Khaleda Zia, who passed away on December 30, remains trapped in that shadow. Invoking Robert Frost’s familiar refrain, Khaleda Zia took the road less traveled -- then declined to market the trip. By the end of Khaleda Zia’s second term in 2006, the agricultural share had receded to 20% as industry climbed to 27%. Khaleda Zia governed within a hostile landscape, navigating the lingering shadow of military power, donor pressure, and relentless political polarization. Zia avoided the sterile idiom of technocracy, and her leadership nevertheless laid the essential foundations of Bangladesh’s industrial transition.

A court on Sunday granted bail to Mahdi Hasan, Habiganj district general secretary of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement, on a bond of Tk200 following controversy over remarks he made about the police while inside a police station. He was produced before the court of Habiganj Judicial Magistrate Abdul Mannan at 7:20am after being taken from Habiganj Sadar Model Police Station. Mahdi Hasan is the member secretary of the Habiganj district unit of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement. He is a first-year undergraduate student at Habiganj Brindaban Government College and hails from the Bhadoi area of Habiganj Sadar upazila. In a video, Mahdi Hasan is heard making threatening remarks against the administration, which sparked widespread discussion and criticism.

CARACAS, Jan 3, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Venezuelan opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Maria Corina Machado said Saturday the "hour of freedom" had arrived for her country after the United States seized strongman Nicolas Maduro. "Venezuelans, the HOUR OF FREEDOM has arrived!" "We are going to restore order," she stated, adding Gonzalez Urrutia must now be "recognized as Commander in Chief of the National Armed Forces by all officers and soldiers." Machado was barred from running in the 2024 election by institutions loyal to Maduro, and was replaced on the ticket by Gonzalez Urrutia, a little-known diplomat. She was awarded the Nobel prize for "her struggle to achieve a just and peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy."

Of the registered voters, 11,22,287 are men and 184,806 are women. District-wise, Cumilla topped the list with 99,915 registered voters, followed by Dhaka with 93,465 and Chattogram with 83,759. Meanwhile, for the 13th Jatiya Sangsad Election and the referendum, postal ballots have been sent to 581,689 expatriate voters across 75 countries worldwide over the last 14 days. Among them, the highest numbers of 187,443 ballots were sent to expatriate voters in Saudi Arabia. For registration, expatriate voters must use a mobile number of the respective country.

Australia, NZ back international law after US raid on VenezuelaSYDNEY, Jan 4, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Australia and New Zealand said Sunday they supported international law and a democratic future in Venezuela after US forces captured President Nicolas Maduro. "We continue to support international law and a peaceful, democratic transition in Venezuela that reflects the will of the Venezuelan people." Australia had long-standing concerns about Venezuela's respect for democratic principles, human rights and fundamental freedoms, Albanese said. "New Zealand is concerned by and actively monitoring developments in Venezuela and expects all parties to act in accordance with international law," Foreign Minister Winston Peters said. "New Zealand stands with the Venezuelan people in their pursuit of a fair, democratic and prosperous future," he said in a statement.

Questa releases a Privacy focused AI Analytics Assistant that first anonymizes all sensitive information from documents to prevent AI training on them. AI Privacy is not an abstract academic concept anymore but rather a real world challenge. Questa Safe AI tries to answer that question with a clear and confident “yes” as they introduce their new and unique Safe AI Assistant called Novara. Novara empowers users to find answers and insights from their own everyday business files using any AI model like GPT, Claude or Gemini without the risk of AI Training on confidential information. Questa itself provides more AI based services like Business Analytics but the Blackbox Anonymizer works for all 3rd party Agentic AI services too.

LOS ANGELES, United States, Jan 4, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Spanish midfielder Riqui Puig will miss a second straight Major League Soccer season in 2026 after another surgery on his left knee, the Los Angeles Galaxy said Saturday. Puig missed all of the 2026 campaign after tearing his left anterior cruciate ligament in the 2024 MLS Cup Western Conference final, missing the Galaxy's title-clinching victory in the MLS Cup final a week later. The 26-year-old had returned to training with the Southern California club last autumn, but the Galaxy said Friday he'd suffered a setback. "Puig is expected to make a full recovery and be ready to rejoin the team for the start of the 2027 MLS season." Puig, a product of Barcelona's famed La Masia academy, arrived in the United States in 2022.

SPIN BOLDAK, Afghanistan, Jan 4, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Nearly three months since border clashes prompted the closure of land crossings between Pakistan and Afghanistan, university students, merchants and families are left hanging with no way of getting back. But the border has been shut since October 12, leaving many like him with no viable option of making it home. Relatives in Afghanistan have hosted the family, but he said he felt a sense of "embarrassment" for overstaying their welcome. Neither government has given any clear signal about when or under what conditions the border could reopen. "All our livelihoods depend on this gate," he said, hoping the border would reopen soon.

Hindu-Buddhist-Christian Oikya Parishad leaders today meet Tarique Rahman in Gulshan, Dhaka. Photo : BSSDHAKA, Jan 03, 2026 (BSS) - Leaders of the Bangladesh Hindu-Buddhist-Christian Oikya Parishad expressed deep grief over the death of BNP Chairperson and former Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia, during a visit to her political office in Gulshan this afternoon. Following this, the leaders met with BNP Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman to console him and convey their sympathies to his family. BNP senior leaders, including Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and members of the party's standing committee, were present to welcome the delegation. Among the parishad leaders present were Bangladesh Puja Udjavan Parishad President Basudeb Dhar, General Secretary Santosh Sharma, Oikya Parishad Acting General Secretary Manindra Kumar Nath, Presidium members Kajal Debnath and Advocate Subrata Chowdhury, Sri Sri Dhakeshwari National Temple Management Committee President Chitta Ranjan Majumder, General Secretary DN Chatterjee, and Mohanagar Sarbojanin Puja Udjapan Committee General Secretary Dr Tapas Chandra Pal.

Root and Brook dig in as England reach 114-3 in 5th Ashes TestSYDNEY, Jan 4, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Joe Root and Harry Brook led a rescue mission after England lost three wickets in a torrid opening session of the fifth and final Ashes Test against Australia in Sydney on Sunday. At lunch, Root was not out 31 and Brook on 23 to steer them to 114-3 after opting to bat at a sold-out Sydney Cricket Ground. England came into the game buoyed by a four-wicket win inside two days at the previous Test in Melbourne, desperate to keep the momentum going. It is the first time in almost 140 years that the hosts have not played a front-line spinner during a Sydney Test. Root joined Brook at the crease and they began to rebuild, putting on an unbroken 57 to reach the interval unscathed.

Photo : BSSDHAKA, Jan 3, 2026 (BSS) - Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation (BRTC) today launched a shuttle bus service on the occasion of 30th Dhaka International Trade Fair to ensure smooth transportation for visitors. Secretary of the Road Transport and Highways Division Dr Mohammad Ziaul Haque inaugurated the service. BRTC Chairman Abdul Latif Mollah, along with BRTC directors, officials and employees, was present at the ceremony. According to the revised schedule of the trade fair, the shuttle bus service has started operation today and will continue until the fair concludes. The final return trip from the fair venue will depart at 11:00 pm.

CARACAS, Jan 4, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Venezuela's Supreme Court late Saturday ordered Vice President Delcy Rodriguez to become the country's interim leader, after the United States seized President Nicolas Maduro and whisked him out of the country. The high court ruled that Rodriguez "assume and exercise, in an acting capacity, all the attributes, duties and powers inherent to the office of President...to guarantee administrative continuity and the comprehensive defense of the nation." The judges stopped short of declaring Maduro permanently absent from office, a ruling that requires holding elections within 30 days.

Maduro arrives in New York after capture by USNEWBURGH, United States, Jan 4, 2026 (BSS/AFP) -Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro arrived Saturday evening at a military base in the United States and was transferred to New York City, after his capture by US forces in Caracas. FBI agents surrounded Maduro as he descended from a US government plane and slowly escorted him along the tarmac at a National Guard facility in New York state. The detention center is the same jail where rapper Sean "Diddy" Combs was held throughout his trial last year. Maduro and his wife are to be arraigned at an unspecified date before a judge in New York. They have been charged with "narco-terrorism," importing tons of cocaine into the United States, and possession of illegal weapons.

BANDARBAN, Jan 3, 2025 (BSS) - A man was trampled to death by wild elephant at Baishari union under Naikhongchhari upazila of the district on Saturday morning. The victim, 30-year-old Abdus Salam, son of Abdus Sattar, a resident of the same area, was a local tubewell mechanic. As the locals came out to see the wild animal, a dog began barking, disturbing the elephant. The elephant trampled him, causing serious injuries. "It has been initially confirmed that the person died as a result of a wild elephant attack," he said.

Photo : BSSJASHORE, Jan 3, 2026 (BSS) - The scrutiny of nomination papers for the 13th National Parliament election took place on January 3, with the District Returning Officer declaring the nomination papers of six candidates invalid in the Jashore-5 and 6 constituencies. The scrutiny process, which began at 10 am in the meeting room of the Deputy Commissioner’s office, revealed several errors and discrepancies in the nomination papers. Among the affected candidates were those from the Jatiya Party, Islami Andolan Bangladesh, and independent candidates. Of these, the nomination papers of four candidates were declared invalid due to various issues identified during the scrutiny. Iqbal Hossain (Independent, BNP leader)In Jashore-6 constituency, five candidates submitted their nomination papers, two of which were declared invalid.