United News of Bangladesh

Bangladesh received nearly $82 billion in foreign loans between 2010 and June 2024, Finance Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury told Parliament on Sunday. “From 2010 to June 2024, 81.83 billion US dollars of foreign loans were taken,” he said, while replying to a starred question from ruling party lawmaker Lutfur Rahman (Cox’s Bazar-3) during the question-and-answer session in the House. Earlier, the Sunday sitting of the Parliament started around 3:30pm with Deputy Speaker Barrister Kayser Kamal in the chair. The finance minister said during the same period, the principal and interest payments against the government's foreign loans amounted to 17.11 billion and 6.04 billion US dollars, respectively. According to the statistics provided by the minister, the total amount paid in principal and interest against the country’s foreign debt stood at $23.15 billion between 2010 and June 2024.  

Police recovered the decomposed bodies of a couple and their newborn from a house at Madhya Jamgara in Ashulia of Savar early Saturday. The identities of the deceased could not be known immediately. Tarikul Islam, Officer-in-Charge of Ashulia Police Station said the family recently rented a room on the second floor of a four-storey building owned by one Haji Hazrat Ali. Getting odour from the house, local people informed police who recovered the bodies breaking open the door of the room around 1:30am. The bodies were sent to Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College and Hospital morgue for autopsy. Police suspected that the man might have killed himself as a gamcha (towel) was found wrapped around his neck. Locals said the doors and windows of the room were usually remained closed. A forensic team from the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) visited the scene and collected various pieces of evidence. Efforts are underway to identify the deceased and determine those involved in the incident, said the OC.  

Ambassador and Head of Delegation of the European Union (EU) to Bangladesh Michael Miller on Wednesday said access to clean energy will become increasingly important for the competitiveness of Bangladesh’s garment industry as European markets and global value chains transition towards a low-carbon future. “There is an opportunity to combine manufacturing strength with cleaner production that we encourage you to grasp with both hands, to place this country at the forefront of sustainable sourcing,” he said while speaking at a roundtable in Dhaka. HSBC Bangladesh, the Apparel Impact Institute (Aii), the Embassy of Sweden in Bangladesh and the Delegation of the European Union to Bangladesh convened a high-level roundtable bringing together international and national stakeholders from the government, global apparel brands, manufacturers, financial institutions, development partners and industry associations to discuss how Bangladesh can accelerate access to reliable, competitive and clean energy for its apparel industry. The roundtable, titled “Advancing Decarbonisation for Apparel in a Changing Energy Landscape”, focused on the growing urgency to accelerate Bangladesh’s clean energy transition as global apparel supply chains move towards decarbonisation and markets, including the European Union, introduce increasingly ambitious sustainability and environmental requirements.

Mehidy Hasan Miraz was unbeaten on 65 as Bangladesh reached 417 for 8 at lunch on the third day of the first Test against Australia on Saturday, stretching their lead to 219 runs. Miraz and Taskin Ahmed added 45 without being separated in the morning session, putting on their fifth partnership of more than 40 runs in the innings. Miraz has faced 152 balls, hitting five fours and a six. Taskin is 12 not out from 22 balls. Australia managed only two wickets in the 23-over session, both taken by Josh Hazlewood. Hasan Mahmud and Taijul Islam were dismissed as Bangladesh lost their seventh and eighth wickets. Australia also missed two chances off Pat Cummins. Steven Smith and Travis Head both put down catches. Miraz finished the session in style, hitting Cameron Green for six over the boundary. His partnership with Taskin has taken Bangladesh closer to a lead of 250. Bangladesh resumed the day on 351 for 6 after Tanzid Hasan’s 101, Najmul Hossain Shanto’s 84 and Mominul Haque’s 49 helped them build a strong position. They had started the innings 102 runs behind Australia, who were bowled out for 198 on the first day. Australia now face the prospect of having to chase a large deficit in their second innings, with Bangladesh still two wickets away from completing their first innings.  

Bangladesh are set to qualify directly for the 2027 ODI World Cup after Afghanistan’s win over Ireland strengthened their position in the ICC ODI rankings. The qualification list will not be official until the rankings cutoff on Sept. 30. But with less than seven weeks to go, Bangladesh are in the top eight and cannot realistically be overtaken. The top eight teams in the ODI rankings on Sept. 30, excluding the two host nations, will qualify directly for the World Cup. South Africa and Zimbabwe have already qualified as co-hosts. Afghanistan secured a place in the top eight by beating Ireland by three wickets in Belfast on Sunday. The result left Australia, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, England, Afghanistan and Bangladesh in the eight direct-qualification spots. Bangladesh are therefore on course to avoid the qualifying tournament and go straight into the World Cup, which will be hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia next year. Their place will be confirmed after the Sept. 30 cutoff. West Indies, meanwhile, will have to take the longer route. The two-time world champions are ranked 10th and cannot break into the top eight even if they win their two remaining ODIs against India before the cutoff. They will have to play in the World Cup Qualifier in February and March next year. It will be the third consecutive World Cup cycle in which West Indies have had to go through the qualifiers. They failed to qualify for the 2023 World Cup after finishing fifth in the Super Six stage, missing the tournament for the first time in their history. That failure also kept them out of the 2025 Champions Trophy, a tournament they have not played since 2013. The 2027 Qualifier will include West Indies and Ireland, the two lowest-ranked non-host Full Members, along with teams advancing from World Cup League 2 and the Qualifier Playoff. The qualification route has also changed. The Qualifier winner will advance directly to the second round of the World Cup, while the teams finishing second through fourth will enter a Super Series. The winner of that series will also advance to the second round. Bangladesh, barring a late change in the rankings, will not have to take that route.

Six more children died with symptoms consistent with measles in 24 hours until 8:00am on Saturday, raising Bangladesh’s combined tally of confirmed and suspected measles-related deaths to 816. The Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) has classified the latest deaths as suspected measles fatalities. With the latest update, the number of suspected measles deaths has risen to 721 while the number of laboratory-confirmed measles deaths remained unchanged at 95. A total of 613 new suspected measles cases were reported during the period, bringing the cumulative number of suspected cases nationwide to 122,763. Meanwhile, 78 new confirmed measles cases were recorded, bringing the total number of laboratory-confirmed infections to 15,272. Since March 15, a total of 105,298 patients with suspected measles have been hospitalised across the country, of whom 101,535 have recovered, according to DGHS data.

United Nations General Assembly has adopted Bangladesh's flagship resolution, "Follow-up to the Declaration and Programme of Action on a Culture of Peace," reaffirming the international community's commitment to dialogue, tolerance, solidarity and peaceful coexistence. Introducing the resolution, Bangladesh's Permanent Representative to the United Nations Ambassador Salahuddin Noman Chowdhury underscored that building peaceful, inclusive and resilient societies requires sustained dialogue, mutual understanding, respect for diversity and steadfast adherence to the principles of the United Nations Charter, said a press release received on Saturday. He also thanked the Member States for their constructive engagement and broad support, calling for renewed collective efforts to promote dialogue over division, cooperation over conflict and understanding over intolerance. Originally adopted in 1999 at the initiative of Bangladesh, the resolution has since served as the United Nations' principal framework for advancing a culture of peace. It promotes the values of respect for diversity, tolerance, solidarity and non-violence while reinforcing international efforts to prevent conflict, foster peaceful coexistence and strengthen multilateral cooperation.  

Bangladesh on Saturday said it remains steadfast in supporting a stronger, more inclusive and development-oriented multilateral trading system that reflects the interests of all Members and preserves the WTO (World Trade Organization) as the cornerstone of global trade governance. At the WTO General Council’s Heads of Delegation's informal meeting on WTO Reform, Bangladesh Ambassador in Geneva Nahida Sobhan underscored that any reform process must remain firmly anchored in the WTO’s core principle of development. She said it must ensure that global trade rules create a fair and level playing field for all Members, particularly developing countries and LDCs. The Ambassador emphasised that an effective WTO is not only about new rules, but also about inclusive processes. For reform to succeed, every Member, regardless of the size of its delegation, must be able to participate meaningfully. To this end, Nahida Sobhan called for a development-centred approach to WTO reform; transparent, inclusive and Member-driven negotiations; better scheduling of meetings to enable the effective participation of small delegations; timely circulation of documents to facilitate consultations with capitals; opportunities for virtual participation by capital-based experts; regular transparency briefings on reforms meetings; and broader engagement with civil society and think tanks.

A disciplined Australian bowling performance, led by Adam Zampa and debutant Joel Davies, bundled Bangladesh out for a modest 131 in 19 overs in the first T20I at Chattogram on Wednesday. Opting to bat first, Bangladesh made a brisk start as Saif Hassan (20) and Tanzid Hasan put on 18 runs in the first two overs. However, the introduction of spin quickly derailed the hosts' momentum after Spencer Johnson provided the initial breakthrough by removing Tanzid for 10. Matt Renshaw then dismissed Saif to leave the hosts at 45 for 2. Later, he also got the wicket of Shamim Hossain. Zampa then ripped through the middle order, taking 3 for 18 from his four overs. He trapped stand-in captain Towhid Hridoy for 8 with a sharp googly and later removed a struggling Soumya Sarkar for 17. Zampa completed his spell by claiming his 150th T20I wicket when Shoriful Islam holed out to long-off. Left-arm orthodox debutant Joel Davies enjoyed a dream introduction to international cricket, finishing with match-turning figures of 3 for 17. Davies struck twice in quick succession to remove wicketkeeper Parvez Hossain Emon (10) and debutant Abdul Gaffar Saqlain (10). Fellow debutant Nikhil Chaudhary also joined the party, picking up the wicket of Rishad Hossain. With Bangladesh reeling at 108 for 9, Mahedi Hasan provided a crucial late flourish, scoring a quickfire 29 off 22 balls. Mahedi took toll of Davies in the 19th over, striking three consecutive boundaries via a reverse sweep, an inside-out cover drive, and a paddle sweep.Davies had the last laugh, trapping Mustafizur Rahman lbw for 7 on review to end the innings with an over to spare. Australia will require 132 runs to take a 1-0 lead in the series.

BNP Vice-Chairman Shamsuzzaman Dudu on Saturday alleged that the previous Awami League government had tried to turn Bangladesh into a ‘virtual province’, of India. “It will be difficult to protect Bangladesh’s independence and sovereignty in the future without this government. Because the previous Awami League government under Sheikh Hasina continuously tried to transform Bangladesh into a virtual province of India,” he said. He made the remarks while speaking at a discussion organised by BNP marking the Historic Farakka Day. BNP Secretary General and Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Minister Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir was present as the chief guest. Paying tribute to Maulana Abdul Hamid Khan Bhashani, Dudu described him as the architect of the Farakka movement. “I pay my respects to the oppressed people’s leader Maulana Bhashani. I also pay tribute to Shaheed President Ziaur Rahman, who played an important behind-the-scenes role in the Farakka movement,” he said. Dudu said concerns over water sharing and Bangladesh’s survival had remained central issues since the days of Maulana Bhashani.“Even today, the struggle over water has not ended,” he said. Referring to the Farakka Barrage issue, he alleged that Bangladesh suffered major losses when the Awami League government and Sheikh Mujibur Rahman allowed India to experimentally operate the Farakka Barrage without proper discussion.“The damage to Bangladesh began from that very decision,” he said. He also criticised former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina over water-sharing issues during her tenure. Dudu praised BNP Chairman Tarique Rahman, describing him as following the path of his father, Ziaur Rahman, in addressing the country’s water crisis. He particularly mentioned the Padma Bridge project as an example of a practical step taken under Tarique Rahman’s leadership. Expressing optimism over the current political situation, Dudu said he believed the existing government would be able to resolve disputes related to water sharing and the Ganges issue through agreements. “I firmly believe that through negotiations and agreements, the water crisis and the Ganges issue will reach a resolution by December, InshaAllah,” he said. He also called for public support for the current government and BNP leadership.“We must strengthen the hands of this government. We must support Tarique Rahman and stand united to resolve the water crisis through the government.”. Concluding his speech, Dudu urged people to remain united in defence of the country’s sovereignty and interests. BNP Senior Joint Secretary General and Political Adviser to the Prime Minister Advocate Ruhul Kabir Rizvi presided over the event. Among the special guests were BNP Chairperson’s Advisory Council member Goyeshwar Chandra Roy, BNP Chairperson’s Advisory Council member and Land Minister Mizanur Rahman Minu, BNP Chairperson’s Advisory Council member Ataur Rahman Dhali. Among the discussants were Emeritus Professor and water resources and climate change expert Dr Ainun Nishat, Dhaka University Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr ABM Obaidul Islam, BUET Professor Dr Md Ataur Rahman, and Jahangirnagar University Professor Dr Nahrin Islam Khan. Vice-Chancellor of Dhaka Central University Prof Dr Md Nurul Islam presented the keynote paper at the event.