Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS)

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CA seeks cooperation of political parties to hold fair, festive polls

CA urges countrymen to cast “Yes” vote in referendum

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BNP to rehabilitate families of casualties from July Uprising if comes to power: Rizvi

DHAKA, Jan 19, 2026 (BSS) - BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi today said the sacrifices made by the July fighters for the good of the state are unprecedented and if BNP comes to power in the upcoming election, the families of the martyrs and the injured will be rehabilitated. “If BNP is elected with people's support in the upcoming election, the pledge made by the BNP Chairman will be implemented. He has always said, upon coming to power, every martyr's family and injured family will be rehabilitated and necessary state facilities will be ensured. Initiatives will be taken for their comprehensive rehabilitation," he said. Rizvi made the remarks to media after meeting with Firoza Akhtar, the ailing wife of martyr Firoz Ahmed from the July Uprising at Lalmatia in the capital today. Rizvi informed that yesterday, a discussion meeting was held between BNP Chairman Tarique Rahman and families of the seriously injured. At that meeting, the Chairman was deeply moved seeing the plea and heart-wrenching cry of a mother. “The Chairperson immediately instructed me and Atiqur Rahman Ruman on the stage itself—to go today to the house where he is staying in Dhaka, meet that family, and learn about their problems in detail," he added. Rizvi said, “Today we have come here following that instruction and have also brought some assistances on behalf of our Honorable Chairman. We have come to the family of martyr Firoz, a resident of Goyalia Thana in Rajshahi. On 5th August, while the fugitive fascism was leaving, they also went on killing people indiscriminately—martyr Firoz is yet another brutal example of that.” The BNP senior leader said currently, martyr Firoz’s family has come from Rajshahi to Dhaka and is staying at a relative's house. "We have talked to them, inquired about their well-being, and collected their address. On behalf of the BNP family and the Honorable Chairman, contact will be maintained with them round the clock," he added. He further said, “Today we have all gathered here to learn about all aspects of this family, so that constant communication is maintained and the martyr's family is not deprived in any way. We will continue our utmost efforts to ensure that the education of martyr Firoz's children is not interrupted.” Regarding the election, the senior BNP leader said, "The Election Commission's impartiality is fading. The main responsibility of ensuring that there is no scope for subtle rigging in the election lies with the Commission and the government. People should be able to vote for whomever they wish." "If a party decides not to participate in the election that is their own decision, which is their matter also. We have nothing to say about it. However, the government must play a responsible role so that people can be assured election will be free, fair, and that no kind of subtle or major irregularities will be resorted to," he added. Convener of 'Amra BNP Poribar' Atiqur Rahman Ruman, its advisers Abul Kashem and Engineer Mostafa-e-Jaman Selim, Member Secretary Agriculturist Moksedul Momin Mithun, and members Masud Rana Liton, Mustakim Billah, Shakil Ahmed, Farhad Ali Sajib and Shahadat Hossain, BNP Central Health Affairs Secretary Dr. Rafiqul Islam, Rangpur Divisional Associate Organizing Secretary Principal Aminul Islam, among others, were present at the event.

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Majority of incidents involving minority communities in 2025 found non-communal: police report

Govt clarifies CA’s support for ‘Yes’ vote in referendum

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Demand for Bangladeshi fruits increasing abroad

By Naser Uddin DHAKA, Jan 19, 2026 (BSS) - Demand for various types of fruits produced in Bangladesh is increasing overseas, a trend reflected in export earnings. An analysis of data from the Export Promotion Bureau (EPB) revealed this picture. EPB data showed that Bangladesh earned only USD 0.58 million from fruit exports in fiscal year 2021–2022, while in 2024–2025 the earnings rose to USD 67.51 million. In other words, within just three years, Bangladesh’s fruit export earnings increased by more than 116 times. Deputy Director (Export) of the Plant Quarantine Wing of the Department of Agricultural Extension, AKM Mofidul Islam, said many countries want to import fruits such as jackfruit and pineapple from Bangladesh. Demand for Bangladeshi fruits is steadily increasing abroad, he said. Director of the Policy and Planning Division of the Export Promotion Bureau, Abu Mukhles Alamgir Hossain, told BSS that Bangladesh does not have any dedicated cargo aircraft for exporting agricultural products. Agricultural products are exported overseas using passenger aircraft, he said adding however, the facilities required to export perishable agricultural products, including vegetables, are not available in air transport. Mukhles Alamgir said there is a significant lack of sanitation standards in Bangladesh compared to what developed countries maintain for agricultural products. “Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) are essential. If farmers can be provided with more training on sanitation, demand for Bangladeshi agricultural products will increase further. The EPB conducts advocacy for exporters and regularly informs the relevant authorities about the barriers exporters face in agricultural exports,” he said. Although export earnings from agricultural products declined over the past two years, they have started to rise again this year, he said adding in fiscal year 2024–2025, export earnings from agricultural products reached nearly USD 1 billion. According to EPB data, export earnings from agriculture were USD 1.02 billion and USD 1.1 billion in fiscal years 2020–2021 and 2021–2022, respectively. Subsequently, earnings declined to USD 827 million in 2022–2023 and USD 964 million in 2023–2024. In the most recent fiscal year, earnings increased to USD 988.62 million. Further analysis of EPB data shows that in fiscal year 2024–2025, export earnings from tea stood at USD 4.10 million. In the same year, vegetable exports earned USD 81.12 million, tobacco products USD 251.93 million, spices USD 56.31 million, dry foods USD 186.60 million, and oilseeds USD 24.06 million. The analysis also indicates growing overseas demand for betel leaves. In fiscal year 2020–2021, betel leaf exports amounted to USD 8.09 million, which increased to USD 21.45 million in 2024–2025. Additionally, in the last fiscal year, exports of vegetable fats and oils earned USD 118.04 million, sugar USD 20.82 million, beverages USD 35.47 million, oil cake USD 0.13 million, and other agricultural products USD 121.08 million. Market analysis of Bangladesh’s agricultural exports shows that these products are exported to more than 130 countries, with India being the largest destination. In fiscal year 2024–2025, agricultural exports to India amounted to USD 211.47 million, while exports to Saudi Arabia reached USD 114.03 million. Moreover, Bangladeshi agricultural products have strong demand in markets such as the United Arab Emirates, Belgium, Malaysia, the United States, and the United Kingdom. In the last fiscal year, exports to these countries amounted to USD 74 million, USD 70 million, USD 51 million, USD 41 million, and USD 48 million, respectively. Export market analysis further shows that demand for Bangladeshi agricultural products is also increasing in Oman, the Philippines, Qatar, China, and Canada.

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CUMILLA, Jan 19, 2026 (BSS) - Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has strengthened its internal unity in the Cumilla-6 constituency ahead of the national elections, slated for February 12. Adviser to the party chairman and rebel candidate Haji Amin Ur Rashid Yasin has made an important announcement in this regard, saying that he has withdrawn his independent candidacy and officially expressed his support for the party candidate Monirul Haque Chowdhury. Haji Yasin announced the withdrawal of his candidacy at a press conference at the BNP temporary office at Dharma Sagarpar in Cumilla city this afternoon. BNP nominated candidate for Cumilla-6 constituency and member of the advisory council Monirul Haque Chowdhury was present at the press conference. "I am involved in the BNP politics for 34 years . . . I have taken this decision to honor the party chairman's call to face the challenges of the upcoming 13th national polls. Besides, I was also assigned to coordinate six parliamentary constituencies in Cumilla South district." Haji Yasin mentioned. He said, "I do politics with the aim of establishing the party's ideology and bringing BNP to power for the welfare of the country and the nation”. Terming the withdrawal of Hajji Yasin's nomination as historic event in Cumilla politics, BNP-nominated candidate Monirul Haque Chowdhury said, “This consensus has created a new opportunity to overcome the deprivation and crisis what Cumilla has been facing due to long-standing political division.” He also said Cumilla South District BNP President Zakaria Taher Suman and other concerned leaders have played an important role behind this unity. Among others, Cumilla South District BNP President Zakaria Taher Suman, BNP's Cumilla Divisional Co-Organizing Secretary Mostaq Mia, South District BNP General Secretary Ashiqur Rahman Mahmud Wasim, Cumilla Metropolitan BNP President Utbatul Bari Abu, General Secretary Yusuf Molla Tipu, Cumilla Adarsh Sadar Upazila BNP President Rezaul Kayum, General Secretary Shafiul Alam Raihan, and leaders and activists of BNP, Jubo Dal and others associate bodies of the district, metropolitan and upazila levels were present at the press conference.

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Soaring Iran executions seemingly 'tool of state intimidation': UN

GENEVA, Jan 19, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Iran appears to be using executions "as a tool of state intimidation", the United Nations said Monday, as it denounced a jump in capital punishment globally in 2025. The Islamic republic reportedly executed 1,500 people last year, UN rights chief Volker Turk said in a statement. "The scale and pace of executions suggest a systematic use of capital punishment as a tool of state intimidation, with disproportionate impact on ethnic minorities and migrants," he warned. The spike in executions in Iran -- which according to rights groups is the world's most prolific executioner after China -- had contributed to "an alarming increase" in the use of capital punishment worldwide last year, Turk said. While the overall global trend continues to move towards universal abolition of the death penalty, Iran and a handful of other states such as Saudi Arabia and the United States saw executions surge. Many of those executions were "for offences not meeting the 'most serious crimes' threshold required under international law", Turk said, also criticising "the continued execution of people convicted of crimes committed as children, as well as persistent secrecy around executions". - Public executions - The sharp hike had especially been driven by a growing number of executions for drug-related offences not involving intentional killing. "This is not only incompatible with international law, but also ineffective in deterring crime," Turk insisted. In the case of Iran, at least 47 percent of executions in 2025 had been related to drug offences, the rights office said. The percentage was even higher in Saudi Arabia, where 78 percent of the 356 people reportedly executed there last year were sentenced for drug-related crimes. "At least two among those executed in Saudi Arabia were convicted of crimes committed as children," Turk pointed out. In the United States, meanwhile, 47 executions were carried out in 2025 -- the highest number in 16 years, the rights office said, stressing that the broadened use of gas asphyxiation for executions there raised "serious concerns of torture or cruel punishment". It also highlighted the ongoing public executions in Afghanistan, "in breach of international law". At least 24 people were meanwhile executed in Somalia last year and 17 in Singapore, it said, adding that secrecy around the death penalty in China and North Korea made it "difficult to obtain accurate numbers". And in Israel, the rights office pointed to a series of legislative proposals seeking to expand the use of the death penalty with mandatory capital punishment provisions applying exclusively to Palestinians. "This raises serious concerns about violation of their due process rights, as well as other breaches of international human rights law and international humanitarian law," it said, also slamming executions carried out by Hamas in Gaza as "blatant human rights violations". "The death penalty is not an effective crime-control tool, and it can lead to the execution of innocent people," Turk said, reiterating his call for all states to "move towards full abolition".