comes with eating,” one source remarked, suggesting that Putin’s territorial ambitions could grow if the war continues unchecked. The two other sources independently corroborated this assessment. At present, Russia controls Crimea, annexed in 2014, all of the Luhansk region, over 70% of Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson, as well as parts of Kharkiv, Sumy, and Dnipropetrovsk. Putin maintains that the first five of those regions are now irrevocably part of Russia, and has insisted Kyiv must withdraw from them for peace to be considered. The sources warned that Putin is prepared to continue the war until Ukraine’s defences collapse, potentially expanding the scope of his ambitions. “Russia will act according to Ukraine’s weakness,” said a third source, suggesting that Moscow could halt its advance if it meets serious resistance, but might push further—into Dnipropetrovsk, Sumy, and Kharkiv—if Ukrainian defences falter. President Zelensky has acknowledged that Russian forces outnumber Ukraine’s, but insists the summer offensive has fallen short of Moscow’s objectives. Ukrainian military leadership claims its forces are holding the line and inflicting significant losses. Russian President Vladimir Putin tours a military hardware exhibition organised by the All-Russia People's Front political movement, in Moscow, Russia Jul 6, 2025.   Trump and Putin: A Delicate Dance The United States estimates that 1.2 million people have been killed or injured in what is now Europe’s deadliest conflict since the Second World War. Both Moscow and Kyiv refuse to publish full casualty figures, while Russia dismisses Western estimates as propaganda. Since returning to the White House in January, Donald Trump has sought to restore ties with Moscow. He has held at least six phone calls with Putin, and on Monday described him as “a tough guy, not an assassin.” In a marked departure from Joe Biden’s administration, Trump has characterised the conflict as a proxy war between Russia and the United States. His government has withdrawn support for Ukraine’s NATO bid and floated the possibility of recognising Russia’s annexation of Crimea. Putin, meanwhile, casts the war as a defining moment in Russia’s post-Soviet history. He accuses the West of humiliating Moscow after the USSR’s collapse in 1991 by expanding NATO and encroaching on what he sees as Russia’s natural sphere of influence, including Ukraine and Georgia. Though Trump recently proposed an unconditional ceasefire—quickly endorsed by Kyiv—Putin has yet to accept the offer. In recent days, Russia has intensified its aerial attacks on Ukrainian cities, launching hundreds of drones. In an interview published on Tuesday by the BBC, Trump said he was “not finished with Putin” and still believed a peace deal was possible. One Kremlin-linked source rejected Trump’s claim last week that Putin was “talking bullshit”, saying that meaningful peace talks had failed to materialise despite positive exchanges between Putin and US envoy Steve Witkoff. A White House official said on Monday that Trump is considering 100% tariffs on Russian imports, alongside secondary sanctions targeting nations that buy Russian exports—chiefly China and India—as leverage to force Moscow to negotiate. Despite ongoing sanctions and the heavy costs of war, Russia’s $2 trillion economy has performed far better than anticipated. The Ministry of Economic Development forecasts growth slowing to 2.5% in 2025, down from 4.3% in the previous year. One source suggested Trump has limited influence over Putin, noting that even with increased pressure, Russia would likely find alternative buyers for its oil exports. “Putin knows Trump is unpredictable and could take unpleasant actions, but he’s manoeuvring carefully to avoid provoking him,” the source said. Looking ahead, one of the sources predicted a worsening of the conflict in the coming months and warned of escalating tensions between the world’s two largest nuclear powers. And, he added, the war will continue.