IslamIs hardship always a punishment? What the hadith says
Two hadiths in Sahih al-Bukhari say that Allah tests those He wishes good for, and that a Muslim's fatigue, illness and pain are a means of forgiveness of sins.
Latest
Latest news
IslamIslamThe first to knock on the gate of Paradise
According to a hadith in Sahih Muslim, the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) will be the first to come to the gate of Paradise on the Day of Judgement, and it will be opened for him first.
Health
Breathless on the stairs? The heart warning signs a doctor says not to ignore
Dr Sharadindu Shekhar Roy writes that chest pressure, breathlessness or fatigue on less exertion than before should be checked, not put down to age.
Daily lifeDeputy commissioners told to check for artificial LPG shortages and overpricing
Energy Minister Iqbal Hasan Mahmud said there is no shortfall in LPG supply and warned of action against anyone creating a shortage or selling above the BERC price.
LivestockUS pork producers still hope to fix California's Proposition 12 in farm bill talks
The Senate Agriculture Committee left Proposition 12 out of its farm bill, but the National Pork Producers Council says the House bill's provision could survive when the two versions are merged in conference.
Health
Recovering from addiction means returning to a full life, experts say on Recovery Day
At a meeting by Dhaka Ahsania Mission and ISSUP Bangladesh, psychiatrist Professor Dr M A Mohit Kamal said lasting recovery needs family support, aftercare and jobs as well as treatment.
AgribusinessIowa farmer group matches new growers' savings up to $4,000 to help them start out
Practical Farmers of Iowa's two-year Savings Incentive Program pairs mentoring and business training with a dollar-for-dollar match for farm investment, as land access remains the biggest hurdle for beginners.
Islam
Madinah cuts airport bus fare and adds direct bus from Haramain station to the Prophet's Mosque
The bus fare from Madinah airport to the city has been cut to 3.45 Saudi riyals, and new routes and stops have opened.
VegetablesPepsiCo leans on farmer-to-farmer learning to protect its potato supply
With 300,000 farmers in its supply chains facing drought, extreme weather and higher costs, PepsiCo is bringing growers together from 35 countries to share what works, its global agriculture procurement chief told AgNavigator.
AgrotechCotierra raises $3 million to take farm biochar from coffee to cocoa, cotton and citrus
The Swiss climate-tech start-up turns crop residues into biochar in small reactors near where they are produced and returns it to soils, and will use the money to make its system a repeatable hardware and software product.
CropsGas shortage left Jamuna fertiliser plant running just three days in two years
A parliamentary committee heard that the Ashuganj plant has also been shut for 19 months, and urged more fertiliser production at home and self-sufficiency in seed.
EnvironmentFirst new penguin species in a century was hiding among gentoos
DNA analysis by researchers from UC Berkeley and Chile has identified the gentoo penguins of the Kerguelen Islands as a separate species, Pygoscelis kerguelensis.
EnvironmentChina's AI weather models are fast, but extreme rain still beats them
Chinese AI forecasting models such as Fengniao, Pangu-Weather, Fuxi and the CMA's Mazu warning system predict in minutes, but experts say they still miss sudden local downpours where data is thin.
Organic
Chuadanga farmers turn to Carew's cheap press-mud compost as chemical fertiliser runs short
A 50 kg bag of the state-owned sugar company's Sonar Dana organic fertiliser costs Tk 900, while farmers are paying Tk 2,500 to 3,000 for a bag of chemical fertiliser.
Daily lifePatuakhali's taps run dry by morning; Tk 45 crore water project sought
Fourteen production wells supply 10,332 cubic metres a day to 9,482 customers; with the water table falling and old tube wells dead, new wells, tanks and pipelines have been proposed.
AgrotechCamera-guided sprayer cut post-emergence herbicide use by up to 83% in a weed trial
Researchers tested Ecorobotix's ARA sprayer, which treats a 2.4-inch square only where it sees a weed, and found strong residual programmes plus targeted spraying saved 64% to 83% of post-emergence herbicide with little crop injury.
Environment
50-metre crack opens in Padma bank protection at Naria, traders move out
The crack appeared before dawn on Wednesday at the Sureshwar fish landing in Shariatpur; the UNO and Water Development Board officials have inspected the site.
HealthDhaka Medical College starts HPV vaccination for its students
Launched by the college's gynaecological oncology unit, the drive came with a reminder from specialists that the vaccine is the main protection against cervical cancer but does not replace regular screening.
World
Argentina's Supreme Court backs lifting of limits on foreign land purchases
Upholding President Javier Milei's move, the ruling lets foreign people, companies or states buy rural land without a cap; foreigners were previously limited to 15 percent of the country's land.
CropsJhalokathi plants aman beyond target, expects 93,500 tonnes of rice
Aman was planted on 46,774 hectares against a target of 46,772; high-yielding varieties fell 246 hectares short while local varieties exceeded their target by 248.