Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami Secretary General and former MP Mia Golam Parwar on Monday submitted his nomination paper for Khulna-5 constituencyHe, accompanied by the party leaders and activists, submitted the paper to the Deputy Commissioner and returning officer Jashed Khandakar at his office. Meanwhile, Jamaat-nominated candidate Krishna Nandy also submitted his nomination paper for Khulna-1 seat. For the first time, Jamaat has nominated a candidate from the minority community. The deadline for the submission of nomination papers in the upcoming national election is set to expire at 5pm on Monday.

Wawrinka 'at peace' with retirement but no plans to go quietlyPERTH, Australia, Dec 29, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - Three-time Grand Slam winner Stan Wawrinka said Monday he was "at peace" with his decision to make 2026 his last year on tour but insisted there were still goals to meet. The 40-year-old announced this month that he plans to call it quits, with the United Cup in Perth starting Friday the beginning of the end for the popular Swiss star. I'm happy with the decision, I'm at peace with that." Wawrinka won the Australian Open in 2014, the French Open a year later and the US Open in 2016, at a time when Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic were dominating men's tennis. Wawrinka leads a Swiss team also boasting world number 11 Belinda Bencic at the mixed-teams United Cup where they are grouped with France and Italy.

JERUSALEM, Dec 29, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - Israel's defence ministry said on Sunday it had deployed a new "Iron Beam" laser system for the air force to intercept aerial threats. "For the first time globally, a high-power laser interception system has achieved full operational maturity, successfully executing multiple interceptions," Defence Minister Israel Katz said at the ceremony, according to a statement. "Israel has become the first country in the world to field an operational laser system for the interception of aerial threats, including rockets and missiles," said Yuval Steinitz, chairman of Rafael. The laser system seeks to enhance and slash the cost of Israel's interception of projectiles, and will supplement other aerial defence capacities such as the more well-known Iron Dome. The defence ministry announced in early December that the laser system was complete, and would be deployed by the end of the month.

Sources say further changes are likely as the party recalibrates its strategy amid alliance considerations, health concerns, legal complications and growing pressure to field younger candidates. Among them, Begum Khaleda Zia was nominated in three constituencies—Bogra, Dinajpur and Feni—while BNP Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman was nominated for Bogra-6. Most of Jamaat’s nominated candidates are relatively young, and the party is running separate campaigns targeting young voters. In Jashore, the BNP has replaced four of the initially nominated candidates across the district’s six constituencies. Party leaders and activists say they are unhappy about nominating an elderly expatriate who has long been disconnected from local politics.

Home Adviser Lieutenant General (Retd) Md Jahangir Alam Chowdhury today spoke to journalists after attending a programme marking BGB Day 2025 at the Pilkhana Headquarters, Dhaka. The Home Adviser made the remarks while briefing journalists after attending a programme marking BGB Day 2025 at the Pilkhana Headquarters here. In this connection, he added that arms and ammunition are being seized regularly and BGB personnel have been placed on high alert to this end. Emphasizing national interest, the Home Adviser asked BGB personnel to discharge their duties with utmost honesty, integrity, and vigilance. The Home Adviser called for absolute loyalty to the chain of command and urged BGB members to carry out both border security and internal law-and-order duties with professionalism and dedication.

BEIJING, Dec 29, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - China will on January 1 launch an "action plan" for boosting management and operations of its digital currency, a deputy governor of the country's central bank said Monday. "The future digital yuan will be a modern digital payment and circulation means issued and circulated within the financial system," People's Bank of China (PBoC) Deputy Governor Lu Lei wrote in Financial News, a media outlet under the central bank. The "action plan" will see banks pay interest on balances held by clients in digital yuan -- a move to incentivise broader adoption of the currency. The plan also includes a proposal to establish an international digital yuan operations centre in the eastern financial hub of Shanghai, the report said. The PBoC has been working on a digital currency since 2014 and has been testing the use of a "digital yuan" or "e-CNY" in various pilot programmes.

The deadline for candidates to collect and submit nomination papers for the upcoming parliamentary elections will expire at 5pm on Monday. Election Commissioner Abdur Rahmanel Masud stated on Sunday that no decision has been made to extend the nomination submission period. According to the election roadmap announced by Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin, December 29 is the final day for filing nomination papers. Nomination submission processNomination papers must be submitted to the returning officer or assistant returning officer along with all required documents and the candidate’s signature. Party-backed candidates are required to submit a nomination certificate signed by the party president, general secretary or an equivalent office bearer.

Dhaka, the overcrowded capital city of Bangladesh, has ranked 22nd on the list of cities with the worst air quality with an AQI score of 119 at 9:50am on Monday. Dhaka’s air was classified as "unhealthy for sensitive groups" referring to a health threat, according to the AQI index. The AQI, an index for reporting daily air quality, informs people how clean or polluted the air of a certain city is and what associated health effects might be a concern for them. Dhaka has long been grappling with air pollution issues. Its air quality usually turns unhealthy in winter and improves during the monsoon.

Weather across Bangladesh is expected to remain dry on Monday with a temporary partly cloudy sky while moderate to thick fog may disrupt normal life in many areas, according to the Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD). The Met Office forecast said fog is likely to form at places over the country from midnight to morning and may continue in some areas until noon. Due to thick fog, air navigation, inland river transport and road communication may face temporary disruptions. Night temperatures may fall slightly while day temperatures are expected to remain nearly unchanged across the country. Because of the foggy condition, cold feelings are likely to persist at many places.

Sources said Nahid Islam has been declared the final candidate for the seat following an electoral understanding between Jamaat and the NCP. After the seat-sharing arrangement with the NCP, Atikur Rahman on Monday posted a message on social media wishing Nahid Islam success. Atikur Rahman wrote: “Best wishes to Nahid Islam for the Dhaka-11 seat. May Almighty Allah grant you all overall well-being and keep you safe,” he said. May Almighty Allah accept all our efforts for His satisfaction and for the victory of Deen.”

Train services on the 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 track by miscreants. The derailment occurred around 5:10am as the Agnibina Express was travelling from Tarakandi Station towards Gafargaon Railway Station, said Station Master Hanif. He said miscreants removed around 20 feet of the railway line, 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. 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.

SEOUL, Dec 29, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - North Korea test-fired two strategic long-range cruise missiles, state media reported Monday, hailing the exercise as a show of "combat readiness" against foreign threats. The goal of the exercise was to review the "counter-offensive response posture and combat capability of long-range missile sub-units," KCNA said. The missiles flew for more than two hours, state media said, sharing photos of the missiles being fired and hitting a target. Kim vowed Pyongyang "would as ever devote all their efforts to the unlimited and sustained development of the state nuclear combat force", KCNA said. North Korean state media last week also published a defence ministry statement condemning the docking of the US Navy's nuclear-powered attack submarine USS Greenville in South Korea's Busan.

When the larger group gets together, they let everyone know about the event through a text chain, which they have declined to include me in. I feel like the larger group of women look at me as a friend of the other two women. They’re always friendly when I see them, and when I invite the larger group to an event hosted by my church or civic organization, many of them will come. They act like it’s no big deal and that the more they include me, the more likely it is that the larger group will eventually include me. Am I able to use Smith Family even if the wife/mom does not use that surname?

Body found in Spain flooding takes death toll to twoMADRID, Dec 29, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - Search teams on Monday found the body of a man missing after torrential rains caused flooding in southern Spain, authorities said, raising the death toll to two. Spain's Guardia Civil police said the body was found some three kilometres (two miles) from the spot where he was swept away on Sunday by a swollen river near Granada. Police on Sunday found the body in Malaga of a man whose van was swept away. Twelve hours of heavy rains swept across parts of Malaga province on Sunday causing the flooding. Spain has been strongly affected by climate change in recent years, resulting in longer heatwaves and more frequent episodes of heavy rain.

MEXICO CITY, Dec 29, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - A train carrying 250 people derailed partially on Sunday in Mexico, killing 13 people and injuring 98, officials said. The navy had initially reported 20 people injured, but hours later announced in a statement that "98 were injured... and unfortunately, 13 people lost their lives." The train runs between the Gulf of Mexico and the Pacific Ocean and carries both passengers and freight. The line was inaugurated in 2023 as a major infrastructure project under then-president Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador to develop southeast Mexico. On December 20, a train on the same route collided with a cargo truck attempting to cross the tracks, although that incident did not result in any deaths.