The junta-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) has taken a commanding lead in Myanmar’s second round of the disputed general election. According to Al Jazeera, the party won 90 out of 102 seats contested in the latest phase. In the first round held on December 28, the USDP secured 86 of 102 seats. Combined results from the two rounds give the party 182 out of 330 total seats, surpassing the threshold for a simple majority. The election is being conducted in three phases across the country.

Voting for the first phase covered 202 constituencies on December 28, while the second phase took place on January 11. The final phase of voting is scheduled for January 25, with complete results for both national and regional legislatures expected by the end of January. Military spokesperson Major General Zaw Min Tun stated last weekend that parliamentary sessions for both houses will be convened in March, and a new government is expected to assume office in April.

The ongoing election process remains controversial, with final outcomes anticipated to shape Myanmar’s political direction in the coming months.

Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) Vice Chairman Shamsuzzaman Dudu has warned that the country’s independence and sovereignty could be at risk if the upcoming national election is not conducted properly. Speaking on Saturday in front of the National Press Club, he said the February 12 parliamentary election is crucial for protecting democracy and national sovereignty. Dudu cautioned that failure to hold a fair election would bring severe consequences for the entire nation, not just the government.

He made the remarks during a protest organized by the Nationalist Alliance against gas price hikes and demanding the recovery of illegal weapons. Dudu said the government has less than a month left before the election and urged immediate steps to improve law and order so that voters can safely go to polling centers. He criticized the authorities for not taking adequate measures despite knowing the situation.

Dudu also linked recent killings in Dhaka and other areas to government negligence and called for the rapid recovery of both legal and illegal arms to ensure a credible election process.

A petrol pump employee named Ripon Saha, aged 30, was killed early Friday morning, January 16, in Rajbari’s Goaland Mor area when he was run over by a car while trying to stop it from fleeing without paying for fuel. CCTV footage later identified the car’s owner as former Jubo Dal leader Abul Hashem Sujon and his driver Kamal Hossain Sardar. Police arrested both men from their homes that night, and Ripon’s younger brother, Protap Saha, filed a murder case against them at Rajbari Police Station.

According to eyewitness Nazrul Islam, two men arrived in a private car around 4:30 a.m. and took fuel worth 5,000 taka. When asked for payment, they became aggressive and attempted to drive away. Ripon tried to stop them, but the driver reversed the car, fatally hitting him. Police said Sujon has multiple prior cases involving weapons and drugs and has served jail time. Local Jubo Dal leaders clarified that Sujon resigned from the party in 2019 and later joined Awami League politics.

Authorities are continuing the investigation into the murder and the suspects’ criminal background.

BNP Chairperson Tarique Rahman stated that no conspiracy or propaganda can suppress his party. He made the remarks on Saturday at the Hall of Fame in the China-Bangladesh Friendship Conference Center in Dhaka during a meeting with families of victims of enforced disappearances, killings, and torture.

In his speech as chief guest, Rahman said that for more than one and a half decades, families who lost loved ones have continued the anti-fascist movement despite abductions, killings, false cases, and harassment. He emphasized that BNP activists have never abandoned the streets, even when the movement’s intensity fluctuated. He cited examples of family members replacing disappeared relatives to continue protests.

The event was jointly organized by ‘Mayer Dak’ and ‘Amra BNP Poribar’. Senior BNP leaders including Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, Salahuddin Ahmed, Tahsina Rushdir Luna, and Hummam Quader Chowdhury attended. The session was conducted by Sanjida Islam Tuli and Atiqur Rahman Ruman.

Israel has reportedly violated the Gaza ceasefire nearly 1,200 times since it was declared on October 10 last year. According to Gaza’s government media office, between October 10 and January 9, Israel breached the truce at least 1,193 times, with hundreds killed in the attacks. Out of 97 days of ceasefire up to January 14, Israel carried out assaults on 82 days, leaving only 15 days without reports of violence, deaths, or injuries. Despite the continued attacks, the United States maintains that the ceasefire remains in effect.

Meanwhile, discussions on the Gaza peace plan are moving into a second phase even though the first stage has not been fully implemented. U.S. President Donald Trump announced several members of the new Gaza Peace Board on Friday. The board will oversee interim governance in the war-torn territory. The seven-member founding executive board includes U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff, former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair, Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, and World Bank President Ajay Banga, with Trump himself serving as chair. The board will eventually have 15 members.

The European Union Election Observation Mission (EU EOM) has deployed 56 long-term observers across all 64 districts of Bangladesh. The observers began their fieldwork on Saturday morning after departing from Dhaka, marking the official start of the mission’s activities. The announcement was made by Deputy Chief Observer Inta Lase at a press conference held at Hotel Intercontinental in Dhaka. The mission operates under an invitation from the Government of Bangladesh, with Chief Observer Ivars Ijabs, a member of the European Parliament, having inaugurated the mission on January 11.

According to EU officials, the observers will work in two-member teams to monitor key aspects of the electoral process at the regional level. They will meet voters, election officials, candidates, political party representatives, civil society observers, and youth activists in both urban and rural areas. The mission includes participants from EU member states as well as Canada, Norway, and Switzerland. Before deployment, the observers received detailed briefings on Bangladesh’s political, legal, and media environment.

The EU EOM will release its preliminary findings on February 14 in Dhaka, followed by a final report with recommendations after the election process concludes. The mission emphasizes neutrality and non-interference, adhering to international election observation principles adopted under UN auspices in 2005.

U.S. President Donald Trump has offered to mediate the ongoing dispute between Egypt and Ethiopia over the use of Nile River waters. According to Reuters, Trump made the proposal in a letter to Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, which he also shared on his social media platform Truth Social. In the post, Trump said he was ready to responsibly restart mediation between the two nations to find a lasting solution to the issue of Nile water distribution.

The dispute intensified after Ethiopia officially inaugurated the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) on September 9. The massive dam, built on a tributary of the Nile, has drawn strong objections from Egypt. Ethiopia, with a population exceeding 120 million, views the nearly $5 billion project as crucial for its economic development.

Egypt, however, argues that the dam violates international agreements and could expose the country to both drought and flooding risks. Ethiopia has rejected these allegations, maintaining that the project complies with its rights and development goals.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has described Pakistan as a close partner of Russia, emphasizing that the relationship between the two nations is essential for protecting mutual interests. The statement came after Pakistan’s Ambassador to Russia, Faisal Niaz Tirmizi, formally presented his credentials to Putin at a ceremony in Moscow. During the event, Tirmizi conveyed greetings and best wishes from Pakistan’s President Asif Zardari, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, and the Pakistani people.

According to the Russian Embassy in Pakistan, Putin noted that Moscow maintains close cooperation with Islamabad in economic, technological, and humanitarian areas, particularly as both countries are members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. He said bilateral collaboration is expanding in trade, diplomacy, education, agriculture, pharmaceuticals, railways, industry, health, and information technology.

The report added that Pakistan has strengthened ties with Russia in recent years as Moscow seeks new energy markets following Western sanctions over Ukraine, while Islamabad aims to reduce import costs. Pakistan began purchasing Russian crude oil in 2023.

The central committee of the United People's Democratic Front (Democratic) has dismissed as false and baseless the social media reports claiming the party’s dissolution. At a press conference held on Saturday morning at the party office in Madhupur, Khagrachhari, central leaders clarified that the organization remains active and functional. Central General Secretary Amal Kanti Chakma stated that party president Shyamal Kanti Chakma (Taru) and former general secretary Miton Chakma left Khagrachhari with 20–25 followers after being accused of corruption, embezzlement, and other violations of party rules.

Amal Kanti Chakma further alleged that Shyamal Kanti Chakma and his followers took shelter with the Santu Larma-led Jana Samhati Samiti and later issued a fake statement on social media announcing the party’s dissolution. He emphasized that such a declaration was unconstitutional and made without the consent of most central committee members. The committee also denied allegations of maintaining any armed group.

Organizing Secretary Amar Jyoti Chakma said the departure of the president would not affect party activities, which will continue under acting president Samiran Chakma. The party also stated it would not endorse any candidate in upcoming elections.

Dhaka-13 parliamentary candidate and Bangladesh Khelafat Majlish leader Maulana Mamunul Haque has submitted a written explanation to the Election Commission (EC) after receiving a show-cause notice for allegedly violating the electoral code of conduct. He appeared at the EC headquarters in Agargaon, Dhaka, on Saturday, January 17, 2026, to provide his statement. The commission will now review his explanation before deciding on further legal action.

The EC had issued the notice on January 14, citing that Mamunul Haque distributed leaflets with his followers in front of the EC building on January 13, an act reported by several media outlets. According to the commission, such activities within three weeks of the February 12 election day constitute a clear breach of clauses 3 and 18 of the “Code of Conduct for Political Parties and Candidates, 2025.”

After submitting his response, Mamunul Haque told reporters that he had indeed distributed leaflets urging a “yes” vote in a referendum but denied conducting any campaign activities for his constituency, claiming his actions were misrepresented.

Iranian police announced the seizure of nearly 60,000 illegal weapons during an operation in the southern city of Bushehr, according to a statement released on January 17, 2026. Two suspected terrorists were arrested in the raid, and the weapons were reportedly being transported to the capital, Tehran. The statement, cited by Press TV, said the country’s intelligence forces identified and detained members of a 'dangerous and armed terrorist group' allegedly trained by Israel’s intelligence agency Mossad.

Authorities claimed the group had been assigned to carry out killings and was involved in multiple terrorist activities. The weapons were said to have been obtained from smugglers. The announcement came as Iran faced widespread anti-government protests that have continued for about 20 days across the country.

The demonstrations began on December 28 in response to the falling value of the Iranian rial and rising living costs. The protests have since turned violent, marking the largest unrest since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) President Dr. Colonel (Retd.) Oli Ahmed Bir Bikram has strongly condemned and protested the knife attack on July fighters Hasnat and Mahin in Chattogram. The assault took place at midnight on January 16 in Chandanaish upazila, reportedly after a press conference and human chain were organized against Jasim Bahini, a group linked to a cashier of Benazir and an accused in the July student murder case. The condemnation was issued in a statement sent to the media on Saturday.

In his statement, Colonel Oli said that the associates of the fallen fascist government have re-emerged and that the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) must take responsibility. He accused the BNP of sheltering individuals loyal to Hasina and oppressing innocent citizens. He urged the BNP to expel such individuals if it truly respects the July fighters.

Oli Ahmed added that attacking the July fighters is an insult to those who fought against fascism in Bangladesh and sacrificed their lives to ensure freedom and dignity for the people.

The Election Commission has cancelled the nomination of BNP-endorsed candidate Manjurul Ahsan Munshi for the Cumilla-4 (Debidwar) constituency in the upcoming 13th National Parliamentary Election. The decision was announced on Saturday, January 17, at 4 p.m. following a hearing held at the commission’s auditorium in the basement of its Agargaon headquarters in Dhaka.

According to commission sources, both BNP candidate Manjurul Ahsan Munshi and NCP candidate Hasnat Abdullah had filed appeals challenging each other’s nomination validity. After reviewing the appeals, the Election Commission declared Munshi’s nomination invalid while upholding the validity of Hasnat Abdullah’s candidacy. Abdullah is contesting from the same seat under a 10-party electoral alliance.

The ruling clarifies the candidate lineup for Cumilla-4, where the NCP’s Hasnat Abdullah will now represent the alliance in the upcoming national election.

The central committee of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has dissolved its organizational committees in Galachipa and Dashmina upazilas under Patuakhali-3 constituency. The decision, announced on Saturday through a statement signed by BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Advocate Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, was sent to the district BNP leadership. The move came after local units allegedly failed to work in favor of Gonodhikar Parishad president and former DUCSU VP Nurul Haque Nur, whom the BNP had decided to support in the upcoming national election instead of fielding its own candidate.

According to party sources, some local BNP leaders delayed implementing the central decision and were reportedly working for independent candidate Hasan Mamun, a recently expelled member of the BNP executive committee. In response, the central leadership dissolved both upazila committees and warned members to maintain organizational discipline. Hasan Mamun was also summoned to the BNP chairperson’s Gulshan office but did not respond.

Local leaders acknowledged receiving the dissolution notice, while some defended their stance, saying they remained aligned with Hasan Mamun despite the central directive.

Saudi Arabia’s state-owned mining company Ma’aden has extracted a total of 7.8 million ounces, equivalent to 221,000 kilograms, of gold from four locations across the country. The extraction took place at Mansourah Massarah, Uruk 20/21, Umm al-Salam, and Wadi al-Jawaa. According to the company, Mansourah Massarah yielded 3 million ounces, Uruk 20/21 and Umm al-Salam produced 1.607 million ounces, and Wadi al-Jawaa contributed 3.08 million ounces.

Ma’aden’s Chief Executive Officer Bob Wilt stated that this achievement strengthens Saudi Arabia’s global position as a leading gold producer. He attributed the success to the company’s long-term strategic plan, emphasizing that the results demonstrate its effectiveness in practice.

The report, citing Gulf News, suggests that the large-scale extraction will enhance Saudi Arabia’s mineral reserves and accelerate Ma’aden’s operations as a world-class gold producer.