Delhi capital of India, has been devastated by severe air pollution for several days. Apart from this, there is no news of relief in the air in Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, recently. For several days, the megacity Dhaka has also been at the top of the list of polluted cities in the world.

As of 9:44 am on Monday (November 25), Dhaka's score on IQAir's air quality index was 320. This is considered 'risky' air. And Dhaka is ranked third among 119 cities in the world in terms of pollution.

As of 9:44 am today, Delhi, India, is in first place in air pollution, with a score of 412. Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, is in second place, with a score of 336. The capital Dhaka is in third place. with a score of 320, and Lahore, Pakistan, is in fourth place with a score of 242. In addition, Kolkata, West Bengal, India, scores 147.

IQAir, a Switzerland-based company, regularly highlights the air pollution situation. This live or instant index of air quality provides information and alerts people about how clean or polluted the air is in a particular city.

Dhaka's air is 'risky' today. This air is harmful to any person.

An AQI score of zero to 50 is considered good. 51 to 100 is considered moderate, and 101 to 150 is considered unhealthy for sensitive groups. A score of 151 to 200 is considered 'unhealthy' air.

An AQI score between 201 and 300 is called 'very unhealthy'. In this situation, children, the elderly and sick patients are advised to stay indoors and others are advised to limit their outdoor activities. In addition, an AQI between 301 and 400 is considered 'hazardous', which poses a serious health risk to city residents.

The state has appealed against the order to ban battery-powered rickshaws in Dhaka Metropolitan area within three days.

The petition was filed on Monday (November 25) and the matter is likely to be heard today in the Appellate Division Chamber Court, according to state sources.

After hearing a writ petition filed by the 'Greater Dhaka City Corporation Rickshaw Owners' Unity Alliance' formed by pedal-powered rickshaw drivers, the High Court bench of Justice Fatema Najib and Justice Mahmudur Razi on Tuesday issued a rule order to ban battery-powered rickshaws in Dhaka Metropolitan Area.

Barrister HM Sanjid Siddiqui filed and presented the writ petition in the High Court. The filing lawyer for the writ was Barrister Tahsina Tasnim Mridu. Deputy Attorney General Noor Muhammad Azmi and Akhtar Hossain Md. Abdul Wahab appeared for the state.

The Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit (BFIU) has summoned the bank accounts of 29 people, including 26 journalists, in the country. At the same time, instructions have been given to freeze the bank accounts of their private institutions. The agency has sent instructions to the institutions in this regard.

On Sunday (November 24), several senior officials of the BFIU confirmed the summons through two separate letters.

According to the first letter, those whose accounts have been summoned are: Dainik Bangla Acting Editor Chowdhury Zafrullah Sharafat, former President of the National Press Club Shafiqur Rahman, TV Today Editor-in-Chief Manjurul Ahsan Bulbul, former Washington Press Minister Sajjad Hossain Sabuj, DBC News Assignment Editor Nazneen Munni, Independent TV Chief News Editor Ashish Ghosh Saikat, Gazi TV Editor (Research) Anjan Roy, Somoy TV Chattogram Bureau Chief Kamal Dey, Dainik Amar Somoy Chief Editor Abdul Gaffar Khan, Jugantor's former Narayanganj correspondent Raju Ahmed and Exim Bank Head of PRO Sanjeev Chatterjee.

All transactions of the individuals and their personal and business accounts will be suspended for the next 30 days. If necessary, this period of suspension of transactions will be extended.

The BFIU's instructions also state that the accounts of the summoned accounts, including account opening forms, KYC and transaction details, must be sent to the BFIU within two working days from the date of the letter.

The other individuals summoned according to the letter are Dhaka Union of Journalists (DUJ) President Quddus Afrad, former Managing Director of Bangladesh Journalists Welfare Trust Subhash Chandra Badal, Dhaka Tribune and New York Times Bangladesh correspondent Zulfikar Ali Manik, former Deputy Press Secretary to the Prime Minister Ashraful Alam Khokon, Senior Executive Editor of Dainik Amader Arthaniti Masuda Bhatti, Editor of The Daily Observer Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury, former Director of DBC News Md. Shahidul Ahsan Chairman, Dhaka Bangla Media and Communications Limited Director Rahnuma Ahsan, ATN News Head Nurul Amin (Pravas), Dhaka Bangla Media and Communications Limited Director Mahbuba Helen, Dhaka Bangla Media and Communications Limited Director Shah Mohammad Shafiqul Ahsan, Dhaka Bangla Media and Communications Limited Director Md. Salauddin Chowdhury, Ekattor TV Counselor Mobashwira Farzana Mithila, Dainik Janakantha Executive Editor Swadesh Roy, former Somoy TV Managing Director Ahmed Jobayer and Sabrina Mahjabin, daughter of Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury.

Dhaka: The Chief Adviser to the interim government, Dr. Muhammad Yunus, will announce the date of the upcoming 13th parliamentary election, his press wing said.

This was stated at a press conference of the Chief Adviser's Press Wing held at the Foreign Service Academy in the capital on Sunday (November 24).

The Chief Adviser's Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam, Deputy Press Secretary Abul Kalam Azad Majumder, Apurba Jahangir and Assistant Press Secretary Sushismita Tithi were there.

An adviser commented in London that the election could be held in mid-2026, in which regard Apurba Jahangir said, 'The election date has not been given by the Chief Adviser or his office so far. The actual date of the election will be announced by the Chief Adviser. It will be given on his behalf. The rest of them may have expressed their opinions, but they are not concrete.’

At a recent conference titled ‘Bangladesh: Democracy and Human Rights Crisis’ held at the House of Lords in the UK, Brigadier General (Retd) Dr. M. Sakhawat Hossain, Shipping Adviser to the Interim Government of Bangladesh, said that the current interim government is planning to hold fair elections by mid-2026 through reform activities. International cooperation is very important for these elections.

An organization called Voice for Bangladesh organized the conference. It was chaired by Alexander Charles Carlyle, a member of the UK House of Lords. British Minister Paul Scully and international human rights activists also participated in the discussion moderated by the organization’s founder Ataullah Farooq.

Dr. Sakhawat mentioned the suppression of the opposition, human rights violations and public discontent against the Awami League government during Sheikh Hasina’s long rule. According to him, Hasina’s departure has saved the country from further violent situations.

 He said the situation could have been worse if Sheikh Hasina had not left the country on August 5. "The angry crowd could have torn her to pieces, which would not have been good for the country.