The Smoking and Tobacco Products Use (Control) (Amendment) Ordinance, 2025 represents one of the most significant public health reforms in the country’s history. It is a national public health imperative. Against this backdrop, strengthening tobacco control is not a policy choice but an urgent necessity. Yet this landmark public health achievement now faces its most critical test. In this context, hesitation, dilution, or reopening of settled provisions would serve only commercial interests -- at the direct expense of public health.

Bangladesh has finalized its National Action Plan (NAP) for the Global Compact for Migration (GCM). The soft adoption of the GCM NAP underscores Bangladesh’s strong commitment to safe, orderly and regular migration and to protecting the rights of migrants, said the International Organization for Migration (IOM), Bangladesh. It was finalized following a multi-stakeholder consultation on Monday. Ministry of Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment's Senior Secretary and Foreign Affairs Secretary Asad Alam Siam co-chaired the consultation meeting.

A 4.1-magnitude earthquake was felt in different parts of Bangladesh early Tuesday. The European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) and India’s National Centre for Seismology (NCS) said the tremor struck at 4:36am. The Bangladesh Meteorological Department also confirmed the incident, saying the epicentre was in Kalaroa of Satkhira and the quake originated at a depth of 150 kilometres. Mild tremors were felt in Satkhira, Khulna, Jashore and adjacent areas. No casualties or damage were reported immediately.

As Bangladesh aims to revitalize its economy and attract fresh investment, the push for regulatory reform is not just timely, it is most essential. Responding to mounting pressure from both domestic business leaders and international development partners, the interim government started to talk about an ambitious reform program. I believe at the heart of this effort should lie the proposal to establish a “Regulatory Reform Commission (RRC)”, a dedicated body tasked with overhauling archaic rules and processes that constrain economic activity. This mismatch between policy and progress reinforces the case for a permanent reform commission. A well-functioning Regulatory Reform Commission can deliver just that -- not merely by cutting red tape, but by making the economy more adaptive, inclusive, and competitive in a fast-changing world.

Former kitchen manager is new owner of Union DinerDaniel McCarthy and wife Lynda plan to keep things the same and keep regulars happy

DHAKA, Feb 3, 2026 (BSS) - A mild earthquake measuring 4.1 on the Richter scale was felt in Southwestern part of the country in the early hours of today. A notification signed by assistant meteorologist of the Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD) Farzana Sultana said the earthquake struck at 4:36am on Tuesday. The earthquake had a geographic location of 22.84ø north latitude and 89.01ø east longitude. According to the European-Mediterranean Seismology Centre (EMSC) and India's National Centre for Seismology (NCS), the epicentre of the quake was 150 km below the surface. Mild tremors were felt in Satkhira, Khulna and Jashore and adjoining districts in the early hours of today.

MUMBAI, India, Feb 3, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Shares in Mumbai soared at the open Tuesday after US President Donald Trump announced a trade deal with India and pledged to cut tariffs on goods from the country. The Nifty stock index rallied 4.86 percent to 26,200 points on news of the deal, which Trump said came after Prime Minister Narendra Modi promised to stop buying Russian oil over the war in Ukraine.

SYDNEY, Feb 3, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Australia's central bank hiked its key interest rate Tuesday for the first time since November 2023, pointing to signs inflation is again gathering pace. The Reserve Bank of Australia's move lifted the cash rate by 25 basis points to 3.85 percent. Inflation has eased since a peak of almost eight percent in December 2022 but government figures indicate it is starting to creep up and the bank's monetary policy board said it was "likely to remain above target for some time". "While inflation has fallen substantially since its peak in 2022, it picked up materially in the second half of 2025," the board said in a statement. Many Australian households remain burdened by the high cost of food, fuel, and particularly housing.

Stocks in Tokyo, Seoul surge after previous day's routTOKYO, Feb 3, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Japanese and South Korean stocks rallied Tuesday to claw back much of the previous day's huge losses suffered in an Asia-wide rout. In early trade the Tokyo's Nikkei 225 climbed 3.09 percent to 54,287.25 points while Seoul's Kospi jumped 4.95 percent to 5194.84.

SYDNEY, Feb 3, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Fast bowler Josh Hazlewood will miss the early stages of the Twenty20 World Cup as he recovers from hamstring and Achilles injuries in another setback for Australia. "Sean is an accomplished and versatile international player who has experienced numerous World Cup campaigns. Adding to their woes, star paceman Pat Cummins has been ruled out of the entire tournament in India and Sri Lanka beginning on Saturday. Australia's matches in Group B will all be played in Sri Lanka. They open against Ireland in Colombo on February 11 and will also face the co-hosts Sri Lanka, Oman and Zimbabwe.

The first Olympics since the re-election of US President Donald Trump are set to be buffeted by global turbulence. Olympic power Russia's team of just 13 must compete as neutrals, a sanction imposed by the International Olympic Committee after Moscow invaded Ukraine weeks after the last Winter Games in Beijing in 2022. Also eagerly awaited is the men's ice hockey competition, with stars from the National Hockey League (NHL) in the US and Canada -- the world's strongest -- taking part for the first time since 2014. Coventry admitted that the approach of using existing venues, which are often long distances apart, has complicated the task for organisers. Two of the new venues, the sliding centre in Cortina for the bobsleigh, skeleton and luge events and the main ice hockey arena in Milan have caused the most headaches.

SAN FRANCISCO, United States, Feb 3, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Self-driving car star Waymo on Monday said it raised $16 billion in a funding round that valued the Alphabet subsidiary at $126 billion. Waymo co-chief executives Tekedra Mawakana and Dmitri Dolgov touted the massive investment as a sign that the age of large-scale autonomous mobility has arrived. Waymo's focus is on spreading its robotaxi service throughout the United States and internationally this year, the executives added. Waymo's white Jaguars, equipped with cameras and sensors, have become a familiar sight on San Francisco and Los Angeles streets. The ride-sharing giant last month unveiled a Lucid robotaxi, aiming to put a fleet of them to work in San Francisco later this year.

HONG KONG, Feb 3, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Stocks rallied while precious metals and crude rebounded as some stability returned Tuesday following a rout fuelled by a perfect storm that sent shivers through across Asian trading floors. That, combined with the stronger dollar, also sent oil prices plunging at breakneck speed. Among equity markets, Seoul was the best performer, piling on around five percent, having dropped a little more than that Monday. It happened because liquidity?sensitive assets such as gold and silver plunged sharply", wrote Chung Hae-chang, analyst at Daishin Securities. "When margin calls occur on one side, investors often adjust collateral, which can trigger movements in other assets as well.

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, Feb 3, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - French striker Karim Benzema, who fell out with his club Al-Ittihad, has joined another Saudi club, Al-Hilal, the current league leaders, where he has signed an 18 month contract, the Riyadh club said on Monday. The 2022 Ballon d'Or winner, who scored eight goals in 14 league matches this season, joined on a free transfer, his new club added. The former France international moved to Saudi Arabia in 2023 after 14 seasons with Real Madrid. This season Al-Ittihad trail leaders Al-Hilal by 12 points. Al-Hilal, who play in Riyadh, and Al-Ittihad, in Jeddah, are both owned by the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund (PIF).

LIVERPOOL, Feb 3, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Liverpool beat off competition from Chelsea to sign Rennes defender Jeremy Jacquet for a reported fee of up to œ60 million ($82 million) on Monday. Liverpool will reportedly pay an initial œ55 million with a further œ5 million contingent on add-ons. Jacquet, who has five caps for France Under-21s, has made 18 appearances for Rennes so far this season. Jacquet also gained Ligue 1 experience during a loan spell with Clermont Foot. In 2024, Jacquet helped France to the final of the U19 European Championship, during which he was named in the Team of the Tournament.