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☆ Bangladesh inferno kills at least 43, injures dozens more
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-01 | by ( ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

A massive fire raced through a six-storey building in Bangladesh’s capital Dhaka late on Thursday, killing at least 43 people and injuring dozens, the country’s health minister said. The fire originated in a restaurant and quickly spread to other floors, fire service officials said. At least 43 people have died and 22 others are being treated at hospitals with burn wounds, Health Minister Samanta Lal Sen told reporters after visiting the Dhaka Medical College Hospital. It was not immediately clear what caused the blaze, which was under control after two hours of frantic efforts by 13 firefighting units, the fire service officials said. Firefighters used a crane to rescue people from the charred building, the fire service officials said.

Persons: Samanta Lal Sen, Sen, Survivor Mohammad Altaf, “, ” Altaf, Firefighters, Main Uddin, Mohammad Ponir Hossain Organizations: Dhaka Medical College Hospital, Survivor, Bangladesh Fire Service, Civil Defence, Firefighters, Reuters Locations: Dhaka, Bangladesh

☆ Bangladesh opposition vows to continue protests despite 'autocratic' crackdown
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Supporters of Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) join in a rally at Naya Paltan area in Dhaka, Bangladesh, October 28, 2023. REUTERS/Mohammad Ponir Hossain/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsDHAKA, Nov 29 (Reuters) - Bangladesh’s main opposition party said on Wednesday it would continue its anti-government protests despite what a rights group called an "autocratic crackdown" ahead of a general election in January. At least four people, including a policeman, have been killed and hundreds injured in violent protests across the country in the past few weeks, police said. In order to end this misrule and lawlessness, the ongoing movement must be accelerated and the victory of the people must be ensured,” senior BNP official Ruhul Kabir Rizvi said. “Diplomatic partners should make clear that the government’s autocratic crackdown will jeopardise future economic cooperation,” the rights group said in a statement quoting Bleckner.

Persons: Mohammad Ponir Hossain, Sheikh Hasina, ” Abdul Moyeen Khan, ”, Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, Hasina, “, League’s, Julia Bleckner, Khaleda Zia, Ruma Paul, Raju Gopalakrishnan Organizations: Bangladesh Nationalist Party, BNP, REUTERS, Rights DHAKA, Reuters, Police, Rights Watch, Human Rights Watch, “, Thomson Locations: Naya Paltan, Dhaka, Bangladesh, Asia

The death toll from Bangladesh's outbreak in 2023 is 1,476 as of Nov. 12, with 291,832 infected, official data showed. "These seasonal pattern changes are creating the ideal situation for breeding of Aedes mosquito. Dengue is common in South Asia during the June-to-September monsoon season as the Aedes aegypti mosquito, which spreads the disease, thrives in stagnant water. "This year we have seen different symptoms for dengue fever," physician Janesar Rahat Faysal told Reuters. "I had to deal with two dengue patients, my sister and my niece.

Persons: Mohammad Ponir Hossain, Kabirul Bashar, Bashar, Janesar Rahat Faysal, Sirazus Salekin Chowdhury, Ruma Paul, Sudipto Ganguly, Gerry Doyle Organizations: Mugda Medical College and Hospital, REUTERS, Rights DHAKA, Hospitals, Jahangirnagar University, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Dhaka, Bangladesh, South Asia

REUTERS/Mohammad Ponir Hossain/File photo Acquire Licensing RightsNEW DELHI, Nov 9 (Reuters) - Global fashion retailers including H&M (HMb.ST) and Gap (GPS.N) are committed to raising purchase prices for Bangladesh-made clothing to help factories there offset higher workers' wages, a U.S.-based association representing more than 1,000 brands said. Asked if they would raise purchase prices by the 5-6% that costs will rise, Stephen Lamar, chief executive of the American Apparel & Footwear Association (AAFA), told Reuters: "Absolutely". "We also renew our pleas for the adoption of an annual minimum wage review mechanism so that Bangladeshi workers are not disadvantaged by changing macroeconomic conditions." Low wages have helped Bangladesh build its garment industry, which employs about 4 million people. Retailers in the United States and Europe are the main buyers of Bangladesh-made clothes.

Persons: Mohammad Ponir Hossain, Stephen Lamar, Lamar, Sheikh Hasina, Hasina, Krishna N, Ruma Paul, Miral Organizations: The Civil Engineering, REUTERS, Labour, American Apparel & Footwear Association, Reuters, International Labour Organization, Abercrombie & Fitch, Bangladesh, Retailers, Thomson Locations: Dhaka, Bangladesh, DELHI, U.S, China, Vietnam, Cambodia, United States, Europe

[1/5] Garment workers come out of a factory during lunch hours at the Ashulia area, outskirts of Dhaka, Bangladesh, November 8, 2023. A panel of factory owners, union leaders and officials agreed to the increase unanimously, said Siddiqur Rahman, the owners' representative. "We continue to recommend that the government of Bangladesh adopt an annual minimum wage review mechanism to keep up with changing macroeconomic factors," the letter said. In addition to the wage increase, the government has said that workers would be given a 5% annual increment. Babul Akter, president of the Bangladesh Garment and Industrial Workers Federation, urged global brands to pay more, saying: "There could be some problems for the owners to cope with the increased salaries."

Persons: Mohammad Ponir Hossain, Siddiqur Rahman, Rahman, Inditex, Hugo Boss, Fazlul Hoque, Hoque, Levi Strauss, Armour, Sheikh Hasina, Akter, Abdus Salam Murshedy, Murshedy, Krishna N, Ruma Paul, Miral Organizations: REUTERS, Rights DHAKA, Reuters, Inc, Knitwear Manufacturers, Association, Labour, Abercrombie & Fitch, Adidas, Puma, Bangladesh Garment and Industrial Workers Federation, Envoy Group, Walmart, Hasina's Awami League, Das, Thomson Locations: Dhaka, Bangladesh, DELHI, China, Zara, Ukraine, New Delhi

☆ One killed as garment workers clash with police in Bangladesh over pay rise - police
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-08 | by ( Ruma Paul | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/3] Security forces remain vigilant in front of the garment factories, following clashes between garment industry workers and police over pay, at the Ashulia area, outskirts of Dhaka, Bangladesh, November 8, 2023. REUTERS/Mohammad Ponir Hossain Acquire Licensing RightsDHAKA, Nov 8 (Reuters) - One female worker was killed and several others were injured in Bangladesh on Wednesday during clashes between police and stone-throwing garment workers who are demanding a bigger pay rise, police said. Following a week of deadly clashes between garment industry workers and police over pay, the Bangladesh government on Tuesday said that the minimum wage would rise by 56.25% to 12,500 taka ($114) a month from Dec. 1, the first increase in five years. Police said they used teargas and rubber bullets to break up protests by hundreds of workers who rejected the new pay rise and took to streets in the garment hub of Gazipur, on the outskirts of the capital Dhaka. Low wages have helped Bangladesh build its garment industry, with some 4,000 factories employing 4 million workers, supplying brands such as H&M and GAP.

Persons: Mohammad Ponir Hossain, Ashraf Uddin, Ruma Paul, Sudipto Ganguly Organizations: Security, REUTERS, Rights DHAKA, Police, GAP, Thomson Locations: Dhaka, Bangladesh, Gazipur

☆ A rapid clean-energy transition could save 181 million years of healthy human life annually by 2050, report finds
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-08 | by ( Morgan Mcfall-Johnsen | Maiya Focht | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

A rapid transition to green energy sources would prevent a lot of disability and early death, researchers say. In the year 2050 alone, the transition's impact amounts to 181 million future years of healthy human life, a new report found. Add to that list 181 million years of healthy human life — annually. Mohammad Ponir Hossain/ReutersDisability-adjusted life years, or DALYs, capture years of life affected by disability and years lost to premature death. If the world rapidly transitions to renewables, they found, the energy system will still hurt human health enough in 2050 to lead to early death and disability that affects 30 million years of human life.

Persons: Martin Meissner, it's, Stephanie Roe, WWF's, Mohammad Ponir Hossain, Nick Oxford, Dylan Martinez, Jonathan Buonocore, Buonocore, Lyu, Roe Organizations: Service, Wildlife Fund, Boston Consulting, Reuters, American Lung Association . Mines, Harvard, Boston University School of Public Health, WWF, China News Service, Getty, International Energy Agency, Stanford Locations: Haltern, Germany, Dhaka, Bangladesh, Texas, Fujian Province, China

☆ Opposition activists held over policeman's death in Bangladesh protest
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Unidentified miscreants set a public bus on fire during a countrywide strike from dawn to dusk called by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), protesting against the alleged police attacks on their Saturday rally in Dhaka, Bangladesh, October 29, 2023. REUTERS/Mohammad Ponir Hossain Acquire Licensing RightsDHAKA, Oct 29 (Reuters) - Bangladesh police said on Sunday they arrested two opposition activists over the death of a policeman in violent protests demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. The officer was beaten and bludgeoned to death on Saturday by a mob, photos and videos showed, as tens of thousands joined demonstrations in the capital Dhaka, led by the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP). A police source said one of the two arrested was a BNP youth leader while the other's affiliation was unconfirmed. The BNP did not comment on the officer's death but called on supporters to block streets for three days from Tuesday in protest at the detentions.

Persons: Mohammad Ponir Hossain, Sheikh Hasina, bludgeoned, Mirza Alamgir, Habibur Rahman, Asaduzzaman Khan, Mizanur Rahman, Critics, Hasina, Ruma Paul, Andrew Cawthorne Organizations: Bangladesh Nationalist Party, BNP, REUTERS, Rights, Sunday, Thomson Locations: Dhaka, Bangladesh, Rights DHAKA

☆ Bangladesh opposition protest turns violent amid calls for PM to resign
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/5] Supporters of Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) wave party flag during a rally at Naya Paltan area in Dhaka, Bangladesh, October 28, 2023. Police fired tear gas and rubber bullets as clashes erupted when tens of thousands of supporters of the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) gathered in the capital Dhaka, chanting slogans against the government. Dhaka Metropolitan Police spokesman Faruq Hossain told reporters one officer had been killed and 41 others were injured in clashes with protesters. Hundreds of opposition party activists have been arrested, BNP leaders said. "I came to protest the enforced disappearances, murders, and oppression that we have suffered for the past 15 years.

Persons: Mohammad Ponir Hossain, Sheikh Hasina, Faruq Hossain, Hasina, Abdul Moyeen Khan, Arif Khan, jailing, Washington, Ruma Paul, Mike Harrison Organizations: Bangladesh Nationalist Party, BNP, REUTERS, Rights, Police, Dhaka Metropolitan Police, Security, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Naya Paltan, Dhaka, Bangladesh, Rights DHAKA

[1/2] Mosquitoes are seen on stagnant water on the roadside during countrywide dengue infection, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, August 24, 2023. REUTERS/Mohammad Ponir Hossain/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsCompanies Takeda Pharmaceutical Co Ltd FollowLONDON, Oct 6 (Reuters) - Dengue fever will become a major threat in the southern United States, southern Europe and new parts of Africa this decade, the WHO's chief scientist said, as warmer temperatures create the conditions for the mosquitoes carrying the infection to spread. Many cases go unrecorded, but in 2022 4.2 million cases were reported worldwide and public health officials have warned that near-record levels of transmission are expected this year. Qdenga is also approved by the EU regulator, but Takeda withdrew its application in the United States earlier this year, citing data collection issues. Dengue is spread by infected Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, which behave differently to the malaria-carrying kind.

Persons: Mohammad Ponir Hossain, ” Jeremy Farrar, ” Farrar, Farrar, ”, “, Takeda, Jennifer Rigby, Michele Gershberg, Sharon Singleton Organizations: REUTERS, Takeda Pharmaceutical, World Health Organization, Reuters, Wellcome, WHO, Takeda Pharmaceuticals, U.S . Food, Drug Administration, Thomson Locations: Dhaka, Bangladesh, United States, Europe, Africa, Asia, Latin America, Vietnam, Saharan Africa, EU

☆ Bangladesh dengue deaths top 1,000 in worst outbreak
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-02 | by ( Ruma Paul | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A nurse provides treatment to a dengue-infected patient at the Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College and Hospital in Dhaka, Bangladesh, July 26, 2023. REUTERS/Mohammad Ponir Hossain/File photo Acquire Licensing RightsDHAKA, Oct 2 (Reuters) - The death toll from Bangladesh's worst dengue outbreak on record has topped 1,000 this year, official data showed, with hospitals struggling to make space for patients as the disease spreads rapidly in the densely-populated country. The current death toll is nearly four times more than the whole of last year, when Bangladesh recorded 281 dengue-related deaths. However, a lack of proper prevention measures has allowed the dengue-carrying mosquito to spread all over Bangladesh, said Kabirul Bashar, an entomologist and zoology professor at Jahangirnagar University. “From 2000 to 2018, dengue is only happening in Dhaka city, but in 2019 it is transferred into different cities.

Persons: Mohammad Ponir Hossain, “, …, ” Sanwar Hossain, Kabirul Bashar, ”, Abdullah, Ruma Paul, Emelia Sithole Organizations: Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College, Hospital, REUTERS, Rights, Reuters, Jahangirnagar University, “, Thomson Locations: Dhaka, Bangladesh, Rights DHAKA, Mugda, South Asia

☆ Extreme weather may cost the global fashion industry $65 billion by 2030
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-14 | by ( Michelle Toh | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Together, they account for 18% of global apparel exports, roughly 10,000 clothing and footwear factories and more than 10.6 million manufacturing workers. Pakistan, especially, is no stranger to extreme weather, with more than one third of the country underwater last year during its worst floods in history. The first scenario includes the assumption that heat stress will cause considerable changes in worker productivity. For example, output may decline by about 1.5% for each 1°C increase in the “wet-bulb globe temperature,” a measure of heat stress, according to the report. “Workers need these investments now because extreme heat standards and flood protections are non-existent.”

Persons: Mohammad Ponir Hossain, Schroders, Jason Judd Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Cornell University, Schroders, Fashion, Cornell’s Global Labor Institute, Reuters, Cornell, “ Workers Locations: Hong Kong, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Vietnam, Cambodia, Schroders, Dhaka, Phnom Penh, Karachi, Lahore, Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, South, Southeast Asia

☆ Bangladesh’s worst ever dengue outbreak a ‘canary in the coal mine’ for climate crisis, WHO expert warns
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-07 | by ( Helen Regan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Dengue-infected people are treated at the Mugda Medical College and Hospital in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on August 7. The global number of dengue cases has already increased eight-fold in the past two decades, according to WHO. As the climate crisis worsens, mosquito-borne diseases like dengue, Zika, chikungunya and yellow fever will likely continue to spread and have an ever greater impact on human health. Mahamud said the climate crisis and this year’s El Nino weather pattern – which brings warmer, wetter weather to parts of the world – are worsening the problem. Calling these outbreaks a “canary in the coalmine of the climate crisis,” Mahamud said “global solidarity” and support is needed to deal with the worsening epidemic.

Persons: Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Tedros, “, ”, Mohammad Ponir Hossain, ” Tedros, ” Kabirul Bashar, Raman Velayudhan, Abdi Mahamud, Mahamud, ” Mahamud Organizations: CNN, World Health Organization, WHO, Mugda Medical College, Hospital, Reuters, Dhaka –, ” WHO, “, South America Locations: Bangladesh, El Nino, Dhaka, Nino, Peru, Florida, Asia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Malaysia, Africa, Chad

☆ Bangladesh police clash with opposition supporters calling on PM to resign
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-29 | by ( Ruma Paul | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

DHAKA, July 29 (Reuters) - Bangladesh police fired rubber bullets and tear gas at stone-throwing opposition party supporters blocking major roads in the capital Dhaka on Saturday to demand the prime minister’s resignation. The main opposition party, in disarray since its leader Khaleda Zia was jailed in 2018 on graft charges, has held bigger protest rallies in recent months, including one on Friday, drawing tens of thousands of supporters amid anger over the cost of living. They were only trying to ease the traffic flow,” said Faruq Ahmed, a spokesman for the Dhaka Metropolitan Police. [1/5]Supporters of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) attack armed vehicles of police at Shonir Akhra area, during their sit-in rallies on the main entry points of the capital Dhaka, Bangladesh, July 29, 2023. Concern flared after accusations of vote-rigging and suppressing the opposition marred elections in 2014 and 2018.

Persons: Khaleda Zia, Sheikh Hasina, ”, Faruq Ahmed, “, Mohammad Ponir Hossain, Abdul Moyeen Khan, Hasina, jailing, Ruma Paul, Giles Elgood Organizations: Bangladesh, Bangladesh Nationalist Party, BNP, Dhaka Metropolitan Police, Police, REUTERS, Reuters, Thomson Locations: DHAKA, Dhaka, Shonir, Bangladesh, United States

☆ Bangladesh opposition holds protests to demand resignation of PM
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-28 | by ( Ruma Paul | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Mohammad Ponir HossainDHAKA, July 28 (Reuters) - Tens of thousands of supporters of Bangladesh’s main opposition party rallied in the capital on Friday to demand Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s resignation and call for general elections to be held under a caretaker government. This can only be achieved through a free and fair election, which is not possible under the current regime," senior BNP leader Abdul Moyeen Khan told Reuters. BNP supporters joined the rally in Dhaka from different parts of the country amid allegations of obstructions by police. The opposition and rights groups have criticised the government for cracking down on anti-government protests. Concern flared after accusations of vote-rigging and the targeting of the political opposition marred national elections in 2014 and 2018.

Persons: Mohammad Ponir Hossain, Sheikh Hasina’s, Khaleda Zia, Hasina, Abdul Moyeen Khan, Sana Ullah, Mirza Abbas, Khaleda, Sheikh Hasina, Ruma Paul, Hugh Lawson Organizations: Bangladesh Nationalist Party, BNP, Bangladesh Awami League, REUTERS, Reuters, Hasina’s Awami League, Thomson Locations: Naya Palton, Dhaka, Bangladesh, Mohammad Ponir Hossain DHAKA, Chittagong, United States

☆ How a deadly bat virus found new ways to infect people
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +16 min

Scientists found bats with Nipah virus roosting near Sabith’s home. A search of the neighborhood led to a colony, near their house, of flying foxes, a common fruit bat. NETTING NIPAH: Researchers in Bangladesh use nets to catch bats and collect samples to find the Nipah virus in the wild. REUTERS/Mohammad Ponir HossainWhether Sabith ate contaminated fruit or somehow came into direct contact with a bat, the virus entered his cells. REUTERS/Mohammad Ponir HossainA year later, Chua’s team found the same strain of Nipah virus in flying foxes.

☆ Firefighters, army work to douse massive fire in Bangladesh market
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-04 | by ( Ruma Paul | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/4] Firefighters try to douse a fire that broke out in a clothing market in Dhaka, Bangladesh, April 4, 2023. REUTERS/Mohammad Ponir HossainDHAKA, April 4 (Reuters) - Firefighters and army personnel were working on Tuesday to douse a massive fire that raged through a shopping complex with 3,000 shops in Bangladesh's capital of Dhaka, fire officials said. Fire service official Rashid Bin Khalid told Reuters 50 fire units were working to douse the fire, the cause of which was not known immediately. Smoke engulfed the area and flames were seen rising from the complex, hampering rescue efforts, a fire official said. Reporting by Ruma Paul; Writing by by Shilpa Jamkhandikar; Editing by Krishna N. Das and Lincoln Feast.

☆ Explosion kills 15 in crowded market in Bangladesh capital
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/5] Firefighters and rescue workers are seen on the site of an explosion in a multi storey building in Dhaka, Bangladesh, March 7, 2023. REUTERS/Mohammad Ponir HossainDHAKA, March 7 (Reuters) - At least 15 people were killed and several others injured in an explosion in a crowded market area in Bangladesh's capital Dhaka on Tuesday, a local fire service official said. A bus standing on the opposite side of the building was also damaged in the blast," fire service official Dinomoni Sharma said. It follows the death of three people in an explosion in Dhaka on SundayOn Sunday, three were killed in a suspected gas explosion in Dhaka. On Saturday, seven people were killed and several injured when a fire broke out following an explosion at an oxygen plant in southeastern Bangladesh.

☆ Climate justice gets harder as world population passes 8 billion
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-15 | by ( Gloria Dickie | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

These are also among the countries most vulnerable to climate impacts, and most in need of climate finance. "A SIGN OF HUMAN SUCCESS"Globally, the 8 billion population milestone represents 1 billion people added to the planet in just the last 11 years. Even while the global population reaches ever-new highs, demographers note that the growth rate has fallen steadily to less than 1% per year. "A big part of this story is that this era of rapid population growth that the world has known for centuries is coming to an end," Wilmoth said. Rapid population growth combined with climate change is likely to cause mass migration and conflict in coming decades, experts said.

☆ Bangladesh farmers revive floating farms to fight climate change
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-20 | by ( Anuja Jaiman | ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Ratul Islam and his friends walk around a village, in Pirojpur district, Bangladesh, August 18, 2022. The rafts, which take two months to make, are typically around 6 metres long and 1 metre wide, but can be several times that length, farmers said....moreRatul Islam and his friends walk around a village, in Pirojpur district, Bangladesh, August 18, 2022. The rafts, which take two months to make, are typically around 6 metres long and 1 metre wide, but can be several times that length, farmers said. They need to be replaced with new ones after three to four months. REUTERS/Mohammad Ponir HossainClose

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