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MNA Tech Desk: Samsung has launched a brand new smartphone styled Galaxy J8, the latest addition to its most popular range of J series smartphones in Bangladesh, reported news agency. The world’s leading smartphone manufacturer came up with the new brand with the aim “to bring amazing flagship features within midrange”. “Its design has been engineered to offer improved durability and comfortable grip, without compromising on style,” the company said in a news release issued in Dhaka on Tuesday. The Samsung Galaxy J8 has a 16MP and 5MP dual rear camera setup. “The phone is ideal for low light photography ...

MNA Entertainment Desk: Coke Studio Pakistan’s eleventh edition has just taken a step towards inclusivity of the marginalised community. It’s quite a historic move. The show that features live studio-recorded music performances by established and emerging artists recently dropped a promo with Faiz Ahmed Faiz’s legendary nazm ‘Hum Dekhenge’—a rendition performed by a lineup of singers who will be taking the stage in the upcoming season, reports news agency. While the promo gave the audience a glimpse of well-known singers such as Momina Mustehsan, Ali Azmat, Abida Parveen, Jawad Ahmed, Ahad Raza Mir, it is the inclusion of transgender artistes ...

MNA Feature Desk: Today is the 39th death anniversary of the legendary Bengali film actor Uttam Kumar. To observe the day in a befitting manner, different socio-cultural organizations have chalked out elaborate programmes. Uttam Kumar is admired as the iconic superstar of Bengali cinema of all time. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest and classic actors of Indian cinema and known as Mahanayak. Uttam earned fame through producing at least seven films alongside worked as singer, composer and director in another six films during his lifetime. Uttam Kumar was born as Arun Kumar Chatterjee at his ancestral ...

MNA Entertainment Desk: Adult film star Stormy Daniels, who is battling President Donald Trump in court over their alleged sexual encounter a decade ago, and her husband plan to divorce, her lawyer announced Monday. Daniels, 39, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, married Glendon Crain, 41, in 2010. Crain is a heavy metal musician and pornographic movie actor, featuring in adult films under the name Brendon Miller. Daniels, who was married twice previously, gave birth to a daughter in 2011. Daniels is suing Trump to invalidate a non-disclosure agreement that prevents her from discussing their alleged 2006 sexual encounter. Daniels ...

MNA Feature Desk: The 93rd birth anniversary of Tajuddin Ahmed, the first Prime Minister of Bangladesh wartime provisional government during the Liberation War in 1971, is being observed today. Liberation War Museum is organising a week-long programme titled ‘Tajuddin Ahmed: Works and Life’ marking the anniversary. The programmes include discussions, exhibition and recitation of the letters of Tajuddin. Tajuddin Smriti Parishad will organise a discussion and milad mahfil at Tajuddin’s village at Kapashia in Gazipur marking the day. Tajuddin was a close associate of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. Tajuddin was born at Kapashia in Gazipur on ...

MNA Tech Desk: Photo-messaging app Snapchat is reportedly terminating its digital peer-to-peer payment service “Snapcash” on 30 August, ending its four-year long partnership with US-based mobile payment company “Square”. “Yes, we’re discontinuing the ‘Snapcash’ feature as of 30 August 2018. ‘Snapcash’ was our first product created in partnership with another company – ‘Square’. We’re thankful for all the Snapchatters who used Snapcash for the last four years and for Square’s partnership,” TechCrunch quoted a Snapchat spokesperson as saying late on Sunday. “Snapcash” used the regular number, expiration date and card verification value (CVV) of a debit card, allowing Snapchatters to ...

MNA Life Style Desk: Successful people have to go through lots of struggles, uncertainty and pains. Struggle is different for everyone but psychologists say some characteristics are very common in all successful people. Here are some characteristics of successful people. Self-Control: Self-control is also needed for success. In your journey to success, you have to give-up many bad habits. Without self-control, it is highly unlikely that you will reach your goal. If you read successful people, you will find that they rarely lose control. Big Dreams: If you go through biographies of successful people, you will hardly find anyone who ...

MNA Education Desk: A 3-day ‘Mr. Mango Candy-DIU Marketing Fest-2018’ began at 71 Milonayoton of Daffodil International University (DIU) on 22 July 2018. The Department of Business Administration and the DIU Marketing Club jointly organized the program. Syed Alamgir, managing director of ACI Limited, inaugurated the fest as chief guest, while Aman Ashraf Fayez, CEO of GTV, Shariful Islam, managing director of Bangladesh Brand Forum and John Kabir, popular actor and rock singer were present as special guests. 3-day Marketing Festival includes: advertise making competition, brand building competition, marketing case competition, business quiz, digital marketing game, marketing debate etc. The ...

MNA Entertainment Desk: Taylor Swift has been cast in a big screen version of the stage musical “Cats,” in what will be the pop singer’s biggest movie role so far, entertainment publications Variety and the Hollywood Reporter said. The 28-year-old “Look What You Made Me Do” singer will join Oscar-winning singer and actress Jennifer Hudson, talk show host James Corden and veteran British actor Ian McKellen in the movie, the publications said. Composer Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “Cats,” based on a book of poems by T.S. Eliot, was first staged in London in 1981 and has been produced around the world. ...

MNA Entertainment Desk: After months of rumours, it is now looking ever likely that Bollywood actress Kareena Kapoor Khan will be paired opposite superstar Shah Rukh Khan for a biopic titled- Salute. The biopic will be made on an astronaut named Rakesh Sharma. Several Indian newsportals published reports on Thursday (July 19) that Kareena has been finalized to play Sharma’s wife Madhu and will soon be signing for the project. As well as remuneration and dates, other things need to be worked out before an official announcement is made. This will be the first time after ‘Ra.One’ (2011), SRK and ...

MNA Entertainment Desk: Bollywood actor Vidya Balan has confirmed that she will be playing a significant role in the upcoming film NTR, which is based on the life of legendary actor and politician N T Rama Rao. Last month, speculations were rife that she has been approached by filmmakers to play the role of NTR’s wife Basavatarakam. In a recent interview, Vidya confirmed that she is indeed part of the biopic, which will mark her debut in Telugu. “People knew of her but they didn’t know her and that is interesting for me as an actor,” the Dirty Picture actor ...

MNA Tech Desk: Twitter suspended at least 58 million user accounts in the final three months of 2017, according to data obtained by The Associated Press. The figure highlights the company’s newly aggressive stance against malicious or suspicious accounts in the wake of Russian disinformation efforts during the 2016 U.S. presidential campaign. Last week, Twitter confirmed a Washington Post report that it had suspended 70 million accounts in May and June. The cavalcade of suspensions has raised questions as to whether the crackdown could affect Twitter’s user growth and whether the company should have warned investors earlier. The company has ...

MNA Education Desk: The online application process for admission into first year honours programmes in Dhaka University (DU) under 2018-2019 academic session will begin on July 31. The online application process will begin from 5:30pm on the day and will continue till 12:00am on August 26, according to a University press release on Monday evening. The decision was made at a meeting of DU’s committee on admissions into first year honours programmes held at the Nabab Nawab Ali Chowdhury Senate Buildingon on Monday, the release read. DU Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr Md Akhtaruzzaman chaired the meeting, while Pro-vice Chancellor (education) Prof ...

MNA Entertainment Desk: Rapper Cardi B on Monday topped nominations at the MTV Video Music Awards, where Jay-Z and Beyonce’s ornate work shot at the Louvre and the politically charged “This is America” also enjoyed recognition. Cardi B, who in little more than a year has become one of the most prominent women in the male-dominated world of hip-hop, received 10 nominations for the awards show that will take place on 20 August in New York, reported news agency. The Bronx native born as Belcalis Almanzar was in the running in both hip-hop and Latin categories as well as Artist ...

MNA Tech Desk: Apple launched a new collaboration between its 10 Apple Developer Academies in Brazil and Malala Fund to advance girls’ education opportunities, reported news agency. As part of its new expansion into Latin America, Malala Fund, which works to provide safe, quality secondary education and opportunities for girls, has also offered grants to local advocates in Brazil. The advocates join Malala Fund’s network of Gulmakai champions and will implement projects across the country designed to empower girls, teachers and policymakers through skills development, school enrollment efforts and education advocacy. The challenge will harness the creativity and ingenuity of ...

MNA Feature Desk: World Youth Skills Day is being celebrated globally, which is held on 15th July every year. This day is celebrated to amplify awareness on the importance of investing in youth skills development. In today’s world, the increment in youth unemployment is one of the most considerable problems and for the development and evolutive countries alike. At least 475 million new jobs are required to be fabricated over the next decade to absorb the 73 million youth currently unemployed and the 40 million new annual entrants to the labour market. The unofficial sector and traditional rural sector remains ...

MNA Life Style Desk: For thousands of years, people from all around the globe have been practicing meditation for its many life-improving benefits. In recent years, the practice has grown in popularity thanks to the many studies that support its numerous physical and mental health benefits. Better Sleep If you’ve ever spent a restless night tossing and turning, then you already know that your active mind can keep you awake for hours worrying and wondering about events of the day or what may happen tomorrow. A bit of meditation before bed can serve to completely clear your mind so that ...

MNA Entertainment Desk: Bollywood actress Sunny Leone’s upcoming web series ‘Karenjit Kaur: The Untold Story of Sunny Leone’ on Saturday faced its first trouble as a committee of the Indian Sikh community Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) objected to the use of “Kaur” in the title of the actor’s upcoming biopic. The Indian SGPC’s additional secretary and spokesperson Diljit Singh Bedi said that the usage would hurt Sikh sentiments as Sunny did not follow the teachings of the Sikh gurus. Hence, she had no right to use the title “Kaur”. “Kaur is a very respectable name given by Sikh gurus ...

MNA Tech Desk: Taking on professional collaboration tool Slack, Microsoft’s Teams is now available for free in 40 languages worldwide, reported news agency. Currently, more than 200,000 businesses across 181 markets globally use Teams-a hub for chatting, sharing documents, video and voice calling in Microsoft 365 — to collaborate and get work done. “Whether you’re a freelancer, a small business owner, or part of a team inside a large organisation, you can start using Teams today,” Ron Markezich, Corporate Vice President for Microsoft, said in a statement on Friday. The free version, that can be used in a organisation with ...

MNA Entertainment Desk: Actress Priyanka Chopra, reportedly dating American singer Nick Jonas, says her marital status will not affect her feminist opinions, and she would like to get married some day. The 35-year-old actress spoke about the things that bring her joy in life and love at a Saks x Vogue event at Wolffer Estate Vineyards in the Hamptons, reports news agency. “I love the idea of getting married. I totally want to get married at some point,” Priyanka said. “And I don’t think marriage makes you smaller or bigger or more feminist or not. Feminism basically is women saying ...

MNA Education Desk: A 2-day DIU NFE Career Expo 2018 ended at the permanent campus of Daffodil International University (DIU) on July 13, 2018 with remarkable achievement. Media personality and host of Hridoye Mati O Manush  Shykh Siraj was present as the chief guest at the closing and award giving ceremony of the program. The programme was presided over by Prof Dr Yousuf Mahabubul Islam, vice-chancellor of DIU.  Waresul Habib, chief operating officer, agricultural marketing company Pran-RFL Group, was present as the special guest. The function was also addressed among others by Prof Dr Ahmed Ismail Mostafa, dean, faculty of ...

MNA Entertainment Desk: Bollywood actor Sonali Bendre said she has been diagnosed with “high-grade cancer”. The 43-year-old actor said on Twitter she is undergoing treatment in New York. “We remain optimistic and I am determined to fight every step of the way,” said Bendre, who starred in several hit Bollywood films in the 90’s. Bendre is married to film-maker Goldie Behl and has a son. She was a celebrity judge on a reality TV show until a week ago. Ever since the actress posted the news about her health on Twitter and Instagram, prayers and wishes have been pouring in ...

MNA Feature Desk: World Population Day is being celebrated worldwide including Bangladesh on Wednesday to spread awareness and discuss issues related to population growth. In 1989, the Governing Council of the United Nations Development Programme recommended that July 11 be observed by the international community as World Population Day, a day to focus attention on the urgency and importance of population issues. The theme of the day 2018 is ‘Family planning is a human right’, marking the 50th anniversary of the 1968 International Conference on Human Rights, where family planning was, for the first time, globally affirmed to be a ...

MNA Life Style Desk: While dream vacations and life milestones are important, it’s the simple ways you do that make your wife happier. Express love and show respect to your bride every day, and remind her why you were the best choice she’s ever made. There are uncountable times in marriage when a husband and wife get their wires crossed.  No wonder men are confused about how to make your wife happy. Efforts to make your wife happy may seem to backfire more often than not. Though the mystery between men and women is sure to continue, here are some ...

MNA Feature Desk: Born on July 10, 1885 Dr Muhammad Shahidullah passed his Entrance examination in 1904 from Howrah Zila School. In 1906 he passed the FA examination from Presidency College, Calcutta (now Kolkata). He received the Bachelor of Arts degree with Honours in Sanskrit in 1910 from City College, Calcutta, and Master of Arts in 1912 in Comparative Philology from the same institution. Shahidullah’s teaching career started in Jessore District School where he taught between 1908 and 1909. He also worked as the headmaster of Sitakunda High School, Chittagong between 1914 and 1915. He practised law for some time ...

MNA Tech Desk: Samsung opened the world’s largest smartphone factory in India on Monday, a move Prime Minister Narendra Modi said would help transform Asia’s third-largest economy into a global manufacturing hub, reported news agency. Modi and South Korean President Moon Jae-in inaugurated the giant assembling plant — an expansion of an existing Samsung facility — in the city of Noida on the outskirts of New Delhi. “The Noida plant has now become Samsung’s largest smartphone manufacturing unit,” Moon said, as the company announced that it planned to eventually manufacture 120 million smartphones a year at the factory. The decision ...

MNA Education Desk: Dhaka University has decided to restrict outsiders from moving around the campus. Without the permission of the DU proctor or authorities, no outsider will be allowed to roam around the campus or carry out activities there, says a press statement of the university issued on Monday. According to the statement, DU’s Provost Committee took the decision in a meeting held on 5 July in the backdrop of ‘unwanted incidents centering the quota reform demonstrations’. A seven-member committee led by DU pro-vice-chancellor professor Muhammad Samad was also formed in the meeting over the ‘unwanted incidents of the quota ...