Ace all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan has made a comeback to the longer version format after a gap of one year as Bangladesh announced the squad for the second and final Test against Sri Lanka, which gets underway in Chattogram on March 30. Shakib has been out of the national team since the match against Sri Lanka in World Cup in India last year where he smashed 82 and took two wickets for a match winning performance but he fractured his left index finger, which ruled him out of the side's last match against Australia in the showcase event. Shakib's eye problem also emerged in the World Cup event and he was forced to miss Bangladesh series against New Zealand at home and away. He was then left out of the T20 and ODI squad and also the squad of the first Test of Bangladesh for Sri Lanka series as his eye was not deemed okay. However, according to the team management, he is now okay with his eye and played some Dhaka Premier League matches without any trouble. The star all-rounder last played a Test in April 2023 when Bangladesh met Ireland in Mirpur. Batter Towhid Hridoy, who was drafted in the 15-member squad for the first Test, misses out due to the inclusion of Shakib. Also out is pacer Mushfik Hasan who has picked up an injury on his left ankle which will require rehab. His replacement is fellow right-arm paceman Hasan Mahmud who has played 39 matches for Bangladesh in white ball cricket but is yet to feature in a Test. Mahmud has taken 49 wickets from 16 first-class outings. Sri Lanka lead the series 1-0 after winning the first Test in Sylhet by 328 runs. The Test series is part of the 2023-25 ICC World Test Championship cycle. Bangladesh squad for 2nd Test: Najmul Hossain Shanto (Captain), Zakir Hasan, Mahmudul Hasan Joy, Shadman Islam, Liton Das, Mominul Haque, Shakib Al Hasan, Shahadat Hossain Dipu, Mehidy Hassan Miraz, Nayeem Hasan, Taijul Islam, Shoriful Islam, Syed Khaled Ahmed, Nahid Rana, Hasan Mahmud.  

Arjun Kapoor played characters with negative shades in Ishaqzaade and Aurungzeb, and credited producer Aditya Chopra for the same. Arjun Kapoor, who is all set to portray a villain in the multi-starrer Singham Again, expressed gratitude to his mentors Aditya Chopra and Rohit Shetty for believing in his capability to essay negative roles. Arjun recently shared his first look from the film. In the poster, he was seen drenched in blood and clad in black attire. Talking about his inspiration and thanking Rohit Shetty for the opportunity, Arjun said in a statement, "I started my career in the industry by playing characters with negative shades like Ishaqzaade, Aurungzeb and after all these years, here I'm, playing a villain in Singham Again! While Aditya Chopra saw it in me to play characters that are flawed, now I'm thankful to Rohit Shetty for having the belief that I could play an out-and-out villain in his ambitious and much-loved cop universe film. Rohit Shetty instilled faith in me and has been a guide at every step of the way." "Both of these people have been true mentors in my film career and I'm grateful that a hit-machine filmmaker like Rohit Shetty believes that I could surprise people by playing a villain in Singham Again," he added. The actor also revealed how excited he is to play the villain in Rohit Shetty's film, as it gave him the chance to experiment as an actor too. Arjun stated, "I have always wanted to experiment on screen and give audiences something different to look at. So playing an arch-enemy of the cops in Singham Again was a thrilling opportunity for me." He continued, "As I said, it feels like a full circle in my career when I'm on the sets of Singham Again. I got a lot of love by playing characters that were negative early in my career and I wish to get the same and more with Singham Again." Helmed by Rohit Shetty Singham Again also stars Kareena Kapoor, Deepika Padukone, Akshay Kumar, Tiger Shroff, and Ranveer Singh in the lead roles. Singham Again is the third instalment of the super-hit franchise.   Source: Hindustan Times

Ark started its journey in the early 1990s. The Ark team became one of the most popular rock band in the country's band music history by numerous popular songs.  Vocalist Syed Hasanur Rahman who is popularly known as Hasan, has made their own different and strong position with the magic of his exceptional voice. The 'Ark' fans would be happy to know that it is returning again in a new Album. The band's new album is set to  release on the occasion of Eid al-Fitr.

Popular pop singer Mila has returned to singing with a motivational song for the upcoming 12th Parliamentary Election of the country. The song titled "Go Vote" has recently been released as a music video on the official Facebook and YouTube channels of the Campaign Advocacy Programme. The song is composed by Adib Kabir    The song titled "Go Vote" has recently been released as a music video on the official Facebook and YouTube channels of the Campaign Advocacy Programme (CAP). The song is written by lyricist Autumnal Moon and composed by Adib Kabir. Several other celebrities, such as pop sensation Hasan from the band Ark, Tanvin Sweety, Rafa, Milon Mahmud, Tawhid Afridi, Ferdous Ahmed, Ziaul Hoque Polash, and Protik Hasan appeared in the music video encouraging people to vote. Mila said , "I have decided to lend my voice to the song because I felt a certain responsibility towards my country. As the voting culture is declining amongst the younger generation, that is why I wanted to inspire them through the song." Mila added, "Not only that, I have contacted several of my showbiz colleagues to make an appearance in the video, and they all gladly agreed to make this video possible."  

Mosharraf Karim is set to return to the OTT platform once again with ‘Mobaroknama’. Mosharraf Karim will be featured as the lead character in Golam Sohrab Dodul's upcoming web-series "Mobaroknama", which will premiere on the popular web platform Hoichoi, on December 21, 2023. Mosharraf Karim have unveiled this latest collaboration with the promise of a fresh narrative.  “The character I have portrayed is quite different. The role is about a lawyer who first wins, then he realises that he has lost. Since then he has been going through an internal battlewith himself. This is a complex character with depth in it”, told Mosharraf Karim while talking to the media about the series. Although Dodul and Mosharraf Karim have collaborated multiple times on television, this is their first collaboration on the OTT platform. The series revolves around the life of a lawyer, showcasing his resilience and fortitude amidst personal and professional trials. The series also features Sabnam Faria and Shahnaz Sumi in significant roles.

The ChatGPT company OpenAI also agreed to partially restructure its board. The new board has reached an agreement with Altman to take over his former role. OpenAI said on Wednesday that co-founder Sam Altman will return to his role as CEO. The ChatGPT-maker also agreed to partially restructure its board, the company announced on X, formerly Twitter.  Former Salesforce co-CEO Bret Taylor, ex-US Treasury Secretary Larry Summers, and Quora CEO and current director Adam D'Angelo will join the board.  Altman was reinstated after being dismissed by the OpenAI board just days ago. "i'm looking forward to returning to openai," Altman wrote in a post on X. Microsoft supports Altman On Monday, ex-Twitch boss Emmett Shear was announced as the interim CEO by OpenAI in what has been a turbulent week at the artificial intelligence firm. "With the new board and w satya's support, i'm looking forward to returning to openai, and building on our strong partnership with (Microsoft)," Altman wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, referring to the support he received from Microsoft chief Satya Nadella. Earlier, Microsoft had announced hiring Altman to run a new artificial intelligence research team soon after he was sacked by the artificial intelligence company. The tech giant is the biggest investor in OpenAI.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina returned home this morning from Saudi Arabia after attending the International Conference on Women in Islam and performing holy Umrah.   A commercial flight of Biman Bangladesh Airlines, carrying the Prime Minister and her entourage members, landed at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA), Dhaka around 7:40am.   Earlier, the flight departed King AbdulAziz International Airport in Jeddah around 10.54 pm (local time).   On November 5, the premier arrived at Prince Mohammad Bin Abdul Aziz International Airport in Medina and performed Ziarat of the Rawja Mubarak of Prophet Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH) at Masjid Al-Nabawi in Medina and offered Fateha there after Asar prayers. At the same day, she left Medina and arrived in Makkah where the Prime Minister performed holy Umrah at the Al Masjid Al-Haram (Kaaba Sharif) after Esha prayers.   On November 6, the Prime Minister attended the conference and delivered her speech.   On the sidelines of the conference, she also held meetings with top officials of OIC and member countries.   Apart from joining the conference, the Prime Minister attended the opening of the Women in Islam Exhibition and banquet dinner in honour of her.   The Kingdom in coordination with the General Secretariat of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) hosted the conference on November 6-8. Source : BSS

Pakistan's former prime minister Nawaz Sharif returned to the country on Saturday, after four years of self-imposed exile in London, to restart his political journey ahead of the general elections. Sharif's return comes as the country struggles with high inflation and other deep-seated issues. The economic crisis has intensified since his brother Shehbaz Sharif took power 16 months ago. "This is a time for hope and celebration. His return bodes well for Pakistan's economy and its people," said Khawaja Muhammad Asif, a senior leader of Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party. The thrice-elected prime minister was traveling on a chartered-plane from Dubai along with an entourage of 194 people including party members and journalists, according to party sources. Sharif landed in Islamabad and was set to travel to his stronghold, Lahore, where he is expected to address a rally of supporters. "Tens of thousands of people have already reached Lahore to welcome Sharif," Muhammad Mehdi, a close aide to Sharif, said. More than a million supporters are expected to attend the rally, according to Mehdi. Challenges lying ahead of Nawaz Sharif Sharif was ousted in 2017, during his third stint as the prime minister of Pakistan and in 2018 was sentenced to a  seven-year prison term on multiple charges of corruption. In 2019, he was released on bail due to his health problems and allowed to seek out treatment. Earlier this week, Sharif was granted a protective bail which barred his arrest and hence allowing him to come back from self-exile. While Sharif is returning ahead of the general elections, he is barred from running for office again due to the court rulings against him. His legal team, however, says the Pakistani leader intends to make a court appeal. Party members say that he is vying to gain popularity and become prime minister for a fourth time. For Sharif, the biggest challenge lies in regaining the confidence of the public competing against his fiercely popular political rival, Imran Khan. "Sharif's key challenge is first to establish himself and his party as viable options to replace Imran Khan, who is already popular, and secondly to turn around the economy," said political analyst Ayesha Siddiqa.

  Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Wednesday have reached in Dhaka after wrapping up her 16-day official visit to the US and UK. Earlier on Tuesday, a commercial flight (BG-208) of Biman Bangladesh Airlines carrying the prime minister's entourage departed from the London Heathrow Airport around 9:10 pm (London time) . Bangladesh High Commissioner to the UK Saida Muna Tasneem saw the premier off at the airport. The flight arrived at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, Dhaka around 12:30 pm (Bangladesh time) on Wednesday. The prime minister reached London from Washington DC on September 30 via a British Airways flight. In London, from September 30 to October 3, Sheikh Hasina attended reception hosted by the Bangladeshi community and held several courtesy calls with some dignitaries, including a delegation of the All Party Parliamentary Groups (APPGs) led by Rushanara Ali, MP, chair of APPG on Bangladesh and Rohingya and the UK shadow minister for investment and small business. During her stay in New York from September 17-22, the premier attended the 78th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) session and other high-level side and bilateral events. In Washington DC from September 23-29, Sheikh Hasina attended a reception accorded to her by Bangladeshi expatriates in the United States and visited the Bangladesh Embassy in Washington DC.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Wednesday have reached in Dhaka after wrapping up her 16-day official visit to the US and UK. Earlier on Tuesday, a commercial flight (BG-208) of Biman Bangladesh Airlines carrying the prime minister's entourage departed from the London Heathrow Airport around 9:10 pm (London time) . Bangladesh High Commissioner to the UK Saida Muna Tasneem saw the premier off at the airport. The flight arrived at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, Dhaka around 12:30 pm (Bangladesh time) on Wednesday. The prime minister reached London from Washington DC on September 30 via a British Airways flight. In London, from September 30 to October 3, Sheikh Hasina attended reception hosted by the Bangladeshi community and held several courtesy calls with some dignitaries, including a delegation of the All Party Parliamentary Groups (APPGs) led by Rushanara Ali, MP, chair of APPG on Bangladesh and Rohingya and the UK shadow minister for investment and small business. During her stay in New York from September 17-22, the premier attended the 78th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) session and other high-level side and bilateral events. In Washington DC from September 23-29, Sheikh Hasina attended a reception accorded to her by Bangladeshi expatriates in the United States and visited the Bangladesh Embassy in Washington DC.