POINTE-NOIRE, Congo, Feb 28, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - The campaign for next month's presidential election in Congo-Brazzaville begins on Saturday, with 82-year-old President Denis Sassou Nguesso seemingly assured of extending his decades in power. He overthrew Lissouba in a civil war to return to power in 1997. - Contested elections -Congo-Brazzaville, a former French colony, is rich in oil but nearly half of its six million people live below the poverty line. They had strongly disputed the official results, which gave Sassou Nguesso 60 percent of the vote. The president is nonetheless reputed to have brought a degree of stability back to the country scarred by civil war in the 1990s and to a region plagued by conflict.

CHT Affairs Minister Dipen Dewan joins Rajban Bihar prayers, promoting peace, harmony, and national prosperity. Photo : BSSRANGAMATI, Feb 28, 2026 (BSS) - Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) Affairs Minister Dipen Dewan joined a special religious programme at the historic Rajban Bihar here this morning, seeking blessings for the prosperity of the country and the nation. At the function, Dipen Dewan also offered prayers seeking eternal peace for his deceased parents, parents-in-law and departed relatives as well as for the happiness and peace of all living beings. Resident head of Rangamati Rajban Bihar and chief disciple of Banabhante, Srimat Praggyalankar Mahathera, delivered religious sermons at the programme. At the end of the programme, all present took part in special prayers for world peace and the welfare of the country.

The 2026 AFC Women's Asian Cup, set to be held in Australia from March 1 to March 21, features a highly competitive field where Australia, Japan, and North Korea are the primary favourites to lift the trophy. Under coach Nils Nielsen, they boast a squad with 16 players based in England's WSL, including Manchester City's Yui Hasegawa and 2023 World Cup top scorer Hinata Miyazawa. They are highly favored due to their recent dominance in youth football, having won the U-17 and U-20 Women's World Cups in 2024. Key PlayersChoe Il-son (North Korea)At 19, she enters the tournament as a breakout star after winning both the Golden Ball and Golden Boot at the 2024 U-20 World Cup. Beyond continental glory, the stakes are high as the top four teams (semi-finalists) will qualify directly for the 2027 FIFA Women's World Cup in Brazil.

The US Embassy has warned travellers against using US government-funded healthcare assistance while visiting the United States. It said that receiving public health benefits during a visit would be considered misuse of a visa and could result in ineligibility for future travel to the US. In a message issued on Saturday, the US Embassy in Dhaka stated that foreign visitors who use Medicaid or other government assistance programs to pay for medical treatment in the United States are violating the terms of their visas. The cost of such services ultimately falls on American taxpayers. The embassy further cautioned that anyone found misusing US public benefits or becoming dependent on them may be deemed ineligible for future entry into the United States.

JALALABAD, Afghanistan, Feb 28, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Two loud explosions rocked Jalalabad in eastern Afghanistan on Saturday morning, an AFP journalist said, a day after Pakistani air strikes hit other Afghan cities. The AFP journalist heard a jet overhead before blasts from the direction of the airport in Jalalabad, the capital of Nangarhar province, which sits on the road between Kabul and the Pakistani border.

Bangladesh women’s football team sharpens tactics and fitness with intense training session at Sydney’s Jubilee Stadium. Photo : BSSDHAKA, Feb 28, 2026 (BSS)-Bangladesh women's national football team continued their preparations in Sydney with another focused training session at Jubilee Stadium today. The session concluded with individual shooting and finishing drills and post-training ice baths at the training venue. Later this afternoon, the team will undertake a recovery-focused yoga and stretching session at the team hotel to ensure optimal physical balance and flexibility. The team will resume training tomorrow (Sunday) at the same venue as preparations continue.

Saturday marks the first founding anniversary of the youth-based political party, the National Citizen Party (NCP). According to the party, top leaders from different political parties and distinguished individuals are expected to attend. As a new political party, it secured registration from the Election Commission ahead of the recently concluded national parliamentary election. Ariful Islam Adib, convener of the party’s anniversary celebration implementation committee, outlined the anniversary programs. Families of July movement martyrs, leaders of various political parties, professionals, fellow activists of the anti-fascist movement, friends, and journalists will participate.

An analysis of 190 suicide cases involving school students has found that issues related to pride were the leading cause, accounting for 32.61% of the incidents. According to the data, academic pressure was the second most significant factor, responsible for 23.69% of the cases. Depression accounted for 19.47% of the suicides, indicating a high prevalence of untreated or unaddressed mental health concerns among students. Researchers noted that a lack of emotional regulation, limited coping skills and inadequate family support systems significantly contributed to suicidal behaviour at the school level. Five recommendations from Aanchal FoundationIn response to the findings, Aanchal Foundation has put forward five key recommendations to address student suicides and strengthen mental health support systems:

LA PAZ, Feb 28, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - At least 20 people were killed when a Bolivian military cargo plane carrying banknotes crashed while landing near the capital city La Paz, police said Friday, as crowds attempted to loot the site. Authorities were later seen setting the money alight in a bonfire at the scene of the crash. It was not immediately known what caused the crash but witnesses told AFP that the weather had been treacherous. Colonel Rene Tambo, head of the police homicide division in El Alto, told reporters late Friday that "there are about 20, maybe a few more," casualties. - Money grab 'a crime' -Fatalities were recorded both at the airport and on the busy avenue where the plane crashed and struck several vehicles.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Feb 28, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - NASA on Friday said it would revise its Artemis lunar program that has suffered multiple delays in recent years, in a bid to ensure Americans can return to the Moon's surface by 2028. That means Artemis 3, which was meant to send astronauts to the Moon's surface, will now have the alternate goal of "rendezvous in low-Earth orbit" of at least one lunar lander. The next phase, Artemis 4, will aim for a lunar landing in early 2028. -The revised architecture announcement comes in the wake of repeated delays to the Artemis 2 mission, which now will not launch before April. President Donald Trump announced he wanted Americans to once again set foot on the lunar surface in his first term.

The Bangladesh Jewellers Association (Bajus) has once again announced an increase in gold prices in the domestic market. Under the new rates, the price of 22-carat gold has been set at Tk265,414 per bhori, marking a significant rise from the previous rate. On Monday, the price of 22-carat gold was Tk261,040 per bhori. The price of 22-carat hallmarked gold ornaments (cadmium) has been set at Tk22,755 per gram, while 21-carat (cadmium) gold costs Tk21,720 per gram. The continued rise in gold prices is affecting both wedding purchases and investment decisions.

S.Leone says soldiers and police held by Guinea releasedFREETOWN, Feb 28, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Sierra Leone on Friday announced the release of its soldiers and police officers who had been detained this week by the Guinean army, following a flare-up in border tensions. The neighbours each accused the other's military of crossing the border, with Freetown claiming that Guinean troops seized Sierra Leonean soldiers and police after clashes. Guinea's Prime Minister Amadou Oury Bah confirmed to AFP that the authorities in Sierra Leone "came this morning". Guinea and Sierra Leone share a border more than 700 kilometres long (435 miles). Sierra Leone claims it but Guinean soldiers are still on the ground there.

Member states of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) will actively campaign worldwide in support of Bangladesh's candidature for the presidency of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), Foreign Minister Dr Khalilur Rahman said on Saturday. Dr Rahman said extensive discussions were held with OIC partners to assess the overall situation and devise strategies to secure Bangladesh's victory in the election. Adviser to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Humayun Kabir described the response from OIC countries as highly encouraging. Bangladesh last held the position in 1986-87, when then foreign minister Humayun Rashid Chowdhury was elected President of the 41st General Assembly. On regional issues, the foreign minister expressed concern over escalating tensions between Afghanistan and Pakistan, saying war would bring no benefit to anyone.

MUNICH, Germany, Feb 28, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Bayern Munich defender Hiroki Ito is set for another spell on the sidelines after picking up a hamstring injury, the club announced Friday. Sporting director Christoph Freund confirmed the Japan centre-back would miss "two to three weeks", ruling him out of Saturday's trip to Borussia Dortmund and putting him in doubt for Bayern's Champions League tie with Atalanta in March. Ito, 26, has had a torrid time with injuries since arriving at Bayern from Stuttgart in 2024. He played just six Bundesliga games in his first season after fracturing a bone in his foot and missed the first 10 games of this campaign with another foot injury. Ito has played 26 matches for Japan, scoring once.

COLOMBO, Feb 28, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Sri Lanka's president has cleared investigators to detain the country's former intelligence chief for up to three months of questioning over his alleged role in the 2019 Easter bombings that killed 279 people, police said Saturday. President Anura Kumara Dissanayake signed an order under the tough Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) to hold retired army major general Suresh Sallay for 90 days for questioning by detectives. Criminal investigators arrested Sallay on Wednesday, making him the most high-profile official netted in the long-running investigation into the bombings, which wounded about 500 people. "The President signed the DO (detention order) last night to keep Sallay in custody for 90 days after the initial three-day period he was held," a police spokesman said. The church had earlier accused former president Gotabaya Rajapaksa of sabotaging police investigations into the bombings after coming to power on the back of them.