Education Adviser Prof. Dr. Chowdhury Rafiqul Abrar. File PhotoBy Moshtak AhmedDHAKA, Jan 5, 2026 (BSS) - Education Adviser Chowdhury Rafiqul Abrar todaysaid the interim government has decided to recruit more than 67,000 teachersto fill vacant posts in schools, colleges, madrasas and technicalinstitutions across the country. "The current interim government will leave behind a legacy of recruiting over67,000 teachers against existing vacant posts. The adviser said that after the Ministry of Education received applicationsfrom NTRCA last month seeking approval to recruit teachers for vacant postsnationwide, several meetings were held under his leadership. Breaking down the figures, the education adviser said a total of 66,962 postswill be filled, including 29,325 under the Directorate of Secondary andHigher Education, 833 under the Directorate of Technical Education, and36,804 under the Directorate of Madrasah Education.

A public opinion poll has found that 70 percent of the electorate across the country intends to vote for the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) in the parliamentary elections. A private organisation named Eminence Associates for Social Development (EASD) conducted the survey. EASD said that the survey was conducted between Dec 20, 2025 and Jan 1 this year. Data was collected using a random sampling method from 684 unions and wards across all 300 parliamentary constituencies. In total, the opinions of 20,495 voters were recorded.

US oil majors soar on Wall St after Maduro deposedNEW YORK, Jan 5, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Chevron, ExxonMobil and ConocoPhillips shares surged on Wall Street early Monday after the United States deposed Venezuela's leader and announced plans to rebuild the country's oil industry. Both Chevron and ConocoPhillips rose more than four percent in opening trading, while ExxonMobil rose 2.1 percent.

CA Press Wing Facts in a post on its official facebook page said misinformation is being spread on the issue in local and Indian media outlets and social media. In reality, these days were not listed separately as holidays because they fall on weekly holidays,” reads the post. “Government holidays that coincided with weekly holidays (Friday and Saturday) were not counted again as additional holidays,” it added. In those years as well, when government holidays coincided with weekly holidays, they were not counted again as additional holidays. Therefore, the claim that the holidays were cancelled is false, the post added.

CARACAS, Jan 5, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Venezuela's interim president Delcy Rodriguez on Sunday called for a "balanced and respectful" relationship with the United States, a day after American forces attacked Caracas and captured leftist leader Nicolas Maduro. "We consider it a priority to move toward a balanced and respectful relationship between the US and Venezuela," Rodriguez, Maduro's vice president, wrote on Telegram. "We extend an invitation to the US government to work together on an agenda for cooperation that is aimed toward shared development."

Photo: BSSDHAKA, Jan 5, 2026 (BSS)- No political party, candidates or any other person will be allowed to run election campaign before the allocation of electoral symbols in the 13th National Parliamentary Election. Election Commission in a press release said today reminded this to all political parties and candidates and party supporters asking them to follow the electoral code of conduct. Election campaign will be allowed after the allocation of symbols on January 21 and must be concluded 48 hours before the polling on February 12, the release noted.

DHAKA, Jan 05, 2026 (BSS) - The results of the ‘A’ Unit (Faculty of Science and Life and Earth Sciences) admission test for the first year Bachelor (Honours) of Jagannath University (JnU) for the 2025-2026 academic year have been published. It has been informed through a press release signed by Professor Dr Mohammad Syed Alam, Dean of the Faculty of Science and Convener of the Admission Committee of Unit ‘A’, today. It said that students seeking admission can check the exam results by logging into their respective panels from the Jagannath University admission website jnuadmission.com. It also stated that all procedures and instructions regarding admission will be notified through a notice on the university website in due course.

Photo: BSSRANGPUR, Jan 5, 2026 (BSS) - Normal life is being severely disrupted due tosevere cold wave conditions for the second consecutive day today, furtherincreasing the suffering of the common people in the country's northern sub-Himalayan region. The number of passengers at bus stands, rail stations and river ports reducedto the minimum due to the biting cold all day today. Officer-in-Charge of Rangpur Meteorological office meteorologist MdMostafizar Rahman told BSS that both minimum and maximum temperatures markedslight rise and fall at places in the region today. "The gap between minimum and maximum temperatures reduced to just two to fourdegrees Celsius and the sun remained covered by clouds and fog amid blowingcooler winds, resulting in severe cold and making life miserable today," hesaid. The intensity of biting cold became unbearable during the past couple of daysfollowing reduction of the gap between the minimum and maximum temperaturesto the minimum in the sub-Himalayan region.

DHAKA, Jan 5, 2026 (BSS) - The White Paper prepared by the task force on the Posts and Telecommunications Department (PTD) was published today on the official website of the department (ptd.gov.bd). Alongside identifying the problems, the white paper also includes a set of recommendations aimed at ensuring transparency, accountability, and good governance in the Post and Telecommunication sector in the future. The task force was officially formed on April 21, 2025 with the approval of the Chief Adviser. Its primary mandate was to prepare a detailed white paper examining corruption and irregularities in the Post and Telecommunication sector over the last 15 years. The government expressed hope that the findings and recommendations of the white paper will serve as a key guideline for institutional reform, corruption prevention, and the delivery of

Colombian President Gustavo Petro. Collected photoBOGOTÁ, Jan 5, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Colombian President Gustavo Petro said Monday he would "take up arms" in the face of threats from US counterpart Donald Trump, who over the weekend seized the leader of neighboring Venezuela in a military strike. Petro, a former guerrilla who has for months been the target of insults and threats from Trump, said on X: "I swore not to touch a weapon again... but for the homeland I will take up arms again." Trump said over the weekend that Petro should "watch his ass" and described Colombia's first-ever leftist leader as "a sick man who likes making cocaine and selling it to the United States."

Pakistan Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif today visited the Bangladesh High Commission in Islamabad to offer condolences over the death of former Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia. Photo: PIDDHAKA, Jan 5, 2026 (BSS) - Pakistan Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif today visited the Bangladesh High Commission in Islamabad to offer condolences over the death of former Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia. During the visit, the Pakistan prime minister wrote his remarks in the visitors' book, paying tribute to the late leader, who also served as chairperson of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, according to a message received here. Begum Khaleda Zia, the first female Prime Minister of Bangladesh, breathed her last on December 30, 2025 at the age of 80 while undergoing treatment at Evercare Hospital in the city.

Md Zobayer Hossain Pappu, the prime accused in the fatal assault of Pabna Judge Court apprentice lawyer Naeem Kibria, has confessed to his involvement in the killing before a Dhaka court. Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Jewel Rana recorded the statement following an application by the investigation officer and ordered him sent to jail, confirmed prosecution SI Zakir Hossain. Investigation Officer Inspector Mehedi Hasan said evidence, including CCTV footage, linked him to the crime. Footage showed Zobayer and two to three other motorcycles chasing Kibria’s car, blocking it at the entrance of Road No. Kibria was then taken to another location and assaulted again by a second group of assailants, leading to his death.

DHAKA, Jan 5, 2026 (BSS)—Rangpur Riders Captain Nurul Hasan Sohan sent Chattogram Royals to bat first after winning the toss in their crucial Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) game at Sylhet International Cricket Stadium today. Both teams had won three matches in four to occupy the top two slots with Chattogram in the top position based on the net-run-rate. Therefore a victory would give any of them a chance to go two points clear from the next rivals. Line Ups:Chattogram Royals: Naim Sheikh, Adam Rossington, Shadman Islam, Mahmudul Hasan Joy, Hasan Nawaz, Asif Ali, Mahedi Hasan (c), Aamer Jamal, Tanvir Islam, Shoriful Islam, Abu Hider Rony. Rangpur Riders: Kyle Mayers, Liton Das, Dawid Malan, Towhid Hridoy, Mahmudullah Riyad, Khushdil Shah, Nurul Hasan (c), Aliss Al Islam, Mustafizur Rahman, Akif Javed, Rakibul Hasan.

This was Nasum's first-ever five-wicket haul in his 147-match T20 career. While Fahim Ashraf also claimed 5 wickets for 7 runs, Nasum achieved his feat by completing his full quota of overs, giving him a superior economy rate. Nasum is now tied for third in the record for taking five or more wickets for the fewest runs on Bangladesh soil in T20s. The record is held by Sri Lanka's Rangana Herath, who took 5 wickets for 3 runs against New Zealand in the 2014 T20 World Cup in Chattogram. Remarkably, Priyandana took all 5 wickets in a single over.

One of the two children rescued from a roadside in Chattogram’s Anwara has died. After nine days of treatment, 14-month-old Morshed, identified with a single name, passed away on Monday in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) of Chattogram Medical College Hospital, according to Anwara Upazila administrator (UNO) Tahmina Akter. On Dec 30, following directives from the Chattogram deputy commissioner, the infant was initially admitted to the Chattogram General Hospital for treatment. He was transferred to the CMCH NICU the following day.