The government launched the first-ever digital archive for an artist through a website featuring rock legend Ayub Bachchu on the day of his second death anniversary on Sunday.

Bachchu, the first-ever applicant to the E-Copyright system who applied for preserving his creations right after the establishment of the Online Copyright Registration System (E-Copyright) on August 23, 2017, has finally received the honour through this website named ‘AB Kitchen’.

State Minister for Culture KM Khalid inaugurated the digital archive by virtually joining an online event at the Bangladesh Copyright Office in the capital's Agargaon on Sunday night. Fairuz Saffra Ayub, the elder child of Ayub Bachchu, joined the event online from New South Wales in Australia.

Additional Secretary of Cultural Affairs Ministry Sabiha Parveen was present at the event, conducted by Bangladesh Copyright Office Registrar Zafar Raja Chowdhury.

"Ayub Bachchu, the legendary rock musician and guitarist of Bangladesh, has created a great number of melodious creations throughout his successful career - and today, we're proud that those creations have become our national asset through this website. This initiative of the Copyright Office to commemorate the late artist deserves big applause,” Khalid said at the event.

Urging other artists to step forward for ensuring the copyright registrations of their creations following the footstep of Bachchu, the state minister said: “The majestic creations of our talented artists are the priceless resources of Bangladesh and it is our responsibility to protect our resources which will be possible if everyone comes forward to assist the copyright office, as Ayub Bachchu did in his lifetime.”

Fairuz Saffra Ayub thanked the copyright office and the Ministry of Cultural Affairs, saying, "My father has long been involved in the copyright movement for ensuring his right to his creations, and finally became successful in 2020. I cordially thank the Copyright Office, the Ministry of Cultural Affairs and honourable Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on behalf of my family for this wonderful digital archive.”

Calling the initiative as a great achievement for Bachchu’s family and all the artists in the country, she also proposed a dedicated museum for music and requested the government to take the initiative.

Mentioning Ayub Bachchu as a great companion to the Copyright Office, Registrar Zafar Raja Chowdhury said that the website is going to be a great resource for the fans and admirers. He thanked audio engineer and music composer Zooel Morshed for developing the archive, which will be monitored and operated by Bachchu’s son Ahnaf Tazwar Ayub as the Chief Executive Officer of AB.org, along with Fairuz Saffra Ayub as its Managing Director and their mother, Bachchu’s wife Ferdous Akhter Chandana as the Chief Executive Director.

Out of the proposed 272 songs of Bachchu, currently the website contains 133 songs of the rock-icon, his biography, 40 photographs and 8 videos of himself along with his band LRB, descriptions of various concert-tours and more. A 3D digital museum of more than 50 guitars used by Ayub Bachchu would be added soon at the digital archive.

Fans and admirers of Ayub Bachchu can visit the website at https://abkitchen.org/.

Also read: Ayub Bachchu’s 2nd death anniversary today

People have been diving to the Titanic’s wreck for 35 years. No one has found human remains, according to the company that owns the salvage rights, reports AP.

But the company’s plan to retrieve the ship’s iconic radio equipment has sparked a debate: Could the world’s most famous shipwreck still hold remains of passengers and crew who died a century ago?

Lawyers for the U.S. government have raised that question in an ongoing court battle to block the planned expedition. They cite archaeologists who say remains could still be there. And they say the company fails to consider the prospect in its dive plan.

“Fifteen hundred people died in that wreck,” said Paul Johnston, curator of maritime history at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History. “You can’t possibly tell me that some human remains aren’t buried deep somewhere where there are no currents.”

The company, RMS Titanic Inc., wants to exhibit the ship’s Marconi wireless telegraph machine. It broadcast the sinking ocean liner’s distress calls and helped save about 700 people in lifeboats.

Retrieving the equipment would require an unmanned submersible to slip through a skylight or cut into a heavily corroded roof on the ship’s deck. A suction dredge would remove loose silt, while manipulator arms could cut electrical cords.

RMS Titanic Inc. says human remains likely would’ve been noticed after roughly 200 dives.

“It’s not like taking a shovel to Gettysburg,” said David Gallo, an oceanographer and company adviser. “And there’s an unwritten rule that, should we see human remains, we turn off the cameras and decide what to do next.”

The dispute stems from a larger debate over how the Titanic’s victims should be honored, and whether an expedition should be allowed to enter its hull.

In May, a federal judge in Norfolk, Virginia, approved the expedition.

U.S. District Judge Rebecca Beach Smith wrote that recovering the radio “will contribute to the legacy left by the indelible loss of the Titanic, those who survived, and those who gave their lives.”

But the U.S. government filed a legal challenge in June, claiming the undertaking would violate federal law and a pact with Britain recognizing the wreck as a memorial site. U.S. attorneys argue the agreement regulates entry into the wreck to ensure its hull, artifacts and “any human remains” are undisturbed.

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Firm wants to recover the Titanic's iconic telegraph machine

Sunday marks the second death anniversary of celebrated singer, guitarist, composer and music director Ayub Bachchu.

The legendary frontman of rock band ‘Love Runs Blind’, popularly known as LRB, is one of the most beloved artists in the Bangladeshi music scene, whose untimely death created an irreparable void in the industry.

Bachchu died of cardiac arrest at his Moghbazar residence in the city on this day at the age of 56.

Marking the day, his family and different organisations, fan groups and television channels-radio stations are arranging several programmes to pay tributes to the legend.

The most noteworthy event is scheduled to be arranged by Bangladesh Copyright Office on Sunday evening, which is going to unveil the digital archiving of Ayub Bachchu’s melodious creations.

First of its kind in Bangladesh, the special event will be joined by State Minister for Cultural KM Khalid who will inaugurate this digital archive at the Bangladesh Copyright Office. The event will be broadcast live on the official Facebook pages of the Bangladesh Copyright Office and LRB.

Although staying outside of the country, Bachchu's son Ahnaf Tazwar Ayub and daughter Fairuz Saffra Ayub have issued a joint statement on LRB's official Facebook page on behalf of the family, where the siblings mentioned the activities are taken to seek special prayers at several places in the country, including mosques and orphanages.

Several music stars have also paid their tributes to the rock legend on their social media accounts sharing their photographs and memories with Ayub Bachchu. Noted singers and music artists have also dedicated special tribute performances to the legend including Asif Akbar, Bappa Mazumder, lyricist Asif Iqbal, media personality Abdun Noor Tushar, Prince Mahmud and more.

Born in Patiya at Khorna union in Chattogram on August 16, 1962, to Mohammad Ishaque Chowdhury and Nurjahan Begum, Bachchu founded his band LRB in 1991.

Prior to that, Bachchu started his journey as a band musician with his band ‘Golden Boys’ (later changed to ‘Ugly Boys’) that he formed with his childhood friend and legendary Bangladeshi singer Kumar Bishwajit, and also served as a prominent member in renowned Bangladeshi bands such as ‘Feelings’ with another contemporary rock icon James, and ‘Souls’, where he played for 10 years before founding LRB.

One of the most popular Bangladeshi bands of all time, LRB, has performed more than 2,500 gigs at home and abroad. They went for their first international tour in the USA and they played in seven states, and till date, it is the only Bangla rock band that played their music in the famous Madison Square Garden.

In his lifetime, Ayub Bachchu has created 16 solo albums, a full-fledged studio-turned production house named ‘AB Kitchen’, numerous super hit playbacks such as ‘‘Ammajaan’’, “Sagorika”, “Ononto Prem”, “Ami to Preme Porini” and many other scores in Bangladeshi commercial movies; blockbuster hit singles and band scores such as “Koshto Pete Valobashi”, ‘‘Shei Tumi Keno Eto Ochena Hole’’, ‘’Ferari Ei Monta Amar’’, “Ekdin Ghum Bhanga Shohore’’, ‘‘Cholo Bodle Jai’’, “Ekhon Onek Raat’’, ‘‘Hashte Dekho Gaite Dekho’’ and inspiring guitar enthusiasts and popular artists in both Bangladesh and West Bengal and had a total of 65 guitars.

Read Also: Last tributes paid to Ayub Bachchu

The health condition of legendary actor Soumitra Chatterjee has improved significantly, according to Indian media reports.

His oxygen saturation has also improved while his sodium and potassium have been both corrected, said doctors at the private hospital where he's being treated.

Doctors say the actor is "obeying commands, he is responsive, understanding some few words", reports Indian Express.

The veteran actor is recovering after testing negative for Covid-19 earlier this week, the doctors attending the thespian in a Kolkata hospital said on Thursday evening, reports NDTV.

Sharing an update about the actor's health, one of the senior doctors treating him said that he is doing very well.

He was shifted out of Covid ICU once he tested negative for the virus on Wednesday. He is recovering, his consciousness has gone better substantially.

Doctors said Soumitra is 'speaking also, little bit of comprehensive words...we are giving all sort of good therapy to him" and added that he is without any fever for more than 40 hours now and that "the liver, kidney, heart, all are in acceptable range...his saturations are more than 96 percent on support of 40 percent of oxygen only. No new complications or anything has happened."

The actor was hospitalised on October 6 after he tested positive for Covid-19.

Also read: Soumitra Chatterjee shifted to ICU as COVID symptoms worsen

Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt, who took a break from work because of health related issues, has confirmed that he has cancer, reports BBC.

Dutt revealed this information in an Instagram video after weeks of speculation by the Indian press.

"Will be out of this cancer soon,” said the 61-year-old who has appeared in more than 150 films.

Dutta also said he would begin shooting for his next film in November.

He recently visited a salon for a haircut. Celebrity hairstylist Aalim Hakim shared a video of Sanjay Dutt, which is going insanely viral on social media. In the video, the actor talked about being diagnosed with cancer for the first time and revealed that he is all set to be back at work, reports NDTV.

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A post shared by Aalim Hakim (@aalimhakim) on Oct 14, 2020 at 4:29am PDT

"Hi, this is Sanjay Dutt. Good to be back in the salon. Got a haircut. If you see this, this is a recent scar in my life, but I will beat it. I will be out of this cancer soon," the actor is heard saying in the video.

In August, Dutt tested for Covid-19 after he reported some difficulty in breathing. He tested negative.

He was subsequently tested at Mumbai's Lilavati hospital for other illnesses.

Amid unconfirmed media reports that he had been diagnosed with lung cancer, Dutt said in August he was "taking a short break from work for medical treatment".

The actor and his wife Maanayata issued separate statements, urging the star's fans "not to worry or unnecessarily speculate" about his condition.

He is known as one of Bollywood's most bankable stars, but his acting came to an abrupt halt when he had to return to prison in 2013 to finish a five-year jail sentence. He was convicted of firearms offences linked to the 1993 Mumbai blasts which killed 257 people and injured 713.

Yet, he successfully re-launched his career in 2016 after getting out.

He signed several new films with some of them doing extremely well at the box office. A biopic on his life, starring actor Ranbir Kapoor, was also a massive hit.

The actor has openly talked about his problems with drug addiction and his conviction in his interviews. He said these problems only made him stronger.

He has also witnessed two cancer-related deaths in his family. His mother Nargis died of pancreatic cancer in 1981 - just days before he made his Bollywood debut.

His first wife Richa Sharma also died of brain cancer.

Also read: Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt ‘diagnosed with lung cancer’