United News of Bangladesh

The Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) has seized 450,000 yaba tablets during an operation in Teknaf, Cox's Bazar. The operation was conducted early morning on Wednesday along the Naf River near the Bangladesh-Myanmar border. Lt Col Ashiqur Rahman, commanding officer of Teknaf Battalion (BGB 2), said that they received a tip-off about a large drug shipment entering Bangladesh from Myanmar. Acting on this intelligence, two BGB teams from the battalion headquarters and the Leda Border Outpost (BOP) launched an operation in the Member Post area under Leda BOP's jurisdiction. Read: 2.5 lakh Yaba pills seized from Teknaf During the raid, the smugglers abandoned two sacks and swam across the river to escape. Upon searching the sacks, BGB recovered 450,000 yaba tablets. Efforts are underway to identify those involved, Lt Col Ashiqur Rahman added.

A motorcyclist has died after being run over by a sand-loaded drum truck in Khulna. The incident occurred around 11:30 pm on Tuesday night under the Rupsha Bridge. The deceased, Tarek Rezwan (23), was the son of Azad Sheikh from the Tutpara area of the city. Mohammad Touhiduzzaman, officer-in-charge of Lobonchara police station, confirmed the incident, stating that Tarek was on his motorcycle heading towards Putimari when the truck hit him, causing his death. He also said, "The police arrived at the scene upon receiving the information, recovered the body, and sent it to Khulna Medical College Hospital for autopsy. Efforts are underway to seize the truck and arrest its driver."

The body of an unidentified man, believed to be in his mid-40s, was found hanging from a tree opposite to Dhaka University’s Mathematics Building, near the Central Shaheed Minar, early Tuesday. Officer-in-charge of Shahbagh Police Station Khalid Mansur said that the body was retrieved with assistance from the fire service and sent to Dhaka Medical College morgue for an autopsy. He clarified that the deceased was not affiliated with the university and appeared to be an outsider. Sub-inspector Sheikh Hadiuzzaman said they were informed about the incident at 8:45 am. "We rushed to the scene and brought the body down from a mahogany tree on the sidewalk opposite to the Mathematics Department," he said. Read: Youth stabbed dead by ‘mugger’ in Dhaka According to locals, the man had been living on the footpath in the area and reportedly suffered from a mental health disorder. “Preliminary investigation suggests that he climbed the tree and took his own life some time Tuesday night. The investigation is ongoing,” the sub-inspector said. Further details will emerge following the autopsy report and ongoing inquiries, he added.

The northern district of Kurigram has been experiencing severe cold amid dense fog, disrupting daily life, said locals on Wednesday. The fog has been spawning drizzle since early morning, causing suffering of low-income people, day-labourers, children and senior citizens. People aren’t coming out of homes unless emergency. Vehicles are operating with headlights on to prevent any unwanted incident. The district recorded a temperature of 12.3 degree Celsius at 9am. Though the temperature increased slightly on Wednesday compared to Tuesday, the density of the fog aggravated. Rahim Uddin, a farmer from Jatrapur union of Kurigram Sadar upazila, said the Magh month sees severe cold and disrupts their daily work. Read: Severe cold grips Kurigram, low-income residents hit hard The suffering of the poor will mount if such fog continues, he said, adding that the sunlight wasn’t seen till 11am. The district headquarters’ bus driver Makbul Hossain said they have to operate vehicles keeping the headlights to avoid accidents. Subal Chandra Sarker, an official at Rajarhat Weather Office in Kurigram, forecast that the temperature might drop on Thursday in the district.

A search is underway on a Biman Bangladesh Airlines flight from Rome to Dhaka following a bomb threat. The passengers have been kept in the terminal building and no one has been allowed to go through immigration until the aircraft is declared completely safe. According to airport sources, the Bomb Disposal Unit is conducting searches inside the plane, including the seats, corridors, toilets and café. Read more: Biman's capability in ground handling at ‘Third Terminal’ under scrutiny Although passengers were urgently disembarked, their hand luggage remains on the plane and will be searched one by one. Group Captain Kamrul Islam, executive director of Shahjalal Airport, informed the media in a message, “A bomb threat was received at Dhaka’s Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport from an unknown number. Following the threat, Biman Bangladesh Airlines flight BG-356 made an emergency landing at Hazrat Shahjalal Airport at 9:20 am on Wednesday (January 22).” The flight had departed from Leonardo da Vinci Airport in Rome at 8:00 pm local time on Tuesday (January 21).

Md Sarjis Alam has stepped down from the post of General Secretary at July Shaheed Sriti Foundation. He made it public through a Facebook post on Wednesday morning, saying, “I am not in charge of the General Secretary of July Shaheed Smriti Foundation.” Changes have been made in the constitution, structure and working process of the foundation to speed up the pace of this foundation, reads the post. From now on, the Executive Committee will be responsible for managing the overall affairs of the entire office. The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) will head the office there. Mir Mahbubur Rahman Snigdha is currently serving as the CEO, according to the post. The governing body will work on the foundation's policy making wherein there are four advisers, including the Chief Adviser (Health, Social Welfare, Local Govt and ICT). Read: March for Felani: Sarjis Alam vows justice for border killing victims There is no post in the name of General Secretary now. "From now on it will not be possible for me to give the necessary time to the foundation, so I stepped down from the responsibility." To me, addressing one's own limitations and accepting or renouncing responsibility accordingly is not weakness but honest courage. I tried to be honest with my chair responsibilities, ” Sarjis said in his post.

Ferry services on Aricha-Kazirhat route resumed on Wednesday morning after six hours of suspension due to dense fog. Moreover, after a five-hour suspension, ferry services also resumed on Paturia-Daulatdia route. Nasir Chowdhury, deputy general manager (DGM) of Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Corporation (BIWTC) in Manikganj, said that the fog intensity increased on the Aricha-Kazirhat route from midnight. By 3:30am, the fog became severely dense obstructing the navigation channel, including the beacon lights, forcing the suspension of the ferry services to avoid accidents, he said. At this time, two ferries--Shah Ali and Krishani, were stranded mid-river with passengers and vehicles on board, he informed. Read: Fog-disrupted ferry services on Aricha-Kazirhat route resume after 6 hrs The ferry services on the route resumed at 9:30am when the fog began to clear. Meanwhile, the dense fog also halted ferry services on the Paturia-Daulatdia route at 4:30am. Three ferries--Bonlata, Birshreshtha Jahangir, and Baigar—were stranded in the middle of the river. In total, eight ferries were stranded at the Paturia and Daulatdia terminals. However, the ferry services resumed also at 9:30am. Over 300 vehicles, including cargo trucks, private cars, and microbuses, were stranded at both terminals due to the suspension. Priority was given to passenger vehicles for crossing after the fog cleared, according to officials.

Eight officers have been injured- three of them seriously-in an attack on a team of  Detective Branch (DB) of Faridpur district police during a raid on a drug and gambling den in Madhukhali, Faridpur. The incident took place around 8:30 pm on Tuesday at Dumain Bazar in Dumain Union of the upazila, police said on Wednesday. The injured officers include SI Jabbar Hossain, Dewan Mohammad Sabur, and ASI Shafiqul Islam, who were rushed to Faridpur Medical College Hospital. Five others also received first aid treatment for their injuries. Dr. Mohammad Tausif Sarkar of Faridpur Medical College Hospital reported that Jabbar had three head injuries, while the other two were beaten. However, none of the injuries were serious, and all victims are out of danger. Clash over land dispute in Faridpur leaves 12 injured Shailen Chakma, Faridpur's additional police superintendent (Crime & Ops), said, “a team of 8 DB officers went to Dumain Bazar after receiving information about a drug and gambling operation. Two were arrested with drugs, and money and other equipment were seized from the gambling den. Suddenly, drug dealers, gamblers, and locals launched an unexpected attack, resulting in three severe injuries and several others with minor injuries.” He mentioned that a case would be filed regarding the attack on the police, and the two arrested individuals have been brought in.

Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus on Tuesday met Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra on the sidelines of World Economic Forum annual meeting. On the sidelines, the Chief Adviser held a separate meeting with UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi. Dr Yunus also had a meeting with Cai-Göran Alexander Stubb, the 13th President of the Republic of Finland. Read more: CA Yunus calls for putting global focus back on Rohingya crisis as it gets complicated Dr Yunus arrived here on Tuesday afternoon to attend the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos where he engaged extensively with the global leaders since his arrival. Earlier, Permanent Representative of Bangladesh to the UN in Geneva Ambassador Tareq Md Ariful Islam received the Chief Adviser at the Zurich International Airport upon his arrival. The Chief Adviser and his delegation members arrived at the Zurich International Airport at 12:27pm (Zurich time) by an Emirates flight. Chief Adviser's Special Envoy on International Affairs Lutfey Siddiqi, Principal Coordinator on SDGs Affairs (Senior Secretary) Lamiya Morshed, Chief Adviser's Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam and Secretary (West) M Riaz Hamidullah, among others, are accompany Dr Yunus. The annual meeting 2025 brought global leaders to address key global and regional challenges. These include responding to geopolitical shocks, stimulating growth to improve living standards, and stewarding just and inclusive energy transition. Read more: Talks with Dr Yunus: Finland President seeks Global South's proactive roles in major global affairs This year's meeting convened under the theme 'Collaboration for the Intelligent Age' and the programme will be oriented around five distinct but highly interconnected thematic priorities: The meeting brings together nearly 3,000 leaders from over 130 countries, and 350 governmental leaders, including 60 heads of states and governments, from all key regions.

Finland President Alexander Stubb during a meeting with Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus has urged the countries in the "Global South" to take more proactive roles in major international affairs. He held the meeting on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in the Swiss on Tuesday. During the meeting, they discussed key global issues, including the inauguration of Donald Trump as the new US president, the Russia-Ukraine war, the increasing role of the Global South in geopolitical issues, and the Rohingya crisis. "We need a rules-based world," the Finnish president said. The Finnish politician has been the 13th and current president of Finland since 2024. He previously served as prime minister of Finland from 2014 to 2015. Dr Yunus also briefed the Finnish president about the reform initiatives undertaken by his interlm government. "I wish you all the best," Stubb said. Read more: Will support you, German Chancellor tells Dr Yunus on Bangladesh's transition to democracy The chief adviser highlighted the mammoth banking sector looting and plunder committed by the Sheikh Hasina's "dictatorship." He said some 17 billion dollars were robbed from the banks. Dr Yunus said his government would hold a major international meeting on the Rohingya crisis to firmly bring the plight of the refugees back into the global discussion. The chief adviser on Tuesday also met Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra on the sidelines of World Economic Forum annual meeting. He held a separate meeting with UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi on the sidelines Forum. Dr Yunus arrived here on Tuesday afternoon to attend the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos where he engaged extensively with the global leaders since his arrival. Earlier, Permanent Representative of Bangladesh to the UN in Geneva Ambassador Tareq Md Ariful Islam received the chief adviser at the Zurich International Airport upon his arrival. Read more: CA Yunus calls for putting global focus back on Rohingya crisis as it gets complicated Dr Yunus and his delegation members arrived at the Zurich International Airport at 12:27pm (Zurich time) by an Emirates flight. Chief Adviser's Special Envoy on International Affairs Lutfey Siddiqi, Principal Coordinator on SDGs Affairs (Senior Secretary) Lamiya Morshed, Chief Adviser's Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam and Secretary (West) M Riaz Hamidullah, among others, are accompanying Dr Yunus. The annual meeting 2025 brought global leaders to address key global and regional challenges. These include responding to geopolitical shocks, stimulating growth to improve living standards, and stewarding just and inclusive energy transition. This year's meeting convened under the theme 'Collaboration for the Intelligent Age' and the programme will be oriented around five distinct but highly interconnected thematic priorities: The meeting brings together nearly 3,000 leaders from over 130 countries, and 350 governmental leaders, including 60 heads of states and governments, from all key regions.