Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim was on Friday accorded a red carpet reception on his arrival here on a very short official trip to take the relations between the two countries to a new height. The Malaysian prime minister, who is leading a 58-member delegation, landed at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport around 2pm. Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus received him amid gun salute and guard of honour. High Commissioners of Malaysia to Bangladesh, among others, was present. After almost a decade, a Malaysian Prime Minister is visiting Bangladesh, and this official visit is the first by any head of government to Bangladesh since the formation of the interim government on August 8. He was directly taken to Hotel InterContinental from the airport where he will be staying during the hours-long visit. The bilateral meeting between PM Ibrahim and CA Prof Yunus will be held at the same hotel, which will be followed by a joint press statement. Read: Prof Yunus set for crucial talks with Malaysian PM Friday During the meeting, issues of mutual interest including economic, political, trade and investment, education, technology and human resource development, manpower export, higher education cooperation, communications, infrastructure development, and defense cooperation are expected to be highlighted, said Foreign Affairs Adviser Hossain. An estimated 800,000 Bangladeshis now live and work in Malaysia. Of them, about 450,000 migrated between August 2022 and May this year. The two leaders will also have a one-to-one meeting before the bilateral talks. Prof Yunus will also host high tea in honour of the Malaysian prime minister. The Malaysian PM will also meet President Mohammed Shahabuddin at Bangabhaban, a senior official at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs told UNB. He will sign visitor's book there. Malaysia is going to be the next chair of ASEAN from January 2025, and the Rohingya issue will also be discussed. Read more: Malaysian PM Anwar Ibrahim due in Dhaka Oct 4 to take relations with Bangladesh to a new height   

A red carpet was rolled out as Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina arrived in Tokyo Tuesday afternoon on a four-day official visit at the invitation of her Japanese counterpart Fumio Kishida. On arrival at Haneda International Airport at 4:45pm local time (BD Time 1:45pm), the premier was received by Japanese State Minister for Foreign Affairs YAMADA Kenji. She was given static guard of honour at the airport. From the airport,  Hasina was taken to the Akasaka Palace. On her way to the Palace, both sides of road was decorated with the flags of two friendly countries --Bangladesh and Japan to welcome the Bangladesh premier. Also Read: PM Hasina reaches Tokyo to begin four-day official visit to Japan Earlier, A VVIP chartered flight of Biman Bangladesh Airlines carrying the prime minister and her entourage departed Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport at 7:56am (BD time) for Tokyo. Sheikh Hasina will stay in Tokyo till April 28 on the first leg of her two-week tri-nation official visit to Japan, the USA and the UK. As per the foreign ministry officials, during her visit Bangladesh and Japan are likely to sign eight memorandums of cooperation (MoCs) or agreements including one on defence cooperation without purchase. The MoCs or agreements would be signed during a meeting between the two Prime Ministers (Sheikh Hasina and Kishida Fumio) of the friendly countries on April 26. Eight MoCs or deals are likely to be signed between the two countries in the sectors of agriculture, metro-rail, industrial up-gradation, ship recycling, customs matters, intellectual property, defense cooperation, ICT and cyber security cooperation etc in presence of the two leaders after the formal bilateral meeting between the heads of government of the two countries at the Prime Minister's Office of Japan. Also Read: PM Hasina off to Tokyo on first leg of a two-week official visit to Japan, USA and UK PM Hasina will have a courtesy call on Emperor of Japan Naruhito on April 26 and a guard of honour will be given to the Bangladesh Prime Minister there. The formalities of the meeting will conclude with a dinner hosted at the residence of the Prime Minister of Japan in honor of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. This  is  the sixth visit of PM Hasina to Japan. Earlier, the PM visited Japan in 1997, 2010, 2014, 2016 and 2019. During the visit, the PM is scheduled to attend an investment summit and a community reception along with a few bilateral meetings. She will also hand over the “Friends of Liberation War Honour” to a few Japanese nationals, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The prime minister is expected to return home on May 09 after visiting the USA and then the UK.    

 Hannah Waddingham wore Dolce & Gabbana with bedazzled high top sneakers on her feet Monday while Elle Fanning went Old Hollywood in a gown designed by Sharon Long of her show, “The Great,” as glamour returned to the Emmys in sticky Los Angeles humidity. Waddingham, from “Ted Lasso,” showed off her comfy white shoes beneath her corseted strapless pink look. Fanning, her hair in a pinned-back bob, said she wanted to honor the creatives on her show that provided her with her first Emmy nod. Fanning's look was black and pink, embellished at the chest. “I’ve always been inspired by the Old Hollywood glam of the ’50s,” Fanning said. Sheryl Lee Ralph of “Abbott Elementary” had a fashion faux pas before arriving at the Emmys. “A designer gave my co-star and me the same sketch for the same gown,” she said, having discovered it on set when Lisa Ann Walter showed Ralph what she was wearing to the awards. Also read: Barack Obama wins Emmy for narrating national parks series “Up until five days ago I had no gown so Brandon Blackwood stepped up. He was in Japan and started rendering the gown on his Pacific flight,” Ralph said. Ralph was resplendent in a black velvet strapless gown with an orange underside and a slit to her upper thigh. She carried a tiny orange purse. The stars went all out. Zendaya, working with her stylist Law Roach, was in a classic black strapless corset look with a full skirt and dainty bow at the waist. It was Valentino, and she was dripping in Bulgari jewels, including a fresh, young white diamond choker with a center, 4.45-carat stone at the center. She, too, had pockets. Connie Britton was in a goddess gown by Monique Lhuillier in a soft pink, a cape like effect at the back. Britt Lower, from “Severance,” donned a Venetian beaded gown in gold with matching elbow-length gloves. There were cut outs up top and thin embellished straps. “It felt like I wanted to wear outer space. I have an appreciation for fabrics, my mom was a home economics teacher. I feel great in it,” Lower told The Associated Press. People's style and beauty director Andrea Lavinthal, said pink carried the night, though lots of other colors brightened up the carpet. “Pink seems to be continuing its dominance as the red carpet color of choice. There’s just a lot of stars who are gravitating towards different shades of pink,” she said. Not Rachel Brosnahan. She stood out in a plunging Pamella Roland column gown in beautiful violet. It was adorned with tulle and pearl floral bow appliques from the designer's fall 2022 collection. Laverne Cox and Himesh Patel helped kick off the parade of fashion, she in a bold black armor-esque Jean Paul Gaultier Couture mini and he in a white print tuxedo jacket, eschewing the usual evening black. Royal blue on Sarah Thompson (a “Yellowjackets” writer), marigold yellow and more — color took the night. “I’m quite warm, I’m in a three-piece suit. I love this suit, but I wasn’t expecting the heat,” Patel said. Natasha Rothwell of “The White Lotus” chose red for a gown with balloon short sleeves and a hot commodity on fashion carpets — pockets! It was custom silk taffeta from Safiyaa. Megan Stalter also went for red in a sheer dress that celebrated her curves. Jen Tullock of “Severance” was in the red zone, a thigh high slit and structured sleeve number by Thierry Mugler, worn with drop pearl earrings. “I’m such a fan of his line. It’s elegant but still has a sense of humor," Tullock said. Stalter, from “Hacks, was in burned out velvet by Norma Kamali. She had a faux red rose pinned between her breasts. Also read: ‘Squid Game,’ ‘Abbott Elementary’ vying for Emmy nominations “It took my breath away and my words. It’s kind of a sexy dress. It’s wild like me,” she said. Jung Ho-yeon, the it girl and Louis Vuitton ambassador from “Squid Game,” wore an all-around, multicolored figure-hugging look from the brand. It was custom in a tweed design with all-around sequins. Her jewels were Vuitton, too. "I still can’t believe it. It hasn’t sunk in yet, but I’m just going to enjoy the day and cherish the moment,” she said of her nomination. Reese Witherspoon went for blue and sunglass-worthy bling in blue sequins. Around her neck was a knockout aquamarine, blue zircon and diamond choker from Tiffany & Co. Amanda Seyfried wore a body hugger in pink from Armani Prive, paired with Cartier drop diamond earrings in platinum. “I'm a mermaid tonight,” Seyfried said. Another refreshing surprise for Lavinthal? The men who dismissed black for all-white tuxedos, including Nicholas Braun from “Succession” in a double-breasted tux from Christian Dior. Andrew Garfield also went for white, along with Seth Rogan. Speaking of white, Jean Smart decided on it, too, with an elegant collar that fell off one shoulder. Ellie Saab designed Kerry Washington's short draped dress with a long overskirt and a riot of organza lilies on one shoulder. Washington's black tights had some scratching their heads. So did Kaley Cuoco's high-low Dolce & Gabbana tutu style and Julia Garner's Gucci bellybutton cutout on her dark brown velvet look with silver crystals. “I thought we'd seen every kind of cutout on the red carpet, but a bellybutton cutout was something new,” Lavinthal said. Among Lavinthal's highlights was Lily James in coppery Versace. “It was very much 2022, but it could have come right off a '90s runway with the chainmail and the sculpted cups,” she said. Smart's gown was made by Christian Siriano, as was the white look of Laura Linney. Robin Thede also wore Siriano in stunning pastel blue, while Jerrod Carmichael went furry in a long, white fox fur coat. Carmichael laughed at the heat and humidity. “This was Puff Daddy’s coat. He wore it in a video,” the “Saturday Night Live” comic said. Carmichael was shirtless under the fur and wore a sunburst platinum necklace. His black satin pants were accented by the top of his white underwear peaking out. He was sockless in his black loafers. Another Siriano fan? Melanie Lynskey from “Yellowjackets.” Hers was a mint green with sheer overlay that made her feel “half princess and half bad (expletive).” Of the designer, she said: “He's the sweetest man alive and I adore him. I feel like he made something that was for me, for my body.” Rachel Tashjian, fashion news director for Harper's Bazaar, saw a different trend. “The standout looks on this year’s red carpet declared a turning point in celebrity style hinted at by the recent Venice Film Festival: The craziest and loudest outfit is no longer the best. Instead, stars are gravitating towards real elegance, even classicism," she said. She pointed to Zendaya, who is often a risk taker. “Here she was in a very traditional sweeping strapless Valentino gown and gorgeous late 1950s socialite coiffed hair,” Tashjian said. Similarly, Fanning was in a “very classic 1950s-ish couture dress with an old school coiffure.” she said. Another of her highlights was Issa Rae in a fitted, flattering Sergio Hudson look that was on his runway Sunday. But her absolute favorite was Lizzo in her "gorgeous red Giambattista Valli gown — a refined, glamorous statement that dazzles.” Among other standouts was Ariana DeBose in Atelier Prabal Gurung. It was a lilac silk chiffon hand-draped with a cape. Jodi Kahn, vice president of luxury fashion for Nieman Marcus, said pink — in its many shades — is something her shoppers are also drawn to and can easily wear. “Pink is a universally flattering color that women can feel very beautiful and confident and happy in. It's something we’ve noticed specifically with our clients,” she said. “It's great for any skin color, any body type.” Metallics, too, like that of James and the russet custom Dolce & Gabbana worn by Quinta Brunson, is another draw for Kahn's customers. “Specifically the textured metallics,” she said. “They're something you can implement very easily from the red carpet into your every day life for occasion or evening dressing.” Colman Domingo of “Euphoria” was already a winner as he walked the carpet. He earned an Emmy for guest actor in a drama series at the earlier creative arts awards. “I’ve been celebrating all week long to the point where I had to wake up and take a couple of ibuprofen,” he said. Domingo wore a gold brocade open jacket and matching pants. “I want to feel like a king,” he said. Domingo carried a platinum-studded battery-operated fan in an attempt to ward off the oppressive humidity, unusual for Los Angeles. Stylist Holly Katz, host of the Fashion Crimes podcast, named Washington — black stockings and all — her best dressed. “She killed it,” Katz said. Katz called Waddingham's sneakers the “best-kept fashion secret of the night!” Mark Indelicato was in the red club, sort of. Indelicato's hair was bright red and his black tux sported long split tails like a train. And more of the men? Phil Dunster of “Ted Lasso” went for burgundy tux with black lapels, though his Lasso co-star Brett Goldstein stayed with black. Emily Heller, meanwhile, went in a different direction. She had a “Kick Me” sign on the back of her short floral dress, and a bit of toilet paper stuck to one shoe.

Kim Kardashian shut down the Met Gala red carpet Monday in one of Marilyn Monroe’s most iconic dresses, a gold-beaded body hugger Monroe wore when she sexily sang happy birthday to President John F. Kennedy 60 years ago. Kardashian had to lose 16 pounds to fit into the dress, designed by Jean Louis and purchased in 2016 by the Ripley’s Believe or Not! museum in Orlando, Florida, for a whopping $4.81 million. “It was such a challenge,” she said. “I was determined to fit it.” The dress originally cost $12,000. It was so tight Monroe had to be sewn into it when she purred “Happy birthday, Mr. president” on May 19, 1962, at a Madison Square Garden fundraiser. She died three months later. It has been known as the “Happy Birthday, Mr. President” dress ever since. Kardashian, with boyfriend Pete Davidson at her side, paired the dress with Cartier white gold drop diamond earrings and a furry white jacket she kept strategically low to cover her backside. Her hair was platinum and pulled tightly into a bun. But she only wore the fragile original dress for her walk up the Grand Staircase at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, changing into a replica after that, according to Vogue. Earlier, Blake Lively smiled for the cameras in a grand Atelier Versace gown, with husband Ryan Reynolds in brown velvet, Billie Eilish went with an upcycled green lace-trim dress from Gucci and Cynthia Erivo wore sheer white Louis Vuitton with a matching head piece as the Met Gala returned to its berth on the first Monday in May after years of pandemic upheaval. The celebration of American design was themed to gilded glamour, sprouting classic black tailed tuxedoes for many of the men and lots of dresses in black and white for the women. Others paid literal homage to New York City, home base for the Gilded Age, and still more shimmered in metallic golds and silver. “Black and white are THE colors for the evening,” said Holly Katz, a stylist and host of the Fashion Crimes podcast. Lively, one of the evening’s co-hosts, wore a bronze and rose gold look that transformed into a shimmery layer of baby blue as a large bow was pulled. Her look drew inspiration from the Statue of Liberty, the Empire State Building and the blue ceiling of Grand Central Station. “Instead of looking to fashion to influence the dress, I looked to New York City architecture,” Lively said. Cardi B, accompanied by Donatella Versace, was an over-the-top golden goddess in a dress of mesh and chains, a fitting birthday for the designer. Gigi Hadid was more redefined cat woman than golden girl. She wore a tight-as-skin, blood red Latex catsuit with a corseted bodice and huge, heavy quilted coat from Versace. She walked gingerly up the steps. Lizzo, meanwhile, got the crowd cheering when she played her gold flute for fans watching the parade of fashion outside. She wore a black dress under a stunning gold-embroidered black coat, all by Thom Browne. Camila Cabello worked a huge white gown with a midriff top, from Prabal Gurung, while Jordan Roth, the theater producer, provided a reveal of his own, removing a black, egg-like shell to a matching bulbous suit, all by Thom Browne. Janelle Monáe offered a royal wave in a black and white bedazzled helmet piece and slinky gown with head piece. “Amazing. I’m proud to be American. I’m proud to be wearing Ralph Lauren. This is gilded glamour from the future,” Monáe told The Associated Press. New York Mayor Eric Adams put politics front and center in a tux emblazoned with “End Gun Violence” on the back. Former presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton was in a Bordeaux-colored gown designed by Joseph Altuzarra with the names of historic women sewn into the hem and neckline. They include Abigail Adams, Shirley Chisolm and Madeleine Albright. Clinton’s last Met Gala was a while ago. “I told Anna I would come every 20 years,” she said. Vogue livestream co-host Vanessa Hudgens made her way up the steps in a vaguely Victorian black sheer lace gown with a long train by Moschino. She was joined by La La Anthony, her fellow Vogue host who wore a deep red look with cut out shoulders from LaQuan Smith. “I’m practically naked,” Hudgens joked. Anthony said: “Those stairs are intimidating.” And if the Met Gala’s return feels like one of those what, already moments, it is. It’s been just under eight months since the last gala, an annual fundraiser that raises eight-figure sums for the Met’s Costume Institute. More than $16.4 million was raised last year. The starry event is the institute’s primary budget feeder. This year’s gala coincides with the opening of the second part of a two-part exhibit at the Costume Institute focused on American fashion and style. The evening’s dress code was gilded glamour and white tie, a la the Gilded Age, that tumultuous period between the Civil War and the turn of the 20th century known for its robber barons, drama and grandeur. Some of the stars included extra touches. Gabrielle Union said the red jewels in her hair to go with her silver Versace dress represented the blood shed by people of color during the Gilded Age. The dress included a large red flower embellishment at the waist. Vogue’s Anna Wintour, who has run the gala since 1995, wore feathery Chanel and a jeweled tiara that has been in her family since 1910. She continues as one of the night’s honorary co-chairs, along with designer Tom Ford and Instagram’s Adam Mosseri. The other official co-chairs for 2022 are Regina King and Lin-Manuel Miranda. Eilish wore a custom Gucci corset look of ivory and duchesse satin with green lace and a padded bustle. Erivo’s look came with a large train as she held hands with Sarah Jessica Parker, who wore custom Christopher John Rogers, a white and black striped Cinderella ballgown with a towering pink and black feather head piece by Philip Treacy. Parker’s dress was inspired by the work of Elizabeth Hobbs Keckley, the first Black female fashion designer in the White House, a confidante of first lady Mary Todd Lincoln. Alicia Keys’ Ralph Lauren dress was inspired by her native New York City, with a cape evoking the New York City skyline outlined in small hand-placed crystals. Her husband, Swizz Beatz, also a native New Yorker, donned a New York sports jacket. Keys said her dress was meant to “represent an empire state of mind and a city of gods here tonight.” Twitter’s new owner, Elon Musk, showed up with his mother, Maye Musk a former model adorned in Chopard pearls and other jewels. Her son went with a classic tux with tails. Ariana DeBose was resplendent in golden Moschino by Jeremy Scott. “This guy turned me into a fashion Oscar,” she said. And the gala included a marriage proposal. Former state Assembly candidate Bobby Digi Olisa got down on one knee to pop the question to a stunned Laurie Cumbo, the city’s commissioner of cultural affairs. What’s a Met Gala without more than one Kardashian, or six. The entire family showed up, including Kylie Jenner in a white ballgown with a matching hat and big sister Kourtney Kardashian in deconstructed Thom Browne to go with beaux Travis Barker’s Thom Browne suit. Kendall Jenner was in black Prada as she played “devil and angel” with Kylie. Sister Khloe Kardashian was in gold Moschino and matriarch Kris Jenner wore canary yellow from Oscar de la Renta, an ode to Jackie Kennedy Onassis — her hair in a ’60s flip. Megan Thee Stallion was also a golden goddess. Her Moschino shiner had wings at the shoulders. Quannah Chasinghorse wore a beaded blue strapless gown created in partnership with Indigenous designer Lenise Omeasoo. Sans husband Justin Bieber, Hailey Bieber walked in an elegant Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello slip dress with a feather-trimmed coat in white. Katy Perry, usually a showstopper as a cheeseburger and other wacky looks over the years, donned understated Oscar de la Renta this time around. Teyana Taylor wasn’t quite on theme but her dramatic Iris Van Herpen gown certainly made a statement, said Claire Sulmers, a fashion writer and pop culture observer who writes The State of Fashion column on Meta’s publishing platform Bulletin. It was a breathtaking purple worn with a metal, cage-like piece around her head and face. “The drama and metallic adornment certainly made her one of the best dressed of the night,” Sulmers said. While many wore European brands, the American vibe remained, said Rachel Tashjian, fashion news director for Harper’s Bazaar. “Many of the best looks were the most straightforward ones. Kate Moss in a velvet Le Smoking Tuxedo gown, Hailey Bieber in slinky ice-colored silk and marabou feathers, for example. They were both in Saint Laurent, which is of course not an American brand, but the simplicity and directness of their beauty and allure was extraordinarily, well, patriotic,” she said. Todd Snyder, the New York-based designer, appreciated many of the night’s interpretations on the white tie dress code. “Seeing how people pushed beyond the expected interpretation was refreshing this year. I loved Austin Butler in custom Prada swapping the classic bow tie for a silk scarf over a cropped tux jacket. Ryan Reynolds and Rege Jean Page reminded us of the elegance of velvet in a tux. While the era from the outside was opulent, Riz Ahmed’s statement of wearing a workwear inspired outfit to represent the immigrant workers that kept the Gilded Age going is a statement that must not be forgotten.” Also read: Inside the Met Gala: Glitter, glamour and 275,000 pink roses

A red carpet was rolled out at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (HISA) on Friday morning as Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived here on a two-day official visit. The Indian Prime Minister is the fifth among the world leaders after the Maldives, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Bhutan to attend the celebrations of the birth centenary of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and the golden jubilee of the country’s independence. It is Modi's first visit outside India since the start of the pandemic. Also read:Modi to bring 12 lakh more vaccine doses as gift for Bangladesh During his stay, he is also scheduled to visit the Orakandi temple in Kashiani upazila of Gopalganj, with an eye on wooing the Matua community in view of assembly elections in West Bengal, where they number nearly 30 million and can influence the vote in a number of seats. Orakandi serves as the headquarters of the community. Modi will also visit the Jessoreswari Devi Temple at Ishwaripur under Shyamnagar in Satkhira district. The VVIP aircraft carrying the Indian Prime Minister and his entourage landed at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (HISA) at 10:30am. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina welcomed her Indian counterpart at the VVIP tarmac of the airport presenting him a flower bouquet. The Indian Prime Minister was received by a 19-gun salute, followed by a guard of honour by a smartly turned out contingent drawn from Bangladesh Army, Navy and Air Force at the airport. Both the prime ministers witnessed the state honour staying on the makeshift dais while the national anthems of the respective countries were played. Later, the Indian prime minister also inspected the parade. Also read:India committed to deepening ties with Bangladesh: Modi On the occasion, ministers, state ministers, civil and military high officials, among others, were present at the airport.