United News of Bangladesh

A woman was stabbed to death and her son was injured in an attack allegedly carried out by a young man in Harian Purbapara of Paba upazila in Rajshahi district on Friday night. The deceased was identified as Farida Khatun, 40, wife of Lalon Sheikh, a village police of Harian Union Parishad. Suman Kaderi, Officer-in-Charge of Katakhali Police Station, said Porosh, 18, son of Babu, a neighbor of the victim, allegedly entered Farida's house around 7:30 pm and stabbed her indiscriminately, leaving her dead on the spot. Farida's son, Faisal, was also injured while trying to save his mother. He was taken to Rajshahi Medical College and Hospital. Following the incident, angry locals set fire to Porosh's house. However, Porosh's family members had fled the house before the fire, the OC said. The motive behind the killing could not be known immediately, said police.        

Dhaka, the overcrowded capital city of Bangladesh, has ranked 17th on the list of cities with the worst air quality with an AQI score of 91 at 09:10 am this morning. Today Dhaka’s air was classified as ‘moderate,’ referring to a light healthy threat, according to the AQI index. Uganda’s Kampala, the Democratic Republic of Congo’s Kinshasa and Chile’s Santiago occupied the first, second and third spots on the list, with AQI scores of 174, 152, and 151, respectively. When the AQI value for particle pollution is between 50 and 100, air quality is considered ‘moderate’, usually sensitive individuals should consider limiting prolonged outdoor exertion, between 101 and 150, air quality is considered ‘unhealthy for sensitive groups’, between 150 and 200 is ‘unhealthy’, between 201 and 300 is said to be 'very unhealthy', while a reading of 301+ is considered 'hazardous', posing serious health risks to residents. The AQI, an index for reporting daily air quality, informs people how clean or polluted the air of a certain city is and what associated health effects might be a concern for them. The AQI in Bangladesh is based on five pollutants: particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5), NO2, CO, SO2, and ozone. Bangladeshtravel guide Dhaka has long been grappling with air pollution issues. Its air quality usually turns unhealthy in winter and improves during the monsoon. The World Health Organization estimates that air pollution causes around seven million deaths globally each year, mainly due to stroke, heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lung cancer and acute respiratory infections.  

Senior Reporter of Channel One Habibur Rahman has been elected president and Mahmud Rakib of Ekhon TV general secretary of the Shipping Reporters Forum Bangladesh (SRFB). The election was held on Friday following the organisation's biennial general meeting at Sanskriti Bikash Kendra in Paribagh, Dhaka. Of the 13-member executive committee for the 2026-2027 term, 11 members were elected unopposed. The election was conducted by a committee led by Dhaka Reporters Unity (DRU) President Abu Saleh Akon, with DRU General Secretary Mainul Hasan Sohel and former DRU General Secretary Mohi Uddin serving as election commissioners. The other office-bearers are: Vice-President Mahbub Saikat (My TV), Joint General Secretary Tarikul Islam Sumon (Bhorer Dak), Treasurer Borhan Uddin (Dhaka Mail), Office Secretary Rashim Molla (Manabzamin) and Publicity and Publication Secretary Faruk Alam (Kalbela). The elected executive members are Shamsul Islam (Naya Diganta), Faisal Ahammed (The Bangladesh Mail), Harlal Ray Sagar (Bhorer Kagoj) and Ashish Kumar Sen (Daily Janata). Earlier, the biennial general meeting was chaired by outgoing acting President Habibur Rahman. Treasurer Shamsul Islam presented the financial report, while General Secretary Afrin Jahan presented the organisational report, both of which were approved by the members with applause.

A curious case of beef turning green while being cooked in Paikgacha municipality of Khulna has set off a wave of speculation across the country, with a food safety expert cautioning against both panic and complacency until proper tests are done. The episode unfolded last Wednesday afternoon when a group of employees at Modern Bakery in Paikgacha were cooking beef bought for a picnic. Midway through cooking, they noticed the meat had inexplicably turned green. Startled and unnerved, they carried the pot straight to the local police station. Days later, no one has been able to say for certain what caused the change and in the absence of answers, theories have run wild on social media, from spoiled meat to chemical contamination at the bakery. Speaking to UNB on Friday, Dr. Mst. Minara Khatun, professor at the Department of Microbiology and Hygiene at Bangladesh Agricultural University (BAU) and a specialist in food safety and public health, said the explanation was not as simple as it might seem. "The claim that the meat was a day old is not, by itself, a sufficient explanation for it turning green," she said. "People should neither panic over a photo circulating online nor brush off such an unusual change. In matters of food safety, scientific evidence must take precedence. If meat shows an unnatural green colour, foul smell, sliminess or any other abnormality, it should not be eaten, the sample should be sent for laboratory testing." Dr. Khatun said that meat stored for a single day after slaughter, at the correct temperature of 0-4 degrees Celsius, would not normally develop a green tinge. It might darken slightly or turn brownish, she said, but that is different from a distinct green colour, which is not a typical sign of ageing meat. Many have pointed to the red-coloured broth as evidence the meat could not have been unsafe. Dr. Khatun called this an interesting but misleading observation. I f the greenish discolouration is limited to certain parts of the meat, she explained, the broth can still take on its usual red or reddish hue since its colour comes largely from blood pigments, spices, and chemical reactions during cooking, not uniformly from the meat tissue itself. "A red broth does not scientifically confirm that the meat was safe," she said. The butcher who sold the meat has claimed that other customers who bought from the same animal faced no problems. Some online have instead pointed fingers at chemicals allegedly used at the bakery. She said neither claim stands on solid ground. Different cuts from the same animal can be exposed to different storage conditions, temperatures, humidity, and levels of contamination meaning one portion could turn while another does not. "Other people not falling sick is not scientific proof that the meat was safe," she said. Equally, she added, there is no specific evidence to support the chemical-exposure theory either, since most chemicals commonly used in food settings do not turn meat green upon heating.According to Dr. Khatun, similar instances of meat turning green have been recorded in various countries before, and science offers several possible explanations. Chemical changes in myoglobin, the pigment that gives meat its red colour, can be one cause, as can storage at improper temperatures. Certain hydrogen sulphide-producing bacteria can lead to the formation of sulfmyoglobin, which imparts a greenish tint. Contact with copper or other metallic compounds may also cause similar discolouration in rare cases, though this is uncommon in typical retail settings. Growth of pigment-producing bacteria, particularly Pseudomonas species, linked to lapses in post-slaughter handling and transport, is another possible culprit. In some instances, she noted, the effect can even come down to how light reflects off the structure of the muscle fibres, producing a green, blue, or rainbow-like sheen with no spoilage involved at all.Dr. Khatun called for an unbroken cold chain maintained safely from slaughter all the way to the consumer's kitchen. She stressed the need for hygienic slaughtering and processing practices, clean environments, safe water, and trained workers throughout the supply chain. Refrigerator and freezer temperatures should be checked regularly, she said, and consumers should stay alert to any unusual change in the meat they buy. She also recommended keeping records of where meat comes from, when the animal was slaughtered, and how it has been stored along the way.

Waste is emerging as one of Bangladesh’s most pressing environmental challenges, with improper disposal threatening communities, ecosystems and biodiversity. From household waste and plastic pollution to hazardous materials, unmanaged waste is contaminating rivers, degrading soil and placing fragile ecosystems like the Sundarbans at risk. As coastal communities continue to expand, effective waste management has become essential not only for public health but also for protecting the world's largest mangrove forest. Recognising that lasting environmental change begins with awareness and action at the community level, WildTeam has been working to equip young people with the knowledge and practical skills needed to become environmental stewards. Through its EarthScout programme, students are encouraged to understand local conservation challenges and take meaningful action within their schools and communities.

Productivity growth, stronger institutions and performance-based policy support are essential for creating sustainable jobs and improving Bangladesh's global competitiveness, speakers said at a panel discussion on Friday. They stressed that enhancing organisational capability, attracting investment, strengthening industry-academia collaboration and pursuing balanced regional development will be critical for sustaining economic growth, particularly after Bangladesh graduates from the Least Developed Country (LDC) status. The discussion, titled "Productivity, Competitiveness & Trade for Jobs," was held as part of the two-day Bengal Delta Conference 2026 organised by the Dacca Institute of Research and Analytics (DAIRA) at InterContinental Dhaka on the opening day. The segment, moderated by DAIRA Research Director Mohammad Asaduzzaman, featured Prime Minister’s Adviser on Finance and Planning Dr Rashed Al Mahmud Titumir, Professor of Economics at SOAS University of London Dr Mushtaq Khan, Panam Institute Chairman Jyoti Rahman and President of Bangladesh Apparel Youth Leaders Alliance Abrar Hossain Sayem as panellists. Outlining the government's economic strategy, Dr Titumir said Bangladesh needs an investment-driven development model tailored to domestic realities and changing global geoeconomic conditions.  "We need to pursue a model where investment leads to production, production creates employment, employment increases revenue without raising tax rates, and that revenue finances education, health and social security," he said. The adviser reiterated the government's goal of gradually increasing spending on education, healthcare and social protection while moving towards a democratic welfare state. Prof Mushtaq Khan said productivity is determined not only by capital investment and skilled labour but also by organisational capability. He noted that enterprises with similar resources often produce vastly different outcomes depending on the quality of management and institutional capacity. Prof Mushtaq Khan also stressed that government incentives and policy support should be linked to measurable performance requirements to encourage improvements in productivity and competitiveness. Jyoti Rahman said organisational effectiveness and management play a more decisive role in productivity growth than machinery or conventional factors of production alone. He urged policymakers and business leaders to adopt an experimental approach by testing innovative ideas, learning from unsuccessful initiatives and expanding those that deliver positive results. Sayem highlighted the challenges Bangladesh is likely to face after graduating from the LDC status, saying higher productivity, increased foreign investment and stronger backward linkages will be crucial to maintaining the competitiveness of the country's export industries. He also underscored the importance of technology transfer, skills development and stronger partnerships between industry, technical and vocational institutions, and universities to build a future-ready workforce. The speakers agreed that sustainable job creation and long-term economic growth will depend on higher productivity, stronger institutional capacity, closer collaboration between industry and academia, balanced regional development and performance-based policy support.

Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmad returned home on Friday after cutting short his visit to Thailand amid speculation over the possible resignation of President Mohammed Shahabuddin. He arrived at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka around 12:15pm, according to a release issued by the Parliament Secretariat. The Speaker left Dhaka for Thailand on July 19. Although he was originally scheduled to return on July 26, he arrived early, cutting short his trip amid speculation over the President’s possible resignation.

Two of the three members of a family, who suffered burn injuries in a gas explosion at a house in the capital’s Vatara area on July 21, have died in a span of six hours while undergoing treatment. The deceased were identified as Md Shaheen, 24, and his niece Hafsa, 8. Hafsa and Shaheen died at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery around 12:00am and 6:00am, respectively, on Friday, said Dr Shawon Bin Rahman, a resident surgeon at the institute. He said Shaheen suffered burns on 50 percent of his body, while Hafsa sustained 40 percent burns. Shaheen’s wife Fahima Akter, 21, who suffered 45 percent burns, is in critical condition and undergoing treatment at the ICU, the physician added. The explosion occurred at a house on the 100-Foot Road in the Notun Bazar area under Vatara Police Station in the early hours of July 21, leaving the trio injured. They were later taken to the burn institute. Shaheen’s brother-in-law Jasim said Shaheen worked at a shop and lived with his family on the ground floor of a six-storey building in the area. He said the family members were asleep when a sudden explosion occurred due to a gas line leak, triggering a fire inside the house.

Outlining the government's economic strategy, Prime Minister's Finance and Planning Adviser Dr Rashed Al Mahmud Titumir on Friday said Bangladesh needs an investment-driven development model tailored to domestic realities and changing global geoeconomic conditions. "We need to pursue a model where investment leads to production, production creates employment, employment increases revenue without raising tax rates, and that revenue finances education, health and social security," he said. The economist made the remarks during a session at the Bengal Delta Conference 2026 (BDC 2026) moderated by Mushtaq Khan, a Professor of Economics at SOAS University of London. The Bengal Delta Conference 2026 (BDC 2026), themed “Bangladesh and a Changing World: Uncharted Times, Emerging Orders, and The Politics of Care,” comes at a moment of transition for both Bangladesh and the global order Dr Titumir reiterated the government's goal of gradually increasing spending on education, healthcare and social protection while moving towards a democratic welfare state. The Adviser said the government is working to introduce a universal lifecycle-based social security system to protect vulnerable people from falling into poverty during economic shocks. He also stressed reforms in education and healthcare, saying the focus would be on skills development, citizenship education, innovation and building a national health system reaching grassroots communities. Highlighting governance reforms, Dr Titumir said legitimacy, accountability and transparency are central to the government's approach. "If you have a government with legitimacy, you have accountability," he said, adding, "The delivery is about legitimacy. The delivery is accountability. The delivery is transparency." He said the government inherited a fragile fiscal situation but now has both the political mandate and responsibility to pursue transformative reforms. "We all are aware of what we inherited. The fiscal condition we inherited was fragile," he said. "There is an overwhelming majority in Parliament, which means that we have more responsibility, and we have to have a transformative change." Responding to questions on revenue mobilisation, Dr Titumir said the government is prioritising institutional reforms over higher tax rates. "The equation that the current government is working on has two additional elements which were ignored for years - the constant and the error term," he said, explaining that the "constant" represents institutional strength while the "error term" includes corruption, rent-seeking and tax exemptions. He said reducing leakages and improving enforcement had already produced encouraging results. "For the first time in the history of Bangladesh, Chattogram Customs House made a huge contribution," he said, adding that three task forces had been formed to strengthen revenue collection. Acknowledging existing challenges, Dr Titumir said the government is not claiming to have solved every problem. "We are not fully equipped yet to deal with tax evasion. That requires capabilities," he said. On the financial sector, he said authorities are addressing long-standing issues, including non-performing loans and bank recapitalisation. "We are not hiding anything under the carpet. We are aware of the issues, and we are dealing with them," he said. Dr Titumir said the government is committed to ending what he described as the "auction market" for Statutory Regulatory Orders (SROs), strengthening accountability and pursuing a production-led economic model to achieve sustainable growth. "We have inherited what is known as an auction market for SROs. If you are powerful, you get an issuance of an SRO, and you get all those resources," Titumir said while outlining the government's reform agenda. Referring to tax concessions granted in the past, he said, "These arbitrary concessions, we are working on them, and we are making sure that this SRO culture is not there." The adviser said decisions on taxation and public expenditure must be guided by Parliament rather than discretionary executive actions. "It is the sovereign Parliament that would decide where and how the money would be collected and where the money would be spent. This is the key essence of the reform of the government," he said. Calling industrialisation critical for long-term resilience, Dr Titumir said Bangladesh has revived discussions on industrial policy after years of neglect. "Industrial policy is back in Bangladesh," he said, adding that expanding productive capacity, ensuring energy security, improving competitiveness and diversifying exports would be essential as the country prepares for graduation from the Least Developed Country (LDC) category in 2029. Expressing optimism about the government's reform agenda, Titumir said the administration expects to deliver tangible results during the current fiscal year. "This fiscal year, you would get the early harvest," he said. "We are hopeful that Bangladesh, what we have promised, we would deliver." Referring to external economic pressures, he said Bangladesh had to spend about $3.46 billion to absorb the impact of the Middle East crisis and global energy price shocks despite having no role in creating those challenges. "We had to spend $3.46 billion for nothing to do with us," he said, noting that the government had to balance fiscal management with protecting agriculture and consumers from higher fuel costs.

BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Friday urged people not to pay heed to “rumours” surrounding the possible resignation of President Mohammed Shahabuddin. While speaking to journalists after attending the inaugural session of the two-day Bengal Delta Conference 2026 at InterContinental Dhaka, he dismissed the speculation and called on the public not to be misled by unverified information. His comments came amid widespread speculation that the President may step down in a day or two, citing ill health. "The entire world is facing challenges to democracy in one way or another. But we have always believed in the democratic process," Fakhrul, also the local government, rural development and co-operatives minister, said. He said the current government remains accountable to the people and is committed to upholding democratic values and public accountability.