The Chattogram Customs House has announced the auction of 378 containers of goods under directives from the National Board of Revenue (NBR). According to an NBR press release issued on March 15, 2026, the auction will be conducted entirely through an e-auction system to ensure transparency and accountability. A total of 180 containers in 49 lots will be sold under a special order, while 198 containers in 74 lots will be auctioned under a standing order. Interested bidders can inspect the goods throughout March and submit bids online via the official Bangladesh Customs e-auction portal. The containers include a wide range of items such as chemicals, machinery, plastic scrap, art paper, bitumen, fabrics, household items, vehicle parts, capital machinery, passenger elevators, metal scrap, and kraft liner paper. No reserve prices have been set for the consignments under the special order. Successful bidders must comply with the applicable provisions of the Import Policy Order 2021–2024 when clearing the goods. The NBR stated that the auction aims to reduce container congestion at Chattogram Port, mitigate related safety risks, prevent wastage of state resources, and enhance port efficiency. Tender boxes for e-auction-2/2026 and e-auction-3/2026 will be opened on March 31 and April 8, respectively.

The Appellate Division of Bangladesh’s Supreme Court has released the full verdict reinstating the caretaker government system for election periods. The 74-page judgment, written by former Chief Justice Dr. Syed Refaat Ahmed and published on the court’s website on March 15, 2026, states that the most recently retired chief justice will serve as the head of the caretaker government. The ruling was originally delivered on November 20, 2025. According to the verdict, the caretaker system will take effect from the 14th national election. Legal experts noted that the current parliament retains the authority to amend or remove this provision if it chooses. The decision has been described by BNP lawyer Ruhul Quddus Kajol as a milestone for the nation, emphasizing that it serves the entire country rather than any political party. The ruling reverses the earlier abolition of the caretaker system, which had been a subject of intense political debate in Bangladesh. The publication of the full verdict provides legal clarity ahead of future elections.

US Senator Chris Murphy stated that President Donald Trump has lost control over the ongoing war with Iran, which he said has pushed the Middle East into deepening crisis. In a post on social media platform X, Murphy warned that the conflict has already engulfed the region in violence and that Trump misjudged Iran’s capacity for retaliation. Murphy highlighted that the first major crisis has emerged around the Strait of Hormuz, accusing Washington of underestimating Tehran’s ability to control the route. He said Trump wrongly assumed Iran would not close the strait, but rising oil prices now prove otherwise. According to Murphy, Iran’s use of drones, speedboats, and sea mines has made securing the waterway extremely difficult, putting US naval forces at serious risk. The senator also pointed to a second crisis stemming from the growing role of drones in modern warfare. He warned that Iran could indefinitely target oil facilities across the region using its large fleet of inexpensive drones.

Verifick.com has introduced what it calls Bangladesh’s first AI-supported writing editor, designed to identify and disclose AI-generated content while preventing plagiarism. The platform, developed by Theorex Consulting, tracks the entire writing process, including typing speed, word count, and whether AI assistance was used or disclosed. It aims to make writing more transparent rather than simply detecting AI use. The tool includes several features such as an AI Writing Editor that blocks cut, copy, and paste actions, an AI Detection system capable of analyzing up to 10,000 words, and a Trust Meter that monitors user behavior in real time. Users can also access a Writing Coach that provides professional suggestions and helps improve writing quality, provided AI use is disclosed. Payment for the service can be made through mobile banking, with monthly packages starting at 500 Bangladeshi taka. According to Verifick.com, the platform seeks to promote ethical writing practices by combining AI detection with transparency tools that show how much of a text was written by a human versus AI.

Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmad announced that reading speeches directly from written texts is not permitted in the Bangladesh Parliament. He urged lawmakers to develop the habit of speaking without reading, addressing his remarks to Jamaat-e-Islami MP Masud Bin Saidi and Islami Andolan MP Oli Ullah during Sunday’s session. Both members had read their entire speeches from papers while participating in the discussion on the President’s address. The Speaker reminded them that parliamentary rules require prior permission before reading written statements. Masud Bin Saidi, elected from Pirojpur-1, pledged to uphold the trust of his constituents and follow the ideals of his late father, Allama Delwar Hossain Saidi. He emphasized justice, independence of education and judiciary, and a zero-tolerance policy against corruption, citing a Transparency International report on alleged misappropriation in the Roads and Highways Department. He also called for institutionalizing the renunciation of government privileges. Saidi further commented on the BNP’s decision not to take oath in the Constitution Reform Council, saying it created public confusion. He urged the party to respect the people’s mandate and participate in constitutional reform efforts.

The Israeli military announced that it has destroyed multiple command centers belonging to Hezbollah’s elite Radwan Force in Beirut. According to a statement released on Saturday, Israeli forces carried out operations across several areas of the Lebanese capital targeting these command centers. The military also reported strikes on several Hezbollah missile launch sites in the Al-Qatrani area of southern Lebanon. Reports indicate that casualties in Lebanon continue to rise following Israeli attacks. Since the joint U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran began on February 28, at least 826 people have been killed in Lebanon. The ongoing conflict is increasingly spreading across the Middle East, drawing in multiple countries and armed groups and further complicating the regional situation. The developments mark a deepening of hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah, with growing concerns that the violence could expand beyond Lebanon and intensify instability across the region.

Bangladesh’s Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmad is traveling to Vienna to attend the two-day Global Fraud Summit 2026, jointly organized by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and Interpol. The summit will be held at the Vienna International Conference Centre on March 16–17, 2026. According to a press release from the Ministry of Home Affairs, the minister will lead a five-member Bangladeshi delegation to the event. During the summit, Salahuddin Ahmad will participate in the opening and plenary sessions, as well as high-level roundtable meetings and special sessions as a panelist. On the sidelines, he is scheduled to hold bilateral meetings with the Executive Director of UNODC and the Minister of State for the Home Department of the United Kingdom. The minister is departing Dhaka on March 15, 2026, at 4:50 p.m. via Ethiopian Airlines and is expected to return on March 20, 2026, at 5:35 a.m. on a Turkish Airlines flight.

Iran carried out overnight attacks across several Gulf countries on Saturday, according to regional reports. Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Defense stated that its forces intercepted and destroyed 26 Iranian drones, mostly near the capital Riyadh and in the eastern region. The United Arab Emirates said its air defense systems were countering missile and drone attacks from Iran, with a fire breaking out at Fujairah port following a drone strike. Bahrain reported that warning sirens were sounded and residents were instructed to move to the nearest shelters. The United States ordered non-essential government employees and their families to leave Oman due to security concerns. Kuwait announced that its National Guard had downed five Iranian drones within the past 24 hours. Qatar said it had intercepted missile and drone attacks throughout Saturday but did not report any overnight strikes. The widespread attacks have heightened regional security tensions, prompting multiple Gulf states to activate defense systems and issue civilian safety alerts.

The National Board of Revenue (NBR) has extended the deadline for submitting online returns under the e-VAT system until March 29, 2026. The decision was announced in a letter signed by Nahid Naushad Mukul, the NBR’s First Secretary (Additional Charge), on March 15, 2026. According to the letter, the extension was granted in the public interest due to an extended government holiday period for Eid-ul-Fitr and Independence Day, as well as slower service performance in the e-VAT system. The NBR exercised its authority under Section 64(1a) of the Value Added Tax and Supplementary Duty Act, 2012, to implement this change. The new deadline applies specifically to the online return submissions for the February 2026 tax period under the e-VAT system.

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman will formally inaugurate the farmer card distribution program on Pahela Baishakh. The announcement followed a meeting held on Sunday, March 15, 2026, at the Bangladesh Parliament Secretariat, where the Prime Minister presided over discussions on the initiative. According to the Prime Minister’s Additional Press Secretary Atikur Rahman Ruman, the meeting was attended by Agriculture Minister Aminur Rashid, State Minister Sultan Salauddin Tuku, Economic and Planning Adviser Rashed Al Mahmud Titumir, ICT Adviser Rehan Asif Asad, and State Minister for Local Government, Cooperatives and Rural Development Mir Shahe Alam, among others. The meeting marked a key preparatory step for the upcoming launch, signaling the government’s focus on agricultural support and digital facilitation for farmers through the new card system.

A severe hailstorm struck Madhyanagar upazila in Sunamganj late Saturday night after three consecutive days of heavy rain, raising fears of extensive crop damage across the haor region. The storm, which lasted for more than ten minutes, caused widespread panic among residents as hailstones damaged crop fields and pierced tin roofs of houses in several villages. Continuous rainfall has already left low-lying haor lands waterlogged, threatening embankments built to protect ripening crops. Farmers reported that paddy plants had just begun to form ears, and such an untimely hailstorm had not occurred before this stage of the season. Many expressed deep concern over potential losses to boro paddy and other crops, while damaged homes have left families struggling to cope. Madhyanagar Upazila Nirbahi Officer Ujjal Roy confirmed that both croplands and houses were affected and said data collection was underway. Authorities plan to identify households with damaged roofs and take necessary measures for assistance.

Three members of Iran’s women’s football team who had stayed in Australia on humanitarian visas have decided to return to Iran. Australian Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke announced on Sunday that the players informed officials of their decision after being given multiple opportunities to discuss alternatives. Initially, seven team members had sought asylum, but only three now remain in Australia. The Iranian team had traveled to Australia in February for the Women’s Asian Cup, arriving before the outbreak of war in the Middle East on February 28. Out of the 26-member squad, six players and one support staff member initially stayed behind on humanitarian grounds. On March 9, the rest of the team departed Sydney for Kuala Lumpur, where they have been waiting. Two players and one support staff member are among those now returning. Iran’s Tasnim news agency described the return as a “shameful failure of the American-Australian project” and “another defeat for Trump,” reflecting Tehran’s political framing of the event.

At least 108 people were injured in Israel within the past 24 hours amid the ongoing conflict with Iran, according to the country’s Ministry of Health. The Times of Israel reported that all the injured individuals were hospitalized, though the exact causes of their injuries were not detailed by the ministry. Authorities indicated that some injuries may not have resulted directly from Iranian missile strikes or rockets fired from Lebanon, but rather from people getting hurt while rushing to shelters. The ministry also stated on social media platform X that since February 28, a total of 3,195 people have been hospitalized, with 81 still receiving treatment. The report noted that rising military tensions between Iran and Israel have led to repeated missile and rocket alerts across various parts of Israel, forcing civilians to seek shelter frequently.

Jamaat-e-Islami lawmaker Shahjahan Chowdhury has criticized the sound system and headphones used in Bangladesh’s National Parliament, alleging that the equipment was part of a scheme for financial misuse. Speaking during an unscheduled discussion on Sunday, he displayed the large headphones and said they were unnecessarily heavy and uncomfortable for members to wear for long periods. He claimed that the procurement might have been designed to benefit certain groups financially. The session, chaired by Speaker Major (Retd.) Hafiz Uddin Ahmed, followed earlier complaints about technical faults in the sound system during the first sitting of the new parliament on Thursday. That day, the Speaker had to use a handheld microphone after a malfunction forced a 20-minute recess. Several MPs had drawn attention to the issue, including Jamaat MP Barrister Mir Ahmad Bin Kasem, who wrote on Facebook that the headphones caused pain and had poor sound quality. Members urged modernization of the sound system and replacement of the current heavy headphones with simpler, more comfortable alternatives.

Iran has arrested 20 individuals in its northwestern region on charges of attempting to provide secret information to Israel. According to a report by the semi-official Tasnim news agency, the arrests were made following an announcement from the prosecutor’s office in West Azerbaijan Province. The statement alleged that the detainees tried to send details about the locations of Iran’s military and security facilities to Israel. The prosecutor’s office said that several mercenary networks linked to the “Zionist regime” had been identified. These networks were allegedly transmitting information about military, law enforcement, and security installations to Israel. The 20 suspects were detained under a judicial order for their involvement in these activities. Earlier, Reuters reported that Israel had launched a new phase of attacks inside Iran based on information provided by local informants. The attacks reportedly targeted security checkpoints and strategic facilities within the country.