Information and Broadcasting Adviser Syeda Rizwana Hasan. Photo: BSSSAVAR, Jan 20, 2026 (BSS) – Information and Broadcasting Adviser Syeda Rizwana Hasan today said the forthcoming referendum is a matter of national interest and should not be viewed from partisan or personal perspectives. Rizwana Hasan said, “If you vote ‘yes’ in the national interest, it does not matter whether you support any party or not – the country will win. Syeda Rizwana Hasan urged everyone to go above personal and party considerations and vote ‘yes’ in the national interest. Prior to the event, Syeda Rizwana Hasan inaugurated a referendum rickshaw by cutting the ribbon.

Photo: BSSRAJSHAHI, Jan 20, 2026 (BSS) - More than a thousand students from eight districts of the Rajshahi division took part in the 54th Winter Sports Competition, showcasing their talents in cricket, athletics and several other disciplines. Competitions were held in cricket, volleyball, basketball and hockey as team events, while singles and doubles matches were played in badminton and table tennis. He said the competition created an important platform for students from different educational institutions to demonstrate their sporting skills. Rahman noted that sports play a vital role alongside academic studies in ensuring students' physical fitness, mental well-being and leadership development. He said winter sports competitions help nurture discipline, patriotism and a spirit of healthy competition among students.

DHAKA, Jan 20, 2026 (BSS) - Motivated Bangladesh women's team take on Sri Lanka in the SAFF Women's Futsal Championship scheduled to be held at Nonthaburi Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand tomorrow. Bangladesh currently stand second position in the point table with seven points from three matches while Sri Lanka stand sixth position with one point playing the same number of matches. While Sri Lanka played out to a 2-2 with Nepal, suffered 3-2 defeat to Pakistan and 5-1 defeat to Bhutan. After Sri Lanka, Bangladesh will play their remaining matches against Pakistan (January 23) and Maldives (January 25) at the same venue. The table toppers at the end of all seven rounds of matches will be crowned in the SAFF Women's Futsal champions.

Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus-File PhotoDHAKA, Jan 20, 2026 (BSS) - Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus has expressed profound shock and sorrow to Spanish President Pedro S nchez P‚rez-Castej¢n over the devastating accident of high-speed trains in Adamuz, near the city of C¢rdoba, Southern Spain on Sunday evening. "The news of this tragic accident, resulting in the tragic loss of precious lives and leaving many injured, has saddened us immensely," Prof Yunus said. "Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of the victims of this terrible train crush and the people of Spain during this period of grief," he added. May the Almighty bestow His mercy on the departed souls of the deceased and grant their family members the courage and fortitude to bear their irreparable losses, the Chief Adviser said. "We also pray for the swift and complete recovery to all those injured in this grave tragedy," he added.

NICAR meeting was held at the State Guest House Jamuna here on Tuesday with Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus in the chair. This was the first NICAR meeting held during the tenure of the interim government. The meeting was informed that the Revenue Policy and Revenue Management Ordinance, 2025, has already been promulgated regarding formation of the two divisions under the Finance Ministry. Additionally, a proposal was approved to establish another new police station by splitting Raipura in Narsingdi district. The meeting further approved a proposal to correct the spelling of the name of 'Bhulli' police station in Thakurgaon district.

DHAKA, Jan 20, 2026 (BSS) - A career-best 4-15 by pacer Syed Khaled Ahmed helped Sylhet Titan restrict Rangpur Riders to a meager 111-9 in the Eliminator game of the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) at Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium today. Former England all-rounder Chris Woakes, who is playing his first match today and left-arm spinner Nasum Ahmed claimed two wickets apiece to further damage Rangpur. In between Woakes sent back his compatriot Dawid Malan for 4, leaving Rangpur reeling to a miserable 11-3. Khushdil Shah and Mahmudullah Riyad tried to repair but Nasum struck with the wicket of Khushdil, ending the 34-run fourth wicket partnership. Nurul Hasan Sohan was the only other batter apart from the duo to reach double digits by making 18, which eventually helped Rangpur go past 100 runs, which looked unlikely.

TOKYO, Jan 20, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - A record number of tourists flocked to Japan last year, the transport ministry said Tuesday, despite a steep fall in Chinese visitors in December as a diplomatic row between Beijing and Tokyo rumbled on. The country logged 42.7 million tourist arrivals in 2025, topping 2024's record of nearly 37 million. But the number of tourists from China last month dropped about 45 percent from a year earlier to around 330,000. China has been the biggest source of tourists to the Japanese archipelago, with almost 7.5 million visitors in the first nine months of 2025 -- a quarter of all foreign tourists, according to official figures. However, Transport Minister Yasushi Kaneko said it was a "significant achievement" that overall visitors numbers had topped 40 million people for the first time.

MELBOURNE, Jan 20, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Roger Federer said before the Australian Open that the "sky's the limit" for exciting Brazilian teenager Joao Fonseca, but he was brought back to earth Tuesday with a first-round exit. "I wasn't playing 100 percent, but at the same time it gives me maturity to keep going, to understand my body, to understand my limits. "Hopefully I'm still young and I'm still getting experience from that." Fonseca made his big breakthrough at Melbourne Park last year as a qualifier when he beat top-10 player Andrey Rublev. "I think this season is going to be great for me," he added.

SEOUL, Jan 20, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - South Korea's women's football team threatened to boycott matches ahead of March's Asian Cup over "discriminatory conditions" provided by their country's football association, documents revealed Tuesday. The Korea Professional Footballers' Association made public a joint statement that they sent with national team players to the Korea Football Association (KFA) in September last year, complaining of "poor conditions" on national team duty. It also said that players were required to personally pay for items including airport transfers and training kit. The players' statement said that "for many years, women's national team players have silently endured poor and unreasonable conditions, sustained solely by their pride as 'national representatives'". It said there were "clear and undeniable differences" from the conditions enjoyed by the men's national team.

Macron sent message to Trump offering to host G7 meeting in Paris Thursday: entouragePARIS, France, Jan 20, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Emmanuel Macron has sent a "private message" to Donald Trump offering to organise a G7 summit in Paris on Thursday in which Russia could be invited on the sidelines, the French president's entourage confirmed. Trump posted this message on his Truth Social network in which Macron also proposes inviting Ukraine to the meeting as well as Denmark to discuss disagreements over Greenland. The offer comes as Europe is weighing countermeasures after Trump threatened to impose tariffs on eight European countries in a bid to pressure the EU over Greenland. "I can organise a G7 meeting in Paris on Thursday afternoon after Davos," Macron wrote, referring to the gathering of global elites in Switzerland where the US president is set to be in attendance. "I can invite the Ukrainians, the Danes, the Syrians and the Russians on the sidelines" of the meeting, he added.

BEIJING, Jan 20, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Beijing confirmed on Tuesday that China had been invited to join US President Donald Trump's "Board of Peace". "China has received the United States' invitation," foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun told a regular news briefing, without specifying whether Beijing would accept the invitation. Guo said China-US relations had achieved overall stability in the past year, despite a trade war that saw both countries impose tit-for-tat tariffs on each others' products. "Over the past year, China-US relations have experienced ups and downs, but have maintained overall dynamic stability," Guo told reporters. "Cooperation between China and the US benefits both sides, while confrontation harms both," he added.

DHAKA, Jan 20, 2026 (BSS)-Sylhet Titans skipper Mehedi Hasan Miraz won the toss and sent Rangpur Riders into bat first in the Eliminator game of the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) at Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium today. The winner of the match will move to the Qualifier-2 game for a spot in the BPL final while the loser will be eliminated from the race straightaway. Rangpur was the third-placed team, having won six matches in the group phase. Sylhet won five matches to sit in fourth place. The two teams met twice in the group phase with Rangpur winning the first-leg encounter by six wickets while Sylhet sealing same margin victory in the second-leg match.

DUBAI, Jan 20, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - The United Arab Emirates on Tuesday denied running secret prisons in southern Yemen following claims from Saudi-backed Yemeni officials that widened a rift between the Gulf powers. Monday's claims from Hadramawt province followed clashes between UAE- and Saudi-backed forces that prompted Abu Dhabi to withdraw its remaining troops from Yemen. On Monday, Hadramawt's governor told foreign media invited by the Saudi-backed Yemeni government, including AFP, that "a number of secret prisons used by Emirati forces" had been uncovered. The UAE defence ministry said the "facilities referred to are merely military accommodation, operations rooms and fortified shelters, some of which are located underground". Saudi Arabia is now attempting to shore up control in government-controlled southern Yemen.

DAVOS, Switzerland, Jan 20, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent warned European nations on Monday against retaliatory tariffs over President Donald Trump's threatened levies to obtain control of Greenland. "I think it would be very unwise," Bessent told reporters on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in the Swiss ski resort of Davos. He added, however, that "I think it's a complete canard that the president will be doing this because of the Nobel Prize". Asked later Monday on the chances for a deal that would not involve acquiring Greenland, Bessent said "I would just take President Trump at his word for now". Referring to Denmark, he said: "What if one day they were worried about antagonising the Chinese?

The Election Commission (EC) is scheduled to hold a discussion meeting with registered political parties on Tuesday afternoon ahead of the upcoming 13th national election and referendum, 2026. The Commission said the meeting will primarily focus on the “Postal Vote BD” app, its functions, and related issues. According to the Commission, representatives of all 63 registered political parties will join the discussion along with Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) MM Nasir Uddin, election commissioners, the senior secretary of the EC Secretariat, and other officials. In addition, Swedish Ambassador Nicolas Weeks will pay a courtesy call on the CEC at 3pm on Tuesday at the EC headquarters. The Commission said it will discuss various important matters regarding the upcoming national election.