Dhaka
Ambassador Lee visits South Korea-supported innovative ICT-integrated pilot classroom in Dhaka
South Korean Ambassador to Bangladesh Lee Sunday visited the Government Laboratory High School in the capital, where an innovative ICT-integrated classroom opened in 2019 with the support of the South Korean government.
In his speech to the students, Ambassador Lee said: "Education has been a major driving force in Korea's rapid economic growth. Korea will continue to help improve Bangladesh's education services so that it can build a brighter future with talented students."
The Korean government helped establish innovative ICT-integrated classrooms in which students can use state-of-art technology to maximise the efficiency of their study at the Government Laboratory High School and Government Mohammadpur Model School and College in Dhaka in 2019.
Read more: South Korean envoy Lee for strengthening infrastructure cooperation with Bangladesh
Fire in Dhaka’s Gendaria area doused
A fire broke out in Dhaka’s Gendaria area early today. Ten shops and a rickshaw garage were on fire.
The blaze started at around 4:20 am in the morning, said Anwarul Islam, warehouse inspector of Fire Service and Civil Defense headquarters' media cell.
The first unit of the fire service reached the spot around 4:30 am.
Also read: 4 dwelling houses, 2 shops gutted in Barishal fire
Four units from Sutrapur and Postagola fire stations rushed there and doused the flame at around 5:40 am.
No injury or casualty was reported.
The origin of the fire could not be known yet.
Dhaka air 'very unhealthy', 2nd most polluted in the world this morning
Dhaka’s air quality remained in the 'very unhealthy' zone this morning. With an air quality index (AQI) score of 215 at 11:30 am, the capital of Bangladesh ranked second in the list of cities worldwide with the worst air quality.
India’s Delhi and Pakistan’s Lahore occupied the first and third spots, with AQI of 249 and 201 respectively.
Also read: Dhaka air 2nd most polluted in the world this morning
An AQI between 101 and 200 is considered 'unhealthy', particularly for sensitive groups, and an AQI between 201 and 300 is said to be 'poor', while a reading of 301 to 400 is considered 'hazardous', posing serious health risks to residents.
AQI, an index for reporting daily air quality, is used by government agencies to inform people how clean or polluted the air of a certain city is, and what associated health effects might be a concern for them.
In Bangladesh, the AQI is based on five criteria pollutants -- Particulate Matter (PM10 and PM2.5), NO2, CO, SO2 and Ozone.
Read More: Air pollution 2nd biggest cause of deaths in Bangladesh in 2019, cost about 3.9-4.4% of GDP: World Bank
CTTC arrests 5 ‘HuJI militants', 1 ‘Al Qaeda member’ in Dhaka
The Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) unit of Dhaka Metropolitan Police arrested five suspected members of banned militant outfit Harkat-ul-Jihad al-Islami (HuJI) and a member of Al Qaeda from different parts of the capital on Friday.
The arrestees were Fakhrul Islam, 58, Saiful Islam, 24, Suruzzaman, 45, Abdullah Al Mamun, 46, Din Islam, 25 and Mohammad Abdullah Al Mamun, 46.
During the drives, the law enforcers also seized nine mobile phone sets from their possession, said Md Asaduzzaman, chief of the Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime unit, in a press briefing on Saturday.
Fakhrul, who was a security guard at Tamirul Millat Madrasa in Gazipur, went to Pakistan in 1988 where he met a Bangladeshi-born Al-Qaeda commander Mufti Jakir Hossain.
Later, Fakhrul went to Afghanistan with Mufti Jakir several times and took arms training, he said.
During the training, Fakhrul learned use of various firearms including AK-47, LMG, rocket launcher and other heavy weapons.
Read more: Mastermind behind militant escape from custody identified: CTTC Chief
He then met Al-Qaeda leader Mullah Omar and Osama bin Laden, the CTTC chief said.
He returned to Karachi, Pakistan after completing jihadi training in Afghanistan. From Karachi, he went to Tehran, the capital of Iran in 1995 and returned to Karachi after staying there for about 3 years. Fakhrul returned to Bangladesh in 1998.
Besides, Hafez Md Abdullah Al Mamun ran a social media group by using encrypted apps to communicate among themselves, Asaduzzaman said.
He also created a YouTube channel where he shared extremism-provoking contents including bomb-making manuals and videos to other members, MD Asaduzzaman said in the briefing.
A case under the Anti-Terrorism Act was lodged against the arrestees.
Youth crushed under wheels of train in Mohakhali
A youth was crushed under the wheels of a train in Mohakhali rail gate area of the capital Friday, Government Railway Police (GRP) said.
Though the identity of the victim could not be known immediately, he was aged between 20 to 25 years.
Sanu Mong, assistant sub inspector at Dhaka Railway Police Station in GRP, quoting witnesses said that the accident happened around 11.30am when the Kamalapur-bound train ‘Agnebeena’ hit him when he was crossing the train track while on his mobile phone in the rail gate area.
Also Read: Ten people hurt in collision between locomotive and train in Nilphamari
The impact from the accident severed his body into two parts, Mong said, adding that on information they recovered the body.
The body was sent to Dhaka Medical College Hospital morgue for autopsy after completing legal procedures, the ASI added.
Dhaka air 2nd most polluted in the world this morning
Dhaka's air quality remained in the "very unhealthy" zone Friday morning.
With an air quality index (AQI) score of 256 at 9:10am today, the capital of Bangladesh ranked second in the list of world cities with the worst air quality.
An AQI between 151 and 200 is said to be "unhealthy," 201 and 300 "very unhealthy," and 301 to 400 is considered "hazardous," posing serious health risks to residents.
Read more: Dhaka air ‘very unhealthy’, 2nd most polluted in the world this morning
Mongolia's Ulaanbaatar and Iraq's Baghdad occupied the first and third places with AQI of 283 and 231, respectively.
In Bangladesh, the AQI is based on five criteria pollutants – particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5), NO2, CO, SO2 and ozone.
Dhaka has long been grappling with air pollution issues. Its air quality usually turns unhealthy in winter and improves during the monsoon.
Read more: Clean energy gains a foothold in India, but coal still rules
Air pollution consistently ranks among the top risk factors for death and disability worldwide.
Breathing polluted air has long been recognised as increasing a person's chances of developing heart disease, chronic respiratory diseases, lung infections and cancer, according to several studies.
BNP unveils 4-day march programme in Dhaka from Jan 28
BNP on Thursday announced a four-day march programme in the capital to press home their 10-point demand, including holding the next general election under a non-party caretaker government.
BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir came up with the announcement of the fresh programme for Dhaka at a press conference at the party’s Nayapaltan central office.
He said the leaders and activists of their party’s Dhaka north and south city units will observe the march programme on January 28, 31, 30 and February 1 respectively also to demand the 'restoration’ of democracy in the country.
Read more: BNP to stage rally in all divisional cities on Feb 4
As per the party’s plan, Dhaka North City unit BNP will march from Shahjadpur to Malibagh’s Abul Hotel on January 28 and from Gabtoli to Mirpur-10 intersection on January 31.
Besides, Dhaka South City unit BNP will march from Jatrabari to Shyampur on January 30 and from Mugda to Malibagh on February 1.
Fakhrul hoped that their march programmes will be held peacefully with the spontaneous participation of people from all walks of life.
“We’ll hold the march programmes demanding our 10 points and the restoration of democracy. Our programmes will be completely peaceful,” he said.
Replying to a question, Fakhrul said BNP’s two units in Dhaka city will organise march programmes. “But the like-minded parties also can join the programme simultaneously if they want.”
'Misleading media reporting amounts to stabbing the movement'
Read More: HC grants anticipatory bail to 102 BNP men over clashes in Ctg
Fakhrul alleged that a particular television channel has aired a feature or documentary maligning BNP top leaders which in no way goes with objective and neutral journalism. “It’s like stabbing the ongoing movement for the restoration of democracy by completely taking a position in favour of a party (AL).”
He said when the country’s television channels and national newspapers are covering the ongoing movement and presenting people’s voices and speaking in favour of people, a television channel’s such false campaign is undoubtedly unwarranted.
“I hope that the channel authorities will stop airing this report or documentary and they will be careful so that such hateful propaganda is not spread by them in the future,” Fakhrul said.
Blast at Dhaka's Moghbazar leaves 4 injured
At least four people were injured in an explosion in Dhaka's Moghbazar area earlier today (January 24, 2023).
The blast occurred at around 9:45 am in front of a medicine store in the Moghbazar Wireless area and the injured were taken to Dhaka Medical College Hospital, said Abul Hasan, officer-in-charge of Ramna Police Station.
The injured are Saiful Islam, 36; Tareq, 20; Abul Kalam, 25; and Md Shaheen, 30.
Read More: Dhamrai gas cylinder blast death toll rises to four
The reason behind the explosion could not be known yet, added the OC.
"However, we are looking into whether it was a crude bomb or anything else," said Abul Hasan.
The injured are now receiving treatment at the hospital, said Inspector Bachchu Mia, in-charge of Dhaka Medical College and Hospital (DMCH) police outpost.
Read More: 205 BNP leaders, activists sued over crude bomb blasts in Barishal
“All are out of danger,” he added.
Dhaka air 2nd most polluted in the world this morning
Dhaka's air quality remains in the ‘very unhealthy' zone this morning. With an air quality index (AQI) score of 234 at 9:05 am today (January 24, 2023), the capital of Bangladesh ranked second in the list of world cities with the worst air quality.
An AQI between 151 and 200 is said to be ‘unhealthy’ while 201 and 300 is considered ‘very unhealthy’, and 301 to 400 is considered 'hazardous', posing serious health risks to residents.
Read: Air pollution 2nd biggest cause of deaths in Bangladesh in 2019, cost about 3.9-4.4% of GDP: World Bank
Uzbekistan’s Tashkent and Bosnia Herzegovina’s Sarajevo occupied the first and third places with AQI of 247 and 223 respectively.
In Bangladesh, the AQI is based on five criteria pollutants -- Particulate Matter (PM10 and PM2.5), NO2, CO, SO2 and Ozone.
Dhaka has long been grappling with air pollution issues. Its air quality usually turns unhealthy in winter and improves during the monsoon.
Read: Effects of Air Pollution on Unborn Children, Neonates, Infants
Air pollution consistently ranks among the top risk factors for death and disability worldwide. Breathing polluted air has long been recognised as increasing a person’s chances of developing a heart disease, chronic respiratory diseases, lung infections and cancer, according to several studies.
Underground water levels in Dhaka, Chattogram receding fast
Underground water level of Dhaka is receding by two to three meters every year, while the rate is three meters a year in Chattogram city.
LGRD Minister Tajul Islam on Monday said this in parliament while replying to a tabled question from ruling Awami League MP elected from Noakhali Morshed Alam.
He also said at present the average underground water level in Dhaka city is 38 meters to 82 meters, depending on the areas.
For Chattogram city, the average underground water level is 100 meters at present.
Also Read: JS passes ‘Nursing and Midwifery Council (amendment) Bill 2023
The LGRD minister said that currently Dhaka WASA is supplying 66 percent of its supplied water from underground while 34 percent from surface.
He also mentioned that the government has undertaken to construct three big water treatment plants for reducing the dependency on underground water in Dhaka city by 2025.
“It is hoped that by 2025, it (Dhaka WASA) will be able to ensure water for Dhaka dwellers--70 percent from surface and 30 percent from underground.”
For the Chattogram city, the minister said at present the rate of water harnessing from underground is 8 percent while the remaining 92 percent water comes from the surface.
Read more: How to Build Dhaka as a Water Wise City