A severe shortage of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) has hit Chattogram city over the past two weeks, leaving households and businesses struggling to find 12-kg cylinders. Despite the government-fixed price of Tk 1,253, consumers report being unable to purchase cylinders even at Tk 2,000. Visits to Bahaddarhat, Chawk Bazar, and New Market areas revealed that both retail and wholesale outlets are facing acute supply shortages, forcing many families to seek alternative fuels such as kerosene.

Traders attribute the crisis to a roughly 40 percent drop in LPG imports in December, reportedly caused by U.S. sanctions that disrupted shipping and by major importers temporarily halting operations. The LPG Operators Association of Bangladesh (LOAB) said companies like Bengal, Bashundhara, and United suspended imports, while banking complications prevented others from opening letters of credit. Some unscrupulous sellers are allegedly exploiting the situation by charging Tk 500–800 above the official price.

LOAB President Amirul Haque expressed optimism that government approval for new imports will normalize supply within 10–15 days. However, the Consumers Association of Bangladesh (CAB) accused importers and distributors of creating artificial shortages for profit, urging immediate government intervention.

Bangladesh and Germany have signed a grant agreement worth €21.77 million to support five projects proposed by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ). The signing took place between Shahriar Kader Siddiky, Secretary of the Economic Relations Division (ERD) on behalf of Bangladesh, and Heinrich-Jürgen Schilling, Country Director of GIZ Dhaka Office, representing Germany, according to an ERD press release issued on Thursday.

The projects include Policy Advisory for Promoting Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (PAP 2), Strengthening Urban Integration Capacities of Internally Displaced Persons and Supporting Host Communities (INTEGRATE), Professional Education in Industrial and Environmental Safety (PRECISE), Green Room Air-Conditioning (GRSCE), and Digital Skills to Succeed in Asia (DS2S). These initiatives will be implemented by relevant ministries between 2023 and 2029, focusing on energy transition, climate resilience, vocational education, and digital skills development.

Germany has been a long-term development partner of Bangladesh since 1972, with total financial and technical commitments of about €4 billion. Currently, GIZ is supporting 18 ongoing projects in Bangladesh with a total grant assistance of €100.72 million.

Bangladesh Bank has purchased 206 million US dollars through multiple auctions from 15 commercial banks as part of its ongoing strategy to prevent the depreciation of the taka against the US dollar and to support the recovery of remittance and export sectors. The central bank confirmed that the purchase took place on Thursday, January 8, 2026, at an exchange rate of 122.30 taka per dollar.

According to official data, Bangladesh Bank has bought a total of 617 million US dollars in January 2026 alone. Since the beginning of the 2025–26 fiscal year, the cumulative purchase has reached 3,752.50 million US dollars. The move is part of the central bank’s broader effort to manage foreign exchange reserves and stabilize the domestic currency amid ongoing economic adjustments.

The continued dollar purchases indicate Bangladesh Bank’s active intervention in the currency market to maintain exchange rate stability and support key economic sectors linked to foreign currency inflows.

The Non-Government Teachers’ Registration and Certification Authority (NTRCA) has issued its 2026 recruitment circular, announced on January 4, 2026, and published on its official website on January 5, 2026. The authority will appoint a total of 67,208 qualified and experienced male and female candidates to one permanent job category for teacher positions. Online applications will open on January 10, 2026, and close at 11:59 p.m. on January 17, 2026.

Applicants must fill out the online form by providing educational certificates, national ID information, a color photograph, and a signature image. The maximum age limit for general candidates is 35 years as of June 4, 2025, and the application fee is set at 1,000 taka. The positions are categorized as permanent government jobs under the NTRCA.

The recruitment process aims to fill a large number of teaching positions across non-government educational institutions, with the online application period providing a short window for interested candidates to complete their submissions.

A Dhaka court has scheduled January 13 for the hearing of arguments in a corruption case involving former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, her niece Tulip Siddiq, Azmina Siddiq, and 15 others. The case concerns alleged irregularities in the allocation of a 10-katha plot under the Purbachal New Town Project. The date was fixed by Judge Robiul Alam of Dhaka Special Judge Court-4 after a hearing on Thursday. Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) prosecutor Zahirul Islam confirmed the development, noting that the only detained accused, Mohammad Khurshid Alam, presented a defense witness, while other accused remain absconding.

The case was filed on January 13 of the previous year by ACC Assistant Director Afnan Jannat Keya against Azmina Siddiq, later including Sheikh Hasina, Tulip Siddiq, and others. Following investigation, a charge sheet against 18 individuals was submitted on March 10. All 31 prosecution witnesses have testified before the court. The accused include several officials from the Ministry of Housing and Public Works and Rajuk, as well as a former state minister.

The upcoming hearing is expected to advance the trial process, with the court set to hear final arguments from both prosecution and defense.

Leaders of the Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB) have accused a business syndicate of turning public suffering into profit amid a prolonged gas supply crisis. Speaking at a protest rally on Thursday in front of the Titas Gas office in Karwan Bazar, Dhaka, CPB leaders demanded immediate resolution of gas shortages and an end to what they described as chaos in the gas cylinder market. CPB President Sajjad Zahir Chandan said gas supply disruptions across Dhaka and other regions have severely disrupted daily life, while the interim government has failed to address the issue.

Former CPB General Secretary Ruhin Hossain Prince alleged that the syndicate deliberately restricts gas supply to profit from importing and selling gas at higher prices. He also called for increased domestic production of LPG cylinders. Following the rally, a CPB delegation submitted a memorandum to the Titas Gas Managing Director, outlining seven demands including uninterrupted 24-hour gas supply, cancellation of monthly bills during supply outages, and breaking the syndicate to reduce cylinder prices.

The protest was chaired by CPB Dhaka North President Hasan Hafizur Rahman Sohel and attended by several central and student leaders.

The Mongla Coast Guard has arrested Masum Mridha, 23, the leader of a forest robber gang, and his associate Ifaz Fakir, 25, for abducting a resort owner and two tourists in the Sundarbans. The arrests were made following intelligence surveillance in the Dhankhali area under Terokhada police station in Khulna on January 7. Acting on information provided by the detainees, the Coast Guard conducted a search near Gazi Fisheries in the Sundarbans and recovered firearms, ammunition, sharp weapons, and items belonging to the abducted victims.

According to Coast Guard media officer Lieutenant Commander Siam-ul-Haq, the abduction took place on January 2 when the victims were traveling by boat near Kanur Khal from the Golkanan Resort. The gang demanded ransom, prompting the resort authorities to inform the Coast Guard. Using intelligence, drone surveillance, and financial tracing, the Coast Guard rescued the hostages safely after a 48-hour operation. Several other gang members were also detained from different areas of the Sundarbans, Dacope, and Khulna.

Legal proceedings regarding the arrested individuals and seized evidence are currently underway, the Coast Guard confirmed.

Police in Teknaf, Cox’s Bazar, recovered the body of Malaysia expatriate Zahid Hossain from a remote hilly area on Thursday morning. He had gone missing after being called from his home in Hoikyang Union’s Kombonia village on January 6. Local woodcutters discovered the body in a garden belonging to a man named Nuru and informed his relatives, who later notified police and local authorities. Three suspects have been detained in connection with the killing.

According to police and local sources, Zahid Hossain, a mason by profession, was allegedly killed over a longstanding land dispute. His family members claimed that local rivals were behind the murder. Teknaf Model Police Station’s officer-in-charge Md Saiful Islam confirmed the incident and said preliminary investigation suggests the killing stemmed from the land conflict. The body was sent to Cox’s Bazar District Hospital morgue for autopsy.

Police said the detained individuals are being interrogated, and legal procedures are underway as part of the ongoing investigation.

Over the past 35 years, the amount of saline-affected land in Bangladesh has increased by about 26 percent, now totaling approximately 1.056 million hectares. Around 30 percent of the country’s coastal arable land is affected by salinity, while 41 to 50 percent of the total area experiences drought at some point. In response to these growing climate-related challenges, a team from Bangladesh Agricultural University (BAU) has begun research on seaweed-based biostimulants to enhance crop resilience.

The research was presented at a workshop held at BAU’s Faculty of Agriculture under the project “Higher Education for Agricultural Transformation (HEAT),” jointly organized by the University Grants Commission and the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. Researchers highlighted that Bangladesh’s coastal areas host abundant seaweed resources, including 47 green, 59 brown, and 94 red species, which contain compounds that promote plant growth and tolerance to salinity and drought.

BAU Vice-Chancellor Professor A.K. Fazlul Haque Bhuiyan emphasized that climate change poses multidimensional challenges to agriculture and that sustainable, eco-friendly technologies like seaweed-based biostimulants could play a vital role in ensuring the sector’s future resilience.

A severe shortage of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) has gripped Fatullah in Narayanganj, where consumers are unable to buy 12-kilogram cylinders even at double the government-fixed price of 1,306 taka. The crisis, ongoing for about 15 days, has forced many residents to search for firewood as an alternative fuel source. Retail shops have run out of stock, and those with limited supply are reportedly charging arbitrary prices.

Local residents and business owners expressed frustration over the situation, saying the artificial shortage and price hikes have worsened their daily lives and business operations. Some reported that LPG cylinders are available only on the black market, where prices range from 2,200 to 2,500 taka per cylinder, delivered by rickshaw. Retail sellers said they too face supply shortages and cannot meet customer demand.

Residents have urged the authorities to take immediate action to restore normal LPG supply and control illegal trading practices that have intensified the crisis.

The International Crimes Tribunal-2 has scheduled January 18 for the hearing to frame formal charges against two top leaders of the banned organization Chhatra League. The accused are its president, Saddam Hossain, and general secretary, Sheikh Wali Asif Inan, who face allegations of crimes against humanity committed during the July Revolution. The tribunal fixed the date on Thursday.

Alongside them, five others are accused in the same case, including the banned Awami League’s general secretary and former bridge minister Obaidul Quader, joint general secretary A F M Bahauddin Nasim, former state minister for information and broadcasting Mohammad Ali Arafat, Jubo League president Sheikh Fazle Shams Parash, and general secretary Mainul Hossain Khan Nikhil. The tribunal had earlier issued arrest warrants on December 18 after the prosecution filed formal charges the same day.

As the accused did not appear in court despite a newspaper notice on December 30, the tribunal appointed state defense lawyers to represent them in absentia. The prosecution, led by Chief Prosecutor Mohammad Tajul Islam and Gazi Tamim, read out individual charges, including three specific counts against Obaidul Quader for instruction, provocation, and incitement.

The Bangladesh Army detained a man named Billal Hossain, aged 42, from Jatarpur village in Mujibnagar upazila of Meherpur district during an early morning raid on Thursday. The operation led to the recovery of an illegal 7.65 mm pistol, a magazine, and two rounds of American-made bullets from a wardrobe in his bedroom. Billal Hossain is the son of the late Madar Ali Biswas of the same village.

According to Mujibnagar Police Station Officer-in-Charge Zahidul Islam, Billal Hossain is a known criminal accused of involvement in smuggling, money laundering, online betting, casino operations, and extortion. Legal proceedings against him are currently underway.

The arrest and recovery operation highlight ongoing law enforcement efforts in Meherpur to curb illegal arms possession and organized crime activities in the region.

The government has ordered an investigation into allegations of indiscriminate hill cutting for landfilling at the Ramgarh land port in Khagrachhari. Following a report published in the daily Amar Desh, Brigadier General (Retd.) Dr. M Sakhawat Hossain, Adviser to the Ministry of Shipping and the Ministry of Labour and Employment, took the matter seriously and directed the immediate formation of a three-member investigation committee. The committee has been instructed to conduct an on-site inspection and submit a detailed report within three working days.

According to the adviser, the government attaches the highest importance to protecting the environment, maintaining ecological balance, and safeguarding national interests. He stated that any illegal hill cutting or landfilling would not be tolerated and that those found responsible would face legal action. He also noted that the Ramgarh land port, built during a previous government, had already been reviewed for its geo-economic significance, and a separate expert committee had been formed to reassess the project's costs and benefits.

The government emphasized its commitment to ensuring transparency and accountability in this public interest matter.

The International Crimes Tribunal-2 has appointed state defense lawyers for Obaidul Quader and six other accused in a crimes against humanity case related to killings during the July Revolution. The order was issued on Thursday after the accused failed to appear before the court, leading the tribunal to consider them absconding. The tribunal also scheduled January 18 for the formal hearing on charge framing against the seven accused.

According to the tribunal proceedings, the other accused include Awami League Joint General Secretary A F M Bahauddin Nasim, former State Minister for Information and Broadcasting Mohammad Ali Arafat, Jubo League President Sheikh Fazle Shams Parash, General Secretary Mainul Hossain Khan Nikhil, Chhatra League President Saddam Hossain, and General Secretary Wali Asif Enan. Earlier, on December 18, the tribunal issued arrest warrants against all seven after the prosecution formally submitted charges.

During the hearing, Chief Prosecutor Mohammad Tajul Islam and Gazi Tamim presented separate charges for each accused. Obaidul Quader faces three specific counts—ordering, instigation, and incitement—while the others were also held responsible under related allegations.

Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) members have arrested Md. Sakin, the prime suspect in the murder of college student Abdur Rahman Riad in Sirajganj town. The arrest was confirmed on Thursday through a press release signed by Assistant Superintendent of Police Md. Usman Gani of RAB-12. Sakin, son of Mati Sheikh from Dhanbandhi area of Sirajganj municipality, was detained on Tuesday afternoon from Alpha Zone and Company in Savar, Dhaka district.

According to the press release, on December 28, Abdur Rahman Riad was sitting inside a CNG auto-rickshaw on Mujib Road in Sirajganj when 30 to 35 unidentified youths attacked him with sharp weapons in broad daylight, killing him on the spot. Following the incident, Riad’s father, Rezaul Karim, filed a case naming Sakin as the main accused along with 11 others, and 20 to 25 unidentified youths as suspects. Sakin had been absconding since the murder until his arrest on January 7.

Authorities have not yet disclosed further details about the investigation or possible motives behind the killing.