Adviser Dr. M Sakhawat Hossain inaugurated the Modern Waste and Oily Residue Management Project, also known as the Port Reception Facility (PRF), at Mongla Port today. Photo: BSSKHULNA, Jan 27, 2026 (BSS) - Shipping Adviser Brigadier General (Retd) Dr. M Sakhawat Hossain inaugurated the Modern Waste and Oily Residue Management Project, also known as the Port Reception Facility (PRF), at Mongla Port this afternoon. In line with this commitment, Mongla Port has established an international-standard Port Reception Facility to ensure the safe collection, treatment and disposal of waste and oily residues generated by commercial vessels. The project includes two oil recovery vessels, one waste collection vessel, a PRF treatment plant, one dump barge, one self-propelled barge, one service tugboat, one pontoon, and the construction of jetty and yard facilities. The project will also support Bangladesh’s commitment to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly in environmental protection and marine biodiversity conservation.

Corsicana, TX (75110)TodayGenerally clear. Areas of freezing fog. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph..TonightGenerally clear. Areas of freezing fog. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph.

DHAKA, Jan 27, 2026 (BSS) – The government today approved separate proposals to procure 1 crore litres of soybean oil and 10,000 metric tons of lentil to stabilize the market ahead of the Holy Month of Ramadan. He said considering the upcoming Holy Month of Ramadan, the committee approved the procurement of 10,000 metric tons of lentils and one crore litres of refined soybean oil. The proposal, placed by the Ministry of Commerce, involves procurement of lentil through national open tender method in 10 separate lots. The total estimated cost stands at Taka 70.96 crore with a unit price of Taka 70.96 per kilogram. In a bid to keep edible oil prices stable, the government has also approved a proposal to procure 1 crore liters of refined soybean oil.

Photo: PIDDHAKA, Jan 27, 2026 (BSS) - Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment Adviser Dr. Asif Nazrul has lauded the Omani government's move to regularise undocumented Bangladeshi workers without fines. Asif Nazrul also discussed avenues to ease the entry of skilled Bangladeshi professionals, including engineers, doctors and nurses, into Oman's labour market. At the same time, he urged a review of the suspension on visas for unskilled and semi-skilled Bangladeshi workers. The Omani labour minister explained that the temporary suspension, in place since 2023, was aimed at prioritising the regularisation of irregular and undocumented expatriates. In addition, he invited the Omani labour minister to sign the already finalised memorandum of understanding to strengthen bilateral relations and expand labour cooperation.

BNP Chairman Tarique Rahman reached Mymensingh to conduct the third phase of his election campaign on Tuesday afternoon following his campaigns in Sylhet and Chittagong regions. Tarique left his Gulshan residence for Mymensingh around 11:04am and reached the town around 4pm along with wife Zubaida Rahman, BNP Media Cell member Sayrul Kabir Khan told UNB. He said the BNP chairman will address a rally at the Mymensingh Circuit House field in the presence of all party candidates from the entire district. The BNP chairman began his campaign from Sylhet on January 22, addressing seven rallies on the same day in Sylhet, Moulvibazar, Habiganj, Kishoreganj, Narsingdi, and Narayanganj. Tarique returned to his Gulshan residence around 3:10am on Monday after the intense day of rallies.

India and the European Union announced Tuesday the “mother of all deals,” a huge trade pact to create a market of two billion people, reached after two decades of negotiations. “A mother of all deals,” Modi said Tuesday in the capital New Delhi, where he met with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa. “Europe and India are making history today,” von der Leyen said in a statement, a day after she and Costa were feted as guests of honor at India’s Republic Day parade. “By combining these strengths, we reduce strategic dependencies at a time when trade is increasingly weaponized,” she added. Bilateral trade in goods reached 120 billion euros in 2024, an increase of nearly 90% over the past decade, according to EU figures, with a further 60 billion euros in trade in services.

The White House said Monday that President Donald Trump did not want to see anyone hurt on US streets but quickly blamed Democrats again after anti-immigrant agents killed a second person in Minneapolis. “Nobody in the White House, including President Trump, wants to see people getting hurt or killed in America’s streets,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters. She described the shooting death of Alex Pretti -- whom a Trump aide had quickly and without evidence branded a “domestic terrorist” -- by federal agents on Saturday as a “tragedy.”“We mourn for the parents. “This tragedy occurred as a result of a deliberate and hostile resistance by Democrat leaders in Minnesota,” Leavitt said, blaming Governor Tim Walz and Mayor Jacob Frey, both Democrats. Trump’s Republican Party has long defended the right to carry weapons virtually without restriction, and Leavitt said Trump supports the right to bear arms.

A US naval strike group led by an aircraft carrier has deployed to Middle Eastern waters, the United States said Monday, as Tehran warned it was ready to hit back at any American attack launched in response to a crackdown on anti-government protests. A US-based rights group said on Monday that it had confirmed the deaths of nearly 6,000 people in the wave of protests suppressed by Iran’s security forces, but emphasized the actual toll could be several times higher. The protests started in late December, driven by economic grievances, but turned into a mass movement against the Islamic republic, with huge street demonstrations for several days from January 8. “If you sow the wind, you will reap the whirlwind,” its English-language caption reads. The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (Hrana) said it had confirmed that 5,848 people had been killed, including 209 members of the security forces.

He outlined that establishing a commodity market requires three specific structures: egulatory, technological, and ecosystem. He further noted that the CSE has updated its entire trading system to incorporate the Equity Market, Derivatives Market, and Equity Derivatives Market under a new technological infrastructure. Highlighting the necessity of this initiative, Mazumdar pointed out that while the majority of global trade occurs in the derivatives market, Bangladesh's market remains significantly behind. He emphasized that the sooner the commodity market is launched, the faster the economy will reap its benefits. Ali, FCA, Director of the Capital Market CEO Forum, expressed concern regarding the limited number of companies and the lack of product diversification in Bangladesh's capital market.

Chief Adviser's Special Envoy on International Affairs Lutfey Siddiqi attended the World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting last week in Davos, Switzerland. Chief Adviser's Special Envoy on International Affairs Lutfey Siddiqi held the meeting on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting last week in Davos, Switzerland. "On the sidelines of the WEF meeting, I held a meeting with Facebook, now Meta, at the highest level, particularly focusing on how Meta can act against disinformation and misinformation ahead of the upcoming elections," Lutfey Siddiqi said. He was briefing media about his engagements in the WEF meeting in Davos at the Foreign Service Academy here this afternoon. Apart from Meta, he also held a meeting with PayPal seeking their engagement in Bangladesh.

DHAKA, Jan 27, 2026 (BSS) - The Criminal Investigation Department (CID), in separate raids, arrested two more members of a fraud ring accused of duping people through fake foreign investment schemes run on Telegram in Thakurgaon and Dinajpur districts on Monday and Tuesday. CID’s Dhaka Metro East Division arrested Ranjit Basak Rawnak, 25, from Pirganj Police Station area of Thakurgaon district around 8:30pm on Monday. During preliminary interrogation, CID found that Ranjit Basak Rawnak was involved in handling financial transactions under the direction of the group’s leader. The CID’s Dhaka Metro East Division stated that the investigation is ongoing and operations to arrest other members of the fraud ring are continuing. The arrests were made as part of the ongoing investigation into a case filed with Paltan Police Station on 4 September 2025.

The remanded accused is Pabitra Kumar Barua, 47, manager of the school. Dhaka Additionally Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Sefatullah passed the order, as the police pleaded to place him on a five-day remand. When she returned at noon to pick him up, she found the child being forcibly kept inside an office room by the school’s principal Sharmin Jahan, while her husband Pabitra Kumar Barua, who also serves as the school’s manager, was present. However, footage collected with the help of local residents showed the child was being taken into the office room and subjected to physical abuse. On January 22, based on a complaint filed by the victim’s mother, a case was lodged under the relevant law with Paltan Model Police Station, naming Sharmin Academy Principal Sharmin Jahan and her husband Pabitra Kumar Barua as accused.

Deepak Kumar Roy, candidate of the Gonosamhati Andolan for Lalmonirhat-3 (Sadar) constituency in the upcoming 13th national parliament election. About his expectations for the election, Roy said he wants a peaceful, violence-free and participatory poll. The Lalmonirhat-3 constituency comprises nine unions of Sadar Upazila and Lalmonirhat Municipality, with a total of 307,970 voters. In addition, Madhusudan Roy, secretary of the Lalmonirhat District unit of the Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB), and Md. Aminul Islam, president of the district committee of the workers' movement, a Islami Andolan Bangladesh leader are in race for Lalmonirhat-3 constituency polls.

Extreme cold grips millions as US digs out of deadly snowstormNEW YORK, Jan 27, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Perilously cold temperatures threatened millions of Americans Monday in the wake of a sprawling winter storm that left at least 23 people dead as it knocked out power and paralyzed transportation. In New York City, eight more people were found dead amid plummeting temperatures, and an investigation to determine the causes was underway. Approximately 190 million people in the United States were under some form of extreme cold alert, the National Weather Service (NWS) told AFP. People living as far south as the Gulf Coast were expected to experience freezing temperatures nightly well into the week. And people in the Great Lakes region woke up to extreme temperatures that could cause frostbite on exposed skin within minutes.

'Keep dreaming': NATO chief says Europe can't defend itself without USBRUSSELS, Belgium, Jan 27, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - NATO chief Mark Rutte warned Monday Europe cannot defend itself without the United States, in the face of calls for the continent to stand on its own feet after tensions over Greenland. The diplomatic crisis gave fresh momentum to those advocating for Europe to take a tougher line against Trump and break its military reliance on Washington. "If anyone thinks here again, that the European Union, or Europe as a whole, can defend itself without the US -- keep on dreaming. The NATO head reiterated his repeated praise for Trump for pressuring reluctant European allies to step up defence spending. He also appeared to knock back a suggestion floated by the EU's defence commissioner Andrius Kubilius earlier this month for a possible European defence force that could replace US troops on the continent.