Sam Altman rejoins OpenAI board

Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, has rejoined the company's Board of Directors, about five months since he was fired and subsequently rehired as the CEO. In addition to Altman, three new board members have joined OpenAI: Dr. Sue Desmond-Hellmann, Nicole Seligman, and Fidji Simo.
10 March 2024, 08:33 AM

Ride-hailing to boost women's workforce by 13% in Dhaka by 2028, study finds

A recent industry report, commissioned by Uber and authored by Oxford Economics, has highlighted the potential impact of ride-hailing platforms on increasing women's participation in the workforce in Bangladesh. According to the study titled "Ride-Hailing: A Platform for Women's Economic Opportunity in Bangladesh," the availability of ride-hailing services could lead to a 13% increase in the female workforce in Dhaka by 2028. This would translate to approximately 300,000 women joining the Dhaka workforce, potentially boosting the city's economy by more than 1.5% over the same period.
9 March 2024, 15:37 PM

India announces USD 1.2 bln investment in AI projects

India has approved an ambitious and comprehensive national-level AI mission with a budget outlay of Rs.10,371.92 crore to cater to increasing demands from the country’s rapidly expanding AI start-ups and research ecosystem including Graphics Processing Units (GPUs), built through public-private partnership.
8 March 2024, 10:46 AM

Breaking barriers: Unveiling the challenges faced by women entrepreneurs

The theme for this year’s Women’s Day, "Invest in women: Accelerate Progress," resonates deeply in today’s entrepreneurial landscape. While recent years have seen a commendable increase in the number of female-led startups, a persistent challenge remains – the funding gap. As we continue to celebrate the rise of female entrepreneurs, it is crucial to acknowledge the systemic challenges they face, particularly the fact that investors still hesitate to trust solo women founders, creating barriers to their success. 
8 March 2024, 10:32 AM

Akira Toriyama, creator of Dragon Ball, passes away

Akira Toriyama, a renowned Japanese manga artist best known for creating the Dragon Ball manga series, passed away on March 1, 2024, at the age of 68.
8 March 2024, 03:39 AM

Here’s how NASA scientists study the Padma river

The Padma—a lifeline for thousands of people but also a force for change with far-reaching effects on those who live along its banks, flows through the centre of Bangladesh. Its flowing form has shaped and reshaped the terrain it passes through for decades, defying permanence. Now, satellite imagery from NASA’s Earth Observatory research lab reveals the Padma's dynamic nature, illustrating its growth, meanders, and shifting course over the past 30 years.
7 March 2024, 17:11 PM

Indian scientists discover new catalyst for energy-efficient hydrogen production

Indian scientists have identified a new catalyst that can efficiently oxidise urea and lower the energy demand for the generation of hydrogen by urea-assisted water splitting, thereby making way for improved production of green fuel.
6 March 2024, 11:23 AM

Facebook automatically logs out users in Bangladesh

Social media platform Facebook and its instant messaging platform Facebook Messenger are reportedly facing outages all over the world, including Bangladesh. Local users reported that starting around 9:40 PM today, they were unable to access Facebook and Messenger, and were logged out of their accounts without any warning.
5 March 2024, 15:53 PM

Facebook, Messenger, Instagram now restored

Facebook, Messenger, and Instagram faced a global outage for nearly an hour
5 March 2024, 15:37 PM

Green hydrogen plant in stainless steel inaugurated in India

India's first green hydrogen plant in the stainless steel sector located in Hisar, Haryana, was inaugurated today with the objective of cutting carbon emissions by nearly 2,700 tonnes per year.
4 March 2024, 10:02 AM

Bitcoin price rising; goes over $60K

Bitcoin has surged past the $60,000 mark for the first time since 2021, igniting a fervent trading frenzy in regions where crypto trading are currently being regulated. The rally saw Bitcoin's value soar by as much as 12.6% to reach $63,968 on Wednesday, before slightly retracting to the $60,000 region. This surge has elevated the cryptocurrency's gains to an 42% in the first two months of the year alone.
4 March 2024, 07:22 AM

Meet the flying car prototype

Alef Aeronautics, a California-based automotive company, has recently unveiled a prototype for what they claim to be 'the world's first true flying car'. The company took a working scale model of this innovative prototype to the recently held Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona, Spain, capturing the attention of the public and industry enthusiasts alike.
3 March 2024, 10:54 AM

Google under fire: Is Sundar Pichai stepping down?

Since assuming the role of CEO in 2015, and subsequently of Alphabet in 2019, Pichai has been lauded for his stewardship during more stable times.
3 March 2024, 10:41 AM

Choosing the right fire extinguisher, and how to use them

There are five main types of fire extinguishers, each designed for specific types of fires, marked by distinct colour codes and suitable for various materials like paper, wood, textiles, flammable liquids, and electrical equipment.
3 March 2024, 06:00 AM

India successfully tests 'Very Short-Range Air Defence System' missile

India has conducted two successful flight tests of the Very Short-Range Air Defence System (VSHORADS) missile which can neutralise enemy aircraft, drones, and helicopters.
2 March 2024, 08:55 AM

OpenAI to name new board members in March: Report

OpenAI, the company behind making ChatGPT, is planning to appoint several new board members in March according to a recent report by the Washington Post.
2 March 2024, 03:30 AM

Indian scientists discover wound dressing material from banana fibres

Scientists at the Institute of Advanced Study in Science and Technology (IASST), an autonomous institute under the Department of Science and Technology, have transformed banana pseudo stems, which are often considered agricultural waste, into an eco-friendly wound dressing material.
1 March 2024, 04:57 AM

Google sued for $2.3 bln by 32 media groups

Google has recently been sued for $2.3 billion by 32 media groups, including the German multinational mass media company Axel Springer and the Norway-based digital consumer brand Schibsted. According to the 2.1 billion euro lawsuit, the media companies have suffered losses because of Google's digital advertising practices.
29 February 2024, 10:58 AM

Team led by Bangladeshi scientist achieves breakthrough in quantum physics

Scientists at Princeton University, led by Bangladeshi researcher M. Zahid Hasan, have marked a significant milestone in quantum physics. This achievement, documented in the Nature Physics journal on 20 February, showcases the observation of long-range quantum coherence at relatively high temperatures. This advancement is crucial for the development of next-generation technologies, including super-fast computers and ultra-secure communication networks, which until now have been hindered by the need for extremely low temperatures to achieve this state.
29 February 2024, 08:24 AM

Symphony leads, Xiaomi slips: Study outlines market share of smartphones in Bangladesh

The Bangladesh smartphone market witnessed notable changes in its competitive landscape from 2022 to 2023, as detailed by a recent Counterpoint study. The year 2023 saw changes in consumer preferences and market shifts that significantly impacted brand standings.
29 February 2024, 03:30 AM