Chief Adviser’s Special Assistant Professor Ali Riaz. File photoDHAKA, Jan 29, 2026 (BSS) - Chief Adviser’s Special Assistant Professor Ali Riaz has said the core message of the July Charter is to restore people’s rights for which people liberated the country in 1971 and for which a mass uprising took place in 2024. Buddhist and Christian Religious Welfare Trust organized the programme at the auditorium of Dharmarajika Buddhist temple at Basabo in the capital. Bhabesh Chakma, Vice Chairman of the Buddhist Religious Welfare Trust chaired the event while Religious Affairs Secretary Md. Kamal Uddin, Buddhist Religious Welfare Trust Secretary Joy Dutta Barua, Christian Religious Welfare Trust Trustee Pius Costa , among others, spoke.

The Bangladesh Government Employees Coordination Council on Thursday demanded the immediate issuance of a gazette notification for the Pay Commission report, warning of nationwide protests, marches to the secretariat, and a general work stoppage if their demand is not met before the next national election. “Under these circumstances, there is no alternative but to announce tougher protest programs to realize our demands,” he said. Secretary General Badrul Alam Sobuj formally presented the organization’s sole demand: that the Pay Commission report be issued through a gazette notification effective from January 1, 2026, and fully implemented before the next national election. The council plans to submit a memorandum to the Cabinet Secretary on Sunday, February 1, 2026, as an ultimatum. The Secretary General warned that if the Pay Commission report is not implemented on time, the organization will launch strict protest measures, including nationwide rallies, marches towards the Secretariat, and a general work stoppage.

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Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Dr Shafiqur Rahman on Wednesday said the country’s electoral “level playing field” has come under serious question following a deadly clash between Jamaat and BNP activists in Sherpur’s Jhenaigati upazila. Later that night, in a post on his verified Facebook page, Shafiqur Rahman called for swift and decisive action by law enforcement agencies. “Whoever forms the government through a fair and acceptable election, Jamaat-e-Islami will congratulate them. Addressing supporters, Shafiqur Rahman said that if Jamaat came to power, all income, expenditure and activities of members of parliament would be made public annually. Youth and local pledgesCalling youth the future of Bangladesh, Shafiqur Rahman said young people would not be allowed to fall into extortion, terrorism or drug abuse.

BFUJ General Secretary Kader Gani Chowdhury served as the chief guest at a discussion titled "Our Responsibilities in the Development of Indigenous Culture," held in the capital. Photo: CollectedDHAKA, Jan 29, 2026 (BSS) - Bangladesh Federal Journalists Union (BFUJ) General Secretary Kader Gani Chowdhury said culture is the foundation of civilization while alien culture locks the door of conscience. Mentioning that culture is the pursuit of beauty, Chowdhury said the culture is the foundation of civilization and civilization is the advanced form of culture. Culture shows the path to beauty, while alien culture takes people toward ugliness and pushes them into darkness," he said. The discussion was presided over by Samajik Sangskritik Foundation (Social Cultural Foundation) President Lion Anwara Begum Nipa and moderated by Manjur Hossain Isa.

Reading time: about 5 minutesThe pretty motherf***er A$AP Rocky returns with his first album in eight years since TESTING (2018): DON’T BE DUMB. I had high hopes for this album after seeing Winona Ryder jamming in the “PUNK ROCKY” music video. Rocky has always experimented, but with “PUNK ROCKY” he really ventures outside his genre. I will say the “PUNK ROCKY” music video was entertaining, and I like where his artistry is headed visually. Loved the slow-build into trap elements, Damon Albarn’s vocals and Westside’s little trills and “boom boom boom boom!” That alone almost made up for … the rest of the album.

A total of 4,45,588 expatriate voters who registered through the Postal Vote BD mobile app have already cast their votes in the 13th national elections and referendum, officials said on Thursday. Of these, 55,341 completed postal ballots have so far reached Bangladesh, according to the Election Commission (EC). Salim Ahmad Khan, team leader of the Out of Country Voting (OCV) System Development & Implementation (SDI) Project, told BSS that postal ballots were sent to 2,44,625 registered expatriate voters across 52 districts of the country. The EC said that by 10:30 am on Thursday, a total of 7,66,862 postal ballots had reached expatriate destination countries, while 5,09,601 expatriate voters had received their ballots. In addition, 3,94,174 expatriate voters submitted their completed ballots at post offices or post boxes in their respective countries, the EC added.

Three murder case accused were allegedly released from Mymensingh Central Jail without bail, prompting the formation of a three-member investigation committee. The incident occurred on Tuesday evening at Mymensingh Central Jail and came to light on Thursday. Senior Jail Superintendent of Mymensingh, Md Aminul Islam, said: “The jail officials mistakenly released the inmates. This was an unintended release.”The three released prisoners are Md Anis Mia, Rashedul Islam, and Zakirul Islam. Deputy Inspector General of Prisons (DIG Prisons) of Mymensingh Division, Mohammad Towhidul Islam said, three murder case accused were mistakenly released as their court summons were treated as bail papers; Deputy Jailer Zakaria Imtiaz has been temporarily suspended over the matter and a three-member investigation committee formed.

The Election Commission (EC) has decided to issue journalists’ election passes manually, reverting to the previous system, for coverage of the 13th National Parliamentary Election and the upcoming referendum. The move comes in response to demands from the journalism community, reversing an earlier plan to accept applications online. Senior Secretary of the EC, Akhtar Ahmed, announced the decision on Thursday during a briefing at the EC building in Agargaon, Dhaka. He clarified that journalists who have already registered online and received approval will retain their cards, and no new online registration will be required. Earlier, the EC had planned to provide journalists’ election coverage cards and vehicle stickers through online applications ahead of the parliamentary election and referendum.

US Ambassador to Bangladesh Brent T Christensen paid a courtesy call on the Chief of Army Staff General Walker-uz-Zaman, at the Army Headquarters in Dhaka Cantonment. According to the verified Facebook page of the Bangladesh Army, the ambassador and the army chief exchanged greetings during the meeting. The discussion focused on the longstanding friendly relations between the Bangladesh and United States armed forces, as well as issues related to bilateral military cooperation, it said.

Md Asraful Alam Rasel, upazila nirbahi officer (UNO) of Jhenaigati, Sherpur district, has been made an officer on special duty (OSD) at the Ministry of Public Administration. The decision was announced on Thursday in a notification, signed by Senior Assistant Secretary Samiul Amin of the ministry. According to the notification, Rasel has been transferred and put on as OSD (Senior Assistant Secretary) and will be released from his present post this afternoon. Otherwise, his transfer will be treated as a stand released as per the order of the ministry. The order has been issued for the sake of the public interest.

The report, titled “Tax Policy for Development: A Reform Agenda for Restructuring the Tax System,” observes that the existing tax system is unnecessarily complex and inefficient, characterized by a narrow tax base, excessive reliance on manual administration, and heavy dependence on indirect taxation. It underscored that durable and credible revenue mobilization cannot be achieved through administrative action alone unless it is firmly grounded in a coherent and well-designed tax policy framework. The report identifies 55 priority policy issues across key tax segments, including direct taxes (32 issues), value-added tax (10 issues), and trade taxes (13 issues). The report cautions that when tax policy is incoherent, marked by narrow bases and distorted rate structures, even strong enforcement delivers limited revenue. Trade tax reformsOn trade taxes, the report stresses the need to gradually reduce reliance on tariffs and para-tariffs and shift toward domestic taxes such as VAT, personal income tax, corporate income tax, and property taxes.

Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Dr Shafiqur Rahman on Thursday said he was ready to sacrifice his life for the country if necessary but would not allow the people’s rights to be taken away. He made the remarks while addressing an election rally of the 11-party alliance in front of Petrobangla at Karwan Bazar in the capital. The Jamaat ameer alleged that extortion drives prices up fourfold from farmers to consumers, leaving farmers deprived of fair prices while everyone else suffers. He reiterated that the country’s situation would change following the 13th National Parliamentary Election scheduled for February 12, starting from February 13. Nothing can be achieved by force.”After the Karwan Bazar rally, the Jamaat ameer was scheduled to campaign in Mirpur in the afternoon and later at the Banani field.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer touched down in Beijing with a business delegation on Wednesday for a three-day visit. Starmer is seeking to strengthen political and business ties between the UK and China, as relations between the US and its allies become increasingly strained under Donald Trump. “It doesn’t make sense to stick our head in the ground and bury it in the sand when it comes to China: It’s in our interests to engage,” Starmer told reporters on the flight to China. “I have long been clear that the UK and China need a long-term, consistent and comprehensive strategic partnership,” he said. “I’m a pragmatist, a British pragmatist applying common sense,” said Starmer, the first prime minister to visit China since Theresa May in 2018.

Awami League must face the ongoing judicial process over the July uprising killings and seek apology if it wants to return to active politics, said Prof Ali Riaz, Special Assistant to the Chief Adviser. With this mindset, there is no scope for making Awami League relevant in politics,” he said. We did not work based on whether someone was Awami League or BNP.”Explaining whether the absence of Awami League from the Consensus Commission made the dialogue less democratic, Ali Riaz said there was no practical way to involve the party. “The command Awami League had over bureaucrats does not exist for the interim government. Referring to the July movement, Ali Riaz said it was not a ‘revolution’ but an ‘uprising’.