Toufique Imrose Khalidi, Editor-in-Chief of bdnews24.com and a pioneering figure in Bangladeshi digital journalism, passed away at Saint Bartholomew's Hospital in London on Friday (October 2, 2026) at the age of 59.
According to family and medical sources, Khalidi suffered a sudden brain hemorrhage while on a private visit to London and was admitted to the hospital on Thursday night, where attending physicians pronounced him dead at 2:23 PM local time on Friday. Spanning a distinguished career of over three decades, Khalidi began his journalism journey in 1989 with The Sunday Express, before serving as a diplomatic reporter at The Daily Star and a senior investigative reporter at The Financial Express. In 2000, he joined the BBC World Service in London as a producer and presenter for five years before returning to Bangladesh to helm bdnews24.com, transforming it into the country's premier digital news agency. He also served as the Chief Editor of Independent Television during its foundational years.
Tributes flooded in from across the media fraternity and government, including Information and Broadcasting Secretary Mahbuba Farzana—his former classmate at the Department of English, University of Dhaka—who remembered him as an exceptionally talented, dedicated, and influential journalist. Recognized internationally as one of 14 leading digital media innovators at the South-to-South Media Dialogue in South Africa (2014), Khalidi also contributed significantly to national policy frameworks, serving on government committees for online media policy and river conservation.
— Daily Best News Desk • Fearless in the search for truth
Reported by Staff Reporter • Edited by the Daily Best News desk. Send corrections to [email protected].
