NEW YORK, Jan 31, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Jeff Bezos's space company Blue Origin said Friday it would temporarily pause flights of its space tourism rocket to focus more resources on its lunar ambitions. "The decision reflects Blue Origin's commitment to the nation's goal of returning to the Moon and establishing a permanent, sustained lunar presence," the statement read. But Blue Origin also aims to compete with Elon Musk's SpaceX in the orbital flight market. Also last year, NASA said it was opening bids for a planned Moon mission, the third phase of the Artemis program, to compete against rival SpaceX, which the then-chief said was "behind." Blue Origin currently has the contract for the fifth planned mission of the multibillion-dollar Artemis program.

CARACAS, Jan 31, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Venezuela's acting president Delcy Rodriguez announced on Friday a move to grant "general amnesty" for political violence in the country, in her latest major reform since being installed after the US toppling of Nicolas Maduro. "We have decided to propose a general amnesty law covering the entire period of political violence from 1999 to the present," Rodriguez said during remarks at a ceremony at the Supreme Court. She also announced the impending closure of the notorious El Helicoide prison in Caracas, where rights groups say political prisoners were tortured by Maduro's intelligence services.

After months of trading insults from their very active social media accounts, presidents Donald Trump and Gustavo Petro will hold an unlikely summit in Washington on Tuesday. Trump and Petro come from opposite ends of the political spectrum, and have sparred over everything from Israeli operations in Gaza to jailed migrants to Venezuela. "Both Trump and Petro are volatile," said Felipe Botero, a political expert at the University of the Andes. Ahead of the meeting, Petro took steps to please Washington, announcing the resumption of migrant deportation flights to Colombia, the original trigger of the Petro-Trump conflict. The government says Petro also agreed with Trump to act jointly against the ELN -- Colombia's largest guerrilla group -- near the Venezuela border, after failed peace talks.

RUBAYA, DR Congo, Jan 31, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - A series of landslides struck a militia-held mine in the Democratic Republic of Congo, burying people alive and killing several, the governor and witnesses told AFP on Friday. A second landslide struck on Thursday morning. Some were buried and others are still in the pits," freelance miner Franck Bolingo told AFP. Eraston Bahati Musanga, the M23?appointed governor of North Kivu province, told AFP the slide had been deadly. Several international mining firms have temporarily halted their operations in the east as a result of the M23's advance.

Bangladesh Chhatra Union removed a "Yes" billboard put up by Bangladesh Islami Chhatra Shibir in support of the referendum from the Raju Sculpture at Dhaka University around midnight on Friday. The billboard was removed at around 12am, Chhatra Union leaders said. The organisation claimed the billboard was removed and relocated elsewhere as it had covered the statue of martyr Moin Hossain Raju. Bangladesh Chhatra Union (Party) Central Committee General Secretary Bahauddin Shuvo said a large billboard promoting Islami Chhatra Shibir’s campaign had been installed in front of the Raju Sculpture. Chhatra Union activists removed the billboard to free the sculpture,” he said.

Five people were killed after a drum truck hit a van in Mohadevpur upazila of Naogaon early Saturday. Resident Medical Officer (RMO) of Mohadevpur Upazila Health Complex Imrul Kayes confirmed the deaths. They are Bipul Pahan, 25, and Sanju Rao, 45, both residents of the Nurpur area of the upazila. Mohadevpur Fire Service and Civil Defence Station Officer-in-Charge Abul Kashem said the drum truck was heading towards Patnitala from Mahadevpur when it lost control and hit the van. Two people died on the spot, while three others were rescued in critical condition and taken to Mohadevpur Upazila Health Complex, where they later died, the RMO said.

MELBOURNE, Jan 31, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Belgium's Elise Mertens and Chinese partner Zhang Shuai clinched their first Grand Slam women's doubles title as a team Saturday when they downed Anna Danilina and Aleksandra Krunic at the Australian Open. The fourth seeds, in only their seventh event together, were too good for the seventh-seeded Kazakh and Serbian pair on Rod Laver Arena, winning 7-6 (7/4), 6-4. Currently ranked sixth, Mertens will reclaim the women's doubles world number one ranking with the victory. It was a third Australian Open doubles crown for the experienced Belgian, who won in 2021 alongside Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka and again in 2024 playing with Taiwan's Hsieh Su-wei. Zhang won the tournament with Australian Samantha Stosur in 2019.

LONDON, Jan 31, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Gold and silver prices dived Friday, European stock markets ended the week up while Wall Street fell slightly with investors reassured by US President Donald Trump's pick to take over as head of the Federal Reserve. Kathleen Brooks, research director at XTB trading group, said the "interesting pick... may give the market some hope that Fed independence will be preserved". - A rollercoaster week -Precious metals prices tumbled on Friday after surging in recent days when investors sought a safe haven over doubts about Trump's policies. "The building tensions between Iran and the US have driven Brent crude prices to a six-month high," said Megan Fisher, assistant economist at Capital Economics. "That said, we think that the historical example of last year's 12-day war (between Iran and Israel with US involvement), and a well-supplied oil market, will still bear down on Brent crude prices by end-2026."

Trump picks former US Fed official as next central bank chiefWASHINGTON, United States, Jan 31, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - President Donald Trump said Friday he would nominate former Federal Reserve governor Kevin Warsh to be the next US central bank chief, a move that has sparked cautious optimism among observers. Warsh, 55, was the youngest person to serve as a Fed governor, a role he held from 2006 to 2011. Trump considered Warsh for the top Fed job too during his first presidency, but eventually chose Powell -- a decision he quickly soured on. "He cares about the history of the Fed, the process of the Fed, central bank independence, he's talked about this before." Trump's selection ends a race that narrowed to four contenders -- Warsh; Fed governor Christopher Waller; Rick Rieder of BlackRock; and Trump's top economic adviser Kevin Hassett.

US says all American prisoners released from Venezuela jailsCARACAS, Jan 31, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - US authorities said Friday that all Americans known to be held prisoner in Venezuela had been released, a major diplomatic concession from the new leadership in Caracas. "We are pleased to confirm the release by the interim authorities of all known US citizens held in Venezuela," the embassy in Caracas posted on social media. The announcement came hours after the release of Peruvian-American political prisoner Arturo Gallino Rullier. For years, Venezuela has routinely arrested foreigners on a range of charges from spying to plotting attacks. Foreign governments have long alleged the charges were trumped up and the arrests amounted to little more than hostage-taking.

Kremlin says agreed to halt strikes on Kyiv until SundayKYIV, Ukraine, Jan 31, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - The Kremlin on Friday said President Vladimir Putin had agreed to stop striking Kyiv for a week -- ending Sunday -- following a request by his US counterpart Donald Trump. Trump had said he asked Putin to halt strikes on the Ukrainian capital and the surrounding area due to extreme cold weather. Russia's battering of Ukraine's energy grid has left whole districts without heating, with temperatures expected to plunge to around -30C in Kyiv in the coming days, raising fears of a humanitarian crisis. This week, Ukraine has not reported the usual large-scale barrage of drones and missiles that Russia has launched at Kyiv throughout the war. "There were no strikes on energy facilities last night," Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky said on social media Friday.

A recent research, “Disinformation Targeting Female Political Figures in Bangladesh,” investigates how gendered disinformation is produced, circulated, and weaponized against female leaders and student activists in Bangladesh. It reviewed 40 distinct fact-checked reports concerning 12 female student activists, constituting 22.7% of the overall sample. This analysis reveals systematic patterns in gendered disinformation -- several core strategies that work in combination to silence women’s political participation. Disinformation campaigns against female student activists in Bangladesh constitutes deliberate political warfare. Research on gendered disinformation in South Asian contexts demonstrates how attacks often layer gender with ethnicity, religion, and class through digital tools.

International education and cooperation will play an important role. For decades, the European Union has partnered with Bangladesh to strengthen human capital through education and skills development. A central pillar of this cooperation is Erasmus+, the EU’s flagship program for education, training, youth and sport. In this way, Erasmus+ supports systemic reform, helping education institutions become more responsive to labour-market needs, technological change and global challenges such as climate transition. Supporting labour mobility, international skills recognition, and cooperation between education and training systems.

Such an initiative offers a glimpse of what Bangladesh can achieve if inclusivity becomes the cornerstone of governance, an area we have struggled with for far too long. With simple arrangements -- ramps, sign language interpretation, clear visual instructions, and seating for senior citizens -- voting can be transformed into an experience of independence and respect for all. It is imperative, however, that such initiatives scale up, not only for inclusive polling, but overall inclusive public service delivery. Such measures would not only empower persons with disabilities but also benefit senior citizens, pregnant women, and others who often struggle with access. Inclusivity is not charity but justice -- ensuring it will only strengthen our society.

LILLE, France, Jan 31, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - French authorities rescued more than 6,000 migrants attempting to reach Britain in small boats last year, while 25 people died and two remain missing, the maritime prefecture said Friday in its annual report. Despite the dangers, attempts to make the perilous journey in flimsy craft have "not slowed down", said France's maritime prefecture for the Channel and the North Sea (PREMAR). Nearly 50,000 people aboard 795 boats attempted to cross the Channel from France to the United Kingdom in 2025, according to the report. French authorities rescued 6,177 people, while 25 died, it said. The British authorities recorded 41,472 small-boat arrivals in 2025, the second-highest total after a record 45,774 in 2022.