Bangladesh Export Processing Zones Authority (BEPZA) Executive Chairman Major General Mohammad Moazzem Hossain paid a courtesy call on Prime Minister Tarique Rahman on Monday, March 8, 2026, at the Cabinet Division in the Secretariat. The meeting took place amid a significant political and economic context for Bangladesh.

During the meeting, the BEPZA chairman briefed the Prime Minister on the overall operations of the country’s eight export processing zones, ongoing development projects, and strategies to attract new investments. The discussion was described as important for advancing the government’s economic vision and promoting industrial growth.

The meeting underscored BEPZA’s role in supporting the government’s broader economic goals, particularly in enhancing industrialization and foreign investment opportunities across Bangladesh.

A large-scale joint operation began early Monday in Jungle Salimpur and surrounding areas of Sitakunda, Chattogram, aimed at suppressing terrorism and recovering illegal weapons. According to police officials, ten suspected terrorists have been arrested so far, and the operation remains ongoing. The drive, initiated under the directive of the Ministry of Home Affairs, involves police, Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), and army personnel.

More than 4,000 members of law enforcement agencies are participating across the district, with over 3,000 deployed specifically in Jungle Salimpur. The hilly and remote area has long been alleged to harbor armed groups and fugitives. Authorities said the operation was planned based on intelligence following several recent incidents, including efforts to capture suspects in the murder case of RAB officer Abdul Motaleb Bhuiyan.

Police officials stated that a permanent security camp may be established in the area to maintain law and order. Checkposts have been set up to block escape routes, and the Bayezid–Faujdarhat Link Road has been closed during the operation.

Detective police in Jhenaidah detained seven leaders and activists of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement late on Monday, March 9, 2026. The arrests followed allegations of setting fire to three buses and vandalizing the Srijoni Filling Station in connection with the killing of student leader Al Miraj Nirab. The detainees include district convener Saidur Rahman, member secretary Ashiqur Rahman Jibon, senior joint convener Toufiq Hasan, joint convener Antor Mahmud, ‘The Red July’ convener Abu Hasnat Tanaim, and former joint convener Humayun Kabir. One detainee’s identity remains unknown.

According to a police source, the arrests took place in the Beparipara and Poyra Chattar areas of Jhenaidah town. The incidents occurred after Nirab was allegedly beaten to death on March 7 at the Taj Filling Station over a fuel purchase dispute. Police officials declined to comment, but Detective Branch Officer-in-Charge Sabbirul Alam confirmed the arrests in connection with the arson and vandalism case.

Separately, Nirab’s father filed a murder case naming four individuals and several unidentified suspects. Three people already in RAB-6 custody were shown arrested in the murder case.

A seven-year-old boy named Sujit Barman died after being electrocuted by a decorative lighting wire at a wedding house in Tahirpur, Sunamganj. The incident occurred around 7 a.m. on Monday in Khalahati village of Tahirpur Sadar Union, near the local police station. Sujit was the son of Satyamoy Barman, a resident of the same village.

According to police and local sources, the wedding ceremony of Priya Barman, niece of Anil Barman, was being held at Anil’s house. Decorative lights had been installed around the house for the event. On Monday morning, Sujit accidentally touched one of the electric wires and was electrocuted, dying on the spot. Parts of his body were reportedly burned.

Sub-Inspector Nazmul Islam of Tahirpur Police Station said preliminary findings indicate the child’s death resulted from contact with the electric wire used for wedding decorations. Authorities are investigating the incident and taking necessary legal steps.

A bomb exploded outside the residence of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani during a protest, according to the New York Police Department (NYPD). The incident occurred outside Gracie Mansion, where right-wing and anti-Muslim demonstrators led by activist Jack Lang gathered, leading to clashes with counter-protesters. Police said two individuals have been taken into custody.

At a press conference on March 8, NYPD officials confirmed that the recovered device was not a simple smoke bomb but an active explosive made with TATP, packed with nuts, bolts, screws, and metal fragments to increase its destructive power. Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch stated that an 18-year-old protester threw the burning device toward a police barricade and attempted to use a second one before being detained with an accomplice, both residents of Pennsylvania.

Mayor Mamdani and his wife, Rama Duwaji, were not at home during the incident. In a statement, the mayor condemned the attack as hateful and deplorable, emphasizing that violence cannot be a form of protest and that such acts violate the city’s values.

A 16-year-old auto-rickshaw driver named Shanto Kumar Saha was killed while attempting to prevent a hijacking in Feni. The incident occurred on Sunday night near Lalpol area of the Dhaka-Chattogram highway. According to witnesses, unidentified hijackers assaulted Shanto and threw him under a culvert beside the road. When he tried to chase them, they pushed him onto the highway, where he was fatally struck by a moving vehicle. Police from Feni Model Station recovered his body and sent it to Feni General Hospital for autopsy.

Shanto, son of Kanu Kumar Saha from Hakdi village in Baligaon Union, had been waiting with his auto-rickshaw near Miyaji Filling Station before iftar. Family members began searching for him after losing contact in the evening. Relatives said CCTV footage from the area could help identify the attackers. Additional Superintendent of Police Nishat Tabassum confirmed that the case is being investigated seriously.

Police stated that details will be known after the investigation concludes.

A large-scale joint operation began early Monday in Jungle Salimpur of Sitakunda, Chattogram, aimed at arresting criminals and recovering illegal weapons. Around 3,000 members of law enforcement agencies took part in the raid, which has already led to several arrests. However, reports suggest that top criminal Md. Yasin, accused in the murder of RAB officer Abdul Motaleb Bhuiyan, fled the area disguised in a burqa before the operation began, using a secret route through the hills.

According to sources, the operation is focused on apprehending suspects in the RAB officer murder case, including Yasin, Nurul Haque Bhandari, and Faruk. Security forces have divided into multiple teams to search the hilly terrain and residential areas, setting up checkpoints to block escape routes. The area’s complex geography, with narrow paths and dense vegetation, has made the operation challenging.

Local accounts indicate that Yasin has long controlled Jungle Salimpur and nearby Alinagar, where he allegedly profited from illegal land trading and extortion. The ongoing operation follows years of violent clashes and previous raids that failed to capture key suspects.

Motorcycle influencer Karla Thaynnara Nogueira, 25, died after being thrown from her bike and run over by a truck on a highway in Brazil’s capital, Brasilia, around 8 a.m. Tuesday. Police said the truck driver tried to avoid her but was unable to. Nogueira, a mother of a seven-year-old daughter, was pronounced dead at the scene.

Her father, Jose Carlos Andrade Nogueira, a former police officer, came upon the crash site and discovered his daughter’s body. Overcome with grief, he died by suicide shortly afterward, according to police. Tributes in Portuguese have since appeared on Karla’s Instagram account, where she had nearly 60,000 followers and frequently posted fitness and motorcycle-related content.

Authorities are investigating the crash. The influencer and her father are scheduled to be buried today. Karla’s final social media post, a workout video, was uploaded two weeks before her death.

Four people were killed when Indonesia’s largest landfill collapsed on Sunday afternoon, burying a truck and a food stall near Bantar Gebang, about 25 kilometers from Jakarta. At least five others remain missing as rescue teams continue searching the debris using heavy machinery and tracking dogs, according to the national search and rescue agency.

Local media reported that several hours of heavy rain preceded the collapse. The Bantar Gebang landfill, covering more than 110 hectares, holds an estimated 55 million tons of waste from the greater Jakarta area, home to around 42 million people producing roughly 14,000 tons of garbage daily. Environment Minister Hanif Faisal Nurofik blamed local authorities for allowing waste accumulation despite a 2008 ban on open dumping.

President Prabowo Subianto recently stated that most Indonesian landfills are being phased out but warned they will exceed capacity by 2028. The government plans to invest $3.5 billion in 34 waste-to-energy plants within two years to address the growing waste crisis.

Three people were killed and two others injured in a collision between a CNG-run autorickshaw and a locally made van in Bagha upazila of Rajshahi on Monday morning. The accident occurred around 7 a.m., leaving the autorickshaw driver Shariful Islam, passenger Bidhan Das, and passenger Rokeya Begum dead. The injured, Shahajan Ali and Seema Begum, were first taken to the upazila health complex and later transferred to Rajshahi Medical College Hospital, where doctors said their condition was critical.

A witness, Alomgir Hossain, said heavy fog in the morning reduced visibility, causing the vehicles to collide head-on. Two people died on the spot, and another died on the way to the hospital. Police from Bagha station recovered the bodies and brought them to the station for further procedures.

According to police, the autorickshaw was traveling from Lalpur toward Bagha with five passengers when the collision occurred. Authorities are investigating the incident.

Global oil prices have risen sharply as the conflict in the Middle East intensifies. Brent crude reached $108.77 per barrel on March 9, 2026, marking the highest single-day increase since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. The price had already climbed 28 percent the previous week.

The surge follows continued warfare between the United States, Israel, and Iran, which has severely disrupted shipping through the vital Strait of Hormuz. This chokepoint is crucial for the global flow of oil and natural gas. According to JP Morgan’s chief economist Bruce Kasman, the world economy remains heavily dependent on energy supplies passing through this region.

Kasman also indicated that oil prices could soon approach $120 per barrel if the current disruptions persist, underscoring the vulnerability of global markets to geopolitical tensions in the Middle East.

Inspector General of Police (IGP) Ali Hossain Fakir announced that two suspects arrested in India in connection with the murder of Inquilab Moncho convener Sharif Osman Hadi will be brought back to Bangladesh soon through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He made the statement on Monday morning during a press briefing at the police headquarters’ media cell on Gani Road in Dhaka.

According to the Inter-Services Public Relations Directorate (ISPR), the repatriation process for the two suspects has already begun. Based on intelligence from the Directorate General of Forces Intelligence (DGFI), the suspects—Rahul alias Faisal Karim Masud (37) and Alomgir Hossain (34)—were arrested in the Bongaon area of West Bengal, India. The IGP also mentioned that lists of extortionists, armed criminals, and those involved in mob violence are being prepared, with operations to begin soon.

He further stated that developing a magistracy system within police stations could help resolve issues more quickly and emphasized the goal of establishing zero-complaint police stations to strengthen public trust.

A Dhaka court is set to deliver its verdict today in a case against singer and Bangladesh Cricket Board director Asif Akbar, accused of possessing four bottles of foreign tequila without a license. The judgment will be announced by Judge Ayesha Akhtar Mausumi of the Second Additional Metropolitan Sessions Judge’s Court in Dhaka.

According to the case details, Asif Akbar was arrested on June 6, 2018, from the office of ARB Entertainment in Tejgaon during an ICT-related case. Police allegedly found four bottles of illegal tequila in his office, which were later sent to the Department of Narcotics Control for testing. CID’s cyber investigation unit filed the case on July 23, 2019, and submitted a charge sheet on October 13, 2019.

The court framed charges on November 25, 2024, and three witnesses testified during the trial. The verdict marks the conclusion of a legal process that began nearly seven years after the initial arrest.

The final day of advance train ticket sales for Eid-ul-Fitr travelers begins today, Monday, March 9, according to Bangladesh Railway. Tickets for March 19 train journeys are being sold, with sales for western intercity trains starting at 8 a.m. and for eastern intercity trains at 2 p.m. The schedule was set during a preparatory meeting at the Railway Bhaban ahead of the Eid travel rush.

The advance ticket sales process, which began on March 3, concludes today after tickets for March 13–18 were sold in phases. Railway authorities stated that decisions regarding ticket sales for March 20, 21, and 22 will be made later, depending on the moon sighting. Each passenger can purchase tickets only once and for up to four seats, with no refund option available.

To accommodate passenger demand, the railway has allowed the collection of 25 percent standing tickets for non-AC coaches from the originating station before departure.

Bangladesh’s stock market has continued to decline sharply even after the formation of a new government, with the Dhaka Stock Exchange’s main index DSEX dropping 223 points, or 4.42 percent, on Sunday to fall back to 5,000 points. The market had initially surged following a peaceful national election, but optimism quickly faded as sustained sell-offs and liquidity shortages returned.

Market participants attribute the downturn to investor panic triggered by the ongoing Middle East conflict and a long-standing crisis of confidence. Former BSEC chairman Faruq Ahmad Siddiqi said panic selling has intensified due to war fears, though he noted that the scale of the decline in Bangladesh is abnormal compared to other countries. He also pointed to structural weaknesses, including a shortage of strong companies and low financial literacy among traders.

Investor groups expressed frustration over the lack of change in the securities regulator after the new BNP-led government took office. Current BSEC chairman Khondkar Rashed Maksud defended the commission’s record, citing reforms and efforts to attract quality listings. However, with few new companies entering the market and many existing ones in poor standing, analysts warn recovery will be difficult without fresh investment.