United News of Bangladesh

The interim government is providing financial and housing assistance to Dipu Chandra Das, who was beaten and burned to death in the Square Masterbari area of Bhaluka Upazila in Mymensingh district on December 18, 2025. Dipu Das was lynched by a mob, beaten severely, and later set on fire after being hung from a tree over allegations that he made an insulting remark. As Dipu Das was the sole breadwinner, the government has assured comprehensive financial assistance to ensure the family’s security, including the construction of a permanent home. 10 arrested for killing Dipu Chandra Das in M’singh The initiative will be implemented under the supervision of the UNO of Tarakanda Upazila, with Tk 25 lakh allocated for house construction through the National Housing Authority, based on the family’s needs, said the Chief Adviser’s press wing on Tuesday. In addition, the government will provide Tk 10 lakh in cash to Dipu Das’s father and wife each, while an FDR worth Tk 5 lakh will be created to secure the future of his child, according to the Chief Adviser’s press wing. Following the directive of Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus, Education Adviser Dr CR Abrar visited the home of the deceased on December 23, 2025, expressing condolences to the family on behalf of the government. Speaking on Tuesday, Education Adviser CR Abrar described the killing as a “brutal and inexcusable crime that has no place in our society.” He said that no amount of state assistance could compensate for the loss of a human life, but emphasized that the government is committed to ensuring justice. “The killing of Dipu Das through the spread of communal hysteria is a shame for the entire nation,” he said, adding that only justice can help overcome this collective disgrace. He said the state respects the peaceful right of people of all religions, ethnicities, and communities to express their opinions - provided it is done with mutual respect. “Even in moments of disagreement, no one has the right to take the law into their own hands,” he added. So far, 12 individuals directly involved in the incident have been arrested, and the investigation is ongoing. The education adviser reaffirmed that all those responsible would be brought to justice through due legal process. Dipu’s killing in Mymensingh a heinous criminal act, reiterates govt

Four people were killed and 25 others were injured in a head-on-collision between two buses on Pabna-Dhaka highway in Sathia upazila of Pabna district on Tuesday. The deceased were identified as Kamal Hossain, 41, bus driver of Shazadpur Travels, Zihad Hossain, 27, assistant of the driver of Machranga Paribahan, Alamgir Hossain, 35, son of Khorshed Alam and Alef Uddin, 36, son of Abdul Majan—two passengers of Machranga Paribahan. The accident occurred near Madhpur Sholabaria Bridge around 7:30 am when the two buses—Shahzadpur Travels and Machranga Paribahan—crashed and collided each other, leaving one people dead on the spot and 28 others injured, said officer-in-charge of Sathia Police Station Mustafizur Rahman. Among the injured, another victim died on the way to Pabna General Hospital while two more victims died on the way to Rajshahi Medical College and Hospital. Zahidul Islam, resident medical officer of Pabna General Hospital, said twenty five people are undergoing treatment at the hospital.    

Bangladesh Bank has officially announced the renaming of Standard Bank PLC to ‘Standard Islami Bank PLC’ effective February 10, 2026. The change follows the bank's full conversion into a Shariah-compliant financial institution. The transition reflects the continued expansion of the Islamic finance sector in Bangladesh. With this addition, the country’s banking landscape now features: In Bangladesh 10 banks are operating in full-fledged Islami Banking. Currently, 16 conventional commercial banks offer Shariah-compliant services through a network of over 600 dedicated windows Additionally, 15 conventional banks maintain 30 specialized Islamic banking branches. According to the central bank’s circular, all scheduled banks have been instructed to update their records to reflect the new name of the institution. This move is part of a broader trend where Islamic banking now accounts for over 25 percent of total deposits in the national banking system.

A Dhaka court on Thursday placed four people including former Biman Bangladesh Airlines Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer (MD & CEO) Md Shafiqur Rahman and his wife on remand for different terms in a case filed over torturing a domestic help. Dhaka Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Md Zakir Hossain passed the order when police produced them before the court with remand prayer. Among the accused, former Biman MD Shafiqur was put on a five-day remand while his wife Bithi on a seven-day remand. Biman MD, his wife, sent to jail for torturing domestic help Two other domestic help—Rupali Khatun and Sufia Khatun—were put on five-day and six-day remand respectively. On February 2, the court sent former Biman MD and his wife and two more house help to jail in the case. According to the prosecution, Golam Mostafa, a hotel worker in Uttara, filed the case after his daughter was allegedly tortured and seriously injured at a residence in Sector-9 of Uttara. According to the case statement, Mostafa sent his girl to the house of Shafiqur in June last year. On November 2, last year, Mostafa met with his daughter and since then the girl was not allowed to meet with his family. On January 31, this year, Bithi contacted Mostofa and informed him that Mohona was unwell and needed to be taken home. Mostofa then went to bring her. At that time, Mostofa noticed that Mohona had serious injury marks on both hands and various other parts of her body. She was also unable to speak properly. Mostofa immediately admitted Mohona to Gazipur Shaheed Tajuddin Ahmed Medical College Hospital. During interrogation, Mohona told police that after Mostofa’s visit on November 2, Shafiqul Rahman, Bithi, and several unidentified persons allegedly beat her and inflicted burns on her body using hot metal rods, causing severe injuries. Later, Golam Mostofa, filed a case with Uttara West Police Station. Govt cancels Biman MD Shafiqur’s appointment

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