Business

The UK economy grew by a faster-than-expected 0.3% in November after car production rebounded and the services sector got a boost. Growth was driven by an increase in industrial output, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said, helped by the return to production at Jaguar Land Rover’s facilities following the cyber-attack at the carmaker. With the Budget on 26 November, ...

The 1000th Board Meeting of Agrani Bank PLC. was held on 13th January 2026 at the Board Room of Agrani Bank’s Head Office. The meeting was presided by Syed Abu Naser Bukhtear Ahmed, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Agrani Bank PLC. Among others present at the board meeting were Director Dr. Md. Fazlul Hoque, Kabirul Ezdani Khan, Mohammad ...

TGI Fridays has closed 16 of its UK restaurants, putting 456 employees out of work. The American-inspired casual dining chain’s remaining 33 restaurants will continue to operate after the business was sold in a rescue deal. Interpath was appointed as administrator to Liberty Bar and Restaurant group, which managed the operations of TGI Fridays’ UK restaurants, on Tuesday. TGI Fridays’ ...

Bangladesh’s medium-term economic outlook has improved, with growth expected to strengthen steadily over the next two fiscal years, according to the World Bank’s latest Global Economic Prospects report. The report revised up its projections for Bangladesh, forecasting economic growth of 4.6% in FY2025-26, rising further to 6.1% in FY2026-27. The upward revision reflects strengthening private consumption amid easing inflationary pressures, ...

The National Board of Revenue (NBR) on Tuesday slashed customs duty on imported mobile phones by 60 per cent aimed at keeping handset prices within the purchasing capacity of consumers amid rising living costs. It issued two separate statutory regulatory orders in this regard. According to an NBR notification, the customs duty on imported finished mobile phones has been reduced ...

Bangladesh is set to achieve a milestone in institutionalizing its growing freelancing sector as the country’s first national digital platform for freelancer registration and ID card management, freelancers.gov.bd, will be formally inaugurated tomorrow. The platform’s security and technical capabilities have been successfully verified through VAPT (Vulnerability Assessment and Penetration Testing), said a press release of the ministry of posts, telecommunications ...

Nestle Waters has been given the go-ahead to market its four French brands as “natural mineral water”, despite the use of filters before bottling. In two orders dated December 23, 2025, the prefect of the Vosges region in northeastern France authorised the company to install filters for its Contrex and Hepar brands. Two of the Swiss food giant’s other brands, ...

Bangladesh Jewellers’ Association (BAJUS) has announced a reduction in gold and silver prices in the domestic market, effective from Friday. According to a press release issued on Thursday night, the price of top-quality 22-carat gold will fall by Tk1,050 to Tk2,26,806 per bhori. Under the revised rates, 21-carat gold will sell at Tk2,16,484 per bhori, while 18-carat gold will cost ...

The Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources has proposed reducing value-added tax (VAT) on liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) imports to below 10 percent by reinstating a 15 percent VAT exemption at the import stage. In a letter sent to National Board of Revenue (NBR), the ministry said the Advisory Council agreed to restore the VAT exemption on LPG imports ...

Bangladesh on Wednesday received its first shipment of US corn since 2018, consisting of 57,855 metric tonnes of yellow corn. The consignment arrived at Chittagong Port and was welcomed by officials from US Embassy in Dhaka. The corn, harvested in North and South Dakota and Minnesota during the 2025–26 crop year, was shipped from Vancouver, Washington. The shipment provides Bangladeshi ...