Joy Bangla to all Bangalis worldwide!

Happening in the World: Bangladesh celebrated an important milestone yesterday, commemorating 50 years of independence. March 26th marks the anniversary of the beginning of Bangladesh’s struggle to break free from Pakistan in 1971; with guerrilla warfare tactics and aid from neighboring India, Pakistan was forced to surrender by December of that year. Since then, India and Bangladesh have maintained a strategic alliance, despite animosity between Muslims, who make up the majority of Bangladesh’s population, and Hindus, who comprise the majority of India’s. These tensions came to a boil yesterday as Indian Prime Minister and avowed Hindu nationalist Narendra Modi visited Bangladesh as part of Independence Day proceedings. Protests by Muslim students against Modi’s arrival resulted in at least four deaths and dozens of injuries in Chattogram, Bangladesh’s second largest city. (NYT)

Happening in the US: Multiple shootings and confrontations between beachgoers and police in Virginia Beach, VA, last night resulted in at least two deaths and eight injuries, some critical. One death was at the hands of a police officer. The deaths and injuries resulted from three separate incidents, police said. At the time of writing, no suspects have been apprehended. (NBC)

Happening in NYC: New York state launched a new app yesterday called Excelsior Pass, which logs one’s negative COVID-19 tests and vaccination records and can be shown to venues to prove one doesn’t have COVID-19. The app was developed in partnership with IBM and was first tested on patrons at recent events at the Barclays Center and Madison Square Garden before being released to the general public. You can download Excelsior Pass on the App Store or Google Play store. (Pro tip: the correct app you’re looking for is Excelsior Pass Wallet, NOT Excelsior Pass Scanner.) (Fox 5 New York)

Happening in Our Community: Maison Française, the Alliance Program, the Institute for Religion, Culture and Public Life, the Society of Fellows in the Humanities, and the Heyman Center for the Humanities are collaborating for a discussion about the French government’s recent crackdown on university professors and institutions deemed supportive of so-called “Islamic leftism” this Monday, March 29, from 1 to 2 pm EDT. If you’re interested in all things culture war, register here!

beautiful bengali boats via Pixabay