United News of Bangladesh

BNP Chairman Tarique Rahman reached Rajshahi on Thursday to begin the fourth phase of his election campaign, launching a three-day tour in the northern region aimed at mobilising voters in favour of BNP and its alliance candidates. Tarique reached Rajshahi by air at 12:24pm, BNP Media Cell member Sayrul Kabir Khan told UNB. BNP local leaders said Tarique Rahman last visited Rajshahi in 2004 to attend a union representatives’ conference. Tarique set for three-day electioneering in northern districts After a gap of 22 years, Tarique Rahman has returned to Rajshahi. He is scheduled to address his first rally of the phase at Rajshahi Madrasa Ground at 2:00pm on Thursday. From the rally stage, the BNP chief will formally introduce 13 BNP parliamentary candidates from three districts. Later in the day, the BNP chairman will speak at two more election rallies — at Atim Field in Naogaon at 5:30pm and at Alfatunnesa Sports Ground in Bogura at 7:30pm, according to the party. As part of his three-day programme, Tarique Rahman will visit the grave of Shaheed Abu Sayed at Pirganj in Rangpur at 3:45pm on January 30. He will then address a large rally at Rangpur Eidgah Field at 4:30pm the same day. On January 31, Tarique is scheduled to speak at an election rally at the Sirajganj BSCIC Industrial Park at 2:00pm, followed by another roadside rally at Darun Charjana Bypass area on the Dhaka–Tangail highway at 4:00pm. During the tour, the BNP chairman will stay overnight for two days at Hotel Naz Garden in Bogura, party sources said. Naogaon gears up for Tarique’s first rally in nearly two decades Tarique Rahman launched his nationwide election campaign on January 22 from Sylhet. He later conducted campaign rallies in Chattogram on January 25 and Mymensingh on January 27. So far, he has addressed 16 election rallies across different regions of the country. Large crowds have been seen at most of the campaign venues, with supporters often waiting for hours to see and hear the BNP chairman. Due to the massive turnout, several rallies began three to five hours later than scheduled, with people remaining at the venues until late at night.  

Light rains or drizzle is likely over the northern parts of the country in the next five days from 9 am on Saturday. According to a regular bulletin of Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD) “A mild cold wave is sweeping over Panchagarh and it may continue.” Weather may remain dry with temporary partly cloudy sky over the country. Dhaka’s air quality marks ‘unhealthy’ on weekend Moderate to dense fog may occur over the country during midnight to morning and it may continue at places till noon. Besides, air navigation, inland river transport and road communication may disrupt temporarily due to dense fog. Night temperature may rise slightly and day temperature may rise by (1-2)°C over the country. Meanwhile, night and day temperatures may fall till Thursday. Ridge of sub-continental high extends up to West Bengal and adjoining area. Seasonal low lies over South Bay, extending it's trough to Northeast Bay.

A Dhaka-bound train derailed near Dhirashram railway station in Gazipur on Thursday cutting off the capital city’s rail communication  with the country’s northern region. Dhirashram Railway Station Master Helal Uddin said the engine of the Computer Express train from Jamalpur derailed just before entering Dhirashram station at around 11:30 am. Train services between Dhaka-Mymensingh and Dhaka-Rajshahi-Khulna have been disrupted. Read: Intercity, freight trains also to operate from Aug 11: Ministry Three other trains, Chapai Express, Agniveena Express and Ekota Express, were stranded at different stations on both sides of the spot. He also said the train communication will resume after the derailed engine is pulled back to tracks by a rescue train from Dhaka.

The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) has approved a $260 million loan to help Bangladesh construct a strategically important, state-of-the-art bridge in Mymensingh, which would substantially ease congestion in the northern city. Once complete, Kewatkhali Bridge will divert traffic from the busy city centre of Mymensingh. Being part of the Dhaka-Mymensingh-India border corridor project, the bridge will also help boost local and regional connectivity, the investment bank said in a release. Set to be the first arch steel bridge in Bangladesh, Kewatkhali Bridge will make use of the latest advances in technology to improve safety and promote early detection of structural damage, according to AIIB. Read: AIIB approves $100 million loan to Bangladesh for COVID-19 response More than 11 million people in Bangladesh’s northern region will benefit from increased mobility and integration of local and regional markets. The bridge will also shorten the travel time for people and vehicles and contribute to the reduction of carbon emissions. “As in other river delta environments, bridges play a strategic role in Bangladesh’s transport network," said AIIB Senior Investment Operations Specialist Natalia Sanz. "AIIB considers the financing of Kewatkhali Bridge an opportunity to use the latest technology in bridge maintenance and management to improve its structural performance, service life and the safety of the bridge for residents and motorists,” she said. Read Skilled workforce, better infrastructure to help Bangladesh grow faster: Canada The project includes a proposed Bridge Health Monitoring System (BHMS), which, Sanz said, would be used to provide early warnings of structural issues in the main bridge. Data on load and environmental effects, as well as the bridge responses, would be captured in real time and interfaced with a bridge rating system, allowing for more efficient monitoring and will help in formulating systematic approach to periodic inspection, according to AIIB. “By studying the changes observed in bridge conditions over time, engineers can develop models to distinguish the effects of maintenance activity from normal wear and tear," Sanz said. Read:AIIB approves USD 250mn loan for Bangladesh to fight COVID-19 "State-of-the-art work in this area includes deepening our understanding of physical deterioration processes, especially the effect of structural damage on the reliability and performance of structural components,” she added. Training and institutional development of the Roads and Highways Department on the maintenance and operation of an arch steel bridge and on the use of the BHMS is a core component of the project. The AIIB is a multilateral development bank whose mission is financing the Infrastructure for Tomorrow — infrastructure with sustainability being its core. It began operations in Beijing in January 2016 and has since grown to 103 approved members worldwide. Read BD Finance signs MoU with US-based SIG for infrastructure projects 

Speakers at a webinar on Saturday observed that people in the country’s north are still not getting the full benefit of electricity generation due to inadequate transmission facilities.

The lowest temperature of the country was recorded at 6˚C atTetulia in Panchagarh on Tuesday morning.