180 vacant sergeant posts to be filled soon: Home MinisterHome Minister Salahuddin Ahmed. File PhotoDHAKA, Feb 26, 2026 (BSS) – Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed today said that 180 vacant sergeant posts will be filled soon as part of efforts to strengthen law enforcement. He said the recruitment process would be expedited to ensure the vacancies are filled without delay, enhancing policing efficiency and public safety. Officials concerned said necessary procedures have already been initiated and the recruitment will be conducted following due process to select qualified candidates. Filling the vacant posts is being treated as a priority to reinforce the security framework and improve public service delivery.

Iran says UN nuclear watchdog chief likely to join its talks with USTEHRAN, Feb 26, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - United Nations nuclear chief Rafael Grossi will likely attend the third round of talks on Thursday between Iran and the United States, Iran's foreign ministry spokesman said. "It is also likely that the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency will join these talks, as was the case in the previous round," foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei told state TV.

DHAKA, Feb 26, 2026 (BSS) - The National Board of Revenue (NBR) today extended the deadline for submitting income tax returns by individual taxpayers for the 2025–2026 tax year until March 31, 2026. Previously, the deadline for filing income tax returns for the concerned taxpayers was set for February 28, 2026. Meanwhile, the NBR has made online submission of income tax returns mandatory for all individual taxpayers this time. As per the order, individual taxpayers are required to submit their returns online through the NBR’s e-return portal at www.etaxnbr.gov.bd. Any person who is unable to submit an income tax return online may apply for permission to submit a paper return.

Defeat for the government in the parliamentary by-election would add to the woes facing unpopular Prime Minister Keir Starmer who endures frequent mutterings about how long he can stay in office. Starmer, whose five predecessors as prime minister were all Conservatives stretching back to 2010, has pitched the by-election as "a battle of values". Starmer also attacked the Greens' support for legalising drugs, calling it "reprehensible". The vote was triggered by the resignation of former Labour MP Andrew Gwynne on health grounds. Starmer has also taken flak for countless policy reversals and polls suggest he is the most unpopular British prime minister since surveys began.

WASHINGTON, United States, Feb 26, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - US President Donald Trump on Wednesday called screen legend Robert De Niro "sick and demented" after the actor urged Americans to "resist" his administration. "Trump Deranged Robert De Niro, another sick and demented person with, I believe, an extremely Low IQ, who has absolutely no idea what he is doing or saying -- some of which is seriously CRIMINAL!" Trump wrote in a lengthy post on his Truth Social platform. "The story is our country, and Trump is destroying it, and who knows what his reasons are, but it's sick," the 82-year-old actor told "The Best People with Nicolle Wallace" podcast. "People have to resist, resist, resist, resist, resist.

COPENHAGEN, Feb 26, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - The prime minister of the Faroe Islands, a self-governing Danish territory like Greenland, has announced snap parliamentary elections on March 26 following tensions in the ruling coalition. Social Democrat Aksel Johannesen said his decision was prompted by continued disagreements within the coalition. His party won a December 2022 election with 26.6 percent of the vote, giving them nine of the 33 seats in the local parliament. Nestled in the North Atlantic more than 1,100 kilometres from Copenhagen, the 18-island archipelago has been self-governing since 1948 and obtained an expanded autonomy status in 2005. The islands have autonomy in areas such as fisheries, energy and cultural affairs but foreign affairs and defence remain Denmark's responsibility.

MOSCOW, Feb 26, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Russia has handed over the remains of 1,000 Ukrainian soldiers to Kyiv, a Moscow official said Thursday, with Ukraine returning the bodies of 35 Russians in exchange. "The bodies of 1,000 dead Ukrainian soldiers were given to Ukraine. Russia was given the bodies of 35 dead Russian fighters," Moscow's top negotiator Vladimir Medinsky said on social media.

Court sets March 11 for further probe report in Hadi murder caseSharif Osman Hadi. File PhotoDHAKA, Feb 26, 2026 (BSS) - A court here today set March 11 for the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) to submit a report on its further investigation into the sensational murder of Inqilab Mancha spokesperson Sharif Osman Hadi. Dhaka Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Jashita Islam passed the order as the investigation agency failed to submit the report today. Inqilab Mancha Member Secretary Abdullah Al Zaber filed the case with Paltan Model Police Station on December 14. Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Siddiq Azad on December 20 ordered the inclusion of Section 302 (murder) of the Penal Code in the case, which was initially filed as attempted murder, following Hadi's death on December 18.

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman -File photoDHAKA, Feb 26, 2026 (BSS) - Prime Minister Tarique Rahman today distributed the Bangla Academy Literary Award-2025 to eight distinguished personalities for their significant contributions to the fields of Bangla literature. The premier handed over the award to the eight recipients at the inaugural ceremony of Amar Ekushey Book Fair at the Bangla Academy premises here this afternoon. The fields of Bangla Academy Literary awards cover poetry, fiction, essays, research, children's literature, translation, science and the Liberation War. The names of the awardees were finalized following recommendations by the Bangla Academy Literary Award-2025 Proposal Committee and in accordance with the decision of the Bangla Academy Literary Award Committee. Cultural Affairs Secretary Md Mofidur Rahman, Bangladesh Book Publishers and Sellers Association President Md Rezaul Karim Badsha and Bangla Academy Director General Professor Mohammad Azam delivered the welcome address.

A meeting titled "Climate Change: Adaptation Initiatives" was held under the "Cultivating Change" project with the support of Oxfam Bangladesh. Photo: BSSRAJSHAHI, Feb 26, 2026 (BSS) - Climate change adaptation in the Barind area has become an urgent need as the adverse impact of climate change has been posing a serious threat to the living and livelihood conditions of the people, particularly the marginalized ones. Association for Community Development (ACD) organized the meeting titled “Climate Change: Adaptation Initiatives” at Hotel Warisan in the city. The meeting highlighted the realities, inequalities, and capacity development needs of indigenous women agricultural workers in the drought-prone and water-scarce Barind region. Strengthening their capacity through specialized training and policy support is critical to enhancing resilience against climate change impacts.

DHAKA, Feb 26, 2026 (BSS) - The Bangladesh Women’s Cricket Team is set to play a tri-nation series in Scotland as part of their preparation for the upcoming ICC Women’s T20 World Cup, which will be held in England and Wales in June–July this year. The Netherlands, who have confirmed their T20 World Cup berth for the first time in history, and hosts Scotland are the other teams participating in the tri-nation tournament. Bangladesh advanced to the main tournament unbeaten in the qualifiers. They have been drawn in Group 1 alongside Australia, South Africa, India, Pakistan and the Netherlands. The tri-nation tournament in Scotland, which offers conditions similar to those in England, is expected to provide Bangladesh with ideal preparation ahead of the global event.

ATHENS, Feb 26, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - A Greek court was due Thursday to deliver its verdict on an illegal wiretapping scandal targeting politicians, journalists, business leaders and senior military officials that shook the conservative government in 2022. According to Greek media reports, Dilian, who remains free pending judgement, is not expected to be in court for the verdict. "Predator is not accessible to private individuals; it is only offered for sale to state services," he told the court. In July 2024, the Supreme Court cleared the intelligence services and political officials of wrongdoing, angering victims and human rights bodies. Paris-based media rights campaigners Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has described this case as "a fresh blow to media freedom" in Greece.

TOKYO, Feb 26, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - The number of births in Japan fell for the 10th straight year in 2025, official data showed on Thursday, highlighting the challenges for Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi. A total of 705,809 babies were born in Japan, the preliminary health ministry data showed, down 2.1 percent from 2024. The data includes births to Japanese nationals in Japan, foreign births in Japan and babies born to Japanese nationals overseas. Successive Japanese leaders -- including Takaichi, the country's first woman premier -- have promised to increase births but with limited success. Under pressure from the "Japanese first" Sanseito party, the right-wing Takaichi has however vowed tougher measures on immigration.

DENPASAR, Indonesia, Feb 26, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Two British men were given lengthy jail terms Thursday by an Indonesian court after being found guilty of smuggling cocaine into the popular holiday island of Bali. Kial Garth Robinson was sentenced to 11 years, while Paul Ezra Wilkinson landed a term of nine years. Prosecutors said Robinson and Wilkinson were friends who lived in Thailand and had met in Barcelona a week before their arrests. Indonesia has some of the world's toughest anti-drug laws, including the death penalty for traffickers, but has maintained a moratorium on executions for several years. Indonesia last carried out executions in 2016, killing one Indonesian and three Nigerian drug convicts by firing squad.

WASHINGTON, United States, Feb 26, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - A US federal judge ruled on Wednesday that the Trump administration policy of deporting undocumented migrants to countries that are not their own is unlawful. District Judge Brian Murphy put his ruling on so-called "third-country deportations" on hold for 15 days to allow the government to file an appeal. Under the DHS policy, however, "immigration officers need not give notice or any opportunity to object before removing someone to an unfamiliar and potentially dangerous country," Murphy said. The Trump administration has defended third-country deportations as necessary since the home nations of some of those who are targeted for removal sometimes refuse to accept them. Donald Trump campaigned for president promising to expel millions of undocumented migrants from the United States, and he has taken a number of actions aimed at speeding up deportations since returning to the White House.