Campaigning by candidates contesting the 13th national elections and the referendum, scheduled for February 12, will officially end at 7:30am on Tuesday. Recently, the Election Commission cancelled the 13th national election in Sherpur-3 constituency following the death of a Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami candidate. A total of 51 political parties are participating in the elections with 2,034 candidates in total, including 275 independent candidates. On the other hand, National Citizen Party (NCP) has fielded 32 candidates with the water lily bud symbol. Among the independent candidates, 76 are contesting with the football symbol.

HONG KONG (AP) — Jimmy Lai , the pro-democracy former Hong Kong media tycoon and a fierce critic of Beijing , was sentenced on Monday to 20 years in prison in the longest punishment given so far under a China-imposed national security law that has virtually silenced the city’s dissent. Lai was one of the first prominent figures to be arrested under the security law in 2020. “It signifies the total destruction of the Hong Kong legal system and the end of justice,” he said. Hong Kong ranked 140th out of 180 territories in the press-freedom index compiled by media freedom organization Reporters Without Borders in 2025, far from its 18th place in 2002. “Obviously, he has done nothing good for Hong Kong that could serve as a basis for his mitigation,” he told reporters.

That’s where Vonn went down. It happened there but it could have been in another.”Mandatory air bag inflated under Vonn’s racing suitWhen she came to a stop, Vonn’s skis were facing in opposite directions, still attached to her bindings. The mandatory safety air bag inflated under her racing suit during the crash, supplier Dainese confirmed to the AP. The air bag, which is triggered by a complicated algorithm when racers lose control, may have softened her landing. It was evident that the air bag had opened, because Vonn’s chest appeared puffed out when she was lying on the snow.

This shift helped keep marriage rates stable even as campus gender balances shifted. But that adjustment that helped college women maintain stable marriage rates has had spillover effects for non-college women. As college women increasingly partnered with these men, the pool of financially stable partners for non-college women shrank. In areas where most non-college men are employed, marriage rates for non-college women are higher, Chambers explained. Marriage trends reflect more than economic trends alone, and it remains unclear whether strong economic conditions would be enough to reverse them.

Reading time: about 3 minutesThe Student Assembly approved $50,000 in funding for the ALANA Intercultural Board at their Feb. 5 meeting and moved forward with six other funding requests from student organizations across campus. These funding requests will be filled through the Student Assembly’s Special Projects Fund, a resource designated to provide financial support for on-campus activities and student organizations. Kotlikoff and his administration are responsible for responding to Assembly proposals within 30 days, according to the Student Assembly charter. Although the unseated members will remain formally listed on the Assembly, the action strips them of their voting privileges, significantly limiting their ability to participate in Assembly decision-making. Unseated members must be voted back into the Assembly before they are able to vote on future motions.

Reading time: about 7 minutesThe Employee Assembly responded to a presentation by Cornell’s Committee on the Future of the American University and voiced concerns for staff welfare amid the University’s ongoing financial austerity measures in a meeting on Wednesday. The committee discussed goals to enhance the University’s undergraduate and graduate education, research and public outreach. And so thinking about the future of the American university, how do we fit into that narrative?”Kruser also raised concerns about staff welfare in Cornell’s Cooperative Extension program. Although several other members voiced similar concerns, E.A. Employee representatives will have an opportunity to submit topics for discussion and ask questions at the meeting.

Election manifestos in Bangladesh have long existed in the uneasy space between aspiration and selective memory. Voters appear less interested in charismatic dominance and more concerned with whether any future government can be restrained by institutions. Voters are deciding not only which promises sound attractive, but which political actors appear least likely to abuse power again. At the same time, the proliferation of reformist rhetoric across manifestos indicates that no single party monopolizes the language of change. The era of unchecked authority has lost moral legitimacy, and political language has shifted from domination to discipline.

Dhaka, the densely populated capital of Bangladesh, ranked second among the world’s most polluted cities on Monday morning, recording an Air Quality Index (AQI) of 254 at 9:17am. The city’s air was classified as ‘very unhealthy’, indicating a serious health threat, according to the AQI report. The AQI, which reports daily air quality, informs residents how clean or polluted the air is and highlights potential health effects. Dhaka has long struggled with air pollution. Air quality usually deteriorates in winter and improves during the monsoon season.

The empty room and the sound of democracyThis brings us to the central, dysfunctional space in our national life: The Jatiya Sangsad. This is why Prof Sobhan’s focus on a “functional” parliament is so tactical and so wise. He is proposing a radical first step: To make the parliament work as it was intended. Therefore, building a simple, working parliament is the most urgent national project. The choice to return to that first room, to take a seat, and to begin, at long last, the nation’s most important conversation.

Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission (BERC) on Sunday adjusted the Jet A-1 (jet fuel) price upward for domestic and international airlines. According to the regulatory commission circular, the price of Jet A-1 fuel was increased by Tk0.25 per litre to Tk95.12 from Tk94.93. Besides, the BERC also increased the price of fuel for international airlines by $0.11 per litre to $0.6257 from $0.6246, it said. The BERC announced the price of jet fuel for the first time in May 2025, saying that the jet fuel price would be adjusted with the international market every month. The regulatory agency said, considering the Platts Rate from January 5 to February 4 on average, it adjusted the jet fuel price for February 2026.

President of Nagorik Oikya Mahmudur Rahman Manna has decided not to contest the national parliamentary election from the Dhaka-18 constituency, citing high campaign costs and practical constraints. However, he said Dhaka-18 is a very large constituency and the financial burden of running a campaign there is beyond his capacity. In his post, Manna wrote that Dhaka-18 covers seven and a half thanas and has around 650,000 voters. Conducting an election campaign in such a large constituency is extremely expensive, which is why he has decided to withdraw his candidacy from Dhaka-18. Manna did not mention any further details about his position or plans regarding the Bogra-2 constituency.

HONG KONG (AP) — Jimmy Lai , the pro-democracy former Hong Kong media tycoon and a fierce critic of Beijing, was sentenced to 20 years in prison in the longest punishment given so far under a China-imposed national security law that has virtually silenced the city’s dissent. Lai was one of the first prominent figures to be arrested under the security law in 2020. “It signifies the total destruction of the Hong Kong legal system and the end of justice,” he said. Hong Kong leader John Lee said Lai’s sentence demonstrated the rule of law, citing his serious crimes. “Obviously, he has done nothing good for Hong Kong that could serve as a basis for his mitigation,” he told reporters.

Home Affairs Adviser Lt Gen (retd) Md Jahangir Alam Chowdhury on Sunday said there is no possibility of vote rigging in the national election, expressing confidence that the polls will be peaceful, fair and festive ones. “There is no scope for vote rigging. Responding to questions about whether a fair election was possible amid the current law and order situation, Jahangir Alam said all necessary preparations had been taken in line with the specific needs of different areas. It will be a free, fair and credible election,” he said. The adviser said law enforcement agencies, the administration and the Election Commission had completed all preparations despite the short timeframe, leaving no opportunity for irregularities.

Foreign Affairs Adviser Md Touhid Hossain on Sunday sought more investment in the areas of education, science and technology. Adviser Hossain was speaking at the signing ceremony of a Memorandum of Understanding between the Islamic University of Technology (IUT) and SEACO Universities Network (SUN) held at the State Guest House, Padma. "One of the shortcomings of the Muslim World is its backwardness in the areas of education, science and technology, despite possessing immense human potential and a rich intellectual heritage. It must invest more to transform its education system and bring meaningful change in the lives of the people," he said. Foreign Secretary Asad Alam Siam also attended the ceremony.

Joint forces led by Bangladesh Army detained over 600 Rohingyas outside of the Forcibly Displaced Myanmar Nationals camps at Palongkhali Union under Ukhiya upazila in Cox’s Bazar district on Sunday. Ukhiya police station officer-in-charge Nur Ahmed said that they were living in several places in the Palongkhali union under the shelter of Bangladeshis. ‘We have urged all Rohingyas to return to camps ahead of the elections. ‘In the past 2.5 years, over 1.5 lakh Rohingyas entered into Bangladesh from Myanmar. In August 2017, around eight lakh Rohingyas crossed into Bangladesh to save their lives from a military crackdown in Rakhine State, Professor Yunus mentioned, saying that Bangladesh now hosted around 13 lakh displaced Rohingyas, including 32,000 annual newborns in the camps.