United News of Bangladesh

Members of Rapid Action Battalion (RAB)-6 arrested two criminals and recovered a foreign-made pistol, ammunition and a magazine during a raid in Khulna's Labanchara area on Friday. The arrests were made around 11:50 am from Islampara under Labanchara Police Station, according to a RAB press release. The arrestees were identified as Nazim alias Nadim, 30, son of Shahjahan of Amtala area under Labanchara Police Station, and his associate Md Masud Rana, 37, son of  Abdur Rahman Miaji of Islampara. RAB said Nadim was arrested first. Based on his information, a search was conducted at his residence, where the elite force recovered a foreign-made pistol, four rounds of live ammunition, one spent bullet casing and a magazine from a location he identified. According to the press release, Nadim is a listed criminal in the area and has multiple cases filed against him at the local police station. RAB said he had been under surveillance for a long time before the operation. Legal action against the two is underway at the concerned police station.

Foreign Minister Dr Khalilur Rahman on Friday reaffirmed that Bangladesh would work with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and all parties to the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia (TAC) to address emerging threats. He said global resilience against pandemics, climate shocks, cyber incidents and supply chain disruptions could be strengthened through practical, coordinated initiatives such as joint early warning systems, shared risk assessments, and regional crisis response mechanisms. Dr Khalilur made the observations during the commemorative ceremony marking the 50th anniversary of the TAC in Manila. The TAC is an agreement signed five decades ago to establish norms ensuring mutual respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, and non-interference across the ASEAN region, said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

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.

Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) arrested two smugglers and seized 60 bottles of Indian liquor in separate anti-smuggling drives along the Sherpur border on Friday. The arrestees were identified as Jewel Rana, 25, son of Abu Salam, and Samiul, 18, son of Abdus Samad. Both are residents of Nowkuchi village in Jhenaigati upazila. The information was confirmed in a press release issued by Mymensingh Battalion (39 BGB). According to the release, a BGB patrol team conducted a special drive in the Nowkuchi border area of Jhenaigati early Friday and arrested the two with 12 bottles of Indian liquor. A case has been filed against them under the Narcotics Control Act with Jhenaigati Police Station. In another anti-smuggling operation on the same day, BGB members recovered 48 bottles of Indian liquor abandoned in the Kuchpara border area of Nalitabari upazila. In total, 60 bottles of Indian liquor, with an estimated market value of around Tk 90,000, were seized in the two drives, the press release said. Lt Col Md Nurul Azim Bayezid, commanding officer of Mymensingh Battalion (39 BGB), said the border force is conducting regular drives under its "zero tolerance" policy against drug trafficking and smuggling.

A schoolboy and a microbus driver were killed in two separate road accidents in Kishoreganj on Friday, while six others were injured. According to police and locals, a student of Janata School, identified as Tuhin, 10, was killed after being hit by a cement-laden truck on Janata School Road in Gaital area of Kishoreganj town around 11 am. Sexagenarian man found dead in Gazipur fish farm Locals rescued the critically injured boy and rushed him to a hospital, where he died before receiving treatment. His father is a member of the Bangladesh Police, according to local sources. In another accident around the same time, microbus driver AK Mostafizur Rahman was killed in a head-on collision between a bus and a microbus on the Dhaka-Kishoreganj highway near Moulvibari in Chilakanda area of Pakundia upazila. Mostafizur was a resident of the Kafrul area in Mirpur, Dhaka. Police said an Ananya Classic bus travelling from Kishoreganj collided head-on with a microbus that was heading from Dhaka to Nikli Haor. Following the crash, both vehicles plunged into a roadside ditch. The microbus driver died on the spot, while six other people were injured in the accident. Officer-in-Charge of Pakundia Police Station SM Arifur Rahman said legal proceedings are underway.

Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission (BERC) Chairman Jalal Ahmed has said the expected expansion of renewable energy will help reduce the overall cost of power generation, support the country’s environmental commitments, and strengthen the country's ability to achieve its export objectives in the European Union market. "At this moment, we do not require any new power plants based on traditional energy sources. Instead, the immediate priority should be to achieve the 10,000 MW renewable energy target, primarily from solar power, announced by the Prime Minister," he told UNB. Sharing ten steps that are required to achieve the renewable energy target, the BERC Chairman said he understands that the Ministry of Power and Energy is already taking rapid steps toward achieving this objective. Jalal Ahmed laid emphasised on formulating a time-bound roadmap to achieve the renewable energy target. He suggested establishing a dedicated task force within the Power Division to monitor implementation and progress. The BERC Chairman highlighted the importance of ensuring the effective implementation of the policy incentives provided under the Finance Act 2026, including duty-free imports of renewable energy equipment and storage batteries. Jalal Ahmed talked about developing multiple commercially viable rooftop solar business models for privately owned buildings through expert consultation, and encouraging all apartment buildings in Dhaka to adopt them. He laid emphasis on learning from the experiences of India and Pakistan in grid management and renewable energy integration; strengthening SREDA's (Sustainable and Renewable Energy Development Authority) institutional capacity to enable it to effectively fulfill its responsibilities. Other steps that he mentioned include allowing merchant power plants to operate under the existing tariff structure; protecting merchant power plants from compensation liabilities by applying only standard distribution charges; and enabling merchant power plants to supply electricity directly to consumers, either through the transmission network or via distribution companies. "In the case of rooftop solar installations on privately owned buildings, allow consumers to make their own decisions," said Jalal Ahmed. Although Bangladesh possesses limited economically recoverable coal reserves, he said natural gas has remained its principal primary energy source. The country's natural gas industry began with the discovery of the Haripur Gas Field in the 1950s, followed by the Titas Gas Field in the 1960s. Daily natural gas production has declined to 1,711 million cubic feet per day in 2025-26, from 31 million cubic feet per day in 1971-72 and 2,671 million cubic feet per day in 2016-17. "As domestic production continues to decline, Bangladesh has been importing liquefied natural gas (LNG) since 2018-19 and currently imports approximately 1,000 million cubic feet of gas in the form of LNG every day," he said. Although some progress has been made under Petrobangla's (Bangladesh Oil, Gas & Mineral Corporation) plan to drill 150 wells to increase domestic natural gas production, the results have not been encouraging, Jalal Ahmed said. "Urgent and decisive initiatives are required to make offshore bidding successful. At the same time, aggressive onshore exploration activities must be accelerated," he said. The liquid fuel sector has given us a number of bad experiences over the past eight months. Especially since November 2025, the country has witnessed instability in the liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) market, uncertainty over the Strait of Hormuz shipping route due to the US-Iran war, soaring shipping and insurance costs, expensive spot purchases resulting from disruptions in LNG supply chains, and market instability caused by reduced fuel oil reserves. "Although the Strait of Hormuz was reopened for a period, it has once again been blocked. During this time, efforts were made to procure energy from alternative sources, but these alternatives remain limited," Jalal Ahmed said. He, however, said LPG imports from the United States have increased significantly. "To strengthen energy security, Bangladesh must rapidly expand its storage capacity, implement the second refinery project, and increase the government's participation in the LPG market," said the BERC Chairman. "We currently have excess generation capacity in the power sector. Unfortunately, this surplus has become a burden rather than an asset. Including captive generation, the country's installed capacity is approximately 34,000 MW, which is nearly 100% higher than peak demand, although demand could have been met with only a 20% additional reserve capacity," he mentioned. The capacity payments associated with this excess generation have imposed a substantial financial burden on both the government and consumers. In addition, 2,400 MW will be added from the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant, along with the future renewable energy capacity announced by the government. "Bangladesh must now carefully plan the phased decommissioning of high-cost thermal power plants. The country's future integrated power mix should consist of natural gas, coal, renewable energy, and imported electricity," Jalal Ahmed said. With careful planning, existing Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) for liquid fuel-fired power plants should be renegotiated to enable a timely transition away from these costly facilities, he said. The biggest game changer at this moment is the Budget 2026-27, Jalal Ahmed said, noting that just as Finance Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury emphasised the current government's commitment to renewable energy in the budget speech, the Finance Act 2026 has provided policy support for the renewable energy sector beyond expectations. "I firmly believe that the decision to exempt all key components of solar power generation from import duty and taxes until June 2031 will significantly accelerate the growth of the sector. Considering the breadth of these policy measures, the budget can rightly be described as a green budget," he said.

A joint operation conducted by law enforcement agencies at the Noapara Rohingya camp in Teknaf recovered a firearm, ammunition and drugs and led to the arrest of nine people, officials said on Friday. The operation was carried out on Thursday by Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), the Armed Police Battalion (APBn), district police, Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), Bangladesh Coast Guard, Bangladesh Ansar, the Department of Narcotics Control, the upazila administration and the Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commissioner (RRRC). During the drive, members of the joint forces recovered a single-barrel gun, 16 rounds of live ammunition and 22 Yaba tablets from one of the detainees. Among those arrested, seven were involved in online gambling, while another was wanted in a pending case, officials said. Lt Col Md Hanifur Rahman Bhuiyan, commanding officer of Teknaf Battalion (2 BGB), said such coordinated operations by law enforcement agencies are playing an important role in curbing terrorism, drug trafficking, illegal arms and other crimes in the Rohingya camps. Legal action against the detainees is underway in line with the existing laws.

A court has sentenced a food department official, his father and his wife to five years' rigorous imprisonment each in a corruption case over amassing wealth beyond known sources of income. The court also fined Assistant Sub-Food Inspector Monirul Islam Tk 11.44 crore and imposed a fine of Tk 10 lakh each on his father Shahidul Islam Pramanik and wife Doly Begum. The verdict was delivered on Thursday by Judge Abu Saleh Md Salauddin Khan of the Pabna Special District and Sessions Judge's Court. Monirul, a resident of Char Damdama village in Ullapara upazila of Sirajganj, is currently serving as an assistant sub-food inspector at Kazipur Upazila Food Warehouse. He previously served at food warehouses in Sirajganj Sadar, Belkuchi and Kamarkhand upazilas. Public Prosecutor of the Anti-Corruption Commission in Pabna, Moloy Kumar Das, confirmed the verdict and said the court also ordered the confiscation of the convicts' movable and immovable properties in favour of the state. According to the ACC, its then Deputy Director Shahidul Alam Sarker of the Pabna Integrated District Office filed two separate cases on December 19, 2021, over allegations of acquiring illegal wealth. Charge sheets were later submitted following investigation. After examining the evidence, the court found the charges proved and handed down the sentences. According to the case statement, Monirul allegedly accumulated assets beyond his known sources of income while serving at food warehouses in Sirajganj Sadar, Belkuchi and Kamarkhand between April 22, 2014 and February 23, 2020. The ACC alleged that he invested Tk 60 lakh in a fixed deposit (FDR) at One Bank's Sirajganj branch in the name of his wife and spent Tk 54.80 lakh to construct a building on land owned by his father. Investigators said his father and wife assisted him in concealing the illegally acquired assets, constituting an offence under Section 27(1) of the Anti-Corruption Commission Act, 2004. None of the three convicts was present in court when the verdict was delivered.

President Mohammed Shahabuddin resigned from office on Friday, citing ill health, bringing an early end to his five-year term that was due to expire in April 2028. He submitted his resignation letter to Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmad in the afternoon, said his Press Secretary M Sarwar Alam. Under Article 54 of the Constitution, the Speaker will now act as the acting President until a new head of state is elected. Around 4:26pm, a vehicle designated for the acting President, along with two Special Security Force (SSF) protocol vehicles, arrived at the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban. In the letter, Shahabuddin stated that he is seriously ill. “I am suffering from heart disease, hypertension, diabetes and kidney complications. I have undergone coronary artery bypass surgery.” Mentioning that he was diagnosed with a condition known as autonomic neuropathy, he said he occasionally loses consciousness for brief periods as a result of this illness. “Due to these medical conditions and the resulting physical and mental incapacity, I am no longer able to discharge the responsibilities of the important constitutional office of the President. I require long-term medical treatment,” Shahabuddin said, adding that under these circumstances, he stepped down from the office of the President in accordance with Article 50(3) of the Constitution. Shahabuddin claimed that he discharged his duties with sincerity, honesty and full allegiance to the Constitution. Referring to the fall of the Awami League government in the face of the student-led mass uprising on August 5, 2024, he said the country faced a constitutional and governance crisis at that time. “With a view to overcoming that constitutional crisis, I, in my capacity as President, sought the opinion of the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of Bangladesh under Article 106 of the Constitution. Subsequently, acting on the advice of the Appellate Division, I formed the interim government,” Shahabuddin said. The interim government, in consultation with political parties, held the general election, he said. “Based on the election results, the present government was formed and is now conducting the affairs of the state. At present, both the ruling party and the opposition are performing their respective responsibilities in Parliament through democratic practices.”  

A young man and his wife sustained severe burn injuries after a fire, apparently caused by a gas leak, broke out in their rented house in Savar early Friday when they tried to light a mosquito coil. The victims were identified as Kaisar, 28, and his wife Ruby Begum, 24. Hailing from Matopara village in Goalanda upazila of Rajbari district, they had been residing in the Majidpur Dighirpar area of Savar. According to Kaisar's father Md Siman Sheikh, the couple lives on the ground floor of a two-storey building owned by Nur Mohammad in the area. Both work at garment factories. He said the fire broke out shortly after 12:00am when they struck a match to light a mosquito coil, apparently due to accumulated gas. The flames quickly spread throughout the room, leaving both of them critically burned. Neighbours broke open the door and rescued the couple and took them to the National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery in the capital around 2:50am. Dr Shawon Bin Rahman, a resident surgeon at the institute, said Kaisar suffered burns on 100 percent of his body, while Ruby sustained burns 80 percent burns. Both are in critical condition and are undergoing treatment in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), he added.