United News of Bangladesh

Several Gulf countries, including Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, reported missile and drone activity targeting their airspace on Sunday, amid rising regional tensions. Kuwait’s defence ministry said it detected 14 ballistic missiles and 12 drones entering its airspace. Some of the projectiles struck a military camp, injuring 10 armed forces personnel. In Qatar, the defence ministry said its air defence systems identified and intercepted several drones launched from Iran, preventing any damage. Earlier, the UAE said its air defence systems were actively responding to incoming threats after 16 ballistic missiles and 42 drones were launched from Iran toward its territory. Authorities in the three countries said their defence systems were able to intercept most of the threats, though the incidents underline growing security concerns in the region. #From BBC

Police have arrested two members of an organised honey trap gang in Jatrabari and recovered Tk 67,000 looted from a businessman. The arrestees were identified as A. Gaffar Sarker, 45, and Shirin Akter alias Sumaiya, 25. According to Jatrabari Police Station sources, the gang lured a businessman to a house near Noor Mosque in the Gobindapur area on March 25. Once there, several accomplices assaulted him, threatened him, and extorted Tk 2,59,700 after recording compromising footage to blackmail him. Police said Sumaiya, who had prior acquaintance with the victim, initially called him to meet in the Shonir Akhra area and then took him to the house where the incident took place. Acting on information and using technology, police conducted drives in Shonir Akhra and Gobindapur on Sunday and arrested the two key suspects. Tk 67,000 was recovered from their possession during the drive. Efforts are underway to arrest other members of the racket and recover the remaining money, said Arifa Akhter Priti, Assistant Police Commissioner (Media & Public Relations), Dhaka Metropolitan Police. Legal action is being processed in connection with the case, she said.

Pakistan has expressed willingness to host potential talks between Iran and the United States, saying both sides have shown confidence in Islamabad’s role as a facilitator. Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said Pakistan would be “honoured” to arrange and support meaningful dialogue between Tehran and Washington in the coming days. However, he did not confirm whether either country has formally agreed to participate. Dar made the remarks after the first day of meetings in Islamabad involving the foreign ministers of Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Egypt. He said the discussions focused on ways to achieve an early and lasting end to ongoing regional conflicts, and thanked the participating countries for backing Pakistan’s peace efforts. The minister also said he spoke with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and the Secretary-General of the United Nations, both of whom expressed support for the initiative. Separately, following a meeting between Pakistan’s prime minister and Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister, Islamabad issued a statement reaffirming its strong ties with Riyadh, saying Pakistan would “stand shoulder to shoulder” with the kingdom and appreciated what it described as Saudi Arabia’s “remarkable restraint.” #From BBC

Indices fell at both the Dhaka and Chittagong stock exchanges on Sunday, the first trading day of the week, with most listed companies witnessing price declines. At the Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE), the benchmark DSEX index dropped by 44 points, while the Shariah-based DSES lost 7 points and the blue-chip DS30 index declined by 21 points. Losers dominated the market: share prices fell for 250 companies against 114 gainers, while 30 remained unchanged. However, turnover increased compared to the previous session, with total transactions reaching Tk 646 crore, up from Tk 603 crore earlier. In the block market, shares worth Tk 32 crore from 44 companies were traded, with Al-Arafah Islami Bank PLC topping the list with transactions worth Tk 8.5 crore. Among individual issues, Bangladesh Autocars Limited emerged as the top gainer with nearly 10 percent price appreciation, while Prime Textile Spinning Mills Limited was the worst performer, losing around 7 percent. Meanwhile, the Chittagong Stock Exchange (CSE) also ended in the red after early gains failed to sustain. The overall CASPI index fell by 112 points at the close. Prices declined for most issues, with 98 companies posting losses, 82 advancing and 19 remaining unchanged. Total turnover at the port city bourse rose to Tk 32 crore from Tk 20 crore in the previous session. Among the top performers, Hamid Fabrics PLC gained nearly 10 percent, while Reliance Insurance PLC shed about 10 percent to become the worst loser.