Bangladesh Nationalist Party’s Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman, who has been living in self-exile in London for nearly 17 years, is set to return home on Thursday, local media reported. Rahman, the 60-year-old son of ailing former premier Khaleda Zia, has emerged as a leading contender for prime minister in the upcoming February general elections. He will depart London’s Heathrow Airport on a Biman Bangladesh Airlines flight with his wife, Dr Zubaida Rahman, and daughter Zaima Rahman, according to the Dhaka Tribune newspaper. Rahman will travel by road from the airport. According to reports, party leaders and activists will line both sides of the road to greet him.

File PhotoDHAKA, Dec 25, 2025 (BSS) – Three accused, including the wife of prime suspect Foysal Karim Masud gave confessional statements in the case filed over the murder of Inqilab Moncho spokesperson Sharif Osman Hadi. The accused are Saheda Pervin Samia, wife of Foysal Karim Masud, her brother Wahid Ahmed, and Foysal’s friend Maria Akter Lima. Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Aminul Islam Zunayed recorded the confessional statements of Samia and Wahid, while Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Kamal Uddin recorded Lima’s statement under Section 164 last night. The trio were produced before the Dhaka Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court after completion of their two rounds of remand in the case. They were again placed on a further four-day remand on December 20 by the court of Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Siddiq Azad.

Dhaka, the overcrowded capital city of Bangladesh, has ranked second for the second straight day on Thursday on the list of cities with the worst air quality with an AQI score of 223 at 10:10am. Dhaka’s air was classified as ‘very unhealthy’ referring to an alarming healthy threat, according to the AQI index. Dhaka has long been grappling with air pollution issues. Its air quality usually turns unhealthy in winter and improves during the monsoon. As per World Health Organization (WHO), air pollution kills an estimated seven million people worldwide every year, mainly due to increased mortality from stroke, heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lung cancer, and acute respiratory infections.

Photo: BNP Media CellDHAKA, Dec 25, 2025 (BSS) - Border Guard Bangladesh ( BGB ) has been deployed at important places in the capital to strengthen security over the return of BNP acting chairman Tarique Rahman to the country. BGB Public Relations Officer Md Shariful Islam on Thursday said the BGB has been deployed at different important places in the capital, including the airport, 300-feet and Gulshan, to tighten the security surrounding the Tarique Rahman's homecoming.

The increased security was visible late Wednesday night and into early Thursday in several areas of Dhaka, particularly in and around Purbachal. A reception has been arranged at the Kuril Bishwaroad (300 Feet Road) area to mark Tarique Rahman’s return. On-the-ground observation at Gulshan Link Road showed an active police presence, with officers stopping and checking motorcycles and CNG-run auto-rickshaws. Earlier, the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) issued a set of traffic directives ahead of Tarique Rahman’s return. Motorcycles have been strictly prohibited from travelling or remaining on the road from Gulshan and Banani to the airport during the period.

Photo : BSSDHAKA, Dec 25, 2025 (BSS) - The Christmas Day commemorating the birthday of Jesus Christ is being celebrated today with religious fervour and festivity across the country as elsewhere in the world. Special prayers are being offered at churches, which are illuminated for the occasion, while makeshift Christmas trees are set up at homes, churches and mission centres across the country. They wished peace, welfare and prosperity for all citizens of the country, including members of the Christian community. He expressed hope that the celebration of Christmas with due dignity and enthusiasm would further strengthen this bond of harmony. He wished peace, prosperity and well-being to all, including the Christian community.

BRASILIA, Dec 25, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - Brazil's former president Jair Bolsonaro, imprisoned for attempting a coup, has been admitted to hospital in Brasilia where he will undergo a planned surgery on Christmas Day, his doctors said Wednesday. Bolsonaro will be hospitalized for five to seven days, cardiologist Brasil Caiado said. Bolsonaro, 70, has grappled with health issues since being stabbed in the stomach during the 2018 presidential campaign. Bolsonaro underwent a 12-hour emergency surgery at the same private hospital in April. Last week, Brazil's conservative-majority parliament passed a law that could reduce the length of Bolsonaro's imprisonment to just over two years.

SAN FRANCISCO, United States, Dec 25, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - Nvidia has hired the leadership of a promising AI chip startup, a statement said Wednesday, as the artificial intelligence giant expands its tech empire. Chip maker Groq said the departure of its top executives was part of a non-exclusive licensing agreement with Nvidia for its inference technology, as both companies seek to expand access to low-cost AI processing. AI inference refers to the process of running pre-trained AI models to make predictions or generate responses - such as when ChatGPT answers a user's question or when an image recognition system identifies objects in a photo. Groq will remain an independent company under new chief executive Simon Edwards, the firm said in a short statement. Google has also made similar moves, bringing on teams from AI startups like Character.AI in 2024.

BNP Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman. Tarique Rahman didn't speak about vengeance or retaliation, rather advocated for an inclusive, discrimination-free, and harmonious state system. The 31-point outline also proposed the formation of different commissions, including the 'Constitution Commission', 'National Reconciliation Commission', 'Judicial Commission', 'Administrative Reform Commission', 'Media Commission' and 'Economic Reform Commission' which was made by the current caretaker government. Tarique Rahman spoke of welfare for religious leaders, preservation of rivers, canals, and the environment, sports development and women's empowerment and "Family Cards". So, the most encouraging is the goodwill shown by BNP's de facto top leader and Acting Chairman, Tarique Rahman, toward genuine reform of the state's institutional structure.

VATICAN CITY, Dec 25, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - Pope Leo XIV held the first Christmas mass of his pontificate on Wednesday, greeting thousands of faithful gathered in St Peter's Square before the service. During the mass, Leo said Christmas was a feast of "faith, charity and hope" and criticised a "distorted economy" that "leads us to treat human beings as mere merchandise". The 70-year-old pope decided to hold the mass at a later time than under the more elderly Francis who would hold Christmas mass at around 1830 GMT. In another change, Leo will hold another mass on Christmas Day on Thursday, renewing a tradition from the times of late pope John Paul II (1978-2005). Leo on Tuesday called for a global truce around the world on Christmas Day, expressing "great sadness" that "apparently Russia rejected a request" for one in Ukraine.

Photo: PIDDHAKA, Dec 24, 2025 (BSS) – The government has increased the revenue target by Taka 24,000 crore in the revised budget for the current fiscal year 2025-26. Highlighting the revenue situation, Shafiqul Alam said the pace of revenue collection has increased in the current fiscal year. Of the amount, Taka 503,000 crore will come from the National Board of Revenue (NBR), Taka 65,000 crore will come as non-tax revenue, and Taka 20,000 crore from non-NBR sources, the press secretary said. Total government expenditure in the revised budget has been set at Taka 788,000 crore, he said, adding that in the original budget, the expenditure target was Taka 790,000 crore, which has been reduced by Taka 2,000 crore in the revised budget. The total budget deficit in the revised budget has been fixed at Taka 200,000 crore, which is 3.3 percent of GDP, Shafiqul Alam said.

DHAKA, Dec 24, 2025 (BSS) – Stocks today resumed recovery momentum following the previous session’s correction, as market-wide speculations over anticipated clarity on the country’s political front provided some respite to subdued investor sentiment. Market indices managed to remain afloat throughout the session as opportunistic investors seized positions in sector-specific stocks, although prevailing cautious sentiment kept investor participation broadly subdued. Apparently, market turnover fell by 17.0% to Taka 3.4 billion from Taka 4.1 billion in the previous session. Most of the sectors displayed positive returns, out of which IT (2.0%), Services (1.0%) and Bank (0.9%) exhibited the most positive returns on the bourse today, while Mutual Fund (-0.8%), Ceramic (-0.7%) and Food (-0.3%) exerted some corrections. The Selective Categories' Index (CSCX) and All Share Price Index (CASPI) advanced by 7.5 points and 21.1 points, respectively.

"We came to the Election Commission with serious concerns about the electoralCode of Conduct and overall security situation surrounding the election,"Jamaat's Assistant Secretary General Ahsanul Mahboob Zubair told reportersafter the meeting. "If there are no CCTV cameras, miscreants and those with dishonest intentionswill get an opportunity to sabotage the election," Zubair said. Jamaat leader said the EC informed the delegation about its ongoingdiscussions and plans regarding CCTV installation, adding that Jamaat wouldclosely follow up to ensure its implementation. Jamaat also raised concerns over violations of the Code of Conduct on socialmedia, including attacks and misinformation. Expressing hope, Zubair said Jamaat expects the Election Commission to taketimely and effective measures to ensure a credible election.

DHAKA, Dec 24, 2025 (BSS) - Chief Adviser's Special Assistant for Home Affairs Md Khuda Baksh Chowdhury has resigned from his post. The Cabinet Division issued a notification on Wednesday night, saying that the President has already accepted the resignation. "The resignation of Mr Khuda Baksh Chowdhury, the Special Assistant entrusted with executive authority with the rank of State Minister at the Ministry of Home Affairs of the interim government of the People's Republic of Bangladesh, has been accepted by the Honorable President," the notification said. The resignation will come into effect immediately, it added.

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