A lawyer named Naim Kibria, aged 35, was allegedly beaten to death in Dhaka’s Bashundhara residential area following a collision between his private car and a motorcycle on Wednesday night. According to Bhatar Police Sub-Inspector Ariful Islam, unidentified youths, including the motorcycle rider, dragged Naim from his car and assaulted him severely before leaving him on the road. His cousin Rafiqul Islam later took him to Kurmitola General Hospital around 11 p.m., where doctors declared him dead.

Police recovered the body from the hospital around 12:30 a.m. on Thursday and sent it to Dhaka Medical College morgue for autopsy after completing legal formalities. Naim, a lawyer at Pabna Judge Court and resident of Chak Joyenpur village in Pabna Sadar, had come to Dhaka about ten days earlier to discuss a discrimination-related case with Supreme Court lawyers. He had gone out in a friend’s private car on the night of the incident.

Authorities have not yet identified or detained the attackers, and the investigation is ongoing.

Detective Branch (DB) police in Bogura have arrested two members of an inter-district robbery gang in connection with a robbery at the Bogura CNG Filling Station in Barpur area. The arrests were announced during a press briefing at Sadar Police Station on Thursday noon, led by Additional Superintendent of Police (Sadar Circle) Mostafa Manzur. The robbery took place on December 23 when the robbers tied up the night guard and attempted to flee in a mini truck after sensing police presence.

Police from Sadar and DB units conducted operations in several areas, including Narayanganj, to capture the suspects. During the operation, law enforcement recovered a jack vehicle, two oxygen gas cylinders, six iron pipes, four shotgun bullets, four machetes, one knife, and rope used in the robbery. The arrested individuals were identified as Modachher Hossain, 29, from Nangalkot in Cumilla, and Yusuf Lori, 47, from Kabirhat in Noakhali. Both have multiple robbery cases filed against them in different districts.

The press briefing was attended by senior police officials from Sadar and DB units, including the officer-in-charge and investigating officers.

Dinajpur is experiencing severe cold as the temperature dropped to 9.9 degrees Celsius at 6 a.m. on Thursday, January 1, 2026, according to the local weather office. The temperature had been 12.1 degrees Celsius on December 31, 2025. The cold wave has affected both humans and animals, with dense fog and chilly winds intensifying the situation. The humidity level was recorded at 96 percent.

The cold has severely impacted the lives of the poor and day laborers, many of whom are struggling to find work and shelter. The absence of sunlight from December 27 to 30 worsened the conditions, and even when the sun appeared on December 31, the warmth was minimal. The biting cold has made life nearly stagnant across the district.

Hospitals, including Dinajpur Medical College Hospital and local health complexes, have reported an increase in patients suffering from cold-related illnesses. Children and the elderly are particularly affected, with many admitted due to respiratory and seasonal ailments.

Bangladesh Bank announced that customers of five recently merged Islamic banks will begin receiving refunds of their deposits starting Thursday, January 1. In the first phase, depositors will be able to withdraw up to two lakh taka. The banks involved in the merger are First Security Islami Bank, Social Islami Bank, Union Bank, Global Islami Bank, and EXIM Bank. These institutions have been consolidated under a newly formed entity named Sammilit Islami Bank.

According to Bangladesh Bank, all current, savings, and fixed deposits from the five banks have been transferred to the new bank. Depositors are assured that up to two lakh taka of their funds are protected and can be withdrawn initially. To facilitate this process, necessary funds have been allocated from the Deposit Protection Fund to the banks under resolution.

Customers who choose not to withdraw their money immediately will continue to earn market-based profit on their existing balances, as stated by Bangladesh Bank.

A video message allegedly from Faisal Karim Masud, the main accused in the murder of Inquilab Mancha spokesperson Shahid Sharif Osman Hadi, has recently circulated on social media. Many users claimed the video was created using artificial intelligence, but digital investigative outlet The Descent verified that it was not AI-generated. The outlet confirmed that Faisal’s facial features and expressions matched his real appearance, and background noise analysis across four AI detection tools supported the conclusion.

The Descent noted that while the video showed some visual inconsistencies, such as Faisal’s beard disappearing in certain frames, these were attributed to active video filters rather than AI generation. In the video, Faisal claimed to be in Dubai, but the outlet stated that his location could not be verified from the footage alone. He also denied being on the motorcycle used in Hadi’s killing, a claim contradicted by prior investigations confirming his and associate Alamgir Sheikh’s involvement.

Faisal further alleged that Hadi had taken money for ministry-related lobbying, but The Descent reported that no such accusations had previously surfaced against Hadi.

India has overtaken Japan to become the world’s fourth-largest economy, according to the country’s annual economic review released on December 31, 2025. The review stated that India’s gross domestic product has reached approximately 4.18 trillion dollars and is projected to grow to 7.3 trillion dollars by 2030. Based on current trends, India could surpass Germany within the next three years to become the world’s third-largest economy, trailing only the United States and China.

The report highlighted that India’s real GDP grew by 8.2 percent in the second quarter of the 2025–26 fiscal year, up from 7.8 percent in the previous quarter. It also noted that merchandise exports rose to 38.13 billion dollars in November, compared to 36.43 billion dollars in January. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) had earlier projected that India would overtake Japan next year, a milestone now confirmed by the review.

The findings underscore India’s accelerating economic expansion and its strengthening position among the world’s major economies.

Bangladesh Bank’s foreign exchange reserves have reached their highest level in three years, standing at 33 billion dollars, according to data released on Tuesday. The central bank has been purchasing dollars from local banks as remittance inflows rise and foreign loans arrive, pushing reserves up to 33.18 billion dollars. Under the IMF’s BPM6 accounting method, reserves are recorded at 28.51 billion dollars.

Bangladesh Bank bought 890 million dollars from seven banks through auction at a rate of 122.30 taka per dollar. In the first six months of the current fiscal year, total purchases reached 3.13 billion dollars, with more than 1 billion dollars bought in December alone. Governor Ahsan H. Mansur stated that reserves are expected to reach 34–35 billion dollars by the end of December, emphasizing that the increase is being achieved through domestic dollar purchases rather than external borrowing.

Remittance inflows have also strengthened, with 3.04 billion dollars arriving in the first 29 days of December. For the 2024–25 fiscal year, total remittances reached 30.33 billion dollars, up from 23.91 billion dollars in the previous year.

From January to December 2025, at least 34 Bangladeshi nationals were killed by India’s Border Security Force (BSF) in various frontier areas, according to the annual human rights report released Wednesday by Ain o Salish Kendra (ASK). The report stated that 24 of the victims were shot dead, while 10 others died after physical assault. During the same period, 38 people were injured by gunfire or physical attacks, and 14 were abducted, four of whom were later returned to Bangladesh.

ASK’s report also highlighted a sharp rise in mob violence across the country during the year. It noted that people were beaten or killed based on suspicion or rumors without evidence, investigation, or legal process. The organization observed that law enforcement agencies often remained inactive and showed reluctance to bring perpetrators to justice. In some cases, mobs carried out killings and assaults in the presence of security forces, which ASK described as a serious threat to the rule of law and a cause of unprecedented disorder in society.

The government’s Cabinet Committee on Government Purchase has approved several major procurement proposals, including the purchase of 70,000 metric tons of fertilizer, 50,000 metric tons of non-basmati parboiled rice, and 10,000 metric tons of phosphoric acid. The approvals were given at the committee’s 52nd meeting of the year, held virtually on Tuesday and chaired by Economic Adviser Dr. Salehuddin Ahmed. The Food Ministry will buy the rice through international open tender at a cost of about Tk 220.05 crore for the 2025–26 fiscal year to strengthen national food reserves.

The Industry Ministry received approval for multiple proposals to ensure uninterrupted fertilizer supply for the agriculture sector. These include importing 10,000 metric tons of phosphoric acid for Triple Super Phosphate Complex Ltd, 30,000 metric tons of bagged granular urea from Bangladesh’s KAFCO, and 40,000 metric tons of bulk granular urea from Saudi Arabia’s SABIC Agri-Nutrients Company. The total estimated cost of these imports is several hundred crore taka.

In infrastructure, the committee recommended approval of a major project under the Ministry of Shipping to build an inland container and bulk terminal at Khanpur, Narayanganj, under BIWTA, costing about Tk 184.91 crore. Officials said these procurements will support food security, fertilizer supply, and inland transport development.

U.S. President Donald Trump, beginning his second term on January 20, tightened the country’s immigration policies, leading to widespread labor shortages within a year. Construction firms in Louisiana are struggling to find carpenters, hospitals in West Virginia face shortages of foreign doctors and nurses, and a neighborhood football league in Memphis cannot form enough teams as immigrant children have stopped arriving. The administration has raised visa fees, reduced legal entry routes, and deported over six hundred thousand people, while hundreds of thousands more face deportation after the withdrawal of temporary legal status granted under the previous administration.

Oxford Economics estimates that current policies have reduced net immigration to about 450,000 people annually, far below the 2–3 million per year under the Biden administration. Immigrants now make up 14.8 percent of the U.S. population, the lowest since 1890. Cities once vibrant with immigrant communities, such as Los Angeles and New York, have grown quieter, with fewer international students and diminished cultural activity.

Business owners fear the labor shortage will worsen, affecting industries like construction, nursing homes, and childcare, even as higher wages fail to attract enough workers.

Police in Mymensingh’s Bhaluka have arrested another suspect in the murder of garment worker Dipu Chandra Das, 27. Authorities said the arrested youth, Nirab Islam, 20, allegedly led the act of hanging and burning the victim’s body after the killing. He was identified through video footage analysis and detained from Cheragali area in Tongi, Gazipur, on Tuesday afternoon. With this arrest, the total number of detainees in the case has reached 19.

According to police, Nirab Islam, a knitting operator at Pioneer Knitwears (BD) Ltd, had been absent from work since the incident. Investigators conducted multiple operations in Netrakona, Dhaka’s Banani, and Gazipur before locating him. Police plan to seek a seven-day remand for interrogation. Earlier, 18 suspects were arrested, of whom 12 were remanded for three days and six for two days; five have given confessional statements in court.

The murder occurred on December 18 in Dubaliapara area of Habirbari union, where Dipu was beaten to death following allegations of religious defamation. His body was later hung from a tree and set on fire near the Dhaka–Mymensingh highway. Dipu’s brother filed a case naming 140 to 150 unidentified persons.

A permanent structure is being built illegally on the Kumar River in Borodia area of Gatti Union, Saltha upazila, Faridpur. On Wednesday, December 31, a local resident named Zia Fakir was found constructing a concrete building by filling part of the river near the Swarupdia-Borodia Government Primary School. Around eight to ten workers were seen working at the site using bricks, sand, and cement. Locals fear the construction is obstructing the river’s natural flow and threatening the environment and public interest.

Residents said the Kumar River was once a vital water source that enriched farmland during monsoon seasons. However, years of illegal encroachment and landfilling have narrowed the river, causing waterlogging in the rainy season and drying it up in the dry months. Locals warned that continued encroachment could lead to severe ecological damage.

Saltha Upazila Nirbahi Officer Mohammad Saiful Islam stated he was unaware of the construction and has informed the assistant commissioner (land). Assistant Commissioner (Land) Md Mamun Sarkar confirmed that building within the river is illegal and said legal action will be taken after investigation.

Nepal has decided to cancel the 'deposit scheme' introduced to keep Mount Everest free from pollution. The government made the decision after 11 years of implementation, citing a lack of expected results. Under the scheme, climbers were required to deposit a certain amount of money before their ascent, refundable only if they brought down at least eight kilograms of waste. Despite most climbers reclaiming their deposits, the overall pollution level on Everest showed little improvement, according to the Ministry of Tourism.

Himala Gautam, Director of Nepal’s Tourism Department, said the project failed to play an effective role in environmental protection and instead created administrative complications. Climbers often collected waste from lower camps, leaving the higher camps neglected. Shering Sherpa, Chief Executive of the Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee, noted that the most severe pollution persists in the upper camps, where tents, plastic cans, food packets, and used oxygen cylinders are still abandoned.

Experts pointed out that each climber generates about 12 kilograms of waste per expedition, while the rule required only eight kilograms to be brought down. They emphasized the need for more practical and effective policies to protect Everest’s environment.

A vegetable trader named Bimal Biswas, aged 62, was killed in a motorcycle collision at Pabahati City intersection in Jhenaidah municipality on Tuesday night around 10:30 p.m. According to local sources, Biswas had closed his vegetable shop and was standing by the roadside when a motorcycle coming from the bus terminal area toward Arappur struck him forcefully. Locals rescued him in critical condition and took him to Jhenaidah Sadar Hospital, where he died around 11:30 p.m. while undergoing treatment.

Dr. Rajib Chakraborty, the on-duty physician at the hospital’s emergency department, said excessive bleeding was believed to be the cause of death. The body has been kept at the hospital morgue for autopsy. Jhenaidah Sadar Police Station Officer-in-Charge Shamsul Arefin confirmed the incident and stated that no complaint had been filed yet. He added that legal action would be taken upon receiving a formal complaint.

The incident has raised concern among locals about road safety in the municipal area, though no official investigation has yet begun.

Ferry operations on the Daulatdia–Paturia route, one of Bangladesh’s key river crossings, returned to normal after being suspended for nearly five hours due to dense fog. The suspension began around 4:30 a.m. Wednesday when heavy fog over the Padma River drastically reduced visibility, prompting authorities to halt all ferry and vessel movement for safety reasons.

According to port sources, navigation became difficult as the fog obscured directions on the river, leading to the decision to stop operations to protect passengers and vehicles. Hundreds of vehicles were stranded on both sides of the river, causing severe inconvenience to travelers. Once the fog lifted and visibility improved around 9:30 a.m., ferry and vessel services resumed under the supervision of the Daulatdia and Paturia terminal authorities.

Officials from the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Corporation (BIWTC) confirmed that such disruptions are common during winter when dense fog frequently affects ferry movement, impacting travel and goods transport to the country’s southern regions.