The union, which represents more than 18,000 workers at Costco, said 85% of its members voted to authorise a strikeCostco logo can be seen in this picture. Teamsters said on Sunday its members at US retailer Costco Wholesale voted in favour of a nationwide strike, as they entered a final round of talks to reach a new contract ahead of a Jan 31 deadline. The union, which represents more than 18,000 workers at Costco, said 85% of its members voted to authorise a strike. The final week of negotiations begins on Jan 20, the union said in another X post. The final week of negotiations begins on Jan 20, the union said in another X post.

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Tracey Ann Jacobson takes over as the top diplomat at the US embassy in DhakaUS envoy Jacobson promises support to government efforts to restore democracy in BangladeshTracey Ann Jacobson, the new acting ambassador of the United States to Dhaka, has underscored her support to the interim government’s efforts to chart a “prosperous and democratic path” for the people of Bangladesh. The US ambassador avoided the press at the foreign ministry after meeting with the advisor and the secretary in the afternoon. Meanwhile, the foreign ministry also shed light on various aspects of the discussion in a statement. The new ambassador reaffirmed the continued support from the US government to Bangladesh’s ongoing democratic transition. She also appreciated the interim government for its continued efforts to consensus-building among the political parties, the statement added.

The ACC says Nowfel has declared movable and immovable assets worth about Tk 54.4 million in his income tax documents. The ACC's application to the court requesting the seizure of income tax documents says since taking office as deputy minister of education, he has accumulated substantial illegal wealth through "bribery and corruption”. SEEMA HAMIDAs regards the petition to seize income tax records, Kamalesh said Seema had held assets worth Tk 69.85 million, which are inconsistent with her declared sources of income. In his plea, he said Bipu’s income tax documents should be seized to verify accurate information regarding his income, expenditure, and other assets. Bipu's son Zareef has been accused of acquiring “illegal” assets worth Tk 208.66 million in a case.

Students from Dhaka College and Dhaka City College have clashed once again, this time over a “bump” while ascending the stairs at a coaching centre in the capital’s Science Laboratory. Dhaka College and City College are less than half a kilometre apart at the Science Laboratory intersection. In late October 2024, City College students demanded the removal of the acting principal and vice-principal. The very next day, City College students allegedly vandalised two buses of Dhaka College on the latter’s 184th founding anniversary. Later, a committee was formed, consisting of representatives from Dhaka College, City College, Ideal College, Birshreshtha Noor Mohammad Public College, Birshreshtha Munshi Abdur Rouf Public College, and police.

Hearing is rescheduled following a review petition on the annulment of the 13th amendmentThe Appellate Division of the Supreme Court has rescheduled the hearing of a review petition challenging the annulment of the 13th Amendment, which introduced the caretaker government system, to Feb 9. A four-member Appellate Division bench, headed by Justice Ashfaqul Islam, issued the order to postpone the hearing originally set for Sunday. On Dec 1, the Appellate Division, led by Chief Justice Syed Refaat Ahmed, had initially scheduled the hearing for Jan 19. BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir filed the review petition on Oct 16, challenging the verdict that invalidated the 13th Amendment. Upon the Awami League’s return to power, the Appellate Division began hearing the case on the 13th amendment on Mar 1, 2010.

The chief advisor held a meeting with the panel at the State Guest House Jamuna at 5:30pm, the statement read. The commission said the victims of the enforced disappearances will be reassured and get courage when the chief advisor visits the “Ayna Ghor”. Brutal descriptions of several incidents of enforced disappearances were presented to the chief advisor at the meeting. The commission submitted an interim report to the chief advisor on Dec 14. After the submission of the report that day, Moinul said they would submit another interim report in March.

The results of the 2024-25 academic year medical college admission test have been published, with 5,372 candidates selected for 37 government colleges. Rubina Yasmin, additional director general at the DGME, said: "All information related to the test results has been submitted to the ministry. This year, 135,665 students applied to participate in the MBBS admission test, with 131,729 students appearing for the exam. The pass rate for this year’s MBBS admission test stands at 45.62 percent. There are 5,380 seats available across 38 government medical colleges, with an additional 6,293 seats in 67 private medical colleges in Bangladesh.

The exact number of suspects that received bail could not be confirmed, says public prosecutorA Dhaka court has granted bail to over 250 suspects accused in the Pilkhana massacre case under Explosive Substances Act. Public Prosecutor Borhan said: “We could not confirm the exact number of suspects who were granted bail. But more than 250 suspects received bail.”“Apart from those who were acquitted in the killings case and the 15 whose sentences were stretched in the case later, the others who were acquitted in the case received bail.,” he said. The relatives of the accused took position in front of the jail’s main gate and prayed so that their loved ones are granted bail. The High Court upheld 139 death sentences, sentenced 185 to life imprisonment, and handed down varying sentences to 228 others in 2017.

Indian Police have said the arrested accused in the attack on Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan is likely a Bangladeshi national, reports bdnews24.com citing Hindustan Times. The arrested accused in actor Saif attack case was likely a Bangladeshi national, adding that his belongings that cops seized indicate so, Mumbai Police said at a media briefing. The accused used to work in a housekeeping agency," he added. They informed in the wee hours of Sunday that they have arrested from Maharashtra's Thane West area the main accused in the actor Saif stabbing case. Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan was stabbed repeatedly by an intruder at his home in Mumbai’s plush neighbourhood of Bandra on Thursday.

These cargo ships were carrying 50,000 bags of pickles, dried fish, betel nuts and other items. There is no further information that the detained cargo ships have been released. The AA fighters detained the cargo ships with a claim that those were conducting a search on Naf river near Naikhong area along Bangladesh-Myanmar border. Meanwhile, several traders at Teknaf land port reported that it was disrupted due to the ongoing conflicts in the Rakhine region. A Teknaf land port official, who wanted anonymity, informed that since the AA fighters took control of Maungdaw, no cargo ship has arrived at Teknaf land port.

A "Khairapakha Machhranga" or brown-winged kingfisher seeks prey on a tree branch in the Sharankhola Range of the Sundarbans. Twelve species of kingfisher can be found in Bangladesh. Most of them are found in the Sundarbans, the largest mangrove forest in the world. Photo: Muhammad Mostafigur Rahman

Abdul Rahman, a refugee in the Rohingya camp in Ukhiya, could not comprehend what to do after receiving the footage. Abdul Rahman said, “At first, we sent Tk 50,000 to the kidnappers, hoping they would release my son. On the other hand, controlling such a vast area like the refugee camps is a challenge for law-enforcing agencies due to their limited manpower. While adults are frequently targeted, children in the Rohingya camps are also falling victim to abductions. After speaking with several camp leaders (Majhi) and organisation workers from several Rohingya refugee camps, the authenticity of such videos was confirmed.

General Waker-Uz-Zaman gives the assurance during a special meeting of RAOWABangladesh Army chief General Waker-Uz-Zaman has promised effective measures to reduce the disparity in benefits between active and retired officers of the armed forces. He gave this assurance during a special meeting held on Saturday with the newly elected executive council of the Retired Armed Forces Officers' Welfare Association, or RAOWA. The special meeting was held at the RAOWA complex in Mohakhali DOHS, according to a press release from the Inter-Services Public Relations Department, or ISPR. RAOWA informed the army chief about the association's history, goals, objectives, operations, and the challenges, the press release added. He mentioned various measures taken for the welfare of the family of the deceased maj Zahid Hossain," the press release stated.

The Inter-Cadre Discrimination Elimination Council blames promotions from administration cadre for delays in budget executionThe quota system for administration cadres in promotions to deputy secretaries is allowing “incompetent” and “inexperienced” people to take leadership roles in ministries, Inter-Cadre Discrimination Elimination Council Coordinator Md Mofizur Rahman has said. Mofizur said, "We have engaged with people from different levels of society about the issue of discrimination against our 25 cadres. However, the Public Administration Reform Commission, which is responsible for our work, has not contacted us." He also criticised the formation of the commission, which he believes is biased towards the administration cadre. “We objected when the commission was formed because it was made up of members from the administration cadre.