Dhaka, Apr 6 (UNB)- With a view to promoting arts to reduce the spread of misinformation and fake news, a group exhibition was held on Saturday showcasing works of renowned artists. 

The exhibition, ‘Art Against Fake News’, arranged by Gallery Cosmos at Cosmos Atelier71 in city’s Malibagh as part of Cosmos Dialogue on fake news and hate speech arranged by Cosmos Foundation earlier Saturday. 

It featured 30 artworks by 24 artists. 

Prominent artist Mustafa Monwar inaugurated the exhibition as the chief guest while artists Samarjit Roy Chowdhury and Rafiqun Nabi were present as the special guests. 

Monwar lauded Gallery Cosmos for such a timely endeavour against this menace. “Artists are always against the spread of fake news,” he said. 

Samarjit said the country’s artists will spread positive vibes through artworks to prevent the spread of hate speech. 

Rafiqun Nabi said that cartoon is the best medium to speak against fake news. 

President of Association for Accountability and Internet Democracy (AAID) Dan Shefet highlighted the contributions of artists to society. 

He congratulated the participating artists and appreciated the initiative for such a brave step in today’s world where people are afraid of not being politically correct. 

“Artists are the heroes who will take the society forward,” he added. 

Enayetullah Khan, Chairman of Gallery Cosmos, said he wishes to use the artists’ platform to highlight all the challenges of life.
 
“The problem is not country specific. It doesn’t respect border. It goes beyond the question of borderlines,” he said about the spread of fake news. “This challenge (against fake news) will bring all the people of the world on one platform.” 

United News of Bangladesh (UNB) Chairman Amanullah Khan, alongside artists Biren Shome, Shahabuddin Ahmed, Sourav Chowdhury and Toshihiko Ikeda were present at the inauguration. 

The Participating Artists are: Abdul Gaffar Babu, Abdus Shakoor Shah, Alakesh Ghosh, Anisuzzaman Anis, Biren Shome, Bishwajit Goswami, Devdas Malakar, Hamiduzzaman Khan, Kalidas Karmakar, Kanak Chanpa Chakma, Maksuda Iqbal Nipa, Monirul Islam, Mustafa Monowar, Nagarbasi Barman, Nasir Ali Mamun, Nazia Andaleeb Preema, Prashanta Karmakar, Qayyum Chowdhury, Rafiqun Nabi, Rokeya Sultana, Samarjit Roy Chowdhury, Shahabuddin Ahmed, Sourav Chowdhury and Toshihiko Ikeda. 

Egypt, April 6 (Xinhua/UNB) -- The Egyptian Minister of Antiquities announced on Friday the discovery of a tomb, dating back to the Ptolemaic era which spans from 305 BC to 30 BC, in Sohag province south of the capital Cairo.

"The perfectly well-decorated tomb belongs to a nobleman called Toutou and his wife, a musician who played castanets," Khaled al-Anany said in a press conference.

The tomb, which was discovered at Al-Dayabat archaeological site, consists of two tiny rooms containing two limestone sarcophagi, the minister said.

Egyptian archeologists found a very-well preserved mummy for the wife and more than 300 objects and fragments including 50 mummified falcons, eagles, cats, dogs and rats in the tomb, Secretary-General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities Mostafa Waziri told Xinhua, describing the tomb as "one of the most exciting discoveries ever in the area."

"A large number of mummified shrews, which look like very small mice but with longer nose, were found in perfect conditions of preservation inside the more than 2,000-year-old tomb," Waziri added.

He pointed out that ancient Egyptians believed small rats which run very fast and see very well at night resemble Horus, a god of the sky who could work efficiently in the dark.

Egyptians at that time worshiped those kind of rats because they believed these small creatures can cure blindness, he added.

The hall in front of the sarcophagi is divided into two parts, containing paints for Toutou as presenting gifts to gods and goddesses while his wife recites some verses of the book of resurrection, he explained.

The tomb was accidentally discovered in 2018 when the Tourism and Antiquities Police arrested a gang who were carrying out illegal excavations in an area near the archeological site.

Washington, Apr 4(AP/UNB) — Doctors can safely transplant hepatitis C-infected lungs and hearts into people desperate for a new organ, say researchers who may have found a way to protect those patients from getting the risky virus.

The experiment, reported Wednesday, is the latest attempt to put a dent in the nation's long transplant waiting list by using organs that otherwise would be wasted, often ones from victims of the opioid epidemic.

The new twist: Instead of trying to cure hepatitis C after it took hold in transplant recipients, researchers at Boston's Brigham and Women's Hospital say a faster, cheaper treatment seems to prevent infection in the first place.

"This is about not discarding organs that are medically suitable," said Dr. Ann Woolley, a Brigham infectious disease specialist who co-authored the study in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Transplanting organs that could infect someone with a liver-damaging virus sounds drastic, but the organ shortage has more hospitals giving it a try. More than 113,000 people are on the national waiting list for a transplant; just 36,529 people got one last year. For heart or lung transplants, about 1,000 people a year die waiting.

"I knew that time was getting shorter for me," said Rexford Kelley, 71, of Searsport, Maine. So he sought out the Brigham study in hopes that accepting a lung infected with hepatitis C would mean a speedier transplant. "I'm thankful I got the lung," said the retired state trooper, who now breathes easy enough to get back on the golf course.

Until recently, doctors tended to transplant hepatitis C-infected organs only into patients who already had that virus.

But in 2016, spurred by powerful new drugs that promised to cure hepatitis C, surgeons began experimenting with so-called mismatched transplants — giving infected kidneys to hepatitis-free recipients. If those patients showed signs of infection, they got three months of medicine to beat it back. Last year, small studies at the University of Pennsylvania and Johns Hopkins University showed not only were patients cured of their hepatitis, the new kidney worked fine.

It was time to test more scarce transplants of lungs or hearts. Among the questions: Would hepatitis C make it harder to transplant those more fragile organs? And because the hepatitis medicine costs tens of thousands of dollars, could patients fare as well with a shorter — and cheaper — course of treatment?

In February, Penn researchers reported the standard three-month treatment cured 10 recipients of a hepatitis C-infected heart. One eventually died of organ rejection but the others were faring well.

Brigham researchers took a different approach. Within hours of either a heart or lung transplant, participants started taking medicine for a month in hopes of blocking hepatitis C infection rather than having to treat it.

The study detailed how about half of the 69 transplant recipients so far are faring. Six months after transplant, none showed signs of hepatitis C and their organs were functioning well. One died eight months after transplant from a bacterial infection unrelated to the hepatitis but 15 are doing well a year later.

Woolley said researchers might test even shorter treatment, noting the virus was undetectable at two weeks.

It might work "because maybe the virus hasn't had the chance to establish itself," said Dr. Peter Reese, a Penn kidney specialist who helped pioneer hepatitis C mismatch transplants but wasn't involved in the latest research. But, "if the short course doesn't work, it's incumbent to be up front with patients about what they would do."

Larger and longer studies are key for all hepatitis C-infected transplants, Reese added.

Many hospitals aren't waiting for more evidence. Last year, there were 1,274 hepatitis C-infected transplants in people without the virus compared to several hundred the year before, according to the United Network for Organ Sharing, which oversees the nation's transplant system.

"It's not established that cure rates are 100 percent," cautioned UNOS chief medical officer Dr. David Klassen. "To believe they would be, would be a little naive."

But one Penn heart recipient said patients should know this option could cut their waiting time. Tom Giangiulio Jr., 59, of Waterford Township, New Jersey, was steadily deteriorating after two years awaiting a transplant when doctors asked if he'd be their study's first volunteer. He was transplanted in June 2017.

"My first thought was saving my life," he recalled. "My next thought was, 'I'm the front-runner here. What I'm doing could open up a tremendous number of hearts to other recipients.'"

I visit Bashundhara Residential Area quite often, thanks to the classes in North South University and my friends living there. Being a foodie, I always complained my friends about this area not having much decent restaurants where you can peacefully eat and chill with both friends and family. This was possible when there was Kozmo Lounge in the area which is now replaced by Khanas. Even if there are few good places to eat, it is quite challenging to access those due to the rickshaw stand, ‘kaacha bazaar’ and the infinite number of people walking all over the footpath near the Bashundhara R/A entrance.

Now you all can question about the food court in Jamuna Future Park. Honestly I didn’t find it as impressive as that of Bashundhara City or even say for instance Chef’s Table. There are only few decent restaurants/cafés like Tabaq, Poplar and Garlic ‘n’ Ginger in there but sadly, you can’t even get a decent plate of Phuchka in JFP’s food court (readers you can let me know the name of the place if you find any).

                                                                   Mac ‘n’ Cheese                                                                                  

Few friends of mine and I discovered a new place in the South Avenue corner of Bashundhara R/A named Metro Kitchens. It is a two – floored/layered setup over a huge space with around 20 or more restaurants/cafes covering an array of cuisines. I remember during my first visit, I witnessed Lunar Eclipse from there while sipping tea from Paanshala in Metro Kitchens.

                                                                        Cheeesy          

There are many food shops there like Pagla Kebab, Smoky Bones, Paanshala, Peking Kitchens, Fire & Chefs, Gorom Thanda, 4Kitchens, Plated and others. I tried Plated and Paanshala and since my first time, I’ve been there numerous times. In addition to this, I loved the food quality of Plated so much that I frequently order from there via Pathao Food.

PLATED – A TASTE OF MYTH

I am in love with their Chili Cheese Fries and their Mac ‘n’ Cheese. I tried both these dishes for the first time from Plated along with their Oven Baked Pasta and I must say I was very content with the taste. It is good value for money also and very affordable for students. All three dishes we ordered summed upto BDT 702 only and it’s more than enough for 3 people. They serve different kinds of pizzas also.

                      Oven Baked Pasta                                                                                                                                   

Overall Metros Kitchen is a nice and happening place to chill with your friends. I would highly recommend everyone to go check the place out.

By: Marjan Rahman

The Rangs Fortune Square building has become quite the hot spot in Dhaka over the last few months. From hosting the second branch of last year’s hit, Yum Cha District to accommodating the crazy line of Dominos, Rangs at Dhanmondi Road 2 has become “the place” serving your caffeine, dumpling craving and more.

The S’mores Café & Restaurant is such an addition to the building which doesn’t go unnoticed but unvisited. After checking their Facebook page where they claimed themselves to be the finest café and restaurant in Dhaka city, I knew I had to go by myself to check what it is all about. Upon entering, you will remain gawking at the exquisite interior; the lighting, the ambience, the seating arrangement were all praiseworthy.  Upon carefully going through each of the dishes on their simple menu we decided since the place gave off such a fine dine aura, we might as well order as such; finger food, a main, and a dessert followed by two drinks.

We started with the appetizer, American Imported Fries with two dips. In terms of taste, they tasted just like regular lightly seasoned fries with ketchup. The drinks, Sunriser and Strawberry Margherita were quite citric so if you are in the mood for something refreshing, they are an alright choice. Next came the much anticipated, New England Seafood Chowder. The chowder is a type of soup prepared with the combination of cream and milk. Why it is called New England Seafood chowder is due to the world wide use of seafood from the New England area, mostly Maine. However, the calamari and prawn used here were locally sourced. I cannot get over how brilliantly the chef had crafted this recipe. In fact, it was so rich (and the addition of toasted garlic bread) that it could be a whole meal in itself. The chowder was sweet, the seafood were cooked well, and the bread altogether made the dish a great one.

When the main, the Baked Salmon, arrived I couldn’t help but notice the perfectly cooked salmon fillet. The garlic butter flavor from the piccata sauce, the light seasoning of the fish, and the piquant taste of the capers all worked incredibly well together to present to you one full package. The poached vegetables could be deemed as the ugly duckling of the plate. In fact, I was totally bummed out when the broccoli tasted close to raw but the chef promised that they are actually working on an alternate as they too believe it doesn’t go with the overall dish. The bell pepper rice was a nice addition for those who prefer having a full fledged meal for the bucks but is meant to be simple so that the Norwegian salmon stays the star of the dish.

As hard as it is for me to say this, but with the name of the restaurant being S’mores, I had expected them to excel in the dessert section. I was quite disappointed having to choose between only two. The Signature (white) Chocolate Mousse was exactly what the menu described it to be; white chocolate with whipped cream. I couldn’t get through the small serving because of how overwhelmingly sweet it was.

In conclusion, S’mores is a must visit just for their chowder and salmon! This place deserves more recognition because honestly, it can be compared to a fine dine experience without having to put a hole on your pocket.

By: Ifreet Taheea