Fuel unloading has started from six ships at Chattogram Port, with four more vessels currently within Bangladesh’s maritime boundary. According to port authorities, the ships are carrying liquefied natural gas (LNG), liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), various fuel oils, and industrial raw materials. Additional four ships are expected to arrive within the week, ensuring that fuel supplies remain stable for the next one and a half months.

Despite the stable supply outlook, port authorities have expressed concerns about possible sabotage attempts targeting fuel-carrying vessels. The Navy and Coast Guard have been instructed to take special measures to secure ships anchored offshore. Officials recalled that after the fall of the fascist government during the August 5, 2024 uprising, four fuel ships were damaged in mysterious explosions.

Currently, fifteen fuel vessels are positioned within the port’s waters, including tankers carrying LPG, LNG, gas, high-sulfur oil, chemicals, crude oil, and diesel. Two tankers from Singapore recently arrived, and three more are scheduled to reach the port by mid-March.

The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) has warned that a closure of the strategically vital Hormuz Strait could lead to a significant rise in global food prices. The organization stated in an analytical report released on Tuesday that such a disruption would increase the cost of living worldwide, with the greatest impact falling on low-income populations.

According to the report, higher energy, fertilizer, and transport costs could drive up food prices, putting marginalized communities under severe pressure. UNCTAD’s data show that the strait is essential for global trade, carrying 38 percent of the world’s crude oil, 29 percent of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), and 19 percent of liquefied natural gas (LNG). It also plays a key role in food security, as one-third of all fertilizer shipped globally passes through this route.

The findings highlight the vulnerability of global supply chains to geopolitical disruptions in critical maritime corridors such as the Hormuz Strait.

The International Energy Agency (IEA) has proposed the largest oil reserve release in its history to stabilize global oil prices, which have surged due to the ongoing conflict involving Iran, the United States, and Israel. The Wall Street Journal reported the proposal on Tuesday, citing relevant officials. According to AFP, the report noted that IEA member countries released 182 million barrels of oil in 2022 following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and the newly proposed release could exceed that amount.

The proposal was presented at an emergency meeting of energy officials from the IEA’s 32 member countries on Tuesday. A final decision on the plan is expected on Wednesday. The move reflects growing concern among member states about the impact of geopolitical tensions on global energy markets.

If approved, the release would mark an unprecedented intervention by the IEA to counteract supply disruptions and price volatility caused by the regional conflict.

The Chattogram Port Authority has requested special security measures from the Navy and Coast Guard to protect 15 fuel-carrying ships currently anchored at various jetties and outer moorings. The request follows concerns that domestic and foreign groups might attempt sabotage amid ongoing instability. Four additional ships are expected to arrive within the week, ensuring sufficient fuel supply for the next one and a half months, according to port officials.

Officials cited past incidents of mysterious explosions on four fuel tankers following the fall of the previous government in August 2024 as a reason for heightened vigilance. The Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC) confirmed that the country currently holds enough LNG, LPG, diesel, and crude oil to meet demand for six weeks. Customs authorities have also been instructed to expedite documentation and berthing processes for incoming tankers.

A coordination meeting involving the Navy, Coast Guard, and port stakeholders has already been held to reinforce security. While no specific sabotage intelligence has been reported, the port authority emphasized that the enhanced measures are precautionary to prevent potential disruptions in the energy sector.

A large-scale joint forces operation in the hilly area of Jungle Salimpur, Sitakunda, Chattogram, began at dawn on Monday but most top criminals escaped beforehand. According to Chattogram Range DIG Ahsan Habib Palash, notorious figures including Md. Yasin, Rokon Member, and Gafur fled through mountain routes before the raid. Despite strict secrecy, the hilly terrain and local networks reportedly helped the criminals receive advance warnings. The operation involved 3,183 law enforcement personnel, three helicopters, 15 APCs, 12 drones, and dog squads. Twelve suspects were detained, and no casualties occurred.

Field investigations revealed at least 11 early warning signals that alerted the criminals, including unusual police movements, social media activity, and helicopter patrols. Local residents said the area’s terrain and communication patterns made full secrecy difficult. Authorities recovered firearms, explosives, CCTV cameras, DVRs, and binoculars used for surveillance. DIG Palash and divisional commissioner Md. Ziauddin said the operation aimed to dismantle the network and restore public safety.

Two temporary police camps have been established in Jungle Salimpur and Alinagar to prevent the criminals from regrouping and to maintain long-term security in the area.

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has filed a chargesheet against former Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal and his wife Lutfun Tahmina, accusing them of acquiring wealth beyond known income sources and laundering money. The chargesheet was submitted following an investigation that revealed assets worth over Tk 20 crore in Tahmina’s name, including both movable and immovable properties. The ACC stated that only Tk 5.22 crore of the total could be justified by legal income, leaving Tk 14.86 crore as unexplained wealth.

Investigators also found suspicious deposits of Tk 6.65 crore in a bank account belonging to a company owned by Tahmina. The ACC alleged that the funds were layered and converted to conceal their illicit origin, bringing the total laundered amount to Tk 21.52 crore. The charges were filed under sections of the ACC Act 2004, the Prevention of Corruption Act 1947, and the Money Laundering Prevention Act 2012.

The report added that Kamal fled to India after the government’s fall in August 2024 and was later sentenced to death by the War Crimes Tribunal for alleged attacks during the July movement.

A man named Sekandar Ali, aged 32, was hacked to death in Dhaka’s Shantibag area after reportedly trying to stop drug use. The incident occurred late Monday night, when he was attacked with sharp weapons and taken to Dhaka Medical College Hospital, where doctors declared him dead.

According to his brother Amir Ali, Sekandar lived in the Rampura area with his wife and three children and earned his living by driving an autorickshaw. Relatives alleged that the attackers, identified as local drug dealers including Mamun alias Bullet Mamun and his brother-in-law Hannan, had previously been confronted by Sekandar for their drug activities. They allegedly ambushed him following the earlier dispute.

Inspector Md Faruk of the Dhaka Medical College Hospital police camp confirmed that the body bore multiple sharp weapon injuries and was sent for autopsy. Police have begun an investigation into the killing.

A Dhaka court recorded the confessional statement of Mohammad Nuruzzaman Mithu, one of the accused in the case filed over the rape of a college student in a launch cabin. The statement was recorded on Tuesday, March 10, 2026, by Metropolitan Magistrate Siddiq Azad. On the same day, the court granted a five-day remand for the other accused, Mohammad Sakib Uddin.

Both accused were produced before the court earlier in the day. Nuruzzaman voluntarily agreed to give a confessional statement, after which the investigating officer, Inspector Mohammad Mashiul Alam of Kotwali Police Station, applied to record it. The officer also sought a seven-day remand for Sakib, but the court approved five days. The case was filed by the victim’s brother at Kotwali Police Station on Monday night.

According to the case details, the 17-year-old college student was raped on Sunday while traveling on the Farhan-4 launch from Hatiya’s Tamruddin terminal to Dhaka. The investigation into the incident is ongoing under police supervision.

A madrasa student was allegedly abducted and tortured overnight in Sherpur upazila of Bogura district, reportedly over a dispute related to a badminton game. The 13-year-old victim, identified as Swapnil, was taken from in front of a local hotel on Thursday night, held for seven hours, stripped, beaten, and filmed. The attackers also cut his hair and demanded 50,000 taka from his family. After the assault, his family rescued him and admitted him to Sherpur Upazila Health Complex.

Local residents identified several suspects aged between 17 and 26, including individuals named Sad, Sufian, Alvi, Siam, and Jayen. Police confirmed that one suspect, Alvi, was detained after angry locals surrounded an office where the accused were believed to be hiding and handed him over to law enforcement.

The incident has sparked widespread outrage in the area, prompting police involvement and community demands for justice.

Two farmers abducted early Monday morning in Ramu upazila of Cox’s Bazar were rescued later the same day in a joint operation by police and local residents. According to police sources, around 4:50 a.m. in Eidgarh Union’s Dhumshakata area, unidentified abductors took Mahmudul Haque, 47, and Syed Kasim, 42, while they were guarding a paddy field from elephant attacks. The victims were reportedly taken deep into a hilly area.

Following the abduction, under the direction of the district police superintendent, Ramu Police Station’s Officer-in-Charge Monirul Islam Bhuiyan led a daylong search operation with support from the Eidgarh police camp and local residents. Around 7:30 p.m. the same day, the two farmers were found unharmed in a remote hilly region of Dhumshakata.

Police stated that the rescued individuals were handed over to their families after completing necessary legal procedures. Efforts to identify and arrest the abductors are continuing.

Prime Minister Tareq Rahman will inaugurate a nationwide program for the excavation and re-excavation of rivers, canals, and water bodies on March 16. The launch event will take place in Kaharol upazila of Dinajpur district, as confirmed by State Minister for Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Mir Shahe Alam after a meeting with the Prime Minister on March 10.

According to the state minister, the initiative will be formally launched in 54 other districts on the same day, with local ministers and members of parliament leading the events alongside local administrations. The program is designed as a four-year project aimed at excavating 20,000 kilometers of canals, in line with the Prime Minister’s electoral pledge.

The announcement underscores the government’s focus on improving water management and rural infrastructure through large-scale excavation efforts across the country.

The government has launched the Family Card program to strengthen the economic position and confidence of women-led households, with mobile financial service Nagad playing a key role in fund distribution. Prime Minister Tarek Rahman inaugurated the initiative on Tuesday morning at Karail slum, where 6,451 families across 13 districts received a total of Tk 16.2 million through Nagad in the pilot phase.

The program, a pre-election pledge, aims to provide Tk 2,500 monthly financial assistance to poor families in various districts and city corporation areas. Initially, it is being implemented in 15 wards across city corporations, municipalities, and unions in 13 districts. Data from 51,805 families were collected, followed by field verification to prevent duplicate or ineligible beneficiaries, such as government employees or pensioners.

Priority is given to women-headed families to enhance the financial capacity of marginalized women. Officials from Nagad expressed gratitude to the government for selecting the service to distribute funds under this flagship initiative, which is expected to improve living standards for low-income households.

India has imposed strict controls on natural and cooking gas supplies due to disruptions in liquefied natural gas (LNG) shipments caused by the ongoing war involving Iran, Israel, and the United States. The directive, issued by the Indian Ministry of Energy, aims to ensure balanced distribution and uninterrupted supply to priority sectors. Restaurant owners have expressed concern that the restrictions could force widespread closures across the country.

According to the ministry’s order, LNG supply will prioritize households, the transport sector, and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) production. Other sectors such as fertilizer and tea industries will receive only 70 to 80 percent of their usual gas demand, depending on availability. To offset the shortfall, gas supplies to petrochemical plants and power stations will be reduced partially or entirely.

Several Indian industries, including ceramics and tiles, have already reported reduced gas supply affecting production. Restaurants and hotels across India fear operational disruptions as the government continues to prioritize domestic gas use amid the Middle East conflict.

Fuel traders in Sylhet have withdrawn their strike that was called following an attack and stabbing of a petrol pump employee in the city. The decision was announced at a press conference on Tuesday at the divisional office of the Bangladesh Petroleum Dealers, Distributors, Agents and Petrol Pump Owners Association. Leaders said the strike was lifted after authorities assured them of swift justice for the attackers and improved security for pump workers and establishments.

The association leaders criticized the Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation’s (BPC) new marketing policy, which they said reduces fuel supply by 25 percent compared to the average volume lifted between March and June of the previous year. They argued that despite adequate octane and petrol production from Sylhet’s gas field condensate, the policy has disrupted normal supply to pumps, causing public anger and occasional clashes.

The traders warned that unless the policy is revised, they would keep pumps open but suspend fuel lifting from depots, potentially hampering marketing operations.

Police in Naogaon have uncovered the mystery behind the murder of Mitu Banu, 40 days after her death, and arrested four young men in connection with the case. Superintendent of Police Mohammad Tarikul Islam announced the arrests at the police media cell on Tuesday afternoon. The detainees were identified as Jahan Ali, Samidul, Sujjat, and Rentu Islam, all from Naogaon Sadar upazila. The arrests were made over the past three days through operations in different parts of the city.

According to police, the body of an unidentified young woman was found on January 26 in a septic tank at a house in Bil Bhabanipur village. The victim was later identified as Mitu Banu, a resident of Naogaon town. Investigators used artificial intelligence, information technology analysis, and secret intelligence to track down the suspects. Jahan Ali was first arrested on March 7 and confessed in court, leading to the subsequent arrests of the others.

Police said the suspects had taken Mitu to a deserted house for immoral activities, where a dispute over money led to her death. The body was later hidden in a septic tank. All four suspects have been sent to jail.