United News of Bangladesh

Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) has seized a large quantity of smuggled goods worth around Tk 43.10 lakh in separate operations along the Sylhet border. The operations were conducted on Saturday in different border areas under the jurisdiction of Sylhet Battalion (48 BGB) based on secret information, said BGB sources. Members of the battalion carried out the drives in areas under Banglabazar, Bichnakandi, Pratappur, Sangram, Minatila and Dibirhaor Border Outposts (BOPs). Indian national held in Jashore with Tk 1.93cr gold, foreign currencies During the operations, BGB personnel seized a large consignment of smuggled items brought illegally from India, including cattle, cumin, basmati rice, sugar, chocolates, olive oil, tea leaves, energy drinks, liquor and a motorcycle etc. According to BGB sources, the estimated seizure value of the recovered goods stands at Tk 43,10,835. Lieutenant Colonel Mohammad Nazmul Haque, commanding officer of Sylhet Battalion (48 BGB), said BGB operations and intelligence activities have been intensified to ensure border security and prevent smuggling and drug trafficking. He said regular drives are being conducted in border areas as part of ongoing efforts, adding that legal action will be taken against the seized goods as per rules.

Two Bangladeshi women trafficked to India have been brought back home by Indian police using travel permits. The women are Arzina Azim Pramanik, 31, daughter of Azim Ali from Lahiri Mohanpur village in Ullapara upazila of Sirajganj, and Tahmina Akhter Iti, 35, daughter of Tara Mia Sardar from Pargendaria area in Keraniganj upazila of Dhaka. Inspector Syed Mortaza of Benapole Land Port Immigration Police said that after checking all documents, including travel permits, and completing legal procedures, the women were handed over to Benapole Port Police on Saturday evening. BGB seizes huge Indian goods in Brahmanbaria, Cumilla The handover was completed in the presence of officials from both countries, including members of BGB, BSF and police. Immigration sources said that during initial questioning, the women stated they entered India illegally without passports with the help of brokers and worked as domestic workers in the Grant Road area of Mumbai. Arzina was trafficked through the Benapole border in Jashore in December 2024. She was arrested by Mumbai Police on June 20, 2025, and sent to Naojibhav Mahila Home the following day, where she stayed for about 11 months. Tahmina was taken to India through the Satkhira border on July 25, 2024. She was arrested on September 28 the same year and sent to the same shelter the next day. She stayed there for around one year and eight months. According to India’s Bureau of Immigration, the women were repatriated using travel permits issued by the Bangladesh Deputy High Commission in Mumbai and exit permits from the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO) in Mumbai. Ashraf Hossain, Officer-in-Charge of Benapole Port Police, said a human rights organisation, Jashore Justice and Care, will return them to their families after the legal process.

The Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock has declared a permit purportedly authorising cattle imports from India, which has been circulating widely on social media and online platforms, to be fabricated and deliberately misleading. In a statement issued Wednesday, the ministry said initial verification found no correspondence between the circulating document and any official approval, record or process of the Department of Livestock Services (DLS). The DLS confirmed the permit was not issued by the department, adding that the information, reference numbers and signatures appearing on the document could not be verified. "The document will not be recognised as a valid government import authorisation." The ministry urged the public, traders and all concerned parties not to make any decisions based on the false and misleading document, and requested that people refrain from sharing or circulating such materials without verification. It also warned that legal action may be taken against those found spreading the fabricated information. For accurate information, the ministry advised the public to rely solely on the official website of the Department of Livestock Services and other credible government sources.

The Deputy Commissioners (DC) Conference 2026 is set to begin on Sunday, with the inaugural session scheduled at 10:30am at Osmani Memorial Auditorium in the presence of Prime Minister Tarique Rahman. A total of 498 proposals submitted by eight divisional commissioners and 64 deputy commissioners have been included in the working paper for discussion during the conference. DC conference 2026: 498 proposals set for policy review The information was shared by Additional Secretary of the Cabinet Division (District and Field Administration Wing) Md Humayun Kabir at a press conference held at the Secretariat on Saturday. Cabinet Secretary Nasimul Gani was also present. At the briefing, officials highlighted around 50 key proposals put forward by the DCs. According to the officials, the proposals mainly focus on improving public services and healthcare, reducing public suffering, developing roads and bridges, promoting tourism, reforming laws and regulations, and protecting public interests. Of the total, the highest number - 44 - relate to the health sector. Key proposals include establishing an economic zone in Gazipur to relocate industries into a designated area, rebuilding and upgrading union-level sub-health centres with adequate manpower and medicine supply, and launching a 1,000-bed government hospital in Rangpur division. Other major recommendations include strengthening institutional arrangements for mental health services at district and sub-district levels, setting up scientific treatment facilities for medical and sewage waste from hospitals and clinics, and creating midwifery positions at union health and family welfare centres and maternal and child welfare centres. In the education sector, proposals include appointing assistant teachers for ICT, Hindu religion and library science in government secondary schools, declaring free education for all poor students with disabilities, developing government-domain websites for private educational institutions, and formulating policies to regulate Qawmi madrasas. DCs also proposed establishing government primary schools in all tea gardens in Sylhet division and nationalising registered private primary schools, as well as introducing inclusive curricula, schedules and assessment systems for all children. Legal and administrative reforms include waiving time limits for filing appeals in civil courts and land survey tribunals, and appointing government lawyers through competitive examinations. Other notable proposals include setting up cultural archives at district-level Shilpakala academies, modernising tourism through integrated development plans, constructing an international-standard airport in Noakhali, and ensuring all government fund disbursements are completed by April 15 each year. To increase revenue collection, DCs suggested bringing cash-based transactions under digital systems through a policy covering sectors such as healthcare services, legal services, educational institutions, BRTA offices, passport offices and corporate entities. In agriculture and fisheries, proposals include providing low-interest loans to local entrepreneurs and farmers in agriculture-based districts, ensuring alternative employment for fishers during hilsa conservation drives alongside food support, and establishing permanent fish sanctuaries in haor areas. Other recommendations include setting up accreditation laboratories to test export-quality products such as vegetables, mangoes and betel leaf, establishing district-level food testing labs, and promoting the local bicycle industry through incentives. Infrastructure proposals include setting up a salt processing plant in Cox’s Bazar, constructing an expressway from Lakkatura to Sylhet Osmani International Airport, and upgrading the Dhaka-Mymensingh highway to eight lanes. Social protection and governance proposals include replacing food aid with cash support under TR and Kabikha programmes, decentralising recruiting agencies to the district level, establishing foreign language training centres, setting up divisional science research laboratories, and creating district-level fact-checking centres to counter misinformation. Energy and environment-related proposals include ensuring uninterrupted electricity supply in hill districts, setting up planned waste management centres and water treatment plants across municipalities and unions, promoting alternatives to brick kilns in hilly areas, and providing low-interest loans for environmentally friendly construction blocks. Other proposals include creating databases for cooperative societies and local government projects, compiling all land-related laws into a single document, amending the Land Crime Prevention and Remedy Act, 2023, expanding disability service centres to every sub-district, building indoor stadiums in each district, and forming climate resilience funds at district and sub-district levels. Further recommendations include increasing manpower in district prison hospitals, establishing hostels for children in remote areas to ensure access to education, raising the government share of Hajj pilgrims to 25 percent, re-excavating filled-up public ponds, and identifying and shutting down harmful and inappropriate websites.

Solar energy could be a transformative opportunity in addressing Bangladesh's persistent fuel crisis, the executive chairman of the Power and Participation Research Centre (PPRC) Hossain Zillur Rahman said Saturday, warning that the country risks falling deeper into a structural "energy trap" if systemic reforms are not pursued. Speaking at a PPRC flagship webinar titled "Today's Agenda: Economy Trapped in Energy Crisis," Hossain Zillur said the current fuel crunch is no temporary setback but a medium-term challenge that will resurface unless resolved at its roots. Farmers struggle amid diesel crisis as solar irrigation projects lie idle in Manikganj "If we cannot strengthen management processes, import administration and medium-term interventions, this crisis will deepen, and even if it eases temporarily, it will keep returning," he said. Zillur noted that while authorities have taken various steps, these have been largely one-dimensional, focused on demand control rather than supply-side fixes. He cautioned that bureaucratic constraints, unilateral decision-making without stakeholder consultation, and a failure to weigh the long-term consequences of policy choices could undermine core objectives. Sector experts, private sector representatives, NGO professionals and media figures participating in the webinar painted a sobering picture of Bangladesh's energy outlook. They said the economy is caught in a dual squeeze, volatile global fuel markets on one side and deep domestic structural weaknesses on the other. Panellists noted that fuel price spikes, a protracted dollar shortage and an import-dependent economic structure are heaping additional pressure on manufacturing, agriculture, transportation and ordinary households. The webinar also examined how the crisis was compounded by supply constraints, a demand-driven policy response, and a communication deficit that triggered panic buying. Even as the government introduced rationing-like measures, uncertainty drove consumers and small businesses to hoard fuel, worsening an already fragile situation. Discussants observed that conditions gradually stabilised through demand management and closer monitoring, though not due to any significant improvement in supply. Uneven fuel distribution across pumps and disproportionate local media coverage of shortages, they said, amplified public anxiety and sharpened the perception of crisis. Effective public communication, they stressed, is as vital as supply management. Looking ahead, speakers called for enhanced fuel storage capacity, better demand forecasting, coordinated communication strategies and a long-term commitment to energy diversification and efficiency. The webinar's overarching conclusion was clear: Bangladesh's energy crisis reflects deep structural vulnerabilities, not a passing disruption, and meeting the challenge will require coherent policy, strong institutional coordination and a durable shift toward resilient, diversified energy systems. The session was moderated by Hossain Zillur Rahman. Panellists included former Bangladesh Agricultural University Vice Chancellor MA Sattar Mandal, Trade Services International (TSI) Chairman Syed Mahmudul Huq, Padma Oil Company Limited Chairman and former Energy Secretary AKM Zafarullah Khan, Bangladesh Chamber of Industries (BCI) Chairman Anwar-ul Alam Parvez, and Bangladesh Petrol Pump Owners Association President Mohammad Nazmul Haq.

A 33-year-old man died after falling from an 11-storey building in the capital’s Dhanmondi area on Saturday afternoon. The deceased was identified as Md. Al-Mokabbor Islam. Md. Rajib Hossain, Sub-Inspector (SI) of Dhanmondi Police Station, said they recovered the body around 12:30pm from the concrete surface in the gap between two flats of a building at Road No. 11 in Dhanmondi. Youth hacks grandmother to death in Mymensingh Quoting family members, the police official said Al-Mokabbor accidentally fell from the rooftop of the 11-storey building and died on the spot. Police later sent the body to the morgue of Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) for autopsy after completing legal formalities. However, the exact cause of death will be confirmed after the post-mortem examination, he added. Police also said the deceased used to look after his father’s school.

A voluntary social organisation has stepped up efforts to reduce lightning-related fatalities among farmers by promoting life-saving safety measures at the field level. Farmers remain the most vulnerable group to lightning strikes across the country. On April 26 alone, 14 people were killed in lightning incidents, while a total of 72 deaths have been recorded so far this year, most of them farmers working in open fields. In response, Save Society and Thunderstorm Awareness Forum (SSTAF) conducted an awareness campaign in the Arial Beel area of Munshiganj on Friday, marking May Day. Lightning strikes leave 4 dead in Patuakhali The initiative reached over a hundred farmers through practical demonstrations and direct engagement. As part of the campaign, SSTAF issued a three-point safety guideline: farmers should immediately seek safe shelter when dark clouds appear, avoid taking shelter under trees during rain or thunderstorms, and wear footwear while working in fields. Multiple teams from the organisation visited agricultural fields in Sirajdikhan (Munshiganj) and Nawabganj (Dhaka), where they spoke with farmers—many busy harvesting paddy—in small groups. Refreshments and oral saline were also distributed among participants. The programme was attended by SSTAF General Secretary Rashim Molla, Research Cell Head Abdul Alim, Joint Secretary Mostak Ahmed and other volunteers. Speakers at the event stressed that open field areas are highly dangerous during thunderstorms and urged farmers to stop work and move to safer locations as soon as weather conditions deteriorate. They also warned against the common misconception that sheltering under trees is safe. Rashim Molla highlighted the need for constructing dedicated shelters in farming areas, while Mostak Ahmed attributed the rising number of lightning incidents to global warming and the indiscriminate cutting of talk trees in rural regions, which has increased exposure in open fields. He emphasised that taking shelter inside permanent structures is significantly safer during thunderstorms and called for continued awareness efforts, particularly during the peak lightning season from March to June.

Information and Broadcasting Minister Zahir Uddin Swapon on Saturday stressed the need for proper checks and balances, saying freedom must not descend into anarchy. He said the government is committed to combating misinformation and disinformation through collaborative efforts involving all stakeholders in the media sector. "We are trying to identify the problems in the media ecosystem first, just as a physician diagnoses an illness before prescribing medicine," he said. The minister made the remarks while addressing a seminar titled "New Challenges to Independent Media: Misinformation and Our Course of Action," organised marking World Press Freedom Day. Dhaka Union of Journalists (DUJ) President Md Shahidul Islam chaired the seminar. Swapon underscored the significance of World Press Freedom Day and described journalists, media owners, editors and readers as key stakeholders in the media landscape. He stressed the importance of maintaining a healthy mass communication ecosystem, saying a civilised state requires a strong and independent fourth estate. Drawing comparison with Nordic countries, he said those nations have successfully strengthened intangible pillars like the media, enabling greater accountability and the effective functioning of other institutions. Highlighting the challenges posed by the digital age, the minister said misinformation and disinformation have become major threats as digital platforms have transformed the way information is produced and disseminated. He noted that false information can spread rapidly through digital platforms and often be presented in misleading ways. Using the analogy of water appearing different through glasses of different colours, he explained how facts can be manipulated to mislead the public. He also observed that the rise of digital platforms has shifted influence away from traditional media, with individual content creators and YouTubers now often rivaling or even surpassing established media organisations in reach and impact. In his capacity as information minister, Swapon reaffirmed the government's commitment to ensuring a free, independent and responsible press. He also spoke about the changing concept of privacy in the digital era, saying traditional notions of privacy no longer fully apply in a world shaped by social media and pervasive digital surveillance. He warned that personal moments can now be leaked and circulated instantly, demonstrating the immense power of digital platforms. The minister also pointed to the emergence of industries, including pornography, that exploit private information and personal privacy without consent. Speaking at the seminar, DUJ President Md Shahidul Islam highlighted the importance of press freedom and the long struggle to achieve it, noting that many media outlets had been suppressed during previous regimes. He warned about the growing spread of misinformation through social media platforms, including Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and X, urging people not to accept such information blindly. Shahidul called on the public to verify information before acting on it or forming opinions. He also cautioned against the use of misinformation to create division among people, referring to a recent incident that caused nationwide discomfort. Stressing that combating misinformation is a collective responsibility, he highlighted the important role of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting in addressing the challenge. He also praised Information Minister Zahid Uddin Swapon for his approach to these issues and expressed hope that he would use public input and his own expertise to foster a media-friendly environment in Bangladesh. BFUJ Secretary General Kader Gani Chowdhury described misinformation as a global social challenge, but particularly acute in Bangladesh, saying it has evolved beyond a digital problem into a social, political and cultural crisis that can undermine national unity. Citing Rumor Scanner data, he said 837 incidents of misinformation were identified in Bangladesh during the first three months of 2026, with 41 percent said to be politically motivated. He said Facebook remains the primary platform for spreading false information, accounting for 75 percent of such content. According to him, misinformation is often created to target public figures, political groups and ideologies, exploiting social media to spread false narratives. He said platforms such as Facebook, YouTube, WhatsApp and TikTok have become fertile ground for what he termed "information terrorism." This phenomenon, he said, erodes trust, undermines rights and damages the social standing of individuals and groups. He warned that the ease with which misinformation can be created and disseminated makes it a particularly dangerous challenge, especially when it appears credible. Kader Gani also noted that while the media plays a crucial role in expanding knowledge, it can also become a vehicle for propagating falsehood. Referring to a previous period, he alleged that under the Awami League government, many newspapers failed to report the truth and instead deliberately spread false narratives against dissenting voices. He expressed hope that under the current democratic government, media outlets would act more responsibly and refrain from such practices. Among others, Daily Jugantor Editor and poet Abdul Hai Shikder, BFUJ Secretary General Kader Gani Chowdhury, DUJ President Md Shahidul Islam and other leaders also addressed the seminar.

Disaster Management and Relief Minister Asadul Habib Dulu on Saturday said future aircraft engineers, researchers, and space scientists will emerge from the Aviation and Aerospace University in Lalmonirhat, the country's lone institute of higher learning in the field of aviation and aerospace technology. He described the university not just as an educational institution but as 'a symbol of national pride'. The minister, also known as 'Engineer Dulu' in his locality, is the MP for Lalmonirhat-3. He made the remarks as the chief guest at a programme marking the 7th anniversary of the Aviation and Aerospace University (AAU), the country’s sole aviation university, in Lalmonirhat on Saturday morning. "In step with a rapidly changing world, this university will play a vital role in developing a skilled and competitive workforce for the aviation industry, not only nationally but also on the international stage,’’ said the minister. Praising the university’s significant progress in a short period, he said the institution would accelerate the development of education, economy, and communication infrastructure in the Lalmonirhat region, opening new horizons for the country’s aviation and aerospace sectors. Addressing the students, he added, "Your determination should be to pierce the boundaries of the sky and establish our presence in space.’’ Earlier, the minister inspected various aerospace research equipment developed by students, including drones and cube satellites, as well as the university’s modern laboratories. Vice-Chancellor of the university, Air Vice Marshal Md Mostafizur Rahman, welcomed the chief guest and other dignitaries. Senior officials of the Bangladesh Air Force, along with top officials from the Lalmonirhat district administration and police, were present at the event. As part of the celebration, students performed in a cultural segment, followed by the ceremonial cutting of an anniversary cake. The university began its journey on a limited scale at the Old Airport in Dhaka in 2019. Later, on July 3, 2022, it formally launched undergraduate academic activities at its Lalmonirhat campus. Currently, the university offers four undergraduate and five postgraduate courses under four faculties. The government has set a target to bring around 9,000 students under higher education across 45 departments under eight faculties by 2041.

More than 50 leaders and activists of Gono Odhikar Parishad and Jubo Odhikar Parishad formally joined the National Citizen Party (NCP) in Barishal on Saturday. They joined the party at an event held at Barishal Press Club around noon, where NCP's Barishal district convener Abu Sayeed Musa welcomed them into the party born out of the July 2024 Uprising with flowers. Musa said that over a hundred activists from different political parties filled out membership forms on the day and were inducted into the NCP. Notable among the new members are Sirajul Islam, president of Babuganj upazila unit of Gono Odhikar Parishad, and its general secretary Masum Howlader. Others include Zahidul Islam Riyad, president of Babuganj upazila Jubo Odhikar Parishad, and Anisur Rahman Khan, general secretary of Kedarpur union unit, along with leaders and activists from Wazirpur, Gournadi, Mehendiganj and Muladi upazilas. Among those present at the event were Abu Sayeed Khan Ferdous, member secretary of NCP Barishal district; senior joint member secretary Abed Ahmed Rony; Nafisa Mustari, central senior joint chief organiser of Jatiya Nari Shakti; organisational secretaries Asif Ali and Imran Hossain; and office secretary Nazmul Hasan, among others.