Colombian superstar Shakira's Caribbean home city of Barranquilla unveiled a 6.5-meter hip-swaying statue in her honor. The towering bronze and aluminum creation depicts the singer in a bikini top in one of her characteristic dance moves. On the platform X, the singer thanked sculptor Yino Marquez and his art student collaborators for "this example of the enormous artistic talent of the people of my country." Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll, an icon of Latina girl power, has sold some 80 million albums worldwide and won three Grammy awards.

The Associated Press and the New York Times were both awarded for their coverage of the war in Ukraine. The awards are the US' most prestigious journalism prizes. Columbia University announced on Monday its Pulitzer Prizes, recognizing the best of journalism and the arts in 2023.  The Associated Press (AP) news agency won two Pulitzer Prizes, in public service and breaking news photography, for coverage of Moscow's war in Ukraine. The agency's startling images of Russia's siege of Mariupol, in eastern Ukraine, were honored.  The prize for international reporting went to the New York Times, for its coverage of Russian killings in the Ukrainian town of Bucha. "AP journalists have done courageous and important work in Ukraine throughout the war, shining a spotlight in particular on the human toll of the conflict," AP Senior Vice President and Executive Editor Julie Pace said. "From dispelling Russian misinformation to contributing to the creation of a humanitarian corridor, their work has been an incredible public service and we're so pleased that it has been honored by the Pulitzer board," she added. An array of winners Caroline Kitchener of The Washington Post was awarded the national reporting Pulitzer for her work on the fallout of the overturning of Roe v. Wade last year by the Supreme Court which has led to numerous abortion bans across the US. The prize for commentary was given to Kyle Whitmire of AL.com from Birmingham, Alabama.  Whitmire won the award "For measured and persuasive columns that document how Alabama's Confederate heritage still colors the present with racism and exclusion, told through tours of its first capital, its mansions and monuments–and through the history that has been omitted," according to the Pulitzer website. Among the non-journalism prizes, the books "Demon Copperhead" by Barbara Kingsolver and "Trust" by Hernan Diaz won the awards for fiction writing. All winners are given $15,000 (€13,600) apart from the winner of the public service prize, who receives a gold medal. The annual Pulitzers are considered the most prestigious honors in US journalism. The prizes were first presented in 1917.

The dead body of great freedom fighter Nazim Uddin was laid to eternal rest without guard of honor. Nazim Uddin was a resident of Mohammadpur village under Motmura union of Gangni upazila in Meherpur district. The associate fighters and family member of Nazim Uddin claimed that the news of his death was informed to the police but they did not come. On the other hand police said that they were not informed. The brave soldier of seventy one died at Kushtia medical college hospital on Saturday early morning due to old age complexities. The associate freedom fighters and people from different class and professions rushed to his house to pay their last respect at around 11 am at his house. But offering guard of honor to him was not possible as police members did not reach there timely. It was known, the namaj e janaza of Nazim Uddin was held at 11 am on Saturday at his own village. Although there was rules to offer guard of honor and paying respect on behalf of the state with national flag to the body before laying a freedom fighter to eternal rest but it was not followed. In this regard former commander of freedom fighters in Gangni upazila Muntaz Ali said to Rtv online, we have informed the matter to Upazila Nirbahi Officer and in the local police station. But the members of police did not present in due time. Due to severe hot we decided to bury the dead body by not waiting for the police force. Officer in Charge (Investigation) of Gangni police station Sajedul Islam said, the matter of death was not informed by the family members or freedom fighters. Gangni Upazila Nirbahi Officer made a phone call to me after watching no police member on the janaza spot. Then I have sent police force after informing the matter of not aware. But before arrival of police the family members of the freedom fighter buried the dead body. When Gangni Upazila Nirbahi Officer Bishnupada Paul was contacted he said, all the processes excluding guard of honor by police were completed. In this regard Meherpur Deputy Commissioner Md. Ataul Gani said, the district administration was not informed about the death of the freedom fighter. As the matter is sensitive so action will be taken after investigation. AH          

Bir Protik Taramon Bibi passed away early Saturday at the age of 61. She breathed her last at 1:30 am at her Shankar Madhobpur village home in Rajibpur upazila of Kurigram. Taramon Bibi left behind her husband, a son, a daughter, host of relatives and well-wishers to mourn her death. The war heroine, wife of Abdul Mazid, had been suffering from lung, diabetes and respiratory problems for a long time. The freedom fighter returned home on November 27 after receiving treatment at the Dhaka’s Combined Military Hospital as her condition had deteriorated. The Bir Pratik was laid to rest with state honor at the Kacharipara Taltala graveyard on Saturday afternoon, said Kurigram Deputy Commissioner Sultana Parveen. The officials from the local government, social and cultural groups, professionals and political organizations paid their last respects to the freedom fighter before the ceremony. Mujib Haldar, a freedom fighter, took early teenaged Taramon Bibi, daughter of Abdus Sobhan and Kulsum Bibi, to a freedom fighters’ camp for helping in cooking. Later, she learnt how to operate gun and took part many direct combats with freedom fighters in Sector 11 under sector commander Abu Taher. Taramon Bibi along with other freedom fighters also took part several other battles during the course of the war. After the Liberation War, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's Government honored her with the Bir Protik title in 1973 for her courageous role in resisting the Pak forces with arms. However, Taramon Bibi was untraced until a researcher of Mymensingh district discovered her in 1995. She was brought back to Dhaka by the initiative of women’s organizations and Bir Protik award was conferred on her on December 19 of the same year. MHK

Bugles sounded the last post, uniformed soldiers clicked their heels and a somber silence fell over the crowd as former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s mortal remains were consigned to the flames on Friday evening, the sun setting on the life of a poet-politician who combined accommodative politics with graciousness. Foster daughter Namita Kaul Bhattacharya lit the pyre as cries of “Atal Bihari Amar Rahe” reverberated. President Ram Nath Kovind, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress president Rahul Gandhi and former prime minister Manmohan Singh were among the thousands of people at the Rashtriya Smriti Sthal on the banks of the Yamuna, the BJP patriarch’s final resting place. Several foreign dignitaries, including the king of Bhutan and the Bangladesh’s foreign minister, were also present. The former prime minister was accorded a state funeral with thousands of people joining his last journey. Source: PTI AH