BEIRUT, Lebanon, March 19, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Lebanese President Joseph Aoun on Thursday renewed his call for a truce and the opening of negotiations with Israel to stop the war between it and Hezbollah, during a meeting with French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot. It said that Aoun emphasised "what is important is to stop the escalation" between Hezbollah and Israel. In addition to Aoun, Barrot met with Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and speaker of parliament Nabih Berri. According to a French Foreign Ministry statement, Barrot was scheduled to consult with the three leaders "on the situation in Lebanon and ways to de-escalate". French President Emmanuel Macron spoke on Friday with the Lebanese president, prime minister and parliament speaker, and the next day called on Israel to agree to direct talks with the Lebanese government.

Minister Zahir Uddin Swapan spoke at a discussion meeting and iftar mahfil held at the Upazila Parishad auditorium, Gournadi. Photo : BSSBARISHAL, March 19, 2026 (BSS) – Information and Broadcasting Minister Zahir Uddin Swapan today said the government is working to ensure the highest degree of freedom for the mass media. The minister made the remarks as the chief guest at a discussion and iftar mahfil held at the Upazila Parishad auditorium here this afternoon. “We have to ensure the free flow of information in an effort to make BTV and Bangladesh Betar time-befitting,” the minister added. The administration should remain vigilant so that journalists do not face any obstacles in performing their duties, he added.

WASHINGTON, United States, March 19, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - The head of US intelligence declined again Thursday to endorse President Donald Trump's claim that Iran posed an "imminent" threat before the United States and Israel launched military strikes. California Democrat Jimmy Gomez asked after Gabbard and CIA Director John Ratcliffe said Trump ultimately decides on the urgency of a threat. "Not one of your agencies has produced a single report saying that Iran posed an imminent threat to the United States," Jim Himes, the panel's top Democrat, told Gabbard. Trump has repeatedly said he ordered the attack on Iran alongside Israel on February 28 because of an "imminent threat." The UN nuclear watchdog and most observers have not supported the finding of an imminent nuclear bomb by Iran, which was negotiating with Trump's envoys on a deal in the days before the attack.

LONDON, March 19, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - The UN's maritime body called Thursday for the creation of a safe shipping "corridor" in the Gulf to evacuate stranded vessels and seafarers, after an emergency meeting that also condemned Iran. Following two days of urgent talks in London convened due to the Middle East war, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) said the "safe maritime corridor" should be established as "a provisional and urgent measure". IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez said the "humanitarian corridor" would "evacuate ships in the Persian Gulf through the Strait of Hormuz". It came as around 20,000 seafarers remained stranded on approximately 3,200 vessels west of the Strait of Hormuz, according to the UN body. If there is safe passage, what are the terms and the conditions for such safe passage?"

Trump says 'not putting troops' in IranWASHINGTON, United States, March 19, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - US President Donald Trump said Thursday he was not sending ground troops to Iran, weeks after he launched massive missile and bombing attacks alongside Israel. "If I were, I certainly wouldn't tell you. But I'm not putting troops," Trump told reporters as he met Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi.

US approves over $16 bn in arms sales to Gulf states hit by Iran warWASHINGTON, United States, March 19, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - The United States on Thursday announced the approval of $16.46 billion in military sales to the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait, two Gulf states that have been hit hard by fallout from the Iran war. Iran responded to the massive US-Israeli air campaign launched late last month with barrages of missiles and drones that have caused deaths and damage in various Gulf countries, which have been forced to expend significant military resources to counter attacks. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has "determined and provided detailed justification that an emergency exists that requires the immediate sale" of the military equipment, thereby waiving the requirement that Congress give its approval. The next largest was to the United Arab Emirates for a long-range discrimination radar -- which tracks ballistic missile threats -- and related equipment at a cost of $4.5 billion, the State Department said. The UAE also received approval to buy systems designed to defeat small, unmanned aircraft for $2.1 billion, advanced air-to-air missiles for $1.22 billion, and F-16 warplane munitions and upgrades for $644 million.

Labour and Employment Minister Ariful Haque Chowdhury speaks to journalists after visiting Shahi Eidgah in Sylhet city today. Photo: BSSSYLHET, March 19, 2026 (BSS) - Labour and Employment Minister Ariful Haque Chowdhury today said that the workers have received their due wages and bonuses ahead of Eid due to the present government’s sincere efforts. Describing the present administration as worker-friendly, the minister said the government is working not only for the workers at home but also for Bangladeshi expatriate workers abroad. The minister added that the government is working to reopen the closed labour markets and to enhance workers’ skills. He also said steps are being taken to curb brokers who often put workers at risk through illegal channels.

WASHINGTON, United States, March 19, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - US President Donald Trump said Thursday he had told his ally Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu not to strike anymore gas fields in Iran, which retaliated to an attack by hitting Qatari energy sites. "I told him, don't do that, and he won't do that," Trump told reporters as he met Japan's prime minister. "We get along great. It's coordinated, but on occasion, he'll do something" that the United States opposes, Trump said.

BAGHDAD, March 19, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Iraq condemned on Thursday recent strikes on oil and gas facilities in the Middle East, as the conflict launched by the US and Israel against Iran threatened its already battered economy. "Recent attacks targeting energy facilities in several of Iraq's neighbouring countries and other brotherly nations in the region constitute a worrying escalation that threatens to undermine efforts to reduce tensions and jeopardise stability," the foreign ministry said in a statement. It also stressed the importance of "ensuring continuous supplies to global energy markets", following the severe disruption to the Strait of Hormuz through which Iraq previously exported the majority of its oil.

LONDON, March 19, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Wimbledon's controversial expansion plan received a major boost Thursday after a judge at London's High Court ruled the proposed development of the current site is not subject to restrictions on how the land cam be used. Officials at the All England Club, which owns Wimbledon and has been hosting a tournament there since 1877, want to triple the size of the site for the grass-court Grand Slam. He said: "It never became the subject of a statutory trust and therefore the 1986 lease and the 1993 transfer of the freehold were each made free of such trust. "Even if the above proposition is wrong, it is clear that the land was never used or laid out for public recreation." The 2025 edition of Wimbledon, the last of tennis' four Grand Slams played on grass, saw Jannik Sinner win the men's title and Iga Swiatek lift the women's trophy.

LILONGWE, Malawi, March 19, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Four days of heavy rainfall in Malawi have claimed at least 13 lives, with some killed by collapsing walls or while trying to cross flooded rivers, officials said Thursday. The largely rural southern African country was pummelled by strong rains that caused flooding between Sunday and Wednesday, the disaster management department said. The worst-affected area was the southern district of Chikwawa, where three people were killed and three evacuation camps had been set up, it said. The district borders central Mozambique, which has also seen heavy rain, with disaster management officials warning of a risk of flooding. More rainfall is expected in aid-dependent Malawi over the next few days, the weather service said.

JERUSALEM, March 19, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - The Israeli military said on Thursday that its fighter jets had struck several Iranian naval vessels in the Caspian Sea the previous day, including vessels equipped with anti-submarine missiles. The targets included ships equipped with missile systems, support vessels and patrol craft, the military said, adding that a port command centre was also hit in the operation. The targeted Iranian ships were also equipped with aerial surveillance systems and anti-submarine missiles, the military said. "It is one of the most significant strikes conducted by the IDF since the start of Operation Roaring Lion," the military said in a statement. "We have for the first time carried out strikes in northern Iran in the Caspian Sea," military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Nadav Shoshani told journalists in a separate briefing.

Qatar PM says Iran attack on gas hub has 'significant repercussions for global energy supplies'DOHA, March 19, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Qatar's Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani on Thursday condemned Iran's attacks on the state's main gas hub after Tehran sent waves of attacks against Gulf energy infrastructure a day earlier. "This attack has significant repercussions for global energy supplies. Such attacks bring no direct benefit to any country, rather, they harm and directly impact populations," he told a press conference following extensive damage to the Ras Laffan facility.

Lebanon says death toll from Israel-Hezbollah war rises to 1,001BEIRUT, Lebanon, March 19, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Lebanon's health ministry said Thursday that Israeli attacks have killed 1,001 people in the country since war erupted between Israel and Hezbollah on March 2, raising a previous toll of 968 a day earlier. The new ministry statement said the toll included 79 women, 118 children and 40 health workers, with 2,584 other people wounded.

BEIJING, March 19, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - China's foreign minister told his British counterpart on Thursday that the two countries had a responsibility to maintain international peace and security, and renewed calls for a ceasefire in the Middle East. In a phone call, China's Wang Yi told British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper that their countries should "consistently take actions conducive to peace", according to a readout from Beijing's foreign ministry. They should work together to "prevent further damage to the international order and the erosion of the foundations of global peace", Wang told Cooper. US President Donald Trump has voiced disappointment with Prime Minister Keir Starmer over what he calls Britain's lack of support in the conflict. Beijing condemned on Thursday the killing of Iranian national security chief Ali Larijani by an Israeli air strike, calling it "unacceptable".