United News of Bangladesh

The maritime ports of Chattogram, Cox’s Bazar, Mongla and Payra have been advised to keep hoisted local cautionary signal No. 3 as the low pressure area over Northwest Bay and adjoining coastal area moved northwestwards. It now lies over Gangetic West Bengal and adjoining areas of North Odisha & Northwest Bay, said a special bulletin of Met office. Under its influence, squally weather may affect the Maritime Ports, North Bay and adjoining Coastal areas of Bangladesh. All fishing boats and trawlers over North Bay have been advised to remain close to the coast and proceed with caution till further notice.    

State Minister for Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment Nurul Haque Nur on Thursday called on Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami to drop the word “Islam” from its name, alleging that the party has caused significant harm to Islam by using its name. He made the remarks while speaking to reporters after visiting Sohanur Rahman Sohan, president of the Kushtia Government College unit of Chhatra Odhikar Parishad, who was injured in a clash between Jamaat-Shibir and the Gono Odhikar Parishad in Kushtia, Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) in the afternoon. Sohan is receiving treatment at a cabin in the old building of the DMCH. “Jamaat-e-Islami should drop the word ‘Islam’ from its name. If Jamaat gets an opportunity, it will become an even bigger fascist force than the Awami League,” said Nur, also president of Gono Odhikar Parishad. He alleged that Jamaat has caused the greatest harm to Islam by using its name and said the party has suffered a decline in moral standards. Referring to Jamaat lawmakers Amir Hamza of Kushtia and Gazi Nazrul Islam of Satkhira, Nur said their alleged conduct was an example of the party's moral decline. He also alleged that Jamaat has been seeking to come to power and has started making “irritating” remarks against the government only six months into its tenure. The Gono Odhikar Parishad chief further accused Amir Hamza of making obscene and derogatory remarks about lawmakers, including Rubina Farhana and Farzana Putul, as well as making offensive comments about late Arafat Rahman Koko, the younger son of former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia. “Jamaat is supporting such filthy and hypocritical remarks,” he alleged. Referring to the conduct of Satkhira MP Nazrul Islam, Nur said if Jamaat continues to claim itself as an Islamic party, that will be contradictory to the principles of Islam. “I would urge them to drop the word ‘Islam’ from Jamaat-e-Islami because they are causing the greatest harm to Islam by using the name of Islam as a guise.”

The 11-party alliance, led by Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, has chosen Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) Chairman Col (retd) Oli Ahmad as its candidate for the presidential election. Opposition Chip Whip and National Citizen Party (NCP) Convener Nahid Islam made the announcement following a meeting of the alliance at the official residence of Leader of the Opposition Dr Shafiqur Rahman at Minto Road in the capital on Sunday. Meanwhile, the ruling BNP on Sunday collected two nomination forms for the upcoming presidential election. BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi and Chief Whip Nurul Islam Moni collected the forms from the Returning Officer’s office in the Nirbachan Bhaban in Agargaon. Earlier on August 6, the EC announced the schedule for the presidential election, setting August 20 as the voting date, following the resignation of Shahabuddin as President on July 24.  

State Minister for Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment Nurul Haque Nur has called upon the people to remain vigilant against what he described as conspiracies by the Jamaat-NCP led opposition alliance. Speaking at an event organized by the Lawyer’s Rights Council at the Dhaka Reporters Unity, in the capital the state minister alleged that the recent sit-in protest staged by the Jamaat-NCP alliance in front of the Bangladesh Secretariat was a deliberate attempt to destabilize the country. “They should've announced a long march towards the Indian embassy. Instead, they chose the Bangladesh Secretariat. It is a direct attempt to disrupt the country's stability,” Nur said. Asserting that "Awami fascism" has met its political demise, Nur remarked that no amount of wishful thinking from across the border can bring the fallen regime back to life. He claimed that the National Citizen Party (NCP) is strategically dominated by Jamaat-e-Islami members occupying various district and upazila posts, comparing it to past political tactics where hidden affiliates infiltrated multiple political parties, including the BNP and Gono Adhikar Parishad. Recalling the backdrop of the 2024 July mass uprising, Nur noted that the movement was built upon years of struggle, dating back to the quota reform movement launched in 2018 under his leadership. He urged citizens to stay united in upholding the spirit of the July uprising and opposing the return of autocratic forces. The discussion meeting was arranged by the Lawyer’s Rights Council, a platform of lawyers associated with Gono Adhikar Parishad, to mark the jail release of their leaders following the ouster of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Presided over by Lawyer's Rights Council President Nure Ershad Siddiki, the event was also addressed by Prime Minister's Political Assistant Rashed Khan, alongside leaders, activists and members of the Gono Adhikar Parishad and the Lawyer's Rights Council.

Ganatantrik Odhikar Committee held a mass rally at the Central Shaheed Minar on Friday, demanding the implementation of the aspirations of the July uprising.  

The Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD) on Friday forecast heavy to very heavy rainfall in parts of the country over the next 24 hours, warning that the downpour could trigger landslides in the hilly areas of Chattogram division and cause temporary waterlogging in Dhaka and Chattogram metropolitan areas. In a heavy rainfall warning issued in the morning, it said the rain is likely to affect parts of Rangpur, Rajshahi, Mymensingh, Dhaka, Khulna, Barishal, Chattogram and Sylhet divisions during the 24 hours commencing at 10:00am on Friday under the influence of an active monsoon. According to the BMD, heavy rainfall refers to precipitation between 44 mm and 88 mm, while very heavy rainfall means more than 88 mm within the forecast period. The country's highest rainfall in the 24 hours till 6:00am on Friday was recorded in Chattogram at 211 mm. Day and night temperatures may remain nearly unchanged across the country, the BMD said. The monsoon trough extends through Punjab, Haryana, the centre of the low-pressure area, Bihar, West Bengal and Assam, passing across central Bangladesh. One of its associated troughs extends up to the North Bay. The monsoon is active over Bangladesh and strong over the North Bay, the BMD added.

The 11-party alliance, led by Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, will hold its Rangpur divisional rally on Saturday as part of its planned programme demanding implementation of the referendum verdict, effective measures for the Teesta Master Plan, an end to border killings and push-ins, and steps to reduce public suffering. The rally will begin at 2:30pm at Rangpur District School Ground, said Dr AHM Hamidur Rahman Azad, coordinator of the 11-party alliance, in a statement issued on Friday. Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Dr Shafiqur Rahman will address the rally as the chief guest. Leaders of the alliance components will also speak at the really with Opposition Chief Whip and National Citizen Party (NCP) Convener Nahid Islam in the chair.

The Jatiya Ganatantrik Party (JAGPA) on Friday relieved its Secretary General Zakir Hossain Riaz of his duties, citing anti-party activities. The decision was taken at an emergency meeting of the party's National Executive Council, chaired by JAGPA President and freedom fighter Khandaker Lutfor Rahman. According to a party press release, those present at the meeting included Vice Presidents MA Wahab, Dr Awlad Hossain Shilpi and Advocate Shahidul Islam; Joint Secretary General Dewan Mohammad Rokon Uddin Hazari; Organising Secretaries Mohammad Hossain Mobarak and Abul Hossain; Publicity Secretary Kamrul Hasan; and Finance Secretary Md Mahfuzar, among other leaders. The meeting appointed Joint Secretary General Dewan Mohammad Rokon Uddin Hazari as acting secretary general. The party also instructed its leaders and activists not to maintain contact with Zakir Hossain Riaz. It decided to convene an extended meeting within the next month to fix the date for the party's next council. The meeting further decided that JAGPA's organisational activities would resume on July 10 with a visit to the shrine of Hazrat Shahjalal (R) in Sylhet. It also resolved that JAGPA would stand alongside Prime Minister Tarique Rahman in building the future of Bangladesh. At the end of the meeting, special prayers were offered for the speedy recovery of BNP Standing Committee member and Prime Minister's Political Adviser Nazrul Islam Khan.

Leaders of the 11-party opposition alliance on Saturday warned that a united street movement would continue if the referendum verdict is not implemented. Speaking at a divisional rally in Mymensingh, they also urged the government to implement the referendum verdict and take steps to ease public suffering. Addressing the BNP, several speakers claimed that people had voted for the party based on commitments made in the July Charter. They also alleged that the BNP was ignoring the referendum verdict, including the July Charter, and accused it of adopting "fascist" practices. Speaking as the chief guest, Bangladesh Khelafat Majlis Ameer Muhammad Mamunul Haque said they wanted the peaceful implementation of what he described as the will of "70 percent of the people". He warned that if the government failed to implement the referendum verdict and if the BNP deprived people of their voting rights "like Sheikh Hasina", the party would face the same political consequences. Jamaat-e-Islami Secretary General Mia Golam Porwar alleged that the BNP, with the support of the interim government, had manipulated the election. He said his party accepted the election results in the interest of political stability and building a "new Bangladesh" free from political conflict, corruption and inequality. Porwar warned that if the referendum verdict was not implemented, a united street movement would continue. He also alleged that if the BNP attempted to undermine the voting rights of what he described as "70 percent of the people", its leadership would face the same fate as Sheikh Hasina. NCP leader Asif Mahmud Sajeeb Bhuiyan alleged that the BNP had repeatedly failed to run the country effectively. He also claimed that the government had not taken effective action over ‘July Massacre’, the crackdown on protesters by the then Awami League government during the July Uprising of 2024.   He said the government had increased the prices of fuel, electricity and other essential commodities, and had failed to explain the outcomes of the Prime Minister's recent visits to China and Malaysia. Among others, acting Ameer of the Nizam-e-Islam Party Maulana Abdul Qayyum Sobhani, Bangladesh Labour Party Chairman Dr Mostafizur Rahman Iran, and local leaders of the 11-party alliance were present at the rally.

Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Health Affairs Dr. S. M. Ziauddin Hyder on Wednesday said that Government is committed to taking effective Tobacco control measures, including increasing tobacco product prices in the budget to protect public health as it was one of the key commitments of the current government's election manifesto. On the occasion of World No Tobacco Day, Prime Minister Tarique Rahman reaffirmed the government's strong commitment to protecting children, adolescents, and future generations from the harmful effects of tobacco and nicotine. He stated that the period leading up to the finalization of the FY 2026–27 national budget presents an important opportunity to take effective measures for protecting public health. He made these remarks at a seminar titled “Protecting Public Health from the Harmful Effects of Tobacco: Challenges and Way Forward,” jointly organized by the Doctors Association of Bangladesh (DAB) and the Development Organisation of the Rural Poor (DORP) at the BMA Auditorium in Dhaka. Presenting the keynote paper, Zeba Afroza said that public health and tobacco control experts had proposed reducing the existing four-tier cigarette price structure to three tiers in order to simplify tax administration. Since the prices of low- and medium-tier cigarettes are very similar, smokers can easily switch to a cheaper alternative when the price of one tier increases.He noted that if implemented, this proposal would make tobacco products less affordable, particularly for young people. Dr. Shafiun Nahin, Director of the Institute of Health Economics at the University of Dhaka, said that the proposed budget includes only a marginal increase in cigarette prices. The price of a 10-stick pack of low-tier cigarettes has been increased from TK60 toTK 62, even though nearly 75 percent of all cigarettes sold in the market belong to this tier. As a result, an increase of only TK 2 per pack is insufficient to discourage tobacco use, especially when inflation remains above 9 percent. He further explained that the retail price of a low-tier cigarette under the proposed budget is TK 6.2 per stick, whereas these cigarettes are already being sold at TK 7 per stick at retail outlets across the country. Consequently, tobacco companies stand to gain an additional profit of approximately TK 0.8 per stick, all of which would remain untaxed. Dr. Nahin added that Bangladesh sold 68.89 billion low-tier cigarettes during FY 2023–24. Based on an additional profit of TK 0.8 per stick, tobacco companies could earn approximately TK 55.12 billion (BDT 5,512 crore) in extra profits. This means that the government would lose a substantial amount of potential tax revenue. The speakers thanked the government for amending the tobacco control law and expressed optimism that, in line with the commitments outlined in the election manifesto, the government would take appropriate measures to strengthen tobacco control and protect future generations from the harms of tobacco use. In his remarks as the lead discussant, Dr. Md. Zahirul Islam, Secretary General of DAB, stated that the proposed budget imposes taxes on nicotine pouches, nicotine granules, and Heated Tobacco Products (HTPs). However, taxing these products effectively legitimizes them in the market. This could facilitate the expansion of these new nicotine products and increase the risk of nicotine addiction, particularly among youth and adolescents. Expressing DAB’s commitment to working with DORP on tobacco control initiatives in the long term, Professor Dr. Harun Al Rashid, President of DAB, urged the government to reconsider the tax and price structure of low-tier cigarettes and smokeless tobacco products in the FY 2026–27 national budget. He noted that if the recommendations of public health and tobacco control experts are implemented, the government could generate approximately TK 44 billion in additional revenue. At the same time, nearly 500,000 adult smokers would be encouraged to quit smoking, 372,000 young people would be prevented from initiating smoking, and nearly 400,000 premature deaths could be averted in the long term. The seminar was welcomed by AHM Noman, Founder and CEO of DORP, and moderated by Mohammad Zobair Hasan, Deputy Executive Director of the organization. Among those present were Iqbal Masud, Director of the Health Sector of Dhaka Ahsania Mission; Professor Dr. Sohel Reza Choudhury, Head of the Epidemiology and Research Department at the National Heart Foundation Hospital and Research Institute; members of DAB; and youth representatives Ratri, Sandhi, and others.