The chief adviser to the interim government, Dr. Muhammad Yunus, has called on Tulip Siddique, UK City Minister and daughter of Bangabandhu's daughter Sheikh Rehana, to apologize.

He made this call in an interview with the British media outlet Sunday Times at Jamuna, his official residence in Dhaka, last Thursday.

Dr. Muhammad Yunus said, "She should apologize for enjoying the properties given to her (Tulip) and her family during Sheikh Hasina's dictatorial regime. The properties that Tulip Siddique uses in London also need to be investigated. If it is proven that she acquired these properties through "complete robbery", then they should be returned."

Economist and Nobel Peace Prize winner Dr. Muhammad Yunus has been leading the interim government since August 8 last year. He told the Sunday Times, “Tulip Siddique, who is the British government’s Treasury and City Minister in charge of combating financial corruption, should be investigated for embezzling money to build her London homes.”

The Sunday Times reported that they have confirmed through their investigation that Tulip Siddique has lived in a house for years, which was bought by two Bangladeshi businessmen through an offshore company. However, she has always spoken out to avoid such financial opacity.

Tulip Siddique is the daughter of Sheikh Rehana, the sister of former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Sheikh Hasina fled the country to India in the face of a massive uprising on August 5 last year. It is alleged that she killed hundreds of people with the help of police forces to prevent the uprising before fleeing to India. She is also accused of crimes against humanity, enforced disappearances and corruption.

The Sunday Times also reported that Tulip mediated the Bangladesh government's nuclear energy deal with Russia during Sheikh Hasina's rule and benefited financially. The Bangladesh Anti-Corruption Commission is investigating her corruption allegations. However, Tulip has denied the corruption allegations against her.

Dr. Muhammad Yunus said that Tulip became the British government's anti-corruption minister and corruption allegations have been made against her. Nothing could be more ridiculous.

Dr. Yunus also said, 'She may not have understood when she did it (corruption). But now she understands. Now you should say, I am sorry. I did not know about it (corruption) then. Now I am apologizing to the people and resigning. But I am not saying that. Rather, she is trying to protect herself.'

Dr. Yunus immediately said, 'It is not my job to say that she (Tulip) should resign.'

Tracy Ann Jacobson has arrived in Dhaka to take charge as the US Ambassador-at-Large.

She joined the US Embassy in Dhaka on Saturday (January 11) as Charge d'Affaires, ad interim.

Originally, President Joe Biden nominated David Slayton Mill, Deputy Chief of Mission at the US Embassy in Beijing, as the US Ambassador to Bangladesh.

However, according to US rules, the presidential nominee must attend a Senate hearing before taking charge of the ambassadorship. As that hearing did not take place, David Mill is not coming to Dhaka in the end. That is why Tracy Ann has come to Dhaka to serve until a new ambassador is officially appointed.

Welcoming Tracy Ann on Saturday morning, the US Embassy in Dhaka said, 'We are excited to welcome our new interim Charge d'Affaires Tracy Ann Jacobson to Bangladesh. Ambassador Jacobson, who has extensive diplomatic experience and has served as U.S. Ambassador to Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Kosovo, and is committed to building strong international relations, looks forward to leading the Dhaka Mission with dedication and vision.

In a press release on Thursday, the U.S. Embassy said that Tracy Ann most recently served as Senior Advisor in the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs at the U.S. Department of State. Prior to that, she served as Chargé d’Affaires, ad interim, at the U.S. Embassy in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. She also served as Deputy U.S. Ambassador to Latvia in Riga.

Tracy Ann also served as Dean of the U.S. School of Professional and Area Studies and Deputy Director of the National Foreign Affairs Training Center.

A fire broke out in Maijdi, the district town of Noakhali. 5 units of the fire service are working to control the fire.

The fire broke out in the town's Hawkers Market at around 12:15 am on Saturday (January 11).

Local residents Jamal Uddin Bishad and Faizul Jahan said that local people suddenly saw flames in the Hawkers Market at night. Within moments, the flames spread in all directions. It is not clear from which shop the fire started. It is estimated that more than 20-25 shops may have burned in the terrible fire. According to locals, the number may increase. The army and police are at the scene.

Maijdi Fire Service Station Sentry Yasin Molla said that five teams immediately reached the scene after receiving news of the terrible fire in the Hawkers Market. They have started working to control the fire. Several more fire service teams are being sent there. Details will be announced later.

If the situation cannot be improved, the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) will have to be closed, said Muhammad Fawzul Kabir Khan, Adviser to the Ministry of Road Transport, Bridges and Railways.

He said this in response to a question from reporters after a meeting on road safety in the conference room after visiting the BRTA building on Saturday (January 11) afternoon.

After a discussion meeting at the capital's Bidyut Bhaban on December 19, the Road Adviser set a month for BRTA to improve its situation. That time is almost up. However, although BRTA has made some progress during this period, it has not reached an acceptable level, according to Adviser Fawzul Kabir Khan.

He said, "BRTA officials have been clearly told that their behavior is unacceptable. I have also told them that various government departments have been abolished. If the work does not improve, we will consider shutting down BRTA.

He said, "We will always keep BRTA under monitoring. A campaign against unfit vehicles is underway, it will be further intensified." The adviser said, "There were 12 percent more road accidents in 2024. We have not been able to reduce road accidents after taking charge as the interim government, for which we take responsibility. As part of our admission of guilt, we have instructed everyone involved, including BRTA, to take steps to provide compensation to those killed and injured in road accidents according to the law."