Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Dr. Shafiqur Rahman has called for ensuring coexistence in the interest of electoral discipline, warning that attempts are being made to create disorder through attacks. He said the country should be guided toward order through elections. He made these remarks on Wednesday morning during a public outreach event at Uttara Kafrul High School in Mirpur.

Dr. Rahman emphasized that the party aims to assert two key aspects of education—moral and professional—both of which he said are severely lacking in the country. He noted that many young people complete their studies but quickly become frustrated because they lack linguistic and professional skills, leaving them unable to fit well into the global workforce.

He added that covering both aspects of education for the nation’s 180 million children would enable citizens to contribute substantially both at home and abroad, fostering pride in national identity.

Dr. Muhammad Mahtab Hossain Majed, founder chairman of the National Patient Welfare Society, describes cancer as one of the world’s most pressing public health problems, affecting both developed and developing nations. The article, published on January 28, 2026, highlights that around 20 million people are newly diagnosed with cancer globally each year, with 9 to 10 million deaths. In Bangladesh, approximately 160,000 to 170,000 new cases and 115,000 deaths occur annually, with an estimated 1.8 to 2 million people currently living with the disease.

The report identifies delayed diagnosis, limited hospital capacity, and low awareness as key challenges. Major risk factors include tobacco use, unhealthy diet, obesity, infections such as HPV and hepatitis, environmental pollution, and stress. Late detection often leads to higher mortality and severe social and economic consequences for families.

The author stresses the importance of regular health checkups and cancer screening, especially for people over 40, to improve early detection and treatment outcomes. Misconceptions and stigma surrounding cancer in Bangladesh remain significant barriers to timely care.

Professor Dr. Mohammad Saif Ullah explains that heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) is not limited to weakened heart muscles or blocked arteries. According to a 2025 review published in JACC: Advances, HFpEF often stems from coronary microvascular dysfunction (CMD), a condition affecting the heart’s smallest blood vessels. Even when large coronary arteries appear normal, about three out of four HFpEF patients show signs of CMD, which silently worsens heart function.

The article notes that CMD prevents tiny vessels from supplying adequate blood, creating a vicious cycle where HFpEF and CMD aggravate each other. Women face higher risk due to smaller coronary vessels and reduced estrogen after menopause, which increases inflammation and stiffness in heart tissue. Despite available technology, CMD testing is rarely performed because no mandatory diagnostic guideline exists for HFpEF patients.

Current treatments such as SGLT2 inhibitors, statins, blood pressure control, lifestyle changes, and weight reduction offer partial relief. However, there is still no therapy directly targeting CMD, underscoring the need for a new clinical approach to this silent microvascular disease.

The Cumilla city unit of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami has undertaken extensive preparations for a large public rally to be addressed by the party’s Amir, Dr. Shafiqur Rahman. The event is scheduled for the evening of January 30 at the Town Hall field in Cumilla city. The announcement was made during a press briefing held on Wednesday morning at the Golden Spoon Auditorium, where local party leaders confirmed the arrangements.

According to the briefing, the rally will be organized by the Cumilla city Jamaat as part of an electoral campaign. Kazi Din Mohammad, the city Jamaat Amir and the 11-party alliance candidate for Cumilla-6 constituency, stated that Dr. Rahman will deliver a speech to the nation as the chief guest. Leaders from both district and central levels of the 11-party alliance are also expected to speak at the event.

Organizers said the rally will feature 150 microphones and a full sound system across the Town Hall field, with a stage set up on the second-floor roof of the Bir Chandra Nagar auditorium.

Newly appointed US Ambassador to Bangladesh Brent Christensen led a three-member delegation in a meeting with Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) A M M Nasir Uddin at the Election Commission headquarters in Agargaon, Dhaka, on Wednesday, January 28. The meeting began at 11:50 a.m. and included senior officials from both sides.

According to Election Commission sources, the bilateral discussion likely covered the country’s current political situation, preparations for the upcoming national parliamentary elections, and arrangements for a possible referendum. The US delegation included embassy political officers David Mu and Firoz Ahmed, while Election Commission Senior Secretary Akhtar Ahmed attended from the Bangladeshi side.

Brent Christensen arrived in Bangladesh on January 12 to assume his duties as the 19th US Ambassador to the country. The meeting marked one of his first official engagements since taking office.

Bangladesh Khelafat Majlis Amir Maulana Mamunul Haque strongly condemned the attack on Nasiruddin Patwari, a candidate of the 11-party alliance, during a late-night rally in Bahubal, Habiganj. The event took place on Tuesday midnight following a day of assemblies in Sylhet. The rally was organized in support of Maulana Sirajul Islam Mirpuri, the alliance-backed candidate for the Habiganj-1 (Nabiganj-Bahubal) constituency, who is contesting under the ‘Rickshaw’ symbol.

In his speech, Mamunul Haque described the attack on Patwari as a disgraceful act, claiming it reflected the desperation of political opponents seeking to prevent their impending defeat through violence and intimidation. He emphasized that such tactics would no longer intimidate the people of Bangladesh, referencing the courage and resilience of the public in the current political climate.

Thousands of supporters reportedly attended the rally despite the late hour, expressing their backing for Mirpuri and calling for his victory in the upcoming election.

A Dhaka Speedy Trial Tribunal has sentenced five people to death in the murder case of Sayedur Rahman Basu in Gopalganj. The verdict was delivered on Wednesday at 11 a.m. by Judge Md. Rahibul Islam of Speedy Trial Tribunal-1. In addition to the death sentences, four individuals were given life imprisonment until death, and eleven others received life terms. Each convicted person was also fined 10,000 taka. The tribunal’s public prosecutor, Abdur Rashid Molla, confirmed the ruling and stated that the prosecution was satisfied with the verdict.

According to the case details, Sayedur Rahman Basu, former president of the Gopalganj District Motor Workers’ Union, was murdered in 2016. His younger brother, Jasu Sheikh, filed the case at Gopalganj Sadar Police Station on February 19 of that year. On July 12, 2016, investigating officer and sub-inspector Hazrat Ali submitted a charge sheet against 23 accused. The Gopalganj District Judge’s Court began the trial on August 29, 2017, and the case was later transferred to the Dhaka Speedy Trial Tribunal-1 on August 16, 2018 for final adjudication.

The Bangladesh Teachers’ Association’s Patharghata upazila branch has expelled its convener, former Jamaat leader Shamim Ahsan, following his objectionable remarks about the Dhaka University Central Students’ Union (DUCSU). The decision was announced on Tuesday evening through a notice signed by senior joint convener Golam Kabir and member secretary Habibur Rahman. Golam Kabir, who is also the head teacher of Rupadhan Bandar Ameria Secondary School, confirmed the expulsion.

According to the notice, Shamim Ahsan made indecent and inappropriate comments about DUCSU during a Jamaat-e-Islami election rally on January 25 at Katakhali Bazar in Kakchira Union under Patharghata upazila, Barguna-2 constituency. The statement described his remarks as contrary to the ideals of teachers and the ethics of the teachers’ organization. Earlier, he had also been expelled from his positions as assistant secretary and member (rukun) of the Barguna district Jamaat.

The expulsion underscores the teachers’ association’s stance against conduct deemed inconsistent with professional and organizational values.

BNP National Standing Committee member and Cox’s Bazar-1 (Chakaria-Pekua) constituency candidate Salahuddin Ahmed said the upcoming national election will strengthen Bangladesh’s democratic process. Speaking at an election rally on Tuesday evening at North Kakara Government Primary School field in Chakaria, he urged voters to freely exercise their voting rights in the February 12 national election and support the BNP’s ‘sheaf of paddy’ symbol.

Ahmed claimed that under the previous Awami League government, citizens lacked freedom of speech and could not vote safely. He said that after the ouster of Sheikh Hasina through a student and public uprising, people regained their rights. He called on all citizens, regardless of political affiliation, to vote for the BNP to uphold democracy and national independence.

Addressing Hindu community members, Ahmed assured that BNP would ensure their safety and religious freedom during the election. The rally was chaired by Kakara Union BNP president M. Mohiuddin and attended by several local BNP and allied leaders.

Bangladesh’s Health Reform Commission has submitted a 322-page report to the government led by Professor Yunus following the July Revolution. The report, based on input from 12 commission members and over 400 participants—mostly doctors—marks the largest health reform document in the country’s history. It includes 32 key short- and medium-term recommendations, prioritizing primary healthcare and proposing that more than half of the national health budget be allocated to this sector.

However, the report has been criticized for lacking historical context and failing to address core systemic weaknesses. It omits references to major past initiatives such as the 1982 National Drug Policy and offers no clear roadmap for solving long-standing problems like bureaucratic inefficiency, unregulated private clinics, and weak preventive health measures. Despite mentioning health insurance, e-prescriptions, and AI use, the report provides no concrete implementation strategy.

The analysis concludes that without specific guidance on accountability, decentralization, and disease prevention, the proposed reforms are unlikely to bring meaningful improvement to Bangladesh’s fragile healthcare system.

Two people, including a madrasa student, were killed and at least three others seriously injured when a speeding truck lost control and rammed into a stationary CNG-run autorickshaw in Mirsarai, Chattogram. The accident occurred around 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday near the Zahedia Madrasa area of Baratakia Bazar along the Dhaka–Chattogram Highway. Witnesses said the autorickshaw was stopped for passengers when the truck, heading toward Chattogram, struck it from behind, crushing the vehicle and killing two people on the spot. The truck then plunged into a roadside pond.

One of the deceased was identified as Khadija Mashmum, a tenth-grade student of Baratakia Zahedia Dakhil Madrasa, while the other victim was an unidentified pedestrian. The injured were taken to Chattogram Medical College Hospital for treatment. Police and fire service teams quickly reached the scene to conduct rescue operations and restore traffic flow.

According to police, the crash caused temporary congestion on the Chattogram-bound lane, which was later cleared after rescue efforts.

Biman Bangladesh Airlines is set to resume direct flights between Dhaka and Karachi on Thursday, marking the restoration of air connectivity between Bangladesh and Pakistan after 14 years. The inaugural 162-seat flight will depart from Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport at 8 p.m. and is fully booked. Managing Director and CEO Dr. Shafiqul Rahman confirmed that the flight will take about three hours to reach Karachi.

According to airline officials, Biman had suspended operations on the Dhaka-Karachi route in 2012. The plan to reopen the route emerged after the formation of an interim government in 2024. Following official approval from the Bangladeshi government, Pakistan’s Civil Aviation Authority granted Biman permission to operate flights until March 30, 2026, subject to review.

Under the new authorization, Biman must strictly follow designated routes and operational protocols. Karachi airport has allocated a separate slot for the airline, and detailed flight information must be shared before each departure. Officials from both sides expect the route to strengthen bilateral connectivity and cooperation.

A major portion of Mamar Ghat, an important river transport hub under Mongla municipality in Bagerhat, has collapsed into the Pashur River due to severe erosion. The incident has left around 10,000 daily commuters facing acute travel disruptions, while fear and uncertainty spread across the area. Residents along the riverbank are relocating homes and belongings to safer places as the erosion continues.

According to local accounts, the erosion has been ongoing for three years but intensified recently due to heavy upstream runoff that raised river levels and increased current pressure. Illegal sand extraction along the riverbank has worsened the situation, destabilizing the river’s natural flow and embankments. Locals allege that unregulated sand lifting over the past decade has triggered the current crisis, severely affecting transport to the nearby Export Processing Zone (EPZ).

Mongla municipal administrator and Upazila Executive Officer Sharmin Akter Sumi said sand-filled geobags are being placed to curb the erosion. Residents, however, question why preventive measures and enforcement against illegal sand mining were not taken earlier.

A joint operation by the Bangladesh Army and Tungipara police in Gopalganj led to the arrest of one person with 36 kilograms and 600 grams of cannabis. The operation took place on Tuesday evening between 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. near Nilfa Bazar highway under the initiative of the Tungipara Army Camp. The detained individual, identified as Md. Kawsar, 28, from Pirojpur’s Shankar Pasha Union, was apprehended during a search of a passenger bus named Welcome Express.

According to an army press release, the checkpoint was set up based on secret intelligence. The army official stated that a large quantity of cannabis was recovered and reaffirmed the army’s zero-tolerance policy toward narcotics. A police officer from Tungipara confirmed that a case under the Narcotics Control Act is being processed against the detainee.

Authorities said the suspect was handed over to Tungipara police after initial questioning. The joint forces, including the army, police, and district administration, plan to continue regular checkpoints and patrols to maintain security and curb drug trafficking in Gopalganj.

Asif Mahmud Sajib Bhuiyan, spokesperson and head of the election management committee of the National Citizens Party (NCP), is scheduled to attend a rally at the Sarail Shaheed Minar in Brahmanbaria today at 4 p.m. The event is part of the NCP and its 11-party alliance’s ongoing nationwide campaign in support of the ‘Yes’ vote, aimed at mobilizing public opinion ahead of upcoming political processes focused on state reform.

Party sources said the rally will feature central and local leaders of the alliance. Asif Mahmud is expected to emphasize the need for reforming the current state structure, restoring democratic rights, and highlighting the importance of public opinion. NCP candidate Maulana Ashraf Mahadi will also speak, asserting that genuine public freedom requires state reform and direct citizen participation in governance.

According to party leaders, the ‘Yes’ campaign has gained strong response across Sarail, Ashuganj, and Bijoynagar areas of Brahmanbaria-2. They expressed optimism that the rally will raise public awareness and positively influence voter sentiment.