In 2010, Musa Ibrahim became the first Bangladeshi to plant the country's flag on the peak of Mount Everest. Additionally, Bangladeshi scientists made progress in sequencing the jute genome. However, the year was not without controversy, as the Dhaka stocks fell and Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus faced allegations of fund siphoning. Despite these challenges, the achievement of Musa Ibrahim in scaling Mount Everest was a significant moment for Bangladesh. The president of the North Alpine Club, Musa, received his education from Dhaka University and BRAC University and is originally from Lalmonirhat. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina announced in parliament on June 16 that Bangladeshi researchers, led by Dr. Maqsudul Alam from Dhaka University's biochemistry and biotechnology departments, have successfully sequenced the genome of jute. This discovery is expected to help improve jute fiber and allow it to thrive in changing climates. Nobel Laureate Muhammad Yunus faced controversy over allegations of misusing funds from Grameen Bank and attempting to cover up the issue from Norwegian donors. On November 30th, a documentary titled 'Caught in Micro Debt' by Danish investigative journalist Tom Heinemann was broadcasted on Norwegian state television NRK, bringing attention to the fund transfer issue that occurred 12 years ago. bdnews24.com was the first to report on the story in Bangladesh on December 1st. Yunus called for a media discussion on Sunday to address the controversy surrounding 'channelled fund'. Grameen Bank, on the other hand, stated that the matter had already been resolved by the Norwegian government and the bank in 1998. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and other leaders of the ruling party criticized the chief of Grameen Bank and called for investigations. The MV Jahan Moni, a Bangladeshi ship, was recently hijacked by Somali pirates in the Arabian Sea near the Indian coast of Kochin on December 5. There are 26 Bangladeshis, including 25 crew members, on board the ship, which has been taken to the Somali coast. Calls have been made for the government to negotiate with the pirates and consider paying ransom. Relatives of the crew who have been captured are calling on the government to take immediate action to rescue them. Two weeks ago, Foreign Minister Dipu Moni stated that no country should pay ransom under any circumstances. The owner of the captured ship has reported that negotiations with the Somali pirates are currently ongoing. In a recent incident, Somali pirates released a German ship after receiving a ransom of $5.5 million. The ship had been seized in May. The issue of sexual harassment towards women gained widespread attention following a series of violent incidents. The incidents included the death of college teacher Mizanur Rahman in Natore, the killing of Chanpa Rani Bhowmik in Faridpur, and the suicide of Rupali Rani in Sirajganj after being kidnapped by an eve-teaser. The government, prompted by the High Court, made amendments to the law to allow for the trial of 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. Increased interest from the general public in investing in the capital market was seen as several exchange records were broken. However, investors continued to drive up share prices until the general index at the Dhaka Stock Exchange plummeted in the second week of December, losing over 500 points in just one hour. This came only two days after reaching an all-time high. Frustrated and angry investors took to the streets twice in the last month as the market showed signs of decline. On December 8 and 19, protesting investors threw bricks and bottles at the police as the market experienced its biggest fall in a single hour and highest fall in a single day. For the first time in history, the country has adopted a comprehensive education policy. The National Education Policy was approved by the cabinet on May 31 and by parliament on Dec 7. Some Islamic parties have raised concerns about the policy, claiming that it reduces opportunities for religious education. However, the government has refuted these claims and is focusing on implementing the policy. One of the key changes under the new policy is the extension of primary education up to class VIII and the elimination of the Secondary School Certificate exam. The policy will bring changes to text books and exam systems, as well as modernize madrasa education. Anthrax caused panic in the middle of the year, affecting at least 500 people in various districts. The government declared a red alert and implemented large-scale cattle testing, including in border areas where foreign cattle enter. The demand for cattle meat decreased suddenly, leading to the government declaring the country anthrax-free in early October. The butchers claimed that poultry traders intentionally caused panic for financial gain. Livestock state minister Abdul Latif Biswas supported this claim and stated that the government would look into the situation. The national carrier, Biman Bangladesh Airlines, came to a standstill on Oct 26 due to a strike called by pilots. The strike, led by younger pilots, was ended after a meeting with prime minister Sheikh Hasina on Oct 29, saving the airline from further trouble. Biman suspended four pilots, including the acting president and general secretary of the pilots' association BAPA, on Oct 25. BAPA made the decision to go on strike right away to protest the decision. That same evening, 53 pilots reported sick. On October 20, the 116-member BAPA group issued a 24-hour ultimatum to Biman to fulfill their 5-point demands, one of which was cancelling the order 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 Biman contracts if their demands were not met.