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.

Lebanon was drawn into the Middle East war on Monday when Hezbollah attacked Israel in response to the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei during US-Israeli strikes over the weekend. In Aramoun and Saadiyat south of Beirut -- two towns outside Hezbollah’s traditional strongholds -- the health ministry said Israeli strikes killed six people and wounded eight others. Hezbollah carried out a series of strikes against Israel on Tuesday, claiming to have targeted sites including the northern Haifa naval base in retaliation for Israeli strikes in southern Beirut. Since Monday, Israeli strikes have killed at least 50 people and wounded 335 in Lebanon, the health ministry said before the overnight strikes. Israeli forces also launched a ground incursion on Tuesday, advancing into a border area in southern Lebanon, a Lebanese army source told AFP.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez hit back on Wednesday at US President Donald Trump’s criticisms of Madrid’s refusal to let US planes use its bases to attack Iran. “The position of the government of Spain can be summed up in four words: no to war,” he said in a televised address, a day after Trump threatened to sever all trade with Spain. He also pointed to Sanchez’s refusal to join Nato allies in a pledge to boost defense spending to five percent of GDP as demanded by Trump, who has frequently argued that the United States shoulders too much of the alliance’s burden. Sanchez’s leftist government has angered Washington with a series of other policies, including his staunch opposition to Israel’s war in Gaza and the military operation to abduct and arrest President Nicolas Maduro of Venezuela. During the 2003 invasion of Iraq, Spain, then led by conservative prime minister Jose Maria Aznar, staunchly backed the United States.

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.

Iran’s slain supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei will be buried in the holy city of Mashhad, the Fars news agency said Tuesday. Khamenei, who led the country for 36 years, was killed at 86 during a wave of US-Israeli attacks on Saturday. He was originally from Mashhad, Iran’s second-largest city, where his father is buried at the Imam Reza shrine. Fars, citing an official familiar with the process, reported that “for security reasons,” the assembly’s final meeting could be postponed until after Khamenei’s burial. Iranian media said the building housing the 88-member body in the holy city of Qom, south of Tehran, was hit Tuesday by US-Israeli strikes.

The US military said it has hit nearly 2,000 targets since first launching deadly strikes with Israel on Iran on Saturday that killed Iranian leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Israel kept up the bombardment, with its military announcing a “broad wave of strikes” after midnight across Iran, which in the hours before had launched three waves of missile barrages at Israel. Early Wednesday, the Israeli military called on residents to leave 16 towns and villages in southern Lebanon, in an “urgent warning” before using force against Hezbollah militants. In Aramoun and Saadiyat -- two towns south of Beirut and outside the Hezbollah’s traditional strongholds -- the health ministry said Israeli strikes killed six people and wounded eight. Israeli strikes have killed at least 52 people in Lebanon, according to the government, while the United Nations said that more than 30,000 people were displaced.

Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed on Wednesday 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 minister made the remarks after a meeting with senior officials of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) and officers-in-charge (OCs) of 50 police stations under its jurisdiction at the DMP headquarters. The home minister called upon police officials to carry out their duties with professionalism and integrity to ensure public safety and maintain law and order across the capital and beyond. He expressed hope that coordinated efforts between law enforcement agencies and the government would help curb criminal activities and extortion, reinforcing public confidence in the justice system.

Atletico Madrid advanced to their first Copa del Rey final in 13 years despite suffering a 3-0 defeat to defending champions Barcelona in the second leg of their semifinal on Tuesday. Atletico progressed 4-3 on aggregate, thanks to their commanding 4-0 victory in the first leg at the Metropolitano Stadium last month. Coached by Diego Simeone, Atletico will play in the Copa final for the first time since winning their 10th title in the 2012-13 season. Barcelona, the Spanish league leaders with a four-point advantage over Real Madrid, were aiming to defend their Copa title after defeating Real Madrid in last year’s final. Both Atletico and Barcelona remain in the Champions League round of 16.

The government has made it mandatory for all officials and employees of government, semi-government, autonomous and semi-autonomous institutions to remain present in their respective offices from 9am to 9:40am every working day. According to the circular, the decision has been taken to ensure better public service delivery, enhance administrative dynamism and strengthen inter-departmental coordination. To address the issue, all officials and employees must remain physically present in their respective office rooms from 9am to 9:40am. Authorities have also been instructed to ensure that official programmes are scheduled in a way that does not disrupt this mandatory time frame. Leaving the office without informing the authority, except for official duties, will not be permitted.

Commerce Minister Khandaker Abdul Muktadir on Tuesday 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 on Tuesday. State Minister for Commerce Md Shariful Alam, Commerce Secretary Mahbubur Rahman and US Ambassador to Bangladesh Brent T Christensen were present on the occasion. Addressing criticism that the agreement may not have adequately protected Bangladesh’s interests, the commerce minister said any bilateral trade deal involves demands and concessions from both sides. “The United States remains a major commercial partner.

President Mohammed Shahabuddin has accepted the resignation letters of the chairman of the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), Mohammad Abdul Momen, and its two commissioners. A gazette notification to this end was issued by the Cabinet Division on Tuesday. The ACC commissioners were Miah Muhammad Ali Akbar Azizi and Brigadier General (retd) Hafiz Ahsan Farid. According to the gazette notification, the ACC Chairman and the two commissioners resigned on Tuesday uder sub-section (1) of Section 10 of the Anti-Corruption Commission Act, 2004.

Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz warned Wednesday that whoever is chosen as Iran’s next supreme leader will be “a target for elimination.”In a post on X, Katz said, “Every leader appointed by the Iranian terror regime to continue and lead the plan to destroy Israel, to threaten the United States and the free world and the countries of the region, and to suppress the Iranian people — will be a target for elimination.”The warning comes as Israel struck a building linked to Iran’s Assembly of Experts on Tuesday. The assembly is responsible for selecting the country’s next supreme leader following the death of 86-year-old Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in an Israeli strike on Saturday, which marked the beginning of the current conflict, reports UNB.

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.