Trump says 'thank you' to Iran for not hanging protestersWASHINGTON, United States, Jan 17, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - US President Donald Trump thanked Iran's leadership on Friday after saying Tehran had called off the executions of hundreds of protesters arrested in a brutal crackdown. "I greatly respect the fact that all scheduled hangings, which were to take place yesterday (Over 800 of them), have been cancelled by the leadership of Iran. Trump repeatedly threatened military action against Iran over the past two weeks to help protesters, where rights groups say Iranian forces have killed thousands of people. But he is now holding off on intervening after saying on Wednesday that he had been told the killings had stopped. "Nobody convinced me -- I convinced myself," Trump told reporters later Friday as he left the White House to head to Florida for the weekend.

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Photo : BSSRAJSHAHI, Jan 16, 2026 (BSS)- A three-day admission test for first-year honors classes in the 2025-2026 academic session of Rajshahi University (RU) began today (Friday) amid massive preparations. The admission of the C unit began in two shifts on this day. A total of 1,18,962 students appeared in the C unit test with 26 Departments belonging to the science, agriculture, engineering, bioscience, and geosciences faculties. VC Saleh Hassan Naquib said the admission test for the C unit was held today, while Saturday has been fixed for A unit. Detailed information about the admission tests remained available in http://admission.ru.ac.bd/ website.

Photo: BSSCUMILLA, Jan 16, 2026 (BSS) - Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) has recovered a Chinese rifle and a locally-made firearm that were looted from a police station during last year, following a special operation in Muradnagar upazila of the district. The recovery was confirmed on Friday at around 12 noon by Major Sadman Ibne Alam, company commander of RAB-11, CPC-2 in Cumilla. Following the incident, intelligence surveillance was intensified nationwide to track down and recover the looted government weapons. As part of that ongoing effort, the two firearms were recovered in Muradnagar based on confidential information. RAB stated that legal proceedings are underway in connection with the recovered weapons.

A Krishak League leader in Tungipara upazila of Gopalganj has announced his resignation,stating that he does not even know who included his name in the union committee. He made the announcement at a press conference held at his residence at Patgati village in theupazila on Thursday night. Rakhal Sarkar was the Assistant Office Secretary of the Patgati Union Krishak League. In his written statement, he said that he recently came to know that during the tenure of theprevious Awami League government, his name had been included—without his knowledge—asAssistant Office Secretary of the Patgati Union Krishak League. He also said that he does not know who or how his name was included in thecommittee.

Adviser Supradip Chakma today spoke as the chief guest at a voter awareness rally at the Khagrachari Town Hall. Photo : BSSKHAGRACHARI, Jan 16, 2026 (BSS)- Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) Affairs Adviser Supradip Chakma today called constitutional reform to establish a truly democratic nation. The rally was organized under the theme “Referendum 2026: The key to the country is in your hands.”Supradip Chakma urged the public to cast 'Yes' votes to fulfil their aspirations. He stated that the referendum aims to end the struggle for power and instead create a stable state structure. He said national election and the referendum will be held simultaneously which is a historic opportunity for comprehensive state reform.

Photo: BSSDHAKA, Jan 16, 2026 (BSS) - Rajbari and Dhaka U-17 district football teams stormed into the final in Dholeshshari zone of U-17 National Football Championship eliminating their respective rivals in the semifinals held at Rajbari district Stadium in Rajbari today (Friday). The final of the championship will be held on Sunday (Jan 18) at the same venue at 2 pm. In the day's first semifinal, Rajbari beat Madaripur by 2-0 goals with Arafat Sikder scored both the goals for the winners' in the 1st and 20th minutes. in day's second keenly contested semifinal, Dhaka district team beat Narayanganj district team by 5-4 goals in penalty shoot out after the regulation time failed to break the deadlock. In the penalty shootout, the Dhaka district goalkeeper performed brilliantly, blocking multiple Narayanganj shots and playing an important role in the team's victory.

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A civic condolence meeting was held in the capital on Friday to commemorate the late BNP chairperson and former prime minister Begum Khaleda Zia. No representatives of the BNP or members of Khaleda Zia’s family addressed the gathering. Law adviser Dr Asif Nazrul Islam said Khaleda Zia possessed many extraordinary qualities. Prof Dr Mahbub Ullah said Khaleda Zia would be remembered forever for her immense sacrifice and dedication to the country. In his concluding remarks, former chief justice Syed JR Modassir Hosain said: “Khaleda Zia represents a significant chapter in Bangladesh’s political history.

Several routes in Sariakandi upazila of Bogra have been closed due to navigability crisis in theJamuna River. Several ferry ghats—including Altaf Ali Ghat at Partit Parol village, Hasnapara, Nijbalai,Dighapara and Charalkandi—have remained closed for months due to the navigability crisis. Altaf Ali, a boatman at the Altaf Ali ferry ghat, said the ghat has remained closed for monthsbecause of low water levels. Aminul Islam, a boatman at Kalitala ferry ghat, said boats are repeatedly getting stuck onsandbars. “Once the port is established, the river route will remainunder year-round dredging,” he said, advising the parties concerned to contact the BangladeshInland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA).

Chief Adviser’s Press Secretary Mohammad Shafiqul Alam said voters affiliated with the Awami League will turn out and vote for candidates of their choice in the upcoming election. “Many ask what Awami League voters will do when they go to polling centers. Awami League voters will come and vote for their preferred candidates,” he said while speaking as the chief guest at an exchange of views with journalists at the Brahmanbaria Press Club on Friday afternoon. He added that no one was advocating on behalf of the Awami League, which he accused of past abuses, including branding protesters as militants. The exchange meeting was chaired by Brahmanbaria Press Club President Javed Rahim Bijan.

Adviser Supradip Chakma today spoke at a view-exchange meeting on the referendum and voter motivation campaign at Khagrachari Town Hall. Photo : BSSKHAGRACHARI, Jan 16, 2026 (BSS) - Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) Affairs Adviser Supradip Chakma today said the Chief Adviser is taking strong measures to ensure a transparent, credible, and widely accepted election, with around 90 percent of polling centers to be brought under closed-circuit television (CCTV) surveillance. "To make the election transparent, about 90 percent of polling centers will be monitored through CCTV, and police personnel at each center will also be equipped with body cameras," he said. "As a result, no one will have the opportunity to engage in misconduct or act arbitrarily at polling centers during this election," the adviser said. The adviser called on all concerned to cooperate in ensuring a victory for the 'yes' vote in the referendum.

Government employees observed a symbolic hunger strike in Thakurgaon on Friday to presshome their various demands, including implementation of discrimination-free 9th payscale—based on a 1:4 ratio and 12-grade structure. The demands also include setting a minimum salary of Tk 35,000, and publication of the payscale gazette promptly and its implementation since January 1, 2026. The program was organized by Thakurgaon District Branch of Bangladesh GovernmentEmployees Coordination Council. The hunger strike took place at Thakurgaon Press Clubpremises from 9:30 am to 12:30 pm on Friday. District branch’s Chief Adviser Dabirul Islam, President Nazmul Haque, Delwar Hossain, AminulIslam, and other leaders spoke at the program.

Dhaka University Rokeya Hall organized a series of day-long programmes on Thursday to observe Rokeya Day. Photo: BSSDHAKA, Jan 16, 2026 (BSS) - The Dhaka University (DU) Rokeya Hall organized a series of day-long programmes on Thursday to observe Rokeya Day, culminating in the distribution of the prestigious Begum Rokeya Memorial Foundation Gold Medal and Scholarships. The day's festivities included a colorful rally, the 37th Begum Rokeya Memorial Foundation commemorative lecture, and an award ceremony held at the Rokeya Hall auditorium in the evening, said a press release. Congratulating the awardees, he described them as the "successors of Begum Rokeya" and urged them to spread the light of knowledge throughout society. This year, Jayanti Ghosh, a student from the Department of Mathematics, was honored with the 'Begum Rokeya Memorial Foundation Gold Medal'.

The victory confirmed Rajshahi's top-two finish on the points table alongside Chattogram Royals, ensuring a place in Qualifier 1 on January 21. Sylhet could have stayed in contention for a top-two finish had they won the game. Moeen was eventually dismissed for a brisk 27 off 12 balls, an innings laced with one four and three sixes. Rajshahi's innings was anchored by senior batters Mushfiqur Rahim and Najmul Hossain Shanto, who added 56 runs for the third wicket after the team slumped to 27-2 inside four overs. The departure of the duo stalled Rajshahi's momentum, and they fell short of the 150-run mark.