United News of Bangladesh

An elderly woman and her granddaughter were killed when a bus ran over them on Dhaka–Barishal highway in Ujirpur upazila of Barishal district on Tuesday. The deceased were identified as Roksana Yeasmin, 65, wife of Pannu Kazi, and Arfa, 7, daughter of Rubel Kazi of Paschim Joysree village. The accident occurred around 12:30 pm when a bus of ‘Hanif Paribahan’ hit them while they were crossing the road, leaving them dead on the spot, said Mahsin Hossain, Officer-in-Charge of Gouranadi Highway Police Station. On information, police recovered the bodies.  

The Overseas Correspondents Association Bangladesh (OCAB), a Dhaka-based platform of journalists representing international media, on Tuesday voiced concern over the barring of journalist Nazrul Islam from travelling to China at Dhaka’s Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport on Sunday. Nazrul Islam represents the German news agency DPA and heads OCAB as incumbent President. OCAB unanimously condemned the development, saying that such a travel ban without showing any valid reason by the security and immigration officials is unwanted, unexpected and a clear violation of basic rights to travel, and an attempt to inject fear and confusion in the minds of the journalists, said a press release issued on Tuesday. This is also regrettable that the incident took place on the day of the World Press Freedom Day on Sunday when it was being observed in Bangladesh and beyond with a promise to uphold the spirit of press freedom. Just one day before marking the World Press Freedom Day, OCAB in a statement signed by its General Secretary Julhas Alam, urged the government and all political stakeholders to guarantee the physical safety of journalists and ensure swift accountability for attacks, to release all journalists detained arbitrarily and held without formal charge and to withdraw charges filed against hundreds of journalists that many international monitors have deemed disproportionate, to reform or repeal laws that restrict freedom of expression and independent journalism and to promote media literacy, support independent fact-checking initiatives, and strengthen security measures for media professionals against cyber threats. From Nazrul Islam’s personal social media account, it is known that OCAB President collected his boarding pass for a scheduled trip to China on May 3 when immigration police called him aside and questioned him about his profession and the role he played as the association’s President, it said. He was eventually told that he would not be allowed to travel to China because of no-clearance from “security agencies.” In a Facebook post, Nazrul Islam said that immigration officials did not show any valid reasons for preventing him from travelling. OCAB called on the government to immediately clarify the incident and stop such unlawful moves and other repressive acts that undermine the rights of journalists.

The local government elections will begin at the end of the current year, said Prime Minister’s Adviser on Information and Broadcasting Dr Zahed Ur Rahman on Tuesday. “The election will start at the end of the year. Some preparations are needed which have already been communicated by the concerned ministry,” he said while responding to questions at a press briefing at the conference room of the Press Information Department (PID) at the Secretariat. Replying to a question the adviser said the whole election process is expected to take between 10 months to a year after it begins. Responding to another question whether the government plans to abolish Upazila Parishad following the allocation of office space for MPs at Upazila Parishad office, the adviser said no such decision has been taken yet. Referring to legal provisions, the adviser said under Section 25 of the Upazila Parishad Act, MPs are legally advisers to Upazila Parishad.  “If he is there legally, some may argue whether that position should exist at all — whether an MP should serve as an adviser is a separate debate. But providing an office does not make the situation worse in any way. If we follow that line of reasoning, since an MP is an adviser to the Upazila Parishad, it is only logical that they would have an office there. As I said, there is public debate on whether MPs should hold such advisory roles,” he said. The government has no intention of weakening or diminishing the role of Upazila Parishad through such measures, he noted.

Mango harvesting officially began in Satkhira on Tuesday, with fresh produce arriving in local markets. Acting Deputy Commissioner Bishnupada Pall formally inaugurated the harvesting activities at an orchard in the Fingri area in the morning. Officials from various levels of the administration, including Deputy Director of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) Saiful Islam, were present along with local mango growers. Farmers said they are expecting a bumper yield this season. They also expressed hope of making a good profit if fair market prices are ensured. Authorities noted that Satkhira’s mangoes enjoy a strong reputation across the country and are also exported abroad. To maintain this reputation, officials stressed the importance of marketing safe, chemical-free mangoes. They warned that strict action will be taken against any traders found using harmful chemicals. In the first phase, local varieties such as Gobindabhog, Gopalbhog and Golapkhas have entered the market. Himsagar mangoes are expected to be available from May 15, followed by Langra on May 27 and Amrapali from June 5.  

A total of nine Bangladeshi Hajj pilgrims have died in Saudi Arabia so far, says the Ministry of Religious Affairs. Of the deceased, eight were men and one was woman, according to a bulletin issued by the Hajj Management Portal under the ministry at 3:00am on Tuesday. Among them, seven pilgrims died in Makkah while the remaining two passed away in Madinah. The latest death was reported on Monday when Mahfuza Begum, 52, from Sadar area of Chapainawabganj district died after suffering a cardiac arrest. Meanwhile, a total of 46,514 Bangladeshi pilgrims have so far arrived in Saudi Arabia to perform Hajj this year. Of them, 4,071 travelled under the government management, while 42,443 arrived through private Hajj agencies. A total of 118 flights have transported these Bangladeshi pilgrims to Saudi Arabia. Of the total flights, Biman Bangladesh Airlines operated 54, Saudia 43, and Flynas operated 21 flights. Biman transported 21,910 pilgrims, while Saudia carried 16,110 and Flynas transported 8,494 pilgrims, according to the bulletin.

Matiur Rahman Chowdhury, editor-in-chief of Manabzamin and president of the Newspaper Owners' Association of Bangladesh (NOAB), on Monday urged journalists to perform their duties with integrity and professionalism. “A family can be destroyed, a country can face serious threats, or a government can fall into trouble due to a mistake or error in your reporting,” he said at a workshop titled ‘Election Commitments, Reforms and Fact-Checking’, organised by the Citizens’ Platform for SDGs in association with the Economic Reporters Forum (ERF). Amid what he described as an epidemic of misinformation, Matiur Rahman called for unity among all stakeholders to address the growing challenges. Highlighting the sensitivity of economic reporting, he said reporters covering the economic beat carry even greater responsibility.  “A single report can potentially put the country in a risky situation,” he noted, urging journalists to exercise utmost caution and maintain professionalism while reporting on economic issues. He also criticised the “photocard-based journalism." Expressing frustration over divisions within the media community, he said, “If we journalists could unite, we could change the entire Bangladesh. But we have not been able to do so.” He added that many journalists feel more comfortable identifying themselves as members of political parties or groups rather than as journalists.  “We must be journalists first, and only then any other identity,” he said. Reiterating his commitment to the profession, Matiur Rahman said he wishes to continue practising journalism until his last breath. "I want to die as a journalist" Regarding the wage board, the NOAB president said that although owners are willing to implement it, various challenges have made its execution difficult. Among others, Dr Debapriya Bhattacharya, Distinguished Fellow at CPD; Professor Mustafizur Rahman, Core Group Member of the Citizens’ Platform and Distinguished Fellow at CPD; and ERF General Secretary Abul Kashem also spoke at the event. The two-day workshop was supported by the Embassy of Switzerland in Bangladesh and UNDP Bangladesh.

A two-day workshop aimed at enhancing journalists’ capacity to monitor government reforms, track electoral commitments and apply modern fact-checking methods was held in Dhaka. The workshop, titled “Election Commitments, Reforms and Fact-checking,” was organised by Citizens’ Platform for SDGs, Bangladesh in collaboration with Economic Reporters Forum (ERF). A total of 35 journalists from 30 districts and 18 ERF members took part in the training programme. Speaking at the opening session on Sunday, Tarannum Zinan of the Citizens’ Platform welcomed participants, while ERF President Doulot Akter Mala underscored the growing importance of fact-checking in economic journalists. Bangladesh’s energy crisis to persist without renewable transition: CPD

Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmad on Monday said deputy commissioners can play a strong role in ensuring free, fair and credible elections in the country. He said district commissioners perform the duties of returning officers in every national election and therefore their role is significant in establishing democracy in Bangladesh. The Speaker made the remarks while addressing the “Deputy Commissioners Conference 2026” organised by the Cabinet Division at the oath room of the Jatiya Sangsad as the chief guest. Referring to the past political situation, he said the country’s election system during the Awami League government’s 16-year rule was marked by “unprecedented corruption and irregularities.” Australian Speaker Milton Dick meets Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmad “To make the national parliamentary election and the country’s overall electoral process free and fair, deputy commissioners can play a firm and effective role,” he said.

The Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) has seized a large consignment of smuggled Indian sarees worth over Tk 1.7 crore in a drive at Shashidal area under Brahmanpara upazila in Cumilla’s border region. Acting on specific intelligence, a patrol team from Shashidal Border Outpost (BOP) under Sultanpur Battalion (60 BGB) conducted an anti-smuggling operation in the border area and recovered a large quantity of illegally imported high-quality Indian sarees, BGB sources said. The estimated value of the seized goods is Tk 1,70,17,000 (1 crore 70 lakh 17 thousand). BGB seizes smuggled goods worth Tk 1.9 crore at Sylhet border Legal procedures are underway to hand over the seized items to the concerned customs office, according to BGB. Lieutenant Colonel SM Shariful Islam, commanding officer of Sultanpur Battalion (60 BGB), said the force remains active in ensuring border security and preventing smuggling in line with directives of the BGB Director General, adding that intelligence surveillance and operational activities have been further intensified in the border areas. He also said such drives against smuggling will continue in the future to strengthen border security and curb illegal cross-border trade.

Energy experts and civil society leaders on Monday welcomed the government’s plan to generate 10,000 megawatts (MW) of solar power by 2030, calling it a timely and strategic initiative, but warned that major policy and implementation gaps could hinder its success. The observations came at a press conference at the Jatiya Press Club where speakers highlighted both the urgency and complexity of Bangladesh’s transition to renewable energy. The press conference was organised by ActionAid Bangladesh, the Just Energy Transition Network Bangladesh (JETNET-BD), and the Bangladesh Sustainable and Renewable Energy Association. Bangladesh must cut red tape, duties to hit 10,000MW solar target by 2030: Experts