United News of Bangladesh

Parliament has formed a 10-member committee, headed by Deputy Speaker Barrister Kayser Kamal, to review and recommend measures for implementing the e-Jatiya Sangsad Project (e-JSP), developed by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The committee was formed on the instructions of Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmad, according to a press release issued on Thursday. The committee will review the project’s Development Project Proposal (DPP), make recommendations and take necessary steps to implement the e-Parliament project. The other members of the committee are MPs ABM Ashraf Uddin Nijan, Nayab Yusuf Ahmed, Mir Ahmad Bin Kasem, Saeed Al Noman, Humam Qader Chowdhury, Mohammad Najibur Rahman, Akhtar Hossain, Lutfullahil Majed and Anna Minj. The Director General (B&I&T) will serve as the committee’s secretary. The committee may co-opt additional members if necessary.

The government has introduced an automated system to ensure transparency in the transfer and posting of doctors in the health sector, said Health and Family Welfare Minister Sardar Md. Sakhawat Husain on Thursday. “Today, we are preparing to transfer 95 doctors at the upazila level through automation, without bias, political considerations or personal preferences as the government plans to gradually bring transfers and postings across all positions under the Health Services Division within the automated system,” he said while inaugurated the system at a ceremony at the Secretariat. The health minister described the initiative as a historic step towards ensuring merit-based and impartial transfers and postings in the health sector. He said the initial list of 95 doctors had been prepared independently by the health secretary based on applications and merit. The minister said the government would also consider doctors’ preferences for postings in their respective upazilas, in line with government directives. If a doctor’s own upazila does not have a suitable position, the government would consider a neighbouring upazila, he added. He said the authorities would review the results of the initial phase and take further steps to bring the entire ministry under the automated system. State Minister Dr MA Muhit, who was present at the event as a special guest, said the government has been working to reform the health sector, restore discipline and address irregularities since assuming office. “Following the directive of Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, we are introducing automation in transfers and postings as part of these efforts,” he said. Deputy Secretary of the Health Services Division Dr Ummehani said automation in government operations and the modernisation of administrative processes were key priorities. In the past, transferring and posting a large number of officials had often involved delays, complications and administrative challenges, creating frustration among doctors and affecting overall health service management, she said. The initiative would make the process easier, more orderly, transparent and efficient, helping restore discipline in the country's health sector, she said.

Police on Thursday afternoon dispersed garment workers who blocked Dhaka-Mymensingh highway in the capital’s Uttara area to press home their various demands including wage hike. Police used batons and sound grenades to disperse the workers, several of whom were injured during the chase, while several vehicles were vandalised, according to witnesses. Assistant Commissioner of Police (Uttara Zone) Ariful Islam Rony said police carried out a mild baton charge and used several sound grenades to clear the highway, forcing the workers to leave the road. Traffic movement began returning to normal after 12 noon, he said. Officer-in-Charge of Uttara East Police Station Morshed Alam denied that police used batons or sound grenades against the workers, saying they left the highway on their own. He also said traffic movement began returning to normal after 12 noon. The workers blocked the highway in Azampur and Rajlaxmi areas of Uttara at around 9:30am, demanding an increase in minimum wages, timely payment of wages and allowances, and an end to arbitrary layoffs. The blockade triggered severe traffic congestion on both sides of the highway, leaving commuters and long-distance bus passengers stranded for hours.

Customs intelligence officials have seized goods worth Tk 1.13 crore including Viagra, insulin, banned skin-whitening creams in a series of raids at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport and the Kamalapur Railway Foreign Post Office. The Customs Intelligence and Investigation Directorate (CIID) of the National Board of Revenue (NBR) conducted the drives on Tuesday and Wednesday, uncovering suspected smuggling routes involving air, postal and rail transport, according to a press release issued on Thursday. On Wednesday, CIID officials seized around 55kg of medicines, including Viagra and insulin, from the baggage of a passenger named Jahangir arriving from Ethiopia . The directorate warned that the uncontrolled use of Viagra without medical advice and the transportation of temperature-sensitive medicines such as insulin without maintaining the required cold chain could pose public health risks. In a separate drive on Tuesday, officials at the Kamalapur Railway Foreign Post Office seized 7,787 pieces of Gouri cream, which is banned for import, and 31 used laptops. The goods were allegedly brought into Bangladesh by air and were being routed to Chattogram General Post Office through the airport’s sorting centre and the Railway Mail Service (RMS) Centre in Kamalapur. During baggage searches on the same day, officials also seized 100 grammes of gold jewellery, laptops, mobile phones, including a Samsung Galaxy S25 FE, 288 cartons of cigarettes, 46kg of banned creams and 17 litres of alcoholic beverages from passengers arriving on different flights.

Former deputy minister and veteran BNP leader Abdul Hai died early Thursday at a hospital in the capital the age of 77. Hai, also a freedom fighter, breathed his last around 1:30am while undergoing treatment in the intensive care unit (ICU) of Popular Hospital in Dhanmondi, his family members confirmed. According to family sources, his first namaz-e-janaza is scheduled to be held at 3pm on Thursday at the South Plaza of the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban in the presence of Prime Minister Tarique Rahman. His second janaza is scheduled for 4pm in front of the BNP's central office in Nayapaltan. The third one will be held after evening at the party office in Supermarket area of Munshiganj town, followed by the fourth and final janaza at night at the Eidgah field of Mireshwarai Alia Madrasa in Panchasar Union under Sadar upazila. Known for his firm principles, personal integrity, simple lifestyle and straightforward manner of speaking, he enjoyed widespread popularity across party lines. Abdul Hai was born on January 5, 1949, in Hosendi village of Gazaria upazila in Munshiganj. He is survived by two sons and two daughters. His younger brother, Mohiuddin Ahmed, served as member secretary of the Munshiganj district unit of the BNP. He completed his higher secondary education and bachelor's degree at Munshiganj Government Haraganga College. During his long political career, he held several important positions in the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), including president of the Munshiganj district unit. He was elected to parliament five times in total, including once from Dhaka-8 and three times from Munshiganj-4. During the fifth parliament, he served as deputy minister for Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives. In the eighth parliament, he was elected panel speaker. He also held various responsibilities at the BNP's central level, including serving as the party's treasurer.  

Several thousand garment workers blocked Dhaka-Mymensingh highway in the capital’s Uttara area on Thursday morning, demanding an increase in minimum wages, timely payment of wages and an end to arbitrary worker layoffs. The blockade brought traffic on both sides of the highway to a complete standstill, triggering severe traffic congestion on the highway and surrounding roads and causing immense suffering to commuters, long-distance bus passengers and pedestrians. Uttara West Police Station Officer-in-Charge Khalid said workers from various garment factories in Uttara began blocking the main road in Azampur areaaround 9:30am. They later blocked the road near Rajlaxmi under Uttara West Police Station. He estimated that 5,000 to 7,000 workers were occupying the roads, carrying sticks and other wooden objects. Police have been deployed on both sides of the highway and are trying to persuade the workers to withdraw the blockade, the OC said. He added that workers also blocked the road on Wednesday, but police later managed to clear it through persuasion. Witnesses said workers from different garment factories have  been staging demonstrations in various lanes of Uttara since Thursday morning before moving to the Azampur area and blocking the main road. The blockade caused severe congestion on both sides of the Airport-Abdullahpur highway, leaving vehicles in long queues and disrupting movement across Uttara and adjacent areas. Hundreds of passengers travelling on long-distance buses were stranded in traffic. Unable to reach their destinations on time, many got off their buses and continued on foot, while commuters heading to work and people travelling for urgent purposes faced considerable hardship.

The government has appointed 1,702 candidates to different cadres under the 45th Bangladesh Civil Service (BCS) examination, around 10 months after the Public Service Commission (PSC) recommended them for recruitment. The Ministry of Public Administration issued an order in this regard on Wednesday night. According to the order, the newly appointed officials have been asked to join their respective offices designated by the cadre-controlling ministries by November 1. Unless otherwise instructed by the respective cadre-controlling ministry, they must join their assigned offices by the deadline. Failure to join on the stipulated date will be considered a refusal to accept the appointment, and the appointment letter will be deemed cancelled, the order said. The ministry also said the authorities reserve the right to amend or cancel the appointment order if any adverse or contradictory information about an appointed officer emerges after the appointment. The PSC published the final results of the 45th BCS examination on November 27, 2025, recommending 1,807 candidates for appointment to different cadres.

In a continuous effort to foster reading habits and enlightened thinking among the students, Bishwo Shahitto Kendro in association with bKash, has expanded its nationwide book reading programme in Bagerhat and Satkhira districts. This year, 40,000 books are being distributed under this programme to different educational institutions across the country. As part of this effort, books were handed over to the students from various schools during two separate events held at Bagerhat Zila Parishad Auditorium and Shilpakala Academy, Satkhira recently. The schools included Bagerhat Amlapara Secondary School, Bagerhat Adarsha High School, Jadunath School and College, Bagerhat Govt. Girls High School, and Bagerhat Collectorate School and College in Bagerhat district, as well as Satkhira P. N. Secondary School, Nabarun Girls High School, Satkhira Govt. Girls High School, Rasulpur Secondary School and Satkhira Collectorate School and College in Satkhira.  Golam Md. Baten, Deputy Commissioner and District Magistrate of Bagerhat; and Md. Alamgir Kabir, District Education Officer of Satkhira attended the respective events and handed over books to the students. Khandakar Md Asaduzzaman, Executive Director of Bishwo Shahitto Kendro; Sayma Ahsan, Vice-president, Regulatory and Corporate Affairs Department of bKash, among others, were also present on the occasion. To make the book-reading programme more popular, a quiz competition on contemporary topics was organised for students in grades 6 to 10. At the end of the event, prizes were handed over to quiz winners. Around 700 students attended the events. With the aim to inculcate book reading habits and nurture human values among the students, Bishwo Shahitto Kendro has been conducting this Nationwide Enrichment programme for long. To further expand and implement this objective, country’s largest MFS provider bKash has been associated with this programme since 2014. More than 400,000 books have been distributed till now, benefiting over 3.2 million readers in nearly 3,000 educational institutions across the country.

Health and Family Welfare Minister Sardar Md Sakhawat Husain on Wednesday said the talent, skills, patriotism and dedication of the country’s doctors to serving humanity are a matter of pride for the nation. He said doctors risk their lives to serve people even in times of crisis, describing their commitment as a major achievement for the country. The minister made the remarks while speaking as the chief guest at the inaugural ceremony of the seventh annual conference of the Haematology Society of Bangladesh, titled ‘HaematoCon 2026’, held at the Shaheed Abu Sayeed International Convention Centre in Dhaka on Wednesday night. The minister said people might not always listen to him, but they listen when a doctor speaks, as doctors’ talent and competence are widely respected. He said the country’s doctors were serving people with skill and dedication and had a deep love for the country. They performed their duties as vigilant guardians of public health without expecting anything in return, he added. Sakhawat Hossain said he felt proud of the country’s doctors and highlighted their skills and contributions even when speaking abroad. Emphasising the need to improve treatment for complex blood disorders such as thalassaemia and leukaemia, the minister said initiatives had been taken to strengthen the country’s haematology sector and ensure access to specialist medical services in different regions. To this end, he said, arrangements would be made to deploy haematologists to different parts of the country after discussions with the president and general secretary of the Haematology Society of Bangladesh within the next week. Sakhawat Hossain also said various initiatives had been taken to modernise the country’s healthcare system and make it suitable for contemporary needs, including the installation of radiotherapy machines across the country. He stressed the need for collective efforts by all concerned to ensure advanced treatment for patients suffering from complex diseases such as thalassaemia and leukaemia. Director General of the Directorate General of Medical Education Professor Dr Nazmul Hossain and other prominent doctors from across the country were present at the programme.

The Parliamentary Standing Committee on the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock has stressed increasing fish and livestock production, improving animal healthcare and ensuring adequate support for marginal fishermen during fishing bans. The committee made the recommendations during visits to the Department of Fisheries and the Department of Livestock Services on Wednesday, with its Chairman Khairul Kabir Khokon leading the delegation. Committee member Ali Azam Md Abu Bakar was also present. During the visits, the directors general and other officials of the two departments briefed the committee members on the country’s fisheries and livestock sectors. The committee stressed the need to increase the supply of fish and livestock products to meet growing public demand for food. Khokon instructed officials to take more transparent and effective measures to increase the production and harvesting of indigenous fish species, as well as marine fish. He also emphasised taking necessary steps to increase livestock production and ensure a greater supply of vaccines and medicines to prevent and treat animal diseases. The committee called for continued efforts to promote duck and poultry farming, rear pregnant and dairy cows, ensure the production of nutritionally balanced milk, conserve indigenous cattle breeds and maintain quality control of animal-based food products. It also recommended greater attention to the livelihoods of marginal fishermen during fishing bans imposed to increase hilsa production. The committee asked the authorities to continue providing appropriate incentives to affected fishermen during the restrictions. The officials were also advised to expedite the implementation of projects aimed at improving animal nutrition through the cultivation of improved grass varieties, promoting the socioeconomic development of ethnic minority communities and preventing the spread of rabies by stray dogs. The committee stressed the need for effective implementation of these initiatives to improve the country’s fisheries and livestock sectors.