If you have missed out on all the latest updates of the day, then don't worry, we got you all covered. Find out the gist of the top 5 stories of The Daily Star today (December 23, 2022).

Biman operated with 23% vacant seats in 6 months

Biman Bangladesh Airlines operated with 23 percent vacant seats on various internationals destinations in the last six months. A total of 3.41 lakh Biman seats remained empty at the time, accounting for 23 percent of total seats. A total of 14,77,456 tickets were available in various overseas destinations in the six months from June to November. Among them, 11,35,974 seats were booked. The remaining 3,41,482 were empty.

Pay for pets!

Dhaka South City Corporation has recently imposed an annual tax of Tk 500 per pet dog and Tk 1,000 for horses and deer -- drawing huge flak from animal rights activists and pet owners.

Animal experts have termed the move unacceptable, saying this will discourage people from adopting animals, especially the strays in desperate need of homes. According to a public notification, "City Corporation Model Tax Schedule, 2016", pet owners will have to pay the annual tax for each animal.

Soaring prices gave consumers a hard time

Inflation stood at 5.86 percent in the first month of the year before surging to a 10-year-high of 9.52 in August. It slightly fell to 8.91 per cent in November.

Inflation in Bangladesh has nearly doubled since January, owing to higher import costs, fuel prices and transport fares, mostly driven by the impacts of the dragging Covid-19, supply disruptions and the Russia-Ukraine war, hurting the pockets of the lower, lower-middle and middle-income groups and the fixed income people.

5 biggest global car launches in 2022

Like every year, 2022 had its fair share of new cars that had a notable impact on the global market. Before the year ends, here's a look back at the five biggest car releases that got everyone talking.

• Nissan 400Z Fairlady
• Toyota GR86/Subaru BRZ
• Honda Civic Type R
• GMC Hummer EV
• Lotus Emira

Japan inflation at 3.7% in Nov, highest since 1981

A woman chooses products at a drug store in Tokyo, Japan October 21, 2022. REUTERS file photo

Prices in Japan rose at their fastest pace since 1981 in November, data showed Friday, fuelled in part by higher energy costs. Core consumer prices, which exclude volatile fresh food costs, climbed 3.7 percent last month compared to a year earlier, data released by the internal affairs ministry showed.

Prices jumped the most for processed food items and were also higher for electricity and durable goods like air conditioners.