United News of Bangladesh

A case has been filed against former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, former chief justice ABM Khairul Haque, and three others in connection with the killing of Firoz Talukdar, an office assistant of a private company, who was shot dead by from a helicopter during the anti-discrimination student movement in Mirpur. Firoz Talukdar’s wife, Reshma Sultana, filed the case on Wednesday in the court of Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Md. Mehedi Hasan. The court recorded her statement and ordered the Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Mirpur Model Police Station to accept the case as an FIR. The other accused in the case include former Road Transport and Bridges minister Obaidul Quader, former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan, and former inspector general of police (IGP) Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun. According to the case statement, during the student-led anti-discrimination movement, law enforcement agencies with the order of the top government officials and other unnamed accomplices launched a crackdown on students and the public, using police, RAB, BGB, and some members of the then ruling party. During the movement, on the evening of July 19, Firoz Talukdar was passing the Mirpur-10 area when he was shot by a bullet fired from a RAB helicopter. He was rushed to a nearby hospital, where the attending doctors declared him dead.

Eight districts of the country have been flooded due to heavy rains and onrush of water from the upstream, said the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief on Wednesday. The eight districts are Sunamganj, Moulvibazar, Habiganj, Feni, Chattogram, Noakhali, Comilla and Khagrachhari. The flood may spread further, said Additional Secretary of  the ministry KM Ali Reza at a press briefing on the ongoing flood situation at the secretariat. He said according to the Met office forecast, moderate to heavy rainfall is likely in the northeastern region of the country and adjoining upstream in the next 48 hours. As a result, the water level of the major rivers of the northeastern districts of Sylhet, Sunamganj, Netrakona, Moulvibazar and Habiganj may rise, he added. He said the water level of major rivers in the northeastern and eastern region  of the country keep rising. The waters of Kushiyara, Manu, Dhalai, Khowai, Muhuri, Feni and Halda rivers are flowing above the danger level at seven stations. “In the next 24 hours, the water level of Manu, Khowai, Dholai and Sarigowain rivers in Moulvibazar and Habiganj districts may cross the danger level at several points, submerging low-lying areas. “ Relief distribution are underway in the flood-hit districts, the Additional Secretary said, adding that the local administration is working in coordination with the Deputy Commissioners of the flood-affected districts, the coordinators of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement, the army and other volunteers. Mohammad Nazmul Abedin, joint secretary of the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief, said cash has already been allocated for relief work in the flood affected areas. Besides, rice and dry food were provided, he added. "We have adequate relief in stock in our district warehouses. Based on the actual report, we will be able to provide more relief to the flood victims."We have received news that army and navy teams have already reached Feni. They have started rescue operations.  Six army boats have reached there.” The joint secretary said that according to the report given by the Feni deputy commissioner, 1,600 people have taken shelter in 78 shelter centers and Feni is the worst-hit district. Reports from other districts are yet to be received, he added.

State-run Petrobangla owes to Chevron Bangladesh about $260 million in unpaid dues for purchasing gas from its Bibiyana and other gas fields, official sources said. The sources said this week that Petrobangla purchases about $50 million worth of natural gas from the US-based multinational company's Bangladesh subsidiary every month. The state-run company has now failed to make the payment for over five months apparently due to cash crunch. Available statistics show that Chevron currently supplies about 1200 million cubic feet of gas per day (MMCFD), about 50 percent of the country's total 2,612 MMCFD gas production. Of this, 1017 MMCFD gas comes from the country’s largest field of Bibiyana while Jalalabad supplies 153.4 MMCFD and Moulvibazar 16.4 MMCFD. Petrobangla officials admitted that this is the first time the country has been under pressure in making regular payment to the foreign oil and gas companies due to the country’s declining foreign exchange reserve position. The officials of the Energy and Mineral Resources Division share the same view. They said that the import of the petroleum fuels and LNG came under pressure following the decline of foreign currency reserves which dropped below $19 billion in 2023 from over $48 billion in 2022. As a result, the government had to reduce imports of LNG for some time last year and also cut the payments to the foreign and local suppliers. “That’s why Chevron and other companies’ payments have remained pending”, one official told UNB speaking on condition of anonymity. Asked about the outstanding payment Chevron in an official statement on Wednesday said, “As a long-standing company policy, we do not provide figures of our outstanding dues for commercial reasons”. It also said Chevron Bangladesh continues to work in partnership with the Government of Bangladesh and Petrobangla to deliver the safe, reliable supply of affordable natural gas which is essential to help meet the country’s growing energy demand. Chevron has been investing in Bangladesh for nearly 30 years. “We are excited by the country’s potential economic growth and the benefits this can bring to its people,” it added. Meanwhile, the officials of the Energy and Mineral Resources Division have informed that Bangladesh Bank has increased its supply of foreign currency to continue its import of petroleum fuels and gas from abroad and also from locally operating foreign companies. According to officials, the Energy and Mineral Resources Division has been getting more foreign currency support from the Bangladesh Bank to pay to the foreign gas and petroleum suppliers. "Earlier we have been receiving about $200 million per week to pay the gas and petroleum bills to foreign companies…Now we're getting more than that amount", Energy Secretary Nurul Alam said on Tuesday. The remarks from the energy secretary came against the backdrop of the government's outstanding bills with the foreign gas and fuel suppliers which recently exceeded more than $500 million. Industry insiders said that the government should put extra focus to clear the outstanding dues of the foreign companies as early as possible. Otherwise, it may send the wrong message to the international investors who want to invest in the energy and power sector in Bangladesh. They said that it is necessary to improve the payment situation ahead of the international offshore bidding for hydrocarbon exploration in the country’s maritime boundary. “If the situation does not improve substantially, the foreign companies may feel discouraged to participate in the bidding round”, said one industry insider wishing not to be named.

BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia is scheduled to return home on Wednesday evening after receiving treatment in a city hospital for nearly a month and a half. “She (Khaleda) will be discharged from the hospital in the evening as per the advice of the medical board, said her media wing member Shamsuddin Didar quoting her personal physician Dr AZM Zahid Hossain. He said a process is underway to send ailing Khaleda Zia abroad for advanced medical treatment. On July 8, Khaleda Zia, a former prime minister, was admitted to Evercare Hospital in the capital six days after she had been discharged from the same hospital with various ailments. A group of specialist doctors, led by Prof Shahabuddin Talukder, successfully installed a pacemaker in Khaleda Zia’s chest on June 23. Khaleda has long been battling various ailments, including liver cirrhosis, arthritis, diabetes, and issues related to the kidney, lung, heart, and eyes. Khaleda's doctors have been recommending sending her abroad since she was diagnosed with liver cirrhosis in November 2021. On October 26 last year, three US specialist doctors completed the hepatic procedure known as the transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS procedure) to stop water accretion in Khaleda Zia's stomach and chest, and bleeding in her liver. She was placed in Old Dhaka Central Jail on February 8, 2018, after a special court sentenced her to five years in prison in the Zia Orphanage Trust corruption case. On October 30, 2018, the High Court raised her punishment to 10 years. Later, she was convicted in the Zia Charitable Trust corruption case. Amid the coronavirus outbreak, the government temporarily freed Khaleda Zia from jail after 776 days through an executive order, suspending her sentence on March 25, 2020 with conditions that she would stay in her Gulshan house and not leave the country. On August 6 last, Khaleda Zia was completely freed by an order of President Mohammed Shahabuddin. The president passed the order under Article 49 of the Bangladesh Constitution, according to a gazette issued by the home ministry on August 6. Article 49 states that "The president shall have power to grant pardons, reprieves, and respites and to remit, suspend, or commute any sentence passed by any court, tribunal, or other authority."

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Wednesday said that government hospitals across the country have been providing free treatment to the students and people who suffered injuries during the recent student-led mass movement. A media release, signed by Mohammad Shahadat Hossain, senior information officer of the ministry, was issued in this regard. Those injured in the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement have been requested to get admitted in 13 hospitals including Dhaka Medical College Hospital in Dhaka city. The rest hospitals where they can get free treatment are Combined Military Hospital (CMH Hospital), Kurmitola General Hospital, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (PG Hospital), Mugda General Hospital, Sir Salimullah Medical College Mitford Hospital, Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College Hospital, National Orthopedic Hospital and Rehabilitation Institute (National Crippled Hospital), National Institute of Ophthalmology, National Institute of Ear and Nose, National Institute of Chest Diseases and Hospital, National Gastro Liver Institute and Hospital and National NeuroScience Hospital.

The water level of Gumti river of Cumilla district may flow above danger level and may flashflood in the adjoining low-lying areas in the 24 hours commencing 9am on Wednesday according to the Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre (FFWC). The water level of Muhuri and Halda rivers of Feni and Chattogram districts may flow above danger level and flood situation in the low-lying areas may remain unchanged, it said. The water level of Manu, Khowai, Dhalai rivers of Moulvibazar and Habiganj districts may flow above danger level and flood situation in the low-lying areas may remain unchanged during the period. According to the information from meteorological organizations, medium to heavy rainfall is expected in the South-eastern, Eastern region and adjacent upstream parts of the country in  next 24 hours. As a result, the water level of the Muhuri, Feni, Halda, Sangu, Matamuhuri and Gumti rivers may remain steady. Moreover, medium to heavy rainfall is expected over the North-eastern region and adjacent upstream parts of the country in the next 48 hours. As a result, water level of major rivers in Sylhet, Sunamganj, Netrakona, Moulvibazar and Habiganj districts of these regions may rise at times at some points during the mentioned period, FFWC said, quoting meteorological organizations. The Brahmaputra-Jamuna and Ganges rivers are in falling trend while the Padma River is in steady state. All these rivers may fall in the next 48 hours.  Major rivers in the North-eastern and Eastern region of the country are in rising trend.

Members of law enforcement agencies and army personnel conducted a drive at the Banani office of former state minister for power, energy and mineral resrouces Nasrul Hamid early Wednesday morning and recovered Tk 29 lakh.   They conducted the drive at Priyo Prangan on Road 17 in Banani and seized an electronic vault. Youth and Sports Adviser Asif Mahmud Sajib Bhuiyan, coordinator of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement Sarjis Alam, another coordinator Hasnat Abdullah, Gono Odhikar Parishad president Nurul Haque Nur and the Dhaka Additional District Magistrate were present during the drive.  In the drive, Tk 308,700 was recovered from a drawer next to a large vault in the finance and accounts room of Hamid Group's office on the second floor of the Priyo Prangan building. Tk 394,300 more was found in a separate drawer. Additionally, Tk 2,093,000 was seized from the office. Some foreign currencies were also seized from the office. Nazmul steps down, Faruque Ahmed new BCB president Gono Odhikar Parishad President Nur, told the media that they had received information indicating that Nasrul Hamid had been funding Chhatra League and others to suppress the recent student protests. The drive was conducted to gather evidence supporting these claims, he added. Nur also alleged that they had received information that professional gunmen had been paid from this building. On Tuesday, Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit (BFIU) ordered the freezing of bank accounts linked to several prominent individuals, including Nasrul Hamid and former Dhaka Metropolitan Police Joint Commissioner Biplob Kumar Sarkar. The action came as part of an investigation into alleged money laundering and other financial irregularities.

The Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD) has forecast rain or thundershowers across all divisions, including Dhaka, over 24 hours starting from 9 am on Wednesday. “Light to moderate rain or thundershowers accompanied by temporary gusty or squally winds are likely to occur at most places in Dhaka, Rajshahi, Khulna, Barishal, Chattogram, Mymensingh, and Sylhet divisions, and at many places in Rangpur division, with moderately heavy to very heavy rainfall in some areas,” said a Met office update. Chattogram’s Sitakunda upazila recorded the highest rainfall in the country, with 193 millimeters in the 24 hours leading up to 6 am on Wednesday. Day and night temperatures are expected to remain nearly unchanged across the country, according to the BMD. In the past 24 hours until 6 pm on Tuesday, the highest temperature was recorded in Jashore at 34 degrees Celsius, while the lowest temperature was in Tangail at 24.5 degrees Celsius. The BMD also noted that the low-pressure area over central Bangladesh and the surrounding region has weakened and merged with the monsoon axis. The axis of the monsoon trough runs from India’s Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and West Bengal to Assam, crossing central Bangladesh. The monsoon remains active over Bangladesh and is strong over the North Bay.

The World Health Organization has called on countries in WHO South-East Asia Region to accelerate action to protect all children with life-saving vaccines being offered under the childhood immunization programme, focusing on those who have missed all or some vaccine doses, and protecting all adolescent girls from cervical cancer. “We should aim for a ‘big catch-up’ to vaccinate all zero dose and partially vaccinated children, and restore immunization progress lost during the pandemic; protect all adolescent girls from cervical cancer and accelerate efforts to eliminate Measles and Rubella from WHO South-East Asia by 2026,” said Saima Wazed, Regional Director WHO South-East Asia, in her inaugural address to the 15th Meeting of the WHO South-East Asia Regional Immunization Technical Advisory Group (SEAR-ITAG). The Regional Director acknowledged and thanked all experts, national programme managers, immunization champions, partners including the vaccinators and community workers, and the communities themselves, on expanded immunization programme completing 50 years this year. “We can proudly say, in the last 50 years, together, immunization programmes have helped hundreds of millions of people in our Region live healthier, longer, more productive, and prosperous lives,” the Regional Director said. “Today, the South-East Asia Region continues to be free of wild polio virus transmission and has maintained elimination of maternal and neonatal tetanus as a public health problem. Five countries have eliminated measles and rubella, and six have controlled hepatitis B through immunization. Seven countries consistently reach over 90% of children with three doses of diphtheria, pertussis, and tetanus (DTP3) vaccines,” she said. However, the Region missed the target to eliminate measles and rubella by 2023. The WHO/UNICEF Estimates of National Immunization Coverage data released last month shows slow progress and no meaningful change in childhood immunization coverage last year compared to 2022, and coverage is yet to be restored to the pre-pandemic 2019 levels. “Nearly 2.7 million children in our Region did not get any vaccine and another 0.6 million children were partially vaccinated in 2023.  We need to understand where and why these children were missed and prioritize reaching them as soon as possible. No child should ever fall sick or die of any vaccine preventable disease, when safe and effective vaccines exist to protect them,” Wazed said. The stagnation in post-pandemic recovery highlights the need to innovate. We need to find locally impactful approaches, and most critically, enhance the political and social leadership that are the basis for intensified actions needed to meet our Regional targets, she said. One of the priorities in the Regional Director’s Regional Roadmap for Results and Resilience is ‘reaffirming investment in women, girls, adolescents and vulnerable populations’. “Against this, we must ensure all adolescent girls in our Region are protected and get at least one dose of HPV vaccine to protect from cervical cancer”, Wazed said. Revitalizing immunization programmes, strengthening community-centered health systems, ensuring vaccine supply, and boosting demand through community engagement are critical components of success. Policy and resources should urgently prioritize routine immunization, particularly for measles, and focus on reducing zero-dose and partially vaccinated children. “The focus must be on tailored approaches, identified in consultation with the affected communities. No matter how challenging or remote the setting is, we will need to find new ways to reach the children most at risk of life-threatening diseases and protect them with vaccines,” the Regional Director said. Being held in New Delhi from 20-23 August, the SEAR-ITAG provides guidance on setting regional priorities for immunization and offers technical support for strengthening routine immunization services to Member States. Experts, national immunization programme managers, surveillance focal points and partner agencies review progress on immunization coverage, surveillance, and programme issues at this annual meeting.

Hundreds of thousands of residents in three upazilas of Feni are grappling with severe flooding that has caused widespread destruction to crops and fisheries, with many forced to abandon their homes in search of shelter. The flooding has claimed the life of a young man in Fulgazi upazila, who was swept away by the strong currents, while another person remains missing. Over 4,000 people have been rescued from flood-stricken areas. The Water Development Board (WDB) has opened 40 gates of the Muhuri regulator built on the Baro Feni River in Sonagazi upazila to remove water quickly to protect the upazilas from severe landslides and floods. Entire communities are now in desperate need of shelter, as their homes and roads have been inundated. The local administration, overwhelmed by the scale of the disaster, sought assistance from the Bangladesh Army and the Fire Service and Civil Defence (FSCD) to evacuate those trapped by the rising waters. At around 2:30pm, The Bangladesh Army started working to rescue the displaced people due to this terrible flood. According to the district administration, six boats of the army started rescue operations in Fulgazi and Parashuram to rescue the flood victims. Members of the Coast Guard also joined in the rescue operations. Speed ​​boats and helicopters are being used for rescue work. The three major rivers of Feni—Muhuri, Kohua, and Silonia—are flowing well above their danger levels, exacerbating the crisis. In Fulgazi, more than 40 villages under Sadar, Anondapur, Munshihat, and Amjadhat unions are submerged. On Monday night, Raju, the son of Mizanur Rahman from the Dakshin Sreepur Paschimmatha area of Fulgazi Sadar union, went fishing with friends at a breached embankment when he was swept away by strong currents. Although locals managed to rescue him, he was declared dead upon arrival at Fulgazi Upazila Health Complex. In Parshuram upazila, over 45 villages under Mirzanghar, Chithalia, Boxmahmud, and the municipal town, are under water. Meanwhile, several villages in Chhagalnaiya’s Pathan Nagar, Radhanagar, and Shubhapur unions have also been affected. Floodwaters have engulfed roads, ponds, farmlands, and in some cases, have risen to the rooftops of homes. Displaced residents are now seeking shelter as local authorities and volunteer organizations distribute relief supplies. The flooding follows recent breaches in 15 spots along the Muhuri, Kohua, and Silonia rivers. Despite repairs, an additional 12 breaches have occurred, marking the third flood in just six weeks. Over 100 villages have been impacted, with damage to infrastructure, crops, and fisheries estimated at over Tk 30 crore. Habib Swapan, a resident of Parshuram’s Salia area, emphasized the urgency of the situation, stating that boats and speedboats are now more critical than relief supplies. Many residents were caught unprepared, with no means of transportation, and have been left without power, food, or water since Monday night.