The government has made it mandatory for all officials and employees of government, semi-government, autonomous and semi-autonomous institutions to remain present in their respective offices from 9am to 9:40am every working day. According to the circular, the decision has been taken to ensure better public service delivery, enhance administrative dynamism and strengthen inter-departmental coordination. To address the issue, all officials and employees must remain physically present in their respective office rooms from 9am to 9:40am. Authorities have also been instructed to ensure that official programmes are scheduled in a way that does not disrupt this mandatory time frame. Leaving the office without informing the authority, except for official duties, will not be permitted.

Commerce Minister Khandaker Abdul Muktadir on Tuesday said the recent trade agreement between Bangladesh and the United States is a state-level deal and described the US tariff issue as an evolving situation being closely monitored by the government. The commerce minister said this after US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs S Paul Kapur met him at his office at Bangladesh Secretariat on Tuesday. State Minister for Commerce Md Shariful Alam, Commerce Secretary Mahbubur Rahman and US Ambassador to Bangladesh Brent T Christensen were present on the occasion. Addressing criticism that the agreement may not have adequately protected Bangladesh’s interests, the commerce minister said any bilateral trade deal involves demands and concessions from both sides. “The United States remains a major commercial partner.

President Mohammed Shahabuddin has accepted the resignation letters of the chairman of the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), Mohammad Abdul Momen, and its two commissioners. A gazette notification to this end was issued by the Cabinet Division on Tuesday. The ACC commissioners were Miah Muhammad Ali Akbar Azizi and Brigadier General (retd) Hafiz Ahsan Farid. According to the gazette notification, the ACC Chairman and the two commissioners resigned on Tuesday uder sub-section (1) of Section 10 of the Anti-Corruption Commission Act, 2004.

Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz warned Wednesday that whoever is chosen as Iran’s next supreme leader will be “a target for elimination.”In a post on X, Katz said, “Every leader appointed by the Iranian terror regime to continue and lead the plan to destroy Israel, to threaten the United States and the free world and the countries of the region, and to suppress the Iranian people — will be a target for elimination.”The warning comes as Israel struck a building linked to Iran’s Assembly of Experts on Tuesday. The assembly is responsible for selecting the country’s next supreme leader following the death of 86-year-old Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in an Israeli strike on Saturday, which marked the beginning of the current conflict, reports UNB.

Photo : BSSRAJSHAHI, March 4, 2026 (BSS) - Fifty underprivileged families in Durgapur Upazila of Rajshahi have received iftar packages as part of a nationwide Ramadan initiative undertaken by As-Sunnah Foundation. On the occasion of the holy month of Ramadan, the foundation launched a countrywide programme to distribute iftar items among 33,300 helpless and impoverished families. Under its mega project titled "Iftar Distribution 2026," the assistance was extended to selected beneficiaries in Durgapur. To ensure transparency and reach the most deserving families, he conducted door-to-door visits to collect information and prepare a preliminary list of beneficiaries. Following a thorough review process, a final list was approved, and the iftar packages were delivered to the selected families through courier service.

Photo : PIDDHAKA, Mar 4, 2026 (BSS) - Education and Primary and Mass Education Minister Dr ANM Ehsanul Hoque Milon today said technical and vocational education must be made modernised and market-oriented aiming to transform the country's large number of population into skilled human resources. He made the remarks while addressing a view-exchange meeting with the officers and employees of the Directorate of Technical Education at its meeting room here this morning. Speaking as the chief guest, Dr Milon said developing skilled human resources is a big responsibility for the nearly 18 crore people of Bangladesh. The education minister put emphasis on strengthening Public-Private Partnership (PPP), creating strong bridge between industry and academia, and modernising curriculum and syllabus. He said various indicators and KPIs of technical education have been initially reviewed.

Govt preparing nationwide list of criminals, extortionists to bring them to book: Home MinisterHome Minister Salahuddin Ahmed spoke at a meeting with senior officials of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) and officers-in-charge (OCs) of 50 police stations under its jurisdiction at the DMP headquarters. Photo : BSSDHAKA, March 4,2026 (BSS) - Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed today said the government has begun preparing comprehensive lists of criminals and extortionists across the country as part of a decisive drive to restore law and order. “We're preparing the lists of extortionists and criminals in an unbiased way from across the country starting from Dhaka,” he said. The Home Minister announced decisive action on two critical issues to safeguard law and order in the country. First, he said that a comprehensive list of extortionists is being prepared, and all identified individuals will be brought under the law without exception.

US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs S. Paul Kapur met with Commerce Minister Khandaker Abdul Muktadir at Bangladesh Secretariat today. Photo : Ministry of CommerceDHAKA, Mar 4, 2026 (BSS) - Commerce Minister Khandaker Abdul Muktadir today said the recent trade agreement between Bangladesh and the United States is a state level deal and described the US tariff issue as an evolving situation being closely monitored by the government. The Commerce Minister said this after US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs S. Paul Kapur met him at his office at Bangladesh Secretariat today. State Minister for Commerce Md Shariful Alam, Commerce Secretary Mahbubur Rahman and US Ambassador to Bangladesh Brent T. Christensen were present on the occasion. “The United States remains a major commercial partner.

COLOMBO, March 4, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Sri Lanka sent ships and aircraft to rescue 30 Iranian sailors aboard the Iranian frigate Iris Dena which was sinking Wednesday just ouside the island's territorial waters, Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath said. He told parliament that 30 injured sailors were being brought to a hospital in the island's south from the 180-crew frigate was sinking from dawn.

JERUSALEM, March 4, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Israel's Defence Minister Israel Katz threatened on Wednesday to assassinate any Iranian leader picked to succeed supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in US-Israeli strikes on Tehran. "Any leader selected by the Iranian terror regime to continue leading the plan for Israel's destruction, threatening the United States, the free world and countries in the region, and suppressing the Iranian people, will be a certain target for assassination, no matter his name or where he hides," Katz said in a post on X.

PERTH, Australia, March 4, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Bayern Munich midfielder Momoko Tanikawa finally cracked a dogged Taiwan on Wednesday as powerhouse Japan kicked off their Women's Asian Cup with a 2-0 victory in Perth. Brimming with a talented squad featuring 16 England-based players, Japan dominated a one-sided match played in fierce heat. Taiwan, who reached the last eight in the last edition in 2022, fought gamely with goalkeeper Wang Yu-ting producing a superb performance. Under Greenland-born Nils Nielsen, Japan's first foreign-born women's coach, the team has vowed to play in a fast and brash manner. Tanikawa then hit the left post as Japan had an astonishing 13 shots within the opening 15 minutes.

TEHRAN, March 4, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Iran will hold a three-day state funeral for supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in US-Israeli strikes, official news agency Irna said. "Starting at 10:00 pm (1830 GMT), the faithful will be able to pay a final homage to the body of the martyred guide of the nation, by visiting the Imam Khomenei grand mosque" in Tehran, Irna said, citing a statement from the Islamic Development Coordination Council. Khamenei was 86 years old when he was killed, and will be buried in his home city of Mashhad in northeastern Iran.

ADDIS ABABA, March 4, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Four children were killed in southern Djibouti in an explosion, authorities said late Tuesday, with a human rights group saying it was a drone strike. The children died in an explosion in the Dhikil region in Afar, public prosecutor Hassan Mohamed Hassan said in a statement, calling it a tragic event. The LDDH said the children were tending livestock when the incident took place and that six others were wounded, one seriously. It noted this is the "sixth drone attack in this region against nomadic populations in the space of six months". A team has been deployed to the scene to determine the cause of the explosion, prosecutor Hassan added.

"A statue of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un was recently shown on Korean Central Television, and as far as we know, this is the first time it has been identified," the department said on Wednesday. North Korea is dotted with massive statues venerating Kim's grandfather Kim Il Sung and his father Kim Jong Il -- the first two members of the family dynasty to rule the reclusive nation. "North Korea is now moving toward the peak of a leader?focused cult," said Lim, from the Institute for Far Eastern Studies at Kyungnam University. North Korea releases highly choreographed images to illustrate Kim's absolute grip on power. Chinese leader Xi Jinping in 2019 gifted North Korea a half-body bust of Kim during a visit to Pyongyang.

PARIS, France, March 4, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Iran's supreme leader Ali Khamenei's death is "historically significant" but will not "automatically" lead to the fall of the Iranian system, the widow of the country's last shah told AFP in an interview Tuesday. Pahlavi, 87, urged the international community to respect Iranian sovereignty and assist the people in following their own "destiny". She added that her son Reza Pahlavi, who has positioned himself as an alternative if the republic falls, "is in the process of preparing" such a transition. US-based Reza Pahlavi entered the global spotlight during nationwide protests that peaked in January, where many demonstrators chanted slogans favourable to the former shah's son. "What I want is for the international community to clearly support the fundamental rights of Iranians: the right to choose their leaders, to express themselves freely, to live in dignity and prosperity," she said.