A fire that broke out on the third floor of an 11-storey commercial building in Mirpur‑2 was brought under control on Monday afternoon, with 23 people rescued by firefighters. According to the Bangladesh Fire Service and Civil Defence, one woman among those rescued was sent to Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College Hospital for treatment. Five firefighting units rushed to the scene and brought the fire under control at about 3:30pm. Duty officer Lima Khanam at the fire service control room said the fire broke out at around 1:52pm on the third floor of the commercial building in Mirpur-2. Fire Service media cell official Anwarul Islam Dolon said 23 people were rescued from the rooftop of the building.

Human Rights Watch on Monday accused Israel of “unlawfully” using white phosphorus over residential parts of a southern Lebanese town last week. “The Israeli military unlawfully used artillery-fired white phosphorus munitions over homes on March 3, 2026, in the southern Lebanese town of Yohmor,” the New York-based rights group said in a report. The Israeli army has since repeatedly called on people living south of the Litani River, around 30 kilometers north of the Israeli border, to leave. “Israel should immediately halt this practice and states providing Israel with weapons, including white phosphorus munitions, should immediately suspend military assistance and arms sales and push Israel to stop firing such munitions in residential areas,” he added. Lebanese authorities and HRW have over the past years accused Israel of using controversial white phosphorus rounds, in attacks that authorities say have harmed civilians and the environment.

Iranian authorities will confiscate the properties and impose penalties of members of the Iranian diaspora who “cooperate” with Israel and the United States, the judiciary said on Monday. “Iranians abroad who align, accompany and cooperate with the American-Zionist aggressor enemy will face confiscation of all their property and other legal penalties in accordance with the law,” the judiciary’s Mizan Online website said, quoting the prosecutor general’s office. Mizan cited a law adopted after the 12-day war in June with Israel, which saw the United States briefly joining with strikes.

Police recovered the body of a teenage house help in the Banani area of the capital. Sub-Inspector Md Alamgir Hossain of Banani Police Station said the body was sent to the morgue of Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) early Monday for an autopsy. Pinki was the daughter of Md Fomin Noor and Nasrin Begum from Nijgaon village in Shalla Upazila. Police suspect that the teenager may have died after falling from the roof of the building where she worked. He added that investigators would also examine whether any other factors, including possible sexual assault, were involved.

The government has sent the River Police Chief Kusum Dewan and four additional Inspector Generals of Police (IGPs) into mandatory retirement, according to notifications issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs. The other four additional IGPs are Abu Hasan Muhammad Tariq, Mohd. Abdul Alim Mahmud, Md Masudur Rahman, and Md. Md Masudur Rahman was stationed at Police Headquarters in a training capacity, while Md Tofiq Mahbub Chowdhury was serving as Additional IGP at the Rajshahi Police Academy. The notifications also confirm that all retirement benefits will be provided as per existing rules.

A Bangladesh Air Force training aircraft made an emergency landing on the runway on Thursday due to a mechanical fault, according to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR). The aircrew were reported safe, and no damage was sustained by the aircraft, the ISPR added.

US President Donald Trump said the decision on when to end the war with Iran will be a “mutual” one taken together with Benjamin Netanyahu. Speaking in a phone interview, Trump said he and the Israeli prime minister had “been talking,” adding that he would “make a decision at the right time.”When asked whether Israel could continue the war against Iran if the United States decided to stop its strikes, Trump dismissed the scenario, saying: “I don't think its going to be necessary.”Trump also declined to comment on reports that Mojtaba Khamenei had been named the country’s new supreme leader, saying: “We'll see what happens,” according to a report by The Times of Israel, reports UNB citing BBC. He has previously expressed opposition to Mojtaba’s leadership, saying: “Khamenei's son is unacceptable to me.”

Iran marked the appointment of Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei to replace his father as its new supreme leader with a barrage of missiles against Israel and the Gulf on Monday, as the war sent oil prices soaring. The war came weeks after Iranian authorities under Ayatollah Ali Khamenei crushed nationwide protests against the government, killing thousands according to rights groups. Lebanon’s health minister said Israeli strikes have killed at least 394 people since the start of the war, including 83 children and 42 women. Saudi Arabia said Sunday that two people were killed and 12 wounded as a projectile landed in Al-Kharj province. Iran’s health ministry said Sunday that at least 1,200 civilians had been killed and around 10,000 wounded -- figures AFP could not independently verify.

Nine days after US-Israeli strikes killed Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and plunged the Middle East into war, Iranian clerics picked the country’s third supreme leader since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. In Bahrain, the health ministry reported 32 people wounded overnight by an Iranian drone attack on the island of Sitra. Saudi Arabia said Sunday that two people were killed and 12 wounded as a projectile landed in Al-Kharj province. Iran’s health ministry said Sunday that at least 1,200 civilians had been killed and around 10,000 wounded -- figures AFP could not independently verify. In Israel, Iranian missile attacks have killed 10 people, according to authorities.

Several blasts rocked central Israel on Monday, seriously injuring at least two people, emergency services said, shortly after the military reported it had detected new missiles launched from Iran. Paramedics were “searching a number of scenes and treating two unconscious males in serious condition,” the Magen David Adom emergency service said in a statement. The military said there were reports of several impact sites from the missiles. “Defensive systems are operating to intercept the threat,” the military had earlier said.

Photo : CollectedDHAKA, Mar 9, 2026 (BSS) - UNESCO has invited its Member States to nominate candidates for the UNESCO–Russia Mendeleev International Prize in the Basic Sciences (4th edition). This international prize is awarded in recognition of outstanding contributions to the development, dissemination of knowledge and international cooperation in the field of basic sciences. The scope of the prize includes important branches of basic sciences, including chemistry, physics, mathematics and biology, which are of great importance for innovation and sustainable development. The UNESCO-Russia Mendeleev International Prize in the Basic Sciences aims to raise awareness of the importance of these disciplines for peaceful and prosperous societies. The registration form and detailed information can be found on the UNESCO website:https://unesco.org/en/articles/call-nominations-4th-edition-unesco-russia-mendeleev international -prize-basic-sciences

TOKYO, March 9, 2026 (AFP) - The price of the main US benchmark for oil surged more than 30 percent on Monday over concerns that the Middle East war could create prolonged supply disruptions. At 0230 GMT West Texas Intermediate (WTI) was up 30.04 percent at $118.21 per barrel, before easing slightly, while Brent Crude was 27.54 percent higher at $118.22.

BEIRUT, Lebanon, March 9, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - A loud explosion was heard in Beirut's southern suburbs on Monday, an AFP correspondent said, amid the latest outbreak of war between Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah and Israel. Plumes of smoke were seen rising from the southern suburbs after the blast was heard, the AFP journalist reported. The area, a Hezbollah stronghold whose residents the Israeli military ordered to evacuate, has been pounded by Israel over the past week but had not suffered any strikes since Saturday.

DHAKA, March 9, 2026 (BSS) - Bangladesh head coach Phil Simmons has insistedthat his side is determined to play their best cricket against Pakistan inthe upcoming three-match ODI series, with their primary focus on improvingtheir position in the rankings. Every ODI series Bangladesh plays ahead of the 2027 World Cup will be crucialfor securing direct qualification for the tournament. "If we get to seven or six by the time we qualify for the World Cup, that'sfine. "The wickets look better now. Simmons also said that Bangladesh have moved on from the disappointment ofnot playing in the T20 World Cup and are now fully focused on the Pakistanseries.

Foreign Minister Dr Khalilur Rahman Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman attended Commonwealth Foreign Ministers Meeting in London. Photo : MoFADHAKA, Mar 9, 2026 (BSS) - Foreign Minister Dr Khalilur Rahman highlighted the importance of multilateralism at the Commonwealth Foreign Affairs Ministers Meeting in London, calling for concrete actions to confront existential global challenges, particularly climate change and growing economic uncertainty. Dr Rahman led the Bangladesh delegation to the 26th Commonwealth Foreign Affairs Ministers Meeting (CFAMM) held on Sunday 8 at Lancaster House in London, according to a message received here from London today. Dr Khalilur Rahman held talks with UK Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs Yvette Cooper where key bilateral issues and future cooperation were discussed. The foreign minister is also scheduled to attend the Commonwealth Day celebration at Westminster Abbey and join a reception at St James’s Palace today.