United News of Bangladesh

Bangladesh on Wednesday (January 14, 2026) lauded Finland and the European Union for deploying a large EU Election Observation Mission (EOM) for the upcoming national elections Bangladesh also sought sought Finland’s support for its post-LDC transition and GSP+ aspirations. Non-resident Ambassador of Finland to Bangladesh Kimmo Lähdevirta paid a courtesy call on Secretary (East & West) of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Dr Md Nazrul Islam and discussed issues of mutual interest. The Ambassador expressed Finland’s support for a potential Bangladesh-EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA), said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Read more: Prof Yunus orders strict measures to prevent possible election fraud Dr Islam invited the Ambassador to visit the EPZs to get firsthand experience on production facilities, business operations and above all, the investment opportunities in Bangladesh. During the meeting, both sides expressed satisfaction with the steady progress in bilateral relations and reiterated their commitment to further strengthening cooperation, particularly in trade, investment, clean energy, digital services, and textiles. The Secretary congratulated the Ambassador and the people of Finland on the upcoming Nordic Day celebration. The Finnish Ambassador reiterated that Finland is very happy to watch the democratic transition of Bangladesh. Read more: Bangladesh Election: EU Chief Observer clarifies ‘inclusive, participatory’ meaning Secretary Dr Islam shed light on Bangladesh’s reform agenda and preparations for the national parliamentary elections scheduled for 12 February 2026, alongside a national referendum on the implementation of the July National Charter.

A Feni court on Wednesday issued an arrest warrant against 171 people including ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in connection with the killing of a college student during the July uprising. Feni Senior Judicial Magistrate Mohammad Hassan passed the order after accepting the chargesheet in the case. Former Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader, former Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, Feni-2 MP Nizam Uddin Hazari, Feni-3 MP Masud Uddin were among the accused in the case. Read More: District Judge Court staff found dead in Feni On July 31, 2025, sub-inspector of Feni Model Police Station and also the investigation officer of the case Alamgir Hossain, submitted the chargesheet against 221 people. On August 7, 2024, Mahabubul Hasan Masum, a college student, died from gunshot wounds received three days earlier, during the July Uprising. Mohammad Mahmudul Hasan, brother of Masum, filed a case against 162 identified people and 400-500 unidentified people with Feni Model Police Station. So far, 39 people have been arrested in the case.

The Election Commission (EC) on Wednesday (14th January 2026) clarified a viral video showing a large number of postal ballots delivered to a single address in Bahrain, saying the incident resulted from differences in the country’s postal delivery system and did not involve any irregularities in the voting process. EC Senior Secretary Akhtar Ahmed made the clarification while responding to a question from reporters at Nirbachan Bhaban in the evening. Asked about the viral video showing many postal ballots reaching the same address, he said Bangladesh’s postal ballots are being sent through the Universal Postal Union (UPU) with the assistance of the Bangladesh Postal Department. “This has happened in the case of Bahrain as the postal systems of some countries including the Middle East are different. There, about 160 ballots have been left in one place in one box,” he said. Read more: Over 15 lakh people register for postal voting: EC Akhtar Ahmed explained that the delivery system there is similar to student hostels, where letters are kept at a designated place and recipients collect their own mail from there. “Some 160 (postal) ballots were placed in a box. Later, the expatriate Bangladeshi brothers opened the box and divided it among four or five people—whoever lives in the room next to them takes it or delivers it,” he said. The EC Secretary said a video of the process was recorded and circulated, which he personally thinks should not have been done. “From what we understand, someone posted the video out of excitement at receiving a ballot paper. If you observe carefully, there is no evidence that any envelope was opened.” Akhtar Ahmed said the matter was immediately communicated to Bahrain Post, which clarified that the ballots were not delivered directly by them. The Bangladesh Ambassador in Bahrain is also overseeing the issue. “Bahrain Post has informed us that they will conduct an on-site investigation and report back.” Earlier on Tuesday, the BNP raised concerns before the Election Commission over the viral video related to the distribution of postal ballots in Bahrain. A four-member BNP delegation, led by Nazrul Islam Khan, chairman of the party’s Central Election Steering Committee, placed their concerns during a meeting with Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin. Nazrul Islam Khan alleged irregularities in the overseas distribution of postal ballots, claiming that videos circulating on social media showed leaders of a particular political party handling a large number of ballot papers in Bahrain. Read more: Over 1.53m voters register for postal balloting: Shafiqul Alam He said the Election Commission informed them that the matter had already come to its notice and that the Bangladeshi Ambassador in Bahrain had been contacted. The Commission assured the BNP delegation that further investigation would be conducted and appropriate action would be taken based on the findings. On Tuesday, BNP raised concern before the Election Commission over the viral video regarding the distribution of postal ballots in Bahrain. A four-member BNP delegation, led by BNP’s Central Election Steering Committee Chairman Nazrul Islam Khan, raised the concern and allegation at a meeting with Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin. Nazrul Islam alleged that the video circulating on social media shows leaders of a particular political party handling a large number of ballot papers in Bahrain. He said the EC told them that the issue has come to their notice and already contacted the Bangladeshi ambassador in Bahrain. The Commission assured the BNP team that further investigation would be conducted and action would be taken based on the findings. A total of 1,533,683 voters have registered to vote through postal ballots, of whom some 772,000 are expatriate Bangladeshis residing in different countries across the world. The 13th national parliamentary election is scheduled to be held on February 12 next. Read more: Bangladesh Polls: Registration time for postal voting extended till Jan 5

Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus has ruled out the possibility of reconciliation in Bangladesh at this moment due to the ‘continued denial’ by the former regime of its crimes. He made the remarks when two former senior United States diplomats -- Albert Gombis and Morse Tan, both of whom served during the Donald Trump administration -- asked whether a truth and reconciliation initiative, similar to post-apartheid South Africa, was possible in Bangladesh. They met the Chief Adviser at the State Guest House Jamuna in Dhaka late Tuesday night, said the Chief Adviser’s press wing on Wednesday (January 14, 2026). Albert Gombis, a former Acting Under Secretary of State, and Morse Tan, a former Ambassador-at-Large, are visiting Bangladesh ahead of the crucial elections. Read more: Ocean a major asset, yet it's increasingly polluted: Prof Yunus Both diplomats praised the Chief Adviser for his crucial role in steering the country over the past one and a half years. As a friend of late Nelson Mandela, Prof Yunus said, he closely followed South Africa’s truth and reconciliation process, but he saw no possibility of a similar move in Bangladesh right at this moment due to the continued denial by the former regime of its crimes. “Time is not right. Where do you start? Truth and reconciliation come when you admit that you were wrong, when you repent and show remorse for your crimes, and when you create the right atmosphere,” the Chief Adviser said. “But so far, there is no remorse, no repentance. Instead, they claim that the young people killed during the July uprising were killed by terrorists. There are stacks and stacks of evidence of their crimes, absolutely barbaric crimes, yet they remain in complete denial,” he said. Prof Yunus reaffirmed his government’s commitment to hold the general elections and the referendum as scheduled on February 12. He said there had been a flood of fake news and deliberately spread confusion surrounding the elections, but stressed that the Interim Government remained firm in its commitment to hold the polls on February 12 and to hand over power to a democratically elected government once the results are announced. “No matter who says what, elections will be held on February 12, not a day before, not a day after,” the Chief Adviser said, adding that the vote would be free, fair and peaceful, and held in a festive atmosphere. He said the interim government would remain completely neutral during the elections, ensuring an unbiased administration and a level playing field for all political parties. During the hour-long meeting, the Chief Adviser and the visiting former diplomats discussed a wide range of issues, including the forthcoming elections, the July Revolution and its aftermath, the rise of young protesters, the July Charter and the referendum, fake news and misinformation targeting the vote, the Rohingya crisis, and the prospects for truth and reconciliation in a post-July Bangladesh. The Chief Adviser said his government was campaigning for ‘Yes’ votes in the referendum, noting that the July Charter, set to be endorsed by the people, would usher in a new era of democratic governance and leave no room for future autocracy. Election on Feb 12, no matter who says what: Prof Yunus tells former US diplomats Prof Yunus said supporters of the former autocratic regime were spreading fake news and misinformation in an attempt to create confusion about the elections. “But people are alert. Increasingly, they can detect AI-generated misinformation videos,” he said. Former Under Secretary Gombis agreed that fake news had emerged as ‘one of the main enemies’ of democracy worldwide and stressed the need for greater efforts to combat the threat. SDGs Affairs Principal Coordinator and Senior Secretary Lamiya Morshed was also present at the meeting.

The upward trend in remittances sent by Bangladesh expatriates has continued in January, with receiving over US $1.59 billion in 13 days of the month. Bangladesh received $17.85 billion in inward remittances from July to January 13, 2026, in the current fiscal year, FY 2025-26. It was 14.7 billion in the same period of the previous FY2024-25, and saw a growth of 21.5 percent. Blessings on the remittance, the gross forex reserves of Bangladesh cross $33 billion. As per the IMF standard BPM6, the forex reserves stood at $29 billion plus. Arif Hossain Khan, Executive Director and spokesperson of Bangladesh Bank, confirmed that the expatriates have sent $1.59 billion in the first 13 days of January 2026, which was $926 million in the same period of January 2025. It means the remittance earnings grew by 71.8 percent in this time. The growth is attributed to several factors, including incentives offered for sending money through legal banking channels, increased encouragement for using the formal system and the active role of exchange houses. Bangladesh remittance hits record $17.17 billion in 6 months as inflow surges In FY2025-26, Bangladesh received $2.47 billion in remittances in July, $2.42 billion in August, $2.68 billion in September, $2.56 billion in October, $2.88 billion in November, and $3.22 billion in December. The data revealed that the average inward remittance flow was over $2.42 billion in the last six months. This robust flow of remittance influences Bangladeshi policymakers to discourage lending from the IMF with tough conditions.  

The rulers of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have granted royal pardons to 440 Bangladeshi prisoners, said the UAE Embassy in Dhaka on Wednesday (January 14, 2026). The royal pardons were granted on the occasion of the 54th UAE National Day (Eid Al Etihad) in 2025, which is observed annually on December 2, commemorating the historic unification of the emirates in 1971 under one flag. The gesture underscores the UAE leadership’s humanitarian values and commitment to giving those pardoned the chance to rebuild their lives and rejoin their families and communities, said the Embassy. Read more: UAE President pardons 25 convicted Bangladesh citizens As part of the Union Day celebrations, UAE leaders pardoned thousands of inmates across the country, marking one of the largest collective clemency initiatives in recent years. The pardons reflect the UAE’s longstanding tradition of granting mercy on significant national and religious occasions. The UAE rulers regularly issue royal pardons during events such as Eid holidays and National Day, promoting forgiveness, family reunification, and social reintegration. The recent pardon initiatives in late 2025 covered thousands of prisoners of various nationalities, including Bangladeshi citizens, offering them an opportunity for a fresh start. Read more: Disney to build its 7th theme park in UAE

The Election Commission has so far cleared the way for 275 candidates in the past five days of hearing as 72 regained candidacies on Wednesday to run in the upcoming national election scheduled for February 12 next. Besides, 78 other invalid aspirants failed to return to the race as the EC chaired by Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin rejected their appeal petitions in the four days. On Wednesday, a total of 100 petitions were placed for hearing in the Electoral Appeal Tribunal (EC). “Upon hearing the appeals, the Commission granted 73 petitions, rejected 17 others and kept the rest 10 petitions pending to be settled later,” said EC Senior Secretary Akhtar Ahmed briefing reporters on Wednesday evening. Read More: EC bars polls to all bodies, associations before Feb. 12 elections done With the EC’s decisions, 72 previous invalid candidates returned to the electoral race, while several previously valid candidates lost candidature as appeal filed against her was accepted. The Commission so far heard 380 petitions (in the last five days) and is supposed to hear another 100 petitions on Thursday to complete the hearing and disposal of 645 petitions by January 18, said the EC Secretary. On Wednesday, four appeals against the validity of nomination papers were heard. Among these, the EC rejected an appeal petition filed challenging the validity of BNP nominated candidate for Cumilla-6 Monirul Haque Chowdhury, keeping the candidacy valid to contest in the 13th parliamentary election. BNP candidate for Cumilla-6 to remain valid Independent candidate and BNP leader Mohammad Amin Ur Rashid for Cumilla-6 filed a petition with the EC, which is the Electoral Appeal Tribunal, against the acceptance of the nomination paper of Monirul Haque during the scrutiny. In the petition, former MP Amin Ur Rashid alleged that Monirul Haque concealed the information of bank loans and wife’s assets in the affidavit filed with the nomination paper. During the petition, the Election Commission, chaired by Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin, declared that the nomination paper of Monirul Haque to remain valid. Fate of BNP candidate for Dinajpur-5 to be settled Jan 17 Read More: EC hearings reopen race for 41 more election candidates The Commission kept another appeal petition against the validity of the nomination paper of BNP candidate for Rajshahi-5 AKM Kamruzzaman pending to be settled on January 17. Independent candidate for the same constituency AZM Rezwanul Haque filed the petition challenging the acceptance of Kamruzzaman’s nomination paper by the returning officer. In the petition, the appellant claimed the BNP candidate has dual citizenship as he didn’t place any document to prove that he gave up British citizenship. Kamruzzaman ‘s counselor and senior lawyer Ruhul Kuddus Kajal told reporters that the BNP candidate gave up British citizenship which was announced in the affidavit submitted with the nomination paper. There is no scope in the constitution to bar AKM Kamruzzaman from contesting the election on this ground, he said. Besides, an appeal filed by BNP candidate for Cumilla-2 Selim Bhuyan against the validity of independent candidate Abdul Matin, but the Commission turned down his petition. With the EC’s decision, the candidacy of Abdul Matin would remain valid. However, the EC granted an appeal filed by Jatiya Party candidate for Kurigram-4 KM Mandal against the validity of Bangladesh Supreme Party candidate Shefali Begum. So, Shefali Begum lost her candidature in Kurigram-4. A total of 2,568 aspirants submitted nomination papers to run the upcoming national election from the country’s 300 constituencies within the December-29 deadline. The returning officers declared 1,842 nomination papers valid, while 723 others invalid during the scrutiny.

Amid reports that Bangladesh plans to sign a G2G agreement with China to establish a military drone manufacturing facility, Foreign Affairs Adviser Md Touhid Hossain on Wednesday said the government would not take any step that could harm Dhaka’s relations with any country. “We will definitely not do anything that will deteriorate our relations with any party. We will act while maintaining a balance,” he told reporters when a journalist asked about the possible impact of such an agreement on Bangladesh’s relations with Washington. Feb Polls: Foreign Adviser clarifies visa policy, cautions against disruptive entry Adviser Hossain said Bangladesh needs to enhance the capabilities of its armed forces, citing the Air Force as an example. “Our aircraft are very old, and many of them are not even in serviceable condition. We will have to make minimum purchases. There is ongoing discussion about where to procure equipment from and how much to acquire from which country,” he said. Ahead of the formal signing of the agreement with China, media reported said the Ministry of Finance on January 6 approved a project proposal officially titled “Establishment of Manufacturing Plant and Transfer of Technology (ToT) for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs).” Responding to a question about alliance formation, the Foreign Affairs Adviser said Bangladesh has not joined any alliance in the past one and a half years. Foreign Adviser communicates with Pakistani counterpart ahead of OIC ministerial meet on Somalia “Discussions on various groupings will continue. If we see that joining a group serves our interests and helps protect them, we will do so. Otherwise, there is no question of joining,” he said.  

Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Commissioner Sazzat Ali asked all officers to strictly follow the code of conduct and remain vigilant against any activities by banned organisations that could disrupt the electoral environment. “Violations of the electoral code of conduct could jeopardise the security of candidates and law enforcers should remain vigilant so that the code is strictly followed,” he said while speaking at the monthly crime review meeting at Rajarbagh Police Lines in the capital. The upcoming election would become a part of the nation’s history, he said. “All police personnel must ensure that no complaints are raised against them during the election.” He emphasised the need to ensure a flawless and nonpartisan conduct in the upcoming 13th general election and referendum. The DMP Commissioner presented awards to officers of various ranks in recognition of their outstanding performance in maintaining law and order, controlling crime, and ensuring public safety in Dhaka in December.  

Special Assistant to the Chief Adviser Professor Ali Riaz on Wednesday said voting ‘Yes’ in the referendum would pave the way for building a new, discrimination-free Bangladesh for the young generation. “To rebuild the country anew, people must vote ‘Yes’ in the referendum. The decision on what kind of Bangladesh will be handed over to the youth in the future will be determined by this ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ vote,” he said. Prof. Riaz came up with the remarks while addressing a divisional-level Imam Conference at Abu Sayeed Stadium in Rangpur on Wednesday afternoon, organised to promote the referendum and motivate voters. Read More: Upper house of legislature key to preventing autocracy: Ali Riaz Referring to the July Charter, Prof. Riaz said that although it was written in black ink, it was essentially written with the blood of the martyrs of the 'July' movement, referring to the Uprising of 2024. “To implement the July Charter, the referendum must receive a ‘Yes’ vote,” he explained.  He clarified that the referendum is not about voting for any individual. “If the people say ‘Yes’, no political party will have the power to block reforms,” he said. Ali Riaz also said that public funds had been looted for the past 16 years and that a ‘Yes’ vote in the referendum would help curb looting and corruption in many areas.