Islami Bank Bangladesh PLC has launched UnionPay International (UPI) branded Khidmah Credit Card on Tuesday at Islami Bank Tower. Md Omar Faruk Khan, managing director of the bank, was present as chief guest at the ceremony. Cai Huiming, head of South East Asian Branch of UPI was present as special guest. Engineer Mohammad Jamal Uddin Mazumder, additional managing director, delivered the welcome address. Masud Raihan, country manager of UPI, discussed the features and benefits of the card.

Mercantile Bank Training Institute has organized a Workshop on “Centralized Foreign Trade Operations” at MBL Center to strengthen awareness and capacity among the officials of Centralized Trade Processing Centre (CTPC). Chief guest of the program was Mati Ul Hasan, managing director of the bank, while special guests were Shamim Ahmed, DMD & CAMLCO and Md Abdul Halim, SEVP & COO. The program was chaired by SM Salim Uddin, head of training & development. Distinguished speakers including Md Khairul Alam Chowdhury, SEVP and head of business operations division, UCB, and ATM Nesarul Hoque, EVP and head of MTB Financial Institution Services, Mutual Trust Bank PLC were present as guests. A total of 67 participants attended the program.

Railway Minister Shaikh Rabiul Alam on Tuesday announced a 25% fare concession for persons with disabilities, students and citizens aged above 65 on metro rail and all other railway services. “It may take some time for the concession to come into effect,” said the minister while talking to reporters at Secretariat. Students must show valid student ID cards while persons with disabilities will need to display the government-issued disability card. The Minister also said there will be no opportunity to charge excess fares during Eid travel. “We are keeping them under monitoring and this will be enforced at any cost,” he said, expressing hope that Eid travel will be comfortable with everyone’s cooperation.

The Election Commission (EC) has directed its field-level officials to expedite the disposal of pending voter registration applications submitted by Bangladeshi expatriates. The EC issued the directive to upazila and thana election offices, asking them to complete the local verification process of expatriate applicants without further delay. However, it said that due to their involvement in election duties, the local verification activities of a significant number of expatriate voter applications remain pending. The EC has now instructed the officials to treat the matter as “highly urgent” and complete the pending verifications promptly. According to EC officials, the commission has planned to expand the expatriate voter registration and National Identity (NID) services to 40 countries.

The United Nations on Tuesday urged all parties to “come to their senses” and end the war in the Middle East, with fear and panic spreading across the region and beyond. UN human rights chief Volker Turk said he was “deeply shocked” by how the conflict was affecting civilians. Turk “implores all parties to come to their senses, and to end this violence,” she added. Shamdasani said the laws of war were clear: civilians and civilian objects are protected, and all states and armed groups must abide by the law. “We are also concerned for the welfare of hundreds of political prisoners that continue to be arbitrarily held in Iran.

While fighting intensifies, diplomatic fault lines between global powers have become increasingly visible. Prime Minister Keir Starmer said that Britain was not involved in the attacks and would not join military operations against Iran. Beijing called for an immediate halt to military operations and urged all parties to exercise restraint. Ali Larijani, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, declared that Iran would make “no compromises” with the United States. Widening geopolitical divideAs missile exchanges continue and military rhetoric escalates, the global response reflects a deepening geopolitical divide.

Emeritus Biodun Jeyifo, literatures in English, died on Feb. 11 in Lagos, Nigeria at the age of 80. His research spanned across several disciplines, including African drama and theater, African and Caribbean ‘Anglophone’ literatures, Marxist theory, colonial and postcolonial studies and African and Afro-American critical thought. Emeritus Paul Sawyer, Literatures in English, in an interview with The Cornell Chronicle. In addition to teaching at Cornell, Jeyifo served as a professor at the University of Ibadan, the University of Ife in Nigeria, Oberlin College and Harvard University. Emeritus Satya P. Mohanty, literatures in English, commented on Jeyifo’s impact on him, both through his academics and his character.

- Gulf crisis –Saudi Arabia is the world's second?biggest oil producer after the United States, and Iran ranks among the top 10. Qatar, though small, is the world's second?largest exporter of liquefied natural gas (LNG), behind the United States. The Strait of Hormuz -- the gateway to the Gulf -- has been largely paralysed by the violence in the region. India depends heavily on crude from Iraq and Saudi Arabia -- even more so since the United States pressed it to reduce its purchases of Russian oil. Since Asia is also a major LNG consumer, Europe risks ending up in direct competition with it if Qatari gas becomes inaccessible.

Israel, US strikes hit building of body to elect new Iran supreme leader: Iranian mediaTEHRAN, March 3, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Israeli and US strikes on Tuesday hit the Tehran building of a body tasked with electing Iran's new supreme leader, local media reported. "The American-Zionist criminals attacked the Assembly of Experts building in Qom," south of Tehran, according to the Tasnim news agency. Local media showed footage of the building severely damaged in the strikes. Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in US and Israeli strikes on Saturday.

Photo: CollectedDHAKA, March 3, 2026 (BSS)- Bangladesh batter Saif Hasan has shifted his focus to the 2027 ODI World Cup, aiming to prepare himself thoroughly for the global showpiece by delivering consistent performances in the upcoming assignments. To qualify directly for the World Cup, they must finish among the top eight Full Members in the ICC ODI rankings by that date. "There's an ODI World Cup ahead which is very important for us, so the sooner we prepare ourselves for it, the better it will be," Saif said. "If you look at the last year or year and a half, I didn't really get many opportunities to play ODIs. We did play a few, but those were in between T20Is," Saif remarked.

NATO chief says 'widespread support' for US Iran campaignBRUSSELS, Belgium, March 3, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - NATO chief Mark Rutte said Tuesday there was broad backing among US European allies for President Donald Trump's military campaign against Iran. Washington's bombardment of Iran -- which saw supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei killed -- has unleashed airstrikes across the Middle East. "I feel widespread support in Europe. Rutte underlined that the NATO military alliance -- founded to protect Europe and North America -- was "not involved" in the military operations. "But I can assure you that NATO will defend every inch of NATO territory," he said.

TEHRAN, March 3, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Iran on Tuesday urged the United Nations Security Council to take action to stop the Islamic republic's war with Israel and the United States. "The United Nations Security Council has a duty... if it wishes, it can certainly act, because there is no obstacle to its action except its own will," said foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei during a foreign ministry briefing.

Brent oil price tops $85 for first time since July 2024LONDON, March 3, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Oil prices soared on Tuesday as the Iran war disrupted supplies, with the crucial Strait of Hormuz effectively closed off and energy infrastructure hit. The Brent North Sea crude contract, the international benchmark, jumped more than eight percent to reach $85.12 a barrel, its highest level since July 2024. The main US oil contract, West Texas Intermediate, climbed more than seven percent to $76.47 a barrel.

Israel first responders say 12 injured after new Iran missile barrageJERUSALEM, March 3, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Israel's Magen David Adom emergency services said Tuesday they were treating 12 people with injuries following the latest salvo of missiles fired from Iran. "Medics and paramedics are providing medical treatment and evacuating to hospitals 12 injured people, including a woman of about 40 in moderate condition with blast injuries, and 11 people lightly injured with cuts from glass shards and blast injuries," an MDA statement said. Israeli police said officers were operating at several sites in the central and Tel Aviv districts where shrapnel had fallen. AFP footage showed security forces in high visibility vests and helmets deployed at one site. At another, a fire engine was stationed as forces sprayed non-flammable foam on the charred wreckage of cars.

Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh, Pranay Verma today called on Liberation War Affairs Minister Hafiz Uddin Ahmed, Bir Bikram, at his office. Photo: MinistryDHAKA, March 3, 2026 (BSS) - Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh, Pranay Verma today called on Liberation War Affairs Minister Hafiz Uddin Ahmed, Bir Bikram, at his office. The minister shared his personal experiences of the Liberation War, highlighting his active participation and the challenging moments he faced during the war. He stressed the importance of presenting the true history of the Liberation War properly to the younger generation. Liberation War Affairs Secretary Israt Chowdhury was present at the meeting.