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DHAKA, Feb 24, 2026 (BSS) – Journalists can apply for reconsideration of their press accreditation cards which have been cancelled for different reasons in the past by the Press Information Department (PID). Journalists can apply for the card in a prescribed form to the press accreditation appeal committee according to the Press Accreditation Policy, 2025, said an official handout here today. The prescribed application form can be downloaded from the PID website (pressinform.gov.bd).
This is evident in Cornell history by the 1969 Willard Straight Hall Occupation, which arose as a result of students being punished for protesting the lack of a Black studies program. The Descendants Project is an example of a modern group of Black activists who refuse to be defined by boundaries. Writing this article reminded me that I am not alone and following in the well-worn trail of Black activists and scholars like bell hooks who refused to be siloed. Cornell University is a land grant institution which profited off the dispossession of the traditional indigenous homelands. Even compared to other land grant institutions, Cornell University has profited the most significantly from this dispossession.
Local people staged a demonstration on Monday alleging irregularities in an ongoing road construction project under Faridpur municipality of Faridpur district. The project is being implemented by M/s Mirza Construction, a contracting firm based in Sirajganj. During a visit to the site on Monday construction work was found ongoing. At that time, locals halted the work and staged a demonstration, alleging that substandard materials were being used in the project. They also alleged that soil mixed with polythene and waste materials, along with low-grade brick chips, was being used in the construction.
Nurul Amin, the member of parliament (MP) for Chittagong-1 (Mirsharai), was injured in a road accident in Feni Sadar Upazila while returning from Comilla. The accident occurred around 3pm on Tuesday in the Mohammad Ali area of Feni Sadar on the Dhaka–Chittagong Highway, as he was travelling back to Chittagong after completing personal work in Comilla. According to party sources, after receiving initial treatment there, Nurul Amin was transferred to Imperial Hospital in Chittagong's Pahartali area, where medical examinations are currently underway. He said Nurul Amin sustained injuries to his head, forehead and waist. In the most recent national parliamentary election, BNP candidate Nurul Amin won the Chittagong-1 seat by securing 127,645 votes, defeating the candidate of Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh.
Paris Saint-Germain footballer Achraf Hakimi, a key player in their Champions League-winning side last season, is to stand trial charged with raping a young woman, his lawyer and a French prosecutor told AFP Tuesday. In February 2023, a woman then aged 24 told police in the Val-De-Marne region southeast of Paris that Hakimi had raped her. "Today, a rape accusation is enough to justify a trial, even though I contest it and everything proves that it is false," he wrote on X on Tuesday. "I await this trial calmly, which will allow the truth to come out publicly." Hakimi's lawyer Fanny Colin said a trial had been ordered and the prosecutor in the Nanterre suburb of Paris confirmed it.
Two separate probe bodies have been formed over the blast, apparently from a gas leak at a flat in a building in the Halishahar area of Chittagong city that claimed the lives of three people till Tuesday. Mohammad Jashim Uddin, deputy-director of Chittagong Fire Service and Civil Defense, said a five-member committee has been formed to look into the explosion. Meanwhile, Kabir Uddin Ahmed, General Manager of Karnaphuli Gas Distribution Company Limited (KGDCL), formed a three-member committee to probe the blast. Pakhi and Sakhawat sustained 100% burns, Shipon 80%, Aiman 38%, Ayesha 45% and Anas 30%, hospital sources said. Fire Service officials suspect that accumulated gas inside the flat may have caused the explosion, though the exact reason will be determined after investigation.
The Government of Sweden has contributed 10 million Swedish Krona (Tk128 million) to UNFPA Bangladesh to strengthen access to integrated sexual and reproductive health services for vulnerable women and gender-diverse people. Despite policy progress, many women and gender-diverse people in Bangladesh continue to face discrimination, violence, and barriers to health services. The Swedish contribution will support midwifery-led, community-friendly service models providing voluntary and rights-based family planning, HIV and STI testing and treatment, gender-based violence response, mental health support, and referrals. “Every person has the right to dignity, safety, and access to quality sexual and reproductive health services. By investing in inclusive, community-anchored care, Sweden is helping ensure that lifesaving services reach those who need them most.
Prime Minister Tarique Rahman is set to inaugurate the Amar Ekushey Book Fair 2026 on Thursday, which will continue until March 15. The prime minister will formally inaugurate the fair at 2pm as the chief guest. The information was announced on Tuesday at a press conference held at the Abdul Karim Sahityabisharad Auditorium of Bangla Academy. Of them, 81 will be located within the Bangla Academy premises and 468 at the Suhrawardy Udyan venue. Regarding the schedule, the fair will remain open from 2pm to 9pm on regular days.
The left-leaning student alliance Ganatantrik Chhatra Jote staged a protest procession demanding justice over the alleged “police attack” on Nayem Uddin, a student of the Anthropology Department Dhaka University and a student leader. The procession began at 7pm on Tuesday from Payra Chattar at the Teacher-Student Centre (TSC) of the University. Marching through VC Chattar and the residential hall area, the rally ended at the Raju Memorial Sculpture. Addressing the gathering, victim student Nayem Uddin alleged the police’s “reckless” and “anti-people” character had been exposed even before any offence was proven. Rafiquzzaman Farid, general secretary of the Samajtantrik Chhatra Front, said: “The police uniform may have changed, but the character of the police has not.
Recent allegations of journalists and students being beaten during anti-drug drives in Suhrawardy Udyan and Dhanmondi have sparked debate over the limits of police authority and the legal safeguards governing searches and use of force. However, Section 165 allows a police officer to conduct a search without a warrant if waiting for one could result in the destruction of evidence. For body searches, Section 51 permits police to search a person who has been arrested or detained. Section 52 further specifies that a woman may only be searched by another woman officer, and her dignity must be preserved. If items are seized, such as a mobile phone or wallet, the person searched is entitled to a seizure list or receipt.
A reported rise in piracy and abductions in parts of the Sundarbans following the recent national election has prompted the BNP-led government to initiate a series of coordinated security and administrative measures, State Minister Shaikh Faridul Islam said. Election period created a security gapAccording to State Minister Shaikh Faridul Islam, a significant portion of law enforcement and civil administration personnel were engaged in election-related responsibilities before and immediately after the polls. The State Minister Shaikh Faridul Islam has instructed all station heads to enhance vigilance and field-level engagement. Part of broader 180-day planState Minister Shaikh Faridul Islam further said the government’s 180-day action program includes enhanced measures for law enforcement and environmental governance in the Sundarbans. “We will not allow criminal groups to destabilize the Sundarbans again,” the state minister said.
Four policemen have been withdrawn from their duties following the alleged assault on a Dhaka University student and two journalists during a raid at the Suhrawardy Udyan. The incident, which occurred on Monday night, sparked protests outside the Shahbagh Police Station on Tuesday. Dhaka University students laid a siege to the police station, demanding punishment for the policemen involved in the assault. A video circulating on social media showed a group of police officers indiscriminately striking Tofael with batons. He was later rescued by other officers and taken to Dhaka Medical College Hospital.
The Bangladesh Bank has ordered immediate transfer (stand release) of three officials who received show cause notices for breach of discipline. Before the board meeting began, the Bangladesh Bank Officers’ Welfare Council held a briefing at the bank’s Motijheel office at 12pm. “This has created fear that the transparency and professionalism of Bangladesh Bank will be undermined. Soon after, Bangladesh Bank issued an internal order prohibiting employees from speaking about banking matters or policies in private meetings, public events, or with the media without prior approval. The three officials were served show-cause notices on Sunday, and immediate transfer orders for them were issued on Tuesday.
