Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Commissioner Sheikh Md Sazzat Ali has stepped down from his post amid a reshuffle in the police ranks after the new government assumed office. Sazzat sent a letter to the Police Headquarters, requesting to be relieved of his duties, citing “personal and family reasons”. “My contract runs until November, but I have submitted my resignation today,” he said. The resignation comes a day after a reshuffle at the top of the police administration, including changes to the post of inspector general of police.

The primary scholarship examination, postponed last year over legal complications, will be held in the first week of April ahead of Eid ul-Azha. Students from private schools and kindergartens will join the competition, bdnews24.com reports. According to the minister, until last year, the primary scholarship exam was designated only for students of government primary schools. The general scholarship will provide a one-time payment of Tk 225 and a monthly stipend of Tk 225. Of them, 33,000 will receive talent pool scholarships and 49,500 general scholarships.

Newly appointed Bangladesh Bank Governor Md Mostaqur Rahman has signalled that “restoring trust” in the banking sector will be his top priority, alongside efforts to lower interest rates. Commenting on his vision for the central bank, Mostaqur said: “As you know, the economy and the banking sector face challenges. “God willing, I will first sit in the bank, consult with everyone, and with cooperation, focus on the primary task -- trust-building in banking, restoring discipline. Credit growth is slowing, as you know, so we will work to lower interest rates and stimulate lending.”Mostaqur is the first businessman in Bangladesh’s history to become central bank governor. Before his appointment, he served as chairman of the Bangladesh Bank Standing Committee under the BGMEA, representing garment exporters since July 2025.

COLOMBO, Feb 25, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Sri Lanka's criminal investigators arrested the country's former intelligence chief on Wednesday in connection with the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings that killed 279 people, police said. Sallay, who was promoted to State Intelligence Service (SIS) chief in 2019 after Gotabaya Rajapaksa became president, had been accused of involvement in the coordinated suicide bombings, a charge he has denied. Two days after the bombings, Rajapaksa declared his candidacy and went on to win the November vote in a landslide after promising to stamp out Islamist extremism. In the aftermath, officials blamed a local jihadist group for the suicide bombings on three churches and three hotels, but Sallay was also accused of orchestrating the attack. The UN has asked Sri Lanka to publish parts of previous inquiries into the bombings that were withheld from the public.

Reading time: about 6 minutesDearest Gentle Reader,It has come to the author’s attention that Her Majesty the Queen has once again chosen eight ‘Diamonds of the Season’. College of Architecture, Art and PlanningHowever, CALS is not the only inventor of the season; let this author present to you AAP. College of Arts and SciencesAs of late, there have been scandalous accounts of suitors changing their very selves to succeed in courtship this season. Cornell Jeb E. Brooks School of Public PolicyOur final Diamond in contest: The Brooks School. Tis’ I shan’t allow there to be eight diamonds this season.

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Prime Minister Tarique Rahman -File photoDHAKA, Feb 25, 2026 (BSS) - Prime Minister Tarique Rahman will handover Bangla Academy Literary Award-2025 to nine distinguished personalities for their significant contributions to the fields of Bangla literature at the inaugural ceremony of Amar Ekushey Book Fair tomorrow. The fields of Bangla Academy Literary awards cover poetry, fiction, essays, research, children’s literature, translation, science and the Liberation War. The recipients of the Bangla Academy Literary Award-2025 are: Mohan Raihan in poetry, Nasima Anis in fiction, Syed Azizul Haque in essays, Hasan Hafiz in children’s literature, Ali Ahmad in translation, Mustafa Majid and Israel Khan in research, Farsim Mannan Mohammadi in science, and Moidul Hasan in Liberation War. The awards were finalized following recommendations by the Bangla Academy Literary Award-2025 Proposal Committee and in accordance with the decision of the Bangla Academy Literary Award Committee.

NEW YORK, Feb 25, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - A record 129 journalists and media workers were killed worldwide in 2025, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Wednesday, blaming Israel for two-thirds of the deaths. It was the second consecutive annual record for press deaths and the deadliest year since the CPJ began collecting data more than three decades ago. Over three-quarters of all the fatalities in 2025 were in conflict settings, the CPJ said in its report. More than 60 percent of the 86 members of the press killed by Israeli fire in 2025 were Palestinians reporting from Gaza, it added. The number of journalists killed in Ukraine and Sudan also increased in 2025 compared to a year earlier.

“Advance tickets for the Eid journey will be sold from March 3 to March 9 and all tickets will be sold online,” a BR spokesman said emerging from a decision making meeting at Railway Bhaban. He said that the BR has decided to operate five pairs of special trains in addition to the regular ones on the occasion to evade congestions in railway carriages and ease the travel. According to the BR decision tickets for trains operating in the western and eastern zones will be released at different times. “The return advance tickets too will be sold 10 days ahead of the scheduled journey,” he said. The five special train pairs will run on specific routes which wwere named as Chandpur Eid Special (1 and 2) on Chittagong-Chandpur route, Teesta Special (3 and 4) on Dhaka-Dewanganj route, Sholakia Eid Special (5, 6, 7 and 8) on Bhairabbazar-Kishoreganj and Mymensingh-Kishoreganj route and Parbatipur Eid Special (9 and 10) on Joydebpur-Parbatipur route.

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman on Wednesday formally adorned the rank badge on newly appointed Inspector General of Police (IGP) Md Ali Hossain Fakir at his office in the Cabinet Division of the Bangladesh Secretariat. Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed and Home Secretary Monjur Morshed Chowdhury were present at the ceremony, said Prime Minister’s Additional Press Secretary Atikur Rahman Rumon. He said the Prime Minister congratulated the new police chief and wished him success in carrying out his responsibilities. Earlier on Tuesday, the government appointed Additional Inspector General of Police and chief of the Armed Police Battalion (APBn) Md Ali Hossain Fakir as the new IGP. Ali, a member of the 15th batch of the Bangladesh Civil Service (Police) cadre, replaced Baharul Alam, who had been serving as IGP on a contractual basis since November 20, 2024.

Photo: BSSDHAKA, Feb 25, 2026 (BSS) – Amar Ekushey Book Fair 2026, the country's largest annual month-long literary event, will begin tomorrow with the theme “Multidimensional Bangladesh.”Prime Minister Tarique Rahman will inaugurate the fair as the chief guest at 2:00 pm. Preparations at the Bangla Academy premises and at Suhrawardy Udyan in front of the academy are nearly complete. This year, the organizers aim to make the fair environmentally conscious and transform it into a “Zero Waste Book Fair.”The fair will be polythene-free and smoking-free. Three institutions will receive the ‘Munier Choudhury Memorial Award’ for the best artistic book design published at the 2025 fair. A new award titled the ‘Sardar Jayenuddin Memorial Award’ is being introduced this year.

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman on Wednesday said the 2009 Pilkhana massacre, in which 57 army officers were killed, was a sinister attempt to undermine Bangladesh’s sovereignty. I believe the tragic incident at Pilkhana was an evil attempt to foil our sovereignty,” he said while addressing a views-exchange meeting with the family members of the 57 army officers killed in the BDR carnage. Referring to the Pilkhana incident, the Prime Minister said weaknesses in the country’s national security structure were exposed through it. Three representatives of the slain army officers’ families also spoke at the event and shared their pains and agonies over losing their loved ones 17 years ago in the brutal massacre. Jatiya Shaheed Sena Dibas was observed on the day, marking the Pilkhana carnage in which 74 people, including 57 army officers, were killed at the then Bangladesh Rifles headquarters in Dhaka on February 25–26, 2009.

US President Donald Trump.Photo: CollectedWASHINGTON, United States, Feb 25, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - The US Justice Department said Tuesday it had sued the state of New Jersey and its Democratic governor, seeking to overturn an executive order limiting where federal immigration agents can operate. In a lawsuit filed Monday, the Justice Department argued Sherrill's order was unconstitutional and interfered with the federal government's enforcement of immigration laws. Trump's mass deportation efforts have drawn national scrutiny following fatal shootings of two US citizens by federal immigration agents in Minneapolis in January. On Monday, a former immigration official told members of Congress that training for federal agents was "deficient, defective and broken." Still, the Justice Department in its lawsuit said the New Jersey order "poses an intolerable obstacle to federal immigration enforcement."

Govt take up plans to free city dwellers from mosquito menace: Health MinisterHealth and Family Welfare Minister Sardar Md. Sakhawat Hossain today visited Dholpur area of the capital to inspect the effectiveness, testing and ongoing activities of mosquito control insecticides used by the Dhaka South City Corporation. Photo: BSSDHAKA, Feb 25, 2026 (BSS) - Health and Family Welfare Minister Sardar Md. Sakhawat Hossain today said the government has undertaken various plans to free the city dwellers from the mosquito menace. Calling for public cooperation alongside government efforts, the health minister urged city residents to remain vigilant and keep their surroundings clean, particularly by removing stagnant water from residential areas to prevent mosquito breeding.

Ali Hossain Fakir formally took charge as the head of Bangladesh Police on Wednesday. Photo : BSSDHAKA, Feb 25, 2026 (BSS) - Newly appointed Inspector General of Police (IGP) Md. Ali Hossain Fakir formally took charge as the head of Bangladesh Police on Wednesday morning. Prior to the appointment, Fakir served as Additional Inspector General (IG) of the Armed Police Battalion (APBN). He also served as Commandant of RRF Sylhet and Commander of 3 APBN Khulna, 5 APBN Dhaka, and 7 APBN Sylhet.