Journalist Mostafa Zulfiqar Hasan, also known as Hasan Shiplu, has been appointed as the Deputy Press Secretary to the Prime Minister. The appointment was made on a contractual basis through a notification issued by the Ministry of Public Administration on Monday, March 2, 2026. According to the notice, he will serve under the Prime Minister’s tenure or until further satisfaction, whichever comes first.

The appointment terms specify that Hasan must resign from any other professional, business, or institutional affiliations, whether governmental, semi-governmental, or private. His salary will be at the final stage of the Grade-4 pay scale, effective from the date he assumes office. Additional conditions of the appointment will be determined through a formal contract.

Hasan Shiplu currently serves as the Deputy Head of News at Ekattor TV and previously worked for a long period at the daily Kaler Kantho.

Two people were killed in separate road accidents in Lakshmipur on Monday, March 2. Elderly man Anwar Hossain and young motorcyclist Rakib Hossain died in the incidents that occurred in Sadar and Raipur upazilas. Rakib, son of Jahangir Alam from Shakchar area, died after his motorcycle was hit by a bus on the Lakshmipur-Majuchowdhuryhat road. Anwar, a tube-well mechanic from Charpata area, was struck by a CNG-run auto-rickshaw in front of the Raipur Fish Breeding and Training Center.

Police and witnesses said the bus was heading from Lakshmipur toward Majuchowdhuryhat when Rakib’s motorcycle came under its wheels as the bus tried to change lanes. Police recovered the body and sent it to the Sadar Hospital morgue. In the second incident, Raipur police reported that Anwar was severely injured after being hit by the auto-rickshaw and was declared dead at the Upazila Health Complex.

Authorities have seized the bus involved in Rakib’s accident, while the driver fled the scene. Police said efforts are underway to arrest the driver and legal action is being prepared.

A severe traffic jam developed on the Dhaka-bound lane of the Dhaka-Chattogram highway in Gazaria, Munshiganj, on Monday night, causing significant suffering for passengers and drivers. The congestion began after midnight when repair work started on the Langalbandh Bridge in Sonargaon, Narayanganj. The slowdown on the bridge quickly affected the entire highway, extending the jam into the Gazaria section.

Truck driver Mohan Mia reported being stuck in traffic since crossing the Daudkandi Bridge around 3 a.m., while private car driver Ujjal Pradhan said about 13 kilometers of the Dhaka-bound lane in Gazaria had become nearly immobile. He noted that it took over two and a half hours to cross the Meghna Bridge, a journey that normally takes less than ten minutes.

Highway police officer Shawkat Hossain confirmed that the congestion was caused by the ongoing repair work on the damaged Langalbandh Bridge and said police were working continuously to ease the situation.

The government of Bangladesh will distribute honorarium allowances to religious institutions across the country ahead of the upcoming Eid, according to Ismail Jobiullah, adviser to the Ministry of Public Administration. Speaking to journalists on March 2, he said that 4,908 mosques will receive the payments before Eid, along with 990 temples, 72 Buddhist monasteries, and 198 churches.

Jobiullah explained that the initiative is part of the government’s election manifesto commitments under the leadership of Tareq Rahman. The plan includes a pilot scheme running until June, under which each union will have one mosque receiving monthly honoraria of Tk 5,000 for the imam, Tk 3,000 for the khatib, and Tk 2,000 for the khadem. Additionally, each mosque will receive a Tk 3,000 Eid bonus, with Tk 1,000 allocated per person.

He added that the pilot project will cover 4,900 mosques across unions and municipalities, along with the listed temples, monasteries, and churches. Once expanded nationwide, the program could include over 400,000 mosques.

Information and Broadcasting Minister Zahir Uddin Swapan stated that young professionals are the main driving force behind Bangladesh’s future development. Speaking on Monday, March 2, at the ‘Leadership Dialogue and Iftar Mahfil’ organized by the Forum of Young Professionals (FYP) at Six Seasons Hotel in Dhaka, he emphasized the importance of moral leadership, innovative thinking, and collective responsibility among the youth for sustainable national progress.

Agrani Bank Limited Chairman Syed Abu Naser Bakhtiar Ahmed, attending as a special guest, highlighted that financial awareness and entrepreneurial spirit are essential for professional success and national prosperity. FYP adviser Rashed Ul Haque Sarkar presided over the event, outlining the forum’s achievements and future plans, reaffirming its commitment to leadership development and professional excellence.

The event also honored dedicated FYP members for their contributions to the organization and community service. A leadership dialogue before the iftar discussed challenges and opportunities for young professionals, concluding with a communal iftar that strengthened unity and collaboration among participants.

Bangladesh’s Commerce Minister Khandaker Abdul Muktadir stated that even if the Strait of Hormuz is closed due to ongoing tensions among Iran, Israel, and the United States, there will be no immediate crisis in food or fuel supplies for Bangladesh. He said the government has sufficient reserves to prevent any negative impact on market prices. The minister made these remarks on Monday after meeting Indian Ambassador Pranay Kumar Verma at the Secretariat in Dhaka.

Muktadir added that the government is closely monitoring the international situation and that Bangladesh has successfully managed similar challenges in the past. He noted that if the strait remains closed for a long time, ships would have to travel around the Cape of Good Hope, raising transportation costs and potentially affecting prices, though such a situation has not yet arisen. The government has prepared for essential goods and energy supplies and will observe developments over the next few days.

During the meeting, both sides discussed strengthening bilateral trade, digital infrastructure, and technology cooperation. India’s ambassador reaffirmed his country’s commitment to deepening trade ties and normalizing visa operations soon.

Adviser Humayun Kabir held a courtesy meeting with the Pakistan High Commissioner on Monday at the Prime Minister’s Office. During the meeting, both sides discussed a range of issues of mutual interest and expressed satisfaction over the outcome of the talks.

The discussions focused on strengthening bilateral relations, enhancing trade and investment, expanding regional cooperation, and promoting people-to-people contact. Both parties emphasized the importance of deepening collaboration between the two countries.

They also expressed a shared commitment to further consolidate mutual cooperation in the coming period, highlighting the desire to build stronger ties across multiple sectors.

In an interview with CNN on Monday, U.S. President Donald Trump said that the largest attack on Iran had not yet been launched. Speaking to host Jake Tapper, Trump described the ongoing military campaign as extremely powerful and claimed that the United States was using the world’s best armed forces. He added that the most significant wave of strikes was still to come and would happen very soon.

When asked how long the war might continue, Trump estimated it could last about one month, emphasizing that he did not want it to be prolonged. He said he had always thought it would last around four weeks. Trump also described Iran’s attack on Arab countries in the Middle East as a major surprise.

According to Trump, the United States had told Arab nations that it would handle the situation, but those countries were now eager to fight. He noted that their role was supposed to be limited, yet they were insisting on joining the conflict more aggressively.

The California chapter of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) organized an iftar and prayer gathering in Los Angeles on Sunday to seek forgiveness for the soul of the party’s late chairperson, Begum Khaleda Zia. The event, held in a local auditorium, was presided over by California BNP president Badrul Alam Chowdhury Shiplu and conducted by general secretary M Wahid Rahman. Political, social, and cultural figures from the expatriate Bangladeshi community attended the program.

Speakers highlighted the spiritual significance of Ramadan and emphasized unity, compassion, and national solidarity. Special prayers were offered for the well-being of Bangladesh, global peace, and the souls of late leaders Ziaur Rahman and Khaleda Zia. Participants also prayed for victims of political repression and for the recovery of injured grassroots activists. The gathering included prayers for the success of BNP’s renewed political journey under Tarique Rahman’s leadership and for his wisdom, health, and longevity.

Badrul Alam Chowdhury noted that such events strengthen fraternity among expatriate Bangladeshis and pledged to continue similar social and religious programs in the future.

Vasani Jono Shokti Party chairman and freedom fighter Sheikh Rafiqul Islam Bablu has denounced the joint military aggression by the United States and Israel against Iran, calling it a grave violation of human rights. Speaking at a protest rally in front of the National Press Club on Monday, he demanded an immediate end to the attacks and urged that those responsible be brought under international law.

The protest, organized by the Vasani Jono Shokti Party, was held to condemn the reported killings of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and numerous civilians, including women and children, during the aggression. The rally began from Purana Paltan and concluded at the National Press Club, where several political leaders expressed solidarity.

Party General Secretary Abu Yusuf Selim stated that military aggression against a sovereign state is unacceptable and called for dialogue and diplomacy as the only sustainable path to peace. Leaders from other political parties, including Bangladesh JASAD and Bangladesh Independence Party, also voiced support for the protest.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has claimed responsibility for a missile and drone attack targeting the southern Israeli city of Beersheba, also known as Bir as-Sab, according to Al Jazeera. The Iranian news agency Tasnim reported that this was the eleventh round of Iranian strikes, asserting that the attack hit an Israeli military communications industry complex located in the city.

Tasnim later released a photograph it said showed a building in Beersheba that had been targeted. The report noted that the building housed offices of several international companies, including Microsoft. No further details about damage, casualties, or Israeli responses were provided in the available reports.

The incident marks another escalation in the ongoing hostilities between Iran and Israel, though immediate consequences or official confirmations from Israeli authorities were not included in the source.

A loud explosion was reported near a nuclear facility and an airbase in the central Iranian city of Isfahan, according to reports from Reuters and Al Jazeera. The blast was heard shortly before the reports were published on March 2, 2026, though no immediate details about damage or casualties were provided.

Earlier, Iran’s Natanz nuclear facility had been attacked. Reza Najafi, Iran’s envoy to the United Nations atomic watchdog, stated that the Natanz site was damaged in a joint strike by the United States and Israel. The incident near Isfahan follows that earlier attack, raising concerns about the security of Iran’s nuclear infrastructure.

The reports did not specify the cause of the latest explosion or whether it was linked to the previous assault on Natanz.

French President Emmanuel Macron has announced plans to increase the number of nuclear warheads in France’s arsenal, citing global security uncertainty. Speaking on Monday at the Île Longue military base in northwestern France, where the country’s ballistic missile submarines are stationed, Macron said the current stock of fewer than 300 warheads will be expanded. He did not specify how many new warheads will be added. This marks the first planned increase in France’s nuclear stockpile since 1992.

Macron stated that the move aims to clarify France’s role in Europe’s security framework through its nuclear deterrent. He also referred to growing global threats and uncertainty surrounding U.S. security guarantees to European allies. In addition, France will allow the temporary deployment of nuclear-armed aircraft to allied countries and will collaborate with Germany and the United Kingdom on a long-range missile project to enhance strike capabilities.

Analysts cited in the report said the announcement signals a significant shift in Europe’s security policy direction.

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth stated that military strikes on Iran will continue until President Donald Trump is satisfied. According to Hegseth, only Trump can decide how long the operation will last, which could extend for two, four, or even six weeks, depending on circumstances. The statement was reported by CNN on March 2, 2026.

Hegseth and General Dan Kane, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the joint US-Israel operation will persist until Trump believes all its objectives have been achieved. The officials did not specify the exact goals or timeline of the campaign.

The report also noted related developments, including Iran’s leadership maintaining a firm stance following the death of Ayatollah Khamenei, a Kuwaiti naval officer’s death, NATO’s declaration that it will not engage in the Iran conflict, and Spain’s refusal to allow its bases to be used for the attacks.

Iran has announced its readiness to continue fighting at any cost as the conflict with the United States and Israel entered its third day. Ali Larijani, head of Iran’s National Security Council, stated that Tehran is prepared for a long-term war. His remarks were reported by TRT World and shared through a post on social media platform X, where he emphasized Iran’s determination to defend its civilization and make its enemies regret their miscalculations.

Larijani asserted that unlike the United States, Iran has advanced with preparation for a long war. His statement signals that Tehran is not seeking to de-escalate but rather to sustain its defensive stance. Analysts cited in the report suggested that such rhetoric indicates a further rise in regional tensions across the Middle East.

The statement comes as the conflict continues to intensify, with Iran reaffirming its commitment to self-defense and signaling that it will not back down easily.