UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, on Saturday appointed singer-songwriter and actor Tahsan Khan as its first goodwill ambassador for Bangladesh.

Tahsan will join a global team of 30 UNHCR goodwill ambassadors, who are helping highlight the situation of refugees and the work of UNHCR in every corner of the world through their influence, dedication and hard work.

The popular musician has been supporting UNHCR’s advocacy and outreach activities since 2019.

Also Read: Rohingya crisis needs lasting solutions, says UNHCR

He visited the Rohingya refugee settlements in Cox’s Bazar and supported agency in the promotion of World Refugee Day and other events.

Through these engagements, Tahsan witnessed the complex Rohingya humanitarian response in Cox’s Bazar, met with refugees, and deepened his understanding of the root causes of displacement.

“I feel privileged and honoured to be engaged with UNHCR which ensures protection, provides life-saving assistance and seeks solutions for millions of refugees and displaced people worldwide,” he said.

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“More than 1% of humanity – 1 in every 97 people – are displaced by conflict and persecution. As part of the privileged 99%, I feel a moral obligation to offer every support I can extend to uphold their voices.”

Steven Corliss, the UNHCR representative in Bangladesh, said: “Not only is Tahsan a brilliant musician and actor, but he is also a passionate refugee advocate and a wonderful human being, who is well-respected and liked in Bangladesh and beyond.”

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“I am very sure that Tahsan will be able to use his reach and influence to give a voice to refugees and advocate for their well-being and protection.”

UNHCR engages prominent individuals like Tahsan as Goodwill Ambassadors and supporters as advocates to draw attention to the need for refugees and other forcibly displaced people to be protected, live decently and find solutions for their plight.

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Bangladesh hosts over 1.1 million Rohingya refugees in the largest refugee camp in the world in Cox’s Bazar district, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

UNHCR’s history in Bangladesh dates back to the Liberation War of 1971 and successive influxes of Rohingya refugees into Bangladesh from Myanmar since the late 1970s, including the influx of some 740,000 refugees following August 2017.

Also Read: 1pc of humanity displaced: UNHCR - United News Bangladesh

The ongoing global pandemic of COVID-19 has changed the landscape of the world's economy and put closures to many businesses while others to struggle, and the country’s one of the pioneer video streaming sites Bongo made the best usage out of the situation through improving their workplace environment, says a press release.

Launched on January 20, 2014 in Dhaka and is currently one of the major video streaming sites of the nation at www.bongobd.com. - Bongo became one of the many examples of being proactive and providing more towards its employees during the catastrophic lockdown period in 2020, in order to spread positivity and sail through tough times.

Through transforming the entire company from manual to digital operations within a brief span, the company implemented a work-from-home policy on March 15 when the virus started affecting lives in Bangladesh.

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For ensuring better communication and task management, Bongo made the best use of Google applications and conducted communication and meetings on video-conference applications such as Google Meet and Zoom. The company actively performed surveys, recognition programs, “Workplace Feedback Survey” all targeted to understand and appreciate the employees more.

"One of our most popular projects of 2020 was the Virtual Internship Program. When most businesses were bidding farewell to their permanent employees, Bongo was offering virtual work experience for youths who were spending idle time at home,” the company said in a statement.

To assist the employees and develop their skills at home, the company offered free online training courses. Bongo also dealt with mental health wellness of its employees in two praiseworthy ways - firstly, by paying their employees for 'relaxing' as they call it the "stress-busting hour" where Bongo employees get the opportunity to do what they enjoy and get paid for the task. Secondly, it organized ‘bi-monthly Happy Hour’ where the entire Bongo Tribe met online to have a digital ‘chit-chat.’ Tribe Members shared their singing, dancing and instant stand up comedy performances to uplift their co-workers’ mood.

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To ensure friendships remain strong amid social distancing, Bongo said that they implemented monthly virtual “Friends at Work” events to encourage digital friendships. Additionally, the company stated that it started quarterly “No Face Podcast' by CoN”, company-wide quarterly “Virtual Town Hall'' and “Ask Me Anything” Quarterly Virtual Session led by its COO, Fayaz Taher during the hard times, to lift up the mood of its employees in order to ensure a better working environment for everyone.

Pierre Cardin, the French designer whose famous name embossed myriad consumer products after his iconic Space Age styles shot him into the fashion stratosphere in the 1960s, has died, the French Academy of Fine Arts said Tuesday. He was 98.

A licensing maverick, Cardin’s name embossed thousands of products from wristwatches to bed sheets, and in the brand’s heyday in the 1970s and ’80s, goods bearing his fancy cursive signature were sold at some 100,000 outlets worldwide.

That number dwindled dramatically in later years, as his products were increasingly regarded as cheaply made and his clothing — which, decades later, remained virtually unchanged from its 60s-era styles — felt almost laughably dated.

A savvy businessman, Cardin used the fabulous wealth that was the fruit of his empire to snap up top-notch properties in Paris, including the Belle Epoque restaurant Maxim’s, which he also frequented.

The Fine Arts Academy announced his death in a tweet Tuesday. He had been among its illustrious members since 1992. The academy did not give a cause of death or say where or when he died.

Along with fellow Frenchman Andre Courreges and Spain’s Paco Rabanne, two other Paris-based designers known for their Space Age styles, Cardin revolutionized fashion starting in the early 1950s.

At a time when other Paris labels were obsessed with flattering the female form, Cardin’s designs cast the wearer as a sort of glorified hanger, there to showcase the clothes’ sharp shapes and graphic patterns. Destined neither for pragmatists nor for wallflowers, his designs were all about making a big entrance — sometimes very literally.

Gowns and bodysuits in fluorescent spandex were fitted with plastic hoops that stood away from the body at the waist, elbows, wrists and knees. Bubble dresses and capes enveloped their wearers in oversized spheres of fabric. Toques were shaped like flying saucers; bucket hats sheathed the models’ entire head, with cutout windshields at the eyes.

“Fashion is always ridiculous, seen from before or after. But in the moment, it’s marvelous,” Cardin said in a 1970 interview with French television.

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Cardin was born on July 7, 1922, in a small town near Venice, Italy, to a modest, working-class family. When he was a child, the family moved to Saint Etienne in central France where Cardin was schooled and became an apprentice to a tailor at age 14.

Cardin would later embrace his status as a self-made man, saying in the same 1970 interview that going it alone “makes you see life in a much more real way and forces you to take decision and to be courageous.

“It’s much more difficult to enter a dark woods alone than when you already know the way through,” he said.

After moving to Paris, he worked as an assistant in the House of Paquin starting in 1945 and also helped design costumes for the likes of Jean Cocteau. He also was involved in creating the costumes for the director’s 1946 hit, “Beauty and the Beast.”

After working briefly with Elsa Schiaparelli and Christian Dior, Cardin opened his own house in the city’s tony first district.

Abdul Kader, popular television actor who has recently been diagnosed with stage IV cancer, tested positive for COVID-19 on Monday.

The actor returned home from Christian Medical Hospital in India’s Chennai on Sunday and straight got admitted into Evercare Hospital in the capital, where his coronavirus test result came out positive on Monday, according to his family sources.

Kader went to Chennai on December 8 for treatment after feeling unwell and the doctors there diagnosed him with stage IV pancreatic cancer which has already spread to different parts of his body.

Also read: Bangladesh sees 32 more Covid-19 deaths, 1470 new cases

The doctors in Chennai could not provide him with chemotherapy due to the actor’s extremely weak and critical health condition.

Kader’s family was waiting for further progress of his ailing health so that he can be treated with chemotherapy once his body regains strength, however, things went more critical at this stage with him being positive for COVID-19.

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His family members are also going for further tests and asked for prayers to his fans and admirers for his recovery.

Abdul Kader is best known for playing “Bodi” in Humayun Ahmed’s iconic drama series “Kothao Keu Nei” and “Dulabhai” in Humayun Ahmed’s another popular drama “Nakshatrer Raat.”

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He has been regularly active as a renowned and popular actor in television since the 90s’ and also had been a regular cast as “Mama” on the “Mama-Vagne” segment alongside actor Afzal Sharif on Hanif Sanket’s “Ityadi,” the most popular magazine show in the country.

There's no denying that Bollywood celebrities often indulge in publicity stunts to increase their popularity or promote their upcoming films. And it has now emerged that Bollywood singer Neha Kakkar's photo with a visible baby bump was also nothing more than a publicity stunt for her upcoming music video.

Neha's posting of the photo on social media topped the trends' list on Friday. In her Instagram post, the 32-year-old wrote, “#KhyaalRakhyaKar,” and also posed with husband Rohanpreet. "Now I’ll have to take extra care of you,” Rohanpreet had written in the comments section.

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Several Bollywood celebrities also took to social media to wish the couple. “Congratulations you both,” wrote singer Kanika Maan.

However, sharing the same picture on Instagram on Saturday, the singer made it clear that it was a promo photo. “#KhyaalRakhyaKar 22nd December” she wrote. Neha will reportedly collaborate on the music video with her husband.

The couple tied the knot in Delhi in October, after meeting on the sets of a music video. They later hosted a reception at Rohanpreet's hometown in the northern city of Chandigarh, some 250 kms from the national capital. They went to Dubai for their honeymoon.

A popular name in Bollywood, Neha began performing at religious events at the age of four and participated in the second season of the singing reality show, Indian Idol. She made her Bollywood debut as a chorus singer in the film 'Meerabai Not Out'.

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The singer hogged limelight upon the release of the dance track 'Second Hand Jawani' from Cocktail, which was followed by several other popular party songs, including 'Sunny Sunny' from Yaariyan and 'London Thumakda' from the blockbuster 'Queen'.

In 2019, Neha was listed among the most viewed female artists on Youtube with 4.2 billion views. And in December 2020, she appeared in the list of Asia's 100 Digital Stars by 'Forbes' magazine.

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