United News of Bangladesh

Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Saber Hossain Chowdhury said that the allocated Tk 35,000 crore from 24 ministries in the current fiscal year is insufficient to combat climate change. The United Nations will provide substantial funding to Bangladesh through its various agencies to combat climate change, he said. At that time, Chowdhury emphasized the need for increased financial support. Discussions were held with the UN delegation on sourcing additional funds for climate mitigation and adaptation efforts through various UN channels, he said. The Minister was talking to reporters following a bilateral meeting with UN Resident Coordinator Gwyn Lewis at his residence in Paribagh in the capital. Bangladesh committed to ensuring protection, monitoring of its natural resources: Saber Hossain Louise Barber, senior development coordination officer and strategic planner, was also present on the occasion. Highlighting the focus on securing international financial support to address climate change impacts, Lewis reiterated the UN's commitment to collaborate closely with Bangladesh on climate resilience strategies, including the implementation of national adaptation plans, advocacy, flood control and community-based adaptation measures. She praised Bangladesh's leadership in environmental conservation and pledged continued UN support for the country's sustainable development goals. Environment Minister Saber Hossain leaves for Kenya to attend UN Environment Assembly The meeting also discussed collaborative efforts to tackle critical environmental challenges such as deforestation, biodiversity loss, and plastic pollution. Lewis and Chowdhury explored avenues to strengthen partnerships between the UN and Bangladesh in environmental protection and sustainable development initiatives.  

 Gas supply will remain suspended for three hours from 11 am to 2 pm on Tuesday in different areas of Dhaka city for emergency repair of gas transmission lines. According to Titas Gas Transmission and Distribution Company Limited, the areas include Mhghbazar, Nayatola, Madhubagh, Tejgaon, Hatirjheel, Mirerbagh, Gabtoli, Greenway, Payererbagh, Eskaton, and Dilu Road. Gas supply to Ctg, elsewhere starts improving as LNG terminal resumes production The gas supply will remain off for all kinds of consumers in these areas while consumers in adjoining areas may experience low pressure in gas supply, said the Titas Gas regretting the inconveniences during the period.

A minor girl who suffered burn injuries in a gas cylinder blast at Bhashan Char Rohingya camp in Noakhali on Saturday died at Chattogram Medical College and Hospital on Monday, taking the death toll from the blast to two.The deceased was identified as Mubassara, 4, said Assistant Sub-inspector Nurul Alam Ashique, in-charge of Chattogram Medical College and Hospital police outpost.Earlier on Saturday, nine people were injured when a gas cylinder exploded at the Rohingya camp in Bhashanchar area. Bhashan Char Rohingya camp fire: one succumbs to injuries at CMCHOf them, seven were taken to Chattogram Medical College and Hospital for treatment where Russel, 3, succumbed to his injuries on that day. 9 burned in fire at Noakhali’s Bhashan Char Rohingya camp Currently Jobaida, 22, Rosmina, 5, Robi Alam, 5, Amena Khatun, 24 and Sohel, 5 are undergoing treatment at the hospital, said Director of Chattogram Medical College and Hospital, Brigadier Shamim Ahsan.Of them, Roshmina received 50 percent burn injuries while Robi received 45%, Amena eight percent, Sohel 52% and Jobaida 25% burn injuries.

The biennial election of 2024-2026 of the Real Estate and Housing Association of Bangladesh (REHAB) will be held on Tuesday. Subrata Kumar Dey, joint secretary of the Ministry of Commerce and Chairman REHAB Election Board, told UNB on Monday that all preparations have been taken to hold the election in a free and fair manner. The election will be held at Krishibid Institution Bangladesh (KIB), Farmgate in the capital. A total of 15 voting booths have been set up. Ready apartments selling like hot cakes at REHAB fair According to Rehab Election Board 2024, polling will continue uninterrupted from 10 am to 4 pm on Tuesday at the venue. A total of 86 candidates are contesting for 29 director posts in Dhaka. There are 7 candidates against three director posts in Chattogram. Chairman of the REHAB Election Board Subrata also said that the voting process will be recorded and a transparent box will be used .Building area cut 33-53%, cost up 50% if new construction act implemented: REHAB

The six-day Police week-2024 will begin on Tuesday.The theme of this year’s Police Week-2024 is ‘Smart police smart country, Bangladesh of peace and progress’.Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will inaugurate the Police Week as the chief guest at Rajarbagh Police Lines on Tuesday. Police Week 2023: President calls to build stronger social movement against drugsDeputy Commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) will lead the police parade as commander and police members of different contingents will participate in the parade.Thirty four policemen will receive Bangladesh Police Medal (BPM) and 60 others will receive President Police Medal (PPM) for their courageous work from December 01, 2022 to January 10, 2024.Besides, 95 policemen will receive BPM service medal while 210 PPM service medal. Police Week-2022 begins SundayPolice Week 2024 is scheduled to end on March 3.

‘Advances in Medical Science, Research and Innovation in the 21st Century’ conference was held at the InterContinental Dhaka on Monday. The event, a collaborative effort by the Bangladesh Private Medical College Association (BPMCA) and Tafida Raqeeb Foundation, witnessed the convergence of over 50 distinguished doctors from Europe and the UK with their Bangladeshi counterparts. Participants praised the effort to bring such an array of foreign expertise to Bangladesh, emphasizing the event’s role as a pivotal moment for future international collaborations in healthcare. Throughout the week, the visiting physicians will extend their expertise beyond the conference halls, providing complimentary medical services across various locales in Sylhet, as announced by the organisers. This gesture not only exemplifies international solidarity but also directly benefits the local communities.

Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Saber Hossain Chowdhury has said the government of Bangladesh is committed to ensuring the protection and monitoring of its natural resources. "The National Forest Inventory is the first stage to obtain a strong and digitalized resource database," he said while inaugurating a programme on Sunday. The minister said this database will be an asset to materialise their target under the SDG goals and international declarations as well as better management of resources. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Representative in Bangladesh Dr Jiaoqun Shi said information of the National Forest Inventory will be used to complete international reporting as well as strengthening the country’s resource monitoring system. "This will help building a strong information system for the forests. FAO continues to support Bangladesh and its people in protecting their natural resources.” The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations organized the inauguration programme of the 2nd National Forest Inventory of Bangladesh jointly with the Forest Department of Bangladesh. Dr Farhina Ahmed, Secretary, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Bangladesh attended the event chaired by Md Amir Hosain Chowdhury, Chief Conservator of Forests. National Forest Inventory will take place across the country by the Bangladesh Forest Department under the technical assistance of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations; it is supported by the World Bank under the Sustainable Forests and Livelihoods (SUFAL) Project. Bangladesh will conduct national-level forest inventory to collect the biophysical and socioeconomic data across the country. Identifying the status of the forest resources and their dependency will pave the way for better management of forest resources, FAO said on Monday. The event brings all relevant national stakeholders and shares the process and technological aspects used in this inventory. State-of-the-art methodologies in forest monitoring under this extended project, around 1 858 sample plots in forests will be visited to assess the net forest resources. Around 6 400 households will be surveyed to enumerate the communities' dependency on forest resources. Advanced tools and technologies will be introduced to maintain higher accuracy and consistency of the National Information System. Bangladesh will be the first country in Southeast Asia to use these technologies for the forest inventory at the national level. The main objective of the project is to strengthen the country’s existing National Forest Management System and increase precision in forest monitoring, using state-of-the-art technical methodologies. Representatives from various entities including the officials of the Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change (MoEFCC), officials from the Forest Department and Department of Environment, and other pertinent Ministries, Divisions, and Agencies participated in the event. National-level natural resource planners, multiple government agencies, universities, and both national and international development partners and representatives from relevant NGOs, civil society organizations (CSOs), the private sector, research/academic institutions, and stakeholders from the project's target geographies were also present.

The holy Shab-e-Barat, the night of fortune and forgiveness, was observed across the country on Sunday with religious fervour. According to Muslim belief, Shab-e-Barat is the night when Allah arranges the affairs of the following year. On this night, Allah writes the destinies of all creations for the coming year by taking into account their past deeds. Muslim devotees offered special prayers and recited from the Holy Quran seeking divine blessings for the wellbeing of mankind. They passed the whole night offering prayers. Bangladesh Television, Bangladesh Betar and private TV channels and radio stations aired special programmes while newspapers published articles highlighting the significance of the night. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Sunday greeted the Muslim community in the country and elsewhere across the world on the occasion of Shab-e-Barat.

The body of a night guard of Bangladesh Krishi Bank was recovered from the roof of the bank’s Gausra Bazar branch in Matlab Uttar upazila of Chandpur Sunday. The deceased was Shahadat Hossain Sajjad, 20, son of Samad Prodhania of Gausra village of the upazila. Family members said he used to go to the bank every afternoon and return home the next morning.  Though he went to the bank on Saturday afternoon, he didn’t return.  Sajjad joined the job two months back. Confirming the matter, Matlab Uttar Police Station’s Officer-in-Charge Mohammad Shahid Hossain said on information they recovered the body and sent it to Sadar hospital morgue for autopsy. The hands and legs of Sajjad were tied with rope and the body was also tied with a pillar on the roof of the bank, he said.   Preliminary it seems that the guard was murdered in a planned way, he said. The bank’s branch manager (acting) Md Shimul expressed his unwillingness to make any comment without permission from the higher authority.

Another body was retrieved from the Buriganga River on Sunday following a boat capsizing incident that occurred on Thursday.The deceased was identified as Sadek Mia (35), identified by his brother Shafiq Mia. The mishap transpired on Thursday when two launches collided, causing a boat caught in the middle to sink. The bodies of garments traders Selim Sikdar (45) and Ataur Rahman (25) were recovered on Saturday. Officer-in-Charge Abdus Sobhan of Sadarghat River Police Station confirmed the matter. He explained that on Thursday night, a boat carrying passengers, including Selim Sikdar and Ataur Rahman, sank in the middle of the river due to a collision between MV MR Khan and MV Kuakata-1 launched while en route from Sadarghat to Keraniganj. Three passengers managed to swim to the shore.Despite the efforts of Fire Service divers on Friday, Selim, Ataur, and Sadek Mia remained missing. On Saturday, Selim's body was found near Rahman Dockyard in Keraniganj Police Station, and later in the evening, Ataur's body was recovered in the same area of Mirerbagh in the Buriganga River. The three bodies have been sent to Mitford Hospital for autopsies and subsequently handed over to their respective families. A case has been filed at South Keraniganj Police Station on Sunday night. Officer-in-Charge Mahbub Alam Sumon of South Keraniganj Police Station said that Selim hailed from Ambagicha area, Ataur Rahman's home was in Brahmanbaria, and Sadek Mia's residence was in Sonargaon of Naryanganj.