At least 37 Palestinians were killed in Israeli airstrikes across several areas of the Gaza Strip within the past 24 hours, despite a ceasefire being in effect. Anadolu Agency reported on Saturday that the dead included women, children, and seven members of a single family. Gaza’s Civil Defense said the attacks began early Saturday, killing at least 32 people and injuring many others. Medical sources confirmed that five people, including three children and two women, were killed when an apartment building was hit in Gaza City’s Rimal area. In Khan Younis, seven members of one family died when a tent sheltering displaced people was struck. Witnesses also reported injuries from a strike on a residential building in Gaza City’s Al-Tuffah area. Additional airstrikes were carried out in Al-Jalla Street and the Bureij refugee camp, though casualties there were not immediately known. According to Anadolu’s correspondent, Israeli forces had issued evacuation warnings before striking an administrative building at the Gaith camp near Al-Ribat College in Khan Younis, which housed hundreds of displaced people.

At least three people were injured when stones were thrown at an election rally of Abdul Hannan Masud, the candidate nominated by the 11-party alliance, in Hatiya upazila of Noakhali. The incident occurred on Saturday evening at Talatala Bazar in Tamraddi Union, where Masud was addressing supporters. Following the attack, tension spread throughout the area as the assailants fled the scene. According to the National Citizen Party (NCP), the attack took place while Masud was delivering his speech, allegedly by individuals supporting the BNP. The injured were identified as Didar Uddin, son of Abdur Rahman from Ward 8, and Sompod, son of Mozammel Hossain from Ward 5, along with another person. They received local medical treatment. NCP’s Hatiya upazila convener, Shamsul Tibriz, condemned the attack, accusing the BNP of attempting to disrupt the electoral environment and manipulate polling centers. He demanded the immediate arrest of those responsible for the violence.

In Chattogram’s Hathazari upazila, the Mekhal Union Health and Family Welfare Center has remained abandoned for nearly eight years, forcing healthcare operations to continue in a rented building funded by local residents. The original facility, built in 1983, was declared abandoned by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in 2014 after becoming structurally unsafe. Since January 6, 2026, services have been completely halted following the leave of the center’s only medical officer, Dr. Ali Chowdhury. According to local sources, the building became severely damaged over the years, with cracked walls, leaking roofs, and broken infrastructure. Despite repeated appeals, no new construction order has been issued. Residents report significant hardship in accessing healthcare, as the temporary rented facility offers limited services. Local community members have urged authorities to rebuild the center urgently. The Hathazari Upazila Family Planning Officer stated that several centers, including Mekhal Union’s, were expected to be rebuilt in 2024, but no official directive has yet been received.

The government has finalized its decision to lease the New Mooring Container Terminal (NCT) of Chattogram Port to foreign operator DP World. The agreement is expected to be signed in Dhaka today, Sunday, in the presence of senior government and ministerial officials. However, port authorities claim they have not been officially informed about the deal, which is being managed by the Public-Private Partnership Authority. Meanwhile, BNP-backed port workers and employees continue strikes and protests opposing the foreign operator’s appointment. According to port sources, the handover of NCT to DP World may be completed before the February 12 national election. Workers argue that leasing the profitable terminal to a foreign company could cost the state around two thousand crore taka annually and threaten national security. The port authority counters that DP World’s advanced technology will enhance operational capacity while preserving national interests through lease revenues. In response to ongoing strikes, the port authority has transferred four employees and formed a committee to identify those violating institutional discipline and assess related losses.

Allegations have surfaced that the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) is attempting to promote 29 junior consultants who were allegedly appointed illegally during the previous Awami League government without written or oral examinations. Despite multiple letters from the Posts and Telecommunications Division urging action after the issue appeared in a government audit, the commission has reportedly taken no visible steps. Instead, efforts are underway to finalize the promotions before the new government assumes office. According to sources, the audit identified the appointments as illegal and corrupt. The government’s recently formed White Paper Committee, tasked with investigating 15 years of irregularities in the telecommunications sector, also found extensive corruption in BTRC recruitment and listed the names of these officials. Reports indicate that the commission has twice rescheduled meetings to push through the promotions, an unusual move in its history. A departmental promotion meeting on January 25 decided that officials with audit objections would not be promoted, but the decision was not finalized. Several senior posts remain vacant, and many qualified officers allege that their promotions are being delayed to favor unqualified appointees.

In Atrai upazila of Naogaon, the Atrai River has reportedly dried up due to the unplanned construction of sluice gates, causing severe water shortages across vast agricultural lands. The crisis has led to the disappearance of native fish species and left many fishermen unemployed. The problem stems from the 1980s, when a single-gate sluice was built on the wide Atrai River near the upazila complex, while a ten-gate sluice was constructed on a narrow canal at Kashiyabari, about two kilometers away. Residents have questioned the planning behind these decisions. Local farmers from several villages, including Parkasunda, Narikelbari, and Khajura, said they have suffered for years from water scarcity that hampers crop production. The president of the local fishermen’s cooperative, Profulla Chandra Hawlader, stated that hundreds of fishing families have lost their livelihoods and now live in hardship. When contacted, Naogaon Water Development Board’s executive engineer Asif Ahmed said the sluice gates were built long before his tenure and promised to look into the matter. The drying of the river has affected nearly 30 kilometers of its course, impacting numerous villages and threatening the region’s agricultural and ecological balance.

In Sylhet-2 constituency, two influential factions of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) have announced unity in support of the party’s paddy sheaf symbol ahead of the upcoming national parliamentary election. The declaration came after years of internal disputes that had divided the local BNP into two camps led by Joint Secretary General Humayun Kabir and central leader Tahsina Rushdir Luna. The formal announcement was made at a coordination meeting held at the Lavista Hotel in Sylhet city, chaired by district BNP president Abdul Koyum Chowdhury. According to party sources, earlier misunderstandings and misinformation had caused long-standing divisions and sidelined many grassroots activists. Central intervention helped resolve the conflict, with Chowdhury assigned to coordinate between the two groups. At the meeting, Luna urged all members to forget past differences and work together for victory, while Chowdhury emphasized unity, discipline, and grassroots strength. The meeting also decided to hold two worker gatherings in Osmani Nagar and Bishwanath upazilas on February 2 or 3 in the presence of Humayun Kabir to strengthen organizational activities ahead of the election.

Senior US Congressmen Joe Wilson and Nile Pow, co-chairs of the bipartisan Congressional Bangladesh Caucus, have written to US Secretary of State Mark Rubio urging support for Bangladesh’s government to ensure that the upcoming February 12 general election is free, fair, and secure. The letter, sent last Tuesday, describes the election as crucial for Bangladesh’s future and calls for active engagement from the US State Department ahead of the national vote and referendum. The congressmen noted that the election follows reforms by the interim government and represents a positive step forward. They emphasized that this will be Bangladesh’s first vote since the 2024 protests and uprising, during which the UN Human Rights Office reported over 1,400 deaths caused by security forces. The letter also referenced the US State Department’s earlier assessments that the 2018 and 2024 elections were not free or fair. Expressing concern over Bangladesh’s fragile and unstable situation, the lawmakers cited recent killings of a pro-democracy leader and a worker. They described the election as an opportunity to break cycles of violence and build a government that respects the rule of law and human rights, urging a pre-election briefing on US actions.

Eminent academic Dr. Mahbub Ullah stated that the Awami League’s vengeful politics poses a major obstacle to democratic progress and peaceful coexistence in Bangladesh. Speaking on Saturday at the grand finale and award ceremony of the ‘Debate for Democracy’ election debate competition held at the FDC in Dhaka, he warned that the party’s actions risk damaging both the electoral environment and national peace. He also alleged that former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina had turned into a political miscreant due to her obsession with power. Dr. Ullah further claimed that fallen autocrats and neighboring states were supporting election-related violence and were unwilling to accept political change in Bangladesh. He said the nation had yet to reap the full benefits of its Liberation War, which he described as being influenced by neighboring powers. He urged the government to take effective measures to end electoral violence and bring qualitative change to politics to uphold democracy. At the same event, Debate for Democracy Chairman Hasan Ahmed Chowdhury Kiron said public expectations for the upcoming election were higher than ever, describing it as a contest against fascist forces.

Bangladesh has entered February, known as Language Month, marking the beginning of nationwide observances honoring the martyrs of the 1952 Language Movement. From the first day of the month, social, political, and cultural organizations have launched various programs across the country, including at the Central Shaheed Minar and district towns. The Ministry of Cultural Affairs has announced preparations to ensure peaceful and dignified observance of International Mother Language Day on February 21. The Language Movement began in 1952 when students and citizens protested Pakistan’s decision to make Urdu the sole state language. Police opened fire on demonstrators in Dhaka, killing several, including Rafiq Uddin Ahmed, Abdul Jabbar, Abul Barkat, and Abdus Salam. Their sacrifice led to the eventual recognition of Bangla as a state language. UNESCO declared February 21 International Mother Language Day in 1999, expanding the commemoration globally. This year, the traditional Amar Ekushey Book Fair, usually starting on February 1, will begin on February 20 due to the recent parliamentary election. The newly elected head of government is expected to inaugurate the fair, while Dhaka University will hold a symbolic language march from Aparajeyo Bangla to the Shaheed Minar.

Police in Sylhet have uncovered the mystery behind a previously unsolved murder case under Jalalabad Police Station, arresting three people including a woman and a child. The arrests were made late Friday night in the city’s Sonarpara area, according to a statement from the Sylhet Metropolitan Police media cell. The suspects are Abdul Matin, 45, of Boropoud area, Khaleda Begum, 32, of Sonarpara, and her 16-year-old daughter. The case followed the discovery of an unidentified man’s body on January 29 in the Kurail Haor area, later identified as Shoebur Rahman, 30. Police said Shoebur had been working as an Arabic tutor for Khaleda Begum’s children since 2023 while her husband was abroad. Their relationship reportedly turned unethical, and Shoebur allegedly took over 6 million taka from Khaleda through deception involving land and gold purchases. When pressured for repayment, he allegedly abused Khaleda and her family. Police said these details emerged during initial interrogation, and legal action is underway. Investigators are continuing efforts to identify others possibly involved in the incident.

Bangladesh Federal Union of Journalists (BFUJ) Secretary General Quader Gani Chowdhury declared that no media outlet in the country will be allowed to operate without implementing the wage board. Speaking on Saturday, January 31, at a meeting with journalists at the VIP Lounge of Chattogram Press Club, he said all journalists must receive wage board benefits and announced plans for a nationwide rally in Dhaka to press the demand to the government. Chowdhury criticized the disparity between journalists in Dhaka and those outside the capital, noting that many regional journalists do not receive wage board payments. He also demanded two weekly holidays for journalists, similar to other professions. During his remarks, he condemned what he described as partisan journalism and interference in press clubs, asserting that press institutions should be run by members’ opinions, not political or government influence. He emphasized unity among journalists as the only way to protect their rights and dignity, warning against any attempts to control or politicize press organizations.

BNP-nominated candidate for Jhenaidah-4, Rashed Khan, intervened to secure the release of three teenagers detained by police for allegedly tearing his party’s election posters in Kushobaria Bazar on Friday night. The police had taken the boys into custody following complaints that several posters bearing the BNP’s ‘sheaf of paddy’ symbol were damaged, sparking local political tension. Upon learning of the arrests, Rashed Khan went to the police station and requested their release without legal action, a request the police granted. After being freed, the teenagers said they had acted out of youthful impulse, not political motives, and expressed remorse for their actions. They thanked Rashed Khan for forgiving them instead of pursuing punishment. Rashed explained that he did not want to ruin their lives over a small mistake and emphasized that politics should be about humanity, not revenge. He said forgiveness and compassion can correct mistakes and help young people grow into responsible citizens. Local residents viewed Rashed Khan’s decision as a positive example of tolerance and humanity in the area’s election politics.

The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has expelled nine local leaders from Sylhet-5 constituency for working in favor of an expelled independent candidate. The decision was announced on Saturday through separate press releases signed by BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Advocate Ruhul Kabir Rizvi. Among those expelled, five are from Zakiganj upazila and municipality units, and four are from various units in Kanaighat. According to the press release, the expelled leaders violated party discipline and ignored official directives by supporting Mamunur Rashid, also known as Chaksu Mamun, who was previously expelled from the BNP. The expelled individuals include Ismail Hossain Selim, Masuk Ahmad, Ripon Ahmad, Hasan Ahmad, Waes Ahmad, Khusruzzaman Parvez, Abul Bashar, Nazrul Islam, and Nurul Hossain Nimar. Earlier, the BNP had supported Jamiat-e-Ulama’s central president Maulana Ubaidullah Faruq as part of an alliance agreement for the Sylhet-5 seat. Mamunur Rashid opposed this decision and filed as an independent candidate with the football symbol, leading to his expulsion on December 30. He continues to campaign with his supporters.

Arsenal ended their three-match winless run in the English Premier League with a dominant 4-0 victory over Leeds United on Saturday night at Elland Road. Under coach Mikel Arteta, the London club regained momentum as goals from Martin Zubimendi, Viktor Gyökeres, and Gabriel Jesus, along with an own goal by Leeds goalkeeper Karl Darlow, sealed the comprehensive win. From the start, Arsenal applied pressure and controlled the match, leaving Leeds with little chance to recover. The result strengthened Arsenal’s position at the top of the Premier League standings, extending their lead to seven points over second-placed Manchester City and third-placed Aston Villa. The emphatic win not only restored Arsenal’s confidence after a difficult run but also reinforced their title credentials as the season progresses.