The Bangladesh government has announced that it would lift the state of emergency in the country, promulgated nearly two years ago, from Dec 17.

It will be lifted before the upcoming parliamentary elections scheduled for Dec 29.

The cabinet-level Commerce Adviser to the Bangladesh caretaker government Hossain Zillur Rahman made the announcement at a press conference in Dhaka on Wednesday.

He said the government also decided to lift restrictions on meetings and rallies from Dec 12 to enable conduct of election campaigns.

Dhaka- Bangladesh's former prime minister Sheikh Hasina Wajed visited a key religious shrine Thursday to formally begin her electioneering for the December 29 polls that will return the country to democratic rule, ending two years of military-backed emergency rule.

Wajed, who drove to the shrine of Shah Jalal in Sylhet, 250 kilometres north-east of Dhaka, stayed a few minutes at the holy place to offer prayers for the welfare of the nation.

Dhaka - The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and its right-wing allies welcomed the decision by the military-backed government to lift the state of emergency on December 17 ahead of the upcoming general elections, media reports said Thursday.

"We hope now the people will participate in the upcoming election in a joyful mood," Khandaker Delwar Hossain, the party's secretary-general, told a private television channel after a lengthy meeting of the leaders of the four-party movement led by former prime minister Khaleda Zia.

A panel of advisers to the interim administration announced late Wednesday the state of emergency would be lifted from December 17.

Washington, Dec 8 : The global economic crisis will cause a sharp drop next year in worker remittances -- a major source of income for developing countries like India, Bangladesh, Mexico and Philippines, labour specialists have said.

Ryszard Cholewinski, a labor specialist at the International Organization for Migration (IOM), said the fall will heavily affect countries including Mexico, India, Bangladesh and the Philippines.

Dhaka  - Bangladeshi President Iajuddin Ahmed Sunday urged Romanian authorities to recruit Bangladeshi workers to help contribute to the south-east European country's economy.

The president was commenting during ceremonies as outgoing Romanian Ambassador Vasile Sofineti paid a farewell visit, with Ahmed offering skilled and semi-skilled labour, according to a statement released by the Presidential office.

Dhaka  - Bangladesh's interim government Saturday launched its tourism brand name "Rupomoy Bangladesh" (Beautiful Bangladesh) in a bid to attract tourists from home and abroad.

Chief Adviser Fakhruddin Ahmed inaugurated the country's branding slogan and logo - a rising sun over blue sea - at a ceremony organised by the civil aviation and tourism ministry.

Fakhruddin highlighted the need for an investment-friendly climate to achieve the country's branding aims to attract tourists and foreign investments.