United News of Bangladesh

Gazi Muhammad Jewel Rana, who used to  work as a chef in ‘Ambasia’ restaurant of blaze-hit Bailey Road building, met a dreadful death when he jumped off it in a desperate bid to save his life. The lone bread earner’s sudden death came as bolt from the blue for Jewel’s poor family. “My son has left us, what we’ll do now,” Jewel’s wailing mother Fatema Begum said when his body was taken to Madhukhali village in Kalapara upazila of Patuakhali district on Friday from Dhaka Medical College Hospital. A pall of gloom descended the area when Jewel, 35, was laid to eternal rest at his family graveyard there after Asar prayers.  Owners of Chumuk, manager of Kacchi Bhai detained over Bailey Road inferno He along with his wife Rebeka Sultana, two children—Tasmim, 8 and Taifur, 3—used to live in an area in Dhaka near Baily Road. On the fateful night, Jewel jumped off the sixth-floor of the multi-storey building after breaking the windowpanes to save himself, Rakib Akon, nephew of Jewel, who used to work in the same restaurant, told UNB over phone. Rakib said when the fire broke out, he along with his uncle and another staff came down the fourth floor of the building. “At first, he and another one climbed down from the building using a dish cable. After breaking the windowpanes my uncle sat on an air-conditioner to jump from it but the air-conditioner collapsed,” said Rakib. Jewel got severe injuries on his head and body while falling from the building and died on the spot, he said. Local people said Jewel could not come to village for the wedding ceremony of her sister Hafiza one month ago as he failed to manage leave. He had a plan to come to his village before the month of Ramadan. Kawsar Gazi, a UP member of Mithaganj Union, said Jewel’s father is a day labourer and the family was dependent on Jewel’s income. Bailey Road Fire: 39 out of 46 bodies handed over to families Now the whole family is shattered over his unexpected death. Jahangir Hossain, Kalapara Upazila Nirbahi Officer assured that the local administration will provide necessary assistance to the family. At least 46 people, including 26 women and three children, were killed and 22 critically injured in the fire that broke out at the seven-storey ‘Green Cozy’ building on Bailey Road in Dhaka on Thursday night.

Dhaka has topped the list of cities worldwide with the worst air quality with an AQI score of 191 at 9:09 am on Saturday morning. Dhaka’s air was classified as 'unhealthy', according to the air quality index. Pakistan’s Lahore, Myanmar’s Yangon and Nepal’s Kathmandu occupied the second, third and fourth spots on the list, with AQI scores of 182, 180 and 178 respectively. Dhaka’s air quality still 'unhealthy', 2nd most polluted in the world this morning When the AQI value for particle pollution is between 101 and 150, air quality is considered ‘unhealthy for sensitive groups’, between 150 and 200 is ‘unhealthy’, between 201 and 300 is said to be 'very unhealthy', while a reading of 301+ is considered 'hazardous', posing serious health risks to residents. The AQI, an index for reporting daily air quality, informs people how clean or polluted the air of a certain city is and what associated health effects might be a concern for them. The AQI in Bangladesh is based on five pollutants: particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5), NO2, CO, SO2, and ozone. Dhaka tops global air quality index as ‘very unhealthy’ Dhaka has long been grappling with air pollution issues. Its air quality usually turns unhealthy in winter and improves during the monsoon. As per World Health Organization (WHO), air pollution kills an estimated seven million people worldwide every year, mainly due to increased mortality from stroke, heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lung cancer, and acute respiratory infections.      

The United States has announced 2024 International Women of Courage Award recipients including Bangladesh Supreme Court lawyer Fawzia Karim Firoze. Fawzia has fought for the rights of marginalized groups for more than three decades, said US State Department Spokesperson on Friday. She is currently the head of her own law chamber and serves as the Chairperson for the Foundation for Law and Development (FLAD). Under her leadership, FLAD won a ruling determining that the Domestic Workers Protection and Welfare Policy of 2015 was inadequate to protect the rights of domestic workers. Fawzia has personally filed approximately 3,000 cases on behalf of garment workers against their employers and helped establish the Bangladesh Independent Garment Workers Union Federation (BIGUF) and the Domestic Workers Guidelines, said the US Department of State on Friday. She previously served as the President of the Bangladesh Women Lawyers Association from 2007-2018 and is a founding trustee of the Acid Survivors Trust. In November 2023, the Bangladesh Supreme Court Administration elected Fawzia to its five-member committee to review sexual harassment cases and make recommendations to the Court. US Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken and First Lady Jill Biden will host the annual International Women of Courage (IWOC) Awards ceremony at the White House on March 4. Now in its 18th year, the Secretary of State’s IWOC Award recognizes women from around the globe who have demonstrated exceptional courage, strength, and leadership in advocating for peace, justice, human rights, gender equity and equality, and the empowerment of women and girls, in all their diversity – often at great personal risk and sacrifice. Since March 2007, the Department of State has recognized more than 190 women from 90 countries with the IWOC Award. U.S. diplomatic missions overseas nominate one woman of courage from their respective host countries, and finalists are selected and approved by senior Department officials. Following the IWOC ceremony, the awardees will participate in an in-person International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) and additional programming in Los Angeles, during which they will engage with American counterparts on strategies and ideas to empower women and girls around the globe. Other awardees are Benafsha Yaqoobi (Afghanistan), Volha Harbunova (Belarus), Ajna Jusić (Bosnia and Herzegovina), Myintzu Win (Myanmar), Martha Beatriz Roque Cabello (Cuba), Fátima Corozo (Ecuador), Fatou Baldeh (The Gambia), Fariba Balouch (Iran), Rina Gonoi (Japan), Rabha El Haymar (Morocco) and Agather Atuhaire (Uganda).

The newly appointed seven state ministers of the government got portfolios this evening, who have taken the oath of office at Ganabhaban. A gazette notification, signed by Cabinet Secretary Md Mahbub Hossain, was issued in this regard tonight. "In accordance with Rule 3(IV) of Rules of Business 1996, the Prime Minister of the People's Republic of Bangladesh distributed the following charges of ministries to the state ministers," said the notification. Naogaon-2 Constituency MP Md Shahiduzzaman Sarker has been the charge of State Minister for Planning, Rajshahi-2 MP Md Abdul Wadud of State Minister for Rural Development & Cooperative Division, Chattogram-14 MP Md Nazrul Islam Chowdhury of State Minister for Labour and Employment, Reserved women's seat MP Rokeya Sultana of State Minister for Health and Family Welfare, Begum Shamsunnahar of State Minister for Education, Begum Waseqa Ayesha Khan of State Minister for Finance and Begum Nahid Izhar Khan of State Minister for Cultural Affairs. The order will come into effect immediately, read the notification. President Mohammed Shahabuddin administered the oath of office and oath of secrecy to the new state ministers at 7.30pm. They also signed the oath of office and oath of secrecy after the swearing-in ceremony. Earlier, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina took the Cultural Affairs Ministry and the Labour and Employment Ministry under her charge but now she has distributed them to the ministers, according to the notification. Now, she holds the responsibilities of the Cabinet Division, Defence Ministry, the Armed Forces Division and the Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry. With the new ones, the cabinet now consists of 25 full ministers and 18 state ministers.

Police on Friday detained three people involved in running two of the eateries engulfed in last night's devastating fire at the seven-storey building on Bailey Road in Dhaka. They are Anwarul Haque and Shafiqur Rahman Rimon, owners of Chumuk restaurant, and Md Jisan, manager of Kachchi Bhai. They are being interrogated, said Wahid Uddin, additional commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police, in a press briefing at the DMP Media Centre this evening. Addressing the businessmen, Mahid said businessmen should not think about profit only - the safety of people's lives should be considered. Asked whether there was any negligence by the owners of the building, he said that legal action would be taken against whoever was found responsible for this incident. He requested everyone to conduct their activities in accordance with the 'Safety First' principle. So far, 46 people including 20 men, 18 women, and eight children have died in this deadly fire, he said. Of them, 40 of the dead have been identified. The bodies of 39 have been handed over to families. The bodies of two people have been kept in the freezer of the morgue. The rest will be identified through DNA testing, he added.

To provide students with access to a myriad international opportunities in higher education, the country's largest international education fair commenced on Friday at Hotel Sonargaon in the capital, Dhaka as the interest among Bangladeshi students for pursuing higher education abroad is on the rise. The opening ceremony of the education fair was organized by FACD-CAB (Foreign Admission & Career Development Consultants Association of Bangladesh). Dignitaries such as AK Abdul Momen, Chairman of the Standing Committee on Ministry of Foreign Affairs and former Foreign Minister, Md Nazrul Islam Khan, former Education Secretary, and the curator of the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Memorial Museum, graced the occasion. Kazi Faridul Haque Happy, President of the Association, presided over the event, with Vice President Mortoza Hossain Sarker Himel and General Secretary Gazi Tareq Ibna Mohammad among the esteemed attendees. The Fair Committee Convener, Khorshed Alam Ripon, and Member Secretary Abul Hasan were also present. Representatives from over 300 universities spanning 40 countries, including the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and various European countries, are participating in this educational extravaganza. The fair offers students the opportunity to streamline their admission process, providing on-spot assessments, free applications, scholarship information, and details related to admissions. Scheduled to continue until Saturday from 10 am to 7 pm, the fair promises to be a hub of valuable educational insights and opportunities for aspiring students.  

National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) Chairman Dr Kamal Uddin Ahmed expressed deep concern over the deaths and damages of the devastating fire that tore through a commercial building in the capital’s Bailey Road on Thursday night. "We are deeply saddened by the fire incident and do not want any repetition of this incident", he said. He came up with these remarks while visiting the scene of fire at Bailey Road at 4 pm on Friday. "Most of the buildings in Bangladesh do not have fire prevention system. Even after knowing the fire hazards, safety measures are not taken day after day in the buildings." There was definitely ignorance, negligence behind this fire, he observed. Later, NHRC chairman visited the National Burn and Plastic Surgery Institute where he inquired about the patients affected by the fire. Secretary of the commission Sebastian Rema, Deputy Director Sushmita Paik were present at this time.

The bodies of 39 out of 46 people, who were burnt to death in the devastating fire in the seven-storey commercial building on Dhaka’s Bailey Road on Thursday night, have so far been identified  and handed over to their families till Friday evening. Of the unidentified bodies, six were kept at Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) morgue and one at Sheikh Hasina National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery as nobody claimed those bodies till Friday evening, the DMCH’s police outpost in-charge Md Bachhu Miah said, adding that DNA test would be needed for identification. 'Baba, I'm trapped, save me' - the last request a father couldn't keep He said currently 12 burnt people are undergoing treatment at the DMCH and Sheikh Hasina National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery. At least 46 people, including 26 women and three children, were killed and 22 critically injured in the fire that broke out at the seven-storey Green Cozy Cottage Shopping Mall on Bailey Road in Dhaka on Thursday night. The identities of the deceased included Ashraful Islam, 25, son of Jahirul Islam of Brahmanbaria, Nurul Islam, 32, son of Moslem of Dhaka’s Bangshal, Popy Roy, 33, daughter of Pran Nath Roy of Dhaka, Sampoorna Poddar, 11, her younger brother Sankolpa San, 8, children of Shipon Poddar of Jatrabari in Dhaka. Nazia Akhter, 31, daughter of Md Ali of Dhaka’s Puratan Paltan, Arhan Mostaq Ahmed, 6, son of Sayek Ahmed of the same area, Maisha Kabir Mahi, 21, her younger sister Mehra Kabir Dola ,29, daughters of Kabir Khan of Motijheel in Dhaka, Sampa Saha, 46, daughter of Joyanto Kumar Poddar of Cumilla’s Muradnagar, Shanto Hossain, 24, son of Amzad Hossain of Narayanganj, Fouzia Afrin Riya, 22, daughter of Kurban Ali of Dhaka’s Kakrail, Jannati Tazrin Nikita, 23, daughter of Golam Mohiuddin of the same area. Burnt beyond recognition: Grief-stricken family members forced to wait for DNA identification Lutfur Nahar Karim, 50, daughter of Jaura Islam of Dhaka’s Ramna, Mohammad Jihad, 22, son of Jakir Hossain of Madaripur, Kamrul Islam, 20, son of Kabir Hasan of Jashore Sadar, Didarul Hoque, 23, son of Mainul Hoque of Bhola Sadar, Advocate Ataur Rahman Shamim, 65, son of Fazlul Rahman of Moulvibazar, Mehedi Hasan, 27, son of Moazzem Miah of Tangail, Nusrat Jahan Shimu, 19, daughter of Abdul Quddus of Cumilla Sadar, Syed Mobarak Kaisar, 48, his wife Sawpna Akter, 40, their daughters Syeeda Fatema-Tuj-Johora, 16,  Syeeda Amena Aktar Noor, 13, son Syed Abdullah, 8, of Dhaka’s Moghbazar, Jarin Tasmin Proyoti, 20, daughter of Awlad Hossain of Munshinganj Sadar, Jewel Gazi, 30, son of Ismail Gazi, of Dhaka’s Gulshan, Ruby Roy, 48, wife of Uttam Kumar Roy, her daughter Priyanka Roy, 18, of Dhaka’s Malibagh, Tushar Hawlader, 23, a private jobholder and hailed from Jhalakathi district, Sagar Hossain, 24, son of Taleb Promanik of Pabna, Tanjila Nowrin, 35, daughter of Nurul Alam of Pirojpur, Shipon, 21, son of Fazar Ali of Sherpur, Alisha, 13, daughter of Forkan of Dhaka’s Kakrail. Nahian Amin, 19, son of Reazul Amin of Barishal and also a BUET student, Lamisha Islam Mahi, 20, daughter of Nasirul Islam Shamim and also a BUET student, Md Nayeem, 18, son of Nantu of Barguna, Md Nayon, 17, son of Siraj of Bhola Sadar and Asif, 25, son of Abul Khayer, of Noakhali’s Senbagh.

"I lost my nephew and we cannot find his dead body." A man who seemed almost lost in the grounds of Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH), said this while bursting into tears. He, along with three other family members were searching for the body of Najmul, a fourth-year student at Brac University around 10am this morning. Najmul was last seen with three friends at the Kacchi Bhai restaurant in Bailey Road on Thursday night. "Since last night, we have been moving from one hospital to another in search of Najmul's body. Unfortunately, no one has provided any information , and as of now, we still don't know where he is," said his uncle. The morgue of DMCH witnessed the arrival of more grieving families, including that of Minhajul Islam, a missing software engineer. Outside the morgue, Minhajul's mother, sister and family members were seen lost contemplating the reality of having lost a family member, and not being able to identify him. Minhajul didn’t return home last night and couldn’t be reached by phone. Later, one of his friends informed the family that Minhajul went to Kacchi Bhai restaurant. “There are some dead bodies in the morgue, some of which are completely burnt. However, we have identified a dead body by observing a distinctive mark on the belly and the matching watch he used to wear. But we are awaiting the DNA test results. The samples have been taken,” said one of his friends. The severity of burns made visual identification nearly impossible for several bodies. The DMCH authorities started collecting biometric samples to identify the bodies. “We are taking biometrics from the dead bodies for identification, and in some cases, for security reasons too,” they said. Dhaka District’s additional magistrate, AKM Hedayetul Islam, said, "After the DNA test of these samples, the identity will be confirmed, and the body will be handed over to the relatives," he added.

Seven new faces on Friday took the oath as the member of the incumbent cabinet led by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. President Mohammed Shahabuddin administered the oath of office and oath of secrecy to the new state ministers at Durbar Hall of Bangabhaban at 7.30pm. They also signed the oath of office and oath of secrecy afer the swearing-in ceremony. President appoints 7 more as new cabinet members They newly inducted cabinet members are:   Rajshahi-5 Constituency MP Md. Abdul Wadud, Naogaon-2 Constituency MP Md. Shahiduzzaman Sarker, Chittagong-14 Constituency MP Md Nazrul Islam Chowdhury, Lawmaker from reserved women seat MP and Awami League Education and Human Resource Affairs Secretary Begum Shamsunnahar, MP, from reserved seat and AL Finance and Planning Affairs Secretary Begum Wasika Ayesha Khan, Begum Nahid Izhar Khan, MP of reserved women's seat and daughter of Martyr Colonel Nazmul Huda, and MP of reserved women's seat and Health Secretary of AL Begum Rokeya Sultana. Awami League President Sheikh Hasina formed her fourth consecutive government on January 11 last with 37 ministers while there are 26 ministers and 11 state ministers. With the new ones, the total number of the council of cabinet stood 44. Now her council of ministers include 26 ministers and 18 state ministers. New Cabinet members’ oath on Friday Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina witnessed the oath-taking ceremony while Jatiya Sangsad Speaker Dr Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury, Chief Justice, ,advisers, Chief Election Commissioner, other ministers, Judges of the Supreme Court, MPs, political leaders, chiefs of the three services, members of diplomatic corps, journalists, and high civil and military officials were also present. President's spouse Dr Rebeka Sultana, PM's youngest sister Sheikh Rehana and other family members were present at the function. Cabinet Secretary Md Mahbub Hossain conducted the oath-taking function, while several hundred guests were invited to witness the historic ceremony.