LISBON, Jan 19, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Portugal's socialist candidate won the first round of the presidential election and will face the far-right candidate in the second round, near-complete results showed Sunday. With votes from 95 percent of constituencies counted, Socialist Antonio Jose Seguro was leading with 30.6 percent of the vote, while far-right contender Andre Ventura came in second with 24.2 percent. Ventura and Seguro will face off on February 8 to decide who succeeds conservative incumbent Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa. This will nevertheless be the first time a far-right candidate has made it to the second round of the presidential race. Portugal's prime minister, right-winger Luis Montenegro, said he would not be giving any advice on who to vote for in the second round.

Saif hits back in form to lead Dhaka to 170 against ChattogramPhoto : CollectedDHAKA, Jan 18, 2026 (BSS)-Saif Hasan finally snapped his poor run of form bysmashing a 44 ball-73 as Dhaka Capitals posted 170 before being all outagainst Chattogram Royals in their final match of the Bangladesh PremierLeague (BPL) at Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium today. Saif took the charge following the dismissal of opener Usman Khan who made abrief but a blistering 6 ball-16. Saif, also the vice-captain of Bangladesh T20 squad, then came down heavilyon the bowlers to make them disarray, keeping Dhaka's nose ahead in the game. He and opener Zubaid Akbari shared a 90-run partnership for the second wicketwith the latter making second highest 29. However, Saif was undeterred as he kept hitting the bowlers at will.

LOS ANGELES, United States, Jan 19, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Chris Gotterup fired a six-under-par 64 to surge to victory in the PGA Tour's season-opening Sony Open in Hawaii on Sunday. The 26-year-old from Maryland finished on 16-under-par 264, two shots clear of compatriot Ryan Gerard, who carded a closing 65. Gotterup's win follows his victory at last year's Scottish Open when he held off Rory McIlroy for a two-shot victory, an experience he said helped him on Sunday. "I felt like when I've been in control of my game, when I've had a chance to win, I've done it," Gotterup said. "When you get in contention, you're able to hit shots under the gun, you just believe in yourself that you can do it again.

Three months on from the brazen heist, four suspects are in police custody but the jewels are still nowhere to be found. - 'Genuine preparation' -There was "genuine preparation" before the heist, said Beccuau. - 'Not bunglers' -Some observers may have called the burglars amateurs, but a source with knowledge of the probe said they were "not such bunglers after all". - Poor security -Poor security at the Louvre made the robber's getaway easier, a culture ministry probe found last month, even if they evaded security forces with just 30 seconds to spare. - Missing jewellery -Beccuau said it was still unclear if a third party ordered the heist -- or indeed where the jewellery might be.

HONG KONG, Jan 19, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Gold and silver hit record highs Monday while most equity markets fell after Donald Trump revived trade war fears by threatening several European nations with tariffs over their opposition to the United States buying Greenland. Bloomberg reported member states were discussing the possibility of retaliatory levies on EUR93 billion ($108 billion) of US goods. Gold, a key go-to in times of turmoil, hit a peak of $4,690.59, while silver struck $94.12. On equity markets, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Sydney, Singapore and Wellington retreated, though there were gains in Seoul and Taipei. There was little major reaction to data showing China's economy expanded five percent last year, in line with its target.

MADRID, Jan 19, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - It already seems clear Real Madrid coach Alvaro Arbeloa believes success with the record 15-time European champions will only come with the careful management of egos at the club. Madrid beat Levante 2-0 in La Liga but there was an immense show of dissent, with Arbeloa and star players Vinicius Junior and Jude Bellingham notably in the firing line. They are players called on to do great things for Real Madrid... when things aren't going well, we have to look for them continuously... we have to make them happy." It is not just the players under him whom Arbeloa has to take care of, but also president Florentino Perez above. "(The whistles) aren't from people who don't love Florentino, they are from people who don't love Real Madrid," said Arbeloa, laying bare his loyalty to the Madrid chief.

MELBOURNE, Jan 19, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - American rising star Michael Zheng faces the prospect of giving back his Australian Open prize money as a college student, but is hoping a concession can be made. But US college tennis rules state that he can only earn a maximum of $10,000 in prize money from tournaments per year. So whenever my run here is done, I'm going back to school," said Zheng, a senior psychology major. "But, yeah, I'll talk to our head coach and try to figure out what's the deal with the prize money, if I'm allowed to take it or not. "I've heard rumours I'm allowed to take it, because it's my senior spring," he added.

China says economy grew 5% last year, among slowest in decadesBEIJING, Jan 19, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - China's economy expanded five percent in 2025, Beijing said Monday, one of its slowest rates of growth in decades as it struggles with persistently low consumer spending and a debt crisis in its property sector. The economy grew at 4.5 percent between October and December last year, in line with expectations but marking a significant slowdown towards the end of the year. Last month's sales were worse than the 1.3 percent year-on-year growth recorded in November, extending a months-long slowdown. Fixed-asset investments in China shrunk 3.8 percent year-on-year in 2025, an inevitable rebalancing following a property and infrastructure boom in recent decades. Last year also saw the return of Donald Trump to the White House and the revival of a fierce trade war between the world's two largest economies.

BNP Standing Committee Member Nazrul Islam Khan today spoke at a view exchange meeting with the families of those killed and injured in the July Mass Uprising at Krishibid Institution Bangladesh auditorium in Dhaka. Photo : BSSDHAKA, Jan 18, 2026 (BSS) – BNP Standing Committee Member Nazrul Islam Khan today stressed on recognizing the fighters of July uprising as the freedom fighters of the present time. “If the aspirations of the Liberation War had been fully realized, the country would not have witnessed the killing, torture, and repression of leaders and activists over the past 17–18 years,” he said. Referring to the sufferings of the families of the July fighters, he said BNP Chairman Tarique Rahman is deeply concerned about ensuring justice and rehabilitation for them. Lauding the BNP leadership, Nazrul Islam Khan said Shaheed President Ziaur Rahman was the first rebel of the Liberation War and laid down his life for the country.

Hajj pilgrims to be vaccinated through 80 centresPhoto : CollectedDHAKA, Jan 18, 2026 (BSS) – Pilgrims intending to perform the Holy Hajj this year are to be vaccinated against meningitis and influenza through 80 vaccination centres in the country under the government initiative, an official statement said here today. “The religious affairs ministry today published a list of 80 vaccination centres for Hajj pilgrims, who will receive the required vaccines from there,” said the ministry statement. It said the date of vaccination would be communicated to pilgrims through SMS on their mobile phones later. The capital-based centres are: Dhaka Medical College Hospital, Sir Salimullah Medical College and Mitford Hospital, Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College Hospital, Kurmitola General Hospital, Mugda Medical College Hospital, Government Employees Hospital, Combined Military Hospital (CMH), Central Police Hospital and Bangladesh Secretariat Clinic. The other centres are Shaheed Ahsan Ullah Master General Hospital and Shaheed Tajuddin Ahmed Medical College Hospital in Gazipur, Chittagong Medical College Hospital, Sylhet MAG Osmani Medical College Hospital, Khulna Medical College Hospital, 250-bed Mohammad Ali Hospital in Bogura and 250-bed Sadar Hospital in Dinajpur.

Photo : BSSDHAKA, Jan 18, 2026 (BSS) - BNP Chairperson's Adviser and Chief Coordinator of the Dhaka-17 Election Campaign Committee Abdus Salam today said women voters will play the decisive role in determining victory or defeat in the upcoming national parliamentary election. It is the vote that will decide who wins and who loses. Salam was addressing a views exchange meeting with the leaders of different professional organisations at the main election office of Dhaka-17 constituency in Banani this afternoon. Abdus Salam further said, "Everyone knows BNP will come to power. Stressing the importance of an overwhelming victory in Dhaka-17, he said, "The party's candidate in Dhaka-17 is BNP Chairperson Tarique Rahman.

Collected photoMELBOURNE, Jan 18, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - An error-strewn Aryna Sabalenka made a stodgy start to her Australian Open title charge with a 6-4, 6-1 win over French wildcard Tiantsoa Rakotomanga Rajaonah on Sunday. The world number one, who is chasing a third Melbourne crown in four years, faces Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova of Russia or Chinese qualifier Bai Zhuoxuan next. Sabalenka, who is favourite to add a fifth Grand Slam title to her career haul, pulled back level but if she expected the spirited world number 118 to melt away, it did not immediately happen. The reigning US Open champion offered an apology to her underdog opponent at 4-4 when she unleashed a forehand into the 20-year-old's head. Sabalenka was stunned in the Melbourne final by Madison Keys of the United States a year ago.

Chief Prosecutor Mohammad Tajul Islam has warned against using the word “mob” to describe the July Uprising, saying it risks questioning the legitimacy of the movement. Justice has not been delivered.”Former CPB general secretary Ruhin Hossain Prince described Tajul’s comments as a “threat”. Jatiya Party Secretary General Shamim Haider Patwary also spoke, saying mobs had once been tolerated but were now undermining institutions. The debate follows earlier remarks by Chief Advisor’s Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam, who last year described mobs as “pressure groups”. CGS President Zillur Rahman, moderating the event, warned that legitimising mobs had already led to incidents such as attacks on newspapers.

Without naming the party, BNP also accused its workers of collecting copies of national ID cards and mobile payment numbers from voters, calling it a violation of privacy and a criminal offence. After the meeting, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir briefed reporters, saying the party had raised objections over postal ballots as well. BNP urged that postal ballots for election officials be distributed only after symbols are allocated. Despite the concerns, Fakhrul said BNP believes a fair election is possible if the commission addresses the issues raised. The BNP delegation included Standing Committee Member Nazrul Islam Khan, Advisory Council Member Ismail Jabiuallah, Election Committee Member Mohammad Zakaria and lawyer Ruhul Quddus Kajal.

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