Bangladesh Bank has set a maximum passport endorsement fee of 300 taka for licensed money changers handling foreign currency transactions for outbound Bangladeshi travelers. The directive, issued on Wednesday, states that the fee will remain the same regardless of the amount of foreign currency purchased. This measure applies to all licensed money changers operating under the central bank’s authority.

According to the circular, under the existing ‘Guideline for Foreign Exchange Transactions (GFET)–2018,’ each transaction must be recorded in the traveler’s passport and, for air travel, on the air ticket with the authorized person’s seal and signature. Money changers are also required to clearly display the endorsement fee at their business premises, issue written receipts for all collected fees, and maintain proper records of all such transactions.

The directive aims to standardize service charges and improve transparency in foreign exchange dealings for travelers, ensuring compliance with existing regulatory guidelines.

Police in Sylhet’s Moglabazar area rescued a missing schoolgirl within 30 hours of her disappearance and arrested two suspects. The detainees were identified as Al Amin Hasan, 18, son of Abul Kashem, and Mahi Ahmed Noyon, 18, son of Mukit Ahmed. The girl went missing on the morning of January 5 while on her way to school, prompting her father to file a missing person report at Moglabazar Police Station.

Using information technology and intelligence support, Sub-Inspector Shahjalal Shuvo led a police team to track down the suspects. The operation culminated in the arrest of the two accused in front of Pansi Restaurant on Bhanugach Road under Sreemangal Police Station in Moulvibazar district, where the girl was successfully rescued. Police said the victim is being prepared for handover to her family following necessary legal procedures, and a case under abduction laws is in process.

Local residents expressed relief over the swift and effective police operation that led to the girl’s safe recovery.

A man named Shawkat Ali was arrested by an army task force in Rangunia upazila of Chattogram early Wednesday. The arrest took place in the Chara Bottola area of Chandraghona Kadamtali Union. According to officials, Shawkat Ali, son of Gul Box from the same area, was detained but the weapon seen in his viral photo was not recovered. Major Tanvir of the 34 Construction Brigade Army Camp confirmed the arrest and said the suspect has multiple cases against him and was handed over to the police.

Authorities stated that Shawkat Ali had been moving around publicly with illegal firearms for a long time. His recent photo holding a weapon went viral on social media, drawing the attention of law enforcement. Following this, the army’s Task Force-4 and the 34 Engineer Construction Brigade conducted the early morning operation that led to his capture.

The arrest highlights the growing role of social media in prompting law enforcement actions in rural areas like Rangunia.

Poet Zia Haque’s revolutionary poem and song series centered on Inquilab Mancha spokesperson Sharif Osman Hadi has gone viral across social media platforms. Within days, the works collectively reached hundreds of millions of views, making Haque the top global search on Reels four days ago. The song ‘Hadir Zindabad,’ sung by artist Abu Ubaida, surpassed 11 million views on Facebook and over three million on YouTube, while other related pieces such as ‘Hadi Tui Fire Ay’ and ‘Guli-Tuli Hadider Chultao Chhere Na’ also broke records with millions of views.

The works have been widely shared and recited by audiences, parents, teachers, and students, with excerpts appearing as wall writings. Scholars and writers, including Aman Abdullah and Iqbal Khondokar, praised the creations for their emotional depth and cultural resonance. Many public figures, including politicians, journalists, and intellectuals, have shared the song online. Zia Haque expressed surprise and gratitude for the overwhelming response, calling it an inspiration to continue writing.

Artist Abu Ubaida announced that all YouTube earnings from the next month will be donated to Hadi’s family, while numerous performers have recited the poems, expanding their reach and popularity.

A major shipment of 57,855 tons of yellow corn from the United States arrived in Bangladesh after an eight-year gap. The unloading began on Wednesday at the Confidence Cement Jetty in Chattogram Port. The vessel, MV Beltokyo, departed from Vancouver Port in Washington State and entered Bangladeshi waters on December 31. The U.S. Embassy in Dhaka confirmed the arrival in a press release. The corn, produced in North Dakota, South Dakota, and Minnesota, was jointly imported by Nahar Agro Group, Paragon Group, and Nourish Poultry and Hatchery Limited.

According to importers, the shipment took about 46 days to reach Bangladesh, with an import cost of USD 246 per ton and an estimated landed cost of BDT 34 per kilogram—lower than recent Brazilian imports priced between USD 251 and 260 per ton. Nahar Agro’s chairman Rakibur Rahman noted that only 30 percent of national corn demand is met locally, with imports filling the rest. The U.S. Embassy described the shipment as a milestone in agricultural and food sector cooperation between the two nations.

Officials believe that regular U.S. supply could enhance competition in the feed industry and stabilize animal protein production in Bangladesh.

Mobile phone prices in Bangladesh have increased despite a recent reduction in import tariffs. According to the report, government-registered mobile traders raised prices following the launch of the National Equipment Identity Register (NEIR). Allegations suggest that a mafia syndicate influenced the price hikes. Since January 1, prices have risen by Tk 500 to Tk 5,000 per handset depending on the model.

Consumers claim that official brands took advantage of the closure of grey market handset shops amid the NEIR controversy. Brands such as Redmi, Vivo, Infinix, Realme, OnePlus, and Samsung Galaxy have raised prices across various models. For example, the Vivo Y21D (8/128) model increased from Tk 21,000 to Tk 23,000, while the Infinix Smart 10 (4/64) rose by Tk 1,000 to Tk 12,000.

Mobile traders argue that rising memory component costs contributed to the price increases. Zakaria Shahid, president of the Mobile Phone Industry Owners Association of Bangladesh (MIOB), described the tariff reduction as deceptive, suggesting that the benefits were not passed on to consumers.

The Bangladesh Poribesh Andolon (BAPA) and Bangladesh Environmental Network (BEN) will jointly hold their two-day environmental conference starting January 9 at the KIB Convention Center in Dhaka’s Farmgate. This will be BAPA’s 26th conference, running daily from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. The event’s theme is “Environmental Reforms and Actions,” as announced at a press briefing held at the Dhaka Reporters Unity.

At the briefing, Professor Nazrul Islam, a founding member of BAPA-BEN, said that no environmental reform commission was formed during the interim government, creating a policy gap that the conference aims to address. He emphasized the need for political parties to prioritize environmental issues in their manifestos and called for internal reforms within environmental agencies to ensure effective policy implementation.

Professor Md. Khalekuzzaman, global coordinator of BEN and a geologist at the Commonwealth University of Pennsylvania, said the conference will also discuss how to restore Bangladesh’s rivers, canals, and wetlands to their natural flow, drawing lessons from environmental management practices in developed countries.

Heavy snowfall and blizzards have caused widespread travel disruption across Europe, leaving at least six people dead. Five fatalities were reported in different regions of France due to road accidents, while one woman died in Sarajevo, Bosnia, after a tree collapsed under heavy wet snow. In France’s Landes area, three people were killed in two separate accidents, and two others died in the Paris region in weather-related crashes.

The severe weather has also led to the cancellation of hundreds of flights across the continent. Thousands of passengers were stranded at airports in Paris and Amsterdam. More than 400 flights were canceled at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport on Wednesday, while Paris’s Charles de Gaulle Airport temporarily suspended about 40 percent of its flights, and Orly Airport canceled roughly one-quarter of scheduled departures.

French Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot warned of further snowfall and urged residents to avoid unnecessary travel and work from home if possible. France’s national meteorological agency issued orange alerts in 38 districts, with conditions expected to persist through Wednesday.

A young man named Md. Roni, 22, was injured by gunfire from India’s Border Security Force (BSF) near the Gotamari border area of Hatibandha upazila in Lalmonirhat. Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) rescued him and sent him to Rangpur Medical College Hospital, where doctors said his condition is currently stable. The incident occurred around 12:10 a.m. on Tuesday when a BGB patrol from the Daikhawa Border Outpost heard gunshots near border pillar 902 and found several people running, including one injured person being moved from the site.

BGB later identified the injured man as Roni, a resident of Gotamari Union, and claimed he was involved in drug trafficking in the area. According to BGB, Roni had previously been injured by BSF birdshot on December 22 and had gone into hiding afterward. Authorities said legal proceedings are underway against him under the Passport Act and for illegal border crossing.

Lieutenant Colonel Mehedi Imam, commanding officer of the 15 BGB Battalion, expressed concern over continued illegal activities despite repeated warnings and urged local residents and representatives to cooperate in preventing smuggling and drug trafficking along the border.

A joint operation by the army and police in Ramu upazila of Cox’s Bazar led to the recovery of a large quantity of illegal weapons and ammunition early Wednesday morning. Acting on a tip-off, the raid was conducted around 6:30 a.m. in Thoingakata Samarghona area under Ward 3 of Gorjonia Union. The seized items included a locally made gun, two rusted pistols, six Chinese rifle bullets, forty-nine pistol bullets, four used shotgun shells, parts of a large gun butt, two long machetes, a toy pistol, two button mobile phones, and a cutter. The weapons were confiscated around 7:30 a.m.

Police arrested a 20-year-old woman named Ayesha Begum Riya from the scene. Preliminary questioning indicated that the recovered weapons might be linked to a local organized criminal group, according to police statements. Other suspects managed to flee during the operation.

Authorities confirmed that efforts are ongoing to apprehend the remaining fugitives and further investigate the network behind the seized arms.

A Dhaka court has ordered the seizure of 53 bank accounts belonging to Faisal Karim Masud, the main accused in the murder of Sharif Osman Hadi, spokesperson of Inquilab Moncho. The accounts contain a total of 6,550,246 taka. The order was issued on Wednesday, January 7, by Dhaka Metropolitan Sessions Judge Md Sabbir Foyez following a petition from the Criminal Investigation Department (CID).

According to the CID’s application, Sub-Inspector Abdul Latif, the investigating officer, sought to freeze the accounts as part of an ongoing investigation into money laundering allegations linked to the murder. The case involves the shooting death of Hadi on Box Culvert Road in Purana Paltan, Dhaka. Authorities are also investigating other individuals and organizations suspected of involvement.

The court’s order marks a significant step in the financial investigation accompanying the murder case, as law enforcement continues to trace possible money laundering connections related to the accused and his associates.

Bangladesh Bank has increased the maximum home loan limit for banks with low default rates. According to a circular issued on Tuesday, banks with classified loans below 5 percent can now lend up to Tk 4 crore for flat purchases. The previous uniform ceiling for all banks was Tk 2 crore. The revised policy takes immediate effect and replaces earlier directives, while other consumer loan guidelines remain unchanged.

The central bank stated that the revision aims to address rising housing and construction material costs and growing demand in the real estate sector. Under the new rules, banks with default loans between 5 and 10 percent may lend up to Tk 3 crore, and those with over 10 percent defaults will maintain the previous Tk 2 crore limit. The loan-to-equity ratio remains unchanged at 70:30, meaning borrowers must contribute 30 percent of the property value.

The last adjustment to the home loan ceiling occurred in 2019, when the limit was raised from Tk 1.2 crore to Tk 2 crore for all banks.

The International Crimes Tribunal-1 has postponed the hearing on the formation of formal charges against Sajib Wazed Joy, son of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her ICT adviser, and former State Minister for ICT Zunaid Ahmed Palak. The new date for the hearing has been set for January 11. The two are accused of crimes against humanity, including shutting down the internet during the so-called July Revolution. The order was issued by tribunal member Shafiul Alam Mahmood, with Palak produced before the court from prison.

The hearing was originally scheduled for today but was delayed because the state-appointed lawyer for fugitive accused Joy had not yet received the necessary authorization letter. Chief Prosecutor Tazul Islam, along with prosecutors Mizanul Islam and Gazi M.H. Tamim, represented the prosecution, while Liton Ahmed appeared for Palak. Earlier, on December 4, arrest warrants were issued against both accused, and Joy was later declared absconding after failing to appear.

The tribunal had previously appointed a state defense lawyer for Joy on December 17 after public notices failed to secure his appearance. The next hearing will determine whether formal charges will be framed against the two accused.

Police recovered the body of an unidentified young man from a pond near Daulatpur Mosque in Kutubpur, under Narayanganj Sadar upazila, on Wednesday morning around 9 a.m. The body, believed to be of a man aged between 25 and 26 years, was found without any clothing, according to police reports.

Fatullah Model Police Station Sub-Inspector Milon Fakir stated that the body was recovered after receiving information from locals. No one in the area recognized the deceased. A bag containing clothes was found on the bank of the pond. The police prepared an inquest report and sent the body to the hospital for autopsy. Efforts are underway to identify the victim.

Authorities have not yet determined the cause of death, and police said the investigation will continue until the man’s identity and circumstances of death are confirmed.

A report from Kurigram recalls the tragic killing of a 13 or 14-year-old Bangladeshi girl named Felani, who was shot dead by an Indian Border Security Force (BSF) soldier while crossing the border near pillar 947 at Phulbari’s Uttar Anantapur area. The incident occurred as her father, Nurul Islam, attempted to bring her home from Delhi through brokers without valid travel documents. The girl, wearing a red sweater, was found hanging on the barbed wire fence after being struck by a bullet fired by BSF member Amiya Ghosh.

The article describes Felani’s background as the eldest daughter of a poor family who had gone to India to work and support her parents and siblings. After a year of labor in Delhi, she was returning home for marriage when the fatal shooting occurred. The report portrays the event as a symbol of border violence and human tragedy.

According to the report, fifteen years after the killing, no justice has been served, leaving the case unresolved and the memory of Felani’s death a painful reminder for border residents.