Dear readers, we have drawn up a list of five top stories so that you don't miss out on any important event -- both at home and abroad -- today (January 6, 2023).

Metro network unlikely by 2030

The building of a 130km metro rail network in Dhaka and its adjacent areas is not likely to meet the 2030 deadline due to delays in preparations. After the partial launch of metro rail, the authorities are planning to start physical work for Mass Rapid Transit Line (MRT) Line-1 and -5 (Northern route) by this year.

But the two projects approved in October 2019, with an estimated cost of Tk 94,000 crore, may not be completed by their deadlines in 2026 and 2028. Feasibility studies for another section, MRT Line-5 (Southern route), were done late last year, but the authorities have yet to find a financier for the project that may cost Tk 53,000 crore.

Govt keeps borrowing heavily from Bangladesh Bank

The government continues to borrow from Bangladesh Bank on a large scale as commercial banks are now unable to finance the state due to liquidity crunch. Economists warn that if the government consistently borrows from the central bank, it may stoke inflation in the coming days.

Between July 1 and December 28 this fiscal year, the government borrowed Tk 45,057 crore from the central bank, according to BB data. It had borrowed Tk 31,403 crore from Bangladesh Bank over the previous year.

Bangladesh advances in internet speed

Bangladesh has advances seven spots in a global ranking on mobile download speeds, reaching 119th position.

The country recorded 13.95 Mbps in November last year, better than the 10.42 Mbps recorded in November 2021, according to Speedtest Global Index published recently. The country also improved its global ranking for fixed broadband download speeds, gaining three spots to stand at 102th by recording 34.85 Mbps.

Twitter hacked, email addresses of 200 million users leaked

Hackers stole the email addresses of more than 200 million Twitter users and posted them on an online hacking forum, a security researcher has said.

The breach "will unfortunately lead to a lot of hacking, targeted phishing and doxxing," Alon Gal, co-founder of Israeli cybersecurity-monitoring firm Hudson Rock, wrote on LinkedIn. He called it "one of the most significant leaks I've seen."

Twitter has not commented on the report, which Gal first posted about on social media on Dec. 24, nor responded to inquiries about the breach since that date. It was not clear what action, if any, Twitter has taken to investigate or remediate the issue.

Putin orders 36-hr Ukraine ceasefire

Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered a 36-hour ceasefire in Ukraine to run during Orthodox Christmas, a move that war-battered Kyiv swiftly branded as "hypocrisy".

Putin's directive to his troops was announced days after Moscow suffered its deadliest reported loss of the invasion and following 11 months of brutal combat.

Both nations celebrate Orthodox Christmas and the Russian leader's order came after a ceasefire was urged by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Russia's spiritual leader Patriarch Kirill, a staunch Putin supporter.