National
Nation Grieves 19th Anniversary of Dreadful August 21 Grenade Attack
The nation solemnly commemorates the 19th anniversary of the horrific August 21 grenade attack on an Awami League rally in Dhaka, standing united against such acts of terror through a series of planned activities.
On this day in 2004, a brutal grenade assault targeted an anti-terrorism rally organized by the Awami League at Bangabandhu Avenue. The then-leader of the opposition and current Prime Minister, Sheikh Hasina, appeared to be the intended victim during the tenure of the BNP-Jamaat alliance government.
The attack resulted in the tragic loss of at least 24 lives, including Ivy Rahman, Awami League’s women affairs secretary and the late President Zillur Rahman’s wife. Additionally, around 300 individuals sustained injuries, while Sheikh Hasina survived with impaired hearing.
After fourteen years, a Dhaka court rendered verdicts in the grenade attack case, sentencing 19 individuals, including Lutfozzaman Babar, the state minister for home affairs under the then BNP government, to death. Tarique Rahman, the eldest son of BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia and the party’s acting chairman, along with 18 others, were handed life sentences for their roles in the attack.
In observance of this day, the Awami League and its affiliated groups have organized comprehensive programs across the nation. A wreath-laying ceremony will pay homage to the martyrs of the grenade attack, taking place at the memorial erected in front of the party’s Bangabandhu Avenue office in Dhaka at 11 am. Subsequently, a commemorative discussion will commence at 11:15 am, presided over by Awami League President and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
Simultaneously, Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader has called upon leaders, activists, supporters, and well-wishers at all levels to join the country in observing the Grenade Attack Day on August 21.
The grenade attack claimed the lives of notable individuals such as Lance Corporal (retd) Mahbubur Rashid, personal security guard to the then-opposition leader, and several others, leaving an indelible impact. Injuries were also sustained by prominent figures like Amir Hossain Amu, Abdur Razzak, Suranjit Sengupta, and many more.
National
Professor Dr. Md. Mizanur Rahman Appointed Vice-Chancellor of Northern University Bangladesh
Professor Dr. Md. Mizanur Rahman, a distinguished academic from the Department of Marketing at the University of Dhaka, has been appointed the new Vice-Chancellor of Northern University Bangladesh (NUB). The Ministry of Education confirmed the appointment through an official notification issued on Sunday (23 November), signed by Sultan Ahmed, Assistant Secretary of the Secondary and Higher Education Division, on behalf of the President.
The notice states that, with the approval of the Honorable President and Chancellor, Professor Rahman will serve a four-year term as Vice-Chancellor under Section 31(1) of the Private University Act, 2010. He will receive all salary, allowances, and benefits as determined by the university, and his duties will commence immediately in accordance with relevant laws and regulations.
Professor Rahman has an outstanding academic background. He secured First Class First in his Honors degree from the University of Dhaka’s Marketing Department, achieving record-breaking marks. He completed his MBA with dual majors in Finance and Marketing at Dalhousie University in Canada, graduating in the top 1% of his class. He later earned his Master’s degree (First Class Second) and PhD from the same department at the University of Dhaka.
During his illustrious 35-year career, he has served as Chairman of the Department of Marketing at the University of Dhaka for three years and was elected to both the Syndicate and Senate of the university. He also served as Dean at Daffodil International University and has taught as an adjunct professor at North South University, BRAC University, and Independent University, Bangladesh (IUB).
Professor Rahman has an extensive body of research, with over 35 publications, including four international papers and three research monographs. Several MPhil and PhD scholars have completed their degrees under his supervision. He also served for many years as Vice President of the Dhaka University Marketing Alumni Association.
Outside academia, he has contributed significantly to the corporate sector and educational governance. He has worked as an independent director and strategic adviser to various reputed organizations and has served on the governing bodies of several well-known colleges in Dhaka. He currently holds the position of Chairman of the North South Society.
The Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD) has forecasted light to moderate rain or thundershowers accompanied by temporary gusty winds at most places across the Rangpur, Rajshahi, Mymensingh, Dhaka, Khulna, Barishal, Chattogram, and Sylhet divisions. Some areas may experience moderately heavy to very heavy rainfall, according to their latest weather bulletin released on Thursday.
Day and night temperatures are expected to remain nearly unchanged across the country.
The highest rainfall in the country over the past 24 hours was recorded in Kumarkhali, with 104mm of rain by 6 a.m. on Thursday.
The axis of the monsoon trough extends from India’s Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, and West Bengal to Assam, passing through Bangladesh, with one of its associated troughs stretching into the North Bay of Bengal.
The monsoon remains active over Bangladesh and moderate to strong over the North Bay region.
The Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD) has forecasted that the mild heat wave currently affecting parts of the country, including the capital, is expected to subside in most areas within the next 24 hours, starting from 9 am today.
“A mild heat wave is sweeping across the divisions of Rangpur, Rajshahi, Dhaka, Mymensingh, and Sylhet, as well as the districts of Jashore, Chuadanga, and Kushtia. It is likely to ease in most regions,” the department reported.
In addition, BMD predicted light to moderate rainfall or thundershowers, accompanied by temporary gusty winds, across most of Rangpur, Rajshahi, Dhaka, Mymensingh, Khulna, Barishal, Chattogram, and Sylhet divisions. Some areas are expected to experience moderate to very heavy rainfall.
Temperatures across the country may drop by 1-2 degrees Celsius during both day and night.
On Monday, Dinajpur in the Rangpur division recorded the country’s highest temperature at 38.6°C, while Bandarban in the Chattogram division saw the lowest temperature at 24.6°C early today.
Meanwhile, rainfall recorded in the past 24 hours, ending at 6 am today, reached 66 mm in Nikli of Dhaka Division.
The sunset in Dhaka is at 5:53 pm today, and sunrise is expected at 5:49 am tomorrow.
