Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other diplomats are reportedly gearing up for a campaign later this year to reclaim items in British museums and held by the royal family, The Guardian reports citing the Daily Telegraph. The items include the controversial Koh-i-noor diamond, which is held by the royal family and has featured in discussions about its potential use in the coronation; the treasures of Tipu Sultan, which are in the Victoria and Albert Museum and Powis Castle; and the Amaravati Marbles. India’s actions are part of a larger reconsideration of its former colonial status. Modi has encouraged school classes to be taught in Hindi and other languages rather than English, India's parliament is being rebuilt and its MPs are preparing to move out of the Edwin Lutyens-designed colonial era building, and roadways named after former British monarchs have been renamed, according to the report. Read more: Now that the Queen is dead, will India get Kohinoor back? Meanwhile, The Telegraph quoted Govind Mohan, secretary for the Indian ministry of culture, saying returning antiquities is going to be a key part of future policy. “It is of huge importance to the government,” he said. “The thrust of this effort to repatriate India’s artefacts comes from the personal commitment of the prime minister, Narendra Modi, who has made it a major priority.” The issue has previously received attention alongside disputes that include the potential return of the Elgin marbles to Greece. Former Conservative prime ministers and culture secretaries have rebuffed requests for the return of artefacts. During his 2013 visit to India, David Cameron stated that the return of the Koh-i-noor was not the “right approach,” according to The Guardian. The report also quoted a leading author on the British empire regarding the issue. Read more: National Museum to send proposal for including palm leaf scroll etching as UNESCO cultural heritage: KM Khalid Sathnam Sanghera, who authored “Empireland: How Imperialism Has Shaped Modern Britain”, believes the Indian jewels and other historical artefacts looted during the British colonial era will be returned “inevitably.” He said the latest demands are part of a series by former colonies reassessing their own time under the empire. Sanghera said, “Our museums and the royal family are in possession of billions of pounds worth of Indian loot. It was a systematic part of colonial rule. The royal family was given the king’s share of that loot. When we annexed parts of India and Burma [now Myanmar], there were representatives of our museums there to take things, soldiers took loot and sold it, too. “It’s not just the financial value of these items, there is also the emotional and religious value. Read more: French honour for Nadia Samdani: Receives Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters medal “These countries are future superpowers or superpowers already, they are not going to shut up about it,” the writer told The Guardian. On the issue of returning Koh-i-noor, Sanghera agrees that the item is controversial in its own right, with multiple claims on its ownership. “I think it is impossible. There will be anger by the Sikhs if the Hindu nationals get it. It is unsolvable,” he said. Museums are constrained by law to keep their collections intact. However, charities such as the National Trust who are not subject to the same legal restrictions may be approached first. Read more: Tracing the Roots of Ekushey Boi Mela Sanghera said, “In the next 10 years, it will totally change. Young people in Britain feel the same way about loot in museums as we felt about animals in zoos. They can’t quite believe it is allowed. I think it is inevitable.” Countries such as India are altering historical legacies of colonial rule, which ended in 1947, and an official tour of the Caribbean by the Prince and Princess of Wales in 2022 was marked by demands for slavery reparations from the days of the British empire.

Electronics brand Marcel has launched its Digital Campaign Season 17. Under the "Grand Houseful Offer," customers can get cash vouchers of up to Tk1 lakh and products on the purchase of refrigerators, televisions, air conditioners (ACs), and washing machines, Marcel said in a media statement Sunday. The announcement of Digital Campaign Season 17 was made at a programme in Dhaka recently. The offers of the campaign will be available till April 30, 2023, Marcel said. Read more: Marcel 2nd Division Chess League prizes distributed End/UNB/M/MA  

Electronics and tech company Walton has launched its Digital Campaign Season 17. Under the campaign, customers can get 101 free products and vouchers of up to Tk1 lakh and products on the purchase of refrigerators, televisions, air conditioners and washing machines. The announcement of Digital Campaign Season 17 was made at a programme in Dhaka Wednesday. The campaign will run till April 30, Walton said. The company is now manufacturing and marketing 200-plus models of refrigerators of various capacities. Prices of these fridges range between Tk14,990 to Tk1,13,990.  Also, Walton's LED and Smart TVs are available for Tk12,900 to Tk110,000.

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has launched a social media campaign titled ‘#Click4Wildlife’ to create mass awareness about wildlife conservation ahead of World Wildlife Day on March 3. The first of its kind, the online campaign calls for submissions of wildlife photographs in Bangladesh, a selection of which will be displayed in a virtual exhibition hosted by UNDP during the World Wildlife Day. “Humans cannot exist without nature, and it is essential for all of us to realise the importance of wildlife conservation,” UNDP Bangladesh Resident Representative Stefan Liller said. “UNDP has long been working to restore and preserve habitats and create enabling environments where nature and humans can co-exist side by side,” he added. They believe this campaign and exhibition will make people realise the beauty of nature and raise awareness about its conservation. Also Read: Landslides remain most substantial damaging, recurrent hazards in Cox’s Bazar: UNDP The participation process is very simple. Anyone who is interested in participating, will have to post the picture they want to submit publicly on their social media profile on Facebook and Instagram. They must use the ‘#Click4Wildlife’ hashtag and tag @UNDPBD (Facebook) or @undpbangladesh (Instagram) in the caption and direct message the post link to either UNDP’s Facebook page or Instagram page to complete the submission. The top 20 photographers will be selected from the submissions based on the likes/reactions to their posts. Also Read: Jaya Ahsan starts 2nd tenure as UNDP goodwill ambassador The selected photographers will be featured in the virtual exhibition and win digital certificates and goodies from UNDP. The deadline for submission and evaluation is 28th February, 2023.  

Evaly is set to resume operation with a ‘Dhonnobad Utshob’ (‘Thank You Festival’) to express gratitude to millions of customers and merchants across Bangladesh. The platform will start the campaign from October 28 at 10 pm, said a press release from the company. Popular brands like Walton, Jamuna, Artisan, O'code, Viomi, Samsung, iPhone, One Plus, and Vivo will participate in the Evaly campaign. Read: Evaly may start sales campaign from Oct 15, Shamima hints For purchases from the secured platform, customers will have three options: pick and pay, cash on delivery and cash before delivery. Customers will also get a ‘star’ for each shipment from Evaly under the customer loyalty program. The loyalty points can be used for future shopping with the platform. Regarding the campaign, Evaly co-founder Shamima Nasrin said the company strongly believes that it will be able to repay past debts through resuming operations. “Evaly is now a brand infused with this nation’s passion. We now have two independent directors from e-CAB and commerce ministry. So now, there’s more responsibility and accountability than before,” she said. Read Evaly files application to restart business Shamima mentioned that Evaly will offer products at an attractive price, without counting losses. “Utilising the infrastructure of digital Bangladesh and selling products profitably using e-commerce, we can give customers the ‘best price’ compared to the traditional market. We will give utmost importance to quick delivery and customer service,” she added. The entrepreneur has pledged to deliver all previous orders. “We are looking forward to the early release of our former CEO Mohammad Rassel to accelerate our momentum and strengthen Evaly,” Shamima said. On September 16, last year, Evaly CEO Mohammad Rassel and his wife Shamima were arrested during a raid on their house in capital’s Mohammadpur area. Read Evaly CEO, chairman sued again in Chattogram The owners of Evaly were allegedly involved in embezzlement of several hundred crores of taka. They were arrested after a victim filed a case against them. On April 6 this year, Shamima, co-founder of Evaly, was out on bail.

)- Bangladesh Women's Football team, now in the Nepalese capital Kathmandu, will start their campaign in the seven-nation 6th SAFF Women's Championship 2022 taking on the Maldives on Wednesday (Sept 7).  The match will kick-off at 5:45 pm Bangladesh time at the Dasharath Stadium in Kathmandu. Two archrival India and Pakistan will meet each other in Wednesday's other match at 1:15 pm.  Experienced booter Sabina Khatun will lead the Bangladesh women's side as captain while Maria Manda will assist her as vice-captain.  Earlier, Bangladesh team was placed in tough Group A along with five time champions India, the Maldives and Pakistan while comparatively easier Group B comprises hosts Nepal, Sri Lanka and Bhutan. Read: SAFF Women's Champs: .Bangladesh team reaches Kathmandu In the remaining group matches, Bangladesh will face Pakistan on Sept 10 and meet India on Sept 13.  On completion of group matches, top two teams from each of the groups will play in the semifinals on Sept 16. The final match will be held on Sept 19.  The morale of the youthful Bangladesh women's team is now higher than all previous occasions after winning the two- match series 1-0 against upper ranked Malaysia recently.    Bangladesh beat Malaysia 6-0 in the first match and settled for a draw in the 2nd match.

Samsung has launched a month-long smartphone campaign for September. Customers can enjoy up to Tk20,000 cashback on the purchase of Samsung smartphones from different series and price segments. They can also get gifts like backpacks and t-shirts. Read: Twitter readies edit feature for premium users Samsung is also offering a data bundle offer (up to 26 GB on selected operators and devices) to its customers. "For many years in Bangladesh, we have been catering to the smart needs of millions of customers of different segments. This time, we have something for everybody, and that too with a window of 30 days," Md Muyeedur Rahman, head of Mobile, at Samsung said in a statement. Read Nagad recognises winners of 'Aurjon O Bijoyullash' campaign

Bangladesh will start their campaign in the six-nation SAFF U-17 Championship taking on hosts Sri Lanka in one of the two opening day's matches on Monday (Sept 5) at 19 hours at the Racecourse International Stadium in Colombo, Sri Lanka.BFF officials disclosed the details of the meet at a press conference at the BFF conference room Wednesday afternoon. Team leader of Bangladesh Mohidur Rahman Miraj, BFF general secretary Abu Nayeem Shohag, team manager Md Atiqur Rahman, BFF Technical Director cum team's head coach Paul Thomas Smalley and team captain Imran Khan spoke on the occasion.Earlier, Bangladesh team have been placed in Group A along with Sri Lanka and the Maldives while Group B team comprises India, Nepal and Bhutan. Read: Bangladesh to participate in SAFF, AFC U-17 FootballIn the remaining group match, Bangladesh will play the Maldives on Wednesday (Sept 7) at 16 hours at the dame venue.On completion of group matches, top two teams from each of the group will play in the semifinals on Sept 12 while final match will be held on Sept 14.Bangladesh team comprises 23 booters and eight officials.Members of Bangladesh team: Players- Goal  Keepers- Mohammad Asif, Sohanur Rahman, Ismail Hossain MahinDefenders- Imran Khan, Parvej Ahmed, Ashiqur Rahman, Siam Omit. Mohammad Rahul, Sirajul Islam Rana. Midfielders - Chandon Roy, Nazmul Huda Faisal, Swapon Hossain, Sajal Tripura, Saiful Islam, Iftiar Hossain, Samuel Raksam, Mithu Chowdury and Mithun Shaikh, Forwards- Rubel Shaikh, Morshed Ali, Mirajul Islam, Mohammad Nazimuddin, Sumon Soren and Moltagim Alam Himel.Team Officials- Team Leader-Mohidur Rahman Miraj, Team Manager- Md Atiqur Rahman, Technical Director cum  team Head Coach- Paul Thomas Smalley, Asstt Coaches- Abul Hossain and Mehedy Hassan Siddiqui, Goal Keeping Coach- Sayeed Hasan Kanan, Media Officer cum Translator -Saeed Hassan, Physio - Yousuf Ali.

Mobile financial services (MFS) provider Nagad has recognised its top 28 distributor sales officers (DSOs) for their achievements during a two-month campaign. The "Aurjon O Bijoyullash" was launched in February 2022 to encourage sustainable growth by boosting the engagement of Nagad entrepreneurs. Nagad recognised DSOs from different regions during a recent event at a city hotel, a media statement said Sunday. Nagad Managing Director Tanvir A Mishuk handed over the awards and crests to them. Read: Islami Bank recognised for digital services Tanvir said: "In just three years, Nagad has acquired 6.5 crore customers and the individuals who have contributed the most to this achievement are our regional employees." "Today, Nagad has established itself as one of the best MFS providers in the country – as a result of their unwavering efforts. I am honoured to recognise their work." Nagad executive directors Niaz Morshed Elite, Md Shafayet Alam, Maruful Islam Jhalak and Mohammad Aminul Haque were also present at the "Aurjon O Bijoyullash" campaign's award-giving ceremony. Read BURO partners with Nagad for easier savings, instalment payments

Walton has completed its countrywide ‘Digital Campaign Season-15' with huge success and customer response. Customers got sure cashbacks of up to Tk 20 lakh or free products worth crores of taka purchasing Walton brand products during this campaign, making their Eid festival colourful, the company said in a statement. According to the statement, Walton had started the season-15 with lucrative customer benefits on May 16, 2022 that continued till July 18. It is conducting the campaigns in a bid to give customers swift and best after sales service through online automation. In this process, detailed information including the name of the customer, cell phone number and model number of the purchased product being stored on Walton's server so that customers get the best after sales service from Walton service centers even if the warranty card is lost. Read: Walton CEO visits Italy to see ACC's progress on plant dismantling Walton provides various benefits to ensure customers' spontaneous participation in the campaign, it added. A readymade garment worker Parvin Akhter in Kashimpur of Gazipur, tea seller at Feni sadar, Sabuj Miah and banker Md Shahabuddin Ahmed of Mahidia village of Jashore sadar received Tk 20 lakh cashbacks each buying Walton fridge while huge numbers of customers across the country have got crores of taka and free products on Walton products purchase. Firoj Alam, Chief Marketing Officer of Walton thanked all customers and well-wishers for their active participation in this campaign.