04 - 10 Sept 2009 05
B A N G L A D E S H
Recession makes Dhaka alms
Violent Bangladesh protests
givers reticent in Ramadan
over foreign firms
Muslims traditionally give more
At least 34 people were injured
alms during the Ramadan holy
in Dhaka when police clashed
month, but this year, the global
with activists protesting against
economic crisis has made some
a decision to allow foreign
in largely impoverished
firms to drill for undersea gas
Bangladesh less generous.
and oil, officials said.
Workers' remittances and ready-
The demonstrators, mainly
made garment exports are the
from left-leaning student bod-
mainstays of Bangladesh's econ-
ies, accused the government of
omy.
handing the country's resources
But many Bangladeshi workers
over to foreign countries.
overseas have lost their jobs due
Local police chief Rezaul
to the economic downturn and
Karim said 300 protesters had
the garment sector has also been
tried to storm the headquarters
hard hit, with Abdus Salam
of the state-owned energy firm
Murshedy, president of the
Petrobangla.
Bangladesh Garment
'At least 10 police officers have
Manufacturers and Exporters
been injured,' he said. A
Association, saying some textile
spokesman for the protesters,
exporters could be facing finan-
A riot police officer stands guard against protester
Baki Billa, said that at least 22
cial difficulties.
students had been injured and
US energy giant reserves of gas, after large
All of this bodes ill for beggars
Bangladesh and forced a cut on
eight were taken to hospital.
ConocoPhillips and Irish com- discoveries were made else-
such as Hanufa Begum who
put together a decent meal to
expenditures by its nationals,"
'The government's plan to
pany Tullow will search for oil where in the bay.
come to Dhaka each year during
break our day-long fast," said
said Liaqat Ali, a college teacher,
export 80 per cent of the gas
and gas in the Bay of Bengal Bangladesh needs to locate
Ramadan to seek enough alms to
factory worker Nazmul Hossain.
explaining the decrease in gen-
and oil that the foreign compa-
despite ownership claims on new sources of energy as the
take home to her family at the
Traditionally, in addition to giv-
erosity.
nies find is devastating for a
some of the area from neigh- government forecasts current
end of the fasting month.
ing out money, wealthier
To make matters worse, many
country desperate for energy
bouring India and Myanmar. gas reserves will run out by
"I don't know how much I would
Bangladeshis also cook extra
traders have hiked food prices
resources,' he said.
Experts have forecast major 2015.
actually earn before I go back
food during the month which
home ahead of Eid-al Fitr," said
they serve to the poor to break during Ramadan to take advan-
the mother of four, referring to
their fast. tage of the increase in consump-
the feast that marks the end of
In the past, the dishes have tion during the month.
Ramadan.
included nutritious meals such as Sabuj Mia, who sells iftar at a
Nearly 90 percent of
hearty soups, grilled chicken or makeshift shop in the capital
Bangladesh's 150 million people
mutton as well as fruits and Dhaka, said people are buying
Bangladesh confirms first swine flu death
are Muslim. About half the pop-
juices. But this year, Hanufa said less as staples for iftar, the
Bangladesh has reported the first swine flu death in year-old women died of swine flu at the Lab Aid
ulation lives on less than $1 a
she was breaking her fast most breakfast meal, have become
the country after a 37-year-old woman died at a Hospital where she was being treated.
day.
days on a glass of water and dearer.
hospital here as the number of H1N1 cases shot up Haque said an intensified media campaign for pub-
The troubled garment sector
some puffed rice. "This is a hard time for both
to 213. lic awareness would be launched today as the rapid
employs some 2.5 million peo-
"This is not because they (the traders and consumers," said a
"The first death has been reported from a private spread of the disease particularly in urban slum
ple, and some workers say they
rich) are drifting away from grocery owner who declined to
city facility last night," Health Minister AFM areas could make it difficult to keep a medical sur-
have not been paid for months.
what Islam dictates, but because be named. "I will offer less to the
Ruhul Haque said, confirming a report that 35- veillance on the patients.
"Nowadays we find it harder to
of the ongoing global recession poor because my profit has
that has also impacted shrunk."
Opening ceremony of 2011
WC to be held in Bangladesh
The opening ceremony of the 2011 Cricket World event that met here Wednesday to continue prepa-
Cup will be held on February 17 in Bangladesh and rations for the tournament.
the first match would take place on February 19 in The venues where the matches would be held in the
the same country, the ICC announced Wednesday. three host nations; India, Bangladesh and Sri Laka
The ICC had earlier said both the opening ceremo- - would be inspected in October/November, the
ny and the opening game would be held on COC decided.
February 19 in Bangladesh. Tournament director Ratnakar Shetty said the
But the full match schedule with venues would be meeting was a productive one and the organisers
announced on November 9, it was decided by the were operating at a brisk pace to make it a great
Central Organising Committee (COC) of the mega success.
Plane grounded by blocked toilets
A Biman Bangladesh airlines Biman aircraft," explained wing
flight from Dhaka to London commander Asaduzzaman,
was delayed by over ten hours - director of engineering for the
as all five of the planes toilets carrier.
were blocked. "This solid material blocked the
Passengers on the flight had toilets and there was a jumble in
flushed paper cups and other the pneumatic toilet suction sys-
debris into the plane's toilets, tem. It was a passenger-created
causing them to malfunction. problem.
Engineers then took two hours to "There was no mechanical
repair the damage, but further fault," added Mr Asaduzzaman.
delays were incurred due to Reports suggest there were over
Heathrow Airport's night flight 200 passengers on board the
ban. tissue papers and female sanitary flight.
"Passengers threw bottles, cups, napkins into all five toilets of the
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