The Amar Ekushey Book Fair 2026 will now begin on February 21 instead of February 20, according to the fair’s organizing committee. The decision was made because Prime Minister Tarek Rahman’s schedule did not align with the earlier date. The committee confirmed on Tuesday evening that the fair will be inaugurated by the Prime Minister at 11 a.m. on February 21 at Suhrawardy Udyan in Dhaka.

Sources from the organizing committee and Bangla Academy said preparations for the event are nearly complete, including stall construction, infrastructure readiness, security planning, and cultural programs. Publishers have already received their stall allocations, and arrangements for iftar and prayers have been made in view of the upcoming Ramadan.

Officials explained that the fair was delayed by a day as the new government has just been formed and the official confirmation of the Prime Minister’s schedule was received informally. Since he was available only on February 21, the inauguration and opening were rescheduled accordingly.

Police in Companiganj, Sylhet, arrested two individuals early Tuesday during a raid in Nobagi village, seizing a Noah microbus loaded with 1,225 bottles of Indian liquor of various brands. The seized liquor and vehicle are valued at approximately half a crore taka, according to police sources. The operation was conducted based on a tip-off after officers noticed a suspicious black Noah vehicle moving near the border area late at night.

The raid was led by Sub-Inspectors Kamrul Alam and Amirul Islam, along with Assistant Sub-Inspectors Mohammad Ali and Abul Kalam. The suspects, identified as Rakibul Islam Rubel from Kishoreganj and Sagar Molla from Manikganj, were detained from a dirt road in front of a house in Nobagi village. Police said the liquor was being transported illegally from the border area for distribution across the country.

Companiganj Police Station’s Officer-in-Charge Shafiqul Islam Khan stated that regular checkpoints and raids are being carried out based on intelligence reports. The detainees have been charged under the Narcotics Control Act and sent to court.

Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Dr. Shafiqur Rahman has called on the current government to take strict and effective measures to control the prices of essential commodities during the holy month of Ramadan. In a statement released to the media on Tuesday, he urged citizens to uphold the sanctity of the month and emphasized that Ramadan is a time for piety, tolerance, and compassion.

Dr. Rahman said the government should pay special attention to law and order, rising commodity prices, and improving the living standards of ordinary people. He warned that dishonest traders remain active in society and must be prevented from raising prices of daily essentials and iftar items. He also called for breaking all syndicates and establishing a transparent and well-planned market system, suggesting subsidies to keep basic goods affordable for low-income citizens.

He further noted that the 13th national parliamentary election was held on February 12 in what he described as a fascism-free environment, marking a new democratic journey for the nation. He urged unity against destabilizing efforts and called for continued struggle to establish a peaceful and humane Bangladesh.

The Dhaka University White Panel, a group of teachers aligned with Bangladeshi nationalism, has extended heartfelt congratulations to the newly formed cabinet led by Prime Minister Tareq Rahman. The message was issued on Tuesday, February 17, following the thirteenth national parliamentary election in which Rahman’s party achieved an absolute majority and formed the government independently. The panel expressed optimism that under Rahman’s leadership, Bangladesh will advance toward democracy, development, and stability.

In their statement, convenor Professor Dr. Morshed Hasan Khan and joint convenors Professor Dr. Abdus Salam and Professor Dr. Md. Abul Kalam Sarkar said the new government emerged through the restoration of voting rights and freedom of expression after a long struggle. They voiced expectations that the administration would build an inclusive and accountable governance system, strengthen the rule of law, and ensure judicial independence.

The panel also urged the government to address inflation, create employment, and attract foreign investment to build a sustainable economy. They emphasized improving education quality, protecting university autonomy, and restoring Dhaka University’s historic legacy.

A house belonging to Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD) leader Yasin Ali Sujon was set on fire after being locked from the outside in Noakhali’s Hatiya upazila early Monday night. The incident occurred around 3:30 a.m. in Nalarchar village of Chanandi Union, where Sujon’s father, Belal Mia, usually resides. Local sources said a group of miscreants locked the door from outside before setting the house ablaze, destroying furniture and valuables completely. No casualties were reported as Sujon’s father was not home at the time.

Sujon alleged that the attack was retaliation for his public statement dismissing a rape allegation related to voting at Prokolpo Bazar as false. Former Hatiya BNP president Alauddin condemned the incident, saying post-election violence was destabilizing the area and that arson terrorism was unacceptable. Hatiya Jatiya Nagorik Party convener Shamsul Tibriz said he had just learned of the matter and would gather more details.

Hatiya Police Station Officer-in-Charge Saiful Alam confirmed that police visited the scene and said legal action would follow upon receiving a written complaint from the affected family.

In Chandpur’s Faridganj municipality, grocery shop owner Shah Alam from Madhya Charkumira village has decided to sell eight essential food items at their purchase price during the holy month of Ramadan. The items include chickpeas, khesari lentils, gram flour, puffed rice, flattened rice, sugar, dates, and soybean oil. He has displayed a price list in his shop, and customers have been buying with satisfaction. Shah Alam previously sold these items with only one taka profit but has now continued his cost-price initiative for the second consecutive year.

Local residents have praised Shah Alam’s generosity, noting that while many traders across Bangladesh raise prices during Ramadan, he has chosen to support fasting and low-income families. The initiative has drawn commendation from the National Consumer Rights Protection Directorate’s Chandpur office, whose assistant director Abdullah Al Imran said other traders could learn from this example.

Shah Alam explained that he usually keeps his profit margins low throughout the year to attract more customers and that his Ramadan initiative aims to ease the burden on poor and working-class people affected by price hikes.

A Dhaka court has sentenced domestic worker Survi Akter Nahid to death for the murder of Afroza Begum and her housemaid Diti in Dhanmondi seven years ago. The verdict was delivered on Tuesday, February 17, 2026, by Judge Tawhida Akter of the Seventh Additional Metropolitan Sessions Court. Another accused, house staff member Bachchu Mia, was acquitted due to lack of evidence, according to state prosecutor Jamal Uddin.

The case stems from the discovery of the bloodied bodies of Afroza Begum, mother-in-law of Kazi Monir Uddin Tarim, and her maid Diti on November 1, 2019, at a fifth-floor apartment in Dhanmondi’s Lobelia House. Both victims had their throats slit. Afroza’s daughter, Dilruba Sultana Ruba, filed the murder case two days later. The investigation was transferred from local police to the Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI), which submitted charges against two suspects in February 2022.

The court began trial in October 2022, hearing testimony from 25 of 32 witnesses before reaching the verdict. The ruling concludes a high-profile case that drew significant public attention in Dhaka.

A Sirajganj court has sentenced three accused to life imprisonment for the murder of seven-year-old schoolboy Tamim Hossain in Ullapara, following a dispute over local dominance. Each of the three convicts was also fined 20,000 taka. Another accused, Mannan Akand, received a two-year prison term, a fine of 5,000 taka, and an additional three months of imprisonment in default of payment. The verdict was delivered on Tuesday at 3:30 p.m. by District and Sessions Judge Md. Iqbal Hossain.

According to the case details presented by the public prosecutor, Tamim had been living at his maternal grandfather’s home in Narsinghapara village for his studies. He went missing on February 10, 2017, and his body was found the next morning in a mustard field with rope marks around his neck and injuries on the back of his head. His father, Soleman Fakir, filed a case with Ullapara Model Police Station against unidentified persons. Police later arrested three suspects who confessed under Section 164 that the killing stemmed from a rivalry over local influence.

After a lengthy trial and examination of evidence, the court found four individuals guilty, sentencing three to life imprisonment and one to a shorter term.

Former minister and Jatiya Party secretary general Mosiur Rahman Ranga suffered a major political setback in the 13th National Parliamentary Election. Contesting from his home constituency Lalmonirhat-1 (Hatibandha-Patgram), he finished fourth with 5,152 votes and lost his electoral deposit under election rules. The unofficial results show BNP candidate Hasan Rajib Pradhan winning with 138,686 votes, followed by Jamaat-e-Islami’s Md. Anwarul Islam Raju with 129,572 votes, and independent candidate Shihab Ahmed with 7,959 votes.

Local voters and analysts attributed Ranga’s collapse to several negative factors. Allegations of taking Tk 1.7 crore in bribes for nomination during the 11th election cycle went viral, damaging his image. His long absence from local engagement, perceived arrogance during campaigning, and controversial role as a former state minister under the ousted Awami League government further eroded public trust. Frequent shifts in political stance and expulsion from the Jatiya Party also alienated supporters.

Ranga, who served as state minister for local government in 2014 and later as opposition chief whip, declined to comment further, saying he had nothing more to seek after 17 years in politics.

The Bangladesh Coast Guard rescued nine fishermen who were stranded in the deep sea near Saint Martin after their fishing boat’s engine failed. The rescue took place on Tuesday, February 17, 2026, as confirmed by Coast Guard media officer Lieutenant Commander Siam-ul-Haq. The incident occurred the previous day, about 10 nautical miles from Saint Martin, when the boat became adrift. The Coast Guard was alerted through the emergency service number 16111.

Following the alert, the Coast Guard vessel ‘Joy Bangla’ launched a special rescue operation in the area. All nine fishermen were found alive and brought to safety along with their boat. They were provided with food and medical assistance before being handed over to the boat’s owner.

Lieutenant Commander Siam-ul-Haq stated that the Coast Guard will continue similar rescue operations in the future to ensure the safety of fishermen at sea.

A court in Karnataka, India, has sentenced three men to death for the gang rape of two women, including an Israeli tourist, and the murder of a local youth. The verdict was delivered on Monday, February 16, 2026. The case stemmed from an incident in March of the previous year in Koppal district, where five tourists were attacked. The victims included two Indian nationals from Maharashtra and Odisha, an American tourist, an Israeli tourist, and the owner of a local homestay.

According to reports, the homestay owner had taken the tourists sightseeing when the accused—Mallesha (Handimalla), Saikumar, and Sharanbasavaraj—blocked their path on motorcycles, citing a financial dispute. The confrontation escalated into violence. The attackers allegedly threw three male members of the group into a canal and raped the two women. One man was killed on the spot after being hit with stones, while another drowned.

The court found the accused guilty of gang rape, murder, attempted murder, robbery, and extortion. Judge Sadananda Nagappa Naik imposed the death penalty under Section 103 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and ordered life imprisonment for the rape convictions.

Law enforcement authorities have arrested Hedayet Ali Shah Fakir, chairman of Itakhola Union Parishad in Nilphamari Sadar upazila, who recently joined the BNP. He was a former vice president of the district Krishak League and had been wanted in multiple murder and sabotage cases. Police detained him from his home in Itakhola village on Tuesday afternoon under the leadership of Officer-in-Charge Zillur Rahman.

According to local sources and case records, Fakir was known as a close associate of former cultural affairs minister Asaduzzaman Noor during the previous autocratic regime. He was accused of attacking opposition agents during the 2018 national election, embezzling money from locals with false job promises, and aiding in the persecution of opposition activists. He was also named in the 2013 Ramganj Tragedy murder case and several cases related to violence and arson during the July 2024 mass uprising.

Police stated that Fakir is being interrogated for information on other violent incidents, and legal proceedings will follow through the court.

A writ petition has been filed in the High Court challenging the validity of the referendum held on February 12 and seeking cancellation of the results announced on February 13. The petition was submitted on Tuesday by Supreme Court lawyer A B M Ataul Majid Touhid in the public interest.

Following the referendum, in which the 'yes' side prevailed, the July National Charter (Constitutional Reform) Implementation Order stipulates that a Constitutional Reform Council should be formed with representatives elected to the 13th National Parliament. According to the order, the elected members are to take oath first as Members of Parliament and then as members of the Reform Council.

However, 209 Members of Parliament elected from the BNP have not taken oath as members of the Constitutional Reform Council, leaving uncertainty about the council’s full formation and the next steps in implementing the constitutional reform process.

United Kingdom Under Secretary Seema Malhotra paid a courtesy call on Bangladesh’s Chief Adviser Dr. Muhammad Yunus on Tuesday at the Jamuna State Guest House in Dhaka. The meeting was confirmed by the Chief Adviser’s Press Wing.

According to the press release, British High Commissioner to Bangladesh Sarah Cook and the Chief Adviser’s Office SDG Chief Coordinator Lamia Morshed were also present during the meeting. The report did not provide details about the topics discussed or any outcomes from the meeting.

The visit reflects ongoing diplomatic engagement between Bangladesh and the United Kingdom, though no further information on the agenda or future cooperation was disclosed in the source.

Police in Dhamoirhat upazila of Naogaon have arrested butcher Md. Entajul, 55, for allegedly slaughtering a dog and attempting to sell its meat as goat meat. Local residents detained him in the Nanai area on Monday night and handed him over to police. Another accused butcher, Dulu Mia, 57, remains at large. The incident occurred early Sunday when the two men reportedly slaughtered a dog in a potato field in the Mangalbari area and tried to sell about 25 kilograms of the meat at the local market.

According to eyewitnesses and police, locals discovered the act and the accused fled, leaving behind the meat. Police later recovered a dog’s head, skin, and the meat from the scene. A case was filed under the Safe Food Act against both suspects for attempting to sell dog meat as goat meat. Entajul was sent to court custody on Tuesday afternoon, while efforts to arrest the other suspect are ongoing.

Authorities said the investigation continues to locate the fugitive accused and ensure legal action under food safety laws.