United News of Bangladesh

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has appointed Rabab Fatima of Bangladesh as his new Special Representative for Afghanistan and Head of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA). As a career diplomat, Fatima served as Ambassador of Bangladesh to Japan (2016-2019), as Director-General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Bangladesh (2015-2016), and in Bangladesh missions in New York, Geneva, Beijing and Kolkata, and in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in different capacities.  Fatima succeeds Roza Otunbayeva of Kyrgyzstan, to whom the Secretary-General expressed his gratitude for her dedicated service, said the UN Headquarters in an announcement on July 15. He also thanks Georgette Gagnon of Canada, Deputy Special Representative of UNAMA, who currently serves as Officer-in-Charge of the Mission. Fatima brings to the position over 30 years of experience in national and international civil service, encompassing bilateral and multilateral diplomacy, policymaking, advocacy, programme planning and implementation.  She currently serves as Under-Secretary-General and High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States (UN-OHRLLS). Prior to this, she was the Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Bangladesh to the United Nations in New York (2019-2022).  In that capacity, she served as the President of the Executive Boards of UNICEF (2020) and UN-Women (2022), as well as Vice-President of the UNDP/UNFPA/UNOPS Executive Board (2021).  She was the first woman to be elected as the Chair of the Peacebuilding Commission in 2022.  She also served as a Vice-President of the 77th session of the United Nations General Assembly. Fatima also served in the International Organization for Migration (IOM) as Regional Adviser for South and South-West Asia and Regional Adviser for Climate Change and Migration (2012-2015), and as Regional Representative for South Asia (2007-2011).  She was also the Head of Human Rights at the Commonwealth Secretariat in London (2006-2007). Fatima holds a master’s degree in international relations and diplomacy from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University, United States, and a bachelor’s degree in social science from the University of Canberra, Australia.  In addition to her native Bangla, she speaks English and has working knowledge of Hindi and Urdu.

Scorching temperatures around the clock, frequent power cuts and sleepless nights have become part of daily life for residents of Banda, a town in northern India that has repeatedly ranked among the hottest places on Earth. Climate change, driven largely by the burning of fossil fuels such as coal, oil and gas, is making heatwaves across India more frequent and severe, according to experts. Banda, in Uttar Pradesh state, has been among the worst-hit areas. In May, the town recorded a temperature of 48.2 degrees Celsius (118.8 degrees Fahrenheit), one of several occasions this year when it was India's hottest location. Climatologist and weather historian Maximiliano Herrera said Banda also ranked as the hottest place on Earth on seven different days this year, most of them in April. Although temperatures have eased slightly since then, high humidity brought by the monsoon has kept conditions uncomfortable. An Associated Press team visited Banda in June to see how residents cope with the extreme heat. Before sunrise, 70-year-old Munni Devi and her four sons begin unloading vegetables at the local market while temperatures are already around 30 degrees Celsius. Despite the exhausting conditions, Devi said missing work is not an option. "Everyone feels the heat, but because of our circumstances, we have to bear it," she said. She said the heat has become more intense every year, while unreliable electricity leaves many families without even ceiling fans for hours at a time. To keep cool, her grandchildren are often sprayed with water using a hose. As temperatures climb during the afternoon, many people remain indoors if possible. But street vendors and auto-rickshaw drivers continue working outside to earn a living. Meanwhile, 70-year-old animal lover Shobharam Kashyap spends his afternoons building wooden birdhouses to help birds survive the extreme weather. He and other volunteers have installed more than 15,000 birdhouses across Banda, many painted green because he believes birds prefer that colour. He has also placed clay bowls filled with water around his home for birds to drink and cool off. Kashyap said caring for birds reflects a long-standing cultural tradition in India, where people often leave food for birds at temples. The rising temperatures are also putting pressure on Banda's healthcare system. Doctors at the town's main hospital say patient numbers increase every summer, with many suffering from dehydration, heat exhaustion, diarrhoea, vomiting and abdominal pain. Hospital superintendent Dr Abhishek Pranayami said admissions continue to rise every year, placing growing pressure on doctors and medical staff. Even after sunset, temperatures remain high, forcing many residents to spend the night outdoors. At Banda railway station, families gather on open platforms hoping for cooler air. Some sleep on blankets spread across the platform, while others rest on benches or near the station entrance. Labourers whose homes remain unbearably hot often sleep on nearby pavements or even on gravel despite traffic and noise. Parents with young children sometimes stay awake through the night, waiting at the station where the open space offers some relief from the heat. Climate and health expert Abhiyant Tiwari of NRDC India said Banda has always experienced hot summers, but climate change is making heatwaves more intense, longer-lasting and more dangerous. He warned that persistently high night-time temperatures are especially harmful because they prevent the human body from recovering after prolonged daytime heat exposure. District Magistrate Amit Aasery said local authorities have opened cooling centres, distributed hundreds of thousands of oral rehydration solution (ORS) kits and strengthened hospital preparedness during heat alerts. Officials are also monitoring groundwater levels, soil moisture and vegetation while working to improve water supplies and raise public awareness about heat risks. However, Aasery acknowledged that local efforts alone cannot solve the problem. "What is happening here is a global phenomenon. It is because of climate change. We are the recipient of this," he said.

Right to Freedom, a nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing democracy and human rights worldwide, will host a memorial celebration of life honouring its Founding President, Ambassador William B. Milam, on Friday at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. The event will also be streamed live and recorded for those unable to attend in person. Ambassador Milam, who passed away earlier this year at the age of 89, dedicated seven decades to public service, scholarship, and the advancement of democratic values around the world. Born in Bisbee, Arizona, in 1936, he graduated from Stanford University in 1959 before beginning a distinguished career as a U.S. Foreign Service Officer. Over the course of his career, Ambassador Milam served in postings across Africa, Europe, and South Asia and was appointed U.S. Ambassador to Bangladesh in 1990 and later to Pakistan, where he served until his retirement in 2001. He led the U.S. delegation that negotiated the 1994 Desertification Treaty and worked extensively on issues of nuclear nonproliferation, economic development, and free and fair elections. Following the events of September 11, 2001, he was recalled to public service to help establish an economic reconstruction program for Afghanistan. In retirement, Ambassador Milam continued to write and research as a Senior Scholar at the Woodrow Wilson Center, and in 2010 published Bangladesh & Pakistan: Flirting with Failure in South Asia with Oxford University Press. He founded Right to Freedom, with Ambassador Mushfiqul Fazal Ansarey, an organization created to give voice to those who could not be heard in their own countries. "It is with hearts full of both grief and gratitude that we invite the public to join us in celebrating the extraordinary life of Ambassador William B. Milam," said Jon Danilowicz, President of Right to Freedom’s Board of Directors. "He was, to so many of us, more than a distinguished diplomat; he was a steady friend, a generous mentor, and a believer in the enduring power of freedom and dignity for all people." The memorial will bring together family, friends, colleagues, and admirers from around the world to share memories and reflect on Ambassador Milam's remarkable life and legacy, said a media release on Thursday.

In a move to expand and modernise its fleet, Biman Bangladesh Airlines has invited international proposals to dry lease three Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft for six years, aiming to induct the wide-body jets by January 1, 2027. A dry lease in aviation is an arrangement where an aircraft owner provides only the bare aircraft without crew, maintenance, or insurance. The leasing party (lessee) takes full operational control, assuming responsibility for supplying their own pilots, handling maintenance, arranging insurance, and operating the aircraft under their own Air Operator Certificate (AOC). According to a Request for Proposal (RFP) issued on July 15, the national flag carrier is seeking offers from airlines, aircraft operators, owners, manufacturers and leasing companies for the dry lease of three Boeing 787-9 aircraft for a period of 72 months. The deadline for submitting proposals is 10:00am Bangladesh Standard Time (BST) on August 9. The RFP states that the aircraft should preferably be delivered by January 1, 2027, although bids offering later delivery schedules until February 28, 2027 will also be considered during technical evaluation. Biman has specified that the aircraft must be no more than 15 years old as of June 30, 2027, and should be powered by GEnx-1B74/75 engines with a maximum take-off weight of 254 tonnes. Preference will be given to sister-ship aircraft from the same lessor. Under the proposed, each aircraft must feature a two-class cabin configuration with more than 300 passenger seats. All seats must be new, while the aircraft must be delivered in full operating condition with valid Certificates of Airworthiness and Registration. The airline has also stipulated that major scheduled maintenance, including heavy maintenance checks and landing gear overhauls, should not become due within the first 24 months of the lease period. Each aircraft must be delivered immediately after undergoing a fresh C-check, it said. The RFP outlines extensive technical requirements, including advanced avionics, Engine Health Monitoring systems, Aircraft Health Monitoring capability, Flight Data Monitoring, upgraded flight recorders, TCAS Version 7.1, ACARS, Terrain Awareness and Warning Systems, satellite communications, GPS/GNSS navigation and compliance with all applicable FAA, EASA and Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh regulations. Biman has also required the aircraft to be painted in its own livery at the lessor’s expense before delivery and equipped with Atlas-standard galley facilities capable of serving two major and two minor meals for passengers and crew. Financial proposals must separately quote monthly lease rentals for each aircraft, maintenance reserves for major components and security deposits. Biman said it expects each aircraft to operate about 4,000 flight hours annually. The evaluation process will consist of technical and financial assessments. Technical proposals meeting all mandatory requirements will qualify for financial evaluation. Overall scores will be calculated by assigning a 25 percent weight to technical evaluation and 75 percent to financial evaluation, with the highest-scoring proposal selected as the lowest evaluated bid. Biman said negotiations would be held in Dhaka with qualified bidders before signing the lease agreement. The airline also reserved the right to accept or reject any or all proposals without assigning any reason. At present, the total number of aircraft in the fleet is 19. Of these, four are Boeing 777-300 ER, four are Boeing 787-8, two are Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, four are Boeing 737 and five are Dash 8-400 aircraft. In order to modernize the Biman fleet with new generation aircraft, Biman signed two agreements with Boeing in April and May 2008 for purchasing new generation four 777-300ER, four 787-8 and two 737-800 aircraft. Four 777-300ER aircraft joined Biman fleet in October/November 2011, February 2014 and 21 March 2014. Two 737-800s aircraft joined Biman fleet in November/December 2015. Three Boeing 787-8 aircraft joined Biman fleet in August/December 2018 and August 2019. On 16 May 2019, 5th Boeing 737-800 arrived to join Biman’s fleet. 6th Boeing 737-800 arrived to join Biman fleet in June 30, 2019. Fourth new 787-8 aircraft delivered by Boeing in September 2019. The first of the three Dash-8 planes purchased based on G2G agreement between the Governments of Bangladesh and Canada was added to the fleet on 26 December 2020 and the second & third are respectively on 24 February 2021 & 05 March 2021.

Actor-composer GV Prakash Kumar has postponed the release of his upcoming supernatural horror film Immortal to avoid a clash with Vijay's much-awaited film Jana Nayagan. Immortal was originally scheduled to hit theatres on July 23, the same day Jana Nayagan is now set for release. Following the announcement of Vijay's release date, several Tamil filmmakers have reportedly adjusted their schedules, with GV Prakash becoming the first to move his film. Announcing the decision on X, GV Prakash described it as a mark of respect for Vijay. "When Thalapathy arrives, one has to step aside. Especially for this one, the last time. Best of luck, Team Jana Nayagan," he wrote. He also confirmed that Immortal will now release in theatres on September 4. Directed by Mariyappan Chinna and produced by AK Film Factory, Immortal stars GV Prakash alongside Kayadu Lohar. The film follows a young man living in an apartment complex whose fascination with a mysterious new neighbour leads to a series of supernatural incidents. The July 23 release date had been announced only two weeks before Jana Nayagan's release was officially confirmed. Meanwhile, production house KVN Productions announced Jana Nayagan's release on X, saying the film will arrive in cinemas on July 23. The producers said the first show in Tamil Nadu will begin at 9 am, while theatres in Karnataka, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana will start screenings from 5 am. Directed by H. Vinoth, Jana Nayagan is expected to be Vijay's final film as an actor before entering full-time politics. The film was initially planned for release on January 9. The movie reportedly faced delays in certification after being submitted to the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) in December 2025. Although it was expected to receive a U/A 16+ certificate, reports said objections from a member of the examining committee led to the film being referred to a revision committee, delaying the certification process. Produced by KVN Productions on a reported budget of Rs 500 crore, Jana Nayagan features Pooja Hegde, Bobby Deol and Mamitha Baiju in key roles, with music composed by Anirudh Ravichander. The film has generated significant excitement among fans due to its large-scale production and Vijay's expected farewell appearance on the big screen. Source: NDTV

Most Asian stock markets ended lower on Thursday, while oil prices edged down despite continued military exchanges between the United States and Iran. U.S. stock futures, however, moved slightly higher. Technology and artificial intelligence (AI)-related shares came under pressure, dragging down markets in South Korea and Japan. South Korea's Kospi dropped 6.6% to 6,816.70 after the Bank of Korea raised interest rates for the first time since 2023. The move was aimed at easing inflationary pressure linked to the Iran conflict. Among major South Korean stocks, memory chipmaker SK Hynix fell 11.2%, while Samsung Electronics lost 8.2%. Taiwan's Taiex slipped 0.3% ahead of the quarterly earnings report of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC), whose results are widely viewed as an indicator of the global semiconductor industry and AI demand. Japan's Nikkei 225 declined 2.9% to 66,767.64. Memory chip producer Kioxia plunged 13.5%, while chip equipment maker Tokyo Electron fell 5.2% and testing equipment manufacturer Advantest dropped 5.6%. SoftBank Group also lost 6.4%. Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index stood out among regional markets, rising 1.7% to 25,111.22. Alibaba's Hong Kong-listed shares jumped 4.4% after China's cyberspace regulator approved Apple's Apple Intelligence AI service for use in China. Alibaba said its Qwen AI model will be integrated into the Apple Intelligence platform. China's Shanghai Composite Index fell 0.9% to 3,921.20, while Australia's S&P/ASX 200 slipped 0.2% to 8,820.50. India's Sensex gained 0.3%. Oil prices eased slightly but remained well above levels seen before the outbreak of the US-Iran conflict. Brent crude, the international benchmark, fell 0.4% to $84.55 a barrel, compared with about $72 a barrel in late February before the conflict began. U.S. benchmark crude slipped 0.2% to $79.34 a barrel. Analysts at ING said oil prices recorded a third straight day of gains before Thursday's slight decline, as there were still few signs of easing tensions between Washington and Tehran. They also said the conflict was continuing to disrupt tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, a key route for global oil shipments, affecting vessel movements from the Persian Gulf. On Wall Street Wednesday, the S&P 500 gained 0.4% to close at 7,572.40. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.3% to 52,658.64, while the Nasdaq Composite advanced 0.6% to 26,269.23. SpaceX shares briefly fell below their initial public offering (IPO) price of $135 before recovering part of the losses. Investor sentiment was also supported by data showing U.S. inflation slowed in June and stronger-than-expected quarterly earnings from BlackRock. Shares of the investment firm climbed 6.6% after it reported better-than-expected revenue and profit. In early currency trading Thursday, the U.S. dollar slipped to 162.09 Japanese yen from 162.19 yen, while the euro traded at $1.1467, little changed from $1.1464.

A  warehouse of a factory was gutted in a fire broke out at Board Bazar in Gazipur early Thursday. The fire originated around 5:30 am in the warehouse of Globe Safety Factory located on the third floor of the six-storey Mansur Plaza building, according to the Fire Service. On receiving the information, six firefighting units from Bhogra Bypass Modern Fire Station, Gazipur, Tongi and nearby stations rushed to the spot and brought the fire under control after about two hours and 15 minutes, said Saidul Alam Chowdhury, deputy assistant director of Gazipur Fire Service. He said the cause of the fire and the extent of the damage would be determined after an investigation. No casualties were reported in the incident, he added.

The UK government on Wednesday announced plans to introduce a voluntary six-hour overnight social media curfew for 16- and 17-year-olds, aiming to reduce the harmful effects of excessive screen time among teenagers. Under the proposal, social media platforms would automatically activate a curfew from midnight, although teenagers would be able to turn the setting off if they choose. The Labour government also said features designed to keep users online for longer, such as autoplay videos, would be disabled by default for users aged 16 and 17. The latest proposal follows last month's announcement of a social media ban for children under 16, expected to take effect next spring. The planned ban would apply to platforms including Snapchat, TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and X, but would not cover messaging services such as WhatsApp and Signal. The new measures, announced during the final weeks of Prime Minister Keir Starmer's government, will require parliamentary approval. His expected successor, Andy Burnham, is widely expected to continue with the plans. Online Safety Minister Kanishka Narayan rejected suggestions that teenagers would simply disable the optional curfew. He said evidence from a recent pilot programme involving more than 300 teenagers and their parents across the UK showed a significant drop in overnight social media use, along with improvements in sleep and concentration. Narayan also said that when some platforms introduced similar default settings last October, more than 90 percent of teenagers chose to keep them enabled. "The evidence is clear, and I don't think it's fair to assume teenagers will all switch the settings off," he told Sky News. The opposition Conservative Party criticised the proposal. Laura Trott, the party's education spokesperson, questioned the effectiveness of a voluntary curfew, saying it "makes no sense." "Either the government believes 16- and 17-year-olds should use social media or it doesn't. A curfew they can simply turn off is unlikely to make any real difference," she said. The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC), the UK's leading children's charity, welcomed the move but said it would not be enough on its own. NSPCC Chief Executive Chris Sherwood said the measures could improve young people's online experience but warned that stronger action would still be needed to address addictive platform designs that encourage excessive screen time and affect children's wellbeing. Rachel de Souza, England's Children's Commissioner, described the proposal as a positive step, saying many young people want to reduce their social media use but struggle to do so. She added that she would closely monitor how the curfew is implemented to ensure it is effective.

Two people were killed after an ambulance carrying a body collided with bus at Saradangi area under Ataikula upazila on Dhaka-Pabna highway in Pabna on Thursday morning. The deceased were identified as Bulu Khatun, 35, a relative of the deceased whose body was being transported in the ambulance, and Raj Sheikh, 30, the ambulance driver. Madhpur Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Mahbubur Rahman said the ambulance was returning to Sathia in Pabna with the body of a girl from Rajshahi Medical College Hospital and it crashed into the Pabna Express bus coming from the opposite direction around 6 am. Several other people were injured in the accident and admitted to hospital. Police recovered the two bodies along with the body and sent them to the morgue of Pabna General Hospital for autopsy. The damaged ambulance and the bus were seized and taken to the police station, while further legal action is underway, the OC added.

US President Donald Trump is expected to revisit his long-standing claims about the 2020 presidential election during a primetime address from the White House on Thursday, despite years of official findings that the election was secure, legitimate and free of widespread fraud. Following Trump's 2020 election defeat to Joe Biden, officials appointed by Trump to lead the Justice Department, intelligence agencies and cybersecurity bodies consistently concluded that there was no evidence of major fraud or foreign interference that could have changed the election outcome. Since returning to office for a second term, Trump has sought to challenge those conclusions. He has appointed senior officials who support his claims that the 2020 election was stolen and has made clear that he expects his administration to align with that position. The issue has become a key loyalty test for many of Trump's nominees. During his Senate confirmation hearing on Wednesday, Jay Clayton, Trump's nominee for national intelligence director, avoided directly saying Biden won the election. "He had the most electoral votes," Clayton said. "He was declared the winner." When Democratic Senator Mark Kelly pressed him on whether the person with the most electoral votes is the winner, Clayton declined to answer directly. Trump has repeatedly promoted conspiracy theories alleging that an international network manipulated US voting machines in 2020, claims that have been rejected by courts and election officials and have triggered several high-profile defamation lawsuits. Ahead of Thursday's address, Trump promised to reveal "really big news," saying that "without free and fair elections, you don't have a country." Election experts, however, fear the speech could revive false claims that have already been extensively investigated. "There have been more than six years of consistent findings from intelligence agencies and election experts showing there was no foreign interference in the 2020 election and that US voting systems were secure," said Victoria Bassetti of States United, a nonpartisan organisation that supports state election officials. She said any new claims without evidence would contradict years of documented findings. Years of reviews found no widespread fraud Numerous court rulings, audits, recounts and investigations — including several conducted by Republican officials — found no evidence of widespread fraud or significant problems with the 2020 election. Trump and his allies lost dozens of legal challenges seeking to overturn the election results, including cases heard by judges appointed by Trump himself. Former Attorney General William Barr, who served under Trump, said there was no evidence of significant election fraud, a conclusion that drew Trump's criticism. Chris Krebs, the former head of the federal cybersecurity agency responsible for protecting election infrastructure, also declared the 2020 election secure and said there was no evidence of vote tampering. Trump dismissed Krebs shortly afterward and later ordered an investigation into him after returning to office in 2025. An intelligence assessment completed on Jan. 7, 2021, during Trump's final days of his first term, also found no evidence that foreign actors altered vote totals or election equipment. In addition, Trump signed a federal review document last year stating that there was no evidence any foreign government had altered vote counting or the outcome of any US election. Fresh federal review underway After returning to office, Trump ordered a new federal review of the 2020 election. Federal investigators have seized voting records from Fulton County, Georgia, and Maricopa County, Arizona — two key counties that featured prominently in post-election conspiracy theories. Trump appointed attorney Kurt Olsen to lead the investigation. Olsen has been associated with election fraud claims and was previously sanctioned by the Arizona Supreme Court for making false statements in a lawsuit challenging the 2022 Arizona governor's race. David Becker, a former Justice Department lawyer who now heads the Center for Election Integrity & Research, criticised the renewed investigation. "He has committed untold taxpayer resources," Becker said. "They've found nothing." According to Becker, search warrant documents filed in the Fulton County investigation repeated conspiracy theories that had already been disproved, while the FBI reassigned hundreds of analysts to review the material. Conspiracy theories fuel costly lawsuits Despite repeated official findings, supporters of election conspiracy theories continue to claim that Trump will eventually present conclusive evidence of widespread fraud. One widely circulated theory alleges that Venezuela and other countries manipulated US voting machines to prevent Trump's victory. Those allegations have led to major defamation lawsuits against media organisations and individuals. Fox News agreed to pay $787.5 million to settle a lawsuit over broadcasting false claims about voting machines after the 2020 election. Newsmax and One America News have also reached settlements with voting technology companies over similar allegations. Separately, a Denver jury found Mike Lindell, a leading promoter of election conspiracy theories whom Trump recently endorsed for governor of Minnesota, liable for defaming an employee of a voting machine company by calling him a traitor. Becker said the pattern over the past six years has remained consistent: broad public allegations have repeatedly failed when tested in court because they lacked supporting evidence. "If someone's alleging a crime that occurred six years ago, we shouldn't simply respond to the claims," Becker said. "We should require evidence that proves them."