“Let’s go to war,” Prime Minister Tarique Rahman said with a smile as he stepped out of his residence on Sunday morning to begin the first working day of the week. When the door opened, the Prime Minister greeted them with his customary smile and made the remark. “The Prime Minister used the phrase ‘Let’s go to war’ to express the determination to rebuild the country and tackle its problems,” Rumon added. To avoid such inconvenience and speed up government work, the Prime Minister is now working from the Secretariat,” Rumon said. After arriving at the office, he inquired about which ministers, state ministers and secretaries were present.

“Considering the circumstances, there will be no decorative illumination for Independence and National Day this year,” he said. The Home Minister explained that the decision was taken as part of austerity measures aimed at conserving energy and preventing a potential fuel crisis. “Every year, decorative lighting is arranged on government and private buildings to mark Independence and National Day. The government will ensure the highest level of security at the National Martyrs’ Memorial in Savar on March 26 as the country observes Independence Day. He added that programmes marking Independence Day (Bangladesh) will not be limited to the capital.

After her husband left her, she decided to go to Saudi Arabia two years ago to support her two children. Sufia Begum from Faridpur, who returned from Saudi Arabia, said some workers resort to self-harm or even suicide to escape abuse. She later fled and took shelter at the Bangladeshi embassy in Riyadh before returning home two months later. 800 women returned home in coffinsAccording to the Wage Earners’ Welfare Board under the Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare, the bodies of 799 female migrant workers were brought back to Bangladesh in coffins over the past eight years. He suggested that instead of sending women abroad primarily as domestic workers, they should receive training for safer and better-protected jobs.

Angry students and locals set three buses on fire in Jhenaidah after a youth was allegedly beaten to death by employees of a petrol pump. In protest, transport workers later blocked the road at the district’s central bus terminal on Sunday morning. Transport workers later withdrew the blockade after about two hours following assurances that those involved in setting the buses on fire would be arrested. Later at night, protesters vandalized a petrol pump in the Arappur area and set three buses on fire at the central bus terminal around 1am. “After giving assurances to the workers, the road was cleared and traffic resumed,” he added.

The World Disasters Report 2026 warns that harmful information and dehumanising narratives are increasingly undermining trust, putting the lives of humanitarian workers and communities at risk. Jagan Chapagain, IFRC Secretary General, said: “In every crisis I have witnessed, information is as essential as food, water and shelter. The report highlights that around 94 per cent of disasters are managed by national authorities and local communities without international assistance. Humanitarian agencies: Embed harmful information preparedness into humanitarian operations as a core function, with trained teams, standardised tools, predictive analytics, and strong community engagement to anticipate, detect, and respond to harmful narratives. The World Disaster Report 2026 is available to policymakers, practitioners, researchers, and the public, providing a roadmap for building resilience to harmful information before, during, and after crises.

Women in Bangladesh have played important roles in social and political change , but they are still largely excluded from positions of power and decision-making, speakers said at a town hall discussion marking International Women ’s Day on Sunday. However, she said women and girls are still facing violence, discrimination and limited participation in decision-making. She said women in Bangladesh have repeatedly shown courage and leadership but are still missing from places where real power exists. She described the Fourth World Conference on Women as a historic milestone that highlighted key issues affecting women worldwide. In 2025, 2,808 incidents of violence against women and girls were recorded in Bangladesh, including 786 cases of rape or gang rape.

The other accused is Sardar Mosharraf Hossain, former assistant legal adviser of the Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (RAJUK). As the police could not apprehend them, the court directed that the accused be summoned through a gazette notification. Following a request by the ACC, the court also ordered a Red Notice for the arrest of Tulip Rizwana Siddiq on February 26. Khasruzzaman, and Sardar Mosharraf Hossain. It is noteworthy that Tulip Rizwana Siddiq has previously been sentenced to terms ranging from two to six years in three separate cases related to plot allocation fraud.

Photo : BSSRAJSHAHI, March 8, 2026 (BSS) - Farmers in Rajshahi district have begun transplanting Boro seedlings with a target of producing more than 329,000 tonnes of paddy during the current season. According to the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE), farmers in the district's nine upazilas have set a target to cultivate Boro on about 68,300 hectares of land this season. From morning till evening, farmers are engaged in uprooting seedlings from seedbeds and transplanting them into the fields. Alongside popular varieties such as BRRI dhan-28 and BRRI dhan-29, farmers are cultivating newly developed high-yielding varieties including BRRI dhan-89, BRRI dhan-92 and zinc-enriched BRRI dhan-100. Dr Muhammad Hossain, chief scientific officer of BRRI, said the institute has developed 14 Boro varieties suitable for the Rajshahi region, including its Barind tract.

DHAKA, March 8, 2026 (BSS) - International Women's Day is being observed today across the country as elsewhere in the world. The United Nations has been observing the day as International Women's Day since 1975. On February 28, 1909, the first international women's conference was organised at a women's rally arranged by the Social Democratic women's organisation in New York under the leadership of German socialist leader Clara Zetkin. Clara, a German politician and one of the architects of the German Communist Party, later proposed at the second International Women's Conference held in Copenhagen, Denmark in 1910 that March 8 be observed annually as International Women's Day. United Nations formally recognised March 8 as International Women's Day in 1975 and called upon countries to observe it.

Iran's border with Turkey offers a way out, but few are leaving for goodIranians are using a border crossing into Turkey as one of the only ways out during the war in Iran, with the country's airspace closed

Iran prepares to name new supreme leader as fuel dumps burnTEHRAN, March 8, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Iran was preparing to reveal its new supreme leader on Sunday, after US-Israeli air strikes destroyed fuel dumps and triggered fires that choked much of Tehran in a thick blanket of smoke. Other assembly members confirmed a decision was made, with one suggesting the son of the late leader would take the post. Tehran's governor told the IRNA news agency that fuel distribution had been "temporarily interrupted" in the capital while repairs were carried out. The Israeli army confirmed that its air force had struck "fuel storage facilities in Tehran" to prevent their use by the Iranian military. Trump has suggested Iran's economy could be rebuilt if a leader "acceptable" to Washington replaces the late supreme leader, which Tehran has rejected.

“In this really industrial city life, with no wilderness, I was always around these exotic animals, like parrots,” he recalled. Many protected areas around the world are simply too small to meet the needs of species living there. To protect creatures crucial to food webs, you need safe pathways between patches of habitat. You also need to think about climate change and provide animals with routes to migrate to the habitat they will need. La Amistad lies in the Talamanca Mountains, a vast wilderness area and United Nations World Heritage Site on the border with Panama.

Bhutan, Nepal envoys met with State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed Islam at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. -Collage PhotoDHAKA, March 8, 2026 (BSS) - The Ambassadors of Bhutan and Nepal today paidseparate courtesy calls on State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama ObaedIslam and discussed strengthening bilateral cooperation and regionalcollaboration. The envoys congratulated Obaed on assuming office and expressed theirgovernments' keen interest in working closely with the new government ofBangladesh. During the meetings, the state minister reiterated the BNP government'spriority to foster strong, mutually beneficial and forward-looking relationswith neighbouring countries to promote regional peace and prosperity. The state minister also recalled with appreciation Bhutan's historicrecognition of Bangladesh in 1971.

Food prices have driven up the inflation rate past 9.0 per cent for the first time in eight months. Inflation rose for a fourth consecutive month, hitting 9.13 per cent year-on-year in February. According to the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics, February’s inflation rate is the highest since last April. The rate was 9.13 per cent at the time and fell to 9.05 per cent in May. Now it has leapt up past the 9.0 per cent threshold.

DHAKA, March 8, 2026 (BSS) - The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has announcedthe ticket price for the three-match ODI between Bangladesh and Pakistan,scheduled to begin from March 11. The tickets which are now available can be purchased online at:www.gobcbticket.com.bdThe highest price of the ticket is set at Taka 2000 while the lowest is atTaka 200. Ticket price listGrand Stand (Lower): Taka 2,000Grand Stand (Upper): Taka 2,000International Gallery North (Media Block): Taka 1,000International Gallery South (Corporate Block): Taka 1000International Lounge South (Corporate Block): Taka 1,200Club House South (Shaheed Mushtaq Stand): Taka 600Club House North (Shaheed Jewel Stand): Taka 600Shaheed Abu Sayeed Stand: Taka 400Northern Gallery: Taka 400Eastern Gallery: Taka 200.