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.

joked the 64-year-old Carrey as he accepted his Cesar d'honneur, recalling that he had a French relative dating back "around 300 years ago". A standout figure of American cinema, who has been compared to comic luminaries such as Jerry Lewis, Carrey has stepped back from Hollywood in recent years. The 51st Cesar Awards opened with a sketch celebrating Carrey by ceremony presenter Benjamin Lavernhe, who revisited one of Carrey's most legendary films, "The Mask". His career began in stand-up comedy, before really taking off in the 1990s cult films like "Dumb and Dumber", "The Mask" and "Ace Ventura: Pet Detective". Several international box-office hits including the "Sonic" franchise followed before he stepped back from the world of film in the early 2020s.

Traffic police chase them to prevent jams, only for the chaos to reappear moments later. When cities lack adequate parking, traffic congestion becomes inevitable. The problem is not just the shortage of parking spaces but how parking is planned and regulated. When vehicles stop, enter, or exit these spaces, lanes are blocked temporarily, causing sudden slowdowns that ripple across the traffic network. Passengers struggle to find transport, drivers face constant harassment or fines, and traffic congestion persists despite police efforts.

Three members of the same family, including a woman, were seriously injured in a fire caused by a gas leak from an air conditioner in their home in the Narinda area of the capital early Friday morning. The victims were identified as Moktar Bepari, 55, Selina Akhter, 45, and Mohammad Selim, 33. Moktar Bepari suffered burns over 22% of his body, Selina Akhter 20%, and Mohammad Selim 100%. Local sources said several AC gas cylinders were stored in the house, which is part of a fivOnre-storey building. Residents later recovered multiple AC gas cylinders from the building.

Congolese authorities and a civil society group said Thursday that mass graves were found in part of eastern Congo that the M23 rebel group has recently withdrawn from, as fighting in the region escalates despite a US-mediated peace deal. The governor of South-Kivu province, Jean-Jacques Purusi, said authorities found two mass graves with at least 171 dead bodies in the Kiromoni and Kavimvira neighborhoods on the outskirts of the eastern city of Uvira, reports UNB. Information gathered so far indicates that the victims were killed by M23 rebels, said Yves Ramadhani, the group’s vice president. More than 100 armed groups are vying for a foothold in mineral-rich eastern Congo, near the border with Rwanda, most prominently M23. Despite the signing of a deal between the Congolese and Rwandan governments brokered by the US and ongoing negotiations between rebels and Congo, fighting continues on several fronts in eastern Congo, claiming numerous civilian and military casualties.

Trump wants a deal to constrain Iran’s nuclear program, and he sees an opportunity while the country is struggling at home with growing dissent following nationwide protests. Al-Busaidi said technical talks involving lower-level representatives would continue next week in Vienna, the home of the International Atomic Energy Agency. US suspects Iran is rebuilding its programUS Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters on Wednesday that Iran is “always trying to rebuild elements” of its nuclear program. After Trump scrapped the 2015 nuclear agreement, Iran ramped up its enrichment of uranium to 60% purity — a short, technical step away from weapons-grade levels of 90%. Threat of military action sparks war fearsIf the talks fail, uncertainty hangs over the timing of any possible US attack.

OpenAI says under current rules, it would have reported Canada mass shooterTORONTO, Canada, Feb 27, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - OpenAI said Thursday that its current security protocols would have compelled the company to notify Canadian police about the ChatGPT account of the Tumbler Ridge mass shooter. In June, OpenAI banned an account linked to Jesse Van Rootselaar, an 18?year?old transgender woman who killed eight people in a tiny British Columbia mining town on February 10. Those revelations angered Ottawa, and Canada's Artificial Intelligence Minister Evan Solomon summoned OpenAI leadership to a meeting on Tuesday to discuss its security policies. "Under our enhanced law enforcement referral protocol, we would refer the account banned in June 2025 to law enforcement if it were discovered today," OpenAI's vice president for global policy, Ann M. O'Leary, wrote. The company also pledged to establish direct contacts with Canadian law enforcement so police can be informed when OpenAI fears a ChatGPT user could be planning real world violence.

It is fair to say that our agricultural sector is currently going through arguably its most challenging time. With all of the economic issues our country currently faces, the sector has also long been at the mercy of erratic rainfall, salinity, and the creeping threat of climate change. Against this backdrop, the development of GAU Soybean -- our first drought-resistant soybean hybrid -- must be hailed as a landmark achievement and a potential game-changer. Despite our progress, we remain a country where malnutrition continues to be a pressing concern. When science, policy, and vision converge, especially with regard to agriculture, it is the whole of Bangladesh that benefits.

Former US president Bill Clinton will be grilled by a Congressional panel on Friday on his well-documented links to Jeffrey Epstein, as Democrats seek to shift focus onto Donald Trump’s own ties to the convicted sex offender. Clinton features prominently throughout the latest Epstein files disclosures, with the former president insisting that he broke ties with him well before the disgraced billionaire’s 2008 conviction for sex offenses. He follows his wife, former secretary of state Hillary Clinton, who testified Thursday, defiantly calling for President Trump -- who like Bill Clinton had ties with Epstein -- to appear before the panel. Bill Clinton features prominently in the trove of investigative files related to Epstein released by the Justice Department but has not been accused of any wrongdoing. Clinton has acknowledged flying on Epstein’s private plane several times in the early 2000s for Clinton Foundation-related humanitarian work.