US President Donald Trump stated that the United States is not waging war against Venezuela but is instead fighting international drug cartels. He made the remarks in an interview with NBC News, according to a report by Russia’s TASS news agency. Trump claimed that US operations are directed at groups involved in drug trafficking and accused some countries of sending drug addicts and mentally ill individuals to the United States after emptying their prisons and mental institutions.

Discussing Venezuela’s political situation, Trump emphasized that the White House does not expect new elections to take place in the country within the next 30 days. He said elections are not possible under the current conditions and that stability must be restored before citizens can safely vote. Trump also named several US officials responsible for Venezuela-related matters, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, and Vice President JD Vance.

Trump noted that each of these officials brings distinct expertise and experience to handling Venezuela-related issues.

The Jagannath University Central Students’ Union (JAKSU) election results for four of 39 centers were announced on Wednesday morning. According to the Election Commission, Islami Chhatra Shibir-backed vice president candidate Riazul Islam is leading in three centers, while Chhatra Dal’s candidate A.K.M. Rakib is ahead in one. The results were declared around 7:45 a.m. after counting resumed following a technical interruption.

In the Geography and Environment, Anthropology, and Pharmacy departments, Riazul Islam secured more votes than his Chhatra Dal rival. In the Public Administration department, however, Rakib gained a narrow lead. Shibir candidates also performed strongly in the General Secretary and Assistant General Secretary positions across several departments. The vote counts varied by department, reflecting a competitive race between the two student organizations.

Vote counting had been temporarily halted the previous night at 9:20 p.m. due to a technical fault in the counting machines. After resolving the issue, the Election Commission resumed the process following a long break, allowing partial results to be released.

An editorial commentary expressed outrage over recent attacks on the offices of Prothom Alo and The Daily Star, calling the incidents reckless acts that dishonor the legacy of slain activist Osman Hadi. The author said the violence, carried out by a small group of offenders, endangered the state and undermined Hadi’s struggle. The government was criticized for failing to prevent the attacks, though several suspects have since been arrested.

The piece argued that claims of such attacks being unprecedented were false, listing twelve previous incidents of media suppression or assault since 1972 under various governments. It noted that both local and foreign actors, including diplomats and political parties across the spectrum, condemned the attacks and expressed solidarity with the targeted newspapers. The writer also alleged that elite media and civil society figures enjoy special privileges and foreign support, while smaller outlets face isolation.

The commentary concluded by warning of renewed political polarization and alleged conspiracies against the author’s newspaper, asserting readiness to resist what it described as anti-Islamic and foreign-influenced forces.

BNP-nominated candidate Rashed Khan has said that voting for him in the Jhenaidah-4 constituency means voting for BNP’s acting chairman Tarique Rahman. He made the statement in a video message on Tuesday afternoon, emphasizing that the party’s high command, including Tarique Rahman, nominated him for the seat. Following his nomination, he began his election campaign in the area.

Rashed Khan described Jhenaidah-4 as a BNP-leaning constituency where candidates with the party’s symbol, the paddy sheaf, have previously won multiple times. He said local voters have strong trust in the symbol. He added that although several BNP leaders were interested in contesting from the seat, the party ultimately chose him. Addressing those disappointed by the nomination decision, he called for unity and urged everyone to strengthen the party instead of running as independents.

He further stated that a vote for the paddy sheaf would bring BNP to power, ensuring national progress and fulfilling the dreams of the youth.

Nearly 300 leaders and activists from the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement’s Sherpur district branch joined the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) on Tuesday afternoon at the Sherpur district BNP office. The group, led by chief coordinator Farhan Fuad Tuhin, was welcomed with flowers by Dr. Sansila Zebrin Priyanka, BNP’s nominated candidate for Sherpur-1 constituency and joint convener of the district BNP, along with Sherpur Sadar Upazila BNP convener Md. Hazrat Ali.

Prominent new members include coordinators Al Mamun Sarkar and Arafat Rahman Talukder, organizer Nahim Ahmed Niloy, and several committee secretaries. Tuhin said their 2024 movement aimed to secure rights and build a new Bangladesh, a vision they now believe BNP chairman Tarique Rahman can realize. Priyanka stated that the BNP’s 31-point plan outlines the framework for rebuilding the country and expressed confidence that the new members’ inclusion would strengthen BNP’s local organizations.

Several district and upazila BNP, volunteer, and student leaders were present at the event, which party representatives said would enhance BNP’s organizational strength in Sherpur.

Vote counting for the Jagannath University Central Students’ Union (JAKSU) election remained incomplete late Wednesday night after technical issues forced a manual recount. Despite resuming the process around 12:45 a.m., election officials could not finish counting 278 ballots from the Department of Anthropology within three hours. Election Commissioner Professor Dr. Shahidul Islam said the commission decided to manually count votes from one center with about 300 ballots before using two OMR machines. The machine whose results match the manual count will be used for the remaining centers.

Voting took place from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. across 39 centers and 178 booths, with a total of 16,645 registered voters. The election had been postponed from December 30 following the death of former Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia and was rescheduled for January 6 after student protests.

Major panels contesting include those backed by Chhatra Dal, Chhatra Shibir, Chhatra Shakti, and left-leaning groups, alongside independent candidates.

A total of 164 candidates have appealed to the Election Commission (EC) in the past two days against the returning officers’ decisions regarding acceptance and rejection of nomination papers for the 13th parliamentary election. According to the EC’s central appeal booth, 42 appeals were filed on Monday and 122 on Tuesday.

As per the election schedule, December 29 was the last date for submitting nomination papers. The returning officers scrutinized the submissions from December 30 to January 4. Appeals are being accepted from January 5 to 9, and the EC will resolve them between January 10 and 18. The final date for withdrawal of candidacy is January 20, while the final list of candidates and symbol allocation will be announced on January 21.

Election campaigning is scheduled to begin on January 22 and continue until the morning of February 10. Voting for the 13th parliamentary election will take place on February 12.

Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) has called on the Election Commission (EC) to withdraw its decision to cover accommodation and meal expenses for foreign election observers. In a statement issued on Tuesday, TIB described the move as shortsighted, discriminatory, and a source of conflict of interest, arguing that it contradicts the principles of impartial and independent election observation and signals continued authoritarian tendencies in the electoral process.

TIB Executive Director Iftekharuzzaman said the EC’s justification that foreign observers’ presence would enhance the election’s credibility was weak and counterproductive. He questioned why similar support was not extended to domestic observers and warned that such benefits could make foreign observers appear biased or hired. He also expressed doubt about their ability to assess the election independently while being hosted by the EC.

Iftekharuzzaman further urged foreign observers to reject EC-funded hospitality, emphasizing that accepting such support could compromise their neutrality and ethical standards.

Dhaka University Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr. Niaz Ahmad Khan met with Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Dr. Shafiqur Rahman on Tuesday, January 6, 2026. The meeting was part of a series of discussions with political leaders aimed at maintaining stability and ensuring a conducive academic environment on campus ahead of Bangladesh’s upcoming 13th National Parliamentary Election. The Vice-Chancellor had earlier met with BNP’s acting chairman Tarique Rahman on Monday, January 5.

During the meeting, Dr. Khan briefed the Jamaat leader on the university’s overall security and stability, progress of major development projects, post-DUCSU election situation, academic and research activities, and recent initiatives to improve Dhaka University’s international ranking and student welfare. He emphasized the importance of maintaining campus stability during the pre-election period and sought Jamaat’s cooperation and constructive advice.

According to the university’s public relations office, Jamaat Ameer Dr. Shafiqur Rahman assured the Vice-Chancellor of all possible cooperation in these matters.

The JAKSU Election Commission announced that votes will be counted using OMR machines after encountering inconsistencies between two different counting machines. The announcement was made by JAKSU Election Commissioner Professor Dr. Kaniz Fatema Kakli at the central control room on Tuesday night, January 6, at 11:50 p.m. She stated that vote counting would begin within 20 minutes.

According to Dr. Kakli, the decision followed meetings with all VP and GS candidates, the teachers’ association, department heads, deans, senate members, and various teacher organizations. Initially, 300 votes will be counted manually and then cross-checked on two machines. The machine that matches the manual count will be used for the full count, with periodic manual checks to verify accuracy.

The commission decided to proceed with machine counting after repeated mismatches were observed between two machines from different companies. Following a one-and-a-half-hour meeting with candidates and students, the commission resolved to complete the counting that night. However, it did not specify when the final results would be published.

The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has appointed three retired army officers to the security team of its acting chairman, Tarique Rahman. The appointments were announced on Tuesday, January 6, 2026, through a statement signed by BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi. According to the statement, Major (Retd.) Mohammad Shafawat Ullah has been named Director (Security), Major (Retd.) Moinul Hossain as Director (Protocol), and Captain (Retd.) Md. Ganiul Azam as Director (Coordination).

The BNP statement emphasized that the appointments were made based on the officers’ experience and professionalism. Earlier, on December 17 of the previous year, Brigadier General (Retd.) Dr. A.K.M. Shamsul Islam had been appointed as Chief Security Officer to oversee Tarique Rahman’s overall security arrangements.

The formation of this expanded security team reflects the BNP’s continued focus on strengthening the personal protection of its acting chairman through the inclusion of experienced military professionals.

The Anti-Discrimination Student Movement has demanded that the Jatiya Party be declared ineligible to contest the upcoming 13th National Parliamentary Election. In a statement signed by its office secretary Shahadat Hossain on Tuesday, the organization also expressed deep concern over alleged bias in the nomination scrutiny process, harassment of independent candidates, and the neutrality of field administration officials.

The statement alleged irregularities and favoritism in nomination verification across several constituencies, citing the case of independent candidate Ataur Rahman in Manikganj-3, who was reportedly harassed by supporters of a BNP-nominated candidate. It further accused some returning officers and local administrators of partial behavior. The group warned that such incidents threaten the possibility of a free and fair election.

The movement argued that allowing the Jatiya Party to participate effectively paves the way for the banned Awami League’s gradual return to politics. It urged the government and Election Commission to ensure a level playing field and immediately disqualify the Jatiya Party, which it described as a collaborator in past “dummy elections.”

More than 1.53 million voters have registered online for postal ballots after the deadline, according to Chief Adviser’s Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam. He announced the figures at a press briefing at the Foreign Service Academy in Dhaka, noting that this is the first time Bangladesh has introduced postal voting. Among the registrants, 761,140 are domestic officials unable to vote at their own centers, while 772,542 are Bangladeshi expatriates. The initiative has drawn interest from the European Union, UNDP, and several European countries eager to study the model.

The Chief Adviser described the response as historic, highlighting that Bangladesh’s inclusion rate of over 5 percent surpasses the global average of 2.7 percent in countries with long-standing diaspora voting systems. The government plans to allow registered voters to cast postal ballots around January 21, once candidate lists are finalized. To boost voter engagement, the number of election caravans will double to 20, expanding coverage to 495 upazilas.

Security preparations are also underway, with 75 percent of law enforcement officers trained and a new monitoring app being developed to detect election-related unrest in real time.

Brent Christensen, the newly appointed US Ambassador to Bangladesh, is scheduled to arrive in Dhaka on January 12, according to diplomatic sources. Officials from the US Embassy have already met with Bangladesh’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs to coordinate his credential presentation to the President soon after his arrival. Preparations are underway to ensure Christensen can begin his duties within days of reaching Dhaka, just one month before the country’s upcoming 13th national election and referendum.

Christensen was nominated by US President Donald Trump in September and confirmed by the Senate in December. In his Senate hearing, he emphasized strengthening Bangladesh’s democratic process, human rights, Rohingya crisis response, and economic cooperation. He stated that the United States would support Bangladesh’s democratic future and work to reduce trade barriers.

A senior member of the US Foreign Service, Christensen previously served as Political and Economic Counselor at the US Embassy in Dhaka from 2019 to 2021 and as Foreign Policy Advisor at the US Strategic Command from 2022 to 2025. The ambassadorial post had remained vacant since Peter Haas’s departure in July last year, with Tracy Ann Jacobson serving as chargé d’affaires.

The government has placed top priority on ensuring the security of political leaders ahead of Bangladesh’s upcoming 13th national parliamentary election, according to Chief Adviser’s Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam. Speaking at a press briefing at the Foreign Service Academy in Dhaka on Tuesday, he said that security agencies have coordinated with political parties, and gunmen have been assigned to many leaders as needed. The police, particularly the Special Branch, are actively handling the matter, and local authorities will review additional security requests.

Alam added that the government is aware of individuals attempting to spread confusion about the election and asserted that preparations are proceeding well with 37 days remaining. He noted that the confidence of police, army, BGB, and other security forces has increased following the successful management of three major national events. The press secretary also discussed efforts to engage religious leaders in promoting participation in an upcoming referendum through mosques, temples, and churches, supported by the Ministry of Religious Affairs’ nationwide network.

Separately, officials addressed a journalist’s killing in Jashore, stating that initial police findings indicate no link to religion or journalism, but rather to local extremist political rivalries.