United News of Bangladesh

A child was killed and another person was injured in a road accident in Gangni, Meherpur. The incident occurred on Monday afternoon (January 27) at Shukurkandi on the Meherpur-Kushtia regional highway in Gangni upazila. The deceased, Taimuzzaman (9), was a student of class two and the son of Maharuzzaman Kajol from the Stadium Para area in Meherpur city. His uncle, Masuduzzaman Babu (35), was injured in the accident. According to locals, Taimuzzaman was travelling with his uncle on a motorcycle from Meherpur towards Kushtia. When they reached Shukurkandi, a speeding truck hit their motorcycle. Both were thrown onto the road and severely injured. Locals rescued the injured and took them to Mirpur 50-bed General Hospital in Kushtia, where the on-duty doctor declared Taimuzzaman dead. Bani Israel, officer-in-charge of Gangni police station, said that police have been sent to the accident site after receiving the news. The truck involved has been seized, and efforts are underway to arrest the driver and his accomplice.

The Forest Department has released another crocodile with satellite transmitters in Charaputia canal in the Sundarbans to know the life cycle and behavior of the animal. The seven-feet and 20 kilogram crocodile was released on Sunday afternoon.   With this, a total of five crocodiles have so far been released in the forest attaching satellite transmitters. Four crocodiles were released on March 4, 2024. SeaKeepers leads the charge in Sundarbans plastic waste management initiative Azad Kabir, in-charge at Karamjal Wildlife Breeding Centre in the east zone of the Sundarbans, said they earlier released the four crocodiles with the finance of German based GIZ and technical assistance of International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). As a continuation of it, the latest crocodile was released on Sunday, he said, adding that they have been collecting readings from the crocodiles after every 15 days. The information collected from the amphibian animals is analysed through applications, the official said. Kazi Muhammad Nurul Karim, divisional forest official (DFO) of the Sundarbans East Division, said information from the crocodiles  come to their centre constantly and such activities would continue next one year. Conservation projects paying fruit as Sundarbans witness increase in tiger population According to the forest department, 209 crocodiles, born in the breeding centre, have so far been released in the forest. There are currently 103 big and small size crocodiles in the centre.  

Two teenage students died and another got injured when their motorcycle lost control and crashed into a wall in Naldanga upazila, Natore on Sunday evening. The deceased were identified as Sadnan Safa, 14, a class 8 student and Labib Hasan Sun, 16, a class 10 student, both from Diyar Kazipur village. The injured, Siam Sheikh, 14, also a class eight student, remains in critical condition at Rajshahi Medical College Hospital (RMCH). Naldanga Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Mostafizur Rahman said the three cousins were traveling from Trimohani Bazar to Diyar’s Kazipur Chowdhurypara on the Trimohani-Mirzapur rural road around 8pm. The motorcycle, reportedly speeding, lost control at a bend and crashed into the brick wall of a house, leaving them injured. 2 die in separate Natore road accidents Locals rushed to their aid and took them to Natore Sadar Hospital. Labib died while undergoing treatment, while Sadnan succumbed to his injuries en route to RMCH. Police inspected the scene and sent the bodies to Natore Sadar Hospital morgue for autopsy. “After completing the legal formalities, the bodies will be handed over to their families,” said the OC.

Passengers on the ‘Banalata Express’ on the Dhaka-Mymensingh rail route avoided a big disaster as the railway authorities displayed a red flag in time after part of a track was found bent down at Dhirasram Choto Deura in Gazipur district. Local people said they noticed that a10-feet long rail track on Dhaka-Mymensingh route was bent down around 2:15 pm. At one stage, they informed the matter to the local Railway officials. In the meantime, a Rajshahi-bound ‘Banalata Express’ train was heading towards Joydebpur via Tongi. Crack on Dhaka-Rajshahi rail tracks fixed after 5 hrs  When the train reached Dhirasram Choto Deura, the railway authorities displayed a red flag, forcing the train locomotive master to stop it 100 meters away from the spot. Twelve hundred passengers on the train escaped the accident following the prompt response of the railway authorities. Driver of ‘Banalata Express’ train Md Mokhlesur Rahman said he managed to stop the train after noticing the red flag in time. He also suspected that the rail tracks might have bent down due to the removal of the nut-bolt of the rail tracks. However, the actual reason behind the incident would be known after investigation. Station Master of Joydebpur Railway Junction, Hanif Ali, said the authorities concerned suspended one-way rail movement after the incident. However, the other line is operational.

Coal extraction at Barapukuria Coal Mine has resumed from the newly developed phase 1305 in Dinajpur, ten days prior to the scheduled time. Khan Mohammad Zafar Sadik, General Manager of the coal mine, said the operation of lifting coal began around 12 am on Saturday. Earlier, the authorities halted the coal extraction from  phase 1414 following the lack of reserve coal on November 30, 2024. 12 workers trapped after coal mine collapses in Pakistan Following the installation of machinery in the new phase, coal extraction started ten days before the stipulated time of opening. In the first week of the operations from the new phase, the authorities concerned plan to lift 1500 to 2000 tonnes of coal per day which will later increase to 3000 to 3500 tonnes per day. They also set a target to extract 3.95 lakh metric tonnes of coal by June. 9 miners trapped in coal mine in Assam The extracted coal will be supplied to the nearby thermal power plant for electricity generation. Earlier, until December, approximately, 4.81 lakh metric tonnes of coal were extracted from phase 1414, exceeding its target of 3.95 lakh metric tons.  

Two people were killed and at least 15 others injured in a violent clash between two rival groups over establishing supremacy in Raipura upazila of Narsingdi on Sunday morning. Police and local administration officials said that the injured included several people with gunshot wounds. The deceased were identified as Ali Ahmad, 23, and Alamgir Hossain Alam, 19. The injured were taken to various hospitals for treatment. 2 die in separate Natore road accidents According to locals, tensions escalated on Saturday night when both groups announced their plans for a confrontation using mosque microphones. The clash erupted at 8 am in a remote char area under Bashbaria union parishad, with both groups wielding firearms and homemade weapons. Upazila Nirbahi Officer Md Masud Rana said the dispute stemmed from a long-standing rivalry between current Union Parishad (UP) Chairman Jakir Hossain Ratul and former chairman Ashraful Islam.  “The groups are currently advancing towards Mirzachar,” the UNO said. Manikganj Jubo League leader held in Dhaka Raipura Police Station’s officer-in-charge Adil Mahmud said that police were moving towards the scene as the location was in a remote area far from the station. As of the latest updates at 1pm, the clash was reportedly going on.

Interim government adviser Mahfuj Alam has said ‘anti-Bangladesh Awami League fascists’ will no longer be allowed to participate in elections. “If Awami League returns to power, fascism will also return,” he said while addressing a street rally in Hajiganj Bazar area of Chandpur town on Saturday. Mahfuj said only pro-Bangladesh political parties including BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami will take part in the elections. Dr Yunus hailed as "beacon, hero, amazing image of stability" at Davos: Shafiqul Alam Through a fair election and positive competition among all political parties, governance in Bangladesh will be reestablished, he said. “We no longer want the fascist regimes of Sheikh Mujib or Sheikh Hasina. We want pro-Bangladesh forces will rule the country,” the adviser added. Dr Yunus calls for a system allowing people to vote "freely, fairly without any threat" Student representatives from Chandpur and Hajiganj Upazila were present during the event.

A total of 1,200 birds, trapped by poachers, have been rescued and freed at Rajpath village in Mollahat Upazila of  Bagerhat. Many traps and bird-hunting equipment were seized during the drive led by Mollahat Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Harekrishna Adhikari.  Tipped off, the drive was conducted in a temporary shelter built by the poachers in the beel and the captured birds were rescued before they could be sold. The birds, identified as Jhut Shalik, were released back into their natural habitat in a beel (lake-like wetland). The poachers managed to flee. Chilly weather batters Lalmonirhat However, suspects were identified and the local police were directed to file a case against them, said the UNO.  The seized traps and nets were subsequently burned to prevent future use.  “The poachers had planned to sell the birds in bulk but the prompt drive stopped it,” said the UNO, adding that the administration’s efforts to curb bird poaching would continue.  Bagerhats’s wetlands, canals and fisheries see a rise of both domestic and migratory birds during the winter, making them a target for poachers. These harmless and innocent creatures are often sold openly or through clandestine means with many being transported to other districts, he said.

A 30-year-old Bangladeshi man has been injured in firing by Indian Border Security Force (BSF) at Telkupi border in Shibganj upazila of Chapainawabganj district. The injured man, identified as Habil, 30, son of Belal from Mollatola village in Shahbazpur Union, is currently undergoing treatment at Rajshahi Medical College Hospital. BGB 59 Battalion Commander Lt Col Golam Kibria said  BSF personnel opened fire around 3:30am on Friday when a group of six to seven smugglers tried to cross the border, leaving Habil injured. Habil’s companions managed to rescue him and bring him back to Bangladesh. Locals apprehend Indian farmer in Dinajpur after BSF takes Bangladeshi farmer He was taken to Chapainawabganj district hospital for primary treatment and then shifted to Rajshahi Medical College Hospital due to the severity of his injuries. Dr Kausar Hasan, an emergency department physician at Chapainawabganj district hospital, said Habil was admitted to the hospital around 7am on Saturday where he was treated for a gunshot wound to the chest.

A 22-year-old student of Khulna University was shot dead by miscreants at Tetultala in Khulna city on Friday night. The deceased was identified as Arnab Kumar Sarkar, an MBA student of Business Administration faculty of the university and son of Nitish Kumar Sarkar of Basupara area in the city. Quoting witnesses, Mohammad Ahsan Habib, additional deputy commissioner (media), said a group of armed miscreants, riding 10-15 motorbikes, opened fire on Arnab when he was sipping  tea at Tetultala intersection around 10:15 pm, leaving him injured. Later, they stabbed him indiscriminately and fled the scene. Arnab was taken to Khulna City Medical College and Hospital where doctors declared him dead. Khulna AL leader shot dead at Cox’s Bazar beach Shafiqul Islam, officer-in-charge of Sonadanga Police Station, said the reason behind the murder could not be known yet and police were investigating the incident.