United News of Bangladesh

A woman who worked as a hairstylist for Fox Sports alleges in a lawsuit that former host Skip Bayless made repeated, unwanted advances toward her — including an offer of $1.5 million to have sex with him. Attorneys for Noushin Faraji, who was a hair stylist at Fox for more than a decade, are seeking unspecified damages from Bayless, Fox Sports and its parent company, Fox Corporation, according to a copy of the lawsuit filed Friday in California Superior Court in Los Angeles. The complaint claims Fox executives fostered a hostile work environment that allowed senior managers and on-air personalities including Bayless to abuse workers without fear of punishment. The Associated Press does not generally identify, in text or images, those who say they have been sexually assaulted or subjected to abuse unless they have publicly identified themselves as Faraji has in filing the lawsuit. An attorney for Bayless, Jared Levine, did not immediately respond to AP's telephone and text messages seeking comment. Email and phone messages left at Bayless's talent company were not immediately returned. Bayless could not be reached directly for comment. Fox Sports said in a statement that it takes the allegations seriously but had no further comment given the pending lawsuit. Faraji claimed that the advances by Bayless, which began in 2017 and continued until last year — included lingering hugs, kisses on the cheek and comments from Bayless that he could change Faraji's life if she had sex with him. Jailed ex-Malaysian PM Najib Razak apologises for fund embezzlement scandal In 2021, she claims in the suit, Bayless offered Faraji $1.5 million for sex and, after she refused, later threatened her job. “Ms. Faraji knew that he was trying to pressure her into having sex with him, but she kept repeating that she was a professional that had to be kind to all talent,” the lawsuit says. Bayless worked for Fox Sports until 2024 when his show was canceled after its ratings plummeted with the departure of his co-host, Shannon Sharpe. Faraji said she was fired in 2024 based on “fabricated" reasons. The lawsuit said she initially remained quiet about her treatment at Fox, believing she could be in danger if she went public. The suit also claims Fox employees were not paid their full wages or overtime. It seeks class-action status on behalf of other workers who allegedly were impacted. First criminal trial starts in New Hampshire youth detention center abuse scandal In 2017 Fox Sports fired its head of programming amid a probe of sexual harassment allegations.

British High Commission in Dhaka has hosted a reception to celebrate the England men’s cricket team’s visit to Bangladesh and the upcoming ODI and T20I cricket series between England and Bangladesh. Players from both Bangladesh and England cricket teams, along with technical and coaching staff attended the reception. British Deputy High Commissioner Javed Patel welcomed guests. He said, “I am delighted to see the England cricket team, as reigning ODI and T20I world champions, visiting Bangladesh in 2023 for what I know will be an exciting series."    

The University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh (ULAB) will host the third session of its Literary Salon Saturday, from 5pm to 7pm, in Dhaka's Dhanmondi to celebrate "Bangladesh's favourite literary passion – short stories." The ULAB Literary Salon will acknowledge Bangladesh's passion for short stories by showcasing three remarkable recent collections – "When the Mango Tree Blossomed" (edited by Niaz Zaman), "Our Many Longings" (edited by Sohana Manzoor) and "Golden Bangladesh at 50" (edited by Shazia Omar). Noted editors and writers Rifat Munim, former Literary Editor at Dhaka Tribune, and Sohana Manzoor literary editor of The Daily Star and associate professor of English at ULAB, will lead the conversation with other writers, including several contributors to these volumes. They will discuss their work and the ever-enriching context of Bangladesh. Read: ULAB Moves Up in WURI’s Global Top 100 Innovative Universities All three collections will be available for display and sale of signed copies at the venue. The Literary Salon, organised by the English and Humanities Department, brings together writers, readers and publishers from Bangladesh and elsewhere in South Asia in an informal, engaging setting. Once a month, each month, the Salon offers Dhaka's literature enthusiasts Saturday evenings of book launches of leading authors, book readings, discussions, book signings, and the sales of books at discounted rates by The Bookworm and ULAB Press, ULAB Lit Salon's partners.

Bangladesh will co-host the ICC Men’s World Cup 2031 with India, the International Cricket Council (ICC) confirmed on Tuesday The ICC has also finalized the host nations of all ICC men’s limited-overs events between 2024 and 2031. Bangladesh offered to host the ODI World Cup alone, but ICC did not accept it for lack of required number of venues. Also read: Meet the Semi-Finalists of ICC T20 World Cup 2021 Bangladesh has previously hosted ICC Men’s World Cup 2011 jointly with India and Sri Lanka, in 2014. Bangladesh hosted both men and women editions of the ICC T20 World Cup.

James Lipton, an actor-turned-drama-school-dean who got hundreds of Hollywood luminaries to open up about their life and art and became an unlikely celebrity himself as the longtime host of "Inside the Actors Studio," died Monday.

The city of Sapporo is the first to officially bid for the 2030 Winter Olympics and becomes the early favorite after the Japanese Olympic Committee approved its candidate file late Wednesday.