Bangladesh Bank has directed all scheduled banks in the country to construct women-friendly washrooms to ease difficulties faced by female employees and customers. The central bank issued a circular on Tuesday, sending it to the managing directors and chief executive officers of all banks. The directive emphasizes that many banks lack adequate, hygienic facilities for women, causing inconvenience for both staff and clients.

According to the circular, every bank must ensure women-friendly and sanitary washrooms at their head offices, regional offices, branches, and sub-branches. The central bank further instructed that existing washrooms requiring renovation or lacking sanitary supplies must be promptly upgraded. Regular monitoring has also been stressed to maintain a safe and hygienic environment for women employees and customers.

The move aims to improve workplace and service conditions for women in the banking sector, ensuring better hygiene and inclusivity across all banking facilities.

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.

Indian media reports claim that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) directed Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to release Bangladesh pacer Mustafizur Rahman from their Indian Premier League (IPL) squad, though the matter was never discussed in any official board meeting. According to The Indian Express, senior BCCI officials made the decision unilaterally, and even members of the IPL governing council were unaware until the news appeared in the media. Attempts to contact BCCI secretary Debajit Saikia for clarification were unsuccessful.

Saikia later confirmed that KKR had been instructed to release Mustafizur, who was signed for 9.2 crore rupees. The decision triggered strong reactions in Bangladesh. The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) refused to send its team to India for the upcoming T20 World Cup, citing player safety concerns. Additionally, Bangladesh’s Information Ministry decided to suspend IPL broadcasts in the country.

The controversy continues to grow as questions remain about the decision-making process within BCCI and its implications for Bangladesh-India cricket relations.

Indian Premier League (IPL) sources have indicated that Bangladeshi cricketer Mustafizur Rahman is unlikely to receive any financial compensation after being dropped by Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). The franchise had purchased him for 9.2 crore rupees in the auction but released him following a directive from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) amid protests by Hindu nationalist groups. According to IPL insiders, the league’s insurance policy does not cover such situations, leaving Mustafizur without a clear path to payment.

An IPL-linked source told PTI that player salaries are insured only for injuries or on-field performance issues, which do not apply in this case. Therefore, KKR has no legal obligation to pay him. The source added that Mustafizur’s only option would be legal action under Indian law, though foreign players rarely pursue such cases, even through the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

The current political climate between India and Bangladesh is seen as another obstacle to any legal move, with sources suggesting that uncertainty in bilateral relations discourages players from taking such steps.

A student of Jagannath University was caught red-handed while attempting to bring outsiders into the campus through Gate No. 2 near Banglabazar after the voting for the Jagannath University Central Students’ Union (JAKSU) election had ended. The accused, Sohan, from the History Department’s 19th batch, allegedly exchanged his pass card to allow non-students to enter, defying administrative instructions. When confronted, he identified himself as a Chhatra Dal activist and reportedly misbehaved with on-duty BNCC members and journalists. However, university Chhatra Dal leaders denied any organizational link with him.

Sohan claimed he gave his card to a friend who needed to enter the campus urgently. Earlier, all students were asked to leave the campus before 4 p.m. to maintain security and order. Later in the evening, BNP and Jamaat activists were reportedly seen gathering near the same gate, with witnesses alleging they tried to enter to create unrest.

BNCC members stated that law enforcement agencies were primarily responsible for gate security, while Assistant Proctor Ferdous Hossain confirmed that some students were exchanging pass cards to re-enter the campus despite monitoring.

Residents across Dhaka are facing acute gas shortages, with stoves remaining off for most of the day. Despite paying regular bills, households are struggling to cook even one meal daily, forcing many to buy costly LPG cylinders. The crisis has disrupted daily life, with families waiting late into the night for minimal gas pressure. In several neighborhoods including Jatrabari, Mirpur, Mohammadpur, Rampura, and Old Dhaka, gas supply is either extremely low or absent for long hours.

The shortage stems from reduced gas production and increased system loss. According to Titas Gas, 1,796 million cubic meters of gas were wasted in the 2024–25 fiscal year, causing losses of about Tk 4,107 crore. Petrobangla data show domestic production fell to 2,647 million cubic feet per day in early January 2026, down from 2,720 million the previous year. Only 10 percent of total supply reaches residential users, while industries and power plants receive priority.

Titas Managing Director Shahnewaz Parvez said daily production has dropped by 250 million cubic feet compared to last year. He noted that without discovering new gas fields or repairing old wells, the crisis will persist.

Bangladesh pacer Tanzim Hasan Sakib said he will reconsider registering for next year’s Indian Premier League (IPL) auction following Mustafizur Rahman’s removal from the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) squad. Speaking to reporters after a Rajshahi Warriors practice session, Tanzim stated that he would discuss the matter with his agent and relevant parties before deciding whether to submit his name for the auction.

Tanzim emphasized that politics should be kept out of cricket, expressing uncertainty over why Mustafizur was dropped from KKR. He suggested that the decision might have political undertones but reiterated that cricket should remain free from such influences. The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), reacting to the BCCI’s directive that led to Mustafizur’s exclusion, decided not to send the national team to India for the upcoming World Cup, citing player safety concerns.

Tanzim voiced support for the BCB’s stance, calling it the board’s duty to stand by its players and describing the decision as commendable.

A severe cold wave continues across northern and northwestern Bangladesh, with temperatures dropping to the season’s lowest levels. On Tuesday, Rajshahi recorded a minimum temperature of 7 degrees Celsius, according to the Bangladesh Meteorological Department. The agency reported that mild to moderate cold waves are sweeping over Rajshahi, Pabna, Bogura, Dinajpur, Nilphamari, Panchagarh, Jashore, Chuadanga, and Kushtia, where the chill is being felt most intensely.

Meteorologist Hafizur Rahman said that the mild cold spell persists in several areas and is likely to continue throughout the week. However, the intensity may gradually decrease after January 10. The five-day forecast indicates partly cloudy skies and dry weather nationwide, with moderate to dense fog expected from midnight to morning, sometimes lasting until noon.

The forecast also warns that dense fog on Tuesday and Wednesday could temporarily disrupt air, river, and road transport. Night and day temperatures may rise slightly today, remain nearly unchanged midweek, and fall again on Friday before stabilizing on Saturday.

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.

The Finance Division of Bangladesh’s Ministry of Finance has issued a new directive increasing the maximum price limits for purchasing government vehicles. The circular, signed by Deputy Secretary Mohammad Shawkat Ullah and released on Tuesday, allows various government departments to buy vehicles within the revised ceilings. The adjustment covers cars, jeeps, pickups, microbuses, motorcycles, ambulances, minibuses, and trucks, reflecting current market prices.

Officials explained that the new limits mainly apply to replacing vehicles older than ten years, as earlier prices were insufficient due to rising market costs. The directive applies to government, statutory, autonomous, semi-autonomous, and state-owned organizations, with registration and taxes included in the set prices. Key revisions include raising the ceiling for AC minibuses to Tk 8 million, large non-AC buses to Tk 5.82 million, and private cars to Tk 5.6 million. The single-cabin pickup limit rose to Tk 5.2 million, while motorcycle limits increased to Tk 193,000.

The Finance Division had previously suspended new vehicle purchases for the 2025–26 fiscal year, except for replacements of vehicles over ten years old. The new directive updates those restrictions in line with current market realities.

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.