In recognition of their contributions at the national level, eight prominent figures have been selected for the Independence Award 2025. A government source confirmed on Thursday that an official announcement regarding the recipients will be made soon.

This year’s honorees include:
• M.A.G. Osmani – Chief Commander of the Liberation War
• Prof. Jamal Nazrul Islam – Renowned scientist
• Sir Fazle Hasan Abed – Founder of BRAC
• Badruddin Umar – Writer and intellectual
• Al Mahmud – Eminent poet
• Novera Ahmed – Co-designer of the Central Shaheed Minar
• Azam Khan – The ‘Pop Emperor’ of Bangladesh
• Abrar Fahad – Symbol of resistance against aggression

Cracking down on illegal brick kilns, Adviser Rizwana Hasan stated that there is no room for leniency in environmental crimes. She called on the police and district administrations to take strict action, highlighting that soil is being illegally extracted from agricultural land in Rangpur for brick production. Rizwana emphasized that environmental law (Article 4) mandates government agencies to assist in enforcement efforts. She also urged authorities to launch a weekly crackdown on polythene over the next three months, as it remains a banned product.

Nahid Islam, convenor of the National Consensus Party (NCP), told Reuters in an interview that holding elections this year is not possible due to inadequate security measures. He stated, “Over the past seven months, we had hoped for political, legal, and governance reforms, but expectations have not been met.” While the Chief Adviser has suggested elections could take place by year-end, Nahid stressed that before any election, a unanimous agreement among all political parties based on the July Declaration is essential.

Bangladesh’s Chief Adviser Dr. Muhammad Yunus is set to embark on his first bilateral visit to China, the Foreign Ministry announced on Thursday. He will travel on a special flight arranged by Chinese President Xi Jinping. During the visit, Dr. Yunus will meet with Xi Jinping on March 28. He has also been invited to attend the Boao Forum for Asia, scheduled to take place in Hainan Province from March 25-28. The visit was finalized after Bangladesh gave the green signal following China’s invitation.

In a major crackdown on patient exploitation, law enforcement agencies arrested more than 50 fraudulent agents from Dhaka Medical College Hospital on Wednesday. The joint operation, supported by the National Security Intelligence (NSI), targeted various hospital wards, the pathology department, and surrounding areas. The mobile court caught over 70 agents red-handed, sentencing them to up to three months in jail. The move has brought relief to ordinary patients, particularly low-income individuals, who expressed gratitude for the action against these exploitative intermediaries.

Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) A.M.M. Naser Uddin has reiterated that the Election Commission is firm in its stance to retain control over the National Identity (NID) services. “The NID should remain under the Election Commission, and we will take all necessary measures to ensure that,” he stated. However, he acknowledged that the commission does not have the final decision-making authority on this matter, as the government is still evaluating options for NID services. Meanwhile, the Bangladesh Election Commission Officers’ Association has strongly opposed the government’s plan to transfer NID services elsewhere and has threatened strict protests at the CEC’s office.

After showing signs of recovery, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir was discharged from Gulshan’s United Hospital on Thursday afternoon and returned home. Later in the evening, he is set to attend an Iftar reception at The Westin Dhaka, organized by the party in honor of foreign diplomats. Fakhrul was admitted to the hospital on March 1 after suddenly feeling unwell. He was under the care of cardiology consultant Professor N.A.M. Momenuzzaman during his stay.

The Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) will take strict action against any gatherings or activities by the banned organization Hizb ut-Tahrir, said public relations officer Muhammad Talebur Rahman on Thursday. Hizb ut-Tahrir was officially banned in Bangladesh on October 22, 2009. Under the Anti-Terrorism Act 2009, all activities by banned organizations—including meetings, processions, posters, leaflets, and other forms of propaganda—are punishable offenses. Authorities have warned that any such activities will be met with legal consequences.

In a crackdown on illegal immigration, Malaysian authorities arrested 75 undocumented migrants, including 11 Bangladeshis, in Johor state on Wednesday. Acting on public reports about foreigners working without valid permits, immigration officials raided the Pandan wholesale market, inspecting 20 premises and screening 66 individuals, leading to the arrest of 35 foreign nationals. Later that night, another raid in Bandar Baru Permas Jaya covered nine shop premises, where 64 foreigners were screened, and 40 were taken into custody for further investigation.

A Green Line transport bus caught fire while traveling on the Dhaka-Barishal highway on Thursday morning. The bus was carrying 20 passengers at the time, but fortunately, no one was injured. Fire service officials reported that the fire broke out when the bus reached the South Bamrail area of the highway. All passengers, including the driver, assistant, and supervisor, managed to evacuate before the fire spread. The exact cause of the fire remains unknown.

Dhaka has seen multiple fire incidents in recent days, raising safety concerns. In the past week alone, a fire at a residential hotel in Shahjadpur, Gulshan, claimed four lives. Soon after, major fires broke out at Gabtoli Shahi Mosque slum and Abul slum in Bhashantek. In response, the Bangladesh Army has issued a set of precautionary measures, including enhanced CCTV monitoring, restricted access to high-risk areas, legal actions against suspicious activities, improvements in firefighting infrastructure, and regulations to prevent electrical overload.

Officials of the Election Commission are opposing the government’s plan to transfer National ID (NID) services under a separate commission. In response, they are preparing for protests. Some employees have already gathered outside the office of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) A M M Nasir Uddin to voice their discontent. They warned that if their demands are not met, they will first observe a half-day work stoppage, followed by a full-day strike, and eventually, a nationwide shutdown of Election Commission activities. The government, meanwhile, is working on an ordinance titled “Civil Registration Commission, 2025” to integrate birth registration, NID, and passport services under a unified system.

At least 20 leaders and activists from Nurul Haque’s party have joined the NCP. Nurul Haque claims these leaders were enticed with various promises, including offers of 100 million taka and parliamentary positions. However, NCP’s senior joint convenor, Samanta Sharmin, has dismissed these allegations as entirely false. Additionally, Nur accused NCP of influencing student advisors to resign, raising concerns about its political tactics. Meanwhile, NCP leader Abdul Hannan Masud stated that Nur himself is considering dissolving his party to join a new political platform.

During the July uprising, a group of pro-Awami League artists formed a WhatsApp group called ‘Alo Asbei’ to express their support for Sheikh Hasina. After screenshots from the group were leaked on August 5, many assumed the group had been shut down. However, actress Sohana Saba recently revealed that auto-invites from the group are still being sent out. She has called for public assistance to stop this. The group’s administrators included former MP-actor Ferdous, Riaz, Saju Khadem, and Shamima Tusti, while other members included Zayed Khan, Simon Sadiq, Sujata, Aruna Biswas, Nipun, Shomi Kaiser, Azizul Hakim, Rokeya Prachi, Sweety, Hridi Haque, Ashna Habib Bhabna, Jyotika Jyoti, Sohana Saba, Chandan Reza, Shuvro Dev, Mushfiqur Rahman Gulzar, S.A. Haque Olik, and Khorshed Alam Khasru, among others.

Speaking at a workshop in Rangpur on Thursday morning, Inspector General of Police (IGP) Baharul Islam emphasized that the nation would not forgive if cases related to the July coup are not properly investigated and resolved.

He stressed the need for thorough investigations and fair trials, warning that failure to deliver justice would lead to public dissatisfaction. The IGP also mentioned efforts to restore the honor of the police force by prosecuting and removing officers involved in crimes after August 5. He urged civic society to support the police in this endeavor.