3 killed as Cyclone Akash hits Bangladesh coast
Three fishermen were killed in Saint Martin's Island, 9 km south of Cox's Bazar, while at least 50 went missing in the Bay of Bengal as Cyclone Akash hit Bangladesh's southern shores.
The cyclone crossed the coastal area on Tuesday morning and weakened into a land depression, Daily Star reported on Wednesday.
The cyclonic storm with wind speed up to 80 km an hour swept through the coastal district of Cox's Bazar damaging some 2000 houses, sources at the district administration's control room said.
Meanwhile, bodies of three fishermen were recovered from Saint Martin's Island, Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS) news agency said.
About 100,000 men, women and children, who evacuated to some 475 cyclone shelters across the coast and offshore islands, returned to their homes, officials said.
Reports from the coastal areas of Bhola, Patuakhali, Barguna and Pirojpur districts said that several lowlands near the riverbanks and coasts were flooded due to high tide prompted by the cyclone since Monday morning.
Less time to read?
Try Quickreads
-
Human remains 'found in suitcases' sold at N. Zealand auction
New Zealand police have begun a homicide investigation after human remains were allegedly found stashed in suitcases that were bought at an auction in the country's largest city Auckland. Read New Zealand welcomes back first cruise ship since Covid-19 pandemic began Residents at a home in South Auckland called police last Thursday after making the grisly discovery, police official Tofilau Faamanuia Vaaelua confirmed.
-
Putin slams US for whipping up Asian tensions with Taiwan visit and AUKUS pact
Russian President Vladimir Putin accused the United States on Tuesday of whipping up tensions in Asia, describing a visit to Taiwan by U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi as a "thoroughly planned provocation". In a speech to a Moscow security conference, Putin also cited the AUKUS security pact between Australia, Britain and the United States as evidence of Western attempts to build a NATO-style bloc in the Asia-Pacific region.
-
China on Tuesday said the docking of a Chinese missile and spacecraft tracking ship in the southern Sri Lankan port of Hambantota for replenishment will not affect the security interests of any country and should not be “obstructed” by a third party, in an apparent reference to India. The docking of the ship comes a day after India handed over a Dornier maritime surveillance aircraft to the Sri Lanka Navy. Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson, Wang Wenbin then reiterated the point.
-
China to discourage abortions, aims at boosting the low birth rate
China will discourage abortions and take steps to make fertility treatment more accessible as part of efforts to boost one of the world's lowest birth rates, its National Health Authority said on Tuesday. China's fertility rate of 1.16 in 2021 was far below the 2.1 OECD standard for a stable population and among the lowest in the world. Technology such as IVF is typically very expensive in China and not accessible to unmarried women.
-
China won’t be allowed to use Hambantota for ‘military purposes’: Wickremesinghe
Against the backdrop of growing concerns in India over a Chinese surveillance vessel's visit to Hambantota port, Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe has said China will not be allowed to use the facility for “military purposes”. Both India and the US had expressed concerns about the call by the vessel, used by the People's Liberation Army to track satellites and ballistic missiles.
