United News of Bangladesh

The government will provide food assistance for three months to farmers in haor regions affected by flashfloods and onrush of hilly water, Disaster Management and Relief Minister Asadul Habib Dulu said on Sunday. As per the directives of the Prime Minister the food assistance will be provided to the affected farmers, he said. The Agriculture Ministry has also been instructed to take rehabilitation measures, he said while speaking as the chief guest at the inauguration of ‘Bidyanondo Self-Employment Project 2026’ Shaheed Abul Kashem College ground in Lalmonirhat district. Lists of affected farmers are being prepared in districts including Kishoreganj, Netrokona, Sunamganj, Habiganj, Sylhet and Brahmanbaria, said the minister. Besides, special cards will be issued to enlisted farmers, enabling them to receive monthly assistance, he said. The formal launch of the programme will take place on May 6 in Sunamganj, he added. Bidyanondo Foundation distributed income-generating support materials among 101 underprivileged families. The assistance included shop goods, vans, cattle and sewing machines aimed at improving livelihoods.

An unidentified man was killed after being hit by a train while walking along railway tracks in Shambhuganj railway station area of Mymensingh on Sunday morning. Haor Express passenger train which had departed from Mohanganj in Netrokona in the morning was heading towards Dhaka. The train hit the man, aged around 50, leaving him dead on the spot around 10 am, said Md Akhtar Hossain, Mymensingh Railway Police Station Officer-in-Charge(OC). Efforts are underway to identify him, he said.

A young man was found hanging at his house in the city’s Railway New Colony on Sunday morning. The deceased was identified as Nazmul Hossain, 35, son of Ali Ahmed Farazi of the colony. Inspector (Investigation) of Sadar Police Station Mizanur Rahman said the youth had sought Tk 2,500 from his father on Friday night. As the father refused to pay the sum, he left the house and remained missing. 8 workers killed in truck-pickup collision in Sylhet “Such incidents of leaving home had occurred before as well,” he said, adding that the family had not maintained contact with him after he left. On Sunday morning, the father went out to look for him and found him hanging inside the house. On information, police recovered the body around 10:00am and sent it to Khulna Medical College Hospital for autopsy.

The body of a local Krishak Dal leader was exhumed following a court order, around 14 months after his burial in Terbeki of Lakshmipur municipality on Sunday. The body of Shahadat Hossain Parash, former vice-president of the district unit Krishak Dal, was exhumed around 11:30am from the family graveyard . Executive Magistrate Hasan Muhammad Nahid Sheikh Sumon and Medical Officer of Lakshmipur Sadar Hospital Arman Hossain were present during the exhumation. Parash, son of Jalal Uddin of Shamsherabad area, died in Jorarganj Mostan Nagar area of Chattogram district on March 7 last year. According to family members, after returning from abroad, Parash had gone to Chattogram with his friend Mohon to purchase a soil excavation vacuum machine. He was carrying Tk 10 lakh for purchasing the machine at the time. The body was sent to Lakshmipur Sadar Hospital morgue for autopsy and it will be reburied after the examination, said Nahid Sheikh.

A septuagenarian man was killed after a bus and a truck collided on the Magura-Dhaka highway in Magura Sadar upazila on Sunday morning. The deceased was identified as Abdul Kuddus, 75, a resident of Gopinathpur village in the upazila. Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Sadar Police Station Ashiqur Rahman said the bus-truck collision took place in front of the Primary Teachers Training Institute around 8:00am, causing both vehicles to lose control. 8 workers killed in truck-pickup collision in Sylhet At that time, Kuddus, who was standing by the road, was hit by the truck, leaving him critically injured. Locals rushed him to Magura 250-bed Hospital where he was declared brought dead.

A child undergoing treatment with measles-like symptoms at Rangpur Medical College Hospital has died. The deceased, identified as Zakir, aged 22 months, died at the hospital’s paediatric isolation ward around 8:00pm on Saturday, Dr ANM Tanvir Chowdhury, assistant professor of the paediatrics department at hospital, said on Sunday morning. According to hospital sources, Zakir, son of Sabuj Mia of Ulipur in Kurigram, was admitted to the hospital on the night of April 30 with measles-like symptoms. Meanwhile, sources at the office of the divisional health director said 49 new patients with symptoms consistent with measles were identified across the Rangpur division in the last 24 hours till Sunday morning. Of the newly identified patients, 30 were admitted to Dinajpur General Hospital and 19 to Rangpur Medical College Hospital, according to health officials.

A man and his brother-in-law were killed as a truck crashed into their motorcycle in Nachole upazila of Chapainawabganj early Sunday. The deceased were identified as Rabiul Islam Jisan, 27, son of Mozzammel of Balutungi village in Shibganj, and his brother-in-law (wife’s brother) Sohagh Hossain, 17, son of Abdus Salam of Azipur village in Nachole. The accident occurred around 5:45am in the Benipur area of the upazila. Officer-in-Charge Sukomal Debnath of Nachole Police Station said Rabiul and Sohagh were travelling on a motorcycle from Nachole toward Dhansura in the early morning. When they reached Benipur, a truck coming from the opposite direction hit their bike, leaving both critically injured, he said. They were rescued and taken to Nachole Upazila Health Complex, where doctors declared them dead, the OC said, adding that they seized the truck involved in the accident. The bodies were later handed over to their families, he added.

The death toll from a head-on collision between a truck and a pickup van in South Surma upazila of Sylhet has risen to nine, as another victim succumbed to his injuries. The deceased was identified as Ramim Mia, 50, son of Alimuddin of Bhatipara in Dirai upazila of Sunamganj. He died around 10:30pm while undergoing treatment at Sylhet MAG Osmani Medical College Hospital. Earlier, at least eight construction workers, including two women, were killed and 10–12 others injured in the collision in South Surma upazila on Sunday morning. The victims were Suruj Ali, 60, son of Fakhrul Ali, Munni, 26, daughter of Basir Mia, Faridul, 35, son of Nur Salam of Dirai upazila, Nargis, 45, wife of Idris Mia of Dharmapasha upazila, Azir Uddin, 40 of Bishwambharpur upazila in Sunamganj district, and Amiruddin, 35, Badrul Zaman, 40, son of Surut Ali, and Pandab Biswas, 20, son of Kutir Biswas of Companyganj upazila in Sylhet. The accident occurred around 6:15am on the Dhaka-Sylhet Highway in the Telibazar area. According to locals, a pickup carrying 20-22 construction workers was heading towards Sunamganj from Sylhet when it collided with a truck loaded with jackfruits coming from the opposite direction. Md Monjurul Alam, additional deputy commissioner (Media) of Sylhet Metropolitan Police, said the deceased include two women. Four people died on the spot following the crash, while three others succumbed to their injuries at Sylhet MAG Osmani Medical College Hospital (SOMCH), he said, adding that another victim died while undergoing treatment at Sylhet Women's Medical College Hospital. The injured were admitted to different hospitals. Khadija, wife of deceased Badrul, who was travelling with him, survived with serious injuries. The couple, both construction workers, had set out together for work as usual. Family members said Badrul died on the spot after a construction mixer machine fell on him when the pickup overturned during the crash. Brig Gen Umar Rashed Munir, director of SOMCH, said the injured are being provided with necessary medical care. Police seized both vehicles involved in the accident. They also arrested the assistant of the truck driver while the trucker managed to flee. Deputy Director of Sylhet Fire Service Shafiqul Islam Bhuiyan said preliminary findings suggest the accident occurred as the bus driver fell asleep at the steering. Ashraful Islam, Officer-in-Charge of South Surma Police Station, said all the victims were construction workers and an investigation is underway to determine the exact cause of the accident. Thirteen construction workers were killed and 13 others injured in a truck-pickup collision near Nazirbazar in South Surma upazila of the district on June 7, 2023.  

As Bangladesh grapples with a fuel shortage affecting irrigation and farm operations, a man from Kushtia’s Daulatpur upazila has drawn attention with a claim of producing alternative diesel from burnt Mobil oil. Monirul Islam, who has been researching diesel engines for over a decade, says he has developed a process he calls the “Method of Alternative Diesel” (MAD). According to him, the fuel is made by mixing burnt mobil oil with a small amount —just 100 milligrams—of a special booster ingredient. Crude oil crisis: Bangladesh’s only refinery faces imminent shutdown after April 10 He claims the mixture can be used in diesel-powered engines as a substitute fuel. Monirul said his journey began in 2007 when he was working as a teacher. He later left his job to pursue research full-time. Drawing on his experience, including work in China, he said he was able to achieve a practical application of his method only a few months ago. Local farmer Akram Hossain said he has already used the fuel and found it helpful during the diesel shortage. He said mixing 100 milligrams of the booster with five litres of burnt Mobil oil produces the equivalent of about seven litres of diesel, allowing him to continue irrigation. Despite the interest, experts have urged caution. Zahidul Haque, head of the Farm Machinery Department at Hossainabad Technical School and College, said that while the initiative appears cost-effective, there could be risks of engine damage. He noted that its reliability cannot be confirmed without proper testing. Upazila Agriculture Officer Rehana Parvin said the effectiveness of the fuel is being verified at the field level under the supervision of the Agriculture Office. If proven successful, she believes it could help reduce farmers’ production costs. Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Anindya Guha described the initiative as promising in the context of the current diesel crisis. He said the matter would be reported to higher authorities for further steps. While questions remain over its long-term viability, the innovation has sparked local interest. Many hope it could offer some relief to farmers if further testing validates it.

More than 50 leaders and activists of Gono Odhikar Parishad and Jubo Odhikar Parishad formally joined the National Citizen Party (NCP) in Barishal on Saturday. They joined the party at an event held at Barishal Press Club around noon, where NCP's Barishal district convener Abu Sayeed Musa welcomed them into the party born out of the July 2024 Uprising with flowers. Musa said that over a hundred activists from different political parties filled out membership forms on the day and were inducted into the NCP. Notable among the new members are Sirajul Islam, president of Babuganj upazila unit of Gono Odhikar Parishad, and its general secretary Masum Howlader. Others include Zahidul Islam Riyad, president of Babuganj upazila Jubo Odhikar Parishad, and Anisur Rahman Khan, general secretary of Kedarpur union unit, along with leaders and activists from Wazirpur, Gournadi, Mehendiganj and Muladi upazilas. Among those present at the event were Abu Sayeed Khan Ferdous, member secretary of NCP Barishal district; senior joint member secretary Abed Ahmed Rony; Nafisa Mustari, central senior joint chief organiser of Jatiya Nari Shakti; organisational secretaries Asif Ali and Imran Hossain; and office secretary Nazmul Hasan, among others.