Hefazat-e-Islam Bangladesh has urged the government to take effective measures against interest-based financial practices, bribery, obscenity, pornography, and immoral activities during Ramadan. The organization’s Secretary General, Maulana Sajidur Rahman, called for the closure of hotels and restaurants during daylight hours and urged authorities to control the prices of essential commodities. Emphasizing the sanctity of Ramadan, he appealed to the government to monitor markets throughout the month to ease public hardship. He also extended his solidarity with oppressed Muslims in Gaza and Sudan.

Police recovered the hanging body of former Assistant Attorney General Titus Hillol Rema (55) from his residence in Dhaka’s Kalabagan area on Saturday. He served under the Awami League government from 2009 to 2014. His wife stated that he had been suffering from depression and had been taking sleeping pills for a week. On Saturday morning, his daughters found him unresponsive. Police have sent his body to Dhaka Medical College Hospital for an autopsy. Authorities suspect suicide but await official confirmation.

The ongoing nationwide joint operation, “Devil Hunt,” has led to the arrest of 569 more individuals. Including other recent raids, the total number of arrests has reached 1,231. According to police headquarters, over 13,000 people have been arrested since the operation began on February 8. In the last 24 hours, law enforcement has seized two locally made single-barrel shotguns, 10 rounds of ammunition, 62 grams of gunpowder, three machetes, a metal cleaver, a dagger, two iron rods, and a wooden club.

Russia carried out 154 drone strikes on Ukraine overnight, with Kharkiv suffering the most damage. Two civilians were killed, and several others were injured. Ukraine’s emergency services reported fires in at least four locations in Kharkiv, including residential areas, shops, a shopping mall, and a gas station. A three-story hospital was destroyed, but rescue teams managed to pull 63 survivors—56 of them women and children—from the rubble. Kyiv claimed that its air defenses intercepted 103 drones, while 51 drones failed to hit their intended targets.

Following claims on Facebook that buses transporting National Citizen Party (NCP) members from Pirojpur to their launch event in Dhaka were requisitioned by the government, Shafiqul Alam dismissed the allegations as exaggerated. He clarified that the government had no role in arranging transportation. According to him, local leaders requested the Deputy Commissioner (DC) to provide transportation for two families affected by the July incidents of injury and death. In response, five vehicles were arranged, but neither rent nor fuel costs were covered by the government. He accused the media of overblowing the issue.

Former Supreme Court Justice AHM Shamsuddin Choudhury Manik and retired Rear Admiral Mohammad Sohail were interrogated at the jail gate regarding the 2012 murder of journalists Sagar Sarowar and Meherun Runi. A high-powered task force conducted the questioning, and the information provided is being verified. The investigation, initially handled by police, DB, and RAB, is now under PBI. Despite a decade passing, no conclusive report has been submitted, with 115 extensions granted. The High Court has set April 6 for the next hearing.

Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus emphasized that the holy month of Ramadan provides a unique opportunity for self-purification through restraint, seeking Allah’s pleasure and forgiveness. In a message marking Ramadan, he extended greetings to the nation and the global Muslim community, highlighting the role of fasting in promoting compassion, harmony, and brotherhood. He urged people to renounce indulgence, envy, and conflict while embracing patience and moderation. He also encouraged increased Quran recitation and worship, praying for peace and divine blessings for all.

Dhaka Metropolitan Police’s Detective Branch (DB) will launch an “all-out action” against known criminal gangs in the city, according to Additional Commissioner Rezaul Karim Mallik. He emphasized a zero-tolerance policy for all crimes, big or small. Given the increase in financial transactions during Ramadan, DB officers will conduct undercover surveillance to maintain law and order. Mallik noted that recent incidents of robbery and snatching involved criminals aged 15-30, many of whom were influenced by incitement from fallen fascists.

Dr. Muhammad Mofizur Rahman, coordinator of the Inter-Cadre Disparity Resolution Council, announced that 25 cadres will observe a full-day strike nationwide on Sunday. Only emergency services will remain operational. The strike demands the withdrawal of dismissal orders against 12 officials penalized for social media posts and the resolution of inter-cadre inequalities. Rahman warned that if the issues remain unaddressed within a week, stricter measures will follow. He urged authorities to take immediate steps to resolve the matter.

Deputy Press Secretary to the Chief Adviser, Abul Kalam Azad Mazumdar, has dismissed media reports of a robbery on 40 vehicles in Pabna as exaggerated. According to the statement from Santhia Police Station, unidentified robbers blocked the Sathia-Bera road in Karomja Union with fallen trees on Friday night and intercepted a single HiAce van. The robbers held five passengers at gunpoint, seizing 7.14 tolas of gold, a laptop, an iPad, a small suitcase, a diamond nose pin, 502 dinars, and 50,000 taka in cash. They also took mobile phones from a CNG driver and a motorcyclist before fleeing the scene.

China has fired flares at an Australian reconnaissance aircraft over the disputed South China Sea, triggering fresh tensions. According to Australian officials, a Chinese J-16 fighter jet released flares near an Australian P-8 surveillance aircraft in contested waters.

Australia’s defense department has lodged a formal complaint, expressing concerns over the incident. Beijing, however, defended its actions, stating that the Australian aircraft had entered its territory illegally, and the response was a restrained yet professional enforcement of its sovereignty.

Chinese geologists have claimed to have discovered a massive energy source that could potentially sustain the country for the next 60,000 years. According to reports from the Daily Mail, scientists in Beijing have identified a vast deposit of thorium in the Bayan Obo mineral complex, located in Inner Mongolia.

The thorium reserves found are so abundant that they could theoretically supply every household in China with unlimited energy. Thorium is a mildly radioactive element that can be used in nuclear reactors to generate electricity. Scientists believe that a molten-salt reactor, powered by thorium, could produce an almost infinite amount of energy.

Experts estimate that if the entire thorium deposit in the mine is extracted, it could amount to one million tons, marking a groundbreaking discovery in the pursuit of sustainable energy solutions.

A gang of robbers looted at least 30 vehicles, including buses and trucks, by blocking the Pabna-Santhia road with a fallen tree on Friday night. The incident has been confirmed by Saidur Rahman, Officer-in-Charge of Santhia Police Station, and Mostafizur Rahman, OC of Madhpur Highway Police Outpost.

According to local sources, the gang first stopped a cargo truck by placing a tree trunk on the road, causing a massive traffic jam with over a hundred vehicles, including buses, trucks, private cars, CNGs, and microbuses, stranded on both sides. Moments later, a group of 40 to 50 armed robbers launched an attack, targeting at least 30 vehicles. The criminals looted valuables and left at least ten people injured.

At a press conference on Saturday, Chief Adviser’s Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam stated that the government is determined to create a level playing field for free and fair elections. Addressing concerns about Ramadan market conditions, he noted that essential food prices remain at a reasonable level compared to last year. The government will make every effort to keep prices stable throughout Ramadan, taking steps to increase supply. He expects the situation to improve further, ensuring affordability. He also acknowledged a shortage of both loose and packaged soybean oil but assured that regular monitoring has helped reduce the crisis in loose oil supply.

The holy month of Ramadan begins tomorrow. In light of this, metro rail passengers will be allowed to carry up to 250 milliliters of water for iftar throughout the month at station platforms and inside trains. However, authorities have urged passengers to ensure that no water spills on the platform and to dispose of empty bottles in designated dustbins.

According to the official notice, consuming any other food or drink inside metro stations, concourses, or trains will remain strictly prohibited. The metro rail schedule will remain unchanged.