Photo: BSSRANGPUR, March 4, 2026 (BSS) - A workshop titled ‘Bangladesh National Qualifications Framework (BNQF) for Higher Education’ was held at Begum Rokeya University, Rangpur on Wednesday. The University’s Institutional Quality Assurance Cell (IQAC) organised the event at the Department of Computer Science and Engineering virtual classroom with the aim of improving the quality of higher education and raising international standards. Vice-chancellor of the university Professor Dr Md Showkat Ali attended the workshop as the chief guest. Addressing the event, the Vice-chancellor said that it is essential to raise the quality of our higher education to global standards to meet the challenges of the 21st century. IQAC Additional Directors Dr Md Abdur Rakib and Dr Md Sajib Mia were also present at the event.

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman -File photoDHAKA, Mar 4, 2026 (BSS) - Prime Minister Tarique Rahman will formally inaugurate the Family Card programme at 10 am on March 10 at the T&T ground adjacent to Korail slum. The inauguration of the programme will also be announced at 14 locations across the country, according to an official release of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.

Mojtaba Khamenei, son of Iran’s late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, has long been viewed as a potential successor to his father — even before an Israeli airstrike at the outset of last week’s war killed the 86-year-old cleric. Observers have likened Mojtaba’s behind-the-scenes role to that of Ahmad Khomeini, son of Iran’s first supreme leader Ruhollah Khomeini — acting as confidant, gatekeeper and power broker. He has reportedly maintained close ties with Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, including its elite Quds Force and the Basij militia, which has suppressed domestic protests. The next supreme leader will take office amid heightened regional tensions following a 12-day conflict with Israel and broader US-Israeli efforts aimed at curbing Iran’s nuclear and military capabilities. As the highest authority in Iran’s Shiite theocratic system, the supreme leader holds ultimate decision-making power, serves as commander-in-chief of the armed forces and oversees the Revolutionary Guard.

Bangladesh must urgently modernise its Birth and Death Registration Act and make registration mandatory at health facilities to safeguard citizens’ rights and strengthen public health planning, speakers said at a journalists’ workshop in the capital. The two-day workshop, titled “Birth and Death Registration in Bangladesh: Progress, Challenges and Way Forward,” was held on March 3–4 at the Bangladesh Medical Association (BMA) Bhaban. Speakers noted that Bangladesh’s birth registration rate currently stands at 50 percent, while the death registration rate is 47 percent, leaving nearly half of all life events unrecorded in official systems. Under the existing law, families bear primary responsibility for registering births and deaths, while health facilities are not legally obligated to ensure registration. However, nearly two-thirds of births in Bangladesh now take place in healthcare facilities, creating what speakers described as a critical opportunity to institutionalise facility-based registration.

The US said Wednesday it ordered non-emergency staff at two Pakistani consulates to leave the country, and granted permission for staff to leave missions in Saudi Arabia, Cyprus and Oman as Iran retaliates to US-Israeli raids. The US State Department ordered non-emergency US government employees and the family members of US government personnel from US consulates in Lahore and Karachi to leave Pakistan due to “safety risks”, the US embassy in Pakistan said in a statement. It said there was no change to the status of its embassy in the capital Islamabad. The department also “authorized non-emergency US government employees and US government employee family members to leave” Saudi Arabia, Oman and Cyprus “due to safety risks.”On Tuesday, the department said that it was taking “historic action” to assist citizens, who wish to depart the Middle East and return to the United States. Since then, Iran has expanded its retaliatory missile and drone barrage across the Middle East, hitting on Tuesday a US consulate and base as the United States and Israel said they had pummeled key sites inside Tehran.

More than 4 million taxpayers have filed their e-returns online for the 2025-26 tax year so far. A month-wise analysis shows that 251,784 taxpayers filed e-returns in August 2025, 301,302 in September, 454,076 in October, 1,040,472 in November, 978,198 in December, 655,363 in January 2026, 294,987 in February, and 36,700 in the first four days of March. According to a special order by the NBR, online return filing is mandatory for all categories of taxpayers, except senior taxpayers above 65 years of age, physically disabled or special needs taxpayers, Bangladeshi taxpayers residing abroad, legal representatives of deceased taxpayers and foreign nationals working in Bangladesh. Bangladeshi taxpayers residing abroad can also easily file e-returns through the OTP and Registration Link received in the e-mail. The NBR said that all taxpayers are requested to file their income tax returns for the tax year 2025-26 by March 31, 2026.

Dr Asma Sadia Runa, chairperson and associate professor of the department of social welfare at Islamic University in Kushtia, was stabbed to death in her office on Wednesday by a university employee. The department employee, Fazlur Rahman, attempted to take his own life after the incident and has been admitted to hospital. The attack occurred around 4:00 pm at the Social Welfare Department under the Faculty of Theology and Islamic Studies. A few days ago, after an altercation with the department chairman over this issue, he was recently transferred from the Department of Social Welfare to the Political Science Department. Mahmud, a student of the department of Social Welfare, stated that Fazlur was transferred nearly two months ago.

The Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) on Tuesday underscored the need for continuing the reform measures initiated by the interim government, stressing that policy continuity would be crucial for restoring macroeconomic stability and sustaining growth momentum. “The current moment is a critical juncture for policy recalibration, where sustained macroeconomic discipline is essential to ensure stability and inclusive, resilient growth,” said Dr Fahmida Khatun, executive director of CPD. Interest rate adjustments, exchange rate management and prudent public expenditure must complement each other to contain aggregate demand pressures and anchor inflation expectations, she added. Speaking at the event, Mahfuz Anam, editor and publisher of The Daily Star, said the effectiveness of any policy framework ultimately depends on implementation. In many instances, projects initially estimated at Tk 1,000 crore eventually escalate to Tk 1,500–2,000 crore due to delays, he added.

He said the Prime Minister instructed the Health Minister to start work on launching the e-Health card without delay. “The government’s policy is to ensure healthcare services reach the people’s doorsteps. The Prime Minister asked the ministry to be more proactive in this regard,” he said. Health Minister Sardar Md. Sakhawat Husain, State Minister MA Muhith and senior officials were present.

Photo: PIDDHAKA, Mar 4, 2026 (BSS) – Prime Minister Tarique Rahman is expected to launch Farmer Card formally on pilot basis on April 14 on the occasion of first day of the Bangla New Year 1433. About the Farmer Card, the press secretary said this card is not just a card rather it will be a symbol of the rightful entitlements, dignity and security of every farmer of the country, where they will hold the highest priority and position of respect. In addition to crop-producing farmers, Shibly said, fish farmers, livestock rearers and dairy farmers will also receive the benefits of the Farmer Card. After completion of the pre-piloting phase, he said, the formal inauguration of the Farmer Card distribution programme will take place on Pahela Baishakh, 1433 Bangla year. Following the pre-piloting and piloting stages, the Farmer Card programme will be implemented in all upazilas of the country within the next 4 years, he said.

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman today presided over a meeting of the cell formed over planting 25 crore trees throughout the next five years. Photo: PMODHAKA, Mar 4, 2026 (BSS) – Prime Minister Tarique Rahman today issued a directive for intensifying the tree plantation programme across the country. The premier gave the directive while he was presiding over a meeting of the cell formed over planting 25 crore trees throughout the next five years. Besides, each student will plant one tree and take care of it, Ruman added. Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Abdul Awal Mintoo, State Minister Shaikh Faridul Islam, Cabinet Secretary Nasimul Ghani, Prime Minister’s Principal Secretary ABM Abdus Sattar and concerned senior government officials were present at the meeting.

Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Iqbal Hassan Mahmood. File PhotoDHAKA, March 04, 2026 (BSS) - Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Iqbal Hassan Mahmood today said that the government took some preparations to deal with possible temporary electricity and fuel crises amid global instability. The minister chaired the meeting seeking cooperation of the common people to use electricity and fuel economical. Initiatives have been taken to procure fuel from all sources to keep fuel procurement normal. State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Aninda Islam Amit, energy secretary, BPC Chairman, BPDB chairman and concerned officials were present at the meeting.

For decades, our RMG sector has been the backbone of our export earnings, employing millions and fueling growth. There is no questioning its importance, and in the foreseeable future, it will have to continue to be our greatest export sector. We are seeing now, as we also saw during the Covid years, that when RMG falters, the entire export basket collapses. The latest export decline should serve as a wake-up call. Bangladesh can no longer rely almost exclusively on its RMG products, else every global downturn risks turning into a national crisis.

Foreign Minister Dr Khalilur Rahman on Wednesday urged early resolution of ongoing Gulf conflicts through dialogue and diplomatic means to minimize loss of life and prevent wider destabilization during a meeting with visiting US Assistant Secretary Paul Kapur. The US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Kapur met the foreign minister at the foreign ministry during his two-day visit to Dhaka. The US assistant secretary underscored the importance of implementing the provisions of the Reciprocal Trade Agreement to promote greater bilateral trade and investment. The foreign minister reiterated the government’s commitment to policy continuity, particularly in the economic sector. Prior to the meeting with the foreign minister, Kapur held a brief discussion with State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed Islam.

Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Iqbal Hassan Mahmood -File photoDHAKA, March 04, 2026 (BSS) – Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Iqbal Hassan Mahmood today sought assistance from the United States to help meet the country’s energy demand in the current global context. “The government has been taking preparations to import energy from alternative sources amid growing uncertainty over global energy supplies due to the conflict in the Middle East,” he said. He said Bangladesh was concerned about uninterrupted fuel supplies due to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, adding, “Not only Bangladesh but the whole world is worried about energy supplies. The Bangladesh Border Guard (BGB) has been instructed to strengthen vigilance along the border to prevent fuel smuggling, the minister added. The minister said efforts would be made to keep load-shedding at a tolerable level even under the current circumstances.