Task force to protect environment
The deputy commissioner (DC) of Dhaka district has decided to form a task force of concerned government authorities to protect against environmental pollution, especially water pollution, air pollution
New Age (Bangladesh)
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DAE plays down extent of boro disease outbreak
The Department of Agricultural Extension has under-reported the full extent of bacterial disease infestation of hybrid paddy, said field-level officials. They have reportedly been asked to underplay the full extent and severity of the disease. It is estimated that some 30,000 to 35,000 hectares (1 hectare equals 2.471 acres) of paddy have been affected by
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Thai PM lashes out at WB over biofuel criticism
UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon has accepted Bangladesh's proposal for forming a task force to address the current global food crisis particularly as rice shortages triggered a stir. The proposal, placed by foreign adviser Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury during the current UNCTAD XII session in Accra, the capital of Ghana, was enthusiastically received by the participating delegations.
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Biofuels making food more expensive: ADB
Developed nations should stop paying agricultural subsidies to encourage biofuel production because the payments are making staple foods more expensive, the Asian Development Bank said Monday. Biofuels should also be re-examined by governments around the world as it is increasingly unclear how environmentally friendly they are, ADB managing director general Rajat Nag said in an interview with The Associated Press. The production of biofuel leads to forests being destroyed and reduced land area for growing crops for food, he said.
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Strict laws have to be frammed for mining: experts
Energy and mining experts on Monday said at a symposium that social, environmental and economic issues have to be taken into account for any coal mining project and strict laws and regulations have to be formulated and enforced to ensure environmental safety and community participation.
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Patients fall victim to severe power outage
Patients at different hospitals in the capital city fall victim to frequent power outage, depriving them of receiving healthcare services properly, said a number of patients. Frequent power outages brought the total healthcare services to a virtual standstill at the hospitals, they alleged, saying that it also caused severe water crisis at the hospitals.
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Bold reform needed to tackle food prices: IMF chief
Bold reform is needed to deal with the long-term problem of rising food prices, International Monetary Fund chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn said in a comment piece published Monday. He wrote in the Financial Times that high food prices were
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Food price rises are mass murder: UN
Global food price rises are leading to
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Dhaka for UN task force to address global food crisis
The foreign adviser, Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury, has urged the UN secretary general, Ban Ki-moon, to immediately establish a high- level task force to address the acute global food crisis. He made the appeal while chairing a ministerial meeting of LDCs on the eve of the inauguration of UNCTAD-XII in the Ghana's capital on Saturday. Iftekhar proposed that the task force, comprising eminent persons, should address long-term food security issues including those of agricultural productivity, grains trade, land utilisation and diversion for bio-fuels.
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Annan calls for investment in agriculture to address food crisis
Former United Nations secretary general Kofi Annan Saturday told governments to invest more in agriculture to avoid future food crises, but warned that current shortages would hurt the poor. Annan said the surging price of basic foods like rice, wheat and corn in some of the world's poorest countries, which have triggered riots in Haiti and demonstrations in some African countries, will last for sometime. Factors contributing to the rise include the increasing demand for biofuels, and the rising cost of oil and transportation.
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Govt breaches food security at WTO, WB advice: CPB
The Communist Party of Bangladesh general secretary, Mujahidul Islam Selim, on Sunday said the interim government had breached food security at the prescriptions of the World Trade Organisation and the World Bank. This has increased rice prices although there is no supply shortage of rice, he said as he addressed a daylong hunger strike programme of the party in its central office.