A powerful snowstorm has disrupted daily life across several regions of the United States, leaving more than 230,000 customers without electricity, mostly in Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas, Tennessee, and New Mexico. Nearly 13,000 flights have been canceled as the storm continues to affect transportation and utilities. The report, citing Reuters, said the storm began Saturday and is expected to bring heavy snow, sleet, and freezing rain from the southern Rocky Mountains to New England through Monday.

Former President Donald Trump approved a federal emergency disaster declaration for multiple states, including South Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee, Georgia, North Carolina, Maryland, Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Indiana, and West Virginia. On social media, he stated that authorities are monitoring all states in the storm’s path and maintaining communication with them.

The Department of Homeland Security reported that 17 states and Washington, D.C., have declared weather emergencies. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said thousands remain without power in southern states, and restoration work is underway as quickly as possible.

Syeda Rizwana Hasan, adviser to the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, has called for an immediate end to unnecessary horn use in Bangladesh. Speaking on Sunday, January 25, 2026, at a gathering in front of Terminal 2 of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, she said the excessive horn noise near the airport embarrasses the country before foreign visitors. She urged the Civil Aviation Authority to take steps to stop horn use in the airport area.

The event marked the launch of a coordinated campaign to implement a 'silent zone' around the airport, jointly organized by the Department of Environment, Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP), Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC), Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA), and the Civil Aviation Authority. Rizwana Hasan noted that under the Noise Pollution (Control) Rules 2025, traffic police now have the authority to impose instant fines. She also sought media cooperation in raising awareness.

Following the discussion, executive magistrates and prosecutors from the five agencies conducted mobile courts at five designated points in the airport area, with over a hundred DMP officers present. Officials said the integrated anti-noise campaign will continue.

Senior Secretary of the Ministry of Land, Saleh Ahmed, stated that the e-return or online income tax return system represents not only technological progress but also the reflection of a modern and accountable state structure. He made the remarks on Sunday during a learning session at the ministry’s conference room for officials of grade 9 and above, focusing on electronic submission of individual taxpayers’ income tax returns. The session was conducted by AKM Moniruzzaman, Assistant Commissioner of the Income Tax Intelligence and Investigation Unit.

Saleh Ahmed emphasized that transparency and accountability are essential for building an effective and citizen-friendly administration. Making e-return submission mandatory for government officials institutionalizes these principles. He noted that automated data storage and analysis make it easier to identify inconsistencies in income and expenditure, reducing opportunities for corruption and supporting revenue growth.

He added that government officials represent the state, and ensuring transparency in their financial affairs is both a legal and moral obligation. The e-return initiative sets a positive example of administrative discipline and ethics, encouraging public trust and participation in tax compliance.

Widespread protests broke out across the United States after an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer fatally shot an American citizen named Alex Pretty in Minneapolis on Saturday. The incident marked the second death of a US citizen in the city this month involving ICE officers. The shooting occurred a day after about 10,000 people demonstrated in Minneapolis against the Trump administration’s strict anti-immigration operations.

Following the shooting, hundreds of protesters gathered at the scene, prompting ICE officers to fire tear gas and flashbang grenades. Demonstrations soon spread beyond Minneapolis to New York, Washington DC, and San Francisco. Federal officials claimed Pretty had a firearm, but local leaders questioned that assertion.

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz described the incident as horrific and said the federal government could not be trusted to investigate it. He and other local officials demanded an immediate halt to anti-immigration operations.

National Board of Revenue (NBR) Chairman Abdur Rahman Khan stated that the recent rise in import prices is due to the increase in the dollar’s value, not tariff hikes. Speaking at a press conference at the NBR headquarters on Sunday, ahead of International Customs Day, he said that no new tariffs have been imposed on imported fruits in the past one and a half years; rather, tariffs and source taxes have been reduced. He noted that the dollar’s exchange rate rose from 80 taka two years ago to 125–126 taka, directly affecting import costs.

Khan emphasized that the government has not raised tariffs on essential goods such as rice, lentils, and edible oil, but instead reduced them in the public interest, even at the expense of revenue. He added that tariff increases are only applied to protect domestic industries and are decided through consultation with stakeholders. The chairman also said customs now focus more on trade facilitation and preventing smuggling rather than being a major revenue source.

He concluded that to increase revenue, the NBR is working to expand income tax and value-added tax collection.

In Rajshahi Division, 92 firearms and over 11,000 rounds of ammunition looted from police stations during the July 2024 uprising remain missing, according to police sources. Despite administrative optimism about holding a fair 13th parliamentary election, local officials and security analysts warn that the unrecovered weapons pose a serious challenge. The Rajshahi Range DIG acknowledged that the missing arms could influence the upcoming polls, while the divisional commissioner maintained that logistical issues were manageable.

Experts and civic voices expressed deep concern over the situation. Rajshahi University’s Professor Mahmudul Haque described the missing weapons as a national security risk, noting that civilian possession of arms could destabilize the election environment. Social worker Nasrin Begum warned that fear among voters might reduce turnout, and political analyst Anwar Hossain said the integrity of the election could be questioned if the weapons remain unrecovered.

Analysts urged stronger joint operations to recover the arms, emphasizing that without decisive action and accountability, public trust and electoral safety could be severely undermined.

Abul Hasnat, the leader of the active teen gang 'Hasnat Bahini' in Cox’s Bazar, was arrested by the Bangladesh Army early Sunday morning. The arrest took place around 5:30 a.m. at his home in the South Rumaliachhara area of Cox’s Bazar town. During the raid, the army recovered two locally made sharp weapons and 50 grams of marijuana. The army confirmed the arrest in an official statement and later handed Hasnat over to Cox’s Bazar Sadar Police Station.

According to the report, Abul Hasnat is accused in 19 criminal cases, including one for murder, three for illegal arms, six for robbery, and nine for other offenses. The army’s statement claimed that Hasnat and his followers had long been involved in criminal activities across Cox’s Bazar town and the beach area. Intelligence surveillance had been ongoing to capture the group.

An army official stated that regular operations will continue to apprehend similar teen gang members involved in drug and terrorism-related crimes.

A total of 125 metric tons of explosives were imported from India through the Benapole land port in Jashore on Saturday evening. The shipment, classified as highly dangerous, arrived in eight Indian trucks and was placed in the port’s 31st transshipment yard. Authorities have issued special security alerts across the port area due to the hazardous nature of the materials.

According to port sources, the explosives were imported for use in the Madhyapara Granite Mining Project in Dinajpur. The importer is Madhyapara Granite Mining Company Limited, while the exporter is India’s Super Shiv Shakti Chemical Private Limited. Local residents, workers, and traders have expressed concern about storing such a large quantity of explosives in a populated area, though port officials assured that maximum safety measures are in place.

Benapole Land Port Director Shamim Hossain said customs, port security, police, BGB, and fire service units have been placed on alert. He added that steps are being taken to transport the explosives quickly to their destination following international safety standards, with law enforcement maintaining oversight at every stage.

Venezuela has announced a plan to increase its oil production by 18 percent in 2026. The state oil company PDVSA’s Chief Executive Officer Hector Obregon said the country has launched a reform program to fully open the energy sector to private investors in order to achieve this target. He noted that the previous law was not aligned with current industry needs, and Venezuela’s current oil output stands at around one million barrels per day.

Analysts said the new legislation is part of President Delcy Rodríguez’s commitment and that pressure from the United States played a key role in its initial approval. The pressure reportedly intensified after Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro was detained during a U.S. special forces operation. U.S. President Donald Trump has also expressed interest in Venezuela’s oil sector.

If the law is finally passed, it will ease decades of state control over Venezuela’s oil industry, a system that was further tightened in the mid-2000s under the late socialist leader Hugo Chávez.

Saudi Arabia has implemented a new law from January 2026 allowing foreigners to purchase houses and other properties in designated areas. Both foreign residents living in the kingdom and those residing abroad can now buy property, though ownership remains prohibited in the holy cities of Mecca and Medina. The government stated that foreigners outside Saudi Arabia will be limited to buying in Riyadh and Jeddah, with a detailed map of approved zones to be published by March.

Foreign residents can apply through an online portal using their residence permit (Iqama) number, while non-residents must first obtain a digital ID from a Saudi embassy in their home country before applying online. Property transactions will incur up to a 5% real estate tax. The law also imposes strict penalties for false information or anonymous purchases, including fines up to 10 million Saudi riyals and property confiscation.

Analysts cited in the report believe the reform could boost foreign investment in Saudi Arabia’s real estate sector and accelerate development in selected areas of Riyadh and Jeddah.

The National Board of Revenue (NBR) of Bangladesh has intensified efforts to expand and update its network of Double Taxation Avoidance (DTA) agreements. The agency has initiated new negotiations with Austria, Hungary, and Azerbaijan, completing two rounds of talks with the first two countries and one with Azerbaijan. Discussions with Uzbekistan and Nigeria are under consideration. Meanwhile, a DTA agreement with Kenya is at the final stage but its signing has been delayed due to scheduling issues before the national election.

In parallel, the NBR has begun reviewing older agreements signed decades ago to align them with modern business practices such as digitalization and e-commerce. The first rounds of review meetings with Singapore and Pakistan were held in December, and talks with Sri Lanka are expected around June. Bangladesh currently has DTA agreements with 43 countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, China, and India.

NBR officials stated that such agreements help prevent investors from being taxed twice on the same income, thereby encouraging cross-border investment and trade between partner countries.

Bangladesh’s gold market remains volatile as prices surged again within just 12 hours of a previous reduction. The Bangladesh Jewellers Association (BAJUS) announced a new record high, setting the price of 22-carat gold at Tk 255,617 per bhori, effective nationwide from Saturday. The decision reversed Thursday night’s brief price cut, which had lowered the rate to Tk 249,318 per bhori before being superseded by Friday noon’s increase.

BAJUS said the adjustment was made due to a rise in the local price of acid gold and changing global conditions. The association noted that international prices had unexpectedly climbed after a previous downward trend, prompting an emergency meeting to revise domestic rates. Traders attributed the global volatility to heightened geopolitical tensions between the United States and Iran, which have boosted demand for gold as a safe investment.

Market analysts reported that gold prices in Bangladesh have been adjusted 12 times so far this year, with nine increases and three reductions. They warned that without stability in global conditions, sustained relief in domestic gold prices remains unlikely.

Dhaka has ranked first among 126 cities worldwide for having the most polluted air, according to the Air Quality Index (IQAir) report released on Sunday morning, January 25, 2026. The city recorded an air quality score of 283, placing it in the 'very unhealthy' category. Kolkata, Hangzhou, Cairo, and Lahore followed Dhaka in the top five positions with scores of 210, 186, 178, and 176 respectively.

The IQAir index classifies air quality scores between 0 and 50 as good, 51 to 100 as moderate, 101 to 150 as unhealthy for sensitive groups, 151 to 200 as unhealthy, 201 to 300 as very unhealthy, and above 300 as hazardous. Dhaka’s current score of 283 indicates a severe level of air pollution that poses significant health risks to residents.

The report highlights the persistent air quality challenges faced by Dhaka, underscoring the city’s ongoing struggle with pollution levels that frequently exceed safe limits.

A massive snowstorm has severely disrupted the United States, affecting nearly 180 million people from New Mexico to New England under winter storm warnings. Around 13,000 flights have been canceled due to widespread snow and ice, and more than 100,000 customers have lost power. The National Weather Service forecast heavy snow, sleet, and freezing rain from Saturday through Monday across the southern Rocky Mountains to New England.

At least a dozen states have declared emergencies as millions face power outages and travel disruptions. National Weather Service meteorologist Allison Santorelli warned that snow and ice will melt slowly, hindering rescue and recovery operations. President Donald Trump approved federal emergency disaster declarations for twelve states, including South Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee, Georgia, and others, with more declarations expected.

U.S. Interior Secretary Kristi Noem said the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has pre-deployed relief supplies, personnel, and rescue teams across affected states, urging residents to stay indoors and make prudent decisions as the severe cold is expected to persist for several days.

The third day of arguments in the murder case of Begum Rokeya University student Abu Sayeed, known as the first martyr of the July Revolution, is scheduled to take place today. The hearing is being held at International Crimes Tribunal-2, chaired by Justice Nazrul Islam Chowdhury, with two other members—retired district and sessions judge Md. Manjurul Basid and district and sessions judge Nur Mohammad Shahriar Kabir. The prosecution is set to present all evidence and documents related to the case.

On January 22, Prosecutor Mizanul Islam presented witness testimonies, seized evidence, and investigation documents before the tribunal, asserting that the evidence clearly established the direct involvement of the accused. The court then set today’s date for the continuation of the arguments.

The current phase of the case began on January 21 with the prosecution’s opening arguments. After the prosecution completes its presentation, defense lawyers will begin their arguments before the tribunal.