United News of Bangladesh

To facilitate the ongoing maintenance on Buriganga Bridge-1 (Postogola Bridge), vehicular movements across the bridge will be restricted from February 24 to March 8. As a substitute, the Babubazar Bridge has been designated for transportation in the area since February 24, leading to an increase in traffic congestion. To alleviate this situation, it has been advised to use alternative routes on the following dates: February 26, March 1, March 4, and March 8. KN Roy Niyati, Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC) of the Media and Public Relations Department of DMP, said, the use of alternative routes is recommended to mitigate the heavy traffic conditions arising from the utilization of Babubazar Bridge. The suggested alternative routes are as follows: 1) For light vehicles heading from Padma Bridge to Sylhet, Narayanganj, and Chattogram: Shrinagar-Munsiganj-Muktarpur Bridge-3rd Shitalakkhya Bridge-Madonpur Road. 2) For light vehicles heading from Padma Bridge to Dhaka: Shrinagar-Dohar-Nawabganj-Keraniganj-Rohitpur, Abdullahpur-Konakhola Mor-Bosila Bridge-Mohammadpur Road. 3) For vehicles heading from Gabtoli to the southern region: Utilize Patuaria-Daulatdia Ferryghat. 4) For vehicles heading from the eastern/northeastern region to the southeastern/southwestern region: Opt for Chaddapur-Shariatpur Ferryghat.

No fresh death due to dengue was reported in Bangladesh in the 24 hours till Sunday morning, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS). However, 20 more patients were hospitalised with viral fever during this period, according to the DGHS. Of them, two were admitted in Dhaka hospitals, while the rest was outside the capital. A total of 33 patients are now receiving treatment at hospitals across the country. So far, 1,350 dengue cases have been reported since January 1, 2024. 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.

A woman allegedly jumped under a train with  her child in her arms in College Road Rail Crossing area in Mymensingh district headquarters on Sunday afternoon. Though the identities of the mother, aged about 30, and her child, about 3 years old, could not be known immediately. Mymensingh Railway police station Officer-in-Charge Jahangir Alam said the woman jumped under the wheels of the Mymensingh-bound local train with her child when it reached the rail crossing area around 12:45 pm. Both died on the spot. He said they recovered the bodies from the spot while the Police Bureau of Investigation is trying to unveil the identities of the victims.

Bangladesh reported one more COVID-19-linked death and 73 fresh cases in 24 hours till Sunday morning. With the new numbers, the country's total fatalities rose to 29,487 and caseload to 2,048,116 according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS). The daily case test positivity rate stood at 10.18 percent as 717 samples were tested, said the DGHS. The recovery and death rates remained unchanged at 98.39 percent and 1.44 per cent, respectively.

Today marks the solemn 15th anniversary of the tragic Pilkhana massacre, a day of remembrance for the lives lost during one of the darkest chapters in Bangladesh's history. In a heartfelt tribute, Major General SM Salahuddin Islam and Major General Kabir Ahmed, military secretaries to the president and prime minister, respectively, laid wreaths at the Military Graveyard in Banani, Dhaka, honoring the army officers who perished. Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, alongside the Chiefs of the Army, Navy, and Air Force — General SM Shafiuddin Ahmed, Admiral M Nazmul Hassan, and Air Chief Marshal Sheikh Abdul Hannan — also paid their respects. Major General Mohammad Ashrafuzzaman Siddique, Director General of the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), along with families and relatives of the martyrs, joined in commemorating the fallen. A moment of silence was observed, memorializing the 74 victims, including 57 army officers, who lost their lives during the armed insurrection at the BDR (now BGB) headquarters on February 25, 2009. The mutiny, which erupted amidst the "BDR Week" celebrations, concluded after intense negotiations, leading to the rebels’ surrender of arms. The aftermath saw the filing of 58 cases related to murder, looting, and mutiny. In the largest-ever killing case in the country, 152 individuals received the death penalty, and 423 were handed various prison sentences for their roles in the massacre. Additionally, 277 were acquitted. Among the convicts, 262 mutineers were sentenced to different jail terms starting from three months to 19 years and 161 people, including late BNP leader Nasiruddin Ahmed Pintu and local Awami League leader Torab Ali, were sentenced to life imprisonment. On the other hand, 5,926 BDR personnel were sentenced to different jail terms ranging from four months to seven years in the 57 mutiny cases.

The 15th anniversary of the atrocious carnage at the Pilkhana BDR (now BGB) headquarters in the capital will be observed on Sunday. A total of 74 people, including 57 army officers, were killed in the carnage beginning on this day in 2009. Marking the day, floral wreaths will be placed at the graves of the slain army officers at the Military Graveyard in the capital's Banani at around 9, according to a press release. On February 25, 2009, several hundred Bangladesh Rifles (now BGB) men rose up in an armed revolt at the Darbar Hall of the force's Pilkhana headquarters during the three-day "BDR Week". They killed 74 people, including 57 army officers. The mutiny finally ended the following day (Feb 26) with the surrender of firearms, ammunition and grenades through a negotiation between the then government and the BDR rebels. A total of 58 cases including one for murder and looting and the rest for mutiny were filed in connection with the incident. Some 152 people were sentenced to death and 423 others to different jail terms in the killing case. Besides, 277 accused were acquitted in the country’s largest-ever killing case. Among the convicts, 262 mutineers were sentenced to different jail terms starting from three months to 19 years and 161 people, including late BNP leader Nasiruddin Ahmed Pintu and local Awami League leader Torab Ali, were sentenced to life imprisonment. On the other hand, 5,926 BDR personnel were sentenced to different jail terms ranging from four months to seven years in the 57 mutiny cases.

Speakers at a book-launching ceremony at the Embassy of Japan on Saturday shed light on how a poor boy made his way to a high road of industrial development in the twentieth-century Japan. He is none other than the self-made industrialist Matsushita Konosuke who delineated his own story in ‘Quest for Prosperity’. Md Azizul Bari, executive director, International Angel Association, has translated the Bangla version of the book published by Kazuko Bhuiyan Trust, said a media release on Saturday. The programme was hosted by Kazuko Bhuiyan Trust in association with NewVision Solutions Ltd, a management consultancy and market research company that provides world-class professional services to local and international clients in Bangladesh. Japanese Ambassador to Bangladesh Iwama Kiminori was present at the event as the chief guest, while Ichiguchi Tomohide, chief representative, JICA Bangladesh Office, as special guest and Joko Akira, founder of Kokorozashi Network as the guest of honour. Konosuke was born in 1894 in Japan. Due to financial difficulties, he was sent to work in Osaka as a helping hand after completion of his primary education. However, he studied maths, chemistry and physics alongside working as an electrician. He built electronics for National and Panasonic brands and played a vital role in building Japan as a major industrial nation that it is today. He also established the Matsushita Institute of Government and Management in 1979 to lead the youth of Japan.

State Minister for Information and Broadcasting Mohammad Ali Arafat said on Saturday that Bangladesh and Turkey will work together to prevent global disinformation and misinformation. He said this after a bilateral meeting with the President of the Directorate of Communications of Turkey, Prof. Fahrettin Altun, before the special session of the Islamic Conference of Information Ministers of the member states of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Istanbul of Turkey on Saturday afternoon (local time). Arafat said the spread of false and misleading information is being noticed all over the world. Sometimes disinformation and misinformation spread with motives. Like other countries in the world, Bangladesh is also a negative victim of this. Combating disinformation and misinformation is therefore now a global challenge, he said. In this case, the scope for joint cooperation between Bangladesh and Turkey can be created. Both countries can work together on mutual cooperation including exchange of information and experience and technical assistance, the state minister said. Arafat also said that the world has rarely seen the continuous spread of disinformation in Gaza, Palestine. To combat this type of disinformation a collective effort is needed. Prof. Fahrettin assured the Bangladesh state minister that both the countries will work together against disinformation and misinformation in the bilateral meeting.

An employee of nongovernmental organization (NGO) BRAC was killed as a speeding bus crashed into his motorbike in Birampur upazila of Dinajpur Saturday evening. Deceased Mizanur Rahman, 32, was a resident of Shyamnagar area under Sadar upazila of Rangpur. Birampur police station’s Sub-Inspector (SI) Abdur Rashid said the bus knocked down the bike coming from the opposite direction on Dinajpur-Govindrapur regional road in Chandipur area around 6:30 pm, leaving him dead on the spot. The bus driver managed to flee but the vehicle was seized, he added.

No fresh death due to dengue was reported in Bangladesh in the 24 hours till Saturday morning, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS). However, 11 more patients were hospitalised with viral fever during this period, according to the DGHS. Of them, four were admitted in Dhaka hospitals, while the rest was outside the capital. A total of 31 patients are now receiving treatment at hospitals across the country. So far, 1,330 dengue cases have been reported since January 1, 2024. 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.