United News of Bangladesh

Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD) has forecast rains  in many places of the country in 24 hours commencing 9 am on Tuesday. According to a Met Office bulletin, light to moderate rain or thundershowers may occur at many places over Rangpur, Mymensingh, Khulna, Barishal, Chattogram and Sylhet divisions. Rains are also expected at a few places over Rajshahi and Dhaka divisions, while moderately heavy to heavy rainfall may occur at isolated locations across the country, the bulletin added. Day and night temperatures are likely to remain nearly unchanged over the country.

Rain accompanied by temporary gusty winds and lightning flashes may drench parts of Bangladesh in 24 hours from 9 am on Monday, according to the Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD). Light to moderate rain or thundershowers are likely at many places over Rangpur, Dhaka, Mymensingh, Chattogram and Sylhet divisions, said a Met office bulletin. The Met office also forecast rain at a few places over Rajshahi, Khulna and Barishal divisions, with moderately heavy to heavy falls in some areas across the country. Day and night temperatures are expected to remain nearly unchanged nationwide, it added. The country’s highest 24-hour rainfall was recorded at 79mm in Netrokona till 6 am on Monday. Meanwhile, the maximum temperature was recorded at 36.3°C in Pabna’s Ishwardi on Sunday. The BMD said a trough persists from Gangetic West Bengal to the northwest Bay of Bengal. It added that the monsoon is fairly active over Bangladesh and weak to moderate over the North Bay.

US Ambassador to Bangladesh Brent T. Christensen on Sunday joined the closing ceremony of "The Art of the Deal: American Excellence in Negotiation Skills" at Hotel Six Seasons, Gulshan, Dhaka. He recognised a new generation of Bangladeshi leaders equipped with communication, leadership, and negotiation skills, said U.S. Mission Spokesperson Poornima Rai. Supported by a U.S. English Language Specialist, Joanne Munisteri, the four-day program trained 60 alumni of the Access English program from Dhaka, Chattogram, and Sylhet. The curriculum incorporated principles from President Trump's The Art of the Deal alongside broader American methodologies in negotiation and leadership development.

Defying heavy rain and gloomy weather, nearly one lakh devotees joined the 199th Eid-ul-Azha congregation at the historic Sholakia Eidgah Maidan in Kishoreganj on Thursday under a high security arrangement. The Eid jamaat began at 9:00am with Mufti Abul Khair Mohammad Saifullah, khatib of the Borobazar Mosque, leading the prayers. Devotees from different districts of the country as well as Muslims from other countries took part in the congregation at the historic Eidgah. Since early morning, streams of worshippers carrying prayer mats gathered at the Eidgah despite continuous rainfall, turning the venue into a blend of religious devotion and long-standing tradition. Following the tradition of Sholakia Eidgah, three blank shots were fired before the prayers to signal preparation for the congregation. Authorities took extensive security measures centring the Eid jamaat. Every devotee was searched before entering the ground, while large numbers of Police, Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) and Ansar personnel were deployed. Security was further strengthened with plainclothes intelligence surveillance, CCTV cameras across the ground and entry points, four watch towers and drone monitoring systems. Volunteers and medical teams remained on duty to assist worshippers, while arrangements for safe drinking water were also made. To ease transportation for devotees travelling from distant areas, two special trains named ‘Sholakia Express’ operated on the occasion. Many worshippers said they travelled from different parts of the country believing that prayers offered at the massive Sholakia congregation carry special spiritual significance. Kishoreganj-1 MP Mazharul Islam said nearly one lakh devotees offered Eid prayers together at the congregation this year. He also said State Minister for Textiles and Jute Md Shariful Alam has already discussed renovation and development of the historic Eidgah ground with the relevant ministry, expressing hope that improvement works would be completed before Eid-ul-Fitr next year. Kishoreganj Superintendent of Police Md Mizanur Rahman said the Eid congregation was held in a peaceful atmosphere with the highest level of security arrangements. Special munajat was offered after the prayers seeking peace, prosperity and wellbeing for the country, the nation and the Muslim Ummah across the world. The Eidgah was established in 1828 by Dewan Haybat Khan Bahadur, the sixth descendant of Masnad-e-Ala Isa Khan, after the establishment of the Kishoreganj zamindari. Built on nearly seven acres of land beside the Narsunda River at the eastern edge of Kishoreganj town, the field was initially named “Sowa Lakhhi Maidan” after around 125,000 worshippers attended the first congregation there. Over time, the name evolved into Sholakia Maidan.

Women passengers will have access to dedicated coaches on every intercity train in Bangladesh on a phased basis following Eid-ul-Azha, Railway Minister Shaikh Rabiul Alam announced Monday. Speaking after inaugurating a 25 percent fare discount programme for elderly and physically disabled passengers at the Farmgate Metro Rail Station, the minister said the initiative launched initially on the Sonar Bangla Express and Joyantika Express, would be gradually extended to all intercity trains across the country. Ferry ghat officials removed, fined for overcharging eid travellers "A dedicated coach exclusively for female passengers has been reserved on these two trains from today. After Eid, we plan to roll out this facility across all intercity trains in phases," he said. The minister said the move was taken on the directive of Prime Minister Tarique Rahman ahead of the upcoming Eid-ul-Azha to ensure safe and comfortable travel for women, adding that the arrangement would eventually be made permanent. Rabiul said the current government is working to make the public transport system more humane, inclusive and people-friendly, and is continuously introducing new measures to ensure social security and civic convenience. Metro Rail, Railway Fare Discounts The Dhaka Metro Rail authority said passengers aged 65 and above and persons with disabilities will receive a 25 percent discount on single-journey tickets, elderly riders upon showing their National Identity Card, and disabled passengers upon presenting the 'Subarna' identity card issued by the Ministry of Social Welfare. Bangladesh Railway said elderly passengers can purchase discounted tickets both online and at counters, with age verification conducted through NID data for online purchases. Standard service charges, VAT and other applicable fees will remain in effect. For persons with disabilities, the existing 50 percent fare concession on Sulav and Shovon classes of intercity trains will continue, while a new 25 percent discount has been introduced across all air-conditioned classes. Officials believe the initiative will make the country's public transport system significantly more inclusive and passenger-friendly.

A total of 550 individuals received training under the “Project for Capacity Building of Nursing Services Phase 2 (CBNS-II),” a technical cooperation initiative jointly implemented by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). A dissemination seminar was held on Thursday at Windy Town of the Bangladesh-China Friendship Conference Centre (BCFCC) in Sher-e-Bangla Nagar, Dhaka, highlighting its achievements, activities and lessons learned. The seminar also introduced the “CBNS Model” as a sustainable framework aimed at strengthening nursing education and clinical nursing practice in Bangladesh. Implemented from 2022 to 2026, the CBNS-II project focused on strengthening implementation systems for nursing education and clinical nursing practice through collaboration with eight divisional-level public nursing colleges, partner hospitals and relevant institutions, including the Directorate General of Nursing and Midwifery (DGNM), Bangladesh Nursing and Midwifery Council (BNMC) and the Health Ministry. The project aims to improve healthcare services for patients through enhanced nursing capacity and professional development. Dr Syeda Naushin Parnini, Additional Secretary of the Medical Education and Family Welfare Division said JICA has long been a trusted development partner of Bangladesh. She said the CBNS-II project implemented a unique cascade training model involving Master Trainers (MTs) and Clinical Nurse Teachers (CNTs) to strengthen the professional capacity of nursing personnel. Morikawa Yuko, Senior Representative of JICA, said the seminar aimed to share the project’s achievements and lessons more widely among practitioners and policymakers so that the initiatives could be expanded beyond the project sites. Under the project, various capacity-building initiatives were conducted in areas such as faculty development, clinical nurse teacher training, nursing administration and management, and inter-institutional mutual learning. A total of 64 Master Trainers and 486 Clinical Nurse Teachers received training under the programme. Based on project experiences and lessons learned, the CBNS-II project developed the “CBNS Model”, designed to support sustainable nursing capacity strengthening in Bangladesh. The model includes four key components — capacity development through cascade training, improved training methodologies, stronger collaboration between nursing colleges and hospitals, and quality improvement through mutual learning among institutions. Representatives from nursing colleges, medical college hospitals, professional organisations, government institutions and development partners attended the seminar to exchange experiences and discuss future strategies for strengthening nursing human resources in Bangladesh.

Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD) has predicted rains coupled with lightning in 24 hours commencing 8 am on Monday “Rain/thunder showers accompanied by temporary gusty/squally wind and lightning flashes is likely to occur at one or two places over Rangpur, Rajshahi, Mymensingh & Sylhet divisions,” said a Met office bulletin . Weather may remain mainly dry with temporary partly cloudy sky elsewhere over the country. Dhaka’s air ranks 2nd worst globally Day and night temperature may rise slightly over the country. The trough of westerly low lies over west Bengal and adjoining area. A low pressure area is likely to form over Southwest Bay and adjoining area during next 48 hrs, said BMD on Sunday.

Light to moderate rain or thunder showers accompanied by temporary gusty or squally winds and lightning flashes are likely in different parts of the country in 24 hours commencing 9am on Saturday, according to Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD) . The Met Office said many places in Mymensingh, Dhaka, Barishal, Chattogram and Sylhet divisions are expected to experience rainfall and a few places in Rangpur, Rajshahi and Khulna divisions may also see similar weather condition, it said. Moderately heavy to very heavy rainfall is likely at places over Mymensingh, Chattogram and Sylhet divisions, the forecast added. Day and night temperatures may remain nearly unchanged across the country.

A 60-year-old woman was killed and two children were injured after a wall collapsed due to heavy rainfall in Karnaphuli upazila of Chattogram on Wednesday afternoon. The deceased was identified as Delowara Begum, wife of late Fazal Ahmed, a resident of Shikalbaha Masterhat area. Family members said a roadside wall collapsed following heavy rain around 4 pm , trapping Delowara underneath. Mohammad Shamiur Rahman, in-charge of Shikalbaha police outpost, said Delowara was rushed to Chattogram Medical College Hospital in critical condition where she later died. Officer-in-Charge of Karnaphuli Police Station Md Shahinur Alam said police have been sent to both the scene and the hospital after receiving information about the incident. Necessary legal steps will be taken in this regard, he added.

Boro cultivation in the haor areas of Habiganj is facing challenges due to a fuel crisis and excessive rainfall while a sharp fall in paddy prices has deepened farmers’ distress. Besides, Boro paddy is currently selling at around Tk 700 per maund in local markets—less than half of the government-fixed rate, said farmers. The government has set the procurement price at Tk 36 per kg, equivalent to Tk 1,440 per maund but farmers say they are being forced to sell at even lower prices in the field. This season, heavy rain and hailstorms submerged vast tracts of Boro fields across the district. Water has yet to recede in many areas, while in some places it continues to rise, further complicating harvesting efforts. The situation has been worsened by an acute shortage of fuel, disrupting mechanised harvesting. In Baniachong upazila, the district’s main Boro-producing upazila, only 27 percent of paddy have been harvested as of April 23—15 percentage points lower than the same period last year. Local trader Suman Ahmed, owner of Bismillah Store in Baniachong sadar, said they were buying paddy from small traders at Tk 700 per maund, while farmers were selling at even lower prices. According to Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) data, Boro was cultivated on 123,644 hectares of land across nine upazilas in the district this season, falling short of the target by 204 hectares. Of the total, 46,954 hectares are in haor areas, with the highest 33,700 hectares in Baniachong alone. Alok Kumar Chand, sub-assistant plant protection officer at the Baniachong upazila Agriculture Office, said there are 106 combine harvesters in the upazila. While around 10,000 litres of fuel are required daily, only about 1,000 litres are being supplied, making it difficult to keep the machines operational, he said. In many cases, harvesters cannot even enter fields due to standing water. Farmers said they are unable to obtain fuel from filling stations despite having fuel cards, forcing them to buy at higher prices in open market. Shahid Chowdhury, a farmer from Kumri village, said he was struggling to harvest his crop due to waterlogged fields and fuel shortages. “I didn’t get a single drop of fuel from the pump,” he said. Authorities urged farmers in haor areas to harvest paddy quickly amid fears of flooding, but a shortage of labour has further compounded the crisis. Government data shows that around 80 percent of haor paddy has been harvested using machines in recent years. However, the ongoing fuel shortage and adverse weather have severely disrupted that process this season. According to the Department of Agricultural Rehabilitation, significant areas of Boro crops in six upazilas have been damaged by rains. These include 248 hectares in Baniachong, 154 hectares in Ajmiriganj, 90 hectares in Habiganj Sadar, 25 hectares in Lakhai, 20 hectares in Nabiganj and 19 hectares in Chunarughat. Farmers fear that without urgent and effective measures, Boro production in the haor region could suffer major losses this season.