The trial proceedings of both the Appellate Division and the High Court of the Supreme Court will be conducted virtually from Wednesday due to spike in Covid cases in the country. The Supreme Court administration on Tuesday issued two notifications in this regard being instructed by Chief Justice Hasan Foez Siddique. According to the notifications, all the judicial proceedings of the Appellate division and the High Court will be conducted virtually under the ‘Use of Information Technology by Courts Act, 2020’ and the Practice Direction issued in this regard from Wednesday. Also read: 22 lower court judges infected with Covid-19 during training Earlier in the morning, while conducting a judicial proceeding at the Appellate Division, Chief Justice Hasan Foez Siddique said, “Citing the worsening Covid-19 situation, it seems that we'll have to conduct trials through virtual courts again. Many cases were disposed of during the virtual court hearing.” Thirteen judges of the High Court division and a number of judges and staff have been found infected with Covid-19, he added. Besides, Biswajit Debnath, deputy attorney general, who was present at the court, said, “Our Attorney General and Additional Attorney General were found infected with Covid-19 and a number of lower court judges were also infected with the virus.” The activities in all courts of the country remained suspended for several days due to the Covid-19 surge. The Cabinet on May 7, 2020 cleared the draft of an ordinance to pave the way for courts to run trial proceedings through video conferences and other digital means using the information technology. On May 9, an ordinance was promulgated allowing courts to run trial proceedings through video conferences and availing of other digital facilities. President Abdul Hamid promulgated the ordinance. Also read: Judicial activities of SC to remain suspended Monday On May 10, the High Court formed three benches for hearing urgent cases virtually and directed the subordinate courts concerned to hear cases related to emergency bail. All the judicial activities of benches under the High Court division of the Supreme Court resumed virtually from August 11, 2020. However, the judicial activities of both the High Court and Supreme Court divisions conducted in physical presence maintaining health protocols from December 1, 2021.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Bangladesh will host a virtual ‘Concert for Migrants’ to mark International Migrants Day that falls on December 18 and help raise awareness about safe migration. The concert organised for the second year running, aims to connect with migrants and their communities and promote safe migration through information and entertainment.   The first ‘Concert for Migrants’ hosted in 2020, reached more than four million viewers joining in virtually from more than 20 countries.   The virtual concert will enable some of the 7.4 million plus Bangladeshi migrants working abroad to connect and watch the concert from around the world. They can expect to be entertained by popular performers, including Kumar Bishwajit, Fazlur Rahman Babu, Shironamhin, Luipa, Asif Akbar, Kuddus Boyati, Nandita, Pritom Ahmed and Masha Islam. READ: Rock icon James to headline Brandmyth’s winter concert in city The concert will mostly feature some folk and contemporary music which has great appeal among migrants, returnees, their families and the general community. Ranked sixth highest in the world, Bangladesh’s migrant workers play a critical role in the country’s development. Notably, Bangladesh currently receives the eighth highest remittances in the world, and significantly since 1976, migrants have sent back over USD 249 billion in remittances. IOM Bangladesh’s officer-in-charge, Fathima Nusrath Ghazzali said, "On this International Migrants Day, we take the opportunity to honour Bangladeshi migrants' contributions at home and abroad through the ‘Concert for Migrants’.” Ghazzali said the concert will inform and entertain listeners on the value of safe, orderly and regular migration. "I invite everyone to watch the concert, which features some of Bangladesh's most prominent musicians." Ahead of the concert, Kumar Bishwajit shared an important video message: "Please don't fall into a trap and be a victim of human trafficking while migrating abroad. Taking an informed decision is the best way to migrate abroad safely." "Migration is one of the most important sectors for Bangladesh, but still many migrants continue to go abroad irregularly,” said actor and singer Fazlur Rahman Babu. The 'Concert for Migrants' is initiated under the European Union-funded project 'Bangladesh: Sustainable Reintegration and Improved Migration Governance (Prottasha)' that supports the government to achieve sustainable development goals 10.7 to facilitate orderly, safe, regular, and responsible migration and mobility of people, including through the implementation of planned and well-managed policies. READ: 'Concert against violence' held to protest communal attacks The ‘Concert for Migrants’ is organised in collaboration with Jamuna Television and will be streamed live on 18 December on IOMBangladesh’s Facebook page and telecast on Jamuna Television from 11pm Bangladesh time (GMT+6).

ABBA is releasing its first new music in four decades, along with a concert performance that will see the “Dancing Queen” quartet going entirely digital. The forthcoming album “Voyage,” to be released Nov. 5, is a follow-up to 1981′s “The Visitors,” which until now had been the swan song of the Swedish supergroup. And a virtual version of the band will begin a series of concerts in London on May 27. “We took a break in the spring of 1982 and now we’ve decided it’s time to end it,” ABBA said in a statement Thursday. “They say it’s foolhardy to wait more than 40 years between albums, so we’ve recorded a follow-up to ‘The Visitors." Also read: Grammy-winning folk singer-songwriter Nanci Griffith dies The group has been creating the live show with George Lucas’ special-effects company, Industrial Light & Magic. They say the virtual versions of themselves are “weird and wonderful,” and go beyond holograms. “It was suggested to us that we could go on tour as a hologram. And this is now four, five years ago,” Björn Ulvaeus, ABBA’s 76-year-old guitarist, backup singer and co-songwriter said at a news conference Thursday. “And we found out very soon that that wasn’t even possible because holograms is an old technology, but I mean, the vision was there of having our digital selves, that even was a possibility.” “And also,” said Benny Andersson, 74, who plays keyboards, sings and writes songs with Ulvaeus, “we want to do it before we were dead.” Ulvaeus added, ”it’s good if you do that before you dead. Because it gets more accurate then.” They sang and played together for hours every day for weeks, using motion capture and other techniques to create the 22-song, approximately 90-minute show. “We dressed up in a leotards with dots or little things on them,” Ulvaeus said. “And we had dots in our faces and helmets with cameras. And there we were, the four of us on stage together doing these songs.” Also read: 'Aastha': Journalist Mizan Malik's new song tributes the youth They say it was hard work but a great pleasure, but for one thing. “I’d say the only big problem was that we had to shave our beards,” Andersson said. “I’ve had my beard for 50 years.” The planned show spurred the making of the album, which features the new songs “I Still Have Faith In You” and “Don’t Shut Me Down.” It began with sessions in 2018 and was delayed by the coronavirus pandemic. “It was so joyful to be together in the studio again, the four of us,” Andersson said.” The show will come 50 years after the founding of the group that consisted of two married couples for most of its existence, and whose name is an acronym of the first names of its members, Agnetha Fältskog, 71, Anni-Frid Lyngstad, 75, Ulvaeus and Andersson. Their music has remained ubiquitous in the decades since their breakup, in part because of the stage musical “Mamma Mia!” and the two films that followed it. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2010. Last week the group launched a website with the title “ ABBA Voyage,” teasing the new announcement. Tickets go on sale Tuesday.