United News of Bangladesh

Fifty-six migratory birds, identified as Bali ducks, were released into the wild in Chondipul area of Sylhet after being rescued by the Forest Department from illegal traders, officials said Tuesday. The birds, initially kept in sacks for sale, were freed at the banks of the Surma River in the presence of Executive Magistrate Shihab Bin Amin. The rescue followed a tip-off that a hunter had brought the birds to Sylhet for sale. The forest department, led by Sylhet Divisional Forest Officer Mohammad Abdur Rahman and Range Officer Shahidullah with accompanying staff, conducted an operation on Monday, recovering the birds. The hunter managed to flee upon noticing the forest officials at the scene. Magistrate Shihab said these birds are natural resources under the Wildlife Conservation Act 2012. Anyone attempting to hunt or sell them will face legal action, he warned.

The government is set to procure significant quantities of rice and lentil as part of its food stock replenishment and market stabilisation measures. The Advisers Council Committee on Government Purchase in a meeting approved separate proposals on Tuesday for procuring some 50,000 metric tons of non-Basmati parboiled rice and 10,000 metric tons of lentil. The rice will be procured under international open tender method at a cost of Tk 214.90 crore. The recommended supplier is Nutriagro Overseas OPC Pvt Ltd of India. Bank official hacked dead at Dhaka’s Lalbagh residence The Committee also endorsed procurement of 10,000 metric tons of lentil through national open tender method for Tk 72.35 crore at a unit price of Tk 72.35 per kg. Joytun Auto Rice & Dal Mills Ltd Bangladesh has been selected as the supplier. Officials noted that these procurements will bolster government’s food reserves and help maintain price stability.    

Law Adviser Dr Asif Nazrul on Tuesday said the ratification of the Operationalisation of the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture (OPCAT) is not the end but the beginning of justice. Speaking at a seminar, he mentioned that the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) Ordinance 2025 has been gazetted and the National Prevention Mechanism against torture will soon be constituted. The Embassy of Switzerland in Bangladesh, the Mission in Bangladesh of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and the School of Law at BRAC University jointly organised the seminar titled ‘Operationalisation of the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture (OPCAT) in Bangladesh’ at the BRAC University auditorium. Congratulating the government of Bangladesh for ratifying the OPCAT, Ambassador of Switzerland to Bangladesh Reto Renggli said this year Switzerland has joined the UN Human Rights Council, while Bangladesh is concluding its three-year term. "This overlap offers an opportunity to reaffirm strong commitment to human rights, not only at the Human Rights Council in Geneva but also here in Bangladesh to ensure that international standards and commitments translate into actionable and sustainable outcomes."  

Election Commissioner Anwarul Islam Sarker on Tuesday hinted that any adviser of the interim government cannot contest the upcoming election while remaining in office, as the election code of conduct prohibits them from taking part even in polls campaigns. “You asked whether any person holding a post in the government can run in the election. I would say ‘no’ as the person because a person cannot engage in the election campaign while in that post,” he told reporters at Nirbachan Bhaban in the capital. The Election Commissioner explained that it is practically impossible for a person holding a government post to take part in the election without campaigning. “So, it doesn’t need to say that no one can participate in the election, remaining in his or her own post,” he added. According to the Article 66 of the Constitution, a person shall be disqualified for election as, or for being, a member of Parliament who holds any office of profit in the service of the Republic other than an office which is declared by law not to be disqualified its holder; or is disqualified for such election by or under any law. But the same article also states that a person shall not be deemed to hold an office of profit in the service of the Republic by reason only that he is the President, the Prime Minister, the Speaker, the Deputy Speaker, Minister, Minister of State or Deputy Minister. EC Anwarul Islam declares ‘Jihad’ to hold election in February As per the draft election code of conduct, the chief adviser and advisers of the government who have been defined as ‘very important person enjoying government benefits,’ which bars them from joining the election campaign. In 2024, the Prime Minister, the Speaker, the Deputy Speaker and the ministers ran in the 12th parliamentary election, holding their respective posts. The Election Commission is set to announce the election schedule this week to arrange the 13th parliamentary election and referendum on the July National Charter simultaneously in a single day in early February 2026.

Women professionals on Tuesday urged policymakers to immediately pass the proposed amendment to the Tobacco Control Act to safeguard women’s health and strengthen public health protections. They made the call at a discussion organised to mark Begum Rokeya Day 2025 by the Bangladesh Women Journalists Forum and Nari Moitree at the  Jatiya Press Club. Women Journalists Forum also presented the Begum Rokeya Award to journalists Momtaz Bilkis, Mokbula Parvin and Rozy Ferdous at the event . Speakers said Begum Rokeya was a pioneer in advancing women’s rights and leadership, and her progressive vision continues to inspire movements for women’s emancipation, education and equality. In that spirit, they noted, amending the tobacco control law is not only a public health imperative but also essential for safeguarding women’s rights and ensuring a just society. Speakers warned that tobacco consumption continues to fuel non-communicable diseases, including heart disease, diabetes, chronic respiratory illnesses, cancer, kidney disease and injuries. Presiding over the session, Nari Moitree President Masuma Alam said Bangladesh, despite being the first signatory to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), still lags behind global standards on smoke-free environments and curbing tobacco promotion. She said that once passed, the amendment would significantly reduce tobacco use and mitigate related health and economic burdens. Speaking as the chief guest, BNP central committee joint secretary Nilofar Chowdhury Moni said rising tobacco use among women poses a grave threat. Tobacco companies, she alleged, target women globally, placing them at increasing health risk. Beyond direct and indirect smoking, she said women involved in tobacco cultivation and processing face added vulnerabilities, including reduced fertility, low birth weight babies, stillbirths and premature deliveries. Women Journalists Forum President Fahmida Akhter highlighted the economic burden of tobacco. Citing Johns Hopkins University, she said the economic loss from tobacco-related diseases amounts to Tk 39,200 crore annually.  In contrast, the government earned around Tk 40,000 crore in tobacco revenue in FY 2023–24, while the combined cost of treatment and environmental damage stands at nearly Tk 84,000 crore — a net economic deficit. Speakers at the discussion reiterated six key proposals for amending the existing law: eliminating designated smoking zones in public places and transport; banning CSR activities by tobacco companies; stopping the sale of loose tobacco products; prohibiting product display at retail points; increasing graphic health warnings on packaging from 50% to 90%; and taking measures to protect children and youth from e-cigarettes and other emerging tobacco products. Also present were Dr Khaleda Islam, convenor of the Nari Moitree Anti-Tobacco Teachers’ Forum, and Shibani Bhattacharya, convenor of the Anti-Tobacco Mothers’ Forum.

With this year’s theme ‘Human Rights, Our Everyday Essentials’, Human Rights Day 2025 will be observed in Bangladesh on Wednesday as elsewhere across the globe. Different organisations have taken elaborate programmes to observe the day. UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk described human rights as “our compass in turbulent times — guiding and steadying us through uncertainty,” as he launched the 2025 Human Rights Day campaign. This year has seen the core principles of human rights come under significant strain. “Inequalities are rising, conflicts are raging, the climate emergency is mounting, and some are creating and trying to deepen divisions within societies and between countries. But we must not give up,” Türk said in a video message issued to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the UN Charter’s entry into force in 1945. “We need more solidarity and more human rights to address the current challenges. It is crucial to keep advocating for our fundamental rights,” he added. The 2025 campaign, titled Our Everyday Essentials, aims to reinforce the lasting relevance of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) and its core ideals — equality, justice, freedom, and dignity — underscoring that human rights remain a consistent promise for all. It draws attention to two interlinked dimensions of human rights: their extraordinary origin as one of humanity’s most ambitious global commitments, and their essential, everyday role in shaping ordinary life. In a message marking the occasion Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus said,  “On the auspicious occasion of Human Rights Day-2025, I, on behalf of the people and the Government of Bangladesh, reaffirm our steadfast commitment to upholding the human rights and fundamental freedoms of all, as enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the UN Charter.” Internationally, Bangladesh continues to play an active role in global norm-setting as a member of the Human Rights Council, he said.  “We remain engaged in international efforts to address emerging global challenges that hinder the full enjoyment of human rights, including conflicts, humanitarian crises, climate change and forced displacement.” “We remain steadfast in advocating for the rights of the persecuted Rohingyas, who face oppression rooted in ethnicity-based politics. Even after eight years, not a single Rohingya has been able to return to Myanmar,” said the CA. “We continue to shoulder a significant humanitarian burden by providing temporary shelter, while persistently drawing global attention to their plight, most recently at the UN High-level Conference on 30 September 2025. Likewise, we remain vocal in condemning human rights violations anywhere in the world, including in the Gaza Strip and we continue to stand in solidarity with the people of Palestine in their legitimate struggle for statehood, justice and freedom,” he added “As we observe Human Rights Day-2025, we reiterate our call that human rights ought to be promoted as an article of faith to assert the worth and value of every human life with dignity and without any discrimination. We also renew our pledge to work resolutely with our international partners and the UN system to further strengthen our national human rights regime and to engage meaningfully with the international community in advancing global human rights standards, ”he added.

Political elites in Bangladesh facilitated the escape of corrupt individuals across the country’s borders in exchange for huge amounts of money after August 5, 2024, Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) Chairman Dr Mohammad Abdul Momen alleged on Tuesday. He made the remarks while addressing a discussion organised by the ACC at the Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy to mark International Anti-Corruption Day. In his presidential address, Dr Momen said corruption has penetrated “into every vein of society”, but insisted that it is still possible to gradually eradicate it. Highlighting a major challenge, he said Bangladesh has almost no effective communication with the countries where large sums of laundered money have been siphoned off over the past 15 years. “Our hard-earned money now lies abroad as ‘dirty money,’ but we do not even have the manpower needed to recover or manage these funds,” he said. The ACC chief said that financial flows have reversed over the years. Previously, remittances used to flow from the Middle East and the United States to Bangladesh. Now it is the opposite — money goes from Bangladesh to the US and other countries and later returns here through different channels, with various ‘incentives’ built into the transactions. “Such a large structure cannot be changed in a day, a month, or even a year,” he added. Issuing a strong warning against political influence, he claimed that “Those who committed crimes over the past 15 years were helped to flee by the political elite in exchange for huge sums of money. People must now think carefully about whether they will elect such individuals.” Dr Momen said that even if voters overwhelmingly support anti-corruption measures, eliminating corruption remains extremely difficult. “If extortionists, criminals and poor governors are kept in power after the next election, the dream of becoming a developed country will be hard to achieve,” he said, urging the public not to vote for those who helped corrupt individuals escape after the fall of the previous government. ACC files case against ex-minister Obaidul Quader, 13 others over illegal flat allocation He further said the ACC currently has no institutional communication with the countries where illicit funds have been moved. He called on the government to deploy First Secretary–level officers to those nations to support efforts to bring back laundered money. Referring to the scale of corruption during the Awami League’s rule, he noted that many individuals fled the country after 5 August last year — including the Chief Justice and even the Khatib of Baitul Mukarram National Mosque. “This shows how deep corruption had reached. If strict action had been taken earlier, we would not have suffered for 15–16 years,” he said. The ACC chairman also cited discrepancies in deposed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s 2008 election affidavit, saying that while she declared 5.21 acres of agricultural land, investigations later found 29 acres. He added that two vehicles unaccounted for in her declaration were traced — one in the name of a former MP and the other of a former junior minister — both originally purchased for the ‘5 No. Sudha Sadan’ residence without government subsidy. “If these inconsistencies had been detected at the time, her nomination would have been cancelled, and she could not have become an MP or the Prime Minister. Whether her party would have come to power at all would also have been uncertain,” he added. Calling for voters to reject corrupt and extortionist candidates in the upcoming national election, Dr Momen said corruption cannot be curbed unless the public takes a firm stance. He also urged the country’s youth to actively join the anti-corruption movement. “The corrupt celebrate every day. One day of awareness activities is not enough to rein them in,” he said. Earlier in the morning, the ACC opened its day-long programmes with a flag-raising ceremony and balloon release at its Segunbagicha headquarters. A human chain involving various government and private organisations was later held to promote anti-corruption awareness. ACC files case against 34, including former Janata Bank chairman and MDs, over Tk 1,963cr loan scam  ACC Commissioners Miah Muhammad Ali Akbar Azizi and Brigadier General (Retd) Hafiz Ahsan Farid, ACC Directors General, and senior officials from different government bodies attended the event, along with leaders of the anti-corruption journalists’ group Report Against Corruption (RAC).

Bangladesh’s external debt rose to USD 104,487 million in 2024, up from USD 101,371 million the previous year, driven by higher interest payments despite a slowdown in fresh disbursements, according to the World Bank’s International Debt Report 2025 published last week. The country recorded net debt inflows of USD 5,769 million in 2024. The long-term disbursements, however, decreased to USD 11,099 million, compared with USD 12,844 million in 2023, reflecting a tightening of external financing conditions. Long-term interest payments showed a marked increase, reaching USD 2,443 million in 2024 from USD 1,721 million a year earlier. Interest payments on public and publicly guaranteed (PPG) long-term debt climbed to USD 1,899 million, up from USD 1,578 million in 2023. The sharp rise underscores a growing repayment burden for Bangladesh as global borrowing costs remain elevated. Bangladesh’s PPG external debt structure in 2024 remained heavily concentrated in official sources. Multilateral creditors accounted for 55% of the total, while bilateral creditors made up 37%, taking official exposure to 90%. The World Bank noted that Bangladesh was among the largest recipients of combined IBRD-IDA lending during the year, reflecting continued dependence on concessional and semi-concessional financing. The South Asia region’s external debt stock increased 8.4% to USD 896 billion in 2024. The World Bank identified South Asia as the region experiencing the fastest growth in PPG interest payments globally, with Bangladesh and Sri Lanka contributing significantly to the trend. Bangladesh also accounted for close to 30% of all IDA-eligible debt stock, placing it among the top seven IDA borrowers worldwide, alongside Nigeria and Pakistan. World Bank urges Bangladesh to prioritize job creation to accelerate poverty reduction, combat inequality Compared with other South Asian countries, Bangladesh’s external debt ratios remain moderate but show emerging signs of stress. The country’s debt-to-GNI ratio stood at 22% in 2024—similar to Nepal’s 23% and slightly higher than India’s 19%. In contrast, Maldives recorded a ratio of 76% and Sri Lanka 59%, indicating far higher levels of debt stress. Bangladesh’s debt service-to-exports ratio reached 16% in 2024, above India’s 10% and Nepal’s 12%, yet remained significantly lower than Sri Lanka’s 24% and Pakistan’s 40%.   The World Bank highlighted that reliance on official creditors is common among IDA-eligible economies, with Nepal at 90% and Bhutan at 98%. India stands in contrast, with 77.3% of its long-term external debt owed to private creditors, illustrating its broader access to international capital markets. Despite comparatively moderate debt metrics, World Bank analysts say the rise in interest obligations and the slowdown in disbursements point to increasing external pressure for Bangladesh. With export earnings facing volatility, the growing cost of debt servicing may pose challenges to the country’s external stability in the coming years. Local Experts Warn of Rising Debt Risk On Monday, Prof Mustafizur Rahman, a distinguished fellow at CPD, warned at an event that Bangladesh could fall into a debt trap without swift measures. “The country is currently on a risky path due to revenue shortfalls, repayment pressures, and policy weaknesses. The revenue-to-GDP ratio has fallen to 7.7% from 10.9% in 2015,” he said. He highlighted severe inefficiencies in the tax system, noting that while consumers pay VAT on four lakh points, the government treasury only receives 24 thousand points, pointing directly to corruption. “Without integrating income and expenditure data, tax evasion cannot be stopped,” he added. Mustafiz also cautioned that interest payments have already become the second-largest expenditure in the revenue budget, pushing back sectors like agriculture and education. “If this trend continues, Bangladesh risks falling into a debt trap,” he said. World Bank estimates $216B required to rebuild Syria after civil war Meanwhile, NBR Chairman Md. Abdur Rahman Khan acknowledged that the country is already in a debt trap. “We cannot move forward without recognizing this reality. A few years ago, the tax-to-GDP ratio was above 10%, but it has now fallen to around 7%. A large portion of GDP is not being collected as tax,” he said.

Three more deaths were reported from dengue in 24 hours till Tuesday morning, raising the number of fatalities from the mosquito-borne disease in Bangladesh to 401 this year. During the period, 421 more patients were hospitalised with viral fever, raising the total infected-case to 98, 705 this year, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS). According to the DGHS, new cases were reported as follows: 64 in Barishal Division (Out of CC), 63 in Chattogram Division (Out of CC), 73 in Dhaka Division (Out of CC), 75 in Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC), 72 in Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC), 30 in Khulna Division (Out of CC), 31 in Myemnsingh Division (Out of CC), 12 in Rajshahi (out of CC), and one in Rangpur Division (Out of CC). 2 more die of dengue, 455 hospitalised in 24 hours Last year, dengue claimed the lives of 575 people. In 2023, 1,705 people lost their lives due to dengue, making it the deadliest year on record. The DGHS recorded 321,179 dengue cases and 3, 18,749 recoveries in the same year.

Bangladesh Bank purchased $202 million from 13 commercial banks on Tuesday to stabilise the foreign exchange market and bolster remittance and export inflows, according to the central bank. The move brings total dollar purchases through multiple auctions in the current fiscal year to $2.51 billion. The transaction was conducted via a Multiple Price Auction, with the exchange rate ranging between Tk122.27 and Tk122.29 per dollar. The cut-off rate was set at Tk122.29. Bangladesh Bank initiated dollar purchases through the auction process on July 13 as part of efforts to manage liquidity in the forex market. Executive Director and spokesperson Arif Hossain Khan confirmed the transaction.