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Health and Family Welfare Minister Sardar Md Sakhawat Hossain on Thursday warned that the licence of any government doctor found seeing patients outside during official duty hours will be suspended or cancelled. Sakhawat Hossain said Rajesh Majumder, a doctor at the 250-bed District Sadar Hospital in Shariatpur, had been summoned to the ministry on Wednesday for seeing patients at a private chamber in the local Modern City Hospital during office hours. He said the doctor will be suspended from his job and a departmental case will be filed following due procedures. The health minister said intelligence surveillance is being conducted across the country to ensure that government medicines reach the public and that doctors remain present at their workplaces. He warned that if any government doctor is found absent during office hours in the future, their licence will be suspended and disciplinary action will be taken.

Photo: BSSDHAKA, March 5, 2026 (BSS) - Bangladesh's legendary table tennis player Zobera Rahman Linu is among the 15 distinguished individuals selected for the Independence Award 2026. Inspired by her father, she started playing table tennis at the age of eight at the Shahajibazar Officers Club in Sylhet. She finished fifth in the 1980 Asian Table Tennis Championships and was runner-up in the mixed doubles at the 1982 Pentangular Championships held in Hyderabad, India. She also represented Bangladesh in the World Table Tennis Championships organized by the International Table Tennis Federation in 1977 and 2000. Bangladesh Table Tennis Federation congratulated Linu for this prestigious award.

BRUSSELS, Belgium, March 5, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - EU and Gulf ministers called following crisis talks Thursday for Iran to immediately end "indiscriminate" attacks across the region in retaliation for US-Israeli attacks, warning global security was at stake. "The ministers strongly condemned the unjustifiable Iranian attacks against the GCC countries which threaten regional and global security and called on Iran to cease immediately its attacks," said a joint statement issued afterwards. Addressing the fallout of "indiscriminate" Iranian attacks, they also "affirmed that the GCC states have the right to take all necessary measures" to defend themselves. As Iranian missiles and drones have slammed Gulf states' cities and infrastructure, upending relations with Tehran, the neighbours have been put on a potential course for greater confrontation. But EU and Gulf ministers jointly reaffirmed their "unwavering commitment to dialogue and diplomacy" as a means to resolve the crisis.

Assistant Secretary Kapur and US Ambassador to Bangladesh Brent T Christensen honored the legacies of former president Ziaur Rahman and former prime minister Begum Khaleda Zia at Zia Udyan. Assistant Secretary Kapur and Ambassador Christensen held "productive meetings" with leaders from the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami. US Ambassador Christensen, AmCham President Syed Ershad Ahmed and its executive committee members joined the reception at a city hotel on Wednesday evening. Assistant Secretary Kapur and Ambassador Christensen met with Foreign Minister Dr Khalilur Rahman on Wednesday. Assistant Secretary Kapur arrived in Dhaka on Tuesday night from New Delhi on a two-day visit to "strengthen strategic ties" between Bangladesh and the United States.

Most professional women leave their jobs due to family responsibilities and maternity, according to recent data. To support women in returning to the workforce, BRAC has launched the Bridge Returnship program. Analysis of applicant data revealed that 38.8% of women cited family responsibilities and 36% cited maternity as the primary reasons for leaving their jobs. During a panel discussion at the event, Bridge Returnship participants Elizabeth Marandi and Farah Mahbub shared their experiences. Feeling discouraged, she eventually discovered BRAC’s Bridge Returnship program.

Through tropes like these, books are reduced to marketing stunts, no longer the products of genuine, artistic craft. That being said, reliance on popular tropes is not always an act of reducing the art of literature. It is this reinforcement that allows tropes to dig their poisonous roots further into the soil of good storytelling. Think of hooks and share a sentence or two of summary that tantalizes the prospective reader with the book’s world and the characters’ main challenges. This way, maybe we can save the book world from the blight of the trope — our own noble quest as readers.

Lebanon says three killed in Israeli strikes on Beirut airport highwayBEIRUT, Lebanon, March 5, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Lebanon's health ministry said late on Wednesday that three people were killed in Israeli strikes on vehicles on Beirut's airport highway. The strikes came after a third day of Israeli bombardments in response to renewed Hezbollah attacks. "Two Israeli air strikes on the airport highway killed three people and wounded six," the ministry said. Israel's military said it had targeted two people in the Beirut area, without immediately offering further details. The group stepped up its attacks on Wednesday, saying it targeted Israeli positions as far as Tel Aviv in at least 15 attacks.

Photo : BCBDHAKA, March 5, 2026 (BSS)- The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has announced the squad for the three-match ODI series against Pakistan today. The squad saw a number of notable omissions from the squad that played in the last ODI series in October 2025 against the West Indies. Nurul Hasan Sohan, Jaker Ali Anik and Shamim Hossain were discarded while pacer Hasan Mahmud is currently nursing a right tennis elbow. Mahidul Islam Bhuiyan has been retained and this is a good opportunity for him to fulfil the potential he has shown,"Chief selector Gazi Ashraf Hossain Lipu said after announcing the squad. Squad:Mehidy Hasan Miraz (Captain), Soumya Sarkar, Saif Hassan, Tanzid Hasan Tamim, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Towhid Hridoy, Liton Kumer Das, Afif Hossain, Mahidul Islam Bhuiyan, Rishad Hossain, Tanvir Islam, Mustafizur Rahman, Taskin Ahmed, Shoriful Islam, Nahid Rana.

The event honoured women who contested the 13th parliamentary election and was aligned with this year’s global theme, “Give to Gain.”Speakers stressed that ensuring women’s empowerment requires more than creating opportunities. The performance addressed issues such as child marriage, workplace harassment, and the challenges faced by women candidates during elections. Each scene was followed by discussions involving women’s rights activists, experts, candidates, and policymakers. Matiur Rahman, editor of daily Prothom Alo, said civil society and the media could have provided stronger support to independent women candidates in the recent election. The share of women candidates fell to 3.93%, the lowest in 25 years.

Information and Broadcasting Minister Zahir Uddin Swapan-File PhotoDHAKA, Mar 5, 2026 (BSS) – Information and Broadcasting Minister Zahir Uddin Swapan today said the people welfare-oriented steps taken by the new government will be reflected in the President's address in the first session of the 13th national parliament beginning on March 12. “Especially important programmes like family card, farmers’ card and agricultural loan waiver initiatives taken by the newly formed government will be given importance in this address,” he told reporters after the cabinet meeting at the Bangladesh Secretariat here. "The decisions we have already taken - family card, farmer card, agricultural loan waiver - all these steps of the government were discussed in the cabinet meeting today so that those are reflected in the President's speech," he said. In addition, Swapan said, the promises that have already been made and the initiatives that have been taken by the government also discussed in the meeting. About the current global war situation, he said Prime Minister Tarique Rahman will hold meeting with ministers concerned, including the finance and power and energy ministers, in this regard.

Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed attended an Iftar party in honor of the visiting US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs, S. Paul Kapur, at a city hotel. Photo: MinistryDHAKA, Mar 5, 2026 (BSS) - Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed attended an Iftar party organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in honor of visiting US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs S. Paul Kapur at Hotel Pan Pacific Sonargaon here today. Arranged as a gesture of goodwill during the holy month of Ramadan, the event brought together senior government officials, diplomats, and representatives from various sectors. The presence of senior officials from both sides reflected the importance of ongoing diplomatic engagement and collaboration. The Iftar programme also provided an opportunity for informal interactions among policymakers and diplomats, highlighting the spirit of friendship and partnership between the two countries.

Yash’s much-anticipated action spectacle Toxic: A Fairytale for Grown-Ups has pulled out of the Eid-ul-Fitr race, stepping away from its scheduled March 19 release and leaving Ranveer Singh’s Dhurandhar 2 with a clearer path to dominate theatres. Directed by Geetu Mohandas and co-starring Kiara Advani, Toxic promises a larger-than-life cinematic spectacle. Shot on advanced digital cinema cameras and enhanced with cutting-edge colour grading and Dolby Atmos sound design, the film boasts high-octane action, lavish VFX and a sprawling international production scale. The action-drama sequel, directed by Aditya Dhar and headlined by Ranveer Singh, remains firmly locked into its Eid release slot. As for Toxic, whispers of a grand promotional event planned for March 8 still linger — though whether the celebration will go ahead remains uncertain.

US says first charter flight takes Americans from warWASHINGTON, United States, March 5, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - The United States on Wednesday flew its first charter flight from the war-hit Middle East, the State Department said, after 17,500 Americans were estimated to have left on their own. The State Department said the first charter flight had left the Middle East on Wednesday but provided no details, citing operational concerns. More than 17,500 Americans have returned to the United States since the war started, with 8,500 returning on Tuesday, assistant secretary of state Dylan Johnson said. He said that the State Department had assisted nearly 6,500 people, with most Americans leaving on their own and virtually all of them taking commercial flights. The United States has advised Americans to leave all of the Middle East immediately from Egypt eastward, even though air travel in the region has been severely curtailed.

Canada PM Carney says can't rule out military participation in Iran warCANBERRA, March 5, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said Thursday that he couldn't rule out his country's military participation in the escalating war in the Middle East. The Canadian leader reiterated on Thursday his call for a "de-escalation" of the conflict. "In this brave new world, middle powers cannot simply build higher walls and retreat behind them. The Canadian leader also said the two countries would together as "strategic collaborators" to pool their vast combined rare earth mineral resources. The Canadian leader has frequently clashed with US President Donald Trump, who has repeatedly threatened to annex Canada and slapped swingeing tariffs on the country.