United News of Bangladesh

A mild earthquake shook Dhaka and adjacent districts on Thursday afternoon. The tremor measuring 3.6 on the Richter scale was recorded at 4:15pm, meteorologist Shahnaj Sultana of the Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD) told UNB. The epicentre was located in Ghorashal of Narsingdi, 28 km northwest of BMD Seismic Centre in Agargaon, she said. On November 21, a 5.7-magnitude earthquake hit several parts of Bangladesh, leaving at least 10 people dead and dozens injured. Two mild aftershocks also struck parts of the country the next day, spreading panic among people.  

Fisheries and Livestock Affairs Adviser Farida Akhter on Thursday said the government is working to achieve food self-sufficiency by conserving, developing and producing local breeds of livestock. She made the remarks after a rally brought out marking ‘National Livestock Week 2025’ at Sher-e-Bangla Nagar of Dhaka. Urging the authorities concerned to reduce importing unsafe foreign animal products, the adviser said not only the government is working to meet domestic demand through local production but also trying to create markets abroad. Later, she joined a seminar titled ‘Challenges, Prospects and Way Forward for the Livestock Sector’ was held at Puratan Trade Fair Ground at Agargaon. The adviser stressed the importance of reducing import dependency in the poultry sector, urging to minimise reliance on imported maize and soybean—two key ingredients for poultry feed—these crops must be integrated into the agricultural sector through coordinated initiatives. Regarding Bangladesh’s recent decision on LDC graduation, she said the 2026 graduation timeline was a political decision. The country, however, has not yet fully achieved all necessary capacities for a sustainable transition. Timely vaccination a must to protect livestock: Fisheries and Livestock Adviser Highlighting challenges faced by small poultry farmers, she said resolving the poultry feed crisis is crucial. To sustain small farms, feed-related problems must be prioritised and addressed through close coordination. Fisheries and Livestock Secretary Abu Taher Muhammad Jaber presided over the seminar, saying that the Livestock Week aims primarily to raise public awareness and encourage new entrepreneurs in the sector. Livestock Week 2025 is being celebrated nationwide for the first time with the theme: ‘Local Breeds, Modern Technology: Advancing Livestock Development.’

Voter registration for Bangladeshi expatriates living in Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Malaysia, Oman, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates has been suspended due to incomplete address information submitted through the ‘Postal Vote BD’ app. Election Commission (EC) officials said it will not be possible to send postal ballot papers without accurate and complete addresses, said a PID handout. The EC launched the ‘Postal Vote Bd’ app on November 18 and opened it on November 19 initially for expatriate voters living in 53 countries located in East Asian, South American and African regions ahead of the 13th nation election and the referendum on the July National Charter, both are likely to be held in a single day in February 2026. Voter registration for Bangladeshis in 16 countries begins The Election Commission (EC) on Wednesday withdrew the region-based timeframes for expatriate Bangladeshis registering as postal voters, allowing them to complete online registration from anywhere in the world at any time starting from 12 am Wednesday midnight (November 26) till December 18 next to vote in the upcoming national election and referendum. Senior Secretary Akhtar Ahmed of the Election Commission came up with the information while talking to reporters after a meeting with a team from TikTok at the Nirbachan Bhaban in the city.    

Maritime ports of Chattogram, Cox's Bazar, Mongla and Payra have been advised to keep hoisted distant cautionary signal No 1 as the depression over southwest Bay of Bengal and adjoining Sri Lanka coast intensified into a deep depression over the same area. It was centered at 09 am on Thursday about 2035 km southwest of Chattogram port, 1975 kmsouthwest of Cox's Bazar port, 1945 km southwest of Mongla port and 1930 km southwest ofPayra port, said a special bulletin of the Met office. It is likely to move north-northwestwards and intensify further. Maximum sustained wind speed within 48 km of the Deep Depression centre is about 50 kph rising to 60 kph in gusts or squalls. Sea will remain rough near the Deep Depression centre. All fishing boats and trawlers over North Bay have been advised not to venture into the deep sea till further notice.  

The well-marked low over southwest Bay and adjoining Sri Lanka coast intensified into a depression over the same area at 6am on Thursday. It is likely to move north-northwestwards and intensify further. Ridge of Sub-continental high extends up to West Bengal and adjoining area, according to Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD). The cyclonic storm "Senyar" over the Strait of Malacca and adjoining area weakened into a deep depression over the same area near latitude 3.6°N & longitude 99.2°E on Thursday morning. It is likely to move southeast or eastwards and weaken gradually, according the BMD. Deep depression intensifies into cyclonic storm "Montha" Weather may remain dry with temporary partly cloudy sky over the country next 24 hours commencing 9am on Thursday. Night and day temperature may remain nearly unchanged over the country during the same period.

The Election Commission (EC) on Thursday morning (November 27) started its second phase meeting with law enforcement agencies including armed forces in a bid to finalise the security men deployment strategy during the upcoming national election and referendum to be held in February 2026. The meeting began with Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin in the chair at the Nirbachan Bhaban in the city. Top representatives from three armed forces – Army, Navy and Air Force– as well as the Home Affairs Ministry, Police, RAB, Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), Coast Guard, Ansar and VDP, the Armed Forces Division, DGFI, NSI, NTMC, SB and CID attended the meeting. Read more: Everything will be fine before the voting day: CEC over law and order The meeting is being held focusing on the deployment of security personnel, maintaining the law and order during the election, providing the security to election officials, election materials and polling stations, recovery of illegal arms and removal of illegal campaign materials like posters l. About the election-time security, CEC AMM Nasir Uddin at an event on Wednesday said the law and order situation will continue to improve and everything will be in order before the voting day. “It will improve gradually. As the polling day approaches, you will see everything will fall in line. Everything will be fine,” he told reporters, replying to a question after inspecting an election-related training and mock exercise organised by BGB at Pilkhana in the capital. The CEC said, “I won’t say the law and order situation has reached a perfect level. You saw what the situation was on August 5, 2024. Now compare it with the current situation….. So, it will improve further, gradually.” About the security meeting, he said the Election Commission will sit again with law enforcement agencies over specific proposals. “The development strategy will be finalised there,” he said. Nasir Uddin said law enforcement agencies are being deployed on the field with maximum preparedness to ensure a free, peaceful and neutral election. Read more: Motivate voters to go to polling stations: CEC to political leaders Earlier on October 20 last, the held its first security meeting with law enforcement agencies in a bid to conduct the 13th parliamentary election in free, participatory and fair manners. The Election Commission will also hold a coordination meeting with the heads of various ministries, departments and authorities on November 30 as part of the preparatory activities for the upcoming general election. The Cabinet Secretary, Bangladesh Bank Governor, Senior Secretaries of the Home Affairs Ministry, the Public Administration Ministry, the Shipping Ministry and the Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment Ministry, Principal Staff Officer of the Armed Forces Division, Foreign Secretary are among the 34 invitees for the coordination meeting on November 30. Earlier, the Election held dialogues with 47 registered political parties, including BNP, Jamaat and National Citizen Party-NCP on November 13, 16, 17 and 19 last. In late September 2025, the Commission opened a series of electoral dialogues with different stakeholders amid talks with civil society representatives on September 28. Later, the EC held separate dialogues with 47 registered political parties, including BNP, Jamaat and National Citizen Party-NCP, as well as the representatives of teachers, senior journalists from different media outlets, election experts and election observers. The Election Commission is likely to announce the schedule in early December for holding the next general election in early February 2026. Read more: Don’t hire politically linked election observers: CEC Nasir

The government has ordered that 158 Upazila Nirbahi Officers (UNOs) be transferred to various government offices ahead of the national election. The Ministry of Public Administration issued a gazette notification in this regard on Wednesday night (November 26). The transfers, involving senior assistant secretary-level UNOs, follow the recent appointment of new UNOs in 166 upazilas across eight divisions earlier. Read more: 64 districts get SPs through lottery: Home Adviser   According to the notification, the transferred officers must leave their current posts and join their new assignments by November 30. Failure to comply will be considered an immediate release from their current position. Officers whose new workplaces have already changed must submit joining letters indicating the updated office address. Meanwhile, the government has appointed superintendents of police for 64 districts across the country. Read more: 826 judges get promotion

Faiz Ahmad Taiyeb, Chief Adviser’s Special Assistant for Posts Telecommunications and ICT, said that Bangladesh is working on a policy to regulate the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in government offices. He said this while speaking as the chief guest at ‘Bangladesh Techconnect Summit 2025’ held in a hotel in Dhaka on Wednesday. The ICT Division and tech giant Huawei jointly organized the event. "Bangladesh began its digital transformation journey years ago, and in recent months we have renewed our pace and direction," said Taiyeb.  "With support from our partners, we want to empower people from through digital services,” he added. He also said that because of the lack of integration of digital transmissions among the government agencies and ministries, the desired goals were not achieved so far. But the interim government is working for integration and a central monitoring cell for smooth digital transition of government agencies. The programme brought together key stakeholders to propel the nation toward an innovation-led digital economy. The event, held under the theme, "Building a prosperous, innovative and inclusive Bangladesh through excellence in ICT," served as a platform for policymakers, regulators, industry leaders, and innovators to discuss how emerging technologies like AI, 5G, cloud computing, IoT, and fintech are fundamentally reshaping governance, business, and daily life. The TechConnect initiative featured several thematic sessions outlining Bangladesh's strategic direction. Additional Secretary Md Mamunur Rashid Bhuiyan presented the ICT Division’s comprehensive strategic roadmap, while Julian Gorman, Head of GSMA Asia Pacific, shared insights on bridging the digital divide across the region. Md Abu Sayed, Executive Director of the Bangladesh Computer Council, delivered a presentation focusing on enterprise digital transformation. A key panel discussion, moderated by ICT Division Secretary Shish Haider Chowdhury, featured representatives from the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC), mobile operators, and CEO of Huawei South Asia Region, who also serves as the CEO of Huawei Bangladesh, Jason Wu join the event. Discussions centered on strategies for strengthening the country’s digital infrastructure and accelerating technology adoption. TechConnect 2025 is a continuation of the partnership forged between the ICT Division and Huawei, which signed a Memorandum of Understanding in March 2025 to expand collaboration in innovation, capacity building, and ICT ecosystem development. The ICT Division has been working with Huawei for over a decade to build core digital infrastructure, including the deployment of Bangladesh’s first government cloud via the Huawei Cloud Stack platform. The division has also led reforms in cybersecurity and expanded access to over 100 public services through platforms such as MyGov. Huawei, which has been operating in Bangladesh for 27 years, reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the national ambition to build a fully connected and intelligent Bangladesh through sustained collaboration with government agencies, telecom operators, and enterprises.

Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) has said that while foreign investment in the development of Chattogram Port may bring positive outcomes for the country, the government must fully disclose all information, conditions, and procedures related to recently signed terminal agreements to ensure transparency and accountability. In a statement on Wednesday, TIB Executive Director Dr. Iftekharuzzaman said the government’s agreements for the Laldia Terminal with Denmark-based APM Terminals and for the Pangaon Terminal with Switzerland’s Medlog SA require greater public clarity. “We welcome efforts to attract foreign direct investment for port development and economic growth,” he said. “However, it is essential to make public know how national interests have been protected in these long-term deals.” Dr. Zaman further said, “Has an analysis been conducted on the port-centered employment and the positive and negative impacts on various related institutions and stakeholders? Overall, to what extent have the interests of the public been considered, and how much does this agreement contribute to developing local skills and capacities in this sector? Moreover, is there a clear economic strategic roadmap that formed the basis of the government’s decision to sign this long-term agreement? Since the government has already signed the agreement, answers to these questions related to national interest must be promptly disclosed to the public in the interest of transparency.” Dr. Iftekharuzzaman further said, “Although the report of the International Finance Corporation (IFC), acting as the transaction adviser for Bangladesh in connection with the APM agreement, had projected a 62-day timeframe to complete the agreement after the submission of the proposal, from the submission of the proposal to the Chief Adviser’s final approval and the signing of the agreement—10 important steps (technical and financial evaluation, negotiation, port board meeting, and approvals from the Ministry of Shipping and the Ministry of Law, and the Letter of Award), each of which requires thorough scrutiny as a matter of state-level importance—were completed at an unusually rapid pace within only two weeks. This creates a reasonable basis for questioning the entire process. Therefore, a clear explanation from the government on this matter is imperative. Moreover, if the Pangaon terminal agreement was conducted through a competitive process, then what was the rationale behind adopting an exceptional process in the case of Laldia? We call on the government to clarify this as well.” Leaving the question of to what extent the opinions of local stakeholders were considered before signing the agreement, Dr. Zaman said, “Alongside the positive aspects of such long-term agreements in the international arena, have factors such as examples of economic risks in developing countries like ours, and our capacity to provide possible remedies or fulfill liabilities, been taken into account? At the same time, regarding the profits that the foreign operator will earn from the investment, what will the state gain in return? If any cost-benefit analysis has been conducted, and to what extent the agreement mentions the financial gains or losses for the country’s population, this has not been made public. In this context, the government must clarify its position to ensure transparency and make it public.”

The Department of Disaster Management (DDM) on Wednesday distributed 1,900 packets of dry food and other relief materials to families affected by the devastating fire in Korail, one of Dhaka’s largest slums. The distributed items also included blankets, mosquito nets and other essential supplies. To coordinate further assistance, a joint meeting was held involving the DDM, various development partner organizations, local and international NGOs, and Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC). The meeting confirmed that NGOs and development agencies will begin distributing additional relief from Thursday. The DNCC also announced plans to provide financial support and install several mobile toilets for the displaced families. The blaze, which broke out at 5:22 pm on Tuesday, destroyed around 1,500 homes. Fire service officials said 19 units were deployed and managed to bring the flames under control at around 10:35 pm, after nearly five hours of effort. Meanwhile, a five-member committee has been formed to investigate the fire. Led by Mamunur Rashid, deputy director (operation and maintenance) of the Fire Service and Civil Defence (FSCD), the committee has been asked to submit its report within 15 working days.