Rapid Action Battalion (RAB)-1 has busted a counterfeit currency factory in Gazipur and arrested three people along with fake notes and equipment used to produce them. During the operation, RAB members recovered counterfeit notes worth Tk5.4 lakh and arrested three individuals allegedly involved in producing and selling fake currency. Lieutenant Nafiz said RAB received intelligence that a counterfeit currency factory had been set up on the fifth floor of Khokon Villa, from where fake notes were being sold. After confirming the location using electronic surveillance and intelligence sources, RAB conducted the raid and arrested the suspects red-handed with counterfeit notes and equipment. According to RAB, the group was planning to circulate the fake currency in the market during various festivals, including the upcoming Eid.

The United Nations World Food Program (WFP)’s lifesaving food assistance for Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh has received new support from the Government of the United Kingdom. The latest contribution of GBP 1.1 million (USD 1.4 million) received in December 2025, follows earlier allocations of GBP 8.7 million (USD 11.6 million) from the United Kingdom in 2025 for WFP’s Rohingya response. Families receive an entitlement of USD 12 per person per month to purchase a variety of staple and fresh food items. “We are deeply grateful to the UK for continuing to stand with the Rohingya community and supporting WFP’s efforts to meet their essential needs,” said Simone Parchment, WFP Country Director a.i. In 2026, WFP faces a USD 147 million shortfall for its lifesaving food and nutrition programs.

Nasiruddin Patwary, candidate of the Shapla Koli (water lily bud) symbol in the Dhaka-8 constituency for the 13th national election, has intensified his election campaign. As part of the campaign, Nasiruddin Patwary held an exchange meeting in the morning with teachers and students of the local Misbahul Ulum Kamil Madrasa. After the madrasa meeting, he exchanged greetings with local business owners in the area. Addressing voters, Patwary said: “This time, a single vote against criminals, corruption and extortion is extremely important. Therefore, candidates must be chosen by remembering the past.”Senior leaders of the 11-party electoral alliance were present during the campaign.

During the July uprising, Gen Z attracted nationwide attention as politically-conscious, yet they express themselves, react, and protest in their own distinct language and style. At the same time, how Tarique Rahman, the leader of BNP, engages with Gen Z has also become a pressing issue of public discussion. Tarique Rahman has his own distinct style of appealing to and impressing Gen Z. As a result, Gen Z largely knew Tarique Rahman not through engagement, but through the narratives constructed by the ruling AL regime. His compassion toward animals’ projects empathy that Gen Z increasingly associates with ethical and humane leadership.

The recent revelation of AI-generated content being used by political parties to influence voters is deeply concerning -- especially with national elections on the horizon. Artificial intelligence undoubtedly has enormous potential to enhance many aspects of life, but when political actors deploy AI to spread misinformation, manipulate narratives, or amplify falsehoods, that potential is turned against the public interest. Misinformation erodes trust, polarizes communities, and confuses citizens at a time when clarity and truth are absolutely crucial. Political parties and actors must be held to a higher standard than this. Election periods ought to be the peak of civic engagement and informed choices -- not battlegrounds for artificial distortion.

Who the man was, that he was imprisoned, or what his crimes were, should not matter in this case. It signals a deeper cultural shift -- one where human distress is assessed purely through procedural checkboxes rather than with understanding. Empathy cannot be assumed -- it must be consciously cultivated, especially in institutions entrusted with enforcing rules, and in citizens who engage with those systems. There is no denying that rules are necessary, but responses to human suffering must balance legality with compassion. Restoring empathy in public life is not sentimental -- it is an imperative move that must shape how policies are implemented, how services are delivered, and how we, as a society, treat one another.

A labour recruiter reportedly persuaded Maksudur Rahman to leave the tropical warmth of his hometown in Bangladesh and travel thousands of miles to frigid Russia for a job as a janitor. Within weeks, he found himself on the front lines of Russia’s war in Ukraine. An Associated Press (AP) investigation found that Bangladeshi workers were lured to Russia under the false promise of civilian work, only to be thrust into the chaos of combat in Ukraine. AP spoke with three Bangladeshi men who escaped from the Russian military, including Rahman, who said that after arriving in Moscow, he and a group of fellow Bangladeshi workers were told to sign Russian documents that turned out to be military contracts. They were taken to an army camp for training in drone warfare techniques, medical evacuation procedures and basic combat skills using heavy weapons.

DHAKA, Jan 27, 2026 (BSS) - The Election Commission (EC) has allowed 55,454 local observers to monitor the 13th National Parliamentary Election and the Referendum scheduled for February 12. Of them, 7,997 observers from 81 observation organizations centrally registered with the EC, and constituency-based 47,457 observers have been given permission to observe the elections. The EC launched a web portal (https://pr.ecs.gov.bd/) to issue identity cards and car stickers for the local observers. Observers must follow these instructions:Central and local observers should display their identification cards at all times during observation, ensuring they are clearly visible. Observers must not interfere with the work of election officials, and no election materials may be touched or removed.

MOSCOW, Jan 27, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - The Russian army's chief of staff, Valery Gerasimov, has visited troops fighting in eastern Ukraine, Russia's defence ministry said on Tuesday. Gerasimov "inspected the progress of combat missions conducted by formations and unites of the Zapad (West) force group," the ministry wrote on Telegram, without providing details on when or where the visit took place.

Human rights, security must go hand in hand in prison management: Home AdviserHome Adviser Lieutenant General (Retd) Md. Jahangir Alam Chowdhury today said that security and human rights are complementary in modern prison administration. "The state has a responsibility to return prisoners to society as reformed citizens while protecting their basic human rights in jails," he said. “Human rights must be ensured alongside prison security, and the role of trained, humane prison guards in this process is undeniable,” he added. He emphasized that prison guards are central to building a non-discriminatory, fair, transparent and accountable prison administration.

MELBOURNE, Jan 27, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Last year's runner-up Alexander Zverev served his way into the Australian Open semi-finals on Tuesday as he crushed young American Learner Tien under a barrage of aces. Zverev won 6-3, 6-7 (5/7), 6-1, 7-6 (7/3) and faces world number one Carlos Alcaraz or home hope Alex de Minaur for a place in the final in Melbourne.

NEW DELHI, Jan 27, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Tuesday that a huge trade pact with the European Union, totalling about 25 percent of global GDP, would bring sweeping benefits. "People in the world are discussing this as a mother of all deals," Modi said in the capital New Delhi ahead of a meeting with EU chiefs, adding that for India it would boost sectors including textiles, gems and jewellery, and leather goods. "This deal will bring many opportunities for India's 1.4 billion and many millions of people of the EU," he said.

VIENNA, Jan 27, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - The fight against antisemitism in the European Union is being set back by major gaps in the recording of incidents, the bloc's rights watchdog said in a report Tuesday. Member states classify and count reported acts differently, which skews the statistics and "prevents any meaningful comparisons", the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA)said. "The lack of reliable and comparable data continues to undermine efforts to counter antisemitism," it added. Countering this requires concerted efforts underpinned by robust data that captures the full scale of antisemitism in Europe," FRA director Sirpa Rautio said in a statement. Tuesday's FRA report covers the 27 member states, as well as EU hopefuls Albania, North Macedonia and Serbia.

PARIS, France, Jan 27, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - The threat posed by plastic production, usage and disposal to human health will skyrocket in the coming years unless the world does something to address this global crisis, researchers warned Tuesday. Planet-heating greenhouse gas emissions from plastic production had the biggest health impact, followed by air pollution and toxic chemicals. - 'Public health crisis' -Deeney gave the example of a plastic water bottle. The researchers also modelled a scenario where the world tried harder to fight the health effects of plastic. However Deeney emphasised that countries can still act at a national level to address this "global public health crisis".

Hybrid cars top choice for consumers in Europe in 2025: dataPARIS, France, Jan 27, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Hybrid-electric vehicles dethroned purely petrol-powered cars as the top power option among consumers in Europe last year, data showed Tuesday. Despite the only modest overall sales growth, consumers continued to shift towards hybrid and battery-electric vehicles. Volkswagen Group saw sales rise by 5.5 percent last year to increase its lead as the top-selling carmaker in Europe. France's Renault saw similar growth, but Stellantis -- which owns several European brands such as Peugeot and Fiat -- saw sales slide by 4.7 percent. China's SAIC Motor, which owns the MG brand, saw sales rise by a third.