Senior leader of the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party, Abdul Moyeen Khan, praised people for not going to the polls on Sunday, saying that their party’s call to skip the “unilateral” general election had been successful. He also told reporters at his home in Gulshan that the people of the country had rejected the Awami League government through this election where no one could vote.

“We don’t believe in any kind of fake or rigged election system that claims to be democratic.” A lot of people call this government an autocratic one. There are also different names for this government. It looks like this government is a democracy, but it’s not. “Governments that act like they are democratic are much more dangerous than governments that are truly authoritarian,” the BNP leader said.

He was afraid that the government and the Election Commission would show a false number of people who voted, like they did in the last two national elections. “But that’s not our business; everyone in the country and the whole world saw how the voters in Bangladesh turned down the election.” He said that many people who supported the ruling party didn’t go to the polls because they were sure that their candidates would win.

Source: https://www.newagebd.net/article/222196/bnp-congratulates-voters-for-making-its-boycott-call-a-success

In a press briefing at the Election Commission, CEC Kazi Habibul Awal said that the average voter turnout across the country is 40 percent.

He said, “Can’t say for sure, but about 40 percent of votes have been cast. This is reliable information so far. But when the counting of votes is over, it may vary a little.”

Although the CEC initially said the voter turnout was 28 percent. Later, the secretary corrected him and said it will be 40 percent or more.

“We have tried to stop election violence and irregularities. But in the end, for various reasons we couldn’t fully succeed.”

Source: BBC News Bangla

The EC cancelled the candidacy of ruling Awami League candidate from Chattogram-16 (Banshkhali) Mostafizur Rahman Chowdhury. The action was taken against him because he threatened police, said EC Secretary Jahangir Alam.

The returning officer said that if EC cancels the candidacy of a candidate, the election will be held among the other contesting candidates of the relevant constituency.

Source: https://www.thedailystar.net/election-2024/news/news/ctg-16-al-aspirant-mostafizurs-candidacy-cancelled-3513371

In a center of Kalyanpur Girls School and College in Dhaka-14 Constituency, the signatures of the agents on the result sheet (result statement) have been kept before the voting ended. After the counting of votes, the result is declared on the result sheet signed by the agent of each candidate. The workers of Sabina Akhter Tuhin, an independent candidate of that seat, alleged that the vote could be rigged by taking signatures in advance on the empty form.

Awami League’s candidate for the seat is Jubo League General Secretary Mainul Hasan Khan (Nikhil). There are 10 polling stations in Kalyanpur Girls School and College.

Independent candidate Sabina Akhtar went to the place where the news of signing had spread earlier on Sunday afternoon. He told reporters, “I don’t know which candidate the presiding officer did this for.”

Later, when the presiding officer Gopal Chandra Das was approached, he refused to speak to Prothom Alo about the matter.

Source: Prothom Alo

In the 12th parliamentary election, Election Commissioner Md Anisur Rahman said he was hopeful that more than half of the votes would be cast. Following his vote this morning at the Dhaka City College in the city, Anisur spoke about his views. The voting center is in the Dhaka-10 constituency.

When asked about his expectations for the polling turnout, he said, “I hope that more than 50 percent of the votes will be cast.” People are voting for 299 of the 300 seats in the national parliament starting from 8:00 AM. Because a candidate had died, voting in the Naogaon-2 district had to be put on hold. The polls will stay open until 4:00 PM. Over 11,93,33,157 people have registered to vote in the 299 constituencies. There are 6,05,92,169 male voters, 5,87,40,140 female voters, and 848 hijra voters in this group.

Out of the 44 registered parties, 28 are joining the elections, while others, including the BNP and some opposition parties, are boycotting it.

Source: Daily Star

আজ রোববার সকাল ৯টায় বান্দরবান সরকারি বালিকা উচ্চ বিদ্যালয়ের ভোটকেন্দ্র পরিদর্শন শেষে ভোটারদের উদ্দেশে এই আহ্বান জানান তিনি। একই সময়ে ওই কেন্দ্রে ভোট দিতে আসেন আওয়ামী লীগ সমর্থিত প্রার্থী বীরবাহাদুর উশৈসিং। সেসময় কুশল বিনিময় করেন দুই প্রার্থী। পরে জাপা প্রার্থী শহিদুল সাংবাদিকদের বলেন, ‘নৌকা মার্কায় ভোট দিবেন আর আমার জন্য দোয়া করবেন।’

উল্লেখ্য, সাতটি উপজেলায় দুটি পৌরসভা ও ৩৪টি ইউনিয়ন মিলে দেশের সর্বশেষ সংসদীয় আসন পার্বত্য বান্দরবান। এ আসনে এবার ভোটার সংখ্যা দুই লাখ ৮৮ হাজার ৩০ জন। তার মধ্যে নারী ভোটার এক লাখ ৩৯ হাজার ৪৪৬ জন এবং পুরুষ ভোটার এক লাখ ৪৮ হাজার ৫৮৪ জন।

মোট ভোটকেন্দ্র ১৮২টি, তার মধ্যে সাধারণ কেন্দ্র ৪৫ এবং গুরুত্বপূর্ণ কেন্দ্র ১৩৭টি, বুথ কক্ষ ৭২৭টি। পার্বত্য বান্দরবান ৩০০ নং আসনে নৌকা প্রতীকে বীর বাহাদুর উশৈসিং এবং লাঙ্গল প্রতীকে এটিএম শহিদুল ইসলাম প্রতিদ্বন্দ্বিতা করছেন।

Source: Daily Star

Volunteers with BAL badges standing next to the center forced the voters who had voted to stand in line again after they saw journalists. Some time before 10:30 AM there was no line to be seen. While talking to the voters of the line, it was found that they have irremovable ink marks on their fingers. When asked, they said that they have already voted. But the BAL volunteers made them stand in line again.

“We voted in the morning,” two of them told The Daily Star on condition of anonymity. “He asked us to stand again without letting us go, so we are standing.”

Sukumar Barua, a resident of Kalaghata area and a BAL volunteer, who was moving next to the voters’ line, asked them to stand in line. When asked why voters were kept standing in queues even after voting was over, Sukumar told Daily Star, ‘We did not force anyone to stand in queues. Those who voted are gone.’ “We have not heard of such a thing,” Haroon Or Rashid, the Centre’s presiding officer, told The Daily Star when asked about voters being forced to stand in queues. Inform us if you see anything like that.’

Source: Daily Star

The Election Commission’s (EC) Tk 21 crore app, which helped voters find details about the election, like polling places, crashed the night before the election. As of January 1, EC Secretary Jahangir and other officials said that voters would be able to use the app to find out where they could vote.

But minimum 5 voters who tried to use the app told the Daily Star that they could not use it despite trying several times since January 6 evening. When reached out to for comment, EC System Manager Ashraf Hossain, said the accessibility issue is a temporary one and will be fixed soon. “We believe the number of users trying to access the app exceeded its traffic capacity,” he said. For voters who are yet to know who the candidates in their constituencies are, or even what constituencies they fall under, they can use the Election Commission’s app, Smart Election Management BD. Once you download the app, enter your date of birth and national ID number. Your polling centre with its address, voting serial number, and even details about other voters in your constituency show up at your fingertips.

The app will also keep you up to date with turnout numbers in your constituency every 2 hours.

Source: https://www.thedailystar.net/election-2024/news/news/ecs-21cr-app-crashes-eve-election-day-3512696#lg=1&slide=0

Four people were killed in at least 14 fires across the country between 6 PM on January 5 and 10 AM on January 6 (16 hours). The fires destroyed 6 cars and 9 buildings. Stats from the Fire Service and Civil Defence (FSCD) show that five of the events happened in Dhaka Division.

The stats show that 5 in Dhaka Division (Dhaka City 1, Narayanganj 1, Gazipur Sadar 2, Kaliakair 1), 2 fires broke out in Sylhet division (South Sylhet, Chunarughat), 4 in Chittagong Division (Ramu 1, Feni 1, Sitakund 1, Chittagong City 1), 3 in Mymensingh Division (Nandail 1, Gafargaon 1, Sherpur 1).

According to the stats, 1 train (4 coaches), 2 pickups, 1 truck, 2 covered vans, 1 Buddhist temple, and 8 educational institutions were set on fire in these incidents.

32 units of Fire Service and Civil Defence and 151 personnel were engaged to put out the fire.

Source: https://www.daily-sun.com/post/729186

In the midst of talks about the conflict between Israel and Gaza, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has voiced worries about the lack of support for Muslim and Palestinian tech workers in the field. Since Altman is Jewish and works in technology, he said that he has seen more support for Jewish coworkers than for Muslim and Palestinian coworkers. He was upset and said that Muslim and Palestinian tech workers often don’t talk about their problems because they’re afraid of being punished or having their jobs hurt. Altman asked everyone in the tech industry to come together and help these coworkers through what he called a “atrocious time.”

Altman wrote on Twitter, “Muslim and Arab (especially Palestinian) coworkers in the tech community i’ve talked to feel uncomfortable talking about their recent experiences, often out of fear of retaliation and hurt career prospects.” Our whole business should come together to help these coworkers; this is a terrible time. When asked about his Jewish coworkers, Altman stressed that he sees more support in the business world against racism than support for Muslims. The tech industry has had a hard time keeping employees from talking about the war between Israel and Gaza. Some companies have even deleted Slack messages and had problems with freedom of speech.

Even with these worries, Altman said he hoped for real and lasting peace and stressed how important it was to be kind to each other during the fight. Tech companies like Apple and Google have had trouble keeping their staff from talking about the war between Israel and Gaza. Paddy Cosgrave, an Irish businessman and co-founder of Web Summit, also got flak and resignations over claims against Israel, which made big companies like Intel and Stripe less likely to attend.

Source: https://www.businessinsider.com/openai-sam-altman-urges-tech-community-support-muslim-peers-2024-1

The UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization said Friday that world food prices went down in 2023. Grain and oil prices went down the most as worries about supply eased. The Rome-based FAO said that the prices of food commodities around the world fell 13.7% in 2023 compared to the previous year.

The FAO’s cereals price index dropped 15.4% last year, which “reflected well-supplied global markets.” This is in contrast to 2022, when prices went through the roof after Russia invaded Ukraine, a major producer of grains. worries about wheat and corn supplies got better, but worries about rice supplies got worse because of El Nino and India’s decision to limit exports. Last year, the price of rice went up by 21%.

Last year, the vegetable oil price index dropped the most, by 32.7%. This was because stocks got better and less oil was used to make biofuels. On the other hand, sugar prices rose 26.7% total last year, though they fell from their peak in December because Brazil increased exports and cut back on biofuel use.

Food prices are going up a lot in many countries, often much faster than the general inflation rate, even though the FAO’s overall index went down. The FAO’s index tracks the prices of commodities on the market. It takes a little longer for consumer prices to be reflected, since they are also affected by the cost of labor and energy used during processing and distribution.

Source: https://www.newagebd.net/article/222046/global-food-prices-drop-137pc-in-2023-fao

Police have arrested Nabi Ullah Nabi, the joint convenor of Dhaka South, and seven other party members on suspicion that they had something to do with the fire on the Benapole Express train on January 6. The other people who were arrested are Md Hasan Ahmed, Md Russell, Delowar Hakeem Biplab, Md Salauddin, and Md Kabir. Around 12:30 a.m. on January 6, Nabi Ullah was arrested at his home in Sector 11 of Uttara.

A virtual meeting was held on January 4 with the convenor of Metropolitan South Jubo Dal, Khandkar Enam, Member Secretary Robiul Islam Noyon, Joint Convenor MA Gaffar, Joint Convenor Iqbal Hossain Bablu, Office Secretary Shahjahan Chowdhury, and the team leaders of eight Dakshin Jubo Dal teams. For the two main plans, they told leaders and activists from the Ward and Thana Jubo Dal to do destructive things on January 5, 6, and 7. These included setting fire to vehicles and temporary election camps for candidates, throwing explosives near polling places, and other destructive things.

Sources in the BNP said that police raided the homes of several BNP leaders, such as Engineer Ishrak Hossain in Gopibagh, Anam Saiful Islam in Dholaipar, AGM Shamsul Haq in Baridhara, and Mojammel Hossain Matir in Kafrul. Friday night, someone set fire to the Benapole Express train in the Gopibagh area of Sayedabad. At least four people on board died.

Source: https://www.risingbd.com/english/national/news/101428

Azad Hossain, the former Chhatra League leader who publicly put 43 seals in 57 seconds in the by-election of Laxmipur-3 (Sadar) seat, was seen campaigning in the polling field. But this time no one is calling him a ‘Shibir member’. This time, Awami League officials are identifying him as a former Chhatra League leader. Azad is the former vice president of Chandraganj Thana Chhatra League.

On Friday, Azad took part in mass communication including distributing leaflets, hanging posters and miking in different areas of Dighli Union on behalf of Bangladesh Awami League. In his presence, the local and opposition supporters fear the repetition of the sealing incident. It was not possible to talk to Azad about this.

At 1:06 p.m. Dighli Union Awami League president and convenor of the election management committee Abdul Wadud Liton told Jugantor that Azad was not given any responsibility even though he was in the BAL campaign. “There will be a fair vote, there is no doubt. Azad is a part of Chhatra League. Never was involved with Shibir. I don’t know who called him a part of it.”

Source: Daily Jugantor

Everything about the game is great, from the original story to the graphics and sound. But the stunning 3D model of the IUT campus is what has caught many people’s attention the most. Three third-year students at IUT’s Department of Computer Science and Engineering (CSE) made this game for their Computer Graphics class project. Their names are Ramisa Zaman Audhi, Samnun Azfar, and Shams Farhan Ivan.

IUT’s nickname, “Red Heaven”, is found in the name of the game, aMIDst Red. The plot of the story is about a character who has to find missing midterm scripts on campus. They can either walk or drive to get to the scripts. This is where the recreation of the school comes in. Audhi, Azfar, and Ivan mostly used 3D assets they made from scratch to do this. Sketchfab, Quixel Bridge, and Unreal Marketplace are some of the third-party products that were used. The way the map is made makes it easy to take a virtual tour of the school. All the important spots, like the academic buildings, dorms, and cafeteria, have been perfectly recreated. “We wanted to provide a virtual tour for IUT students as well as those of other institutions, and give a taste of nostalgia for the alumni. It might also be useful for the future aspirants,” shared Audhi.

Source: Daily Star

Robert Kiyosaki, author of the best-selling personal finance book ‘Rich Dad, Poor Dad’, has confirmed being in $1.2 billion worth of debt. The widely followed entrepreneur who is popular for his advice on building up wealth and managing finances, claimed this on a podcast named “Disruptors.”

Kiyosaki talked about his unique way of dealing with debt and money. His book from 1997 has sold over 40 million copies. He says that there is a difference between “good debt” and “bad debt,” and that “good debt” can be used to make money. This includes loans for buying things that will make money. Luxury cars like Ferraris and Rolls-Royces, which he owns but has already paid for, he sees as liabilities instead of investments.

His bold saying, “If I go bust, the bank goes bust. Not my problem,” reflects a debated stance on his substantial debt. He repeated this remark in his podcast appearance, where he shared his view of debt as money.

Source:Daily Star

On the Dhaka-Chattogram Highway in Mouchak, Narayanganj, a time bomb was found in a bus going to Cox’s Bazar. At 10:30 PM, on January 5, the bomb was found in a Bengal Paribahan sleeper bus.

The counter-terrorism unit of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police carried out an operation and proved that the object was a time bomb. Around 1:30 AM, the bomb was taken out. Superintendent of Police for the District Golam Mostafa Russell said that the bomb had a timer in it, and if it wasn’t found at the right time, it could have done a lot of damage.

Mohammed Hasan, the bus driver, saw what looked like a bomb behind a seat and called the cops at 999. That seat was taken by someone who got on the bus from Gabtali and heard about the bomb, which made everyone get off the bus. Police officer Abu Bakkar Siddique, who is in charge of the Siddhirganj station, stated that the bomb was defused and that the legal process is now underway.

Source: https://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/335969/bomb-like-object-found-on-bus-in-narayanganj

8 fire engines units brought the Benapole Express train fire under control at 10:22 PM, Fire Service and Civil Defence duty officer Rakibul Hasan asserted on Friday. The fire was first reported at approximately 9 PM when the train was passing through Gopibagh.

Officials of the fire service brought out four bodies from the train. According to railways source, the Benapole Express (795), which departed from Benapole at 1 PM, was on its way to Dhaka with a scheduled arrival time of 8:45 PM.

Source: Somoy TV

The University Teachers’ Network is a platform of university teachers in Bangladesh. On Friday they have rejected Bangladesh’s upcoming general election. They said that another ‘unacceptable’ election like those in 2014 and 2018 was going to take place in the country.

DU Professor Gitiara Nasreen sent an open letter to the Bangladeshi people on behalf of the platform, showing concern and frustration over the upcoming election.

The platform asserted that as the previous 2 national elections were questionable, the whole governance system now has a lack of transparency. The UTN said that during this time, major human rights and constitutional rights of the people of the country, especially freedom of speech and gathering, have been clearly violated. At the same time, it said, unfair distribution of wealth, a biased judiciary, and threats from the ruling party have caused a reign of fear.

Everyone worked together to make sure the election was free, competitive, and fair, based on what everyone agreed on. “But we were let down,” UTN said. It also said that the upcoming election will not be able to give the people anything other than more power for the present ruling party.

Source: https://www.newagebd.net/article/222019/university-teachers-network-rejects-january-7-polls#google_vignette

A study in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology (Volume 11, Number 9) called “Tuning of cellular insulin release by music for real-time diabetes control” showed that scientists were able to program cells to release insulin in response to certain sound waves, in this case, music from the band Queen.

The study which employs a mechanosensitive ion channel to direct cells into making insulin when stimulated with certain sound waves, was led by a Bioengineering professor at ETH Zurich, Martin Fussenegger. These MUSIC-controlled, insulin-releasing cells, where MUSIC is an acronym for music-inducible cellular control, were brought up in a lab adjacent to loudspeakers. Some of the songs used in this study included Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean”, Queen’s “We Will Rock You”, and Beethoven’s “Fur Elise”. Researchers found that Queen’s “We Will Rock You”, at a volume of 85 decibels, caused the strongest insulin release.

Researchers used diabetic mice and found that playing “We Will Rock You” for 15 minutes a day brought the insulin levels in the mice’s blood back to normal. At the same time, the blood sugar levels of the mice went back to normal.

Source: https://www.thedailystar.net/campus/campus/news/study-rock-music-could-replace-insulin-injections-3510926

It is now as cold as it has been all winter in Finland and Sweden, with temps dropping as low as -40 degrees Celsius (-40 degrees Fahrenheit). This cold spell has made it hard to get around. For example, in Norway, a major highway in the south was closed, and boat lines stopped running.

Swedish train companies say there are big problems with rail travel in the Arctic north. A small town in northern Sweden called Nikkaluokta had a temperature of -41.6 degrees C (-42.8 degrees F) early Tuesday. Several places in northern Sweden had temperatures of -30 C (-22 F), according to the Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute. Central and southern Sweden were warned of snow and wind.

The coldest temperature ever recorded in Finland was in Ylivieska. This week, temperatures are expected to drop below -40 C in some parts of the country. Arendal in southern Norway’s schools were closed on Wednesday because of problems with the sidewalks. Some ferry crossings have been delayed, like those from southern Norway to Denmark because a key bridge was closed to light vehicles.

Source: https://www.businessinsider.com/finland-sweden-cold-celsius-fahrenheit-same-temperature-degrees-2024-1

A computer science and engineering student at BRAC University named Hasibul Hasan Ahmed has been given a $2,000 seed grant by the National Geographic Society and The Nature Conservancy for his study internship on “Community and Conservation.” The grant is part of an eight-week virtual learning and leadership program for young people around the world between the ages of 18 and 25. The program’s main goal is to bring international concerns about protecting freshwater to the local level.

Hasibul’s community project, Ecoflow Revive, aims to improve Banani Lake and meet the needs of the people who live in the Korail slum. During his two-month externship, he talked to community members, conservationists, and local officials about problems related to protecting freshwater in Dhaka’s Banani Lake and Korail. Hasibul taught 12 students at BRAC University how to do cause-driven research, which led to the publication of two research papers. Hasibul says that the grant gives their team credibility and will be used to look for more money nationally and abroad for their community development work.

Hasibul has done many great things. He is a co-founder of BRAC University’s Social Impact Lab, a Millennium Fellow for the class of 2022 in the United Nations Academic Impact, and a member of Harvard University’s Aspire Leadership Program. Hasibul is excited about the future because he wants to build a job in climate change and conservation through social entrepreneurship and a circular economy that takes into account both global and national issues to meet future needs.

Source: https://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/education/335444/brac-university-student-wins-2-000-seed-funding

মৃত ব্যক্তিদের কবর থেকে উঠে এসে ভোট না দেওয়ার আহ্বান জানিয়েছে খুলনা বিএনপি। আজ বুধবার দুপুরে খুলনা নগরের টুটপাড়া কবরস্থানে মৃত ব্যক্তিদের উদ্দেশে এমন শপথবাক্য পাঠ করায় তারা। পরে টুটপাড়ার দিলখোলা সড়কে এক দফা দাবিতে লিফলেট বিতরণ করেন বিএনপির নেতা-কর্মীরা।

এ সময় বিএনপির নেতা-কর্মীরা বলেন, এই সরকারের ভোট জালিয়াতি এমন পর্যায়ে পৌঁছেছে যে বিভিন্ন সময় কবরবাসীকে জীবিত দেখিয়ে জাল ভোট দেওয়া হয়েছে। ৭ জানুয়ারির নির্বাচনেও কবরবাসীর ভোট নিয়ে টানাহেচঁড়া করা হতে পারে। এ জন্য মৃত ব্যক্তিরা যাতে কবর থেকে এসে ভোট না দেন, সে জন্য তাঁদের উদ্দেশে শপথবাক্য পাঠ করানো হয়েছে। বিএনপির নেতা-কর্মীরা বলেন, কবরে শায়িত ব্যক্তিদের ককটেল মেরে দৌড়ে পালিয়ে যেতে দেখতে পান ‘গায়েবি’ মামলার তদন্ত কর্মকর্তারা। মৃত ব্যক্তিদের প্রতি অসম্মান-তাচ্ছিল্য এবং পরিবারের সঙ্গে তামাশাকারীদের প্রতিহত করতে হবে। রাজনৈতিক ভিন্নমত থাকার কারণে মৃত ব্যক্তিদের বিনা চিকিৎসায় বা অপচিকিৎসা দিয়ে কারাগারে আটকে রেখে মৃত্যুকে ত্বরান্বিত করা ও আপনজনের সঙ্গে বিদায়ী সাক্ষাৎ করতে না দেওয়ার মতো ঘটনার সঙ্গে জড়িত সবাইকে উপযুক্ত জবাব দেওয়া হবে।

Source: https://www.prothomalo.com/bangladesh/district/w1v3nv4ghw

The temperature has been dropping for a few days because of cold waves and frost in the northern parts of the country. After the sun goes down, thick fog is seen, making winter even worse. The temperature hit 7.4 degrees celsius in Tetulia, Panchagarh district, at 6 AM on Wednesday, January 3, which was the coldest day of the season.

At the same time, Rangpur had a temperature of 11.9, Kurigram had a temperature of 10.5 and Dinajpur had a temperature of 9.6. Nilphamari had a temperature of 10.2 and Gaibandha had a temperature of 12.3.

In Rangpur, the Regional Meteorological Department says that the temperatures will stay below average for the next few days. Furthermore, on Tuesday, the temperature in Rangpur was 12.1, Tetulia was 10.9, Kurigram was 12.8, Dinajpur was 10.0, Saidpur was 9.0, Dimla in Nilphamari was 11.5, Gaibandha was 12.5, and Lalmonirhat was 12.3 degrees Celsius.

Source: https://thefinancialexpress.com.bd/national/country/temperature-drops-to-74-degree-in-tetulia

After ‘MBA Chaiwala’ and ‘Patrakaar Pohewala’, a ‘PhD Sabzi Wala’ is going viral on the internet. Dr Sandeep Singh, who has 4 Master’s degrees and 1 PhD degree, is now a vegetable vendor on the streets of Punjab. Singh, 39, was a contractual professor at Punjabi University in Patiala for 11 years, reports say.

He was quoted by Times Now as saying, “I had to leave the job because I didn’t use to get my remuneration on time and there were frequent pay cuts. It became difficult for me to earn a living with that job. So I switched to selling vegetables for my family’s survival.”

“Having a job should mean that you can run your family with the salary you get. But what’s the advantage of a job which doesn’t fulfill your needs?” Navbharat Times quoted him as saying.

“I also worked as a professor at Punjabi University, Patiala, for 11 years, but even because of all these years of hard work, the government did not approve me,” he told News 18. “I still would like to work as a professor, but the situation is not allowing,” he added.

Source: https://www.livemint.com/news/trends/meet-phd-sabzi-wala-who-has-four-master-phd-degrees-but-sells-vegetables-on-punjab-streets-11704108116886.html

Although they are on a break, K-pop band BTS continues to make history. NASA has chosen 3 BTS songs for the upcoming mission to the moon, and although some members, including RM, are on military enlistment, the South Korean rapper has achieved another milestone with his solo track “Moonchild” being included in NASA’s The Moon Tunes Playlist.

Alongside his solo track “Moonchild,” NASA has chosen two space-themed BTS songs for The Moon Tunes Playlist – “Mikrokosmos” & “134340”. NASA is getting ready for their next trip to the moon as they approach the 50th anniversary of Apollo 11. As a way of commemoration, they put together a special mix called “Moon Tunes” for their upcoming journey.

Source: Daily Star

কুকুরমারা, শিয়ালমারীর মতো বিভিন্ন রকমের শ্রুতিকটু ও নেতিবাচক নাম থাকা দেশের ১১টি সরকারি প্রাথমিক বিদ্যালয়ের নাম পরিবর্তন করেছে সরকার। এর মধ্যে ৯টি বিদ্যালয় চুয়াডাঙ্গার আর ২টি নরসিংদীর। নতুন বছরের প্রথম দিনে আজ সোমবার প্রাথমিক ও গণশিক্ষা মন্ত্রণালয় প্রজ্ঞাপন জারি করে নাম পরিবর্তনের কথা জানিয়েছে।

প্রাথমিক ও গণশিক্ষা মন্ত্রণালয়ের প্রজ্ঞাপনে বলা হয়েছে, সরকারি প্রাথমিক বিদ্যালয়ের নামকরণ ও বিদ্যমান নাম পরিবর্তন নীতিমালা অনুযায়ী শ্রুতিকটু, নেতিবাচক এবং শিশুমনে ও জনমনে বিরূপ প্রভাব ফেলে—এমন বিদ্যালয়গুলোর নাম পরিবর্তন করা হয়েছে।

নতুন নামকরণ অনুযায়ী নরসিংদীর বেলাব উপজেলার ‘কুকুরমারা সরকারি প্রাথমিক বিদ্যালয়ের’ নতুন নাম হয়েছে শান্তিপুর সরকারি প্রাথমিক বিদ্যালয়; আর রায়পুরা উপজেলার ‘আদিয়াবাদ সরকারি প্রাথমিক বিদ্যালয়ের’ নাম পরিবর্তন করে ড. মনিরুজ্জামান সরকারি প্রাথমিক বিদ্যালয় করা হয়েছে।

এ রকমভাবে চুয়াডাঙ্গার আলমডাঙ্গা উপজেলার ‘বটিয়াপাড়া শিয়ালমারী এজি বালিকা বিদ্যালয়ের’ নাম আব্দুল গণি সরকারি প্রাথমিক বিদ্যালয়, একই উপজেলার ‘কুমারী বালিকা সরকারি প্রাথমিক বিদ্যালয়ের’ নাম দক্ষিণপাড়া প্রতিভা বিকাশ সরকারি প্রাথমিক বিদ্যালয়, ‘ভোদুয়া সরকারি প্রাথমিক বালিকা বিদ্যালয়ের’ নাম ভোদুয়া সরকারি প্রাথমিক বিদ্যালয়, ‘বড়বোয়ালিয়া বালিকা সরকারি প্রাথমিক বিদ্যালয়ের’ নাম বড়বোয়ালিয়া সরকারি প্রাথমিক বিদ্যালয়, ‘ভোগাইল বালিকা সরকারি প্রাথমিক বিদ্যালয়ের’ নাম ভোগাইল সরকারি প্রাথমিক বিদ্যালয়, ‘হারদী বালিকা সরকারি প্রাথমিক বিদ্যালয়ের’ নাম হারদী সরকারি প্রাথমিক বিদ্যালয় এবং ‘মরহুম ডা. মোকছেদ আলী মুন্সীগঞ্জ পশুরহাট সরকারি প্রাথমিক বিদ্যালয়ের’ নাম পরিবর্তন করে ডা. মোকছেদ আলী সরকারি প্রাথমিক বিদ্যালয় করা হয়েছে।

একই জেলার জীবননগর উপজেলার ‘জীবননগর থানা বালিকা সরকারি প্রাথমিক বিদ্যালয়ের’ নাম জীবননগর সরকারি প্রাথমিক বিদ্যালয় এবং ‘আন্দুলবাড়ীয়া বালিকা সরকারি প্রাথমিক বিদ্যালয়ের’ নাম আন্দুলবাড়ীয়া সরকারি প্রাথমিক বিদ্যালয় করা হয়েছে।

Source: https://www.prothomalo.com/education/73o0cvmuhc

নোবেলজয়ী অর্থনীতিবিদ ড. মুহাম্মদ ইউনূস বলেছেন, ‘যে দোষ করিনি, সেই দোষে শাস্তি পেলাম। এই দুঃখটা মনে রয়ে গেল।’ শ্রম আইন লঙ্ঘনের মামলায় ৬ মাসের কারাদণ্ড ও ৩০ হাজার টাকা জরিমানার রায় ঘোষণার পর ড. ইউনূস সাংবাদিকদের এ কথা বলেন।

ঢাকার তৃতীয় শ্রম আদালতের বিচারক বেগম শেখ মেরিনা সুলতানা আজ সোমবার শ্রম আইন লঙ্ঘনের মামলায় গ্রামীণ টেলিকমের চেয়ারম্যান ও নোবেলজয়ী অর্থনীতিবিদ ড. ইউনূসকে ৬ মাসের কারাদণ্ড এবং ৩০ হাজার টাকা জরিমানা করেন।

রায়ের সময় ড. ইউনূস আদালতে উপস্থিত ছিলেন। আবেদনের পর তাঁকে এক মাসের মধ্যে আপিল করার শর্তে জামিন দেওয়া হয়।

রায় ঘোষণার পর ড. ইউনূসের আইনজীবী আবদুল্লাহ আল মামুন এ রায়কে নজিরবিহীন বলে মন্তব্য করেন। তিনি সাংবাদিকদের বলেন, শ্রম আদালতের এ রায় অপূর্ণাঙ্গ। ড. ইউনূস আদালতের কাছ থেকে ন্যায়বিচার পাননি।

রায়ে ড. ইউনূসের পাশাপাশি গ্রামীণ টেলিকমের সাবেক ব্যবস্থাপনা পরিচালক (এমডি) আশরাফুল হাসান, পরিচালক নূর জাহান বেগম ও মো. শাহজাহানকে ৬ মাস করে কারাদণ্ড এবং ২৫ হাজার টাকা করে জরিমানা করা হয়। শ্রম আইন লঙ্ঘনের যেসব ধারায় ড. ইউনূসসহ চারজনের বিরুদ্ধে অভিযোগ আনা হয়, সেসব ধারায় সর্বোচ্চ সাজা ৬ মাসের কারাদণ্ড ও ২৫ হাজার টাকা জরিমানা। ড. ইউনূসসহ চারজনকে দুটি ধারায় দণ্ড দেওয়া হয়েছে। ২০২১ সালের ৯ সেপ্টেম্বর মামলাটি করেছিল সরকারি সংস্থা কলকারখানা ও প্রতিষ্ঠান পরিদর্শন অধিদপ্তর।

মামলায় অভিযোগ আনা হয় যে শ্রম আইন, ২০০৬ এবং বাংলাদেশ শ্রম বিধিমালা, ২০১৫ অনুযায়ী গ্রামীণ টেলিকমের শ্রমিক বা কর্মচারীদের শিক্ষানবিশকাল পার হলেও তাঁদের নিয়োগ স্থায়ী করা হয়নি। প্রতিষ্ঠানে কর্মরত শ্রমিক বা কর্মচারীদের মজুরিসহ বাৎসরিক ছুটি দেওয়া, ছুটি নগদায়ন ও ছুটির বিপরীতে নগদ অর্থ দেওয়া হয় না। মামলার অভিযোগে আরও বলা হয়, গ্রামীণ টেলিকমে শ্রমিক অংশগ্রহণ তহবিল ও কল্যাণ তহবিল গঠন করা হয়নি এবং লভ্যাংশের ৫ শতাংশের সমপরিমাণ অর্থ শ্রমিক কল্যাণ ফাউন্ডেশন আইন অনুযায়ী গঠিত তহবিলে জমা দেওয়া হয় না।

Source: https://www.prothomalo.com/bangladesh/orzmloay1h

শ্রম আইন লঙ্ঘনের মামলায় ড. ইউনূসসহ চার জনের ছয় মাসের কারাদণ্ড ও ৩০ হাজার টাকা অর্থদণ্ড দিয়েছেন ঢাকার একটি শ্রম আদালত। রায় ঘোষণার পর আপিলের শর্তে ড. ইউনূসকে জামিন দেন আদালত। এ বিষয়ে তথ্যমন্ত্রী বলেন, ‘পৃথিবীর বহু নোবেল পুরস্কার বিজয়ী ফৌজদারি ও দেওয়ানী অপরাধে শাস্তিপ্রাপ্ত হয়েছেন, অনেকে অনেক দিন জেলও খেটেছেন। যৌথভাবে নোবেল পুরস্কার পাওয়া একজন আরেকজনের বিরুদ্ধে মামলা করেছেন, এমন ঘটনাও আছে।’

তিনি বলেন, ‘ড. মুহাম্মদ ইউনূসের প্রতি যথাযথ সম্মান রেখেই বলতে চাই, তিনি বহু বছর ধরে শ্রমিকদের পাওনা বুঝিয়ে দেননি। এরপর যখন শ্রমিকরা আদালতে গেছে, তখন আদালতের বাইরে দুজন শ্রমিক নেতাকে তার প্রতিষ্ঠান থেকে তিন কোটি করে ছয় কোটি টাকা ঘুষ দিয়ে ম্যানেজ করার কথা বলা হয়েছে। কিন্তু সাধারণ শ্রমিকরা তো আর টাকা পায়নি, দুজন নেতা টাকা পেলে তো আর হবে না। সে কারণে সাধারণ শ্রমিকরা মামলায় গেছে।’

তিনি আরও বলেন, ‘শ্রমিকের অধিকার নিয়ে তো অনেক কথা হয়, শ্রমিক অধিকার নিশ্চিত করার জন্য আমাদের বন্ধু রাষ্ট্রগুলো অনেক কথা বলে। বন্ধু রাষ্ট্ররা গার্মেন্টস শ্রমিকের পাওনা আদায়ের কথা বলে। আশা করবো তারা এ ব্যাপারেও কথা বলবে। শ্রমিকের পাওনা বুঝিয়ে না দেওয়ার কারণেই অর্থাৎ একটি অপরাধ সংগঠিত হয়েছে বিধায় মামলা হয়েছে।’

Source: Daily Star

Tourist ships have started sailing between Inani Beach in Cox’s Bazar town and Saint Martin’s Island. This improves upon an important scene of tourism. The MV Karnafuly Express set sail in the morning for the first time from the new jetty built by the Bangladesh Navy at Inani Beach.

The ship’s office in Cox’s Bazar is run by Hossain Islam Bahadur. He said that from now on, the ship will leave from the Bangladesh Navy’s jetty at Inani instead of the Bakkhali River jetty.

He said that ships normally go between Teknaf and Saint Martin’s, Chittagong and Saint Martin’s, and Cox’s Bazar and Saint Martin’s. The MV Karnaphuli Express used to leave from the Bakkhali River Jetty, but that wasn’t possible this year. “The ship is leaving from Inani Navy jetty for Saint Martin’s Island after getting all the necessary permissions from all appropriate departments.” This has opened up a new way for tourists to come in. He said, “The ship left Inani for the first time yesterday at 9:30 a.m. and got to the island at 12:30 p.m.” It’s set to leave Saint Martin’s Island at 3 p.m. and get to Inani at 6:30 p.m.”

The ship’s managing head, Engineer MA Rashid, said that the ship can hold 750 people. He also said that the round-trip ticket costs between Tk1,800 and Tk3,200.

Source: Dhaka Tribune

The president of Argentina’s football association said that Lionel Messi’s famous No. 10 shirt will be taken away “for life” when he stops playing. An amazing career was capped off last year when Messi helped Argentina win the World Cup after 35 years of waiting.

“This number 10 will be retired for life in his honor, it’s the least we can do for him,” said the president. Messi played his first game for Argentina as an adult (18 years old) in 2005, but he was sent off after only two minutes. It was a terrible start to his career. In 2008, he won an Olympic gold medal in Beijing. However, until 2021, the great Barcelona player could not lead his country to the same level of success he was having with his club team.

After almost 18 months, he added the World Cup to his list of accomplishments. In that time, he led Argentina to their first big title since 1993: the Copa America. Messi is getting ready for his first full season with Miami since moving to Major League Soccer (MLS) in the summer. He is still captain of his country, even though he will be 37 years old in six months.

Source: Daily Mail

The Bangladesh Bank through a special pathway has given loans amounting to Tk 22,000 crore to 7 crisis-hit commercial banks, including 5 Shariah-based banks. Those 5 Shariah-based banks which are Islami Bank Bangladesh, Social Islami Bank, First Security Islami Bank, Union Bank and Global Islami Bank are allegedly controlled by S Alam Group.

These emergency loans were also given to National Bank and Padma Bank.

The Bangladesh Bank recently changed the structure of the board of the National Bank because the bank’s finances and governance were getting worse. Bangladesh Bank officials said that the banks didn’t have enough protection for these loans, so they gave them three days to pay them back using promissory notes.

They said that the loans were given to fix shortfalls in the central bank’s current account and the central bank’s capital reserve ratios before the end of the year. Zahid Hussain, who used to be the head economist at the World Bank’s office in Dhaka, told New Age that the liquidity support could be used to make up for gaps in the CRR. He said it was not ideal that the BB kept bailing out these banks without making them stop doing wrong and get back the loans that weren’t being used. He said that the central bank has been sending the wrong message to the sector by helping out banks in trouble since December 2022 without fixing the problems that caused them in the first place.

Source: https://www.newagebd.net/article/221654/bb-provides-tk-22000cr-in-spl-loans-to-7-banks#google_vignette

An airplane being moved from Mumbai to Assam on a trailer truck got stuck under a bridge in the Piprakothi area, which caused a lot of trouble in Motihari, Bihar. The accident happened on Friday, and traffic stopped because the broken-down plane got stuck under the overbridge. People on foot and in cars were seen trying to get around the strange object in a video that went viral. This caused a backup of cars on NH 27.

The accident happened because the truck driver didn’t know how high the bridge was, according to the authorities. In November 2022, a similar thing happened in Andhra Pradesh: a plane got stuck on the underpass of a road in the Bapatla district. This happened in Motihari too.

In the latest accident in Bihar, both the plane and the truck were safely freed, so they could continue their trip to Assam. People from the area and other people who were just passing by gathered to watch the video of the plane stuck under the bridge.

Source: https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/video-plane-gets-stuck-under-bridge-in-bihar-causes-massive-traffic-jam-4768406/amp/1

Nobel Peace Prize winner Prof. Muhammad Yunus and three other top executives at Grameen Telecom were given six months in jail today for breaking labor laws. The decision was made by Sheikh Merina Sultana, who is the head of the Third Labour Court of Dhaka. After the verdict, Yunus and the other three officials each came forward with their own bail requests. The judge approved their requests and freed them for one month.

The case was brought to court on September 9, 2021, by Labor Inspector (General) SM Arifuzzaman of the Inspection for Factories and Establishments Department. Case records say that on August 16, 2021, IFED officials investigated in the office of Grameen Telecom in Mirpur, which is in the capital, and found several violations of labor laws.

In a letter sent to the leaders of Grameen Telecom on August 19, that year, the department said that 67 of its workers were going to be hired full-time. The case statement said that it was not done. Also, the participation and welfare funds for workers had not yet been set up, and 5% of the company’s dividends that were meant to be paid to workers had not been.

Source: https://www.thedailystar.net/news/bangladesh/crime-justice/news/yunus-sentenced-six-months-jail-labour-law-violation-case-3508051

A series of 21 earthquakes all being at least 4.0 magnitude hit central Japan all within around 90 minutes on Monday, the Japan Meteorological Agency said.

The strongest of them was measured to be 7.6. The earthquakes resulted in tsunami warnings and authorities called upon people in the area to move to higher ground. Authorities are still assessing how much damage has been caused and residents need to prepare for more tremors, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said in comments aired on NHK.

Source: https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/japan-earthquake-japan-tsunami-21-earthquakes-over-magnitude-4-0-hit-japan-in-90-minutes-4780275/amp/1

The Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) has asked people not to hold any events in public places on January 31st, which is the English New Year. To celebrate the New Year, all types of gatherings and festivals have been banned on roads, intersections, flyovers, and public spaces in the capital. This is because of the possible dangers that come with the holiday and the general state of law and order.

The DMP also asked people in the Dhaka metro area not to set off fireworks or firecrackers in public places and asked people not to fly sky lanterns in the city to celebrate the English New Year. By the way, DMP says that buying and selling fireworks, crackers, and sky lanterns is illegal everywhere in the city. The group said that during the New Year celebrations, there will be no open places for any kind of event, gathering, dance, song, or cultural program. After 8pm, people from outside the area are not allowed to enter Gulshan, Banani, or Baridhara. But people who live in these places can get in through certain routes after a certain time, as long as they can prove who they are. Non-residents are not allowed to enter the residential areas of Gulshan, Banani, Baridhara, and Dhaka University during the designated times. This helps keep these areas safe overall. After 6 p.m., no gatherings or events are allowed in the Hatirjheel area, and there are strict rules against stopping or parking cars to keep things running smoothly.

Source: https://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/335331/dmp-no-new-year-celebration-programs-in-open

Starting December 31, all 16 stations on the Uttara-Motijheel section of the country’s first metro train service will be open to the public. Shahbagh and Karwan Bazar are the last two stations that need to be opened. Manager of Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited (DMTCL), MAN Siddique, told reporters about the opening this afternoon at a press conference in the city.

The service will be open from 7:30 AM to 11:30 AM on the Agargaon-Motijheel section and 7:30 AM to 8:30 PM on the Uttara-Agargaon section. In 2024, the time will be adjusted by the authority.

MAN Siddique said the entire Uttara-Motijheel route will be operating from morning to night in March 2024.

Source: https://www.thedailystar.net/news/bangladesh/transport/news/metro-rail-shahbagh-karwan-bazar-stations-open-sunday-3505121

The 2021 event was found in a list of injuries sent to the authorities. It wrote down that the damage was a “laceration, cut, open wound,” and it named a robot as the “cause object.” Two witnesses told the US tech website The Information that the robot “pushed its claws” into the man’s body and drew blood from his back and arm.

One of the witnesses said that the engineer “left a trail of blood behind him” after another worker pressed the emergency stop button. He was able to get away from the robot and fall down a chute meant to collect scrap metal.

The engineer was designing the software that runs the robots that cut aluminum into car parts when the accident happened, according to The Information.

Two of the robots were turned off, but one was left on by accident. It caught the worker in its claws as it went about its daily business.

Source: https://news.sky.com/story/amp/tesla-worker-injured-by-robot-that-pinned-him-to-wall-with-its-claws-at-car-companys-texas-factory-13038164

Bangladesh beat New Zealand in their first Twenty20 match, which was played today in Napier, New Zealand. Bangladesh leader Najmul Hossain Shanto was very proud of his team. Shanto said right after his team won the game by five wickets, “Really excited and really proud of how we played today.”

Shanto praised his bowlers for being able to adjust to the conditions and carry out their plans.

“They need to learn quickly.” Shoriful, Sakib bowled really well with the new ball. Given the conditions, Sheikh Mahedi bowled really well.

Man of the match Mahedi scored 19 runs and Liton Das scored 42 not out. Bangladesh won the game with eight balls to spare.

Source: https://www.thedailystar.net/sports/cricket/news/shanto-proud-team-after-another-historic-win-nz-3504316

This year, 266 people died and 1,276 got AIDS in the country. This is the biggest number of cases ever since the first case was found in 1989. The information was given at an event held on Wednesday (December 27) to honor AIDS Day in the auditorium of the National Cancer Research Institute and Hospital.

He also said that more than 15,000 people in Bangladesh have the HIV virus.

In 2022, at least 232 people died of AIDS and 947 new cases were found. During the event, it was revealed that 1,118 of this year’s AIDS patients are Bangladeshis and the rest are Rohingyas living in different camps in Cox’s Bazar. There are 342 affected people in Dhaka, which is the city with the most cases.

A study shown at the event says that the number of AIDS cases among male sex workers is going up. Also, this disease is increasing among homosexuals as well. AIDS can also be contracted by drug users who use intravenous injections.

Source: https://bdnews24.com/health/rhr4tu07pg

Lee Sun-kyun, a South Korean actor who was in the Oscar-winning movie “Parasite” as well as Korean drama series “Coffee Prince,” was found dead, according to a story from Yonhap on Wednesday. During a government crackdown on illegal drugs, Lee was being investigated for using drugs that were against the law.

Lee was found unconscious in his car in a park in Seoul on Wednesday morning, next to charcoal briquettes. His wife had told police that Lee had left the house and she had found what looked like a suicide note, according to Yonhap.

The Jongno police office in Seoul did not answer the phone right away. South Korea has strict drug laws. People who break these laws can spend at least six months in jail, or up to fourteen years, in prison for repeat offenders and drug sellers.

Lee had been questioned by police three times, plus for 19 hours over the weekend. El País reported that the star said a bar hostess got him to take drugs and then tried to blackmail him.

Source: Daily Star