BSS, Rajshahi :More than 10,500 households from the extreme poor and underprivileged communities have got the path of eradicating their long-lasting poverty through self-managed savings and credit activities
Flooding and poor harvests have caused North Korea's worst food crisis since the late 1990s and have put millions at risk, the United Nations' food agency said Wednesday. The food shortage threatens widespread malnutrition, the World Food Program said. "Millions of vulnerable North Koreans are at risk of slipping toward precarious hunger levels," Jean-Pierre de Margerie, the WFP's country director for North Korea, told a news conference.
FISH is the cheaper and main source of dietary protein for the nearly 150 million people of Bangladesh and will be depended upon in the diet for all aspects of nutrition by an even bigger population in the future. But this source of nutrition is already under a threat due to dwindling reproduction of various species of sweet water fishes. Bangladesh in the past was home to four or five hundred species of fishes. The number has dwindled down to two hundred and fifty such species with the others becoming extinct.
The midnight earthquake on Saturday caused cracks in walls and led to the collapse of roofs of many buildings in the capital. The ceilings of two buildings of fourth-class employees of Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) at Elephant Road collapsed and walls developed cracks at many residential halls of Dhaka University after being jolted by the moderate earthquake. Meanwhile, authorities have identified some vulnerable city buildings and asked the dwellers of those to vacate the dilapidated structures immediately.
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) will provide US$170 million loan to Bangladesh to cope with the rising food price, a bank release said yesterday. The loan is a part of a broader food security package being extended by international agencies and also initiated by the Government of Bangladesh totalling a monetary value of US$1.29 billion. The emergency assistance for food security project, which is supported by ADB and other multilateral agencies, will ensure access to food supply for those hardest hit by recent natural disasters in Bangladesh and the rapid increase in food prices.
Despite higher than average rainfall since the beginning of the current monsoon season, the country is likely to escape major flooding this year, meteorologists said yesterday. Weather experts at the meteorological department said they did not foresee heavy rainfalls posing a problem in the coming months. "Analysing the meteorological data, we can say that there is very little possibility for a major flooding this summer," Arjumand Habib said.
Major parts of the country will plunge into darkness as the Petrobangla has begun cutting gas supplies to old and worn-out electricity generation plants to ensure more efficient use of gas, officials said yesterday. They said the decision to put fast depleting gas to better use was taken by the government two days ago, with implementation starting on Sunday. "Gas supply to a state-run power plant near Dhaka with more than 100 megawatts capacity has already been stopped and the process will continue," said Jalal Ahmed, chairman of the state-run Petrobangla.
The latest world survey by GlobeScan finds that the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) continues to lead among organizations expected to play a major role in advancing sustainable development and also to be a leading provider of information on sustainability issues.
Nearly all of the ecologically-fragile coral reefs in the Philippines are under severe threat from economic development and climate change. This is according to an update circulated by the Southeast Asian Centre of Excellence (SEA CoE) during the 11th International Coral Reef Symposium held here. The Philippines is part of the so-called "coral triangle," which spans eastern Indonesia, parts of Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Timor Leste and the Solomon Islands. It covers an area that is equivalent to half of the entire United States.
World Bank would provide US$100m to Bangladesh in the first phase as budgetary support to help the country build food security. The assurance came yesterday after a meeting between WB Vice President for South Asia Region Isabel Guerrero and Finance Adviser Dr AB Mirza Azizul Islam at Planning Commission office in the city. Later, World Bank Country Director Xian Zhu told reporters they would provide the amount in the first phase but it would be increased further in phases.
The increasing use of polythene bags are causing a serious threat to environment and creating hazards to public health in the capital city. Shoppers are seen carrying commodities in polythene bags from markets despite a ban on it imposed by the government. Lack of awareness among the mass on the demerits of using polythene bags and irregular application of laws are widely responsible for indiscriminate use of polythene bags in urban and rural markets, said environmental experts. City's environment is now in dire peril due to massive use of polythene, they opined.
