United News of Bangladesh

The governments of Bangladesh and China on Sunday signed a framework agreement worth RMB 1.67 billion( equivalent to about Tk 2486.31 cr) for procuring four new vessels for the Bangladesh Shipping Corporation (BSC). Secretary of the Economic Relations Division (ERD) Md Shahriar Kader Siddique signed the framework agreement on behalf of the Bangladesh government while Chinese Ambassador to Bangladesh Yao Wen signed on behalf of the Chinese government. Under the framework agreement, a loan agreement between the ERD and the Export-Import Bank of China will be signed soon, said a handout. As part of a project, BSC will procure four new vessels including two crude oil tankers, one mother tanker and one mother bunker carrier. Read More: China-Bangladesh healthcare partnership entering a new era: Cosmos Health CEO Nahar Khan The new vessels are expected to significantly enhance BSC’s capacity to transport crude oil and essential products, contributing in the long run to strengthening the country’s energy security and accelerating national development, it said. Under the signed framework agreement, the Chinese government has ensured concessional financing for the project at an interest rate of 2 percent. The loan will have a repayment period of 20 years, including a five-year grace period.

Home Affairs Adviser Lt Gen (retd) Md Jahangir Alam Chowdhury on Sunday said there is no possibility of vote rigging in the national election, expressing confidence that the polls will be peaceful, fair and festive ones. “There is no scope for vote rigging. You cooperate with us. If any irregularity happens anywhere, inform us and we will take action immediately,” he told journalists after a law and order coordination meeting at the Rangpur Divisional Commissioner’s conference room. Responding to questions about whether a fair election was possible amid the current law and order situation, Jahangir Alam said all necessary preparations had been taken in line with the specific needs of different areas. “These issues were also discussed in today’s coordination meeting. The election will be held peacefully. It will be a free, fair and credible election,” he said. The adviser said law enforcement agencies, the administration and the Election Commission had completed all preparations despite the short timeframe, leaving no opportunity for irregularities. Election fever absent in Kurigram’s char areas amid daily struggles Senior Secretary of the Ministry of Home Affairs Nasimul Gani, Rangpur Divisional Commissioner Md Shahidul Islam, Range Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Aminul Islam, Metropolitan Police Commissioner Md Majid Ali, and District Administrator Mohammad Enamul Ahsan were present at the meeting, along with senior officials from the field administration, intelligence agencies and law enforcement bodies. Representatives from the Armed Forces Division, Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), Ansar and Village Defence Party, as well as regional and district election offices, also attended the meeting.  

Bangladesh and Japan have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to strengthen bilateral cooperation on environmental protection and sustainable development. The MoU was signed in Tokyo on February 6 between Bangladesh’s Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change and Japan’s Ministry of the Environment, said a handout on Sunday. Bangladesh Ambassador to Japan Md Daud Ali and Japanese Vice Minister for the Environment Kentaro DOI signed the memorandum on behalf of their respective governments. The agreement aims to enhance cooperation in key environmental areas, including mitigation and adaptation, pollution prevention, waste management and biodiversity conservation. Under the MoU, the two sides will promote the exchange of knowledge and experience as well as expand technical cooperation, based on mutual consent.  

Chief Adviser’s Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam on Sunday said that no government can guarantee there will be no attempts at violence, particularly when influential actors are actively calling for disruption. "But the conditions today are not the same as before. Security forces are under close scrutiny, political parties and civil society are cooperating, and international observers are on the ground," he said in response to TIB's report on election related killings. Together, Alam said, these conditions give real reason to believe that this election can finally end the cycle of fear and violence that defined previous elections. Transparency International Bangladesh says that 15 political leaders and activists were killed in the 36 days following the announcement of the election schedule. "That number has quickly taken on a life of its own. But it deserves scrutiny, not blind repetition," Alam said. Police records show that only five killings during this period can be directly linked to political profile or activity, he said. One of them was the cold-blooded murder of Osman Hadi, shot dead by gunmen on a motorcycle, Alam said. "Every killing is condemnable. Osman Hadi’s murder was particularly brutal, aimed not only at silencing a young political leader but at provoking fear and instability at a sensitive political moment. That objective failed," the Press Secretary said. Prof Yunus happy over polls preparations, says next ‘week very crucial’ The country did not spiral into retaliatory violence, and the election process has not been derailed, he said. "What is missing from TIB’s presentation is context. Political violence around elections is not new in Bangladesh. In the sham elections of 2024, six people were killed," Alam said. He went on to say, "In the night-time elections of 2018, 22 people lost their lives. In the officially rigged 2014 polls, political violence claimed at least 115 lives." Measured against this history, the suggestion that the current pre-election period reflects an alarming breakdown in security is difficult to sustain, Alam said. He said the difference between TIB’s figures and the official data is not a cover-up. "It is a disagreement over how deaths are classified. TIB appears to count every killing of a person affiliated with a political party as election-related, regardless of whether there is evidence that the killing was politically motivated." Alam said the government, by contrast, counts only deaths with direct and provable links to electoral activity. "Treating these approaches as equivalent distorts public understanding and inflates perceptions of insecurity." "Let’s be clear: public security is not in perfect shape. Years of politicised policing and abuse under the Hasina government destroyed public trust, which is why people from all walks of life demanded an interim, non-partisan government," Alam said. Since taking office, he said, the interim government has removed or suspended officials credibly accused of abuses, reviewed the role of specialised units, initiated criminal proceedings in cases of enforced disappearance and torture, and issued clear rules governing the policing of assemblies and the electoral period.

A mother and her two-year-old son died after being run over by a train in Gazipur’s Tongi on Saturday. The deceased were identified as Jannat, 35, and her son Junaid, 2. Jannat lived with her husband near Teesta Gate. She was the daughter of Imam Hossain of Balerhat village under Kaliganj police station in Lalmonirhat district. Tongi Railway Police Outpost chief Sub-Inspector (SI) Rahima Akhter said a Dhaka-bound Subarna Express train from Chattogram ran over them on Saturday. The family alleged that Jannat had a fight with her husband on Friday night and left the house with Junaid on Saturday morning. They claimed that she later committed suicide by jumping in front of the train. SI Rahima said the bodies were sent to Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) for postmortem, and a case of unnatural death (UD) will be filed at Kamalapur Railway Police Station.

The Election Commission (EC) has postponed its decision to issue more than 10,000 election observer cards to the so-called non-governmental organisation People’s Association for Social Advancement (PASHA) for the national election. Briefing reporters after a high-level meeting at the state guesthouse Jamuna on Saturday night, Chief Adviser’s Deputy Press Secretary Abul Kalam Azad Majumder said an NGO named PASHA had applied to appoint 10,000 election observers. “The Election Commission conducted an inquiry into the organisation. After the inquiry, the EC was not convinced of PASHA’s capacity. As a result, the distribution of election observation cards to the organisation has been postponed,” Azad said, quoting EC Secretary Akhtar Ahmed. Azad made the remarks at a press conference held in front of the state guesthouse Jamuna after the meeting, chaired by Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus. Chief Adviser’s Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam also briefed reporters on the overall outcomes of the meeting, which focused on election preparations. Azad said no political involvement has been identified in PASHA’s case so far, but investigations are still ongoing. Nearly one million security personnel to guard Bangladesh elections At the beginning of the meeting, Chief Adviser Prof Yunus said the main challenge is to ensure a “perfect” voting process and described the coming week as very crucial. An investigative report titled ‘One-person-based PASHA giving 10,000 election observers’ was published in Prothom Alo on Friday. The report revealed that the organisation is run by a single individual who has converted a room in his house into PASHA’s office.

The National Committee to Protect State-owned Sugar Mills has announced a ‘Ministry of Industries Siege’ program for March 31, demanding the immediate reopening of six state-owned sugar mills that were shut down during the previous Awami League administration. The announcement came during a press conference held at the Jatiya Press Club on Saturday. To build momentum for the siege, the committee also declared a series of protest demonstrations to be held across all functional and closed sugar mills through March. Addressing the press conference, committee leaders expressed frustration over the lack of progress. Central Convener Kamruzzaman Firoz noted that during a November 2024 meeting between Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus and leaders of the National Ganofront and National Mukti Council, a decision was reached to modernize and reopen the six shuttered mills. BTMA threatens shutdown of all spinning mills over duty-free yarn imports While an official ordinance was later issued to facilitate the reopening, the committee alleges that the Ministry of Finance has failed to allocate the necessary funds. Instead, instructions were reportedly issued to suspend sugarcane crushing operations. The committee issued an ultimatum to the current interim government, highlighting three primary demands: Immediate Reopening: Restarting the six closed mills to protect local economies. Anti-Corruption Measures: Ending systemic corruption within the sugar industry. Modernization: Upgrading the outdated infrastructure of state-run mills to ensure long-term viability. The written statement was read by Joint Convener Nur Rahman Polash. Notable attendees included Tipu Biswas, President of the National Krishak Khetmajur Samiti; Faizul Hakim, Central Coordinator of the National Mukti Council; and various CBA leaders from the Bangladesh Sugar and Food Industries Corporation (BSFIC). The speakers emphasized that the livelihoods of thousands of farmers and workers depend on these mills. They warned that if the government does not take visible steps toward modernization and funding by the March 31 deadline, the siege will proceed as planned. Many textile mills about to shut down due to faulty policy: BTMA

A high-level meeting on the election preparation is now underway at State Guest House Jamuna. Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus is chairing the meeting. Chief Adviser’s Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam is scheduled to brief the media outside Jamuna, the residence of Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus, at 8:30pm on Saturday.

Around 18 percent of the total polling centres in Dhaka-14, Dhaka-16 and Dhaka-18 constituencies have been identified as risk-prone. Among the three constituencies, Dhaka-14 and Dhaka-16 are marked as highly risky. Mirpur Army Camp Commander of the Bangladesh Army Lt Col SM Fuad Masrur made the remarks on Saturday afternoon during a briefing at the Mirpur Indoor Stadium on overall security arrangements and election preparedness for Dhaka-14, -16 and -18 constituencies ahead of the national parliamentary election. Army Chief urges officers to perform election duties impartially Lt Col Fuad Masrur said the Army remains on the highest alert to ensure that voters can travel to and from polling centres without disruption.  Based on the level of risk, polling centres have been categorised as highly risk-prone, medium-risk and general, and necessary security measures are being taken accordingly, he said. He also urged journalists to conduct preliminary verification before disseminating any information related to disorder or sabotage during the election period, so that misleading or provocative news is not published. The camp commander added that the Army will ensure the security of both election candidates and media personnel.  He also requested to inform law enforcement agencies immediately if any risky situation is observed. Army chief says 3,619 weapons looted during Bangladesh’s 2024 uprising

A policeman was killed when a speeding truck hit a motorcycle on the Dhaka–Khulna Highway near the Nabaganga Bridge in Magura district on Saturday. The deceased was identified as Badsha Morol, 26, son of Omar Ali and a resident of Aylia village in Satkhira district. Ayub Ali, officer-in-charge (OC) of Magura Police Station, said that Badsha Morol was returning to the Babukhali camp on a motorcycle after collecting rations and medicines from the Magura police lines. When he reached the Nabaganga Bridge in Magura around 12:00 pm, a speeding truck hit his motorcycle from behind, leaving him critically injured. Three killed, 14 injured in bus-truck collision in Rangpur Locals rushed him to the emergency department of the 250-bed Magura Sadar Hospital, where the on-duty doctor declared him dead on arrival. The body has been kept at the temporary morgue of Magura Sadar Hospital.  The truck has been identified, and a case has been filed at Magura Police Station in connection with the accident. One killed, 10 injured in clash over khasland in Brahmanbaria