Award
Bangladesh's Meghla scores first prize at Dubai ASAS Art Exhibition
Bangladeshi artist Jannatul Fardous Meghla scooped up the first prize at the first Annual Student Art Show (ASAS) in the UAE's Dubai.
Organised by UAE-based Art Group Funun Arts at De Montfort University, 320 student artists from 60 nationalities participated in ASAS from November 4-6, focusing on 16 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Artist Meghla won the first prize in the third category for her painting "Give Clean Water," which was based on SDG Goal 6: Clean water and sanitation. She is now pursuing her BSc in architecture from North South University.
Also, another Bangladeshi calligraphy artist Shamsunnahar Tasnim, a tenth-grader at Jannatul Banat Madrasha in Dhaka, received an award for her Arabic calligraphy on SDG Goal 3: Good health and well-being.
The event was inaugurated by entrepreneur and Chairman of the Al Zarooni Foundation Suhail Mohd Al Zarooni, also a renowned Emirati collector and Guinness Book World Record holder, and Ahmad Al Awadhi Rukni, a renowned Emirati artist.
Read: GENTLE GRASS: Faroque unveils his world in first solo exhibition in Dhaka
The founder of Funun Arts Shiba Khan and Farah Khan initiated this large-scale student art show and the inaugural edition welcomed 26 self-taught artists from Bangladesh under the mentorship of artist Mahfuzur Rahman through Mahfuz Canvas.
This architect couple chose to live in Jhenaidah, designed an award-winning river space
Khondaker Hasibul Kabir and Suhailey Farzana, an architect couple from Jhenaidah in Bangladesh, have shown the world how they co-designed a public space in their own town – keeping in mind the nature and people.
Their community-led initiative titled “Urban River Spaces, Jhenaidah” is one of the winners of the 2022 Aga Khan Award for Architecture.
Six award winners, who will share the $1 million award – one of the largest in architecture – show promise for communities, innovation and attention to environment.
Read: 2 Bangladesh projects win 2022 Aga Khan Award for Architecture
The award giving ceremony will be held at Royal Opera House of Musical Arts Monday night (Muscat time).
“This is not a project, I would say, rather it’s a process that has begun,” Farzana, who came to Muscat with his husband and son, told UNB hours before receiving the prestigious award.
15 receive Aga Khan Music Awards 2022
Fifteen musicians have received the 2022 Aga Khan Music Awards at a ceremony held at Royal Opera House Muscat’s House of Musical Arts.
The award-giving ceremony marked the culmination of a two-day celebration in which laureates performed live or were presented in short films.
The 2022 Aga Khan Music Awards concluded on Sunday night with the presentation of awards to 15 laureates by Sayyid Bilarab bin Haitham Al Said and Prince Amyn Aga Khan during a gala concert.
A special Award for Lifetime Achievement was presented to acclaimed tabla player Ustad Zakir Hussain during the Music Awards’ opening night concert on October 29.
Read more: Ustad Zakir Hussain receives Aga Khan Music Award
This evening’s programme featured performances by Peni Candra Rini, an Indonesian composer, improviser, vocalist and educator; Yasamin Shahhosseini, an Iranian oud player who is reimagining the place of the oud in Iranian music; the Tehran-based Golshan Ensemble, which performs Iranian classical music; and Soumik Datta, a sarod player from the United Kingdom who fuses his training in Hindustani classical music with pop, rock, electronica and film soundtracks to raise awareness about urgent social issues, including climate change, refugees and mental health.
Laureates of the 2022 Music Awards were selected by a Master Jury from a field of close to 400 nominees from 42 countries.
They share $500,000 prize money and will have opportunities for professional development.
These opportunities include commissions for the creation of new works, contracts for recordings and artist management, support for pilot education initiatives, and technical or curatorial consultancies for music archiving, preservation, and dissemination projects.
Read More: Bangladeshi Marina Tabassum in Aga Khan Award for Architecture’s Steering Committee
Global recognition proves Bangladeshi architecture can become an example for countries
Bangladesh can be an example for other countries if people from all disciplines, not just the architects, can put in their best efforts for the country, says a young architect.
“We got the recognition relatively in a very early stage. It proves that those in the architecture discipline are demonstrating world class examples,” architect Saad Ben Mostafa told UNB.
Mostafa is one of the three young architects whose project titled “Community Spaces in Rohingya Refugee Response, Cox’s Bazar” won the prestigious 2022 Aga Khan Award for Architecture (AKAA).
Six winners, who will share the USD 1 million award, one of the biggest in architecture, show promise for communities, innovation and care for the environment.
Read more: 2 Bangladesh projects win 2022 Aga Khan Award for Architecture
Mostafa along with his two teammates — architects Khwaja Fatmi and Rizvi Hassan — will receive the award with other winners on Monday.
The graduate from the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) laid emphasis on focusing on work while understanding people’s needs and roots, not just replicating foreign designs.
“I would say, we are going to receive the award on behalf of all. I see it as a big recognition for Bangladesh,” architect Fatmi told UNB.
Architect Hassan said they wanted to see whether they can work based on local elements – taking materials and creating a beautiful, sustainable and an advanced design.
Read More: Bangladesh project among Aga Khan Award for Architecture Winners
In future, he said, they want to work in rural areas. “We want to engage people from the villages in our work. We want to see them join hands with us. We will work together.”
Qatar Airways scores Airline of the Year Award for 7th time
Qatar Airways has won the Airline of the Year award, known as "the Oscars of the aviation industry," for a record seventh time at the Skytrax World Airline Awards 2022.
At the event in London Friday, the airline also took home three additional awards, including World's Best Business Class, World's Best Business Class Lounge Dining, and Best Airline in the Middle East.
The awards covered the 12 months from September 2021 to August 2022 with over 14 million eligible entries counted in the results, a period when Qatar Airways increased its global network back to over 150 destinations.
Earlier, Qatar Airways was named Airline of the Year in 2011, 2012, 2015, 2017, 2019, and 2021, according to a media statement.
Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive Akbar Al Baker, said: "To be named as the World's Best Airline was always a goal when Qatar Airways was created, but to win it for the seventh time and pick up three additional awards is a testament to all the hard work of our incredible employees."
Read: Qatar Airways temporarily closes Dhaka office
"To win these awards in the same year that we celebrate our 25th anniversary is even more rewarding and I want to offer a sincere thanks to all our passengers who voted for us," he added.
Edward Plaisted of international air transport rating organisation Skytrax said: "Qatar Airways were the largest airline to have flown consistently throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, with their network never falling below 30 destinations, and that determination has been well recognised by customers with this award as Airline of the Year 2022."
Qatar Airways now flies to more than 150 destinations worldwide, connecting through its Doha hub, Hamad International Airport.
2 Bangladesh projects win 2022 Aga Khan Award for Architecture
Two Bangladesh projects are amongst six winners of the 2022 Aga Khan Award for Architecture (AKAA).
A monograph that includes essays on issues raised by the Master Jury’s selections of the shortlist and the winners for the 2022 Award will be published by Architangle in October 2022, according to a message received from Geneva.
The Urban River Spaces project in Jhenaidah created by Khondakar Hasibul Kabir and Suhailey Farzana, and the community spaces of the Rohingya Refugee Response program by architects Rizvi Hassan, Khwaja Fatmi and Saad Ben Mostafa will share the US$1 million award with four other winning projects.
Read: Bangladeshi projects shortlisted for Aga Khan Award for Architecture 2022
Bangladesh's Nuzhat Choudhury wins Outstanding Service in Prevention of Blindness Award
Bangladesh's Nuzhat Choudhury has won the Outstanding Service in Prevention of Blindness Award of the Asia-Pacific Academy of Ophthalmology (APAO).
Each year, outstanding ophthalmologists are recognised for their contributions to advancing ophthalmology and eye care in Asia-Pacific and beyond.
Nuzhat, who has pioneered the establishment of retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) services at the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU), was named the recipient of the award at the APAO Conference 2022 being held online.
She is a member of the National Technical Committee on ROP, which has developed national guidelines for the screening and management of ROP.
Nuzhat is the trainer of the master trainers of ROP in Bangladesh and works to spread awareness and service to prevent blindness from ROP.
The 38th APAO Congress will take place in Malaysia from 23–26 February 2023.
Read: Tarafder M Ruhul Amin gets Mother Teresa Int'l Award
"Hopefully, I will receive the award in person in Malaysia in 2023," Nuzhat, a professor at the Department of Ophthalmology of the BSMMU, said.
She is also the daughter of Dr Abdul Alim Chaudhury, one of the martyred intellectuals during the Liberation War.
Nuzhat did her fellowship in vitreo-retina at Ispahani Islamia Eye Institute and Hospital, Bangladesh, and LV Prasad Eye Institute, India.
She is a council member of the World ROP Council and a member of the SAARC Collegium of Ophthalmology.
Nuzhat is also an associate member of the APAO Prevention of Blindness Standing Committee. She is one of the founding members of the global platform Women Ophthalmologists Worldwide.
She has received several recognitions for her scientific research, including the AQSM Harun Memorial Award of the Ophthalmological Society of Bangladesh.
Bangladesh's Seema Hamid score Durga Samman 2022
Bangladeshi social worker and entrepreneur Seema Hamid has received India's Durga Samman 2022 for her contribution to society.
Seema and 16 other women personalities received the award at a hotel in Kolkata Sunday, according to a media statement.
"We are working to create youth entrepreneurs and empower them. Our work also involves engaging youth in various social activities. The Durga Samman will encourage me to inspire to go forward," the social worker and entrepreneur said.
Also read: Tarafder M Ruhul Amin gets Mother Teresa Int'l Award
All govt officials must arrive at office within 8:00am: Cabinet Secretary
Cabinet Secretary Khandker Anwarul Islam today (September 4, 2022) said that directive has been given once again about office timings.
He was speaking at a briefing after the cabinet meeting.
“According to the new timing, all government officials have to arrive at office within 8:00am and leave at 3:00pm. No one can leave office before the set time, except those who take permission from their bosses. We’re going to ensure this,” said Anwarul.
Replying to a question, the Cabinet Secretary said that the new office timing will remain effective until further notice.
The decision on the new office timing was taken at a cabinet meeting on August 22, which was implemented on August 24.
Read: PM directs import of additional food grains
About the Mother of Humanity Social Welfare Award, Anwarul said that the cabinet has decided to change its name.
“Cabinet members were pressing to change the name of the award for a long time. Based on their proposal, the cabinet has approved a draft today according to which the new name of the award will be ‘National Human Development Medal-2022’,” said the Cabinet Secretary.
The Mother of Humanity Award was approved by the cabinet in 2018.
Pran-RFL scoops up Bangladesh Business Awards 2021
Pran-RFL Group has received the Bangladesh Business Awards 2021 for its contribution to the business sector.
Planning Minister MA Mannan handed over the award to Pran-RFL Chair and Chief Executive Officer Ahsan Khan Chowdhury at a Dhaka hotel Friday.
Read: PRAN-RFL targets $2 billion export by 2030
This year, one entrepreneur and two enterprises won the Bangladesh Business Awards for making significant progress in their respective areas in 2021.
Pran-RFL received the award in the enterprise of the year category.
DHL Express and The Daily Star introduced the Bangladesh Business Awards in 2000 to inspire and motivate the business fraternity to achieve greater heights of productivity.
Read Bangladesh's Nuzhat Choudhury wins Outstanding Service in Prevention of Blindness Award