Bangladesh's Future Clouded With Uncertainity: 4 Possible Scenarios

Protests and bloodshed have toppled Sheikh Hasina's regime, but the way forward is far from certain. Here are four possible scenarios.

Bangladesh

The uprising in Bangladesh has been a political earthquake. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, in power for the last 15 years, has fled, and leaders of the ruling Awami League are in hiding or have also absconded.

Economist and Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus was picked by Bangladesh President Mohammed Shahabuddin to lead a new interim government. For the moment, a feeling of hope and elation has swept across much of the country.

But as with an earthquake, once the dust has settled, the foundations will remain largely the same as before.

To gauge where the country might move in the immediate and not-so-immediate future, there are a few fundamentals that need to be recognised.

The people who rose up consisted of students and some teachers, large groups of other young people, urban poor and political opposition groups. They represented widespread sentiments.

Dictatorial, violent and smug, Sheikh Hasina's regime was no longer able to deliver on its promise of economic development and criticism of her gross human rights violations became increasingly public and bold.

The popularity of the protests against Sheikh Hasina should not, however, obscure the fact that "the people" are not of one mind. The protests were driven by frustration and anger, not by any explicit alternative political vision.

There is also no formal organisation behind the uprising. It was an extremely powerful and driven movement, which may prove to be too exhausting to hold up in the long term.

All of this did happen suddenly, but in another sense it was building for a long time.

The country has seen several popular protest movements over the last decade - Shahbagh, Hefazat, road safety, no VAT on education, and the quota movement in 2018.

In addition, the low turnout in elections, low tax compliance and various other forms of foot-dragging and reluctance indicated that Sheikh Hasina's regime lacked widespread legitimacy.

Surveys have shown that an overwhelming majority of Bangladeshis want democracy, human rights and to be able to vote for their representatives - and to criticise them when called for. These are fundamental facts of the country.

Dr Mubashar Hasan is a postdoctoral research fellow at the Department of Culture Studies and Oriental Languages, University of Oslo. His research was funded by the Norwegian Research Council.

Rana Daggubati's wife Miheeka shares new pic, moving note on wedding anniversary

Actor Rana Daggubati and his wife, Miheeka Bajaj, are celebrating their fourth wedding anniversary today, August 8. On this special day, she shared a special photo of them taken during one of their trips abroad. She also shared an emotional note for Rana and called him her 'constant'. Rana and Miheeka got married in a traditional ceremony at Ramanaidu Studios on August 8, 2020, during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Rana Daggubati and Miheeka Bajaj 

On August 8, Miheeka shared a post on her official Instagram page with a cute picture. She wrote, "Skipping along the road of life has never been more fun! Through the chaos and madness you’re my stillness and happiness. Amongst a sea of change I’m so glad to be able to call you my constant. There isn’t a love I have that is deeper than the one I have for you (sic)."

She added the hashtags 'To Infinity And Beyond', 'Love' and 'Miheeka Bajaj' to her post.

Rana Daggubati and Miheeka Bajaj got engaged in May 2020 in the presence of his friends and family. The couple got married on August 8, 2020, in Hyderabad.

Speaking at India Today's e-Mind Rocks 2020, Rana said, "I think I am growing up and it's time to get married. My fiancée Miheeka lives 3 km away from my house and we're in the same vicinity. Sometimes, you know when things are going smoothly. And I don't question it when things are going correctly. She's lovely and we make a great pair. We draw positive energy from one another. I am getting married on August 8. On the personal front, it's been the best time of my life, getting married to Miheeka. It's been pretty awesome."

On the work front, Rana Daggubati is presently shooting for Netflix's 'Rana Naidu: Season 2' with Victory Venkatesh.

Diamond Firm Sends 50,000 Employees On 10-Day 'Vacation'. There's A Twist

A Surat-based major diamond manufacturing firm has declared a 10-day 'vacation' for its 50,000 employees from August 17 to 27 citing diminished demand for polished diamonds in international markets due to recession.

Surat diamond firm

As per Kiran Gems company website, it is the 'world's largest manufacturer of natural diamonds.

"We have announced a 10-day vacation for our 50,000 employees. Though we will deduct some amount, all employees will be paid a salary for this period. We are forced to announce this vacation because of the recession. I am tired of this recession now," Kiran Gems chairman Vallabhbhai Lakhani told news agency PTI.

He underlined the short supply of rough diamonds and the lack of sufficient demand for polished diamonds exported by the company.

"Other players are also affected by this fall in demand but they are silent. We declared this proactively because we want people to know reality. This vacation for employees will help rationalise our production. No one knows the exact reasons behind this recession," said Lakhani.

Jagdish Khunt, president of the Surat Diamond Association, echoed Lakhani's views saying recession has hit the local diamond industry, which processes nearly 90 per cent of the world's diamonds.

"This is the first time Kiran Gems has declared such a vacation (for employees). Though no other firm has taken such a step so far, it is the reality that recession has brought down the sale of polished diamonds," said Khunt.

Since 95 per cent of polished diamonds are exported, global factors always affect the sale of the precious stones, he said highlighting the Russia-Ukraine war and Israel-Palestine conflict as some of the factors.

"The Russia-Ukraine war and Israel's action in Gaza are some of the factors which might have affected the demand globally. In 2022, our diamond industry's turnover was nearly ₹ 2,25,000 core, which has come down to nearly ₹ 1,50,000 crore today. So, we have been negative for the last two years," said Khunt.

Approximately, 4,000 large and small diamond polishing and processing units in Surat provide direct employment to nearly 10 lakh people, he said.

'Bharatiya Zameen Party': Opposition blasts BJP over Waqf bill, gives notice

Congress MPs KC Venugopal and Hibi Eden gave notice in the Lok Sabha on Thursday to oppose the introduction of a bill to amend the law governing Waqf boards. The bill, which will give the government a big say in regulating waqf properties, will be introduced by Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju in Lok Sabha.

Congress MPs KC Venugopal

Other opposition parties also expressed concern over the proposed amendments and demanded that the bill be sent to Parliament's standing committee for scrutiny.

Taking potshots at the BJP, Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav quipped that the party was working like a real estate company and should rename itself to "Bharatiya Zameen Party".

In a post on X, Yadav said the proposed bill was merely an excuse. "Waqf board lands are just another link in the chain of 'schemes for the benefit of BJP members' after defence land, Railway land, Nazul land," he said.

"A guarantee should be provided in writing that Waqf Board lands will not be sold," he said.

Samajwadi Party MP Awdhesh Prasad said the bill was an attempt by the government to encroach upon waqf property. "Let the bill be introduced in Parliament, the Samajwadi Party will make its stand clear," he said.

Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi said the bill should be consulted with all the stakeholders and amendments should be made if needed.

"The way this bill is being brought, I would ask if it has been discussed within their alliance (NDA). Have JD(U) and TDP seen this Waqf bill and have given their consent? If it has not been done, then all the stakeholders, parliamentarians must be heard," she said.

Sources told India Today that the government wanted to get the amendment bill passed in the Lok Sabha unanimously, and it was also open to sending it to a joint parliamentary committee for discussion.

The legislation, which will be renamed as the Unified Waqf Management, Empowerment, Efficiency and Development Act, aims to streamline the manner of registration of waqf properties through a central portal.

Other key changes proposed include the formation of a Central Waqf Council and state Waqf Boards, which would have representation of Muslim women and non-Muslims.

The proposed bill, if enacted, will make the District Collector as the arbiter on whether a property is waqf property or government land.

Five deaths reported due to rare brain infection in Kerala since January

A total of five deaths have been reported in Kerala due to amoebic meningoencephalitis, a rare and fatal brain infection, from January to August this year, Health Minister Veena George said on Wednesday.

Amoebic meningoencephalitis 

She said that 15 cases of the infection were reported in the state this year, out of which nine are active cases. Seven out of the 15 cases were reported from Kerala's capital, Thiruvanathapuram.

"We have six cases under treatment now, and we suspect two more cases, who are also admitted in hospitals," she said.

The minister said that there were no guidelines in the country for amoebic meningoencephalitis, as it is a very rare disease.

“Kerala has developed a special set of guidelines for the treatment of amoebic meningoencephalitis patients. The Union government supplied the medicine initially, because this drug comes under the central supply. However, as we needed more medicine, we also procured medicine from Germany," she said.

The health minister further said that the condition of the people admitted to the hospital is stable.

"If we diagnose the disease in the initial stage and ensure proper treatment, people can be saved. We have formed a medical board which is monitoring their situation. We have contacted the Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) for a combined study and research, and it has responded positively," she said.

Veena George said that the infection is not contagious and it doesn't spread through direct contact.

"It spreads through Amoeba and can occur in adults who have undergone surgery on the skull or have a sensitive nasal membrane. However, we were to find out how kids were getting infected," the Health Minister said, adding that people got infected by coming in contact with contaminated water.

"We have requested the public to inform the health department even if they have a headache," she said.

"We are asking for more medicine. We expect to get it within a month. Since this infection does not have any specific literature globally, we are trying to set up some guidelines for it," the minister added.

Largest 3D Printed Neighbourhood In The World Nears Completion In Texas

As with any desktop 3D printer, the Vulcan printer pipes layer by layer to build an object - except this printer is more than 45 feet (13.7 m) wide, weighs 4.75 tons and prints residential homes.

The 3D-printed homes

This summer, the robotic printer from ICON is finishing the last few of 100 3D-printed houses in Wolf Ranch, a community in Georgetown, Texas, about 30 miles from Austin.

ICON began printing the walls of what it says is the world's largest 3D-printed community in November 2022. Compared to traditional construction, the company says that 3D printing homes is faster, less expensive, requires fewer workers, and minimizes construction material waste.

"It brings a lot of efficiency to the trade market," said ICON senior project manager Conner Jenkins. "So, where there were maybe five different crews coming in to build a wall system, we now have one crew and one robot."

After concrete powder, water, sand and other additives are mixed together and pumped into the printer, a nozzle squeezes out the concrete mixture like toothpaste onto a brush, building up layer by layer along a pre-programmed path that creates corduroy-effect walls.

The single-story three- to four-bedroom homes take about three weeks to finish printing, with the foundation and metal roofs installed traditionally.

Jenkins said the concrete walls are designed to be resistant to water, mold, termites and extreme weather.

Lawrence Nourzad, a 32-year-old business development director, and his girlfriend Angela Hontas, a 29-year-old creative strategist, purchased a Wolf Ranch home earlier this summer.

"It feels like a fortress," Nourzad said, adding that he was confident it would be resilient to most tornados.

The walls also provide strong insulation from the Texas heat, the couple said, keeping the interior temperature cool even when the air conditioner wasn't on full blast.

There was one other thing the 3D-printed walls seemed to protect against, however: a solid wireless internet connection.

"Obviously these are really strong, thick walls. And that's what provides a lot of value for us as homeowners and keeps this thing really well-insulated in a Texas summer, but signal doesn't transfer through these walls very well," Nourzad said.

To alleviate this issue, an ICON spokeswoman said most Wolf Ranch homeowners use mesh internet routers, which broadcast a signal from multiple units placed throughout a home, versus a traditional router which sends a signal from one device.

The 3D-printed homes at Wolf Ranch, called the "Genesis Collection" by developers, range in price from around $450,000 to close to $600,000. Developers said a little more than one quarter of the 100 homes have been sold.

ICON, which 3D-printed its first home in Austin in 2018, hopes to one day take its technology to the Moon. NASA, as part of its Artemis Moon exploration program, has contracted ICON to develop a construction system capable of building landing pads, shelters, and other structures on the lunar surface.

Xiaomi 15 Ultra Tipped to Feature 200-Megapixel Telephoto Camera

The Chinese tech brand is yet to reveal details about the upcoming flagship phone but rumours and supposed leaks about its specifications are already appearing on the Web. Similar to the Xiaomi 14 Ultra, the upcoming Xiaomi 15 Ultra is tipped to get a quad camera setup at the rear. It is likely to be powered by the unannounced Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 chipset.

Xiaomi 14 Ultra

According to a Weibo post by known tipster Digital Chat Station (translated from Chinese), the Xiaomi 15 Ultra will feature a quad rear camera setup. It is said to include a 200-megapixel periscope telephoto camera with 4.x zoom. Another tipster Ice Universe (@UniverseIce) also reiterated this rumour on X.

The 200-megapixel zoom lens would be a notable upgrade over the camera setup of Xiaomi 14 Ultra. The latter packs a quad camera unit including four 50-megapixel sensors. The primary 50-megapixel Sony LYT900 camera has optical image stabilisation (OIS) and there are two other 50-megapixel Sony IMX858 sensors with 3.2x optical zoom and 5x optical zoom. The fourth camera comes with an ultra-wide lens. On the front, it has a 32-megapixel camera for selfies and video calling.

The Xiaomi 14 Ultra is powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 SoC based on this, the Xiaomi 15 Ultra is believed to have the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 at the helm.

The launch of the Xiaomi Ultra 15 is expected to happen in early 2025. The Xiaomi 14 Ultra was launched in India in March for Rs. 99,999 for the single 16GB RAM and 512GB variant.

It ships with Android 14-based HyperOS and has a 6.73-inch WQHD+ LTPO AMOLED micro-curved display with up to 120Hz refresh rate, and 3,000 nits of peak brightness level. It houses a 5,000mAh battery with support for 90W wired, 80W wireless, and 10W wireless charging support. The Xiaomi 14 Ultra has an IP68 rating for dust and splash resistance. 

Sunita Williams Went To Space For 8 Days, But Could Be Stuck Till Feb 2025

What was meant to be a 10-day mission to the International Space Station (ISS) for the NASA astronauts - Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams - to fly with Boeing could extend to eight months.

Sunita Williams

NASA said on Wednesday that astronauts sent to International Space Station by Boeing's Starliner on a 10-day mission could return on one of the options as SpaceX's Crew Dragon in February 2025 if Starliner is still deemed unsafe to return to Earth.

Ms Williams and Mr Wilmore took off aboard the Boeing Starliner in June and have been at the ISS since the sixth of that month. The Starliner has faced glitches in the propulsion system following a series of helium leaks.

NASA is working on several return options including using SpaceX Crew Dragon. The Crew Dragon capsule would then be able to return to Earth with Starliner's crew of Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams in February 2025.

At the ISS in all nine astronauts and all are safe with enough food and supplies. All must return to Earth sooner than later.

Starliner spacecraft launched in June carrying two astronauts to the ISS in a high-stakes test mission required before NASA can certify the spacecraft for routine astronaut flights.

But the mission, initially expected to last about eight days, has been drawn out far longer by an array of problems with the craft's propulsion system that Boeing and NASA have been scrambling to fix.

The US space agency said Ms Williams, who is a veteran and is on her third space mission, meanwhile at the ISS among many other things investigated using fluid physics, such as surface tension, to overcome the lack of gravity when watering and nourishing plants being grown in space.

This is akin to gardening in space and is a very vital step towards understanding how plants grow and respond to microgravity conditions. The research will be crucial when humanity looks to establish various bases in the solar system and beyond.

Himachal Pradesh cloudburst death toll mounts to 22, over 100 roads closed

The death toll from cloudburst-triggered flash floods in Himachal Pradesh has reached 22, with rescue operations ongoing to find over 30 missing people.

Himachal Pradesh

The flash floods were reported in Kullu's Nirmand, Sainj and Malana, Mandi's Padhar and Shimla's Rampur. The worst hit was Samej village in Rampur subdivision, where about 25 people went missing.

Nine bodies have been recovered from Mandi's Rajbhan village, three from Nirmand and Bagipul in Kullu district and 10 from Samej and surrounding areas of Dhadkol, Bro and Sunni Dam in Shimla district.

Twelve out of the 22 bodies have been identified so far and DNA samples for others are being taken for identification of the bodies.

Incessant rain in the state has caused landslides and the closing of over 100 roads in Himachal Pradesh.

A total of 109 roads, including 37 in Mandi, 29 in Shimla, 26 in Kullu, six in Kangra, four each in Kinnaur and Lahaul and Spiti, two in Sirmaur and one in Hamirpur, are closed while 58 transformers and 15 water supply schemes are disrupted, as per the state emergency operation centre.

Furthermore, as the rains continued to pound the region, the local meteorological office issued an orange alert of heavy to very heavy rainfall, thunderstorm and lightning at isolated places in the state for Saturday.

The weather office has also cautioned of low to moderate flash flood risk in isolated parts of Kangra, Sirmaur, Chamba, Shimla, Kullu, Kinnaur, Solan and Mandi districts in the next 24 hours.

The Met also said that monsoon activity is likely to intensify in the next five to six days with fairly widespread rains.

Over 650 rescuers from teams of the Army, NDRF, SDRF, ITBP, CISF, Himachal Pradesh Police and home guards are involved in the search and rescuers have intensified the search operation by deploying more machinery, sniffer dog squads, drones and other equipment.

Chief of Defence Staff Anil Chauhan said that the Army has intensified its rescue operations.

“In response to the devastating cloudburst that struck Samej Village in Shimla, Himachal Pradesh, extensive rescue operations are currently in progress. The civilian administration has deployed 10 heavy-duty excavators to aid in the efforts. Additionally, the Army has deployed two drones to assist in the search and rescue operations. Medical assistance has been provided to 65 patients affected by the disaster. Tragically, one body was recovered near the Lunhari area in the Sutlej River by the state administration,” he said.

A total of 94 people were killed in rain-related incidents between June 27 and August 7 and the state suffered losses amounting to Rs 787 crore, according to the officials.

Why Anti-Racism Protests And Riots Are Sweeping Across The UK

A wave of riots, sparked by a deadly attack at a children's dance event and further fueled by a torrent of misinformation, has gripped parts of the United Kingdom. What began as a community's grief over the tragic loss of three young girls has spiralled into nationwide chaos, with far-right groups using the moment to incite anti-immigration and anti-Muslim violence.

Anti-Racism Protests

On July 29, three young girls, aged six to nine, were killed during a Taylor Swift-themed dance event in Southport, northern England. Eight other children and two adults also suffered stab wounds and were transferred to the hospital. The attacker, 17-year-old Axel Rudakubana, was arrested and charged with three counts of murder, 10 counts of attempted murder and one of possession of a blade.

Axel Rudakubana was born and raised in Cardiff, Wales. However, false information that he was an Islamist migrant quickly spread on social media. This misinformation incited violent anti-Muslim protests in Southport the following day, including an attempted attack on the local mosque.

On Wednesday evening, a sea of angry demonstrators descended upon Prime Minister Keir Starmer's Downing Street office, voicing their outrage over immigration and demanding action from the government. The crowd's chants of "Save our kids" and "We want our country back" filled the air as protesters clashed with police, hurling flares and smoke canisters towards the prime minister's residence.

The Metropolitan police reported 111 arrests and five injured officers, following a night of violent disorder. This comes after Tuesday's initial protests in Southport, where over 50 police officers were hurt and police vans were set ablaze.

Since then, riots have erupted in over 20 locations, including Sunderland, Manchester, Plymouth and Belfast, across Britain. These protests have involved hundreds of participants targeting migrants or Muslims, vandalising shops, and clashing with police.

Keir Starmer blames the recent violence on "far-right thuggery". Prominent anti-Muslim and anti-immigration activists, like Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, are accused of spreading false information to inflame tensions. Social media platforms have been criticised for not preventing the spread of disinformation, which has played a significant role in amplifying these false narratives.

According to police, the majority of those involved in the clashes were far-right agitators from outside the local areas. However, some individuals with local grievances or young people seeking excitement also joined the fray, police said. Meanwhile, counter-protesters and anti-fascist groups have gathered to oppose them.

Many rioters, describing themselves as "patriots", claimed that high immigration levels were undermining British society. They argued that immigration fueled violence and crime and that politicians favoured migrants. However, rights groups and anti-racist organisations rejected these claims as baseless, suggesting the true motive was extremism masked as patriotism.

The Starmer-led government has taken swift action in response to the recent riots, making nearly 600 additional prison places available and deploying specialist officers to prevent the situation from spiralling. A 58-year-old British man has also been jailed for three years for violent disorder.

The government is also targeting those using social media to spread trouble, with one man charged for using threatening language to stir up racial hatred on Facebook. Science Minister Peter Kyle has met with representatives from major tech companies, like TikTok, Meta, Google and X, to prevent incitement and the spread of false information online.