Venezuelan interim president Delcy Rodríguez has called for a “balanced and respectful” relationship with the United States. Her statement came on Sunday, a day after U.S. forces carried out an attack in Caracas and detained leftist leader Nicolás Maduro. Rodríguez, who previously served as Maduro’s vice president, made the remarks through a message posted on Telegram.

In her message, Rodríguez emphasized that advancing toward a relationship based on mutual respect and balance between the two nations should be treated as a priority. She also invited the U.S. government to work together on a cooperative agenda focused on joint development.

The appeal marks Rodríguez’s first public statement following Maduro’s detention, signaling an attempt to reset diplomatic engagement between Caracas and Washington after a period of confrontation.

At least 26 people have died and 14 remain missing after a passenger boat carrying farmers and fishermen capsized in northeastern Nigeria. The accident occurred late Saturday night as the vessel was traveling from Jigawa State to Yobe State, according to the country’s emergency services. Mohammed Goje, executive director of the Yobe State Emergency Management Agency, said rescue teams and volunteers have recovered 26 bodies so far and rescued 13 passengers alive. Search operations for the missing continue.

Boat accidents are common on Nigeria’s busy waterways, often caused by overloading, poor maintenance, and disregard for safety regulations. Each year, such incidents claim numerous lives across the country’s river transport routes.

Authorities have not yet provided further details on the cause of the latest accident or the total number of passengers on board.

The Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances in Bangladesh has submitted its final report to Chief Adviser Dr. Muhammad Yunus, revealing that between 2009 and 2024, an estimated 4,000 to 6,000 people were victims of enforced disappearance. Of 1,913 verified complaints, 1,569 were classified as probable cases, with 287 confirmed deaths. The report identifies the practice as systematic, politically motivated, and institutionally coordinated, rather than isolated incidents. It directly implicates former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and senior security officials in several high-profile cases.

The commission found that 96.7 percent of victims with known political affiliations were linked to opposition parties, mainly BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami. Law enforcement agencies, including the Rapid Action Battalion, police, and intelligence branches, were named as responsible in most cases. The report documents mass killings and body disposals in rivers such as Baleshwar and Buriganga. Dr. Yunus described the report as a historic documentation of brutality and urged institutional reforms and accountability.

The commission recommended legal and structural reforms to prevent recurrence and ensure justice for victims’ families, emphasizing that enforced disappearances had become a tool of governance during the Awami League era.

Barrister Asaduzzaman Fuad, general secretary of the Amar Bangladesh (AB) Party and candidate for the Barishal-3 (Babuganj-Muladi) constituency, has received official validation of his nomination for the national parliamentary election. On Sunday evening, he posted a video on his Facebook account urging local residents and the general public to provide financial assistance and prayers to support his campaign, travel, and outreach activities.

In the video, Fuad explained that conducting campaign activities in the remote and marginal areas of Barishal-3 is costly and challenging, making public contributions necessary. He also called for collective efforts to build a “new Bangladesh” based on the July Charter following the 2024 mass uprising. His post included mobile payment and bank account details for those willing to contribute.

The appeal has drawn mixed reactions. Some social media users and locals viewed Fuad’s request as a sign of honesty and simplicity, while others analyzed it as a reflection of political and financial realities. According to his affidavit, Fuad’s annual income is slightly above seven lakh taka, indicating limited personal resources.

A magnitude 5.4 earthquake struck Sylhet and several northeastern districts of Bangladesh early Monday, January 5, 2026, at 4:47 a.m. The tremor was also felt across border regions of India, Myanmar, Bhutan, and China. According to the Euro-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) and other international monitoring agencies, the quake originated at a depth of 10 kilometers.

The epicenter was located about 4 kilometers west of Dhing town in India’s Assam state and 76 kilometers northeast of Guwahati. Due to Sylhet’s proximity to the epicenter, the shaking was strongly felt in the city and surrounding areas, including Zindabazar, Ambarkhana, Tilaghar, Shah Paran, South Surma, Jaintapur, and Companiganj. Local residents reported the tremor but no immediate damage or casualties were confirmed.

Authorities and monitoring agencies have not reported any significant structural impact, and no emergency alerts were issued following the event.

Comilla University has expelled 12 students for one semester after finding them guilty of using unfair means during final examinations. The decision was finalized at the university’s 107th syndicate meeting on December 28, following recommendations from the disciplinary committee. In addition, one student’s internship report was canceled for proven forgery, and another was ordered to retake an entire course due to malpractice during an improvement exam.

The expelled students belong to various departments including Physics, English, ICT, Economics, Archaeology, and Mass Communication and Journalism. The university administration stated that it remains uncompromising about maintaining examination integrity and academic discipline. It emphasized that no leniency will be shown toward unethical acts such as cheating or forgery.

According to the administration, the expelled students will not be allowed to sit for exams with their current batch and must continue their studies with the next batch, reinforcing the university’s strict stance on academic misconduct.

Bangladesh Football Federation President Tawfiq Awal has strongly criticized India’s decision to exclude Bangladeshi pacer Mustafizur Rahman from the 2026 Indian Premier League (IPL). According to the report, Hindu nationalist groups had been protesting to remove Mustafizur, leading the Indian government to instruct the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to act. Following that directive, Kolkata Knight Riders dropped the player from their squad.

Awal expressed deep disappointment, saying that Mustafizur was selected based on merit but was removed due to political pressure. He urged Indian authorities and the BCCI to keep politics out of sports, calling the move an act of injustice and intolerance against a world-class athlete targeted for his nationality. Awal emphasized that sports should unite people rather than divide them and reminded that historically, games have helped end conflicts and foster understanding.

He concluded by expressing solidarity with Mustafizur, assuring that the entire nation stands by him and encouraging him to stay strong.

Bangladesh has announced a strong retaliatory move against India following the exclusion of cricketer Mustafizur Rahman from the Indian Premier League (IPL). Acting under the directive of the interim government led by Dr. Muhammad Yunus, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) declared that the national team will not travel to India for the upcoming World Cup. The government expressed deep concern over player safety, questioning how India could ensure the security of an entire team when it failed to protect one player. The decision has been formally communicated to the International Cricket Council (ICC), and a suspension of IPL broadcasts in Bangladesh is under consideration.

Sports adviser Dr. Asif Nazrul condemned India’s move as a surrender to extremist groups, while Information Adviser Syeda Rizwana Hasan said silence was no longer an option. The Foreign Ministry described the response as part of a necessary diplomatic measure. A senior Bangladeshi diplomat criticized India for politicizing minority issues, saying such actions have worsened bilateral relations and fueled hostility between the two nations.

The controversy began when the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) expelled Mustafizur Rahman from the IPL, citing false allegations of minority persecution in Bangladesh.

Dhaka University has published the admission test results for its Business Studies Unit for the 2025–26 academic year. The results were officially announced on Sunday night after 10 p.m. through the university’s website, according to the university’s public relations office. Applicants can now check their results by logging into admission.eis.du.ac.bd or by sending an SMS following the instructions on their admit cards.

The results show a significantly lower pass rate compared to last year, with about 90 percent of candidates failing to achieve the minimum passing marks. Out of 34,062 applicants competing for 1,050 seats, only 10 percent passed, meaning roughly 32 candidates vied for each seat. The admission test was held on December 6 across the Dhaka University campus, various centers in the capital, and four divisional cities.

According to the seat distribution, 930 seats are allocated for Business Studies students, 95 for Science students, and 25 for Humanities students.

The government has decided to organize large-scale workshops in every administrative division to clarify the content of the upcoming referendum to the public. The decision was made on Sunday afternoon at a meeting chaired by Dr. Ali Riaz, Special Assistant to the Chief Adviser and Chief Coordinator of the public awareness campaign on the referendum. Secretaries, director generals, and divisional commissioners from various ministries and departments attended the meeting. The information was later confirmed through a press release issued by the Senior Assistant Secretary of the Chief Coordinator’s office, Mir Alif Reza.

According to the release, officials and representatives will use the workshops to prepare for grassroots-level campaigns, distributing leaflets and explaining the referendum details to voters. The plan also includes training religious leaders under the supervision of the Islamic Foundation so they can help disseminate information among the general public. The meeting further decided to hold awareness sessions at divisional, district, and upazila levels with participation from local officials, civil society, journalists, NGOs, and community representatives.

These initiatives aim to ensure that voters across all regions receive accurate and comprehensive information about the upcoming referendum.

The National Press Club has announced a citizen memorial meeting to honor the late national leader and former Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia. BNP’s acting chairman Tarique Rahman has confirmed his participation in the event, according to club leaders on Sunday. Earlier in the evening, members of the club’s management committee met Tarique Rahman at the BNP chairperson’s political office in Gulshan to express condolences and invite him to the memorial. He accepted the invitation, and the date of the event will be decided later.

During the meeting, the National Press Club delegation, including its president Hasan Hafiz and general secretary Ayub Bhuiyan, conveyed their sympathy to Tarique Rahman. The club’s management committee also adopted a condolence motion expressing deep sorrow at Khaleda Zia’s passing, describing her as a legendary political figure and a true friend of journalists. The statement highlighted her contributions to the press, including land leases, financial support, and initiatives for journalists’ housing and media development.

The club emphasized that Khaleda Zia’s legacy of supporting media freedom and journalist welfare will be remembered by the press community for generations.

The nomination of Mujibul Haque Chunnu, former secretary general and a factional chairman of the Jatiya Party, was canceled in the Kishoreganj-3 (Karimganj-Tarail) constituency. The incident occurred on Sunday during the scrutiny of nomination papers at the district returning officer’s office, where commotion broke out. The returning officer, Mohammad Aslam Molla, declared the cancellation citing multiple errors in the affidavit, including concealment of case information, loan default, and absence of the party chairman’s signature. Chunnu was not present during the verification; his representative attended on his behalf.

According to the report, some people at the office accused Chunnu of being an ally of the Awami League and demanded punishment. The article notes that Chunnu, who served twice as a minister under the Awami League government, had previously presented himself as a Jatiya Party and Awami League-supported candidate in the 2024 national election. He had not visited his home or constituency since August 5, 2024, after Sheikh Hasina left the country, and local residents had organized a protest against him.

The cancellation adds uncertainty to the political landscape of Kishoreganj-3, where scrutiny of other candidates’ nominations is ongoing.

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro was arrested late Saturday night by US special forces in Caracas. The 63-year-old leader had previously, in an August speech, called US President Donald Trump a coward and challenged him to come and capture him. The arrest took place at a secured location in the Venezuelan capital, where Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were detained and taken into US custody.

On Sunday, the White House released a 61-second video on social media platform X mocking Maduro. The video interspersed clips of Maduro’s August remarks with footage of the Delta Force operation in Caracas and images of the detained couple. It also included a segment from a press conference where US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth stated that Maduro had a chance to avoid this outcome but lost it.

According to the report, Maduro and his wife face charges in the United States for cocaine importation and illegal possession of weapons. They are currently being held at a Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, New York.

NCP member secretary Akhtar Hossain said no decision has yet been made on who would become prime minister if the Jamaat-e-Islami alliance comes to power. Speaking to reporters on Sunday at the NCP’s temporary central office in Banglamotor after a meeting with senior officials from the US Embassy, he said discussions on government formation and seat distribution within the alliance are still ongoing and will be finalized soon.

Hossain explained that the NCP joined the Jamaat alliance to pursue judicial and structural reforms and to build a corruption-free, independent Bangladesh. He said the alliance emerged naturally due to shared reform goals, noting that the NCP aims to strengthen its position by working collectively rather than alone. During the meeting with US officials, the NCP delegation outlined the alliance’s background and expressed concerns about law and order and political violence ahead of the election.

Hossain also emphasized maintaining Bangladesh’s long-standing friendship with the United States and discussed the need for foreign policy that protects national interests while upholding democratic values.

Bangladesh’s joint forces are set to begin a nationwide operation aimed at maintaining law and order ahead of the upcoming national election. Election Commissioner Brigadier General (Retd.) Abul Fazl Md. Sanaullah announced the initiative on Sunday during a special meeting organized by the Cox’s Bazar district administration. He said the operation will focus on three primary objectives and that a circular from the Ministry of Home Affairs is expected to be issued soon.

According to Sanaullah, the first goal of the operation is to recover illegal weapons and prevent their misuse during the election period. The second objective is to arrest identified criminals and bring them under legal action. The third is to ensure compliance with the electoral code of conduct, with joint forces intervening in major violations while routine committees handle minor issues. He also instructed law enforcement agencies to seal Rohingya camps and strengthen surveillance along land and sea borders to prevent criminal activities.

The Election Commission has already held meetings with all force chiefs, and all headquarters have been informed about the operation’s scope and directives.