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."

WASHINGTON, United States, March 4, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - The US military command responsible for strikes on alleged drug smuggling boats in the Caribbean and the Pacific confirmed on Tuesday it had started joint operations with Ecuador to combat drug trafficking. US Southern Command (SOUTCHOM) said both countries had launched operations against "designated terrorist organizations" in Ecuador. On Monday, Noboa held talks in Quito with US Southern Command chief Francis Donovan and Mark Schafer, head of US Special Operations in Central and South America and the Caribbean. The United States and Ecuador have boosted their security cooperation since the right-wing Noboa came to power in 2023. In December, the United States announced a temporary deployment of Air Force personnel to the former US base in the port city of Manta.

Invisibility at homeWithin families, caregivers’ labour is assumed, expected, and rarely recognized. Women stop working to provide care. Yet the unpaid labour of caregivers -- absorbing economic, physical, and emotional shocks -- remains unmeasured, undervalued, and ignored. Women's unpaid work: The hidden engine of the economyAccording to the first national Household Production Satellite Account (HPSA), unpaid household and care work in Bangladesh was worth Tk6.7 trillion in 2021, equivalent to nearly 19% of GDP. As Ayesha said at the end of our interview: “I am always tired.

Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer and Leader of the Opposition in Parliament Dr Shafiqur Rahman left Dhaka early Tuesday to perform Umrah in Saudi Arabia. He departed for Saudi Arabia from Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport at around 3am. He is scheduled to return to Dhaka on the morning of March 6 after completing the religious rites. The information was confirmed in a press release signed by Mujibul Alam, senior publicity assistant of the party’s central publicity department.

We need to retire the outdated notion that customer experience (CX) is a “soft” discipline. We must also consciously look out for and avoid the infamous “customer centricity” trap. Because, let us be honest with ourselves, customer centricity has become the most abused buzzword in our industry. Instant approval, instant disbursement, instant gratification, instant settlement of disputes. This very balance sheet of customer experience, measured in trust, clarity, and ease, will tell us if we can survive the next decade.

Sushila Karki, the interim prime minister, has urged people to vote "without any fear". Helicopters have flown voter materials to snowbound mountain regions across Nepal, home to eight of the world's 10 highest peaks, including Mount Everest. While nearly 19 million voters are registered nationwide, the Jhapa-5 constituency -- with around 163,000 voters -- will determine whether Oli secures his seat or whether Shah enters parliament. While nearly 19 million voters are registered nationwide, the Jhapa-5 constituency -- with around 163,000 voters -- will determine whether Oli secures his hrsseat or whether Shah enters parliament. Police in Jhapa were busy erecting fences on Wednesday to direct voters when polling opens, AFP reporters saw.