United News of Bangladesh

Members of joint forces in a drive arrested a man along with arms and ammunition while taking preparation for committing robbery at Kamarpotti in Sreepur upazila of Gazipur district on Friday night. The arrestee was identified as Akash Mia, 27 of the district. Tipped off, a joint forces team of Rab-1 and army personnel conducted a drive in the area at night and arrested Akash along with one foreign made pistol, one magazine, one bullet and one mobile phone set.

Referring to ongoing talks between Bangladesh and Pakistan on the former's potential purchase of JF-17 Thunder fighter jets, India on Friday said it is closely monitoring developments that might have implications for its national security. "We keep a close watch on all developments that have a bearing on our national security," said Indian Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal at a weekly media briefing in New Delhi. Asked about Bangladesh’s “potential interest” in procuring the JF-17 Thunder fighter aircraft from Pakistan, Foreign Affairs Adviser Md Touhid Hossain said, “I can’t talk about this today. Talks are underway. You will know once things are finalized.” Meanwhile, Pakistan Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar spoke with Adviser Hossain and reviewed bilateral matters and discussed recent regional developments. They also appreciated the timely convening of the Extraordinary Session of the OIC CFM on January 10 in Jeddah. Respinding to a question on direct flights between Dhaka and Karachi from January 29, and whether Dhaka needed New Delhi's permission to use Indian airspace, Jaiswal said, "Such issues will be dealt with as per air services agreement with Bangladesh." On minorities in Bangladesh, the MEA Spokesman said India continued to observe "a disturbing pattern of recurring attacks on homes and business establishments of minorities by extremists in Bangladesh," adding that "such communal incidents need to be dealt with swiftly and firmly." Jaiswal also said India had noticed "a troubling tendency to attribute such incidents to personal rivalries, personal vendettas, political differences and other extraneous reasons." Dhaka asks key missions in India to suspend visa services over security concerns Jaiswal said that "such disregard only emboldens the perpetrators" and further causes fear and insecurity among minorities. "We have repeatedly addressed this issue in earlier briefings," Jaiswal said. According to the Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council, the reported cases of communal violence stood at 51, including 10 murders, in December 2025.  

Pope Leo XIV on Friday expressed solidarity with victims of 'religiously motivated violence' in Bangladesh and other countries around the world. "Here, I would especially call to mind the many victims of violence, including religiously motivated violence in Bangladesh, in the Sahel region and in Nigeria, as well as those of the serious terrorist attack last June on the parish of Saint Elias in Damascus," he said. "Nor do I forget the victims of jihadist violence in Cabo Delgado, Mozambique." In his most substantial critique of U.S., Russian and other military incursions in sovereign countries, Pope Leo denounced how nations were using force to assert their dominion worldwide, “completely undermining” peace and the post-World War II international legal order. “War is back in vogue and a zeal for war is spreading,” Leo told ambassadors from around the world who represent their countries’ interests at the Holy See. Leo didn’t name individual countries that have resorted to force in his lengthy speech, the bulk of which he delivered in English in a break from the Vatican’s traditional diplomatic protocol of Italian and French. But his speech came amid the backdrop of the recent U.S. military operation in Venezuela to remove Nicolás Maduro from power, Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine and other conflicts. The occasion was the pope’s annual audience with the Vatican diplomatic corps, which traditionally amounts to his yearly foreign policy address. In his first such encounter, history’s first U.S.-born pope delivered much more than the traditional roundup of global hotspots. In a speech that touched on threats to religious freedom and the Catholic Church’s opposition to abortion and surrogacy, Leo lamented how the United Nations and multilateralism as a whole were increasingly under threat, reports AP. “A diplomacy that promotes dialogue and seeks consensus among all parties is being replaced by a diplomacy based on force, by either individuals or groups of allies,” he said. “The principle established after the Second World War, which prohibited nations from using force to violate the borders of others, has been completely undermined.” “Instead, peace is sought through weapons as a condition for asserting one’s own dominion. This gravely threatens the rule of law, which is the foundation of all peaceful civil coexistence,” he said. Leo did refer explicitly to tensions in Venezuela, calling for a peaceful political solution that keeps in mind the “common good of the peoples and not the defense of partisan interests.” On Ukraine, Leo repeated his appeal for an immediate ceasefire and urgently called for the international community “not to waver in its commitment to pursuing just and lasting solutions that will protect the most vulnerable and restore hope to the afflicted peoples.” New Pope’s Christmas message highlights Gaza, Yemen, and migrant struggles On Gaza, Leo repeated the Holy See’s call for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and insisted on the Palestinians’ right to live in Gaza and the West Bank. Leo repeated the church’s opposition to abortion and euthanasia and expressed “deep concern” about projects to provide cross-border access to mothers seeking abortion. He also described surrogacy as a threat to life and dignity. “By transforming gestation into a negotiable service, this violates the dignity both of the child, who is reduced to a product, and of the mother, exploiting her body and the generative process, and distorting the original relational calling of the family,” he said.  

A disabled woman died while undergoing treatment for burn injuries, officials said on Friday. The deceased was identified as Hazera Begum, 36, wife of Abdur Rahim from Vishugari Union in Gobindaganj upazila of Gaibandha. She was born with speech and intellectual disabilities. Hazera was admitted to the Burn and Plastic Surgery Department of Rangpur Medical College Hospital on January 4 with burns covering nearly 45 percent of her body. According to her family, she was warming herself near a fire under a large tree in the courtyard on January 4, when her clothes caught fire, causing severe burns to her waist and chest. She passed away Friday morning after five days of treatment. 103 people die of cold-related illnesses in Rangpur in 3 days Dr. Kaniz Fatema, Assistant Director of Rangpur Medical College Hospital, confirmed her death and said 14 other burn patients are currently receiving treatment. “Burn cases usually rise two to three times during winter due to open fires.” she added. Additionally, she urged people to take precautions when using fire to keep warm, wear warm clothing, and raise family awareness to prevent such accidents.  

Candidates backed by Islami Chhatra Shibir under the “Odomyo Jobian Oikko” panel have won the Vice President (VP), General Secretary (GS) and Assistant General Secretary (AGS) posts in the Jagannath University Central Students’ Union (JnUCSU) election. The results of 38 polling centers, out of a total of 40, were announced at 1:00 am on Thursday (January 8) by Chief Election Commissioner Professor Dr. Mostafa Hasan. For the Vice President (VP) post, Riazul Islam of the Shibir-backed Odomyo Jobian Oikko panel secured 5,564 votes, defeating his nearest rival A.K.M. Rakib of the Chhatra Dal-backed Oikkoboddho Nirvik Jobian panel, who received 4,688 votes. The margin of victory was 880 votes. In the General Secretary (GS) race, Abdul Alim Arif of the Shibir-backed panel won with 5,470 votes. His closest opponent, Khadijat-ul Kubra of the Chhatra Dal-backed panel, obtained 2,203 votes. The Shibir-backed candidate secured 3,267 more votes than his rival. Meanwhile, for the Assistant General Secretary (AGS) post, Masud Rana of the Shibir-backed Odomyo Jobian Oikko panel received 5,002 votes, while B.M. Atikur Tanzil of the Chhatra Dal-backed Oikkoboddho Nirvik Jobian panel garnered 3,868 votes. It is noteworthy that 16,645 voters were registered in the JnUCSU election, with an overall voter turnout of approximately 65 percent, according to Election Commissioner Zulfikar Mahmud. On the same day, elections were also held for the Nawab Faizunnesa Chowdhurani Hall Students’ Union, the university’s only women’s hall. Of the 1,242 registered voters there, turnout was approximately 77 percent.

The Election Commission on Saturday will kick off the nine-day hearing and disposal of the appeal petitions filed against the acceptance and rejection of nomination papers during the scrutiny as the deadline for receiving such petitions expired on Friday. The Commission, chaired by Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin, will hear and settle some 70 petitions (serial-1 to 70) on Saturday. The EC will dispose of all the petitions by January 18 next. The hearing will start at 10:00am at Nirbachan Bhaban. A petitioner has been asked not to be accompanied by more than two persons in the hearing room, said EC Director (Public Relations) Ruhul Amin Mollik. The Election Commission has finalized the hearing schedule for the first four days.  According to the schedule, the petition no 1-36 will be heard from 10:00am to 1:00pm, while the petition no 37-70 from 2:00pm to 5:00pm on Saturday. Besides, the Commission will hear and dispose of the petition no 71-140 on Sunday, the petition no 141-210 on Monday and the petition no 211-280 on Tuesday. EC officials said the number of total appeal petitions is 645. A total of 2,568 aspirants submitted nomination papers for the country’s 300 constituencies by the December-29 deadline to contest the 13th parliamentary election. During the scrutiny, the 69 returning officers --two divisional commissioners (Dhaka and Chattogram), 64 district deputy commissioners and three regional election officers (Dhaka, Chattogram and Khulna) – declared that the nomination papers of a total of 1,842 candidates valid and that of 723 others invalid. Then the Commission started receiving the appeal petitions against the decisions of the returning officers on January 05. 645 appeals filed with EC against decisions on nomination papers The Election Commission on December 11 announced the election schedule to arrange the national election and the referendum on the July National Charter (Constitutional Reform) Implementation Order simultaneously on February 12, 2026. According to the schedule, the last date for the withdrawal of candidature is January 20. The election campaign will start on January 22 and continue till 48 hours before the balloting period (7:30am on February 10).

A total of 645 aspirants filed appeal petitions with the Election Commission before the deadline expired on Friday, challenging returning officers’ decisions on the rejection and acceptance of nomination papers for the February 12 national election. Most of the petitions were submitted from January 5 to 9 against the cancellation of nomination papers during the scrutiny. On the last day, 176 aggrieved aspirants submitted the petitions, said EC Director (Public Relations) Ruhul Amin Mollik on Friday. The Election Commission will hear and dispose of the petitions from Saturday to January 18. On Saturday, the Commission, chaired by Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir, will hear 70 petitions (the serial no 1-70) at Nirbachan Bhaban in the city. Earlier during the five-day nomination paper scrutiny from December 30 to January 04, the 69 returning officers – two divisional commissioners (Dhaka and Chattogram), 64 district deputy commissioners and three regional election commissioners (Dhaka, Chattogram and Khulna) – declared that the nomination papers of a total of 1,842 candidates valid and that of 723 others invalid. A total of 2,568 aspirants submitted nomination papers for the country’s 300 constituencies by the December-29 deadline to contest the 13th parliamentary election. EC thrashes reports of election postponement in Pabna-1, Pabna-2 The Election Commission on December 11 announced the election schedule to arrange the national election and the referendum on the July National Charter (Constitutional Reform) Implementation Order simultaneously on February 12, 2026. According to the schedule, the last date for the withdrawal of candidature is January 20. The election campaign will start on January 22 and continue till 48 hours before the balloting period (7:30am on February 10).

A joint task force arrested a drug dealer in Rajbari, seizing an illegally possessed foreign pistol and ammunition. The arrestee, Sagar Sheikh (34), son of Khokon Sheikh from Ward No. 5, Kazikanda area of Rajbari Municipality, has four pending drug-related cases at the local police station. He was sent to court on Friday afternoon, confirmed the Officer-in-Charge of Rajbari Sadar Police Station. Police and sources said that late Thursday night (Jan 8), a joint team of police and army, led by the duty commander of the local army camp, conducted a raid in Kazikanda. Acting on a tip-off, the team searched Sagar Sheikh’s house and recovered a foreign-made pistol (Made in USA), a magazine, a fire cartridge, a Chinese machete, a 150cc Suzuki motorcycle, and an Android mobile phone. Man killed by mob over extortion in Rajbari, firearms recovered from associate Sagar Sheikh was handed over to Rajbari Sadar Police Station for legal action. OC Khondkar Ziaur Rahman confirmed that Sagar Sheikh is a known drug dealer and that, following the seizure of the firearm, a case has been filed against him under the Arms Act. He appeared before the court on Friday.

Police recovered the body of an unidentified elderly woman near the road adjacent to Shahjalal (R) shrine and graveyard in Sylhet on Friday morning. The deceased, estimated to be around 68 years old, was found by Sylhet Kotwali police. The Shahjalal (R) shrine police recovered the body, prepared a preliminary report, and sent it to Sylhet Osmani Medical College Hospital morgue for autopsy. Five held with illegal arms in Sylhet raid Shahjalal (R) shrine police in-charge Abdul Aziz confirmed the incident, adding that the woman appeared to be a homeless resident of the shrine area. Police are investigating to determine her identity and the exact cause of death.

Members of the joint forces detained five people and recovered a large cache of illegal arms, bullets and crime tools during a raid in Osmaninagar upazila of Sylhet early Friday. The operation was carried out at dawn on the basis of secret intelligence. Two army patrol teams led by Lieutenant Md Tanzil from the Osmaninagar Army Camp and a police patrol team led by Osmaninagar Police Station Sub-Inspector Omar Faruk took part in the drive. During the raid at the house of Md Afiqur Rahman in Sikandarpur village under Umorpur union, the main suspect was not found. However, the joint forces recovered two single-barrel guns, 10 rounds of bullets and several tools used in criminal activities from the house. Five suspected associates were arrested from the spot. The arrestees are Gias Uddin, son of late Yusuf Ullah of Chilaura village in Jagannathpur upazila; Md Habu Mia, son of late Geda Mia of Rifatpur village in Nabiganj upazila; Md Mojibur Rahman, son of late Abdul Gafur of Sikandarpur village in Osmaninagar; Sayed Ahmed, son of Zainal Abedin of the same village; and Naimur Rahman, son of Md Faruk Ahmed of Bharera village under Tajpur union. Woman arrested with 300 yaba tablets in Sylhet The joint forces also recovered two walkie-talkie sets, one binocular, one power bank, one analog multimeter, one headlamp, one electric shock torch, one action camera, 12 Android mobile phones, three memory cards and one iron cutter. The detained men and the recovered weapons and equipment were later handed over to Osmaninagar Police Station for legal action. Murshedul Alam Bhuiyan, Officer-in-Charge of Osmaninagar Police Station, confirmed the matter and said necessary steps are being taken.