Bangladesh
Fire breaks out in Gazipur warehouse
A fire broke out at a textile waste warehouse in the Majukhan area of Gazipur city early on Wednesday, gutting two adjacent houses.
No reports of casualties were reported till the filing of this report.
Abdul Hamid Mia, deputy assistant director of Gazipur Fire Service and Civil Defense, said the fire broke out in the warehouse at 5.30am and spread to the nearby houses.
Also Read: N’ganj factory fire under control
Four fire tenders were pressed into the service and it took them over two-and-a-half hours to douse the flames, he said.
"A probe has been ordered to ascertain the exact cause of the fire," the officer added.
Global Covid cases top 562 million
The overall number of Covid cases has now surpassed 562 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 562,846,844 and the death toll from the virus reached 6,376,711 Wednesday morning.
The US has recorded 90,683,223 cases so far and 1,046,613 people have died from the virus in the country, the data shows.
India reported 13,615 fresh cases of Covid-19 in 24 hours, taking the total tally to 43,652,944, as per the federal health ministry data released on Tuesday.
With this, the number of active cases in the country rose to 131,043.
According to the ministry, 20 deaths related to Covid have been recorded in 24 hours, pushing the overall death toll to 525,474 in the country.
Covid in Bangladesh
Bangladesh registered nine more Covid-linked deaths with 556 cases in 24 hours till Tuesday morning amid a rapid surge in new infections.
Also read: Covid: Bangladesh logs 4 months’ highest 12 deaths with 2,285 cases
The fresh numbers took the country's total caseload to 1,991,031 and the fatalities to 29,212, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
The daily case positivity rate slightly increased to 13.78 per cent from Monday’s 13.18 per cent as 4,799 samples were tested during the period, said the DGHS.
The mortality rate remained unchanged at 1.47 per cent. The recovery rate rose to 96.22 per cent as 1,542 patients recovered during the period.
Dhaka's air quality is 'good'
Dhaka's air quality has turned 'good'.
With an air quality index (AQI) score of 37 at 9.04am, the densely populated metropolis ranked 39th in the list of world cities with the worst air quality.
Indonesia’s Jakarta, Pakistan’s Lahore and Chile’s Santiago occupied the first three spots in the list, with AQI scores of 160, 151 and 124, 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: Global pollution kills 9 million people a year, study finds
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 a 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.
Couple found dead in Naogaon river
A couple was found dead on a boat in the Shib river in Niyamatpur upazila of Naogaon district on Tuesday, police said on Wednesday.
The deceased were identified as Raihan Ali, 25, son of Adam Ali of Bil Surshunia village, and his wife Tarabanu, 19, daughter of Iskendar Ali of Srikla village.
Humayun Kabir, officer-in-charge of Niamatpur Police Station, said Tarabanu and Raihan got married six months ago without the consent of their families.
READ: 2 farmers’ suicide for irrigation water: Agriculture secy vows strict action
Local people spotted the bodies in the river and informed the police. Cops suspect they died by suicide.
Climate Change: Special Rapporteur to visit Bangladesh Sept 4-15
Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights in the context of climate change will undertake an official visit to Bangladesh from September 4-15.
Ian Fry, also an international environmental law and policy expert, will be visiting Bangladesh at the invitation of the government of Bangladesh.
During the visit, the Special Rapporteur will study and identify how the adverse impact of climate change affects the human rights of communities in vulnerable situations including climate change-induced displacement.
Read: Climate change wipes out $525 bn over last 2 decades: Report
Furthermore, he plans to identify good practices, strategies and policies implemented by the Government in building resilience to the adverse impact of climate change on the full and effective enjoyment of human rights.
In order to prepare for the visit, the Special Rapporteur has sought input from civil society, human rights organizations and other interested stakeholders by July 27.
He primarily remains focused on mitigation policies and loss and damage associated with the Paris Agreement, Kyoto Protocol and related instruments.
Two motorcyclists killed in Manikganj road crash
Two youths were killed and another was injured in a road accident at Kaliganga Bridge of Manikganj on Tuesday night.
The deceased were identified as Juel Mia, an honours third-year student of Debendra University College and his friend motorcycle businessman Ashiqur Rahman, residents of Rathura village under Ghior upazila of the district.
Eyewitnesses said a Selfie Paribahan bus ran over a motorcycle from behind on the Dhaka-Aricha highway leaving two motorcyclists Juel Mia and Ashiqur Rahman dead on the spot and injuring another around 10:30pm.
Injured motorcyclist Hasibur Rahman was taken to Munnu Medical College Hospital.
Read: Child dies falling out of electric rickshaw
Following the accident, an agitated mob vandalized a few buses of the Selfie Paribahan. On information, police brought the situation under control by charging batons.
Later, agitated people torched a bus at Baniajuri around 11:30pm. Being informed, firefighters doused the bus blaze.
Ghior police station officer-in-charge Riazuddin Ahmed Biplab confirmed the matter to UNB.
Rauf sets 3 priorities as new governor of Bangladesh Bank
Abdur Rauf Talukder, the new governor of Bangladesh Bank (BB), has set three priorities for the domestic economy.
"The main task of Bangladesh Bank is to control inflation, second is to control the exchange rate and the third is to increase the foreign exchange reserves,” the new governor told reporters.
Abdur Rauf Talukder spoke about the three priorities after a meeting with the central bank officials on Tuesday, his first day in office.
Read: New BB governor Abdur Rauf joins office
He wants to stem the rise of commodity prices, keep the value of currency (Taka) against the dollar, as well as increase foreign exchange reserves.
He takes charge at a time when the world economy is under pressure. Uncertainty is running high in the country due to rising commodity prices and fuel prices. Bangladesh is no exceptio, he said.
1 killed, 15 injured as villagers clash in Magura
A 55-year-old person was killed and 15 others were injured in a series of clashes between two groups of villagers at Sarainagar-Khordarhua village of Sreepur upazila in Magura, over the past two days.
The deceased was identified as Alauddin Fakir, resident of Khordarhua village. He died on the way to Faridpur Medical College Hospital on Tuesday afternoon.
Police said the clash began on Sunday night regarding some trivial issues between supporters of two rivals, Faridul Islam Mollah, a former UP member of the Srikol union and Bakkar Mollah, the current UP member, villagers claimed.
According to them, at least 15 people were injured, while 25 houses and shops were vandalised and looted during the clash.
The injured were admitted to Magura Sadar Hospital. Krishna Das Biswas, emergency department doctor from the hospital said that the critically injured were sent to Faridpur Medical College for advanced treatment.
Preton Sarkar, officer-in-charge of Sreepur police said that situation had been brought under control, after police were informed. Twelve people arrested over the issue were produced to the court, he said.
A murder case was filed at Sreepur police station and additional police were deployed in the area to keep the situation under control, he added
Teenager dies of electrocution in Kishoreganj
A teenaged boy died after coming in contact with an electrical line at Panschim Sharifpur village in Kishoreganj's Mithamoin upazila on Tuesday afternoon.
The deceased was identified as Babul Mia, 16, son of expatriate Islam Uddin, resident of Saudi Arabia, at Gopdighi union.
Quoting locals, police said Babul came in contact with a live electric wire while repairing it.
Locals rescued him and sent him to Mithamoin upazila health complex where doctors declared him dead.
Read: Ship engine mechanic dies of electrocution in Ctg
Mithamoin police station officer-in-charge Kalindra Nath Golder confirmed the matter to UNB.
Momen hosts Eid reunion, exchanges pleasantries with diplomats
Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen on Tuesday hosted a reception in honor of diplomats stationed in Dhaka as part of post-Eid-ul-Adha reunion.
Former diplomats of the country also joined the reception held at the Foreign Service Academy.