United News of Bangladesh

Defending champion Ivory Coast and five-time Africa Cup of Nations winner Cameroon played out a thrilling 1-1 draw on Sunday, while Algeria secured a spot in the last 16, with France legend Zinedine Zidane once again in attendance. Cameroon forward Bryan Mbeumo had a chance to snatch victory in the dying moments but was denied by Ivorian defender Odilon Kossounou, who blocked the ball with his body. Both sides displayed determination throughout, with Cameroon showing unity under new coach David Pagou following the dismissal of Marc Brys amid a public dispute. The match in Marrakech saw Ivory Coast’s Amad Diallo break the deadlock in the 51st minute with a curling strike, his second goal in two games. Cameroon equalized five minutes later via Junior Tchamadeu, whose deflected shot off Ivorian defender Ghislain Konan was recorded as an own goal. Both teams now sit on four points in Group F, keeping their hopes of reaching the knockout stage alive. A moment of silence was observed before the match for former Ivory Coast coach Jean-Louis Gasset, who recently passed away. Elsewhere, Algeria defeated Burkina Faso 1-0, with Riyad Mahrez converting a 23rd-minute penalty for his third goal in two games. The Fennec Foxes topped Group E with six points, advancing to the knockout round. Zidane watched from the stands alongside Algerian fans, while his son Luca saw limited action in goal due to a teammate’s injury. Senegal cruise past Botswana as Nigeria edge Tanzania in Africa Cup openers Sudan revived its hopes of progression with a 1-0 win over Equatorial Guinea in Casablanca. The team faces Burkina Faso in their final group match on Wednesday, with a last-16 berth at stake, while Equatorial Guinea has been eliminated. The African tournament continues to produce intense clashes, with top teams aiming for progression and fans, including football legends, keeping a close eye on the action. Source: AP 

The country’s stock markets opened on a negative note as key indices at both the Dhaka and Chattogram bourses fell in the first hour of trading on Monday, with most shares ending in the red. At the Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE), the benchmark DSEX shed 21 points within the first hour. The Shariah-based DSES index lost 4 points, while the blue-chip DS-30 index dropped 14 points. Out of the traded issues, prices declined for 209 companies, while 77 companies saw gains and 90 issues remained unchanged. The share and unit turnover at the DSE crossed Tk 100 crore during the first hour of trading. The downtrend also persisted at the Chittagong Stock Exchange (CSE), where the overall index fell by 11 points in early trading. At the port city bourse, prices advanced for 17 companies against declines in 36, while 10 issues remained unchanged. During the first half of the session, the CSE recorded share and unit turnover worth Tk 1.40 crore.    

Home Affairs Adviser Lt Gen (retd) Jahangir Alam Chowdhury on Monday said the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) must maintain a strategic relation with neighbouring countries while performing duty along the borders. The instructions came while he was addressing the BGB’s annual day programme at Shaheed Shakil Ahmed Hall in Pilkhana in the morning. The Adviser warned that strict action would be taken against smugglers and drug traffickers, instructing officials to strengthen vigilance in sensitive areas. He also said any official or personnel found collaborating with criminals would face legal action. 14 platoons of BGB deployed in Dhaka, adjoining districts He instructed BGB members to take all necessary preparations and training to ensure a smooth, peaceful and festive national election. Jahangir Alam said the role of the paramilitary force would be crucial in maintaining law and order. “The election is approaching. To make it smooth, peaceful and festive, all necessary preparations and training must be undertaken. This is a major responsibility, and I believe you will fulfill it and offer the nation a credible election,” he said. He further urged close coordination with district administrations to prevent smuggling and ensure that border criminals are brought to justice.

BNP Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman’s nomination papers for the Dhaka-17 constituency were submitted on Monday to contest the upcoming national election from the seat, alongside Bogura-6. On behalf of Tarique, a BNP delegation, led by BNP Chairperson’s Advisory Council member Abdus Salam, submitted the nomination papers around 11:46am at the office of the Dhaka Divisional Commissioner and Returning Officer Sharf Uddin Ahmed Choudhury. His nomination papers for Bogura-6 will be also submitted today to the Bogura District Administration and Returning Officer by Bogura district BNP President Rezaul Karim Badsha. Besides, nomination papers for Bogura-7 on behalf of BNP Chairperson and former Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia will be submitted. Nomination papers for Feni-1, on behalf of Begum Khaleda Zia, will be submitted under the leadership of Dhaka South City BNP Convener Rafiqul Islam Mojnu. Earlier on Sunday, nomination papers for Dinajpur-3 on behalf of Begum Khaleda Zia were submitted by the district BNP president and general secretary. Tarique signs nomination papers for Dhaka-17, Bogura-6 polls BNP media cell member Sayrul Kabir Khan said BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, Standing Committee members and all party candidates will submit their respective nomination papers to the Returning Officers of their constituencies as per the announced schedule. The deadline for the submission of nomination papers expires today at 5:00pm, according to the schedule announced by the Election Commission. Meanwhile, the Election Commission on Sunday included BNP Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman and his daughter Zaima Rahman in the country’s voter list to be used in the February 12 election. On Sunday evening, Tarique Rahman signed his nomination papers to contest the 13th national parliamentary election from Dhaka-17 and Bogura-6 constituencies using the party’s electoral symbol, the Sheaf of Paddy. On December 11, the Election Commission announced the schedule for holding the 13th parliamentary election and the referendum on the July National Charter (Constitutional Reform) Implementation Order simultaneously on February 12. According to the election schedule, the deadline for submitting nomination papers is December 29, while the last date for withdrawing candidature is January 20. Tarique Rahman collects nomination paper for Dhaka-17 The election campaign will begin on January 22 and continue until 48 hours before polling starts at 7:30am on February 10.

Asian shares showed a mixed performance on Monday in light trading following a muted post-Christmas session on Wall Street, even as tensions escalated over Taiwan. U.S. futures were largely unchanged. The Chinese military said it dispatched air, naval, and rocket forces to conduct joint exercises near Taiwan, which Beijing claims as its territory, citing concerns over separatist activity and “external interference.” Taiwan, in response, placed its forces on alert and denounced Beijing as “the biggest destroyer of peace.” The drills followed U.S. arms sales to Taiwan and a statement by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi that Japan could intervene militarily if China acted against the island. The Chinese military did not specifically reference the United States or Japan in its Monday statement. In regional markets, Taiwan’s benchmark index rose 0.8%, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng gained 0.3% to 25,887.33, and the Shanghai Composite added 0.3% to 3,975.92. Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 fell 0.2% to 50,663.90. South Korea’s Kospi jumped 1.9% to 4,207.36, while Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 declined 0.3% to 8,732.70. Precious metals saw notable movements, with gold dropping 0.4% to $4,535.50 per troy ounce, while silver surged 3% to $79.87 amid supply constraints. Rising demand for safe-haven assets has pushed both metals to record highs this year, bolstered by expectations of U.S. Federal Reserve rate cuts and dollar weakness. Mining stocks, including Freeport-McMoRan, posted solid gains, climbing 2.2% on Friday. U.S. stock indexes showed little movement after reopening Friday, with the S&P 500 down less than 0.1% at 6,929.94, the Dow Jones Industrial Average falling to 48,710.97, and the Nasdaq dipping 0.1% to 23,593.10. In commodities, U.S. crude rose 60 cents to $57.34 per barrel, Brent crude gained 62 cents to $60.86. The dollar slipped to 156.28 yen, while the euro remained at $1.1770. Source: AP 

Sixteen elderly residents were killed Sunday evening in a fire that broke out at a retirement home in Manado, North Sulawesi Province, police said. Authorities said the blaze, which engulfed the single-story facility while residents were asleep, left 15 survivors who received treatment at two local hospitals. “The on-site team has confirmed 16 fatalities so far,” North Sulawesi police spokesperson Alamsyah Hasibuan said. “Fifteen victims were burned, while one passed away without fire injuries.” Officials said the victims’ bodies were taken to a hospital for identification with family assistance. Firefighters, deploying six trucks, battled the flames for over two hours after neighbors alerted emergency services. Television footage showed bright flames and smoke rising into the night sky, with body bags lined up outside the home. Neighbors reportedly helped evacuate some residents. Initial reports pointed to an electrical fault as the cause, but authorities later confirmed that the investigation is ongoing. The tragic fire highlights concerns over safety standards in elderly care facilities in the region. Source: AP 

You would not believe it when I say that walking at night is the most relaxing thing in the world for me. As evening approaches and the yellow of the sky is replaced with black, the lights of different houses in neighborhoods flicker open exposing the streets-and people on the streets-to a pallid, shadowy hue. Going back through memory lane, my evening walks in Dhaka as a child meant me being hoisted off the floor by either my uncle or some other relative and toured around the neighborhood block. The sky would change color according to its own will and choice. In the long run it meant me often walking and looking up at the changing sky and watching its various shades spread all over the blue. Walking past a shop and being careful not to get hit by a car on the pedestrian sidewalk, I would ask my uncle, aunt etc to buy me something to eat. They would always oblige and I would revel at the opportunity to get something tasty to eat every time we went on a walk. Aside from that….. Walking-or going out-by night meant watching traffic in Dhaka’s busiest streets, people getting off their cars in the middle of the road and/or buying a tiny packet of badam from a street side vendor and such other sights. But I also remember that one would have to be careful while walking on the streets in the late evening so safety was a big thing. Everyone in Dhaka knows things could go out of control in a span of minutes. The sights varied and in my memory’s mirror I can see my own para with its many real-life paintings in motion or in still. The elderly walk out at night to reach parks or visit a shop to buy groceries. These would be people in their 70s and 80s going out to catch a breadth of fresh air sometimes with family escorts or occasionally by themselves. Safety was a major concern for them taking this evening walk bordering on the early dark. It’s not crime that the family is worried about but these elderly people falling down and hurting themselves. Thankfully, such scenes were rare but after all these years my memory of that anxiety still remains.   Maybe crime was an issue in some parts of the city but older residents are also stronger now, more self- reliant and taking care of themselves better. But it’s true I wish I saw a would-be snatcher getting whacked by an old man like a senior citizen version of superman. But it’s true, overall for Dhaka, precautions must be taken at night by those who want a taste of walking in Dhaka at night. Toronto Visiting cafes in Toronto at night time is different from Dhaka’s night time. With safety and security well taken care of, taking a walk to a neighborhood park is not an issue of concern for night strollers. When I was there, I would watch from my veranda the neighbourhood as night fell after the evening had gone to bed. The park was just a few blocks away where so many came around to taste the night descends amidst the trees. So much would happen there. It had swings and other playground toys for children. There was a large space for events and activities held in the park. I would enjoy riding the swings at the park in the daytime but I would not go out at night alone as a stabbing had once occurred there a few days back and so for many children, night outs were off for a while. But then crime is so low in that city that family walks returned and the night was claimed back by the people living there. For those living in downtown Toronto, the lights, busy streets and endless people walking through offer a visual and sensory stimulation of their own. Downtown Toronto offers many peaceful delights, like the cafe where some of them one can even pet a cat as an extra. Interestingly, such joints have now opened in Dhaka too. In terms of the cozy feel that one gets visiting a nearby convenience store, Toronto and Dhaka both offer that sense of pleasure including visiting vendors or joints for a midnight snack and tea. Both cities are different and also the same in many ways. Both have their own tongues in which they speak to the residents but both are welcoming to all. Toronto is in the richer part of the world so many matters of safety and pleasure are taken for granted but Dhaka with all its limitations offers an experience all of its own.   So get up, open the door and take a walk as the lights come on.   

Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) members seized 2.15 kg of gunpowder and materials used to make crude bombs from an abandoned mango orchard in Chapainawabganj’s Shibganj upazila on Sunday night. A team from the Chapainawabganj RAB camp conducted a drive based on secret information and recovered 2.15 kg of gunpowder from a polythene bag. Another polythene bag contained bomb-making materials, including glass powder, broken blades, iron wires, three rolls of red tape and three containers of jorda, according to a press release issued by RAB-5’s Chapainawabganj camp on Monday morning. No one was arrested in connection with the recovery, the press release said. The seized gunpowder and bomb-making materials have been handed over to Shibganj Police Station for further legal action.

Train services on Dhaka–Mymensingh route have remained suspended since early Monday after two bogies of Agnibina Express derailed in Gafargaon upazila of Mymensingh district due to the removal of a section of the railway tracks by miscreants. No casualties were reported in the incident. The derailment occurred around 5:10am as the Agnibina Express was travelling from Tarakandi Station towards Gafargaon Railway Station, said Mymensingh Station Master Hanif. He said miscreants removed around 20 feet of the railway tracks, causing the train to derail. Inspector Md Sirajul Islam of the Railway Security Force (RNB) in Mymensingh said repair work is underway to restore the train operations. Train derailment disrupts rail services between Dhaka and northern districts The incident occured amid unrest following the nomination of local BNP leader Aktaruzzaman Bacchu for Mymensingh-10 constituency on Saturday. Supporters of rival aspirants reportedly staged protests in the upazila and municipal town, setting fires at more than 30 areas including railway installations, creating widespread panic.

The deadline for the submission of nomination papers in the upcoming national election is set to expire at 5pm on Monday. Most of the aspirants will submit their nomination papers today as only 166 nomination papers were filed till Sunday to contest the 13th parliamentary election. According to the EC’s Central Coordination Committee formed for the February-12 election, a total of 3,144 nomination papers were collected from the 69 returning officers to run the polls from the country’s 300 constituencies till Sunday after the election schedule announced on December 11 last. Strengthen cyber security ahead of election: Prof Yunus Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin on December 11 announced the schedule to arrange the 13th parliament election and the referendum on the July National Charter (Constitutional Reform) Implementation Order simultaneously on February 12 next. According to the election schedule, the deadline for the submission of nomination paper is December 29, while the scrutiny of nomination paper is on December 30-January 4 and 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).