Following the passing of their "Friends" co-star Matthew Perry last month, Courteney Cox and Matt LeBlanc have each offered their first individual tributes to him.Cox, who portrayed Perry's on-screen wife Monica, posted an Instagram video of herself with Perry's character Chandler, saying she was "so grateful for every moment" they worked together, reports the BBC. ‘In time we will say more’: Friends stars say after Matthew Perry’s deathLeBlanc, who portrayed Joey, was the first to pay tribute."It was an honour to call you my friend," he wrote."It is with a heavy heart I say goodbye. I'll never forget you," said LeBlanc. Matthew Perry, Emmy-nominated 'Friends' star, dead at 54Perry, 54, was found dead in his Los Angeles home last month, sparking an outpouring of grief from fans from all over the world.In a joint statement last month, Cox and LeBlanc along with Jennifer Aniston, Lisa Kudrow, and David Schwimmer described Perry's death as an "unfathomable loss". Chandler Bing, the AI chatbot: A tribute to Matthew Perry’s ‘Friends’ characterFollowing his issues with alcohol and drugs, a new foundation has been established in Perry's honour, vowing to continue his dedication to helping others struggling with addiction.

Prime minister Sheikh Hasina today paid tribute to Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman on the occasion of the historic Mujibnagar Day. She paid homage by placing a wreath at Bangabandhu’s portrait in front of Bangabandhu Memorial Museum in Dhanmondi, Dhaka this morning. After laying the wreath, the prime minister stood in solemn silence for some time as a mark of profound respect to the memory of Bangabandhu, the architect of independence. Flanked by central leaders of Awami League, Sheikh Hasina, also the president of the party, placed another wreath at the portrait of Bangabandhu on behalf of AL. On this day in 1971, Bangladesh’s first government in exile was formed at the Baidyanathtala mango orchard in Meherpur, under the then Kushtia district. The place was later renamed Mujibnagar as a tribute to Bangabandhu who had been declared as the president of the government-in-exile. Syed Nazrul Islam was appointed the acting president in the absence of Bangabandhu. Tajuddin Ahmad was appointed the first prime minister, while captain M Mansur Ali and AHM Quamaruzzaman were made cabinet members. The successful leadership of the core cabinet steered the Liberation War to victory on December 16 that year.  

The Bangabandhu Foundation has paid tribute to Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, marking its 21st anniversary.   Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen, also president of the Bangabandhu Foundation, paid homage by placing a wreath at the portrait of Bangabandhu in front of the Bangabandhu Memorial Museum at Dhanmondi 32 in Dhaka on Wednesday. Leaders and members of the foundation were also present at that time. The foreign minister later celebrated the anniversary of the Bangabandhu Foundation by cutting a cake with the leaders and members.  Read more: Bangabandhu Foundation pays homage to ‘Father of Nation’ at Tungipara

The Diplomatic Correspondents Association, Bangladesh (DCAB) on Friday paid tribute to Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman at Dhanmondi 32 in Dhaka. DCAB members, led by its President Rezaul Karim Lotus and General Secretary Abu Hena Emrul Kayesh, placed a wreath at Bangabandhu's portrait in front of the Bangabandhu Memorial Museum. They also stood in silence for a few moments showing profound respect to the memory of the Father of the Nation, his family members, Liberation War martyrs and Freedom Fighters. Read more: FOSA pays tributes to Bangabandhu at Tungipara Rezaul Karim Lotus, executive editor of the Daily Sun, and Abu Hena Emrul Kayesh, special correspondent of BanglaVision, were elected president and general secretary, respectively, of the executive committee of DCAB for 2023 on December 29 last year.

The 108th birth anniversary of the master painter and pioneering art educator Zainul Abedin, widely revered as the 'Shilpacharya' (great master of fine arts), is being observed on Thursday . Zainul Abedin, who was born on December 29, 1914, in Kishoreganj, was a key figure in the formation of the Dhaka University Faculty of Fine Art (FFA) and the Folk Art Museum in Sonargaon, Narayanganj. The 108th birth anniversary of Shilpacharya is being celebrated with a variety of celebrations, most notably the traditional ‘Zainul Utsab’ and ‘Zainul Mela’ by Dhaka University's Faculty of Fine Art. Education Minister Dr Dipu Moni joined the inauguration ceremony of the three-day festivities as the chief guest, while DU Vice-Chancellor Prof Md Akhtaruzzaman inaugurated the festival. The prestigious ‘Zainul Award 2022’ was also handed over to three art luminaries - former DU FFA Dean Professor Emdadul Haque Mohammad Matlub Ali, eminent artist Shahid Kabir and Indian contemporary art historian, art critic, and curator Raman Shiv Kumar. Read: 106th birth anniversary of Shilpacharya Zainul Abedin today Earlier, the Faculty of Fine Art and Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy (BSA) Department of Fine Arts placed floral wreaths on the grave of the Shilpacharya in the morning. Zainul Abedin earned global respect for his 1943 illustrations of the Bengal famine. He visited Palestinian camps in Syria and Jordan in 1970 and made 60–70 paintings of the refugees there, adding just another example of his caliber as a modern, international artist. During his childhood, he discovered his love of art while a young child frolicking by the Brahmaputra River.  His motherland, Bangladesh (then East Pakistan), welcomed him back after he graduated from the Government Art School in Kolkata in 1932. However, shortly after the Indian subcontinent was divided in 1947, he permanently departed Kolkata and came back to his own motherland in Bangladesh. The Dhaka Art Institute was subsequently founded with active help from Zainul Abedin, who was appointed as the institute's principal in 1949. The institute was later developed into Dhaka University's Faculty of Fine Art. He retired from the Dhaka Art Institute in 1967 and was conferred the honorary title of Shilpacharya (great master of fine arts) by the institute. Prior taking the mantle of Shilpacharya, Zainul Abedin received two years of training from Slade School of Fine Art in London and developed a new style of art called the 'Bengali style' featuring folk art forms with their geometric shapes including the usage of semi-abstract representation and primary colours. Read: Tribute to Shilpacharya Zainul Abedin on his 107th birth anniversary However, he lacked the sense of perspective, realising the limitations of folk art, and went back to nature, rural life and the daily struggles of people to make art that would be realistic but modern in appearance, thus being the pioneer of modern artistic style in the subcontinent. Known for the simple yet majestic projection of natural and social hazards, Zainul painted the 1970 Bhola cyclone that devastated then East Pakistan, portraying the effect of the cyclone through his painting ‘Monpura’. As a fond lover of folk arts, Zainul formed Charu O Karu Shilpi Sangram Parishad and also collected a large number of traditional crafts, ceramic works, nakshi kanthas in his lifetime which he preserved through founding the Folk Art Museum at Sonargaon, Narayanganj in 1975.  He also founded the Zainul Abedin Sangrahashala, a gallery of his own works at the Shaheeb Quarter Park on the bank of his nostalgia-infused Brahmaputra River in Mymensingh in the same year. In 1973, Zainul received  honorary D.Litt from Delhi University. He was declared National Professor of Bangladesh in 1975. NASA honoured the iconic artist by naming a crater on the planet Mercury after the painter, called the 'Abedin Crater' in 2009. The revered artist passed away in Dhaka on May 28, 1976 after losing his battle with lung cancer. He was buried beside the Dhaka University Central Mosque.

A wreath from the High Commissioner of India was placed on Friday as a mark of respect and remembrance for Group Captain, retd, Shamsul Alam, Bir Uttom, the brave fighter of “Kilo Flight” - the Mukti Bahini combat aviation formation during the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971 who passed away in Dhaka on December 8. He was 74., He was among the numerous Freedom Fighters whose sacrifices, along with those of Indian soldiers who fought with them during the Liberation War of 1971, continue to inspire and reinforce the close bonding of friendship and solidarity between India and Bangladesh. The wreath bears a message, "Forever Missed, But Will Never Be Forgotten.” Read: 'Kilo Flight' fighter Group Captain Shamsul Alam Bir Uttam, 74, dies

Newly appointed Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Pranay Verma on Thursday said he is looking forward to working closely with the Bangladesh government to realise the full potential of Bangladesh-India ties. The envoy said he would try to work towards further expanding and strengthening the close and friendly ties between the countries. He made the remarks as he presented his credentials to President Abdul Hamid. After that, Verma visited the Bangabandhu Memorial Museum at 32 Dhanmondi, Dhaka to pay tribute to Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. During his meeting with the president, the Indian high commissioner conveyed the greetings of the government and the people of India to the head of state of Bangladesh. Read: Indian High Commissioner pays tribute to Liberation War martyrs

Visiting UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet paid homage to Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman at Bangabandhu Memorial Museum on Monday. State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md. Shahriar Alam received her at Dhanmondi-32. The UN rights chief placed a wreath at the portrait of Bangabandhu and signed visitors' book there.  She also took a tour to the whole museum and was briefed by the State Minister.  Bachelet, who was an elected president of Chile on two occasions (2006 – 2010 and 2014 – 2018), is scheduled to meet Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Wednesday morning.

The US Embassy in Dhaka on Monday paid tributes to Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.  "On the 47th anniversary of the assassination of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Father of the Nation, the U.S. Embassy remembers his extraordinary life," said the Embassy.  Bangabandhu was one of the very first Bangladeshis to travel to the United States on the prestigious International Visitor Leadership Program.  "We mourn this great loss," said the Embassy. Read: 'BRAVEHEART’: Gallery Cosmos pays rich artistic tribute to Bangabandhu

The executive committee (EC) of the Foreign Office Spouses' Association (FOSA), a not-for-profit organisation, has paid tributes to Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman at his mausoleum in Tungipara, Gopalganj. The association led by its chief patron Selina Momen, wife of Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen, placed a wreath on Bangabandhu's grave, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a media statement Saturday. FOSA patron Ayesha Akhtar, wife of State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam, and President Fahmida Jabeen were also present. The FOSA EC members also prayed for the eternal peace of the departed soul of Bangabandhu and other martyrs of August 15. Read: FOSA hosts Eid Charity Fair in city