News in Brief (2024-01-28)

FE Team | Published: January 27, 2024 22:43:05

Tk 0.9m stolen from NRBC Bank branch in Bogura
Over Tk 9 lakh has been stolen from a sub-branch of NRBC Bank in Bogura's Sadar upazila. The incident happened at the Shakharia Pallimangal Hat area of the upazila on Friday night, said Bogura Sadar Police Station Officer-in-Charge Saihan Oliullah. Rashedul Islam, manager of the NRBC Bank's Pallimangal Hat sub-branch, said, "As the banking hours ended on Thursday, I left more than nine lakh taka in the chest. Later, I heard all the money was stolen." OC Saihan Oliullah said the landlord informed police by calling 999 after seeing the bank open in the morning. It is believed that the miscreants entered through the roof, broke the bank's volt and stole the money. "There are no security personnel in this sub-branch. Besides, there are not enough CCTV cameras. Efforts are being made to collect footage from the cameras and catch the culprits," he said. — UNB
Dhaka's air quality still 'unhealthy'
As cold weather continues to impact daily life, Dhaka's air quality remains 'unhealthy'. With an air quality index (AQI) score of 191 at 9:02 am this morning, Dhaka ranked 6th on the list of cities worldwide with the worst air quality. Bosnia Herzegovina's Sarajevo, India's Delhi and Ghana's Accra occupied the first three spots on the list, with AQI scores of 323, 241 and 227, respectively. An AQI between 101 and 150 is considered 'unhealthy' for sensitive groups, while AQI between 150 and 200 is considered 'unhealthy' and AQI between 201 and 300 is said to be 'very unhealthy', while a reading of 301+ is considered 'hazardous', posing serious health risks to residents. 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. Air pollution consistently ranks among the top risk factors for death and disability worldwide. 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. — UN
Fire guts 12 shops in two dists
Six shops were gutted in a fire that broke out at Naria Bazar Bridge Road in Shariatpur in the early hours of Saturday. According to police and locals, the fire was first noticed between Mahiya Electronics and Babul Electronics around 5:00 am. Within moments, the flame spread to the nearby shops. The victims claimed that around Tk 20 million worth of damage was caused by the fire. The cause of the fire could not be ascertained immediately. A team of Naria Fire Service brought the fire under control after two hours of effort, said Habibur Rahman, in-charge of Naria Fire Service Station. Initially, it is believed that the fire was caused by an electrical short circuit. But it was not known from which shop the fire first spread, he said. Further details will be released at the end of the investigation, he added. Naria Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Shankar Choindra Baidya said, "We are beside the affected traders on behalf of the upazila administration." AKM Enamul Haque Shamim, lawmaker from Shariatpur-2 constituency, expressed deep sympathy to the businessmen affected by the fire and assured to stand by the affected people. Meanwhie, in Noakhali, six shops were gutted in a fire at Anand market under Subarnachar upazila of district. The fire originated from an electric short circuit at a shop of the market around 7:15am and soon engulfed the adjacent business establishments, said Nurun Nabi, an official of Char Jabbar Fire Service and Civil Defense Station. Being informed, firefighters of Char Jabbar Fire Services and Civil Defense unit rushed to the spot and doused the blaze with the help of locals and affected businessmen after one hour of efforts, he said. The extent of the damage could not be known immediately, he added. — Agencies