Several routes closed for lack of navigability in Jamuna River
Several routes in Sariakandi upazila of Bogra have been closed due to navigability crisis in theJamuna River. Several ferry ghats—including Altaf Ali Ghat at Partit Parol village, Hasnapara, Nijbalai,Dighapara and Charalkandi—have remained closed for months due to the navigability crisis. Altaf Ali, a boatman at the Altaf Ali ferry ghat, said the ghat has remained closed for monthsbecause of low water levels. Aminul Islam, a boatman at Kalitala ferry ghat, said boats are repeatedly getting stuck onsandbars. “Once the port is established, the river route will remainunder year-round dredging,” he said, advising the parties concerned to contact the BangladeshInland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA).
Source:Dhaka Tribune
January 16, 2026 18:00 UTC
Shafiqul: Awami League voters will vote for their preferred candidates
Chief Adviser’s Press Secretary Mohammad Shafiqul Alam said voters affiliated with the Awami League will turn out and vote for candidates of their choice in the upcoming election. “Many ask what Awami League voters will do when they go to polling centers. Awami League voters will come and vote for their preferred candidates,” he said while speaking as the chief guest at an exchange of views with journalists at the Brahmanbaria Press Club on Friday afternoon. He added that no one was advocating on behalf of the Awami League, which he accused of past abuses, including branding protesters as militants. The exchange meeting was chaired by Brahmanbaria Press Club President Javed Rahim Bijan.
Source:Dhaka Tribune
January 16, 2026 18:00 UTC
CA working to ensure credible, widely accepted election: Supradip
Adviser Supradip Chakma today spoke at a view-exchange meeting on the referendum and voter motivation campaign at Khagrachari Town Hall. Photo : BSSKHAGRACHARI, Jan 16, 2026 (BSS) - Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) Affairs Adviser Supradip Chakma today said the Chief Adviser is taking strong measures to ensure a transparent, credible, and widely accepted election, with around 90 percent of polling centers to be brought under closed-circuit television (CCTV) surveillance. "To make the election transparent, about 90 percent of polling centers will be monitored through CCTV, and police personnel at each center will also be equipped with body cameras," he said. "As a result, no one will have the opportunity to engage in misconduct or act arbitrarily at polling centers during this election," the adviser said. The adviser called on all concerned to cooperate in ensuring a victory for the 'yes' vote in the referendum.
Source:Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha
January 16, 2026 17:51 UTC
Government employees observe symbolic hunger strike in Thakurgaon
Government employees observed a symbolic hunger strike in Thakurgaon on Friday to presshome their various demands, including implementation of discrimination-free 9th payscale—based on a 1:4 ratio and 12-grade structure. The demands also include setting a minimum salary of Tk 35,000, and publication of the payscale gazette promptly and its implementation since January 1, 2026. The program was organized by Thakurgaon District Branch of Bangladesh GovernmentEmployees Coordination Council. The hunger strike took place at Thakurgaon Press Clubpremises from 9:30 am to 12:30 pm on Friday. District branch’s Chief Adviser Dabirul Islam, President Nazmul Haque, Delwar Hossain, AminulIslam, and other leaders spoke at the program.
Source:Dhaka Tribune
January 16, 2026 17:42 UTC
Rokeya Award distribution held at DU
Dhaka University Rokeya Hall organized a series of day-long programmes on Thursday to observe Rokeya Day. Photo: BSSDHAKA, Jan 16, 2026 (BSS) - The Dhaka University (DU) Rokeya Hall organized a series of day-long programmes on Thursday to observe Rokeya Day, culminating in the distribution of the prestigious Begum Rokeya Memorial Foundation Gold Medal and Scholarships. The day's festivities included a colorful rally, the 37th Begum Rokeya Memorial Foundation commemorative lecture, and an award ceremony held at the Rokeya Hall auditorium in the evening, said a press release. Congratulating the awardees, he described them as the "successors of Begum Rokeya" and urged them to spread the light of knowledge throughout society. This year, Jayanti Ghosh, a student from the Department of Mathematics, was honored with the 'Begum Rokeya Memorial Foundation Gold Medal'.
Source:Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha
January 16, 2026 17:41 UTC
Ripon brilliance confirms Rajshahi's top 2 finish
The victory confirmed Rajshahi's top-two finish on the points table alongside Chattogram Royals, ensuring a place in Qualifier 1 on January 21. Sylhet could have stayed in contention for a top-two finish had they won the game. Moeen was eventually dismissed for a brisk 27 off 12 balls, an innings laced with one four and three sixes. Rajshahi's innings was anchored by senior batters Mushfiqur Rahim and Najmul Hossain Shanto, who added 56 runs for the third wicket after the team slumped to 27-2 inside four overs. The departure of the duo stalled Rajshahi's momentum, and they fell short of the 150-run mark.
Source:Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha
January 16, 2026 17:37 UTC
Plastic waste cleanup drive held in Chalan Beel
A plastic waste cleanup drive was arranged in Chalan Beel today. Photo: BSSNATORE, Jan 16, 2026 (BSS)- A plastic waste cleanup drive was arranged in Chalan Beel today to make the wetland free from pollution with spontaneous participation of locals. The drive was undertaken aimed at enhancing its agricultural utility and protecting environment of the vast wetland, organizers said. Chalan Beel Biodiversity Protection Committee initiated the cleanup drive at Tishikali Shrine area. Longtime dumping of plastic wastes, glasses and food packets made the aquatic resources of the wetland endangered as well as decreasing the fertility of agricultural land.
Source:Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha
January 16, 2026 17:16 UTC
Yes, the Front Range is extremely dry and warm this winter. Here’s what you should do.
So you think that 5 inches of snow in central Denver a week ago lets the Front Range off the hook for a worrisome urban and suburban winter drought? December’s average temperatures in Fort Collins were just a tenth of a degree lower than the 30-year average for March. Total 2025 precipitation in central Denver at the gardens was 12.06 inches, the second-driest year since 2007, following only notorious 2020. The Boulder forester suggests another standard of 15 gallons of water per inch of trunk diameter. If things remain dry on the Front Range, watering once or twice a month will help preserve your plants.
Source:Daily Sun
January 16, 2026 17:10 UTC
Fire service: Uttara residential building fire due to electrical fault
A fire that killed six people at a residential building in Uttara was caused by an electrical fault, the Fire Service and Civil Defence Directorate said on Friday, based on preliminary findings. The blaze originated from an electrical fault in a section of the second floor of the seven-story building, Fire Service media cell official Talha bin Jasim told Dhaka Tribune. According to the Fire Service, property worth Tk45,00,000 was damaged in the fire, while assets worth Tk2,00,00,000 were rescued. Two units from the Uttara Fire Station rushed to the scene and brought the fire under control after about 30 minutes. Residents of the seven-story building panicked as dense smoke spread throughout the structure, trapping several people.
Source:Dhaka Tribune
January 16, 2026 17:00 UTC
Asif Nazrul: Khaleda was convicted in Bangladesh’s most disgraceful trial
Law Adviser Asif Nazrul on Friday said former prime minister Khaleda Zia was unjustly convicted in what he described as the most disgraceful and farcical trial in Bangladesh’s history, referring to the Zia Orphanage Trust corruption case. He recalled an incident from the trial, saying a defence lawyer had asked Khaleda Zia whether she had misappropriated orphan funds. “Hurt and astonished, Khaleda Zia repeated the question—‘Did I embezzle orphan money?’ The court treated this as her statement and convicted her on that basis. As a student of law, I can say with certainty that there cannot be a more disgraceful trial than this,” the law adviser said. Asif Nazrul remarked that Bangladesh would prosper only if the country is envisioned in the way Khaleda Zia had envisioned it.
Source:Dhaka Tribune
January 16, 2026 17:00 UTC
Salehuddin: RNPP to play groundbreaking role in power sector
Science and Technology Adviser Salehuddin Ahmed on Friday expressed his hope that the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant (RNPP) will play a groundbreaking role in the national power sector. The adviser visited the plant construction site project in Ishwardi, Pabna on Friday and observed progress of the work. The nuclear power plant is being established following all international rules and regulations. During the inspection, Cabinet Secretary Dr Sheikh Abdur Rashid, Finance Secretary Dr Md Khairuzzaman Mazumder, Economic Relations Division Secretary Md Shahriar Quader Siddiqui, Science and Technology Secretary Md Anwar Hossain were present. Chairman of Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission, Bangladesh Atomic Energy Authority and the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant Construction Project Director were present at the time.
Source:Dhaka Tribune
January 16, 2026 17:00 UTC
EC approves 18 appeals on seventh day of hearings
The Election Commission (EC) on Friday approved 18 appeals on the seventh day of hearings challenging Returning Officers’ decisions on nomination papers for the 13th National Parliament elections. EC sources said the commission heard a total of 43 appeals. Of these, 18 appeals against the cancellation of nomination papers were accepted, while 17 were rejected. The EC also turned down four appeals filed against the acceptance of nomination papers and kept four appeals pending. The EC said appeals numbered 511 to 610 will be heard on Saturday at the auditorium of the Election Building in Agargaon, Dhaka, from 10am to 5pm.
Source:Dhaka Tribune
January 16, 2026 17:00 UTC
College student killed in Bogra road crash
A college student was killed in a road accident in Nandigram upazila of Bogra. The victim wasidentified as Akash Mia (18), son of Badshah Mia from Muraridighi village under Bhatra union ofNandigram upazila. He suffered severe head injuries and died on the spot, said Nandigram Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Mizanur Rahman. His death cast a shadow of grief not only over his family but also over the entire village. OC Mizanur Rahman said that after completing the legal procedures, the body of the deceasedcollege student was handed over to his family.
Source:Dhaka Tribune
January 16, 2026 17:00 UTC
As Trump turns screws, how long can Europe play nice?
Buffeted by a US superpower turned hostile under Donald Trump, Europe is struggling to set red lines as its once-close ally attacks its laws, eggs on the far-right -- and threatens its sovereignty in Greenland. European nations scrambled a military mission to Greenland to try to defuse Trump’s threat -- but pushing back at the US president is easier said than done. “Telling Trump ‘You can’t do that,’ is not language that he understands,” summed up one EU diplomat, granted anonymity to discuss the sensitive matter. In that spirit leaders have stopped well short of calling out Trump’s threats -- levied right as the Europeans held crunch talks with US envoys on locking in post-war security guarantees for Ukraine. Trump’s threats to Greenland are just one part of the picture.
Source:Dhaka Tribune
January 16, 2026 17:00 UTC
New potato prices soar due to supply crunch in Dinajpur
Prices of newly harvested potatoes have increased sharply in Dinajpur due to the supply crisis caused by severe cold. Over the past few days, prices of new potatoes have surged drastically, forcing ordinary consumers to turn to old potatoes as their only affordable option. Within just two days, retail prices of new potatoes in the district have shot up by Tk 10 to Tk 25 per kilogram. As new potato prices move beyond consumers’ reach, middle- and lower-income families are now relying solely on old potatoes priced at Tk 12 per kg. As a result, local demand is being met mainly with old potatoes,” he said.
Source:Dhaka Tribune
January 16, 2026 17:00 UTC