United News of Bangladesh

Police in a drive rescued a seven-year-old boy, who was kidnapped on Wednesday, from a remote area in Bandarban district on Friday. Shahidullah Kaisar, superintendent of Bandarban police, said five-six miscreants swooped on the house of  Saudi expatriate Saiful Islam at Rangajhiri in Naikhongchari upazila around abducted the boy at gunpoint on Wednesday night. Saiful’s wife Shaheda, her son and 11-year-old-daughter were alone at the house at that time. Later, they demanded Tk 10 lakh from Shaheda as ransom for releasing her son. A general diary was lodged in this connection. Later, a team of police on Friday arrested a member of the kidnapping gang with the help of technology from the district. Following the confessional statement of the arrestee, police rescued the boy from a remote area of the district.          

Three Bangladeshi men were killed and two others injured after a multi-purpose vehicle they were in skidded off the road at East Coast Highway (LPT) 1 near in Kuantan of Malaysia on Friday. There deceased were driver Sabber Hasan, 30 and two passengers- Jahid Hasan, 21, and Abdullah, 24. Acting Kuantan police chief Adli Mat Daud said an initial investigation found that they were travelling from Kuantan to Kuala Lumpur and the driver was believed to have lost control of the vehicle, causing it to skid to the left side of the road. 2 passenger go missing, 28 injured in Sylhet bus plunge The two injured passengers, Habib Bissas, 45, and Maniram Chandra Bas, 40, were sent to the Tengku Ampuan Afzan Hospital here for treatment, he said in a statement. Adli also said the initial investigation found that the driver did not have a valid driving licence, and that the vehicle’s road tax had expired last May.

The fire which broke out at Sundarban Square Market in Gulistan area of the capital has been brought  under control. The fire broke out on the fourth floor of the market around 10 am.   On information, 11 firefighting units rushed to the spot and put the fire under control around 11:12 am, said said Talha Bin Jashim, an official of the Fire Service and Civil Defense (Media cell). Fire at Shahjibazar power station plunges Habiganj into darkness

Two passengers of a bus went missing and 28 others were injured when a bus plunged into a roadside ditch on Sylhet-Tamabil highway in Jaintapur upazila of Sylhet district on Friday night.The identities of the victims could not be known yet.Habibur Rahman, officer-in-charge of Tamabil Highway Police Station, said the Sylhet-bound bus from Jaflong with 32 passengers on board plunged into the roadside ditch filled with water after being hit by a human hauler, leaving 28 people injured and two people missing around 8:45 pm.Among the injured, seven people were sent to Sylhet Osmani Medical College and Hospital while 21 people were given treatment at Jaintapur Upazila Health Complex.On information, police rushed to the spot and managed to pull the bus from the ditch with the help of a wrecker.

A young man was stabbed to death by miscreants at Sabujbag in Khulna city on Friday night. The deceased was identified as Monowar Hossain Togor, son of Jamal Hawladar. Quoting family members, Abdul Hye, sub-inspector of Sonadanga Police Station, said three young men entered into the house of Togor around 10:15 am and stabbed Tagor indiscriminately, leaving him injured. Later, he was taken to Khulna Medical College and Hospital where the doctors declared him dead. However, efforts are on to arrest the attackers, said police.  

Dhaka's air quality continued to be in the ‘moderate’ zone this morning. With an air quality index (AQI) score of 90 at 9:02 am, Dhaka ranked 18th on the list of cities worldwide with the worst air quality. Uganda’s Kampala, Democratic Republic of the Congo’s Kinshasa, Pakistan’s Lahore and Indonesia’s Jakarta occupied the first four spots on the list, with AQI scores of 164, 163, 161 and 160, respectively. An AQI between 50 and 100 is considered ‘moderate’ with acceptable air quality usually sensitive individuals should consider limiting prolonged outdoor exertion, between 101 and 150, air quality is considered ‘unhealthy for sensitive groups’, between 150 and 200 is ‘unhealthy’, between 201 and 300 is said to be 'very unhealthy', while a reading of 301+ is considered 'hazardous', posing serious health risks to residents. Despite rain, Dhaka’s air quality ‘moderate’ this morning The AQI, an index for reporting daily air quality, informs people how clean or polluted the air of a certain city is and what associated health effects might be a concern for them. The AQI in Bangladesh is based on five pollutants: particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5), NO2, CO, SO2, and ozone. Dhaka has long been grappling with air pollution issues. Its air quality usually turns unhealthy in winter and improves during the monsoon. As per World Health Organization (WHO), air pollution kills an estimated seven million people worldwide every year, mainly due to increased mortality from stroke, heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lung cancer, and acute respiratory infections.    

A case has been filed at Muradnagar Police Station over the recent attack on journalists during a political clash in Cumilla’s Muradnagar upazila. Journalist Md Shahe Imran, a resident of Panchthubi under Kotwali Police Station and the district correspondent for the daily Khola Kagoj, filed the case. He named four individuals in the complaint, along with 12 unidentified attackers. Another arrested over extortion in Gulshan residence The four named as accused are Shukur Ali, 35, son of Majid Miah of Rahimpur village, Ashiqul Islam Siddiqui, 21, son of Tajul Member of Khamar village, Nahidul Islam Nayem, 24, son of Monir Hossain of Siddheshwari village, and Kamal Hossain, 25, son of Samad Miah of Gunjar village. The incident occurred on Wednesday afternoon, during a protest rally at Allah Chattar in Muradnagar Sadar. The rally was organized by supporters of Adviser Asif Mahmud Sajib Bhuiyan and his father in response to alleged propaganda against them. A clash broke out between their supporters and those of BNP Vice Chairman Mofazzal Hossain Kaikobad, during which several journalists who were covering the event came under attack. According to the case details, as the clash escalated, a group of attackers turned on the journalists, beating them and snatching their cameras, mobile phones, and cash. At least seven journalists were injured in the assault. Five remanded over attack on Hindu neighbourhood in Rangpur Zahidur Rahman, officer-in-charge (OC) OF Muradnagar Police Station, described the attack as “very despicable” and said the accused had fled the area immediately after the incident. “No arrests have been made yet, but we are doing our best to track them down,” he added. Plaintiff Md Shahe Imran said, “We were attacked while doing our job. Along with being physically assaulted, our equipment and personal belongings were taken. We demand justice.”

World Ranger Day was celebrated for the first time in Bangladesh with the theme ‘Rangers, Powering Transformative conservation’ on Thursday. Rallies, tree plantations and discussions were held to mark the day. These programs were celebrated recently at the Forest Academy, Chittagong, on the occasion of World Ranger Day. World Ranger Day is celebrated around the world on July 31st each year on the anniversary of the founding of The International Ranger Federation (IRF), an organization that supports the work of rangers as the key protectors of parks and conservation. Ranger Sifat Al Rabbani delivered the welcome speech at the discussion moderated by Forest Ranger Suphol Roy. Dr. Mollah Rezaul Karim, Conservator of Forests, Chittagong Region, Md. Aminul Islam, Director, Forest Academy, Chittagong, Md. Rafiqul Islam Chowdhury, Director, FSTI (Forestry Science and Technology Institute Chittagong), Md. Anisur Rahman, Deputy conservator of Forest were present as invited guests. Forest rangers from all over the country were also present at the program. Forest Conservator M.A. Hasan urged forest rangers to perform their duties humanely at the field level. Mohammad Aminul Islam, Director of Forest Academy, Chittagong, said that organizing the 'World Ranger Day' celebration for the first time in Bangladesh is a very commendable initiative. He said that in the future, it will be organized on a larger scale by maintaining its continuity. At this time, Chittagong Forest Circle  Head Dr. Mollah Rezaul Karim emphasized the importance of forest rangers performing their duties with innovative thinking, skills and competence at the field level. He also mentioned the need to properly present the rights and demands of forest rangers at the highest levels of the government.

The government of Malaysia has decided to allow the recruitment of a selected number of Bangladeshi workers—who were unable to enter the country by the May 31, 2024 deadline—through Bangladesh Overseas Employment and Services Limited (BOESL). The Bangladesh High Commission in Kuala Lumpur said this in an amended notice on Friday. These workers will be recruited specifically for the Construction and Tourism sectors. To facilitate recruitment in the Tourism Sector, Malaysian employers and relevant stakeholders have been advised to submit the required information via the FWCMS (Foreign Workers Centralized Management System) online portal, in accordance with a checklist provided by the authorities. For the Construction Sector, all applications must be processed through the Construction Labour Exchange Centre Berhad (CLAB), which will forward the necessary documentation to the FWCMS portal. Besides, a complete set of both original documents and photocopies must be submitted to the Bangladesh High Commission in Kuala Lumpur for verification and further processing. The move follows an earlier formal notice from the High Commission warning against organised fraud rings targeting Bangladeshis seeking employment in Malaysia’s Sabah province. According to the notice, scammers have been collecting passports and money from job seekers under false promises of employment in Sabah, though no official agreement or MoU existing between the two countries for worker recruitment in that region. The High Commission has urged all job seekers to remain cautious and follow only official recruitment channels.

Bangladesh High Commission in Kuala Lumpur on Friday issued a formal notice warning against an organised fraud ring targeting Bangladeshis who wish to work in the Malaysian province of Sabah. In the notice, Bangladesh High Commission said the scams involve the collection of passports and cash under false promises of employment in Sabah—despite there being no official agreement or MoU between the Bangladeshi and Malaysian authorities for worker recruitment to that region. The Commission made clear that the Bangladesh government has neither signed any recruitment pact with Sabah authorities nor received instructions from Sabah to recruit workers from Bangladesh. Discussions are ongoing with the relevant authorities in this regard, added the High Commission. The Commission also urged people not to engage with these dishonest syndicates or provide any personal documents or payments until a formal agreement is properly signed between the Sabah Province and the Bangladesh government. Recruitment updates will be announced via the official website of the Bangladesh High Commission in Kuala Lumpur, it added.