<p>Order of the National Green Tribunal (Eastern Zone Bench, Kolkata) in the matter of In Re: Sinking Ba’deshi vessel dumps toxic fly ash in river near Ghoramara, shows video shared by panchayat
The poor experience higher rates of inflation than the rich and bear the full brunt of the scourge as they spend the lion's share of their incomes on food and have little money left for other needs. Soaring food prices affect the poor people's welfare seriously, said a Bangladesh Bank research paper, stressing the need for a pro-poor monetary policy and comprehensive strategies for boosting farm outputs, creating jobs and widening social safety-net schemes.
Powerful storms swept across a number of places of the country including Dhaka, Mymensingh, Rangpur, Sherpur, Jamalpur and Gaibandha on Thurday and Friday evening killing five people and causing damage to dwellings and standing crops. In the capital, rickshaw-puller Almas (40) died after a tree fell on him during the nor'wester on Friday evening in the Tejgaon industrial area. Almas, a resident of Tejgaon slums died after being taken to Dhaka Medical College Hospital.
At least 57 varieties of sweet water fishes in southern region are now on the verge of extinction. Barisal divisional fisheries office sources said the varieties were disappearing every day as open sources of sweet water like rivers, canals, ponds and enclosures are being silted every day which become threat for the extinction.
Speakers at a roundtable yesterday said ready-made garment (RMG) workers are subjected to a variety of physical, chemical and biological hazards due to use of natural and synthetic materials in the factories. Wage discrimination, long working hours, unhygienic environment, lack of water and sanitation facilities and inadequate rest and sleeping time are causing malnutrition and many other health problems to garment workers, they added.
Over 10,000 acres grabbed by 25,000 families from other areas: Numerous trees stolen by loggers Jasim Majumder, back from Bagaihat, Rangamati A scene from fast depleting Baghaichhari Reserve Forest in Rangamati, where outsiders often clear off trees to set up dwelling houses. Photo: STAR Bagaihat Reserve Forest in Rangamati is threaten with extinction due to grabbing and illegal felling of trees by loggers and timber traders.
The call by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon for a top-level task force to address the issue of the spiraling cost of food worldwide is precisely the kind of co-ordinated global action that is necessary at this precarious moment in history, and could not have come at a better time. The secretary general's other suggestions, that the World Food Programme needs to be fully funded, that key producer nations should not ban exports, and that bio-fuels need to be reconsidered in light of the current crisis, are also all well taken.
It is common knowledge in Bangladesh that our forests have been decimated in recent decades. Less apparent than the loss of forests is the loss of other goods and services that forests provide particularly to the neighbouring poor people whose well being and livelihoods depend on these forests.
Quite often we refer to certain countries in Southeast Asia as 'emerging tigers'. Their economies and their progressive economic development are analysed and extolled for their performance. Such an approach also draws our attention not only to the manner in which such countries identified the weaknesses within their development paradigm but also how such measures to overcome challenges subsequently facilitated foreign direct investment.
Vehicles queue up at a CNG filling station near Sheraton Hotel. This often causes traffic jams on the capital's busy Kazi Nazrul Islam Avenue. The CNG refuelling stations in the capital are struggling to cope with the ever-increasing demand for the fuel as conversion of petroleum-run vehicles continues at a very high pace. On average, about 2,000 vehicles are being converted into CNG-run ones every month, and about 92,135 vehicles were converted in 116 conversion workshops across the country until March this year.
The business people in the port city on Wednesday urged the government to be aggressive in taking decision on coal mining and gas exploration to help rapid industrialisation and accelerate economic growth. Addressing a reception accorded to the newly elected office bearers of Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industries (FBCCI), they also expressed their continued support for sustaining the business-friendly atmosphere the country achieved after January 11, 2007.
