BEIJING, March 3, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - China called on all sides in the Middle East war to maintain safety in the Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping route for oil and gas, and vowed measures to ensure its energy security. Nearly a quarter of the world's seaborne oil supplies pass through the strait, as well as a significant amount of cargo. "China urges all parties to immediately cease military operations, avoid further escalation of tensions, maintain the safety of shipping lanes in the Strait of Hormuz, and prevent a greater impact on the global economy," foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning told a regular news conference on Tuesday. "Energy security is of great importance to the global economy... China will take necessary measures to ensure its energy security," she said. China is the main buyer of Iranian oil, most of which passes through the strait.

Eight years on, trial begins in Argentina submarine implosionRIO GALLEGOS, Argentina, March 3, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Argentina opens a trial on Tuesday into a submarine implosion that killed 44 sailors in November 2017, the country's worst naval disaster in decades, and whose circumstances remain unclear. - 'Felt like nobodies' -None of the families of the victims - 43 men and one woman -- are expected to attend the trial. "The most important thing is that the trial is finally happening," she told AFP. "By taking the trial to Rio Gallegos (Santa Cruz's provincial capital), so far from Buenos Aires, they are trying to make the tragedy disappear," Tagliapietra told AFP. The hypothesis is that the submarine suffered a valve failure that allowed water to enter the battery compartment, triggering a fire and then an explosion.

KUWAIT CITY, March 3, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - The US embassy in Kuwait on Tuesday said it was closed until further notice, a day after an AFP correspondent sawsmoke rising from the mission following Iranian attacks on the country. "Due to ongoing regional tensions, the US Embassy in Kuwait will be closed until further notice. We have cancelled all regular and emergency consularappointments," the embassy said in a statement on X.

The High Court on Tuesday issued a rule asking why the July National Charter and the Referendum Ordinance should not be declared illegal and beyond the authority of the constitution. The bench of Justice Razik-Al-Jalil and Justice Md Anwarul Islam Shaheen passed the order following writ petitions challenging the validity of the July National Charter (Constitutional Reform) Implementation Order, as well as Section 3 and the Schedule of the Referendum Ordinance. Earlier, on February 23, Supreme Court lawyer Chowdhury Md Redwan-e-Khoda filed a writ petition challenging the legality of the July National Charter (Constitutional Reform) Implementation Order and Section 3 and the Schedule of the Referendum Ordinance. In his petition, Redwan-e-Khoda sought a rule asking why the implementation order and the relevant provisions of the Referendum Ordinance should not be declared unconstitutional for being inconsistent with the constitution. He further sought a stay on the operation of the implementation order and the oath letter until the matter is resolved.

Photo: CollectedGENEVA, March 3, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - The warming El Nino weather phenomenon could return later this year as its cooling opposite La Nina fades away, the United Nations said Tuesday. The UN's World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said the recent, weak La Nina was expected to give way to neutral conditions, which could then swing into El Nino before the end of 2026. In May-July, the chance of neutral conditions drops back to 60 percent, with the chances of El Nino at 40 percent. El Nino contributed to making 2023 the second-hottest year on record and 2024 the all-time high. The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says there is a 50- to 60-percent chance of El Nino developing during the July-September period and beyond.

BANDA ACEH, Indonesia, March 3, 2026 (AFP) - A magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck off the Indonesian island of Sumatra on Tuesday, according to the US Geological Survey, rattling residents but causing no serious damage. The quake originated offshore from Sumatra's northeastern tip, authorities said, prompting people to flee outdoors in a region that frequently experiences devastating tremors. Rahmat Triyono, head of Indonesia's BMKG earthquake and tsunami centre, said people on Simeulue island and east-coast areas of Aceh would have experienced a strong tremor, with windows and doors rattling, walls creaking and possibly some broken glassware. Weaker shaking was also felt in Sumatra's northeast. In 2004, a magnitude-9.1 quake struck Aceh province, causing a tsunami and killing more than 170,000 people in Indonesia.

WASHINGTON, United States, March 3, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - The US State Department said Tuesday it has ordered non-emergency personnel and their families to leave Bahrain and Jordan, as well as announcing it had ordered staff in Iraq to leave a day earlier, as Iran retaliates to US-Israeli strikes. The department, in a post on X, said it had updated travel advisories for Bahrain and Jordan "to reflect the ordered departure of non-emergency US government personnel and family members of government personnel." In an updated Iraq travel advisory, the department said it had on Monday "ordered non-emergency US government employees to leave Iraq due to security concerns."

By the time the sun fully rose, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was gone, killed alongside his daughter, his grandson, his top military advisors, and the defense minister. The assassination of Khamenei was meant to be the ultimate act of narrative control -- the removal of the central figure, the decapitation that ends the story. The assassination of Ali Khamenei during Ramadan, near the anniversary of Imam Ali's martyrdom, has activated a template 14 centuries old. Iran has long prepared for this moment; candidates such as Ayatollah Alireza Arafi, Hojjat-ol-Eslam Mohsen Qomi, and Ayatollah Mohsen Araki have been whispered as potential successors. The assassination of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is now part of that story.

Photo : PMODHAKA, March 3, 2026 (BSS) - Highly appreciating the patriotism and professionalism of the Bangladesh Coast Guard, Prime Minister Tarique Rahman today called upon the force to remain fully prepared to safeguard the country's sovereignty. He said Tarique Rahman expressed hope that through professionalism, the Coast Guard would further consolidate its position as the vigilant guardian of the nation's maritime boundaries. At the outset of the meeting, Ruman said, the Prime Minister and the Coast Guard DG exchanged greetings. Besides, the Coast Guard DG briefed the Prime Minister on various ongoing development activities of the force. Expressing satisfaction with the Coast Guard's development progress, Tarique Rahman assured that the force's modernization and advancement would continue.

But South Africa are unbeaten and are a team on the up after decades of gaining a reputation for "choking" on the big stage. Chasing 177 in Barbados, South Africa had one hand on the trophy with 26 needed from the last four overs with six wickets in hand. But a dramatic mini-collapse saw them finish on 169-8 as India won by seven runs. After losing against South Africa in the first match of the Super Eights, India have played their best cricket with their backs to the wall. South Africa are hot favourites to be the first team into Sunday's final in Ahmedabad, but England will be out to break a billion Indian hearts.

File photoDHAKA, March 3, 2026 (BSS) - A total of 38 flights were cancelled at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA) today due to ongoing airspace closures in several Middle Eastern countries amid heightened security concerns. The cancelled flights on Tuesday included four by Qatar Airways, four by Emirates, four by Gulf Air (Bahrain), four by Flydubai, two by Kuwait Airways, four by Jazeera Airways (Kuwait), four by US-Bangla Airlines and 12 by Air Arabia, according to airport sources. Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain, Qatar and Jordan temporarily shut their airspace from the afternoon of February 28, directly affecting flight operations in Dhaka. Due to the airspace restrictions amid the war situation, 23 flights were cancelled on February 28, 40 on March 1, 46 on March 2 and 38 flights today, raising the total number of cancellations to 147, Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) Assistant Director (Public Relations) Muhammad Kawsar Mahmud told BSS today. Flight operations have resumed on other routes, except those to Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah and Dubai, he added.

DHAKA, March 3, 2026 (BSS) - Qatar's Ministry of Interior has announced a one-month extension of all types of entry visas that have expired or are nearing expiry, effective February 28, 2026, with the possibility of further extension depending on developments of the ongoing situation. The Ministry clarified that holders of entry visas who incurred violations prior to February 28 must first pay the applicable settlement amount covering the violation period. Following settlement, the extension and fee exemption will apply from the stated date. The decision covers all categories of entry visas and aims to ensure the stability of the legal status of residents and visitors amid evolving circumstances. The Ministry of Interior said it will continue to monitor developments and take necessary measures as required.

MANILA, March 3, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - A Malaysian national and a Filipino were killed Tuesday when a helicopter crashed in a vacant lot about two hours southeast of Manila. Rizal provincial police officer Ramjae Pangga told AFP that two passengers, a Malaysian and a Filipino, were killed in the crash. The pilot, meanwhile, had been critically injured, said Pililla town mayor John Masinsin. "The three survivors are ... still in shock, especially the pilot," he told AFP. An investigation by the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines is underway.

Netanyahu claims Iran nuclear program would have been beyond attack in monthsWASHINGTON, United States, March 3, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday that Iran had been building new nuclear weapon sites that would have been impossible to attack within months, creating urgency for strikes on the country. "They started building new sites, new places, underground bunkers, that would make their ballistic missile programs and their atomic bomb programs immune within months," Netanyahu told Fox News. "If no action was taken now, no action could be taken in the future."

Anthropic insisted it needed guarantees against AI use for surveillance as well as autonomous weapons, and Altman said the Defense Department had agreed to "technical safeguards" for those areas. But in response to growing skepticism about the value of such safeguards, Altman posted Monday that "to make our principles very clear...we are going to amend our deal." In addition to surveillance, he said the Pentagon agreed that OpenAI models would not be used by its intelligence agencies, including the National Security Agency. "There are many things the technology just isn't ready for, and many areas we don't yet understand the tradeoffs required for safety." Anthropic has vowed to fight the order in court, calling it a "dangerous precedent for any American company that negotiates with the government."