United News of Bangladesh

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

The Advisers Council Committee on Government Purchase on Tuesday approved separate proposals for procurement of 55,000 metric tonnes of fertiliser . The approval came at a meeting of the committee at the Cabinet Division conference room at the Bangladesh Secretariat with Finance Adviser Dr Salehuddin Ahmed in the chair. The meeting approved a proposal from the Ministry of Agriculture to import 25,000 metric tonnes of Triple Super Phosphate (TSP) fertiliser through a state-level agreement between Groupe Chimique Tunisien (GCT) of Tunisia and the Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation (BADC). The total cost of the import has been estimated at Tk 162.57 crore. In another decision, the committee approved a proposal from the Ministry of Industries to import 30,000 metric tonnes of bagged granular urea fertiliser from Karnaphuli Fertilizer Company Limited (KAFCO) during the 2025–26 fiscal year. The procurement will cost Tk 158.65 crore, with per tonne price fixed at US$431, including bagging charges. The day’s meeting also recommended approval of two proposals for the construction of fertiliser buffer godowns in Meherpur and Thakurgaon districts to strengthen storage and distribution facilities nationwide. Under the project titled “Construction of 34 Buffer Godowns across the Country for Fertiliser Storage and Distribution (1st Revised)”, a godown with a storage capacity of 10,000 metric tonnes will be built in Meherpur at a cost of Tk 40.76 crore. The work will be carried out by M/S SS Rahman International Ltd. Another godown with a capacity of 20,000 metric tonnes will be constructed in Thakurgaon at a cost of Tk 59.19 crore, with M/S Mazid Sons Construction Ltd selected as the contractor.  

The government on Tuesday recommended approving a proposal to procure about 53.87 million units of Anti-TB drugs (4FDC) under the revenue budget, aiming to strengthen tuberculosis control efforts across the country. The approval came at the sixth meeting of the Advisers Council Committee on Government Purchase this year, held at the Bangladesh Secretariat, with Finance Adviser Dr Salehuddin Ahmed presiding. The Health Services Division proposed the purchase of the drugs under Package No GR-2557 at a total cost of Tk 77.57 crore, with M/S Reneta PLC selected as the supplier. Health officials said the procurement will ensure uninterrupted availability of life-saving medicines across government health facilities and support the national TB elimination programme. The day’s meeting also recommended approval of a proposal to procure 14.82 lakh GeneXpert cartridges through the Direct Procurement Method (DPM) at a cost of Tk 237.12 crore. 82 lakh users of recreational drugs in Bangladesh: Survey The cartridges will be supplied by the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) to ensure uninterrupted diagnostic services, particularly for tuberculosis and other infectious diseases. The committee further allowed the Ministry of Primary and Mass Education to renew 11 contracts with Grameenphone Limited for providing internet connectivity to 40,586 government primary schools under the Fourth Primary Education Development Programme (PEDP-4). Officials said the decisions reflect the government’s commitment to strengthening health services, education infrastructure and service delivery through transparent procurement processes.

Bangladesh has slipped in the global Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) 2025, scoring 24 out of 100 and ranking 13th from the bottom worldwide, showing a decline from last year. Although the country’s score increased by one point its position weakened in both global and regional rankings. Dr. Iftekharuzzaman, executive director of Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB), shared these findings at a press conference held on Tuesday morning to announce the index. In 2024, Bangladesh ranked 151st scoring 23. The CPI scores countries on a scale from 0 to 100, with 0 indicating the highest level of corruption and 100 representing the highest level of governance. According to the latest index, Bangladesh has the second-lowest score in South Asia, ahead of only Afghanistan which scored 16. From 2012 to 2022, Bangladesh’s CPI score ranged between 25 and 28. However, it dropped to 24 in 2023 and further declined to 23 in 2024, falling three points below the 13-year average. Money, religion, muscle power still dominate elections: TIB  Dr. Iftekharuzzaman said that the one point increase in Bangladesh’s score this year appears to reflect positive perceptions regarding the immediate prospects for democratic transition and accountable governance following the July uprising. "The subsequent realities of the state reform process were not reflected in the index as the relevant data sources covered earlier periods. As a result, the lack of tangible progress in state reforms meant that Bangladesh’s score and ranking did not witness any significant positive change in real terms," he also said.

Chief Adviser’s Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam on Tuesday said there has been no change in his properties, though his bank deposit has increased slightly. "Today may be my last working day. As I leave this public office, I declare that there has been no change in our properties," he said adding that he continues to own three flats while his wife owns one flat. Welcoming any scrutiny of his financial affair, Shafiqul said he remains transparent about his assets . He said there has been no change in his ownership of farmland. "There has been a slight change in my bank deposit. I still maintain a single bank account which currently holds Tk 12.3 million (one crore and twenty-three lakh taka). This represents an increase of Tk 9 lakh," Alam said in a post shared from his verified Facebook account. He said the main reason for this increase is that his brother-in-law repaid Tk 750,000 that he had borrowed from him. Besides, he said his eldest brother sent USD 2,500 to be distributed among poor villagers during Ramadan. In January last year, Shafiqul made a full disclosure of his assets and wealth. "I declared that I own a flat at Shaheenbagh in Dhaka and that I inherited another flat from my father in Donia. My wife and I also each own an apartment in Mymensingh," he said. Alam further disclosed that he had a single bank account at a state-owned bank with a deposit of Tk 11.4 million (one crore and fourteen lakh taka). A significant portion of this amount consisted of gratuity payments he received from the international news agency AFP, where he worked from 2005 until August 2024. "I also own 40 decimals of agricultural land in my home village of Magura," Alam said.

Finance Adviser Dr Salehuddin Ahmed on Tuesday said he is unaware of any proposal for him to join a future political government as a minister.  “I do not know anything about this,” he said responding to questions from reporters after a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Government Purchase. When asked whether he would consider accepting such an offer if it were made, the Finance Adviser suggested that the matter is unlikely to arise. “I do not think so. A political government will make its own decisions,” he said. Dr Salehuddin said he had stepped away from academic engagements to serve in government and has already received invitations to return. “I took leave from my professional engagements to serve in the government. Now two universities have approached me and asked me to return,” he said.

Finance Adviser Dr Salehuddin Ahmed on Tuesday said the government has made substantial progress in identifying individuals and destinations involved in money laundering, though recovering the funds remains a complex and lengthy process. “Identifying money laundering is difficult, but you are aware that we have streamlined the processes,” he said while speaking to reporters after a meeting of the Advisers Committee on Government Purchase. The adviser acknowledged that detecting illicit financial flows is inherently difficult but stressed that institutional mechanisms had been strengthened during his tenure. Upon assuming office, Dr Salehuddin said, he convened a meeting on money laundering that had not been held for five years.  “The first meeting on money laundering after five years was held after I took charge. Previously, such a meeting had not taken place.” A sub-committee was subsequently formed to collect primary information and initiate action, he said, adding, “We have to take action from our side first. When we make requests abroad, they ask what steps we have taken domestically. Without demonstrating our own actions, it becomes difficult to seek cooperation.” The finance adviser highlighted that mutual legal assistance procedures with foreign jurisdictions are highly complicated.  “Mutual legal assistance is not simple. It involves numerous formalities and documentation. In some countries, such as Japan, documents must be translated into their language. You cannot simply send papers in English and expect results.” He said those who launder money often employ highly skilled professionals and complex methods. “Those who have laundered funds have done so using very competent people. There is layering, multiple documentation and intricate financial arrangements. To detect this, we also need equally skilled professionals.” Despite the challenges, Dr Salehuddin claimed that a significant amount of information has already been gathered. “Identification has been made. We know who has done it and in which countries. Many individuals hold passports in multiple countries. We are aware of where they are.” He, however, declined to disclose the exact amount of money identified as laundered. “I am not stating the exact figure at this moment.” The adviser clarified that not all overseas funds held by Bangladeshis are illicit. “Not everyone has transferred money illegally. Some funds abroad may be legal, with proper permission from Bangladesh Bank. For instance, export proceeds or retained earnings may lawfully remain outside the country.” According to him, authorities have identified around 11 or 12 major cases, while information on others is also available. The National Board of Revenue (NBR), Bangladesh Bank and the Ministry of Finance possess relevant data, he added. “The base has been created. The information is there with the NBR, Bangladesh Bank and the Ministry of Finance. If the next government is serious, they can take this forward,” said Dr Ahmed, urging the incoming administration to consolidate the progress made so far rather than restarting investigations from scratch.  “My strongest suggestion to the next government is: please try to consolidate what has been done. Many discoveries have already been made. There is no need to rediscover the same things,” he said. Revitalising trade, job creation top challenges for next govt: Dr Salehuddin He emphasised the need for stronger coordination among government agencies, pointing to existing gaps in inter-agency cooperation. “There is a lack of coordination among government departments and agencies. This needs to improve.” Referring to asset declarations, the finance adviser said he had submitted his own statement of assets two years ago and that the matter had been forwarded to the Cabinet Division for necessary action in accordance with procedure. “Our accountability is to the Cabinet Division. We have submitted what was required. The relevant divisions will take action as per their mandate.” Dr Salehuddin said that although recovering laundered funds is difficult and takes time, the necessary institutional foundation is now in place for future action.