Two-year-old separated from mother in US immigration raid
Irina Vaynerman, one of the family’s lawyers, told The Guardian late Friday that immigration authorities later flew both back to Minnesota. The two-year-old was released into the custody of her mother, while the father remains detained in the state. Agents refused to allow the father to bring the girl to her mother or to other family members “waiting terrified inside the home”. The father and daughter were then placed in an immigration agent’s vehicle, which, according to the filing, did not have a car seat. At around 8.10pm, a Minnesota-based federal judge issued an order prohibiting the government from transferring them outside the state.
Source:Dhaka Tribune
January 24, 2026 15:26 UTC
Air France suspends service to Dubai as KLM halts Middle East flights
PARIS, France, Jan 24, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - At least two European airlines suspended flights to cities in the Middle East on Friday, with Air France saying it will temporarily stop service to Dubai due to the geopolitical situation. Dutch airline KLM also halted flights until further notice to cities in the Middle East and would not fly through the airspace of several countries in the region, including Iraq and Iran, according to the Netherlands' state broadcaster. "Due to the current situation in the Middle East, the company has decided to temporarily suspend its service to Dubai," France's national carrier said in a statement to AFP. "Air France is monitoring the situation in real time and will provide further updates on its flight schedule," the French airline said. Trump has repeatedly threatened US strikes on Iran over the crackdown on the protest movement that recently erupted across the Islamic republic.
Source:Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha
January 24, 2026 15:17 UTC
Jamalpur RAB arrests three with foreign liquor
JAMALPUR, Jan 4, 2026 (BSS) – Members of the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB)-14 arrested three drug peddlers along with a large quantity of Indian-made liquor in Sherpur district last night. RAB-14 in Jamalpur said in a press briefing, acting on a tip-off, a team of the elite force conducted a raid in the Mokchhedpur Nayapara area in Sherpur Sadar Upazila and detained a Jamalpur-bound truck at around 8: 30pmRAB members recovered 1301 bottle wine from the truck and arrested Md Minal Miah, 32, Md Riyad Hossain, 28 and Md Nurul Amin, 34, inhabitants of Jhinaigati upazila of Sherpur district. A case was registered with Sherpur Sadar Police Station in this connection.
Source:Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha
January 24, 2026 15:09 UTC
Pirates abduct 18 fishermen in Sundarbans
Pirates operating in the Sundarbans abducted at least 18 fishermen on Thursday, sparking fear among local communities that rely on the forest for their livelihoods, officials and locals said. The fishermen were seized while fishing in canals and rivers deep inside the Sundarbans, including the Mamundo and Malancha rivers. Most of the abducted fishermen live in Harinagar, Kadamtala, Mathurapur, Mukhali, and Chhoto Bhetkhali areas of Munshiganj Union in Shyamnagar upazila of Satkhira. Fazlul Haque, forest ranger of the West Sundarbans Satkhira Range, said the Forest Department was alerted Friday and informed the Coast Guard and other law enforcement agencies. He noted that the Coast Guard had not yet received instructions from higher authorities to launch an operation, leaving families in distress.
Source:Dhaka Tribune
January 24, 2026 15:05 UTC
Yunus: Madhusudan Dutt a luminous name in history of Bengali literature
Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus today said Michael Madhusudan Dutt is a luminous name in the history of Bengali literature as his literary works and creative genius opened new horizons of modernity for the Bengali language and literature. He said this in a message on the eve of 202nd birth anniversary of great poet Michael Madhusudan Dutt to be celebrated tomorrow. “I am delighted to know that Madhusudan Birth Festival will be celebrated on January 25 at Sagardari village in Keshabpur upazila of Jashore district on the occasion of the 202nd birth anniversary of the great poet Michael Madhusudan Dutt, one of the stalwarts of Bengali literature,” he said. This initiative to remember such a great literary figure is undoubtedly commendable, he said. Prof Yunus said the great poet elevated the Bengali language to a position of honor on the global stage through the introduction of blank verse, epic-style composition, and new trends in dramatic literature.
Source:Dhaka Tribune
January 24, 2026 14:55 UTC
France's Macron vows to speed up social media ban for under-15s
French President Emmanuel Macron. Photo: CollectedPARIS, France, Jan 24, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - French President Emmanuel Macron onSaturday vowed to speed up the legislative process for a social media ban onunder-15s, with the goal of enacting it in September this year. He said he wanted it to be "applied from the start of the next school year",in September. Macron said that, on top of a ban on children under 15 accessing socialmedia, he also backed a ban on pupils having on mobile phones in schools. "The brains of our children and our adolescents are not for sale or formanipulating, not by US platforms, not by Chinese algorithms," the presidentsaid.
Source:Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha
January 24, 2026 14:54 UTC
2029 Asian Winter Games in Saudi Arabia postponed
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, Jan 24, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - The Asian Winter Games, due tobe held in Saudi Arabia in 2029, have been postponed, the Olympic Council ofAsia (OCA) and the Saudi Arabian Olympic Committee said in a joint statementon Saturday. "The Saudi Olympic and Paralympic Committee and the (OCA) have agreed on anupdated framework for future hosting of the Asian Winter Games, confirmingthe postponement of the 2029 edition to a later date to be announced in duecourse," the bodies said. These competitions are designed topromote winter sports... while providing additional preparation time tosupport wider regional representation at future Asian winter events," thestatement added. South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported that the OCA asked Korean Sport &Olympic Committee (KSOC) president Ryu Seung-min if the country would bewilling to replace Saudi Arabia. China also staged the Asian Winter Games in its northern city of Harbin inFebruary.
Source:Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha
January 24, 2026 14:54 UTC
Trump says US 'armada' headed toward Gulf
WASHINGTON, United States, Jan 24, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - President Donald Trump said a US "armada" was heading toward the Gulf and that Washington was watching Iran closely, even after downplaying the prospect of imminent military action and saying Tehran appeared interested in talks. Addressing the WEF on Thursday, Trump said the United States attacked Iranian uranium enrichment sites last year to prevent Tehran from making a nuclear weapon. The commander of Iran's Revolutionary Guards had also warned Washington Thursday that the force had its "finger on the trigger." The group is sanctioned as a terrorist entity by countries including Australia, Canada and the United States, and campaigners have long urged similar moves from the EU and Britain. -Giving their first official toll from the protests, Iranian authorities on Wednesday said 3,117 people were killed.
Source:Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha
January 24, 2026 14:52 UTC
One box for every 400 postal ballots: EC circular says
Once the RO logs in the software developed for voting through postal ballots, they will be able to view and know the overall picture of the number of voters registered for voting by postal ballot and the votes cast through postal ballots for the respective parliamentary constituency, the circular said. Based on the number of voters registered for postal voting, the ROs of each constituency will use one box for every 400 ballots (ballot envelopes). Receipt and Preservation of Returned Postal Ballot Envelopes Received by Post:The RO will assign one officer to receive and preserve postal ballots received from the postal department. Postal Ballot counting activities:For counting postal ballots, a constituency-wise counting room must be prepared at the office of the RO or at another convenient location. Regarding expatriate voter registration, Salim Ahmad Khan, Team Leader of the ‘OCV-SDI’ project, told BSS that most postal ballots have already reached to expatriate voters, and expatriates are casting their votes and submitting postal ballots at post offices.
Source:Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha
January 24, 2026 14:48 UTC
People no longer trust empty political promises: Nahid
NCP Convener Nahid Islam today spoke to journalists while campaigning in the Shahjadpur area of the capital. Photo: BSSDHAKA, Jan 24, 2026 (BSS) - National Citizen Party (NCP) Convener Nahid Islam today said voters have become more aware and no longer believe political promises that lack practical feasibility and accountability. Nahid, also Dhaka-11 constituency candidate, said people are increasingly skeptical of such claims because they have heard similar promises in the past that were never fulfilled. Referring to the upcoming election and the simultaneous referendum, Nahid described the vote as a historic opportunity to change the country's course. Nahid said if they elected to parliament, the alliance would implement reforms and address long-standing local problems.
Source:Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha
January 24, 2026 14:44 UTC
Icy storm threatens Americans with power outages, extreme cold
NEW YORK, Jan 24, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Americans stripped supermarket shelves Friday ahead of potentially "catastrophic" winter weather that threatened at least 160 million people across the country with transportation chaos, blackouts and life-threatening cold. The massive storm system was set to drop a mix of freezing rain and heavy snow starting Friday evening on its days-long march across the continental US. State officials there vow the grid is in better shape than it was five years ago, when it failed during a deadly winter storm and left millions without power. The southern state's Republican Governor Greg Abbott told journalists the grid "has never been stronger, never been more prepared and is fully capable of handling this winter storm." New York's Zohran Mamdani was set to face his first major test as mayor -- the city famously makes early judgments of newly elected leaders based on winter storm response.
Source:Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha
January 24, 2026 14:42 UTC
UK PM slams Trump for saying NATO troops avoided Afghan front line
"They'll say they sent some troops to Afghanistan," Trump told the US outlet, referring to NATO allies. Trump also repeated his suggestion that NATO would not come to the aid of the US if asked to do so. UK defence minister John Healey posted on X that the British troops who died were "heroes who gave their lives in service of our nation". UK Armed forces minister Al Carns, who served five tours in Afghanistan, said Trump's comments were "utterly ridiculous". Mark Atkinson, Director General of the veterans' charity, The Royal British Legion, said the service and sacrifice of British troops in Afghanistan "cannot be called into question".
Source:Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha
January 24, 2026 14:37 UTC
Jamaat ameer: Corruption-free, terrorism-free Bangladesh if voters give mandate
Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Dr. Shafiqur Rahman on Saturday called on voters to support the party in the upcoming parliamentary elections and the national referendum, promising to establish a corruption-free, terrorism-free, extortion-free, and just Bangladesh if given the opportunity. Speaking at a election rally at Altafunnesha Playground in Bogura city, Dr. Shafiqur Rahman said Jamaat does not work alone but aims to unite all stakeholders to build a secure nation. The Jamaat leader also highlighted development plans for Bogura, including establishing a university, organizing international-level events at Chandu Stadium, and improving civic infrastructure. Central and local leaders, including members of Islami Chhatra Shibir, NCP, LDP, and BDP, also addressed the gathering. At the conclusion of the event, Dr. Shafiqur handed over party election symbols to candidates from seven constituencies and urged voters to cast their ballots for them.
Source:Dhaka Tribune
January 24, 2026 14:36 UTC
Trump unveils Gaza redevelopment plan without consulting Palestinians
US President Donald Trump has unveiled a controversial plan to rebuild Gaza, promising coastal tourism, high-rise buildings, industrial zones, and 500,000 new jobs, without consulting Palestinians, at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. The so-called “Board of Peace,” chaired by Trump and including Jared Kushner, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair, is set to oversee the reconstruction. The plan claims to create $25 billion in investment and raise Gaza’s GDP to $10 billion by 2035. Gaza, devastated by Israeli bombardments since October 2023, has seen over 80% of its infrastructure destroyed, leaving 2.3 million residents displaced and basic services in collapse. Hamas rejected the plan, stating that Palestinians would not accept it, while Trump described it as a business-like and entrepreneurial approach to reconstruction.
Source:Dhaka Tribune
January 24, 2026 14:36 UTC
Pedestrian dies after being hit by bus in Khilgaon
A pedestrian was killed when a bus struck him in Khilgaon on Saturday morning. The deceased, Mohammad Zakir Hossain Chowdhury, 60, a real estate businessman, lived with his family in a house on Donia Graveyard Road in Jatrabari. Relatives said he was crossing the road in front of the Khilgaon Police Outpost around 11:30 am when he was hit by a Sakura bus. Khilgaon police rescued him and took him to Dhaka Medical College Hospital’s emergency department around 2:45 pm, where doctors declared him dead. Inspector Mohammad Faruk, in-charge of the Dhaka Medical College Hospital police outpost, said the body was kept in the hospital morgue.
Source:Dhaka Tribune
January 24, 2026 14:36 UTC