Several Gulf countries have disclosed the number of missiles and drones intercepted amid ongoing retaliatory attacks following joint US-Israel military strikes on Iran. According to CNN, Kuwait intercepted 178 ballistic missiles and 384 drones, while the UAE reported intercepting 169 of 182 detected missiles and 645 drones, with 44 hitting domestic areas. Bahrain intercepted 70 missiles and 76 drones, and Qatar reported intercepting 101 of 104 detected missiles and 24 of 39 drones, as well as destroying two Iranian SU-24 bombers. Saudi Arabia did not release total figures but confirmed intercepting eight drones near Riyadh and Al-Kharj. Oman reported two drone strikes at Duqm port and a tanker hit near Musandam’s coast.

The figures highlight the defensive capabilities of Gulf nations amid heightened regional tensions. Their air defense systems have played a key role in protecting civilian areas during the ongoing escalation.

The report underscores the strategic importance of Gulf defense networks in maintaining regional stability during the current conflict.

The government of Qatar has extended the validity of all types of entry visas by one month. The announcement was made by the country’s Ministry of Interior on Tuesday, March 3, 2026. The extension applies to visas that have already expired or are nearing expiration, and the new rule took effect on February 28.

According to the ministry, the extension process will be handled entirely through electronic means, requiring no additional fees or in-person visits. Applicants will not need to submit any extra applications to benefit from the extension. The decision aims to simplify administrative procedures for visitors and residents holding various categories of Qatari visas.

The ministry’s statement indicates that the measure is part of a broader effort to streamline visa management and reduce bureaucratic steps for foreign nationals currently in Qatar.

Barrister Mir Ahmad Bin Kasem, also known as Arman, has been appointed as the foreign affairs adviser to Dr. Shafiqur Rahman, the Ameer of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami and Leader of the Opposition in the National Parliament. The appointment was confirmed late Monday night, March 2, through a verified post on Barrister Arman’s media cell Facebook page.

According to the announcement, the newly appointed adviser will now take on key responsibilities related to the party’s international relations and foreign affairs. Barrister Arman, who currently serves as the Member of Parliament for Dhaka-14 constituency, received widespread congratulations and best wishes from party leaders, activists, and well-wishers on social media following the announcement.

He expressed gratitude to the party chief for entrusting him with this important role, marking a new phase in his political responsibilities within Jamaat-e-Islami.

Senior Congress leader Sonia Gandhi has expressed concern over the Indian government's silence following the assassination of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. In a column published in The Indian Express, she wrote that New Delhi’s lack of response was not neutrality but an abdication of position. Gandhi noted that despite the gravity of the event, the government issued no statement and limited itself to condemning Iran’s retaliatory strikes on the UAE.

According to the report, Iran confirmed on March 1 that Khamenei had been killed in a joint U.S.-Israeli attack. Gandhi argued that the killing of a sitting head of state represented a serious rupture in international relations and that India’s silence was equally troubling. She also highlighted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had reaffirmed support for Israel just two days before the attack.

Gandhi further emphasized India’s strategic ties with Tehran, noting Iran’s role in maintaining India’s diplomatic presence near the Pakistan border and balancing China-Pakistan corridor interests.

A mobile court in Jaldhaka upazila of Nilphamari sentenced a man named Mrinal Adhikari, aged 25, to three months in jail for selling counterfeit medicines under the name of a reputed pharmaceutical company. The arrest took place on the night of March 3, 2026, when he attempted to sell fake drugs labeled as products of Square Company at Messrs Anindya Pharmacy in Jaldhaka town.

The pharmacy owner, Mahbubur Rahman Moni, informed Square Company’s medical promotional officer, Taslim Alam Khan, who examined the products and confirmed they were counterfeit. Following this confirmation, the matter was reported to higher authorities, and the Upazila Nirbahi Officer and Executive Magistrate, Jayid Imrul Mozakkkin, conducted a mobile court on-site and handed down the sentence.

The incident has caused a stir in the area, with local residents urging the administration to continue such drives against counterfeit medicines to protect public health and ensure accountability in the pharmaceutical market.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced that it carried out a large-scale drone and missile attack on a United States air base located in Bahrain’s Sheikh Isa area on Monday morning. According to the IRGC statement, the operation involved 20 drones and three missiles, which allegedly destroyed the base’s main command and headquarters building and set fire to fuel storage tanks.

As of the report’s publication, Bahraini authorities had not issued any immediate comment regarding the incident or its consequences. The report did not include information on casualties, damage assessments, or responses from US officials.

The attack marks a significant escalation in regional tensions, though the full extent of the damage and potential retaliatory measures remain unclear based on the available information.

Lebanon’s armed group Hezbollah announced that it carried out a drone attack on Israel’s Ramat David air base in the country’s north. According to the group, the strike took place early Tuesday and targeted the radar site and control rooms of the base using a swarm of drones.

Hezbollah stated that the operation was conducted as retaliation for Israel’s recent deadly attacks in various areas of Lebanon. The report, citing Al Jazeera, did not provide details on the extent of the damage or any casualties resulting from the strike.

The incident marks another escalation in the ongoing hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah, with both sides trading attacks across the border in recent weeks.

Five farmers in Patgram upazila of Lalmonirhat have alleged that toxic chemicals were sprayed on their seven-acre watermelon fields, causing an estimated loss of Tk 3 million. The affected farmers filed a written complaint at the Dahagram Police Investigation Center after discovering the damage. The incident occurred in Sardarpara area of Dahagram union, where the farmers had cultivated hybrid ‘Madhuri’ watermelons on land along the Teesta River.

According to the farmers, they had invested Tk 1.4–1.5 million in fertilizers, pesticides, and other inputs over three months, expecting to earn Tk 3–3.5 million from the harvest. They suspect the act was driven by a land dispute with a neighbor, Abdul Mannan, and his son, who allegedly sprayed herbicide at night. Abdul Mannan denied the allegation. Local agricultural officials inspected the damaged fields on March 1 and confirmed extensive losses.

The upazila agriculture officer advised irrigation and fertilizer use to try to save the remaining plants and said assistance under agricultural incentive programs would be considered. Police stated that legal action would follow after investigation.

Law enforcement authorities in Rangpur have arrested two local leaders affiliated with the BNP’s associate organizations in connection with an attack and death threats against a cable business operator. The detainees are Murad Kayser Mithun, general secretary of the Rangpur district Tanti Dal, and Tamjidur Rashid Galib, assistant secretary of the district Jubo Dal. Police confirmed the arrests on Monday night, stating that Galib was detained by RAB-13 from his home in Kamal Kachna, while Mithun was arrested by the Detective Branch from Nurpur.

The arrests follow a violent incident on Sunday evening at the Cable One office near Rangpur Press Club, where a group allegedly attacked staff and issued death threats over control of a cable feed. The dispute reportedly involved attempts to transfer feed ownership from Awami League councillor Harunur Rashid to Jubo Dal leader Galib. Cable One filed two separate cases with Kotwali police, leading to the arrests. Following the incident’s viral footage, the Jubo Dal central committee expelled Monu and Galib from all party positions.

The case highlights ongoing tensions between political groups over control of local cable feed operations in Rangpur.

The cost of transporting oil from the Middle East to China has reached an all-time high, with supertanker charter rates surpassing 400,000 dollars, according to the London Stock Exchange Group. This rate is nearly double compared to last week, when the United States issued threats of an attack on Iran, BBC Bangla reported.

Iran has reportedly targeted ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz, a key waterway in the south of the country through which about one-fifth of the world’s oil and gas supply is transported. The largest crude oil carriers, capable of carrying up to two million barrels, are now paying this record freight rate.

The sharp rise in transport costs underscores the growing instability in the Gulf region and its immediate impact on global energy logistics, as tensions around Iran continue to disrupt vital shipping routes.

A drone attack targeted a hotel used to house US troops in Erbil, the capital of Iraq’s Kurdistan region, near the Iranian border. The armed group Islamic Resistance in Iraq claimed responsibility, saying it deliberately struck the hotel where American soldiers were staying. Iraqi news agency Naya News shared a video on Telegram showing a building in Erbil engulfed in flames, describing it as a strike on an ‘occupying force base.’ No immediate details on casualties or damage were available.

On the same day, Iran claimed responsibility for drone and missile attacks on US forces stationed in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. According to Al Jazeera, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said its naval forces carried out a ‘complex attack’ combining drones and missiles against American troops in Dubai. The IRGC also claimed to have launched a drone strike on the US base at Arifjan in Kuwait.

The incidents mark a series of coordinated strikes across the region, though the full extent of the damage and potential escalation remain unclear.

Amazon Web Services (AWS) has reported that two of its data centers in the United Arab Emirates were damaged in drone strikes. The company also confirmed a separate drone incident near another AWS facility in Bahrain. According to AWS, the attacks caused direct structural damage and disrupted power supply to one of the affected buildings.

AWS, a global provider of data storage and digital services, stated that the damaged centers host critical infrastructure supporting websites and online applications. The company warned that such incidents could have serious consequences for businesses relying on its regional operations.

In response to what it described as an unexpected situation in the Middle East, AWS urged customers to immediately back up their data or consider relocating their systems to other regions, including the United States, Asia, or Europe.

US President Donald Trump has ordered a full-scale attack on Iran less than a year after declaring that his foreign policy would avoid regime change or nation-building in the Middle East. Analysts told Al Jazeera that the new war contradicts Trump’s stated ideology and campaign promises, arguing that it primarily benefits Israel and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rather than the United States. Negar Mortazavi of the Center for International Policy described the assault as another Israel-driven conflict initiated under US pressure.

The report notes that Netanyahu has long warned of Iran’s nuclear and missile threats, though both Tehran and US officials have denied evidence of weaponization. Despite recent diplomatic progress through Omani mediation and three rounds of indirect US-Iran talks in Geneva, Trump proceeded with the strike, undermining hopes for a peace deal. Public opinion polls cited in the report show that most Americans oppose a new war with Iran.

Commentators, including National Iranian American Council president Jamal Abdi, said the decision marks a political victory for Netanyahu but a strategic setback for the US, signaling a potentially prolonged and unpredictable military engagement.

US President Donald Trump has signaled a strong response following a drone attack on the American Embassy in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. In an interview with NewsNation journalist Kelly Meyer, Trump said Washington would take significant action soon, adding that the world would see the response very quickly.

According to the report, two drones struck the US Embassy in Riyadh early Tuesday morning, causing a small fire and partial damage to the building. Following the incident, the United States placed all its facilities and diplomatic missions across the Middle East on high alert.

The US government has also suspended all consular services in Saudi Arabia as a precautionary measure, while regional tensions remain heightened after the attack.

Bangladesh Railway has started selling advance train tickets ahead of the upcoming Eid-ul-Fitr holiday. The sale began on Tuesday at 8 a.m. with tickets for March 13 for westbound trains, marking the start of the nationwide ticketing process. According to the railway schedule, tickets for March 14 to 19 will be sold sequentially from March 4 to March 9.

All tickets for Eid travel are being sold exclusively online this year. To make ticket purchases more convenient for passengers, Bangladesh Railway has decided that tickets for intercity trains operating in the western region will be available from 8 a.m., while those for the eastern region will go on sale from 2 p.m.

The initiative aims to streamline the ticketing process and manage the high passenger demand during the Eid travel period, ensuring smoother operations across both regions.