Bangladeshi filmmaker Monjurul Islam Megh has been included as a member of an international jury of the 6th Rajasthan International Film Festival (RIFF) 2020.

The RIFF will be held from January 18 to 22 at Jaipur, Rajasthan.

The international jury team includes French actress and producer Marianne Borgo, actor and moderator in film festivals Charles Thomson, writer, researcher, journalist, fillmmaker from Bangladesh Monjurul Islam Megh, internationally acclaimed film maker from Iran Hassan Nazer.

The 6th RIFF will be organised by RIFF Film Club.

Two films from Bangladesh are selected for competition. ‘Fagun Haway’ directed by Tauquir Ahmed was selected for feature film competition and ‘Mala Bhabi’ directed by Mejanur Rahman Labu in the short film category.

Researchers from Australia's national science body have successfully genetically engineered mosquitoes that are resistant to spreading dengue virus.

The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) on Friday revealed that it has engineered the first breed of mosquitoes resistant to spreading all four types of the dengue virus.

Dengue fever is a mosquito-borne disease caused by the dengue virus. It affects 390 million people every year around the world and can cause death if left untreated, according to CSIRO.

Prasad Paradkar, a Senior Research Scientist with the CSIRO, said that the disease is at epidemic levels in tropical and subtropical regions worldwide, with outbreaks currently occurring in Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and the Philippines.

"There is a pressing global demand for effective strategies to control the mosquitoes that spread the dengue virus, as there are currently no known treatments and the vaccine that is available is only partially effective," he said in a media release.

"In this study we used recent advances in genetic engineering technologies to successfully genetically modify a mosquito, the Aedes aegypti, with reduced ability to acquire and transmit the dengue virus.

"This is the first engineered approach that targets all four dengue types, which is crucial for effective disease suppression."

According to the CSIRO more than half the world's population is at risk of infection and the disease currently costs the global economy 40 billion Australian dollars (27.5 billion U.S. dollars) every year.

The CSIRO collaborated with Omar Akbari from the University of California San Diego on the landmark breakthrough.

"This breakthrough work also has the potential to have broader impacts on controlling other mosquito-transmitted viruses," Akbari said.

"We are already in the early stages of testing methods to simultaneously neutralise mosquitoes against dengue and a suite of other viruses such as Zika, yellow fever and chikungunya."

The restaurant of French chef Paul Bocuse, who died two years ago, has lost one of its Michelin stars after holding three since 1965, a world record.

The Michelin guide announced Friday that the restaurant in Collonges-au-Mont-d'or, near the French city of Lyon, has been downgraded to two stars.

Dubbed by critics as the "pope of French cuisine," Bocuse died at age 91 in January 2018 in Collonges-au-Mont-d'or, the place where he was born.

He was a tireless pioneer, the first chef to blend the art of cooking with savvy business tactics — branding his cuisine and his image to create an empire of restaurants around the globe whose offerings range from haute cuisine to fast food.

The restaurant's kitchen is now run by a trio of French chefs.

The Bocuse group also owns a restaurant in Walt Disney World's Epcot Center in Orlando, Florida, that opened in 1982, and several brasseries, cafes and other establishments in the city of Lyon and in Japan.

Bangladesh High Commission in Abuja, Nigeria will participate in the third ‘Asian Film Festival’ to be held at Caesar Hall, Abuja from January 23-26.

Ontorjatra, directed by Tareque Masud and Catherine Masud, will be screened at the upcoming film festival where a total of eight Asian countries are participating.

Bangladesh also participated at the second Asian Film Festival in 2019 and “Rina Brown,” a film based on the War of Liberation was screened which earned wide appreciation, said the High Commission.

The High Commission in Abuja invited all foreign friends and expatriate Bangladesh nationals in Nigeria to watch the film - Ontorjatra with English sub-titles on the opening day – January 23 at 5:30pm.

Upon its release on 2006, the film achieved critical and commercial success.

To take a stand against existing status quo of people judging others based on clothes and looks, internationally renowned hair care brand TRESemmé will host a three-day fashion event titled ‘TRESemmé Bangladesh Fashion Week 2020’ in the capital beginning on January 23.

Fashion designers from home and abroad will showcase their works at the event at the International Convention City Bashundhara.

Fashion Design Council of Bangladesh (FDCB) is the event partner while Le Méridien Dhaka the hospitality partner.

Nafees Anwar, Beauty and Personal Care Director of Unilever Bangladesh, made the announcement at a press conference at hotel Le Méridien Dhaka on Thursday.

The fashion event, which will end on January 25, will be called Runway of Life to promote against the judgmental mindset of people. In line with that, a digital campaign has been activated by Unilever with the hashtag -- #doitforyou.

Nafees Anwar said Unilever has changed the model on how to get involved in the fashion industry last year through the ‘TRESemmé Bangladesh Fashion Week 2019’.

“We had an event which came out pretty good at the end and we’re trying to continue it this year...every single brand under Unilever has a purpose. Every single product that Unilever produces has the same quality and I’d expect that like the way you’re supporting the local fashion industry, you’ll support the products that are produced locally,” he said.

Maheen Khan, President of FDCB, said their organisation is engaged in promotion of sustainable designs.

“We support clusters of artisans and produce ethical products. For the past six years, we held many international events to brand and promote our homegrown design industry,” she said.

She also spoke about FDCB’s approach for the benefit of Bangladeshi fashion industry.

“We’ve essentially built awareness, started campaigns for safe and conscious work ethics that promotes local creative work. Our aim and goal is always to preserve the DNA of Bangladeshi design heritage,” said Maheen Khan.

She mentioned that fashion designers from cities like Colombo, Kathmandu, Thimphu, Udaypur, Ahmedabad and Kolkata alongside talented Bangladeshi counterparts will be displaying their works in the ‘TRESemmé Bangladesh Fashion Week 2020’.

“Twenty-one Bangladeshi designers will play a key role with their participation weighing to brand our unique design industry that is evolving, growing into something way more purposeful and significant,” said FDCB President.

Apart from 21 local designers, nine foreign ones will be showcasing their collection at the three-day event. Some of the notable names are Anuj Sharma, Riddhi Jain, Alka Sharma, Soumitra Mandal and Asif Shaikh of India, Ajay Gurung of Nepal, Sonali Dharmawardena of Sri Lanka, Chandrika Tamang of Bhutan, Maheen Khan, Chandan Dewan, Kuhu, Lipi Khandaker, Emdad Hoque, Shaibal Saha and Farah Anjum Bari of Bangladesh.