United News of Bangladesh

Chief Adviser’s Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam on Friday said Bangladesh bears deep wounds—an ever-widening fracture that only a truly credible election can heal. In a post from his verified Facebook account, he said the general election and the referendum are now just seven weeks away—49 days. "I never doubted that the elections could be held on time, though there were moments when I had to temper my enthusiasm. Yesterday’s events, however, erased whatever lingering doubts critics had about whether the February 12 elections would take place as scheduled," the Press Secretary said. He said s record breaking crowd defied season's worst cold spell and gathered at the 300 Feet to greet BNP acting Chairman Tarique Rahman. Press Secretary sees no possibility of AL’s participation in election Alam said it was a clear testament to the country’s readiness for an election. "Within a day or two, nominations for the parliamentary polls will be submitted. Thousands of candidates will then return to their villages," he said. Printing presses will roar into action, Alam said, noting that television stations will begin election debates that reach all the way down to the village level.  

Inqilab Moncho, a platform formed centring the last year’s student-led uprising, on Friday urged the people of Bangladesh to come to Shahbagh and stage a sit-in demanding justice for its slain spokesman Shaheed Sharif Osman bin Hadi. The platform made the appeal through a post on its official Facebook page on Friday afternoon. As of filing this report at 4pm, the protestors were staging demonstration at the busy Shahbagh intersection, halting traffic movement. Earlier, followers of the platform, led by its Member Secretary Abdullah Al Jaber, brought out a procession from the central mosque premises of Dhaka University after Jumma prayers on the same demand. During the demonstrations, the protesters chanted slogans such as “We want justice,” “Delhi na Dhaka, Dhaka, Dhaka,” and “Golami na Azadi, Azadi, Azadi.” Later, the procession arrived at the intersection where the demonstrators started protesting.   Similar protest rallies were held in different parts of the country, including Chhata Masjid in Cumilla Police Lines and Anderkilla Shahi Jame Mosque in Chattogram. Osman Hadi, also a prospective candidate for the Dhaka-8 constituency, was shot in the head on December 12 while travelling in a rickshaw on Culvert Road in Puratan Paltan. Later, he was airlifted to Singapore for advanced treatment, where he succumbed to his injuries on the night of December 18.

Two workers went missing after a collision between a sand-laden bulkhead and a passenger launch in the Buriganga river in Fatullah upazila of Narayanganj district on Friday morning. The incident occurred around 6:15am in Dharmaganj area when the Dhaka-bound launch Sundarban-16 rammed into the stationary bulkhead MV Kashfa Sneha, inspector Akibul Islam, in-charge of Pagla River Police Outpost, said. The missing workers are Md Zahurul Islam Shakil, 25, of Patuakhali, and Md Hasan, 20, of Rajapur in Jhalakathi. Three other workers on board managed to swim ashore safely. Members of Coast Guard, Fire Service and Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) jointly launched rescue operations shortly after the incident, said BIWTA Assistant Director Kamrul Hasan. Inspector Akibul said dense fog may have caused the accident in the morning. Earlier on December 14, a similar bulkhead sank in the same area following a collision, though no casualties were reported then.

Inqilab Moncho on Friday staged demonstration demanding justice for its slain spokespman Sharif Osman bin Hadi, with a huge number of protestors in attendance.  They brought out a procession from the central mosque premises of Dhaka University after Jumma prayers, led by Inqilab Moncho Member Secretary Abdullah Al Jaber. During the demonstrations, the protesters chanted slogans such as “We want justice,” “Delhi na Dhaka, Dhaka, Dhaka,” and “Golami na Azadi, Azadi, Azadi.” Similar protest rallies were held in different parts of the country, including Chhata Masjid in Cumilla Police Lines and Anderkilla Shahi Jame Mosque in Chattogram. Osman Hadi, also a prospective candidate for the Dhaka-8 constituency, was shot in the head on December 12 while travelling in a rickshaw on Culvert Road in Puratan Paltan. Later, he was airlifted to Singapore for advanced treatment, where he succumbed to his injuries on the night of December 18.

Security has been tightened at key points along the Dhaka-Aricha highway, including Zia Udyan and the Savar National Memorial, ahead of BNP Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman’s scheduled visit to the area. A sufficient number of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) personnel have been deployed to maintain law and order, said Shariful Islam, Public Relations Officer (PRO) of BGB headquarters. According to the programme, following Jumma prayers, Tarique Rahman will visit the grave of BNP founder and former president Ziaur Rahman. 

A mild cold wave is sweeping across several parts of the country and may continue, Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD) said on Friday morning. According to BMD’s regular bulletin, a mild cold wave is affecting the districts of Jashore, Chuadanga, Gopalganj, Rajshahi, Pabna, Sirajganj and Nilphamari, and it may persist in some areas. Jashore recorded the country’s lowest temperature at 9 degrees Celsius on Friday morning, BMD said. Night and day temperatures may rise slightly across the country. However, due to foggy conditions, cold weather may continue to be felt in many areas, the bulletin added. Moderate to thick fog may occur in places across the country from midnight to morning and may persist until noon in some areas. As a result, air navigation, inland river transport and road communication may be temporarily disrupted. The weather is expected to remain dry with a temporarily partly cloudy sky over the country. Meanwhile, a ridge of the sub-continental high extends up to West Bengal and adjoining areas, while a seasonal low lies over the South Bay, extending its trough to the northeast Bay.

At least two people were killed and more than 50 others injured when two passenger launches collided in the Meghna River early Friday amid dense fog. The identities of the deceased could not be confirmed immediately, said Babu Lal Boidya, Deputy Director (Traffic) of the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA), Chandpur Zone. The accident took place in the Horina area of Chandpur Sadar upazila when a launch named MV Adventure-9 rammed into another vessel, MV Zakir Somrat-3, leaving two passengers dead on the spot. However, unofficial sources claimed that the death toll could be as high as four. According to witnesses, the Dhaka-bound MV Zakir Somrat-3, which had departed from Ghosherhat in Bhola, was navigating the Haimchar waterway shortly after 2 am. At the same time, the Barishal-bound MV Adventure-9, carrying passengers returning from a BNP programme at the 300 Feet area, reportedly lost its course due to thick fog and crashed into Zakir Somrat-3.

Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, recorded the season’s lowest temperature on Friday, according to the Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD). The Dhaka Meteorological Office reported a temperature of 13.5°C on Friday morning — the lowest recorded so far this season, said Shahnaj Sultana, a meteorologist. Earlier, the temperature was 14°C on Thursday. Meanwhile, the lowest temperature in the country was recorded at 10.2°C in Rajshahi over the 24 hours until 6 pm on Thursday, while the highest temperature was 29°C in Teknaf.  

Ferry services on the Paturia-Daulatdia and Aricha-Kazirhat water routes were suspended due to dense fog, leaving more than 300 vehicles stranded at terminals. Five ferries were anchored mid-river as visibility dropped sharply. Abdus Salam, Deputy General Manager of BIWTC Aricha Sector, said the fog began intensifying from Thursday evening and became extremely dense around 9:00pm, covering the entire waterway and making vessels invisible. To prevent accidents, ferry operations on the Aricha-Kazirhat route were suspended. At the time, two ferries — Bir Shrestha Hamidur Rahman and Chitra — were stranded mid-river carrying passengers and vehicles, while two other ferries remained at Kazirhat ghat. Meanwhile, ferry services on the Paturia-Daulatdia route were suspended around 12:30am as fog density increased further. Three ferries — Shahparan, Golam Maula and Baigar — were anchored mid-river following the suspension. Due to the halt in ferry operations, more than 300 vehicles, including over a hundred goods-laden trucks, were stranded at Paturia and Daulatdia ghats, causing severe hardship for passengers and transport workers. The official said ferry services would resume once visibility improves and fog conditions ease.

Moderate to thick fog may temporarily disrupt air navigation, inland river transport and road communication in different parts of the country, according to the Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD). In its regular bulletin, BMD said moderate to thick fog may occur at places across the country from midnight to morning starting at 6:00pm on Thursday and may continue until noon on Friday in some areas. The bulletin also said that night temperatures may fall slightly, while day temperatures are expected to remain nearly unchanged across the country. Due to the foggy conditions, cold sensations may intensify in many places. Weather conditions are likely to remain dry with a temporarily partly cloudy sky, the bulletin added. The lowest temperature in the country was recorded at 10.2 degrees Celsius in Rajshahi in 24 hours till 6pm on Thursday, while the highest temperature was 29 degrees Celsius in Teknaf.