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Bangladesh garment factory owners demand fashion retailers help shoulder costs amid economic slowdown and mandated wage hike

November 14, 2023 -

The wage increase of 56 percent is the first notable wage increase for the industry's workers in five years and raises wages to 12,500 Bangladeshi takas a month ($113) beginning on Dec. 1. (Related: Dark side of glam: Models expose sexual harassment, dangerous working conditions in fashion industry.)

This wage increase was agreed upon by a panel of factory owners, garment factory union leaders and government officials after the government turned down the initial ...

Bangladesh power grid COLLAPSES, leaving 140 million people without power

October 09, 2022 -

Nearly the entire country, the AFP News Agency reported, suffered a blackout due to the collapse. Officials from the state-run Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) said a power transmission failure in the eastern part of the country tripped power plants nationwide, cutting off power to the entire country, including the capital city of Dhaka.

BPDB official Shameem Hasan announced that engineers are investigating "glitches" in the power system. There have ...

Biden sends $15 million to Bangladesh despite its links to terrorist organizations and history of corruption and human rights abuses

February 21, 2024 -

The $15 million comes from the Enabling Environment for Climate Resiliency Activity program, a government program for enhancing climate resilience.

Bangladesh, a majority-Muslim South Asian nation, has been tagged by the State Department's Overseas Security Advisory Council (OSAC) as a significant source of anti-Western terrorist group activity.

In OSAC's 2019 report, Bangladesh was noted for having historic ties with several very dangerous ...

Buyers beware: Turmeric products are often contaminated with lead

11 days ago -

Lead used to be a contaminant in turmeric, the unique spice that gives curry its beautiful golden color. Researchers traced the contamination to Bangladesh, and their report detailed how lead-adulterated turmeric was slowly poisoning people who used the spice. (h/t to Vox.com)

Lead is a neurotoxin and it can cause premature deaths and lifelong negative side effects. Experts warn that "there is no safe level of lead exposure" and data suggests that any lead ...

6 New cases of DEADLY Nipah virus infection reported in India

October 09, 2023 -

This is now the sixth outbreak of the Nipah virus in India, which reported its first case in 2001.

According to news released by the World Health Organization (WHO), the six new cases were all males aged between nine and 45 years. The first case, whose source of infection could not be determined, died back in August a few days after being admitted to a hospital.

The other five cases were all close contacts of the deceased, two of whom were family members. The ...

World’s forests are in better shape than many people realize

February 12, 2024 -

The piece, aptly titled “The World’s Forests Are Doing Much Better Than We Think," focuses on the fact that plenty of forests around the world are actually faring quite well. He notes that while the destruction of tropical forests attracts a lot of headlines, cooler climates are actually seeing great progress on this front.

For example, China’s forests have grown by 607,000 square kilometers since 1992, which is roughly equivalent to the size of Ukraine, while the EU ...

Illegals now breaking into America through unfenced NORTHERN border with Canada: “Record-breaking surge”

February 15, 2024 -

New reports warn that some illegal aliens are now surging through America's northern border with Canada, which is largely unfenced. U.S. Customs and Border Patrol (CPB) data shows that in 2023, more than 12,000 migrants were apprehended along the line separating the United States from Canada.

Compared to 2022 when just 3,578 illegals were apprehended along America's northern border, 2023's figures are nearly quadruple the number, which suggests the border crisis is ...

AI-generated deepfakes are beginning to sway public opinion all over the world

a month ago -

Creating fake photos, videos or audio clips used to require considerable resources in terms of time, technical expertise and finances. But the advent of AI has drastically lowered these barriers, providing anyone with malicious intent and a smartphone with the power to manipulate public opinion.

The sophistication of AI-generated content makes it more challenging to discern fact from fiction, making it harder to combat misinformation.

The implications of AI deepfakes ...

Worse than smoking and alcohol: Air pollution is the “greatest global threat to human health,” warn scientists

September 05, 2023 -

More should be done to fight air pollution, experts say

Findings from a benchmark study suggest the growing threat is worsening in its global epicenter, South Asia.

However, the level of funding set aside to address air pollution is only a small fragment of the amount reserved for research on the prevention of infectious diseases, said researchers from the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago (EPIC).

EPIC's Air Quality Life Index (AQLI) report ...

China quickly expanding use of yuan in global trade as it seeks to dethrone US dollar as world’s top currency

May 18, 2023 -

Chinese President Xi Jinping's government has been busy over the past year striking deals to expand the ways in which the yuan is used. Countries like Argentina, Bangladesh, Brazil, Iran, Russia, Saudi Arabia and even France have recently signed new agreements linked to the use of the renminbi. (Related: DE-DOLLARIZATION: China now uses the yuan for cross-border transactions more than it uses the US dollar.)

"The yuan is becoming increasingly relevant as currency ...

India bans onion exports as government tries to control rising food prices

December 12, 2023 -

The latest move sees overseas shipments of onions prohibited until the end of March, with an exception being made for cargos that began loading before the notification was issued. The move comes after the Indian government took steps to release stockpiles of onions to protect consumers from rising costs late this summer.

India also recently placed restrictions on using sugar cane juice for the production of biofuels in an attempt to increase its reserves. They have ...

New York City’s air quality reaches “hazardous” level – one of the worst recorded in decades

June 11, 2023 -

On Wednesday, June 7, around 4 p.m., the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) warned that the Air Quality Index in New York City had reached "hazardous" levels at 413 out of 500 – placing it well into the most serious band of air quality recorded in decades.

The National Weather Service revealed that data from private air quality monitoring company IQAir has shown New York City has the worst levels of air pollution among the top 95 global cities in the world – surpassing ...

Bangladeshi woman gives birth to a baby and twins, all within a span of 1 month

November 30, 2019 -

According to experts, the woman had a rare condition called uterus didelphys, which meant she had two uteruses instead of one. Even more amazing: She carried babies in both wombs, which contributed to her early labor pains.

Despite going through two instances of premature births in a span of a month, the new mother and her three children are reportedly in good health.

Arifa Sultana Iti and her husband Sumon Biswas live in the village of Shyamlagachhi in Sharsha, ...

Dedollarization efforts continue as India pushes Gulf crude exporters to accept payment in rupees

2 months ago -

The move stems from fears that India's rising energy demand could have the effect of weakening the rupee further. This is because refiners in India have to sell rupees and buy American dollars for settling crude payments. India currently depends on imports to supply more than 85% of its crude needs, which means that the country is essentially at the mercy of foreign exchange conversions to American dollars.

India is also hoping to leverage its crude consumption increase ...

ELECTION INTERFERENCE: Google launching “anti-misinformation” campaign in five European countries ahead of EU Parliament elections in June

2 months ago -

Citizens of the EU are set to elect new members of the European Parliament who will be responsible for passing policies and laws in the 27-member bloc of over 450 million people. Current lawmakers are concerned about the spread of misinformation, with many already accusing Russia of spreading fake news and orchestrating a network of websites to spread pro-Russian propaganda. (Related: Google launches censorship measures to rig EU Parliamentary elections.)

To help the EU ...

U.S.-based rights group calls on ICC to investigate Israeli commanders’ WAR CRIMES

December 27, 2023 -

Democracy for the Arab World Now (DAWN), which was founded by the late Jamal Khashoggi, submitted the list of commanders on Dec. 20 at the ICC's headquarters in The Hague, Netherlands. It called on the tribunal to investigate the 40 "prime suspects" it named in the filing."

"These 40 IDF commanders who have been responsible for planning, ordering and executing Israel's indiscriminate bombardment, wanton destruction and mass killing of civilians in Gaza should be prime ...