Kate, the Princess of Wales, has apologized for “confusion” caused by her editing of a family photo released by the palace. In a post on social media, Kate said that “like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing.” “I wanted to express my apologies for any confusion the family photograph we shared yesterday caused,” the post said. The Associated Press and other news agencies withdrew the photo of Kate and children George, Charlotte and Louis, which was issued by Kensington Palace on Sunday to mark Mother’s Day in Britain. It appeared to have been manipulated, in violation of AP photo guidelines. The palace said the photo was taken by Prince William. It was the first official photo of Kate since her abdominal surgery nearly two months ago, and followed weeks of speculation about her whereabouts. Designed to quell speculation, it has sparked even more conjecture.

Four members of a family died from electrocution in Nandail upazila of Mymensingh on Saturday afternoon (Dec 30). The deceased were identified as Jamal Uddin, 32, his mother Anwara Begum, 65, and two daughters Anika Akter, 4, and Faiza, 6. The heart touching incident took place in Ghoshpala village under Chandipasha union around 3:30 pm, the union chairman Sahab Uddin Bhuiyan told. He said, "Jamal Uddin came in contact with a live wire while charging his auto-rickshaw. His mother and two daughters also came in contact with wire when they tried to save him." Nandail Police Station sub-inspector Sujan Mia said police recovered the bodies.

At least 5 people injured at Rupganj in Narayanganj in the explosion caused by gas line leakage. The incident occured in Aukabo Bazar on Friday night. The injured are Hasoon Banu (55), her husband Ali Ahmed (65), son Omar Farooq (18), daughter Sahara Begum (24) and brother Sonuddin (45). Hashun Banu's nephew said in the hospital. Noore Alam said that they live on the ground floor of the house in Rupganj. Hasoon Banu is a housewife, her husband and brother have a dry shop in Gauchia Bazar.  Apart from this, daughter Sahara is disabled and son Omar Farooq works in local Anupam Garments.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina paid glowing tributes to the martyred family members of Bangabandhu including Shaheed Sheikh Russell. PM along with her younger sister Sheikh Rehana paid homage to them by placing wreath at Banani graveyards on Sheikh Russell Day coinciding with the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's youngest son's 60th birthday.   Earlier, Sheikh Hasina and her younger sister Sheikh Rehana went to the Banani graveyards in the morning. They also offered fateha and joined a special munajat there, seeking eternal peace of the departed souls of Bangabandhu, Bangamata and other martyrs of the August 15 carnage. Later, the two daughters of Bangabandhu spread flower petals on the graves of the martyrs. The 60th birthday of Sheikh Russell, a student of class four at University Laboratory School, is being observed today as the Sheikh Russell Day. Russell, also the youngest brother of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, was born on October 18 in 1964 at the historic Bangabandhu Bhaban on Dhanmondi road number 32 in the capital. He was brutally killed along with most of his family members, including his father Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, on August 15, 1975. The Cabinet Division in 2021 declared October 18, the birthday of Sheikh Russell, as 'Sheikh Russell Day' under the category "Ka".

World Resources Institute (WRI), on Friday, launched its flagship geospatial platform-Energy Access Explorer (EAE) for the state of Nagaland in Kohima. This makes Nagaland the third state in India to have access to the platform. EAE is a geo-spatial platform that provides data on electricity, health, education and livelihood indicators in the regions. It aims to assist policymakers, entrepreneurs and governments to decide the least cost and most sustainable energy access solutions for unserved and underserved communities to accelerate development. Chairman of Investment and Development Authority of Nagaland (IDAN) and Advisor to Chief Minister, Abu Metha who graced the occasion observed that data collection in a state like Nagaland can be challenging due to connectivity and accessibility issues. He appreciated the WRI for taking the initiative to cover Nagaland, as the Northeast region is often a forgotten part of India. Metha also informed that an expert committee has been set up under IDAN to work on a roadmap for economic progress for the state. The committee, which consists of experts and policymakers, will present its findings to the Chief Minister, who will then notify the Prime Minister. In this regard, Metha emphasized the need for energy roadmaps in Nagaland. He said that the state is pressing for the need to have sustainable energy, and that energy roadmaps would help to guide the state towards this goal. “EAE is going to play a vital role in the development of the state and will bring a new narrative for the state of Nagaland. When we talk about progress and development, one of the backbones is energy. Without energy, no progress is possible. We look forward to strengthening our partnership with WRI India so that we can collectively share knowledge and move towards our collective aspirations,” he added. The WRI India submitted a Letter of Intent for future collaborations to the IDAN chairman. According to WRI India, about a third of Nagaland’s 434 sub-health centers and 12% of 2074 public schools do not have access to electricity. As several of them are in remote regions, WRI suggested that deploying innovative solutions to meet such demands of social infrastructure is key for the state’s equitable development. Director of Health and Family Welfare, Dr Chekroshüyi Tetseo, the state have 12 district hospitals, 33 Community Health Centres (CHCs), 144 Primary Health Centres (PHCs), and 538 Sub centres (SC) out of which 301 have been upgraded as Health and wellness centres (HWC). He informed that the state government is making efforts to upgrade all sub centres to HWCs. All of these health care facilities, he said, is equipped with refrigerators for storing essential medicines and vaccines and require 24X7 power supply. The district hospitals, he added, have sophisticated equipment like ventilators, cardiac monitor, oxygen plant and so on which require adequate and regular power supply. “Most of these equipment are sensitive and  prone to damages if  the quality of power supply is not good. So mapping of energy requirement for our hospitals health centers going to be vital to run our equipment smoothly and I am glad to know that the EAE the tool to do that,” he said. As the healthcare facilities cannot solely rely on electricity, Dr Tetseo observed that there is need to explore the potential of generating renewable source of energy like solar and wind. He informed that solar panels has been put at district hospitals, including some CHC’s through the NHP(World bank), however, as the state mulls to cover PHCs, HWCs, and sub centres, he requested IDAN to intervene and see the possibilities of identifying potential investors  for renewable source of energy for health sectors. Manager, Energy Program, WRI India, Akansha Saklani told the gathering that EAE platform can be layered with different data sets to visualize the state of play of each sector. “For instance, if we overlay the Global Horizontal Irradiation data onto the existing demand information, we could potentially estimate how best to solarize these underserved communities,” she added. Beyond providing energy access related solutions, she shared that EAE could aid in decarbonizing the health and education sectors by deploying Decentralized Renewable Energy (DRE) systems, thus supporting India in its efforts to meet half its energy needs from renewable by 2030 and attain Net Zero emissions by 2070. Aside from Jharkhand, Assam and Nagaland in India, EAE has been implemented in six sub-Saharan countries in Africa. They are Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Ethiopia, Zambia and Nigeria. Source: www.eastmojo.com

The World Population Day-2023 is being observed across the country Tuesday, July 11. President Md Shahabuddin issued a message for the day on Monday and Welcome the initiative of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare to observe World Population Day in Bangladesh like other countries of the world. The theme of the day this year is "Unleashing the power of gender equality: Uplifting the voices of women and girls to unlock our world's infinite possibilities". In his message, President Md Shahabuddin said, "The country's constitution ensures equal rights for male and female. Now half of the population of the country is woman, adding that women need to be involved in a large number in the country's development activities." "We all need to work together to ensure gender equality. We will have to emphasis on increasing literacy rate and employment for poverty alleviation preventing the population growth rate," he added. "There is no alternative to build a planned family considering the size of the country, its location, population, natural resources, environment and socio-economic situation," he said. He urged to ensure that, friendly environment and optimal utilization of existing resources with keeping the population at desired level. A planned and efficient population is important for sustainable development.

Gunmen went on a pre-dawn shooting spree at a property in the eastern KwaZulu-Natal province. A motive for the killings was not immediately clear. Ten members of the same family were killed in a mass shooting at a house in South Africa, police said Friday. Seven women and three men were fatally wounded in the incident at around 4 a.m. local time (0300 GMT), in Imbali, a township south of Pietermaritzburg in the eastern province of KwaZulu-Natal. "According to initial police reports, unknown gunmen stormed a Pietermaritzburg homestead and ambushed the family," police spokeswoman Lirandzu Themba said in a statement. The motive for the killing was not immediately clear. Murder rate 'totally unacceptable' Provincial spokesperson Brigadier Jay Naicker told the Newsroom Africa TV channel that a number of cases where people are killed indiscriminately need to be urgently addressed. "And it's not just a policing matter, it's something much bigger than that, where people are just killed, even children (are killed) randomly, which is totally unacceptable," he added. Police Minister Bheki Cele and senior officials from the South African Police Service were due to visit the crime scene later Friday. Mass shootings are relatively common in South Africa, which has one of the world's highest murder rates. Around 20,000 murders are recorded every year out of a population of 60 million. The country also sees large cases of gender-based violence, robberies and violent conflict. In January, eight people were fatally shot at a birthday party in the south coast city of Gqeberha. Last year, 16 died in a mass shooting at a bar in the Johannesburg township of Soweto when a group of armed men, some of them wielding rifles, opened fire on customers.

Peshawar Zalmi have suffered a blow as their star all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan has left the squad to attend to an important personal matter. However, Shakib said he would join the team at some point in the ongoing season of PSL.  Shakib has been replaced by Afghanistan's young sensation Azmatullah Omarzai, who impressed the cricketing fraternity with his strong batting ability. Azmatullah will join fellow Afghan players Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Rahmanullah Gurbaz in the Zalmi squad. Shakib expressed his disappointment at leaving the tournament midway and hoped to return for the Playoffs if Zalmi qualify. “I have to temporarily leave the PSL 8 to attend an important personal matter. I know I have a strong fan-base here and I was looking forward to playing all the matches in front of all the fans,” he said.  Shakib also said that he would join the Zalmi squad at some point in the ongoing season.  Zalmi are currently fifth on the points table with one win in two matches they’ve played so far.

Hollywood star Bruce Willis is afflicted with frontoemporal dementia (known as FTD) and faces communication challenges, his family announced. He retired from acting last year. Actor Bruce Willis, 67, has been diagnosed with dementia, his family revealed on Thursday in a statement.  Willis retired from acting last year after he was first diagnosed with aphasia.  What do we know about the diagnosis? His family announced the development, saying that his condition has progressed and he has now been diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia (FTD). "Bruce always believed in using his voice in the world to help others, and to raise awareness about important issues both publicly and privately," his family said in a statement. "We know in our hearts that — if he could today — he would want to respond by bringing global attention and a connectedness with those who are also dealing with this debilitating disease and how it impacts so many individuals and their families," the statement added. His family said that Willis faces "challenges with communication," among other symptoms.  A version of the statement was also published on the The Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration website. It was signed by Willis' current spouse Emma Hemming Willis, his ex-wife Demi Moore, and his five children: Rumer, Scout, Tallulah, Mabel and Evelyn. Beloved Hollywood star Willis is best known for his roles in action films such as 1988's "Die Hard" and Quentin Tarantino-directed "Pulp Fiction" in 1994.  He first rose to prominence in the 1980s as detective David Addison Jr. in comedy-drama TV series "Moonlighting." Willis was born in 1955 in Germany to an American father and a German mother. He battled stuttering as a child. 

On Wednesday, January 4, Sayed Faisal Arif, a 20-year-old Bangladeshi-origin youth, shot and killed by a police officer in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA. For this incident, the United States Embassy has expressed a sorrow feeling message to the family of Sayed Faisal. The United States Embassy extends its condolences to the family and loved ones of Sayed Faisal Arif. The US Embassy in Dhaka has supported calls for a proper investigation into the death of Sayed Arif Faisal. "We support calls for a thorough and transparent investigation by the District Attorney's Office," US Embassy Spokesperson Jeff Ridenour said in a statement. The incident sparked an uproar in the Bangladeshi expatriate community, leading to protests outside Cambridge City Hall. Faisal’s family also called for justice over his death. In Dhaka, a group of protesters formed a human chain in front of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Monday to demand justice for Faisal amid an American security official's visit to the country. Rear Admiral Eileen Laubacher, the US National Security Council's senior director for South Asia, was scheduled to meet officials at the ministry in the afternoon. “The US speaks about human rights violations in other countries. We call upon them to take notice of what is happening in their own country," said Ajoy Dasgupta, an Ekushey Padak-winning journalist who took part in the demonstration. Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen arrived in the area after the protest ended. He underlined the government's belief that the US would deliver justice after investigating the matter in line with the rule of law.