United News of Bangladesh

A 35-year-old woman was found dead with her throat slit while her husband severely injured at their house in Konabari area of Gazipur district on Saturday (November 15). The deceased was identified as Rahima Khatun, a garment worker while the injured was identified as Emran Hossain, 40, a butcher by profession and son of Suruj Ali of Mymensingh district. Read more: 3 buses set on fire in Gazipur Officer-in-Charge of Konabari Police Station Md Salauddin said the couple along with their daughter used to live at a rented house on the fifth floor of ‘Ekota Villa’ in Nawab Ali Market area of Konabari. Police said Emran might have cut the throat of his wife with a sharp weapon and then attempted to take his own life by cutting his own throat over a family feud. On information, police recovered the body and sent it to the local hospital morgue. Emran was taken to a local hospital for treatment. Read more: Father, daughter killed in their sleep in Mymensingh

Real Madrid's newly signed defender, Trent Alexander-Arnold, is set to miss several weeks of action after sustaining a muscle injury. The English international was substituted early in last night’s match against Marseille and is now expected to miss his first-ever El Clasico. “Following tests carried out Wednesday by the Real Madrid Medical Services on our player, Trent Alexander-Arnold, he has been diagnosed with a muscle injury to the biceps femoris in his left leg. Further updates will follow,” an official club statement read. According to several Spanish media reports, Alexander-Arnold will be sidelined for at least six to eight weeks. If this turns true, he will be unavailable for some of Madrid’s most critical upcoming matches. This includes his debut El Clasico on October 26, when Los Blancos will host the Catalan club at Santiago Bernabéu. Within this timeframe, Real Madrid also has other significant fixtures, including the Madrid Derby on September 27 and a match against Villarreal on October 4. His absence will also be felt in the Champions League, especially in upcoming games against Juventus and Liverpool. Two Real Madrid defenders sanctioned The injury adds to the club's defensive woes. Earlier this week, another key defender, Antonio Rüdiger, suffered a serious muscle injury that will keep him out for approximately three months. The absence of two vital players on defense will undoubtedly cause a major headache for coach Xabi Alonso as he looks to manage his starting lineup. Alexander-Arnold pulled up while making a run just five minutes into the match against Marseille, which the hosts won 2-1 thanks to two successful penalties from Kylian Mbappe. The defender dropped to the ground, holding the back of his left leg, and was replaced by Dani Carvajal immediately. Carvajal was later sent off for headbutting an opponent and will miss Madrid's next Champions League match against Kairat Almaty in two weeks. Alexander-Arnold joined Madrid from Liverpool this summer and made his debut for the Spanish giants during the Club World Cup.

Athletic Bilbao suffered a major blow on the eve of their long-awaited Champions League return, as midfielder Benat Prados has been ruled out for the season with a serious knee injury. The Basque club confirmed Monday evening that the 24-year-old tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee during training last week. “In the coming days we will decide the date for surgery,” Athletic said in a statement. A product of Athletic’s famed youth system, Prados made 45 appearances last season and 33 the year before, following his loan spell at second-tier Mirandes. Though considered the third-choice midfielder under coach Ernesto Valverde—behind Mikel Jauregizar and the injury-prone veteran Inigo Ruiz de Galarreta—Prados was expected to feature prominently this season, with the club competing in the Champions League, La Liga, Copa del Rey and Spanish Super Cup. Valverde is now likely to rely on experienced midfielder Mikel Vesga and B-team prospect Alejandro Rego to fill the gap left by Prados.

Real Madrid have suffered a significant blow as veteran defender Antonio Rudiger sustained a major muscle injury. The German international is expected to be out of action for up to three months. Los Blancos are in San Sebastián to face Real Sociedad on Saturday, and manager Xabi Alonso received the bad news just a few hours before the match. Spanish sports outlet Diario AS reported that in the final training session on Friday afternoon, Rudiger suffered a muscle injury which the club’s physicians identified as affecting “the rectus femoris muscle of his left leg.” Club sources indicated he will be sidelined for 10 to 12 weeks. The club later confirmed the news with a brief official statement: “Following tests conducted on Toni Rudiger by the Real Madrid Medical Services, he has been diagnosed with an injury to the rectus femoris muscle in his left leg. Awaiting further developments.” The worst-case scenario for Rudiger will be a serious headache for manager Xabi Alonso, as Rudiger is set to miss a number of crucial fixtures including the Madrid Derby and El Clasico, along with important Champions League encounters against heavyweights such as Juventus and Liverpool. His absence will also be felt in league matches against tough teams like Villarreal, Valencia, Rayo Vallecano, and Celta Vigo. Rudiger’s injury comes at a pivotal stage of the season, with Real Madrid on a mission to reclaim both the La Liga and Champions League titles.    

At least 100 people were injured in a clash between garment workers and police on Dhaka-Sylhet highway in Bhulta of Rupganj upazila of Narayanganj district on Wednesday. Witnesses said the workers of Tobin Tex took to the street at Aukhabo in the morning demanding payment of their dues and bonus and protesting firing of workers from the factory. The workers said some 8-10 thousand workers were working at the factory and the production of the factory remained suspended from March 29 to April 7. Besides, 65 workers of the factory were also fired without giving any prior notice. The factory authorities pledged to provide a 65% bonus but actually they provided only 50 % and declared the factory closed without clearing dues for the whole month, they said. Failing to realise their dues and payment, the workers staged a demonstration on Wednesday morning without joining in their work. On information, police tried to disperse them, triggering heated arguments between workers and police. At one stage, the workers hurled water bottles targeting police, forcing them to charge batons, witnesses said. Jubo Dal activist dies 12 days after being shot in Ctg BNP Clash The workers also blocked Dhaka-Sylhet highway by felling an electric pole. Mizanur Rahman Mizan, inspector of Bhulta police camp, said unrest was seen among the workers of Robin Tex and when police asked them to join their work, they carried out an attack on police. Ten policemen were injured during the clash, said Mehedi Hasan, assistant superintendent of Narayanganj Police. Police are trying to bring the situation under control, he said.    

A couple was stabbed allegedly by a thief  in Dhaka’s Chawkbazar area on Tuesday. The injured were identified as Abu Musa, 40, son of Samir Uddin and his wife Shahnaz Akter, 35 of Netrakona district and they live as tenant in Islambagh area of the capital. Quoting Sahida, sister of Shahnaz, Inspector Md Faruk, in-charge of Dhaka Medical College and Hospital police camp, said a young man with a knife attacked the couple around 6 am, leaving them injured. Later, the injured were taken to Dhaka Medical College and Hospital. Police arrested Shohagh, 19, in this connection, said Ashrafuzzaman, officer-in-charge of Chawkbazar Police Station. Police said Shohagh might have entered the house for stealing valuables and attacked the couple after being resisted by them.    

A 17-year-old boy who sustained bullet injuries to the head during the July uprising in Dhaka died at a hospital in Bauphal upazila of Patuakhali district on Friday. The deceased was identified as Ashiqur Rahman, also known as Hridoy, son of Ansar Hawladar of Paschim Jouta village in Bauphal. According to family members, Hridoy had been working in Dhaka and was shot in the head during the July 18 uprising in the capital’s Jatrabari area.  He had been undergoing treatment at Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH), where doctors removed two of the three bullets lodged in his head through surgery.  However, one bullet remained and could not be extracted. On Friday noon, Hridoy was rushed to the Bauphal Upazila Health Complex after he fell critically ill.  Doctors there referred him to Barishal Sher-e-Bangla Medical College and Hospital, but he died on the way around 3 pm. His father, Ansar Hawladar, said, “I couldn’t afford advanced treatment for my son. I tried my best, even selling my rickshaw and a cow. Doctors at DMCH removed two bullets, but one remained. If treatment abroad had been arranged, my son might have survived.” Hridoy’s elder brother, Md. Sohag Islam Anis, added, “He had been suffering for a long time. The bullet that remained in his head caused constant pain and frequent fevers. No one came forward to help with his advanced treatment. My brother died due to the lack of proper medical care.”      

Myanmar’s ruling military said Saturday on state television that the confirmed death toll from a devastating 7.7 magnitude earthquake rose to 1,644, as more bodies were pulled from the rubble of the scores of buildings that collapsed when it struck near the country’s second-largest city. The new total is a sharp rise compared to the 1,002 total announced just hours earlier, underlining the difficulty of confirming casualties over a widespread region and the likelihood that the numbers will continue to grow from Friday's quake. The number of injured increased to 3,408, while the missing figure rose to 139. Rescue efforts are underway especially in the major stricken cities of Mandalay, the country's No. 2 city, and Naypyitaw, the capital. But even though teams and equipment have been flown in from other nations, they are hindered by the airports in those cities being damaged and apparently unfit to land planes. Myanmar, also known as Burma, is in the throes of a prolonged civil war, which is already responsible for a humanitarian crisis. It makes movement around the country both difficult and dangerous, complicating relief efforts and raising fears that the death toll could still rise precipitously. The earthquake struck midday Friday with an epicenter not far from Mandalay, followed by several aftershocks, including one measuring 6.4. It sent buildings in many areas toppling to the ground, buckled roads, caused bridges to collapse and burst a dam. In Naypyidaw, crews worked Saturday to repair damaged roads, while electricity, phone and internet services remained down for most of the city. The earthquake brought down many buildings, including multiple units that housed government civil servants, but that section of the city was blocked off by authorities on Saturday. More damage in Thailand In neighboring Thailand, the quake rocked the greater Bangkok area, home to around 17 million people, and other parts of the country. Bangkok city authorities said the number of confirmed dead was now 10, nine at the site of the collapsed high-rise under construction near the capital’s popular Chatuchak market, while 78 people were still unaccounted for. Rescue efforrs were continuing in the hope of finding additional survivors. On Saturday, more heavy equipment was brought in to move the tons of rubble, but hope was fading among friends and family members of the missing that they would be found alive. “I was praying that that they had survived but when I got here and saw the ruin — where could they be? In which corner? Are they still alive? I am still praying that all six are alive,” said 45-year-old Naruemol Thonglek, sobbing as she awaited news about her partner, who is from Myanmar, and five friends who worked at the site. Waenphet Panta said she hadn't heard from her daughter Kanlayanee since a phone call about an hour before the quake. A friend told her Kanlayanee had been working high on the building on Friday. “I am praying my daughter is safe, that she has survived and that she’s at the hospital,” she said, Kanlayanee’s father sitting beside her. Thai authorities said that the quake and aftershocks were felt in most of the country's provinces. Many places in the north reported damage to residential buildings, hospitals and temples, including in Chiang Mai, but the only casualties were reported in Bangkok Myanmar sits on a major fault line Earthquakes are rare in Bangkok, but relatively common in Myanmar. The country sits on the Sagaing Fault, a major north-south fault that separates the India plate and the Sunda plate. Brian Baptie, a seismologist with the British Geological Survey, said that the quake caused intense ground shaking in an area where most of the population lives in buildings constructed of timber and unreinforced brick masonry. “When you have a large earthquake in an area where there are over a million people, many of them living in vulnerable buildings, the consequences can often be disastrous," he said in a statement. A natural disaster on top of a civil war Myanmar’s government said that blood was in high demand in the hardest-hit areas. In a country where prior governments sometimes have been slow to accept foreign aid, Min Aung Hlaing said that Myanmar was ready to accept outside assistance. Myanmar’s military seized power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in February 2021, and is now involved in a civil war with long-established militias and newly formed pro-democracy ones. Military forces continued their attacks even after the quake, with three airstrikes in northern Kayin state, also called Karenni state, and southern Shan — both of which border Mandalay state, said Dave Eubank, a former U.S. Army Special Forces soldier who founded the Free Burma Rangers, a humanitarian aid organization that has provided assistance to both combatants and civilians in Myanmar since the 1990s. Eubank told The Associated Press that in the area he was operating in, most villages have already been destroyed by the military so the earthquake had little impact. “People are in the jungle and I was out in the jungle when the earthquake hit — it was powerful, but the trees just moved, that was it for us, so we haven't had a direct impact other than that the Burma army keeps attacking, even after the quake,” he said. In northern Shan, an airstrike on a rebel-controlled village just minutes after the earthquake killed seven militia members and damaged five buildings, including a school, Mai Rukow, editor of a Shan-based online media Shwe Phee Myay News Agency, told the AP. Government forces have lost control of much of Myanmar, and many places are incredibly dangerous or simply impossible for aid groups to reach. More than 3 million people have been displaced by the fighting and nearly 20 million are in need, according to the United Nations. “Although a full picture of the damage is still emerging, most of us have never seen such destruction," said Haider Yaqub, Myanmar country director for the NGO Plan International, from Yangon. Control tower at Myanmar airport collapsed Satellite photos from Planet Labs PBC analyzed by the AP show the earthquake toppled the air traffic control tower at Naypyitaw International Airport as if sheered from its base. Debris lay scattered from the top of the tower, which controlled all air traffic in the capital of Myanmar, the photos showed on Saturday. It wasn’t immediately clear if there had been any injuries in the collapse, though the tower would have had staff inside of it at the time of the earthquake Friday. Rescue groups head to Myanmar China and Russia are the largest suppliers of weapons to Myanmar's military, and were among the first to step in with humanitarian aid. China said it has sent more than 135 rescue personnel and experts along with supplies like medical kits and generators, and pledged around $13.8 million in emergency aid. Hong Kong sent a 51-member team to Myanmar. Russia’s Emergencies Ministry said it had flown in 120 rescuers and supplies, and the country's Health Ministry said Moscow had sent a medical team to Myanmar. Other countries like India and South Korea are sending help, and the U.N. allocated $5 million to start relief efforts. U.S. President Donald Trump said Friday that Washington was going to help with the response, but some experts were concerned about this effort given his administration’s deep cuts in foreign assistance.

Four people were injured in a clash between two factions of BNP in Rajshahi city on Friday night over an alleged attempt to have an Awami League (AL) leader arrested. Several crude bombs were exploded and three motorcycles, including one belonging to a journalist, were set on fire during the clash that lasted till 11pm. The injured were Lovely Khatun, sports affairs secretary of Rajshahi Metropolitan unit Mohila Dal, her two and a half year old daughter Lamia, Tofazzal Hossain, a member of City Special Branch of police and Rony, a railway staff .They were admitted to Rajshahi Medical College Hospital. 8 injured in BNP factional clash over jhut business Witnesses said  three motorcycles were torched during the clash, one of which belonged to journalist Zahid Hasan Sabbir from Ajker Patrika. His motorcycle was set ablaze while parked near the scene as he was covering the incident. The tension started on Friday night when Lovely Khatun and her supporters surrounded a multi-story building in the Kadirganj area, suspecting that AL leader Mostak Ahmed Babu, joint secretary of Boalia (West) Thana AL, was inside. Law enforcers conducted a raid but failed to track  Mostak although CCTV footages and security logs showed his presence in the building. Mostak’s brother Sabbir Babu was arrested from the house. As Lovely accused former Metropolitan Jubo Dal leader Maruf Hossain Jibon of aiding Mostak’s escape  Maruf’s followers allegedly attacked Lovely’s residence in Darikhorbona and  vandalised property. Maruf’s personal office was vandalised allegedly by Lovely’s supporters,  triggering clahes. The clashes spread across Darikhorbona, Upashahar Mor, Railgate, Sapura, and Shalbagan areas, with both sides reportedly using sharp weapons and crude bombs. Later army personnel intervened and brought the situation under control and fire service personnel later extinguished the fire. At a press conference held at 11:30 pm, Lovely Khatun claimed that a faction within BNP was responsible for attacking her home. She also alleged that she was offered Tk 5 lakh to release Mostak’s brother but refused, which led to the attack on her residence. Attempts to contact Maruf Hossain Jibon for comments were unsuccessful. Rajshahi Metropolitan Police’s Additional Deputy Commissioner (Media) Sabina Yasmin additional police forces were deployed in the area and joint patrols were intensified.  Action will be taken against those responsible once a complaint is lodged, said Sabina Yeasmin.    

Three people sustained bullet injuries in a robbery attempt at Angaria in Sadar upazila of Shariatpur district on Friday night. The injured were identified as Tota Mia, 35, son of Dalil Uddin of Shariatpur district; Masum Mia, 30, a bulkhead worker and son of Joynal Mia; and Alamin, 19, a bulkhead worker and son of Anis Fakir of Pirojpur district. According to locals, a group of robbers on a speedboat attempted to enter the Angaria area around 10 pm. Helal Uddin, officer-in-charge of Palong Police Station, said the locals, sensing their presence, tried to stop them. At one stage, the robbers opened fire, injuring three people. One of the injured was sent to Dhaka for better treatment, while the others were admitted to a local hospital. 2 more arrested in case over rape and robbery on a moving bus in Rajshahi Meanwhile, locals managed to capture five robbers as they attempted to flee and gave them a severe beating. The injured robbers are currently receiving treatment at Sadar Hospital. Legal action is being taken against the robbers, the OC added. Another Highway Robbery: BRTC bus, microbus looted in Naogaon