A United States F-35 fighter jet shot down an Iranian drone approaching the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier deployed in the Arabian Sea, according to a Reuters report cited by the source. A US official said the drone was identified as an Iranian Shahed-139 model and was heading toward the carrier when it was targeted and destroyed.

The incident occurred amid ongoing tensions over increased US military presence near Iran’s coast. It also comes ahead of scheduled talks between Iran and the United States in Istanbul, Turkey, on Friday regarding a nuclear agreement. The downing of the drone has drawn renewed attention to the already strained regional situation.

The report suggests that the timing of the drone incident, just days before the planned diplomatic discussions, may influence the tone and focus of those talks, though no official reactions were mentioned in the source.

A large-scale anti-terror operation in Pakistan’s Balochistan province has left 255 people dead over three days, according to the country’s security forces. Officials claimed that 197 members of an ‘India-backed’ separatist group were killed during the operation, along with 22 Pakistani soldiers who died in the line of duty. The violence began on January 31 when the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) launched coordinated attacks across 12 towns, killing 17 security personnel and 31 civilians.

Following the attacks, Pakistani forces and law enforcement agencies initiated a clearance operation across the province. Security sources reported that 36 civilians, including women and children, were killed in subsequent assaults over the weekend. The military’s media wing, ISPR, stated that the militants targeted ordinary citizens to disrupt normal life and development in Balochistan.

ISPR added that security forces responded with determination and professionalism, though intense fighting led to further casualties among troops. The situation remains tense as operations continue in multiple districts.

BNP Chairperson Tarique Rahman is scheduled to visit Barishal and Faridpur on Wednesday, marking his first trip to Barishal in 20 years. He will depart Dhaka by helicopter at 11 a.m. and is expected to arrive at the historic Bell’s Park field by noon to address an election rally. Following the event, he will travel to Faridpur. The rally will feature candidates from BNP and its allied coalition representing 21 constituencies in the Barishal division.

Party leaders and activists from across the division have begun gathering at the venue since early morning to welcome their leader. According to the report, Tarique Rahman is expected to outline the party’s election roadmap and discuss development plans for the southern region. The atmosphere across the division has taken on a festive tone ahead of his arrival.

The visit is viewed as a significant moment for BNP’s regional campaign efforts, as it brings together party members and supporters from multiple districts in anticipation of the upcoming election.

Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Dr. Shafiqur Rahman is scheduled to speak at an election rally today at the helipad ground of Teesta Barrage in Lalmonirhat district. The event, part of the campaign supporting the 13th National Parliamentary Election and referendum, will begin around 12:30 p.m. in Hatibandha upazila. The rally is organized by the 11-party alliance.

According to local party leaders, the gathering will support seven candidates contesting under the 'scale' symbol across Nilphamari and Lalmonirhat districts. Lalmonirhat Jamaat chief Advocate Md. Abu Taher is contesting from Lalmonirhat-3, while Anwarul Islam Raju, Jamaat’s central vice president for industry and commerce, is running from Lalmonirhat-1 (Patgram and Hatibandha). Both are expected to attend the rally alongside other alliance candidates.

The event marks a major campaign effort by Jamaat-e-Islami in northern Bangladesh ahead of the upcoming national election and referendum.

Finance Adviser Dr. Salehuddin Ahmed stated that the interim government has already arranged the necessary funds to implement the new pay scale, ensuring that future elected administrations will find it difficult to reverse the decision. He made the remarks on Tuesday after a meeting of the Advisory Council on Procurement at the Secretariat, noting that implementation may take some time.

Discussing the government’s financial management, the adviser said the interim administration has worked to leave behind a relatively stable economic foundation for the next government. He explained that the fragile economic situation that emerged after August 5, 2024, had been largely stabilized over the past one and a half years. On the upcoming referendum, he said the government has allocated funds in the budget for its organization but is not supporting any specific outcome. He added that election expenses are higher this time due to the referendum.

Dr. Ahmed also mentioned that several unnecessary projects initiated by the previous government were discontinued, temporarily reducing employment. However, he described these measures as necessary for maintaining long-term economic balance.

The government of Bangladesh has approved separate proposals to purchase about 210,000 tonnes of fertilizer from various sources to meet farmers’ demand. The approval came on Tuesday during the fifth meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Government Purchase held at the Secretariat, chaired by Economic Adviser Dr. Salehuddin Ahmed.

According to the decisions, the committee approved the import of 40,000 tonnes of DAP fertilizer from Morocco’s OCP Nutrécrops under the 11th optional lot at a cost of Tk 319.51 crore, priced at USD 651 per tonne. It also approved two separate proposals to import 30,000 tonnes each of TSP fertilizer from the same supplier under the 17th and 18th lots, each costing Tk 184.53 crore. Additionally, 40,000 tonnes of DAP fertilizer will be imported from Saudi Arabia’s Ma’aden Company under the first lot of 2026 for Tk 323.92 crore.

Further approvals include 30,000 tonnes of bagged granular urea from Bangladesh’s KAFCO for Tk 153.08 crore and 40,000 tonnes of bulk granular urea from Saudi Arabia’s SABIC Agri-Nutrients Company for Tk 205.31 crore. Officials said these imports will ensure uninterrupted fertilizer supply for farmers and support food security.

Jamuna Fertilizer Factory, the largest urea producer in Bangladesh, has resumed production after a temporary shutdown. The production restarted on Tuesday night at 8:30 p.m., according to factory sources. Operations are currently running at 75 percent capacity due to low gas pressure, with plans to gradually return to full capacity once gas supply improves.

Factory General Manager (Operations) Md. Fazlul Haque stated that production was restarted despite the risk of low gas pressure, considering the demand during the agricultural season. The decision was made to keep the plant operational on a limited scale to meet fertilizer needs.

Earlier, on January 22, the factory’s booster tripped when gas pressure dropped to 8 kilograms, forcing a complete shutdown of urea production for safety reasons. The resumption aims to stabilize fertilizer supply during the ongoing farming period.

The Election Commission (EC) of Bangladesh has curtailed the involvement of Bangladesh National Cadet Corps (BNCC) members in the upcoming 13th parliamentary election and referendum scheduled for February 12, 2026. Initially, the EC planned to deploy BNCC members at polling centers to assist with election duties. However, following objections from the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), the EC decided to restrict their role to maintaining discipline at postal ballot counting centers and the EC Secretariat.

According to a circular signed by an EC deputy secretary on Tuesday, BNCC members will work at IT-supported postal ballot counting centers and at the Secretariat’s result collection and dissemination sections from February 11. The directive outlines six operational guidelines, including coordination with returning officers, verification of cadets’ neutrality, and pre-deployment training. The EC will cover related expenses from its budget.

The decision followed a February 1 meeting between the Chief Election Commissioner and BNP representatives. BNP leader Nazrul Islam Khan stated that involving young students in a politically sensitive process could make both the students and their institution controversial, prompting the EC to revise its earlier plan.

Dhaka Metropolitan Police’s Detective Branch (DB) has detained Mohammad Saroware Alam, an assistant programmer at Bangabhaban, in connection with the hacking of Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Dr. Shafiqur Rahman’s X account. The arrest took place early Tuesday night following a DB operation at a government quarter near Rajarbagh Police Lines. DB Chief Additional Commissioner Shafiqul Islam confirmed the detention and said Alam’s mobile phone and laptop were seized for examination.

The incident followed a viral post from the Jamaat chief’s X handle on Saturday night containing objectionable remarks about working women. The post was later removed, and Jamaat issued a statement claiming that the account had been hacked and false statements were spread in the Ameer’s name. The DB operation was launched to trace the source of the cyberattack.

Authorities are currently analyzing the seized devices to determine the extent of the hacking and any possible accomplices involved in the incident.

Nuruzzaman Badal, the secretary of Jamaat-e-Islami’s Sherpur district branch and the party’s candidate for the Sherpur-3 (Sreebardi–Jhenaigati) parliamentary seat, has passed away at the age of 51. His death occurred at around 3 a.m. on Tuesday night, according to a Facebook post by Jamaat-e-Islami confirming the news.

The post stated that Nuruzzaman Badal had been admitted to a hospital due to kidney-related illness and died while undergoing treatment. He was the officially nominated candidate of Jamaat-e-Islami for the Sherpur-3 constituency in the upcoming election.

The report did not mention further details about funeral arrangements or the party’s next steps regarding the vacant candidacy.

UK-based weekly The Economist has reported that Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) chairman Tarique Rahman is leading the race to become Bangladesh’s next prime minister in the upcoming general election scheduled for February 12, 2026. The magazine described him as a 60-year-old heir of a prominent political family and the top contender following the country’s first election since a ‘revolution’ 18 months earlier that ended the Awami League’s 15-year rule.

The Economist’s analysis stated that the return to democracy is expected to improve law and order, reassure investors, and repair strained relations with India. It noted that the interim government led by Nobel laureate Dr. Muhammad Yunus has stabilized the economy and prepared reforms to prevent future authoritarianism, including proposals for a new upper house and a 10-year limit on the prime minister’s tenure. The report also mentioned that Rahman’s BNP is leading opinion polls.

Rahman has pledged to support investors, create jobs, train young Bangladeshis for overseas employment, dig 20,000 kilometers of canals to address water shortages, and plant 50 million trees annually. He emphasized ensuring freedom of expression, maintaining law and order, and prosecuting those responsible for the 2024 protest killings.

Dhaka Metropolitan Detective Police (DB) launched a raid in the AGB Colony area of Motijheel late Tuesday night to identify and apprehend those responsible for hacking the X account of Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Dr. Shafiqur Rahman. The operation began shortly after midnight, according to DB Additional Police Commissioner Shafiqul Islam, who said further details would be shared after the raid concludes.

The move follows a social media controversy that erupted last Saturday night when a screenshot from the Jamaat chief’s X handle circulated online, containing offensive remarks about working women. The post was later removed from the account. In response, Jamaat-e-Islami issued a statement claiming that the post resulted from a cyberattack and that false statements had been spread in the name of its leader.

Authorities have yet to disclose the outcome of the ongoing operation or confirm whether any suspects have been detained in connection with the hacking incident.

Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, son of Libya’s former leader Muammar Gaddafi, has been shot dead in the western Libyan city of Zintan. The incident was confirmed on Tuesday night by Qatar-based broadcaster Al Jazeera, citing its Arabic service correspondent Ahmed Khalifa. The 53-year-old was reportedly living in Zintan for the past decade. His political adviser Abdullah Othman confirmed his death, though details about the attackers and circumstances remain unknown. Libyan authorities have yet to comment on the incident.

Saif al-Islam Gaddafi never held an official government position but was considered the second most influential figure in Libya between 2000 and 2011, after his father. Muammar Gaddafi was killed in 2011, ending his decades-long rule. Saif was imprisoned in Zintan that same year and released in 2017.

The lack of official statements leaves questions about the motive and perpetrators of the killing, as Libya continues to face political instability and fragmented authority.

The Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) has announced that users must cancel the registration of their mobile phones before transferring or selling them. The directive follows the full implementation of the National Equipment Identity Register (NEIR) system, which became fully operational on January 1. According to a notice from BTRC’s Spectrum Division, the NEIR aims to ensure transparency and security in mobile phone management across the country.

BTRC stated that all active mobile phones on the national network have been automatically registered under the NEIR system. The initiative is designed to curb the use of illegal and stolen mobile devices. The commission further clarified that deregistration is also required when changing SIM cards or transferring a registered phone to another user. The process requires the last four digits of the national ID or passport number used during SIM purchase.

For more information, users are advised to visit neir.btrc.gov.bd, call the BTRC helpline at 100, or seek assistance from customer care centers of mobile operators.

Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami has reported that the X (formerly Twitter) account of its Secretary General, Mia Golam Porwar, was hacked just days after the party chief Dr. Shafiqur Rahman’s account was compromised. The hackers allegedly posted objectionable content from Porwar’s account, which was later deleted by the party’s social media team. The incident was disclosed at an emergency press conference held at Jamaat’s central office on Tuesday night, where the party announced plans to take legal action.

At the briefing, Jamaat’s central election committee member Engineer Sirajul Islam claimed that the earlier hacking of the party chief’s account had originated from an email linked to Bangabhaban, suggesting possible wider access to multiple devices. He urged the government to investigate the extent of the hackers’ control and warned that such cyberattacks could be used for data theft and conspiracies. Jamaat leaders condemned the attacks, describing them as part of a broader plot against the party.

Assistant Secretary General Advocate Ehsanul Mahbub Zubair also issued a statement condemning the hacking and called on authorities to identify and act against those responsible.