United News of Bangladesh

A gang of thieves disabled CCTV cameras and stole high-value medicines worth an estimated Tk 25 lakh to Tk 30 lakh from a pharmacy in Barhatta upazila town of Netrokona on Friday night. A written complaint was lodged with Barhatta Police Station on Saturday afternoon following the incident at 'Barhatta Medical Hall' located at Hospital More in the upazila town. According to the complaint, Utphal, an employee of the pharmacy, locked the shop around 10:30 p.m. Friday. On Saturday morning, another employee, Joy, arrived to open the shop and found the lock on one of the shutters open. Upon entering, he discovered that almost all expensive medicines were missing, leaving behind only some basic syrups. CCTV footage reviewed prior to the cameras being destroyed showed masked individuals carrying sacks entering the shop at around 2:30 a.m.. Complainant Md. Iftekhar Tanvir Khan said, "Thieves took almost all the expensive medicines from the pharmacy, worth around Tk 25 lakh to Tk 30 lakh. This happened despite having CCTV cameras installed."   Champak Dham, Barhatta Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC), said police visited the scene and collected the available CCTV footage. "Efforts are underway to analyze the footage and identify those involved," the OC added.

Indian Border Security Force (BSF) personnel rescued 10 Bangladeshi nationals after a boat carrying 12 passengers capsized in the Padma River in Chapainawabganj Sadar upazila on Saturday afternoon. One passenger managed to swim back to Bangladeshi territory, while another remains missing. Police and locals said the boat carrying 12 passengers departed from Bakherali Ghat for Johurpurtek at around 5 p.m. Approximately 20 minutes into the journey, the vessel overturned due to strong winds and intense river currents. Patrolling BSF members from Khandua BSF Camp rescued 10 passengers from the river and took them into Indian territory. One passenger, identified as Wasim, 25, managed to swim ashore to Bangladesh, while a man named Mostafa remains missing. The identities of the 10 rescued Bangladeshis have not yet been confirmed. Upon receiving the news, police and Fire Service personnel dispatched teams to the scene.   Meanwhile, BSF officially notified Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) regarding the rescue of the 10 Bangladeshi nationals. Lieutenant Colonel Kazi Mustafizur Rahman, commanding officer of 53 BGB Battalion, said   "Process is currently underway to bring the 10 rescued Bangladeshis back to Bangladesh. Efforts to trace the missing Mostafa are currently ongoing."

State Minister for Fisheries and Livestock Sultan Salauddin Tuku has said there is no alternative to public awareness and cleanliness to prevent dengue. The next three months are particularly critical as the risk of dengue outbreaks remains high, he said while speaking to journalists after attending a rally organised by the Tangail District Administration as part of the Nationwide Dengue Prevention and Cleanliness Campaign 2026. “Aedes mosquitoes breed in stagnant water around homes, leading to the spread of dengue. Everyone must remain vigilant to ensure that water does not accumulate anywhere in or around their homes,” he said. He urged people not only to keep their own surroundings clean but also to encourage others to take part in cleanliness activities. Tuku said Prime Minister Tarique Rahman envisions building the country through collective efforts, adding that preventive measures can help protect people from dengue and other diseases. “Awareness must not stop with ourselves. We must also make people around us aware and fulfil our individual responsibilities,” he said. He stressed that the government alone cannot prevent dengue and called for active participation from the public. “If everyone works together to raise awareness and maintain cleanliness, the prevalence of dengue can be brought under control,” he said. Tangail Deputy Commissioner Sharifa Haque, Superintendent of Police Muhammad Shamsul Alam Sarkar, former member secretary of the District BNP Mahmudul Haque Sanu and Sadar Upazila BNP President Azgar Ali attended the rally. Officials and employees of the district administration and leaders of the BNP and its affiliated organisations were also present.

Two people died of dengue and 1,056 new patients were hospitalised across the country in the 24 hours until 8:00am on Saturday. With the latest fatalities, the dengue death toll has risen to 143 in the country this year, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS). The new deaths were reported in Dhaka South City Corporation, it said. Since January 1 this year, a total of 50,276 dengue patients have been admitted to hospitals across the country. Of them, 46,699 have been discharged after recovery, according to the DGHS.

The DMP Educational Scholarship is not merely financial assistance but recognition of students’ merit, hard work, perseverance, dreams and future potential, DMP Commissioner Mosleh Uddin Ahmed said Saturday. “The success of DMP members’ children is a matter of great pride and joy for their families as well as the DMP,” he said. The commissioner was speaking at the ‘DMP Educational Scholarship-2025’ distribution ceremony at the Rajarbagh Police lines Auditorium. He said DMP members work day and night to ensure people’s security and often have to stay at their workplaces during important family occasions while performing duties in rain or shine, late at night and during different festivals. “The contribution of police families is also very important behind these responsibilities,” he said, adding that their children’s success was one of the biggest sources of inspiration for their sacrifices. Addressing the scholarship recipients, Mosleh Uddin urged them to take the recognition as inspiration for greater achievements and build themselves as a source of inspiration for others. He said today’s meritorious students would lead Bangladesh in different fields in the future, create new knowledge, serve people and contribute to the country’s development. A total of 437 meritorious children of DMP members received the ‘DMP Educational Scholarship-2025’. Of them, 249 students at secondary and higher secondary levels received merit scholarships, while 188 received higher education support scholarships. The DMP commissioner handed over the scholarship money to the students as the chief guest. He congratulated all the recipients and wished them a bright future, a beautiful life and overall success.

State Minister for Information and Broadcasting Yasser Khan Chowdhury on Saturday urged journalists to remain vigilant and responsible in countering misinformation, rumours and AI-generated misleading content circulating on social media. He said journalists should highlight government errors and shortcomings, but must do so through fact-based reporting rather than smear campaigns or misinformation. The state minister made the remarks while speaking as the chief guest at a certificate distribution ceremony following a three-day training workshop on multimedia journalism, fact-checking and AI for journalists in Hossainpur upazila. “There is hardly any popular or well-known figure in Bangladesh who has not been targeted by smear campaigns on social media. Even our mothers and sisters are being humiliated through misinformation and impersonation. This amounts to a violation of human rights,” he said. He said the training was aimed not simply at awarding certificates but at developing journalists’ skills in fact-checking and dealing with misinformation and disinformation. “Journalists play a crucial role in curbing the spread of misinformation in Bangladesh,” he said. Yasser said smear campaigns are not limited to professional journalists, as many people posing as journalists spread rumours and false information. Some also use AI to manipulate images and create videos that are circulated on social media, damaging the reputation of genuine journalists. He said the government is creating opportunities for genuine journalists to receive advanced training, including two-year master’s programmes and AI-based journalism courses. “A list of genuine journalists will be prepared through press clubs, and they will subsequently be brought under the training programmes,” he said. The state minister said various forms of support are being provided to journalists through the Journalist Welfare Trust. He also said a proposal had been made to the Prime Minister to increase support for journalists and that the process had begun at the Ministry of Finance. “I am not only a minister for the Mymensingh Division; I am a minister for the entire country. The ministry works for all of Bangladesh. However, it is only natural to have a special concern for the people of the surrounding areas,” he said. Yasser said the first phase of journalist training programmes had been organised in the Mymensingh Division, Bogura, Feni and districts surrounding Dhaka. The programme will gradually be expanded to other parts of the country, he added. Talking about the country’s development, the state minister said the government did not want to make unrealistic promises. “We do not wish to offer false or hollow assurances, such as promising to transform Bangladesh into Singapore within the next five years. We do not make such empty promises. However, we are working to make Bangladesh a better and more prosperous country,” he said. He said Bangladesh belongs to everyone and that politicians, administrators, government employees and journalists all have responsibilities towards the country. “Journalists voice the concerns of the people and highlight the government’s errors and shortcomings. But this must be done through responsible and fact-based journalism,” he said. On media freedom, Yasser said the freedom currently enjoyed by the media under the leadership of Prime Minister Tarique Rahman would continue. Urging journalists to play a constructive role in protecting democracy and the interests of the state, he said, “You must remain vigilant to ensure that the fascism which once shattered the state and crippled Bangladesh’s economy over 17 years does not return, and that democracy is upheld.” Speaking about development in Hossainpur and other upazilas of Kishoreganj, the state minister said government development programmes would be implemented in phases.

Police recovered the body of an advocate, identified as Anwar Hossain, 30, from a rented room in the capital’s Lalbagh area on Saturday. Police recovered the body from a room on the second floor of a house at 10/2, Fala Mosque Lane in Shahid Nagar-3 of Lalbagh and later sent it to the Dhaka Medical College Hospital morgue for autopsy. Youth shot at Lalbagh succumbs to injuries Lalbagh Division Deputy Commissioner Talebur Rahman said locals had seen Anwar on Thursday. “Initially, it is suspected that he died either Thursday night or Friday,” he said, adding that he was living alone there. Police were informed on Saturday morning after a foul smell was noticed coming from the room, the DC said. The actual cause of death will be known after receiving the post-mortem report, he added. According to house owner Monir Hossain, Anwar had rented the room earlier this month for Tk 4,000 a month and lived there alone. A CID forensic team collected various pieces of evidence from the scene. Police also found an address — 312 Jagannath Saha Road — on Anwar’s driving licence and contacted his relatives. Talebur Rahman, along with additional deputy commissioner and the officer-in-charge of Lalbagh Police Station, visited the scene. The body was subsequently sent to the forensic department morgue of Dhaka Medical College Hospital for autopsy.

The bodies of three people who went missing on Friday while bathing in the Shitalakshya River in Shibpur upazila were recovered on Saturday, while a fourth person remains missing. The deceased were identified as Md Obaidullah, 38, of Bhangal village in Kaliganj upazila of Gazipur; his sister-in-law Shanta, 16; and Sourav, 20, son of Majnu Miah of Char-Lakhpur village in Shibpur. The missing person is Md Shanto, 24, son of Jewel Miah, from Tangail. They tragic incident occurred on Friday afternoon in the Shitalakshya River near Lakhpur village under Dulalpur Union. According to the local residents, Obaidullah had gone to his father-in-law Mojibur Sheikh's home in Char-Lakhpur with his wife and child. Around 3pm on Friday, Shanta entered the river to bathe and was swept away by the strong current. Obaidullah, her eldest sister's husband, and Shanto, her sister's son, entered the river in an attempt to rescue her but were also swept away. Several locals subsequently joined the search. Sourav, a neighbour's son, also entered the river but was swept away. Later, the Fire Service was informed and began a search operation. The search continued until around 10pm but was suspended for the night after the missing persons could not be located. A diving team from Bhairab resumed the search on Saturday morning. After a prolonged operation amid strong currents, divers recovered Sourav's body around 8am from a location some distance from the incident site. Obaidullah's body was recovered around 9am. Shanta's body was later found in the Shaoraid area of Palash upazila, around 12 kilometres from where the incident occurred. Islam Khan, a leader of the Shibpur Fire Service, said divers had recovered three bodies from the river and that the search for the remaining missing person is continuing. Mohammad Kohinur Mia, officer-in-charge of Shibpur Model Police Station, said efforts to locate Shanto are still underway.

Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) Administrator Abdus Salam on Saturday urged journalists to criticise the government’s mistakes and shortcomings, but also provide positive suggestions to help the country move forward without creating unnecessary obstacles to its functioning. “The government’s mistakes and shortcomings should be criticised, but alongside criticism, positive suggestions should be given so that the country can move forward without creating unnecessary obstacles to the government’s journey,” he said. DSCC administrator pledges to turn city areas greener Abdus Salam made the remarks as the chief guest at a programme organised at the IDB Bhaban in Kakrail in the capital on the occasion of the fifth founding anniversary of The Daily Bangladesh Diary. He said journalism is an integral part of society and newspapers are regarded as the fourth estate of the state. “Journalists have responsibilities to the country, the people and society. Journalists played an unforgettable role in various movements and struggles of the country, including the Liberation War. By highlighting irregularities and shortcomings in society and criticising them, they play a role in guiding society in the right direction,” he said. Referring to the Liberation War, Abdus Salam said more than 50 years have passed since independence, but the country has yet to reach its desired destination. “One of the main objectives of the Liberation War against Pakistan was to institutionalise democracy and establish people’s rights. But democracy has stumbled repeatedly,” he said. He said the country’s democratic journey had begun anew after 17 to 19 years of movements and struggles. “Everyone must remain aware so that this journey is not disrupted and the country does not once again fall off the path of democracy,” he said. Addressing journalists, he said positive criticism is necessary to help the country move forward. “But unnecessary obstacles should not be created in the government’s journey. It is not possible to solve all the electricity and gas problems within five or six months of taking responsibility. The government should be given positive suggestions on how these problems can be solved,” he said. Talking about urban management in Dhaka, Abdus Salam said the city management system was largely in disarray when he assumed responsibility. “Battery-run rickshaws, hawkers and waterlogging are longstanding problems. Most areas of Old Dhaka have not undergone systematic development. Many drains have also lost their capacity to drain rainwater. As a result, areas including Dhanmondi, New Market and Green Road become waterlogged after even light rainfall,” he said. Regarding plans to control battery-run rickshaws, he said Dhaka South City Corporation is planning to divide its area into four zones so that rickshaws from one area could not enter another. “Alongside preventing rickshaws from Narayanganj and surrounding areas from entering Dhaka, efforts are being made to bring the rickshaws under registration. There are also plans to use solar power instead of illegally using electricity to charge their batteries,” he said. He urged citizens to become more aware of dengue prevention, saying the three-month programme could not be implemented by the city corporation alone. “Everyone has to come forward. Houses, courtyards, rooftops and nearby drains must be kept clean. Water should not be allowed to remain stagnant anywhere for more than three days,” he said. Abdus Salam also stressed the importance of planting trees to protect the environment. He urged journalists, editors and newspaper owners to play their role in raising public awareness. “If everyone works together, Bangladesh will move much further forward and Dhaka will become a clean and green city,” he said.

Two books authored by former Bangladeshi diplomats - "Serendipity in Diplomacy, Between Protocol & Politics", a memoir by Ambassador Mahmud Hasan and "In Search of a Role Model" by Ambassador M. Fazlul Karim - were launched in Dhaka on Saturday. The books were launched at a programme organised by the Association of Former Ambassadors of Bangladesh (AOFA) at the Foreign Service Academy. Ambassador Farooq Sobhan, a former foreign secretary and former ambassador, attended the programme as the chief guest. Ambassador Golam Mohammad, Secretary General of AOFA, delivered the welcome remarks, while AOFA President Ambassador Abdullah Al-Hasan moderated the discussion sessions on both books.