United News of Bangladesh

Editor of United News of Bangladesh Farid Hossain and journalist Angur Nahar Monty have been elected president and general secretary respectively of the Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC) Alumni Association, Bangladesh for the period 2024-26. The new committee of the association was formed at its biennial conference known as Connections at Sinha Lounge of Dhaka Club in the capital on Saturday. Mithu, Julhas elected OCAB president, general secretary Muhammad Rahmat Ali was elected as Senior Vice President while Zahid Newaz Khan as Vice President and Goni Adam, Nazneen Akhtar and Ranjan Sen were elected as Joint Secretary, Treasurer and International Affairs Secretary, respectively of the association. Besides, Azizul Islam Bhuiyan, Nazrul Islam, Dipankar Bar, Maruf Newaz, Mehedi Momen and Wares Hossain were elected executive members of the new committee. State Minister for Disaster Management discusses heatwave response and financial support The association also handed over ‘Ihsanul Karim Award’ for Media Excellence to eminent journalist Afsan Chowdhury for his valuable contributions. Forests, Environment and Climate Change Minister Saber Hossain Chowdhury was present as the chief guest, while President of the Jatiya Press Club Farida Yasmin MP spoke as a special guest.   

Detective Branch (DB)of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) will take steps to cancel the fake certificates and mark sheets of the Technical Education Board. Harun-or-Rashid, Additional Commissioner and Chief of Detective Branch said this while talking to reporters at the DB office in the city on Saturday afternoon.  He said senior system analyst of the Technical Education Board AKM Shamsuzzaman and a few other officials sold certificates and mark sheets in exchange for money over the years. During the interrogation, Shamsuzzaman gave the information on how to identify those sold fake certificates. Now, we will give that information to the technical education board to take action for cancellation of those certificates, he added. The DB chief said that the technical education board's senior system analyst AKM Shamsuzzaman confessed that he sold fake certificates to around 5,000 people. Earlier on April 1, DB police arrested System analyst AKM Shamsuzzaman from the city's Kafrul area. Later, Sehela Parveen, wife of Ali Akbar Khan, chairman of Technical Education Board, was arrested on April 21 for her alleged involvement with the fake certificate-making syndicate. After the issue of his wife's involvement came to the fore, the Education Ministry made Ali Akbar OSD (Officer on Special Duty) remove his post of chairman of the technical education board.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Saturday expressed deep shock and sorrow at the death of Haider Akbar Khan Rono, the advisor of the Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB) and one of the organisers of the great liberation war. In a condolence message, she prayed for the eternal peace of the departed soul and conveyed deep sympathy to the bereaved family. Khan breathed his last in the small hours on Saturday at a Dhaka hospital.

Bangladesh Sangbadpatra Shilpa Parishad placed a 14-point demand including the payment of all outstanding advertisement bills owed by newspapers to government agencies, including the DFP, by next June. If not, the leaders of this organisation of editors and publishers warned of waging a systematic movement to realise their demands from next July. The demands were articulated during an emergency meeting addressing the ongoing problems of the newspaper industry and its solutions at the Daily Industry newspaper office in Dhaka on Saturday with the organization’s president Dr. Enayet Karim in the chair. The General Secretary of the Bangladesh Sangbadpatra Shilpa Parishad, Yunus Sohag, put forward the demands during the meeting. Other demands included the formulation of policies for the equitable distribution of government advertisements, abolition of advance income tax and service charge on advertisement bills, ending price discrimination of government advertisements in English and Bengali newspapers, introducing government advertisement prices on online portals of registered newspapers, and increasing the rate of government advertisements based on market inflation. The demands also included the provision of low-interest loans for the newspaper industry, accommodation for journalists-employees, a special allocation of Tk 5,000 crore, the introduction of a special pension scheme for journalists and media workers, repeal of all black laws including the Digital Security Act, and providing VIP status to all editors. The leaders expressed their concern, stating that without timely payment of outstanding advertising bills, it would be challenging to sustain publications and pay journalists' salaries. Editors and publishers sought government intervention and cooperation, particularly from Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and the Information Minister, to sustain the newspaper industry. The meeting highlighted that more than 700 media-listed newspapers in the country owe approximately Tk 2500 crore for advertising bills from the government agencies. Therefore, Tk 5,000 crores are required to clear these outstanding bills and cover bills for the next financial year to sustain the newspaper industry. Dr. Enayet Karim, the president of the organization and the editor of the Daily Industry, informed the meeting that previously, newspaper advertisement bills were settled every three months. However, as this trend has ceased, the arrears have now reached Tk 2,500 crore. The meeting was attended by, among others, Md Faruk Alam Talukder, Chairman of Dainik Alor Jagat; Md Fojlur Rahman Zulfiker, Editor of Dainik Diner Alo; Md Abdul Awal, Editor and Publisher of Dainik Sangbad Protikkhon; Dr Khan Asaduzzaman, Editor and Publisher of Bangladesh Samachar; Ayon Ahmed, Editor of Protidiner Chitra; Md Habibur Rahman, Chief Editor of Dainik Bhorer Somoy; Asaduzzaman Swadin, Executive Editor of Dainik Alor Jagat; and Md Hafiz Ul Islam, Executive Editor of Dainik Shuvo Din.

Bangladesh-India relation should not depend on which party is in power in the country, it is a permanent bond based on mutual benefits, Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Saber Hossain Chowdhury said on Saturday. The friendship between Bangladesh and India will last through constructive dialogue and cooperation to face mutual challenges and for regional development, he said. He was speaking at the biennial general meeting of the Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC) Alumni Association, Bangladesh and Ihsanul Karim Award for Media Excellence held at the Dhaka Club on Saturday evening. Minister Saber Chowdhury said that development journalists play a leading role in addressing environmental challenges and the socio-economic progress of the country. He said that media workers play an important role in the practice of sustainable development and the formation of public opinion. He urged the media to report on the improvement of the country's environment. Chaired by former Managing Director of Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha Azizul Islam Bhuiya, President of National Press Club Farida Yasmin, Editor of United News of Bangladesh Farid Hossain, General Secretary of the organization Zahid Newaz Khan and Central Committee Treasurer Animesh Biswas, among others, spoke on the occasion. Afsan Chowdhury, Bangladesh's prominent Liberation War researcher, columnist, Ekushey medalist veteran journalist, was awarded the Ihsanul Karim Award for Media Excellence this year. A cash prize of Tk1 lakh, crest and certificate were given as awards. Earlier, a 13 members new committee was formed for the period 2024-26 of IIMC Alumni Association, Bangladesh with Farid Hossain as its president and Angur Nahar Monty as general secretary in the biennial general meeting.

Zimbabwe national cricket team joined a celebration hosted by the International School Dhaka (ISD) in Dhaka on Saturday and engaged in a range of activities with students, parents and ISD staff. Celebrating the true sense of belonging within the school and the wider community, International School Dhaka came up with its colorful ISD Fair 2024. This fun-filled whole-day event was held at the school campus which was open to everyone to enjoy. It was an excellent opportunity to build long lasting connections within the immediate school community as well as the wider community, said the participants. The guests enjoyed the amazing lineup of stalls from delectable dishes to handmade crafts. To conclude the event on a high note, renowned musician Shawon Gaanwala and his team presented a captivating band performance, playing for the cheering crowd! Steve Calland-Scoble, Director, ISD said, “In our 25th anniversary year, it was a pleasure to see so many members of our community coming together to enjoy such a vibrant day outdoors. We organized this fair to bring people together and celebrate the bonds we share. We hope to be able to continue this for many years to come.”  

No fresh death due to dengue was reported in Bangladesh in the past 24 hours till Saturday morning, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS). However, 17 patients were hospitalised with viral fever during this period, according to the DGHS. Of them, nine were admitted at the hospitals in Dhaka city, while the rest were outside the capital. Currently, a total of 127 patients are receiving treatment at hospitals across the country. So far, 2,414 dengue cases have been reported since January 1, 2024, said DGHS. Last year, a total of 1,705 people lost their lives due to dengue, making it the deadliest year on record. The DGHS recorded 321,179 dengue cases and 3, 18,749 recoveries last year. Last year’s September was the deadliest month for the dengue outbreak, with 396 fatalities and 79,598 cases, according to DGHS data.

At least eleven people were killed and four others injured in road accidents in Faridpur, Cumilla, Gazipur, Dinajpur, Narsingdi, Chattogram and Sylhet districts on Friday night and Saturday morning. Among the deceased, two each died in Faridpur, Gazipur, Narshingdi and Dinajpur districts while one each in Cumilla, Chattogram and Sylhet districts. In Faridpur, two people died in separate road accidents in Bhanga upazila’s Hamirdi and Sadardi areas. An unidentified man was killed in a clash involving a truck and a motorcycle around 11:30 am. He was taken to the upazila health complex where duty doctor declared him dead. In another accident, an unidentified woman was killed as a car hit an easybike at Sadardi area around 8:30 am. She was taken to Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical College (BSMMC) where duty doctor declared her dead. Khairul Anam, officer-in-charge of Bhanga Highway Police Station, confirmed the incidents. In Cumilla, a truck driver died after his truck hit another car from behind at Chauddagram upazila early Saturday. The accident occurred around 3 am at the Dhaka-Chattogram highway, said SM Lokman Hossain, officer-in-charge of Miabazar Highway Police Station. The deceased, Sagar, 35, died on the spot. His body was recovered and will be handed over to his family after legal procedures, added the oc. In Dinajpur, A tank lorry ploughed into a roadside shop at Kauga intersection in Sadar upazila of Dinajpur district early Saturday, leaving two people dead. The deceased were identified as Azhar Ali, 60, a security guard of Biswanathpur village and Rana, 25, of Kauga village in the upazila. The accident occurred around 5:15 am when the tank lorry ploughed into a tea shop, leaving one dead on the spot and another injured, said Farid Hossain, in-charge of Kotwali Police Station. The injured was taken to M Abdur Rahim Hospital where he succumbed to his injuries. Police also arrested the driver of the tank lorry and his helper. In Narsingdi, two people died and three others injured in a head-on collision between a bus and microbus in front of Dream Holiday Park in Choitab of Panchdona upazila of Narsingdi district on Saturday. The deceased were identified as Abdus Salam, 43, a microbus driver, Piyal, 26. The accident occurred around 5 am when the bus of Hanif Paribahan crashed into the Sylhet-bound microbus, leaving two people dead on the spot and three others injured, said Ilias Ahmed, officer-in-charge of Itakhola Highway Police Station. The injured were taken to Narsingdi district hospital. In Gazipur, Two people died as a pick-up van hit a motorbike on Dhaka-Tangail highway at Kodda Bymile in Gazipur intersection on Friday night. AKm Ashraf Uddin, officer-in-charge of Konabari Police Station, said the deceased were Monjur Hossain, 41, a Jhut trader and Hasan, 40 of Konabari area. In Chattogram, a motorcyclist was killed and another injured when a covered van hit the motorbike at Nimtala Biswa Road in Port upazila on Friday night. The deceased was Rahul Saha, 28 of Sitakunda upazila, said Manjurul Quader, officer-in-charge of Port Police Station. Injured Arpita Saha was taken to a local hospital. In Sylhet, a Qatar returnee was killed in a head-on collision between a motorbike and CNG-run auto-rickshaw in Jointapur upazila of Sylhet district on Friday night. The accident occurred around 11 pm when the CNG auto-rickshaw hit his motorbike, leaving Yeasir Arafat, 18, son of Abdus Shukkur of the upazila, injured, said Tajul Islam, officer-in-charge of Jointapur Model Police Station. He died while undergoing treatment at Osmani Medical College Hospital.

The Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) has inaugurated a weeklong “Waste Exhibition” at its Nagar Bhaban in Gulshan-2. The event, which started today, aims to educate residents about the importance of proper waste disposal and its impact on the city's drainage system. DNCC Mayor Md Atiqul Islam opened the exhibition, emphasizing the critical nature of disposing of waste responsibly to prevent blockages in the city's drainage channels, which can cause severe waterlogging following rain. The exhibition is part of a broader initiative to illustrate the types of waste that contribute to environmental pollution when dumped in drains and canals. The DNCC mayor highlighted the unfavourable comparisons between Dhaka and cities in developed countries, where such practices are less common. He noted that improper waste disposal not only leads to pollution and waterlogging but also contributes to the breeding of Aedes mosquitoes, increasing the risk of dengue fever outbreaks. "It is our moral responsibility to protect our canals and reservoirs," Mayor Atiqul stated, describing the act of polluting the environment through improper waste disposal as a “crime”. In response to questions about the city's readiness for the monsoon season, Mayor Atiqul revealed that DNCC has formed ten quick-response teams across different areas to address waterlogging issues promptly. He encouraged residents to report any instances of water accumulation by calling the dedicated helpline at 1606, assuring that the teams would respond swiftly to complaints. The exhibition opening was attended by DNCC Chief Executive Officer Mir Khairul Alam, Secretary Mohammed Masud Alam Siddique, Chief Engineer Brig Gen Md Moin Uddin, Chief Health Officer Brig Gen Imrul Quais, Chief Waste Management Officer Captain Mohammad Fida Hasan, various ward councillors, and other city corporation officials and employees.

Bangladesh reported nine more COVID-19 cases in 24 hours till Saturday morning. With the new numbers, the country's total COVID-19 caseload rose to 2,050,143, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS). The official death toll from the disease remained unchanged at 29,494 as no new fatalities were reported during this period. The daily case test positivity rate was 4.11 percent as 219 samples were tested, said the DGHS. The recovery and death rates stood at 98.41 percent and 1.44 per cent, respectively.