A “dismal” month for supermarkets led to retail sales falling in May at the fastest pace for more than a year, the UK’s statistics body has said. Sales volumes dropped 2.7% in May, the biggest monthly fall since December 2023, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS). Food retailers saw lower sales of alcohol and tobacco as households cut ...

A woman has appeared in court charged with murdering her 69-year-old sister who was discovered stabbed inside her north London home. In a short hearing at Highbury Corner Magistrates’ Court, Nancy Pexton, also 69, spoke only to confirm her name and date of birth. Jennifer Abbott, also known as Sarah Steinberg, was found dead at her flat in Camden last ...

A security review has been launched across UK military bases after pro-Palestinian activists broke into RAF Brize Norton and sprayed two military planes with red paint. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer condemned the action as “disgraceful”, saying it was an “act of vandalism”. Footage posted online by Palestine Action on Friday showed two people inside the Oxfordshire airbase in darkness, ...

The Indian Border Security Force on Friday afternoon handed over the body of a Bangladeshi youth, who was found hanging from a tree just across the border in India’s territory, after 25 hours. The deceased was identified as 23-year-old Jakaria Ahmed, son of Ala Uddin of Lamagram village in Uttar Ranikhai Union, Companiganj upazila. According to local sources, Jakaria’s body ...

BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi Ahmed on Friday accused Indian policymakers of conspiring to restore the “fallen” Awami League, which he described as a “fascist” party. Speaking to journalists in Chatmohar upazila, Pabna, Rizvi claimed, “They (Indian policymakers) cannot accept Sheikh Hasina’s downfall. After the meeting between Dr Muhammad Yunus and Tarique Rahman in London, the neighbouring ...

Jatiya Nagorik Party (NCP) has criticised Election Commission’s (EC) neutrality, claiming it operates as “BNP’s party office” whilst conditioning participation in upcoming 13th National Parliamentary Elections on commission restructuring. Chief Coordinator Nasiruddin Patwary said “The EC no longer exists as constitutional body, it functions as BNP’s party office.” NCP leader alleges current commissioners, including Chief Election Commissioner, have BNP connections ...

The government is moving forward with the implementation of several key recommendations made by the Public Administration Reform Commission, with initial focus on proposals deemed immediately actionable. A high-level meeting was held at the Chief Adviser’s Office on June 16 to expedite the rollout of these reforms. The meeting was chaired by M Siraz Uddin Miah, Principal Secretary to the ...

In the wake of Eid, retail markets in Dhaka are witnessing rising prices of rice and beef, while broiler chicken and eggs are now available at lower prices. With fish prices relatively stable, many shoppers are breathing a sigh of relief. Traders report that rice prices have surged at wholesale hubs across the country. According to Dhaka-based retailers, rice mill ...

You wake up early, hands hovering over the keyboard, waiting for the moment when a digital clock reads 10:00 AM. A few moments later, the window of opportunity had passed. The shoes that had held your fancy for weeks are gone in under a minute. Whether or not a pair was snagged, the adrenaline rush was real, and this is ...

Bangladesh has no vaccine available for the newly detected sub-variants of the Omicron strain of Covid-19, although 3.2 million doses of older vaccines remain in stock with a few months’ shelf life, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS). Covid-19 infection rates have seen a recent uptick across the country over the past month. Data from the Institute ...