More than 130,000 expatriate Bangladeshis have registered to vote by postal ballot in the upcoming 13th National Parliamentary Election and referendum, according to the Election Commission (EC). The registrations were completed through the ‘Postal Vote BD’ app, which allows overseas citizens to register using their local mobile numbers. As of Tuesday noon, 130,672 expatriates had registered—114,083 men and 16,589 women. The highest numbers came from the United States, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Singapore, and Canada. The EC has extended the registration deadline to December 25, from the earlier December 18, to accommodate more applicants. The app was launched on November 18 and registration is open in 148 countries. The EC also plans to introduce an in-country postal voting system for government officials, detainees, and those stationed outside their constituencies. Proper address submission is required to ensure ballot delivery abroad.

Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited (DMTCL) and Annex Communications Limited have signed an agreement granting Annex exclusive rights to manage inside branding services for the Dhaka Metro Rail. The signing ceremony took place at DMTCL’s conference room on Monday, December 1, marking a new phase of collaboration between the two organizations. The agreement was signed by DMTCL’s Joint Secretary and Company Secretary (additional duty) Khandaker Ehteshamul Kabir and Annex Communications Director Sharif Sabbir. Senior officials from both sides, including DMTCL Managing Director Faruk Ahmed and Annex Chairman Mahmudur Rahman, attended the event. The partnership aims to enhance the metro’s passenger experience through innovative branding and advertising solutions, while also opening new commercial opportunities for both entities. The initiative reflects DMTCL’s broader strategy to integrate modern marketing approaches within public transport infrastructure.

Benin, once a major hub of the transatlantic slave trade, has introduced a new citizenship initiative called 'My Afro Origins' to reconnect descendants of enslaved Africans with their ancestral homeland. The program grants citizenship to people whose forebears were taken from Benin and surrounding regions as slaves, aiming to foster reconciliation and cultural revival. In July 2024, American singer Lauryn Hill and entrepreneur-filmmaker Tonya Lewis Lee received Beninese citizenship, while Lee and her husband, filmmaker Spike Lee, were appointed as ambassadors to the African-American community. The initiative seeks both symbolic healing and practical benefits, such as attracting talent, investment, and tourism. Experts note that while Benin’s past as part of the Dahomey Kingdom’s slave trade remains painful, the country is now using cultural diplomacy and heritage tourism to rebuild ties with the African diaspora. The government hopes this effort will promote unity, economic growth, and a shared sense of identity among Africans worldwide.

BNP Standing Committee member and personal physician of party chairperson Khaleda Zia, Professor Dr. AZM Zahid Hossain, has urged the public and media not to believe or spread rumors regarding her health condition. Speaking to journalists outside Evercare Hospital in Dhaka on Tuesday afternoon, he confirmed that Khaleda Zia remains in a critical state but continues to receive treatment. Both local and international doctors, including a new specialist arriving from London, are involved in her care. Dr. Zahid, visibly emotional during the briefing, thanked journalists for their cooperation over the past six years and requested continued support. He also mentioned that BNP’s acting chairperson Tarique Rahman is regularly monitoring Khaleda Zia’s condition. Preparations are reportedly in place to transfer her abroad for advanced treatment once her condition improves. Dr. Zahid reiterated the call for patience, restraint, and prayers for the former prime minister’s recovery.

In Bogura’s Shibganj, Jahangir Alam, a district member and upazila coordinator of the Nationalist Citizen Party (NCP), has begun an indefinite hunger strike demanding the removal of syndicates controlling the agricultural sector. The protest started on Monday afternoon at the local Mugdha Square and continued into Tuesday. According to NCP’s joint coordinator Rafia Sultana, the strike aims to protest fertilizer dealer syndicates, fertilizer smuggling, artificial shortages, unfair government fertilizer allocations, and the appointment of unauthorized dealers from other upazilas. The movement also highlights issues such as potato spoilage in cold storage and calls for the liberation of farmers from exploitative practices. Several local NCP members and student leaders have expressed solidarity with Alam’s protest, and the party leadership has pledged organizational support for the ongoing hunger strike.

Four police officers in Chattogram have been withdrawn and attached to the police lines following allegations of negligence during a rally organized by the banned Chhatra League on Chatteswari Road. The incident occurred on Saturday morning when several members of the banned student group suddenly gathered in front of the Berger Color Paints office and a small explosion was reportedly heard. The officers on patrol duty, including one assistant sub-inspector and three constables from the Chawkbazar area, allegedly failed to report the rally to their superiors. The matter came to light after videos of the rally circulated on social media. According to Assistant Commissioner of Police (Public Relations) Aminur Rashid, the officers were withdrawn for dereliction of duty. Senior police officials confirmed that two of the withdrawn officers were from Chawkbazar Police Station, while the assignments of the other two remain unclear. The rally participants dispersed after police arrived at the scene.

A full delegation of all 15 United Nations Security Council member states will visit Syria and Lebanon this week, marking the Council’s first Middle East mission in six years. The visit, led by Slovenia, comes as the country assumes the Council presidency for December. Slovenian UN envoy Samuel Žbogar said the trip aims to rebuild trust with Syrians following years of disillusionment and to clarify the Council’s expectations regarding inclusive governance and counterterrorism efforts. The visit also coincides with the first anniversary of Bashar al-Assad’s government collapse in December 2024, which ended decades of Ba’ath Party rule. Žbogar added that the delegation will encourage dialogue among Syria, Israel, Lebanon, and neighboring states amid recent regional tensions. During Slovenia’s presidency, the Council will also hold an open debate titled “Leadership of Peace” and special sessions on Afghanistan, Palestine, and Ukraine throughout December.

A newly submitted report by Bangladesh’s National Independent Investigation Commission has revealed fresh evidence implicating several army officers in the 2009 Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) mutiny and the subsequent Pilkhana massacre. According to testimonies from key witnesses, including prisoner witness No. 14, a secret meeting took place on February 24, 2009, the night before the massacre, where rebel soldiers planned to take their commanding officers hostage using ropes and knives. The report also cites witness No. 65, who confirmed that weapons from three battalions were stored in the central quarter guard and that certain officers were assigned duty there days before the attack. The mutiny, which occurred on February 25–26, 2009, at the BDR headquarters in Dhaka, resulted in the brutal killing of 57 army officers. The commission, after an 11-month investigation, handed over its findings to the chief adviser, shedding new light on one of Bangladesh’s darkest chapters.

Police in Bakerganj, Barishal, have arrested Shahnaz Parvin Rani, a former general secretary of the Upazila Women’s Awami League and former assistant editor of an Awami League subcommittee, who had been sentenced to one year in prison. She was convicted by a Patuakhali court on February 12 in a 2019 cheque dishonor case and ordered to repay Tk 11.7 lakh. Following the verdict, she had been in hiding. On Monday, police attempted to arrest her at her home during a family event, but she initially escaped after a scuffle with relatives. Later that night, around 2 a.m., police successfully apprehended her. Officer-in-Charge Abul Kalam Azad confirmed the arrest, stating that she had been evading law enforcement since her sentencing. The arrest ends months of evasion after her conviction for financial misconduct.

Police in Brahmanbaria arrested Kamrul Islam, a local Jubo Dal leader, after seizing 36 kilograms of cannabis from his private car during a raid on the Akhaura-Agartala road bypass area on Tuesday morning. Kamrul, 40, is the joint convener of the Akhaura upazila Jubo Dal and a resident of Taragan village. His associate, Golam Rabbi, 25, was also detained. Police said the drugs were being transported from India's Tripura state to Dhaka. The Toyota car used in the smuggling operation was confiscated. According to Akhaura police officer-in-charge Mohammad Shamiuddin, both suspects were sent to jail following legal procedures. Senior BNP leaders in the upazila stated that Kamrul’s arrest with drugs has tarnished the party’s image, and organizational action is being taken against him.

Bangladesh Police Headquarters has reassigned officers-in-charge (OCs) of 527 police stations across the country through a lottery system, ahead of the announcement of the 13th National Parliament election schedule. The process aimed to ensure transparency and neutrality in law enforcement during the upcoming election period. Before the lottery, unit chiefs submitted lists of honest and impartial inspectors, which served as the basis for the random selection. The transfers covered all district-level police stations, excluding 110 metropolitan ones, where commissioners will handle postings internally. The distribution included 98 OCs in Dhaka Range, 111 in Chattogram, 64 in Khulna, 36 in Mymensingh, 46 in Barishal, 39 in Sylhet, 71 in Rajshahi, and 62 in Rangpur. Earlier, on November 26, the Ministry of Home Affairs reassigned 64 district superintendents of police (SPs) through a similar lottery process, reflecting a broader effort to maintain neutrality in law enforcement ahead of the election.

The Bangladesh Nationalist Party’s student wing, Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD), has strongly condemned Dhaka University Central Students’ Union (DUCSU) Vice President Abu Sadiq Kayem for filing a cybercrime case against several Facebook pages and accounts accused of spreading misinformation and cyberbullying female leaders. In a statement issued on Tuesday, JCD leaders Rakibul Islam Rakib and Nasir Uddin Nasir called on Kayem to withdraw the case and publicly apologize to students. The organization described the move as unprecedented and an abuse of legal authority, claiming it undermines freedom of online expression. JCD further alleged that Kayem’s actions reflect political intolerance and misuse of the Cyber Security Act, which no longer allows defamation-related cases. The statement accused Kayem of following authoritarian tactics and using legal tools to suppress dissent rather than addressing criticism democratically.

The Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission (BERC) has announced an increase in the retail price of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) for December. The price of a 12-kilogram LPG cylinder has been raised by Tk 38, from Tk 1,215 to Tk 1,253. The new rate will take effect from the evening of December 2. Additionally, the price of autogas has been revised upward from Tk 55.58 per liter to Tk 57.32 per liter. The adjustment follows a previous price reduction in November, when LPG prices were cut by Tk 26 and autogas by Tk 1.19 per liter. BERC reviews LPG prices monthly based on fluctuations in international market rates and exchange rates, aiming to ensure fair pricing for both consumers and suppliers.

Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) Executive Director Dr. Iftekharuzzaman stated that establishing peace and ensuring indigenous rights in the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) is not within the government’s hands but depends on the Bangladesh Army. Speaking at a press conference in Dhaka, he emphasized that the army holds authority over the region and possesses the capability to bring peace if it acts with genuine commitment and evidence-based initiative. He urged the army to reflect on its global peacekeeping reputation and apply the same dedication domestically. Dr. Iftekharuzzaman noted that despite the government’s long rule, it failed to fully implement the Peace Accord, whereas the army could succeed if it demonstrates goodwill. He added that the army’s success in peacekeeping across 169 countries proves its capacity to establish peace within Bangladesh’s own borders, calling it an opportunity to enhance national and international credibility.

In Mymensingh’s Ishwarganj upazila, allegations have surfaced over the distribution of substandard food under the much-anticipated school feeding program. The program, covering 140 primary schools across 11 unions and one municipality, serves 26,620 students from grades one to five. According to the official schedule, students were supposed to receive bread and milk on November 24, but only milk was distributed, and 40 schools received no food at all. On another day, instead of bread and boiled eggs, students were given a single banana, with inflated billing reported. Bread distributed on December 1 was reportedly of such poor quality that students refused to eat it, leading to frustration among teachers, parents, and locals. District Primary Education Officer Obaidullah confirmed finding evidence of low-quality food during an on-site inspection and said he had informed higher authorities. The discrepancies between the official food distribution list and actual field implementation have raised concerns about mismanagement and accountability in the program.