Five people have been killed in a head-on collision between a pickup truck and a mini truck (Leguna) at ‎Jaintiapur in Sylhet. The accident took place on Sylhet-Tamabil highway on Monday (March 18) afternoon.  The deceased were identified as Mangali Patra (55), Sabitri Patra (35), Suchita Patra (35), Ritu Patra (8) and six-month-old Bijli who is the daughter of Suchita Patra.  According to the locals, the pickup van coming from the opposite direction collided head-on with the Leguna in front of the Rural Electrification Office.  Ten members of the same family, including women and children, were injured. The injured were taken to Sylhet MAG Osmani Medical College Hospital (SOMCH) where doctors declared three of them dead.  Later, two more died while undergoing treatment at the hospital.

West Indies recruit Kyle Mayers came up with a stellar allround performance in his first match in the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) as Fortune Barishal bolstered playoffs hopes, cruising Sylhet Strikers past by 18 runs at Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chattogram today.    Mayers contributed 31 ball-48 with three fours and as many sixes in batting before claiming 3-12 in bowling to script Barishal's sixth victory in 10 matches, which propelled them to third spot in the point table behind Rangpur Riders and Comilla Victorians.    Sylhet with six points are still in the race mathematically but their chances looked almost over.   After deciding to bat first, Barishal put up 183-6 with Mushfiqur Rahim playing team-high 52, apart from Mayers' 48.   Mayers however sliced middle order, which was key in reducing Sylhet to 40-6 in 9.4 overs. Benny Howell and Ariful Haque then hit fluent fifties and shared a 108-run, the highest for seventh wicket in BPL history, but that still proved to be insufficient.   Howell's 32 ball-53 was laced with five fours and two sixes while Ariful smote five fours and four sixes in his 57 off 31.   Mayers dealt a double strike in the first over of the innings, as he removed Harry Tector and Najmul Hossain Shanto, both for duck, much to the despair of Sylhet, who needed to win this match badly to keep them in the race.    Mayers then also took the wicket of skipper Mithun for 10 while spinners Kashav Maharaj and Mehidy Hasan Miraz further caused the damage with the wicket of Angelo Perera and Ryan Burul.   Howell and Ariful raised the prospect of unlikely victory before Barishal bowler held the nerve to seal the deal.   Barishal were slumped to 65-3, losing skipper Tamim Iqbal (19), Ahmed Shehzad (17) and Soumya Sarkar (8) inside the ninth over.   Mayers and Mushfiqur Rahim thereafter put on 84-run for the fourth wicket to lay a solid platform. Mushfiqur hit three fours and four sixes and provided the late impetus with Miraz (15) after Mayers was dismissed.    Tanzim Hasan Sakib claimed 3-48 for Sylhet.   Source: BSS

Two international flights have landed in Osmani International Airport, Sylhet after failing to land due to dense fog at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka. The flights will leave for the destination after the weather situation becomes normal. A US-Bangla flight from Doha of Qatar lands at 8:55am and another US-Bangla flight from Guangzhou of China lands in Sylhet at 9:44am on Saturday. In a span of four days, four flights made emergency landings due to weather in Sylhet.

Mashrafe Bin Mortaza finally was named captain for the Sylhet Strikers, ending a speculation over his participation in the tournament. He was the captain of the team in the last season when Sylhet ended up as runners up after losing the final to Comilla Victorians by seven wickets. But the fitness issue and Mashrafe's hectic schedule as the lawmaker of the country put a doubt on his participation. Moreover, Najmul Hossain Shanto's presence in Sylhet Strikers team was the other reason that gave a belief that he would be the captain of the side, considering the fact that he is leading the national team in absence of Shakib Al Hasan. But Sylhet eventually named Mashrafe the captain, considering his immense success in BPL as captain. He is the most successful captain in the BPL history, hoisting trophy for four times for three different franchisees. Mashrafe led Dhaka Gladiators twice (2012, 2013) to clinch the coveted trophy and then he won it for Comilla Victorians (2015) and Rangpur Riders (2017). Imarul Kayes was the other captain to lift the trophy thrice, all for Comilla Victorians. Mashrafe however made Sylhet Strikers a title contender from a mediocre team in the last seasons and came agonizingly close to win the trophy before losing it to a mighty Comilla Victorians. Shakib Al Hasan, who is also elected an MP in the recently concluded JS Polls, refused to take up Rangpur Riders captaincy. As a result Nurul Hasan Sohan, who led the side playoffs last season is retained the captain for this season also. Shakib joined Riders from Fortune Barishal. "We thought Shakib as the captain of our team this season but he himself informed us that he doesn't want to lead the side, so we announced Sohan as our captain," Rangpur CEO Ishtiak Sadek said yesterday after a practice match between Riders and Durdanto Dhaka. Liton Das was named captain for the defending champions Comilla, replacing its most successful captain Imrul Kayes. Kayes though had an envious record as captain, his batting form worried the franchisees in the last season. Anamul Haque Bijoy was announced as captain for Khulna Tigers, who formed a low budget team. Tamim Iqbal however will lead Fortune Barishal as the franchise is eying a BPL title. Mosaddek Hossain will lead Durdanto Dhaka while Shuvagata Hom is the skipper of Chattogram Challengers.  

Hundreds of thousands of people thronged the venue to lend their support for Awami League as the party chief and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina kicked off the election campaign today amid a wave of festivity across Sylhet. Amidst cheers and applause from the sea of people, the Awami League president took the stage with her sister Sheikh Rehana and waved the national flag of Bangladesh while party activists shouted Joy Bangla at Sylhet Government Alia Madrasa this afternoon. Earlier in the day, PM Sheikh Hasina talked to the reporters following her visit to Hazrat Shahjalal's shrine in Sylhet where she asserted the constitutional right of citizens to vote, and declared that no one should obstruct or harm others for exercising their voting rights. Her visit to Sylhet marks the beginning of her election campaign as the country gears up for the 12th parliamentary election scheduled for January 7, 2024. While talking to reporters this morning, the prime minister recounted the Awami League's election victories in 2009, 2014, and 2018, attributing them to the party's commitment to meeting the people's basic needs. She also criticised BNP-Jamaat for inciting a wave of terrorist and militant activities against citizens of the country aiming to disrupt the upcoming national election.   The PM emphasised that Bangladesh rejects all forms of militant and terrorist acts. She expressed confidence that the people of Bangladesh would eventually reject those responsible for such actions. She issued stern warning to the perpetrators of the recent arson attack and promised decisive action.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina who is also the president of the ruling Awami League, will formally kick off the election campaign of the ruling party from a rally in Sylhet likely to be held on December 20. Obaidul Quader, general secretary of Awami League, made the announcement during a press briefing at the party chief's Dhanmondi political office today. "The prime minister will offer prayer at the shrines of Hazrat Shahjalal and Hazrat Shah Paran in Sylhet, which will be followed by a grand rally. With the rally, she will formally inaugurate the electioneering," said Quader. Obaidul Quader alleged that talk of human rights does not suit the BNP as they broke all records in violating human rights. "The BNP has even today claimed that Bangladesh, the Awami League-led government stand first in violating human rights. The example they set in violating human rights is unmatched in the contemporary world. How come they are talking about human rights? They don't even have any shame," said Quader. While he was Asked for comment on the Jatiya Party's demand to withdraw AL nominees from some constituencies, Obaidul Quader said he would not make any comment until the decision is finalised.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina who is also the president of the ruling Awami League, will formally kick off the election campaign of the ruling party from a rally in Sylhet likely to be held on December 20. Obaidul Quader, general secretary of Awami League, made the announcement during a press briefing at the party chief's Dhanmondi political office today. "The prime minister will offer prayer at the shrines of Hazrat Shahjalal and Hazrat Shah Paran in Sylhet, which will be followed by a grand rally. With the rally, she will formally inaugurate the electioneering," said Quader. Obaidul Quader alleged that talk of human rights does not suit the BNP as they broke all records in violating human rights. "The BNP has even today claimed that Bangladesh, the Awami League-led government stand first in violating human rights. The example they set in violating human rights is unmatched in the contemporary world. How come they are talking about human rights? They don't even have any shame," said Quader. While he was Asked for comment on the Jatiya Party's demand to withdraw AL nominees from some constituencies, Obaidul Quader said he would not make any comment until the decision is finalised.

Oil reserves, have been discovered at Sylhet-10 well, which can produce 500-600 barrels per day, State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid said today. On Sunday (Dce 10), Nasrul Hamid said in a press briefing that In total four layers of reserve fuel have also been identified. Nasrul Hamid told, "The first layer, at a depth of 1,400 metres is where oil was found. Although no gas was found in the first layer, more tests need to be conducted before the full picture can be understood." Zanendra Nath Sarker, chairman of the Bangladesh Oil, Gas and Mineral Corporation Petrobangla said, "Oil was found in another layer, 397-1,445 metres deep, which was tested on 8 December with an initial API gravity of 29.7 degrees. Around 35 barrels of oil flow per hour are available at self pressure. After the test is completed, the oil reserves will be known."  The Petrobangla chairman said that "Oil produced at 2,540 and 2,460 metres deep will sustain for about 8-10 years and is worth about Tk8,500 crore as weighted average cost. If produced at the rate of 20 million cubic feet, it will sustain for more than 15 years." After re-evaluations, 200-300 billion cubic feet of gas can be found which will be worth about Tk17,000 crore. "Initially, the oil reserves were about 8-10 million barrels worth Tk7,000 crore." Oil was first discovered in Haripur field back in the late 80s. The authorities back then ran a drilling stamp test to pump out around 500 barrels of the thick oil. Later, the government decided the field was not commercially viable and it was abandoned. The first time Bangladesh had struck commercially feasible oil was back in 2012.  "This is the first time that we have found economically viable oil resources, estimated at about 153 million barrels, in the two gas fields, 280km from the capital," the then chairman of Petrobangla Mohammad Hussain Monsur had told reporters. During the briefing, the state minister for energy said in the second layer, at around 2,460-2475 metre, initial tests revealed reserves of around 20-25mmcfd of gas. At a depth of around 2,540-2,575 metre, around 20-25mmcfd of gas was also discovered during a test on 26 November, he added. The pressure there stands at 3,500 PSI. The final layer, at 3,300 metres, could not be investigated fully due to high pressure of around 6,000 PSI. After all the tests are completed, the full extent of the gas and oil reserves will be known, the state minister said. The reserves could be worth around Tk8,500 crore and may be usable for more than 15 years. Currently, about 2,300mmcfd gas is being produced from 21 gas fields in the country, while about 700mmcfd gas is being imported from abroad to meet the demand of about 4,000mmcfd, leaving a deficit of about 1,000mmcfd. Bangladesh required about 6.7 million tonnes of fuel in fiscal 2021-2022, with the country's fuel consumption rising by up to 8% each year, according to the state-run BPC. To meet the overall demand, around 700,000 lakh tonnes of fuel are extracted from domestic sources. Meanwhile, Eastern Refinery, the country's only oil refiner, has the capacity to purify 1.5 million tonnes of crude oil every year. The well Sylhet-7, the much-discussed well in the history of Bangladesh as this was the single oil producing well of the country, was drilled at Haripur in 1986. After 07 years of more or less uninterrupted production of total 5,60,869 barrels of crude oil, the well (Syl-7) ceased its production on 14 July, 1994 due to gradual decline in well head pressure. In March 2005, the work over was accomplished on the well Syl-7 and was completed as a gas producer with an initial production capacity of 15mmcfd.  

5 people were killed and 3 injured in a head-on collision between a private car and a CNG autorickshaw at Khagail on Sylhet-Bholaganj road in the morning on July 20. more to follow...

A minor earthquake measuring 4.3 magnitude in the Richter Scale was felt at 11km northeast of Chhatak in Sunamganj district. "The epicenter of the tremor was located at Meghalaya in India," meteorologist Farzana Sultana told. She said the earthquake struck at the depth of 64.8 kilometers according to the US Geological Survey, which lasted for a few seconds. No damage was reported by now due to the tremor, she added. According to the seismologists, an earthquake ranging from 4 to 4.9 scale is considered as light.