Amazon’s autonomous vehicle subsidiary Zoox has launched its robotaxi service in San Francisco, offering free rides in select neighborhoods as part of its strategy to compete with Google’s Waymo. The service, currently limited to users on a waiting list, features Zoox’s distinctive steering wheel-free vehicles. This marks Zoox’s second major rollout after debuting in Las Vegas earlier this year. Amazon acquired Zoox in 2020 for $1.2 billion and has since invested heavily in scaling production, including converting a former bus factory in Hayward, California, into a robotaxi manufacturing plant capable of producing up to 10,000 vehicles annually. While Waymo already operates paid robotaxi services in several U.S. cities, Zoox is awaiting regulatory approval to begin charging fares in California. The launch underscores Amazon’s growing ambitions in autonomous mobility, positioning Zoox as a key player in the expanding self-driving transportation market dominated by Waymo.

A massive fire broke out at the Standard Phoenix Oil Ltd. factory in the Bagherbazar area of Gazipur Sadar upazila on Wednesday afternoon. The blaze, which started around 1 p.m., rapidly intensified, prompting the deployment of seven fire service units from Joydebpur, Sreepur, and nearby stations. Despite continuous efforts, the fire remained uncontrolled as of 3:45 p.m. Eyewitnesses reported that factory security personnel initially tried to contain the flames before alerting the fire service. According to Gazipur Fire Service Deputy Assistant Director Md. Mamun, the fire had spread to nearby areas, increasing the severity of the situation. No casualties or cause of the fire have been confirmed yet, and authorities are working to prevent further damage. The incident has raised concerns about industrial safety in the region, which has seen several factory fires in recent years.

A 10-year-old girl named Tanisha Moni, a fourth-grade student from Banglabazar Cadet Madrasa in Noakhali’s Companiganj upazila, was found dead after allegedly taking her own life. According to family sources, Tanisha became upset when her mother and brother went on a trip without her. She was left in the care of her grandmother, during which she reportedly hanged herself using a scarf inside their home. Police recovered the body on Tuesday evening and sent it to Noakhali General Hospital for autopsy the following morning. Companiganj Police Station Officer-in-Charge Gazi Muhammad Fouzoul Azim said initial evidence suggests suicide, and further legal action will depend on the post-mortem report. The tragic incident has deeply shocked the local community, highlighting growing concerns about child mental health and emotional well-being in family environments.

At its Ignite 2025 conference, Microsoft introduced new AI agents for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, expanding its Copilot ecosystem. These agents, powered by Anthropic models, can generate and refine documents, spreadsheets, and presentations through conversational prompts in Copilot Chat. Users can issue simple instructions, receive preview outputs, and iteratively adjust content within chat or directly in Microsoft 365 apps. Initially available to commercial customers through the Frontier early access program, the feature will soon reach Personal, Family, and Premium subscribers. Microsoft also announced several Copilot upgrades, including Agent Mode for PowerPoint, AI voice summarization for Outlook, and integration of OpenAI’s Sora 2 video model into Copilot’s Create feature. The company continues to strengthen its AI-driven productivity tools to compete with ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini, aiming to unify its applications under a single intelligent interface for seamless workflow automation.

Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Dr. Shafiqur Rahman has alleged that some groups are preparing to manipulate the upcoming national elections in Bangladesh through money and influence, warning that the youth will resist any attempt to hijack their votes. Speaking at a gathering in Dhaka’s Kafrul area, he urged young voters to freely choose their candidates and pledged his party’s support in ensuring fair participation. Rahman emphasized Jamaat’s commitment to justice, anti-corruption, and ending extortion, claiming that eliminating extortion would significantly reduce commodity prices and boost economic growth. He also promised to protect businesspeople from extortionists and ensure women’s safety and respect in workplaces, suggesting reduced working hours for women to balance family responsibilities. On foreign policy, he said Jamaat would maintain friendly relations with all nations while rejecting any form of dominance. Rahman further called for restoring the dignity of the judiciary and ensuring that justice is applied equally to all citizens.

Microsoft and Anthropic have announced an expanded partnership that integrates Anthropic’s Claude models—Sonnet 4.5, Haiku 4.5, and Opus 4.1—into Microsoft Foundry and Microsoft 365 Copilot. The models are now available in public preview, allowing Azure customers to build production applications and enterprise agents using Claude within Microsoft’s infrastructure. This integration simplifies procurement by aligning with existing Azure agreements and billing systems, eliminating the need for separate vendor contracts. Developers can deploy Claude through Foundry’s APIs and SDKs in Python, TypeScript, and C#, using Microsoft Entra authentication. In Microsoft 365 Copilot, Claude powers the Researcher agent and is now available in Excel’s Agent Mode to assist with data analysis, formula generation, and error detection. The rollout begins globally with a U.S. DataZone coming soon, offering scalable, serverless deployment and access to Claude’s full suite of developer tools and capabilities.

Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami Secretary General Mia Golam Parwar has alleged that recent administrative reshuffles, particularly the transfers of deputy commissioners (DCs) and police officials, are being carried out with a specific political motive ahead of the 13th National Parliamentary Election. Speaking during a dialogue with the Election Commission in Dhaka, Parwar claimed that the frequency and timing of the transfers suggest a deliberate design. He reiterated Jamaat’s proposal for a lottery-based transfer system to ensure neutrality and public trust once the election schedule is announced. Parwar also raised concerns about holding the national election and a constitutional referendum on the same day, arguing that it could confuse voters. Additionally, he questioned the lack of clear guidelines for expatriate voting in the referendum and suggested allowing voter registration using passports. He further sought clarification on where political parties should submit their pledges as part of the election process.

Sharmin S Morshed, adviser to the Ministry of Social Welfare and Women and Children Affairs, called on young people to take a stand against violence towards women and children and to lead the rebuilding of a democratic Bangladesh. Speaking as the chief guest at the 'Bangladesh Through the Eyes of Youth' inter-college debate festival organized by Youth Forum of Bangladesh at the Bangladesh Shishu Academy auditorium on November 18, she reflected on the spirit of the 1971 Liberation War and compared it to the youth activism seen during the 'July 2024 war'. Morshed emphasized that the courage and energy of the new generation must be harnessed to create a just, safe, and inclusive nation. She lamented the country’s lost democratic roots and the rise of authoritarianism but expressed hope that the unity shown by the youth in 2024 would not be broken. The event concluded with a collective pledge to rebuild Bangladesh with equality, justice, and good governance.

Former opposition chief whip Zainul Abedin Faruq has called on all political and social groups to set aside divisions and work together for the welfare of the people of Bangladesh. Speaking as the chief guest at an event marking Senbagh Liberation Day, organized by the Senbagh Upazila Muktijoddha Sangsad Command Council, Faruq emphasized that despite differing opinions on various issues, unity is essential for national progress. He suggested that implementing Tarique Rahman’s 31-point plan could help resolve long-standing administrative problems and ensure a fair and beautiful election in the future. The event, chaired by Abdul Azim Chowdhury, was attended by several freedom fighters and local BNP leaders, including Abul Kalam Azad, Golam Mostafa Bhuiyan, and Abu Taher. Faruq’s remarks reflected a call for reconciliation and collective effort in addressing the country’s ongoing challenges.

Pakistan captain Babar Azam has been fined 10 percent of his match fee for breaching the ICC Code of Conduct during the final match against Sri Lanka in Rawalpindi. The incident occurred in the 21st over when Babar, after being dismissed, struck the stumps with his bat in frustration. The offense was categorized as a Level 1 violation, resulting in one demerit point being added to his disciplinary record. Since Babar accepted the charge and admitted his mistake, no formal hearing was required. The punishment comes just after Babar ended a long century drought, scoring his first international hundred in 807 days and 83 innings. Despite his return to form, the disciplinary issue has drawn criticism from the Pakistan Cricket Board and former players, who have urged the star batter to maintain composure and set a better example for younger cricketers.

BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has emphasized that establishing democracy in Bangladesh requires moving away from mob violence and fostering unity among democratic forces. Speaking at a book launch and documentary screening titled 'BNP in the Uprising of 2024' in Dhaka’s Gulshan, Fakhrul criticized what he described as attempts to divert attention from the International Crimes Tribunal’s verdict against Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina by inciting mob unrest. He urged political parties to investigate such developments and called for collective efforts to rebuild democratic institutions. Fakhrul said Bangladesh must return to the path of democracy to avoid becoming a failed state, stressing the need for an independent judiciary, parliament, media, and administration. He also noted that the country is in a transitional period ahead of elections and that true democracy requires building a democratic culture beyond the polls. Several senior BNP leaders and allied political figures attended the event.

Police in Narayanganj’s Bandar area arrested two local Awami League leaders during a special operation on Tuesday night, November 18. The detainees were identified as Moshior Rahman Suju, 48, general secretary of the ruling party’s 23rd Ward unit under Narayanganj City Corporation, and Abdullah Babu, 65, vice president of the Bandar Upazila Awami League. Suju is a resident of Kadamrasul area, while Babu hails from Kalyandi. According to Bandar Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Liaquat Ali, both men were apprehended from their respective neighborhoods and were sent to court on Wednesday. The reasons behind their arrests were not immediately disclosed by the authorities. The incident has drawn attention locally, as both individuals hold significant positions within the party’s grassroots leadership in the industrial district of Narayanganj.

Google has unveiled Gemini 3 Pro, its most intelligent AI model to date, designed to enhance coding, multimodal understanding, and agentic development. Available through the Gemini API in Google AI Studio and Vertex AI, the model outperforms previous versions in benchmarks and coding tasks, achieving 54.2% on Terminal-Bench 2.0 and topping the WebDev Arena leaderboard with 1487 Elo. Gemini 3 Pro introduces new capabilities such as 'vibe coding', where natural language serves as the only syntax, enabling users to build apps from a single prompt. It also supports advanced multimodal reasoning across text, image, and video, with a 1 million-token context window for complex tasks. The release includes Google Antigravity, a new agentic development platform that lets developers collaborate with autonomous AI agents across editors, terminals, and browsers. Gemini 3 Pro is available in preview for enterprises and free with rate limits in Google AI Studio, marking a major step in AI-driven software creation.

The 55-kilometer Hong Kong–Zhuhai–Macau Bridge, one of the world’s largest engineering feats, has become a major tourist attraction since its 2018 opening. Spanning the Pearl River Delta, the bridge took nine years to build at a cost of around USD 20 billion. Tourists are drawn to its vast structure, modern design, and panoramic sea views, making it a favorite spot for photography and sightseeing. Visitors particularly appreciate the tranquil scenery and the illuminated night views that create a distinct visual experience. The bridge connects Hong Kong, Macau, and Zhuhai, with 24-hour shuttle buses and cross-border coaches facilitating travel. Tourists must carry valid travel documents as the bridge crosses three jurisdictions. The best time to visit is between October and March for clear skies, while evenings offer the best lighting for photos. Nearby attractions include observation points, ferry tours, and city landmarks in Hong Kong, Macau, and Zhuhai.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Besent has described Saudi Arabia as the United States’ most important ally in the Middle East, expressing support for the sale of F-35 fighter jets to Riyadh. In an interview with Fox News on October 18, Besent said Washington relied on Saudi military support during the recent 12-day Iran-US conflict, praising the kingdom’s role as a key regional power. His remarks coincided with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s official visit to Washington, where both nations signed a joint declaration on nuclear energy cooperation. The White House confirmed that the agreement lays a legal foundation for a multi-billion-dollar nuclear project while adhering to non-proliferation commitments. Additionally, President Donald Trump approved a major defense deal that includes the future delivery of advanced F-35 jets to Saudi Arabia. During his visit, the Crown Prince pledged a $1 trillion investment in the US, reaffirming Saudi confidence in America’s economic future.