Dhaka
Worst Air Quality: Along with Dhaka, South Asian cities in top 5
As city life continues to be impacted by the cold weather, Dhaka's air quality remained in the 'unhealthy' zone this morning (January 18, 2024).With an air quality index (AQI) score of 175 at 9:06 am, Dhaka ranked fifth on the list of cities worldwide with the worst air quality.India’s Kolkata, Pakistan’s Karachi and Lahore and India’s Delhi occupied the first four spots on the list, with AQI scores of 240, 211, 183 and 179, respectively.
Dhaka’s air quality ‘unhealthy’ this morning amid bone-chilling coldWhen the AQI value for particle pollution is between 101 and 150, air quality is considered ‘unhealthy for sensitive groups’, between 150 and 200 is ‘unhealthy’, between 201 and 300 is said to be 'very unhealthy', while a reading of 301+ is considered 'hazardous', posing serious health risks to residents.The AQI, an index for reporting daily air quality, informs people how clean or polluted the air of a certain city is and what associated health effects might be a concern for them.The AQI in Bangladesh is based on five 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.
Dhaka’s air quality again world's worstAs per World Health Organization (WHO), air pollution kills an estimated seven million people worldwide every year, mainly due to increased mortality from stroke, heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lung cancer, and acute respiratory infections.
Dhaka, Washington agree to deepen ties to expand trade, strengthen anti-militancy efforts
Foreign Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud on Wednesday (January 17, 2024) said Bangladesh has agreed to deepen ties with the United States through expansion of trade and strengthening efforts to combat “militancy and fanaticism.”
"We have expressed our commitment to work together," he told reporters after his separate meetings with US Ambassador Peter Haas and European Union Ambassador Charles Whiteley at his office at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The Foreign Minister said the rise of fanaticism is a problem worldwide.
Responding to a question, he also said there has been exploration of oil offshore.
Bangladesh, China discuss promoting FTA negotiation and attracting investment
The Foreign Minister said there are oil reserves as discovered by a US company.
He said Bangladesh and the US have cooperation in the defence area and they have discussed the issue.
The Foreign Minister said he has discussed the Rohingya repatriation issue with both the ambassadors.
He said Bangladesh wants Rohingyas to return to their homeland with full rights.
EU to start negotiations on Partnership Cooperation Agreement very soon, says Charles Whiteley
Hasan Mahmud said Bangladesh is now hosting around 15 lakh Rohingyas, and the number is growing . "It's a burden for us."
Talking to reporters, US Ambassador Peter Haas said he looks forward to working closely with Bangladesh in the coming months on issues of mutual importance.
He mentioned climate change, expanding business opportunities, and other areas of cooperation to advance the relations.
"I look forward to working very closely in the coming months to advance our mutual interest," said Ambassador Haas.
Referring to the meeting with the Foreign Minister, he said it was an opportunity to talk about the future of the US-Bangladesh relationship.
Lavrov to Hasan Mahmud: Russia-Bangladesh ties based on solid foundation of friendship
Regarding his meeting with EU Ambassador Whiteley, the Foreign Minister said they discussed the Partnership Cooperation Agreement (PCA) so that both sides can reach a fruitful position through negotiations.
Weather Update: Will it rain in Dhaka?
Amidst the ongoing mild cold wave, Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD) has forecasted rainfall in various regions, including Dhaka.
Over the next 24 hours – starting from 9 am today (January 17, 2024)– rain is anticipated in Rajshahi, Khulna, Barishal, and Chattogram divisions. The Met office has highlighted a likelihood of rain in one or two places within these areas.
Meanwhile, rain is likely to occur at one or two places over Dhaka, Rajshahi, Khulna, Barishal and Chattogram divisions on Thursday, according to the forecast of BMD.
BMD predicts this is how long current cold wave will continue
The forecast also includes the possibility of moderate to thick fog covering the country from night through to morning, potentially persisting until noon in some areas. This foggy condition may lead to temporary disruptions in air navigation, inland river transport, and road communication.
Wednesday witnessed the country’s lowest temperature at 9.4 degrees Celsius in Bandarban. As the country experiences this cold wave, the weather in other parts of Bangladesh is expected to remain mainly dry, with temporary partly cloudy skies.
Temperature fluctuations are also predicted, with the night temperature likely to increase by 1-2 degrees Celsius, and a slight rise in the daytime temperature across the country.
As cold weather continues, Dhaka’s air quality still ‘unhealthy’
The prevailing foggy conditions might also contribute to cold day scenarios in various places throughout Bangladesh. Citizens are advised to stay updated with the latest weather reports and plan their activities accordingly.
Dhaka Elevated Expressway to be completed in 2024, says Obaidul Quader
In a significant development for Bangladesh’s infrastructure, Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader today (January 16, 2024) announced that the construction of Dhaka Elevated Expressway is set to be completed within this year. This statement was made during a press briefing at the Setu Bhaban earlier today, signaling a major stride in the country’s infrastructure network.
Minister Quader informed that 50% of the Dhaka Elevated Expressway’s construction work has already been completed. With traffic flow already operational from the Dhaka Airport to Farmgate, the project is progressing swiftly. The remaining construction work is anticipated to be finished by 2024.
1 dead as bus, car collide on Dhaka Elevated Expressway
In an impressive revelation about the Padma Bridge, Minister Quader stated that it is generating a daily toll revenue of Tk 2 crore. The total toll collection so far has reached a substantial amount of Tk 1,252 crore. This income stream signifies the bridge’s crucial role in the nation’s economic activities.
Furthermore, Quader expressed optimism regarding the completion of the BRTA project in Gazipur by June of this year, marking another milestone in enhancing Bangladesh’s transportation infrastructure.
Responding to queries from journalists, the General Secretary of Awami League addressed political rhetoric, criticizing BNP leaders for their “nonsensical” statements. He emphasized the importance of recognizing and appreciating the government’s efforts in national development instead of harboring envy over the country’s prosperity.
Earlier in the day, Minister Quader engaged in discussions with officials of the Bridge Building and the Bangladesh Bridge Authority. He reviewed the progress of various projects, reflecting the government’s commitment to ongoing infrastructure development across the country.
PM Hasina to open 3 mega projects inc. Elevated Expressway in Ctg tomorrow
BNP reopens Nayapaltan central office after 75 days
Bangladesh Nationalist Party’s (BNP) central office in Dhaka’s Nayapaltan was reopened this morning, nearly two and a half months after closure following clashes with police during the party’s grand rally on October 28, 2023.
Some BNP leaders and activists, led by the party’s Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, unlocked the collapsible gate of the office around 10:42 am.
They entered the office while shouting various slogans in the name of party founder Ziaur Rahman and Chairperson Khaleda Zia.
“We entered BNP’s central office by breaking the lock. A massive rally was foiled through a brutal crackdown by the government’s subservient law-enforcement agencies on October 28…later police locked the office,” said Rizvi.
Read: BNP leader Fakhrul gets bail in 9 cases, 2 more cases pending
He said BNP’s standing committee members, led by Dr Abdul Moyeen Khan, will hold a press conference — on the national election held on January 7 — at the office at 3 pm.
The BNP leader said they will now clean the office for holding the press meet.
After the party’s grand rally was foiled halfway through on October 28 at Nayapaltan amid clashes with police, the collapsible gate of the BNP's office was closed with the deployment of a huge number of law enforcers in the area.
Members of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) marked the areas in front of the main gate of the BNP office with the crime scene tape inscribed with "Do not cross” to collect evidence for investigation into severe political violence.
Later, the CID's Crime Scene Unit collected evidence from the site and later removed the crime scene tape.
Read: BNP to continue street agitation until demands are met: Rizvi
Following the clashes, law enforcers launched a crackdown on senior BNP leaders and activists, and arrested BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and several other leaders, forcing most of them to go into hiding to avoid arrest.
Though thousands of BNP leaders and activists brought out a Victory Day rally on December 16 in Nayapaltan, they did not reopen their central office.
BNP finally reopened the office four days after the 12th parliamentary election that was boycotted by most opposition parties.
Election 2024: List of winners from Dhaka division
The Awami League won a comfortable two-thirds majority for a fourth election in a row on Sunday (January 07, 2024), in 299 out of 300 constituencies, and a strong showing by independent candidates as predicted.
Ruling party candidates won in 222 seats in Sunday’s election, while independent candidates — most of them belonging to AL — won 62 seats.
Read more: Election 2024: List of winners from Khulna division
Here’s the list of candidates from Dhaka division who won in the National Election 2024:
Election 2024: Awami League secures 16 out of 20 Dhaka seats
Though Awami League (AL) was determined to retain all 20 seats in Dhaka, it lost three seats to independent candidates, who did not get party nomination, and shared a seat with their alliance earlier.
In Dhaka-4, 5 and 19, the AL’s nominees were defeated by independent candidates. Among them, State Minister for Disaster and Relief Dr. Md. Enamur Rahman contested from Dhaka-19 constituency.
In Dhaka-4, independent candidate Awlad Hossain bagged 24,775 votes with truck symbol and defeated AL nominee Sanjida Khanam who got 22,577 votes in the election held at 77 centres.
In Dhaka-5, independent candidate Mashiur Rahman Mollah secured victory by bagging 50,631 votes with the truck symbol. He defeated AL candidate Harunur Rashid (Munna) by a margin of only 297 votes.
Read more: National Election: Palak wins 4th term
In Dhaka-19, with the truck symbol, independent candidate Saiful Islam got 84,412 votes while his nearest rival AL candidate Md. Enamur Rahman got 56,361 votes. Another independent candidate Talukder Md. Touhid Jung (Murad) secured 76, 202 votes.
The seats AL retained
In Dhaka-1, AL’s heavyweight candidate Salman F Rahman defeated Jatiya Party’s Salma Islam by a huge margin of 115,075 votes. He bagged 150,005 votes.
In Dhaka-2, AL's Quamrul Islam bagged 1,54,448 votes by crushing his nearest independent competitor Habibur Rahman who got 10,635 votes.
In Dhaka-3, the ruling AL’s heavyweight nominee Nasrul Hamid defeated JaPa’s Md Monir Sarkar by a huge difference of 129,864 votes.
Hamid bagged 132,732 votes while Monir got only 2,868 votes.
Read more: No pressure on voters to vote, but leaflets from ‘a party’ asking not to go, says FS quoting CEC
In Dhaka-6, Dhaka South City Corporation’s former mayor and AL candidate Sayeed Khokan earned a landslide victory against his rival Md Rabiul Alam Majumdar.
Khokan got 61,703 votes while Rabiul only 1,109 votes.
In Dhaka-7, JaPa’s Mohammad Saifuddin Ahmmed Milon was defeated by current lawmaker Haji Selim’s son Solaiman Selim. AL nominee Selim got 63,817 votes while Milon with plough symbol bagged 7,308 votes.
Dhaka-8 AL candidate AFM Bahauddin Nasim secured a landslide victory by a huge margin. He secured 46,610 votes while JaPa’s Md. Juber Alam Khan got only 880 votes.
In Dhaka-9, Saber Hossain Chowdhury from the AL secured 90,396 votes. His nearest rival Md Abul Kalam Azad of JaPa bagged 6,999 votes.
In Dhaka-10, popular actor Ferdous Ahmed, as a debutant candidate from the AL, got 65,898 votes while JaPa candidate Haji Md Shahjahan got only 2,257 votes.
In Dhaka-11, AL candidate Md Wakil Uddin won by defeating JaPa’s Shamim Ahmed. Wakil earned 83,885 votes while his rival bagged 2,747 votes.
In Dhaka-12, AL heavyweight candidate and current Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal got 94,689 votes while his rival Khorshed Alam bagged only 2,219 votes.
In Dhaka-13, AL leader Jahangir Kabir Nanak won from the seat with the boat symbol.
In Dhaka-14, AL's Mainul Hossain Khan won by achieving 53,540 votes while independent candidate Lutfar Rahman with got 17,914 votes.
In Dhaka-15, AL’s Kamal Ahmed Majumdar clinched victory by securing 39,632 votes while his rival from the JaPa, Shamsul Huq, got 2,044 votes.
In Dhaka-16, Ilias Ali Mollah from the AL won by defeating independent candidate Salauddin Rabin. Ilias got 65,631 votes while Rabin got 6,314 votes with the truck symbol.
In Dhaka-17, Prof Mohammad A Arafat was elected unofficially by bagging 48,059 votes with the boat symbol. His nearest rival from Bikalpa Dhara Bangladesh, Ainul Haque, got 1,380 votes.
In Dhaka-18, though the AL shared the seat with JaPa, its candidate, GM Quaders’ wife Sherifa Quader, was defeated.
Independent candidate Md Khosru Chowdhury was unofficially elected by 79,085 votes while nearest rival Md Tofazzal Hossain bagged 44,909 votes with the truck symbol. Sherifa Quader got only 6,429 votes.
Dhaka-20 AL candidate Benazir Ahmed was unofficially elected with 83,709 votes. His nearest rival, independent candidate Md Atiqur Rahman bagged 6,413 votes with the scissors symbol.
Read more: Salman F Rahman wins again
Election 2024: 18.5% votes cast in 4 hours, says EC secretary
Election Commission Secretary Jahangir Alam on Sunday said 18.5% votes were cast during the first four hours of voting.
He shared this information at a press conference held at the Agargaon Election Commission (EC) building.
Menwhile, Chief Election Commissioner Kazi Habibul Awal said he is not thinking about voter turnout and his job is to arrange the elections.
Election 2024: Voting underway amid low turnout, 1 death reported in Munshiganj
“I know nothing whether the voter turnout is low or high. I don’t think about the voter turnout. My job is to arrange the elections,” said Awal while talking to journalists after casting his vote at Habibullah Bahar College Centre in Dhaka.
Voting for the 12th National Parliamentary Election is underway since 8 am with reports of low voter turnout and sporadic violence.
Ballot boxes stuffed at night even in lopsided polls: Rizvi
UNB correspondents from Dhaka and across the country including Dinajpur, Chattogram, Bhola, Chapainawabganj, and Khulna have reported lower voter turnout than expected.
One was killed amidst reports of sporadic violence across the country.
2 candidates boycott polls over alleged irregularities in M’singh; presiding officer among 3 detained
Sheikh Rehana casts her vote at Gulshan Model High School centre
Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s daughter and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s younger sister Sheikh Rehana has cast her vote at Gulshan Model High School and College centre under Dhaka-17 constituency.
She went to the polling centre around 12:45 pm today and cast her vote.
Read: ‘Ecstatic that PM Sheikh Hasina came to vote for me alongside her daughter’: Ferdous
Her son Radwan Mujib Siddiq and Awami League-nominated candidate for Dhaka-17 constituency, Mohammad Ali Arafat, were with her at the time.
Election 2024: Voter turnout relatively higher in rural areas compared to Dhaka, says Foreign Secretary
Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen has said voter turnout is relatively higher in rural areas compared to Dhaka, and expressed optimism over healthy turnout of voters as the day progresses.
“I couldn't cast my vote for many years as I was abroad. My father used to come with my mother. As my father passed away few years back, I came here to cast my vote with my mother,” he told reporters after casting his vote at the Teachers Training Centre under Dhaka-10 constituency.
Also read: People boycotting those who boycotted election: Obaidul Quader
Responding to a question, the Foreign Secretary said foreign observers are monitoring the polls since this morning and they are willing to share their impressions after voting is completed.
Over 127 foreign observers are monitoring the polls apart from journalists from overseas.
"So far, the environment is peaceful," he added.
The Election Commission is confident about holding the election through a transparent process, the Foreign Secretary said.
Turnout is a key factor but it needs to be seen whether the entire process was transparent and smooth, he said.
Asked about Western countries’ impression over the possible low voter turnout, the Foreign Secretary said it is for them to consider.
"If there is healthy turnout, it will go in favor of the election and its credibility," he said.
Also read: Knowing they will lose, BNP didn’t participate in the election: Home Minister
The Foreign Secretary also said the foreigners who interacted with him personally expressed their concerns over the deaths of people in arson attacks on trains.
The foreign observers and some of the diplomats are monitoring the polls. They will talk to the media after 5 pm today.
Also read: Momen urges all to cast their votes, calls BNP’s hartal ‘pretentious’