United News of Bangladesh

A rare Bengal slow loris, locally known as Lojjabati Banor, has been rescued in Chauddagram upazila of Cumilla. The endangered animal was spotted on Tuesday afternoon at Baidderkhil village, a border-adjacent area under Chauddagram municipality. According to local sources, resident Abdul Momin first noticed the animal and safely captured it before informing the authorities. Following the report, Arafat Hossain, team leader of the Chauddagram Quick Response Team (QRT), took custody of the slow loris through the upazila administration. On Wednesday morning, the animal was handed over to the Upazila Livestock Office for examination and treatment. Following medical care, it was returned to the upazila administration, which subsequently transferred it to the local Forest Department, said Upazila Livestock Officer Dr Abdullah Al Mamun Shagar. "We suspect the slow loris may have suffered an electric shock," he said. Chauddagram Forest Officer Md Shahin Alam said the animal is currently under the department's care and is now in good health. “It will be released into a suitable habitat once it is fully cured," he added. Upazila Nirbahi Officer Md Shahadat Hossen said the endangered animal was handed over to the Forest Department after necessary treatment and that the department would take further steps regarding its release.

Two people were killed in separate lightning strikes in Chapainawabganj Sadar upazila on Wednesday afternoon. The victims were identified as Miraj, son of Md Babu of Bhabanipur village, and Munirul Islam, son of Md Mangal Hossain of Shiala Colony village under Chapainawabganj municipality. Family members said Miraj was packing mangoes in an orchard around 4:00pm when lightning struck him. Locals rescued and took him to Chapainawabganj District Hospital, where doctors declared him dead upon arrival. Two farmers killed in lightning strikes in Mymensingh In a separate incident around 3:00pm, Munirul was struck by a thunderstorm while standing near his house. Relatives rushed him to the same hospital, where he was also pronounced dead. Officer-in-Charge of Chapainawabganj Sadar Model Police Station Md Ekramul Hossain said police visited the locations after receiving the information and were taking necessary legal steps.

Over 50 people were injured in a clash between two groups in Sadar upazila of Habiganj on Wednesday following a dispute stemming from a local friendly football match between two teams named after Argentina and Brazil. The incident took place around noon at Kashipur village under Lokra union. According to locals, two groups of youths from the village played a friendly football match on Tuesday afternoon, with the teams competing under the names "Argentina" and "Brazil." The Argentina team won the match 2-0, prompting celebrations by its supporters. 9 shops gutted in Habiganj fire The celebrations led to an argument between supporters of the two sides. Local elders intervened and settled the matter at night. However, both groups again became involved in a heated exchange on Wednesday morning, which later escalated into a clash. A chase and counter-chase took place during the melee that continued for nearly an hour, leaving more than 50 people injured. The injured were taken to Habiganj Sadar Hospital, from where several of them were sent to Sylhet MAG Osmani Medical College Hospital for advanced treatment. Officer-in-Charge of Habiganj Sadar Model Police Station Md Jahidul Haque said the situation in the area remained under control.

The body of a teenage girl was found in a sack with her hands tied in the Padma River in Sadar upazila of Pabna on Wednesday. The deceased was identified as Riya, a resident of Raghabpur area in Sadar upazila of the district. The body was recovered from the river at Balrampur-Pirpur under Bharara union of the upazila around 10:00am. Police said the victim was believed to be aged between 14 and 16 years. A silver chain was found around her neck, while a shopping bag was tied around her neck before the body was placed inside a sack. Locals said farmers heading to work in a nearby char area spotted a sack floating in the river. Out of suspicion, they approached it and discovered the body inside before informing police. Locals also reported seeing an unidentified private car in the area around 10:30pm on Tuesday.  They claimed four young men were inside the vehicle, which reportedly broke down while leaving the area and had to be pushed to the Balrampur embankment with the help of local residents. Locals alleged that the girl was raped and murdered before her body was dumped in the river using the vehicle seen in the area on Tuesday night. They said the circumstances surrounding the incident could become clearer if CCTV footage from nearby Char Balrampur High School is examined. Police, however, have not yet confirmed the allegations. Officer-in-Charge of Pabna Sadar Police Station Tariqul Islam said the motive behind the killing remains unclear. "We are investigating the incident and working to uncover the mystery behind the murder," he said.  

Local administration on Wednesday relocated the lone crocodile from the historic pond of Khan Jahan Ali's shrine in Bagerhat to a wildlife rehabilitation centre in Khulna following the death of an eight-year-old girl in an attack by the crocodile. The decision was taken at an emergency meeting convened by the district administration on Tuesday night to review safety measures at the shrine and its surrounding areas. Body of girl recovered hours after crocodile attack in Bagerhat A specialised team from the Forest Department removed the female crocodile from the pond on Wednesday afternoon and transported it to the Khulna Wildlife Breeding and Rehabilitation Centre, officials said. According to the Forest Department, the crocodile is about 45 years old, weighs around 600 kilograms and measures 9 feet 3 inches in length. Deputy Commissioner Golam Mohammad Baten said the crocodile was the last one remaining in the pond and was removed considering public safety following the fatal attack. “At the emergency meeting, we discussed public safety and decided to relocate the animal to prevent any recurrence of such incidents,” he said. He added that the crocodile could be returned to the pond in the future if a secure enclosure is constructed based on expert recommendations. Earlier on Monday, Fatema Akter was attacked while bathing at the women's ghat of the pond Local residents later recovered her body from the pond early Tuesday. Md Rezaul Karim Chowdhury, divisional forest officer (DFO) of the Sundarbans East Division, said the crocodile was taken from the eastern bank of the pond and shifted to the rehabilitation centre in Khulna in line with the district administration's decision. “The crocodile is healthy and will remain at the rehabilitation centre until a suitable protected facility is established at the shrine pond. Subject to expert opinion, it may be brought back in the future,” he said. The pond at the Khan Jahan Ali shrine, believed to be nearly 600 years old, has long been a major attraction for visitors from home and abroad. For decades, pilgrims and tourists visiting the shrine have regarded the crocodiles as part of the site's cultural and religious heritage. Many visitors traditionally offered food including ducks and chickens to the reptiles after making vows at the shrine. According to Forest Department sources, two crocodiles had lived in the pond since 2005. The male crocodile died in October 2023. The crocodiles were among a group of freshwater crocodiles gifted to Bangladesh by the Indian government in 2005 to support conservation and breeding efforts. Six of them were released into the Khan Jahan Ali shrine pond, while others were sent to Dhaka Zoo and Dulahazra Safari Park.

A fire gutted two shops that broke out at Jaliapara Bazar in Guimara upazila of Khagrachhari district early Wednesday. The fire broke out at the bazar around 3:45 am and engulfed two shops, said Jane Alam, acting in-charge of Matiranga Fire Service and Civil Defence. On information, a firefighting unit from Matiranga Fire Service and Civil Defence, along with army personnel from the Sindukchhari Zone, rushed to the spot and extinguished the blaze after some time. The fire gutted valuables at a restaurant and an oil shop. The affected shop owners claimed that valuables worth around Tk 50 lakh were damaged in the fire. The blaze might have originated from an electrical short circuit, said Jane Alam.

A woman and an ambulance driver were killed and four others injured when a bus rammed into an ambulance carrying the body of her husband on the Narail–Jashore Highway in Sadar upazila on Wednesday. The deceased were identified as Nurjahan Begum, 45, wife of Ismail Hossain of Jashore district, and Akbar Hossain, 32, an ambulance driver from Lakshmipur district. Nurjahan, along with other family members, had hired an ambulance to take the body of her husband, Ismail, to their home village from Rajarbagh Police Lines in the capital, said Ajay Kumar Kundu, officer-in-charge of Sadar Police Station. When the ambulance reached the area near Badshah Garage, a Kalna-bound bus hit it at around 9 am, leaving Nurjahan dead on the spot and injuring five others. The injured were taken to Jashore Medical College Hospital, where doctors declared Akbar dead. On information, police recovered the bodies and seized both vehicles.

Import and export with India through Sonamasjid land port in Chapainawabganj resumed on Wednesday following the Eid-ul-Azha holiday break. According to port  officials, all types of cross-border trade between Bangladesh and India through the port remained suspended for eight consecutive days from May 26 to June 2 . With the holiday period ending, the movement of goods officially returned to normal operations from Wednesday morning, the officials said. Sonamasjid Land Port C&F Agents Association Secretary Ruhul Amin said full-scale business activities have restarted after the break, bringing back momentum to traders and workers associated with the port. He also noted that during the holiday period, the immigration checkpoint at the port remained open, allowing normal movement of passport-holding passengers between the two countries.

A nine-year-old Bangladeshi child was killed after an abandoned mortar shell exploded near the Bangladesh-Myanmar border in Naikhongchhari upazila of Bandarban district on Tuesday. The deceased was identified as Suminaiang Tanchangya, 9, son of Kinghla Tanchangya of Baishfari Tanchangya village. The incident occurred around 1:30pm between border pillars 39 and 40 near Baishfari along the Ghumdhum border. Confirming the incident, Ramu Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) Sector Commander Colonel Mohiuddin Ahmed said the child died when an abandoned mortar shell exploded in the border area. BGB members and police recovered the body. Local residents and public representatives said the child went to work in a jhum cultivation field with his mother. Around noon, he reportedly found an abandoned mortar shell near the border fence. The child later took the unexploded shell to a makeshift hut in the jhum field and began playing with it. The shell suddenly exploded, killing him on the spot, they said. Officer-in-Charge of Naikhongchhari Police Station Mozammel Haque said the child was working in a jhum field near the Myanmar border when the incident occurred.

A college student was killed and three others were injured in a clash triggered by a trivial dispute over music played on a sound system and photography arrangements at a wedding ceremony in Netrakona Sadar upazila. One person has been detained for questioning in connection with the incident. The clash took place around 11:45 pm on Monday at Sangsad Bazar area under Challisha Union. The deceased was identified as Mostafa Amir Faisal, 20, son of Nazrul Islam of  Bamnikona village and a Class XII student of Netrakona Abu Abbas Degree College. According to locals and police, a wedding ceremony of Shabana, daughter of Idris Ali of Sangsad Bazar area, was underway. A sound system had been arranged to play music and photographs and videos were being taken during the ceremony. At one stage, Faisal’s cousin Robin attended the event with several friends and started singing and dancing. They were asked to leave the venue, leading to an altercation between the two sides. Witnesses said Robin initially left the scene but later returned with family members and associates. When Faisal and his relatives inquired about the dispute, a clash broke out between the two groups. Faisal, his cousin Robin Hasan, 19, Abdullah Al Fahim alias Sourav, 18, and his uncle Sadekul Islam, 45, were injured in the violence. The injured were first taken to Netrakona Modern Sadar Hospital. As the condition of Faisal and Sadekul deteriorated after primary treatment, they were referred to Mymensingh Medical College Hospital. Faisal died while undergoing treatment at around 2:30 am. Swajal Kumar Sarkar, Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP), confirmed the matter. Several others were injured in the incident, he said, adding that Faisal’s body has been kept at a morgue for autopsy and drives are underway to arrest the remaining suspects.