The government on Tuesday approved a proposal to procure 40,000 metric tonnes of bulk granular fertiliser from Saudi Arabia in the current fiscal year (FY26) to meet rising domestic demand. The approval came at the first meeting of the Advisers Council Committee on Government Purchase this year, held at the Cabinet Division Conference Room at the Secretariat, with Finance Adviser ...

London will struggle to build its target figure of 88,000 new homes every year for the next decade unless two major rail projects are given the green light, the Deputy Mayor for Housing has said. Tom Copley said the next London Plan will factor in the government’s request – part of a wider target for 1.5million new homes in the ...

The prime minister has drawn a series of sharp dividing lines with Nigel Farage’s Reform UK, in an attempt to begin reviving Labour’s and his own political fortunes in the new year. Sir Keir Starmer told his political cabinet he wanted to make clear to voters that the choice was between his party “renewing the country” and Reform, who he ...

Technology Secretary Liz Kendall has called on Elon Musk’s X to urgently deal with its artificial intelligence chatbot Grok being used to create non-consensual sexualised images of women and girls. The BBC has seen multiple examples on X of people asking the bot to digitally undress people to make them appear in bikinis without their consent, as well as putting ...

Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB-46) seized a large quantity of smuggled Indian leaf cigarettes worth Tk 2.7 lakh from Kulaura upazila of Moulvibazar district early Tuesday. Acting on a tip-off, a team of BGB officials conducted a drive in the Lalarchak area adjacent to the border and recovered a large unclaimed consignment, totalling 5400 packs of cigarettes worth Tk 2.7 lakh ...

Bangladesh pacer Mustafizur Rahman has registered for 2026 edition of Pakistan Super League (PSL), following his unexpected removal from Indian Premier League (IPL). Several PSL franchises are now reportedly eyeing the left-arm fast bowler ahead of the upcoming players’ draft. Mustafizur was released by Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) after concerns arose among some Indian cricket fans regarding the participation of ...

The government has decided to import 180,000 metric tons of diesel from India’s state-owned Numaligarh Refinery Limited (NRL) for the period January to December 2026, at a total cost of Tk 1,461.76 crore. The funds will be arranged through Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation’s (BPC) budget and bank loans. The approval was given at a meeting of the Advisory Council Committee on ...

BNP Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman on Tuesday expressed hope that the European Union (EU) would play a more active role in supporting Bangladesh’s development after the upcoming national election, ensuring that the benefits reach the country’s people. He made the remarks during a meeting with an EU delegation, led by Ambassador Michael Miller, at the BNP Chairperson’s Gulshan office on ...

The leaders of West Midlands Police and Birmingham City Council will be grilled by MPs later over a decision not to allow Israeli football fans to attend a match in the city last year. The decision to ban Maccabi Tel Aviv fans from a match against Aston Villa in November was criticised by the prime minister and other politicians, some ...

The habit of drinking a glass of orange juice can have a considerable effect on your health. If you’re anything like me, then your idea of breakfast heaven includes an ice-cold glass of freshly squeezed orange juice. The trouble is that this sweet citrus drink has been demonised for some time. While oranges themselves are packed full of vitamins, in ...