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23 May 2013
The World News Headlines Retailers sign safety plan in Bangladesh
This Week US hit by 300mph tornadoes Rescuers have sifted through rubble searching for survivors after a 3km-wide tornado packing 320kph-strong winds devastated Oklahoma City suburbs, killing at least 24 people, injuring at least 230 and leaving dozens missing. The Oklahoma medical examiner’s office said on Tuesday that 20 children were among those confirmed dead and the death toll was expected to rise.
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ollowing the collapse of the Dhaka garment factory which killed more than 1,100 people, 24 companies have signed up to an accord to improve safety standards in Bangladesh. Hennes & Mauritz (H&M) is believed to have been the first big retailer to have signed up. They were followed by a host of big-name retailers from Britain and Europe. US retailers, however, were more reluctant, with Walmart – the largest retailer in the world – claiming that it had its own system of checking for safety and working conditions. Walmart Walmart plans to perform its own inspections at its 279 factories, saying that will yield faster results. In response to what it described as “some influential companies declining to sign up”, Oxfam’s Ethical Trade Manager, Rachel Wilshaw said: “We urge all brands and retailers to join the accord to improve fire and building safety standards in Bangladesh. “Collaboration will be key if we are going to change the appalling safety record in these factories; the more companies who sign up the more effective the initiative will be. “Garment workers, who are mostly women, are seriously disempowered in the Bangladesh industry. “The most effective, sustainable way to strengthen workers’ voices on Health and Safety committees is for the global garment union and its affiliates to lead this process. “Audits of building and fire safety will only be fit for purpose with active worker involvement.”
Syrian factions plan talks
Tower Hamlets Cricket made an eye-catching start to the new season with two wins out of three
games in the Middlesex Borough Cricket Programme. The competition, which aims to
provide a means by which the county’s best young cricketing talents can be spotted, saw Tower
Hamlets secure victories against Hackney & Islington at U12 and U14 level.
Cyclone Mahasen batters Bangladesh coastline
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tropical storm has lashed coastal areas of Bangladesh, killing 12 people, destroying thousands of huts and forcing up to a million people to flee. Officials had prepared for a cyclone, but the storm, called Mahasen, weakened considerably before making landfall. The storm hit Patuakhali district on Thursday with heavy rain and wind of up to 100km/h (60mph). Early reports suggest Muslim Rohingya living in camps on both sides of the Burma border were spared the worst. The United Nations had warned that 8.2 million peo-
Cyclone Mahasen weakened considerably before making landfall ple were at risk from Mahasen in Bangladesh, Burma and north-east India. Several Indian states issued storm alerts and warned people to take precautions against severe weather conditions.
The storm weakened over the Bay of Bengal, however, and forecasters say it is likely to dissipate within 24 hours. The Bangladeshi government said it had evacuated 956,672 people from
coastal areas to more than 3,200 cyclone shelters. Officials broadcast warning messages before Mahasen hit. Airports in Chittagong and the resort town of Cox’s Bazar were closed, and Chittagong’s port also remains closed, says the BBC’s Sanjoy Majumder in Chittagong. The Bangladeshi authorities earlier raised the danger level to seven out of 10 for low-lying areas around Chittagong and Cox’s Bazar. The cyclone covered more than 175km in nine hours before hitting the coast, Bangladesh’s Meteorological Department said.
Bangladeshi climber dies trying to scale Mount Everest
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climber from Bangladesh and another from South Korea have died on Mount Everest as hundreds flock to the world’s highest peak during good weather, Nepalese tourism officials said Tuesday. “Both men died while descending from the summit on Monday,” an official with the tourism ministry told AFP
from Everest Base Camp. Sung Ho-Seo, 34, of South Korea was attempting the climb without supplementary oxygen and died on his way down the mountain. Mohammed Hossain, 35, from Bangladesh, died in his tent a few hours after successfully climbing the summit. “The exact cause of death is
unknown, but altitude played a part,” said the official, Gyanendra Shrestha, adding the bodies would not be recovered until after the summit season ended so as not to interrupt other climbers. Both men perished in the “death zone” — above 8,000 metres, notorious for its difficult terrain and thin air. Five other climbers have died
on the 8,848-metre (29,029foot) mountain this season. Early in the season Mingmar Sherpa, 47, a member of an elite team known as the “icefall doctors” who set up climbing routes, plunged to his death. DaRita Sherpa, 47, died from what is believed to have been cardiac arrest earlier this month. Commercial
guide Lobsang Sherpa, 22, also plunged to his death. A 50-year-old Russian climber, Alex Bolotov, was found dead near the famed Khumbu Icefall crevasse on May 15. Namgyal Sherpa, who had led expeditions to clear garbage and bodies from Everest, died May 16 while descending from his tenth successful summit.
Syria’s opposition and government are preparing to take part in an internationally-sponsored peace conference, according to Lakhdar Brahimi, the United Nations-Arab League mediator. The conference was proposed by the US and Russia, which has backed the regime of Bashar al-Assad, earlier this month.
Deadly Afghan battles rage
Afghan government forces have been engaged in a deadly battle with Taliban fighters at a police checkpoint in the south of the country, local officials have said. The interior ministry told Al Jazeera on Tuesday that five police officers and 25 Taliban fighters were killed in fighting which raged for 24 hours in Helmand province.
Iraq bombings continue
Attacks in Iraq have killed at least 13 people and wounded 99 others, a day after a series of bombings killed 77 people across the country, officials have said. A suicide bomber set off his explosives-laden vest at a military checkpoint in the town of Tarmiyah, 50km north of Baghdad.
Apple defends tax policy
The chief executive of Apple has defended his company’s tax practices over claims it is among the largest tax avoiders. In a testimony before the US Senate, Tim Cook said that Apple paid nearly $6bn to the US treasury last year.
Saudi woman scales Everest A 25-year-old graphic design graduate has become the first ever Saudi woman to climb to the top of Mount Everest. Raha Moharrak is the only female in a group of four Arabs who announced two months ago that they would be reaching the summit in 2013.