VATICAN CITY, Dec 25, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - Pope Leo XIV held the first Christmas mass of his pontificate on Wednesday, greeting thousands of faithful gathered in St Peter's Square before the service. During the mass, Leo said Christmas was a feast of "faith, charity and hope" and criticised a "distorted economy" that "leads us to treat human beings as mere merchandise". The 70-year-old pope decided to hold the mass at a later time than under the more elderly Francis who would hold Christmas mass at around 1830 GMT. In another change, Leo will hold another mass on Christmas Day on Thursday, renewing a tradition from the times of late pope John Paul II (1978-2005). Leo on Tuesday called for a global truce around the world on Christmas Day, expressing "great sadness" that "apparently Russia rejected a request" for one in Ukraine.

Photo: PIDDHAKA, Dec 24, 2025 (BSS) – The government has increased the revenue target by Taka 24,000 crore in the revised budget for the current fiscal year 2025-26. Highlighting the revenue situation, Shafiqul Alam said the pace of revenue collection has increased in the current fiscal year. Of the amount, Taka 503,000 crore will come from the National Board of Revenue (NBR), Taka 65,000 crore will come as non-tax revenue, and Taka 20,000 crore from non-NBR sources, the press secretary said. Total government expenditure in the revised budget has been set at Taka 788,000 crore, he said, adding that in the original budget, the expenditure target was Taka 790,000 crore, which has been reduced by Taka 2,000 crore in the revised budget. The total budget deficit in the revised budget has been fixed at Taka 200,000 crore, which is 3.3 percent of GDP, Shafiqul Alam said.

DHAKA, Dec 24, 2025 (BSS) – Stocks today resumed recovery momentum following the previous session’s correction, as market-wide speculations over anticipated clarity on the country’s political front provided some respite to subdued investor sentiment. Market indices managed to remain afloat throughout the session as opportunistic investors seized positions in sector-specific stocks, although prevailing cautious sentiment kept investor participation broadly subdued. Apparently, market turnover fell by 17.0% to Taka 3.4 billion from Taka 4.1 billion in the previous session. Most of the sectors displayed positive returns, out of which IT (2.0%), Services (1.0%) and Bank (0.9%) exhibited the most positive returns on the bourse today, while Mutual Fund (-0.8%), Ceramic (-0.7%) and Food (-0.3%) exerted some corrections. The Selective Categories' Index (CSCX) and All Share Price Index (CASPI) advanced by 7.5 points and 21.1 points, respectively.

"We came to the Election Commission with serious concerns about the electoralCode of Conduct and overall security situation surrounding the election,"Jamaat's Assistant Secretary General Ahsanul Mahboob Zubair told reportersafter the meeting. "If there are no CCTV cameras, miscreants and those with dishonest intentionswill get an opportunity to sabotage the election," Zubair said. Jamaat leader said the EC informed the delegation about its ongoingdiscussions and plans regarding CCTV installation, adding that Jamaat wouldclosely follow up to ensure its implementation. Jamaat also raised concerns over violations of the Code of Conduct on socialmedia, including attacks and misinformation. Expressing hope, Zubair said Jamaat expects the Election Commission to taketimely and effective measures to ensure a credible election.

DHAKA, Dec 24, 2025 (BSS) - Chief Adviser's Special Assistant for Home Affairs Md Khuda Baksh Chowdhury has resigned from his post. The Cabinet Division issued a notification on Wednesday night, saying that the President has already accepted the resignation. "The resignation of Mr Khuda Baksh Chowdhury, the Special Assistant entrusted with executive authority with the rank of State Minister at the Ministry of Home Affairs of the interim government of the People's Republic of Bangladesh, has been accepted by the Honorable President," the notification said. The resignation will come into effect immediately, it added.

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By Dean MurraySpace scientists have shown off their pictures of the year - by sharing twelve months of cosmic wonders. The European Space Agency (ESA) have put together highlights of exciting images and discoveries from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope and the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope missions. Star Cluster NGC 346January:As part of Hubble's 35th anniversary celebrations, ESA/Hubble published a new image of the star cluster NGC 346, featuring new data and processing techniques. Galaxy NGC 5335October:Hubble captures in exquisite detail a face-on view of the remarkable-looking galaxy NGC 5335 in this image. Nebula NGC 6072November:This image shows Webb's view of the planetary nebula NGC 6072 in the near-infrared.

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Photo: ISPRDHAKA, Dec 24, 2025 (BSS) - The closing and prize distribution ceremony of Inter-Service Hockey Competition-2025 was held today at the Bangladesh Air Force Base Bir Uttam A K Khandker Hockey Ground. Bangladesh Air Force emerged as champions after defeating Bangladesh Navy by 4-3 goals in a closely contested final. PO (Music) Ashraful of the Bangladesh Navy team was adjudged the best player of the tournament. The competition was held from December 20 to 24, 2025 under the overall management of Bangladesh Air Force. Senior officers from the three services and other officials were also present at the closing ceremony, the ISPR release added.

Chief Adviser's Special Assistant for Home Affairs Md Khuda Baksh Chowdhury has resigned from his post. The Cabinet Division issued a notification on Wednesday night, saying that the president has already accepted the resignation. "The resignation of Khuda Baksh Chowdhury, the Special Assistant entrusted with executive authority with the rank of State Minister at the Ministry of Home Affairs of the interim government of the People's Republic of Bangladesh, has been accepted by the Honorable President," the notification said. The resignation will come into effect immediately, it added.

DHAKA, Dec 24, 2025 (BSS) - Inflow of remittances witnessed a year-on-year growth of 13.4 percent reaching US$2,531 million in the twenty three days of December, according to the latest data of Bangladesh Bank (BB) issued today. Last year, during the same period, the country's remittance inflow was $2,232 million. During the July to Dec 23, 2025 of the current fiscal year, expatriates sent remittances of $15,569 million, which was $13,370 million during the same period of the previous fiscal year.

Tarique Rahman left Dhaka with his family on September 11, 2008, during the tenure of the army-backed caretaker government. Tarique Rahman formally entered BNP’s politics in 1988 as a primary member in Gabtali upazila of Bogura, his ancestral area. Leadership from exileIn 2009, Tarique Rahman was elected senior vice chairman of the BNP. During the Awami League’s tenure, Tarique Rahman was convicted in the August 21 grenade attack case and named in several other cases. In his personal life, Tarique Rahman married Dr Zobaida Rahman in 1994.

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“We got four freshmen, one sophomore, two juniors that have never played varsity before,” Johnson said. “Now that she’s back, it’s been an adjustment.”The senior group — Aaliyah Blanchard, Akeera Sparks, Chasity Johnson, Ford and Kayla Maxwell — brings leadership, perspective and a unified message. Rounding out the varsity roster this season are Londyn Cook, Aubree Elder, Tatum English, Hadley Williams and Karrington Wooden. Even with five straight titles in the rearview mirror, the Lady Bucs remain locked into the future. In December, the Lady Bucs face Chelsea, Sparkman, Thompson, Hazel Green and at least seven out-of-state teams across various events.