Coldest Winter in Over a DecadeIn the winter of 2024-2025, the average temperature in Ithaca was 1.1 degrees Fahrenheit colder than normal. The winter of 2025-2026 was markedly colder than both, with an average temperature anomaly of -3.1 degrees Fahrenheit — making it the coldest winter in over a decade. The last winter with a greater negative average temperature anomaly than this winter was the infamous winter of 2014-2015, which was an average of 5.6 degrees Fahrenheit colder than normal. Jihan Bhuiyan The spring semester cold spell compared to cold spells since 1969 at the University’s Game Farm Road Weather Station. The coldest daily average temperature of the cold spell and of the entire winter was 0 degrees Fahrenheit on Feb. 8.

Town Meeting in Sandwich carries on an old, old Granite State traditionCarroll County community still holds annual gathering, about as close to direct democracy as you can get

State Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Shaikh Faridul Islam inaugurates Satbaria canal excavation, enhancing irrigation and benefiting 1,500 farmers. Photo : BSSBAGERHAT, Mar 17, 2026 (BSS) - State Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Shaikh Faridul Islam has said the canal excavation programme will protect the natural balance and farmers will benefit greatly from restored irrigation facilities. The state minister said this at the inauguration ceremony of the Satbaria canal excavation in Fakirhat upazila of the district on Monday afternoon. Shaikh Faridul Islam further said, "Shaheed President Ziaur Rahman transformed a poor and struggling Bangladesh into an agriculturally self-reliant country. The re-excavation of the Satbaria canal in Fakirhat upazila will be implemented by BADC.

FUJAIRAH, United Arab Emirates, March 17, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - A new drone strike hit the Fujairah oil complex on the UAE's east coast on Tuesday causing a fire but no injuries, local authorities said. "Civil defence teams from the emirate intervened immediately on site and are continuing their efforts to bring the situation under control" the authorities said in a statement on X. The facility, which sits on the Gulf of Oman and enables the UAE to bypass the Strait of Hormuz for some exports, was already hit on Monday with a source telling AFP that oil loading into storage tanks was suspended.

JAMALPUR, Mar 17, 2026 (BSS) - The Agriculture Department, under an agricultural rehabilitation programme, will provide incentives for Aush paddy cultivation among small and marginal farmers in the district. Sources at the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) said a total of 6,000 farmers will receive incentives in the form of Aush paddy seeds and fertilizers. Of them, 1,450 farmers in Jamalpur Sadar upazila, 1,250 in Bakshiganj, 1,100 in Islampur, 700 in Melandah, 600 in Sarishabari, 600 in Dewanganj and 300 in Madarganj will receive the support. Each farmer will get five kilograms of high-yielding variety Aush paddy seed, 10 kilograms of DAP fertilizer and 10 kilograms of MOP fertilizer free of cost to cultivate one bigha of land. DAE Deputy Director Mohammad Alam Sharif Khan said the incentives will be distributed among small and marginal farmers to boost production.

Farmers celebrate BARI Wheat-33 harvest in Naogaon, promoting zinc-enriched, climate-resilient, high-yield agriculture. Photo : BSSRAJSHAHI, March 17, 2026 (BSS) - Agricultural experts have called on grassroots farmers to expand the cultivation of biofortified wheat varieties to help reduce zinc deficiency among the people. The appeal came at a field day where speakers highlighted the success of zinc-enriched wheat developed by Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute, particularly the BARI Wheat-33 variety. The project provides farmers with training, seeds, fertilizers, demonstration plots, and technical support, alongside coordination with government agricultural agencies. As part of these activities, a field day was held on Monday at the wheat field of farmer Md.

UNCTAD Chief Rebeca Grynspan called on Foreign Minister Dr Khalilur Rahman in New York. Photo : CollectedDHAKA, March 17, 2026 (BSS) - Foreign Minister Dr Khalilur Rahman and UNCTAD Secretary-General Rebeca Grynspan have discussed global economic risks stemming from the ongoing Middle East conflict, warning of adverse impacts on trade, energy markets and developing economies. The two leaders urged all concerned parties to avoid further escalation of the conflict and to pursue an urgent diplomatic solution. Grynspan, a former Vice President of Costa Rica, is a candidate for the position of Secretary-General of the United Nations, while Foreign Minister Rahman is contesting for the Presidency of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly. Ambassador Salahuddin Noman Chowdhury, Permanent Representative of Bangladesh to the United Nations, was present.

Kabul drug rehab clinic in ruins after Pakistan strikes on AfghanistanKABUL, March 17, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Crowds gathered on Tuesday outside a drug treatment centre in the Afghan capital, Kabul, in a bid for news of their loved ones after it was hit in a Pakistani air strike. At first light, chairs, blankets, pieces of hospital beds and human remains could be seen in the blackened ruins of the building. Afghanistan and Pakistan have been in conflict for months, with Islamabad accusing its neighbour of harbouring Islamist extremists who have mounted deadly cross-border attacks. Pakistan, however, denied Afghan claims that its latest attack on Kabul targeted civilians, instead insisting that it carried out precision strikes on "military installations and terrorist support infrastructure". "I heard the sound of the jet patrolling," Omid Stanikzai, 31, a security guard at the drug treatment centre, told AFP.

MAIDUGURI, Nigeria, March 17, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Multiple explosions staged by suspected suicide bombers rocked the northeastern Nigerian city of Maiduguri, killing at least 23 people and wounding more than 100 others, police said Tuesday. "Preliminary investigation reveals that the incidents were carried out by suspected suicide bombers," police spokesman Nahum Kenneth Daso said in a statement. "Regrettably, a total of twenty three (23) persons lost their lives, while one hundred and eight (108) others sustained varying degrees of injuries," he added. Fighters from Boko Haram and rival jihadist group Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) have recently stepped up attacks in northeastern Nigeria. Their 16-year campaign to establish a caliphate in the country has killed more than 40,000 people and displaced around two million.

TEHRAN, March 17, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Israel launched a wave of strikes on Tehran and Beirut on Tuesday while attacks in Baghdad drew neighbouring Iraq deeper into the Middle East war that has sparked economic turmoil across the globe. The war, now in its third week, has killed hundreds and quickly spread to include Iranian strikes on Gulf nations as well Israeli bombardment of Lebanon. Lebanese state media reported Tuesday that Israeli strikes at dawn hit a residential building in Beirut's southern suburbs, a stronghold of the pro-Iranian armed group Hezbollah. The regional war has also steadily pulled Iraq further into the fighting, after the country has long been a proxy battleground between the United States and Iran. Australia's central bank hiked its key interest rate Tuesday, pointing to "sharply higher fuel prices" driven by the US-Israel war on Iran.

DOHA, March 17, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Qatar said Tuesday it had intercepted a missile attack, as Iran continued its retaliatory campaign over US-Israeli strikes that killed its supreme leader. An AFP journalist heard several explosions in Doha on Tuesday, a day after similar blasts were heard across the Qatari capital. Qatar, like several other Gulf nations, has been targeted by both drones and missiles in recent days. "The Ministry of Defense of State of Qatar announces that armed forces intercepted missile attack which targeted State of Qatar," the defence ministry posted on X. In nearby Dubai, an AFP journalist heard three explosions after a mobile phone alert warned residents of the United Arab Emirates' most populous city to "immediately seek a safe place" over "potential missile threats".

File photoDHAKA, March 17, 2026 (BSS) - A weeklong holiday began from today (Tuesday) as the country gears up to celebrate Eid-ul-Fitr, the biggest religious festival of Muslims. Millions of people have already started leaving major cities including the capital to celebrate the festival with their families and near and dear ones in their home. Monday (March 16) was the last working day before Eid. Subject to moon sighting, Eid-ul-Fitr is expected to be celebrated in the country on March 20 or March 21. The government has also declared March 18 a holiday to ensure that people travelling home for Eid do not face disruption, making Monday the final working day for government officials and employees before the festival.

DHAKA, Mar 17, 2026 (BSS) - The holy Shab-e-Qadr, also known as Lailatul Qadr (the Night of Decree or power) when the first verses of the holy Quran were revealed to Prophet Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH), was observed across the country last night. Besides fasting, they devote themselves to praying, reciting the holy Quran and offering charity. On the occasion of Lailatul Qadr, Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has greeted the country's people and the Muslim Ummah. “The Lailatul Qadr is a glorious and blessed night, while the Holy Quran was descended on this glorious night of the holy month of Ramadan. Tarique Rahman prayed to Allah Almighty that infinite mercy and blessings of the holy Lailatul Qadr are poured in on all.

SYDNEY, March 17, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Accused Bondi Beach killer Naveed Akram's mother has received death threats and abuse following an antisemitic shooting that killed 15 people, his lawyer told a court on Monday. Naveed Akram and his father Sajid are accused of opening fire on a Hanukkah celebration at the Sydney beach in December. "The defendant is charged with the most serious and the most notorious terrorist act this country has ever seen," his lawyer Richard Wilson told the court. His mother, who cannot be named under an interim court order, received a phone call two weeks after the Bondi attack from a man who said, "Are you still alive? Wilson said there was a risk "vigilantes" would go further in taking out their anger over the attack on Akram's family.

DUBAI, March 17, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - An "unknown projectile" struck a tanker off the coast of Oman, a UK maritime agency said Tuesday, noting there were no reported injuries. "A Tanker has reported being struck by an unknown projectile whilst at anchor," UK Maritime Trade Operations said in a post on X. "Minor structural damage reported. No injuries to crew."