The ongoing conflict surrounding Iran has sparked fears of a new wave of inflation in the United Kingdom, according to a report citing Al Jazeera. The impact is already visible in European stock markets, with the UK's FTSE 100 index dropping by about 200 points, or roughly 2 percent, and Germany's DAX index falling by around 2.3 percent.

Market analysts suggest that investors are now factoring in the possibility of interest rate hikes due to inflation concerns. The Bank of England is expected to make decisions on this matter in the coming weeks or months. Higher interest rates would make borrowing more expensive for both businesses and homeowners.

Since the crisis began, yields on UK government bonds have also risen significantly, raising concerns that the government’s day-to-day financial management could become more difficult.

West Bengal Police have filed a case against two Bangladeshi nationals, Faisal Karim Masud and Alamgir Hossain, for illegal entry into India after their arrest in connection with the murder of Sharif Osman Hadi, convener of Inquilab Manch. The two were detained near Bongaon, close to the India-Bangladesh border, and were found without Indian identification documents. They have been remanded to 14 days of police custody following their court appearance.

A police officer told BBC Bangla that the decision to hand over the suspects to Bangladesh does not fall under the jurisdiction of the state police. The Bangladeshi Deputy High Commission in Kolkata has requested consular access to meet the detainees through the Indian government. The officer added that, given the sensitive and serious nature of the case, the process could be completed swiftly through administrative cooperation between the two countries.

Preliminary interrogation revealed that the suspects fled Bangladesh after Hadi’s killing and entered India illegally through the Meghalaya border. Police are investigating whether others were involved in the illegal entry.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has expressed concern that rising energy prices caused by the ongoing war could affect Germany’s economy. Speaking at a press conference, Merz said his government is worried about the current energy price situation and acknowledged the potential economic consequences for the country.

During his visit to the White House last week, Merz had expressed support for the joint U.S.-Israeli military actions against Iran. At the same time, he expressed hope that the conflict would end soon, noting that the war is having a negative impact on the global economy.

The statement reflects Germany’s growing anxiety over the broader economic fallout of the conflict and its potential to disrupt energy markets and economic stability.

Noor Banu Kabir from Dinajpur has been honored with the 'Best Indomitable Woman' award by the Ministry of Women and Children Affairs. The award was presented by President Md. Shahabuddin at a ceremony held at the Osmani Memorial Auditorium in Dhaka on the occasion of International Women’s Day. She received the award in the 'Successful Mother' category, having earlier been recognized at the Rangpur divisional level.

Eighty-six-year-old Noor Banu Kabir, wife of freedom fighter Alhaj Mohammad Humayun Kabir of Balubari, Dinajpur, was born in Lalpur village of the then undivided Dinajpur district. Despite studying only up to the sixth grade, she dedicated her life to ensuring her ten children received higher education and became established in their careers. Among them, seven earned postgraduate degrees, one completed graduation, and two studied up to the intermediate level.

Her children now serve in various professions, including teaching, journalism, government service, and agriculture, reflecting her lifelong commitment to education and perseverance.

Information Minister Zahir Uddin Swapan stated that modern journalism cannot thrive under outdated structures and emphasized the government's goal to establish an international standard of journalism in Bangladesh. Speaking as the chief guest at the Dhaka Sub-Editors Council’s iftar event at the National Press Club on March 9, he said that the government will ensure full media freedom and formulate necessary policies through discussions with journalists.

Swapan noted that while the government envisions complete media freedom, it must not lead to chaos. He added that the government will not tolerate media owners who fail to pay journalists’ salaries. He also stressed that only thoughtful individuals should remain in the journalism profession and announced that a comprehensive policy will be introduced soon.

The event was presided over by Dhaka Sub-Editors Council President Muktadir Anik and conducted by General Secretary Jawhar Iqbal, with additional remarks from leaders of the Dhaka Journalists Union.

Bangladesh Bank has directed all banks to ensure adequate cash availability in ATM booths across the country ahead of the upcoming Eid-ul-Fitr. The central bank’s Payment Systems Department issued a circular on Monday instructing scheduled banks, mobile financial service providers, and payment service institutions to maintain uninterrupted operations of all digital transaction systems, including point of sale (POS), e-payment gateways, and mobile financial services.

The circular emphasized that ATMs must remain operational at all times, with technical issues resolved promptly and security guards kept on alert. Banks were also instructed to ensure continuous POS services for customer convenience and to raise awareness among merchants and clients to prevent fraud. For e-payment gateways, the use of two-factor authentication in both card-based and account-based transactions was mandated.

Mobile financial service providers such as bKash, Rocket, and Nagad were asked to guarantee uninterrupted transactions and to notify customers via SMS for every transaction, regardless of amount.

Former Pakistan fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar has sharply criticized India’s growing dominance in world cricket following their one-sided victory over New Zealand in the T20 World Cup final. Despite India’s commanding performance in both batting and bowling that secured a 96-run win and their record third title, Akhtar argued that such dominance is detrimental to the sport. Speaking on the Pakistani streaming show ‘Game On Hai’ after the match, he compared India’s control over cricket to a wealthy child dictating the outcome of a neighborhood game.

Akhtar claimed that India’s influence allows it to shape tournaments to its advantage, suggesting that this imbalance undermines fair competition. His remarks quickly spread across social media, sparking widespread debate among cricket fans. Many observers interpreted his comments as a reaction of frustration or disappointment following India’s triumph.

The discussion reflects ongoing tensions in international cricket over power distribution and competitive equity, issues that continue to draw attention after India’s latest global success.

Myanmar’s military junta secretly imported jet fuel from Iran in three separate shipments before the outbreak of war involving the United States and Israel, according to a report by Japan-based Nikkei Asia citing internal sources. The shipments were delivered to the Myan Oil terminal near Yangon’s Thilawa Port, previously known as Puma, which serves as a jet fuel storage facility. Documents reviewed by Nikkei showed that the supplier vessel, MV Reef, falsely declared Iraq as the fuel’s origin. The ship, capable of carrying 18,376 tons or about 146,000 barrels of fuel, was suited for Yangon’s shallow waterways.

Sources told Nikkei that the junta imported an unusually large volume of jet fuel to sustain its military operations amid the ongoing civil conflict. Former State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi’s ex-adviser, Australian economist Sean Turnell, confirmed the Iranian fuel supply as genuine and significant. He noted that Myanmar’s foreign reserves remain strained, and rising global fuel prices following the Iran war could deplete the junta’s surplus used for purchasing weapons from Russia, leaving it without a key supplier.

The report suggests Myanmar may now need to seek alternative fuel sources as sanctions and price surges intensify.

Figure has unveiled a new demonstration of its humanoid system Helix 02, showing the robot autonomously tidying a living room. The system, released a little over a month ago, controls its full body directly from visual input and performs long-horizon tasks without specialized programming. In this latest test, Helix 02 navigates through a cluttered living room while manipulating objects, tools, and containers, performing coordinated actions such as cleaning surfaces, handling flexible items, and reorganizing objects.

The demonstration highlights Helix 02’s ability to integrate locomotion, dexterity, and sensing through a single neural architecture. The robot learned new behaviors—like wiping surfaces, tossing pillows, and pressing remote buttons—simply by adding data, without new algorithms or task-specific engineering. Each action combines movement and manipulation in a constantly changing environment, reflecting the complexity of real household tasks.

According to Figure, Helix 02’s expanding skill set represents progress toward scalable humanoid intelligence, where one general-purpose model can learn and perform a broad range of everyday activities in homes and workplaces.

Chattogram Range Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Ahsan Habib Palash stated that cannons would be deployed if necessary to ensure security in Jungle Salimpur. He announced that two permanent checkpoints would be established in the area, each equipped with necessary police weapons. The DIG made the remarks on Monday afternoon at the entrance of Jungle Salimpur while briefing reporters about the ongoing joint security operation.

According to the DIG, the joint operation began at 6 a.m. Monday with participation from the army, police, Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), and Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB). By noon, 15 individuals had been detained, though none were identified as major suspects. The main accused in a RAB officer murder case, Yasin, reportedly escaped before the operation began. A total of 3,057 personnel from multiple forces took part, and two camps—one for police and one for RAB—have been established to maintain security.

The DIG urged the divisional commissioner and administration to expedite implementation of development plans for the large area, emphasizing continued law enforcement presence and regular searches from the new camps.

Anthropic has introduced Code Review for Claude Code, a new agent team-based system designed to perform in-depth reviews on every pull request. The feature, now available in research preview for Team and Enterprise users, deploys multiple agents to identify, verify, and rank bugs by severity. Each review produces a concise summary comment and detailed in-line notes, aiming to catch issues that human reviewers might overlook. The system scales its depth based on the size and complexity of the code changes, with an average review time of about 20 minutes.

According to Anthropic, the internal use of Code Review has significantly increased the proportion of pull requests receiving substantive feedback. The company reports that the tool has helped detect critical bugs before merging, including issues that could have caused major service disruptions. Early access users have also reported similar benefits, with the system uncovering latent bugs in existing codebases.

Code Review is positioned as a more thorough but costlier alternative to the existing Claude Code GitHub Action. Reviews are billed based on token usage, typically ranging from $15 to $25 per review, with administrative controls available to manage spending.

X has announced a new feature that allows users to listen to long-form articles within the app, using the voice of xAI’s Grok artificial intelligence chatbot. The articles will now include a “Listen” button, enabling audio playback both while scrolling through X and when switching to other apps through background play. The feature aims to make it easier for users to consume lengthy content and help creators reach wider audiences.

The update is part of X’s broader strategy to attract content creators and boost exclusive, in-depth posts on the platform. X is particularly focused on long-form content because such material provides richer data for its xAI projects, which use information shared on X to improve AI outputs. Grok, xAI’s main product, relies on language understanding and real-time insights drawn from X discussions.

According to X’s head of product Nikita Bier, X Articles have grown 18 times over the past three months. The company has also incentivized creators with a $1 million prize for top-performing articles, underscoring its push to expand long-form content and strengthen its AI ecosystem.

Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC) has requested the Energy and Mineral Resources Division to deploy the army at key fuel depots across the country, citing fears of unrest due to fuel shortages. The appeal follows disruptions in fuel imports and distribution caused by the ongoing war in the Middle East. The government has introduced rationing and reduced fuel supply from depots by 25 percent, triggering public anxiety and hoarding in some areas.

According to BPC’s letter, depots in Chattogram’s Patenga, Khulna’s Daulatpur, Sirajganj’s Baghabari, Narayanganj’s Godnail and Fatullah, Dinajpur’s Parbatipur, and Barishal are considered at risk. The corporation emphasized that these depots are key point installations requiring urgent security measures. Meanwhile, the Cabinet Division has instructed district administrations to conduct mobile courts to ensure uninterrupted fuel supply, while central and regional monitoring cells have been established.

Mobile courts in Dhaka have already intervened at several petrol stations found hoarding or halting sales. The government has urged citizens to conserve energy and issued five directives promoting reduced electricity use, avoidance of decorative lighting, and increased reliance on public transport.

Bangladesh Bank has simplified the process for foreign investors to repatriate funds from share transfers and sales in unlisted public and private companies. According to a circular issued on Sunday, investors can now send up to Tk 100 crore abroad without prior central bank approval, a tenfold increase from the previous Tk 10 crore limit. The decision aims to attract more foreign investment by reducing procedural delays and increasing flexibility for non-resident investors.

The new directive allows banks to approve repatriations independently if the transaction value is within Tk 100 crore and based on fair value determined by an independent valuer. Transactions exceeding this limit can also be processed by banks if they do not surpass the company’s latest audited net asset value. For small transactions up to Tk 1 crore, no independent valuation report is required. Banks must form internal committees led by senior executives to ensure transparency and compliance.

The circular aligns valuation methods with International Valuation Standards 2025 and sets strict timelines, requiring banks to complete fund transfers within five working days if no irregularities are found. All completed transactions must be reported to Bangladesh Bank within 14 days.

Representatives of civil society have called on the government to pass the National Human Rights Commission Ordinance 2025 in parliament without any amendments. The appeal was made on Monday during a discussion between newly appointed commissioners and civil society members at the commission’s conference room.

During the meeting, Transparency International Bangladesh Executive Director Iftekharuzzaman said the ordinance provides sufficient authority for human rights protection and should be enacted unchanged. He urged the commission to take initiatives for the rights of women, minorities, and persons with disabilities, and to develop a comprehensive action plan for addressing human rights violations. CPD Fellow Dr. Debapriya Bhattacharya expressed hope that the commission would work independently and emphasized the need for an ombudsman and anti-discrimination law. ALRD Executive Director Shamsul Huda also supported passing the ordinance intact.

Commission Chairperson Justice Moinul Islam Chowdhury stated that the commissioners are committed to working sincerely and courageously within the law. He added that a strong, independent, and credible commission is vital for the nation’s interest and could help Bangladesh achieve ‘A’ status soon.