Information and Broadcasting Minister Zahir Uddin Swapan on Friday said the government will ensure the highest level of media freedom by defining the scope of accountability in consultation with journalists and other stakeholders to guarantee the free flow of information to the public. The minister said the government is working to bring the country’s overall media management system under a modern framework. When the Ministry of Information was established, there were no technology-driven media platforms. Earlier, he distributed BRTA cheques worth Tk 21.7 million among 61 road accident victims from Barisal and Pirojpur districts. He said discussions were held with local officials to ensure the swift and proper implementation of these decisions in the district.

The UN rights chief voiced alarm Friday at the normalization of the use of force to resolve disputes, saying armed conflicts had almost doubled since 2010. “We must not revert to violence as an organizing principle,” Volker Turk said as he provided an update on rights situations around the world to the United Nations Human Rights Council. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights warned that “the threat and use of force to solve disputes is becoming more frequent and normalized.”“The number of armed conflicts has almost doubled since 2010, to around 60,” he said. “The world really is becoming a more dangerous place.”Turk said there was the increasingly relentless competition for power for power’s sake, to the detriment of rights everywhere. Accumulating more power?

AFP journalists near the key Torkham border crossing between Afghanistan and Pakistan heard gunfire and shelling on Friday, as the neighbors engaged in deadly fighting. Incoming shelling was heard from the Afghan side of the border from around 9:30am (0500 GMT), before cross-border clashes resumed, while gunfire was heard in the distance. The Torkham crossing has remained open for Afghans returning en masse from Pakistan, despite the land border being largely shut since fighting between the neighbors in October. The Omari camp that accommodates returnees near the crossing was hit by the fighting overnight, prompting people to flee. Afghan forces launched a border offensive against Pakistani troops late Thursday, in what the Taliban authorities said was retaliation for deadly Pakistani air strikes days earlier.

Iran offered to help facilitate dialogue between Afghanistan and Pakistan after Islamabad declared the neighbors at “open war,” carrying out air strikes on Kabul following border clashes. “The Islamic Republic of Iran stands ready to provide any assistance necessary to facilitate dialogue and to enhance understanding and cooperation between the two countries,” Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in a post on X.Iran, which shares borders with both Pakistan and Afghanistan, has maintained close ties with Pakistan and has also engaged with the Taliban authorities, though it has not formally recognized their rule. During a previous round of hostilities between Afghanistan and Pakistan in October, Iran had offered to mediate between them.

File PhotoDHAKA, Feb 27, 2025 (BSS)- The 95th birth anniversary of eminent journalistand columnist ABM Musa will be observed tomorrow. A founding member and life member of the National Press Club, ABM Musa wasborn in 1931 at his maternal grandfather's home in Dharmapur village of Fenidistrict. During the Language Movement in 1952, when the then Pakistan government shutdown the Pakistan Observer, he joined the Daily Sangbad. In 1978, ABM Musa joined the United Nations Economic and Social Commissionfor Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) in Bangkok as Regional Director for theAsia-Pacific region. ABM Musa made contributions to various fields of journalism for 64 years.

Opposition Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Arvind Kejriwal was Delhi's chiefminister before losing elections in 2025 in the midst of the judicialproceedings. "Truth has won," Kejriwal told reporters after the verdict, accusing PrimeMinister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah of using a "politicalconspiracy" to finish AAP. On Friday, a Delhi court cleared him, his former deputy Manish Sisodia and 21others of all charges. Several of Modi's opponents have faced criminal investigation or trial inrecent years, including two state chief ministers. In August 2025, the government introduced a bill to remove politicians ifthey are arrested and detained for 30 days, which opponents called a"chilling" bid to crush constitutional safeguards.

The 48-month arrangement replaces an earlier facility, and is expected to support Kyiv as authorities push to maintain economic stability and the war with Russia enters a fifth year. Ukraine's Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko said in a statement posted on Facebook that the initial funds would be directed to finance the budget deficit and support economic stability. Georgieva added that the new arrangement "aims to preserve the hard-won macroeconomic and financial stability" as well as to extend and deepen structural reforms as the war continues. IMF spokeswoman Julie Kozack said this month that Ukraine had met all conditions required for board approval for the deal. The IMF has made more than $10 billion -- not including Thursday's new $8.1 billion program -- available to Ukraine since the start of the war.

Information and Broadcasting Minister Zahir Uddin Swapan distributed BRTA checks among road accident victims at the Barisal Circuit House meeting room on Friday morning. The information minister said overall, the government wants to turn the media management into a modernised one. He said when the Ministry of Information was established, there was no information technology-based media. “Also, the way to adapt to the expansion of information technology-based media that has been created now has not been completed so far,” Swapan said. Later, the information minister participated in a view-exchange meeting with Barishal district-level officials at Barishal Circuit House meeting room.

Land Minister Mizanur Rahman Minu held a meeting with local journalists at Padma Community Center in Rajshahi today. Photo: BSSRAJSHAHI, Feb 27, 2026 (BSS)- Land Minister Mizanur Rahman Minu, MP, has announced that initiatives are underway to introduce 'One-Stop Service Centers' modeled on developed countries to reduce public suffering by eliminating complexities and irregularities in land-related services. The Land Minister said that the primary goal of modernizing the Ministry of Land is to ensure hassle-free services for ordinary citizens. He further said that once the proposed 'One-Stop Service Centers' are launched, service seekers will no longer need to visit multiple offices. Earlier in the day, Land Minister Mizanur Rahman Minu exchanged courtesy visits with people from various professions in Rajshahi.

KATHMANDU, Feb 27, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Nepal's former police chief ordered theuse of lethal force during the September 2025 anti-corruption protests, a BBCinvestigation revealed. The BBC reported that police said they had been "faced with an overwhelmingsituation where we had to respond to multiple incidents simultaneously". - 'Lethal force' -Protesters, organised loosely under a Gen Z banner, took to the streets ofKathmandu after the government briefly banned several social media platforms. Human Rights Watch (HRW), in a report in November, detailed how securityforces "used disproportionate force", including "indiscriminately firing onprotesters multiple times". The BBC also analysed six shootings, stating that it did not see "any of thevictims engaging in violence".

An earthquake was felt on Friday afternoon in the capital and several other parts of the country. According to the Bangladesh Meteorological Department, the epicenter of the earthquake was in Satkhira. The tremor was felt at 1:54pm and lasted for several seconds. Farzana Sultana, a meteorologist at the department’s earthquake monitoring center, said the tremor measured 5.4 on the Richter scale. The United States Geological Survey (USGS) reported a magnitude of 5.3 at the epicenter.

Foreign Minister Dr Khalilur Rahman held a series of bilateral meetings with key counterparts on the sidelines of the OIC Executive Meeting on Palestine in Jeddah. Dr Rahman said the move is designed to alter the legal and demographic character of Palestinian lands, including Al Quds Al Sharif. The foreign minister said the actions are in clear breach of relevant international law and undermine the foundations of a just and lasting social order. On the sidelines of the meeting, Dr Rahman held bilateral talks with Pakistan Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar, Gambia Foreign Minister Sering Modou Njie, Palestine Foreign Minister Dr Varsen Ohanes Vartan Aghabekian, Turkish Deputy Foreign Minister Ambassador Musa Kulaklikaya and Saudi Vice Foreign Minister Waleed A. Elkhereiji. Adviser for Foreign Affairs to the Prime Minister Humaiun Kobir, Secretary (Inter-Governmental Organizations) M Forhadul Islam and Permanent Representative of Bangladesh to the OIC M J H Jabed accompanied the Foreign Minister during the bilateral meetings.

Civilian death toll in Sudan war more than doubled in 2025, UN saysGENEVA, Feb 26, 2026 (AFP) - Killings of civilians in Sudan's war more thandoubled in 2025 compared with the previous year, the United Nations rightschief said Thursday, warning that thousands more dead are unidentified orremain missing. It's bloody and it's senseless," Volker Turk told the UNHuman Rights Council, blaming both sides, which have so far rejected anyhumanitarian truce. "In 2025, my office's documentation points to an over two and a half timesincrease in killings of civilians compared with the previous year. Rape, gang rape, sexual torture and slavery have also surged, Turk said, withmore than 500 victims documented in 2025. Since January, drone attacks in the southern Kordofan region and beyond have"killed or injured nearly 600 civilians", Turk said, including in attacks onhumanitarian aid convoys.

An owner of muri (fried rice) factory was fined for producing the food item in an unhygienic environment on Thursday. Photo: BSSGAIBANDHA, Feb 27, 2026 (BSS) - An owner of muri (fried rice) factory wasfined Taka 40,000 for producing the food item in an unhygienic environment atPirgachha village of Sahapara union under Sadar upazila in the district onThursday. A team of officials comprising with Rapid Action Battalion(RAB), ConsumersRights Protection Department and Food safety Authority here conducted a drivein the factory and fined its owner. District food safety officer Md. Milan Miah, officer of Consumers' RightsProtection Department Poresh Chandra and deputy assistant director of RABhere Zihad Hasan accompanied the team during the drive.

The Bangladesh Army has carried out another round of high-level reshuffles, appointing Lieutenant General Mohammad Shaheenul Haque as the new Quarter Master General (QMG) at Army Headquarters. He served as Chief of General Staff (CGS) and Master General of Ordnance (MGO) at Army Headquarters. He also commanded the 24th Infantry Division in Chittagong and the 9th Infantry Division in Savar as General Officer Commanding (GOC). Major General Mohammad Kamrul Hasan, GOC and Area Commander of the 66th Infantry Division, has been reassigned as GOC of the Logistics Area. The latest reshuffle follows several other top-level changes made after the formation of the new government, including appointments to the positions of Chief of General Staff and Principal Staff Officer.