Good evening and happy weekend. If you plan to go grocery shopping in the weekend, we have a heads up for you. The price of sugar and soybean has risen: Tk 108 per kg of sugar, and Tk 190 for one-litre of soybean oil. And here's other stories of what's happening around.

1. Jaya Ahsan

It's a great day for Jaya Ahsan and her fans. Jaya Ahsan's film, "A Tale of Sisters," — set in the background of the Liberation War — has been nominated in the International Film Festival of India's ICFT-UNESCO Gandhi Medal. The actress took to Facebook to express her gratitude for the director. Speaking to The Daily Star, Akram Khan, said he felt particularly proud of the achievement as the government-grant film is set against the backdrop of the Liberation War, which is "underrepresented" in the international arena. The film is based on Hasan Azizul Haq's novel, "Nakshi Kathar Jomin."

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2. Japanese Ambassador's comments

It hasn't been a busy week for the Japanese Ambassador. Ahead of the Prime Minister's upcoming visit to Japan, fury continues over the Ito Naoki's "ballot stuffing" comments. The Police Service Association (BPSA) released a statement today, expressing how "embarrassed and shocked" they were by his comments, and requested that Naoki even withdraw his speech. For context, the Japanese Ambassador, talking about the last election, said, "Police officers were reported to have stuffed ballot boxes the night before election day. I've never heard this in any other country." In response to the Ambassador's comments, Deputy Foreign Minister Shahriar Alam countered, "If diplomats cross the line, action will be taken." Apart from all that drama, the diplomat also met with the Planning Minister today and expressed that Japan is actively considering Bangladesh's request for budget support.

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3. BNP

BNP is set to hold their divisional mass rally in Sylhet on Saturday. Similar to the events that dawned over their previous rallies, bus owners and transport workers in the Sunamganj-Sylhet route have called for a 36-hour strike. BNP leaders continue to claim that the strikes are Awami League's strategies to foil their mass event. Despite these obstacles, BNP rallies have amassed a "sea of people," every time. Watch our coverage of the previous rallies and how BNP leaders and activists made it to the venues.

4. Cox's Bazar

The shores of Cox's Bazar became a bed of fish today, attracting thousands of locals, who rushed to catch as much fish as they could. Videos of people collecting fish went viral on social media. The event happened after an incident, where fishermen caught too much which tore the fishing nets. The boats drowned, though the fishermen survived, and that's how fish swarmed to the shore. Click here to see our captures from the day.

5. BUET student murder case

The murder case that has gripped the nation this week has reached a rather confusing turning point. According to the Detective branch of the police, Fardin was last seen on the night of his disappearance, at the Jatrabari intersection around 2:15am, with three other people in a vehicle. RAB has previously given differential statements on the case, stating that Fardin was possibly murdered in Chonpara. But a DB official today, told The Daily Star, that it's not possible for Fardin to have reached Chonpara in fifteen minutes that night.

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That's it for today. But in case you missed it, the IMF told The Daily Star that Bangladesh's forex reserves is about $ 27.5 billion. Read the full story to gauge what that means.