United News of Bangladesh

Thirty-six Bangladeshi trucks carrying ready-made garment (RMG) items have remained stranded at Benapole land port following restrictions imposed by India on the import of certain goods through its land ports. Secretary of Petrapole Clearing Agent Staff Welfare Association, Kartik Chakraborty, said the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, imposed restrictions on the imports of certain goods including readymade garments. Particularly, certain readymade garments that were previously allowed through land ports must be routed via Kolkata Sea Port or Mumbai’s Nhava Sheva Port, he said. Leading RMG exporters stung by India's decision to restrict imports  However, goods that already have LCs or TTs in place are being discussed with Indian Customs for possible clearance, he added. Mohsin Milon, president of the Benapole Importers and Exporters Association, said due to this restriction by the Indian government, 36 trucks carrying RMG goods were stuck at Benapole, awaiting entry clearance. Exporters are concerned about potential commercial losses due to the sudden restriction.   Mamun Kabir Tarafder, deputy director of Benapole Land Port, said they have informed the matter to the higher authorities concerned. India on Saturday imposed port restrictions on the import of certain goods, including readymade garments (RMG) and processed food items, from Bangladesh with immediate effect. The Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, India has issued a notification in this regard. These restrictions came after Bangladesh restricted Indian cotton via sea ports, closing land ports, a diplomatic source told UNB.      

Two people died after being electrocuted in stagnant rainwater in Bashar Villa area on MM Ali Road under Chawkbazar police station in Chattogram city on Sunday afternoon. The deceased were identified as Tayeb, 45, son of Nur Jahan from Purbo Polmogora area of Mirsarai upazila, and Rabbi, 14, son of Humayun from Jabirpara area of Pakundia upazila in Kishoreganj. Chawkbazar police station Officer-in-Charge Zahidul Kabir said heavy rain on Saturday night caused water to accumulate on the ground floor of a building. Both victims got electrocuted when they stepped into the water. They were rescued and rushed to Chattogram Medical College Hospital (CMCH) where doctors declared them dead upon arrival, he added. Nurul Alam Ashiq, in-charge of the CMCH police outpost, said the two were brought to the hospital in critical condition after being electrocuted. The bodies were kept at the hospital morgue and later handed over to their families, said Nurul.    

For nearly 12 years, around 20,000 residents of 30 villages in Mohalchhari upazila of Khagrachhari district have been risking their lives by crossing a dangerously dilapidated culvert, due to the prolonged inaction of the authorities concerned. The culvert, a vital lifeline connecting the villages to the upazila headquarters, is crucial for daily travel, and locals are now urging the government to reconstruct it urgently ahead of the approaching monsoon season. The retaining walls on either side of the culvert were damaged during last year’s monsoon and floods, and soil erosion around the pillars has worsened the situation. Students, government employees, farmers, and other residents continue to rely on the culvert to avoid a much longer route—putting their safety at stake. People from neighbouring areas, including Naniarchar upazila in Rangamati district, also depend on this route for travel and transportation. In a desperate attempt to maintain connectivity, locals have tried to repair the culvert using bamboo and wood, but these makeshift solutions have proven to be inadequate, offering no permanent relief. DSCC gets down to work since taking charge of canals, culverts There are growing concerns that if water levels in the Kaptai Dam rise during the upcoming rainy season, the lone alternative route may become impassable, effectively isolating the villages. According to the Local Government Engineering Department (LGED), the culvert was originally built nearly four decades ago. Tripti Shankar Chakma, Executive Engineer of LGED Khagrachhari, said they have recently received approval for the culvert’s reconstruction and that a tender will be floated soon. Frustrations mount as bridge-culverts damaged in 2017 floods still in disrepair He expressed optimism that construction will begin before the monsoon, adding that all efforts will be made to maintain road connectivity and alleviate the daily hardships of the affected residents.

Three people including two teachers were killed and four others were injured in a head-on-collision between an oil-tanker and a human hauler at Golna in Dumuria upazila of Khulna district on Saturday. The deceased were identified as Rafiqul Islam Gazi, driver of the human hauler and two teachers of Koyra upazila—Hafez Maulana Mainul Islam and Abdur Rashid.  Khulna University students stage protest over assault on a teacher The accident occurred in front of the local fire service and civil defence office in the morning when the oil tanker hit the Khulna-bound human hauler, leaving three killed on the spot and four others injured, said officer-in-charge of Dumuria Police Station Masud Rana. The injured were taken to Khulna Medical College and Hospital.  Man hit by train dies at Khulna hospital

A woman and her son died of electrocution while trying to save a cow at their home in Kaliganj upazila of Lalmonirhat on Saturday. The deceased were identified as Kamala Begum, 55, and her son Jamal Hossain, 33, of Dulali Harikhawa village.  Nor'wester lashes Lalmonirhat; houses, crops damaged According to police and locals, Jamal was electrocuted when he came into contact with a live wire while got close an auto-rickshaw parked at their cattle farm for charging. Seeing this, his mother rushed to save him and was also electrocuted. Both died on the spot. Officer-in-charge of Kaliganj Police Station Selim Malik said the bodies were handed over to the family for burial as they did not file any complaint.  Locals block highway for ‘Burimari Express’ to start from Burimari Station in Lalmonirhat

At least 50 workers of International Classic Composite Ltd, factory fell sick after drinking water supplied at Naojor area of Gazipur district on Saturday. According to the workers of the factory, a number of workers drank tap water supplied at the factory around 8 am. At one stage, some 50 workers fell sick. Later, they were taken to Shaheed Tajuddin Medical College and Hospital and others hospitals including Sirajul Haque General Hospital, with the help of the co-workers and factory authorities. Talking to some workers, they said, after drinking water, they complained of nausea, dizziness and stomach ache. Dhaka-Mymensingh Highway blocked over RMG worker's death in Gazipur Abdullah Al Morshed, a physician of the emergency department of the Sirajul Haque General Hospital, said that the sick workers exhibited symptoms like dizziness, nausea, and abdominal pain. Most of them improved significantly after receiving treatment, he said. However, the patients are now out of danger, he added.  Attack on Hasnat’s car in Gazipur; 54 detained

A Magura court on Saturday sentenced a man to death and acquitted three people in the much-talked-about rape and murder case of eight-year-old Asiya. The court sentenced Hitu Sheikh, 50, prime accused in the case and father-in-law of Asiya’s sister to death while acquitted Hitu’s wife Jabeda Begum, 40 and two sons- Sajib Sheikh, 20 and Ratul Sheikh, 25. Judge Md Zahid Hasan of the Magura Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal announced the judgment. A total of 29 witnesses testified in the case and seven pieces of evidence were seized, he added. The rape took place on the night of March 5, when the victim was visiting her sister’s in-laws’ house in Nijnanduali village of Sadar upazila. She went to bed with her sister that night, but around midnight, her sister found her missing and began searching for her. After a frantic search, the girl was found unconscious a few yards from the house. She was initially admitted to Magura General Hospital and later transferred to Faridpur Medical College Hospital as her condition worsened. She was then moved to Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) and later to the Combined Military Hospital (CMH), Dhaka, where she died on March 13. The brutal incident sparked protests across the country. University students, including those from Dhaka University, staged demonstrations on their campuses demanding capital punishment for the accused. Police arrested Hitu Sheikh and three of his family members in connection with the incident. On April 13, sub-inspector Md Alauddin of Magura Sadar Police Station, the investigation officer in the case, submitted a charge sheet to the court of the Chief Judicial Magistrate, naming the four as accused. Earlier, on April 23, the court framed charges against them. Prime accused Hitu Sheikh was charged with rape and murder, and he made a confessional statement before the court.    

A woman was killed and 23 others were injured after a jeep fell into a hill stream in a remote area of Alikadam upazila in Bandarban district on Friday. The deceased was identified as Tanoya Murong, 25, daughter of Kralai Murong, resident of the 26-kilometre area on Thanchi road. The accident occurred around 11:30am in the Jobiram Para area along the Kalarjhiri–Marma Para road, said Mirza Zahid Uddin, officer-in-charge of Alikadam Police Station. A group of people from Thanchi upazila was travelling to attend an event in Kalarjhiri Marma Para when the driver lost control of the vehicle.  3 killed, two injured as freight tractor overturns in Rangamati The jeep veered off the road and fell into a nearby hill stream, leaving Tanoya dead on the spot. All the victims are residents of Thanchi upazila. Upon receiving the information, members of the Fire Service and Civil Defence, with the help of locals, rescued the injured and took them to Alikadam Upazila Health Complex. Of the injured, 11 were later shifted to Cox’s Bazar Medical College Hospital as their condition deteriorated.

Three workers were killed and two others suffered injuries after a six-wheeler freight tractor overturned in Baghaichhari upazila of the district on Thursday. The deceased were identified as Nochan Chakma (45), Nibaran Chakma (32) and Lettoudo (35), said  Md. Humayun Kabir, Officer-in-Charge of Baghaichhari Police Station. The accident occurred in the afternoon  when the freight tractor overturned on the road in Kojoichhari border area while transporting goods, resulting in the deaths of three workers on the spot and injuries to two others, the OC added. Madrasah student killed in Sherpur road accident The injured—Suman Chakma (27) and Sohel Chakma (32)—were initially taken to the Upazila Health Complex. Later, they were transferred to Khagrachhari Modern Sadar Hospital for advanced treatment.

Two people died, and another was injured after being struck by lightning in Kushtia and Meherpur on Thursday. In Kushtia's Mirpur, a college student was killed, and another person was injured by lightning while working in a field at 4 pm on Thursday, said Mominul Islam, officer-in-charge (OC) of Mirpur Police Station. The deceased was identified as Bijoy, 21, son of Shamsuddin of Khadara area. Bijoy was a student at Kushtia Government College. Meanwhile, a woman was killed in a lightning strike in Gangni Upazila of Meherpur. The incident occurred on Thursday evening during heavy rain. The deceased, Rita Khatun, was the wife of Saudi expatriate Qiamuddin of Raipur village. According to local sources,  Rita Khatun was bringing home Boro paddy after being harvested from the field. She was seriously injured in the lightning strike, and locals took her to Gangni Upazila Health Complex where doctors on duty declared her dead upon arrival. Dr. Zahidul Islam, the medical officer at Gangni Hospital, confirmed Rita's death.