Staff Correspondent

Eight students of Chattogram University of Engineering and Technology (CUET) have got scholarships for higher education at Egder University in Norway.
Under CUET's 'Care' project, three students will study for two years and rest five students for five months at Egder University.
CUET Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr. Rafiqul Alam made the disclosure at a meeting on Thursday (16 May) afternoon at the syndicate conference room of the university's administrative building.
CUET Pro-Vice Chancellor Professor Dr Jamal Uddin Ahmed, Registrar (Additional Duty) Prof Dr Sheikh Mohammad Humayun Kabir, Dean of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering Kazi Afzalur Rahman and head of the Department of Mechanical Engineering Mohammad Mizanur Rahman, among others, attended the function.

8 CUET students to go to Norway for higher education

No examinees from 51 institutions passed the Secondary School Certificate (SSC) and equivalent exams published today (12 May).
Conversely, 2,968 schools achieved a perfect 100% pass rate across all 11 education boards.
Education Minister Mohibul Hassan Chowdhury announced the results during a press briefing today.
Earlier today at 10 am, Mohibul Hassan Chowdhury, along with the chairmen of all the education boards, presented Prime Minister Hasina with a summary and statistics of the results at Ganabhaban.
According to the Ministry of Education, the overall pass rate stands at 83.04 percent, marking a 2.65 percentage point increase from last year's 80.39 percent.
The pass rate for male students is 81.57% while the pass rate for female students is 84.47%.
Jashore Education Board has secured a 92.32% pass rate, the highest among the nine boards.
Sylhet, on the other hand, is at the bottom with a 73.35% pass rate.
This year, 2,024,192 students registered for the exams under 11 education boards.
Of them, 1,606,879 students took the exams under the nine general education boards, 242,314 sat for Dakhil exams under the Madrasa Education Board, and another 126,373 under the Vocational or Dakhil (Vocational) exams under the Technical Education Board.

No candidates from 51 institutions pass SSC

Education Minister Mohibul Hassan Chowdhury has indicated that schools are expected to remain closed on Saturdays following Eid-ul-Azha.
"The decision to hold classes at all secondary schools on Saturdays was temporary. However, we are optimistic that after Eid, teachers and students will not have to attend classes on the weekly holiday," the minister stated during a press briefing on Sunday (12 May).
After Eid holidays, schools and colleges were set to reopen on 21 April but remain closed until 4 April due to intense heatwaves.&nbsp;
To mitigate the academic losses caused by heat waves and holidays, the government had previously issued a directive mandating all schools to conduct academic activities on Saturdays.
However, teachers have persistently urged for the reversal of this directive, advocating for Saturdays to remain a weekly holiday.
&nbsp;

Schools may remain shut on Saturdays after Eid-ul-Azha: Education minister

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Sunday asked the authorities concerned to find out the reasons as to why boys are declining in number and lagging behind girls in their academic results.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve to find out the reasons as to why the boys are fewer in numbers,&rdquo; she said while publishing the results of the Secondary School Certificate (SSC) and equivalent examinations- 2024 on Sunday morning.
The premier unveiled the results online by pressing a button at a ceremony at her official residence Ganabhaban. Earlier, Education Minister Mohibul Hassan Chowdhury handed over the results summary and statistics to the premier.
She said the total number of candidates is 20,38,150 under 11 education boards this year. Among them, the number of boys is 9,99,364, while that of girls is 10,38,786.
The PM said it needs to take initiative now to unearth the causes that boys are declining in number.
&ldquo;In case of the pass percentage, the girls are ahead of the boys. It is fine. Even then I would like to say that we&rsquo;ve to pay attention to it,&rdquo; she said.
Hasina said her government distributes free textbooks on time, provides stipends and scholarships till higher education and transforms the country into Digital Bangladesh.
The prime minister also asked the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) and education boards to look into the matter and find the reason as to why the number of students is reducing. &ldquo;The number of boys is not supposed to go down. It should be equal (to that of girls),&rdquo; she added.
This year, SSC and its equivalent examinations began across the country on 15 February. The written exams ended on 12 March and the practical exams concluded on 20 March. &nbsp;

Explore why boys lag behind girls in exams: PM Hasina remarks on SSC results

Around 83.04% of students passed as the results of this year&rsquo;s Secondary School Certificate (SSC) SSC and equivalent exams were announced on Sunday (12 May).
The pass rate for male students is 81.57% while the pass rate for female students is 84.47%.
Education Minister Mohibul Hassan Chowdhury Nowfel along with the chairmen of all the education boards presented Prime Minister Hasina with a summary and statistics of the results at Ganabhaban at 10am.
&ldquo;Those who have failed have nothing to be upset about. Study well and pass in the future. I will tell the parents that the one who failed is suffering in their mind. Many times they opt for self-harm out of heartache,&rdquo; PM Hasina said.
She further said, &ldquo;There have been times when months passed without results. Now results are available within 60 days. We consider this to be our biggest achievement in the last fifteen years. The number of students has increased.&rdquo;
&ldquo;Earlier only 54% of female students went to school. Now 98% go to school. We are giving free books. Giving scholarships and stipends,&rdquo; she added.
Jashore Education Board has secured a 92.32% pass rate, the highest among the nine boards.
Sylhet, on the other hand, is at the bottom with a 73.35% pass rate.
The board was at the bottom with a 76.06% pass rate last year as well.&nbsp;
According to the education board website, the pass rate of Dhaka board is 83.92%, while it is 89.25% in Rajshahi board, 79.20% in Cumilla board, 89.13% in Barishal board, 82.80% in Chattogram board, 78.40% in Dinajpur board, and 84.97% in Mymensingh board.
This year's SSC and equivalent exams started on 15 February and ended on 12 March.
More than 2 million students sat for the exams across the country.
Results are usually published within 60 days of the completion of the examinations.
This year, 2,024,192 students registered for the exams under 11 education boards.
Of them, 1,606,879 students took the exams under the nine general education boards, 242,314 sat for Dakhil exams under the Madrasa Education Board, and another 126,373 under the Vocational or Dakhil (Vocational) exams under the Technical Education Board.
To get the results under general boards through SMS, candidates have to type SSC, the first three letters of the board name, followed by the candidate's roll number and the year, and send the message to 16222.
For example, a candidate who sat for the exams under the Dhaka board this year, with a roll number of "123456" will have to send: SSC &lt;space&gt; Dha &lt;space&gt; 123456 &lt;space&gt; 2024 and send the SMS to 16222.
One can also check results from http://www.educationboardresults.gov.bd, entering their roll and registration numbers.
Educational institutions can also download the result sheet from https://dhakaeducationboard.gov.bd by putting in the EIIN number of the institution.

SSC results: Pass rate 83%, girls ahead of boys

The results of this year's SSC and equivalent examinations have been presented to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.&nbsp;
Education Minister Mohibul Hassan Chowdhury Nowfel along with the chairmen of all the education boards presented the premier with a summary and statistics of the results at Ganabhaban at 10am on Sunday (12 May).
The education minister will hold a press conference at the secretariat at 12:30pm and present the details of the results.
After that, the results will be published simultaneously in respective educational institutions and online.

SSC results presented to PM

Desk Report

The results of the Secondary School Certificate (SSC) and equivalent exams will be published on Sunday (12 May).
A summary of the results will be presented to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at the Ganabhaban at 10am, the education ministry said.
Afterwards, the prime minister will officially make the results available. Students will be able to check their results on the websites of their respective education boards or at their schools.
Candidates can get their results online or through SMS after 11:00am.
To get the results under general boards through SMS, candidates have to type SSC, the first three letters of the board name, followed by the candidate's roll number and the year, and send the message to 16222.
For example, a candidate who sat for the exams under the Dhaka board this year, with a roll number of "123456" will have to send: SSC &lt;space&gt; Dha &lt;space&gt; 123456 &lt;space&gt; 2024 and send the SMS to 16222.
One can also check results from http://www.educationboardresults.gov.bd, entering their roll and registration numbers.
Educational institutions can also download the result sheet from https://dhakaeducationboard.gov.bd by putting in the EIIN number of the institution.
The SSC and equivalent exams started on 15 February and ended on 12 March.
More than 2 million students sat for the exams across the country.
Results are usually published within 60 days of the completion of the examinations.
This year, 2,024,192 students registered for the exams under 11 education boards.
Of them, 1,606,879 students took the exams under the nine general education boards, 242,314 sat for Dakhil exams under the Madrasa Education Board, and another 126,373 under the Vocational or Dakhil (Vocational) exams under the Technical Education Board.

SSC results out today. Here's how to check your grades

The results of the Secondary School Certificate (SSC) and equivalent examinations-2024 will be published across the country tomorrow.
The statistics of the results will be handed over to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at Ganabhaban around 10am.
The results will be published at the respective educational institutions and online simultaneously around 11am.
Students can avail their results through SMS after the official announcement.&nbsp;
They can also get their results by visiting the website www.educationboardresults.gov.bd.
Around 20, 24,192 students of 29,735 educational institutions appeared at the SSC and equivalent examinations at 3,700 centers.
Starting on February 15 last, the exams concluded on 12 March.

SSC, equivalent exam results tomorrow

The results of the 46th Bangladesh Civil Service (BCS) preliminary test (MCQ type) were published on Thursday.
Altogether 10,638 candidates qualified to participate in the written examination, according to the Bangladesh Public Service Commission (PSC).
The Public Service Commission (PSC) published the result after a special meeting on Thursday.
The results are available at the PSC website: www.bpsc.gov.bd.
The preliminary test of the 46th BCS was held on 26 April.

10,638 candidates pass 46th BCS preliminary test

Jagannath University (JnU) assistant proctor Deen Islam, &nbsp;who was arrested in connection with student Abantika's suicide, walked out of jail on bail on Wednesday.
However, another accused, Abantika&rsquo;s classmate Amman Siddiqui, is still behind the bar.
Deen Islam walked out of Cumilla jail on Wednesday afternoon, Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Cumilla Kotwali Police Station Md Feroz Hossain confirmed.
OC Md Feroz Hossain said Deen Islam was released on bail today on the order of the High Court.
Family members of Deen Islam received him at the jail gate after his release, he said.
Earlier on March 16, police arrested the two accused following the death of Fairuz Abantika who committed suicide the previous day.

Abantika's suicide: JnU Proctor Deen Islam released on bail

Jahidul Islam

The Fourth Primary Education Development Programme (PEDP-4) will receive the highest allocation of Tk110.56 billion, surpassing all other projects in the Annual Development Programme (ADP) of the next fiscal year.
This programme worth Tk382.915 billion being implemented by the Directorate of Primary Education since 2018 will claim 69% of the Ministry of Primary and Mass Education's ADP allocation.
The Planning Commission's extended committee has formulated a Tk2.65 trillion ADP proposal for the fiscal year 2024-25, with Tk1.65 trillion to be funded by the government and Tk1 trillion to be sourced from loans and grants.&nbsp;
Among the allocations, the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant is slated to receive the second-highest amount of Tk105.03 billion, followed by the Matarbari Power Plant with Tk60.05 billion.
The proposal indicates a significant emphasis on the transportation and communication sector, which will receive the highest priority in the development budget.&nbsp;
The power and energy sector will be the second-highest priority, followed by the education sector.&nbsp;
Notably, four projects each from the transportation and communication sector and the energy and power sector are among the top 10 recipients of allocations.
The other two projects at the top of the allocation are education and health.
Among other mega projects, the Ashulia Elevated Expressway will receive Tk37.97 billion, ranking fourth in the ADP.&nbsp;
The Dhaka Mass Rapid Transit Development Project (Line-1) will secure the fifth position with an allocation of Tk35.94 billion, overseen by the Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited (DMTCL).
Additionally, projects such as power grid network strengthening under PGCB and the Padma Bridge Rail Link Project will receive Tk35.94 billion and Tk35.44 billion respectively, ranking sixth and seventh in allocation.
The expansion of Hazrat Shajalal International Airport Project, aiming to develop the third terminal, will rank eighth in terms of allocation with Tk35.36 billion under the transportation and communication sector.&nbsp;
Furthermore, the expansion and strengthening of power systems under DPDC areas will receive Tk33.84 billion, ranking ninth.&nbsp;
Lastly, the only project in the health sector among the top 10 priorities will receive Tk30 billion in allocation.

Primary education programme to get highest ADP amount

The authorities of Dhaka University have decided to resume offline classes from Wednesday (May 6) due to the decline in scorching heat resulting from nationwide rain.
The public relations office of the university issued a notification regarding this on Monday.
Earlier, on April 22, the university shifted to virtual classes amidst continuous heatwaves in the city.
&nbsp;

DU to return to offline classes from Wednesday

The results of the admission test for Unit B of 24 general and science and technology universities held under the cluster system have been published.
Out of the candidates who participated, 36.33% have successfully passed the university entry tests.
The GST Integrated Admission Committee handed over the result sheet to its Convener and Vice-Chancellor of Jashore University of Science and Technology, Anwer Hossain, on Sunday. The committee at a meeting today decided to publish the results today.
Aspiring candidates can check their results on the GST Admission website by 11:59 pm tonight.
A total of 94,631 students applied for admission tests for the 23-24 session under cluster admission tests. Out of them, 85,548 candidates sat for the exams, with 31,081 candidates successfully passing.

Cluster Admission Test: B unit results published

All schools, colleges, madrasas, and technical education institutions across the country have resumed academic activities on Sunday (May 5) after an extended closure due to heatwave.&nbsp;
Regarding the reopening of the all educational institutions, Ministry of Education issued a notice on Saturday (4 May) saying, "Classroom activities will resume in all educational institutions across the country starting from Sunday."
Saturday&rsquo;s notice also asked the educational institutions to adhere to the conditions outlined by the Ministry of Education in the notice issued on 25 April.
Schools and colleges were initially set to reopen on 21 April after Eid holidays but remained closed until 27 April due to intense heatwaves.&nbsp;
Classes resumed on 28 April despite ongoing heat concerns, prompting worries among guardians, especially of primary level students.&nbsp;
Following a High Court order due to reported deaths and illnesses among teachers and students, primary and secondary level educational institutions remained closed until 2 May.
&nbsp;

All educational institutions reopen today

All schools, colleges, madrasas, and technical education institutions across the country will resume academic activities on Sunday (May 5) after an extended closure due to heatwave.&nbsp;
The Ministry of Education issued a notice to this effect on Saturday (4 May).
"Classroom activities will resume in all educational institutions across the country starting from Sunday," reads the notice.
The educational institutions are also ordered to adhere to the conditions outlined by the Ministry of Education in the notice issued previously on 25 April.
Schools and colleges were initially set to reopen on 21 April after Eid holidays but remained closed until 27 April due to intense heatwaves.&nbsp;
Classes resumed on 28 April despite ongoing heat concerns, prompting worries among guardians, especially of primary level students.&nbsp;
Following a High Court order due to reported deaths and illnesses among teachers and students, primary and secondary level educational institutions remained closed until 2 May.&nbsp;

Schools, colleges to reopen Sunday

Secondary-level educational institutions resumed classes on Saturday (May 4) after a nationwide closure due to heatwaves. 
However, schools, colleges, and madrasas will remain closed in 25 districts, including Rajshahi and Dhaka, today due to the persistence of an intense heatwave.
On the other hand, primary schools will resume classes from Sunday (May 5), said Secretary at the Ministry of Primary and Mass Education, Farid Ahmed.
Schools and colleges were supposed to reopen on April 21 after the long holidays of Eid-ul-Fitr and Pahela Baishakh, but due to the heatwave across the country, it was delayed by a week. When schools and colleges reopened last Sunday, some teachers and students fell ill due to extreme heat, with a few reportedly dying of heatstroke.
When the report in this regard was brought to the attention of the High Court, the bench of Justice KM Kamrul Quader and Justice Khizir Hayat issued an order to close all primary and secondary schools, higher secondary schools, colleges, madrasas, and technical institutes until last Thursday.
Schools, colleges and madrasas closed in 25 districts
Secondary schools, colleges, madrasas, and technical educational institutions will be closed today in 25 districts of the country to ensure the health protection of students during the severe heatwave.
The Ministry of Education issued a notification in this regard on Friday (May 3).
Districts where educational institutions are declared closed include all districts of Rajshahi and Khulna divisions, besides Dhaka and Tangail of Dhaka division, Chandpur of Chattogram division, and Rangpur, Kurigram, Nilphamari, and Dinajpur districts of Rangpur division.

Classes halted in 25 districts as schools, colleges reopen today

All secondary-level educational institutions have resumed academic activities today (4 May).
A press release of the education ministry issued on 2 May announced the reopening date.
However, in a press release yesterday (3 May), the education ministry said that all secondary schools, colleges, madrasas, and technical educational institutions in Dhaka and 24 other districts will remain closed today following extreme heatwave.
The release elaborated that the educational institutions in Dhaka and Tangail districts of Dhaka division, Chandpur district of Chattogram, Rangpur, Kurigram, Nilphamari, and Dinajpur districts of Rangpur division will also remain closed today.
It also said that educational institutions in all districts of Khulna and Rajshahi divisions will remain open today.
On April 20, the education ministry in consultation with the health ministry and meteorological department decided to keep secondary schools shut due to the ongoing severe heatwave.

Secondary school resumes academic activities today

Nine Bangladeshi universities have made it to the Times Higher Education 2024 Asia list.
Times Higher Education, a renowned education magazine from the UK, shared a list of 739 universities across Asia for the year 2024 on its website on April 30.
Including Bangladesh, the list includes universities from 31 different territories in Asia. Among them, India has 91 universities, China has 86, and Pakistan has 40 universities.
Bangladeshi universities, including BUET and Jahangirnagar University, are ranked between 301-350.
Other top universities in Bangladesh include Bangladesh Agricultural University, North South University, BRAC University, University of Dhaka, University of Rajshahi, Khulna University, and Shahjalal University of Science and Technology.
The top two spots on the list went to Chinese universities: Tsinghua University and Peking University. China also has 33 universities in the top 100.
In India, the Indian Institute of Science is at the top, ranking 32nd in Asia. In Pakistan, Quaid-i-Azam University leads nationally and ranks 121st in Asia.
The rankings consider things like teaching quality, research, industry connections, and international influence.
The list was made available on Times Higher Education's website on Tuesday (April 30th).

9 Bangladeshi universities in Times Higher Education 2024 Asia list

This year's Secondary School Certificate (SSC) and equivalent exam results will be published on 12 May.
Education Minister Mahibul Hasan Chowdhury Naufel will hand over the summary and statistics of the results to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at 10am on that day, said a letter sent from the Prime Minister's Office to the Education Secretary on Thursday (2 May).
The chairmen of nine education boards will be with him at that time.
&nbsp;

SSC results on 12 May

Rajshahi University (RU) has attained its place among 500 top universities in Asia.
Times Higher Education (THE), a periodical related to education based in the United Kingdom (UK), has recently published a ranking list of 2024 showing RU's place among 401-500.
In the list, 21 universities in Bangladesh including RU have come, said a press release issued by RU Public Relation Office here today.
The ranking list has been made based on some indicators, including education standard, teachers-students ratio, research standard and citation rate and international students. &nbsp;
Published in THE's website on April 30 the list showed RU, Dhaka University and Brac University grabbed the third position jointly among Bangladesh's universities.
The release added that RU Vice-chancellor (VC) Professor Golam Sabbir Sattar has joined a conference on 'Going Global Asia Pacific' held in Singapore in November 2022 and talked with the THE education and research officials about planning towards taking the RU to world standard through development.&nbsp;
Subsequently, the VC has adopted all sorts of time-fitting steps and implemented those efficiently.

RU among 500 top universities in Asia

All primary and secondary level educational institutions which remained closed because of the countrywide heat wave will reopen on Saturday (4 April)
The Ministry of Education issued a notice in this regard on Thursday (2 May).
"Classes will resume from Saturday," reads the notice signed by the ministry&rsquo;s public relations officer MA Khayer.
Schools and colleges were scheduled to reopen on 21 April after the end of the Eid holidays but the closure was extended till 27 April due to sweltering heat across the country caused by heat waves.
Classes resumed on 28 April although there was no remarkable change in the heat wave condition, worrying the guardians, especially those of primary level students.
The authorities extended the closure of primary and secondary level educational intuitions till 2 May following a High Court order to keep those shut.
The HC passed the suo moto order following reports of death and sickness of people including teachers and students after the reopening of the educational institutions

Classes at schools, colleges to resume from 4 May

The authorities of Comilla University have announced the closure of the institution indefinitely amid an ongoing demonstration by teachers.
The university authorities made the decision in the 93rd Emergency Syndicate meeting on Tuesday (30 April) evening.
All dormitories of the university will also remain closed for an indefinite period.
A notification signed by the acting registrar of the university, Amirul Haque Chowdhury, was issued in this regard.
The announcement comes as a tense situation prevails in the university, where a faction of teachers have put different administrative buildings under padlocks to press their demands.
According to the notification, all academic and administrative activities of the university will be closed until further notice.
However, all activities related to the GST cluster examination will continue.
Meanwhile, students have been directed to leave the hall by 4pm on Wednesday.
Apart from this, 4 decisions were taken in the syndicate meeting, including forming a committee to review the demands of the teachers' association. &nbsp;

Comilla University shut down indefinitely amid teachers’ demonstration

Education Minister Mohibul Hasan Chowdhury Nofel has recommended that the age limit for entry into government jobs should be pushed back to 35, with another 2 years (37) allowed for quota positions.
The Education Minister has sent a letter to his counterpart, Public Administration Minister Farhad Hossain, with this recommendation.
The age limit for entry into government service is 30 at present (32 under various quotas including freedom fighters, etc).
In the letter, the Education Minister said that the students have been protesting on the streets for a long time regarding the demand to make the age limit of job application minimum 35 years according to international standards.
In 2018, Bangladesh Awami League's election manifesto on page 33 stated that 'proper steps will be taken considering merit and ability to increase the age limit for entry into government jobs'.
It further states, "In reality, the age limit for applying jobs at all levels in Bangladesh was raised from 27 years to 30 years in 1991, 33 years ago, when the average life expectancy of people in Bangladesh was 57 years. At present, the average life expectancy of people in Bangladesh has increased to 73 years, so it is logical to increase the age limit for applying for jobs."
Nofel wrote that the age limit for applying for jobs in about 162 countries of the world is at least 35 years, among South Asian countries, our neighboring country India is the most populous country in the world, but the maximum age limit for applying for jobs is 45 years in different states, 45 years in Maldives, 45 years in Sri Lanka, 35 years in Nepal, 35 years in Afghanistan.
The developed countries of the world, including India, have done a lot of research about the age limit and increased it to about 35 years according to international standards. In order to eliminate unemployment and create a developed smart Bangladesh, it is important to make students skilled at international standards and also to create opportunities to enter the international job market.
In such cases, the maximum age limit for application in all Ministries, Departments, Directorates &nbsp;and Autonomous, Nationalized Institutions at various levels of employment is minimum 35 years as per International Standards (37 years for &nbsp;BJS, Doctors, Freedom Fighters Quota), Sub Inspector of Police and in case of appointment of sergeant, opportunity to participate in examination up to 30 years.
The Education Minister requested the Minister of Public Administration to take necessary steps considering the issue of opening the age limit in research and various special skill fields as per the government policy.

Age limit for entering govt service to be 35, if Nofel has his way

University Grants Commission (UGC) Chairman (Additional Charge) Prof Dr Muhammad Alamgir has suggested appointing an ombudsman from among the senior citizens in the universities to investigate various complaints, including sexual harassment, ragging and other irregularities.
He made the recommendation while addressing a meeting with stakeholders on grievance redressal mechanism at the UGC here today, a press release said.
Alongside appointing ombudsman, Prof Alamgir also suggested creating an impartial platform to speed up disposal of complaints, protect the safety and privacy of individuals and ensure transparency and accountability of institutions.
UGC Secretary Dr Ferdous Zaman presided over the meeting.

UGC for appointing ombudsman to probe sexual harassments at universities

Students of Bangladesh University of Engineering (Buet), who had boycotted all sorts of academic activities protesting Bangladesh Chhatra League&rsquo;s move to restore political activities on the campus, have decided to sit for the examinations.
The decision was taken at meeting of class representatives with Buet administration on Tuesday.
Director of &nbsp;Buet Student Welfare Directorate (DSW) Professor Dr. Mohammad Al Amin Siddiq confirmed the matter.
These exams will start from 11 May and the fresh exam routine will be published soon.
Buet students started demonstration after BCL president Saddam Hussain along with other leaders and activists entered the campus on March 28 midnight to restore politics although student politics is prohibited.
They boycotted all sorts of academic activities and demanded stricter action against those students who tried to revive student politics on the campus ignoring the ban. Amid a tense situation, Buet authorities announced the postponement of all examinations on April &nbsp;20.
&nbsp;

Buet students postpone class, exam boycott

Schools may be kept open on Fridays if required to mitigate the learning gap, Education Minister Barrister Mohibul Hassan Chowdhury Nowfel said on Tuesday (April 30).&nbsp;
"Educational institutions will not be uniformly closed or opened across all districts during heatwaves. Decisions will be made on a district-by-district basis due to variations in temperature across Bangladesh," said the minister while talking to journalists at the Secretariat.
He said, "Classes may need to be suspended in some areas after a few days due to flooding. In such cases, the decision to continue classes and examinations, even on Fridays, may be considered to reduce the learning gap caused by various holidays, including natural disasters."
Regarding the court's order to keep educational institutions closed, the minister said, "The executive branch has been providing instructions in coordination with the meteorological department and the health directorate for the operation of educational institutions in different regions. Spontaneous decisions sometimes disrupt our work. Nevertheless, we respect the decisions of the court."

Schools to remain open on Fridays if necessary: Education minister

The Ministry of Education will not appeal against the High Court's order to close educational institutions due to the ongoing severe heat waves.&nbsp;
As a result, primary, secondary school and madrassa holidays remain in effect till Thursday (2 May).
&ldquo;The decision on when the educational institutions will be open will be announced later,&rdquo; Education Ministry Public Relations Officer Abul Khair said on Tuesday (30 April).
Earlier, on 29 April, Education Minister Mahibul Hasan Chowdhury said that he would appeal against the HC order to close educational institutions due to the ongoing severe heatwave.
Meanwhile, educational institutions opened on Sunday (28 April) after a 32-day holiday due to Ramadan, Eid and summer vacations.
However, due to the searing temperatures and severe heat waves, many students and teachers fell ill in various educational institutions in the country.&nbsp;
As a result, the HC ordered to close all educational institutions till 2 May.
&nbsp;

Education ministry will not appeal against HC order to close educational institutions due to heat wave

Due to the ongoing heatwave, secondary schools, colleges, madrasas, and technical education institutions in Dhaka, Rajshahi, Khulna, Chuadanga and Jashore districts will remain closed on Monday (29 April). &nbsp;
The education ministry announced the decision by issuing a notice on Sunday (28 April).&nbsp;
However, educational institutions equipped with air-conditioning systems may choose to remain open. Further decisions will be announced tomorrow, read the notice.&nbsp;
Meanwhile, the primary schools will remain open tomorrow.&nbsp;
All primary and secondary schools, along with colleges, resumed classes today after an extended break, which included the Eid-ul-Fitr and Pahela Baishakh holidays, as well as a week off due to the ongoing heatwave.

Heatwave: All educational institutions except primary schools to remain shut tomorrow in five districts

Education Minister Mohibul Hassan Chowdhury Nowfel has expressed his stance against shutting down schools due to heatwaves.
"We should move away from the mindset that educational institutions should be closed in response to any situation. Our new curriculum focuses on maintaining regular attendance in classes," said the minister in response to concerns raised from various quarters regarding the reopening of educational institutions during heatwaves.
The minister made these comments while addressing an event titled "Technical and Voluntary Education Week 2024" at Dhaka Mohila Polytechnic Institute on Sunday (April 28).
However, the minister added that if the temperature in any specific region exceeds 42 degrees Celsius, the educational institutions in that area would be closed.
"If the temperature rises above 42 degrees Celsius in any district, the district's primary education officer and secondary education officer will have the authority to close or adjust operational hours after discussions," said the minister.
The minister also mentioned that virtual classes could be implemented at higher education levels, emphasising that the ministry does not have any objection regarding this.
He further noted that a decision has been made to keep schools open on Saturdays to compensate for learning losses caused by the closure of educational institutions. "The ministry will make decisions regarding this matter once the gaps are addressed," said the minister.

Shutting down schools due to heat makes no sense: Education minister

All the primary schools, high schools and colleges across the country have resumed today (28 April) after one week of extended closure due to the ongoing heat wave flowing nationwide.
On Saturday (April 27), the Ministry of Primary and Mass Education took decision to reopen the classes from today.
However, Secondary and Higher Education Division, on 25 April, declared to resume the classes from 28 April.
Ministry of Primary and Mass Education said primary class hours will be limited to the cooler morning hours beginning from 8:00 am to 11:30 am.&nbsp;
However, for schools operating in two shifts, the first shift will run from 8:00 am to 9:30 am and the second from 9:45 am to 11:30 am, it elaborated.&nbsp;
Despite these changes, pre-primary level classes will remain closed until further notice, Ministry of Primary and Mass Education further said.
It also reminded that no school assemblies will be held amid ongoing heat wave.&nbsp;
From now on, academic activities will be held on every Saturday until further notice to cover the lessons hampered for closures, it also said.
However, outdoor academic activities will remain limited.&nbsp;
Following heat wave conditions, the authorities concerned, &nbsp;on 20 April, extended the closure of schools, colleges, madrasas, and technical education institutions across the country until 27 April.&nbsp;
The government set 21 April to reopen all education institutions across the country after the nearly one-month long holidays on various occasions.

Education institutions reopen today amid heat alert

Academic activities at all colleges under National University will resume from today (27 April) a week after those were shut due to the scorching heat in the country.
This information was confirmed in a notice signed by Director of Public Relations Department of the NU Md Ataur Rahman.
Earlier on April 20, the NU authority in a notice said that academic activities would remain suspended until further notice.
Before that, the Ministry of Education decided to keep all schools, colleges, madrasas, and technical education institutions across the country closed from April 21 to 27.
However, educational institutions at primary and secondary-levels will also reopen today.
According to the Bangladesh Meteorological Department, the county continues to experience a heat wave for the past few days.

Colleges under NU to resume classes from today

All the primary schools, high schools and colleges across the country will be reopened tomorrow after one week of extended closure due to the hot weather following the Eid holidays.&nbsp;
The Ministry of Primary and Mass Education today took the decision of reopening the classes from tomorrow while Secondary and Higher Education Division on 25 April decided to resume the classes from 28 April.
In the primary schools, class hours will be limited to the cooler morning hours, from 8:00 am to 11:30 am. For schools operating in two shifts, the first shift will run from 8:00 am to 9:30 am and the second from 9:45 am to 11:30 am.&nbsp;
Despite these changes, pre-primary level classes will remain closed until further notice, and daily school assemblies will be suspended to avoid prolonged exposure to the heat.&nbsp;
Academic activities will be held on every Saturday until further notice to make up the loss of lessons caused by closure of the institutions due to heat wave and other reasons.
Academic activities which are performed outside of classrooms will remain limited.&nbsp;
Earlier, on April 20, due to the ongoing heatwave conditions, the authorities concerned extended the closure of schools, colleges, madrasas, and technical education institutions across the country until April 27.
These institutions were initially scheduled to reopen after the Eid holidays on April 21.&nbsp;

Primary, secondary schools, colleges to open tomorrow

The government has decided to reopen primary schools from Sunday with morning classes scheduled until 11:30am to mitigate health risk from ongoing heatwaves.&nbsp;
The Ministry of Primary and Mass Education issued a notice on Saturday (April 27) outlining guidelines for the resumption of classes.
For primary schools operating in single shift, classes will run from 8:00am to 11:30am. Those schools operating in a two shifts will hold classes from 8:00am to 9:30am for the first phase, with the second shift classes scheduled from 9:45am to 11:30am.
These instructions apply to all government primary schools, those managed by the Shishu Kalyan Trust, and learning centers under the non-formal education bureau, said Mahbubur Rahman Tuhin, information officer at the ministry.
Pre-primary grade classes will remain suspended until further notice, Mahbubur Rahman Tuhin added.
He also noted that assemblies will remain suspended until the situation stabilizes to an acceptable level.

Primary schools to reopen Sunday with morning classes due to heatwaves

The first-year undergraduate admission test for the academic year 2023-24 of 24 general and science and technology (GST) public universities under cluster-system will begin today (27 April).
A total of 305,346 candidates will participate in the entrance test in three units against some 20,000 seats.
A total of 170,599 students have registered under 'A' unit, 94,631 under 'B' unit, and 40,116 under 'C' unit to participate in the entrance test.
The test will be held under the management of Jashore University of Science and Technology (JUST), said the public relations office of JUST on Thursday.&nbsp;
According to the GST website, the entrance test of 'A' unit will be held from 12:00pm to 1:00pm. On the same day, the practical exams (drawing) for architecture will take place from 3:30pm to 4:30pm.&nbsp;
JUST Vice-Chancellor Md Anwar Hossain, also chairman of the GST Integrated Admission Committee, said all necessary measures have been taken to hold the exams smoothly.

Cluster admission tests begin today

Mizanur Rahman

As the severe heatwave persists, Dhaka University (DU) has shifted its academic activities online.&nbsp;
However, female students residing in five halls are facing untold sufferings in the intense heat as the university doesn't allow ceiling fans in their rooms.
After interviewing a dozen students from all female residential dormitories, it has been learned that the university authorities opted not to install ceiling fans purportedly to prevent the risk of potential suicides.&nbsp;
The DU authorities, however, refused to comment on this regard.
Consequently, students have been compelled to purchase table fans on their own. But, amidst the ongoing heatwave, the absence of ceiling fans has turned the rooms into unbearable hotspots.&nbsp;
Additionally, the loud noise emitted by the small table fans disrupts concentration during study sessions, likened to the noise of a factory.
Except for Bangamata Sheikh Fazilatunnesa Mujib Hall, 7,298 students reside in the other four halls.
According to data obtained from hall websites and provosts of the halls, Bangladesh-Kuwait Maitree Hall accommodates 880 residential students against 372 seats in 93 rooms, while Kabi Sufia Kamal Hall houses 1,600 students in 252 rooms.&nbsp;
Ruqayyah Hall accommodates 3,500 students, and Shamsun Nahar Hall has 1,398 students.
Sanjida Ferdousi Reshmee, a resident student of Kabi Sufia Kamal Hall, said, "We personally installed table fans. However, these fans only provide airflow in a limited area. Two students have to share a single bed, and the airflow from the table fan barely covers one person.
&ldquo;Moreover, we are not confined to the bed all day. These fans are ineffective during studying, praying, or other tasks. Additionally, there's a lack of space to place the fan. It's challenging to accommodate both the fan and two people on a small bed," she shared.&nbsp;
Amidst the heatwave where people are succumbing to the heat, we expect such basic amenities from the university, she added.
Reshmee added that the authorities should have provided ceiling fans, especially considering the severity of the situation.
Jannatul Islam Mim, a student of Bangladesh-Kuwait Maitree Hall, remarked that not installing ceiling fans to allegedly prevent suicide is like cutting off the head to cure a headache.&nbsp;
&ldquo;We are using very small table fans, which produce huge noise. With eight students residing in one room, the noise generated by their table fans resembles that of a factory, causing considerable distraction during our studies," she said.
Ashrefa Khtaun of Shamsun Nahar Hall, mentioned, "Our rooms have ceiling fan hanging rings and arrangements, but the hall authority did not provide fans."
Trupa Basu added, "I reside on the top floor. Due to the absence of ceiling fans, the rooms have become extremely hot. We also face severe heat at night too."
Dr Nelofar Parvin, Provost of Ruqayyah Hall, said, "The newly built 7th March building is equipped with ceiling fans provided by the university authorities, while the remaining buildings do not have any ceiling fans."
She clarified that they do not provide table fans to students.
Dr Gawsia W Chowdhury, provost of Kabi Sufia Kamal Hall, stated that her hall has a strategy to install ceiling fans.&nbsp;
"There is a valid reason for which the university opted to not install ceiling fans in the girls' hall. However, the absence of ceiling fans does not imply that they cannot be installed. We have a strategy in place for installing ceiling fans in our hall. Some rooms in our hall already have ceiling fans installed.&rdquo;
&ldquo;To install ceiling fans, all students sharing a room must submit an application along with a declaration accepting responsibility for any incidents that may occur due to the ceiling fan. Following this procedure, the hall authority may grant permission for the installation of ceiling fans,&rdquo; she added.&nbsp;
Upon failing to reach DU Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr ASM Maksud Kamal, who is currently abroad, the Bangladesh First contacted Pro Vice-Chancellor (Admin) Dr Muhammad Samad.&nbsp;
Dr Samad explained that it is not currently feasible to install ceiling fans in all halls.&nbsp;
He assured that he would address the matter with the vice-chancellor upon his return to the country.

Ceiling fans ‘banned’ at DU girls’ halls! Heatwave brings untold sufferings for female students

The ongoing road safety movement by Chittagong University of Engineering and Technology (Cuet) students has been postponed following a bilateral meeting between the university administration and the students on Thursday night.
The vehicular movement on busy Chattogram-Rangamati&rsquo;s Kaptai Road resumed around 11:30pm after the protesting students left it.
Moreover, the students decided to return to their academic activities deferring their movement.
In a statement signed by the university&rsquo;s Registrar (additional duty) Prof Dr Sheikh Mohammad Humayun Kabir on Thursday night said that a decision will be made in the syndicate meeting to be held on Friday to reconsider the closure of academic activities.
However, the students will be allowed to stay in the dormitories till then, it read.
Earlier on Thursday afternoon, the Cuet was declared closed for an indefinite period as students burst into protests demanding road safety after the deaths of two fellows in a fatal road accident on April 22.
Besides, the male students were asked to vacate dormitories by 5pm on Thursday and the female students by 9am on Friday.
Two Cuet students&mdash;Shanto Saha, a 3rd year student and Tawfiq Hasan, a 2nd year student of Civil engineering department, died when a bus of &lsquo;Shah Amanat&rsquo; paribahan hit a motorbike on Chattogram-Kaptai road at Zianagar in Rangunia upazila on Monday.
As soon as the news spread, some Cuet students vandalised three buses and set one more on fire on that day.
The students took to the streets boycotting classes and examinations and continued their protests till Wednesday blocking the Chattogram-Kaptai road by setting fire on logs and tyres to press home their 9 point demand for safe road.
They demanded arrest of the bus driver and his assistant and their exemplary punishment.
The other demands include providing compensation to the deceased and bearing the medical expenses of the student injured in the accident, establishment of modern treatment centre with all facilities on the campus, proving ambulances with modern equipment, stopping movement of all local buses including Shah Amanat and AB Travels on the road, examining liscences of the buses and CNG-run auto-rickshaws that ply the road , making the Student Welfare Council under accountable and forming students representative group.
Bus driver Md Tazul Islam was arrested from the Kotwali area of Chattogram city on Wednesday afternoon.

CUET students' agree to halt their protest, classes to resume

Secondary schools, colleges, madrasas, and technical education institutions across the country are set to resume classes from Sunday (28 April).
"Classes and regular activities will restart next Sunday as per the Ministry of Education's instructions. We are making the necessary preparations to welcome back students safely," said Professor Syed Jafar Ali, director (secondary) of the Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education (DSHE).
"Assemblies at schools will remain suspended until further notice, and we're advising schools to limit activities that expose students to direct sunlight," the DSHE official added.
To compensate for the educational gap caused by recent closures, schools and colleges are also permitted to conduct classes on Saturdays until further notice, according to the DSHE directive.
However, as of 6:30pm, the Ministry of Primary and Mass Education has not issued any circular regarding the reopening of schools.
Earlier on 20 April, due to heatwave, the government had announced closure of all schools, colleges, madrasas, and technical education institutions nationwide from 21-27 April.
All secondary schools in Bangladesh began their holiday including Ramadan, Eid-ul-Fitr, and Pohela Boishakh on 26 March, following the closure of colleges on 25 March.&nbsp;
Primary schools and madrasas had already started their break on 22 March.
Meanwhile, the Bangladesh Meteorological Department has issued a warning today stating that the ongoing heatwave is expected to persist for another 72 hours, commencing this morning.

Secondary schools, colleges to reopen Sunday

The Chittagong University of Engineering and Technology (CUET) authorities have decided to close the institution and instructed students to vacate dormitories amid student protests.
&ldquo;On Thursday, the university&rsquo;s academic council met for an emergency meeting with the vice chancellor and made the decision of closure as protesters were blocking the road and torching vehicles,&rdquo; said CUET Assistant Director (Public Relations) Mohammad Rashedul Islam.
The male students have been directed to vacate the halls of residence by 5pm today, while female students are given until 10:00am tomorrow to depart.
Shanto Saha and Toufique Hossain, both from the Department of Civil Engineering, lost their lives when a bus rear-ended their motorcycle on Monday near Zia Nagar Selina Quader Chowdhury College in Chattogram's Rangunia Upazila.&nbsp;
Another student sustained serious injuries and is undergoing treatment at Chittagong Medical College Hospital.
The students' grief transformed into protest, starting at the CUET gate on Monday.&nbsp;
They set a Shah Amanat Parbahan Group bus on fire and vandalised another.

CUET shuts down indefinitely amid protests, students ordered to evacuate halls

State Minister for Education Shamsun Nahar Chapa said today a decision regarding the reopening of educational institutions will be made on Saturday, taking into consideration the prevailing weather conditions.
Speaking to journalists at the Secretariat in response to inquiries about a potential extension of the closure of educational institutions due to the three-day extension of the heat alert, the state minister for education emphasised the need to weigh all factors before reaching a decision.
Addressing the issue of online classes, she said, "While classes can be conducted online, many schools lack the necessary infrastructure to facilitate virtual learning. Therefore, a comprehensive decision will be made after considering all aspects."
Earlier, on April 20, the Ministry of Primary and Mass Education and the Secondary and Higher Education Division declared a seven-day holiday for secondary and higher secondary educational institutions, prioritising the health and safety of students amidst the scorching heatwaves. Educational institutions are scheduled to resume operations on April 28.
Meanwhile, a severe heat wave continues to affect the country, prompting the Bangladesh Meteorological Department to extend the heat alert period until April 27. According to a weather forecast signed by Shahinul Islam, the Meteorological Department predicts that the heat wave will persist throughout the month of April.

Decision on opening educational institutions Saturday: State minister for education

Reuters

Student protests in the US over the war in Gaza have intensified and expanded over the past week, with a number of encampments now in place at colleges including Columbia, Yale, and New York University. Police have been called in to several campuses to arrest demonstrators.
Here are some details on the protests:
WHAT ARE THE PROTESTERS DEMANDING?
Across campuses where protests have broken out, students have issued calls for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza, an end to US military assistance for Israel, university divestment from arms suppliers and other companies profiting from the war, and an amnesty for students and faculty members who have been disciplined or fired for protesting.
WHO ARE THE PROTESTERS?
Pro-Palestinian protests have drawn students and faculty of various backgrounds, including of Jewish and Muslim faiths. The groups organising the protests include Students for Justice in Palestine and Jewish Voice for Peace.
The encampments have also attracted a diverse array of teach-ins, interfaith prayers, and musical performances.
Organisers have widely disavowed violence against pro-Israel counter-protesters, although some Jewish students have said they feel unsafe on campus and unnerved by chants they say are antisemitic.
WHAT HAS BEEN THE RESPONSE FROM AUTHORITIES?
School administrators and local law enforcement have cracked down on the protests.
Columbia and the affiliated Barnard College have suspended dozens of students involved in the protests. More than 100 protesters have been arrested at Columbia, where University President Minouche Shafik called in New York Police to clear the encampment a day after she testified before a US House of Representatives committee. She said the encampment violated rules against unauthorised protests.
Yale police arrested more than 60 protesters on Monday, after giving them "several opportunities to leave and avoid arrest," according to the university.
The New York Police Department said officers arrested 120 people at NYU late on Monday. University officials said they requested their intervention because protesters had not dispersed and were "interfering with the safety and security of our community."
WHAT HAS BEEN THE IMPACT ON REGULAR CAMPUS LIFE?
After holding all classes virtually on Monday, Columbia announced most courses would be offered with both virtual and in-person attendance options for the rest of the semester. Shafik said in a statement that she would not permit any group to disrupt graduation.
California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt, cancelled in-person classes until Wednesday after students barricaded themselves in an administrative building and demanded the school disclose all ties and holdings with Israel and cut ties with Israeli universities.
The University of Michigan said it would allow free expression and peaceful protest at its early May graduation ceremonies but would stop "substantial disruption."
HOW ARE POLITICAL LEADERS RESPONDING?
Democratic President Joe Biden, who has been criticised by the protesters for supplying funding and weapons to Israel, told reporters on Monday that he condemned both "antisemitic protests" and "those who don't understand what's going on with the Palestinians."
Former President Donald Trump, the Republican candidate for the 2024 election, called the campus protest situation "a mess" as he walked into the second day of his criminal trial in New York.

What is behind the pro-Palestinian protests at US universities?

A Dhaka University (DU) student died while swimming in the university's Physical Education Centre swimming pool on Monday (22 April).&nbsp;
The deceased, Muhammad Sawad, 19, was a first-year student of Philosophy department and a resident of Haji Muhammad Mohsin Hall.
&ldquo;Sawad drowned while swimming with his friends in the university's swimming pool,&rdquo; confirmed DU Proctor Professor M. Maksudur Rahman to Bangladesh First.
&ldquo;The body of the deceased has been placed in the morgue of Dhaka Medical College and Hospital (DMCH) for autopsy. The exact cause of death will be determined after the post-mortem examination,&rdquo; added the proctor.
Sawad's friend, Md Sohag, said, 'Many students were bathing at the swimming pool in the afternoon. At that moment, I noticed Sawad was surrounded by several students. Soon after, I learned that he had drowned in the pool. We immediately took him to DMCH, where the attending doctor declared him dead.&rdquo;

DU student drowns at swimming pool

Dhaka Education Board has requested the private educational institutions that maintaining international curriculum to remain closed till 27 April in a bid to avoid heat-related health risks.
The move comes a day after the closure of schools and colleges until April 27.
Several universities have already declared to hold only online classes from today (22 April) until further notice.
On Sunday, Comilla University decided to hold only online classes from today (22 April).
Meanwhile, Dhaka, Chittagong, and Jagannath universities have declared that they will hold only online classes from today due to ongoing heatwave.
The National University, on Saturday, asked its affiliated colleges to suspend classes until further notice.
In the meantime, the Islamic Arabic University has also asked its 1,500 affiliated Fazil and Kamil madrasas to hold online classes until April 27.
According to the BMD, a very severe heatwave is sweeping over Pabna and Chuadanga districts while severe heatwave is sweeping over the districts of Rajshahi, Tangail, Jashore and Kushtia. Mild to moderate heatwave is sweeping over Rangpur, Barishal and Mymensingh divisions and rest parts of Dhaka, Rajshahi and Khulna divisions and the districts of Srimangal and Chandpur and it may continue.
Temperatures between 40 and 41.9 degrees C were termed as severe heatwaves.
On Sunday, the temperature in the capital reached 38.2 degree Celsius while the highest -- 42.2 degrees Celsius -- was recorded in Pabna and Chuadanga.
Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) and ICDDR, B issued some guidelines in an effort to minimise health risk due to the scorching heat.

English medium schools to remain closed until 27 April

The University of Dhaka will conduct academic classes online until further notice to avert possible health hazards due to the heatwave.
However, the exams will be held in person, the university Pro-Vice Chancellor Sitesh Chandra Bachar told Bangladesh First on Sunday (April 21).
A searing heatwave is sweeping over the country, leading the government to close primary and secondary schools, as well as colleges, for a week.
The Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD) today forcast that the heatwave may continue for longer than expected and the temperatures may rise in coming days.

DU classes to be held online until further notice due to heatwave

The exam results for the position of assistant teachers in government primary schools across 21 districts in Dhaka and Chattogram divisions have been published.&nbsp;
A total of 23,057 candidates have passed the exams, said Mahbubur Rahman, Public Relations Officer at the Ministry of Primary and Mass Education.
The examinations, which were held on March 29, saw the participation of 349,293 candidates.
The results are now accessible on the websites of the Ministry of Primary and Mass Education (www.mopme.gov.bd) and the Directorate of Primary Education (www.dpe.gov.bd).
Successful candidates will also receive their results via their mobile numbers.
Details regarding the date and venue of the viva voce will be disclosed in due course, said the public relations officer.

23,057 succeed in govt primary school teacher recruitment exams

Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (Buet) has postponed examinations amidst a student-led boycott of academic activities, marking their protest against campus politics.
Sources from a recent academic council meeting revealed that Buet made the decision last evening in light of the ongoing student demonstrations.
The students have been abstaining from classes and examinations, denouncing the presence of Chhatra League activists on campus, where political activities are prohibited.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, a member of the academic council disclosed that the authorities postponed the exams in consideration of the prevailing circumstances. The rescheduled exam dates will be announced at a later, more suitable time, the member added.
Buet students have persisted in their boycott of exams as part of their ongoing movement against campus politics even after Eid holidays.
The ban on student politics at the university was enforced following the tragic murder of second-year student Abrar Fahad by a group of Bangladesh Chhatra League members at Sher-e-Bangla Hall on October 7, 2019.
On April 1, the High Court temporarily suspended the university's notice banning student politics on campus.

Buet postpones exams in response to student boycott

National University (NU) authorities have suspended classes of all colleges under the university due to the ongoing heat wave in the country.
An official release issued on Saturday (20 April), the authorities of the national university will announce resumption of classes considering overall weather condition.
The government has already decided to keep all primary, secondary schools, colleges and madrasahs closed from April 21 to April 27 as the entire country is under reeling from severe heat wave.

NU suspends all classes amid heat wave

Educational institutions including primary and secondary schools and colleges will remain closed for the next seven days to safeguard children&rsquo;s health from the scorching heatwave.
The Ministry of Primary and Mass Education, with authorisation from Senior Information Officer Mahbubur Rahman Tuhin, and the Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education on Saturday issued seperate notices announcing the closure.
Educational institutions run under the Children Welfare Trust and semi-formal education bureau learning centers will also remain closed during this period.

Schools, colleges declared closed for 7 days due to heatwave

The government has issued a directive to suspend daily assemblies in all of its primary schools nationwide until further notice, citing the ongoing heatwave.
The Directorate of Primary and Mass Education disseminated this information through a notification signed by Md Touhidul Islam, assistant director (Policy &amp; Operations, Integrated Education).
Touhidul Islam said, "School authorities will implement this directive starting April 21, when schools are set to reopen."
This decision aims to protect the health of students amidst the severe heat conditions prevailing in the country.
According to a bulletin from the Bangladesh Meteorological Department issued at 9:00 am today, a severe heatwave is affecting the Khulna division, as well as the districts of Rajshahi, Pabna, and Tangail.
The bulletin further indicates that a mild to moderate heatwave is prevailing over the Barishal division, the remaining parts of Dhaka and Rajshahi divisions, and the districts of Chandpur and Moulvibazar, and it is expected to persist.

Primary schools asked to suspend daily assemblies

The Ministry of Education has pledged to take stern action against educational institutions found collecting additional fees from the examinees of Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) under the guise of test examinations.
In a notification issued on Tuesday (16 April), the ministry addressed concerns raised by various media outlets regarding the collection of extra fees from students in the name of test examinations and the denial of admit cards to them.
&ldquo;Education Minister Mohibul Hasan Chowdhury has instructed that no additional fees shall be levied on any student in the name of test examinations, and students cannot be denied admit cards on examination grounds,&rdquo; reads the statement.&nbsp;
In the event of non-compliance with this direction, the Education Ministry has asked the relevant authorities to take specific measures against those institutions, said the notification.

Stern action against institutions charging extra fees for HSC test exams: Mohibul

There is no restriction on journalists entering Bangladesh Bank to get information, its Deputy Government Khurshid Alam said on Saturday.
"If you need information, you can go to the bank a hundred times," he said.
He came up with the remarks on the occasion of "Customer Awareness Week-2024" in Rangpur, held at the conference room of Panchagarh Chamber of Commerce and Industry on Saturday afternoon.
"Each institution has a spokesperson. We have three. Go and talk to them for any kind of information."
"If you're not satisfied with the information, you can talk to the four deputy governors. We will give you the answer," he added.
Regarding free access, Khurshid Alam posed a question: "What is free access?"
Would any private company give anything freely to another company? &nbsp;There is no country in the world that allows so much access to legally recalled products.
"If you want to go alone, you can and the assigned officials will provide you with information, which is allowed under The Secrecy Act. However, it is not permitted if you want to get information about the secrecy of the state."
He urged journalists not to be misguided with any kind of propaganda.
Acknowledging the challenges of the emerging economy, he said we are moving forward with long strides.
Addressing the bankers, the deputy governor said that we have to advance the country with the economy. The finance sector is the lifeblood of the economy. You have to collect taxes from the customers, and at the same time, you have to keep an eye on them so that they are not harassed or dissatisfied.
"Bangladesh has now become a role model for many countries. The country is moving forward. There is no time to look back," he added.
Bangladesh Bank Executive Directors Nurul Amin and Ruhul Amin, Bangladesh Bank Financial Integrity and Customer Services Department Directors Liza Fahmida and Shayema Islam, Bank Asia Managing Director Shafiuzzaman also spoke on the occasion.

Journalists can frequent central bank for info, says deputy governor

BSS/AFP

Skipper Faf du Plessis and Virat Kohli hit key knocks to help Royal Challengers Bengaluru seal the last play-off spot in the Indian Premier League with a 27-run win over defending champions Chennai Super Kings on Saturday.
Bengaluru posted 218-5 after Du Plessis, who hit 54, and Kohli, who smashed 47, laid the foundations for the total in a rain-hit innings at their home M. Chinnaswamy Stadium.
Chennai were held to 191-7 in reply and with both sides level on 14 points, Bengaluru went through to the play-offs on run-rate after a sixth win in a row.
"What a night! Such a great atmosphere," player of the match Du Plessis, who did a lap of honour with his team for the home fans, said.
"Just a pleasure to finish the season in front of the home crowd with a win."
Bengaluru will now play in the eliminator on Wednesday in Ahmedabad.
Table-toppers Kolkata Knight Riders, Rajasthan Royals and Sunrisers Hyderabad had already made the play-offs, which will begin with the first qualifier on Tuesday in Ahmedabad.
The final is on May 26 in Chennai.
Rachin Ravindra hit 61 before Ravindra Jadeja, who made an unbeaten 42, and old warhorse M.S. Dhoni (25) gave Bengaluru a scare in a stand of 61 as Chennai fell short of the qualification mark.
The match could be Dhoni's last IPL outing as a player and also the final face-off between him and Kohli -- two legends of Indian cricket.
Dhoni, 42, was widely expected to retire after he led the team to a record-equalling fifth title last year, but vowed to come back for one more season after a knee operation.
Dhoni handed over the Chennai captaincy ahead of the season to Ruturaj Gaikwad, who won the toss and elected to field first in the virtual knockout for the final play-off place.
"Happy with the seven wins, couldn't get over the line though," said a disappointed Gaikwad.
Du Plessis stunner
Kohli, who leads the batting chart with 708 runs, and Du Plessis started on the offensive before rain halted their charge after the third over and suddenly the ball began to turn once play resumed.
Both openers waded their way through Chennai's spin charge from Maheesh Theekshana and Mitchell Santner as Kohli hit a couple of sixes.
New Zealand's Santner, a left-arm spinner, denied Kohli his fifty and got Du Plessis run out through a deflection from his finger at the non-strikers end.
Rajat Patidar, who hit 41, and Cameron Green, who struck an unbeaten 17-ball 38, then steadied the ship and hit back in a partnership of 71 off 28 balls.
Bengaluru returned strong with the ball and Glenn Maxwell struck on the first ball to send back Gaikwad for a duck.
Fast bowler Yash Dayal had Daryl Mitchell caught by Kohli to dent their chase.
But it was Du Plessis who pulled off a stunning one-handed airborne grab at mid-off to send back Santner.
Jadeja and Dhoni raised hopes of a turnaround as Chennai needed 17 off the last over to qualify but Dayal kept his calm to dismiss Dhoni and then gave away just one run.

RCB win six in row to make IPL play-offs, Chennai out

Heavy clashes and&nbsp;bombardment rocked Rafah on Saturday, as Israel pressed an assault against&nbsp;Hamas militants that has led hundreds of thousands of Palestinians to flee the southern Gaza city.
The Israeli military said its air forces hit more than 70 targets across&nbsp;the Gaza Strip while ground troops conducted "targeted raids" in eastern Rafah,&nbsp;killing 50 militants and locating dozens of tunnel shafts.
Hamas's armed wing, the Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades, said it fired a&nbsp;barrage of rockets towards the Israeli city of Ashkelon and targeted an Israeli&nbsp;command centre at the Jabalia refugee camp in the north of the Gaza Strip.
An AFP reporter said air strikes and artillery shells pounded eastern Rafah&nbsp;as warplanes criss-crossed over the city on Gaza's border with Egypt.
More than 10 days into what the army called a "limited" operation in Rafah&nbsp;that sparked an exodus of Palestinians, fighting between Israeli forces and&nbsp;Palestinian militants has also flared again in northern Gaza.
Israel said in early January it had dismantled Hamas's command structure in&nbsp;the north, but the army said Hamas -- whose October 7 attack sparked the war --&nbsp;had been "in complete control here in Jabalia until we arrived a few days ago".
&nbsp;

Fierce fighting on streets of Gaza's Rafah

Twenty-three people trying to cross the&nbsp;Mediterranean to Europe from Tunisia have been missing for the past two weeks,&nbsp;the country's National Guard said in a statement on Saturday.
The National Guard, which oversees the North African country's coastguard,&nbsp;said searches were still under way after the group departed in early May.
"They set sail overnight between May 3 and 4" from the city of Nabeul, the&nbsp;statement said, adding that relatives of the missing only contacted the authorities 10 days later.
Acting on orders from prosecutors in Nabeul, the National Guard said it had&nbsp;arrested five people allegedly involved in organising the crossing.
It said two of the missing were related to some of the organisers.
Tunisia is a key departure point for irregular migrants who risk perilous&nbsp;sea journeys hoping to reach Europe.
More than 1,300 died or disappeared last year in shipwrecks, according to&nbsp;the Tunisian Forum for Social and Economic Rights (FTDES) non-governmental&nbsp;organisation.
Last week, authorities reported a 22.5 percent increase in the number of&nbsp;migrant interceptions, with more than 21,000 people prevented from leaving&nbsp;Tunisia or rescued during the first four months of 2024.
According to the National Guard, 21,545 people were intercepted between&nbsp;January 1 and April 30, compared with 17,576 over the same period last year.
Since January 1, the bodies of 291 shipwreck victims have been recovered&nbsp;compared with 572 last year in almost triple the number of operations (1,967 this year against 686 in 2023).
Last year, Tunisians accounted for the second largest number of irregular&nbsp;migrant arrivals in Italy, at 17,304 people, second only to Guineans at 18,204,&nbsp;Italian government figures show.
The increase in interceptions come after agreements between Tunisia and the&nbsp;European Union and Italy, who provide financial aid and economic cooperation&nbsp;deals in return for the debt-ridden country's commitment to curb migrant&nbsp;departures.
Tunisia has also been shaken by political tensions after President Kais&nbsp;Saied orchestrated a sweeping power grab in July 2021.

23 missing for two weeks off Tunisia: officials

Bangladeshi students in Kyrgyz Republic have been advised to stay indoors for the moment and get in touch with the Bangladesh embassy in Uzbekistan.
The Bangladesh Uzbekistan embassy, concurrently accredited to the Kyrgyz Republic, suggested the Bangladeshi students to contact at the following 24x7 emergency number +998930009780 for any issue, said a foreign ministry press release Sarturday. &nbsp; "The Embassy of Bangladesh in Uzbekistan is in communication with Bangladeshi students, currently studying in Kyrgyz Republic, regarding the recent incident of mob violence in Bishkek," said the release. &nbsp; The mission said that the situation in Kyrgyzstan is under control of the law enforcing agencies as per information released by the relevant state authorities.
The Embassy is also in touch with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kyrgyz Republic on this matter, said the release.

Bangladeshi students in Kyrgyz advised to stay indoor

Bangladesh Bank lost its ability, to make independent decisions for the banking sector, and it&rsquo;s now operating to implement decisions of outsiders, which is unable to resolve the crisis in the banking sector, said&nbsp;eminent economist Fahmida Khatun.
The executive director of the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) made these remarks on Saturday (18 May) while speaking as the chief guest at the shadow parliament debate competition organised by the Debate for Democracy at the FDC Auditorium, in the capital.
&ldquo;The culture of transparency and accountability is being lost in various regulatory bodies, including the central bank. As a result, the institutions are not able to fulfill the responsibilities, that the state assigned to them," said Dr Fahmida.
Currently, the anarchy in the banking sector has reached such a level that the decision to merge banks has to be taken on the advice of the IMF, she pointed out.
However, due to a lack of prior preparation, integration has been challenged. Forced bank mergers may not be sustainable. The banking sector has lost its ability to support the overall economy due to a lack of good governance, said Dr Fahmida.
She said that people have lost confidence in the banking sector. The central bank even cannot provide any guarantee to keep the deposits in the bank safe
As a result, there has been concern among depositors. Those responsible for the haemorrhaging of the banking sector remain untouchable. People are not able to know the correct information about defaulted loans in the banking sector from the BB, Dr. Fahmida opined.
Referring to the Bangladesh Bank's recent decision to restrict the entry of journalists, Chairman of Debate for Democracy Hasan Ahmed Chowdhury Kiran said the central bank owes them (journalists) an explanation.
&ldquo;Journalists have played a major role in publishing news of major irregularities in the country's financial sector, it is not a crime, but their professional responsibility to highlight any irregularities [of the banking sector] in the media, including the heist in the BB's reserves,&rdquo; the state minister said.

BB lost ability to make independent decisions for country’s economy: Dr Fahmida Khatun

Rail stations will be built in every district of Bangladesh under the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to realise Bangabandhu's dream, Railway Minister Zillul Hakim said on Saturday.
All stations and lines will be renovated to facilitate connectivity in the public interest, he said.
He said this while visiting the site office of the broad gauge railway construction project from Madhukhali via Kamarkhali to Magura this afternoon and inspecting the progress of the project.
Later, the minister visited the under-construction railway bridge on Madhumati River, broad gauge railway and Magura's Ramnagar Thakurbari railway station areas.
Lawmaker Dr Biren Shikder, Secretary of the Ministry of Railways Dr. Md Humayun Kabir, Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Abu Naser Baig, Superintendent of Police Mashiudullah Reza, Magura District Council Chairman and District Awami League General Secretary Pankaj Kumar Kundu, were also present.

Every district to get rail station, Minister Zillul Hakim says

Silmoon Pipe and Fittings have entered the market with a commitment to serving customers with high-quality plastic products.
The product was officially launched at an event held at the Gulshan Club in the capital, inaugurated by Silmoon&rsquo;s Chairman, Abdus Samad Labu, who is also the vice chairman of S Alam Group and Ekushey TV.
The event was organised under the slogan &ldquo;Tension-Free Life with the Right Pipe,&rdquo; and Silmoon&rsquo;s Managing Director assured the audience of the product&rsquo;s quality and affordability.&nbsp;
At the event, Abdus Samad Labu emphasised that Silmoon Pipe and Fittings will play a significant role in the plastic industry by maintaining high-quality standards.&nbsp;
&ldquo;The use of plastic products is increasing in the country, especially in the construction sector. With the customer in mind, Silmoon Pipe and Fittings have been introduced to the market,&rdquo; he said.
Additionally, a 26% discount was announced in celebration of the launch.
The launch event was attended by Silmoon&rsquo;s dealers, sales staff, and senior officials.

Silmoon Pipes and Fittings enters market with commitment to quality

The Bangladesh Jewelers Association (BAJUS) has increased the price of 22-carat gold by Tk1,178 per bhori, setting the new price at Tk1,18,460.&nbsp;
This change will be effective from Sunday, BAJUS announced in a press release this evening (18 May).
According to the new rates, 21-carat gold is now Tk1,13,082 per bhori, 18-carat gold is Tk96,916 per bhori, and traditional method gold is Tk80,131 per bhori.
The adjustment is due to an increase in the price of pure gold in the local market, BAJUS said.
Earlier on 11 May, the price of 22-carat gold was Tk1,17,282 per bhori. The prices for 21-carat, 18-carat, and traditional method gold were Tk1,11,951, Tk95,960, and Tk79,339 per bhori, respectively.
This year, gold prices have been adjusted 23 times, with 12 increases and 11 decreases.&nbsp;
In 2023, prices were adjusted 29 times.

Gold prices hike again, 22-carat now Tk1,18,460 per bhori

Inspector General of Police (IGP) Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun today said by following the 'zero-tolerance' policy of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, militancy and terrorism have been brought under control in the country.
IGP said this while talking to reporters after inaugurating the Liberation War-themed terracotta 'Mrityunjai' at Moulvibazar District Police Lines and 'Bangabandhu Corner' at the District Superintendent of Police today, said a press release here.
He said there was a rise of militancy and terrorism in the country. Today, with the cooperation of all, Bangladesh Police has been able to maintain law and order in the country.
"In response to Bangabandhu's clarion call, on the night of March 25, 1971, the Bengali policemen at the Rajarbagh Police Lines mounted the first armed resistance against the Pakistani invaders forces with the only weapon 'Three Not Three' Rifles, he said.
The police chief said motivated by patriotism, every member of the Bangladesh Police is committed to ensuring safety of the people by keeping the spirit of the great liberation war alive.
DIG of Sylhet Range Sha Migan Shafiur Rahman, Sylhet Metropolitan police Commissioner Md. Zakir Hossain Khan, Superintendent of police of Moulvibazar district Md. Manjur Rahman and other officials were present in the function.

Militancy, terrorism now under control: IGP

Two cousins were killed and four others injured by lightning strike at Noabari village in Birbashinda union under Kalihati upazila of the district today.
The deceased were identified as Afzal Hossain, 52, and his cousin Amir Hossain, 50. They are residents of Chakdafarpur village of Pirganj upazila of Dinajpur district.
According to the locals, six workers, including Afzal and Amir, were harvesting paddy in the field of Hazrat Ali in the area early on Saturday morning. When it started to rain around 9:30am, lightning struck Afzal and Amir as they were running home from the paddy field. They died on the spot and four others were injured, sub-inspector (SI) of Kalihati Police Station Rajib said.
The injured were taken to Kalihati Upazila Health Complex, he added.
Md Sohrab Ali, union parishad Chairman of Birbashinda Union, said Afzal and Amir had rented a room at Awliabad Bazar and had been harvesting paddy in many nearby areas for the past week.

2 cousins killed in Tangail lightning strike

AFP/BSS

Indian eminent film actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, in her second appearance at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival, once again opted for a gown by designer duo Falguni Shane Peacock.
Aishwarya wore a shimmery blue and silver gown as she walked the red carpet on Friday for the screening of acclaimed filmmaker Yorgos Lanthimos' latest feature "Kinds of Kindness", starring two-time Oscar winner Emma Stone.
The outfit boasted a sweeping trail and bold, dramatic shoulders, featuring metallic fringe.&nbsp;
The actress had a cast on her right hand that she has been wearing for an unspecified injury.

Cannes 2024: Aishwarya Rai Bachchan walks in blue-silver gown in second appearance

Jute and Textile Minister Jahangir Kabir Nanak today said the government is working tirelessly to return previous glory of golden fibre (jute).
Terming Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina as labourer friendly and she is working for their welbeing, the minister said while addressing a press breifing after visiting a number of Jute and Textile Mills here.
The minister said that the Prime Minister have already paid all the dues of the labourers amid closed jute mills in the region.
Nanak, who is also a presidium member of Bangladesh Awami League, said that the leasee jute mills would not be able to showcase the expected result. The ministry can take new decision as the leasee of the mills can&rsquo;t fulfill lease conditions, Nanank added.
He, however, said the main condition of lease was to produce adequate jute goods &nbsp;and to create job opportunity of previous skilled labourers.
Besides, the government is considering to build economic zone of the lands of closed jute mills, he added.
Earlier, the Textile and Jute Minister visited Daulatpur Jute Mill, Platinum Jubilee Jute Mill, Crescent Jute Mill, Khalishpur Jute Mill under the BJMC and Khulna Textile Mill under the BTMC of the Ministry.
Mayor of Khulna City Corporation(KCC) Talukder Abdul Khaleque, Parliament member of Khulna-3 constituency S M Kamal Hossain, Chairman of BJMC Faruk Ahmed, Chairman of BTMC Brig Gen Zia, among others, were present.
The Textile and Jute Minister Jahangir Kabir Nanak later exchenged views with the members of Bangladesh Jute Association(BJA) at a hotel here as chief guest.
He urged the BJA members to work unitedly to reduce dependency of jute yield import.
Terming the farmers are growing 1,500 metric tonnes of jute yield across the country in a year and the remained 4,500 metric tonnes jute yeild has been collected from India as 5,000 jute yeild is needed in the country, he said, adding that we should inspire our fermers to produce huge jute yield in the country.
Chaired by the Chairman of BJMC Farhad Ahmed Akand, KCC Mayor Talukder Abdul Khaleque and Parliament Member S M Kamal Hossain addressed the meeting as special guests.

Govt is working to return glorious days of golden fibre: Nanak

Press Release

Islami Bank Bangladesh PLC organised a webinar on &lsquo;Compliance of Shari&lsquo;ah in Banking Operations&rsquo; on 15 May.&nbsp;
Dr Tanveer Ahmad, vice chairman of the bank addressed the webinar as chief guest, reads a press release.&nbsp;
Presided over by Mohammed Monirul Moula, Managing Director of the bank, Mawlana Obaid Ullah Hamzah, Chairman, Shari&lsquo;ah Supervisory Committee of the Bank addressed the webinar as chief discussant.
Dr. Mohammad Abdus Samad, Member Secretary of Shari`ah Supervisory Committee addressed as special guest. Muhammad Qaisar Ali, Additional Managing Director addressed the welcome speech while Md. Shamsuddoha, Executive Vice President presented key note on the topic. J.Q.M. Habibullah, FCS &amp; Md. Altaf Hossain, Additional Managing Directors, Mohammed Shabbir, Kazi Md. Rezaul Karim, Miftah Uddin &amp; Dr. Md. Abdullah Al Mamun, Deputy Managing Directors, Taher Ahmed Chowdhury, CAMLCO and Md. Nazrul Islam, Principal of IBTRA along with executives and officials of head office, IBTRA &amp; eight corporate Branches attended the webinar.

IBBL holds webinar on Shari‘ah  awareness

Embracing the Environmental, Social, and Corporate Governance (ESG) compliance framework is essential for businesses in Bangladesh to align their values and strategies with sustainability objectives, foster economic growth, and remain competitive beyond LDC graduation, said DCCI President Ashraf Ahmed.
He highlighted these points during a roundtable discussion titled &ldquo;Navigating the Challenges and Opportunities of ESG Compliance in Bangladesh,&rdquo; organized by the Dhaka Chamber of Commerce &amp; Industry (DCCI) on Saturday (May 18).
Ashraf Ahmed emphasised that as Bangladesh becomes more interconnected with the global economy and its international trade continues to grow, ESG compliance is becoming mandatory for businesses. Investors consider ESG factors when assessing a business's potential as they indicate resilience and long-term financial health.
He pointed out the increasing trend of ESG reporting in Bangladesh. Various organizations across different industries have started reporting on their ESG performance, and government bodies have also initiated efforts to promote and encourage ESG reporting. Recognizing the importance of ESG compliance, he recommended developing effective ESG compliance strategies aligned with the global value chain and integrating ESG considerations into decision-making processes and organizational culture.
He underscored the need to educate stakeholders, including employees, management, investors, regulators, and the public, about the importance of ESG compliance and its reporting. Furthermore, ESG compliance should be embedded in other policies such as industrial policy and SME policy, he added.
Md Munim Hassan, Director General, Department of Patent, Design &amp; Trademarks, Ministry of Industries, emphasized that compliance is mandatory in every sector and enhances business credibility. He stressed personal responsibility for environmental and social compliance and noted significant progress in Bangladesh's GI (Geographical Indication) certifications.
Md Anwarul Alam, Director General (Additional Secretary), Bangladesh Accreditation Board (BAB), Ministry of Industries, stated that the BAB is directly linked with ESG, ensuring the quality of goods and services with worldwide acceptance of BAB&rsquo;s certification. He encouraged lab owners to seek accreditation from BAB and highlighted the interconnection between ESG and the vision of Smart Bangladesh.
Keynote speaker Zaku Uz Zaman, Country Representative for UNIDO, Bangladesh, explained that the term "ESG" emerged in the early 2000s, with roots in the 1990s. ESG evaluates a firm's engagement with environmental, social, and governance factors, and investors are increasingly focused on a company's societal impact. He noted the lack of a defined format for ESG reporting, which challenges management in understanding reporting requirements. Compliance with ESG reporting can help Bangladeshi companies remain competitive post-LDC graduation.
Other speakers, including Dr. M Niaz Asadullah, Visiting Professor of Economics at the University of Reading, UK; Mohammad Bin Quasem, Director of Echotex Ltd.; Yeasmin Akther, Business Manager at Knowledge, Health and Nutrition, SGS Bangladesh Limited; M. Abu Horairah, former Vice President of DCCI; Enamul Haque Patwary, former Director of DCCI; and Rashid Shah Shamrat, former Director of DCCI, also contributed to the discussion. They stressed the need for an ESG policy, creating awareness, and having a monitoring and reporting system. They suggested educating people about ESG, emphasizing environmental safety, and advocating for massive afforestation across the country. The speakers called for concerted efforts and the implementation of rules and regulations to enforce ESG in Bangladesh.

ESG compliance reporting standard essential to boost trade: DCCI president

Bangladeshi civil society organizations (CSOs) have raised concerns about the country's increasing debt and its implications for sustainability following Bangladesh's transition to a middle-income country.&nbsp;
They demanded a people-centric budget at an event held today (18 May) led by EquityBD.
&ldquo;The total FY 2024-25 budget will be Tk8.05 trillion including a debt of Tk2.75 trillion. The per capita debt is now US $580. The repayment of this unprecedented amount of debt will cause reductions in the lifeline of people,&rdquo; said Omour Faruk Bhuiya of BDCSO Process.
Ferdous Ara Rumee from the International Rural Women&rsquo;s Day Observation Committee stated, &ldquo;91% of people are involved in the informal sector employment where 95% are women. We must evaluate women's progress through the yearly gender-budget reporting system.&rdquo;
Mustafa Kamal Akanda of COAST Foundation criticized the budget allocation for roads and highways, saying, &ldquo;The total budget for roads and highways is 875 billion Taka while there is no allocation for safety in the road. The number of deaths in road accidents in 2023 is 8,505.&rdquo;
Mir Mohammad Ali of Shere Bangla Agricultural University highlighted the challenges facing fisherfolk, explaining, &ldquo;Fisheries and aquaculture employed nearly 1.4 million people but the budget hardly considers how the poor fisherfolk survive during three to four fishing ban periods across the year.&rdquo;
Pradip K Roy of the Online Knowledge Society stressed the need for investment in skilled human resources, stating, &ldquo;The government must allocate enough budget for skilled human resources if we want to take advantage of the demographic dividend by 2040.&rdquo;
Abul Hasan of EquityBD pointed out, &ldquo;Internal climate-induced migration is one of the biggest challenges for Bangladesh. Even after five years of migration strategy paper is developed, not enough investment is declared on it.&rdquo;
Hasan Mehedi of CLEAN emphasized, &ldquo;The government&rsquo;s 8th FYP planned to achieve at least 10% renewable energy by 2025, now only 3%. The allocation for power in the upcoming budget is 450 billion Taka hardly has the allocation to achieve the target.&rdquo;
Rezaul Karim Chowdhury, the Chief Moderator of EquityBD, concluded, &ldquo;The entire budget process in Bangladesh is undemocratic. Even the participation of the parliament members in the budget process is questionable.&rdquo;
The event, moderated by Mustafa Kamal Akanda of COAST Foundation, featured speakers from various organizations, including Bangladesh Krishok Federation, CLEAN, CSRL, NDF, Online Knowledge Society, Sundarban Bachao Andolon, Young Change Makers, and Water Keepers Bangladesh.

Bangladeshi CSOs demand people-centric budget for 2024-25

Some Canadian provinces have logged a jump in unclaimed dead bodies in recent years, with next of kin citing funeral costs as a growing reason for not collecting loved ones' remains.
The phenomenon has prompted at least one province to build a new storage facility. Demand for memorial fundraisers has surged. The overall cost of a funeral in Canada at the top end has increased to about $8,800 from about $6,000 in 1998, according to industry trade group estimates.
In Ontario, Canada's most populous province, the number of unclaimed dead bodies rose to 1,183 in 2023 from 242 in 2013, said Dirk Huyer, the province's chief coroner.
In most of those cases, next of kin were identified but unable to claim the body for a variety of reasons, the most common being money. Finances went from being the reason for 20% of the total unclaimed bodies in 2022 to 24% in 2023.
"It's distressing because it's a person who has passed and there's nobody &ndash; family, friends, or others &ndash; that are in a position to be able to provide instructions or plans for that person after their death," Huyer said.
Officially, in Ontario, a body is deemed unclaimed after 24 hours. But the coroner's office staff may spend weeks trying to locate next of kin, he said. If the relatives confirm they are unable to claim a body, the local municipality works with a funeral home to provide a simple burial.
In the meantime the body is kept in a morgue or temperature-controlled storage facility.
"There's always been families that are in need of additional assistance. (But) I've never seen the number of unclaimed remains that currently exist," said Allan Cole, owner of the Toronto-based funeral home MacKinnon and Bowes.
In Quebec, the number of unclaimed bodies grew to 183 in 2023 from 66 in 2013. In Alberta, the number of bodies for whom no next of kin could be located to claim them rose to 200 in 2023 from 80 in 2016.
Historically, the Health Sciences Centre in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador did not encounter enough unclaimed remains to warrant long-term storage, a spokesperson for Newfoundland Health Services told Reuters.
Now, in the wake of an uproar over unclaimed bodies kept in freezers outside the hospital, the province is constructing a permanent storage unit to hold remains.
"People weren't claiming bodies because they realized they couldn't afford to bury them," said Jim Dinn, leader of the province's opposition New Democratic Party. "It's not about building a bigger storage unit: It's about addressing the underlying cause causing the accumulation of bodies and removing the barriers so people can have a dignified burial."
Location matters: An adult single grave with the Mount Pleasant Group on average costs $2,800, but the price in midtown Toronto was $34,000 as of April 1, according to the website of the cemetery, funeral and cremation provider across the Greater Toronto Area. The price excludes opening and closing of the grave, funeral, tombstone, taxes and other items.
A funeral can cost C$2,000 to C$12,000, said Funeral Services Association of Canada President Jeff Weafer, up from about C$1,800 to C$8,000 in 1998.
The number of memorial fundraisers on crowdfunding site GoFundMe has ballooned to 10,257 in 2023 from 36 in 2013, a spokesperson for the site said.
Government support for funerals has failed to keep pace with rising funeral costs, advocates have said. The federal government announced a C$2,500 top-up to the C$2,500 death benefit in the Canada Pension Plan in the April budget.
"Losing your life partner or spouse is devastating for a senior. It can also be an immense financial burden after a lifetime of hard work," Katherine Cuplinskas, press secretary for Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland, wrote in an email.
"That is why we are strengthening the Canada Pension Plan to provide a top-up to the death benefit."
That is not enough, Weafer said.
"This is not a respectful end for Canadians," he said. "The reason deceased individuals are going unclaimed by their families is about affordability."

In Canada, bodies go unclaimed as costs put funerals out of reach

President Mohammed Shahabuddin on Saturday stated that the defeated evil forces of foreign masters continue to make relentless efforts to tarnish the country's achievements even after 53 years of independence. He delivered this speech at the eighth council of the Ekattorer Ghatak Dalal Nirmul Committee at the Osmani Memorial Auditorium in the city.
&ldquo;After winning the bloody nine-month war under the leadership of the Father of the Nation, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, we forgot the torture, exploitation, and deprivation of the past. However, the anti-independence forces could not forget the despair of their defeat,&rdquo; he said.
He also mentioned that these evil forces are engaged in various conspiracies against the country and its freedom, collaborating with foreign powers in efforts to destabilize the spirit of the Liberation War.
Referring to the assassination of Bangabandhu along with his family on August 15, 1975, as part of a domestic-foreign conspiracy by the defeated forces of the Liberation War, he said, &ldquo;We could not save the Father of the Nation. It is our unforgivable failure as a nation.&rdquo;
President Shahabuddin said the anti-independence faction embarked on a series of conspiracies to destroy the spirit of the Liberation War and independence, attempting to erase the principles and ideals of Bangabandhu after coming to power. They took shameful steps to distort the history of the Liberation War and independence.
&ldquo;Whenever they get a chance, they want to strike like a poisonous snake. They do not believe in the country&rsquo;s development, democracy, human rights, or tolerance,&rdquo; he said.
He added that these forces want to use the country and its people for their own benefit and that of their local and foreign masters.
The President urged everyone to build an all-out resistance against the defeated forces of 1971 to continue the current development spree and maintain the country's independence and sovereignty.
&ldquo;There is no alternative to strong unity among all pro-liberation forces,&rdquo; he said, adding that everyone must work for the interests of the country and its people, putting aside individual and group interests.
He said those who spread negative propaganda about Bangladesh mainly aim to hinder its development journey.
Stressing the need to strengthen social bonds between religious and ethnic communities, he said any form of discrimination against citizens is against the rule of law.
&ldquo;It must be remembered that awareness, humanity, human rights, and respect for the beliefs and lifestyles of others strengthen social bonds among different groups in society,&rdquo; he added.
He urged the government as well as civil society to play an effective role in ensuring that no one is discriminated against regardless of religion, caste, or community.

Defeated evil force still active to tarnish country’s achievements: President

Bangladesh actively participated in the World Bank Land Conference 2024, held at the World Bank headquarters in Washington, DC from May 13 to 17. This marked Bangladesh&rsquo;s inaugural participation in the conference, during which it showcased the 'Smart Land Service' program.
The theme of the conference was &ldquo;Securing Land Tenure and Access for Climate Action.&rdquo;
About 1,500 representatives from government, non-government, and international organizations, academia, civil society, and various stakeholders discussed land ownership, land-related laws, land administration, and civil land services. They exchanged experiences, information, and knowledge at the conference.
Land Minister Narayon Chandra Chanda nominated Dr. Md. Jahid Hossain, Joint Secretary of the Digitization, Knowledge Management, and Performance (DKMP) Wing of the Ministry of Land, to represent Bangladesh at the Regional Operational Workshop session of the conference.
Under the direction of Land Ministry Secretary Md. Khalilur Rahman, it was decided to highlight the smart land management activities undertaken under Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's special initiative 'Digital Bangladesh' at the conference.
The conference provided an opportunity to learn about technical achievements, challenges, and innovations in individual management workshops for different countries and regions of the world. On the final day of the conference, May 17, a day-long workshop titled &ldquo;Breaking Barriers: Access to Land and Poverty Reduction and Climate Resilience&rdquo; was held at the World Bank Headquarters Main Complex C2 Hall. Bangladesh participated in the workshop along with various countries from the East Asia, Pacific, and South Asia regions.
Land Minister Narayon Chandra commented on Bangladesh's successful participation in the World Bank Land Conference 2024, saying, &ldquo;Our presence at this conference reflects our unwavering commitment to land reforms through 'Smart Land Management' and the 'Bangladesh Digital Survey' under the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. We will continue to work towards building a smart Bangladesh by providing citizens with land services using smart innovations.&rdquo;
Joint Secretary Jahid Hossain highlighted the 'Smart Land Service' programs of Bangladesh in the workshop. Currently, more than 10 land-related services are provided online to citizens through this program. He explained to the world how the digitization of land services has ensured the security and tenure of land ownership for millions of Bangladeshis.
At the conference, the initiatives of the Ministry of Land to increase citizen services and awareness in the land sector were highlighted. These initiatives include user-centric design, seamless integration with essential services, automation, efficient workflow management, critical analytics and reporting, robust digital security, and a commitment to an open data governance policy.
The Ministry of Land also shared information about plans for the integrated automation of registration, mutation, Khaitan (record of rights), and map updating following the transfer of land. Additionally, the increase in revenue in the land sector due to the digitization of land services was lauded at the conference.
The positive impact of the digitization of land services in Bangladesh on climate resilience, green growth, and urbanization generated significant interest among delegates from different countries. Bangladesh also gained valuable insights from the best practices of land management in other countries.
Notably, the Ministry of Land has already received international recognition by being awarded the United Nations Public Service Award in 2020 for the e-Mutation System and the ITU WSIS Prize in 2022 for the Digital Land Development Tax System.
The World Bank organizes the Land Conference as an international forum to direct and inform investments in the land sector, facilitate and advance multi-stakeholder dialogues and collaboration, advocate for evidence-driven policymaking, and share knowledge on emerging best practices and innovative research. The 2024 conference aimed to highlight effective strategies for securing land tenure and access in support of climate change mitigation and adaptation.

Bangladesh showcases smart land service initiatives at World Bank Land Conference 2024

Hundreds of protesters in Peru's capital marched on Friday to demand the scrapping of a new law that describes transgender people, among others, as having a mental illness so they can access health benefits.
Around 500 demonstrators peacefully walked the streets of downtown Lima, hoisting banners with slogans that read "No more stigmas" and "My identity is not a disease."
The law, which was approved administratively last week by the government of President Dina Boluarte, specifies that those who identify as transgender, along with "cross dressers" and "others with gender identity disorders," are considered to be diagnosed with "illnesses" that are eligible for mental health services via both public and private providers.
The protesters reached the health ministry offices, but no clashes were reported.
"Gender identities are no longer considered pathologies," said activist Gahela Cari Contreras, who accused Boluarte's government of trying to trample on the LGBTQ+ community's rights. "We're not going to let them."
Critics of the law have argued that its update of the country's PEAS health regulations was unnecessary, since existing rules already allowed for universal access to mental health services.
Government officials have sought to chalk up the controversy as a misunderstanding.
In a statement released shortly after the law was promulgated, the health ministry insisted that it rejects the stigmatization of LGBTQ+ people and that the legal language simply seeks to ensure more complete health coverage.
The ministry "categorically reaffirms respect for the dignity of the person and their free actions within the framework of human rights, providing health services for their benefit," according to the statement.
Despite the ministry's argument, the protesters were not persuaded and some medical experts advocated for the law to be corrected via an amendment.
"We don't see any need to incorporate diagnoses or pathologies that no longer exist into health insurance plans," said Pedro Riega Lopez, dean of Peru's CMP medical college and himself a doctor.

Peru protesters slam new insurance law that deems transgender people mentally ill

Taiwanese lawmakers shoved, tackled and hit each other in parliament on Friday in a bitter dispute about reforms to the chamber, just days before President-elect Lai Ching-te takes office without a legislative majority.
Even before votes started to be cast, some lawmakers screamed at and shoved each other outside the legislative chamber, before the action moved onto the floor of parliament itself.
In chaotic scenes, lawmakers surged around the speaker's seat, some leaping over tables and pulling colleagues to the floor. Though calm soon returned, there were more scuffles in the afternoon.
Lai, who is to be inaugurated on Monday, won January's election, but his Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lost its majority in parliament.
The main opposition party, the Kuomintang (KMT), has more seats than the DPP but not enough to form a majority on its own, so it has been working with small Taiwan People's Party (TPP) to promote their mutual ideas.
The opposition wants to give parliament greater scrutiny powers over the government, including a controversial proposal to criminalise officials who are deemed to make false statements in parliament.
The DPP says the KMT and TPP are improperly trying to force through the proposals without the customary consultation process in what the DPP calls "an unconstitutional abuse of power".
"Why are we opposed? We want to be able to have discussions, not for there to be only one voice in the country," DPP lawmaker Wang Mei-hui, representing the southern city of Chiayi, told Reuters.
Lawmakers from all three parties were involved in the altercations, and traded accusations about who was to blame.
The KMT's Jessica Chen, from the Taiwan-administered Kinmen islands that sit next to the Chinese coast, said the reforms were to enable better legislative oversight of the executive branch.
"The DPP does not want this to be passed as they have always been used to monopolising power," she told Reuters, wearing a military-style helmet.
Taiwan is a rambunctious democracy and fighting does on occasion take place in parliament. In 2020, KMT lawmakers threw pig guts onto the chamber's floor in a dispute over easing U.S. pork imports.
The clashes raise the prospect of more turmoil - and parliamentary conflict - ahead for Lai's new government after it takes office.
"I am worried," said the DPP's Wang.

Dramatic scenes In Taiwan parliament as MPs exchange blows, kicks

Bangladesh Bank (BB) has issued a clarification over recent reports regarding restrictions on journalists' entry to the central bank.
In a circular issued on Wednesday, the central bank stated that it considers disseminating information to the public a top priority.
In the clarification, it said the central bank appointed an executive director-level official as its spokesperson while two director-level officers were assigned as assistant spokespersons to provide information to the media.
It said any journalist could get information and take BB statements at the main building of the central bank during official hours through communication with the assigned officials.
In case of any special requirement, the journalists could get any information and explanation after collecting entry passes from the official concerned, it said.
At the same time, it said, the central bank kept on disseminating information through holding press conferences, issuing press releases and other ways on a regular basis.
Simultaneously, the BB had been regularly publishing all the economic information and data on its website to ensure free access to information, the BB statement said.

BB clarifies on journalists' access to central bank

Four people, including a woman and her son, were killed in separate incidents of lightning in Narsingdi. 
The incidents occurred in Charanchala Alok Bali Uttarpara and Hajipur, both in Sadar Upazila, around 10 am on Saturday, April 18.
The deceased are Sharifa Begum, 50, wife of Kamal Mia, her son Iqbal Hossain, 12, and Qayyum Mia, 22, son of Karam Ali, all residents of Alok Bali Uttarpara. Kamal Mia was seriously injured in the incident. Additionally, Moslehuddin, 50, died in Chakpara of Hajipur Union in Sadar Upazila.
Narsingdi Model Police Station Officer-in-Charge Tanveer Ahmed said all the victims were in agricultural fields harvesting paddy when the lightning strikes occurred.
He said Sharifa Begum and her son Iqbal died on the spot while Qayyum Mia died on the way to Sadar Hospital from his injuries.
Kamal Hossain is currently receiving treatment, he added.

Mother, son among 4 killed in Narsingdi lightning strikes

Health Minister Dr Samanta Lal Sen has sought support from the Oxford Vaccine Group at the University of Oxford to establish a vaccine centre in Bangladesh.
He recently visited the university where the AstraZeneca vaccine was developed during the Covid pandemic.
During the visit, the minister met with the Director of the Oxford Vaccine Group, Professor Sir Andrew Pollard F MedSci, and discussed opportunities for establishing cooperation to create a National Vaccine Project in Bangladesh for producing vaccines in the country, said the Bangladesh High Commission in London on Saturday.
The health minister highlighted the Bangladesh government's vision under Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to provide high-quality health services for all.
He also mentioned that her government aims to establish a vaccine centre in Bangladesh to produce vaccines.
Taking note of all the points raised by Minister Sen, Sir Andrew Pollard assured him of all cooperation in developing vaccines in Bangladesh.
The minister visited the drug discovery unit at Oxford University, where he met with senior researchers and high-ranking officials.
They discussed the potential for establishing a laboratory in Bangladesh for large-scale industrial production of vaccines.
They also talked about collaborating to provide training to scientists, doctors, and health professionals.
The minister met with Professor Sir David Warrell, a leading figure in tropical medicine and the founding director of the Centre for Tropical Medicine in Thailand at the invitation of the Thai king.
They discussed the prospect of producing antivenom in Bangladesh under EDCL to address the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Young researchers from Bangladesh who are studying in Oxford also attended the meeting.
Bangladesh High Commissioner to the UK accompanied the health minister during the visit and the meetings.
Health Minister Dr Sen was in the UK on an official visit to attend the Conference on &ldquo;International Response to Antimicrobial Resistance,&rdquo; organised by the UK Government and the Royal Society.

Bangladesh seeks support of Oxford Vaccine Group to establish vaccine centre

Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader questioned why a journalist would need to enter a central bank complex when all necessary information is available on the bank's website.
&ldquo;Which country in the world allows open entry to the central bank? Everything is available on the website. You need information. Why would you enter inside?&rdquo; said Quader, referring to the restriction on journalists&rsquo; entry to the Bangladesh Bank.
He made this comment at a press conference at the Awami League President&rsquo;s Dhanmondi office in Dhaka on Saturday (May 18).
When asked if the government was worried about the depletion of reserves from $48 billion to $13 billion, Quader said, &ldquo;Who told you that the reserves have declined to $13 billion? Did the media report so? We have our information.&rdquo;
When journalists mentioned that the Bangladesh Bank Governor stated that the reserves had declined to $13 billion, Quader replied, &ldquo;Then you should ask the governor how the reserves reached this stage. We have no idea. What we know is that the reserves are hovering between $19 billion and $20 billion.&rdquo;
In reference to the restriction on journalists' entry to the central bank, Quader said, &ldquo;Can anyone enter India&rsquo;s federal bank (Reserve Bank of India)? Why would they enter? Everything is available on the website. You need to know why you would have to enter the complex.&rdquo;
When informed that economists had expressed concern over the depletion of reserves to $13 billion, Quader said, &ldquo;How much were the reserves when we started our journey after independence? Did we have dollars? How much did the BNP leave for us when we took power? Only three billion. Now we have $19-$20 billion; is that a poor amount? Additionally, our export income and remittance are on the rise. The reserves will ultimately increase if earnings from exports and remittances rise.&rdquo;
He added, &ldquo;We don&rsquo;t consider one thing&mdash;how Bangladesh has made so much development and progress. This became possible due to the continuity and stability in the government, leading to development and achievements that have taken the world by surprise.&rdquo;
&ldquo;The people of this country are very close to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. She stood by the side of the frustrated people of this country and united the Awami League,&rdquo; Quader said.

Where on Earth is access to central bank open: Quader

At least 50 people are dead following a fresh bout of heavy rain and flooding in central Afghanistan, an official said on Saturday.
Mawlawi Abdul Hai Zaeem, the head of the information department for the central Ghor province, told Reuters that there was no information about how many people were injured in the rain spell that began on Friday, which had also cut off many key roads to the area.
Zaeem added that 2,000 houses were completely destroyed, 4,000 partially damaged, and more than 2,000 shops were under water in the province's capital, Feroz-Koh.
Last week, flash floods caused by heavy rains devastated villages in northern Afghanistan, killing 315 people and injuring more than 1,600, authorities said on Sunday.
On Wednesday, a helicopter used by the Afghan air force crashed due to "technical issues" during attempts to recover the bodies of people who had fallen into a river in Ghor province, killing one and injuring 12 people, the country's defence ministry said.
Afghanistan is prone to natural disasters and the United Nations considers it one of countries most vulnerable to climate change.
It has battled a shortfall in aid after the Taliban took over as foreign forces withdrew from the country in 2021, since development aid that formed the backbone of government finances was slashed.
The shortfall has worsened in subsequent years as foreign governments grapple with competing global crises and growing condemnation of the Taliban's curbs on Afghan women.

Fifty dead in heavy rain, floods in central Afghanistan, official says

Tourists normally have to pay big money and&nbsp;brave cold climates for a chance to see an aurora, but last weekend many&nbsp;people around the world simply had to look up to see these colourful displays&nbsp;dance across the sky.
Usually banished to the poles of Earth, the auroras strayed as far as Mexico,&nbsp;southern Europe and South Africa on the evening of May 10, delighting skygazers and filling social media with images of exuberant pinks, greens and purples.
But for those charged with protecting Earth from powerful solar storms such&nbsp;as the one that caused the auroras, a threat lurks beneath the stunning&nbsp;colours.
"We need to understand that behind this beauty, there is danger," Quentin&nbsp;Verspieren, the European Space Agency's space safety programme coordinator,&nbsp;told AFP.
Mike Bettwy of the US Space Weather Prediction Center said that "we're&nbsp;focused on the more sinister potential impacts" of solar storms, such as taking out power grids and satellites, or exposing astronauts to dangerous&nbsp;levels of radiation.
The latest auroras were caused by the most powerful geomagnetic storm since&nbsp;the "Halloween Storms" of October 2003, which sparked blackouts in Sweden and&nbsp;damaged power infrastructure in South Africa.
There appears to have been less damage from the latest solar storms, though&nbsp;it often takes weeks for satellite companies to reveal problems, Bettwy said.
There were reports that some self-driving farm tractors in the United States&nbsp;stopped in their tracks when their GPS guidance systems went out due to the&nbsp;storm, he told AFP.
- 'Definitely not over' -
These strange effects are caused by massive explosions on the surface of the&nbsp;Sun that shoot out plasma, radiation and even magnetic fields at incredibly&nbsp;fast speeds born on the solar wind.
The recent activity has come from a sunspot cluster 17 times the size of&nbsp;Earth which has continued raging over the week. On Tuesday it blasted out the&nbsp;strongest solar flare seen in years.
The sunspot has been turning towards the edge of the Sun's disc, so activity&nbsp;is expected to die down in the short term as its outbursts aim away from our&nbsp;planet.
But in roughly two weeks the sunspot will swing back around, again turning&nbsp;its gaze towards Earth.
In the meantime, another sunspot is "coming into view right now" which could&nbsp;trigger "major activity in the coming days", ESA space weather service&nbsp;coordinator Alexi Glover told AFP.
So the solar activity is "definitely not over", she added.
It is difficult to predict how violent these sunspots could be -- or whether&nbsp;they could spark further auroras.
But solar activity is only just approaching the peak of its roughly 11-year&nbsp;cycle, so the odds of another major storm are highest "between now and the&nbsp;end of next year", Bettwy said.
- What threat do solar storms pose? -
Geomagnetic storms such as the recent one create a magnetic charge of voltage&nbsp;and current, "essentially overloading" things like satellites and power&nbsp;grids, according to Bettwy.
The most famous example came in 1859 during the worst solar storm in recorded&nbsp;history, called the Carrington Event.
As well as stunning auroras, the storm caused sparks to fly off of telegraph&nbsp;stations. The charge that originated from the Sun was so strong that some&nbsp;telegraphs worked without being plugged into a power source.
So what would happen if such a powerful geomagnetic storm struck Earth again?
Bettwy said most countries have improved their power grids, which should&nbsp;prevent prolonged outages like those that hit Sweden in 2003 or Canada in&nbsp;1989.
Still, he suggested people have an emergency kit in case electricity is&nbsp;knocked out for a day or two. Fresh water might also help in case filtration plants go offline.
Astronauts are particularly at risk from radiation during extreme solar&nbsp;activity. Those on the International Space Station usually take the best&nbsp;shelter they can when a bad storm is expected.
Bettwy said a massive solar storm could expose astronauts to an "unhealthy&nbsp;dose" of radiation, but he did not think it would be lethal.
Emphasising that he did not want to "instil fear", Bettwy added that&nbsp;radiation can also potentially "get through the fuselage" of planes flying near the north pole.
Airlines sometimes change routes during extreme solar storms to avoid this&nbsp;happening, he added.
Several upcoming missions are expected to improve forecasting of the Sun's&nbsp;intense and unpredictable weather, aiming to give Earth more time to prepare.
If the ESA's Vigil mission, planned to launch in 2031, was in place today, it&nbsp;would give us far more information about the currently rotating sunspot, Glover said.

'Danger behind the beauty': More solar storms could be heading our way

Dhaka's green areas have decreased to 9% over the last 28 years, while wetlands have diminished to 2.9%, according to a study by the Bangladesh Institute of Planners (BIP). 
This information was disclosed at a day-long conference marking the 52nd founding anniversary of the Center for Urban Studies, Dhaka, held at the Jatiya Chitrashala Auditorium on Saturday (May 18).
The BIP report indicates that as Dhaka's green areas and wetlands have decreased, the city's gray areas and concrete structures have increased. This shift has exacerbated the urban heat island effect, raising temperatures in urban areas. The study suggests that the reduction in greenery is a primary factor contributing to the ongoing heat wave in the country.
Urban planning standards recommend that an ideal city should have 25% green areas and 10-15% water bodies. However, due to global warming, temperatures in various parts of Dhaka city have increased by 5 to 6 degrees Celsius in the past year, whereas the expected rise was only 1 to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
BIP research shows that Dhaka's concrete-covered area was 64.99% in 1999, increased to 77.18% in 2009, and reached 81.82% in 2019. This increase has disrupted the overall environmental balance of the city.
Professor Md. Iqbal Sarwar from the Department of Geography and Environmental Studies at Chittagong University highlighted the economic losses caused by heat waves, including decreased worker productivity, reduced agricultural output, disrupted industrial processes, and damage to infrastructure.
He noted that heat waves are considered extreme weather conditions with detrimental effects on human health. In 2024 alone, around 11 people have died across Bangladesh due to the severe heat wave.
The conference was presided over by Urban Research Center President Emeritus Prof. Nazrul Islam, with the chief guest being Minister of Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives, Tajul Islam. Speakers included Jahangirnagar University Professor Dr. Abul Kalam, BUET Professor Israt Islam, BIP President Adil Muhammad Khan, and Architect Iqbal Habib.

Dhaka's greenery shrinks to 9% in 28 years

A light rain drenched the capital on Saturday morning, offering city dwellers some relief from scorching heat.
The sky had been gloomy since early morning and the much-awaited downpour started around 8:30am.
Light rain was reported in different areas of the capital including Shyamoli, Jatrabari, Agargaon, Farmgate, Kawran Bazar, Asadgate, Mohammadpur, Dhanmondi, Jigatala, New Market, Kalyanpur and Banglamotor areas.
Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD) has predicted rains or thundershowers in different parts of the country including Dhaka in 24 hours commencing at 9am on Saturday.
&ldquo;Rain or thunder showers accompanied by temporary gusty or squally wind is likely at a few places over Dhaka, Mymensingh, Khulna, Chattogram and Sylhet divisions and at one or two places over Rajshahi, Rangpur and Barishal divisions with hails at isolated places,&rdquo; it said.

Light morning rain in parts of Dhaka brings some relief

The fire that broke out at the Dholaikhal branch of Mutual Trust Bank in Dhaka has been brought under control.&nbsp;
Five firefighting units from Sutrapur and Siddik Bazar fire stations doused the fire around 11:57am, Sutrapur fire station's Senior Station Officer Hasan Ali told the Bangladesh First.
The fire originated at 10:40am at the bank located on the second floor of a four-storey building in Dholaikhal.&nbsp;
Hasan Ali said it is suspected that a short circuit sparked the fire.

Fire at Mutual Trust Bank's Dholaikhal branch under control

Two workers were killed and 10 others injured when the truck they were riding in after harvesting paddy fell into a ditch in Tala upazila of Satkhira early on Saturday (May 18).&nbsp;
The incident occurred in the Harish Chandra Kati area on Tala-Paikgacha road.
The deceased are Saidul Islam, 38, son of Taleb Gazi from Baga village in Koira upazila, Khulna, and Monirul Islam, 30, son of Tofazzal Sardar from Madarbaria village in the same upazila.
Injured laborer Zahidul Islam said they had gone to Gopalganj to harvest paddy. After completing their work, they were returning home on a truck carrying the rice they had received as remuneration. Near the Harish Chandra Kati area, the truck overturned, causing two workers to be buried under the paddy sacks and die on the spot.
Zahidul added that at least ten people were injured in the accident.
Locals suggested that the accident might have been caused by holes dug for road expansion on both sides of the road.
Tala police station Officer-in-Charge Mominul Islam said the bodies of the deceased have been recovered and the injured were admitted to Tala Health Complex.

Paddy harvest: 2 workers killed, 10 injured as truck falls into ditch

A Malaysian recruitment company is being taken to the Industrial Court for failing to pay salary arrears amounting to Tk2.3 crore to 733 Bangladeshi workers.&nbsp;
Despite a directive issued by Malaysia's Human Resources Ministry on February 5 to settle the outstanding amount within 45 days, the company has not complied, reports The Star quoting a ministry statement on Friday (May 17).
The ministry said the case is being referred to the court under Section S69(4) of the Employment Act 1955. If found guilty, the employer could face fines of RM50,000 for each offence in addition to paying the arrears.
The claim proceedings revealed that although the workers were legally brought into the country, they were not provided with any jobs. The statement noted that ten investigation papers (IPs) have been opened on the company. Permission for prosecution has been obtained for four IPs, with further instructions pending on the others.
Additionally, the company's recruitment licence has been revoked, preventing it from accepting any new applications. Of the 733 affected workers, 692 have since secured employment through the Special Employers Exchange Process.
"The ministry will not compromise with any parties who flout labour laws and will ensure that the welfare of workers is always guaranteed," the statement concluded.

Malaysian firm faces court for unpaid wages to Bangladeshi workers

Dabney Coleman, a character actor who brought a glorious touch of smarm to the screen in playing comedic villains, mean-spirited bosses and outright jerks in films such as "9 to 5" and "Tootsie," has died at age 92.
Coleman "took his last earthly breath peacefully and exquisitely" in his Santa Monica, California home on Thursday, his daughter Quincy Coleman said in a statement on Friday on behalf of the family.
While best remembered for his arrogant, unctuous and uncaring characters, Coleman said it was all an act.
"It's me kidding around," Coleman once told the New York Times.
"That's just a guy that I'm playing, just to fool around, you know," he said.
Not all of Coleman's characters were cads. He won an Emmy playing a lawyer in the 1987 television movie "Sworn to Silence" and played Jane Fonda's decent dentist boyfriend in the 1981 film "On Golden Pond" and a federal security official in 1983's "War Games."
His final screen credit was playing John Dutton Sr. in the TV series "Yellowstone" in 2019.
Coleman was born on Jan. 3, 1932, in Austin, Texas. He studied law and served in the U.S. Army before trying acting.
His early work in the 1960s and 1970s included one-off roles in a variety of television shows, as well as a semi-regular part as Marlo Thomas' neighbor in "That Girl."
His first movie job was 1965's "The Slender Thread," directed by his acting teacher and friend, Sydney Pollack, who would later hire him for "Tootsie."
Coleman's breakout role - and the one he said was his favorite - came in 1976 on producer Norman Lear's TV series "Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman." He played Merle Jeeter, the creepy mayor who has an affair with the title character, in that soap-opera spoof and in spinoffs "Fernwood Tonight" and "Forever Fernwood."
His first big movie role - and the one that established his acting persona - was in 1980 as Franklin Hart, the sexist, egotistical business executive who harasses underlings played by Fonda, Dolly Parton and Lily Tomlin until they take him hostage and boost corporate productivity in "9 to 5."
Coleman was no more likeable two years later in "Tootsie" as a soap opera director who runs afoul of Dustin Hoffman's dressed-in-drag title character.
In 1983, he took the comic villain role even further in his first starring television role. In the short-lived sitcom "Buffalo Bill," he played a radio talk show host whose idea of a tender marriage proposal was: "You're better than 90 percent of those bimbos out there."
"It is fun to play those characters because they are so well-defined," Coleman told People magazine in 1983.
In the 1980s and 1990s, he also starred in the sitcoms "The Slap Maxwell Story" as a sportswriter, "Drexell's Class" as a corporate raider turned teacher and "Madman of the People" as a magazine columnist working for his daughter. None of the shows lasted more than two seasons.
More recent roles included HBO's "Boardwalk Empire" in 2010-11 as the man who once controlled Atlantic City, New Jersey. His part had to be rewritten when Coleman was diagnosed with throat cancer, which left him unable to speak at times.
A devoted tennis player, Coleman was twice married and divorced. He had four children with his second wife, actress Jean Hale.
"My father crafted his time here on earth with a curious mind, a generous heart, and a soul on fire with passion, desire and humor that tickled the funny bone of humanity," the statement from his daughter said.

Actor Dabney Coleman, villainous boss in '9 to 5,' dies at 92

Three Spanish tourists were killed and at least one Spaniard was injured in an attack by gunmen in Afghanistan's central Bamyan province, Spain's foreign ministry said on Friday.
Earlier on Friday, Taliban interior ministry spokesman Abdul Mateen Qaniee had said that three foreign tourists and one Afghan citizen had been killed in the attack.
Four foreign nationals and three Afghans were also injured in the attack when gunmen opened fire, he added. Four people have been arrested, he said.
The Spanish foreign ministry said that the consular emergency unit had been fully mobilised and the victims and their families were being assisted.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez wrote on social messaging platform X that he was "shocked by the news of the murder of Spanish tourists in Afghanistan". There was no immediate indication of why the attack happened.
Mountainous Bamyan is home to a UNESCO world heritage site and the remains of two giant Buddha statues which were blown up by the Taliban during their previous rule in 2001.
Since taking over Afghanistan in 2021 the Taliban have vowed to restore security and encourage a small but growing number of tourists trickling into the country and sell tickets to access the Buddha statues.
Friday's attack was among the most serious targeting foreign citizens since foreign forces left and the Taliban took over in 2021.
The Islamic State claimed an attack that injured Chinese citizens at a hotel popular with Chinese businessmen in Kabul in 2022.

Gunmen kill three Spanish tourists in Afghanistan's central Bamyan province

The White House said Friday that it had not seen any surprising advance in relations between China and Russia despite Vladimir Putin exchanging a hug with Xi Jinping on a visit to Beijing.
"Exchanging hugs? Well, that's nice for them," National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told a briefing when asked about the significance of photos showing the two US adversaries locked in an embrace.
"I'm not good at talking about personal human bodily affection one way or the other. I think I'll leave it to these two gents to talk about why they thought it was good to hug one another," said Kirby, a naval admiral known for his dry remarks from the podium.
The United States has repeatedly voiced concerns about Chinese companies supplying Russia with technology for its invasion of Ukraine.
But Kirby said Putin's visit did not seem to have secured any major advances in this regard and Washington had not seen Xi "rush" to assist Moscow's armed forces.
"We didn't see anything coming out of this meeting that we were necessarily surprised by," he said.
But he added that "I wouldn't go so far as to say we weren't concerned about this relationship and where it's going. "We're watching."
Putin arrived Thursday on his first trip abroad since his March re-election, meeting Xi for talks in which the leaders framed their nations' ties as a stabilizing force in a chaotic world.
&nbsp;

'Nice for them': White House jokes about Putin, Xi meeting

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in an interview with AFP on Friday warned Russia could intensify its offensive and said Kyiv would only accept a "fair peace" despite the West's calls for a quick solution.
Zelensky also repeated pleas for allies to send more air defence and fighter jets and said the "biggest advantage" for Russia was a ban on Ukraine using Western-donated weapons to strike Russian territory.
With a mobilisation law coming into force on Saturday, he admitted issues with staffing and "morale" in Ukrainian ranks, which have been often outgunned and outmanned as the third year of the war grinds on.
While Russian troops have made gradual advances in recent months, it has seen larger gains along the northeastern border in an offensive that began on May 10 in Kharkiv region.
But Zelensky said on Friday that Ukraine would hold its defensive lines and stop any major Russian breakthrough.
"No one is going to give up," said Zelensky, who has been the face of Ukraine's resistance against Russia since the invasion began in February 2022.
- 'Nonsense situation' -
Zelensky also rejected French President Emmanuel Macron's call for an Olympic truce during the Paris Games, saying it would hand an "advantage" to Moscow by giving it time to move around troops and artillery.
He said Ukraine and its Western allies had the "same values" but often "different views", particularly on what the end of the conflict might look like.
"We are in a nonsense situation where the West is afraid that Russia will lose the war. And it does not want Ukraine to lose it," Zelensky said.
"Everyone wants to find some model for the war to end faster," he said, when asked about the possibility of a scenario for ending hostilities like the one that established a dividing line on the Korean peninsula.
The president urged China and countries from the developing world to attend a peace summit with dozens of leaders being hosted by neutral Switzerland next month to which Russia has not been invited.
He said global players like China "have influence on Russia. And the more such countries we have on our side, on the side of the end of the war, I would say, the more Russia will have to move and reckon with."
The 46-year-old former comedian wore one of his trademark khaki outfits for the interview in Kyiv -- his first with foreign media since the start of Russia's Kharkiv region offensive.
"We want the war to end with a fair peace for us," while "the West wants the war to end. Period. As soon as possible. And for them, this is a fair peace," he said.
- 'First wave' of Russian offensive -
Zelensky said the situation in the Kharkiv region, where thousands of people have been forced to flee their homes, was "controlled" but "not stabilised".
An AFP estimate based on data from the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) showed Russian forces have advanced more than 278 square kilometres (107 square miles) in their offensive-- their biggest gains in a year and a half.
Zelensky said Russian troops had penetrated between five to 10 kilometres along the northeastern border before being stopped by Ukrainian forces.
Russia's offensive "could consist of several waves. There was the first wave" in Kharkiv region, he said.
Zelensky played down Russia's gains in the offensive so far but added: "We have to be sober and understand that they are going deeper into our territory. Not vice versa. And that's still their advantage."
- 'They are like a beast' - Speaking about the offensive during a visit to China on Friday, Russian President Vladimir Putin said it was a response to Ukraine shelling border regions.
"I said publicly that if this continues, we will be forced to create a security zone," he said. When asked whether Russia planned to capture the city of Kharkiv, which has over a million inhabitants, Putin said: "As for Kharkiv, there are no such plans as of today."
But Zelensky said that Russian forces "want to attack" the city although they realise it would be "very difficult".
"They understand that we have forces that will fight for a long time," he said.
He also said Russia did not have enough forces for "a full-scale offensive on the capital like the one they had at the beginning of the offensive".
But he emphasised that Ukraine and its Western allies should not show weakness and called for the deployment of two Patriot batteries to defend the skies over the Kharkiv region and show Ukraine's resilience.
"They are like a beast... If they feel a weakness somewhere in this direction, they will press on," he said.
- 'Biggest advantage' for Russia -
In the interview, he said Ukraine only had "about 25 percent of what we need" to defend the country in terms of air defence.
He also said "120 to 130" F-16 fighter jets or other advanced aircraft were needed "in order to have parity" with Russia.
He was highly critical of restrictions on striking Russian territory with Western arms, although Britain and the United States have hinted in recent days that these bans could be eased.
"They can fire any weapons from their territory at ours. This is the biggest advantage that Russia has. We can't do anything to their systems, which are located on the territory of Russia, with Western weapons," he said.
When asked about the issue during a visit to Ukraine this week, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that "ultimately Ukraine has to make decisions for itself about how it's going to conduct this war."
On a more personal note, Zelensky said his sense of professional pride and duty helped him keep going.
"I'm just a very responsible person. I was just raised to be such a person... I know that what I do, I have to do better than anyone else," he said.
But he said his comedy days were behind him: "I don't make anyone laugh. It seems to me that today it's the opposite."

Zelensky warns Russia could step up offensive: AFP interview

OpenAI on Friday confirmed that it has disbanded a team devoted to mitigating the long-term dangers of super-smart artificial intelligence.
OpenAI weeks ago began dissolving the so-called "superalignment" group, integrating members into other projects and research, according to the San Francisco-based firm.
Company co-founder Ilya Sutskever and team co-leader Jan Leike announced their departures from the ChatGPT-maker this week.
The dismantling of an OpenAI team focused on keeping sophisticated artificial intelligence under control comes as such technology faces increased scrutiny from regulators and fears mount regarding its dangers.
"OpenAI must become a safety-first AGI (artificial general intelligence) company," Leike wrote Friday in a post on X, formerly Twitter.
Leike called on all OpenAI employees to "act with the gravitas" warranted by what they are building.
OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman responded to Leike's post with one of his own, thanking him for his work at the company and saying he was sad to see Leike leave.
"He's right we have a lot more to do," Altman said. "We are committed to doing it."
Altman promised more on the topic in the coming days.
Sutskever said on X that he was leaving after almost a decade at OpenAI, whose "trajectory has been nothing short of miraculous."
"I'm confident that OpenAI will build AGI that is both safe and beneficial," he added, referring to computer technology that seeks to perform as well as -- or better than -- human cognition.
Sutskever, OpenAI's chief scientist, sat on the board that voted to remove fellow chief executive Altman in November last year.
The ousting threw the San Francisco-based startup into a tumult, with the OpenAI board hiring Altman back a few days later after staff and investors rebelled.
OpenAI early this week released a higher-performing and even more human-like version of the artificial intelligence technology that underpins ChatGPT, making it free to all users. "It feels like AI from the movies," Altman said in a blog post.
Altman has previously pointed to the Scarlett Johansson character in the movie "Her," where she voices an AI-based virtual assistant dating a man, as an inspiration for where he would like AI interactions to go.
The day will come when "digital brains will become as good and even better than our own," Sutskever said during a talk at a TED AI summit in San Francisco late last year.
"AGI will have a dramatic impact on every area of life."

OpenAI disbands team devoted to artificial intelligence risks

Nicholas Pooran starred in Lucknow Super Giants' 18-run victory over pre-tournament favourites Mumbai Indians in the last game of a disappointing Indian Premier League season for both teams Friday.
The maverick West Indies' wicketkeeper-batsman hit eight sixes in his 29-ball 75 to take Lucknow to 214-6 after Mumbai skipper Hardik Pandya won the toss and chose to field first.
Mumbai crashed to 196-6 despite an impressive start by openers Rohit Sharma and Dewald Brevis in their rain-interrupted chase.
Pandya said that it was "quite difficult" for five-time champions Mumbai, who finished the 10-team league in last spot.
"This season we didn't play good quality cricket and it cost us the whole season," Pandya said.
Lucknow too failed to qualify for the playoffs and ended the tournament in sixth spot.
Captain KL Rahul said that it was "very disappointing".
He blamed mid-season injuries to key players and said that they "didn't play well enough collectively and couldn't come together" as a team.
Earlier, Nuwan Thushara got Mumbai off to a great start and removed opener Devdutt Padikkal for a first ball duck.
Padikkal's partner Rahul stitched together a 48-run partnership with Australia's Marcus Stoinis, who fell to Piyush Chawla's leg-spin for a 22-ball 28 in the sixth over.
Chawla also removed Deepak Hooda (11) to reduce Lucknow to 69-3 by the 10th over.
Thushara finally removed Pooran in the 17th over to end his match-defining, 109-run partnership with Rahul.
He also removed rookie Arshad Khan (0) in the same over and finished with 3-28 in his four-over spell.
Chawla removed Rahul, who took 41 balls for his 55 runs, in the 18th over and finished with 3-29.
Key unbeaten cameos by Ayush Badoni (22) and Krunal Pandya (12) took Lucknow to 214-6.
Mumbai's openers took their team to 88 before Brevis fell for 23 in the ninth over.
India skipper Sharma top-scored with a 38-ball 68 with 10 fours and three sixes before he fell in the 11th over.
In between, Mumbai also lost their best T20 batsman, Suryakumar Yadav, for 0 and were reduced to 97-3 while out-of-form skipper Pandya fell for 16.
Indian rookie Naman Dhir hit five sixes and four fours in his unbeaten 28-ball 62.
Leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi, who removed Sharma, and Afghanistan's Naveen-ul-Haq, who removed Brevis, took four key Mumbai wickets between them.

Pooran powers Lucknow to dead-rubber IPL win over hapless Mumbai

Speedster Shaheen Afridi believes Pakistan will come good in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2024 after missing out on success in the recent editions and has a good opportunity to win their second title.
Speaking to the PCB Podcast, the left-arm speedster opined that Pakistan were close to success after recent near misses in the 2021 and 2022 edition, reports ICC.
"It's not possible that you put in the hard yards, and you don't get the results. Like Lahore Qalandars put in the hard work for six years [in PSL]," Shaheen said. "They did the player development program as well and despite finishing at the bottom in the early years, they won back-to-back tournaments recently.
"And the Pakistan team is in a similar process, we're very close to achieving [T20] World Cup glory."
Shaheen recalled the previous two events, where Pakistan did well before faltering at the closing stages.
Shaheen was a central character in both the contests. In the 2021 Men's T20 World Cup semi-final, he was taken to the cleaners by Matthew Wade in the 19th over as Australia emerged as the eventual winners.
In the final of 2022, he injured his knee while fielding and couldn't complete his spell against England. His absence was felt as Pakistan were a bowler short and England managed to overcome a middle-over stutter to win their second title.
"You're disheartened if you get so close and still lose the World Cup. Both events were painful. We were hurt after the first loss [2021] and in the second event, I couldn't help the side because I was injured. I tried my best to come back [on the field] but I wasn't allowed to do so."
However, Shaheen added that this time, Pakistan are ready to overcome the disappointments of the previous events.
"Our efforts during the World Cup is to play in a united fashion. This isn't a time for disagreements. Everyone should follow the same process in a united way to achieve a singular goal."
Recalling newly appointed white-ball coach Gary Kirsten's words, Shaheen said the focus was on playing as a team over individual performances.
"Gary [Kirsten] told us, don't play for the name on the back of your jersey but for the badge in front of your shirt. And that stayed with me."
When asked about Pakistan's historic maiden T20 World Cup win against India in 2021, during which Shaheen played a crucial role with the wickets of India's top-order batters, the left-arm pacer recalled that he had contacted Pakistan legend Shahid Afridi before the game for advice.
"I called up Lala (Shahid Afridi) as his performance has always been the best against India. He advised me not to take any pressure, and to give my best. To ensure that my presence is felt on the field, to give my best in all departments: bowling, batting or fielding.
"So we tried our best, and achieved success."
Recalling his three crucial scalps, namely of Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul and Virat Kohli, Shaheen said the breakthroughs turned the game in favour of Pakistan.
"If you pick the first three wickets against any side, you essentially break their back because the top three are very important to set the tone.
"It's always my effort to attack more [with the new ball], and that's what I tried because if you get the early wickets you make it easier for your bowlers because the openers cannot get set and make the most of later overs."
After losing to Pakistan in 2021, India won their rematch in 2022 on the back of a brilliant 82* from Kohli. The two sides will meet again in the 2024 event on June 9 in New York.

We’re very close to achieving World Cup glory: Shaheen Afridi

Thirteen Western countries, including many traditionally supportive of Israel, appealed to it Friday not to launch a large-scale offensive on Rafah.
"We reiterate our opposition to a full-scale military operation in Rafah that would have catastrophic consequences on the civilian population," read the appeal, sent by the countries' foreign ministers to their Israeli counterpart Israel Katz and made public.
The signatories were Australia, Britain, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea and EU member states Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Sweden.
The ministers welcomed recent measures adopted by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's cabinet to improve the flow of international aid into Gaza, but called for "further steps".
"We urge the Government of Israel to let the humanitarian aid enter into the Gaza strip through all relevant crossing points, including the one in Rafah," they said.
They called on Israel to take "concrete action for the protection of civilians, international and local humanitarian aid workers and journalists".
The appeal also called for "a sustainable ceasefire".
The ministers urged Israel to "open all possible overland supply routes into Gaza" for aid, to "resume electricity, water and telecommunication services", and boost significantly "the supply of critically needed goods... particularly medical supplies".
Finally, they called on Israel to "facilitate further evacuations by issuing exit permits for all our citizens, eligible persons, and Palestinians admitted to relocate for humanitarian or medical reasons abroad".
Eight months after the start of the war, Israel is vowing to intensify its ground offensive in Rafah despite international concerns for the hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians in the southern city.
The Israeli siege of Gaza has brought dire shortages of food as well as safe water, medicines and fuel for its 2.4 million people.
The arrival of occasional aid convoys has slowed to a trickle since Israeli forces took control last week of the Gaza side of the Rafah crossing.
The war broke out after the October 7 attack on southern Israel which resulted in the deaths of more than 1,170 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of Israeli official figures.
Out of 252 people taken hostage that day, 128 are still being held inside Gaza, including 38 who the army says are dead.
Israel vowed in response to crush Hamas and launched a military offensive on Gaza, where at least 35,303 people have been killed since the war erupted, according to data provided by the health ministry of Hamas-run territory.

13 Western countries urge restraint from Israel over Rafah

A 40-year-old school teacher was beaten to death allegedly by his cousins over a land dispute in Mymensingh's Phulpur upazila on Friday.
The victim was identified as Sajjat Hossain Kamal, &nbsp;headmaster of Gowatla Raghurampur Government Primary School.
The incident took place at Puran Nagar village of Baola Union of the upazila around 11am on Friday.
Locals said Kamal had a long-standing dispute with his uncle Abul Khair and his cousin Zakaria Gong over a piece of land.
On Friday morning, when &nbsp;Kamal went to irrigate the disputed land, his cousins beat him mercilessly, leaving him seriously injured.
He was rushed to Phulpur Upazila Health Complex where doctors declared him dead on arrival.
Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Phulpur Police Station Mahbubur Rahman said police visited the spot after receiving the information.
The body was recovered and sent to Mymensingh Medical College morgue for an autopsy.
Police have detained three people including the cousin and aunt of Kamal for questioning, added the officer.

Headmaster beaten to death

Two cousins drowned in a pond at Mominpara area of Gomstapur upazila in Chapainawabganj district on Friday afternoon.
The deceased were identified as Farhana, 4, daughter of Mofizul Islam, and Fahim Ali, 3, son of Dawud Ali of the upazila.
Moin Uddin, sub-inspector (SI) of Gomstapur police station said that two children fell into the water body in the absence of family members when they were playing on the bank of the pond near their house at around 12:30pm.
At one stage of a frantic search that followed the discovery that they were missing, the bodies of the children were found floating in the pond.
"As there was no complaint from the families of the victims, the bodies were handed over in the afternoon," said the SI.

Two minor cousins drown in C'nawabganj village pond

Former Manchester United and Manchester City striker Carlos Tevez on Friday quit as coach of Argentinian club Independiente.
According to local media, the former Argentina international will lead the club for the last time on Sunday against Platense for the second match of the championship.
Tevez's departure comes after the club failed to qualify for the final phase of the Argentine League Cup and lost their first league match of the season 3-1 at home to Talleres de Cordoba.
The 40-year-old arrived at Independiente, a club from the province of Buenos Aires, last August and saved them from relegation.
His record was 14 wins, 11 draws and six defeats in 31 matches.
Despite a rich history seven-time Copa Libertadores winners Independiente are also struggling off the pitch with a financial crisis.
Before Independiente, Tevez made his coaching debut in 2022 with Rosario Central, resigning after five months due to differences with club management.
Tevez's playing career included successful stints in the Premier League with both Manchester clubs, as well as a spell with Juventus in Italy before his third and final playing contract with Boca Juniors.
At Manchester United he won two Premier League titles and the 2008 Champions League.
He helped Manchester City win the 2011-12 Premier League, their first English league title since 1968.
At international level he won 76 caps for Argentina, and was a member of the 2004 Olympic gold medal-winning team.

Tevez quits as Independiente coach

China announced "historic" steps on Friday to stabilise its crisis-hit property sector, with the central bank facilitating 1 trillion yuan ($138 billion) in extra funding and easing mortgage rules, and local governments set to buy "some" apartments.
Investors hoped the measures marked the beginning of more decisive government intervention to compensate for waning demand for new and old apartments, to slow down falling prices and to reduce a growing stock of unsold homes.
Analysts have long called for the government to step in with its own purchases to prop up a sector which at its peak accounted for a fifth of GDP and remains a major drag on the world's second-biggest economy.
Since the property market began its steep downturn in 2021, a string of developers have defaulted, leaving scores of idle construction sites behind, and sapping confidence in what had for decades been the preferred savings instrument for the Chinese population.
China Real Estate Newspaper, a publication managed by the housing ministry, said the "heavyweight policies" marked "a significant historic moment" for the sector.
China's CSI 300 Real Estate index of shares jumped 9.1% on the announcements.
"It's a bold step," said Raymond Yeung, chief Greater China economist at ANZ, of the measures.
"The biggest problem is whether the government purchase programme will induce private sector demand. Clearing inventory will increase cash flow to developers and help their financial stability, but it does not address private sector confidence."
After waves of support measures over the past two years failed to put a floor under the property sector, China's housing ministry said local governments can instruct state-owned firms to buy "some" homes at "reasonable" prices.
Municipal financing vehicles, blamed for what Beijing calls "hidden debt," won't be allowed to buy.
The homes would be used to provide affordable housing, Vice Premier He Lifeng said, without giving a timeline or a target for the purchases.
He also said local governments, already some $9 trillion in debt, can repurchase land sold to developers, and promised that authorities will "fight hard" to complete stalled projects.
LARGE INVENTORY
China's central bank said it would set up a relending facility for affordable housing that it says would result in 500 billion yuan worth of bank financing. It would also further lower mortgage interest rates and downpayment requirements.
Additionally, it would make another 500 billion yuan available in its pledged supplementary lending facility to support policies including the redevelopment of some urban areas with older dwellings.
Officials did not provide an estimate of the total cost of state-directed housing purchases.
Goldman Sachs estimates saleable housing inventory at 13.5 trillion yuan at the end of 2023.
There were 391 million square metres (4.2 billion square feet) of new housing for sale in January-April, up 24% year-on-year, the latest official data show.
Analysts at Tianfeng Securities estimate it will cost around $1 trillion to buy the entire stock.
"The policies on clearing inventory are considered quite powerful compared to all previous ones," said a senior executive at a defaulted Shanghai-based developer, speaking on condition of anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the topic.
"Psychologically, it'd let investors think the government is 'paying the bill', and it is shifting the risks from property to banks and local governments."
Since the property market soured in 2021, China has lowered interest rates and down payments, while most cities have eased or removed prior purchase restrictions.
A whitelist developer funding programme for project completion is also struggling to get traction.
And a campaign flagged by Chinese authorities at a key political meeting last month to encourage people to replace their old apartments with new ones is off to a poor start.
Longer-term questions about housing demand persist in a country facing a severe demographic downturn and where 96% of households already own at least one home.
POOR DATA
The stock market's upbeat market reaction to the new measures contrasted with the harsh reality on the ground, highlighted by poor housing data earlier on Friday and a Hong Kong court hearing of a petition seeking the liquidation of embattled developer Country Garden.
The hearing was adjourned for Jun 11. Another major developer, China Evergrande, was ordered to be liquidated in January.
New home prices fell for a 10th consecutive month in April, by 0.6% month-on-month, the fastest decline since November 2014. Separate data showed property investment in the first four months of 2024 falling 9.8% from a year earlier.
Property sales by floor area in January-April logged a 20.2% slide year-on-year, while new construction starts fell 24.6%. Funds raised by developers were also down 24.9% year-on-year.
"Record high housing inventory and liquidity pressure on developers threaten financial stability ... and the still frail economic recovery," said Rocky Fan, economist at Guolian Securities.
"The policies seem to be designed to prevent further fallout of the property crisis, but it will take time to reverse the downward trend."

China unveils 'historic' steps to stabilise crisis-hit property sector

The napkin on which Barcelona promised to sign Lionel Messi when he was a 13-year-old has been sold for 762,400 pounds ($969,000, auction house Bonhams said on Friday.
The napkin was signed in December, 2000 by Barca's former sporting director Carles Rexach and transfer advisor Josep Minguella along with Argentine agent Horacio Gaggioli over lunch at a tennis club.
Messi became one of Barcelona's greatest players, winning over 30 trophies and leaving the Catalan club as their all-time leading scorer with 672 goals.
He also won a record eight Ballon d'Or awards for the world's best player and led Argentina to the World Cup crown in 2022. Messi now plays for U.S. club Inter Miami in Major League Soccer.
"Yes, it's a paper napkin, but it's the famous napkin that was at the inception of Lionel Messi's career," Ian Ehling, the head of fine books and manuscripts at Bonhams New York, said in a statement.
"It changed the life of Messi, the future of FC Barcelona, and was instrumental in giving some of the most glorious moments of football to billions of fans around the globe."

Napkin used by Barcelona to sign Messi sold for nearly $1 million

Massimiliano Allegri was sacked by Juventus on Friday after exploding with anger during his team's midweek Italian Cup triumph.
Juve said in a statement that they had dismissed Allegri for "certain behaviour during and after the Italian Cup final that the club deemed incompatible with its values".
The Serie A club won their 15th Italian Cup on Wednesday night but Allegri burst into a rage, first being sent off in the final minutes after ranting at match officials and then dismissively waving away sporting director Cristiano Giuntoli during the post-match celebrations.
He is also alleged to have manhandled and threatened the chief editor of newspaper Tuttosport before the post-match press conference.
Juve had already been widely rumoured to be replacing Allegri with Bologna coach Thiago Motta in the summer, but were pushed to announce their decision with two matches of the season remaining.
Juventus sit fourth in Serie A after collecting just 15 points in their last 15 league matches and are at Bologna on Monday night, with the two teams level on 67 points and already qualified for next season's revamped Champions League.
The Turin giants did not specify whether they had dismissed Allegri with just cause, a move which would potentially save the club from paying Allegri the remaining year of his contract, worth around seven million euros before bonuses.
The Italian Football Federation's disciplinary tribunal has launched an investigation into Allegri, who on Thursday was given an automatic two-match ban in the cup for his straight red card but could receive further punishment.

Juventus sack coach Allegri after Italian Cup rampage

About a month before Taiwan's January presidential election, China began sending intruders over the Taiwan Strait: more than 100 balloons, some of which passed through the island's airspace or busy, Taipei-controlled air corridors for civil aviation.
Experts say the balloons could be psychological warfare, carry surveillance tools or simply gather meteorological data. On some days, as many as eight were detected within a few hours; at other times, weeks passed without any balloons at all. In the week leading up to Taiwan's presidential election on Jan. 13, an average of three balloons were spotted each day.
Then on April 11, they stopped altogether.
The increased frequency has raised alarms both domestically and abroad.
A senior Taiwanese security official briefed on the matter said Chinese balloon flights near Taiwan took place on an "unprecedented scale" in the weeks leading up to Taiwan's elections and described the incidents as part of a Chinese pressure campaign &ndash; so-called grey-zone warfare designed to exhaust a foe using irregular tactics without open combat.
Taiwan inaugurates its new president, Lai Ching-te, on May 20. China, which views democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory despite the island's objections, has a strong dislike of Lai, believing him to be a dangerous "separatist", whose repeated offers of talks it has rejected, including one in May.
China's defence ministry did not respond to a request for comment.
China's Taiwan Affairs Office referred Reuters to its comment on Jan 31, in which it dismissed complaints about the balloons, saying they were for meteorological purposes and should not be hyped up for political reasons.
Before Dec 8, balloon data was not public, making historical comparisons impossible.
But Jan Jyh-horng, the deputy head and spokesperson of the Mainland Affairs Council, Taiwan's top China policy-making body, told Reuters that in the past, a balloon would be spotted "maybe once a month".
Between December 2023 and April 2024, more than four balloons were detected on eight separate days. In total, just over a hundred balloons were flown during that period.
Three Taiwanese officials briefed on the matter confirmed that the number of Chinese balloons had increased significantly in recent months. The majority are weather balloons collecting atmospheric data, including wind, temperature and humidity, they said, but Taiwan still sees them as Chinese harassment.
The balloons have flown at an altitude of 11,000 to 38,000 feet, with a mean altitude of 22,294 feet &ndash; well under the usual altitude for meteorological balloons. According to the US National Weather Service, weather balloons typically reach altitudes of more than 100,000 feet.
"Sending them over at that kind of altitude is dangerous," said Alexander Neill, strategic adviser on Indo-Pacific geopolitics formerly at the International Institute for Strategic Studies and the Royal United Services Institute. "You are within air traffic corridors, and the potential for a collision is concerning."
Jan agreed, saying the balloons are threats to aviation safety.
"They fly very slowly while planes move speedily," he said. "It could be too late when they were spotted, if they were sucked into the engines."
China's most frequent form of "grey zone" activity has been the almost daily air force and navy missions in the waters and skies around Taiwan, forcing the island's armed forces to repeatedly scramble to see off the intruders.
Other tactics Taiwanese officials have expressed concern about include sand dredging close to the Taiwan-controlled Matsu islands, which sit near the Chinese coast.
A second senior Taiwanese senior security official said, citing intelligence gathered by Taiwan, that the data potentially collected by the balloons would be useful for the PLA's rocket forces, because atmospheric factors could affect missile launches.
"If China was planning to mount an air assault onto Taiwan, they would need to understand the meteorological conditions and wind patterns of the island," Neill said.
Wang Ting-yu, a senior lawmaker for Taiwan's ruling Democratic Progressive Party and chair of parliament's foreign affairs and defence committee, told Reuters balloons are hard for military radars to detect unless their sensitivity is set to high levels.
But ultra-sensitive radars are likely to spot objects such as birds, and as a result, Taiwan's military might miss other vital targets such as incoming missiles.
"It's a challenging task," he said.
Raymond Kuo, director of the RAND Corporation's Taiwan Policy Initiative, says he thinks the purpose of the balloons is primarily psychological.
"I personally am sceptical of what additional intelligence China could get from balloons that they couldn't get from other platforms," Kuo said. "I think they're mostly meant to signal to Taiwan that they can't even defend their airspace."

Tracking China's 'grey zone' balloon flights over Taiwan

Aid trucks began moving through a temporary U.S.-built pier off the Gaza Strip on Friday, amid growing international pressure to get more supplies into the besieged coastal enclave, where hundreds of thousands face an acute humanitarian crisis.
U.S. President Joe Biden announced the plan for the pier in March as aid officials implored Israel to improve access for relief supplies into Gaza over land routes.
Below is a timeline of events leading to the arrival of the pier off Gaza.
March 7 - Biden says in his State of the Union speech the U.S. military will build a temporary port on Gaza's Mediterranean coast to receive humanitarian aid by sea. The announcement came as he seeks to cool anger among many in his Democratic Party over his support for Israel in its offensive in Gaza since Oct. 7, given the steep toll on civilians.
March 8 - The Pentagon says Biden's plan could take up to 60 days to become a reality and involve more than 1,000 American troops. Officials say a floating pier would be installed in place off Gaza and attached to land by a temporary causeway. Aid will be shipped to it from Cyprus where Israeli officials will inspect it, as they currently do at the land borders, to stop anything going into Gaza that they deem to have a possible military use.
April 3 - The U.S. State Department says an attack that killed seven World Central Kitchen aid workers on April 1 would not affect U.S. efforts to build the pier.
April 25 - A United Nations team in Gaza visiting the site for the pier and the staging area for maritime aid operations had to seek shelter in a bunker "for some time" after the area came under fire, a U.N. spokesperson says.
April 25 - The Pentagon says U.S. troops have begun construction of the pier off the coast of Gaza, as international officials warn of the risk of famine in northern Gaza. Concerns about the risk to American troops getting caught up in the Israel-Hamas war were underscored as news emerged of a mortar attack near the area where the pier will eventually touch ground. No U.S. forces were present, however, and Biden has ordered U.S. forces to not step foot on the Gaza shore.
April 29 - A U.S. defense official says cost estimate to build the pier has risen to $320 million, illustrating the massive scale of a construction effort.
May 1 - The Pentagon says the U.S. military has so far constructed over 50% of the pier, which has several different components. "The floating pier has been completely constructed and setup. The causeway is in progress," a spokesperson said.
May 2 - White House says the pier should be open within a matter of days, despite poor weather hampering preparations.
May 3 - The U.S. military said it was temporarily pausing the offshore construction of the pier because of weather conditions and instead would continue building it at the Israeli port of Ashdod.
May 9 - The U.S. flagged vessel Sagamore carrying aid to be unloaded at the pier sets sail from the port of Larnaca, Cyprus in the morning.
May 15 - A British shipment of nearly 100 tonnes of aid has left Cyprus bound for the temporary pier, the British Foreign Office says.
May 15 - The U.S. military starts moving the pier towards the Gaza coast, a U.S. official says.
May 16 - The pier is anchored to a beach in Gaza.
May 17 - The U.S. Central Command said trucks carrying humanitarian assistance began moving ashore via the pier at 9 a.m. local time (0600 GMT).

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