Unplanned embankment poses threat to river
The ongoing construction of an embankment on the Sandhya river in Barishal has sparked outrage among locals who believe the structure will damage the river crucial to their livelihoods. Locals in Banaripara
Daily Star (Bangladesh)
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Low income food insecurity
RESIDENTS of Dhaka city, and others across the country, see daily lines of hundreds of people in fixed price shops in various neighbourhoods. Being lucky enough to still be insulated from food inflation, I ventured into one of the shops to obtain first hand information. Each outlet has 1,000 kgs of rice, the product most in demand, which are sold in a maximum of 5 kg parcels. The official claimed that there are almost 2,000 such shops in the country with an additional 2,000 more to be opened.
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Tannery relocation project (Editorial)
THE need for moving the tannery units away from city's Hazaribagh area has always been felt acutely by the environmentalists and the decision makers alike, considering the severe negative impact of the industry on environment. But little progress has been made to relocate them in Savar, even after three years of inauguration of the relocation project there.
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Over 8,500 killed as quake rocks China
Chinese rescuers search for survivors at one of the two primary schools that toppled killing many schoolchildren yesterday after an earthquake measuring 7.8 rocked Sichuan province. Photo: AFP A massive earthquake rocked southwest China yesterday killing thousands of people and flattening schools and homes in a powerful tremor that was felt across a swathe of southeast Asia. A total of 8,533 people have died in China's Sichuan province after a powerful earthquake struck there on Monday, the official Xinhua news agency said, citing the local government.
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Myanmar biofuel drive deepens food shortage
Myanmar is struggling to feed its people in the aftermath of Cyclone Nargis -- in part because the regime has been forcing some farmers to stop growing rice in a plan to produce biofuel instead. In 2005 the military government's leader Than Shwe ordered a national drive to plant jatropha, a poisonous nut he hoped would be the cornerstone of a state industry that would capitalise on growing world demand for biofuels.
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UN says 2008 rice production to increase in Asia
Rice production in Asia, Africa and Latin America is forecast to reach a new record level in 2008, but world rice prices could remain high in the short term, the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) said Monday. However the destruction of Myanmar's food resources by a deadly cyclone could decrease national rice production and impair access to food, according to first FAO estimates. "World paddy production 2008 could grow by about 2.3 percent, reaching a new record level of 666 million tonnes, according to our preliminary forecasts," said FAO rice expert Concepcion Calpe.
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Race to prevent diseases in Myanmar cyclone zone
Preventing a disease disaster in Myanmar is now a "race against time," as many impoverished victims still await help a week after the brutal cyclone, experts warned Saturday. Reports of diarrhoea and skin problems already have surfaced, and health officials fear waterborne illnesses will emerge because of a lack of clean water, along with highly contagious diseases such as measles. Children, especially those orphaned by the storm, face some of the greatest risks.
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Fake medicine factory detected in Jhenidah, five arrested
Police yesterday seized spurious medicine worth around Tk 10 lakh and medicine making materials from an illegal medicine factory at Chaklapara in the town. They arrested five workers of the factory -- Mizanur Rahman, Nazma Khatun, Shahanara Khatun Shukhi Khatun and Parul Begum. Tipped off, police raided a house at Chalkapara and recovered thousand bottles of spurious vitamin B-complex, Baalarist, Mostakarist, Gatronal, Diroble and fake medicine making materials, Jhenidah Sadar Police Station Officer-in-Charge Sayed Iqbal Ali said.
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Relocation of polluting tanneries in limbo
The much-awaited relocation of tanneries from Hazaribagh to proposed 'leather estate' in Savar is facing various complications as the government and the industry owners have yet to settle several issues even three years after inauguration of the relocation project. Tannery owners are reluctant to shift their businesses until the government provides them with compensation and other facilities. However, the government is apparently not much willing to meet these demands. Complexity in setting up the Common Effluent Treatment Plant (CETP) is also hindering the process, said sources.
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World food prices and situation in Bangladesh
AMID deepening hunger crisis, Bangladesh is gradually beginning to stand on her own feet. One standing crop, Boro, is going to change the scenario. The impact of the healthy farm condition is being reflected in the wholesale and retail markets of staple foods, and the prices are going down everyday. The lines in the Open Market Sales (OMS) shops are shortening gradually.