United News of Bangladesh

Bangladesh Bank has set banking operation and transaction hours for the holy month of Ramadan. In a circular on Tuesday, the central bank said all banks will open at 9:30 am and close at 4 pm. Public transactions time will be ended at 2:30 pm to allow banks’ officials to complete the daily ancillary post transaction works. Bangladesh Bank lowers floor of interest rate corridor to boost interbank liquidity There will be a 15-minute Zohr prayers break for from 1:15 pm to 1:30 pm. Standard banking and office schedules will resume immediately after the conclusion of the Eid-ul-Fitr holidays, it added.

A delegation of the Commonwealth Observer Group paid a courtesy call on Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus on Monday. The meeting was held at the state guest house Jamuna. The 23-member delegation was led by the chair of the Commonwealth Observer Group and former president of Ghana, H E Nana Akufo-Addo. Chief Coordinator on Sustainable Development Goals at the Chief Adviser’s Office Lamiya Morshed was present at the meeting. Senior officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs also attended.

Religious Affairs Adviser AFM Khalid Hossain on Tuesday said just like last year, no one will be sent to perform Hajj at government cost this year. The adviser came up with the information while talking to reporters at the Secretariat. This year, the government would be able to refund more than Tk 3 crore to Hajj pilgrims under two government-managed packages after the completion of this year’s Hajj, he said. The Adviser said that he tried to perform his duties over the last one and a half years with transparency, accountability and integrity, making efforts to activate and streamline the Ministry of Religious Affairs and its subordinate offices and agencies. Several steps were taken to ensure a professional and honest working environment for officials and employees, he claimed. Regarding Hajj management, the adviser said that in line with directives of the Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah, a health service agreement was signed last year with a Saudi medical service company at a cost of two Saudi riyals per pilgrim. Due to the sincere efforts and effective negotiations of the interim government, all Bangladeshi pilgrims will receive this health service free of cost this year, he added. Claiming positive changes in Hajj management following the July revolution, the adviser said special emphasis was placed on ensuring Hajj at a reasonable cost. Through repeated negotiations with the Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism, airfares for the 2025 Hajj were reduced by around Tk 27,000, while fares for this year were cut by about Tk 13,000 compared to last year, he added. This year, the government introduced three Hajj packages, compared to two last year. To facilitate limited- and fixed-income Muslims, an affordable package has been announced at Tk 4,67,167, he said. He said preparations for this year’s Hajj are satisfactory so far, with accommodation, tent and transport contracts for both government and private pilgrims already completed successfully. Besides, the service charges under Hajj Package-3 were reduced by around 600 Saudi riyals per pilgrim through effective negotiations with service provider companies, said the adviser. He also said accommodation for Package-3 pilgrims has been arranged within 1.5 kilometres of the Holy Haram instead of the earlier plan of 6–8 kilometres, easing transportation hassles and allowing pilgrims to perform five daily prayers at the Haram Sharif.

The Malaysian High Commission in Dhaka has said its ‘MyVISA’ website will be ‘temporarily unavailable’ until further notice due to ongoing system maintenance and stabilisation works. “Any visa application and approval processes will resume once the system maintenance is completed, and an official announcement will be made accordingly,” said the High Commission in a notification on Tuesday. “Please be informed that the MyVISA website will be temporarily unavailable starting today until further notice due to ongoing system maintenance and stabilisation works,” the notification reads. During this period, the High Commission said, access to the website, including visa application and approval processes, will not be available.

Clearing massive outstanding dues owed to foreign energy suppliers has been the biggest achievement of the interim government in the energy sector, Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Adviser Muhammad Fouzul Kabir Khan said on Tuesday, marking his last working day in office. Speaking at a press conference at Bidyut Bhaban reviewing the interim government’s performance in the power and energy sector, the adviser said the sector had been burdened with huge liabilities when the government took office. “The biggest challenge was settling the dues. Within days of taking charge, I was told that LNG imports would not be possible unless payments were cleared. Late payment fees were also crippling the energy sector. Considering everything, we decided that settling the dues would be our top priority,” he said. According to the Energy and Mineral Resources Division, Petrobangla’s outstanding dues to various international oil and gas companies had stood at Tk 9,106 crore following the fall of the Awami League government on August 5, 2024. Between then and April 2025, Petrobangla paid energy bills worth Tk 35,700 crore, bringing its outstanding liabilities down to zero. The adviser said cost optimisation was another major focus of the interim government alongside debt repayment. Through lower premiums in both spot and long-term LNG purchases, around Tk 1,500 crore was saved in the first six months, he said. Petrobangla has signed new Master Sales and Purchase Agreements (MSPAs) with 24 companies, enabling LNG imports at reduced premiums. While the average premium stood at USD 1.28 per unit between July 2023 and August 2024, it has now dropped to 38 cents. Govt recommends procuring 53.87m units of Anti-TB drugs “Although we have little control over international gas index prices, significant savings were achieved through lower purchase premiums,” Fouzul said, adding that unnecessary expenditure in gas exploration drilling was also curtailed. He said the government repealed the Speedy Supply of Power and Energy (Special Provision) Act, 2010, and conducted drilling under the Public Procurement Act and Rules (PPR), ensuring transparency and competitive pricing. According to official estimates, significant cost savings were made in drilling five gas exploration wells in Bhola under BAPEX. Earlier projected costs of Tk 1,555 crore were reduced to Tk 907 crore. However, Fouzul acknowledged that gas discovery from the drilled wells fell short of expectations. “The amount of gas discovered is insufficient compared to the depletion rate. Exploration is a time-consuming process. Even feasibility tests take more than six months, and the interim government did not have enough time to complete many initiatives.” The adviser also said no major investment could be secured in the energy sector due to uncertainty over the government’s tenure. “Potential investors repeatedly asked about the government’s term. As we could not provide a clear answer, it was not possible to finalise major investment deals.” No decisions were taken on coal-based energy projects, leaving those to the elected government, he added. Fouzul also said document-related complexities of offshore bidding processes initiated during the previous government had been resolved. Outlining recommendations for the next government, he stressed the importance of offshore bidding for oil and gas exploration in maritime areas, along with plans to establish land-based LNG terminals and a fourth Floating Storage and Regasification Unit (FSRU). To address the country’s gas crisis, the energy division has recommended drilling 100 wells by 2028, which could add an additional 900 million cubic feet per day (mmcfd) of gas to the national grid. On his final working day, the adviser said he would leave behind a written guideline for the next minister in charge. “I did not receive any roadmap when I took office. But the next person should know where to start and which direction to move in.” Senior officials of power and energy-related agencies, ministry officials, and public and private sector stakeholders were present at the press conference.

All banks and stock markets in Bangladesh will remain closed for four consecutive days starting Wednesday ( February 11) due to the national  election and the referendum. To facilitate voter participation and ensure smooth security arrangements, the government has declared a two-day public holiday on Wednesday and Thursday. Since these government holidays are immediately followed by the regular weekend holidays of Friday and Saturday, the financial sector will remain inactive for a total of four days. Normal banking operations and stock trading will resume on Sunday (February 15). CA Prof Yunus reviews law & order, election preparations

Vice-Chancellor of Dhaka University Professor Niaz Ahmad Khan has decided to resign from his position. He announced this decision at a press briefing held at the Abdul Matin Chowdhury Virtual Classroom at the university on Tuesday. Speaking at the briefing, the Vice-Chancellor said, “I would like to step down from my position. However, if a vacancy at this moment could create any disruption at the university, I am willing to continue for a few more days if the elected government wishes.” He said a smooth transition was essential for the university and that if the government or other stakeholders felt he should continue for some more time, he was ready to consider it. Dr Niaz Ahmad Khan was a Professor in the Department of Development Studies at Dhaka University. He also served as the Pro Vice-Chancellor of Independent University, Bangladesh (IUB). After the fall of the Awami League government on August 5, 2024, then Vice-Chancellor Professor Maksud Kamal resigned on August 10.

The results of the 50th Bangladesh Civil Service (BCS) preliminary test were published on Tuesday. Some 12,385 candidates have qualified to participate in the written examination, according to the Bangladesh Public Service Commission (PSC). According to PSC sources, a total of 290,951 candidates applied for the 50th BCS examination. Through the recruitment process, 2,150 candidates will be appointed to cadre and non-cadre posts. Of the 1,755 cadre posts, up to 650 are allocated for the health cadre, 200 for the administration cadre and 117 for the police cadre. Govt appoints 673 candidates from 27th BCS

Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus will address the nation this (Tuesday) evening. He will address the nation at 7 pm marking  the national election and the referendum, said Chief Adviser’s Deputy Press Secretary Abul Kalam Azad Majumder. Bangladesh Television and Bangladesh Betar will broadcast his speech.

Bangladesh saw 27,059 fire incidents in 2025, averaging 75 fires per day,according to a report from the Fire Service and Civil Defence (FSCD). FSCD headquarters issued a stateemtn over the report on Tuesday. The fire incidents left 85 people dead and 267 injured, it said. Electrical short circuits, burning cigarette or bidi stubs, stoves, and gas cylinder leaks were the main causes. Fire in Natore kills mother, daughter Out of the total, 9,392 (34.7%) were due to electrical short circuits, 4,269 (15.8%) from cigarette or bidi stubs, 2,909 (10.8%) from stoves, 920 (3.4%) from gas cylinder leaks, and 562 (2.1%) from gas supply line leaks. Other causes included children playing with fire, hot ashes, fireworks, chemical accidents, and coils.   Residential buildings were the hardest hit by fires with 8,705 incidents (32.2% of the total). Other major locations were straw stacks (3,922), shops (1,800), markets (1,067), shopping malls (617), garment factories (665), non-garment factories (615), and gas cylinder shops (483), said the report. Fires also occurred in hospitals, offices, high-rise buildings, religious places, and educational institutions. Fires were reported in 153 buses, 216 other vehicles, 10 trains, four launches, two ships, and one training aircraft. The highest fire incidents were recorded in March (3,522), April (3,035), February (2,885), and December (2,724). November and May saw 2,237 and 2,209 incidents respectively. Of the 85 deaths, 46 were men and 39 women.  Most injuries and deaths occurred in residential buildings, chemical accidents, and aircraft fire incidents, said the FSCD report. FSCD conducted 1,071 diving operations, rescuing 70 injured and 585 deceased. Animals, birds, and other creatures were also rescued. FSCD responded to 10,140 incidents nationwide, saving 10,333 injured and 1,756 deceased, including road accident victims. FSCD inspected 10,533 buildings and of those , 3,316 were risky, 622 highly risky, and 6,595 satisfactory. Mobile courts fined 179 institutions Tk 1.94 crore and filed cases against eight. FSCD held 15,865 awareness campaigns, 2,078 surveys, 14,987 public engagements, and 3,722 fire drills. Fire gutted 36 dwelling houses in Gazipur