The Bangladesh Jewellers Association (BAJUS) has announced a record increase in gold prices across the country, raising rates by up to Tk 1,575 per bhori. The new prices, effective from Sunday, December 28, set the cost of 22-carat gold at Tk 227,856 per bhori, marking the highest level in Bangladesh’s history. The announcement was made through a BAJUS press release on Saturday, December 27.

According to the association, the adjustment reflects a rise in the price of pure gold in the local market, aligned with global market trends. The main reason cited for the increase is the surge in international gold prices, which have exceeded USD 4,500 per ounce. Alongside gold, silver prices have also been raised, with 22-carat silver now priced at Tk 6,065 per bhori.

The new pricing structure indicates a broader response to global market pressures, suggesting continued volatility in precious metal prices as Bangladesh aligns its domestic rates with international movements.

Former interim government adviser Asif Mahmud Sajib Bhuiyan has collected nomination papers for the Cumilla-3 (Muradnagar) constituency as an independent candidate. The papers were collected on his behalf by Ramzanul Karim, a worker of the National Citizen Party (NCP), from the office of the Cumilla District Commissioner and Returning Officer on December 24. The matter became public on the night of December 26, and was confirmed to the media the following day by administrative officer Md. Saheb Ali.

According to the nomination register, Asif Mahmud’s current address is listed in Dhaka South City Corporation’s New Market area, while his permanent address is in Akbpur, Muradnagar. NCP’s Muradnagar coordinator Minhajul Haque stated that Asif had sent his national ID to the party and that they were hopeful he would contest from Muradnagar. He added that multiple nomination papers were collected due to possible alliance decisions, and final choices would depend on the evolving situation.

Earlier, on December 10, Asif Mahmud resigned from his advisory post in the interim government and announced his candidacy for Dhaka-10, where he has already begun campaigning.

Justice Zubayer Rahman Chowdhury will be sworn in as the 26th Chief Justice of Bangladesh on Sunday. The oath-taking ceremony is scheduled for 10 a.m. at Bangabhaban, where President Md. Shahabuddin will administer the oath. The information was confirmed on Saturday by Md. Shafiqul Islam, Public Relations Officer of the Supreme Court’s Appellate Division.

President Md. Shahabuddin appointed Justice Zubayer Rahman Chowdhury as the 26th Chief Justice on December 23. Justice Chowdhury earned his LLB and LLM degrees from the University of Dhaka and later obtained an LLM in International Law from the United Kingdom. He began his legal career in the district court in 1985 and joined the High Court Division as an advocate in 1987. He was appointed an additional judge of the High Court Division on August 27, 2003, and became a permanent judge two years later. He took oath as a judge of the Appellate Division on August 13, 2024.

According to the report, Justice Zubayer Rahman Chowdhury is expected to retire on May 17, 2028.

A 22-year-old Indian-origin student, Manoj Sai Lella, was arrested by Frisco police in Texas on December 22. He is a senior student at the University of Texas at Dallas. According to authorities, police responded to his home after family members reported a mental health-related incident and alleged threats. Officials stated that Lella had attempted to set fire to his home a few days earlier.

NDTV reported that Lella faces charges of arson with intent to damage a residence or place of worship, classified as a first-degree felony. He was also charged with making 'terroristic' threats against family or household members, a Class A misdemeanor. However, police clarified that no evidence indicated any threat toward a place of worship.

Court documents show that bail was set at 100,000 US dollars for the arson charge and 3,500 US dollars for the threat charge.

The Directorate of Primary Education has opened the online portal for downloading admit cards for the government primary school assistant teacher recruitment written examination. The process began on Saturday, December 27, 2025, at 10 a.m. Applicants can access their admit cards through the website http://admit.dpe.gov.bd/applicant/login using either their user ID and password or their SSC roll, board, and year. The written examination is scheduled to take place on Friday, January 2, 2026, from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. in each candidate’s respective district.

According to the official notice, candidates will receive an SMS from the number 01552-146056 with instructions for downloading their admit cards. Participants must bring a color printout of the downloaded admit card along with their original national identity card (NID or smart card) to the examination center. The admit card will also contain instructions for filling out the OMR sheet and other exam-related details.

The Directorate emphasized that only candidates with valid printed admit cards and identification will be allowed to sit for the examination.

A graffiti unveiling ceremony was held in Chatmohar, Pabna, on Friday, December 26, to commemorate revolutionary martyr Sharif Osman Al Hadi, spokesperson of Inquilab Mancha. The event took place near the Shaheed Minar in the Chatmohar Upazila premises, where murals of Hadi, Saeed, Abrar, and Mir Mugdho were painted by local students.

According to organizer Md. Hasanuzzaman Sabuj, the initiative, arranged under the banner of Amolin, aimed to inspire the public with Hadi’s spirit of sacrifice for the country and his courage to stand against Indian dominance. The artwork was created by students including Shishir, Faisal, Swapan, Masud Rana, Sabuj, and Gopal from various educational institutions.

The organizers expressed hope that the graffiti would serve as a lasting reminder of Hadi’s ideals and motivate younger generations to uphold national dignity and resistance against external influence.

Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) detained former Shibir upazila president Md. Atik Hasan, aged 25, along with a motorcycle and local weapons at Auliar Hat near the India border in Sreerampur Union of Patgram upazila, Lalmonirhat. The arrest took place on Saturday during an anti-smuggling operation conducted by the 61 BGB Teesta Battalion. The seized items and the detainee are in the process of being handed over to Patgram Police Station.

According to Patgram Police Station Officer-in-Charge Nazmul Haque, BGB filed a smuggling case and transferred the suspect with the seized weapons and motorcycle to the police. Patgram upazila Shibir president Khorhshed Alam confirmed that Atik Hasan had been expelled from the organization in 2022 for lack of dedication to party activities.

The BGB continues its anti-smuggling operations along the Lalmonirhat border, and legal procedures regarding the current arrest are underway.

A sit-in was held in Sylhet on Saturday, December 27, 2025, demanding justice for slain activist Sharif Osman Hadi. The event took place at the Sylhet Central Shaheed Minar, organized by Shahjalal University of Science and Technology (SUST) and the Sylhet Inquilab Mancha. Participants carried placards reading 'We are Hadi, We want justice' and called for the killers to be brought to trial.

Leaders and members of the SUST Inquilab Mancha, including Hafizul Islam, Hira Akter, Mahbub Hasan Anu, and others, joined the program along with a large number of students and people from various professions. The participants chanted slogans demanding justice for Hadi, who was described as an anti-hegemony July fighter and spokesperson of the Inquilab Mancha.

During the sit-in, Inquilab Mancha leaders urged the interim government to identify and prosecute those responsible for Hadi’s killing without delay.

Zahidul Islam, the recently outgoing central president of Islami Chhatra Shibir, has joined Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami. The joining took place on Saturday, December 27, 2025, at the party’s office in Bashundhara, Dhaka, in the presence of Jamaat Ameer Dr. Shafiqur Rahman. Zahidul completed the associate membership form to formally become part of the organization.

According to the report, Zahidul Islam served as the central president of Islami Chhatra Shibir for the 2025 session. Before that, he held the position of publication secretary within the same student organization. He studied in the English department at Jagannath University and hails from Cumilla district.

The report did not include any statement from Zahidul Islam or Jamaat-e-Islami regarding his future role or responsibilities within the party.

Greek coast guards rescued 131 migrants from a fishing boat near the island of Crete on Saturday, according to the report. The rescued individuals were taken to Gavdos, though their nationalities were not disclosed. This brings the total number of migrants rescued in the region over the past five days to 840.

Earlier in December, a boat sank off the coast of Crete, killing 17 people, most of whom were Sudanese or Egyptian, while 15 others remained missing and only two survived. The United Nations refugee agency reported that since the beginning of the year, more than 16,770 people have reached Crete while attempting to enter Europe.

In July, Greece’s conservative government suspended asylum application processing for three months, particularly affecting migrants arriving from Libya.

A mobile court in Baliakandi upazila of Rajbari district fined three individuals Tk 200,000 on December 27 for illegally cutting and selling soil to brick kilns. The operation took place in the Amtala area of Baliakandi Sadar Union, led by Upazila Assistant Commissioner (Land) Ehsanul Haque Shipon. The fined individuals were identified as Touhid Biswas, son of Moslem Biswas; Hasan Molla, son of Shukur Molla; and Rashed Sheikh, son of Sadek Sheikh. Police personnel from Baliakandi Police Station were present during the operation.

According to the Upazila Assistant Commissioner, the offenders violated Section 7(a) of the Balumahal and Soil Management Act 2010 and were penalized under Section 15(1) of the same law. He stated that similar drives would continue against anyone involved in illegal soil or sand extraction within the upazila.

The enforcement action underscores the local administration’s ongoing efforts to curb unauthorized soil extraction and protect land resources in the Rajbari region.

Dr. Tasnim Jara has announced her resignation from the National Citizen Party (NCP) and her decision to contest the upcoming national parliamentary election as an independent candidate from Dhaka-9. The announcement was made on Saturday, December 27, through a verified Facebook statement, where she confirmed her candidacy and outlined her motivations for running independently.

In her statement, Jara said that as a native of Khilgaon, her lifelong dream has been to serve the people of her area. Although she had planned to serve the country as a member of parliament, she decided not to represent any political party or alliance in the current context. She emphasized her commitment to building a new political culture and appealed to residents of Khilgaon, Sabujbagh, and Mugda for their support, noting that she would not have a party office or organized campaign team.

According to election regulations, an independent candidate in Dhaka-9 must collect signatures from 4,693 voters. Jara said the signature collection would begin the next day and invited local residents to participate actively. She also offered to refund donations previously made to her campaign when she was considered a party candidate.

Dr. Tasnim Jara, senior joint member secretary of the Nationalist Citizen Party (NCP), announced her decision to contest the upcoming election as an independent candidate from Dhaka-9. She made the announcement on Saturday through a verified Facebook post, stating that although she had initially planned to run under a political party’s platform, she decided not to represent any specific party or alliance due to practical circumstances.

In her post, Jara reaffirmed her commitment to serving the people of Khilgaon, Sabujbagh, and Mugda, where she was born and raised. She emphasized her determination to uphold her promise of building a new political culture despite the change in her candidacy status. Addressing supporters who had contributed to her earlier fundraising campaign, Jara expressed respect for those wishing to have their donations refunded.

She instructed donors who contributed via mobile payment service bKash to fill out a provided online form for verification and refund. Those who donated through bank transfers will be informed soon about the refund process.

Tasnim Jara, senior joint member secretary of the National Citizen Party (NCP), has resigned from her position. The resignation was confirmed by an NCP source on Saturday evening. According to senior joint convener Ariful Islam Adib, Jara submitted her resignation letter in a party WhatsApp group and immediately posted about it on Facebook without waiting for the party’s decision.

Following her resignation, Tasnim Jara announced through her verified Facebook account that she intends to contest the upcoming election independently from the Dhaka-9 constituency. She stated that due to the current circumstances, she will not participate as a candidate of any specific party or alliance. Jara reaffirmed her commitment to building a new political culture and serving the people with honesty and dedication.

In her post, Jara acknowledged the challenges of running without party support, such as lacking local offices or organized workers, but expressed confidence that public trust and affection would be her main strength in the campaign.

The Bangladesh Navy detained 11 individuals along with a motorized boat, 1,000 liters of diesel, and 650 sacks of cement allegedly being smuggled to Myanmar. The operation took place on Friday in the Kutubdia outer anchorage area of the Bay of Bengal during a routine patrol aimed at ensuring maritime security and sovereignty.

According to the report, the Navy acted on secret intelligence about a smuggling ring using sea routes to evade customs duties and transport cement to Myanmar. The naval ship Shahid Mohibullah identified a suspicious fishing boat about 42 miles from the Kutubdia lighthouse. When signaled to stop, the boat attempted to flee but was intercepted and seized. The detained individuals reportedly admitted they were transporting the goods to Myanmar for higher profits.

The seized materials and detainees were later handed over to the Patenga Model Police Station for legal action. The Navy stated that its patrols and operations against smuggling, terrorism, and other maritime crimes will continue in coastal and sea areas.