“I’m not worrying about the World Cup and I’m not saying 100 percent that I won’t be there because anything can happen. Due to my age, the most normal thing is that I won’t be there. We’ll see when that happens,” said Messi in an interview with Argentina’s Star+. Messi went on to say that his focus is on June’s Copa America which will be held in the United States.
“Maybe we’ll do great at the Copa America and everything will fall in place for us to continue. Maybe not. Realistically it’s hard,” he said of the chance of a 6th consecutive World Cup appearance.
“As long as I feel I’m doing well and can continue to contribute, I’m going to do it. Now all I’m thinking about is reaching the Copa America. After that, time will tell if I’m there or not.”
“I’m going to be at an age that normally doesn’t let me play in the World Cup. I said I don’t think I’m going to be there. It seemed like after the World Cup I was retiring and it was the opposite. Now I want to be there more than ever,” he added.
Everyone was shocked when Farhan Akhtar announced in August that Shah Rukh Khan would not be playing Don in the third movie in the series. After this was made public, a preview with Ranveer Singh as Don was shown. Fans had a range of reactions to the news. Some were happy that the series was coming back, while others thought Shah Rukh Khan should keep playing the stylish criminal that police are after in 11 countries. This led to criticism for Shah Rukh Khan and the movie’s directors, Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh Sidhwani.
In an interview with Deadline, Ranveer Singh stated, “I’m looking forward to make Don my own and give it my spin. It is the handing over of the baton of one of the most loved and revered franchises of Hindi cinema. The significance of that is not lost on me. When the announcement was made, as expected, it came with its share of scepticism. But throughout the history of cinema, this has happened. Even as recently as perhaps when the Bond franchise changed hands and they announced Daniel Craig as the new Bond, it came with its fair share of scepticism. So, this is only natural.”
Talking about the upcoming 3rd instalment of the Don franchise, Ranveer shared, “Taking the baton forward in this franchise and continuing the legacy of two of our greatest film stars – the weight of that is not lost on me. So, I will give it my best and you will see the very best of me and I will put my best foot forward for ‘Don’ without a doubt.”
The Weeknd (who now goes by his real name Abel Tesfaye) is well known for his work with charities. The musician, who is also a goodwill advocate for The World Food Program, recently gave $2.5 million from his XO Humanitarian Fund to help the WFP’s work in Gaza. According to the organization, the gift, which is equal to four million emergency meals, will help send out 820 metric tons (about 1.8 million pounds) of food parcels, which will feed over 173,000 Palestinians for two weeks.
The ongoing crisis is rooted in weeks of intense bombardment by Israeli defense forces in retaliation to a surprise attack by Hamas on October 7, 2023.
WFP Regional Director Corinne Fleischer emphasised, “Our teams require stable and continuous humanitarian access, along with constant support from benefactors, to reach as many people as possible. We express gratitude to Abel for this significant contribution to the people of Palestine and hope others will emulate Abel’s example by supporting our ongoing efforts.”
The situation escalated to such an extent that an aircraft had to make an emergency landing before reaching its destination. Due to the trouble caused by the two passengers, the Lufthansa flight from Munich to Bangkok had to make an emergency landing in Delhi on Wednesday. Police said a 53-year-old German citizen started shouting with his wife on the plane. At one stage of the fight, he tried to burn a blanket with a lighter. Later the flight made an emergency landing and the couple was taken off.
According to airport sources, the German citizen’s wife is a Thai citizen. When an argument broke out between them mid-air, the pilot sought permission to land at New Delhi’s IGI airport. The wife sought the cabin crew’s intervention after an argument with her husband started on the plane. The woman alleged that her husband was threatening her. Both of them were sent back to Munich after the charges.
A source said the man was drunk. Crews reported that the man was having a shouting match with his wife. He threw food at his wife. The airline staff failed to intervene in the matter. Due to this the aircraft had to make an emergency landing.
Professor Dr. Muhammad Alamgir, Chairman (Additional) of the University Grants Commission (UGC), said that the admissions test for public colleges will be held in a cluster system instead of the single entry system that was planned before. This will happen during the academic year 2023–24. He said these things as the main speaker at a meeting with partners on Wednesday as part of putting UGC’s integrity strategy action plan for the financial year 2023-2024 into action.
“The UGC took the initiative to set up a single entrance exam for all public universities,” Professor Alamgir said. In this case, a committee was set up, and after a lot of talk, an ordinance was also written.
“However, for reasons that couldn’t be helped, it hasn’t been possible to set up a single admissions test for the next school year.”So, just like last year, the admissions test will be given in groups during the next school year. Earlier, the UGC told all public universities that starting with the next school year, they would have to use a single government-run admissions test to accept students.
The University Grants Commission said that having only one test will make it easier for people to get into college and save them time and money.
During the meeting, the head of the UGC asked universities that are not in the cluster system, such as Dhaka University and Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET), to join this year.
The chairman said that the commission is now going to figure out what subjects each university will teach and how many students each university will have, taking into account both the domestic and foreign situations. He said that the UGC’s main job is to keep higher education high-quality, make sure there is a good place to do study, and give universities the money they need.
The Boys’ world might be getting bigger again soon. Variety says that another show based on The Boys is being planned, and Mexico City is likely to be the scene. The Spanish-language spin-off would be Amazon’s third try to make a localized version of one of Prime Video’s popular shows, after Citadel and Comicstaan.
The story says that Blue Beetle writer Gareth Dunnet-Alcocer will be writing the new spin-off. It’s also possible that Diego Luna and Gael Garcia Bernal would be involved as executive producers.
Amazon wouldn’t say anything.
If it goes ahead with the movie, the unnamed spin-off would join Gen V and the animated show The Boys: Diabolical as the newest characters in the growing world of The Boys. A lot of people really like this series, and Gen V got great reviews for showing “modern teen sex comedies, ruthless The Boys tomfoolery, and ambitious shock-and-awe excellence that fans deserve.”
The main show, which is based on the comic book series of the same name, came out in 2019. The fourth season is set to come out in 2024. Erik Kripke, who created the show, is said to be an executive producer on the new show. At this point, not much else is known, and the exact story is still being worked on.
Sakib Jamal, who was born in Bangladesh, has been chosen to Forbes’ prestigious 30 Under 30 list for North America for 2024. Forbes makes this list every year of the most impressive and promising people in North America under the age of 30. They come from business, science, the arts, and other fields. Jamal was put in the Venture Capital group.
This May, seven Bangladeshis were named to the Forbes 30 under 30 Asia 2023 list. Forbes says that Jamal, who was Crossbeam Ventures’ first employee, has been very important to the company’s fast growth since becoming a member in 2020. The firm’s assets have grown to an amazing $280 million across two core funds, thanks in large part to his work.
Crossbeam Ventures has made nine investments with Jamal personally, and he has also been the main contact for 14 others. Because of his skills and hard work, Jamal was promoted to vice president in June 2023, which was his second advance within the company.
Jamal was born in Bangladesh and went to Cornell University. He has a Bachelor of Arts/Science degree. He has also crowdsourced a book for junior investors. The money from the sales will go to helping schoolchildren in Bangladesh with their schooling.
Sakib Jamal was also on the 20 under 20 list from Crain’s New York Business earlier this year.
A press statement from the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) said that they have set up a special committee of 3 people to look into how the Bangladesh national team did in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup India 2023.
The group is made up of BCB directors Akram Khan (member), Enayet Hossain Siraj (convenor), and Mahbubul Anam (member).
The goal of the committee is to look into the reasons why the team did poorly in the tournament, and they will then report their findings to the board, the release said.
Bangladesh came in eighth out of ten teams, winning just two of their nine games. The team’s management had hoped to make it to the playoffs, but they didn’t make it that far.
Before the World Cup, there were a lot of problems with Tamim Iqbal’s exclusion and his public conflict with leader Shakib Al Hasan.
Harvard University and the University of Florida are both planning to offer new classes that will look at how Taylor Swift has changed music and society today. A course at Harvard called “Taylor Swift and Her World” will be taught by Professor Stephanie Burt and will look at the singer’s music, lyrics, and societal significance.
The University of Florida’s Melina Jimenez will teach “Musical Storytelling with Taylor Swift and Other Iconic Female Artists,” which will look at the stories of famous singers like Aretha Franklin, Billie Holiday, and Dolly Parton. This isn’t just happening with Taylor Swift. Harry Styles, who used to be in One Direction, had his own course at Texas State University. Nicki Minaj had her own class at UC Berkeley, and Bad Bunny had her own course at San Diego State. It’s becoming more and more popular in academia to break down the influence and artistry of modern music stars.
In the past year, more than 100 child marriages have happened in one union of the Bhola Sadar upazila. These marriages have touched 59 girls from a single school. This information was gained by talking to teachers, students, parents, and family members at four schools in the Bheduria Union. It has been said that these marriages were performed by a Qazi (marriage registrar) called Sana Ullah and nine people who worked for him. Sana Ullah is the Joint Secretary of the Krishak League in the Bheduria Union.
It was learned from talking to people in the area, teachers, students, and parents that more than 100 girls from three secondary schools and one madrasah in Bheduria Union were married off as children between January and November.
All of the 59 students from Bankerhat Cooperative Girls’ School who were married were underage. There were 8 students from the sixth class, 10 students from the seventh class, 12 students from the eighth class, 14 students from the ninth class, and 15 students from the tenth class. Also, 20 girls from North Char Bheduria Secondary School and about 25 girls from Bankerhat Islamia Alim Madrasah and Bankerhat Secondary School have been married off even though they are too young.
Hadisur Rahman, headmaster of Bankhat Cooperative Girls’ School, said, “Parents who live below the poverty line marry off their daughters if they can find a good match. But we can’t know this ahead of time. They don’t care about the law, and the kids don’t tell us either.”
A local man named Khairul Islam and an imam from a nearby mosque sent written complaints about Sana Ullah to the Senior Assistant Secretary of the Ministry of Law in April and to the Senior Secretary (Public Security Department) of the Ministry of Home Affairs on October 10. The complaints were about multiple issues.
Touhidul Islam, a Bhola Sadar Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO), told Prothom Alo that he would look into the charge sheet sent to the Ministry of Law and take action if he got it. But it hasn’t reached him yet.
পররাষ্ট্রমন্ত্রী এ কে আব্দুল মোমেন বলেছেন, বাংলাদেশ ও যুক্তরাষ্ট্র উভয়ই গণতন্ত্রে বিশ্বাস করে এবং বাংলাদেশে অবাধ ও সুষ্ঠু নির্বাচন চায়। তিনি বলেন, ‘যুক্তরাষ্ট্র গণতন্ত্রে বিশ্বাস করে। তারা (মার্কিন) আমাদের সাথে আছে। আমরাও তাদের সাথে আছি।’ সোমবার (২৭ নভেম্বর) পররাষ্ট্র মন্ত্রণালয়ে সাংবাদিকদের এসব কথা বলেন তিনি।
তিনি বলেন, যুক্তরাষ্ট্র বেশি কিছু চায় না এবং তারা শুধু বাংলাদেশে অবাধ ও সুষ্ঠু নির্বাচন চায়। ‘আমরাও চাই অবাধ ও সুষ্ঠু নির্বাচন। বরং আমি তাদের বলব, যারা ভোট বানচালের চেষ্টা করছেন তাদের মার্কিন ভিসা নীতির আওতায় আনতে।’
মোমেন বলেন, যুক্তরাষ্ট্র সবসময়ই একটি বাস্তববাদী দেশ। এটি বাস্তবতায় বিশ্বাস করে এবং যখন বাস্তব কিছু করা হয়, তখন যুক্তরাষ্ট্র তাতে সমর্থন দেয়। উদাহরণ স্বরূপ তিনি বলেন, আমেরিকা সব আন্তর্জাতিক আইন লঙ্ঘন করে ১৯৭১ সালে গণহত্যাকারী পাকিস্তানি বাহিনীর পাশে ছিল। কিন্তু ১৬ ডিসেম্বর যখন বাংলাদেশ তার বিজয় দিবস পালন করে, তখন যুক্তরাষ্ট্র বাংলাদেশকে সমর্থন করে। ‘আমাদের স্বাধীনতার পর থেকে মার্কিন যুক্তরাষ্ট্র কখনোই আমাদের বিরুদ্ধে যায়নি। এর মানে কী? যেহেতু একটি দেশ গড়ে উঠেছে, আমরা তাদের সাথে আছি।’
মোমেন বলেন, বাংলাদেশ আওয়ামী লীগ গণতান্ত্রিক যাত্রায় বাধা সৃষ্টি করতে চায় না। ‘আমরা গণতন্ত্রে বিশ্বাস করি। আমরা গণতান্ত্রিক প্রক্রিয়াকে বাধাগ্রস্ত করতে চাই না।’ তিনি জানান, তাদের অধীনে অবাধ, সুষ্ঠু ও সহিংসতামুক্ত নির্বাচন হতে পারে, তা বিশ্বকে দেখাতে চান তারা।
পররাষ্ট্রমন্ত্রী বলেন, আমরা আশা করি সব দল নির্বাচনে অংশ নেবে এবং দেশজুড়ে উৎসবের আমেজ বিরাজ করবে।
এক প্রশ্নের জবাবে মোমেন বলেন, জনগণের কল্যাণের সাথে সঙ্গতিপূর্ণ গঠনমূলক পরামর্শকে স্বাগত জানায় বাংলাদেশ।
তিনি বলেন, ‘আমাদের বন্ধুত্বপূর্ণ দেশগুলো আমাদের সুপারিশ করে এবং যদি তারা সহায়ক ভূমিকা পালন করে তবে আমরা সেগুলোকে স্বাগত জানাই।’
সহিংসতামুক্ত নির্বাচনের বিষয়ে তিনি বলেন, এর জন্য প্রয়োজন সবার আন্তরিকতা ও সদিচ্ছা। মোমেন জানান, তারা উন্নত দেশগুলোকে অগ্রাহ্য করতে পারেন না।
তিনি বলেন, ‘আমরা তাদের অনেক শ্রদ্ধা ও সম্মানের সাথে বিবেচনা করি।’
মন্ত্রী বলেন, ‘যুক্তরাষ্ট্র একটি পরাশক্তি। আমরা তাদের অগ্রাহ্য করতে পারি না।’
তিনি বলেন, জনগণ ভোট দিলে আগামী নির্বাচন অংশগ্রহণমূলক হবে। বাংলাদেশে সাধারণত ৫০ শতাংশ ভোটার তাদের ভোট দেন।
মোমেন বলেন, ১৯৯৬ সালে বিএনপি-জামায়াতের আমলে বাংলাদেশে একটি মাত্র নির্বাচন হয়েছিল, যা ভোটারবিহীন ছিল।
র্যাব সম্পর্কে এক প্রশ্নের জবাবে মোমেন বলেন, র্যাব অত্যন্ত মর্যাদাপূর্ণ একটি প্রতিষ্ঠান এবং দুর্নীতিমুক্ত হওয়ায় জনগণ একে সম্মান করে। তিনি বলেন, ‘এটি একটি অত্যন্ত কার্যকর সংগঠন। র্যাব থাকাতে আমরা সন্ত্রাসবাদ সমূলে উৎপাটন করেছি এবং মাদক ও মানব পাচারও অনেক কমেছে।’
তিনি আরো বলেন, যুক্তরাষ্ট্র ও ব্রিটেনের দ্বারা প্রশিক্ষিত হওয়ায় তারা খুবই স্মার্ট। ‘তাদের আবার প্রশিক্ষণ দেয়া হলে তারা আরো ভালো করবে।’
তিনি বলেন, ‘মার্কিন সরকার পরিণত এবং আমরা সবসময় আশাবাদী এই এলিট ফোর্সের ওপর থেকে নিষেধাজ্ঞা প্রত্যাহার করা হবে।’
এক প্রশ্নের জবাবে মোমেন জানান, আগামী নির্বাচনকে সামনে রেখে তারা কোনো চাপ অনুভব করছেন না।
পররাষ্ট্রমন্ত্রী বলেন, ‘রাজনীতি মানে অগ্নিসংযোগ করা নয়, মানুষ হত্যা নয়, দেশের উন্নয়নে বাধা দেয়া এবং অবরোধের মাধ্যমে শিক্ষার্থীদের শিক্ষাজীবনকে বাধাগ্রস্ত করা নয়। রাজনীতি হতে হবে জনগণের কল্যাণের লক্ষ্যে। তাহলে জনগণ তাদের গ্রহণ করবে।’
According to a report from the country’s central bank, Bangladesh’s net foreign exchange reserves have dropped from $19.52 billion on November 23 to $15.82 billion now.
The total amount of reserves was $19.52 billion, according to the Balance of Payments and International Investment Position Manual (BPM6). The net reserves are $3.7 billion less than that amount.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) released the BPM6 handbook in 2012. However, the central bank did not fully follow it, which caused forex reserves to rise. Because of the war in Ukraine, the cost of energy, consumer items, and transportation has gone up, which has made imports more expensive. But the amount of money sent back to the country hasn’t gone up, which is putting pressure on the savings.
Seven university students were arrested in Jammu and Kashmir for using pro-Pakistan slogans and celebrating India’s loss in the cricket World Cup finals. They were charged under the strict anti-terror law. They were all students at the Sher-e-Kashmir Agriculture University and were charged with violating the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).
A police report was made after another student said the accused made threats against a student from outside the area and yelled pro-Pakistan chants.
They are also said to have celebrated India’s loss at their dorm in the university’s Shuhama campus at Ganderbal.
Australia beat India by six wickets in the World Cup final in Ahmedabad on November 19.
In a new interview with singer Dua Lipa, Tim Cook, CEO of Apple, provided some insights into the qualities he believes are needed for prospective Apple employees. Aside from the conventional requirements of degrees and coding skills, Cook highlighted the importance of collaboration, curiosity, and creativity in forming Apple’s different work culture.
Cook stressed that college degrees and knowing how to code aren’t always necessary when asked what kind of skills someone would need to work at Apple. He said, “We hire people from all walks of life. Some have college degrees, some don’t. We have people that code, people that don’t.”
Even though Apple hires a lot of employees who don’t know how to code or don’t code regularly, Cook suggested that everyone should still get to know how to code. “I think coding is a form of expressing yourself. It’s the only global language we share.”
Monday morning, Sri Lanka’s sports minister was fired after he said that president Ranil Wickremesinghe was trying to kill him because he was trying to clean up crime at the cricket board.
Authorities say Roshan Ranasinghe was fired before Monday’s cabinet meeting because he told parliament that Wickremesinghe should be held responsible if he was killed. “I fear I could be killed over my work to clean up the cricket board,” Ranasinghe told parliament, escalating a conflict with Wickremesinghe who had been at odds with the minister over the operation of Sri Lanka Cricket. Early this month, Ranasinghe fired the elected cricket board after accusing its leaders of widespread corruption. The leaders have rejected the charge and are now fighting it in court.
In the otherwise poor island country, the cricket board is the biggest sports group.
Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan has filed a GD (General Diary) with Sher-e-Bangla Nagar police station regarding the case of his lost phone. Shakib lost his phone in the Ganabhaban area on November 26 (Sunday).
Sher-e-Bangla Nagar police station’s Officer-in-Charge (OC) Utpal Barua confirmed the matter and said that they are working on the case. Previously, Shakib Al Hasan got Awami League’s nomination from Magura-1 to compete in the upcoming 12th national parliamentary elections.
Awami League general secretary Obaidul Quader announced his name in a press conference at the party’s Bangabandhu Avenue office.
A person shared that their files which were saved on their Google Drive went missing, and they could only access the data from before May 2023. An absolute nightmare for anyone, the person took to Google support complaining about this, but has not received a solution so far.
They wrote, “Hi, my Google Drive files suddenly disappeared. The Drive literally went back to condition in May 2023. data from May until today disappeared, and the folder structure went back to status in May. Google Drive activity doesn’t show any changes (only show activity that was in May) No files was deleted manually, so no files in Trash. I never sync or shared my files and drive to anyone, I used the drive locally.”
“I followed recovery process that Google support team ask me to (South Korea team). They put a recovery program and failed. ask me to backup and restore DriveFS folder, nothing changed. I reported the issue to the Google support team probably in States and they ask me to report the issue to their engineer. But no answer from the engineer and cannot know whether they are reviewing my issue. I used the drive few days ago and last morning this horrible problem happened. very devastating and the files are very important to me. needs any help to fix the problem. thanks in advance for any helps.”
There is a Street Fighter 6 tournament on the main stage at the Global Esports Games Riyadh 2023, and Bangladeshi player Farid Islam has just earned a spot there. There are 31 other players from around the world in this international event, but he is the only player from Bangladesh who will be there.
Farid says that he won a local qualifier event put on by BYDESA (Bangladesh Youth Development & Electronic Sports Association). This earned him a spot as Bangladesh’s representative in the South Asia regional qualifier. There, Farid beat players from India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, and the Maldives to become the first player from South Asia to make it to the main stage of the global game in Riyadh. When Street Fighter V Arcade Edition came out in 2018, Farid began playing fighting games for real money. “I really started to level up my gameplay during COVID-19 and onwards,” he told me. When asked if he was fighting by himself or with a team, Farid said, “Right now I’m not in any teams.” Fighting games are played one-on-one, so I will have to battle by myself in the main stage of the Global Esports Games 2023. Farid has played and won fighting games like Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat, and Tekken in local events in the past. He is in charge of the local Facebook group “Fighting Games Community Bangladesh,” and there he holds events for fans and gamers from the area. He has also taken part in foreign online tournaments held in Southeast Asia. Right now he is a student in the Electrical and Electronics Engineering (EEE) school at Ahsanullah University of Science and Technology (AUST).
The minimum wage board today finalised Tk 12,500 as the minimum monthly salary for garment workers. The board also reduced the number of grades of the wage structure to four from the existing five grades.
Wage Board Chairman Liaquat Ali Mollah announced the final wage structure at a press conference held at the labour ministry’s secretariat office in Dhaka.
North Korea has closed down its embassy in Bangladesh, mentioning that it would maintain relations with Bangladesh through the New Delhi embassy.
“The decision of the North Korean embassy being closed down was communicated to the foreign ministry through a note verbal recently. The embassy closed down since November 20,” an official in the foreign ministry told The Daily Star today. The note verbal said that they are closing the embassies in Bangladesh and Nepal to more easily manage and operate their activities in the region from their New Delhi branch. Bangladesh does not have an embassy in North Korea, but it does have favorable relations with China through its embassy there.
A foreign ministry official was asked if the closing of the embassy would have any effect on Bangladesh. They said, “We don’t have any important trade relations.” Most of the time, we work together with foreign groups like the UN. It wouldn’t have any effect on us, then.”
2023 Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) and equivalent exam results have been released. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina announced the results at Ganobhaban on Sunday (November 26) around 11 am.
This year, the average pass rate in the country’s 11 education boards this year is 78.64 percent. Last year i.e. 2022 HSC and equivalent exam average pass rate was 85.95 percent. So the pass rate has decreased by 7.31 percent this time. At the same time, the number of students getting GPA-5 has also decreased. This year the number of students who got GPA-5 has reduced to half compared to the previous year.
This time, 92,365 out of more than 1.5 lakh students achieved GPA5 in the 11 education boards of the country. Last year the number of students who got GPA-5 was 176,282. So the number of students who got GPA-5 decreased by 83,917 this year.
On Sunday (November 26) at 11 am, the results were published on the website and respective educational institutions. This time the pass rate has also decreased a bit. Last time the pass rate was 85.95 percent. This time the pass rate for HSC and equivalent boards is 78.64 percent.
On Friday, 9 goats that had been in custody for roughly a year due to eating a bunch of grass and leaves from a cemetery in the city of Barishal were released. Abul Khair Abdullah, the recently elected Mayor of Barishal City Corporation (BCC), issued the order for their release.
The animals had been captured on December 6 of the previous year due to their involvement in the cemetery of the city, as verified by Swapon Kumar Das, an administrative official of the BCC at the time. The proprietor of the goats, Shahriar Sachib Rajib, recently petitioned Mayor Abul Khair Abdullah for their release; on Friday, the goats were released.
Road Inspectors Reazul Karim and Imran Hossain Khan, in addition to the present BCC administrative official Alamgir Hossain, witnessed the cattle being returned to their owner. The owner’s appeal resulted in the goats’ release, which signified the conclusion of their confined grazing in the city’s cemetery.
In Dhaka, beef prices have dropped to approximately Tk 600 per kilogramme after a year of meat vendors charging customers Tk 800 or more. Some butchers are using in competitive prices, offering beef for as little as Tk 590 or Tk 580 per kilogram, even on social media platforms. While certain retailers persist in increasing prices, others continue to seek additional revenue from their customers.
Customers assert that despite the vendors developing a propensity for generating substantial profits, they were compelled to reduce prices due to a decline in demand. In Bangladesh, beef has historically been in high demand; however, consumers ceased purchasing it when prices increased beyond their financial means. The vendors, who had been dealing in four cows per day prior to the price increase, encountered considerable difficulty in selling even one.
In 2014, beef cost Tk 275 per kilogram, as reported by the Department of Agricultural Marketing, whereas broiler poultry cost Tk 137 per kilogram. Prices for beef increased to Tk 430 in 2018, while chicken prices decreased to Tk 131. Even in 2020, beef was accessible for Tk 550 per kilogram. In that year, the municipal corporations of Dhaka failed to establish a price for beef, resulting in an increase in price from Tk 600 to Tk 650. It was subsequently increased to Tk 700 the subsequent year, and it has now climbed to Tk 800.
At least 2,575 women and girls were subjected to violence during January-October this year, said a Bangladesh Mahila Parishad report today. According to the report based on 13 national dailies, 397 women were raped while 115 were gangraped during this period. Thirty-one victims were killed after the incident while 12 died by suicide.
Besides, 221 females were physically abused while 443 were killed for various reasons. At least 231 females died mysteriously during this period. The report documented 21 child marriages, 142 cases of sexual violence and 61 cases of torture for dowry. Among the dowry victims, 45 were killed. Meanwhile, 207 women died by suicide during the stipulated timeframe.
The largest iceberg on Earth is moving for the 1st time in more than 30 years, scientists said on Friday.
The Antarctic glacier A23a, spanning an area of nearly 4,000 square kilometers (1,500 square miles), is approximately three times the size of New York City. Arctic icebergs of this magnitude are uncommon in motion, according to glaciologist Oliver Marsh of the British Antarctic Survey; therefore, its trajectory will be closely monitored by scientists. The colossal berg will likely be propelled into the Antarctic Circumpolar Current as it gathers steam. As a result, it will be directed along “iceberg alley” toward the Southern Ocean, where similar objects are observed floating in murky waters. The motive behind the berg’s current flight is yet to be determined.
“An iceberg this large has the potential to survive for quite a long time in the Southern Ocean, even though it’s much warmer, and it could make its way further north up toward South Africa where it can disrupt shipping,” said Marsh.
In the World Cup final, India was defeated by Australia by a significant margin of six wickets. The occurrence sparked extensive festivity in Bangladesh, with individuals flooding the streets in exuberance. The Indian Cricket Board (BCCI) was subject to considerable censure following this defeat. A hotel in Darjeeling has ceased accepting reservations from Bangladeshi vacationers in response.
Recently, tensions have arisen between India and Bangladesh regarding cricket. The Indian team’s loss in the World Cup final elicited profound elation among a vast number of cricket devotees in Bangladesh, whereas it caused anguish among millions of Indian supporters, particularly in light of the historic significance of this championship match.
Intense tensions have arisen between India and Bangladesh as a result of the response of Bangladeshi cricket supporters to India’s humiliating defeat in the World Cup final. The Indian populace has expressed significant disapproval towards the bohemian festivities being observed. In light of the tense relations at hand, a Darjeeling hotel has made the decision to permanently suspend the acceptance of reservations from travelers from Bangladesh.
One of the hotels in Darjeeling, a popular tourist destination among individuals from Bangladesh, received a significant number of visitors. The hotel administration declared on Facebook that, for an unspecified period, it would no longer take reservations from Bangladeshi guests. This action is a direct reaction to the tremendous support Bangladeshis showed India after the country’s elimination in the World Cup final.
Unnamed sources told the New York Times that Derek Chauvin, the American police officer whose murder of George Floyd in 2020 sparked significant racial justice demonstrations, was stabbed in prison on Friday. Despite the dying man’s pleas, Chauvin, who is Caucasian, knelt on the neck of the 46-year-old black man on a Minneapolis street for more than nine minutes. Floyd’s cries, “I am unable to breathe,” subsequently served as a rallying cry for the protestors who flooded the streets in the aftermath of the killing.
Chauvin was charged and found guilty of 2nd degree murder, 3rd degree murder and 2nd degree manslaughter in 2021, and sentenced to 22.5 years in prison. The incident was caught on video, helping organize huge protests and a condemnation of racism and policing in the United States and internationally.
A subsequent Justice Dept. probe into the Minneapolis police, the findings of which were published in June 2023, said that officers in the department routinely took to violent and racist practices, “including unjustified deadly force.” The department “unlawfully discriminates against Black and Native American people when enforcing the law,” the report said.
The city of Minneapolis also settled a wrongful death lawsuit filed by the Floyd family, agreeing to pay his relatives $27 million.
Chauvin appealed his 2nd degree murder conviction, which was rejected by the US Supreme Court earlier this month.
In a shocking tragedy, a 36-year-old man died after he was punched on the nose by his wife after he refused to take her to Dubai for her birthday. The incident went down on Friday at the couple’s apartment, located in an affluent residential society in Pune’s Wanavdi area. The victim was Nikhil Khanna, a businessman in the construction industry, who had a love marriage with his wife, Renuka (38), 6 years ago.
According to a police officer at the Wanavdi Police station, the incident occurred on Friday afternoon. As per the primary investigation, it has been disclosed that the couple had a fight because Nikhil did not take Renuka to Dubai to celebrate her birthday and did not give her pricey gifts on her birthday and anniversary. Renuka was also upset with Nikhil for not giving a positive response to her wish to go to Delhi to celebrate the birthdays of some relatives.” The police further informed that during the fight, Renuka punched Nikhil in the nose. The impact was so hard that Nikhil’s nose and some teeth were broken. After bleeding heavily, Nikhil lost consciousness. Meanwhile, the police have registered a case against Renuka under IPC Section 302 and arrested her for more investigation.
The court fined a person named Amjad Hossain Kiron (44) for ordering lungi from Facebook and not making the payment afterwards. The court sentenced the accused to 2 years imprisonment and fined Tk 10 lakh.
Rajshahi Divisional Cyber Tribunal Government Advocate Ismat Ara Begum said the accused contacted a lungi factory on Facebook in June 2022. Later he asked to order some samples of lungi through Facebook. After getting the sample lungi, he paid the money through mobile phone. Then he ordered a lungi worth Tk 3 lakh 32 thousand 280 through Facebook. After that the lungi was sent from that factory.
She also said that the accused kept the phone and contact off on Facebook with the sellers. On July 24 of the same year, Bulbul Hossain filed a case at Belkuchi police station as the plaintiff. In the judgment of this case, the court sentenced the accused Kiron to two years in prison. At the same time, the court imposed a fine of Tk 10 lakh and another six months imprisonment if he fails to make the payment.
Banks in Bangladesh had 1,824 accounts with deposits over Tk 50 crore by the end of June 2023, according to Bangladesh Bank (BB) data.
Approximately 145,973,192 bank accounts held a cumulative deposit of Tk 1,687,024.61 crore as of the conclusion of June.
Nonetheless, as of March’s conclusion this year, a sum of Tk 235,131.26 crore was deposited in 1,758 accounts with deposits exceeding Tk 50 crore, representing 14.58 percent of the overall bank deposits in the nation. As of March 31, data from the central bank indicates that a cumulative sum of Tk 1613,062.64 crore was deposited into 141,137,256 bank accounts in Bangladesh.
Globo, a Brazilian news outlet, reported on Wednesday that the FIFA Disciplinary Committee is scheduled to initiate an inquiry into the violent incident that occurred between supporters of Brazil and Argentina during their World Cup qualifying match at Maracana Stadium on Wednesday. In its 2023 edition, Article 17 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code explicitly designates the host team and its governing body, the CBF, as the exclusive entities accountable for ensuring the safety of the game.
“Home clubs and federations are responsible for order and security in and around the stadium before, during and after games. […] They are responsible for incidents of any type,” the article reads. Fines, playing one or more matches with a limited audience, a prohibition from playing at a specific stadium, a requirement to play on a neutral field, point deductions, or even expulsion from competitions may be imposed as penalties. “You think about the families, the people who are there, who don’t know what’s going on and we were more concerned about that than playing a match that, at that point, was of secondary importance.” FIFA President Gianni Infantino condemned the incident on Wednesday.
“Without exception, all players, fans, staff and managers need to be safe and protected to play and enjoy football and I urge the competent authorities to ensure this is respected at all levels,” Infantino said in his statement.
Bret Taylor, former co-CEO of Salesforce, and Larry Summers, former US Treasury Secretary and President of Harvard University, have been added to the reorganized board. The new board will retain Adam D’Angelo, the CEO of Quora and a current member of the preceding board.
After assuming leadership of OpenAI since 2020, Altman, 38, made a temporary transition to a new role at Microsoft, where he oversaw the formation of an AI research team. Greg Brockman, a former president and co-founder of OpenAI, accompanied Altman on this endeavor. In the aftermath of Altman’s termination, nevertheless, a considerable proportion of OpenAI personnel voiced their dissatisfaction. The employees demanded Altman and Brockman’s reinstatement in an open letter, with the majority threatening to resign and join the pair at Microsoft. Kevin Scott, chief technology officer of Microsoft, extended an invitation to OpenAI employees contemplating resignation in light of this potential departure. Altman coming back to OpenAI signals a new era for the company, which has been at the forefront of AI research. The changes in the board, along with the return of Altman, suggest a possible realignment of the company’s leadership and strategic goals.
As part of his return, Altman has repeated his commitment to OpenAI’s mission, stating on X, “I love OpenAI, and everything I’ve done over the past few days has been in service of keeping this team and its mission together.”
The typical antidepressants don’t work for every person. A new study of the antidepressant properties of nitrous oxide or “laughing gas” has revealed an interesting fact which is that it can help alleviate symptoms of depression for weeks.
The researchers considered whether nitrous oxide possessed any of the antidepressant properties observed in ketamine. An author of the study Peter Nagele explains, “Ketamine, like nitrous oxide, functions as an anesthetic. Subanesthetic doses of ketamine have shown promise in the treatment of depression.” 20 individuals diagnosed with depression were administered an oxygen mixture containing 50 percent nitrous oxide during a one-hour session identified by the researchers as a “proof-of-principle” trial. After twenty-four hours, the investigators observed a statistically significant decrease in the depressive symptoms of the participants in comparison to the control group.
However, in addition to these adverse effects, laughing gas frequently induces regurgitation, nausea, and headaches in dental patients.
20 individuals with depression were administered a lighter nitrous oxide mixture in a new study; only 25% of those who participated reported adverse effects that were 75% less severe than those who received an air/oxygen placebo as the control group. In this iteration, the investigators monitored the impact of nitrous oxide on depressive symptoms for an extended duration of two weeks, as opposed to the initial twenty-four hours.
“The side effect reduction was unexpected and quite drastic,” Nagele reports. “More remarkably, the effects persisted for an entire two weeks following a single administration.” This has never prior been demonstrated. “This discovery is extremely intriguing.”
YouTube issued the following statement to Business Insider: “Users are encouraged to avoid ad blockers and either allow advertisements or subscribe to YouTube Premium to have advertisements removed entirely.” Additionally, people who use ad blockers may experience a subpar viewing experience. “Advertising is an essential lifeline for our creators, allowing them to run and grow their businesses.” “Therefore, using ad blockers is in violation of YouTube’s Terms of Service,” a representative from YouTube explained to Business Insider.
It appeared that YouTube confirmed reports that people using ad-blockers encountered delays of several seconds before they could view a video. According to the Android-based news website Android Authority, people who didn’t use Google Chrome encountered the delays, as seen on Reddit where users reported not facing the issue while using browsers such as Mozilla Firefox and Microsoft Edge. Google informed Insider, however, that the delays were observed in all browsers that had ad-blockers enabled.
Bangladesh has gone through a decrease in ranking in terms of fixed broadband output on the global stage, having the 108th position out of 182 countries, according to the Ookla’s Speedtest Global Index for the month of October. In the July report, Bangladesh came 106th out of 182 countries in regards to this.
In contrast, the median download speed for fixed broadband in October was documented as 38.65Mbps, reflecting a growth from the previous month’s median download speed of 37.92Mbps. In the fixed broadband sector, Singapore exhibited the highest median download speed of 264.15Mbps. Regarding the speed of broadband internet, Nepal is rated 87th and India is ranked 89th among South Asian nations.
Afghanistan occupied the 181st position, while Sri Lanka was positioned 139th, Pakistan 149th, and the Maldives 151st.
In terms of mobile internet performance, Bangladesh has exhibited progress, as evidenced by its current ranking of 111th out of 142 countries in the October edition of Ookla’s Speedtest Global Index.
According to the July edition of Ookla’s Speedtest Global Index, the nation was positioned 120th out of 143 countries. The most recent report indicates that the median download speed in Bangladesh has increased from 17.18Mbps in July to 20.66Mbps at present. The United Arab Emirates secured the highest position in the ranking, boasting a median download speed of 269.41Mbps.
The government will construct a power plant where each unit will cost Tk 21.16 and electricity will be generated from waste materials. The 13 megawatt (MW) electricity-generating facility will be constructed by the Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB).
If electricity is bought at tariff rates, the government will need to pay around Tk 4,068 crore to the plant at a rate of Tk 21.105 a kilowatt hour for 25 years. Purchasing for the establishment of the plant in the Brahmanbaria municipality was approved by the Bangladesh Power Development Board, according to Cabinet Division Additional Secretary Sayeed Mahbub Khan’s statement following the meeting.
Furthermore, tariff sanction was granted by the cabinet committee to the BPDB for the establishment of a 100-MW (AC) solar power plant in Sonagazi upazila, Feni. The government will be obligated to pay the plant with Tk 3,566.4 crore over a 20-year period, or Tk 11.0058 per kilowatt hour, if electricity is bought at tariff rates.
Sam Altman will be back as CEO of OpenAI, after navigating an attempted boardroom coup that struck panic into the company over the last few days. Former OpenAI President Greg Brockman, who quit after Altman’s firing, will return too.
The company said in a statement on Tuesday that it has an “agreement in principle” with Altman to return alongside a new board made up of Bret Taylor, Larry Summers, and Adam D’Angelo. D’Angelo is a holdover from the prior board that initially sacked Altman on Friday. He stays on this new board to give the prior board a voice, we’re told.
People who know the negotiations say that the real job of the initial board is to check and place an expanded board of up to 9 people that will change the governance of OpenAI. Microsoft, which has invested over $10 billion into the company, wants to take a seat on that expanded board, as does Altman himself. During a press tour, CEO Satya Nadella said the company didn’t want more “surprises.”
To prevent the dissemination of false propaganda, several secretaries have proposed shutting down Facebook on the day of the National Parliament election. Chief Election Commissioner Kazi Habibul Awal presided over an inter-ministerial meeting on the 12th national parliament election on November 1 in the conference chamber of the election building in Agargaon, Dhaka, where the subject was discussed.
During the meeting, senior government officials voiced their viewpoints, wherein a number of them advocated for a halt of Facebook operations on election day, citing the substantial harm that could result from the dissemination of misleading data. Under the condition of anonymity, a secretary in attendance at the meeting emphasized the danger that rumor mongers could use to mislead electors and the critical nature of preventing such misinformation. He stated that the Election Commission has the ultimate authority regarding this issue. Election Commission Additional Secretary Ashok Kumar Debnath confirmed the talks of halting Facebook on election day but mentioned that no decision has been made till now.
A significant portion of the OpenAI workforce has expressed intentions to resign and join Microsoft, which has appointed former OpenAI co-founder Greg Brockman and ousted OpenAI CEO Sam Altman to oversee a new “advanced AI research team.” Over 500 current OpenAI employees state in a letter to the board of directors, as reported by Wired and journalist Kara Swisher this morning, that “Microsoft has assured us that there are positions available for all OpenAI employees at this new subsidiary should we decide to join.”
The OpenAI staff will resign, according to the letter, if the board fails to reinstate Altman and Brockman and subsequently resign. However, considering that the board has already reached a decision to retain Altman and Brockman while appointing a new CEO, it appears that Microsoft may have just hired several hundred of Altman’s employees, assuming the company fulfills its promise to hire them all. OpenAI employees who signed the letter accuse the company’s board of sabotaging their work and having “undermined our mission and company.” They are also against the idea that OpenAI was pushing ahead too quickly without concern for safety. “Our work on AI safety and governance shapes global norms,” they write.
Sotheby’s announced on Monday that a collection of six jerseys worn by Lionel Messi during Argentina’s 2022 World Cup victory will be auctioned off in December. The estimated value of the jerseys is $10 million. In addition to the final match against France, the football sensation wore these shirts during the first halves of the group-stage matches against Saudi Arabia and Mexico, as well as subsequent matches against Australia, the Netherlands, and Croatia.
Basketball legend Michael Jordan donned the most expensive individual jersey ever sold at auction in 1998, during his run to the NBA finals with the Chicago Bulls. A year ago, it was sold for $10.1 million. In recent years, auction houses have become more cognizant of sports memorabilia, which is regarded as a market that is expanding. American technology startup AC Momento, which assists athletes in managing memorabilia collections, is auctioning off the shirts.
A portion of the proceeds will be donated to the UNICAS Project, an initiative that assists children with rare maladies and is a collaboration with a children’s hospital in Barcelona.
The jerseys will be accessible to the public for no cost during the auction period of November 30 to December 14.
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