The Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, has today approved the draft Road Transport Amendment Act, 2024, reinstating mandatory insurance for all types of vehicles operating on the roads, including motorcycles, private cars, buses, and trucks. The decision revises the Road Transport Act of 2018, which had made vehicle insurance optional.

Bangladesh Computer Council to digitally archive Titas Gas customer files.

Spotify, the global music streaming giant, has announced the introduction of a music video feature, exclusive to its premium subscribers. This strategic expansion, part of a limited beta launch, is aimed at enriching the user experience by offering full-length music videos. Initially, this feature will be available to users in a select group of countries.

Access to Information (a2i), in partnership with the non-profit organisation GiveDirectly, today spearheaded an international learning event aimed at enhancing the delivery of humanitarian aid through innovative technological approaches. The collaboration, benefiting from the support of USAID and Google.org, alongside technical guidance from the University of California Berkeley, has made significant strides over the past year in utilising machine learning and mobile data analytics to refine the targeting mechanisms for aid distribution in Bangladesh. According to a press handout, this effort has successfully identified and facilitated cash transfers to vulnerable communities, including Rohingya refugee hosts, through mobile money solutions.

Recent leaks of CAD (Computer-aided design) files purported to depict the iPhone 16 Pro have surfaced online, offering a glimpse into what Apple's forthcoming flagship might entail.

Xiaomi, the Chinese technology giant, recently announced that it will start deliveries of its first electric vehicle (EV) known as Speed Ultra 7 (SU7) this month. 

The efficiency of parsing through standardised resumes and extracting relevant information has led many employers to prioritise resumes and online application forms over cover letters. Thus, brings the obvious question: are cover letters even relevant anymore?

‘GBon’, a high-speed broadband service by the Bangladesh Telecommunications Company Limited (BTCL) was recently launched by Zunaid Ahmed Palak, the State Minister for Posts, Telecommunications, and Information Technology.

Recent research led by BRAC James P Grant School of Public Health, BRAC University has shown study which indicates nearly 79% female commuters in Dhaka experience sexual harassment on public transport. Among which about 60% feel traumatised and 12% are unable to overcome the experience. The data consisted of 1030 respondents among which 60% were female and 40% were male. Analysis of the study titled ‘Transportation accessibility and Safety in Dhaka City: A Gender Based Assessment’ reveals that one in every six female commuters faces daily sexual harassment. 

The value of Bitcoin briefly reached a record high of $70,000 on March 8, 2024. This price rise is being attributed towards Bitcon's recent surge in popularity, as the cryptocurrency has been the subject of much attention from the international investment community. 

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.

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.

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.

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. 

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.

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.

AI-based image generation tools such as OpenAI's DALL-E, Microsoft's Gemini, Stability AI's DreamStudio, and Midjourney, can produce misleading election-related images, according to researchers from the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH), a nonprofit organisation.

X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, recently expanded its audio and video calling capabilities to all users, irrespective of their account type. However, this rollout has uncovered a significant privacy issue related to the potential exposure of users' Internet Protocol (IP) addresses.

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.

BohniShikha-Agile in Education USA, an education management organisation, is hosting a 'Call for Social Justice and Sustainability Global Virtual Summit' on March 9, 8 pm to 12 am Bangladeshi time.