On National Voter Day, the Election Commission released the final list of voters for 2024, including newly registered ones. Chief Election Commissioner A. M. M. Nasir Uddin announced that Bangladesh now has a total of 123,732,274 registered voters. The draft list was previously published on January 2. Officials had anticipated an increase of over two million new voters after reviewing objections and claims regarding the draft list.

The Indian Border Security Force (BSF) has resumed barbed-wire fencing along the zero line of the Dahagram border in Lalmonirhat’s Patgram upazila. However, strong opposition from the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) forced them to halt construction. A flag meeting between border security forces of both nations was held for half an hour on Saturday afternoon. According to locals, BSF had completed fencing most of the area between border pillars 3 and 8 late on Friday night, leaving a 3-5 yard gap. In response, BGB has increased patrols and lodged an official protest. BSF officials claim the fencing was constructed in coordination with local district authorities.

In a three-hour-long operation from 6 PM to 10 PM on Saturday, joint forces arrested 60 criminals, including muggers and drug dealers, in Tongi, Gazipur. The operation was carried out by the army, Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), and Gazipur Metropolitan Police. Authorities seized cash amounting to 39,400 BDT, locally-made weapons, and liquor. According to the police, the Haji Mazar slum near the Turag River has been a hotspot for criminal activities. Law enforcement conducted the raid in the area, leading to the arrests.

The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) has reported that a series of operations were conducted between February 25 and March 1 based on intelligence reports. Over the past five days, joint forces have arrested 126 individuals from various locations in the capital. Authorities have seized illegal firearms, drugs, unlicensed medicines, locally-made weapons used in criminal activities, passports, national ID cards, mobile phones, SIM cards, unauthorized cosmetics, and cash. The detainees have been handed over to local police stations for further interrogation and legal proceedings.

Job seekers have staged protests and blocked roads in response to allegations of question leakage in the Biman Bangladesh Airlines recruitment exam. On Saturday afternoon, candidates from the Lalmatia Women’s College center began protesting and blocked the road at Asad Gate. This led to traffic disruptions on Mirpur Road, Mohammadpur Road, and Manik Mia Avenue. The officer-in-charge of Sher-e-Bangla Nagar Police Station mentioned that traffic resumed after a brief intervention to clear the blockade. While authorities have dismissed the incident as a rumor, the exams at two centers were postponed.

The Election Commission (EC) will release the final list of voters added in 2024 today. To mark the release of the updated list, National Voter Day will be celebrated on Sunday. The theme for this year’s observance is “In Our Bangladesh, Let’s Vote Together.” Various programs, including discussions, have been organized nationwide in honor of the day. The EC had earlier published a draft updated voter list on January 2, which included 18,333,352 individuals. The updated list will exclude deceased voters and add new voters. EC officials predict the number of new voters will exceed 20 million after reviewing objections and claims on the draft list.

In a human chain protest, Sujan General Secretary Dr. Badiul Alam Majumdar stated that reforms need to be implemented swiftly for an election to take place. Without these reforms, autocracy could once again rise to power. The human chain called for the restoration of law and order and demanded the construction of a democratic state through reforms. The protestors put forward 26 demands, including the abolition of mob culture. Dr. Majumdar emphasized that the people’s uprising against the regime was not only to oust Sheikh Hasina from power but to remove the autocratic system, including its methods, processes, and institutions. In response to questions about whether Sujan received U.S. aid for elections, he dismissed it as a rumor.

The Democratic Student Council (DSC) has officially begun its organizational activities. The event was attended by central secretary of the organization Zahid Ahsan, Dhaka University convener Abdul Kader, secretary Mahir Alam, and chief organizer Hasib Al Islam, among others. Zahid Ahsan remarked that in the 54 years since the Liberation War, Bangladesh has not seen any effective political process. Instead, under the guise of student politics, there has been an attempt to destabilize campuses through tagging culture and implementing the agenda of the ruling party. He emphasized that the DSC is committed to establishing politics based on intellect, values, responsibility, and care, aiming to lead the country beyond these issues. Abdul Kader stated that the foundation of the Democratic Student Council lies in the dreams of martyrs and the youth.

Detective Branch (DB) police in Magura have arrested six Rohingya refugees who fled Cox’s Bazar camps in an attempt to obtain Bangladeshi national identity cards. The detainees have been identified as Sanaullah, Ayub, Rajida, Harez, Arz, and Erfan. According to the police, they were residents of various refugee camps in Ukhiya, Cox’s Bazar. On Saturday, they were sent back to their respective camps. Authorities revealed that one of the detainees, Sanaullah, had already acquired a Bangladeshi ID card, while the others were en route to Jashore to obtain theirs. The police confirmed that necessary legal measures were taken before their return to the camps.

Jamaat-e-Islami has strongly condemned and expressed deep concern over the killing of a Bangladeshi youth, Al Amin, by India’s Border Security Force (BSF) and the severe injury of another, Bilal. In a statement, the party denounced the killing at the Kasba border and the brutal attack on Bilal at the Jhenaidah border on February 27. Jamaat criticized repeated border killings despite promises to reduce them to zero. The party highlighted that eight Bangladeshi citizens have been killed by BSF in the last three months, calling the situation a serious threat to friendly bilateral relations.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Naval Commander, Alireza Tangsiri, warned, “If our ships or vessels are seized anywhere in the world, we will retaliate by capturing theirs—and it has already happened.” In line with this statement, the Iranian Navy has seized an Israeli vessel in the Persian Gulf. The first images of the captured ship were broadcast on Iran’s national television on Saturday evening. The footage showed an Iranian journalist standing next to the detained vessel. This incident has triggered fresh tensions in the Middle East.

An avalanche near the Badrinath Temple in Uttarakhand, India, claimed the lives of four workers on Friday. The disaster occurred in Mana village near the India-China border, trapping 55 personnel from the Border Roads Organization. According to ANI, 50 workers have been rescued, while efforts continue to save the remaining five. A rescue operation involving 60 to 65 personnel was launched immediately after the incident, but adverse weather conditions have hampered progress.

The people of Gaza faced significant hardship during the first Suhoor (pre-dawn meal) of Ramadan due to cold weather and heavy rain. Many were unable to eat properly as rainwater flooded their makeshift tents, soaking personal belongings. With no alternative shelter, displaced families, especially women and children, endured extreme difficulties. Those who returned to their partially destroyed homes also suffered, as rainwater seeped through damaged walls and roofs, making their first night of Ramadan particularly distressing.

A van driver in Rajshahi was killed over a dispute involving his rickshaw van. On Friday, a joint team of police and detectives arrested four individuals in Chapainawabganj in connection with the murder. The arrested suspects are Habibur Rahman alias Arif (26), Shayon Islam (28), Deborsish Saha (22), and Anwar Hossain (30). The decomposed body of Abdul Malek (42) was recovered from a pond in Boraail village, Mohanpur, on February 25. According to police, Malek had been missing since February 21. Investigators revealed that he was given an overdose of sleeping pills in a soft drink before being strangled to death, after which his rickshaw van was stolen and sold.

Fisheries Adviser Farida Akhtar addressed concerns over rising prices during Ramadan, explaining that supply chain inefficiencies—such as multiple layers of middlemen—contribute to price hikes. To counter this, eggs, milk, poultry, and beef are being sold at fair prices, not as subsidies but at actual production costs. She noted that while fish is typically in high demand, this Ramadan, meat consumption is higher, prompting adjustments in supply. Akhtar also emphasized that controlling prices requires a multi-faceted approach rather than relying solely on crackdowns and punitive measures.