United News of Bangladesh

Biman Bangladesh Airlines has suspended all flights from Dhaka to Dammam on October 23, 24 and 25 and all flights to Riyadh until October 31, amid security concerns following an attack on King Fahd International Airport in Dammam, Saudi Arabia. The decisions were taken to ensure passenger safety in view of the attack on the airport on Wednesday night and the ongoing airstrike situation, according to a press release issued by the national flag carrier on Thursday. Biman said flights from Dhaka to Jeddah and Madinah would continue to operate according to their existing schedules. Passengers travelling to Dammam and Riyadh may use Jeddah and Madinah international airports to travel to and return from Saudi Arabia, subject to seat availability. The airline advised passengers to contact their nearest Biman sales centre for ticketing and travel-related information. It said further decisions on the suspended flights and revised schedules would be announced in due course.

Six Bangladeshi youths who were trafficked to India returned home on Thursday after serving three years in prison for illegal entry. The returnees were identified as Jahangir Alam, 21, Abdul Karim, 25, Mohammad Ali, 26, Sabbir Islam, 26, Hafizur, 26, and Abdul Sabur, 40. They are from Gazipur, Bogura, Sunamganj and Cox’s Bazar districts. They were handed over to Benapole Immigration Police by Indian immigration authorities at the Petrapole border through a special travel permit in the afternoon. Benapole Immigration Police Officer-in-Charge Saifur Rahman said the six youths had travelled illegally to Jammu and Kashmir in India about four years ago through the Satkhira and Sylhet borders after falling into the hands of human traffickers in search of better job opportunities. They worked as labourers there before being arrested by Indian police and sent to court. A court later sentenced them to three years in prison for illegal entry.. OC Saifur said the six returnees were handed over to Benapole Port Police after completing immigration formalities. The human rights organisation Justice and Care will take them into its custody and arrange their reunion with their families. Muhit Hossain, deputy manager of Justice and Care in Jashore, said the organisation had received the six youths from Benapole Port Police and placed them at its shelter home. They will be handed over to their respective families on Friday, he added.

Two Bangladeshi nationals were injured in Wednesday’s attack on King Fahd International Airport in Dammam, Saudi Arabia, according to the Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment. The injured were identified as Sajal Chandra Das, son of Anukul Chandra Das of Ramchandrapur village in Cumilla’s Muradnagar upazila, and Mohammad Abdur Rahim, son of Sirajul Haque of Gobigalloppur village in Noakhali Sadar upazila. They are currently receiving treatment at Saudi German Hospital in Dammam, the ministry said in a press release on Thursday. A representative of the Bangladesh Embassy visited the Bangladeshi nationals at the hospital and enquired after their treatment and condition. They reportedly lost consciousness due to heat and smoke during the attack but sustained no physical injuries. They are now in stable condition and were able to speak to the embassy representative, according to the press release. The attack, which killed two people and injured eight others, was the latest in a series of assaults on Saudi infrastructure as conflict intensifies between the Houthis and the Saudi-backed internationally recognised Yemeni government.

Youth representatives from various organizations have urged the government to launch a unified national database to ensure accurate reporting of road crash fatalities and injuries and strengthen preventive measures.  They stressed that discrepancies in data reported by government and non-government organizations make it difficult to determine the actual toll of road crashes and formulate effective, evidence-based policies. The demand was made through a press release issued on Thursday  to mark National Road Safety Day.  The press release stated that, according to the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA), 5,490 people were killed in road crashes in 2025 while Bangladesh Passenger Welfare Association reported 9,111 deaths and 14,812 injuries in 6,729 crashes. Another set of figures for the same year recorded 7,584 crashes, resulting in 7,359 deaths and 16,476 injuries. Significant discrepancies were also observed in road crash fatality figures for 2024. According to BRTA, 5,380 people were killed in road crashes that year, while the Bangladesh Passenger Welfare Association reported 8,543 deaths and the Road Safety Foundation recorded 7,294 fatalities. Moreover, according to the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Global Status Report on Road Safety 2023, an estimated 31,578 people died in road crashes in Bangladesh in 2021. The significant disparity between this estimate and domestic official figures highlights the need to address existing gaps in road crash data collection, verification and coordination. According to the youth organizations, a centralised database containing information on the location, time and type of road crashes, vehicles involved, road conditions, and the number of people killed or injured would help identify high-risk roads and the causes of crashes, enabling more effective preventive measures. It would also facilitate the assessment of road safety initiatives and strengthen accountability. To achieve this, they called for BRTA, police, hospitals and other relevant agencies to share and coordinate road crash data. They also urged the government to introduce a common system for recording road crashes, keep updated records of those killed and injured, and publish regular national road safety reports while protecting personal information. The youth organisations are Marjana Muntaha, Coordinator of the Ahsania Mission Youth Forum for Health and Wellbeing; Md. Estiak Emon, member of the Bangladesh Debate Federation; Md. Ifrat Hossain, member of Mission Green Bangladesh; Md. Arman Hossain Rayed, Volunteer Coordinator of Mission Green Bangladesh; and Noshin Nawar Achol, member of the Bangladesh Medical Student Society. The demand was also endorsed by the Bangladesh Medical Student Society, Lal Sabuj Society, Mission Green Bangladesh, Amrai Agami, Climate Connects and the Bangladesh Debate Federation.

A team of  Special Response Battalion (SRB) has detained a man over an offensive comment on social media in connection with Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s visit to Rajshahi. The detainee, Abu Bakar Siddique,  is now being interrogated by the detective Branch (DB) of DMP in Dhaka.  Lieutenant Colonel Faisal Ishtiaq, commanding officer of SRB-5 Rajshahi Battalion, said tipped off, a drive was conducted and he was detained on Wednesday evening from Ramchandrapur area of Parila Union under Paba upazila in Rajshahi. Siddique commented in the comment section of a Facebook post concerning a bus used by the Prime Pinister: “What a great opportunity it was, if only there had been a sniper,” he wrote.  

Religious Affairs Minister Kazi Shah Mofazzal Houssain (Kaikobad) has extended financial and other assistance to the family of Mufti Md Nasrullah Badarpuri, a Bangladeshi Umrah pilgrim killed in an attack at Riyadh airport in Saudi Arabia. The returning pilgrims expressed gratitude to the minister for coordinating assistance, medical treatment and their safe return to Bangladesh, the Ministry said in a press release on Wednesday. The Ministry of Religious Affairs formally welcomed the returning pilgrims upon their arrival at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka. On October 10, a 45-member Bangladeshi Umrah delegation came under attack at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh. Nasrullah Badarpuri, 45, who led the delegation as its imam, was killed, while several other members were injured. Nasrullah was a resident of Badarpur in Nangalkot upazila of Cumilla. After learning about the incident, the minister contacted members of the delegation and coordinated with officials of the Bangladesh mission in Saudi Arabia to arrange rescue efforts and medical treatment for the injured. Although he was in Singapore for medical treatment at the time, the minister remained in contact with the pilgrims to monitor their condition, according to the ministry. He also arranged food, clothing and other essential items for the pilgrims after they lost their luggage in the incident. The government subsequently coordinated their return tickets and repatriation. On October 13, a delegation led by Maulana Yakub Osmani, representing the minister, visited the deceased's family in Badarpur and conveyed condolences. The minister assured the family that steps would be taken to provide permanent housing and support the education of the deceased's children. In a telephone conversation with the family, he also promised to expedite arrangements either to bury Nasrullah at Jannatul Baqi in Madinah or bring his body back to Bangladesh. The minister personally provided Tk 50,000 in financial assistance to the family. Meanwhile, 33 members of the 45-member delegation returned to Bangladesh aboard a Saudi Arabian Airlines flight, arriving at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport at 11:20pm on Tuesday. Following the minister's instructions, officials from the ministry, including his Private Secretary Sadek Ahmad and Director (Hajj) Md Lokman Hossain, were present at the airport to receive them. Speaking to journalists, Sadek Ahmad said the minister had arranged dinner for the returning pilgrims and transport to help them reach their respective madrasas and homes safely. He said the minister would continue to provide necessary assistance and, if required, consult the prime minister on further steps.

State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Aninda Islam Amit on Wednesday expressed hope that Bangladesh will be able to generate 3,000-4,000 megawatts of solar power before next summer, citing growing public interest in solar energy. He made the remarks while speaking to journalists after inaugurating a solar power system at the Jashore district BNP office, according to a PID handout. Amit said a 6-kilowatt solar panel system was installed at the party office in line with the Prime Minister’s policy on solar power generation. The system was installed with the office’s own funds, and arrangements have been made to supply surplus electricity to the national grid after meeting its own needs. The state minister said the installation cost was expected to be recovered within three to three-and-a-half years. He also expressed hope that the initiative will encourage other political parties to install solar panels at their respective offices. Amit said the government is providing policy support following growing public interest in solar power, creating opportunities for small entrepreneurs and generating new employment. He added that irrigation pumps will gradually be converted to solar power, which will ease pressure on diesel and electricity supplies and reduce farmers’ production costs. Local leaders BNP and its associate bodies were present at the programme.  

Biman Bangladesh Airlines will operate a flight to Riyadh in the early hours of October 26 as the situation at Saudi Arabian airports continues to improve. The flight will leave Dhaka for Riyadh at 1:25am on the day, according to a press release issued by the national flag carrier on Wednesday. Biman said it will decide on operating other Riyadh-bound flights after monitoring and reviewing the overall situation. Meanwhile, Biman resumed flights to Dammam on October 21. One flight will depart Dhaka for Dammam at 8am daily through October 26, using Boeing 777 aircraft. For Jeddah, it will operate two flights from Dhaka on Thursday. One flight will depart daily at 7:20pm on October 23, 24 and 25. Flights to Madinah have been operating as usual since October 18 using Boeing 787 aircraft. The schedule will remain unchanged until further notice. Biman said it will provide further updates on flight operations and schedules in due course. Passengers have been requested to contact the airline’s nearest sales centre for ticket purchases, bookings and travel-related information.  

At least 1,25,405 people were killed and 1,76,249 others injured in 72,736 road crashes across the country from 2014 to June 30, 2026, according to Bangladesh Jatri Kalyan Samity (BJKS). The organisation disclosed the figures in a statement issued on Wednesday on the occasion of National Road Safety Day 2026, blaming mismanagement, irregularities and flawed policies in the road transport sector for the high toll. It said the figures on crashes, casualties and their causes were compiled by monitoring media reports published between 2014 and June 30, 2026. The BJKS also claimed that the actual number of casualties could be several times higher than the published figures. It alleged that successive governments had focused on building and expanding roads since independence instead of developing an integrated transport system by increasing the use of waterways and railways. As a result, dependence on roads has increased without a corresponding improvement in public transport or the development of an integrated transport network, the organisation said. BJKS Secretary General Mozammel Haque Chowdhury said the pressure of vehicles on roads has increased because of road-centric development that ignored strategic transport planning, and because of policies that shrank railways and waterways. He also alleged that policy blunders, irregularities and corruption of the previous government contributed to the rise in road crashes. The statement said chaos on roads is growing due to mismanagement in the transport sector, alleged extortion involving transport owners, workers and some police officials, the plying of unfit vehicles, unlicensed and unskilled drivers, flaws in road construction, and violations of traffic rules. In its observations, the organisation said the rapid increase in the number of motorcycles, battery-run rickshaws and CNG-run auto-rickshaws, and their unrestricted movement are one of the major causes of road crashes. It also cited the absence of medians on roads, obstructed visibility at curves due to trees, structural defects in highways and vehicles, and disregard for traffic rules as contributing factors. Driving on the wrong side, extortion on roads, carrying passengers in goods-laden vehicles, unskilled drivers, unfit vehicles and overloading of passengers also heightened the risk of accidents, BJKS said. It further identified reckless speeding, dangerous overtaking, and driving for long hours without breaks or rest as significant causes of crashes. To reduce road fatalities, the organisation recommended that the Ministry of Road Transport and Bridges and the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) be run under the supervision of local and foreign transport experts, instead of the bureaucratic system. It also stressed building a modern, technology-based bus network across the country, in line with developed nations, and modernising road control systems through greater use of technology. The recommendations call for issuing licences only after ensuring drivers' skills through modern, technology-based training. The BJKS also suggested building footpaths and service lanes on important national highways, arranging safe road crossings for pedestrians, and installing necessary road signs and markings. It emphasised ending extortion through structural reforms in the transport sector and fixing drivers' wages and working hours. The organisation also recommended ensuring quality road construction and repair, conducting regular road safety audits, and modernising the process of issuing vehicle fitness certificates. It proposed withdrawing expired public transport vehicles from the roads, enhancing the institutional capacity of the BRTA, and establishing a traffic training academy for drivers.    

A total of 134 direct and transit flights from Bangladesh have been affected by operational restrictions at airports in Saudi Arabia due to the prevailing situation there, impacting 20,254 passengers. Of the affected flights, 61 were direct flights and 73 were transit flights, said Squadron Leader Sakib of the Security and Flight Management Wing at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport. Among direct flights, Biman Bangladesh Airlines had 22 flights affected, followed by Saudia with 19, US-Bangla Airlines with 10 and Riyadh Air with 10. Transit flights operated by IndiGo were the most affected, with 28 flights, followed by Emirates with 14, Qatar Airways with nine, Flydubai with eight, SalamAir with seven, Air India with six and EgyptAir with one.