Bangladesh
Rains likely to quell heat in Bangladesh
Expect some respite from the scorching heat and frustrating humidity, as the weather department has predicted monsoon showers at many places across the country in 24 hours.
“Light to moderate rain or thunder showers accompanied by temporary gusty winds is likely to occur at a few places over Dhaka, Khulna, Barishal, Chattogram and Sylhet divisions and at one or two places over Rangpur, Rajshahi and Mymensingh divisions with moderately heavy rainfalls at places over the country,” the Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD) said in its forecast.
Read: Rains to drench Bangladesh in 24 hours
Day and night temperatures may remain nearly unchanged over the country, it added.
The Met office recorded the highest 35mm rainfall in Sylhet district in 24 hours till 6am on Thursday.
The mercury reached 36 degrees Celsius – the highest – in Rajshahi, while the minimum temperature was recorded at 25 degrees in Sylhet.
Meanwhile, the monsoon trough runs through Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Odisha, Bihar, and Gangetic West Bengal to Assam across the southern part of Bangladesh.
Read: Met office predicts more monsoon rains across country
Monsoon is less active over Bangladesh and moderate over the North Bay, as per the bulletin.
Two killed in Jhenaidah road crash
Two fish traders died after a pickup van in which they were travelling crashed into a truck parked along the busy Jhenaidah-Kaliganj highway in Jhenaidah in the early hours of Thursday.
The deceased were identified as Ohiduzzaman and Lutfar Rahman, both from Jashore district.
Read: Two cousins die in Rajbari road crash
The accident occurred around 1.30am when the Jashore-bound pickup van transporting fish from Bogura crashed into the stationary track in Kaliganj, leaving the duo dead on the spot, said Kaliganj Fire Service station manager Sheikh Mamunur Rashid.
The bodies were sent to Jashore Sadar Hospital morgue by the police, he added.
Steps taken to prevent rawhide smuggling in border areas: Industries Secy
The government has taken steps to prevent rawhide smuggling in areas along the country's border, Industries Secretary Zakia Sultana has said.
“Already the government has fixed the prices of rawhides in Dhaka and outside the capital, and it has strengthened vigilance in areas along the border to prevent rawhide smuggling,” she told reporters after visiting the tannery industrial area at Bangladesh Small and Cottage Industries Corporation (BSCIC) on Wednesday.
Also read: Savar Tannery Estate: Guideline to be prepared over plot allocation
This year, as many as 97 to 98 lakh animals will be sacrificed across the country during Eid-ul-Azha, the Secretary said.
Already 1.21 crore rawhides have been prepared and the same will be processed at Central Effluent Treatment Plant (CETP) in Savar, said Zakia.
"The ministry has taken steps to keep the Dhaleshwari river and its adjacent areas along the tannery industry area free from pollution," she added.
Man dies after being hit by train in Faridpur
A man aged around 50 died after being hit by a speeding train in Faridpur city on Wednesday night.
The identity of the deceased could not be ascertained immediately.
Read: Out for morning walk, man hit by train in Jashore
Masud Alam, officer-in-charge of Rajbari railway police station, said that the man was crossing the track in the Laximpur railway crossing area around 8pm when he was hit by the freight train.
On information, police rushed to the spot and recovered the body.
Two cousins die in Rajbari road crash
Two cousins returning to their respective homes from Dhaka to celebrate Eid with their families in Jhenaidah died after a three-wheel vehicle they were travelling in overturned in Rajbari district town early on Thursday morning.
The deceased were identified as Azizur Rahman, 22, and Matiur Rahman, 35 of Shailakupa upazila of Jhenaidah district. Four other occupants of the commercial vehicle, including its driver, sustained injuries in the road accident.
Read: Mother-daughter duo killed in Dinajpur road accident
The accident occurred around 5.15 am on Rajbari-Kushtia Road when the vehicle with the six occupants overturned after the driver lost control, leaving the cousins dead on the spot and the others injured, said sub-inspector of Sadar Police Station, Moazzem Hossain.
The injured have been hospitalised, he said. "The vehicle has been seized and the driver arrested."
Dhaka's air remains 'unhealthy'
Dhaka's air quality is still 'unhealthy'.
With an air quality index (AQI) score of 119 at 9.12am on Thursday, the metropolis ranked seventh in the list of world cities with the worst air quality.
Indonesia’s Jakarta, Saudi Arabia’s Riyadh and Pakistan’s Lahore occupied the first three spots, with AQI scores of 163, 158 and 151, respectively.
An AQI between 101 and 200 is considered 'unhealthy', particularly for sensitive groups.
Similarly, 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.
Read Lung cancer on the rise in Bangladesh: Report
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.
Dhaka has long been grappling with air pollution issues. Its air quality usually turns unhealthy in winter and improves during the monsoon.
A report by the Department of Environment (DoE) and the World Bank in March 2019 pointed out that the three main sources of air pollution in Dhaka "are brick kilns, fumes from vehicles and dust from construction sites".
With the advent of winter, the city’s air quality starts deteriorating sharply due to the massive discharge of pollutant particles from construction work, rundown roads, brick kilns and other sources.
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.
As per the World Health Organization (WHO), air pollution kills an estimated seven million people worldwide every year, largely as a result of increased mortality from stroke, heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lung cancer and acute respiratory infections.
Global Covid cases top 557 million
The overall number of Covid cases has now surpassed 557 million amid a rise in new infections in Southeast Asia, the Middle East and Europe.
According to the latest global data, the total case count mounted to 557,522,144 and the death toll from the virus reached 6,366,784 Thursday morning.
The US has recorded 89,930,463 cases so far and 1,044,557 people have died from the virus in the country, the data shows.
India reported as many as 16,159 new Covid-19 cases in 24 hours, taking the total tally to 43,547,809, as per the data released by the federal health ministry Wednesday.
A total of 454,465 Covid-19 tests were conducted across the country in 24 hours, added the ministry.
Besides, 28 deaths due to the pandemic were reported since Tuesday morning, taking the total toll to 525,270.
Covid in Bangladesh
Bangladesh registered four more Covid-linked deaths with 1,728 cases in 24 hours till Wednesday morning amid a rapid surge in new infections.
Read: Fake Covid testing scam: Shahed denied bail
The fresh numbers took the country's total caseload to 1,984,700 and fatalities to 29,185, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
The daily case positivity rate rose to 16.89 per cent from Tuesday’s 16.74 per cent as 10, 175 samples were tested during the period, said the DGHS.
The country last reported 13 Covid-linked deaths with 368 cases on March 5 this year.
The mortality rate remained unchanged at 1.47 per cent. The recovery rate declined to 96.23 per cent from Tuesday’s 96.28 per cent as 526 patients recovered during this period.
In June, the country reported 18 Covid-linked deaths and 20,201 new cases, according to the DGHS.
The country reported its first zero Covid death in a single day on November 20 last year, along with 178 cases, since the pandemic broke out here in March 2020.
Holidaymakers suffer as traffic piles up on parts of Dhaka-Ctg highway
Vacationers heading home four days ahead of Eid-ul-Azha had to suffer through a 10-km long tailback on the Dhaka-Chattogram highway passing through Narayanganj on Wednesday.Massive gridlock was witnessed on the highway at Shimrail, Kanchpur, Madanpur and Meghna area from this afternoon.Hundreds of vehicles got stuck which caused extreme miseries to the drivers and passengers amid scorching heat.A home-bound passenger Faria Rahman said vehicles were moving slowly after crossing the Signboard area. It is taking a long time for the passengers to reach the destination.Meanwhile, some passengers alleged transport owners are charging extra fare.Nabir Hossain, officer-in-charge (OC) Kanchpur Highway police station, said, “The gridlock was caused by heavy pressure of cattle-laden vehicles as well as home-bound people ahead of Eid.”The highway police has taken various steps to control traffic, including deploying additional police at every turn of the highway, patrolling and not allowing local vehicles on the highway, said the OC.“Due to the extra pressure of the vehicles, people have to wait for a while at a few turning points of the highway causing a tailback. Hopefully it will be normal soon,” he added.Highway police have also evicted illegal establishments and shops on or near the highway to avoid traffic gridlock.
CIID seizes Tk27 crore Rolls-Royce from Dhaka's Baridhara
The Customs Intelligence and Investigation Directorate (CIID) has seized a Rolls-Royce car worth Tk27 crore from a house in Dhaka's Baridhara for violating customs rule.
Imported by Z&Z Intimates, the car was hidden in the garage of the residence of the company's managing director, the CIID said Wednesday.
The importer violated the provisions of the Customs Act by illegally hiding the vehicle in a private garage without paying import duties, it added.
Flood water rises again in Sylhet
The flood water in Sylhet increased once again on Wednesday due to a heavy downpour since Tuesday night.Many areas of the district went under water as the flood situation slightly worsened.According to the Water Development Board, water in Surma River at Kanaighat point and Sylhet point has increased 6 and 1 centimetres, respectively, in the last 24 hours. At the same time, water in the Kushiara River has increased 2 centimeters at Fenchuganj point.On the other hand, water in the Sari River and Lova River has increased by 10 and 7 centimeter, respectively. However, water in the Dhalai River has slightly receded.AKM Niloy Pasha, deputy assistant of Sylhet Water Development Board, said, the water in the rivers of the district has increased due to excessive rainfall. The situation might continue till Thursday. District administration data said a total of 314 shelters have been opened for the flood-affected people while 22,176 flood victims have taken shelter.