There is only one word that comes to mind when we look over the events at Bangladesh Bank on Wednesday - disgraceful. We must question: When a mob of officials can forcibly eject a senior adviser from the nation’s central bank headquarters, chanting slogans and resorting to physical intimidation, could it be termed as anything but hooliganism? The central bank cannot be run in this manner, one where it is allowed to descend into mob rule. This is an institution that must be operated on the principles of merit, transparency, and institutional independence. The government must act decisively and restore discipline within Bangladesh Bank.

QUITO, Feb 27, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Ecuador's parliament approved a mining law on Thursday criticized by environmentalists for allowing extraction in an area of the Galapagos Islands, a famed archipelago with unique flora and fauna. The text allows the extraction of rock materials in an area of the Galapagos Islands, a tourist gem about 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) off the coast of Ecuador, albeit outside the boundaries of its national park. The archipelago is a UNESCO World Heritage Site famous for its unique flora and fauna, and is where British scientist Charles Darwin developed his theory of evolution. The law "strengthens controls and regulations on extractive activity, with the aim of combating illegal mining," the parliament, in which the government holds a majority, said in a statement. "We're going to see how the Galapagos Islands become a quarry," she said, also raising concerns about Amazonian territories and the paramos, high-altitude Andean ecosystems.

Bangladesh's recent parliamentary election, which returned the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) to power with a two-thirds majority, marks a potential paradigm shift in the country's foreign policy trajectory. In his post-election statements, Tarique Rahman articulated a “Bangladesh First” approach, asserting that foreign policy would be guided by national interest and the welfare of the people. These developments have complicated bilateral relations and reinforced domestic debates over sovereignty and foreign policy autonomy. While historically perceived as leaning toward Beijing, the party's record reflects a pragmatic strategy of foreign policy diversification. Looking ahead: Bangladesh’s foreign policy choicesFor Dhaka, diversifying external partnerships represents an ideal strategy for reducing overdependence on any single actor.

Politics, at its best, was not about defeating someone; it was about restoring balance. In that environment, a landslide victory can easily foster triumphalism. By reaching out to Dr Shafiqur Rahman and Nahid Islam, Tarique Rahman signaled that governance must transcend partisan boundaries. A landslide victory confers authority; reconciliation builds durability. By crossing ideological lines in the immediate aftermath of electoral triumph, Tarique Rahman has offered a symbolic reminder that democracy is not only about competition -- it is about coexistence.

A bus caught fire in the Board Bazar area of Gazipur City Corporation after it collided with a motorcycle on Friday morning. Hiron Mia, station officer of the Bhogra Modern Fire Service station in Gazipur, said a bus hit a motorcycle coming from the opposite direction in the Board Bazar area. As the motorcycle became trapped under the bus, friction with the road triggered the fire. He added that the number of passengers on the bus was low and they were able to get off quickly. The incident caused temporary disruption to traffic, but normal movement resumed after police and local people helped remove the damaged bus from the road.

Hillary Clinton used her forced appearance Thursday before a Republican-led panel probing Jeffrey Epstein to go on the offensive and demand President Donald Trump testify about his own links to the sex offender. Clinton said after her deposition when asked if she was confident that her husband did not know of Epstein's crimes, Clinton said: "I am." "I don't know how many times I had to say I did not know Jeffrey Epstein," she added. Clinton earlier challenged the panel to question Trump about the tens of thousands of times he shows up in the Epstein files. Democratic committee member Suhas Subramanyam said that "missing FBI files" omitted from the Epstein documents disclosures contain "serious accusations around sexual abuse" against Trump.

Nottingham Forest held off a Fenerbahce fightback to qualify for the last 16 of the Europa League with a 4-2 win on aggregate despite losing Thursday's second leg, while Celtic exited after coming up short against Stuttgart. Forest, who are fighting for their top-flight survival under new boss Vitor Pereira, will face Real Betis or Danish side Midtjylland in the last 16. Celtic bowed out of Europe after losing 4-2 on aggregate to Stuttgart despite a 1-0 away win in the second leg of their knockout phase play-off tie. After last week's 4-1 defeat in Glasgow left Martin O'Neill's side facing a three‑goal deficit, they made the ideal start to the second leg, with Luke McCowan finding the net inside the opening minute. But Celtic could make no further inroads and had to settle for the consolation of the club's first ever win in Germany.

After the political changeover on August 5, 2024, the number of cases filed across Bangladesh increased sharply. Despite various reform initiatives following the July uprising, HRSS said incidents of human rights violations, particularly linked to violence, remained clearly visible and expressed concern over the overall deterioration of the country’s law-and-order situation and human rights conditions. Police sources said charge sheets have already been submitted in 30 to 40% of the cases filed during the interim government period, while slightly more than 20% of the cases remain under investigation. Additional Inspector General of Police Khandaker Rafiqul Islam said most cases were filed by victims, including cases that could not be lodged earlier. Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed reiterated that vested groups had implicated many ordinary and innocent people in several cases filed after August 5, 2024, and said police had been instructed to review the cases and submit reports.

It was carnage at Chepauk as India posted 256/4 against Zimbabwe in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 Super Eight clash on Thursday. Stung by the defeat to South Africa in the previous match, the defending champions came out all guns blazing and registered the highest total of this edition, and the second-highest in T20 World Cup history. During the innings, India also struck 17 sixes, another high in T20 World Cups for the Men in Blue. Despite a valiant 97 not out by Brian Bennett, India held Zimbabwe to 184/6 to complete a 72-run victory. Zimbabwe's carefully mounted World Cup challenge unravelled in the Super Eights.

DHAKA, Feb 27, 2026 (BSS) - Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD) today predicted that weather would remain dry with temporary partly cloudy sky over the country in next 24 hours commencing 9 am. Night temperature may remain nearly unchanged and day temperature may rise slightly over the country, a Met office bulletin said. The highest temperature on Thursday was recorded 33.1 degrees Celsius at Sandwip under Chattogram division and today's minimum temperature is 13.1 degrees Celsius in Tetulia under Rangpur division. The sun sets at 6.00 pm today and rises at 6.23 am tomorrow in Dhaka.

In December, Trump ordered a "blockade" of sanctioned oil vessels heading to and from Venezuela. Then on January 3, US special forces detained Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores in a daring raid, bringing them to the United States to stand trial on criminal charges. "Let the blockade and sanctions against Venezuela end now," interim leader Delcy Rodriguez said in a speech on state television. "President Trump, as friends, as partners, we are opening a new agenda of cooperation with the United States." In his State of the Union address on Tuesday, Trump said the United States had received more than 80 million barrels of oil from Venezuela, "our new friend and partner."

Production and trade of date palm turned into a thriving business in RajshahiPhoto: BSSBy Md Aynal HaqueRAJSHAHI, Feb 27, 2026 (BSS)- Production and trade of date palm jaggery (khejurer gur) in Rajshahi have turned into a thriving business worth several hundred crores of Taka. Bagha, Arani, Jhalmolia of Puthia, Nawhata, Katakhali, Belpukur, and Bhalukgachhi are the main wholesale and retail markets for date palm jaggery. Prices of date palm jaggery and patali vary depending on quality, and at the wholesale level it is considered a large-scale business. This year, I sold date palm jaggery for over Taka 100 per kilogram. This year, date palm jaggery worth Taka 9.6 billion will be traded in the district.

BRASILIA, Feb 27, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - US tech giant Meta filed lawsuits Thursday against several individuals and companies in Brazil and China who used celebrity deepfakes to advertise products on its platforms, the company said in a statement. Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, filed "lawsuits against four scam advertisers who impersonated well-known celebrities and brands to deceive and defraud people," the statement said. "They earn billions by spreading this and ensuring the video reaches as many people as possible," he told the newspaper. The US company also sued Vitor Lourenco de Souza and Milena Luciani Sanchez for similar practices in Brazil. The tech giant also sued Vietnamese company Ly Van Lam for publishing fraudulent advertisements for Longchamp luxury handbags.

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HONG KONG, Feb 27, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Markets stuttered Friday as traders took their foot off the pedal at the end of a healthy week in Asia, where tech firms rallied on a reassessment of AI investments. That was highlighted this week by another Wall Street sell-off, despite Nvidia reporting quarterly profits more than doubled, projecting more strong growth for the coming period. "There are also concerns related to stretched valuations and Nvidia's dependence on capital spending by large technology companies investing in AI infrastructure. Hong Kong, Singapore and Wellington edged up, while Sydney and Shanghai shifted between gains and losses. But Seoul sank more than one percent, having chalked up gains of around 8.5 percent this week thanks to a surge in market heavyweights Samsung and SK hynix.