Schools in Bangladesh will close an additional day each week and government offices and banks will shorten their work days by an hour to reduce electricity usage amid concerns over rising fuel prices. In Bangladesh, most schools are closed on Fridays, but now will also close on Saturdays, cabinet secretary Khandker Anwarul Islam said. He said government offices and banks will cut their work days to seven hours from eight hours, but that private offices will be allowed to set their own schedules. Supply disruptions caused by the Ukraine war have led to soaring world prices for energy and food. Bangladesh has been taking measures to ease pressure on its declining foreign currency reserves. Last month, fuel prices were raised by more than 50%. The government says it is exploring options to get cheaper fuel from Russia under a special arrangement. The decision has drawn criticism, but the government said it is necessary to cut losses amid rising international fuel prices.
Pak allowing US drones to use airspace: Taliban
Taliban’s acting defence minister said Pakistan had allowed American drones to use its airspace to access Afghanistan. Mullah Mohammad Yaqoob said US drones have been entering Afghanistan via Pakistan. Pakistan’s foreign ministry did not respond to a request for comment. Pakistani authorities have denied involvement in or advanced knowledge of a drone strike the US said it carried out in Kabul in July that killed al-Qaida leader Ayman al-Zawahiri. Yaqoob’s comments could exacerbate tension between the neighbouring nations at a time when the Afghan Taliban is mediating talks between Pakistan and a Pakistani Taliban militant group.
Maldives environment minister, stabbed while riding bike
The Maldivian environment minister Ali Solih was stabbed by a knife-wielding individual in Hulhumale, north of capital Male. He sustained injuries on his left arm. The attacker was arrested soon after the violent incident. Solih is also the spokesperson of the Jumhooree Party (JP), which is a coalition partner of the ruling Maldivian Democratic Party of President Ibrahim Solih. According to Times of Addu, Solih was attacked while he was riding his motorcycle in Hulhumale. Maldivian media reported that the perpetrator recited some verses of the Quran before launching the attack on Solih’s neck from behind. The knife missed the neck but slit part of his left arm. Solih got off the motorcycle and ran away to save himself from the attacker. He is being treated at the Hulhumale Hospital. Maldiveswas in the news in May 2021 after former president Mohamed Nasheed was critically attacked through a bomb blast outside his home in Male. The explosive had been planted on a bike parked near his car. Maldives is facing a threat from rising Islamic radicalism as well as recruitment for global militant organisations.
In drought-hit California, Kim & Stallone get notice for wasting water
Kim Kardashian and celebrity neighbours, including Sylvester Stallone, have been handed warnings for repeatedly flouting water restrictions at their homes in drought-hit California, the Los Angeles Times reported. Strict water limits — imposed as the western US endures its 23rd successive year of drought, worsened by human-caused climate change — are in place across swathes of southern California, including the affluent neighbourhoods of Calabasas and Hidden Hills. Celebrity reality stars Kim and Kourtney Kardashian were among repeat offenders in June, the newspaper reported, citing notices obtained via a Public Records Act request. A Hidden Hills home and adjacent lot owned by a trust linked to Kim Kardashian exceeded their water allowance by a combined 232,000 gallons for the month, while her sister Kourtney’s property was around 100,000 gallons in excess.
China punishes 27 officials over ‘ugly’ textbook sketch
China has punished more than 27 education officials over a series of math textbooks drawings that an investigation found portrayed the nation’s children as “ugly”. “The overall style of the illustrations do not conform to the aesthetic tastes of the public,” the ministry of education said. The People’s Education Press primary school books sparked outcry in May over drawings of students with small eyes that some called racist, the apparent depiction of male genitalia on boys’ pants, and children wearing clothing bearing stars and stripes, which was seen as pro-America attire.
7-year-old becomes youngest pilot
A Belgian-British teenager became the youngest person to fly around the world solo in a small aircraft after he landed in Bulgaria, where his global journey kicked off five months ago. Mack Rutherford, who turned 17 during the trip, landed on an airstrip west of Bulgaria’s capital, Sofia, to complete his task and to claim two Guinness World Records. Along with becoming the youngest person to fly around the world by himself, Rutherford is the youngest person to circumnavigate the globe in a microlight plane. His sister, Zara, who finished her own trip global flight in January at age 19, previously held the ultralight record. Rutherford took the age record from Travis Ludlow of Britain, who was 18 when he made a solo flight around the world last year.
Number of monkey pox cases down
The number of monkey pox cases reported globally dropped by 21% in the last week, reversing a month-long trend of rising infections and a possible signal the outbreak in Europe may be starting to decline, according to a WHO report. Cases in the Americas accounted for 60% of cases in the past month, WHO said, while cases in Europe comprised about 38%. It said infections in the America showed “a continuing steep rise. ” In early July, just weeks before the agency declared the international spread of the disease to be a global emergency, WHO’s Europe director said countries in the region were responsible for 90% of all laboratory confirmed cases of monkey pox. British health authorities said last week after seeing a decline in the number of new cases getting reported daily that there were “early signs” the country’s monkey pox outbreak was slowing.
Facebook feeds flooded with celebrity spam
Facebook users globally were left in awe and shock when celebrity posts filled their main feeds with musicians and actors like Taylor Swift, Billie Eilish, Lady Gaga, Tom Cruise, Nirvana, and The Beatles tagged. The company later said it was a bug and fixed that. Several Facebook users also faced outage, as per DownDetector. “It’s carnage out there folks,” posted a user. Some users sent memes to celebrities who allegedly posted on their main feed. The Beatles apparently sent a picture of a turkey sandwich with the caption, "If you see this share it to another celebrities Facebook page keep the turkey sandwich moving”. Some users even took advantage of the situation by spamming PayPal donation links or promoting cryptocurrency projects. “We are working to get things back to normal as quickly as possible,” a Meta spokesman said.
Najib back in court for second graft trial
Jailed Malaysian ex-PM Najib Razak returned to court for a second corruption trial over the pilfering of the 1MDB state fund, two days after he began a 12-year prison term for graft. The current trial began in August 2019 and is the most significant as it ties Najib directly to the 1MDB scandal that has prompted investigations in the US and several other countries. Prosecutors allege Najib pilfered billions of dollars from 1MDB through an “elaborate charade” and then sought to cover his track
Libya clashes toll rises to 32
Clashes between backers of Libya’s rival governments killed at least 32 people, the health ministry said in a new toll, after a battle that sparked fears of new conflict. Armed groups had exchanged fire that damaged several hospitals and set buildings on fire, the worst fighting in the Libyan capital since a landmark 2020 ceasefire. A cautious calm had set in by Saturday. The fighting came after months of mounting tensions between backers of Abdulhamid Dbeibah and Fathi Bashagha, whose rival administrations are vying for control of the country which has seen over a decade of violence since a 2011 uprising. Bashagha was appointed by Libya’s eastern-based parliament earlier this year and is backed by powerful eastern military chief Khalifa Haftar, whose 2019 attempt to seize Tripoli by force turned into a year-long civil war.
6 killed after truck rolls into Holland party
Six people died in an incident when a truck rolled into a neighbourhood party in the town of Nieuw Beijerland in the south of the Netherlands, Dutch police said on Sunday. Seven other people were in hospital with injuries due to the incident, with one of them in critical condition, police said. The incident happened around 30 km south of Rotterdam, when a heavy truck rolled off a dyke into a field where neighbours were holding a party. It was still unclear what had caused the accident, police said. The driver of the truck from Spain, was detained as he was suspected of having caused a fatal car accident.
Moderna sues Pfizer-BioNTech
Moderna sued Pfizer and BioNTech, alleging that their Covid-19 vaccine copied its groundbreaking technology. Moderna said in a statement that Pfizer and BioNTech infringed on patents filed between 2010 and 2016 that covered its mRNA technology. Moderna, which is based in Cambridge, sued in US court in Massachusetts and the regional court of Dssseldorf in Germany, where BioNTech is based. “We are filing these lawsuits to protect the innovative mRNA technology platform that we pioneered, invested billions of dollars in creating, and patented during the decade preceding the Covid-19 pandemic, ” Moderna CEO Stephane Bancel said.
