Tuesday, March 19, 2024

Rare Australian heatwave claims homes, lives

MELBOURNE: Australia’s second-largest city Melbourne ground to a halt Saturday, crippled by a once-in-a-century heatwave that has claimed almost 30 lives and razed at least 17 homes. Wildfires raged through the southeastern state of Victoria, where authorities said flames had come dangerously close to major electricity transmission lines which supplied power to Melbourne on Saturday. ... Read more

Giant sculpture honours Iraqi shoe-thrower

BAGHDAD: A huge bronze shoe sculpture has been erected in tribute to the Iraqi journalist who grabbed instant fame when he threw his shoes at former US president George W Bush last year. The shoe, in which a tree has been planted, stands three metres high (about 10 feet) and sits atop a white pedestal ... Read more

Committee to assess recession impacts awaits cabinet’s nod

Staff Correspondent Finance Minister AMA Muhith on Friday said a high-powered committee, which will monitor global recession and work out remedies for its adverse effects on Bangladesh’s economy, would be formed soon. ‘It’ll be there anytime. It’s awaiting the Cabinet’s approval,’ he told reporters at the 3-day Bangladesh Chemical Congress which began on Friday. On ... Read more

Sixty percent construction work of Kirtankhola-Khairabad Bridges over

Our Correspondent, Barisal Sixty percent construction work of two bridges named the Kirtankhola (Dapdapia) and the Khairabad Bridges over the Kirtankhola and Khairabad rivers in Barisal has been completed. Construction of these bridges would influence the development of socio-economic infrastructures of the region connecting it with Chittagong and Mongla sea ports and Kuakata tourist zone. ... Read more

40 lakh tonnes additional rice production possible by farming flood-tolerant varieties

Mamun Islam, BSS, Rangpur Agri-scientists have completed necessary research, experiments and validation of new flood- tolerant varieties of Aman paddy to pave the way for producing 40 lakh tonnes of additional paddy every year by large-scale farming in Bangladesh alone. Repeated success of the scientists and farmers in getting expected production of flood-tolerant paddy in ... Read more

Girls acting as messengers of hygiene, sanitation

Shahidul Islam Chowdhury When nature calls, most of the time Liza, 6, falls in trouble as her family does not own a latrine. ‘At times, I have to defecate in open spaces, no matter whether it is day or night, even knowing that it is bad,’ she said on Tuesday in the yard of their ... Read more

‘Comprehensive approach needed to conserve beneficial insects’

Dr Aynal Haque, BSS, Rajshahi Environmental scientists and researchers underscored the need for taking a comprehensive approach to conserve the beneficial insects in the greater interest of maintaining a sound biodiversity and ecological balance. They also said, the farmers destroy various species of the insects during the time of eliminating the destructive ones due to ... Read more

Govt to borrow $75m from IDB for fuel import

Asif Showkat The finance ministry has given its consent to seek $75 million loan for fuel import from the Jeddah–based Islamic Development Bank with a six per cent mark-up rate, officials said on Thursday. The ministry has also suggested more negotiations with the IDB for reduction of the mark-up rate. The government will seek the ... Read more

SoftExpo ends today with IT boom in vision

Alpha Arzu The country’s largest software and information technology exhibition of the year, BASIS SoftExpo 2009, concludes today, with a target to increase the income from IT-enabled services to $150 million from the present $7 million by 2011, software and information service leaders said. Bangladesh Association of Software and Information Services coordinator of events Nurul ... Read more

Three decades of enlightening a nation

Bishwa Shahitya Kendra celebrates 30th anniversary Jamil Mahmud Eminent educationist and president of the trustee board of Bishwa Shahitya Kendra (BSK), Professor Abdullah Abu Sayeed, said that the organisation’s journey for enlightened people is eternal. “There are some dreams that have no specific destination. These dreams are unbound and they move forward. The movement, triggered ... Read more

War criminals barred from leaving country

Govt alerts agencies concerned but no list prepared Staff Correspondent The government on Friday ordered all agencies concerned to bar the suspected war criminals from leaving the country. ‘All relevant information about the war criminals have already been sent to the agencies concerned asking them to guard all points so that the war criminals cannot ... Read more

IOCs surpass state-run cos in gas production

Chevron allowed to extract more gas than tolerable capacity Aminul Islam The daily gas production by the international oil companies in the last few days has exceeded that of the state-run companies for the first time because of the successive governments’ refusal to provide the latter with the required fund to explore and develop gas-fields. ... Read more

Bishwa Ijtema begins amid unprecedented security

Staff Correspondent Bishwa Ijtema, the religious gathering of Muslims Ummah from around the world began at Tongi on the outskirts of the capital amid tight security measures on Friday. Organised by Tablig Jamaat on the bank of the river Turag in Gazipur district, the event is being attended by around three million Muslims including around ... Read more

Bapex finally breaks free from red tape, to buy €20m rig

Sharier Khan Bangladesh Petroleum Exploration Company (Bapex) has outwitted a five- year-old vicious cycle of bureaucratic bottleneck to procure a drilling rig for 20 million euro to expand its oil and gas exploration capacity. After four rounds of failed tender bids since 2004, Bapex succeeded in its fifth round tender opened in April last year. ... Read more

Motive for Lalbagh killing still unclear

Versions differ as alleged killer’s house attacked Staff Correspondent Detained Sheikh Zahurul Islam Zahir confessed to his involvement in the gruesome murder of Asgar Ali of Lalbagh during police interrogation yesterday. Quoting Zahir, detective police said the accused called Asgar to Zahir’s residence at DND road around 9:00 Wednesday night and strangled him with a ... Read more

Unscientific use of obsolete ships spoils coastal environ

Chittagong Correspondent Environment pollution at Sitakund coast here in Chittagong has allegedly been mounting to an alarming level mainly due to unscientific recycling of obsolete ocean-cruising vessels, dumping of toxic substances and unused bunkers in the seawater. Obsolete ship scrapping, one of the emerging sectors and major source of raw iron supplies to the steel ... Read more

Formalin use in food items rampant

Mahbubur Rahman Khan Consumtion of formalin mixed milk carries the risk of Kidney troubles, cancer, liver diseases and gives rise to any other health problems according to medical experts. A syndicate of milk traders uses formlain in domestic liquid milk to preserve milk and milk products for a long period. Sweetmeat producers and sellers across ... Read more

Shibir leader stabbed to death in city

Staff Correspondent Muggers stabbed an Islami Chhatra Shibir leader to death in front of the Aziz Cooperative Supermarket at Shahbagh early yesterday. The deceased was identified as ATM Fazlullah, son of Fazlul Karim in the city’s Purana Paltan and assistant publication secretary of Shibir. Another Shibir activist Shafiullah, a BA (pass course) student of Kabi ... Read more

CCC plans to house 2 girls’ schools in commercial complex

Move sparks protests Dwaipayan Barua and Abdullah Al Mahmud, Ctg Students and guardians of city’s two reputed girls schools and civil society members expressed resentment at Chittagong City Corporation’s (CCC) plan to demolish the schools and construct a 16-storey multi-purpose building to