International Women Entrepreneur’s Summit 2022 was organized by Bangladesh India Business Council (BIBC), Women's Indian Chamber of Commerce & Industry (WICCI), and Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA) on the 23rd and 24th of November.  The main aim of the summit was to increase the bilateral ties between India and Bangladesh, especially in the commerce and business sector. WICCI has partnered with BIBC to particularly facilitate the female into entrepreneurship and provide overarching support through shared ties. Through its Excellence awards, the collaboration hails the outstanding achievements of women in various fields including social, civic, and business. The theme of this year’s summit was fashion and arts, young innovators, businesses and SMEs, health, education and skill development, public service, and ICT. Read More: BIBC-WICCI Awards 2022 Event: Graduation of SME Session Overview This year, the excellence award honored 7 international female entrepreneurs along with 14 Bangladeshi companies and female leaders in their respective streams. The 2022 Exceptional Women of Excellence award in ICT was awarded to Ms. Shomi Kaiser, President of E-CAB. One of the main sessions of this year’s summit was titled, “ICT: Smart Bangladesh: The Next Frontier”. The session explored the current state of ICT in Bangladesh and the prospect of “Digital Bangladesh” in several facets of life. The keynote speaker of the event was Rubaba Dowla, Country Managing Director of Oracle Bangladesh, Nepal, and Bhutan. The Chief guest for the event was Zunaid Ahmed Palak MP, Honorable State Minister for ICT Division. The panel discussants were Russel T Ahmed, President of BASIS, Shomi Kaiser, President of E-CAB, and Tanvir A Mishuk, Managing Director of Nagad. Other guest speakers included Towhid Hossain, Secretary General of BACCO, Waseem Alim, Co-founder and CEO of Chaldal, and Anina Ho, COO of QonBay Central Hong Kong. The session was moderated by Zara Mahbub, CEO of Dun and Bradstreet. Read More: A2I observes Era of Digital Centres Ms. Dowla in her keynote speech pointed out the high consumer market prospects and the performance of Bangladesh in the GotTech maturity index of 2022. Bangladesh has a unique value proposition with 4.5 digital transactions a day, a $5 billion e-commerce market by 2025, and over 123 million internet users. However, female leadership in the ICT revolution also lacking with just 16% ICT workforce being women and 2-3% are being in ICT leadership roles. This created a digital gender divide. On the other hand, F-commerce has been dominated by women with 70% being at the helm of digital businesses. Ms. Dowla resounded the impact of the startup ecosystem to reduce the economic and gender gap in ICT. Considering there are over 1000 active startups in Bangladesh which raked in more than $200 million in VC funds in the last decade.  She explored several frontier technologies that will shape the ICT of the future. Though some of these are still at a nascent stage, the exponential growth will pave the way for mainstream adoption of these technologies in near future. Ms. Dowla also talked about the policy constraints with the Digital Commerce policy 2018, reduction of taxes on DFS Products, IPR upgradation, development of digital literacy, national policy support for startups, and revision of taxes in ICT. From the perspective of Bangladesh, the startups and frontier techs can be utilized in FinTech, EduTech, Health Tech, AgriTech, and e-Commerce. As Ms. Dowla pointed out, these are the key areas where the Bangladeshi startup ecosystem has thrived. Read More: 10 Most Prestigious Global Programming Contests After the Keynote speech, the first guest speaker Ms. Ho shared her idea of utilizing the blockchain and Metaverse technology to bring a revolution in connecting the local supply chain to the global market. She shared her experience of working with a Bangladeshi company in digitizing their products and cataloging them for international clients. Mr. Tanvir A Mishuk chimed in on the established base on which it was possible to grow the MFS sector with policy support from the government. He especially mentioned the Covid-stricken situation which further enabled the adoption of MFS. The same was accredited by the President of E-CAB, Ms. Shomi Kaiser. She explained that even with a 70 – 80% growth during Covid, there are still untapped opportunities, especially for women in the e-Commerce and F-Commerce sectors. Read More: Ameca: World’s Most Realistic Advanced Humanoid Robot AI Platform The president of BASIS, Mr. Ahmed pointed out that the ICT sector can be a true facet where women shouldn’t have to lag behind men because of the nature of equality this sector brings. But he also shared concern about the lack of awareness in streamlining women in the ICT sector. The honorable State Minister for ICT Mr. Zunaid Ahmed Palak shared the initiatives of the government in creating a startup base for the up-and-coming startups in Bangladesh. The core focus of the base would be to provide support to startups in various capacities. He also voiced his wish to create a separate structure within the base just for female tech entrepreneurs. The guest speakers discussed e-commerce, F-commerce, the cashless approach, software development, and BPO in Bangladesh. Read More: Huawei ICT Incubator announces top 6 startups from Bangladesh The session concluded with questions and answers from the participants where they explored various opportunities available in different ICT sectors and the possible way forward to bridge the existing gender gap.

The Bangladesh Satellite Company Limited (BSCL) has signed an agreement with Beximco Digital Distribution Limited (BDDL) under which BDDL will use Bangabandhu Satellite-1 (BS-1) to distribute eight foreign clean-feed pay TV channels in Bangladesh. With this agreement, BDDL will be the first and the only foreign pay TV channel distributor to avail of downlinking services from BS-1, according to a media statement. Md Shafiqul Islam, managing director of BSCL, and Jamanul Bahar of BDDL signed the deal in Dhaka Thursday. "The most predominant form of TV distribution is currently through millions of analogue cable connections which have no protection for consumers, limited capacity to carry channels, poor picture quality, lack of service, lack of addressability and no interactive services and critically rampant with piracy related to the TV channels which leads to the government deprived of substantial taxation income and lower revenues for broadcasters," Shayan F Rahman, chairman of BDDL, said. "The conversion from analogue to digital television broadcasting will provide newer and more secure ways of distribution of content which include cable, IPTV, OTT and DTH," he added. Read more:Star channels are now available in AKASH DTH

Engineered Arts, a leading creator, and producer of humanoid entertainment robots, produced Ameca which represents the most cutting-edge humanoid robotics technology. To date, Ameca is the most advanced, realistic humanoid robot ever made.  Ameca is a cloud-connected platform equipped with Engineered Arts' powerful Tritium robot operating system. This platform can be used to test and build AI and machine learning systems. With an artificial body, Ameca increases the power of artificial intelligence. This makes it possible for companies involved in robotic research to test their products.  What is more? Ameca platform enables companies creating AI or machine learning technologies to test and present their work in front of a live audience. Read More: AI & Future of Jobs: Will Artificial Intelligence or Robots Take Your Job? Engineered Arts' cutting-edge Mesmer technology has been applied in the hardware of Ameca. It is the innovation of their own research into humanoid robotics. The friendly attitude of robot Ameca makes it the ideal platform for building interpersonal relationships in any Metaverse or virtual setting.  Additionally, owners of Ameca platform can enjoy global access to all robotic data. In other words Ameca will serve as their own personal avatar that is animated and simulated. Read More: Robot artist sells art for $688,888, now eyeing music career Does Ameca Robot Look Like Human? The robot Ameca uses state-of-the-art technology in its mix of artificial limbs and ligaments, actuators, and sensor arrays. However, its lower half isn't working right now.

Tech Republic has launched a solution in Bangladesh to hold important meetings "on the go" by automatically setting up "virtual rooms" through the innovative application of technology, cutting costs and using artificial intelligence. World-famous brand Jabra Panacast's series of video conferencing and Evolve series of earbuds were unveiled in a hotel in the capital on Wednesday. Tech Republic Managing Director HM Foyez Morshed introduced two innovative devices to the media with Jabra South Asia Vice-President and Managing Director Peter Jayaseelan and Yogesh Kale (Associate Director-Enterprise Business), Vinod Kumar S (Business Development Manager, Video – South Asia). Peter said: "In the world we live in today, being connected has never been more important for professionals collaborating from different locations and time zones. Employees have settled into the flexibility and freedom that comes with hjybrid working and expect things to be much more pliable than they were pre-pandemic." Read more: Pandemic, Remote Working & Procrastination: How to avoid procrastination when working from home? "With all that in mind, we are happy to launch our newest offering Jabra Evolve 2 Buds which is aesthetically suited for working professionals on the go." Executive Director of Tech Republic and Jabra Brand Boddha Mehedi Hasan said: "Since the importance of the virtual office is increasing, many people are reducing the office space to reduce costs, and in the current situation, urgent work needs to be done on mobile. So, Panacast and Earbud are now becoming one of the accessories of the hybrid office." "The main feature of Panacast is that when it is attached to the wall, it works at a 180-degree angle within a few inches. Even all the text and videos on the adjacent White Board are divided into adjacent rooms and presented equally to everyone present or connected in the meeting. When one speaks, it automatically follows the concerned person." Read more: Remote Working: Pros and Cons

If you want to be a perfect programmer, you have to learn and improve your coding skills continuously. Coding contests can be the best help to serve that purpose. Whether they are coding competitions or programming competitions, these events allow students or hobbyists to demonstrate their skills and compete with programmers from across the globe. This article examines the best programming contests for developers throughout the globe. 10 Top International Programming Contests Most coding contests are held online so that participants from around the globe may participate. Coding and programming contests include hackathons too, which are the finest strategies to boost your productivity. The International Collegiate Programming Competitions (ACM-ICPC) Each year, the Alpha Chapter of the UPE Computer Science Honor Society hosts ACM-ICPC stands for the Association for Computing Machinery International Collegiate Programming Competitions. It is regarded as the world's oldest, biggest, and most prestigious programming competition. Read More: What is the Best Programming Language to Learn First? The scope of this initiative spans 80 nations and six continents. The competition promotes collaboration, originality, and innovation in developing and implementing new software applications that allow students to assess their skills. HackerRank HackerRank counts five million engineers who have completed more than twenty-one million code tasks. The platform evaluates talents through algorithms, machine learning, and artificial intelligence-related competitions. Solve the programming challenges in the Competition section and use HackerRank to apply for employment. HackerRank further hosts regular hackathons with cash prizes and contests sponsored by prominent technology businesses. Read More: BUET team becomes Asia West Champion in Moscow programming contest TopCoder TopCoder is quickly becoming the premier coding competition league. Once a week, TopCoder members compete online, and twice a year, both online and in-person. The Topcoder Open is their yearly programming and design competition. The top-ranked users on TopCoder are exceptional competitive programmers who often participate in programming contests. The TopCoder network accepts challenges from global leaders like IMB, Google, and eBay. Coding Competitions by Google Google's coding contests are incredibly fun and difficult and may test a coder's global knowledge. Participants from across the globe may register for this tournament. Google Code Jam is an international programming contest where contestants are required to solve issues in a limited period. Read More: Free Online Basic Programming Courses for Beginners Each year, these coding challenges are hosted in three separate tournaments. This Google coding competition accelerates your learning and is among the most prestigious coding contests in the world. Coderbyte Coderbyte offers over 200 coding tasks that may be solved online in one of ten programming languages. The difficulties vary from simple to difficult. In addition, they provide an assortment of algorithm lessons, introduction films, and job preparation courses. In contrast to HackerRank and other similar services, Coderbyte allows you to browse the solutions provided by other users in addition to the official solutions released by Coderbyte. Read More: ACM-ICPC programming contest begins The ICFP Competitions Since 1998, the ICFP, or International Conference on Functional Programming, has been conducted yearly. It is a three-day, no-entry-fee coding competition that is very difficult. The participant may compete from any place, and there is no minimum team size requirement. The team will have seventy-two hours to finish and submit their online submission. The purpose of this competition is to highlight the programming languages and tools that the competitors appreciate the most. Code Forces Codeforces is an online platform that offers programming contests. Due to its engaging features, it is one of the most popular websites on the Internet. This is one of the best programming contests to enter. The polygon feature for developing and evaluating challenges and social networking through internal public blogs. The competitors are ranked according to their evaluations. Read More: Game-based Programming: Best Coding Games for Children CodeChef CodeChef is an Indian-based website for competitive programming that offers several challenges. You may create code in their online editor and explore a collection of tasks sorted into categories based on your degree of expertise. They have a vast community of programmers participating in CodeChef's coding contests, contributing to the forums, and producing tutorials. Facebook Hacker Cup Hacker Cup is an annual international programming competition hosted by Facebook and available to contestants from all around the globe. This is one of the best programming contests to enter. These coding contests emphasize problem-solving and algorithmic coding abilities to proceed through each year's online rounds; those who reach the worldwide finals will win the big prize. LeetCode LeetCode is one of the biggest technology communities, with millions of engaged members. It offers participants different weekly and bimonthly programming contests. This is also helpful for job interview preparation; LeetCode also offers discussion forums. Read More: 10 university students win Samsung Coding Contest In addition, it organizes 90-minute competitions in which you may answer the tasks in its online editor, often known as the playground, using any of the supported languages. Conclusion Coding competitions resemble free markets. Consider them not just as gladiatorial battlefields but also as real-world classrooms where you may learn from your errors via immediate feedback. Companies have implemented these competitions as recruiting platforms to find the finest candidates and save money. Therefore, it is hardly surprising that major IT companies have their competitions, such as the yearly Code Jam, Microsoft's Imagine Cup, and many others. So far, we have listed the 10 best global coding contests. You can participate in these contests to hone your programming skill. Happy coding! Read More: Top 10 In-demand Tech Skills Freshers Should Learn

Electronics and tech company Walton has launched its Digital Campaign Season 16. Under the campaign, customers can get cashback of up to Tk1 lakh and products on the purchase of fridges and washing machines. The announcement of Digital Campaign Season 16 was made at a programme in Dhaka Sunday (November 20, 2022) and its offers will be available till further notice. Read more: Walton laptop packaging design contest begins Also, the Hot Sale campaign of Walton fridge will continue till November 30. Walton Refrigerator CBO Tofail Ahmed said, "We are manufacturing and marketing over 200 models of refrigerators with various capacities. Prices of these fridges range from Tk14,990 to Tk1,08,990." Home Appliance CBO Al Imran said, "Walton is currently producing and marketing over 30 models of semi-automatic, automatic top and front-loading Walton washing machines. Among these, there are 11 models of semi-automatic models with price ranges from Tk10,850 to Tk18,850. Read more: Walton Orbit Y50 4G Review: Does it offer value for money "Also, 13 models of automatic top-loading system washing machines are available for Tk22,950 to Tk49,950. In the domestic market, 10 models of our automatic front-loading system washing machines are also available for Tk34,250 to Tk68,950."

Samsung has said it is improving the overall design aesthetic of smartphones while introducing a few new innovative features that make the interfaces much more private and customised with the Android 13-based One UI 5.0. The new customisation features like lock screen customisation, enhanced colour palette, and image watermark customisation make it simpler to customise the look and feel of one's smartphone, the company said. The latest One UI 5.0 represents Samsung's most personalised mobile experience yet, designed to give Samsung users multiple options for tailoring their devices exactly how they prefer and this starts with lock screen customisation. Samsung has improved the lock screen customisation with One UI 5.0. Now one can change the clock size and shape, the fonts and colours. With just a few taps, users can also trim their video to transform it into live wallpaper on their phones. Read more: Samsung make top 5 in Interbrand's Best Global Brands 2022 Also, to help users streamline mobile tasks and activities, One UI 5.0 offers new Smart suggestions for widgets. Based on the users' usage patterns and mobile activity, Smart suggestions automatically suggest apps and actions that make the mobile experience even more personalised. Samsung has added more backgrounds for customising the home and lock screens. Now users can use up to 16 different colour palettes taken from the wallpaper for a unified interface that makes the preferred wallpaper blend in seamlessly with the surrounding elements.  Also, with One UI 5.0, Samsung has added features for watermarking photos inside the camera app. Users can choose to display the shooting date and time, phone model information, and information specified on it. At the same time, people can choose the alignment between left, centre, and right. One UI 5.0 update is available to the Galaxy S22 series, Z Flip 4, and Z Fold 4 and will soon be rolled out to older flagships and entry-level devices.  Read more: Samsung's 10 innovations at the cutting edge of smartphone technologies  

NASA’s Orion capsule reached the moon Monday, whipping around the far side and buzzing the lunar surface on its way to a record-breaking orbit with test dummies sitting in for astronauts. It’s the first time a capsule has visited the moon since NASA’s Apollo program 50 years ago, and represents a huge milestone in the $4.1 billion test flight that began last Wednesday. The close approach of 81 miles (130 kilometers) occurred as the crew capsule and its three wired-up dummies were on the far side of the moon. Because of a half-hour communication blackout, flight controllers in Houston did not know if the critical engine firing went well until the capsule emerged from behind the moon, 232,000 miles (370,000 kilometers) from Earth. The capsule’s cameras sent back a picture of the world — a tiny blue orb surrounded by blackness. “Our pale blue dot and its 8 billion human inhabitants now coming into view,” said Mission Control commentator Sandra Jones. READ: 'Be careful what you wish for': Musk discusses Twitter, workload at G-20 forum The capsule accelerated well beyond 5,000 mph (8,000 kph) as it regained radio contact, NASA said. Less than an hour later, Orion soared above Tranquility Base, where Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed on July 20, 1969. “This is one of those days that you’ve been thinking about and talking about for a long, long time,” flight director Zeb Scoville said. Earlier in the morning, the moon loomed ever larger in the video beamed back, as the capsule closed the final few thousand miles since blasting off from Florida’s Kennedy Space Center, atop the most powerful rocket ever built by NASA. Orion needed to slingshot around the moon to pick up enough speed to enter the sweeping, lopsided lunar orbit. Flight controllers evaluated the data pouring back, to determine if the engine firing went as planned. Another firing will place the capsule in that elongated orbit Friday. READ: Amidst weakened revenue, Facebook owner Meta laying off 11,000 people This coming weekend, Orion will shatter NASA’s distance record for a spacecraft designed for astronauts — nearly 250,000 miles (400,000 kilometers) from Earth, set by Apollo 13 in 1970. And it will keep going, reaching a maximum distance from Earth next Monday at nearly 270,000 miles (433,000 kilometers). The capsule will spend close to a week in lunar orbit, before heading home. A Pacific splashdown is planned for Dec. 11. Orion has no lunar lander; a touchdown won’t come until NASA astronauts attempt a lunar landing in 2025 with SpaceX’s Starship. Before then, astronauts will strap into Orion for a ride around the moon as early as 2024. NASA managers were delighted with the progress of the mission. The Space Launch System rocket performed exceedingly well in its debut, they told reporters late last week. The 322-foot (98-meter) rocket caused more damage than expected, however, at the Kennedy Space Center launch pad. The force from the 8.8 million pounds (4 million kilograms) of liftoff thrust was so great that it tore off the blast doors of the elevator.

Elon Musk reinstated Donald Trump’s account on Twitter on Saturday, reversing a ban that has kept the former president off the social media site since a pro-Trump mob attacked the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, as Congress was poised to certify Joe Biden’s election victory. Musk made the announcement in the evening after holding a poll that asked Twitter users to click “yes” or “no” on whether Trump’s account should be restored. The “yes” vote won, with 51.8%. “The people have spoken. Trump will be reinstated. Vox Populi, Vox Dei,” Musk tweeted, using a Latin phrase meaning “the voice of the people, the voice of God.” Read more: Musk gives remaining Twitter staff till Thursday to go “hardcore” or leave Shortly afterward Trump’s account, which had earlier appeared as suspended, reappeared on the platform complete with his former tweets, more than 59,000 of them. However his followers were gone, at least initially. It is not clear whether Trump would actually return to Twitter. An irrepressible tweeter before he was banned, Trump has said in the past that he would not rejoin even if his account was reinstated. He has been relying on his own, much smaller social media site, Truth Social, which he launched after being blocked from Twitter. And on Saturday, during a video speech to a Republican Jewish group meeting in Las Vegas, Trump said that he was aware of Musk’s poll but that he saw “a lot of problems at Twitter,” according to Bloomberg. “I hear we’re getting a big vote to also go back on Twitter. I don’t see it because I don’t see any reason for it,” Trump was quoted as saying by Bloomberg. “It may make it, it may not make it,” he added, apparently referring to Twitter’s recent internal upheavals. The prospect of restoring Trump’s presence to the platform follows Musk’s purchase last month of Twitter — an acquisition that has fanned widespread concern that the billionaire owner will allow purveyors of lies and misinformation to flourish on the site. Musk has frequently expressed his belief that Twitter had become too restrictive of freewheeling speech. His efforts to reshape the site have been both swift and chaotic. Musk has fired many of the company’s 7,500 full-time workers and an untold number of contractors who are responsible for content moderation and other crucial responsibilities. His demand that remaining employees pledge to “extremely hardcore” work triggered a wave of resignations, including hundreds of software engineers. Read more: 'Be careful what you wish for': Musk discusses Twitter, workload at G-20 forum Users have reported seeing increased spam and scams on their feeds and in their direct messages, among other glitches, in the aftermath of the mass layoffs and worker exodus. Some programmers who were fired or resigned this week warned that Twitter may soon fray so badly it could actually crash. Musk’s online survey, which ran for 24 hours before ending Saturday evening, concluded with 51.8% of more than 15 million votes favoring the restoration of Trump’s Twitter’ account. It comes four days after Trump announced his candidacy for the presidency in 2024. Trump lost his access to Twitter two days after his supporters stormed the Capitol, soon after the former president had exhorted them to “fight like hell.” Twitter dropped his account after Trump wrote a pair of tweets that the company said cast further doubts on the legitimacy of the presidential election and raised risks for the Biden presidential inauguration. After the Jan. 6 attack, Trump was also kicked off Facebook and Instagram, which are owned by Meta Platforms, and Snapchat. His ability to post videos to his YouTube channel was also suspended. Facebook is set to reconsider Trump’s account suspension in January. Throughout his tenure as president, Trump’s use of social media posed a significant challenge to major social media platforms that sought to balance the public’s interest in hearing from public officials with worries about misinformation, bigotry, harassment and incitement of violence. But in a speech at an auto conference in May, Musk asserted that Twitter’s ban of Trump was a “morally bad decision” and “foolish in the extreme.” Earlier this month, Musk, who completed the $44 billion takeover of Twitter in late October, declared that the company wouldn’t let anyone who had been kicked off the site return until Twitter had established procedures on how to do so, including forming a “content moderation council.” Read more: Musk's latest Twitter cuts: Outsourced content moderators On Friday, Musk tweeted that the suspended Twitter accounts for the comedian Kathy Griffin, the Canadian psychologist Jordan Peterson and the conservative Christian news satire website Babylon Bee had been reinstated. He added that a decision on Trump had not yet been made. He also responded “no” when someone on Twitter asked him to reinstate the conspiracy theorist Alex Jones’ account. In a tweet Friday, the Tesla CEO described the company’s new content policy as “freedom of speech, but not freedom of reach.” He explained that a tweet deemed to be “negative” or to include “hate” would be allowed on the site but would be visible only to users who specifically searched for it. Such tweets also would be “demonetized, so no ads or other revenue to Twitter,” Musk said.

Samsung Electronics has recently been recognised as one of the top five best global brands of 2022 by Interbrand, a global brand consultancy, registering double-digit growth in brand value for two consecutive years. According to Interbrand, Samsung's brand value was evaluated for $87.7 billion – up by 17 percent compared to last year's growth which stood at $74.6 billion in 2021. With this, the company has been able to make it into the top five for three years in a row. Every year, Interbrand announces the names of the best global brands, taking into account several factors, including the financial performance of the company, the influence of the brand on customer purchases and brand competitiveness. read more: Samsung's 10 innovations at the cutting edge of smartphone technologies This year, Interbrand noted Samsung Electronics' "continuous efforts to restore its financial performance to near pre-pandemic levels and innovate products for enhanced customer experience." Other factors as contributing factors to Samsung's success include the creation of "the Device eXperience Division to increase synergy and provide a seamless experience to customers, the launching of the Customer eXperience-Multi Device Experience Center to strengthen its multi-device connection experience, integration of the SmartThings across its product categories for an inclusive ecosystem and a multi-device experience, introduction of Samsung's Future Generation Lab and development of advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), 5G, automotive and robotics." Also, Samsung was ranked as the No. 1 mobile handset brand in Bangladesh, consecutively for four years, by the only local Brand Equity study available in Bangladesh, conducted by Bangladesh Brand Forum. The company in a statement said it is also playing the lead role in marketing top-notch consumer electronics items, such as TV, refrigerators, washing machines, microwave ovens and air conditioners.