The world's top oil producers and consumers convene in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia tomorrow to grapple with record high oil prices, with some OPEC members baulking at consumer demands for more crude. While Saudi Arabia, the world's biggest oil exporter, was widely expected to announce an output hike at the meeting, OPEC president Chakib Khelil slammed consumer pressure for a production increase to take pressure off soaring prices. "To ask the oil producers to increase their output is illogical and irrational," Khelil was quoted as saying today by the Algerian news service APS.

The economy remained

Special assistant to the chief adviser, M Tamim, on Thursday said that the government would take

CCCI chief Saifuzzaman Chowdhury speaks at a press briefing. Business leaders of Chittagong yesterday urged the government for expediting gas exploration to cope with the countrywide gas crisis. The businesses of Chittagong that have a concentration on heavy industries are also apprehending that new investment in Chittagong may come to a standstill due to government's recent decision not to give any new gas connection in the region. They said the decision would not only frustrate the entrepreneurs but also seriously hold back the flow of foreign direct investment in the country.

Architectural education will have to focus on the need for mobility of architects and the university courses on global warming. The architects are also required to address issues like natural disasters and rising energy prices while undertaking rebuilding and sustainable development. This was stated by Architect Ga

Environmentalists and other organisations form a human chain protesting Chevron's seismic survey in Lawachhera Reserve Forest. Photo: STAR Different environmentalist organisations yesterday formed a human chain at Lawacheera Reserve Forest in Moulvibazar to press their demand to stop the seismic survey there by US oil company Chevron.

Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Tuesday launched a 1.2 billion dollars project largely funded by Tehran to upgrade Sri Lanka's sole oil refinery, officials said. Ahmadinejad and Sri Lankan president Mahinda Rajapakse planted an ebony sapling to launch work at the Sapugaskande refinery, just outside the capital Colombo. The four-year upgrade will triple Sri Lanka's refinery capacity to 150,000 barrels per day from the current 50,000 barrels.

Bangladesh Paribesh Andolon (Bapa) yesterday demanded immediate cancellation of the three dimensional (3D) seismic survey conducted by Chevron at the Lawachhara National Forest and its adjacent areas to save the country's lone rain forest and its bio-diversity. The Bapa leaders also demanded proper investigation into environmental, human and economic disasters that have already been occurred in the forest and ensure compensation for the affected people. The demands came at a press conference organised by Bapa at Dhaka Reporters Unity (DRU) auditorium in the city.

International oil-company Chevron plans to complete its 3D seismic survey in Moulvibazar gas-field by the middle of this year as it is working in full swing to strike new hydrocarbon reserves in the area. Chevron Bangladesh President Steve Wilson expressed his company's firm belief that if they continue their work as planned, they should finish the survey before monsoon. "We continue to advance our efforts and hope to complete the survey around mid-year,' he told news agency UNB, adding that about one-third of data recording has been completed so far.

FARMERS in the northern districts are facing great troubles to irrigate the last moment boro fields before harvesting due to frequent power outages. Thousands of power-run pumps remain inoperative in most of the time in a day for the frequent load-shedding. The dream of bumper production of boro paddy will be shattered if the situation of power outages is not improved immediately, the farmers said.