United News of Bangladesh

Police have arrested six people in connection with an attack and acts of vandalism that disrupted preparations for the Pahela Baishakh celebrations at DC Hill in Chattogram. The incident took place on Sunday night at Nazrul Square within the DC Hill premises. Mohammad Ali Titu, member secretary of the Sammilito Pahela Baishakh Udjapon Parishad, said a group of youths stormed the venue around 7:45 pm, chanting slogans such as “Be cautious against the allies of autocracy.” Nation celebrating Pahela Baishakh with festive fervour “They tore down decorative fabrics and ripped apart the backdrop behind the stage. The stage was also vandalised,” he added. Following the incident, the organisers were compelled to cancel the programme. Deputy Commissioner of Chattogram Metropolitan Police (CMP) Alamgir Hossain confirmed the arrests and said the detainees were taken to the police station for interrogation. He alleged that “thevallies of fascists” were behind the attack and said that legal proceedings were underway against those arrested.  

A couple was stabbed allegedly by a thief  in Dhaka’s Chawkbazar area on Tuesday. The injured were identified as Abu Musa, 40, son of Samir Uddin and his wife Shahnaz Akter, 35 of Netrakona district and they live as tenant in Islambagh area of the capital. Quoting Sahida, sister of Shahnaz, Inspector Md Faruk, in-charge of Dhaka Medical College and Hospital police camp, said a young man with a knife attacked the couple around 6 am, leaving them injured. Later, the injured were taken to Dhaka Medical College and Hospital. Police arrested Shohagh, 19, in this connection, said Ashrafuzzaman, officer-in-charge of Chawkbazar Police Station. Police said Shohagh might have entered the house for stealing valuables and attacked the couple after being resisted by them.    

A 40-year-old man was killed allegedly by his maternal uncle in Dhaka’s Khilgaon area on Tuesday.The deceased was identified as Sumon Kazi, son of Ismail Gazi of Barishal district. He was a vegetable vendor and used to live in Meradia Maddhyapara area in Dhaka.Quoting Alamgir Kazi, elder brother of the deceased, inspector Faruk, in-charge of Dhaka Medical College and Hospital police camp, said Sumon locked into an altercation with his uncle Mostafa, 60, around 6 am at the residence of Mostafa. At one stage, he damaged the windowpanes and tore off the electric cables of the house.Angered by the incident, Mostafa along with his son Hridoy, Biplab, and daughter Tani hit Sumon with bricks, leaving him injured.Later, he was taken to Dhaka Medical College and Hospital where doctors declared him dead around 8:30 am.

The interim government has strongly condemned Wednesday’s attack on a peaceful gathering by a group of ethnic minority students in front of NTCB in Motijheel area of the capital. The government has ordered an investigation into the attack, and two persons have already been arrested in this connection, Chief Adviser's Deputy Press Secretary Abul Kalam Azad Majumder said on Thursday. Other perpetrators are being identified and will soon be arrested, he said. All miscreants will be brought to justice, according to a statement of the interim government. Read: Several injured in clash in front of NCTB office Imbibed in the true spirits of the July mass uprising, the government reiterated in unequivocal terms that there is no place for mob violence, racial hatred, and bigotry in Bangladesh. "The government warns that anyone involved in activities that harm harmony, peace, and law and order shall face stern actions without discrimination," the statement reads.

A student coordinator was injured in an attack in Patgram upazila of Lalmonirhat on Thursday morning. Police have arrested two individuals in connection with the incident. The victim, Golam Azam (24), was assaulted near his home in the Kotali area of the municipality while walking on the road. The attackers, identified as neighbors Dedul Mia (58), his son Sajib Mia alias Tiger (25) and Rahidul Islam (31), reportedly beat him over a personal dispute, according to police and locals. Azam’s elder brother, Masud Alam, filed a case over the incident and Patgram Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Ashrafuzzaman Sarkar confirmed the arrests of Sajib Mia alias Tiger and Dedul Mia later that day. Case filed over attack on Anti-discrimination Student Movement convoy in Bagerhat; 5 arrested Following the attack, Azam was rushed to the Patgram Upazila Health Complex by his family and locals. As his condition deteriorated, he was later transferred to Rangpur Medical College Hospital for advanced treatment. In response to the attack, the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement staged a protest march in the city and organized a rally at the Chowringhee intersection, demanding justice for the victim.

A car rammed into a bustling outdoor Christmas market in Magdeburg, eastern Germany, on Friday evening, leaving at least two people dead and over 60 injured in what authorities believe to be a deliberate act. The driver, arrested shortly after the incident, drove into the market around 7 p.m. as holiday shoppers crowded the area. Footage released by the German news agency dpa shows the suspect being apprehended, with a police officer pointing a handgun at him before other officers arrived to detain him. Among the deceased were an adult and a toddler, while 15 of the injured remain in critical condition. Authorities cautioned that additional fatalities could not be ruled out. Two Charged for Supplying Tech Used in Deadly Iran-Backed Drone Attack The incident devastated the city, with its mayor visibly emotional. In response, several other German towns canceled their weekend Christmas markets as a precaution and to show solidarity with Magdeburg. The suspect, identified as a 50-year-old Saudi doctor who has been living in Germany since 2006, practiced medicine in Bernburg, roughly 40 kilometers south of Magdeburg, according to Saxony-Anhalt's Interior Minister Tamara Zieschang. Officials believe he acted alone, with Saxony-Anhalt Governor Reiner Haseloff describing the tragedy as a “terrible loss.” Magdeburg, a city of 240,000 west of Berlin and Saxony-Anhalt’s capital, is no stranger to such violence. The attack comes eight years after an Islamic extremist killed 13 people by driving a truck into a Berlin Christmas market. Chhatra League and Teen Gang attack anti-discrimination student leaders in Kushtia Christmas markets are a beloved German tradition, cherished for centuries and integral to the festive season. However, despite assurances from German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser last month that there were no specific threats, the attack has cast a shadow over this year’s celebrations. Sirens echoed through Magdeburg’s streets on Friday, contrasting sharply with the market’s festive decorations. Resident Dorin Steffen described the scene as a “dark day,” adding, “We are shaking—full of sympathy for the victims and their families.” Flags will be lowered to half-staff across Saxony-Anhalt, with a memorial service planned at Magdeburg’s cathedral. Chancellor Olaf Scholz, NATO’s secretary-general, and other leaders expressed their condolences. Scholz tweeted: “My thoughts are with the victims and their loved ones.” Friday’s tragedy reverberated beyond Germany, with messages of solidarity pouring in from international leaders. Meanwhile, Bayern Munich’s CEO, Jan-Christian Dreesen, called for a moment of silence at the club’s stadium after a soccer match that evening. The city, state, and nation now grapple with the aftermath of what officials have called one of the darkest moments in Magdeburg’s history.      

Two people were injured in a violent attack allegedly carried out by their paternal cousins following a land dispute in the Alekharchar area of Cumilla’s Adarsha Sadar upazila on Friday. Locals said the victims are Mahbubur Rahman and his sister, Sheuli Akter. Armed attackers rob bank officials of Tk 7 lakh; 4 injured A video of the attack has gone viral on social media. Sheuli went to Kotwali Police Station to file a case over the matter but police denied to take the case on Saturday. When contacted on Saturday evening, officer-in-charge of the police station said, "The case is yet to be registered and we are looking into the matter." Witnesses said that the victims’ paternal cousins—Mazharul Haque, his son Mahi, and Mokhlesur Rahman—brutally assaulted Mahbubur with bamboo sticks. According to Sheuli, the trouble began when Mahbubur confronted them as they attempted to demolish a boundary wall she had built to protect her legally purchased property. “They attacked my brother with bamboo sticks and local weapons, causing serious injuries. He has been hospitalised with head injuries,” Sheuli said. She also alleged that the attackers demanded Tk 5 lakh as extortion and destroyed the boundary wall, resulting in a loss of Tk 1 lakh. Abdul Karim, Sheuli’s husband, said that their family has endured harassment and threats from the accused for several months. “Despite having all the legal documents in our names, they continue to verbally abuse and physically harm my wife’s family,” he emphasised, highlighting the prolonged nature of the conflict. When asked, Mokhlesur Rahman acknowledged that Sheuli is the legitimate owner of the disputed land but claimed that Mazharul Haque refuses to recognise her ownership. Five injured in attack at Narsingdi Bar Association office

KYIV, Ukraine,Aug 16(AP/UNB) Russia resumed its targeting of grain infrastructure in Ukraine's southern Odesa region, local officials said Wednesday, using drones in overnight strikes on storage facilities and ports along the Danube River that Kyiv has increasingly used for grain transport to Europe after Moscow broke off a key wartime export deal through the Black Sea. Read also:Ukraine accuses Russia of targeting rescue workers with consecutive missile strikes At the same time, a loaded container ship stuck at the port of Odesa since Russia's full-scale invasion more than 17 months ago set sail and was heading through the Black Sea to the Bosporus along a temporary corridor established by Ukraine for merchant shipping. Read also:Russia promises retaliation after Ukrainian drones hit a Russian tanker in 2nd sea attack in a day Ukraine's economy, crunched by the war, is heavily dependent on farming. Its agricultural exports, like those of Russia, are also crucial for world supplies of wheat, barley, sunflower oil and other food that developing nations rely on. Read also:US to send $200 million in military aid to Ukraine After the Kremlin tore up a month ago an agreement brokered last summer by the U.N. and Turkey to ensure safe Ukraine grain exports through the Black Sea, Kyiv has sought to reroute transport through the Danube and road and rail links into Europe. But transport costs that way are much higher, some European countries have balked at the consequences for local grain prices, and the Danube ports can't handle the same volume as seaports. Odesa Gov. Oleh Kiper said the primary targets of Russia's overnight drone bombardment were port terminals and grain silos, including at the ports in the Danube delta. Air defenses managed to intercept 13 drones, according to Kiper. It was the latest attack amid weeks of aerial strikes as Russia has targeted the Danube delta ports, which are only about 15 kilometers (10 miles) from the Romanian border. The Danube is Europe's second-longest river and a key transport route. Meanwhile, the container ship departing Odesa was the first vessel to set sail since July 16, according to Oleksandr Kubrakov, Ukraine's deputy prime minister. It had been stuck in Odesa since February 2022. The Hong Kong-flagged Joseph Schulte was traveling down a temporary corridor that Ukraine asked the International Maritime Organization to ratify. The United States has warned that the Russian military is preparing for possible attacks on civilian shipping vessels in the Black Sea. Sea mines also make the voyage risky, and ship insurance costs are likely to be high for operators. Ukraine told the IMO it would would "provide guarantees of compensation for damage." Last Sunday, a Russian warship fired warning shots at a Palau-flagged cargo ship in the south Black Sea. According to Russia's Defense Ministry, the Sukru Okan was heading northwards to the Ukrainian Danube River port of Izmail. Ship-tracking data analyzed by The Associated Press confirmed that the Joseph Schulte was steaming south. The Joseph Schulte is carrying more than 30,000 tons of cargo, with 2,114 containers, including food products, according to Kubrakov. He said the corridor will be primarily used to evacuate ships stuck in the Ukrainian ports of Chornomorsk, Odesa and Pivdennyi since the outbreak of war. On the war's front line, Ukrainian officials claimed another milestone in Kyiv's grinding counteroffensive, with Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar saying troops have retaken a village in the eastern Donetsk region. The village of Urozhaine is near Staromaiorske, a hamlet that Ukraine also claimed to have recaptured recently. The claims could not be independently verified. Ukraine appears to be trying to drive a wedge between Russian forces in the south, but it is up against strong defensive lines and is advancing without air support. Also Wednesday, the Russian military said it shot down three drones over the Kaluga region southwest of Moscow and blamed the attack on Ukraine. No damage or casualties were reported.

A leader of Swechasebak League was shot in an attack by miscreants over establishing supremacy in Bheramara upazila of Kushtia district on Wednesday night. The victim was identified as Sanjay Kumar Pramanik, 35, president of Bheramara upazila unit of Swechasebak League and son of Dulal Chandra Pramanik. Quoting witnesses, Zahurul Islam, officer-in-charge of Bheramara Police Station, said a group of miscreants opened fire on Sanjay and his followers when he was returning home from the party office around 11 pm, leaving him injured. Student injured in knife attack in Dhaka’s Mohammadpur Two supporters of Sanjay—Belal Hossain and Shyamol Sardar—were also injured in the attack. They were taken to Bheramara Upazila Health Complex from where the doctors referred Sanjay to Kushtia General Hospital due to deterioration of his condition. Belal, who was also injured in the attack, said that Mustafizur Rahman Shobhon, sports affairs secretary of district unit Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal’s (Jasad) Jubo Jote led 40-50 people in carrying out the attack on them. BCL attacks on Nurul Hoque Nur at DU; 20 hurt However, no complaint has been lodged yet and action will be taken after getting complaints from the victim, said OC. Attacks on sit-ins: BNP’s protest rally begins at Suhrawardy Udyan

A Dhaka court on Tuesday placed on a two-day remand the two accused who were arrested over attack on Hero Alam, an independent candidate of Dhaka-17 by-election. Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Arfatul Rakib passed the order. The investigating officer of the case, sub-inspector Noor Uddin of Banani Police Station, sought a seven-day remand for the accused- Chanoar Kazi and Biplab Hossain. Meanwhile, the court ordered sending other five accused - Mahmudul Hasan Mehdi, Mujahid Khan, Ashiq Sarkar, Hriday Sheikh, and Sohail Mollah- to jail. Action against those involved in Hero Alam assault: EC Alamgir Earlier on Monday, Hero Alam was physically assaulted while leaving a polling centre in Dhaka’s Banani area. He was taken to a hospital in Rampura around 5:30 pm. Those attacking Hero Alam were trying to make Dhaka-17 by-polls controversial: Arafat condemns incident Following the assault, Hero Alam's personal assistant filed a case at Banani police station accusing 15 to 20 unidentified individuals of perpetrating the attack. Earlier, Hero Alam alleged that his agents were being “barred from entering the polling stations” and that several of them were “harassed by AL activists and leaders.” 4 arrested over attack on Hero Alam