BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir stepped into 76 on Thursday with birthday wishes pouring in for him. As in previous years, the BNP leader had a low-profile birthday celebration with only family members and party leaders and activists wishing him on the occasion. Fakhrul woke up in the morning with his elder daughter Mirza Shamaruh wising him ‘happy birthday’ over the phone from Australia followed by his younger daughter Mirza Safaruh and wife Rahat Ara Begum. Read more: US sanctions on RAB made BNP fearless in anti-government protests: Fakhrul Talking to UNB, the BNP leader said there was no formal programme to celebrate his birthday, but BNP leaders and activists, his relatives, and friends from home and abroad wished him on the occasion. Fakhrul said he took breakfast with his wife in the morning at their Uttara residence and then set out for BNP's Nayapaltan central office. “On the way to the office, I received phone calls from my many party colleagues who wished me happy birthday.” As he reached the BNP office, many leaders and activists present there received him and exchanged birthday greetings. About his feelings on the birthday, Fakhrul said, “Birthday means I’m losing another year from my life and getting older.” He said he has no good feelings on the birthday when people are going through a very difficult time and BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia passing through a serious ordeal staying under house arrest. “What to say about the birthday in such a situation? I’ve just stepped into 76 and my time is coming to an end.” Fakhrul was born on January 26, 1948 in Thakurgaon. His father late Mirza Ruhul Amin was a Muslim League leader and a minister of the Pakistan government. Read more: BNP unveils 4-day march programme in Dhaka from Jan 28 Fakhrul, who had involvement with left politics during his student life, completed his graduation and post-graduation from Dhaka University’s Economics department. Later, he took up teaching as his profession through the BCS examination. Fakhrul quit teaching during the 80s and joined politics formally. He was elected MP from Thakurgaon-1 with BNP’s ticket in 2001 and then made a state minister. He was also elected MP from the Bogura-6 seat in the 11th parliamentary election. But he did not take oath as BNP rejected the election results. Fakhrul was made acting secretary general of BNP after the death of the party’s then secretary general Khandaker Delwar Hossain in 2011. He was given full charge of the party’s secretary general five years later in 2016.

Astronaut Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin announced on Facebook that he has married his “longtime love” in a small ceremony in Los Angeles. Aldrin, who made history along with Neil Armstrong as the first humans to set foot on the surface of the moon, said the wedding took place on Friday (January 20, 2023), which was his 93rd birthday. Read more: Apollo 7 astronaut Walter Cunningham dies aged 90 “I am pleased to announce that my longtime love and partner, Dr. Anca V Faur, and I have tied the knot. We were joined in holy matrimony in a small private ceremony in Los Angeles, and are as excited as eloping teenagers,” he wrote. The post received 53,000 Facebook “likes” and “loves” by Saturday and was accompanied by several photos of the newlyweds. On July 20, 1969, Apollo 11 astronauts Armstrong and Aldrin made their historic walk on the lunar surface, fulfilling a vow by the late President John F. Kennedy to send a manned crew to the moon and safely return them to Earth. Michael Collins was the third member of the crew. Read More: Top 10 Honeymoon Destinations in Europe

Hrithik Roshan is one of the most popular method actors in mainstream Bollywood movies in the 21st century. The talented actor has a reputation for doing impossible sequences without a stuntman besides learning any skill required by the film. Apart from playing versatile roles, his dancing skills can beat any world-class dancer.  He was brought as a judge on the dance reality show Just Dance in 2011 for his special skills in dancing. At that time he became the highest-paid movie star as a judge on Indian television. Since 2012, Roshan has been a regular in Forbes India's Celebrity 100 based on earnings per movie. He is among the highest-paid actors in India. Not to mention the six Filmfare Awards, India's iconic symbol of masculinity is associated with his name. The Bollywood star's journey to the silver screen began with his grandfather producer and director Jay Om Prakash. Hrithik performed as a child artiste in a song in his 1980 film Asha. Roshan's father Rakesh Roshan is also a renowned Bollywood filmmaker. Hrithik also appeared as a child actor in his father's films in the 1980s. Roshan also has experience in stage acting.  Read More: Siam in line for first National Award, Nonajoler Kabbo to win big

Vidya Balan is one of the pioneers of bringing the new stream of female-led roles in Hindi cinema. Although her acting debut was in the 1995 sitcom Hum Panche, she made her mainstream film debut in 2003 with the Bengali cinema Bhalo Theko. Then in 2005, she started doing Hindi films through Parineeta. Along with it, the massive success of Lage Raho Munna Bhai in the following year bring her into the limelight. Since then she kept giving amazing movies one after another. Let's check out the top 5 movies of Vidya Balan, which made her who she is today. Bollywood Star Vidya Balan’s 5 Most Popular Movies  Paa (2009) This film is inspired by the 1996 Hollywood movie Jack, directed by R. Balki. Amitabh Bachchan plays the title role in this drama film portraying a boy who looks like an old man. The mother has to go through many ironies due to her son's rare genetic condition.  The whole story takes a more interesting turn when the boy infected with progeria learns that his father is a respectable man in the town. Abhishek Bachchan played the role of this father and Vidya Balan the mother. Although their relationship is father-son in real life, Amitabh Bachchan and Abhishek Bachchan play opposite roles here.  Read More: Superstar Salman Khan’s 5 Super Hit Movies The role of a single mother struggling with Progeria was quite challenging for Vidya. Initially, she felt a bit exaggerated about the character. Playing the mother of an actor as prestigious as Bachchan is a tough task, especially when he was 30 years older than her. Vidya won Star Screen Awards, IIFA Awards, and Filmfare Award for the first time in her life as Best Actress. Ishqiya (2010) Ishqiya is one of Vidya Balan's best works and it marks Abhishek Chaubey's directorial debut. Vidya's co-artists in this black comedy film were Naseeruddin Shah, Arshad Warsi, and Salman Shahid.  Balan's character here was completely different from her other simple heroine roles. She portrayed the character of a seductive and sly village widow from Uttar Pradesh brilliantly. For the part, she adapted to the local dialect, which included some slang words as well.  Read More: Top 10 Upcoming South Indian Films in January 2023 Not only Vidya Balan unleashed a sensational actress lying within herself, but it was also established through this that she is far ahead of other Barbie doll heroines in mainstream cinema. This role let her bag many achievements. Most notable of these were the Big Star Entertainment Awards for Most Entertaining Female Film Actor, the Filmfare Awards for Best Actress at the Critics' Choice Awards, the Producers Guild Film and Screen Awards for Best Actress in a Leading Role, and the Stardust Awards for best actress in Thriller or Action Role. Kahaani (2012) Kahaani is one of the films associated with Vidya Balan's name. Screenplay by Sujoy Ghosh and Advaita Kalar, this thriller film indulged to grow a captivating story. Here Balan was seen rummaging Kolkata for her missing husband despite being pregnant. Read More: 5 Best Movies of Hollywood Superstar Brad Pitt Popular Kolkata actor Parambrata Chatterjee and the one and only Nawazuddin Siddiqui in supporting roles made the whole movie impeccable. Apart from the screenplay, the cinematography of the film and the performances of the lead actors garnered much praise from critics.

The 87th birth anniversary of celebrated writer and poet Syed Shamsul Haq was observed in the district town on Tuesday through various programmes. Kurigram district administration and different cultural and educational institutions brought out a procession and placed floral wreaths on Haque’s grave on Kurigram Government College campus. Later, Syed Shamsul Haq Smriti Parishad arranged a fair named ‘Syed Shamsul Haque Mela’ at the Bat tala of Government College premises. Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Saidul Arif, Superintendent of Police Al Asad Md Mahfuzul Islam, son of the poet Ditio Syed Haq, Principal of Kurigram Government College Mirza Md Nasir Uddin, Municipality Mayor Kaziul Islam, spoke at the opening ceremony among others. The speakers urged the government to build a memorial complex around Syed Haque's grave as soon as possible. The Ekushey Padak and Independence Award-winning writer, playwright and poet was born in Kurigram on December 27, 1935 to Syed Siddique Husain, a homoeopathic physician, and Halima Khatun. He passed away on September 27, 2016 at the United Hospital in the capital, at the age of 81 after suffering from critical lungs disease. He is survived by his wife Dr Anwara Syed Haq, son Ditio Syed Haq, daughter Bidita Sadi and a host of relatives, well-wishers, fans and admirers.    

Thursday marked 70th birthday of Runa Laila, iconic Bangladeshi singer and one of the most respected artistes in South Asia. The legendary singer was born in Sylhet, then East Pakistan. Greeting the singer on this special occasion, celebrities and musicians of the country shared heartfelt messages on social media platforms. Dhallywood superstar Shakib Khan shared a post from the Facebook page of his SK Films, writing: "Happy birthday to Runa Laila, the first vocalist from Bangladesh to achieve international success and win the admiration of viewers and listeners around the subcontinent for her wonderful songs. She is our living legend, and her timeless melodies have been sung by successive generations." Singer Akhi Alamgir wrote: "She came, she sang, she conquered! That’s our Runa Laila, pride of the nation. The sole inspiration for many to become artistes. May your 70 stay 17 forever and you continue this magical, blessed journey of yours forever and ever. Happy birthday Runa aunty - Love, hugs, prayers, and keep shining like those diamonds." Read more: Alamgir 'alive, breathing and recovering' Thespian and lawmaker Suborna Mustafa shared a photograph with the singer on her Facebook, writing: "Happy birthday dearest Runa Apa. Love you so much." Popular singer Dilshad Nahar Kona wrote: "Happy birthday to the splendor of world music! You have our respect, our love — our artistic crown. Love to you, Runa Laila ma'am." Singer-composer Kishore wrote, "Happy birthday Runa Laila ma'am. I was lucky enough to sing the first playback song of my life with you. May your hands of love and blessings be on my head forever. Wish you good health and long life." Alongside these artists, several media outlets and celebrities in both India and Pakistan conveyed their best wishes to the living legend on social media. Runa Laila, who was already a star in Pakistan before 1971, moved to her motherland Bangladesh along with her family in 1974. Her first Bangla song was “O Amar Jibon Shathi” for the film“Jibon Shathi” (1976), composed by Satya Saha. Her Bollywood journey started with the music composer duo Kalyanji-Anandji, for the title song of a film called “Ek Se Badhkar Ek” (1976). She gained popularity in India for her hits such as "O Mera Babu Chail Chabila" and "Dama Dam Mast Qalandar." In addition to her mothertongue Bangla, Runa Laila has performed in 18 languages, including English, Hindi, Urdu, Punjabi, Sindhi, Gujarati, Japanese, Italian, Spanish, and more. She has done playbacks for Indian and Pakistani films, alongside her Dhallywood projects such as Keyamat Theke Keyamat, Beder Meye Jotsna, Dui Jibon and more. Runa Laila won seven Bangladesh National Film Awards for Best Female Playback Singer for her playbacks in the movies: The Rain (1976), Jadur Banshi (1977), Accident (1989), Ontore Ontore (1994), Devdas (2013), and Priya Tumi Shukhi Hou (2014). For the movie Ekti Cinemar Golpo, she received the Best Music Composer Award (2018). She also acted in the fictionalized biographical movie Shilpi (1995) alongside her husband and eminent Dhallywood actor Alamgir. Read more: Runa Laila remembers friend, collaborator Bappi Lahiri

On the occasion of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s birthday, State Minister for ICT Zunaid Ahmed Palak today released Bangladesh’s first interactive gaming platform “Hasina and Friends”. Terming “Hasina and Friends” as the first self-built learning platform of Bangladesh, Palak said that the platform has been created to teach children about environment, health, education and digital connectivity. “Kids will learn a lot of necessary life hacks through playing this game. It has been designed in a way that those playing it can become creative, liberal, progressive and smart citizens,” said Palak. Read: Palak asks youths to be self-employed in IT sector The ICT state minister added that children will also get rewards while playing the game. “From now on, ‘Hasina and Friends’ festival will be held every year.” The interactive platform has been created to teach those aged 6-16 years on environment, education, health and digital connectivity through stories and games. The gaming platform can be found at www.hasinaandfriends.gov.bd website. Through “Hasina and Friends”, children will get important lessons on the history, culture and development of Bangladesh. Besides, the game will also teach them what their values and trajectory should be in this digital age. Read Best Educational YouTube Channels for Children

The 76th birthday of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who is also the president of ruling Awami League, will be celebrated on Wednesday. Sheikh Hasina, the eldest among the five children of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and Bangamata Sheikh Fazilatunnesa Mujib, was born at Tungipara in Gopalganj on September 28 in 1947. The premier is now in the USA where she addressed the 77th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) besides attending a host of other events. AL and its affiliated and likeminded organisations will celebrate the day through various programmes focusing on her life and achievements. The birthday celebration will be marked by discussions, doa and milad-mahfil and special prayers in the capital and elsewhere in the country. Sheikh Hasina assumed office on 7 January, 2019, for the fourth time after her party-led grand alliance won the 11th parliamentary election held on December 30, 2018. She served as Prime Minister for the first time in 1996-2001, second term in 2009-2013, and the third term in 2014-2018. Hasina served as the Leader of Opposition thrice. Read: PM Hasina’s 75th birthday to be celebrated Tuesday Hasina spent much of her childhood in her birthplace Tungipara in Gopalganj district. When Bangabandhu was elected a legislator, his family moved to Dhaka in 1954. She graduated from the University of Dhaka in 1973. Having a chequered political career, Hasina was elected vice-president of the Students Union of the Government Intermediate Girls College when she contested as a candidate from the Students League. Later, she served as secretary and then as president of the college unit of the Student League. She was also a member of the Students League at Dhaka University and became the secretary of the Rokeya Hall unit. She actively participated in all mass movements from her student life. Bangabandhu, along with the members of his family, was brutally assassinated on the fateful night of August 15, 1975. Hasina and her younger sister Sheikh Rehana survived the carnage as they were in Germany at that time. Hasina was unanimously elected as the president of Bangladesh Awami League in 1981 in her absence while she was in forced exile. She finally returned home on May 17, 1981, ending her six years in exile. She faced the wrath of the then rulers on her return as she launched a movement to restore democracy in the country. Hasina was detained time and again, and at least 22 attempts were made on her life.

Bangladesh High Commission in New Delhi on Friday paid homage to valiant freedom fighter Captain Sheikh Kamal on the occasion of his birth anniversary. The 73rd  birth anniversary of Sheikh Kamal was  observed in a befitting manner.  Acting High Commissioner Md. Nural Islam led the officers and staff of the mission in laying a floral wreath at the portrait of Shaheed Sheikh Kamal to pay homage.  He presided over a discussion on the life and work of Sheikh Kamal at the chancery’s Bangabandhu conference hall. Minister (Press) Shaban Mahmood read out the message of President Md. Abdul Hamid and Mohd. Rashedul Amin, Minister (Economy) read out Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s message. Selim Md. Jahangir, Minister (Consular) at the mission also spoke. Read: MoFA marks Sheikh Kamal's 73rd birth anniversary Md. Zakaria Bin Amjad, Second Secretary, conducted the discussion.  A special prayer was offered, seeking eternal peace of the departed souls of Sheikh Kamal, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Bangamata Fazilatun Nesa Mujib, their family members, and others martyred on the fateful night of 15 August 1975. A documentary on the life and works of Shaheed Sheikh Kamal was screened.

The 73rd birth anniversary of valiant freedom fighter Shaheed Captain Sheikh Kamal was observed at Bangladesh Embassy in Washington DC on Friday in a befitting manner. The Embassy organised different programs at the Bangabandhu auditorium to commemorate outstanding contributions of Shaheed Sheikh Kamal to the fields of sports and culture of the country alongside development of the society and nation. The programmes began with reading out of messages from the President and Prime Minister.  Minister (Economic) Md Mahadee Hassan and Minister (Political) Dewan Ali Ashraf read out the messages.  Later, a discussion session was held. Taking part in the discussion, Bangladesh Ambassador to the United States M Shahidul Islam recalled Shaheed Sheikh Kamal's outstanding contributions to the great Liberation War, rebuilding the war-ravaged Bangladesh and the development of sports and culture after independence, said a media release. Ambassador Islam said Sheikh Kamal possessed multidimensional talents and was a role model for the youthfolk.  Shaheed Sheikh Kamal's contributions to sports, music, drama and other fields will be remembered forever in the country's history, he continued. Read: MoFA marks Sheikh Kamal's 73rd birth anniversary Ambassador Islam hoped that the country's young generation would take sports and cultural arenas to the highest peak of the success by following the ideology of Shaheed Sheikh Kamal. Deputy Chief of the Mission Ferdousi Shahriar, Minister (Economic) Md. Mahadee Hassan and Minister (Press) AZM Sajjad Hossain took part in the discussion.  Counsellor and Head of Chancery Md Mahmudul Islam conducted the programmes. After the discussion, a documentary on the life and works of Shaheed Sheikh Kamal was screened.  A special prayer was offered, seeking eternal peace of the departed souls of Sheikh Kamal, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Bangamata Fazilatun Nesa Mujib, their family members, and others martyred on the fateful night of 15 August 1975. Earlier, the Ambassador placed a floral wreath at the portrait of Shaheed Sheikh Kamal to pay his homage.  Officers of the Embassy were present on the occasion.