United News of Bangladesh

In the backdrop of increasing transactions involving buying and selling, business activities, and the transfer of money and various valuables in the capital for the holy month of Ramadan and Eid-ul-Fitr, the DMP is ready to provide escort service. The Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) will provide escort services for individuals, banks or financial institutions seeking police assistance for transporting large amounts of cash and valuable items to ensure security during this period. However, the service-seeking people or institution will have to arrange their own vehicle for the escort, said DMP's Deputy Commissioner (Media) Talebur Rahman on Thursday afternoon. Those interested in availing the service have been advised to contact the respective police station or the police control room, the DC (media) added. The control room numbers are: 223381188, 0247119988, 029619999, 01320-037845 and 01320-037846. The national emergency service number is 999.

Police arrested content creator Ashraful Alam alias Hero Alam from Shahjahanpur upazila in Bogura district in connection with a case filed over violating a woman with a promise of marrying her. Tipped off, a team of police put up a barricade on Dhaka-Rangpur Majhira Bandar area in the upazila and arrested Hero Alam from his personal vehicle, said Additional Superintendent of Bogura Police, Mostafa Manjur. Later, he was produced before the Bogura Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal and the tribunal sent him to jail. Earlier on February 10, this year, a Bogura court issued a warrant for the arrest of Hero Alam in a rape case. Judge of the Bogura Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal-2 Anwarul Haque passed the order. According to the case statement, the accused, Ashraful Alam, allegedly lured Sadia Rahman Mithila with the promise of making her an actress and assuring marriage. He is accused of subsequently raping, physically abusing her and forcing her to undergo an abortion. A case was filed under Women and Children Repression Prevention Act against him on April 21, 2025. Investigators reported that preliminary inquiry found some elements of the allegations to be credible, which formed the basis for the court’s arrest warrant.      

Information and Broadcasting Minister Zahir Uddin Swapan on Thursday said the government will not allow any action or decision to be implemented outside the Constitution and established rules. “Decisions cannot be accepted under mob pressure. Any incident or crisis will be resolved strictly through constitutional and regulatory procedures.” he told reporters at Secretariat responding to a question about the recent removal of the Managing Director of Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS) under mob pressure. Home Minister Salahuddin urges law enforcers to win public trust “I myself learned about yesterday evening’s incident, and it is indeed unfortunate. However, BSS is a government institution, and all appointments, confirmations or terminations follow established rules.” The unfortunate event at BSS will also be addressed according to rules after discussion, he said. When asked about dismissal of several reporters from a private television channel he said he has only heard about it. He said he would speak to both the journalists and the channel’s owners to better understand the issue and explore whether an amicable solution could be reached through a system. “We have repeatedly emphasissed that we are building a grievance-free Bangladesh and always within the constitutional framework,” he added.

More than 10,000 dry-fish processing fishermen in Dubla Char of the Sundarbans have stopped fishing in the sea and rivers since Wednesday evening due to renewed fears of forest pirates. The fishermen suspended fishing amid uncertainty over the fate of 20 fishermen who were allegedly abducted on Monday night. Their whereabouts remained unknown for the past two days. President of the Dubla Fishermen Group freedom fighter Md Kamal Uddin Ahmed told UNB over phone from Alorkol that the absence of adequate security in the Sundarbans and adjacent sea areas has left fishermen terrified of abduction.  “Over 10,000 fishermen engaged in dry-fish processing stopped fishing in the sea and rivers from Wednesday evening and are now staying idle on the char,” he said. With the season nearing its end, many fishermen are worried about returning home empty-handed, he added. Kamal Uddin alleged that four pirate groups — identified as Jahangir, Suman, Sharif and Karim Bahini — are currently active in the Sundarbans and nearby waters. “The pirates are moving freely, abducting fishermen and releasing them after collecting ransom. Those who fail to pay are severely beaten,” he claimed.   He said at least four fishermen were admitted to Rampal Hospital last week after being seriously injured in attacks by pirates. Although the Sundarbans were declared pirate-free in 2018 by the then government, piracy has resurfaced during the interim administration, he added. Motasim Forazi, president of the Rampal Fishermen’s Association in Alorkol, said piracy has made fishing nearly impossible. “Earlier we used to say, ‘Crocodiles in water, tigers on land.’ Now it’s ‘Pirates at sea,’” he said.  He claimed that more than 100 fishermen are currently being held captive by pirates, with several abductions reported in the past 15 days. The 20 fishermen abducted on Monday night have yet to be traced, though the pirates left a mobile number for contact, he said. Officials of the Forest Department expressed concern over the financial impact of the fishing halt. Officer-in-Charge of the Dubla Patrol Outpost under the Sundarbans East Forest Division, Forest Ranger Milton Roy, said the suspension of fishing activities could lead to a significant revenue shortfall. Sharankhola Forest Station Officer, Forest Ranger Md Khalilur Rahman, said no fishermen are currently collecting fishing permits from the station due to pirate fears, which is likely to severely affect the division’s monthly revenue target. Local traders in Sharankhola market, including grocers Jalal Molla, Anwar Saudagar and Ripon Hawlader, said their businesses have also suffered as fishermen are no longer heading to the forest. Assistant Conservator of Forests (ACF) of Sharankhola Range Md Shariful Islam said the rise in pirate activities has been reported to higher authorities and that forest guards are working to ensure the safety of fishermen.

Bangladesh River Police seized a huge quantity of illegal nets, fish and jelly-injected shrimp during a five-day nationwide drive aimed at protecting the country’s fisheries resources and ensuring security on waterways. A total of 21,334,330 metres of illegal nets and 2,409 kilograms of fish and 300 kilograms of jelly-injected shrimp were seized during the five day-drive continued till 8:00 am on Thursday, said a press release. Cases were also filed in the naval court against 23 bulkheads for lacking valid documents, the release said. A total of 64 people were arrested in the five-day drive. Besides, a total of 26 cases were filed in connection with the seizure and three death bodies were also recovered during the drive.

Health and Family Welfare Minister Sardar Md Sakhawat Husain on Thursday said  on-site inspections will be conducted to ensure doctors are providing proper services to patients. He made the announcement at a meeting on the overall activities of the ministry at the conference room of the ministry at Secretariat. The minister said the government wants to ensure the highest level of services at hospitals and would work in line with the instructions and message of the Prime Minister. “We will make immediate visits to see whether on-duty doctors are providing services properly. Everyone will have to be accountable. We must ensure that our activities benefit the general people,” he said, adding that no syndicate would be given any undue advantage. He also said the Prime Minister has directed that services must be provided equally to all. Senior officials of the ministry and heads of subordinate departments and agencies were also present at the meeting.  

Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed on Thursday urged law enforcement agencies to quickly fulfill public expectations by earning the trust of citizens. “After nearly 15 years, a transparent election has brought a political government to power and public expectations are very high. We intend to implement our election manifesto promptly to meet these expectations,” he said. The minister made the remarks during a views-exchange meeting with heads of different departments and agencies under the Home Ministry at the Bangladesh Secretariat. Salahuddin sounds the death knell for mob culture He emphasised that democratic reforms reflecting public demand should be given top priority across the police and other law enforcement bodies. Minister Salahuddin also underscored the importance of recruiting necessary personnel, stressing that coordinated efforts along with new recruitment would help achieve the ministry’s objectives. He called for a detailed plan to modernise the police and other law enforcement agencies, and instructed department and agency heads to submit recommendations and proposals to guide the planning and implementation, ensuring proper prioritisation of reforms.

A mild tremor shook Sylhet and its adjacent areas on Thursday. According to the Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD), the tremor was recorded at 12:46 pm with a magnitude of 4.1 on the Richter scale. The epicentre of the earthquake was Chhatak upazila of Sunamganj district under Sylhet division, 187 km North-East from BMD Seismic Centre, from BMD Seismic Centre, Agargaon, Dhaka, according to BMD.

An 11-member delegation led by Bilal Erdogan, son of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and Germany’s World Cup-winning footballer Mesut Ozil arrived in Cox’s Bazar on Thursday to visit Rohingya camps. The delegation, which also includes Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA)  Chairman Abdullah Eren reached Cox’s Bazar Airport at 10:30 am via a special flight on the second day of their Bangladesh visit. After arrival, they paid a courtesy call on Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commissioner Mohammad Mizanur Rahman at his office in Cox’s Bazar. During a brief media briefing, Bilal Erdogan emphasised the dignified and respectful repatriation of Rohingya to their country of origin. He assured that the Turkish government and people would continue to support Rohingyas with humanitarian aid. The delegation then traveled by road to visit the Rohingya camps in Cox’s Bazar. Besides, they will visit Turkey’s field hospital in Camp 9 and the Education and Cultural Centre run by Turkey’s cooperation and coordination agency in Camp 16. They are also scheduled to attend a short friendly football match, the prize-giving ceremony of a Rohingya football tournament and the first Iftar of Ramadan with the Rohingyas.  

Citizen’s platform on Thursday urged the new government to immediately prepare a realistic revised budget for the current fiscal year and enforce a hard budget constraint to stabilise the economy amid mounting macroeconomic pressures. The recommendations came at a briefing held at BRAC Centre in Mohakhali, where Citizen’s Platform presented its ‘Macroeconomic Benchmark for the New Government’. The presentation was made by Towfiqul Islam Khan, Additional Director (Research) at CPD. Highlighting what it termed three binding constraints—fragile macroeconomic stability, weakened private investment and employment, and diminishing fiscal space—the platform stressed that there should be ‘no compromise’ in formulating a realistic revised budget for FY2025, including updated projections on debt stress. According to the analysis, Bangladesh is now in a position where recurrent operating expenditures cannot be met through domestic revenue mobilisation. In FY2025, revenue shortfall exceeded Tk 1 lakh crore, while foreign debt repayment rose sharply. The revenue deficit after accounting for non-ADP expenditures and foreign debt repayment widened significantly, squeezing fiscal space further. The platform team warned that public debt increased by Tk 2.6 lakh crore between end-June and end-September 2024, driven largely by domestic and external borrowing, alongside currency depreciation. Although the budget deficit has remained below 5 percent of GDP, repayment capacity—both in fiscal and foreign exchange terms—should now be the key concern rather than the debt-to-GDP ratio alone, it noted. Against this backdrop, the platform recommended adopting a ‘miser approach’ for the remainder of FY2025, prioritising public expenditure, cutting unnecessary operating costs, and refraining from allocating additional public funds to troubled banks during the current fiscal year. New public investment projects should be deprioritised, while ongoing and foreign loan-financed projects should receive priority. On monetary policy, Citizen’s Platform suggested that a small cut in the policy rate could be considered to support private investment, though it cautioned that non-food inflation remains sticky. It also advised against aggressively building up foreign exchange reserves over the next four months, noting that this could add to money supply pressures. While foreign exchange reserves have improved, reaching $28.9 billion in January 2026 under BPM6 methodology, and the exchange rate has shown some stability, inflation remains elevated at 8.7 percent in January, with non-food inflation hovering above 9 percent. Private investment fell to 22.5 percent of GDP in FY2025—the lowest in recent years—while GDP growth slowed to 4 percent. In the first half of FY2025, about 21 lakh jobs were lost nationwide, and poverty is believed to have increased, the report said. Assessing selected election pledges, the platform described goals such as raising the tax-GDP ratio to 15 percent by 2035, allocating 5 percent of GDP to health and education, and increasing foreign investment to 2.5 percent of GDP as ‘highly ambitious’ and requiring strong political commitment and reform momentum. It recommended a staggered approach to delivering manifesto pledges, suggesting that resource-intensive commitments be initiated from FY2027 and beyond, while some targets may need recalibration to ensure overall macroeconomic stability. As part of a realistic pathway forward, the platform proposed implementing an economic stabilisation plan with a hard budget constraint for the rest of the fiscal year, preparing a credible fiscal framework for the next budget, convening a multi-stakeholder development forum, and rolling out a time-bound reform agenda, including an LDC transition strategy. “Setting the course early on is crucial for success,” the presentation noted, underscoring that prudent macroeconomic management will significantly influence the government’s ability to deliver on its electoral commitments.