Cricket's governing body has told Bangladesh to agree to play their matches at next month's T20 World Cup in India or risk being kicked out of the tournament, reports said Monday. The BCB held talks in Dhaka at the weekend with ICC officials over the impasse, but no agreement was reached. "During the discussions, the BCB reiterated its formal request to the ICC to relocate Bangladesh's matches to Sri Lanka," a BCB statement said. ICC sources have told AFP that Bangladesh could be replaced by Scotland, who are the highest-ranked team who did not qualify for the World Cup. The T20 World Cup begins on February 7 with Bangladesh in England's Group C and scheduled to play all of their group matches in Kolkata and Mumbai.

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Mental clarity could be excellent if your individual cycles support it, there’s both intelligence and higher wisdom. CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): To trust or not to trust? Let facts inform your decision, ignore claims or twisted logic and drill down to the real real. AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): A friend should have your back, but check out any proposed deals carefully, something could be less than transparent. February through mid-March represents the most challenging period for you in 2026; once past this, a lot, A LOT, could go very right.

Having dramatically surrendered their lead with seconds remaining in regular time, the Rams gathered Bears quarterback Caleb Williams' third interception of the night, before Stafford stewarded his team into field goal range for a nerve-jangling victory. The Bears then prevented the Rams scoring on the opening drive of overtime, meaning Williams only needed to get into field goal range. After the Bears' bold attempted touchdown pass in an early 4th down was intercepted, the Rams scored on the ensuing drive, with running back Williams rushing for a touchdown. - Wonder catch -In Sunday's other game, Patriots quarterback Drake Maye threw three touchdowns and Kayson Boutte grabbed an end zone reception for the ages as New England scored a chaotic 28-16 playoff victory over the Houston Texans. The Patriots' victory takes them into next Sunday's AFC Championship game against the Denver Broncos.

MANILA, Jan 19, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos said Monday that a "significant" discovery of natural gas had been made near the country's sole producing offshore site. The discovery, the first in more than a decade, suggested the potential to produce even more, Marcos said. The Philippines -- regularly affected by electricity outages -- relies on imported carbon-belching coal for more than half of its power generation. In 2022, then president Rodrigo Duterte called a halt to oil and gas exploration in areas of the South China Sea disputed with China. Beijing has ignored a 2016 international tribunal decision that declared its historical claim over most of the South China Sea to be without basis.

In the first game, Cornell came up just short of beating Brown (13-8, 7-1), falling 71-68. "It would have been nice to get the Brown win," Krasna said. The Red had to play both contests without the services of two of its regular starters, junior Claire Perry and freshman Kayleen Fitzsimmons. Led by career-highs in points from Maduka and Krasna, the Red built a 10-point halftime advantage, a lead they would never relenquish. "I stepped up at the free throw line," Maduka said.

A Chittagong court on Monday indicted 39 people including the spokesperson for Bangladesh Sammilit Sanatan Jagran Jote and former Iskcon leader Chinmoy Krishna Das, in lawyer Saiful Islam Alif murder case. Twenty-three accused, including Chinmoy Das, were produced before the court around 9:45am amid tight security. Slain lawyer Alif’s father, Jamal Uddin, was present at the court. On November 26, 2024, followers of Chinmoy Das intercepted a prison van carrying him after his bail prayer was rejected by a court in a sedition case. Three main accused in the case—Chandan Das, Ripon Das and Rajib Bhattarcharya gave confessional statements before the court.

Police have detained a vagrant man in connection with the recovery of two burnt bodies from an abandoned municipal community centre in Savar, near Dhaka. Dhaka District Police Additional Superintendent (Crime, Ops and Traffic North) Arafatul Islam disclosed the information at a press conference at Savar Model police station around 11am on Monday. He said police have recovered six bodies in Savar over the past five months. Two months later, on December 19, another unidentified man (around 35) was found dead in a bathroom of the same building. Suspect identified through CCTVPolice said investigations began immediately after each incident, with Savar Model police station and the Detective Branch jointly conducting probes.

Battery-powered autorickshaw drivers have blocked the road in front of Fuji Tower in the capital’s Badda area. The blockade began after 9am on Monday, with the drivers protesting the shutdown of lithium battery-powered rickshaws. The protest has caused significant inconvenience to the general public. Badda police station Inspector Jahangir Alam, who was present at the spot, told Dhaka Tribune that the protesters were still occupying the road, resulting in a complete halt to traffic. He said police are trying to persuade them to withdraw the blockade.

The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited (HSBC) Bangladesh recently hosted an event titled “Treasury in Transition: Navigating Emerging Risk in Treasury function”. The session highlighted key market developments and emerging risk trends within the industry and was attended by distinguished finance and treasury officials representing local and multinational organizations. Rohit Rozario, managing director, regional head of business management and controls, Asia Pacific, Global Payments Solutions, presented the keynote speech. He mentioned: “In today’s dynamic world effective risk management in treasury functions has never been more critical. HSBC continues focusing leveraging on its global network, digital platforms, and deep expertise across markets, helping businesses navigate complexity and unlock new opportunities for sustainable growth.

Legal firearms to be surrendered by Jan 31 ahead of nat’l pollsFile PhotoDHAKA, Jan 19, 2026 (BSS) - To ensure a free, fair, and peaceful 13th national parliament election, the government has ordered all licensed firearm holders to surrender their weapons to the nearest police station by January 31, 2026. According to a notification from the Home Ministry issued on Sunday, carrying and displaying firearms will be completely prohibited from the date of surrender until February 15, 2026, in line with the announced election schedule. However, the restriction on displaying legal firearms will not apply to candidates for the post of Member of Parliament and their armed retainers, provided their nomination papers have been legally submitted to and accepted by the Election Commission. This exemption will be governed by the "Firearm License and Retainer Appointment Policy, 2025" applicable to politically important persons and parliamentary candidates. The order further warns that legal action will be taken against anyone violating the directive under the relevant provisions of The Arms Act, 1878.

Chhatra Dal continued its program to surround the Election Commission (EC) for the second consecutive day on Monday, protesting what it described as undue influence of a particular political group within the commission and raising concerns over the postal ballot system. More than a hundred leaders and activists of the student organisation were seen taking positions in front of and around the Election Commission in the capital’s Agargaon area. At the outset of the program, Dhaka University Chhatra Dal President Ganesh Chandra Roy Sahas said the national election is scheduled for February 12 and that Chhatra Dal has extended cooperation to ensure a fair poll. “A particular group is conspiring around the election process. On Sunday, a five-member Chhatra Dal delegation led by its president Rakibul Islam met Senior Secretary of the Election Commission Akhtar Ahmed during the first day of the program.

Religious Affairs Adviser A F M Khalid Hossain today spoke as the chief guest at the National Imam Conference at Nimtala, Habiganj. Photo : BSSHABIGANJ, Jan 19, 2026 (BSS) - Religious Affairs Adviser A F M Khalid Hossain today said the government wants to uphold the spirit of the July revolution through the referendum. "If the people ensure victory by casting 'Yes' votes in the referendum, country-engulfing fascism will no longer be able to raise its head in the country," he said. He said the mentality of clinging to power through farcical elections under the guise of so-called polls in an attempt to retain authority would be wiped out through the referendum. Speaking about elections, Khalid Hossain said for the first time in the history of Bangladesh, a free, fair and inclusive election would be held.

Mobile court fines Tk 3 lakh in anti-tobacco drives to protect public health in district. Photo : BSSKHULNA, Jan 19, 2026 (BSS) - A mobile court has realized Tk 3 lakh in fines in separate anti-tobacco drives in the district. During the operations, two individuals, Md Rakibul Islam, 28, and Arit Hasan, 24, were fined Tk 40,000 each for illegal advertisements promoting tobacco products. Another offender, Md Rashed Bepari, was fined Tk 20,000 for violating various provisions of the Smoking and Use of Tobacco Products (Control) (Amendment) Ordinance, 2025. In a separate drive, Md Jahinur Rahman, 35, owner of Nasima Traders, was fined Tk 2 lakh for selling cigarette cartons without pictorial health warnings.

Battery-powered rickshaws have been deemed unsafe from the moment they were on the streets. As things currently stand, with millions of battery-powered vehicles operating nationwide, what began as an affordable mobility option has unfortunately metastasized into a crisis of lawlessness and power theft. We understand that banning these vehicles outright was never the solution, and attempts to do so in the past have predictably failed. However, while there are countless individuals who rely on them for livelihoods and affordable transport, the solution has to be regulation. For too long have we let battery-powered vehicles operate unchecked - yet again we are trading short-term convenience for long-term catastrophe.

Adviser Adilur Rahman Khan today spoke to journalists after paying tributes at the July Memorial set up at Gurudayal Government College ground in Kishoreganj. Photo : BSSKISHOREGANJ, Jan 19, 2026 (BSS) - Adviser to the Ministries of Industries and Housing and Public Works Adilur Rahman Khan today said that those who are raising questions about the government campaigning for the upcoming referendum are basically fugitive forces. The July Charter was framed through the initiative of comrades who sacrificed their lives during July–August mass uprising, and a referendum has been arranged to implement this charter, he added. Mentioning that the referendum has been arranged with the objective of implementing the spirit of the July mass uprising, he noted that those who had taken a position against the July mass uprising are now trying to create confusion among the people over referendum. Later, he joined a view-exchange meeting on the referendum with heads of different government offices at the Deputy Commissioner’s conference room.