Photo : PIDDHAKA, March 4, 2026 (BSS) - Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed has directed members of the Bangladesh Police to strictly maintain the chain of command and work in the best interests of the country's citizens. "Establish the chain of command in Bangladesh Police. The high officials of the force can communicate to any level if required, but officials at the lower levels must follow the chain of command," he said. The minister directed officials to intensify drives to recover illegal firearms and bring terrorists and extortionists to justice. Senior officials of the DMP, including Additional Police Commissioners, Joint Commissioners, Deputy Commissioners, Assistant Commissioners, and Officers-in-Charge, were present at the meeting.

File PhotoDHAKA, March 4, 2026 (BSS) - Biman Bangladesh Airlines today said passengers holding tickets for its temporarily suspended Middle East routes will be able to receive full refunds without additional charges or change their travel dates free of cost. The national flag carrier said flights to Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Dubai, Doha, Kuwait and Dammam have been suspended since February 28 due to the evolving situation in the Middle East and will remain halted until further notice. However, Biman continues to operate its other Middle East services to Jeddah, Madinah, Riyadh and Muscat according to the regular schedule. Biman authorities said passengers who purchased tickets for the temporarily suspended routes during the affected period can obtain the refund or date change facility without any additional charge. Biman Bangladesh Airlines said the safety and security of passengers remain its highest priority, adding that the airline is closely monitoring the Middle East situation and will provide further updates as necessary.

Photo : BSSDHAKA, March 4, 2026 (BSS)-Following an impressive performance against China in the AFC Women’s Asian Cup, the Bangladesh women's national football team conducted their recovery training session at Jubilee Stadium in Sydney today (Wednesday). Those, who played fewer minutes in China match, participated in a separate forty five minutes drill session under the supervision of head coach Peter Butler to maintain match sharpness and intensity. The session concluded with an ice recovery protocol to support muscle regeneration and overall recovery. All players are doing well and have reported no serious injuries, aside from minor soreness following the Bangladesh’s first match. The team resumes their training tomorrow (Thursday) morning at the same venue ahead of thee second match.

Photo : BSSRAJSHAHI, March 4, 2026 (BSS) - Fifty underprivileged families in Durgapur Upazila of Rajshahi have received iftar packages as part of a nationwide Ramadan initiative undertaken by As-Sunnah Foundation. On the occasion of the holy month of Ramadan, the foundation launched a countrywide programme to distribute iftar items among 33,300 helpless and impoverished families. Under its mega project titled "Iftar Distribution 2026," the assistance was extended to selected beneficiaries in Durgapur. To ensure transparency and reach the most deserving families, he conducted door-to-door visits to collect information and prepare a preliminary list of beneficiaries. Following a thorough review process, a final list was approved, and the iftar packages were delivered to the selected families through courier service.

Photo : PIDDHAKA, Mar 4, 2026 (BSS) - Education and Primary and Mass Education Minister Dr ANM Ehsanul Hoque Milon today said technical and vocational education must be made modernised and market-oriented aiming to transform the country's large number of population into skilled human resources. He made the remarks while addressing a view-exchange meeting with the officers and employees of the Directorate of Technical Education at its meeting room here this morning. Speaking as the chief guest, Dr Milon said developing skilled human resources is a big responsibility for the nearly 18 crore people of Bangladesh. The education minister put emphasis on strengthening Public-Private Partnership (PPP), creating strong bridge between industry and academia, and modernising curriculum and syllabus. He said various indicators and KPIs of technical education have been initially reviewed.

Govt preparing nationwide list of criminals, extortionists to bring them to book: Home MinisterHome Minister Salahuddin Ahmed spoke at a meeting with senior officials of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) and officers-in-charge (OCs) of 50 police stations under its jurisdiction at the DMP headquarters. Photo : BSSDHAKA, March 4,2026 (BSS) - Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed today said the government has begun preparing comprehensive lists of criminals and extortionists across the country as part of a decisive drive to restore law and order. “We're preparing the lists of extortionists and criminals in an unbiased way from across the country starting from Dhaka,” he said. The Home Minister announced decisive action on two critical issues to safeguard law and order in the country. First, he said that a comprehensive list of extortionists is being prepared, and all identified individuals will be brought under the law without exception.

US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs S. Paul Kapur met with Commerce Minister Khandaker Abdul Muktadir at Bangladesh Secretariat today. Photo : Ministry of CommerceDHAKA, Mar 4, 2026 (BSS) - Commerce Minister Khandaker Abdul Muktadir today said the recent trade agreement between Bangladesh and the United States is a state level deal and described the US tariff issue as an evolving situation being closely monitored by the government. The Commerce Minister said this after US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs S. Paul Kapur met him at his office at Bangladesh Secretariat today. State Minister for Commerce Md Shariful Alam, Commerce Secretary Mahbubur Rahman and US Ambassador to Bangladesh Brent T. Christensen were present on the occasion. “The United States remains a major commercial partner.

COLOMBO, March 4, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Sri Lanka sent ships and aircraft to rescue 30 Iranian sailors aboard the Iranian frigate Iris Dena which was sinking Wednesday just ouside the island's territorial waters, Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath said. He told parliament that 30 injured sailors were being brought to a hospital in the island's south from the 180-crew frigate was sinking from dawn.

JERUSALEM, March 4, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Israel's Defence Minister Israel Katz threatened on Wednesday to assassinate any Iranian leader picked to succeed supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in US-Israeli strikes on Tehran. "Any leader selected by the Iranian terror regime to continue leading the plan for Israel's destruction, threatening the United States, the free world and countries in the region, and suppressing the Iranian people, will be a certain target for assassination, no matter his name or where he hides," Katz said in a post on X.

PERTH, Australia, March 4, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Bayern Munich midfielder Momoko Tanikawa finally cracked a dogged Taiwan on Wednesday as powerhouse Japan kicked off their Women's Asian Cup with a 2-0 victory in Perth. Brimming with a talented squad featuring 16 England-based players, Japan dominated a one-sided match played in fierce heat. Taiwan, who reached the last eight in the last edition in 2022, fought gamely with goalkeeper Wang Yu-ting producing a superb performance. Under Greenland-born Nils Nielsen, Japan's first foreign-born women's coach, the team has vowed to play in a fast and brash manner. Tanikawa then hit the left post as Japan had an astonishing 13 shots within the opening 15 minutes.

TEHRAN, March 4, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Iran will hold a three-day state funeral for supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in US-Israeli strikes, official news agency Irna said. "Starting at 10:00 pm (1830 GMT), the faithful will be able to pay a final homage to the body of the martyred guide of the nation, by visiting the Imam Khomenei grand mosque" in Tehran, Irna said, citing a statement from the Islamic Development Coordination Council. Khamenei was 86 years old when he was killed, and will be buried in his home city of Mashhad in northeastern Iran.

ADDIS ABABA, March 4, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Four children were killed in southern Djibouti in an explosion, authorities said late Tuesday, with a human rights group saying it was a drone strike. The children died in an explosion in the Dhikil region in Afar, public prosecutor Hassan Mohamed Hassan said in a statement, calling it a tragic event. The LDDH said the children were tending livestock when the incident took place and that six others were wounded, one seriously. It noted this is the "sixth drone attack in this region against nomadic populations in the space of six months". A team has been deployed to the scene to determine the cause of the explosion, prosecutor Hassan added.

"A statue of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un was recently shown on Korean Central Television, and as far as we know, this is the first time it has been identified," the department said on Wednesday. North Korea is dotted with massive statues venerating Kim's grandfather Kim Il Sung and his father Kim Jong Il -- the first two members of the family dynasty to rule the reclusive nation. "North Korea is now moving toward the peak of a leader?focused cult," said Lim, from the Institute for Far Eastern Studies at Kyungnam University. North Korea releases highly choreographed images to illustrate Kim's absolute grip on power. Chinese leader Xi Jinping in 2019 gifted North Korea a half-body bust of Kim during a visit to Pyongyang.

PARIS, France, March 4, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Iran's supreme leader Ali Khamenei's death is "historically significant" but will not "automatically" lead to the fall of the Iranian system, the widow of the country's last shah told AFP in an interview Tuesday. Pahlavi, 87, urged the international community to respect Iranian sovereignty and assist the people in following their own "destiny". She added that her son Reza Pahlavi, who has positioned himself as an alternative if the republic falls, "is in the process of preparing" such a transition. US-based Reza Pahlavi entered the global spotlight during nationwide protests that peaked in January, where many demonstrators chanted slogans favourable to the former shah's son. "What I want is for the international community to clearly support the fundamental rights of Iranians: the right to choose their leaders, to express themselves freely, to live in dignity and prosperity," she said.

GENEVA, March 4, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - The United States made a "totally stupid decision" to attack Iran while in negotiations, and betrayed Gulf nations by trashing their diplomatic efforts, Tehran's UN ambassador said Tuesday. Ali Bahreini, Iran's ambassador in Geneva, insisted Tehran had no problem with its neighbours, but could not let US bases in the Gulf be used as launchpads for attacks on Iran. War was imposed on Iran," Bahreini told UN correspondents. - 'Not a regional war' -Tehran has launched strikes against countries in the region that host US bases. "In no way we can allow those bases to be used to make military operations against Iran."