United News of Bangladesh

Authorities at Bengali daily Bhorer Kagoj newspaper have shut down its operations due to “circumstances beyond the owner’s control”. A notice regarding the decision was hung on the main gate of the newspaper’s Malibagh office on Monday. "The authorities of Bhorer Kagoj have decided to shut down the head office of the organisation under Section 12 of the Bangladesh Labour Act-2006 due to circumstances beyond the owner’s control. This decision will take effect from January 20, 2025,” reads the notice. Chief Reporter of the newspaper Khandaker Kawsar said employees had been protesting demanding their rights, settlement of all pending dues and financial benefits, as per the 8th Wage Board when the closure order came. A list of demands was also submitted to the management but the sudden closure came as a shock to the staff, he said. Media reform commission members have solid backgrounds, says CA's press secretary "We have been facing discrimination for over a decade. The closure is highly condemnable. The journalists and the employees will announce protest programmes soon," said the chief reporter. He said the management had planned to continue operations with 30-35 employees while laying off the rest. "Our stance was clear—in case of layoffs, we had certain demands that must be addressed," he said. The protesting staff said the Bhorer Kagoj authorities which implemented the 8th Wage Board to secure government benefits such as a Tk 900 per column-inch advertisement rate should clear all dues, including wages and service benefits, before any layoff. Their demands also included immediate implementation of the 8th Wage Board for all employees if layoff does not occur, issuance of appointment letters to all employees, settlement of all pending dues and financial benefits as per the 8th Wage Board. The newspaper was launched on February 15, 1992, under the slogan "The Daily for Free Thought." The newspaper faced a significant blow following the fall of the Awami League government on August 5. Its editor Shyamal Dutta was arrested on September 16. He has been in prison since September 23.

Eighty-five new dengue patients were admitted to hospitals in 24 hours till Monday morning, bringing the total number of cases to 916 this year. Of the new cases, three were reported in the Dhaka North City Corporation, while seven others were hospitalised in the Dhaka South City Corporation, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS). 19 dengue patients hospitalised in 24hrs The number of deaths remained at 8, with no new fatalities reported during this period, the DGHS added. Currently, 221 dengue patients are receiving treatment in hospitals across the country. 46 dengue patients hospitalised in 24hrs Last year, dengue claimed the lives of 575 people. According to the DGHS, there were 101,214 dengue cases and 100,040 recoveries in 2024.  

Food Adviser Ali Imam Majumdar has been given the additional charge of Land Ministry. The Cabinet Division issued an official notification in this regard on Monday. This move follows the passing of  former Land Adviser A. F. Hassan Ariff who died of a heart attack on December 20. Voting rights to be restored at any cost: CEC The notification said that, in line with previous communications from the Cabinet Division dated August 16, August 27, and November 10, the Chief Adviser of the Interim Government has now assigned Ali Imam Majumdar with the additional responsibility of the Ministry of Land.

The Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) experienced a substantial rise in indices on the second trading day of the week.  At the end of trading on Monday, all three major indices of the Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) witnessed gains.  The DSEX, the benchmark index, increased by 50 points to 5,195 points. The Shariah-based DSES index rose by 15 points, while the DS30, which tracks selected large-cap shares, gained 20 points. Stock Market: Indices surge as most company stocks gain in early trading Most companies' shares saw an increase in prices. Out of the traded stocks, 248 companies saw price hikes, 81 experienced declines, and 71 remained unchanged. The price rise was observed across all categories.  Among ‘A’ category shares, 126 saw gains, 54 declined and 40 remained unchanged.  In the ‘B’ category, prices of 65 companies increased, 11 fell, and 13 remained unchanged. While for the ‘Z’ category, 54 companies registered gains, 15 saw declines and 18 remained stable. Of the 37 mutual funds traded, most remained unchanged.  However, 12 funds registered price increases while 16 saw declines. In addition to index growth, trading turnover increased by Tk 58 crore compared to the previous day, marking the highest turnover in eight sessions.  The total turnover in the stock market on Monday amounted to Tk 426.92 crore. Dhaka stock market sees uptrend after five days of decline Among traded shares, Midland Bank led the price gainers' list. It was the only bank among the top 10 gainers, with its share price increasing by 10% in a day.  The price of each share rose from Tk 25 to Tk 27.50, reflecting a gain of Tk 2.50 per share. Other top gainers included Runner Automobiles, JMI Hospital, Monno Ceramics, Summit Alliance Port, Fine Foods, Sonargaon Textile, Kohinoor Chemicals, Confidence Cement and Shahjibazar Power Company Limited, all of which registered significant price increases. Meanwhile, DSE moved Associate Oxygen Limited from the ‘A’ category to the ‘Z’ category and instructed brokerage houses and merchant banks not to provide margin loans for trading its shares. On the other hand, CVO Petrochemical Refinery was upgraded from the ‘B’ category to the ‘A’ category following a specific dividend declaration.  Slight rise in key index at start of week's trading After seven years, the company paid its investors a maximum dividend of 10% for the fiscal year 2024. Acme Laboratories Limited also distributed dividends for the June quarter last year. Investors received a 35% dividend per share, the highest in four years from the company. Like Dhaka, the Chittagong Stock Exchange (CSE) also experienced an index rise.  The CSCX index climbed by 56 points.  However, the turnover decreased by Tk 68.58 lakh compared to the previous trading day. On Monday, the CSE recorded a total turnover of Tk 2.58 crore. Among 200 traded companies, 114 saw price increases, 58 experienced declines, and 28 remained unchanged.

CNG drivers’ demonstration brought traffic to a standstill in the capital’s Mohakhali area on Monday afternoon, causing immense suffering to commuters.  The drivers staged the protests on Mohakhali-Banani road to press home their various demands at 12:30 pm, halting vehicular movement on the busy road, said Banani Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Russell Sarwar. Police foil protesters’ march towards Home Ministry The protesters gathered in front of the Mohakhali BRTA building to voice their various demands including ‘arbitrary detention’ of CNG-run auto-rickshaws and easing restrictions on parking.  The demonstration concluded around 2 pm, after which traffic started returning to normal, said the OC. Alia Madrasa students block roads protesting court set-up on field

The Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) members have detained a Sudanese woman while she was trying to trespass into the country through Feni border from India. The detainee is Eslam, 26, daughter of Abdel Rahim. Mohammad Mosharaff Hossain, commandant of the BGB-4 Battalion in Feni, said a patrolling team detained the Sudanese woman while she was trying to enter through Parshuram border in Purbo Nij Kalikapur area early Monday morning. Read: Bangladeshi youth ‘tortured by BSF’ near Feni border A mobile phone set, $100 dollars, 30 Indian rupees, and some dresses were seized from her, he said. On November 7 last, the BGB detained an Ethiopian national from the Feni border. On December 29, a Nigerian citizen named Gilbert Aphe was detained for illegal intrusion into Bangladesh through the border.

Students have issued an ultimatum for the republication of medical admission test results for the 2024-25 academic year by today, calling for the abolition of all irrational quotas, including the freedom fighter quota. The demand was made during a sit-in and protest rally today held at the Central Shaheed Minar at 11:30 am. Students from Dhaka University also expressed solidarity with the protest. MBBS admission test results published During the event, protesters raised various slogans. “Yesterday, many candidates with 40 or 41 marks gained admission, while others who scored double that could not. Isn’t this discrimination?,” said Kumudini Women's Medical College Psychiatry Prof Dr Major (retd) Abdul Wahab, while expressing solidarity with the students. “Since you have learned to protest, you must continue to fight for your rights on the streets,” he said urging the students. Doha, a student of Dhaka Medical College, said, “After a successful movement demanding the abolition of discrimination, this kind of biased treatment in the medical admission exam should not happen. When the passing mark is 40, how can someone with 37 or 38 marks gain admission? We demand an end to this discrimination today.” MBBS admission test to be held Friday Abir Hossain, a student of Sir Salimullah Medical College, said, “In previous years, students scoring slightly below the cutoff could gain admission through quotas. But this year, candidates with marks 30 to 35 below the cutoff have been admitted through the quota system, which is unacceptable. We demand the abolition of all quotas, including the freedom fighter quota, and the republication of the results today.” Mahin Sarkar, a coordinator of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement, also expressed solidarity with the medical students, saying, “Even after the movement in Bangladesh, we see irrational quotas being implemented in medical colleges. “Some students scoring 72 marks didn’t gain admission, while others with 40 marks did. We demand the immediate republication of the medical admission results and the abolition of all irrational quotas in all universities and medical admission exams,” he said.

Forest officials in a drive seized 25 kgs of deer venison from Jongla area under Chandpai Range of the Sundarbans East Zone in Bagerhat district.Tipped off, a team of forest officials conducted a drive in the area on Sunday and challenged a boat at a canal, two kilometers away from the Sundarbans. 4 deer die while being shifted to Bogura from Dhaka ZooLater, they seized the venison, deer skin, deer head, trap and a boat, said Dipon Chandra Das, said assistant forest conservator of Chandpai Range.However, the forest officials could not arrest anyone as the poachers managed to flee the scene.The seized items were sent to the Khulna. Two men arrested for hunting deer in BagerhatOn January 15, the forest officials seized 30 kgs of venison, two heads, seven legs and a trap from the Sundarbans.  

The government is set to procure sound grenades and teargas shells for the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), said Home Affairs Adviser Lieutenant General (ret) Jahangir Alam Chowdhury. "The BGB has always been equipped with deadly weapons, but they have not had non-lethal alternatives like sound grenades or tear gas. On January 18, there were tensions along the Chapainawabganj border, where Indian Border Security Forces (BSF) reportedly used teargas and sound grenades. But the BGB did not have these options at their disposal," he said following a meeting at his ministry on Monday. Over 33,000 foreigners illegally staying in Bangladesh: Home Adviser In the past, the Adviser said, the BGB had been equipped solely with lethal weapons, which had led to questions about why the force did not use sound grenades or tear gas during border confrontations. In light of these developments, Jahangir Alam said, the government had now authorised the purchase of non-lethal crowd control equipment for the BGB. "We have given permission to procure these items. The BGB already has access to deadly weapons, but they did not have items like sound grenades or tear gas, which will now be acquired for their use," he added. In comparison, the BSF currently possesses such equipment, giving them an advantage in handling border situations that require non-lethal means of crowd control, he said. Despite these issues, the Adviser said, the border situation remains stable, with no major problems reported at present. Meeting underway to finalise new uniform designs for police, RAB, Ansar Turning to the issue of foreign nationals residing illegally in Bangladesh, the Adviser provided updates on a previous circular regarding the matter. "Previously, we reported that 49,226 foreign nationals were residing illegally in Bangladesh after their visas had expired. However, this number has now been reduceda to 33,648. The deadline for these individuals to leave the country is set for January 31," he said.

 The High Court on Monday acquitted Giasuddin Al Mamun, a businessman and close friend of BNP acting chairman Tarique Rahman, in an arms case.The HC bench of Justice Mustafa Zaman Islam and Justice Nasreen Akter passed the order after hearing a petition.Senior Barrister Syed Ahmed stood for Mamun.Mamun was arrested on January 30 in 2007 and was released from prison on August 6, 2024. SC upholds acquittal of Giasuddin Al Mamun in graft caseTwenty cases were filed against Mamun on charges of his alleged involvement in corruption, extortion, money laundering and tax evasion.On March 26, 2007, a case was filed against him under the Arms Act.On July 3, 2007, the court sentenced him to 10 years imprisonment in the case.A petition was filed with the High Court challenging the verdict. Tarique, Giasuddin Al Mamun, 6 others acquitted in Tk 10cr extortion case