United News of Bangladesh

Ali Mahmud, City Editor of the daily Dinkal, died of a heart attack on Monday. He was 69. According to family members, Ali Mahmud did not return home on Sunday night, causing concern among his relatives.  On Monday morning, his wife, Jesmin Ara, along with other family members, went to the Jatiya Press Club to look for him. After staying there for some time, a cleaning staff member informed them that Ali Mahmud was found lying unconscious in a washroom of the club. Police later took him to Dhaka Medical College Hospital, where doctors declared him dead. Ali Mahmud is survived by wife, two sons and a daughter. Born in 1956 in Paba upazila of Rajshahi, Ali Mahmud began his journalism career completing his graduation from Rajshahi University.  His first workplace was the Rajshahi-based daily Barta. He later joined Dinkal after moving to Dhaka. He worked at Dinkal for a long time, serving in several important positions, and was last working as its City Editor. Ali Mahmud was a permanent member of the Jatiya Press Club, Dhaka Reporters Unity (DRU) and Dhaka Journalists Union (DUJ).  He was also a member of BNP’s media cell. Following the news of his death, a pall of grief descended over journalists, including his colleagues at Dinkal.  Fellow journalists described him as a simple and humble person and a dedicated working journalist who remained active in the field throughout his career. Freedom fighter Abdur Rashid Molla dies in Narshingdi Leaders of various journalist organisations expressed deep sorrow over his death. Acting President of the Dhaka Federal Journalists Union Obaidur Rahman Shahin and its General Secretary Kader Gani Chowdhury mourned his demise. DUJ President Shahidul Islam and General Secretary Khurshid Alam, DRU President Abu Saleh Akon and General Secretary Mainul Hasan Sohel, and National Press Club President Hasan Hafiz and General Secretary Ayub Bhuiyan also expressed condolences in separate messages, praying for the eternal peace of the departed soul and conveying sympathy to the bereaved family. In separate condolence messages, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, Media Cell Convener Professor Maudud Hossain Alamgir Pavel, Member Secretary Shahid Uddin Chowdhury Annie, and BNP Chairperson’s Press Secretary Saleh Shibli also expressed deep shock and sorrow at Ali Mahmud’s death.

At least 10 journalists were injured in an attack in front of the Dream Holiday Park in Narsingdi on Monday evening, police said. Among the injured were journalists Shahed, Mohsin, Sakhawat Kausar and CRAB staff member Lal. Two people were detained in connection with the incident. Former CRAB vice-president Jahangir Alam said the attack occurred when a group of local miscreants demanded money after parking their bus on the roadside in front of the Dream Holiday Park following the Bangladesh Crime Reporters Association (CRAB) Family Day. When the journalists protested, a scuffle broke out and the attackers hit them with sticks, he said. Sleeping youth burnt to death in Narsingdi Six of the injured were taken to Dhaka after receiving primary treatment at Narsingdi Sadar Hospital. Md. Kamal Hossain, officer-in-charge (OC) of Madhabdi Police Station, said police rushed to the spot upon receiving information and detained two suspects. Preparations are underway to file a case in connection with the incident.

Haji Mohammad Salauddin Mia, senior journalist of The Daily Janakantha and Ekushey Television and a valiant freedom fighter, passed away at his residence in Keraniganj on Friday afternoon.  Cartoon Network Legend David Steven Cohen Passed Away He is survived by wife, two sons, one daughter and numerous admirers and well-wishers. He was also a former president of the Keraniganj Press Club. His namaz-e-janaza was held after Maghrib prayers today in his neighbourhood at Char Kutub. JnU students begin mass hunger strike over housing, budget, campus expansion

Italian journalist Cecilia Sala, detained in Iran for three weeks, was released on Wednesday and is returning to Italy, as confirmed by Italian officials, reports AP. Sala's case had become linked to that of Mohammad Abedini, an Iranian engineer wanted by the U.S. The Italian government reported that a plane carrying Sala, 29, departed Tehran after extensive diplomatic and intelligence negotiations, with Premier Giorgia Meloni personally informing her parents of the news. Italy summons Iran's ambassador to release arrested Italian journalist Iranian media acknowledged the release, though no official comment was given by Iranian authorities. Sala, a reporter for Il Foglio, was arrested in Tehran on December 19, three days after arriving on a journalist visa, accused of violating Iranian laws. There was speculation in Italy that Sala’s detention was a bargaining tactic to secure the release of Abedini, arrested in Milan on December 16 at the request of the U.S. government. The U.S. Justice Department charged Abedini, along with another Iranian, with supplying drone technology to Iran, which was used in a January 2024 attack that killed three American soldiers in Jordan. Abedini remains in detention in Italy. The release of Sala was celebrated in Italy, where her case had captured significant media attention. Lawmakers praised the diplomatic success in securing her release. It followed a surprise trip by Premier Meloni to Florida last weekend to meet U.S. US restricts Russian and Iranian groups over disinformation targeting American voters President-elect Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago. Meloni shared the news of Sala's return on social media, expressing gratitude to those who helped bring her home, allowing her to reunite with her family and colleagues. The fates of Sala and Abedini had become entangled, with both countries' foreign ministries summoning each other's ambassadors to demand the release of the detainees and fair treatment in custody. The diplomatic challenge was particularly sensitive for Italy, which is a historical ally of the U.S. but maintains traditionally cordial relations with Iran. Cabinet members, including Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani and Defense Minister Guido Crosetto, took a hands-on approach to the case, emphasizing the importance of the successful diplomatic negotiations, marking a significant victory for Meloni. Iran restores access to WhatsApp and Google Play after they were banned amid protests Iran has a history of using individuals with Western ties as bargaining tools in international negotiations, dating back to the 1979 U.S. Embassy crisis. Other Western journalists, including American Roxana Saberi and Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian, have also been detained by Iran in the past.

Journalists will get temporary passes to enter the Secretariat from Monday. Accreditation cards of journalists are being re-evaluated by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and new permanent or temporary accreditation cards / passes will be issued very soon, according to a PID handout. Secretariat fire part of a deep conspiracy: BNP’s Rizvi Visitors and journalists were barred from entering the Secretariat for the sake of investigation in the wake of the recent fire incident in the 7th building of the Bangladesh Secretariat. The fire severely damaged four floors of Building No. 7, from the sixth to the ninth, which housed multiple key ministries and divisions on December 26. Media access to Secretariat restricted for security of fire-hit KPI: CA Press Wing Meanwhile, several investigative committees have been formed to look into the incident.

A Sylhet court on Thursday placed former additional deputy commissioner (ADC) of Sylhet Metropolitan Police (SMP) Sadeq Kawsar Dastagir on a five-day remand in connection with the killing of journalist ATM Turab during the anti-discrimination student movement. Sylhet Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Abdul Momen ordered the remand while Dastagir was produced before the court. Advocate Abdur Rob, lawyer for the plaintiff, said that a seven-day remand had been sought and the court granted five days. HC summons Naogaon Public Prosecutor for ‘derogatory remarks’ about Senior Judicial Magistrate  A team of Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI) arrested Dastagir from Sherpur district on Wednesday. Another accused in the case, Constable Ujjal, was arrested in Dhaka on November 17 and is currently in jail following a five-day remand. The murder case was filed by the deceased’s brother Abul Hasan Md Azraf on August 19. The case named 18 individuals, including former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan and several high-ranking police officials, along with 200 to 250 unnamed individuals.

Mahmodul Hoque, senior sub-editor of The Financial Express, passed away at his residence in the capital's Shanir Akhra on Monday. He had been battling a prolonged illness, including complications related to diabetes, heart, kidney, and lung conditions. Mahmodul Hoque had served at The Financial Express for nearly 25 years until his demise. He is survived by his wife, two sons, a daughter and a host of relatives. The Financial Express Journalists Association (FEJU) and all the staff members of The Financial Express expressed deep sorrow at his passing.

A court in Beijing on Friday sentenced a prominent Chinese journalist to seven in years in prison for espionage, his family said. Dong Yuyu, a commentator and editor, was taken away by police while meeting a Japanese diplomat at a restaurant in February 2022. He has been in police custody since then. The Beijing Number 2 Intermediate People's Court read the verdict but did not share a copy with Dong's lawyers or family. No announcement was available on the court's website or its Weibo account. The verdict named then-Japanese ambassador Hideo Tarumi and Shanghai-based chief diplomat Masaru Okada as agents belonging to an espionage organization, according the family's statement. Dong had served as the deputy head of the editorial department at Guangming Daily, one of the five major state-owned papers in China. The paper was once considered more liberal than other state-backed papers. Dong also contributed to the Chinese edition of the New York Times. In his published writings, including essays as well as opinion articles, Dong had voiced his support for constitutional democracy and political reform, which later were considered to be against the stance of the Communist Party. He had contacts with foreign diplomats, scholars and other journalists as part of his decades-long career and counted Tarumi, the ambassador, as a friend. Still, his family said he knew he was always watched by state security, and therefore sought to be as open as possible while meeting his Japanese or American contacts. What to know about sudden rebel gains in Syria's long war “With Yuyu’s conviction, every Chinese citizen, when dealing with the Japanese embassy — or perhaps any other foreign embassy and diplomat — will be expected to know that the Chinese government may consider those embassies to be ‘espionage organizations,’” said the family in a statement. “Every sensible Chinese citizen should be appalled by this reasoning.” The U.S. Ambassador to China, Nicholas Burns, condemned Dong's conviction. “Punishing Dong for exercising his freedom of speech and the press, guaranteed by the PRC’s constitution for all its citizens, is unjust.”  

A local journalist was hacked to death following an old feud in Tarakanda upazila of Mymensingh, on Saturday morning. Safiqul Islam Khan, Officer-in-Charge of Kotwali Model Police Station, confirmed the matter. The victim was Swapan Bhadra, 55, was the son of Jagesh Chandra Bhadra and a former vice president of the Tarakanda Press Club. Bhadra was actively involved with both local and national newspapers. 2 college students die after ‘drinking toxic alcohol’ in Faridpur According to police and local sources, Bhadra was known for his outspoken stance against terrorism and drug trafficking in the area. He had a long-standing dispute with a local drug dealer named Sagar. Around 11 am on Saturday, while Bhadra was reading a newspaper outside his home, Sagar attacked him with a knife, leaving him with fatal injuries. Locals rushed him to Mymensingh Medical College Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. "Efforts are underway to arrest the suspect," said the OC, adding that legal procedures are in progress.  

Renowned Bangladeshi film critic, screenwriter and journalist Sadia Khalid Reeti has been invited to the Fipresci (International Federation of Film Critics) jury at the upcoming 77th Cannes Film Festival, one of the most prestigious film festivals in the world in which she was a jury member before in 2019 when she became the second Bangladeshi to receive this honour. A Screenwriting graduate from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Reeti has served as a jury member at different international film festivals in Italy, India, England, Nepal, France, Russia, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. She also served as a Fipresci jury at the Bengaluru International Film Festival, International Film Festival of Kerala and Dhaka International Film Festival (DIFF), and is currently serving as the Co-Convenor of the West Meets East Screenplay Lab at DIFF, one of the leading script development labs in the country. With 'Tati', Coke Studio Bangla launches season 3 paying homage to Jamdani Reeti became Bangladesh's first international voter for the Golden Globe Awards in 2022. A Berlinale Talents alumna, she attended prestigious mentorship programs with Film Independent and Locarno Open Doors. Alongside her responsibilities as the Cultural Editor of Dhaka Tribune, one of the leading English dailies in the country, Reeti teaches film studies at different universities and institutions. She is a recipient of the Charles Wallace Fellowship from the British Council, as a part of which she trained in surreal filmmaking at the British Film Institute in 2023. Regarding her return to Cannes, Reeti said: “Cannes is the biggest and most prestigious film festival in the world. It’s an incredible honour to be invited back. Having our film critics on the jury board more often will enable us to convey our cultural point of view and help world cinema move away from its Eurocentric lens.” “The invitation always arrives so late that it’s difficult to arrange the visa and other necessities with a green passport,” she said about her travel preparations. “The festival has grown so much over the years that it’s now a logistical nightmare trying to find suitable lodging. Hopefully, when more of us participate in such festivals, the authorities will keep provisions to reduce the stress.” From Bangladesh, Ahmed Muztaba Zamal was the first Fipresci jury at Cannes in 2002, 2005, and 2009. Reeti came next in 2019, followed by Bidhan Rebeiro in 2022. They joined as members of the IFCAB (International Film Critics Association of Bangladesh). ‘Adyontor’ to release their first song ‘Opekkhar Chithi’ tomorrow The 77th annual Cannes Film Festival is due to take place from 14 to 25 May 2024. American filmmaker and actress Greta Gerwig will serve as jury president for the main competition, and the main competition at Cannes will include veteran filmmakers like Coppola, Audiard, Cronenberg, Arnold, Lanthimos, Sorrentino, Abbasi and so on this year.