US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order to dissolve the US Department of Education. He signed the order at a ceremony on Thursday local time.

Trump made important campaign promises on the issue before the election. The move is aimed at returning education-related power to state and local governments.

The Qatar-based media outlet Al Jazeera reported this information in a report on Friday (March 21).

Al Jazeera said that US President Donald Trump has fulfilled his campaign promise to close the Department of Education though his efforts may face court challenges and constitutional obstacles.

The Republican president signed the executive order at an elaborate ceremony on Thursday.

At the ceremony on Thursday, children were arranged to sit in a semicircle at desks around the US president, each holding their own version of the executive order to sign. When Trump opened his marker to sign the order, the children followed him. When he held up the full order for the camera, the children did the same.

Before the signing ceremony, Trump said, “I will be signing an executive order to eliminate the federal Department of Education once and for all. And as strange as it may sound, we are going to eliminate it, and everyone knows it is right, and Democrats know it is right.”

Meanwhile, Democrats and education advocates were quick to react to Trump’s decision. They condemned the move as not only another example of the president’s excessive power but also as an attempt to harm students across the country.

Within minutes of the event, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer wrote on social media, “The attempt to dissolve the Department of Education is one of the most destructive and disastrous actions Donald Trump has taken. It will harm children.”

The order calls on Trump's longtime Education Secretary Linda McMahon to take all necessary steps to close the department, which must be approved by Congress. The Department of Education was established in 1979 under President Jimmy Carter as part of an effort to consolidate various education initiatives within the federal government.

Finland is the happiest country in the world again. This European country has held the title for eight consecutive years. Does a country become happier just by having more wealth or power? The list shows that even wealthier countries lag far behind Finland in terms of happiness. So what is Finland's secret?

The report was released on Thursday (March 20) by the research organization Gallup, the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network and the Oxford Wellbeing Research Center. The list is published every year on this day in anticipation of the International Day of Happiness. Earlier, data was collected through surveys in 147 countries. The survey participants provided information about how their lives had been over the last three years. The news agency AP reported this information.

The top 10 happiest countries in the world are Finland, Denmark, Iceland, Sweden, the Netherlands, Costa Rica, Norway, Israel, Luxembourg and Mexico.

What is the reason for Finland's superiority? Finnish resident Aino Virolanien works in digital commerce. He said, "I go abroad for work, and I have to stay. But I want to come back to Finland again and again. I grew up here; I'm raising my children here. Finland is a place of peace, silence and trust. We talk directly to nature. The air is so clean and fresh, who wouldn't love this country?"

Another Finnish resident named Alexandra Peth said that Finnish people trust and rely on each other a lot. She said, "We always try to cooperate with each other. The system here has become such that you can safely trust or rely on someone." She said that Finnish culture prioritizes trust and communication.

The researchers said that beyond wealth and health, there are some things that play an important role in happiness. For example, coming to each other's aid, helping each other, stepping forward in the plight of others, etc. Research has shown that these factors play an important role in making people happy.

John Clifton, CEO of the research firm Gallup, said, "Being happy does not mean having wealth. Rather, it is about trust and communication with others. If we want a strong society and economy, we must give importance to these factors."

The United States, one of the world's superpowers, is gradually falling behind in the list of happiest countries. This time, the United States is in 24th place. In 2012, the country was in 11th place. The United Kingdom is one step above the United States, that is, in 23rd place.

Where is Bangladesh?

Bangladesh is in 134th place out of 147 countries. India is in 118th place, Pakistan is in 109th place, Sri Lanka is in 133rd place. Nepal is in 92nd place.

The name of the unhappiest country in the world is Afghanistan.

NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore left for space on an eight-day mission. The two returned to Earth after 9 months due to a technical glitch. Sunita now holds the record for spending the most time in space as a female astronaut. She is in second place on the list of NASA astronauts who have spent the most time in space.

Even after a certain period of time, 59-year-old Sunita has returned to Earth after dealing with the situation skillfully. The eyes of the whole world are now on her. However, her childhood dream was not to become an astronaut! Sunita used to dream of becoming a veterinarian when she was young!

Sunita loved science since childhood. She really wanted to become a veterinarian. However, according to the news media NDTV, Sunita's life took a turn because of her brother. Her brother got the opportunity to get admitted to the US Naval Academy. Sunita went to the academy to see her brother. After that, she wanted to join the Navy. She also got the opportunity to join in 1989. Sunita joined the Helicopter Combat Support Squadron. She has worked in the Middle East, including the Mediterranean. Sunita has worked to deliver humanitarian aid to disaster-stricken areas.

She joined NASA as an astronaut in 1998. She gained her first spaceflight experience in 2006. In 2007, she participated in a marathon by running on a treadmill at the International Space Station (ISS) for 4 hours and 24 minutes. In 2012, she went to the International Space Station for four months and performed multiple duties, including station operations.

Sunita Williams and Butch Ulmore went to the ISS on an eight-day mission in June last year. They were stranded due to a malfunction in the spacecraft. However, they did not face any complications because they had enough food and other facilities. The spacecraft carrying them landed in the sea near the coast of Florida on Tuesday night, Bangladesh time.

Two astronauts stranded in the International Space Station, Sunita Williams and Bach Moore, are returning to Earth from space after a long 9 months. They went to space for only 8 days last year. But they got stuck there due to technical problems.

Indian media NDTV reported that the SpaceX spacecraft Dragon was locked at 9:05 am Bangladesh time on Tuesday (March 18). Then the crew put on their flight suits and completed safety checks. After all the waiting, the spacecraft separated from the International Space Station at 11:05 am.

It is known that if everything goes well, it will hit the sea off the coast of Florida, USA, at 3:57 am Bangladesh time on Wednesday. At that time, a rescue team will ensure their extraction from the space and safety. After a safe landing, they will head to Houston.

The US space research agency NASA had earlier announced the start of their journey towards Earth. The agency also said that it will take them a total of 17 hours to land on Earth from the International Space Station.

Sunita and Bach More went on a regular space mission from Cape Canaveral in June 2024. Then they arrived at the International Space Station. But the vehicle they were supposed to return to was found to have a fault a few hours later. It was found that the spacecraft was leaking helium. In addition, there was a problem with the thruster. After that, NASA postponed their return mission indefinitely.