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Postal Ballot Controversy | Myanmar on Trial

🗳️ Postal Ballot System Faces Controversy.

Postal ballots for expatriates have sparked significant controversy following viral videos showing ballot papers being handled in a private residence in Bahrain. BNP has formally complained to Election Commission (EC), alleging "strategic bias" in the layout of election symbols and expressing grave concerns over potential rigging abroad. EC said symbol placement followed alphabetical order and that no ballot secrecy was breached. The postal voting system—expanded for the first time to include expatriates through the IT-supported “Postal Vote BD” app—has approved 1,527,155 registrants nationwide, including more than 760,000 expatriates across 121 countries, with Saudi Arabia (239,186) and Bahrain (19,719) among major locations.

Postal voting could influence outcomes in tight races, particularly in Chattogram-division constituencies with high registration.EC data show 18 seats have more than 10,000 postal voters, led by Feni-3 (about 16,000) and Chattogram-15 (about 14,300), and 116 seats have over 5,000, levels that analysts say could be decisive where margins are narrow, as in at least 30 constituencies in 2008. Project lead Salim Ahmad Khan said ballots are being dispatched, candidates and symbols will be confirmed after withdrawals on 20 January and symbol allocation on 21 January, and votes must reach by 4:30pm on 12 February to be counted; he added global postal “wastage” averages 24%, though the EC hopes turnout will exceed 90%. The EC and Bangladesh’s embassy in Bahrain said 160 envelopes were temporarily handed to one delivery point due to address clustering and are now being redistributed, and all missions have been instructed to prevent a repeat as investigations continue.

🤔 SHOWER THOUGH

The universe is 13.8 billion years old, but heat death is around 10¹⁰⁰ years away, so it has effectively used 0% of its lifetime meaning the universe is still basically a "baby", and we’re living in its earliest, most active era.

📉 Bangladesh’s export sector records five straight months of decline as December earnings fell 14.25% year-on-year to $3.96 billion amid weak global demand and domestic disruptions, according to Export Promotion Bureau and NBR data. In July–December, total exports stood at $23.99 billion, down about $540 million or 2.19% from a year earlier, with garments—over 80% of exports—also contracting, while BKMEA president Mohammad Hatem said work orders are 30–40% lower and warned recovery is unlikely before June. Exporters cited power and gas shortages, banking constraints, and shrinking demand in the US and EU, where tariffs and intense competition from China, Vietnam, and Cambodia are affecting orders. Remittances rose 18% in the first half to $16.26 billion, but exporters said sustained export weakness could pressure reserves, jobs, and import capacity, leaving the sector under strain ahead of LDC graduation.

🏏 Despite the ICC’s request, Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has reaffirmed it will not send the team to India for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, citing security risks and asking again for its matches to be moved to a neutral venue. After a January 13 video conference, the BCB said player, staff, and official safety is its top priority, while the ICC noted that the tournament schedule has already been finalised. An ICC risk-assessment email dated January 8 classified Bangladesh’s overall risk level in India as “moderate to high,” citing concerns over supporter safety and possible political tensions around Bangladesh’s February 12 election, although it found no immediate threat to match venues. The BCB has formally requested venue changes, and both sides agreed to continue talks, but no final ICC decision has been announced.

🚫 Discontent has surfaced within the 11-party alliance over seat-sharing ahead of 13th parliamentary elections, with Islamic parties Jamaat-e-Islami and Islami Andolon Bangladesh at the center of tensions. Despite repeated talks, final agreements on seat allocation remain unresolved, and Islami Andolon Bangladesh has reportedly threatened to leave the alliance, raising uncertainty over whether they will contest only allotted seats or all 272 nominations they have submitted. Disputes primarily stem from Jamaat-e-Islami reserving a large share of seats for itself, leaving fewer for other member parties. The alliance’s previously scheduled press conference on seat-sharing, set for January 14, was postponed for “unavoidable reasons,” with a new date to be announced later.

📊Data Point

Approximately 45 million young voters, comprising one-third of the electorate, are positioned as "kingmakers" for the upcoming election.

✊ Iran’s deadliest unrest in decades has left at least 2,571 people dead and over 18,000 arrested according to human rights groups, as protests triggered by currency collapse and 40% inflation evolve into a nationwide challenge against the theocracy. While the Iranian government acknowledged significant casualties for the first time amid a five-day internet blackout, U.S. President Donald Trump has urged demonstrators to "take over" institutions and warned of "very strong action" if executions occur. In response to escalating regional tensions, U.S. and UK have begun a "precautionary" reduction of personnel at Qatar’s Al-Udeid air base, the largest American military installation in the Middle East. Currently, regional militaries remain on high alert as Iran warns of retaliation against U.S. and Israeli targets if military intervention proceeds. 

⚖️ International Court of Justice (ICJ) began hearing a landmark genocide case on Monday brought by The Gambia in 2019, accusing Myanmar of deliberately attempting to destroy the Rohingya Muslim minority population through a 2017 military offensive that killed thousands and forced over 730,000 to flee to Bangladesh. Gambia's Foreign Minister Dawda Jallow told the court that Myanmar used "genocidal policies meant to erase their existence," while Myanmar has consistently denied the allegations, claiming its military operations targeted militant threats. The hearings, which will last three weeks and include closed sessions for Rohingya survivors, mark the first full genocide case heard by the ICJ in over a decade, with the outcome expected to set critical precedents affecting other cases including South Africa's genocide case against Israel over Gaza. Over one million Rohingya remain in refugee camps in Cox's Bazar, making them some of the world's largest and most densely populated camps, while the ICJ's final decision is not expected for several months or years.

📺: Greenland is "massive?"

"I do not want any other sister to be shot and killed at the border like my sister."

— Felani’s brother upon joining the BGB
Felani Khatun(15) was shot by the Indian Border Security Force (BSF) in 2011 while crossing the border.

> Govet has decided to suspend on-arrival visas temporarily to prevent unwanted incidents ahead of the elections, said Foreign Affairs Adviser Touhid Hossain. Bangladesh High Commission in the Maldives stated on its Facebook page that from January 15 to February 15, on-arrival visas will be suspended for one month. (more)

> Gold prices in Bangladesh hit a record high of Tk 234,679 per bhori, the Bangladesh Jewellers Association (BAJUS) said, continuing a global rally driven by economic and geopolitical uncertainties. The rate had risen from Tk 232,055 per bhori just two days earlier. (more)

> National Board of Revenue (NBR) has reduced import duties on mobile phones from 25% to 10%, a 60% cut, and cut duties on phone assembly components from 10% to 5%. This expected to lower the price of imported phones over Tk 30,000 by around Tk 5,500, and locally assembled phones over Tk 30,000 by about Tk 1,500, making mobile devices more affordable for consumers. (more)

> Netflix plans to switch to an all-cash $83bn bid to buy Warner Bros Discovery’s studio and streaming assets, as WBD urges shareholders to reject Paramount’s rival $108.4bn offer. (more)

> Alphabet reached a $4 trillion market value on Jan 12 after shares rose 1% to $331.86 following Apple’s announcement that Google’s Gemini will power Siri’s next-generation AI. Only four companies have ever been worth this much money. (more)

> K-pop group BTS has announced a 79-date, globe-spanning world tour for 2026–2027, marking their return after a four-year hiatus, with shows in Asia, Europe, North and South America, and Australia.  (more)

> US will suspend immigrant visa processing for applicants from 75 countries, including Bangladesh, starting January 21. The State Department said the pause aims to reassess procedures to prevent entry of foreign nationals who might rely on public benefits, with embassies instructed to refuse visas under existing law. (more)

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