Social Welfare and Women and Children Affairs Minister Abu Zafar Md Zahid Hossain. The minister said while speaking at the Japan's National Day reception marking the birthday of the Emperor of Japan at Japan Embassy in Dhaka yesterday, a handout said today. “We value Japan’s continued cooperation in these areas, including human resource development and skill development,” he said. He called the recent signing of the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) between Bangladesh and Japan as an important milestone in the development of relations between the two countries. Japan Ambassador to Bangladesh SAIDA Shinichi and envoys of different countries stationed in Dhaka were present.

- Handful of crossings -Just seven vessels crossed the strait on Tuesday and to 1500 GMT Wednesday, according to maritime intelligence firm Kpler. Since March 1, commodities carriers made 218 crossings, according to Kpler data, a 94 percent decrease on peacetime. Of these, 135 were by oil tankers and gas carriers and most were travelling east out of the strait. - 2,000 ships in Gulf -Bloomberg data showed Wednesday that 2,190 vessels sent transponder signals in the Gulf west of the Strait of Hormuz over the past day. Of those, 327 were oil and gas vessels, including 12 very large gas carriers and 50 very large crude carriers.

Photo: BSSKHULNA, April 1, 2026 (BSS) - A quarterly meeting of the Khulna Divisional Committee on prevention of child marriage was held today at the conference room of the Divisional Commissioner’s office. The meeting was informed that at least 86 child marriages were prevented during last three months of the current year. He noted that many child marriages initially stopped are later carried out, highlighting the importance of sustained monitoring and intervention. He emphasized that mobile courts should be activated to curb child marriage effectively, as on-the-spot punitive measures would act as a deterrent. The meeting was informed that, according to the quarterly report of the Department of Women Affairs covering 10 districts under Khulna Division, a total of 86 child marriages were prevented during January, February, and March.

Two killed in separate road accidents in ChauddagramCUMILLA, April 1, 2026 (BSS) - Two people were killed in separate road accidents in Chauddagram upazila of the district on Wednesday. According to Mia Bazar Highway Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Sahab Uddin, the first accident occurred around 4.15 am in Gangra area on the Dhaka-Chittagong highway when a covered van hit another standing covered van on the side of the road. The second accident occurred around 12.15 pm near Chauddagram Upazila Sadar. An elderly woman, Hazera Khatun, 70, was hit by a covered van while crossing the highway in front of Sonali Bank. Police have confirmed that legal action is underway in connection with both accidents.

Armenia cannot be in both EU and Russian customs bloc, Putin saysMOSCOW, April 1, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Armenia cannot be both a member of the European Union and the Russian-led Eurasian Economic Union, President Vladimir Putin told Armenia's Prime Minister on Wednesday, amid tensions over Yerevan's pivot towards the West. Armenia has shifted its foreign policy away from Russia in recent years, in part because Moscow did not intervene militarily when Azerbaijan launched an offensive against ethnic Armenian separatists in September 2023. "We see that Armenia is discussing developing relations with the European Union, and we are completely calm about this," Putin said. Being in a customs union with the European Union and the Eurasian Economic Union is impossible. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said he was aware being in the two unions was incompatible, but that pursuing both paths was possible "for now".

LONDON, April 1, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Chelsea made a Premier League record pre-tax loss of œ262.4 million ($349.3 million) for the year ending June 30, 2025, the club said on Wednesday as it was revealed they had spent more on agents' fees than any other English club this season. The previous highest recorded pre-tax loss in the Premier League was the œ197.5 million posted by Manchester City for the 2010/11 season. Later Wednesday, a Football Association report into agents' fees in 2025/26 had Chelsea leading the Premier League with a spend of œ65.1 million -- well ahead of 'second-placed' Aston Villa's œ38.4 million. Last month, Chelsea admitted to breaching Premier League rules in relation to some œ47.5 million of undisclosed payments made under former owner Roman Abramovich. The Blues were fined œ10.75 million and given a suspended one-year transfer ban by the Premier League.

Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Abdul Awal Mintoo today held a meeting with Nepal's Ambassador to Bangladesh Ghanshyam Bhandari at the Bangladesh Secretariat focusing on enhancing bilateral cooperation in key sectors. During the meeting, they discussed strengthening collaboration in areas including environment, forest management, climate change, energy, education and tourism. He expressed interest in enhancing Bangladesh-Nepal cooperation in addressing climate change and referred to the potential for joint initiatives under BIMSTEC. Environment, Forest and Climate Change Ministry Secretary Md. Both sides agreed to further expand mutual cooperation in environmental conservation, forest management and climate change mitigation, according to a press release of the ministry.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Photo: CollectedLONDON, April 1, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Wednesday that Britain needed to forge a "closer partnership" with the European Union on defence, security and the economy, citing the war in the Middle East. Starmer told a news conference that "our long-term national interest requires closer partnership with our allies in Europe and with the European Union". At a planned summit with the EU in Brussels this year, Britain will seek agreement on "more ambitious" goals of "closer economic cooperation" and "closer security cooperation", the prime minister said. Starmer said that Britain and the EU need "a partnership for the dangerous world that we must navigate together".

Photo: CollectedWASHINGTON, United States, April 1, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - US President Donald Trump will address the nation on the Iran war on Wednesday, his first prime-time speech since the conflict began, as plunging approval ratings and rising economic anxiety deepen political pressure at home. Iran's president "has just asked the United States of America for a CEASEFIRE!" Recent polling shows Trump's approval rating slipping below 40 percent, with disapproval climbing above the mid-50s as voters sour on both the war and its economic fallout. In recent days, Trump has suggested the war could end within "two or three weeks," insisting the United States has largely achieved its objectives. "The market appears increasingly optimistic that an end to the war in Iran is in the offing," said AJ Bell investment director Russ Mould.

Photo: UGCDHAKA, April 1, 2026 (BSS) - The World Bank has assessed the overall implementation progress of the Higher Education Acceleration and Transformation (HEAT) project, being implemented by the University Grants Commission (UGC), as ‘moderately satisfactory.’A World Bank delegation shared the latest progress of the project during a courtesy meeting with UGC Chairman Professor Dr. Mamun Ahmed today. UGC Member Professor Dr. Mohammad Tanzimuddin Khan, HEAT Project Director Professor Dr. Asaduzzaman, and other officials of UGC and the project were present at the meeting. UGC Chairman Professor Dr. Mamun Ahmed said that the HEAT project is one of the most important initiatives in the country’s higher education sector. Its successful implementation will help improve the quality of higher education and address existing structural challenges. He further emphasized ensuring transparency in decision-making and visibly presenting project progress.

BNP lawmaker elected from Noakhali-2 Zainul Abdin Farroque -Photo: CollectedSANGSAD BHABAN, April 1, 2026 (BSS) - Ruling party lawmaker elected fromNoakhali-2 Zainul Abdin Farroque today brought an adjournment motion inParliament to discuss the implementation process of the July NationalCharter. Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmad, Bir Bikram accepted the motion for discussion andset a two-hour time for the discussion on April 5. Earlier, on March 30, independent MP Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Iqbal also broughtan adjournment motion to discuss the implementation process of the JulyNational Charter. Then, MP Zainul Abdin Farroque raised a new adjournment motion in theParliament session. Proposing the motion, ruling party MP Zainul Abdin said, "This 'July NationalCharter' is the fruit of the July-August Revolution led by the BangladeshNationalist Party after 17 years of sacrifice and struggle."

Russia will keep helping Cuba, diplomat says after first oil tanker arrivesMOSCOW, April 1, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Russia will keep providing assistance to Cuba, Russia's foreign ministry spokeswoman said Wednesday, a day after a Russian oil tanker provided the fuel-starved island with its first shipment of crude in months. Cuba has been suffering from an energy crisis since January, when US forces abducted Venezuelan president and Cuban ally Nicolas Maduro. Assistance to Cuba will continue," Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said at a weekly briefing. A Russian tanker entered the Cuban port of Matanzas on Tuesday carrying 730,000 barrels of oil following a three-week journey from Russia. US President Donald Trump said on Sunday he had "no problem" with Russia sending oil to the island.

MILAN, Italy, April 1, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Italy's Sport Minister Andrea Abodi said on Wednesday the head of the country's football federation should step down after the national team failed to qualify for a third consecutive World Cup. The head of the federation (FIGC), Gabriele Gravina, said he would not resign but a board meeting next week would decide whether he will keep his position. "It's clear that Italian football needs to be rebuilt from the ground up and that starts with changes at the top of the FIGC," Abodi said in a statement. Some fans made their feelings known about Gravina and the FIGC by chucking eggs at the governing body's headquarters in Rome. Gravina admitted that Italian football "is in a profound crisis".

ROME, April 1, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - The bodies of 19 migrants were recovered froman inflatable boat south of the island of Lampedusa on Wednesday by theItalian coastguard, a coastguard spokesman told AFP. Fifty-eight other people, including five children, were found alive duringthe rescue in the early hours of Wednesday and transported to Lampedusa bythe coastguard, according to spokesman Roberto D'Arrigo. The coastguard rescue was staged some 135 kilometres (85 miles) off theItalian island inside Libyan search-and-rescue waters. The boat was spotted by an Italian reconnaissance plane on Tuesday but therewere no Libyan coastguard or civilian ships in the area to assist, D'Arrigosaid. A decision was taken to send an Italian coastguard vessel from Lampedusa.

Bangladesh Bank (BB) Governor Md Mostaqur Rahman -File photoDHAKA, April 1, 2026 (BSS) – Bangladesh Bank (BB) Governor Md Mostaqur Rahman today underscored the imperative for a rapid transition toward a cashless economy, identifying the "Bangla QR" payment system as the primary instrument to bolster national revenue and ensure financial transparency. “The central bank is prioritizing the expansion of cashless transactions to enhance revenue collection. The ‘Bangla QR’ code system as the national standard for digital payments, which is central to this initiative,” he said. The BB governor made the remarks while meeting with business editors from various electronic media outlets at the Bangladesh Bank headquarters in the city. The governor further noted that he has initiated an internal administrative crackdown, involving regular follow-ups with every department within the central bank.