Photo: BSSSHERPUR, Jan 18, 2025 (BSS) - Farmers in the char areas of the district are increasingly turning to groundnut cultivation, attracted by its low production cost, minimal labor requirements, high yield and lucrative market price. According to the district agriculture office, although the target for groundnut cultivation this season was set at 126 hectares, farmers have already cultivated groundnut on 127 hectares of land. Md Azgar Ali, a 50-year-old farmer from Char Ashtadhar village in Nakla upazila, said groundnut cultivation requires neither chemical fertilizers nor pesticides. Wholesalers and agricultural traders observed that groundnut cultivation is becoming increasingly profitable nationwide. Officials from the District Agriculture Department said groundnut cultivation is about twice as profitable as many traditional crops and that nut plants also serve as fodder for livestock.

TEHRAN, Jan 18, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Iranian authorities have said they areconsidering "gradually" restoring internet access after imposing a sweepingcommunications shutdown across the country more than a week ago, local mediareported. On Sunday morning, AFP was able to connect to the internet from its Tehranoffice, though the vast majority of internet providers and mobile internetremain cut. Outgoing international calls have been possible since Tuesday, and textmessaging was restored Saturday morning. Late Saturday, the Tasnim news agency reported "the relevant authoritiesannounced that internet access would also be gradually restored", but gave nofurther details. The opposition Iran International channel based outside the country has saidat least 12,000 people were killed during the protests, citing seniorgovernment and security sources.

DHAKA, Jan 18, 2026 (BSS) - The Ministry of Commerce has requested the National Board of Revenue (NBR) to suspend the duty-free benefit for the import of certain counts of yarn under the bonded warehouse scheme to protect local textile millers. In a letter to the revenue board last week, the ministry recommended the cancellation of the bond facility for the import of yarn ranging from 10 to 30 counts to safeguard local textile millers. The count refers to a measure of yarn thickness in the textile industry, indicating fineness. Yarn ranging from 10 to 30 counts is considered medium to coarse and is widely used in knitwear production. Earlier, on December 29, the Bangladesh Textile Mills Association (BTMA) urged the Bangladesh Trade and Tariff Commission to request the government to either suspend the bonded warehouse benefit or impose a 20 percent tariff on the import of the widely consumed yarn.

A 30-year-old Hindu man was crushed to death by an SUV in Bangladesh after he tried to stop the vehicle from leaving a petrol pump without paying for fuel, police said. Police and eyewitnesses said a black SUV took fuel worth around Rs 3,710 from the filling station and attempted to leave without making payment. Minority Groups Express ConcernThe killing has triggered fresh concerns over the safety of Hindu minorities in Bangladesh, where incidents targeting minority communities have been reported frequently in recent months. The Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council, a rights group representing minority communities, expressed grave concern over what it described as a rise in attacks on minorities. Also Read: BJP Flags Another Killing of Hindu Man in Bangladesh

Brett’s daughter Brooke and Cole’s father and sister, Joel and Morgaan, remained inside, along with family friends Chuck and Melissa McKenna. It’s a rare morning to wake up with fresh snow at a backcountry hut and nothing to do but ski. Brett tried to teach Cole how to peel his skins off his ski bottoms while keeping his skis on. Cole left Brett’s track to plumb untouched powder. Standing outside Uncle Bud’s after Brett and Cole left, Joel and Morgaan decided to try to catch up.

Devon O’Neil: “The Way Out” chronicles a hut trip in January 2017 involving a trio of families from Salida — three dads and their four teenage children. UNDERWRITTEN BY Each week, The Colorado Sun and Colorado Humanities & Center For The Book feature an excerpt from a Colorado book and an interview with the author. SunLit: What did the process of writing this book add to your knowledge and understanding of your craft and/or the subject matter? O’Neil: For years, I worried about how I would write a true story while honoring the people in the book. O’Neil: That even though nature can be savage in its objectivity, it is important to keep going — with ample preparation.

Students should be responsible to shape future leadershipThe adviser addressed the 3rd convocation of Bangladesh University (BU) at Senaprangan convention hall of Dhaka Cantonment today. Photo: BSSDHAKA, Jan 18, 2026 (BSS)- Fisheries and Livestock Adviser Farida Akhtar today called upon students to develop responsible behaviour, make conscious decisions, and cultivate tolerant leadership. Future administrators, teachers, doctors, and policymakers will emerge from the student community, so they must become capable as the architects of the nation, she added. The adviser made the remarks while addressing the 3rd convocation of Bangladesh University (BU) at Senaprangan convention hall of Dhaka Cantonment today. She called upon students to cast “Yes” vote in the upcoming referendum to implement the reforms and demand appeared at mass uprising.

Jamaat-e-Islami chief Shafiqur Rahman is scheduled to meet Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus on Sunday. A five-member delegation led by Shafiqur will hold the meeting with Yunus at the State Guest House Jamuna in the evening, according to a senior official at the Chief Advisor’s Office. The meeting comes days after BNP chief Tarique Rahman paid a courtesy call on the head of the interim government. Tarique was accompanied by his wife, Zubaida Rahman, and their daughter, Zaima Rahman on that occasion.

US says killed militant linked to Syria attack on its forcesWASHINGTON, United States, Jan 18, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - The US military said Saturday a strike in northwest Syria had killed a militant linked to a deadly attack on three Americans last month. The announcement of Friday's operation came one week after "large-scale" strikes by US and allied forces against the Islamic State group in Syria. Syria's interior ministry has said the IS gunman was a member of the security forces who had been set to be fired for extremism. Operation Hawkeye Strike, which the US launched in response to the December 13 attack, has seen US and partner forces "hitting more than 100 ISIS infrastructure and weapons site targets," CENTCOM said. More than 300 IS fighters have been captured and 20 killed in the past year in Syria, it added.

MELBOURNE, Jan 18, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - A relieved world number three Alexander Zverev said he was encouraged by the way he responded from a set down on Sunday to reach the Australian Open second round. "But happy with the way I played the second, third and fourth, because I thought that was quite a high level for me. Zverev was broken early and slumped 4-1 behind in the opening set, struggling with the Canadian's booming serve. Another break on Diallo's first service game in the fourth set put Zverev on his way to sealing the match. His reward is a clash next with either Australian world number 49 Alexei Popyrin or 50th-ranked Frenchman Alexandre Muller.

MELBOURNE, Jan 18, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Frenchman Corentin Moutet defended his tactics Sunday after serving underarm on match-point against home hope Tristan Schoolkate at the Australian Open. The 32nd seed was on the cusp of victory on Kia Arena when he sent down the serve, which confounded Schoolkate who hit his sliced return long. It handed Moutet a 6-4, 7-6 (7/1), 6-3 first-round win, but he was booed at the end. "I don't know, I did it because I thought I could win the point, which I won the point actually. Moutet has used the underarm tactic before, sending down six of them during his second-round win against Daniel Altmaier in Mallorca last year.

International cricket has weathered many storms throughout its history, navigating political tensions, security threats, and diplomatic standoffs. So far, the concerns centre on Kolkata, where Bangladesh is scheduled to play three of their group matches. How can security forces prevent all possible confrontations between Bangladeshi cricket fans and hostile elements in a city of millions? The answer is that they can’t, which is precisely why Bangladesh’s concerns can’t be dismissed as mere diplomatic posturing. For Bangladesh, the position is clear: Kolkata, with all its cricketing history and iconic venues, has become a place where the pitch can’t be separated from the powder keg.

If people refuse to pay taxes, then we've a useful indication that the tax rate is too high. If people smuggle and then dodge import taxation, then this is useful information that import taxes are too high. That 20% of the market simply ignores the very idea itself would indicate that perhaps that tax rate is too high. That people dodge the 43% tax tells us that the tax is too high anyway. So, the correct thing to do is abolish the import tax.

However, they have long been AFCON underachievers, with their only title to date coming in 1976. This will be their first final since 2004, when they lost to Tunisia with Regragui part of the team. "We dreamt of being here and now we have done it," Regragui told reporters in the Moroccan capital on Saturday. "I hope this is just the beginning and not our last AFCON final," he added. He added: "Senegal will need to be really strong to beat us at home, although they are capable."

The event occurred around 4:30 am on Friday at the Karim Filling Station in Goalanda Mor, Rajbari district. When the driver refused to pay and tried to drive away, Saha positioned himself in front of the vehicle to block its exit. CCTV footage reviewed by police shows Saha and the vehicle’s owner, Abul Hashem (also known as Sujan), near the car. This fatality arrives against a backdrop of multiple reported attacks on Bangladesh’s Hindu community in recent months. The Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council documented 51 communal violence cases in December 2025 alone, attributing the pattern partly to attempts to suppress minority participation in forthcoming general elections.