New IGP Md Ali Hossain Fakir paid solemn tribute to the martyred police personnel of the Liberation War by placing a wreath at the Police Memorial at Rajarbagh Police Lines. Photo : Bangladesh PoliceDHAKA, Feb 26, 2026 (BSS) - The newly appointed Inspector General of Police (IGP) Md Ali Hossain Fakir today paid solemn tribute to the martyred police personnel of the Liberation War by placing a wreath at the Police Memorial at Rajarbagh Police Lines. The IGP placed a floral wreath at the memorial and stood in silent homage to honor the supreme sacrifice of the brave police members who laid down their lives for the country's independence. Senior police officials, including high-ranking officers from police headquarters and other units, were present at the ceremony. The tribute marks a reaffirmation of the force's commitment to upholding the ideals of the Liberation War and serving the nation with dedication and integrity.

IMF urges US to work with partners to ease trade restrictionsWASHINGTON, United States, Feb 26, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - The IMF on Wednesday called on the United States to work with trading partners and find ways to mutually ease trade curbs, as it issued a review of the world's biggest economy. But the fund said Wednesday that Washington should work constructively with partners "to address concerns over unfair trade practices and agree on a coordinated reduction in trade restrictions and industrial policy distortions that have negative cross-border effects." She noted that the fund shares the Trump administration's concern about the size of the US trade and current account deficit. While the economy is "buoyant," the IMF warned that "uncertainty around trade policies could represent a larger-than- expected drag on activity." At that time, it raised concern over growing trade restrictions under then-president Joe Biden's administration, urging officials to unwind obstacles to free trade.

PARIS, France, Feb 26, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - The United Nations announced Thursday the approval of the first carbon credits under a global market aimed at reducing emissions, a mechanism that has faced scrutiny over greenwashing concerns. The UN-run market, established under the Paris climate accord, allows companies and countries to offset their excess emissions by financing projects that cut greenhouse gases in other nations. The 2015 Paris Agreement, which commits the world to limiting warming to well below 2C and ideally at 1.5C, also envisaged that countries could take part in cross-border trade of carbon reductions. New rules were agreed at the UN's COP29 climate summit in Azerbaijan in 2024 for the carbon market mechanism. But other environmentalists said that, while not perfect, it provided some clarity that was absent from global efforts to regulate carbon credits.

WASHINGTON, United States, Feb 26, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - NASA on Wednesday was rolling its towering Moon rocket back to its hangar for repairs, after windows for liftoff were pushed back over technical issues. The US space agency said it would roll its 322-foot (98-meter) SLS rocket off the launchpad in Cape Canaveral, Florida after teams detected issues with helium flow. The journey would be a huge step towards Americans once again setting foot on the lunar surface, a goal announced by President Donald Trump in his first term. But due to the technical investigations and repairs needed, the flyby is off until at least April, NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said over the weekend. NASA said the rocket and spacecraft's journey back to the Vehicle Assembly Building, which is several miles away from the launchpad, is expected to take around 12 hours.

GENEVA, Feb 26, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Switzerland's government on Wednesday announced that the purchase and import of Russian liquefied natural gas would soon be completely banned, as the Alpine nation aligns itself with the latest round of EU sanctions. "From 25 April, a complete ban on the purchase and import of Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG) will apply in Switzerland," the government said in a statement. It added though that in the case of pre-existing long-term supply contracts, a transition period would apply until the end of the year. Non-EU member Switzerland has since the start of Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine four years ago matched the bloc's economic sanctions on Russia. Among other measures decided Wednesday was tightening restrictions on Russian diplomats accredited in the EU, who will now need to give advance notice if they transit through or enter Switzerland.

WASHINGTON, United States, Feb 26, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - US Vice President JD Vance told Iran on Wednesday to take Washington's threats of military action "seriously," a day after President Donald Trump appeared to build the case for war in his State of the Union address. Vance said that while Trump was going to try to get Iran to make a deal "diplomatically," the US president also had the "right" to use military action. "You can't let the craziest and worst regime in the world have nuclear weapons," Vance told "America's Newsroom" on Fox News. His comments came as the United States announced fresh sanctions targeting Iran, pressing on with what Washington calls its "maximum pressure" campaign. Iran insists its nuclear program is for civilian purposes.

KYIV, Ukraine, Feb 26, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Russian strikes in multiple Ukraine cities wounded 23 people including a child, officials said Thursday, ahead of talks between Ukrainian and US negotiators in Geneva aimed at ending Moscow's war. No casualties were reported, and emergency crews and investigators worked through the morning to secure the sites and document the damage. Regional head Ivan Fedorov said seven people were wounded, after strikes damaged 19 apartment blocks, four houses and other buildings. In Kryvyi Rig in the Dnipropetrovsk region, two people were wounded, according to Dnipropetrovsk region chief Oleksandr Ganzha. The latest barrage came hours before Ukrainian negotiators meet US envoys in Geneva, part of a renewed effort to revive stalled talks before a planned trilateral round with Russia in early March.

BANGKOK, Feb 26, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - A Thai political party that came second in this month's vote filed a criminal complaint Thursday against the nation's election commissioners, accusing them of violating election laws, the party's deputy told AFP. The reformist People's Party "submitted a case" to a criminal court against seven election commissioners, the Election Commission's secretary-general and another election official, deputy party leader Wayo Assawarungruang said. The Election Commission confirmed the victory of caretaker Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul's conservative Bhumjaithai party on Wednesday, ratifying most of the vote results. Bhumjaithai won 170 constituencies, the most of any party, while People's Party -- which had been polling first ahead of the election -- came in second, with 88 constituencies, the commission said. The Criminal Court for Corruption and Misconduct Cases said it will decide whether to hear the case by March 24, according to Wayo.

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman today distributed “Ekushey Padak-2026”, the second highest civilian award of the country, at a ceremony at the Osmani Memorial Auditorium. Photo : PMODHAKA, Feb 26, 2026 (BSS) - Prime Minister Tarique Rahman today distributed “Ekushey Padak-2026” among nine individuals and one music band in recognition of their outstanding contributions to various fields. The premier handed over the Ekushey Padak, the second highest civilian award of the country, at a ceremony at the Osmani Memorial Auditorium here this morning on the occasion of the Amar Ekushey and the International Mother Language Day. On behalf of Ayub Bachchu, his wife Ferdous Akhter Chandana and on behalf of Warfaze, its team leader Sheikh Monirul Alam received the award from the Prime Minister. Cultural Affairs Minister Nitai Roy Chowdhury presided over the function while Cabinet Secretary Nasimul Ghani conducted the award giving ceremony and read out the citation of the awardees.

LONDON, Feb 26, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Ukrainian drone manufacturer Ukrspecsystems has opened a new factory in England expected to help secure supplies of the vital equipment to the Ukrainian army, the British government said on Thursday. "Four years on from Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, this factory delivers what matters: secure supply, secure resource, and sustained support for Ukraine," said director of Ukrspecsystems UK Rory Chamberlain. Other Ukrainian defence companies have already opened or have plans for production sites elsewhere in Europe, such as in Denmark and Germany. It was unclear what type of drones would be produced at the UK factory but the company, founded in 2014, notably manufactures surveillance drones. "Ukrspecsystems' new factory is a vote of confidence in UK support and underlines the deepening cooperation between our nations' defence industries," added British Armed Forces Minister Luke Pollard, who inaugurated the site on Wednesday.

NEW YORK, Feb 26, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Stock markets in Asia and Europe reached record highs Wednesday while Wall Street indices continued to advance on easing worries about the AI sector and ahead of chip behemoth Nvidia releasing its earnings. Seoul, Tokyo, London, and Paris exchanges each beat their previous intraday highs, also in reaction to well-received company updates. Global equities gained "as the apocalyptic AI narrative takes a small step back", noted Matt Britzman, senior equity analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown. Investors have adopted a more sanguine view following a presentation by AI company Anthropic that emphasized the compatibility of its technology with existing programs. A surge in shares in big tech firms deploying AI helped drive equity markets to record highs last year.

The Justice Department has released millions of pages from files connected to notorious sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein under a transparency law enacted last year. But public broadcaster NPR found gaps in the files tied to one woman's 2019 assault complaint against Trump. Trump has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing, arguing that the DOJ's so-called "Epstein Files" release exonerated him. Robert Garcia, the top Democrat on the Oversight Committee, said he reviewed unredacted evidence logs at the Justice Department and reached the same conclusion. The Justice Department argues that any material not posted falls within categories allowed under the law, including duplicates, privileged records or documents tied to an ongoing federal investigation.

MADRID, Feb 26, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Human-driven climate change intensified torrential downpours that killed dozens and forced thousands of people from their homes across Spain, Portugal and Morocco earlier this year, a network of climate scientists said Thursday. Precipitation during the region's wettest days now entail around one-third more rainfall compared with the pre-industrial climate, which was 1.3C cooler, according to a report by the World Weather Attribution (WWA), whose scientists study the link between extreme weather events and climate change. The WWA estimates that rainfall intensity is now about 11 percent higher in northern Portugal and northwestern Spain than in pre-industrial times. The researchers were unable to quantify the exact impact of climate change on rainfall in southern Iberia and northern Morocco, as the available data show regional variations. The WWA is a pioneer in attribution science, which uses peer-reviewed methods to quickly assess the possible influence of climate change on extreme weather events.

UNITED NATIONS, United States, Feb 26, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - The UN Security Council has announced sanctions on four Sudanese paramilitary commanders for atrocities committed in the October takeover of the Darfur city of El-Fasher. They are RSF deputy commanders Abdelrahim Hamdan Daglo and Gedo Hamdan Ahmed, Brigadier General Al-Fateh Abdullah Idris and field commander Tijani Ibrahim. "Abu Lulu has filmed himself smiling and killing people while they begged for mercy, as well as videos where he makes ethnically targeted executions," the Security Council said. A special Security Council committee with representatives of all 15 member countries makes decisions on such sanctions. Following the Darfur war of the early 2000s, where the RSF's predecessor the Janjaweed committed similar atrocities at the behest of the Khartoum government, the Security Council in 2005 established a Sudan sanctions regime.

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