DHAKA, Jan 8, 2026 (BSS) - Muhammad Waseem struck a scintillating half-century as Rajshahi Warriors continued its winning run in the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), thrashing Noakhali Express by four wickets at the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium today. A 43 ball-59 from Soumya Sarkar steered Noakhali to 151-5 but United Arab Emirates (UAE) recruit Waseem trumped him with 35 ball-60, a knock that led Rajshahi to victory in 19 overs, with 152-6. While Rajshahi registered their fourth victory in fifth match, the defeat was Noakhali's sixth in a row, meaning still they stayed win-less in the BPL. Ripon Mondol broke through with the wicket of Shahadat who made 30 before Rajshahi spinners stifled Noakhali batters in the slow-paced wicket. However, after Hasan Murad, got another crucial breakthrough with the wicket of Soumya, Noakhali slowed down considerably.

Foreign Affairs Adviser Md Touhid Hossain on Thursday said the latest decision taken by the US administration against Bangladesh is very unfortunate that hurt them but he thinks such a decision is nothing abnormal given the immigration related problems. “This decision is not just imposed on Bangladesh alone. Bangladesh is among the countries which have immigration related problems. Adviser Touhid said this problem - policy-related, had been continuing since long but this government from day one raised voice against irregular migration. Applicants must agree to the terms of the bond through the US Treasury Department’s online payment platform, Pay.gov, the State Department said.

Mohammedan Sporting Club Limited today expressed deep shock and sorrow at the death of its long-time and devoted supporter Ataur Rahman Ata, popularly known as ‘Ata Bhai’ in the country’s sports arena. Ataur Rahman breathed his last at around 11:00 pm on Wednesday while undergoing treatment at a hospital in the capital. In a condolence message, the board of directors of Mohammedan Sporting Club Limited, along with its donors, permanent members, former and current players, and employees, said they were deeply saddened by his passing. Ataur Rahman Ata was a loyal and veteran supporter of the country’s traditional football powerhouse Mohammedan Sporting Club Limited and was widely respected within the sports community for his lifelong dedication to the club. Meanwhile, the Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) also expressed deep shock and sorrow at the death of the devoted Mohammedan supporter.

It said all districts in Rangpur and Rajshahi divisions, along with Gopalganj, Moulvibazar, Cumilla, Feni, Khulna, Jashore, Chuadanga and Kushtia, are experiencing cold wave conditions. BMD officials said that the cold wave may continue for several more days, with its coverage shifting from one area to another. As per BMD classification, temperatures between 6.1 degree Celsius and 8 degree Celsius denote a moderate cold wave, while 8.1 degree Celsius to 10 degree Celsius is mild. Besides, severe cold wave conditions occur between 4.1 degree Celsius and 6 degree Celsius, and below 4 degree Celsius is considered very severe. The long-range forecast issued earlier by BMD this month predicted at least five cold waves in January, including one severe cold wave.

The arrested individuals are Touhid Bhuiyan (21) of Narsingdi district and Hridoy Hasan (21) of Jamalpur district. According to the case details, the fraudsters cloned the website of a foreign company, creating a fake platform identical in name and design. Members of the gang sent links to the fake website to victims and introduced themselves as employees of the foreign company. Digital forensic analysis of devices seized from Hridoy Hasan revealed that he controlled around 30 bank accounts opened in the names of different individuals. Although Hridoy claimed to be a computer engineer involved in web development, CID officials stated that he was actually engaged in investment fraud by cloning foreign company websites.

The Election Commission (EC) has opened a Law and Order Coordination Cell ahead of the national election and the referendum. The contact numbers of the coordination cell are 0255007470, 0255007471, 0255007472, 0255007474 and 0255007506, said a press release on Thursday. Citizens can lodge complaints or provide information regarding violations of the election code of conduct, electoral irregularities or the spread of false information by calling the designated numbers. The coordination cell will remain operational until February 13, the release added.

The International Crimes Tribunal (ICT)-1 on Thursday fixed January 14 to pass an order on charge framing in a case against former director general (DG) of the National Telecommunication Monitoring Centre (NTMC), dismissed Major General Ziaul Ahsan, over his alleged involvement in enforced disappearances and more than a hundred killings. The two-member tribunal, headed by Justice Md Golam Mortuza Majumder, set the date after the prosecution pleaded for framing of charges, while the defence sought his discharge from the case. Chief Prosecutor Muhammad Tajul Islam appeared on behalf of the prosecution, whereas senior advocate Mansurul Haque Chowdhury represented the accused. Earlier, on December 17, 2025, the prosecution submitted the formal charge, bringing three specific counts against Ziaul Ahsan. Ziaul Ahsan is currently in custody and is facing trial in several cases involving allegations of abduction, torture, enforced disappearance, killings, and other crimes against humanity.

BNP Acting Chairperson, Tarique Rahman, is set to visit Thakurgaon, drawing excitement from party leaders, workers, supporters, and a large section of the local population. The district BNP said Tarique Rahman will arrive on Monday night and stay at the guest house of the Bureau Bangladesh Training Centre in Thakurgaon. At 11am, he will attend a memorial and prayer session for Khaleda Zia at Thakurgaon Government Boys’ High School field, where he will address party leaders and activists. We wish him a long life.”Tarique Rahman has participated in several key Thakurgaon programs virtually in the past. Most recently, on September 7, 2025, he delivered a guideline-oriented speech as chief guest at the BNP Thakurgaon district biennial conference.

The government has taken initiatives to revise VAT and taxes on imported and locally produced liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) to address the ongoing supply crisis. During the winter, international supply typically drops, and domestic pipeline gas availability also decreases, causing a significant surge in LPG demand. For this purpose, the Energy and Mineral Resources Division, Ministry of Commerce, and Internal Resources Division were instructed to review the proposal jointly. The advisory council’s decision was later presented at a LOAB meeting, where the EMRD agreed. The letter urged that loan and LC applications be processed quickly and on a priority basis to stabilize the LPG market.

Law Adviser Dr Asif Nazrul on Thursday said a draft of the Indemnity Ordinance will be placed in the next meeting of the Council of Advisers aiming to give impunity to July warriors. "Such laws are completely legal, he said, "Such indemnity laws were enacted in different countries after the fall of popular governments during the Arab Spring or in contemporary revolutions (or mass uprisings)." The law adviser said Article 46 of the Constitution of Bangladesh allows the law of impunity, and an indemnity law was enacted for freedom fighters in 1973 after the great Liberation War. "In the light of these precedents and laws, the Law Ministry has prepared a draft of the Indemnity Ordinance. "It is our sacred duty to keep the July safe," Dr Asif Nazrul added.

Human Rights Monitoring Cell of United People’s Democratic Front (UPDF) has released its annual human rights report, alleging widespread violations in the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) during the period between January and December in 2025. According to the report, violations included communal attacks, extrajudicial killings, arbitrary arrests and detention, torture, violence against girls and women, land grabbing, religious persecution, and suppression of democratic rights. At least 71 people were abducted, 249 houses were searched, and 89 operations were conducted, during which looting and disruption of religious and educational activities were also reported, the release added. UPDF has put forward seven key recommendations to the next government, including initiating a political dialogue to resolve the CHT issue, ensuring impartial investigations—preferably through the United Nations—into all reported violations, recognizing indigenous peoples’ identity and land rights, stopping repression of political parties, addressing the settler issue, and ending religious persecution. UPDF also calls for urgent national and international attention to halt ongoing human rights abuses in the Chittagong Hill Tracts.

President Donald Trump is withdrawing the United States from a foundational climate treaty as part of a sweeping exit from collective global action, the White House announced Wednesday. Exiting the underlying treaty could introduce additional legal uncertainty around any future US effort to rejoin. “We are looking at legal options to pursue that line of argument.”“The US withdrawal from the UN climate framework is a heavy blow to global climate action, fracturing hard-won consensus,” Li Shuo of the Asia Society Policy Institute told AFP. As in his first term, Trump has also withdrawn the United States from the Paris Agreement and from Unesco -- the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization -- which Washington had rejoined under Biden. Speaking before the General Assembly in September, Trump delivered a scathing broadside against the world body founded in 1945 to promote global peace and cooperation in the wake of the Second World War.

Collected photoMOSCOW, Jan 8, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Russia said Thursday it had taken another village in Ukraine's Dnipropetrovsk region, where its troops have been advancing since summer despite Moscow not officially claiming the region. Russia's defence ministry said in a statement that Moscow's army took the village of Bratske, in the south of the Dnipropetrovsk region. Moscow announced the capture as Kyiv said Russian night-time attacks on the Dnipropetrovsk region left more than a million people without power. Russian troops entered the Dnipropetrovsk region -- which lies west of the Donetsk region -- in August last year. Moscow also occupies parts of Ukraine's north-western Kharkiv region as well as the pocket it controls in the Dnipropetrovsk region.

DHAKA, Jan 8, 2026 (BSS) - The Election Commission (EC) has dispatched postal ballots to 728,023 expatriate voters living in 104 countries to enable them to cast their votes in the upcoming 13th Jatiya Sangsad election and referendum. EC officials said the highest number of ballots was dispatched to expatriates in Saudi Arabia, where 223,943 voters received ballots. According to EC data, a total of 15,33,683 voters have registered through the "Postal Vote BD" App to cast their votes by postal ballot in this election. Of them, 761,141 voters registered from inside the country, while 772,542 registered from abroad. EC sources further said that on Wednesday evening, postal ballots were dispatched to 50,790 expatriate voters in different countries.

PHNOM PENH, Jan 8, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - A Cambodian bank founded by accused scam boss Chen Zhi, who has been indicted by the United States and extradited to China, was ordered liquidated Thursday, Cambodia's central bank said. Prince Bank "has been placed under liquidation in accordance with the laws of the Kingdom of Cambodia," the central bank said in a statement, adding that the it was "suspended from providing new banking services, including accepting deposits and providing credit".