With Eid-ul-Fitr and Pahela Baishakh, the Bengali New Year, approaching, shopping has already begun across the country. On the occasions of Eid-ul-Fitr and Pahela Baishakh, people traditionally buy new clothes, and for women, sarees remain a popular festive choice. Among them, Tangail handloom sarees continue to hold a special place because of their heritage and quality. Customer Farzana Sultana said Tangail handloom sarees are well known for their quality. “However, we expect sales to improve during Eid and Pahela Baishakh, with around 150,000 sarees likely to be sold.

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A mobile court fined two vermicelli factories Tk 20,000 in the city for producing vermicelli without approval from the Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution (BSTI). The mobile court led by Executive Magistrate Samia Rahman of the Rajshahi District Administration conducted the drive under the initiative of the BSTI Divisional Office in Rajshahi on Thursday. Besides, Yusuf Products in the same area was fined Tk 10,000 for committing the same offences. Engineer Junayed Ahmed, an officer of the Certification Marks Wing of the BSTI Divisional Office, served as the prosecutor during the operation. BSTI Rajshahi officials said such drives will continue in the public interest to prevent adulteration and ensure the supply of quality food products.

A woman was allegedly burned to death by her husband in Jamalpur on Friday. Police later arrested the victim’s husband, Hossain Md Taifur (40), a lawyer of the Supreme Court. The body of the deceased, Tahmina Akter Tania (36), was recovered from the house. According to local residents and witnesses, Tahmina Akter Tania, daughter of Abu Taher of the Mukundobari area, married Hossain Md Taifur of Doripara about 17 years ago. After bringing the fire under control, officers entered the house, recovered the body and immediately arrested the suspect.

Two people, including a local Jubo League leader, were killed after a train struck their motorbike at a rail crossing in the Pubail area of Gazipur late Thursday night. The accident occurred around 10:30pm at the Batpara rail gate, said Abu Taher Mohammad Musa, stationmaster of Pubail Railway Station, confirming the incident. Monir Hossain, the gateman on duty at the Batpara rail crossing, said the motorbike riders ignored the warning and attempted to cross through the side of the gate, when the train hit them. Pubail Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Atik Hossain said the two men were attempting to cross the railway tracks on a motorcycle around 10:30pm. At that moment, the Dhaka-bound Mahanagar Express train from Chittagong struck the motorcycle at high speed.

Police have arrested five people in connection with two separate highway robberies involving a cattle-laden truck and an oil tanker on the Dhaka–Tangail highway in Tangail’s Sadar and Mirzapur upazilas. Additional Superintendent of Police (Tangail Sadar Circle) HM Mahbub Reza Siddiqui disclosed the information at a press briefing on Friday afternoon. According to police, in the early hours of February 24, a group of robbers assaulted the driver and his helper and fled with the truck carrying the cattle along with cash. The robbers later abandoned the driver and helper in a bush in Gazipur. In a separate incident on the night of February 17, robbers intercepted an oil-laden truck on the highway in Mirzapur upazila, tied up the driver and helper, and looted 60 drums of oil.

The Coast Guard detained 37 fishermen along with three artisanal trawling boats while they were fishing illegally in the Bay of Bengal. Senior Upazila Fisheries Officer in Mongla, Md Zahidul Islam, said the fishermen were using prohibited artisanal trawling boats to catch fish in the Bay of Bengal on Wednesday afternoon. During a patrol, a Coast Guard vessel, CGS Sonar Bangla, conducted an drive and seized three fishing boats—FB Mayer Doa-27, Seema-2 and Asma—along with 37 fishermen. He said the seized boats were brought to Mongla and later handed over to police at the Mongla ferry ghat. Officer-in-Charge (Investigation) of Mongla Police Station, Manik Chandra Gain, said the 37 fishermen along with the three artisanal trawling boats were produced before the Bagerhat court on Friday morning.

Bappi is also an accused in the murder case of Inqilab Moncho convenor Sharif Osman bin Hadi. According to the CID, the case was filed with the Pallabi Police Station on Thursday, accusing Bappi and six or seven unidentified individuals of laundering around Tk 25 million. The CID said its investigation found discrepancies between Bappi’s declared income and the assets he accumulated between 2014 and 2024. According to the agency, about Tk 15.55 million in assets could not be accounted for based on his declared income. Overall, the investigation found evidence that about Tk 25.19 million had been illegally acquired, transferred and converted, the CID said.

BAGHDAD, March 6, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - A drone attack targeted on Friday evening a military base at Baghdad airport that hosts a US diplomatic facility, security sources told AFP. A security official said that "four drones targeted" the military base, while another official reported that at least two of the drones crashed inside it. Several drone attacks have been intercepted near Baghdad airport since the start of the war in the Middle East.

PARIS, France, March 6, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Only nine oil tankers, cargo and container ships, some of which at times concealed their position, have been recorded crossing the Strait of Hormuz since Monday, according to MarineTraffic data analysed by AFP. After three ships were attacked on Sunday, at least three tankers and a vessel carrying gas have crossed this chokepoint. Nearly 20 percent of the world's crude oil and about 20 percent of liquefied natural gas (LNG) usually transit through Strait of Hormuz. The Danuta I, a 225-meter natural gas carrier under US sanctions, crossed the Strait of Hormuz at dawn on Friday. The Athina, spotted by the Financial Times, was east of the strait on February 28 and transmitted a position to MarineTraffic west of Hormuz on March 1.

UN chief slams 'unlawful attacks', says Mideast could spiral out of controlUNITED NATIONS, United States, March 6, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned Friday "unlawful attacks" across the Middle East and warned that the situation could spiral out of control as the conflict spreads to multiple countries. US and Israeli forces launched a massive air campaign against Iran on February 28. "All the unlawful attacks in the Middle East and beyond are causing tremendous suffering and harm to civilians throughout the region -- and pose a grave risk to the global economy, particularly to the most vulnerable people," Guterres said. "The situation could spiral beyond anyone's control. Fletcher said "we're seeing a sustained attack against the systems and laws meant to restrain us from our worst instincts and from reckless warfare."

The Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC) has set a limit on the sale of fuel oil at the consumer level amid concerns over the stock in the country. There are reports that some consumers are also trying to buy fuel oil in excess of their needs and store it illegally. Under the circumstances, the BPC has fixed the amount of fuel oil per daily trip according to the type of vehicle. The original copy of previous purchase receipts will have to be submitted the next time they purchase oil. The BPC also added that the government has not taken any decision on increasing the price of fuel oil under the current circumstances.

Around 81% of women in Khulna have experienced some form of violence at least once in their lives, according to findings presented at the inauguration of a project aimed at strengthening women’s economic empowerment through the informal urban economy. The statistics also showed that 2.15% of Khulna city residents live below the lower poverty line, while 10.2% fall within the upper poverty line. Under the project, 1,160 women from 31 wards under Khulna City Corporation will directly benefit, while around 6,000 people will benefit indirectly. Senior Manager of World Vision’s Khulna Area Programme Coordination Office, Fuli Sarkar, said the initiative will provide business management and entrepreneurship training to 1,160 women, technical skills development training to 400 women, and financial support for business development to 600 women. Assistant Commissioner and Executive Magistrate Umme Salma Khanam said economic empowerment should not only focus on income but also encourage women to become self-reliant while ensuring their mental well-being.

The government recently cancelled the appointment of Faruk Ahmed, who had been serving as managing director of the company responsible for operating Dhaka’s metro rail system. What makes the decision particularly confusing is that Ahmed was the first specialist to head the organization. Reports indicate that during his tenure, Ahmed pushed contractors and consultants to reduce project costs, insisted on replacing substandard materials, and identified dozens of technical flaws in the metro rail system that required correction. Yet his removal has now resulted in the role being handed, at least temporarily, to a bureaucrat from the transport ministry. Running a metro rail system is not simply another administrative assignment.

It has long been a recurring commitment in Bangladesh to protect women and children from violence. Yet, despite stronger laws and repeated assurances, the grim reality suggests that this promise still remains far from fulfilled. Recent reports of violence against women and children continue to emerge with alarming regularity. Protecting women and children is not a mere matter of policy declarations. Until then, assurances of protection will continue to ring hollow, and the women and children of our country will remain deprived of the safety they deserve.