“I am very happy and proud to be present at this holy Namjoggo ceremony. Faridul Islam said this Namjoggo ceremony is not just a religious ritual, it is a unique means of purifying the soul of the people, establishing peace in the society and awakening the sense of brotherhood. Bangladesh is a country of non-communal spirit, where people of all religions have been living together in harmony for ages, he said. The state minister said the government is always committed to ensuring the security and rights of people of all religions. “Let us all strengthen this bond of harmony and build a peaceful, developed and humane Bangladesh,” he said.

Iran threatens to deploy 'naval mines' in Gulf if US, Israel attack its coasts, islandsTEHRAN, March 23, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Iran on Monday threatened to deploy "naval mines" in the Gulf if the United States and Israel were to attack any of its coasts or islands. "Any attempt by the enemy to attack Iranian coasts or islands will naturally, and in accordance with established military practice, lead to all access routes and communication lines in the Persian Gulf and coastal areas being mined with various types of naval mines, including drifting mines deployable from the coasts," said the country's defence council in a statement carried by state media. The defence council -- which operates under the Supreme National Security Council -- was formed after Iran's 12-day war with Israel in June 2025.

MOSCOW, March 23, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Russia on Monday called for "political and diplomatic" settlement to the Middle East war after US President Donald Trump's ultimatum for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. "We believe that the situation should have transitioned to a political and diplomatic settlement," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists, including from AFP, at a briefing. "This is the only thing that can effectively contribute to defusing the catastrophically tense situation that has now developed in the region," Peskov said.

Liberation War Affairs Minister Ahmed Azam Khan spoke to journalists during an Eid greeting exchange programme in Tangail. Photo: BSSTANGAIL, March 23, 2026 (BSS) - Liberation War Affairs Minister Ahmed Azam Khan today said there is no shortage of fuel oil in the country but a section of dishonest businessmen is trying to create an artificial crisis by increasing the prices of petrol, octane, diesel, and edible oil to make extra profit. The minister said this while replying to a question of journalists during an Eid greeting exchange programme with officials of various government offices and freedom fighters in Sakhipur upazila of the district. Azam Khan said the government will not tolerate any kind of dishonest activity like creating an artificial crisis. He assured that there is no reason for concern among those operating vehicles regarding fuel availability.

PARIS, France, March 23, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Former French prime minister Lionel Jospin, a Socialist who was head of government from 1997 to 2002, has died aged 88, his family on Monday told AFP. Jospin died on Sunday, they said. He had said he had a "serious operation" in January, without providing details.

One robber held with arms, ammunition in SundarbansKHULNA, March 23, 2026 (BSS) – Members of the Bangladesh Coast Guard arrested an active member of the notorious “Chhoto Suman Bahini” along with arms and ammunition during a special drive in the Sundarbans, said a Coast Guard press release today. Acting on a tip-off, law enforcers came to know that a member of the infamous gang took position in the Felur Khanda – Boidhamari area of the Sundarbans. During the drive, the Coast Guard team arrested Yasin Sheikh, 40, an active member of “Chhoto Suman Bahini” from the area. During the follow-up operation, Coast Guard members recovered one single-barrel gun, four rounds of live cartridges and four rounds of blank cartridges. He had long been involved with the “Chhoto Suman Bahini” and reportedly assisted the gang by supplying arms, ammunition and logistic support for their robbery activities.

SEOUL, March 23, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - North Korea's rubber-stamp legislature has re-elected Kim Jong Un as president of state affairs, state media reported on Monday. Kim's reappointment as head of the authoritarian nation's highest policymaking and governing body, the State Affairs Commission, was announced by the state news agency KCNA. Critics argue that elections in North Korea are pre-determined and designed to give the country's leadership a veneer of democratic legitimacy. "The Supreme People's Assembly of the DPRK reelected Comrade Kim Jong Un as President of the State Affairs of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea at the First Session, the first state affairs activity of its 15th term, on March 22," KCNA reported. Kim is the third-generation ruler of the nuclear-armed state founded by his grandfather Kim Il Sung in 1948.

LJUBLJANA, March 23, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Slovenia's incumbent liberal Prime Minister Robert Golob claimed victory in parliamentary elections on Sunday, as results put his party just slightly ahead of the conservatives. With 99.85 percent of the votes counted, Golob's liberal party stood at 28.62 percent and the conservatives of veteran politician Jansa at 27.95 percent. The results put Golob's party on 29 seats compared to 28 for Jansa, in the 90-seat parliament. - 'Count every vote' -Three-time premier Jansa -- an ally of nationalist Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban -- described the vote as a "referendum on corruption" in reference to the videos. An anti-establishment party and a conservative party formed by a former Jansa ally have managed to enter parliament, fragmenting it further.

MOSCOW, March 23, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday called for Russia and North Korea to further develop their strategic ties, as he congratulated his counterpart King Jung Un on his reappointment as president of state affairs. "We in Russia highly value your personal input to strengthening the friendly, allied ties between our countries," Putin wrote in a message. "And we will, of course, continue our close cooperation to further develop the comprehensive strategic partnership between Moscow and Pyongyang."

SYDNEY, March 23, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - The war in the Middle East could see the world face its worst energy crisis in decades, International Energy Agency chief Fatih Birol warned Monday, describing the situation as "very severe". "Many of us remember the two consecutive oil crises in the 1970s... at that time, in each of the crisis, the world has lost about five million barrels per day, both of them together, 10 million barrels per day," Birol told the National Press Club in Australia's capital. "As of today, we lost 11 million barrels per day, so more than two major oil shocks put together," he said.

Trump on Saturday threatened to "obliterate" Iran's power plants if it did not within 48 hours end its partial blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway into the Gulf through which one-fifth of the world's oil flows. Iran's military command responded defiantly, saying that if Trump goes ahead, it would strike Israel's "power plants, energy and information and communications technology infrastructure" -- along with power plants in regional countries hosting US bases and companies with American shareholders. "If the United States' threats regarding Iran's power plants are carried out... the Strait of Hormuz will be completely closed, and it will not be reopened until our destroyed power plants are rebuilt," a process that could take years, the operational command warned. - Lebanon fears Israeli ground invasion -Trump has offered varying timelines and objectives for the war, saying Friday he was considering "winding down" the operation, a day before his threat to power plants, which would mark a significant escalation. - Iran takes toll in Israel -Israel has prided itself on air defences, and Trump and Netanyahu both claim to have knocked out key Iranian military sites.

Indonesia says no to $1bn fee for Trump's 'Board of Peace' seatJAKARTA, March 23, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Indonesia's president, under fire at home for signing up to US counterpart Donald Trump's so-called "Board of Peace", has insisted his country would not pay the $1 billion joining fee for permanent membership. Jakarta had only committed peacekeeping troops for the initiative, Prabowo Subianto said in a statement published on the presidential YouTube channel Sunday. Prabowo, a former general, has come under criticism from Indonesian Muslim groups for joining the board and pledging to send 8,000 peacekeeping troops to Gaza. Prabowo attended the inaugural meeting of the "Board of Peace" in Washington last month. "We never said that we wanted to contribute $1 billion," Prabowo said in statements broadcast on his YouTube channel Sunday.

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, March 23, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Pakistan's foreign minister said Monday that the country remains committed to "eradicating the menace of terrorism", as the clock ticked down to the end of a temporary ceasefire with Afghanistan. But in a message to mark Pakistan Day, a national holiday, Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar indicated that the country's approach to the conflict had not changed. "Pakistan remains firmly committed to eradicate the menace of terrorism," he said in a statement. The Eid truce came after a Pakistani strike on a drug rehabilitation centre in Kabul last Monday, which Afghan authorities said killed more than 400. In his own Pakistan Day message, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday said military action inside Afghanistan was "a symbol of our national resolve against terrorism".

JAKARTA, March 23, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Indonesia is eyeing up to 80 trillion rupiah ($4.7 billion) in savings to cushion its economy from the fallout of the war in the Middle East, according to the government. During the interview, presidential spokesman Prasetyo Hadi suggested the government is seeking savings of 80 trillion rupiah -- a number confirmed to AFP by the presidency on Monday. The government has repeatedly insisted Prabowo's signature free meals program -- budgeted at $19.7 billion for 2026 -- will remain untouched. Unlike many of its neighbours, Southeast Asia's biggest economy has not yet seen long fuel queues as global oil prices have soared. The government will finalise its work-from-home policy and announce it to the public "as soon as possible", Prasetyo said Saturday.

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, March 23, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates reported coming under fresh attacks on Monday morning, with explosions and sirens sounding over the oil-rich Gulf. The Saudi Ministry of Defense said it had detected two incoming ballistic missiles targeting the capital on Monday, "one of which was intercepted and the other fell in an uninhabited area". Hours earlier, Abu Dhabi authorities reported an Indian national had been wounded by falling debris from an intercepted ballistic missile. And sirens were sounding in Bahrain, with residents instructed to seek shelter. The Islamic republic has taken aim at US assets as well as civilian infrastructure, including landmarks, airports, ports and oil facilities around the Gulf.