World news in brief: World's tallest cat dies

The Dhaka Times Desk Like every week, we are bringing you interesting news from around the world. Hope you like it.

World's tallest cat dies

The world's tallest cat has died. The length of this cat from the nose to the tail was 48.5 inches, which died recently in Nevada, USA. This cat named 'Stewee' was listed in the Guinness Book of Records in 2010 as the 'World's Tallest Cat'. He also held the world record for longest tail cat. Eight-year-old Stewie died of cancer, owner Robin Hendrickson said. He was undergoing therapy at a nearby animal clinic. Stevie was very social and loved meeting new people, Hendrickson's wife said. I am grateful to him for winning the hearts of many.

When money was money

How precious was once the shell of a little sea snail! Kadi was the medium of exchange. But we have almost forgotten about the days of shopping with cards. Kari is the shell of a sea snail from the Maldives. It looks small and bright. Once upon a time, kadi was used as a medium of exchange in Bengal. It was also widely used as a medium of exchange in ancient and medieval times. Especially in South Asia and Africa its use was the most. Cordyceps were also used as a medium of exchange in China and Europe, albeit to a limited extent. It is universally known as Kadi, but it also has regional names, e.g. Kapardaka in Sanskrit. Medieval Mangalkavya narratives contain extensive references to the use of kadi or kapardaka as a medium of trade. The words kadi and kapardak are still in use in Bengali language, but not exactly in the sense of money, but in the sense of financial situation. Silver coinage was prevalent in that era, but its use was limited to cities and large commercial centers. In rural areas, the cord was the main means of buying and selling. In the accounts written by medieval historians Masudi and Abul Fazal, the market price was determined on the basis of the yard. In fact, kadi was used as currency in the first phase of transition from crop tax to coinage in land revenue collection. Evidence of this can be found from the revenue settlement of the Mughal period. There is evidence of the use of kadi in the Sultanate period as well. During the Mughal period, raiyats could pay government revenue in any form of grain or paddy. In the Rangpur and Sylhet districts of the border areas of Bengal, the Karis were dominant even till the end of the 19th century.

The most novel aspect of the Kadhi Mudra is its calculation method. This practice remained unchanged until the end of the period of use. The counting rules of kadi were: 4 kadi = 1 ganda; 5 ganda = 1 pill; 4 pills = 1 bet; 16 bet = 1 kahn; and Das Kahn = 1 Taka (a silver coin weighing about 340 rati).

Another calculation method of kadi is: 4 kadi = 1 ganda; 20 ganda = 1 bet; 4 bets = 1 anna; 4 annas = 1 kahn; 4 kahn = 1 taka (28,880 kadis), In the post-discovery period European countries imported a lot of kadis. However, it was not used as currency within the country. Slaves were bought from African markets with these links. At that time, the only medium of exchange in Africa was the kadi.

Ancient Caves of Lesoji

Lesozy is a village in France. This small village has a prehistoric treasure. Surrounded by mountains, Lesozi is dotted with many caves. Here is an ancient cave 'Grot the Grand Rock', the steep hill rises, at its mid-height this cave. The ticket counter is up the mountain steps. The mouth of the cave rises again from here.

A guide leads a group of 15-20 people one by one. The next trip starts half an hour later. It is forbidden to take pictures in the cave. A large area of caves, many mineral crystals inside. For thousands of years, the mineral solution has been dripping from the cave ceiling, forming crystals. They hang from the ceiling like thick candles. Again, from the floor, there is a pillar like that. Somewhere again they have become more and more connected. Rows of strange beauty of different shapes.

Limestone mountains, each with small cracks, caves. Hidden in between is the famous Fon de Gome, which still has intact paintings by primitive people. 22 km. There are also many pictures in another cave called Lagro. Phon de Gom cave is 130 meters long. This cave was discovered in 1901. The roof of the cave is sometimes as high as four people, and sometimes it is so low that you have to crouch to enter. Both side walls are also uneven. There are flickering lights in some places. Even if there is a torch, it is forbidden to light it. This system is to keep the pictures intact for a long time. Photography is also prohibited for the same reason. Here are pictures of bison, painted with red colored minerals. Twelve to fifteen thousand years ago, they were painted on fire. There are also pictures of deer, horse, tusk elephant and other animals - these are painted in red and black colors. What is more surprising is that paintings have been made using the high and low walls inside the cave. Kon-barrel cave is like a tunnel, 2040 m. And at the end all the prehistoric animals are carved - mostly horses, deer, bison, a few mammoths and bears. 13 thousand years ago early humans crawled in and carved these. Lesoji is a prehistoric site with a combination of early human creation and prehistoric gardens. It is known that human skeletons of that time were also found during the excavation work here. The caves are deeply carved, in some places 20 cm. up to deep Lesozi is a very small, secluded station. There are only three-four hotels. A national route passes through this Lesoji, the only way to get here. But a big advantage in France is that no matter how big the city or how small the village, a tourist office will be well stocked.

Penguins in danger

Penguins are facing danger due to environmental degradation. Of all the penguin species, the emperor penguin is the most interesting. They look really royal in their white and black feathers. Like a gentleman in a black coat. But now even these elite gentlemen are in big trouble. Penguins are in dire danger. And the danger is the melting of the glaciers at the South Pole. Different species of penguins live in the isolated glacial regions of the South Pole. Among them, the emperor penguin is the best and they are the most in danger this time. Due to the erosion of glaciers, their habitat has started to sink. Their food storage areas are shrinking. As the global temperature increases, the atmosphere of the South Pole is also warming gradually. As a result, the ice layer is getting thinner. And so zoologists are concerned about the impending danger of penguins. Above it lies the Martz Tong glacier. 78 km long and 39 km wide, this huge glacier is mainly the habitat of Emperor penguins. Last year, the eastern part of the Martz Tong Glacier broke off after colliding with a glacier named B Nine B. Because of this, scientists fear that there will be major geographical changes in the South Pole. They also fear that enough algae growth in these marine areas could be covered in ice by melting glaciers. Although the habitat of penguins is two to three hundred kilometers away, they come here in search of food. Not only that, many seals also come to swim in the open sea. Now if this place is covered with ice then the penguins will be endangered. They may migrate elsewhere to survive.

The mountain village of Zermatt

Mountains everywhere, such a village is called Zermatt. Anyone who comes here says Zermatt is a beautiful mountain village. There is no pollution in its air. All vehicles here are either horse-drawn or electric. There are small hotels and flower-decorated villas for accommodation. There are also many food shops, but everything is very expensive. Many tourists come to Zermatt. Zermatt is a village in Switzerland. It can be reached by train from the city of Bern. Dense green hills on both sides of the village. And there are small wooden houses on the mountain slopes. There are bunches of red-pink-purple-white flowers on the balconies and windows of these houses. In the distance, the snow-capped black mountains occasionally peek out. There is a river on one side of this hill village. Flowing mountain river. On both sides of the road, there are wonderful waterfalls. The last station of this route beyond Zermatt is Gorner Grat, from where the Fieldhorn and many other peaks of the Alps can be clearly seen if the sky is clear. If you get off at any station on this train, you can get back on the next train after spending as much time as you want. Someone walks to the next station. Before reaching the Gorner Grat, you will see a thick layer of white snow on the black summit of the Matterhorn. There is also a tourist tower that can be climbed. Or you can walk back to the previous station. Or you can just sit and look at the mountain top. Trains passing through the village of Zermatt bear the initials of the rail company SBIB CFF FFS in German, French and Italian respectively. However, the order of the language of this announcement changes according to the language of the people of the place. When the train arrives in a town called 'Mantro' the announcement starts in French. Lausanne can be reached via Zermatt. How many hotels-restaurants-bars have been built in this Lausanne city. The city is on a hill slope. The railway station is at the top of the hill. And from there the city of Lausanne descends straight to the lake. When you come here, you cannot understand whether it is a lake or a sea. Although Switzerland is a small country, the transport system of this country is so advanced that it is not a problem for a foreigner to travel around all day with a pass. The timings of the trains are also so judiciously fixed that there is no need to carry timetables. A train departs from a particular station to a particular destination at the same minute of every hour. That is, if the next destination is fixed, before leaving the station, you only have to check how many trains there are per hour and when. Trains run around the clock in Switzerland, no train is empty, and there is no shortage of seats. Moreover, not only the cities of Switzerland, but also the villages are developed. There is also a hotel in the village where you can spend the night. The capital of Switzerland is 'Bern', surrounded by a large lake. Here is Einstein's house, the famous clock tower, various shops. Bern's hotel rooms also offer views of flower and sunflower fields. The most interesting thing is that the same kind of facilities are available in the villages of Switzerland as in the cities. The villages are also modern.