Top business leaders in Chattogram have demanded a business-friendly environment and simplified trade policies to revitalise the country’s stagnant economy following the BNP’s landslide victory in the 13th national parliamentary election. The government, led by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, began its new journey after the change in power. To breathe life into the private sector, the port city’s entrepreneurs urged ...

BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Friday night said Ekushey had remained confined under a fascist regime, but this time it is free, creating an opportunity to build a just and discrimination-free democratic Bangladesh. “Ekushey had long remained restricted under a fascist rule, but this time it is free. That is why our feelings are somewhat different today ...

Dr Shafiqur Rahman, Ameer of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami and Leader of the Opposition in Parliament, paid tribute to the Language Movement martyrs by laying flowers at the Central Shaheed Minar in the first hours of 21 February. Newly elected Members of Parliament from the Jamaat-led 11-party electoral alliance were also present. Earlier, Prime Minister Tarique Rahman paid homage to the martyrs. ...

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, accompanied by his wife Dr Zubaida Rahman and their daughter Zaima Rahman, paid tribute to the Language Movement martyrs at the Central Shaheed Minar in the early hours of 21 February. Just before midnight, the President arrived at the Central Shaheed Minar. After placing flowers at the altar, he stood in silence for a short while ...

President Md Shahabuddin and Prime Minister Tarique Rahman have paid tributes to the martyrs of the historic Language Movement on the occasion of Amar Ekushey and International Mother Language Day. The heads of the state and the government paid their homage by placing wreaths at the Central Shaheed Minar in the capital in the first hour on Saturday. The President ...

Bangladesh High Commission in New Delhi restored visa services on Friday, two months after suspending the services, with a view to restore the strained Bangladesh-India ties under the new government led by Tarique Rahman. The development, coming just three days after Tarique took charge as Bangladesh’s new prime minister, highlights the importance of New Delhi for BNP and signals an ...

The Bangladesh women’s national football team have reached Australia to take part in the upcoming AFC Women’s Asian Cup, marking a historic moment for the nation as they prepare for their first appearance in the continental tournament. Carrying high hopes, the Bangladesh squad landed at Sydney Airport at around 10pm local time on Friday. The team had departed in the ...

A surge in capital gains tax, employers’ National Insurance contributions and a boost in income tax receipts helped buoy the government’s finances last month. An uptick in tax receipts, which far outstripped spending, created a £30.4bn surplus in January. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said it was the highest surplus in any month since records began in 1993, without ...

The restaurants I fall hardest for are the kind specialising in respite, that coddle and cocoon, that shield their diners from life’s gloom. Gloom could have been the weather forecast for the past couple of months, the days of grey half-light and shivering winds, the ceaseless rain and endless damp. All the wax has been pelted off my old jacket; ...

Albert Bridge in west London may be closed to motorists for up to a year for repairs, the local authority has said. Kensington and Chelsea Council (RBKC), which manages the 150-year old bridge, said engineers discovered cracks in a cast iron component earlier this month. The authority said sensors were continuously measuring the cracks to check that their condition did ...