During the meeting, Professor Yunus recalled his long-standing relationship with China, which began through the microcredit movement. Later, the Chinese government launched its own programmes inspired by these principles,” the Chief Adviser said. Recalling his visit to China in March, Professor Yunus said he had met President Xi Jinping during the visit. Professor Yunus also shared his vision of establishing a “health city” in the northern region of Bangladesh. Professor Yunus expressed his gratitude to the Government of China for its continued support and cooperation.

The nationalist leader, who is seen trailing behind the opposition in polls ahead of the April election, had promised an economic "flying start" for 2025, with the government originally forecasting a 3.4 percent growth. But the export-oriented central European country of 9.5 million has been severely impacted by declining external demand amid global trade disruptions. But she predicted a return to stronger growth this year "thanks to a revival in external demand and an improving European economy". In November, industrial production declined to a level not seen since the height of the Covid-19 pandemic five years ago. Economy Minister Marton Nagy blamed the tepid growth on the fallout from the war in Ukraine, as well as "weak EU competitiveness, and weak external demand".

BAGERHAT, Jan 30, 2026 (BSS) - A man was killed in a reckless motorcycle collision in Mollahat upazila of Bagerhat district on Thursday night. The accident took place in the Rajpat area near Madrasa Ghat. According to Mollahat Highway Police Station Officer-in-Charge Asaduzzaman, Hafizur Sheikh was crossing the highway to return home on his motorcycle when another motorcycle, traveling at high speed, struck him. Locals rushed him to Fakirhat Upazila Health Complex, where the on-duty doctor declared him dead. Police have arrested the motorcycle rider, MD Akbar Morol, 35, from Depara area of Fakirhat upazila, along with the motorcycle.

The Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) says corrupt prison officials helped three murder suspects walk free from Mymensingh Central Jail without bail documents. RAB-14 Commander Naimul Hasan said the men were released with the assistance of “dishonest” jail staff. They were identified as Md Anis Mia, Rashidul Islam and Zakirul Islam, all accused in a murder case filed with Tarakanda Police. According to the RAB, the suspects were freed after prison officials mistakenly treated a production warrant as a bail order, triggering public concern and prompting an internal investigation. He said disciplinary action would be taken if the investigation found evidence of negligence or misconduct by prison officials.

Photo: BSSDHAKA, Jan 30, 2026 (BSS) - The Bangladesh under-19 women's national football team will begin their SAFF U-19 Women's Championship campaign tomorrow, taking on Bhutan in one of the opening matches at Pokhara Rangasala Stadium in Pokhara, Nepal. Later in the day, India will meet host Nepal at 3:15 pm at the same venue. Ahead of their first match, the Bangladesh U-19 women's team held their initial training session at the stadium. Following the opening match, Bangladesh will face India on February 2 and Nepal on February 4, both matches also at Pokhara Rangasala Stadium. The top two teams from the group stage will advance to the final, which is scheduled for February 7.

Businessmen have noted a slowdown in unloading imported consumer goods ahead of the Ramadan season. As of Thursday morning, 11 lakh tons have been unloaded, leaving roughly 12 lakh tons still waiting. In addition, 25 ships carrying 13.5 lakh tons of wheat have arrived, with six lakh tons already unloaded. Seven ships brought in 2.36 lakh tons of chickpeas, lentils, and peas, of which 1.50 lakh tons have been unloaded. Nine ships carrying 4.39 lakh tons of oilseeds have seen three lakh tons unloaded so far.

Govt staff cannot campaign for 'Yes' or 'No' in referendum: EC SanaullahEC Abul Fazal Md. Sanaullah spoke at a view-sharing meeting at the Patuakhali District Commissioner's conference room on Friday. Sanaullah today said government officials and employees will not be allowed to campaign in favor of 'Yes' or 'No' in the upcoming referendum. Section 21 of the Referendum Ordinance 2025 states that whatever is prohibited in the general election is also prohibited in the referendum," he said. Assistant Returning Officers, senior law enforcement officials, core officers, department representatives, election officials, and members of the media attended.

Photo: BSSPATUAKHALI, Jan 30, 2026 (BSS) - The European Union Election Observer team held a meeting with Dr. Zahir Uddin Ahmed, the parliamentary candidate of the 11-party alliance for Patuakhali-4, at Hotel De More in Kuakata this morning. The discussions focused on the upcoming national elections, ensuring a conducive environment during the election period, safeguarding free and fair elections, voter security, equal opportunities for all political parties, and the protection of democratic rights. Dr. Zahir Uddin Ahmed outlined the overall political situation in the constituency, shared public expectations, and stressed the importance of conducting a credible and transparent election. He called on all relevant parties to take responsible roles to ensure a participatory and trustworthy election process. Petar Bahchevanov, long-term observer for the EU Election Observation Mission Bangladesh 2026, reaffirmed the European Union's commitment to monitoring the democratic process in Bangladesh and expressed optimism about supporting peaceful and credible elections.

The use of modern technology has also been increased to suppress crime and keep the border situation normal. At the same time, discussions have been held with India's Border Security Force (BSF) to maintain stability along the border. He said that extensive security plans have been adopted in the areas under the responsibility of the Rajshahi Sector centering the election. Overall, plans have been made to deploy more than 4,000 BGB personnel in the Rajshahi Sector for election duties, he added. After the press conference, a BGB security drill was also conducted on the highway.

DHAKA, Jan 30, 2026 (BSS)- Over 20 lakh overseas job seekers have registered their names on Overseas Employment Platform (OEP) to go abroad since its inception. According to available official data a total of 20,65,399 job seekers have registered their names on the platform till January 29 (Thursday) against 11,97,943 overseas jobs so far recorded. On November 19, 2025, the Ministry of Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment officially launched the OEP aiming to ensure safe and dignified labour migration. This digital platform marks a transformative step in the nation's journey towards facilitating safe, transparent, and efficient overseas employment opportunities for millions of hardworking Bangladeshis. The OEP has been designed as a one-stop solution by integrating diverse services related to overseas job migration into a single accessible, user-friendly online portal.

KOLKATA, Jan 30, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Indian police have arrested the owner andmanager of a warehouse in Kolkata where at least 25 people died in a blaze,officials said Friday. Sujit Bose, the state's fire services minister, said the owner of one of thewarehouses and its manager had been arrested, with an investigation underway. The incident comes barely a month after a fire ripped through a nightclub inthe popular tourist hub of Goa, killing 25 people. Fires are common in India due to poor construction standards, a lack offirefighting equipment and routine disregard of safety regulations. A month before that, a blaze broke out in a hotel in Kolkata, killing atleast 15 people.

GENEVA, Jan 30, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - At least 170 civilians were killed in morethan 400 military air strikes conducted in Myanmar during its recent two-month voting period, the United Nations said Friday. "Credible sources verified that 170 civilians were killed in some 408military aerial attacks reported by open sources during the voting period --between December 2025 and January 2026," the UN rights office said in astatement, adding the true figure was likely to be higher.

The 7th meeting of the Investment Coordination Committee was held at the Chief Adviser's office in Tejgaon area on Thursday. The updates were presented at the 7th meeting of the Investment Coordination Committee, where senior policymakers and regulators reviewed reforms aimed at reducing bottlenecks, digitising services, and accelerating investment execution. The committee reviewed several recent coordination successes. Automated truck entry systems at Chittagong Port have reduced entry times by at least 90 percent, while digital tracking and cashless payments have enhanced transparency and efficiency. The Chittagong Port Authority has introduced a similar “agent desk” to assist users transitioning to online platforms, according to Chairman Moniruzzaman.

DHAKA, Jan 30, 2026 (BSS)- The qualifying tournament of the SpectrumBangladesh National Cup Chess begins from tomorrow (Saturday) at theBangladesh Chess Federation hall room in the capital. The qualifying tournament is open to all participants, organised by theBangladesh Chess Federation under the patronage of Spectrum EngineeringConsortium Limited. The qualifying round will be held in a nine-round Swiss-league system and thetop 16 players will qualify for the final round. The final round will be played in a knockout format and will begin fromFebruary 16. All players in the final round will receive a cash prize of Takathree lakh twenty thousand.

Photo: BSSBy Md Monjur MorshedMUNSHIGANJ, Jan 30, 2026 (BSS) - Farmers in Munshiganj, one of the country's top potato-producing districts, are actively engaged in weeding and irrigating their fields as the potato season reaches its peak. The District Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) said the target for potato cultivation this season was 34,655 hectares, but actual cultivation slightly exceeded the target, reaching 34,660 hectares. The target yield for the season has been set at 1,045,195 tons. Habibur Rahman, Deputy Director of DAE Munshiganj, told BSS that the current weather is conducive to potato cultivation. He said, "If there is no natural disaster, the target yield is achievable."