Passenger and vehicle traffic has surged on the Paturia-Daulatdia and Aricha-Kazirhat ferry routes as people travel home ahead of Eid-ul-Fitr. Launch terminals have also seen large crowds, but authorities report that crossings are taking place without the usual suffering seen in previous years.

The routes, serving as key gateways for 21 southwestern districts, are operating normally and smoothly. The Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Corporation (BIWTC), district administration, and police are jointly ensuring uninterrupted service. According to BIWTC Deputy General Manager Abdus Salam, 17 ferries are operating on the Paturia-Daulatdia route and 5 on the Aricha-Kazirhat route, while 33 launches are facilitating passenger movement.

Officials said continuous monitoring has been strengthened to ensure safe and comfortable travel. Despite the increased rush, passengers are reportedly crossing the river with ease and satisfaction.

A fire broke out on Thursday morning at Orchid Plaza, a 12-story building located near Boxir Bit in Chattogram’s Terribazar area. The incident resulted in the deaths of two individuals, Mohammad Yunus, aged 52, and Solaiman, aged 28, both residents of Patiya in Chattogram. Another person was injured and is currently receiving treatment at Chattogram Medical College Hospital, where the two victims were pronounced dead around noon.

According to the Fire Service, the blaze started on the fourth floor of the building, inside a shop. Three people affected by smoke inhalation were rescued and taken to the hospital for treatment. The fire service responded after receiving the report of the fire around 10 a.m.

Authorities have not yet provided further details about the cause of the fire or the extent of the damage to the building.

Former vice-chancellor of the University of Chittagong, Professor Md. Anwarul Azim Arif, passed away early Thursday morning at a private hospital in Chattogram city while undergoing treatment. He was 75 years old. Professor Arif had also served as vice-chancellor of Premier University and International Islamic University Chittagong.

He began his academic career in 1976 as a lecturer at the University of Chittagong, later becoming pro-vice-chancellor in 2001 and serving as vice-chancellor from 2011 to 2015. Following his tenure there, he led Premier University and International Islamic University Chittagong. In 2021, he was elected chairman of the executive committee of the Islamic Banks Consultative Forum (IBCF).

The newly appointed vice-chancellor of Chittagong University, Professor Dr. Mohammad Al-Forkan, along with pro-vice-chancellors Professor Dr. Mohammad Shamim Uddin Khan and Professor Dr. Md. Kamal Uddin, expressed their condolences on his death.

Iran has executed three men convicted of killing police officers and collaborating with the United States and Israel during protests in January. The executions were announced on Thursday through the judiciary’s official website, which stated that the men were found guilty of murder and of conducting operations on behalf of the US and the Zionist regime.

According to the report, the executed individuals were involved in the killing of two law enforcement officers. Authorities also stated that the anti-government protests, which began in late December, resulted in 3,117 deaths. Before the war began in February, the US-based human rights organization HRANA reported verifying 6,872 deaths and investigating more than 11,000 additional cases.

The executions highlight Iran’s continued crackdown on dissent following widespread unrest, with official and independent sources reporting sharply differing casualty figures.

The Bangladesh Army has been deployed to manage traffic congestion on the Dhaka-Chattogram highway, particularly in the Cumilla section. As of March 19, 2026, the usually congested areas such as Daudkandi, Chandina, Nimsar Bazar, Cantonment, Alekhar Char, Kotbari, and Paduar Bazar were reported to be free of jams. Long-distance buses, private cars, and freight vehicles were moving smoothly, allowing passengers to reach their destinations on time.

Law enforcement agencies, along with army personnel and Rover Scouts, are jointly maintaining order on the roads and preventing theft and robbery. Field reports indicate that traffic conditions have significantly improved compared to previous days. A bank officer traveling from Dhaka to Cumilla described the journey as smooth and faster than usual, while local traffic volunteers noted a slight increase in pressure during midday hours.

Highway police officials stated that over nine hundred officers are stationed from Daudkandi to Tekna to ensure safe Eid travel. They confirmed that no major traffic jams have occurred so far and that police remain on duty around the clock.

State Minister for Local Government Mir Shahe Alam announced that preparations for the National Eidgah in Dhaka have been completed. He said President Md. Shahabuddin and Prime Minister Tarique Rahman will perform Eid prayers together at the venue. The announcement came after his inspection of the site on Thursday, March 19, around 11:30 a.m.

According to the minister, the National Eidgah can accommodate 40,000 worshippers, including women, with adequate facilities for ablution. The Eid prayer is scheduled to begin at 8:30 a.m. Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Commissioner Md. Sarwar stated that the DMP has ensured security for Eid congregations at the National Eidgah, Baitul Mukarram, and other locations. He requested attendees not to carry bags or other items to the prayer grounds.

The completion of preparations and security arrangements aims to ensure a smooth and safe Eid congregation in the capital city.

US Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard told a congressional hearing that Iran’s governing system remains intact but has been severely weakened following recent US and Israeli attacks. The hearing, lasting over two hours, marked the first public intelligence briefing since the Iran war began in late February. Gabbard testified alongside the heads of the CIA, FBI, NSA, and Defense Intelligence Agency, stating that US intelligence had anticipated tensions in the Strait of Hormuz before the conflict.

The session followed the resignation of National Counterterrorism Center Director Joe Kent, who argued that Iran posed no imminent threat to the United States. President Donald Trump, however, defended the strikes, claiming Iran was developing nuclear weapons that endangered the US and Israel. CIA Director John Ratcliffe disagreed with Kent, asserting that Iran remains an immediate threat. Gabbard’s written statement indicated that Iran’s nuclear enrichment program was devastated by the 12-day war in June 2025, though she omitted that section during her oral testimony.

Lawmakers questioned whether intelligence officials were present when Trump decided to attack Iran and whether the administration had prior warnings about possible Iranian actions in the Strait of Hormuz.

Heavy traffic congestion has been reported on the Dhaka–Mymensingh and Dhaka–Tangail highways in Gazipur on Thursday morning, as vehicles moved intermittently amid the Eid travel rush. Long queues stretched for several kilometers, particularly around the Chandra intersection, leaving passengers stranded for hours. Transport operators cited excessive vehicle pressure, random parking, and wrong-way driving by autorickshaws as major causes. Passengers also alleged that transport companies were charging extra fares.

Overnight rain worsened the situation by creating muddy conditions and waterlogging in several parts of the highways. Crowded roadsides, disorganized parking, and people boarding vehicles on the road further narrowed the lanes, slowing traffic. Areas including Kabirpur, Chandra, Kaliakoir, Board Bazar, Bhogra Bypass, and Chandna Chowrasta experienced severe slowdowns.

Police officials said the congestion intensified after garment factories closed on Wednesday afternoon, prompting large numbers of workers and residents to leave Gazipur. Additional police, volunteers, and other agencies were deployed to ease the situation, but traffic remained slow due to high passenger volume and poor road conditions.

The U.S. Department of Defense has requested more than $200 billion from the White House to finance the ongoing war with Iran, according to a senior American official cited in the report. The proposal, submitted for approval, is expected to face resistance from anti-war lawmakers. The requested amount far exceeds the costs of previous airstrike operations conducted by the administration.

White House officials reportedly remain uncertain whether Congress will approve such a large allocation, as war expenditures have already been rising at an unusually rapid pace. The report notes that spending surpassed $11 billion within the first week of the conflict. Analysts attribute the escalating costs to the use of advanced technology, missile defense systems, drone operations, and long-range strikes.

The conflict has intensified amid a three-way confrontation involving Iran, the United States, and Israel. Following joint U.S.-Israeli attacks inside Iran, Tehran launched retaliatory missile and drone strikes on Gulf states and Israel, prompting heightened military readiness across the region.

Iran’s Ministry of Health announced that 206 individuals under the age of 18 have been killed and 1,401 injured in joint United States–Israel attacks since February 28. The ministry’s statement, released Wednesday, also reported that 227 women were among the dead, with an additional 3,329 injured. It said 1,111 wounded people remain hospitalized, while 19,506 have been treated and discharged.

According to the statement, 18 healthcare workers were killed and 101 injured, and 36 ambulances were damaged. Six hospitals were evacuated, and 47 emergency bases, 37 medical centers, and 180 health facilities were affected. The ministry did not specify the total number of deaths from the ongoing attacks.

The joint assault, launched by Israel and the United States on February 28, has sharply escalated the conflict, with reports indicating around 1,300 total deaths, including Iran’s then–Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Iran has responded with drone and missile strikes targeting Israel, Jordan, Iraq, and Gulf countries.

Train operations in northern Bangladesh resumed after a 21-hour suspension following the derailment of the Nilshagar Express near Santahar in Bogura. The incident occurred around 2 p.m. on Wednesday, March 18, about two kilometers north of Santahar station. Services were restored at 11:20 a.m. on Thursday, March 19, when the Khulna-bound Simanta Express departed from Chilahati using a newly repaired track.

Authorities reported that at least one hundred people were injured in the derailment, many of them passengers who jumped from the train roof in panic. Fire service teams, assisted by local residents, carried out rescue operations, sending 50 to 60 injured passengers to Naogaon General Hospital and Adamdighi Upazila Health Complex. Four fire service units and a relief train from Ishwardi Junction participated in the recovery of nine derailed coaches.

Following the incident, the assistant station master at Santahar was temporarily suspended, and a four-member investigation committee was formed to determine the cause of the accident.

Fifteen people were injured when a passenger bus and a watermelon-laden truck collided head-on on the Dhaka-Barishal highway in Madaripur on Thursday morning. The accident occurred around 6:30 a.m. in the Tatibari area of Sadar upazila. The bus, operated by Bagdad Paribahan, was traveling from Dhaka to Barishal with passengers heading home for the Eid holidays when it crashed with the oncoming truck. Both drivers and several passengers were among the injured, who were taken to Madaripur Sadar Hospital and other nearby facilities.

Following the collision, traffic on the highway was halted for about an hour. Fire service and highway police personnel later cleared the vehicles and restored normal traffic flow. According to the officer-in-charge of the Mostafapur Highway Police Station, the situation has since been brought under control and vehicular movement has returned to normal.

US Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard has told lawmakers that Pakistan’s advancing missile program could eventually bring the US mainland within its strike range. Speaking at a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing on global threats, she said Islamabad’s efforts to develop long-range ballistic missiles may evolve into intercontinental systems capable of targeting the United States.

Gabbard highlighted the expanding scope of strategic risks, noting that Pakistan’s long-range missile development could include intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) capable of striking US soil. She grouped Pakistan with Russia, China, North Korea, and Iran as nations actively developing advanced missile technologies alongside cyber and kinetic warfare capabilities.

The remarks underscore growing US concern over the proliferation of long-range missile systems and the potential emergence of Pakistan as a new strategic threat if its program continues to advance.

Chinese AI startup MiniMax has released its new proprietary large language model, MiniMax M2.7, which can autonomously manage 30 to 50 percent of its own reinforcement learning research workflow. The model, designed for powering AI agents and third-party tools such as Claude Code and OpenClaw, marks a major step toward self-improving AI systems. MiniMax reports that M2.7 can autonomously debug, analyze metrics, and optimize its own code through iterative loops, achieving a 66.6 percent medal rate in machine learning competitions and matching performance levels of leading global models.

Compared to its predecessor M2.5, M2.7 shows significant improvements in software engineering, professional office tasks, and hallucination reduction. It matches top-tier benchmarks like GPT-5.3-Codex while maintaining one of the lowest operational costs among frontier AI models. The model is available through the MiniMax API and integrates with over 11 major developer tools, including Cursor, Zed, and Kilo Code.

MiniMax’s move toward proprietary models aligns with a broader industry trend among Chinese AI firms shifting from open-source to closed systems. The company positions M2.7 as a cost-efficient, production-ready model for enterprises seeking AI-driven automation and self-optimizing agent workflows.

State Minister for Shipping Md. Rajib Ahsan announced that the route permits of two launches involved in the recent Sadarghat accident have been cancelled. He made the statement after visiting the accident site at Sadarghat Launch Terminal on the night of March 18, 2026, where one person was killed and another injured. The minister said those responsible for the tragedy will face exemplary punishment.

According to the minister, the Ministry of Shipping and the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) have each formed separate investigation committees to determine the cause of the accident. The ministry’s committee is headed by Additional Secretary (Organization) Abul Islam, while BIWTA’s committee is led by Director (Administration) Saiful Islam. Both committees have been instructed to submit their reports within three working days. Representatives from BIWTA, the Department of Shipping, Fire Service, and River Police are included in the ministry’s committee.

The minister added that the injured victims are members of the same family from Mehendiganj in Barishal, including a pregnant woman. The government has ensured advanced medical care for them and promised maximum support to the deceased’s family.