In 2010, Musa Ibrahim made history by being the first Bangladeshi to plant the country's flag at the top of Mount Everest. Additionally, Bangladeshi scientists achieved a milestone by sequencing the jute genome. However, the year was also marked by setbacks such as a drop in Dhaka stocks and allegations of fund siphoning against Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus. Despite these challenges, the achievement of reaching the summit of Mount Everest was a momentous occasion for Bangladeshis. North Alpine Club president Musa, who is originally from Lalmonirhat, attended Dhaka University and BRAC University. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina announced in parliament on June 16th that Bangladeshi researchers, led by Dr. Maqsudul Alam from Dhaka University's biochemistry and biotechnology departments, have successfully sequenced the genome of jute. This breakthrough is expected to enhance the quality of jute fiber and help jute plants withstand challenging weather conditions caused by climate change. Meanwhile, Nobel Laureate Muhammad Yunus has been embroiled in controversy regarding allegations that he misused funds from Grameen Bank without informing Norwegian donors and attempted to cover up the issue. On November 30, the Norwegian national television NRK broadcasted the documentary 'Caught in Micro Debt' by investigative journalist Tom Heinemann. The documentary brought attention to the fund transfer issue, which had been kept private for 12 years. bdnews24.com was the first to report on the story in Bangladesh on December 1. Yunus called for the media to join a discussion on the 'channelled fund' debate on Sunday. Grameen Bank, on the other hand, stated that the matter had been resolved by the Norwegian government and the bank back in 1998. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and other leaders of the ruling party criticized the Grameen Bank chief and called for investigations. The hijacked ship MV Jahan Moni is the most recent addition to the numerous ships taken by Somali pirates towards the end of the year. The Bangladeshi vessel was seized in the Arabian Sea on December 5 near the Indian coast of Kochin, with 26 Bangladeshis, including 25 crew members, on board. The government has been urged to negotiate with the pirates and pay ransom for the release of the ship. Relatives of the captured crew are calling for urgent intervention from the government to secure their release. Two weeks ago, Foreign Minister Dipu Moni stated that no government should give in to ransom demands. The ship's owner has confirmed that negotiations with Somali pirates are ongoing. In contrast, Somali pirates recently freed a German ship after receiving a $5.5 million ransom. The ship had been hijacked in May. The issue of sexual harassment towards women gained attention in the media when stalkers killed a college teacher in Natore in October. The violence continued with the murder of a woman in Faridpur for speaking out against harassment and another woman in Sirajganj who committed suicide after being kidnapped by an eve-teaser. In response to these incidents, the government, prompted by the High Court, made amendments to the law to try stalkers in mobile courts, which began operating in early November. The sudden drop in share prices at the end of the year caused chaos in the country's financial market. Interest in investing in the capital market increased due to several record-breaking exchanges. However, investors pushed share prices up until the general index at the Dhaka Stock Exchange plummeted in the second week of December, losing over 500 points in just one hour. Frustrated and angry investors took to the streets twice in the last month as the market showed signs of decline, with protests on December 8 and 19 resulting in violence towards the police. The country recently established a comprehensive education policy for the first time, which was approved by the cabinet on May 31 and by parliament on Dec 7. Despite protests from some Islamic parties claiming that religious education opportunities have been decreased, the government is moving forward with implementing the policy. The changes include extending primary education to class VIII and eliminating the Secondary School Certificate exam. The policy will bring changes to text books and exam systems, as well as modernizing madrasa education. Anthrax caused panic in the middle of the year, affecting at least 500 people in multiple districts. The government declared a red alert and began large-scale cattle testing across the country, including border areas where foreign cattle enter. The demand for cattle meat dropped suddenly, but the government declared the country anthrax-free in early October. Butchers claimed that poultry traders intentionally caused panic for financial gain. Livestock state minister Abdul Latif Biswas supported their claim and stated that the government will look into the issue. The national carrier, Biman, came to a standstill when pilots went on strike on October 26. The strike, led by younger pilots, was ended after a meeting with prime minister Sheikh Hasina on October 29, saving Biman Bangladesh Airlines from collapse. On October 25, Biman suspended four pilots, including the acting president and general secretary of the pilots' association BAPA. BAPA made the decision to go on strike immediately to protest against a decision. That same evening, 53 pilots called in sick. On October 20, the 116-member BAPA group gave Biman a 24-hour deadline to fulfill their 5-point demands, one of which was to revoke the decision to raise the retirement age of pilots from 57 to 62 years. The pilots also warned that they would not perform any duties beyond their contract with Biman if their demands were not met.