By Achim Steiner and Maria Ramos NEW YORK/JOHANNESBURG – Today, “mobile money” – a service enabling people to send, receive, and store money on a cellphone – allows a market trader in Kenya to borrow a modest amount at sunrise…
Month: May 2020
Spend Fossil-Fuel Subsidies on Pandemic Relief and the Poor
By M. Chatib Basri, Rema N. Hanna, and Benjamin A. Olken JAKARTA/CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS – In addition to its health and human toll, the COVID-19 pandemic is threatening to reverse much of the progress that developing countries have made in reducing…
97 killed, 2 survive in Pakistan’s plane crash
Rescue teams have recovered 97 bodies from the debris of a plane of the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) which crashed into a residential area in the southern port city of Karachi on Friday, the Pakistani army said on Saturday.
European Parliament & gender equality—a continuing struggle
by Petra Ahrens and Lise Rolandsen Agustín on 22nd May 2020 @petrahrens There has been progress in the numerical representation of women in the European Parliament. But that’s not enough to achieve gender equality.
Cop dies from Covid-19 in Rajshahi
A policeman died from coronavirus while undergoing treatment at Rajshahi Christian Mission Hospital on Friday night.
Global tourism upended; worst-case earnings scenario dodged
The outbreak of the coronavirus has dealt a shock to the global economy with unprecedented speed. Following are developments Friday related to national and global response, the work place and the spread of the virus.
Rooppur NPP: Manufacture of Core Barrel for RPV completed
Manufacture of Reactor Pressure Vessel (RPV) for unit-1 of Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant has recorded further development as the production of Core Barrel has been completed at the Volgodonsk Branch of AEM-technology in Russia.
Thakurgaon poultry farmers brace for huge loss
Supply chain disruption and lack of effective measures by authorities concerned during the coronavirus pandemic have led to the closure of dozens of poultry farms in Thakurgaon.
Global Supply Chain Resilience Relies on Soap & Water for Workers
By Ruth Romer LONDON, May 22 2020 (IPS) – As COVID-19 lockdown restrictions across the globe start to be relaxed, the collective conversation has shifted towards plans for a ‘new normal.’
Biological Diversity is Fundamental to Human Health
By Samira Sadeque UNITED NATIONS, May 22 2020 (IPS) – This year’s International Day of Biological Diversity falls amid the coronavirus pandemic and the slow easing, in some nations, of a global lockdown. While the lockdown has forced most people…
Shrinking forests need bold action to safeguard their biodiversity
22 May 2020 – Amidst alarming rates of deforestation and land degradation, urgent action is needed to safeguard the biodiversity of the world’s forests, according to a new United Nations report, released on Friday.
IBBL Shari’ah Supervisory Committee Chairman Sheikh Moulana Mohammad Qutubuddin (Rah.) no more
Sheikh Moulana Mohammad Qutubuddin (Rah.), Chairman of Shari`ah Supervisory Committee of Islami Bank Bangladesh Limited and Chairman of Baitush Sharaf Anjuman-E-Ittehad Bangladesh passed away at a hospital in the capital on Wednesday, 20 May 2020. Inna lillahi wa inna ilaihi…
Season of netting carp fries from Halda River begins Friday
The fishermen carry on their ancestral tradition by collecting roe of fishes in Halda River, the country’s only natural breading ground of carp species. According to Integrated Development Foundation (IDF), the Halda River is unique and distinct due to genetical…
Shakib to remain absent as Tamim’s Live Show ends Saturday
DHAKA -Bangladesh ODI skipper Tamim Iqbal’s popular programme ‘Tamim’ Live Show’ is set to end on Saturday after it gave the fans some delightful moments over the past three weeks amid countrywide unofficial shutdown. The last episode will feature three…
Olympics official sees ‘problems’ in holding Games in 2021
SYDNEY – A senior Olympics official has warned that holding the postponed Tokyo Games next year faces “real problems”, with even a vaccine unlikely to stave off the threat of the coronavirus. John Coates, the International Olympic Committee’s pointman for…
Coronavirus makes meat dearer in Dhaka
Supply chain disruption and temporary closure of businesses amid a government-announced ‘holiday’ to curb coronavirus transmission have pushed up meat prices by as much as Tk 250/kg in Dhaka. Last week, a kg beef cost Tk 600-630, mutton Tk 900-1,000…
Khashoggi’s sons forgive Saudi killers
The family of slain Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi announced Friday they have forgiven his Saudi killers, giving legal reprieve to the five government agents who’d been sentenced to execution. “We, the sons of the martyr Jamal Khashoggi, announce that…
Lockdown in Bangladesh sees violence against women rise
Lina Dilruba Sharmin, Sarah-Jane Saltmarsh and Shahariar Sadat Amena Khatun and her husband Ismail Hossain (not real names) experienced an extreme food crisis during the lockdown in Barguna district, in southern Bangladesh. They had no work and no savings. Almost…
How to Celebrate the Eid Safely during COVID-9 Pandemic
After the month-long fasting of Ramadan, Eid-ul-Fitr, the biggest religious festival of Muslims, has arrived. However, unlike other years, the holy festival is coming amidst of pandemic this year. Yes! We are talking about the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The number…
The nightmare that still haunts New Zealand cricket
WELLINGTON – It has been described as New Zealand cricket’s darkest day, the 1955 Test against England when the Black Caps were skittled for just 26, a record low that still stands today. Even 65 years later, the embarrassing score…
BCB gives Eid bonus to 1,600 cricketers
The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) continued its financial support to the less privileged and insolvent cricketers and sportsmen during the coronavirus pandemic. On the eve of the Eid festival, the BCB on Thursday (May 21) handed over financial aid to…
Tamim to end media ‘Adda’ reuniting senior batch of Tigers
The newly-appointed Bangladesh ODI captain Tamim Iqbal will conclude his series of live show (adda) on social media with local and international cricket stars Saturday (May 23) night by bringing together his favourite team mates and national heroes –Mashrafe Bin…
RMG workforce survey shows silent shift to digital payments
Some 67 percent of workers in the RMG sector had reportedly been paid as of May 16, according to a survey.
Murder accused killed in Gazipur ‘gunfight’
An accused in a murder case was killed in a reported gunfight with members of Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) at Madhumita Railgate area in Tongi on Thursday night.The deceased was identified as Sufian, prime accused in a case filed over…
Health sector ‘ignored’ in ADP allocation: BNP
BNP senior joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi on Thursday criticised the government for what he said not making adequate allocation for the health sector in the annual development programme (ADP) despite the coronavirus epidemic.
Uncertainty looms over this year’s hajj for coronavirus
Although millions of Muslims across the world, including those from Bangladesh, have eagerly been waiting to perform hajj in late July this year, uncertainty looms large over their largest congregation as the Saudi government is yet to take any decision…
Over half of returnee migrants in need of support now: Brac
A survey released by Bangladesh-based international development organization Brac on Friday reveals 87 percent of the country’s returnee migrants- amid the COVID-19 pandemic – are still struggling without any source of income in their changed circumstances.
Dhaka reports 24 coronavirus deaths 1,694 new cases Friday
Bangladesh witnessed the highest number of deaths in a day due to coronavirus on Friday as record 24 more people died from the virus infection in the last 24 hours, taking the death tally to 432.
Pakistan Passenger Plane Crashes with 98 Aboard
ISLAMABAD – A passenger plane with at least 98 people on board crashed in a populated area minutes before landing Friday afternoon in Pakistan’s biggest city Karachi, destroying multiple buildings on both sides of a narrow street.
Investing in Nature Pays off for People and Biodiversity
If you take care of the land, it will take care of you, says Tsefaye Kidane, a 40-year-old coffee farmer from the Kafa Biosphere Reserve, a protected area in southwest Ethiopia that is also regarded as the birthplace of wild…