Dhaka Metro Rail has officially launched an online recharge system for its Rapid Pass and MRT cards, allowing passengers to top up their travel cards from home. The service, inaugurated at Agargaon Station by Dr. Sheikh Moinuddin, special assistant to the chief adviser for road and railways, enables users to recharge between Tk 100 and Tk 5,000 through the website rapidpass.com.bd using mobile financial services such as bKash, Nagad, Rocket, bank cards, or internet banking. Once recharged, users can activate the balance by tapping their cards at Add Value Machines (AVMs) installed at 16 stations, totaling 32 machines. The Dhaka Transport Coordination Authority (DTCA) also announced plans to introduce app-based recharge within a month. Refunds and cancellations are allowed within seven days before activation, subject to a 5% service charge. Currently, around 1.6 million passengers use Rapid Pass and MRT cards, and the new system aims to make metro travel smoother and more convenient.

The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has announced a 101-member central convening committee for the Nationalist Generation of the Liberation War. Engineer Ishraq Hossain has been appointed as the convener, while Advocate K.M. Kamruzzaman Nannu will serve as the member secretary. The announcement was made through a press release signed by Ishtiaq Aziz Ulfat, president of the Nationalist Freedom Fighters’ Party, on Monday. According to the statement, the committee was formed with the approval of BNP’s acting chairman Tarique Rahman. Dr. K.M.A.I. Monti has been named senior joint convener. The formation of this committee is seen as part of BNP’s broader effort to engage younger generations with the party’s liberation war-oriented nationalist ideology and strengthen its organizational structure ahead of future political activities.

Intense fighting has erupted between Myanmar’s military junta and the Arakan Army around Kyaukphyu in Rakhine State, resulting in heavy casualties and mass displacement. The conflict, centered near Min Pyin village, saw junta troops suffer significant losses after falling into strategic traps and drone attacks by the Arakan Army. Following the assault, junta forces bombarded nearby villages, forcing around 10,000 civilians to flee their homes. Approximately 20 villages have become deserted amid the escalating violence. The Arakan Army now reportedly controls about 15 towns and continues to challenge junta positions along key routes leading to Kyaukphyu and the naval headquarters. Local sources say the junta is desperate to regain control of the region, which has strategic and Chinese investment significance. Humanitarian workers report widespread fear as schools and villages come under attack, worsening the crisis for displaced civilians.

A rally and human chain organized by the Cumilla Journalists Forum, Dhaka (CJFD), was held in front of the National Press Club demanding the establishment of a separate Cumilla Division. BNP Chairperson’s adviser Monirul Haque Chowdhury expressed solidarity with the movement, saying Cumilla has long been deprived of fair development and infrastructure. He highlighted delays in major projects such as the Dhaka–Cumilla highway, Cumilla University, and the unlaunched Cumilla airport, blaming decades of neglect since the British and Pakistani eras. Chowdhury urged unity among residents and leaders, suggesting dialogue with Noakhali representatives but also hinted at pursuing an independent path if consensus fails. He pledged to join the movement directly, vowing to fight until Cumilla’s rightful administrative recognition is achieved. The event was attended by political figures, journalists, professionals, and a large number of citizens supporting the demand for a new division.

Dhaka University Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr. Niaz Ahmad Khan visited two injured students, including Chhatra Dal leader Sheikh Tanvir Bari Hamim, who was hurt on a dormitory staircase during a recent earthquake. Hamim, a former general secretary candidate in the last DUCSU election, is currently receiving treatment at a hospital in Dhaka. The VC also visited another injured student, Tanzir Hossain of Haji Muhammad Mohsin Hall, at the university’s medical center to check on his condition. During his visits, Dr. Khan spoke with the injured students, inquired about their medical care, and wished them a speedy recovery. Additionally, he inspected the site of a gas cylinder explosion at Bijoy Ekattor Hall. The university administration has expressed concern for student safety following these incidents.

Bangladesh’s Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has seized assets worth approximately Tk 5.45 crore belonging to AHM Fuad, former assistant personal secretary (APS) to ex-LGRD minister Engineer Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain. The seizure, ordered by the Faridpur Senior Special Judge’s Court, includes a luxury flat and nearly 39 decimals of land. Fuad is accused of amassing illegal wealth through tender manipulation, extortion, and forming a gang known as the ‘Helmet Bahini’ to dominate government contracting processes in Faridpur. Investigations revealed that he laundered money and purchased properties under the names of his two wives, mother-in-law, and relatives. The CID filed a money laundering case on August 3 under the Money Laundering Prevention Act and continues to investigate Fuad’s financial network and associates. Officials said the operation aims to uncover the full extent of his illicit activities and bring all involved individuals under legal scrutiny.

Dr. Badiul Alam Majumdar, head of the Election Reform Commission, has expressed concern that politics in Bangladesh has become a business, with political parties operating like business syndicates. Speaking at a roundtable organized by Dhaka Institute of Research and Analytics (DAIRA) on 'Political Financing Culture and Business Protection in Bangladesh,' he questioned whether any truly democratic and transparent political party exists in the country. Participants highlighted the lack of transparency in party financing, weak regulatory oversight, and dependence on informal transactions that distort democratic competition and policymaking. Transparency International Bangladesh’s Executive Director Dr. Iftekharuzzaman proposed mandatory public disclosure of income and expenditure by elected representatives. Other speakers, including academics and party representatives, discussed the deep-rooted link between business and politics and the need for legal clarity and political goodwill to ensure accountability. The discussion underscored doubts about the Election Commission’s capacity to reform the current opaque system.

Thirty-five former members of the Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) were released on bail from Kashimpur Central Jail in Gazipur on Monday evening in connection with a case filed under the Explosives Control Act related to the 2009 BDR mutiny. Their release followed a court order issued last Thursday granting bail to 53 accused. According to prison officials, the bail documents arrived at the jail on Monday afternoon and were verified before the prisoners were released around 6:30 p.m. Among those freed, one was from the Kashimpur High Security Central Jail, two from Central Jail Part-1, and 32 from Part-2. The 2009 BDR mutiny at the Pilkhana headquarters in Dhaka resulted in the deaths of 74 people, including 57 army officers. Following the incident, separate murder and explosives cases were filed, leading to one of the largest trials in Bangladesh’s history, with hundreds convicted and others acquitted.

Pakistan’s Trading Corporation (TCP) has issued a tender to purchase 100,000 tons of locally produced long-grain white rice (IRRI-6) for export to Bangladesh, marking a notable step in strengthening bilateral trade ties. The tender, published on November 20, sets November 28 as the submission deadline and requires bids to remain valid for 21 working days. The rice must be from the latest harvest, free from contamination, and ready for shipment within 45 days of contract signing. This move follows the resumption of direct trade between Pakistan and Bangladesh earlier in 2024, which began with a 50,000-ton rice deal. Analysts view the tender as an effort to integrate Pakistani rice into Bangladesh’s import supply chain amid Dhaka’s ongoing efforts to stabilize domestic prices through continuous import tenders. Meanwhile, Pakistan’s rice exports have declined by 28% in early fiscal 2026 due to policy and legal challenges, though opportunities have emerged in the U.S. market following tariffs on Indian basmati rice.

A Dhaka court has ordered the freezing of 21 bank accounts belonging to former Dhaka South City Corporation mayor Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh, his sons Sheikh Fazle Nashwan and Sheikh Fazle Nawar, and their associates. The order was issued by Dhaka Metropolitan Senior Special Judge Md Sabbir Foyez following a petition from the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC). The ACC alleged that Taposh abused his power to amass illegal wealth worth over Tk 73 crore. Investigators found that between September 2013 and August 2024, Taposh deposited and withdrew a total of Tk 539 crore across 27 bank accounts, along with significant foreign currency transactions. The ACC argued that the freeze was necessary to prevent the transfer or concealment of assets while the investigation continues. The court granted the request after reviewing the evidence presented by the ACC’s assistant director and investigation officer, Md Ferdous Rahman.

Police in Jessore have arrested a man named Babul Hossain, 32, for allegedly running an illegal Voice over Internet Protocol (VOIP) operation and smuggling information to India and other countries. Acting on a tip-off, police raided a rented house near Chuadanga Bus Stand early Sunday and detained Hossain, while two or three others managed to flee. Officers seized a Dell laptop, 317 Indian SIM cards—47 from VI and 270 from BSNL—a black VOIP device, two Bangladeshi SIM cards, and a mobile phone. Investigators said Hossain had been importing Indian SIM cards illegally and using them to conduct VOIP calls that evaded government taxes. He was charged under the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulation Act and sent to jail on Monday following a court order. Authorities suspect the operation had been ongoing for a long time, causing financial losses to the state through revenue evasion.

US President Donald Trump has reportedly told his advisers that he wishes to hold direct talks with Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, signaling a potential shift in Washington’s approach toward Caracas. According to Axios, senior US officials confirmed Trump’s intention, describing it as a key step in his administration’s so-called 'gunboat diplomacy' regarding Venezuela. The move suggests that immediate US military actions, such as missile strikes or ground operations, are not currently planned. A senior official involved in the discussions stated that there are no present plans to capture or target Maduro, though future actions cannot be ruled out. Meanwhile, under 'Operation Southern Spear,' the US has conducted 21 separate attacks on suspected drug-carrying vessels in the Caribbean region, resulting in at least 83 deaths. The development indicates a possible diplomatic opening amid ongoing tensions between the two nations.

Despite an ongoing ceasefire, Israeli airstrikes continued in the besieged Gaza Strip, killing at least four Palestinians on Monday, November 24, according to Al Jazeera. The attack targeted central Gaza’s Maghazi refugee camp, where eight bodies from the same family were recovered from the rubble. Meanwhile, a new study by Germany’s Max Planck Institute estimated that more than 100,000 people have been killed in Gaza during over two years of Israeli military operations. Co-lead researcher Irina Chen stated that the exact death toll may never be known, but the team aimed to provide a realistic estimate. Based on data from Gaza’s Health Ministry, independent household surveys, and social media death reports, researchers estimated between 99,997 and 125,915 deaths, with an average of around 112,069. The findings underscore the devastating human cost of the prolonged conflict and ongoing violence despite declared ceasefires.

Senior journalist Manik Muntasir has called on Baul artists to reject hypocrisy and return to the spiritual and humanist teachings of legendary figures like Lalon Shah and Shah Abdul Karim. His comments came through a Facebook post titled “Stop hypocrisy in the name of Baulism,” following the arrest of Baul singer Abul Sarkar, accused of making derogatory remarks about Islam and Allah. Muntasir emphasized that true Baul saints never mocked any religion and urged that Sarkar’s alleged offenses be handled through proper judicial process. While acknowledging that Sarkar and his followers were previously victims of attack, Muntasir criticized their misinterpretations of religious texts and warned against using religion for sensationalism. He concluded by advising aspiring Bauls to study the lives of Lalon Shah, Shah Abdul Karim, and even Gautama Buddha to understand the essence of spiritual practice and social reform.

Pakistan carried out midnight airstrikes in Afghanistan’s southeastern Khost province, killing at least 10 people, including nine children and one woman, according to Taliban authorities. The attack reportedly targeted the home of a local resident named Waliat Khan in the Gurbuz district. Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid condemned the strike, calling it an act of aggression by Pakistan’s forces. He also reported additional airstrikes in Afghanistan’s Kunar and Paktika provinces, which left at least four civilians injured. The Taliban government has not yet specified whether it plans to respond militarily or diplomatically. The incident has heightened tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan, two neighboring countries that have frequently accused each other of harboring militant groups operating across their shared border. Pakistan has not issued an immediate statement regarding the reported strikes.