United News of Bangladesh

Jin of the K-pop megaband BTS made a guest appearance at Coldplay's concert in Buenos Aires on Friday (local time) for his first live performance of his solo debut single, "The Astronaut," with the British rock band. According to music industry sources here, Jin appeared from the opposite side of the main stage after being introduced by the band's vocalist Chris Martin during the show. The venue was filled with shouts from music fans as soon as the South Korean singer took the stage, with some shocked spectators seen incredulously covering their mouths with their hands. Clad in jeans, a gray diamond-patterned knit and a matching dark-colored jumper, the BTS vocalist sang a bar of "The Astronaut" with his pink microphone and ran to the center of the stage to hug Martin. "The Astronaut" is a pop-rock genre song co-written by Coldplay, with the British band also playing on the recording. Jin participated in writing the lyrics, expressing his affection for Army, the global fandom of the K-pop septet. Jin's deeply sentimental voice accompanied by a calming sound of acoustic guitar and gradual build-up of synth sound creates the mysterious and dreamy mood of the song. The British band previously collaborated with BTS for a single, "My Universe," which topped the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart upon its release in September last year. "The Astronaut" has sold more than 700,000 copies for a day after it came out at 1 p.m. Friday, Big Hit Music, the agency for BTS, said, quoting data from Hanteo Chart. It marks a big sales figure for a single-track album. "The Astronaut" also topped iTunes' top songs chart in 97 countries around the world, including the United States, Britain, Germany and France, as of 9 a.m. Saturday. The song's music video telling a story of an astronaut who accidentally landed on Earth has also garnered over 17 million views on YouTube as of 2 p.m. After wrapping up promotional activities for "The Astronaut," Jin is set to temporarily leave the music scene to become the first BTS member to enlist for mandatory military service.) -- Jin of the K-pop megaband BTS made a guest appearance at Coldplay's concert in Buenos Aires on Friday (local time) for his first live performance of his solo debut single, "The Astronaut," with the British rock band. According to music industry sources here, Jin appeared from the opposite side of the main stage after being introduced by the band's vocalist Chris Martin during the show. The venue was filled with shouts from music fans as soon as the South Korean singer took the stage, with some shocked spectators seen incredulously covering their mouths with their hands.

Musician-actor Pritom Hasan and model-actress Shahtaj Monira Hashem tied the knot at a 5-star hotel in Sylhet's Sreemangal Friday. Although the two had been dating for some time, they managed to keep their relationship a secret. Actress Sunerah Binte Kamal, a close friend of Pritom and Shahtaj, shared photos from the couple's "Mehendi" event Thursday night on social media, revealing that the couple was getting married. Pritom shared his wedding photos today on his social media handles. A popular actress in recent times, Shahtaj started her career through television commercials. Her mainstream acting career began with the telefilm "Masti Unlimited." "Chinigura Prem" and "Chikon Piner Charger" are some of Shahtaj's most popular works. She has also been praised for her role in the film "Iti, Tomari Dhaka" (Sincerely Yours, Dhaka), Bangladesh's first anthology film. Pritom is one of the most popular new generation singers and music directors, known for his tracks "Shoroter Shesh Thekey," "Morey Jak," "Ami Amari Moto," "Local Bus," "Beainshab" and more. As an actor, he garnered critical acclaim for his roles in Nuhash Humayun's short film "700 Taka," Adnan Al Rajeev's web film for Chorki "YouTumor" and a few dramas. Pritom also acted in several of his music videos, including the much-acclaimed "Morey Jak," "Shoroter Shesh Theke," "Khoka," "Bhenge Porona Ebhabe," and "Jadukor" – the music video where it all began for him and Shahtaj. He is the youngest son of the late popular Bangladeshi singer Khalid Hasan Milu and the younger brother of singer Protic Hasan.    

The concert "Mixtape Vol:1" will enthral music lovers with the performance of seven renowned bands – Artcell, Nemesis, Ark, Indalo, Karnival, Ashes, and Highway – this Friday at the International Convention City Bashundhara (ICCB) in the capital. Dhaka Broadcast, a rising entertainment agency, is organising the concert to end the year on a high note. Also, the organisers said it will be the first one of a series of concerts. Mixtape Vol:1 is going to be held at ICCB Hall 2 (Pushpoguccho) and the gate will be opened at 2 pm. Tickets are currently available for purchase for Tk599 each.      

Celebrating the 18th anniversary of its inauguration, Geetanjali Lalitkala Academy, a traditional culture training centre, is hosting a two-day cultural festival on October 28 and 29 at Small and Cottage Industries Training Institute (SCITI) auditorium, Uttara in the capital. Marking the occasion, the academy is set to honour three prolific personalities with the Geetanjali Sammanana Padak (Geetanjali Honorary Award) 2022 on October 28, Friday. The personalities are - eminent educationist Professor Emeritus Arun Kumar Basak, writer Anwara Syed Haq and painter Professor Mohammad Eunus for their important contribution to education, art, literature and culture in Bangladesh. Dhaka North City Corporation Mayor Md Atiqul Islam will join the event as the chief guest, while Mohammad Habib Hasan, Member of Parliament for Dhaka-18 Constituency, will join as the special guest. The inaugural day event on Friday will be presided over by eminent educationist and former DU Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr AAMS Arefin Siddique. Read: Remembering Tagore, the polymath! Artists from the Geetanjali Academy of Fine Arts will perform songs, dance, and recitations at the two-day festival. On Saturday, the closing day of the festival will be joined by Asim Kumar Ukil, Cultural Secretary of Bangladesh Awami League and Member of Parliament from Netrokona-3 Constituency as the chief guest in the discussion seminar, in remembrance of late National Professor Rafiqul Islam, former Adviser of Geetanjali Lalitkala Academy. Industrialist and Bangladesh Awami League's Secretary of Industry and Commerce Md Siddiqur Rahman will join the ceremony as its special guest, and the event will be presided over by eminent artist Hashem Khan. In the last 17 years of its glorious journey, the Geetanjali Sammanana Padak was awarded to several eminent personalities including National Professor Kabir Chowdhury, Professor Dr Zillur Rahman Siddiqui, poet Professor Alauddin Al Azan, writer and poet Syed Shamsul Haq, National Professor Mustafa Nurul Islam, Tagore researcher Ahmad Rafiq, Language Soldier Abdul Matin, educationist Dr Sirajul Islam Chowdhury, National Professor Rafiqul Islam, National Professor Anisuzzaman, musician Sudhin Das, cultural personality Kamal Lohani, painter Hashem Khan, litterateur Hasan Azizul Haque, painter Samarjit Roy Chowdhury, writer Rabeya Khatun, cultural personality Ramendu Majumdar, poet Asad Chowdhury, rt maestro Rafiqunnabi, playwright Begum Mamtaz Hossain, novelist Selina Hossain, social and cultural personality Sultana Kamal, artist Mustafa Monwar, filmmaker Subhash Dutta, playwright Imdadul Haq Milan, Artist Murtaza Bashir, poet Nirmalendu Goon, cultural personality Mofidul Haque, poet Nurul Huda, painter Monirul Islam, actress Ferdousi Majumdar, thespian Asaduzzaman Noor, cultural personality Nasir Uddin Yusuff, poet Kamal Chowdhury, thespian Ataur Rahman, researcher Muntasir Mamoon, and art maestro Farida Zaman.  

Alliance Française de Dhaka (AFD) and Goethe-Institut Bangladesh are hosting the theatrical performance "Wolfed Down" by French puppeteer Laurie Cannac, at the Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy (BSA). The theatrical puppetry, presented entirely in English, enthralled the Dhaka audience Wednesday at 7pm, and the first show was held on Tuesday, at 4pm at the same venue. The theatrical presentation is a "one-woman performance" by Laurie with a varied puppet universe. The story is based on the popular European fairy tale "Little Red Riding Hood" by the Brothers Grimm, a brother duo of German academicians, philologists, cultural researchers, lexicographers, and novelists. This "Gothic" adaptation of Little Red Riding Hood examines the animistic force of the puppet, creates an eclectic relationship between itself and the actress's body, and effectively unites poetry with a sense of humour, amusing the audience.

Turongomi Repertory Dance Theatre will join the prestigious "Indonesia International Culture Festival 2022" in Indonesia from October 22-30. The festival is one of the largest gatherings of dance professionals in the world, organised by the government of Indonesia, said a media release Wednesday. Pooja Sengupta, the artistic director of Turongomi, will represent Bangladesh at the festival. She will also conduct a workshop and talk about the Bangladeshi Aroti dance. She will also take part in the popular Bandung Art Festival 2022 in Jawa. Recently, Pooja represented Bangladesh at the Sustainable Development Goals UNESCO Resili-Art Festival in Manila, the Philippines in April 2022. Later this year in July, Turongomi took part in the Daegu Colorful Festival, one of the largest dance parades in the world. Since its inception in 2014, Turongomi has been working with the motto of establishing the signature style of Bangladeshi dance in the international arena and achieving professionalism in the dance scenario of Bangladesh. Turongomi School of dance, a sister concern of Turongomi Repertory Dance Theatre, became a member of the International Dance Council of UNESCO along with Pooja herself, in 2019. Pooja received the Noorul Quader Entrepreneur award in 2018 for establishing Turongomi.      

Though it was expected that several functions would be held commemorating the fourth death anniversary of the country’s iconic rock superstar Ayub Bachhu, surprisingly no significant event was organised marking the day across the country or in the music industry on Tuesday. However, some fans, music lovers, co-artists remembered the legendary iconic singer and guitarist on social media including Facebook. Here, some remarkable memories of the late superstar were put up. Sharing a picture with his friend Ayub Bachhu, popular singer Kumar Bishwajit in a Facebook post said "Stay in the heart forever, stay sound friend". Music Director and Singer Nakib Khan in another post said ‘’How time flies! Our dear Bachhu--you will always stay in our heart, May Allah grant you Jannah.” Read: “Miss and love you…Sollo,” says Ayub Bachchu’s son on his 4th death anniversary Lyricist and composer Prince Mahmud said “Losing you we understood what you were." Popular Singer Kanak Chanpa wrote “I was not able to write mourning when I was about to write the word on the mourning notebook, pride came out instead of mourning for you. Not a single song fell on the soil, rather grabbed its place in the minds of people, which (you) magician of composer and guitar designed. There is no need to write the songs, sung by you, on the notebook which youths of the country can sing like timetables”. “I don’t call him an artist, rather a saint. No mourning comes from the heart for a saint, comes pride. Ayub Bachhu is the greatest guitarist of the sub-continent, Bachhu is our pride, and we will surely feel pride, Rest in peace in the graveyard,” she observed. Music artist Shawkat Ali Emon in his Facebook timeline wrote “Those whom we love very much they don’t go away, rather walk beside us, unseen and no tearing always stay closer, still love you, miss. May Alla grant you jannah, You (Bachhu bhai) was, is and will be,”   Popular Singer Asif Akbar recalled the guitarist by saying “Bachhu bhai played guitar for two hours at a function organised by me and tied my with the knot of gratefulness, once there was a good family bonding with him and he used to love very much my mother, and even he used to meet mother going Cumilla, though I didn’t know it.”

People from all walks of life including colleagues and admirers paid their last tributes to Ekushey Padak-winning thespian, playwright, and director Masum Aziz at the Central Shaheed Minar in the city on Tuesday. His body was taken to the Central Shaheed Minar at 11 am, after the first janaza at Banasree in the capital at 9 am. Sammilita Sangskritik Jote arranged the programme. Aziz’s son Utsha Zaman expressed his heartfelt gratitude to the fans, colleagues and admirers of the legendary thespian. "I cannot explain how the people of the country loved my father throughout his entire life. There is nothing more to say than to express gratitude for this. I will be grateful for the rest of my life to those who stood by our side and fought together during the last ten months,” he said. The event was joined by a number of cultural personalities including Asaduzzaman Noor, Dilara Zaman, Mamunur Rashid, Ramendu Majumdar, Ghulam Quddus, Nader Chowdhury, Ahsan Habib Nasim, Salahuddin Lavlu, Chayanika Chowdhury and many more. “I knew him for years, never seen him without his youthfulness and positivism towards life. With his death, we have lost one of our most iconic artistes in the industry,” eminent thespian and former Cultural Affairs Minister Asaduzzaman Noor said at the event. On behalf of the Ministry of Cultural Affairs, Additional Secretary (Administration) Hasna Jahan Khanam paid homage to the late artistes at the Central Shaheed Minar. His body was then taken to the Central Mosque of Dhaka University where his second namaz-e-janaza was held after Zohr prayers, and the body was then taken to his hometown Pabna where he will be laid to eternal rest.

Friends, fans and family members observed the fourth death anniversary Bangladesh’s iconic rock superstar, singer, guitarist, composer and music director Ayub Bachchu on Tuesday. "We all miss and love you very much Sollo,” said Ahnaf Tazwar Ayub, son of the legendary Rockstar, in a social media post. Read: Ayub Bachchu’s 60th birth anniversary today He posted a guitar cover of ‘Nirobe’-- one of Bachchu’s popular songs--with flamboyant guitar riffs on LRB's official Facebook page and his personal profile. The legendary frontman of one of the most well-known Bangladeshi rock bands ‘Love Runs Blind’ died of cardiac arrest on October 18 in 2018 at his home in the capital’s Moghbazar. He was 56. The band is popularly know as LRB. Fairuz Saffra Ayub, daughter of the rock legend, posted an emotional write-up on her profile, remembering his dearest father. “Compassionate, caring, humble, grounded, emotional and an incredibly hard working being is how I have always known him to be,” she wrote. “Immaculate skills with his art, endless wisdom about life and his way of looking at things differently is what got him to where he was at his life,” she added. Among the events, several of the Ayub Bachchu and LRB fan clubs organised special prayers sessions and discussions across the country, marking the anniversary of his demise. Bacchu was born at Patiya at Khorna union in Chattogram on August 16, 1962. He started his band LRB in his hometown, Chattogram, in 1991. Before that, Bachchu began his career as a musician with the band ‘Golden Boys’ (renamed later as ‘Ugly Boys’), which he co-founded with his childhood friend and renowned Bangladeshi singer Kumar Bishwajit.  Read: Smritydahan: Tanvir Tareq's book on rock legend Ayub Bachchu published He also played an important role in other well-known Bangladeshi bands including ‘Feelings’ and ‘Souls’. During his time with ‘Feelings’, he played with another contemporary rock icon of Bangladesh - James. With Bachchu being the frontman of LRB, the band performed more than thousands of concerts at home (500+ open-air & 2000+ indoor) and abroad. They went for their first international tour in the US and they played in seven states. In his lifetime, Bachchu has created a total of 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. “Rupali Guitar,” “Cholo Bodle Jai,” “Ekhon Onek Raat,” “Koshto”, ‘‘Shei Tumi Keno Eto Ochena Hole,” ‘’Ferari Ei Monta Amar,” ‘’Ekdin Ghum Bhanga Shohore,’’ ‘‘Hashte Dekho Gaite Dekho’’ are some of his most iconic tracks with his beloved LRB.

The rapper formerly known as Kanye West is offering to buy right-wing friendly social network Parler shortly after getting locked out of Twitter and Instagram for antisemitic posts. The acquisition of Parler would give West, legally known as Ye, control of a social media platform and a new outlet for his opinions with no gatekeeper. The question is, who will listen? Even among the new breed of largely right-wing, far-right and libertarian social apps that purport to support free speech by having looser rules and moderation, Parler’s user base is tiny — and with competition only increasing for the relatively small swath of mostly older people who want to discuss politics online, there is no clear roadmap to growing it beyond a niche platform chasing crumbs left by mainstream social media. If Tesla CEO Elon Musk goes through with his planned purchase of Twitter, things may get even more complicated for Parler. That's because Musk has already made it clear he would like to loosen Twitter's rules and content-moderation efforts, including reinstating the account of former President Donald Trump. If the libertarian and far-right users who left Twitter — either because they felt it was constricting to their political views or because they were kicked off — return, sites like Parler, Gab and Trump's Truth Social could end up losing users. Parlement Technologies, which owns Parler, and West said Monday the acquisition should be completed in the fourth quarter, but the price and other details were not disclosed. Parlement Technologies said the agreement includes the use of private cloud services via Parlement’s private cloud and data center infrastructure. Parler restructured its business last month to form Parlement Technologies, which it said aims to become the “world’s premier free speech technology infrastructure and platform." This means that rather than running a single platform such as Parler, the company wants to provide services to other niche sites that are often deemed too extreme for mainstream tech companies to support. A Parlement spokesperson said the deal with West was not yet in the works when the company was restructured and the two transactions are separate. Ye was blocked from posting on Twitter and Instagram a week ago over antisemitic posts that the social networks said violated their policies. In one post on Twitter, Ye said he would soon go “death con 3 on JEWISH PEOPLE,” according to internet archive records, making an apparent reference to the U.S. defense readiness condition scale known as DEFCON. Ye has also suggested slavery was a choice and called the COVID-19 vaccine the “mark of the beast.” Earlier this month, he was criticized for wearing a “White Lives Matter” T-shirt to his collection at Paris Fashion Week. “In a world where conservative opinions are considered to be controversial we have to make sure we have the right to freely express ourselves,” Ye said in a prepared statement. Parler has struggled amid competition from other conservative-friendly platforms like Truth Social, which are tiny as well compared with mainstream social media sites. Parler had an average of 725,000 monthly active users in the U.S. for the first half of this year, according to Data.ai, which tracks mobile app usage. That's down from 5.2 million in the first half of 2021. Overall, including people outside the U.S., Parler still failed to reach the 1 million mark in the first half of this year. Truth Social, meanwhile, had 2.4 million monthly users during the same period, despite launching just in February and only on Apple devices, according to Data.ai. The market research firm said another right-leaning platform, Gettr, which launched in July 2021, is ahead of both Parler and Truth Social with about 3.8 million monthly active users. None of them come close to Twitter, which reported that it had a daily average of about 237.8 million active users during its most recent quarter. Many of the right-wing platforms emerged from opposition to the content-moderation restrictions at mainstream services such as Twitter and Facebook, but they have failed to attract users in large numbers. Part of that reason may be that most people don't actually want to discuss politics online. According to the Pew Research Center, one-third of tweets sent in the U.S. are political in nature, but these are mainly sent my a small subset of mostly older people. While Americans ages 50 and older make up 24% of the U.S. adult Twitter population, they produce nearly 80% of all political tweets, according to Pew. This is the audience Ye's Parler would have to be courting if the rapper is serious about growing Parler's user base. Parler launched in August 2018 but it didn’t start picking up steam until 2020. It was kicked offline in January 2021 over its ties to the deadly insurrection at the U.S. Capitol earlier that month. A month after the attack, Parler announced a relaunch. It returned to Google Play last month. “This deal will change the world, and change the way the world thinks about free speech," Parlement Technologies CEO George Farmer, who is married to conservative activist Candace Owens, said in a prepared statement.