United News of Bangladesh

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.

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman attended office at the Secretariat for the second consecutive day on Thursday, travelling from his Gulshan Avenue residence while complying with regular traffic signals. The journey took around 41 minutes, Prime Minister’s Additional Press Secretary Atikur Rahman Rumon said. He said the Prime Minister left his residence at 8:34am in his personal vehicle. The vehicle stopped at four traffic signals on the way from Gulshan to the Secretariat when the lights turned red, and he reached the Secretariat at 9:15am. Cabinet Secretary Dr Nasimul Ghani and Principal Secretary ABM Abdus Sattar received the Prime Minister on his arrival at his office. Rumon said pedestrians standing along the roadside applauded and welcomed the Prime Minister when his vehicle halted at traffic signals. The Prime Minister responded by waving at them. ‘Family Card’ to be launched on pilot basis before Eid: Minister Mintoo “In some cases, people came close to the vehicle to greet him, and some even took selfies on their mobile phones,” he said. After taking his seat, the Prime Minister enquired which ministers, secretaries and officials were present at their workplaces, Rumon added. The Prime Minister’s office is located in Building No. 1 of the Secretariat.

The government has planned to introduce ‘Family Card’ on a pilot basis before the upcoming Eid-ul-Fitr, said Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Abdul Awal Mintoo on Thursday. “As far as I know, the Prime Minister wants to begin it as a pilot project before Eid,” he told reporters responding to a question after a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman at the Secretariat. The minister said the Family Card issue was elaborately mentioned in the ruling party’s election manifesto and today’s discussion focused on how to implement the programme. Fake ‘family cards’ sold in Narayanganj, husband and wife held Asked how many families would initially receive the card, Mintoo said the programme is intended to be universal and will not have restrictions. “A committee has been formed. The programme may begin with the ultra-poor, then expand to the poor and later to the middle class in phases,” he said.  

A schoolboy was killed and five others were injured when a bus hit a school van carrying students at Amtali Bridge area in Chirirbandar upazila of Dinajpur district on Thursday. The deceased was identified as Junayed, 6, a KG student of Amtali Molla School and son of Md Jewel of Palashdangi village in the upazila. The accident occurred around 8 am when the bus of ‘Ahad Paribahan’ from Dhaka hit the van carrying school students while it was heading towards Dinajpur district town, leaving a schoolboy killed on the spot and five others injured, said sub-inspector of Chirirbandar Police Station, Md Mainul. The injured were taken to Dinajpur Medical College and Hospital.    

The chiefs of the three services paid a courtesy call on Prime Minister Tarique Rahman at the Secretariat on Thursday. Chief of Army Staff General Waker-Uz-Zaman, Chief of Naval Staff Admiral M Nazmul Hassan and Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Hasan Mahmood Khan met the Prime Minister at his office. The Prime Minister arrived at his Secretariat office in the morning for his second day of official work. First Day in Office: BNP pays tribute to martyrs, outlines policy plans After reaching the office, he held a meeting with the three service chiefs. Prime Minister’s Adviser Brig Gen (retd) Dr AKM Shamsul Islam was also present at the meeting. Earlier in the morning, Cabinet Secretary Dr Nasimul Ghani and Principal Secretary ABM Abdus Sattar received the Prime Minister at the Secretariat.

At least 57 children among 487 people were killed in 559 road accidents across Bangladesh in January this year, according to a report released by the Road Safety Foundation. The crashes also left 1,194 people injured during the month. Among the deceased were 68 women, the report said. Motorcycle crashes accounted for a significant share of the deaths, with 196 people killed in 208 incidents, representing 40.24 percent of the total fatalities and 37.20 percent of all accidents. Pedestrians made up 27.10 percent of the deaths, with 132 people killed, while 67 drivers and helpers died, accounting for 13.75 percent. During the same period, four waterway accidents killed six people and injured seven others, while 41 railway track accidents left 32 dead and 17 injured. The report was prepared based on information from nine national dailies, seven online news portals, electronic media reports and the foundation’s own data. Motorcycle riders and passengers were the worst affected, followed by passengers of three-wheelers such as easy bikes, CNG-run auto-rickshaws and auto-vans, who accounted for 77 deaths or 15.81 percent. Bus passengers died in 21 cases, while 28 deaths involved truck, covered van, pickup and tractor occupants. Nine people were killed in private car, microbus, ambulance and jeep crashes, and 13 died while travelling in locally made vehicles such as nosimon and votvoti. Besides, 11 cyclists were also killed. Road type and accident pattern The analysis showed that 27.90 percent of the crashes occurred on national highways, 37.03 percent on regional roads, 15.20 percent on rural roads and 18.42 percent on city streets. The remaining  accidents took place in other locations. In terms of accident type, 37.38 percent were caused by loss of control, 24.15 percent by head-on collisions, 24.50 percent by vehicles hitting pedestrians and 12.88 percent by rear-end collisions. Heavy vehicles, including trucks, covered vans and tankers, were involved in 28.58 percent of the crashes, followed by motorcycles at 24.51 percent and three-wheelers at 18.53 percent. Passenger buses accounted for 12.20 percent of the incidents. Division-wise data showed Dhaka Division recorded the highest number of accidents and fatalities, with 143 crashes killing 119 people. Sylhet Division had the lowest toll, with 18 deaths from 24 accidents. In the capital Dhaka, 26 accidents killed 18 people and injured 41 others. Based on media reports, the victims included police members, teachers, doctors, journalists, lawyers, bank and insurance employees, NGO workers, political activists, businesspeople, sales representatives, garment and construction workers, people with disabilities and 57 students. The foundation identified defective vehicles and roads, overspeeding, reckless and unfit driving, lack of fixed wages and working hours for drivers, slow-moving vehicles on highways, risky motorcycle riding by youths, poor knowledge and enforcement of traffic laws, weak traffic management, capacity constraints at Bangladesh Road Transport Authority, and extortion in the public transport sector as the main causes of road accidents.

The government will provide protein-rich food at subsidised prices to around 10 lakh low-income families across the country during the holy month of Ramadan, said State Minister for Fisheries and Livestock Sultan Salauddin Tuku on Thursday. He said the initiative, taken in line with the government’s commitment to public welfare under the leadership of Tarique Rahman, will ensure the supply of milk, eggs, meat and fish for low-income people at affordable prices. He made the remarks is morning while speaking as the chief guest at the inauguration of a programme to sell milk, eggs and meat at affordable prices at the conference room of the Livestock Research Institute at Mohakhali. He said all concerned must work with honesty and dedication to fulfil the commitments made by the Prime Minister to the nation. PM Tarique urges market restraint ahead of Ramadan Collective efforts are essential to move the country towards development and prosperity, he said . The state minister noted that during Ramadan some unscrupulous traders hike prices of essential commodities, increasing hardships for low-income people. He said such government initiatives would help ease their suffering and there are plans to expand the programme further in the future. The programme was chaired by Director General of the Department of Livestock Services Dr Md Abu Sufian.

Revised office hours for government offices, banks and financial institutions came into effect on Thursday as the holy month of Ramadan began. According to a notification issued by the Ministry of Public Administration, all government, semi-government, autonomous and semi-autonomous offices will operate from 9:00 am to 3:30 pm during Ramadan. A break for Zuhr prayers will be observed from 1:00 pm to 1:15 pm. The notification said banks, insurance companies, other financial institutions, postal services, railways, hospitals, state-owned industrial establishments, factories and other emergency service providers will determine and follow their own office schedules in line with their respective laws and regulations, considering public interest. It also said the office hours of the Bangladesh Supreme Court and all courts under its jurisdiction will be fixed by the apex court itself. Meanwhile, Bangladesh Bank has revised office timings for banks and finance companies during Ramadan. According to a circular issued by the Department of Financial Institutions and Markets (DFIM), banks and finance companies will operate from 9:30 am to 4:00 pm from Sunday to Thursday, with a 15-minute break from 1:15 pm to 1:30 pm for Zuhr prayers. The directive, signed by Bangladesh Bank Director Syed Mahbubul Alam, said the pre-Ramadan schedule will resume immediately after the holy month ends.