United News of Bangladesh

Three people were killed and one was injured in a collision involving three vehicles on the Dhaka-Bangabandhu Bridge highway at Kalihati in Tangail on Friday morning. Witnesses said the accident occurred when a Dhaka-bound covered-van collided head-on with a truck and then a Jamalpur-bound bus crashed into them on the highway around 10:30 am, leaving one dead on spot and three others injured. Read: Two die in Naogaon road crash Later, the three injured were taken to Tangail General Hospital in a critical condition where two others succumbed to their injuries. SI Nazmul Islam of Bangabandhu Bridge East Police said the injured was undergoing treatment in the hospital. Read: CMCH doctor dies from road crash injuries

Two youths died and another sustained injuries after being allegedly attacked by a gang of robbers on a Dewanganj-bound train on Thursday night. The deceased were identified as Md Nahid Hasan (24) and Sagar (25). The injured passenger, Rubel (22), is recuperating at Jamalpur Sadar Hospital. Police said the trio came under attack when they tried to nab the robbers. The robbers had climbed on top of the train and started robbing passengers travelling on the roof. Also read: Robbery at Sylhet ATM booth: 3 held in Dhaka, Habiganj Faruq, who was also travelling on the train top, said as soon as the train left Gafargaon station, four to five robbers attacked the passengers sitting on the roof with knives. "They snatched my cellphone,” he said. Sub-inspector Sohel Rana of Jamalpur railway police station said the passengers were attacked by some muggers. Also read: 4 arrested over Chapai bus robbery Around 10 pm when the train reached Jamalpur station, police rushed the three severely injured passengers to Sadar Hospital. Two of them were, however, declared dead on arrival. The bodies were sent for post-mortem. "Efforts are on to nab the robbers," Sohel said.

Within two weeks of the reopening of schools in the country, five students of classes IV and V have tested positive for Covid at a primary school in Thakurgaon sadar upazila. This has prompted the authorities to suspend all classes of IV and V grades at Bahadurpara Government Primary School in Thakurgaon sadar upazila with effect from Thursday. School principal Farhana Parvin said that samples of the five girl students -- two studying in class IV and three in class V -- were sent for Covid-19 test on Monday. The results came a day later.  "All the five students have been staying at a government orphanage -- Thakurgaon Government Shishu Poribar (girls) -- and of them, three are aged between 10 and 12 years," said the principal. Also read: Schoolgirl dies with Covid symtomps in Manikganj “Following a verbal direction from the higher authorities, we have suspended all classes of IV and V grades,” she added. There are 426 students in the school and of them, 84 are in class IV and 74 in fifth grade. Meanwhile, the deputy administrator of the orphanage said that on September 17, only one student of Hajipara Adarsha High School had fever and cold, and "later these five students also contracted the same". From Monday to Wednesday, samples of some 25 girls staying in the orphanage were sent for Covid test and 13 of them came out positive, including the five students of Bahadurpara school, she said. Also read: School reopening in Bangladesh: Children at greater risk in Delta-hit areas Resident medical officer of Thakurgaon Modern Sadar Hospital Rakibul Alam Chayan said the 13 girls are being treated in isolation wards. "They are doing well." Assistant education officer of the upazila, Momtaz Ferdous said,” We have suspended the classes of fourth and fifth grades at Bahadurpara school for a week after being informed.” Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Abdullah Al Mamun said, "We are keeping a vigil on all students attending schools across the upazila." On September 12, after nearly 18 months, primary, secondary, and higher secondary schools in Bangladesh reopened with some Covid-safety protocols in place.

A Khulna man has bought an acre of land on the moon as a token of love for his wife on their sixth wedding anniversary. MD Ashim, a resident of Modern Mor area in Khulna city, handed over the land deeds to his wife Israt Tupma on Thursday. Md Ashim, divisional head of a private TV channel, told UNB he fulfilled his dream of gifting something very special today inspired by a man in India, who also bought land on the moon for wife for their anniversary. On September 20, Ashim bought the land worth $45 from a US agency named ‘Lunar Embassy’ owned by a man named Dennis Hop. Ashim said after buying the land he received a selling agreement, a satellite photo of the land, geographical position of the land and legal documents from the agency. Israt Tumpa said she feels as if she literally has got the moon in her hands as a surprise gift. Lunar Embassy is the most famous company known for selling land on the moon. According to the company per acre of land costs $24.99 to $499.

A suspected Indian citizen’s half-decomposed body was recovered from Kushiara river in Beanibazar upazila in Sylhet on Thursday. Police recovered the body around 7:30 after being informed by locals who spotted the floating body. Read: Another body washes ashore on Cox’s Bazar beach Police have recovered a smartphone and a money bag with a mobile SIM card and some Indian visiting cards with the body. “From the possessions we are primarily suspecting the man was an Indian citizen,” said Officer-in-Charge of Beanibazar police station Hillol Ray. The body was sent for an autopsy after filing a primary inquiry report, said the OC.

A rare fishing cat, locally known as ‘Mecho Bagh’, was rescued  in an injured condition from Gokulnagar village in Cumilla on Thursday. According to locals, Anis Mia rescued the injured cat from the road after it was hit by a motorcycle and kept it chained in his house. Members of police led by Sub-Inspector of Muradnagar police station Abdul Hamid rescued the fishing cat from Anis’s house. Read: Lethal Russell's Viper snake rescued in Kushtia SI Hamid said the cat was immediately sent to the upazila livestock department for treatment. Upazila veterinary surgeon Dr Ishrat Jerin said the injured cat has received primary treatment and the Forest Department has been informed to take necessary steps. Forester Fazle Rabbi from district Forest Department said there is nothing to be frightened for the locals as Mecho Bagh is not a ferocious animal. It will be released in the area where it was rescued from after proper treatment, said the official.

A carcass of a Ganges species dolphin washed ashore on Kuakata beach in Patuakhali on Thursday. Locals spotted the carcass, seven feet long, around late afternoon, reported our local correspondent. Witnesses told UNB that there were bruises on its face and they suspected the dolphin died after being hit by fishing net. Kalapara upazila senior Fisheries Officer Apu Saha said that the carcass belonged to Ganges river species (Platanista gangetica) of dolphins . Dolphins of this species usually survive by eating fish. As a result, it may die by getting trapped in fishing nets. Read: Another dead dolphin found on Kuakata sea beach He also didn’t rule out the possibility of natural death due to age.. Earlier on Sep 2, a 12-foot dolphin washed ashore in  Kuakata beach of Patuakhali. Before that, as many as 12 dead dolphins were found on the beach this year over a period of nine months. Among them, nine were recovered in August alone. In 2020, around seven dead dolphins were found on the Kuakata coast.

Two youths were killed in a head-on collision between a bike and a pickup van on the Naogaon-Rajshahi highway near Sreerampur in Manda upazila on Thursday morning, police said. The deceased were identified as van driver Shamim Ahmed (24), son of Abdus Salam of Shahmukhdum of Rajshahi, and 28-year-old biker Sanarul Islam, son of Tayej Uddin of Sabail village in Narail. Read:CMCH doctor dies from road crash injuries Police said the accident occurred around 9am when the van coming from Rajshahi crashed into the bike on the highway near Sreerampur. The impact of the crash was such that the van driver and the biker died on the spot. Shahinur Rahman, officer-in-charge of the Manda police station, said the bodies of the deceased were sent to Naogaon Sadar Hospital for post-mortem.

A suspected drug peddler was killed in a reported gunfight with the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) in Cox’s Bazar on Wednesday night. The deceased was identified as Jahangir Alam. Read: ‘Drug peddler’ killed in ‘gunfight’ with BGB in Cox’s Bazar Acting on a tip-off, a RAB-15 team raided the Jaliapalong area in Ukhiya upazila of Cox’s Bazar district around 8.30 pm, said commanding officer Wing Commander Azim Ahmed on Thursday. When the elite force confronted the alleged drug peddler, he opened fire in a bid to escape, but was killed in retaliatory firing by the RAB team. The RAB personnel seized 10,000 pieces of Yaba, a revolver and three bullets from the possession of the deceased.

A primary school in Gopalganj’s Kathalipara upazila closed its doors for class three students after a  student of the class tested positive for Covid-19 virus, the school head confirmed on Wednesday. It was learnt that on September 16,  a nine-year-old student of upazial’s Sherdhara Government Primary School-4 tested positive for Covid-19 as she had been sufferings from fever. On September 17, as her reports came positive for the virus the school authorities declared an indefinite closure of that particular class, just four days after the school reopened following 18-month-long Covid-induced shut down. Headmistress of the school Soheli Parvin Panna said the move was taken for safety of the other students of the class. “We have been taking regular updates of the girl. She did not show any symptoms apart from fever and had no other severe complications so far”, said the headmistress.