The 2021 champions are title contenders at the tournament in India and Sri Lanka beginning on Saturday, but it has been a horror build-up. "We'll take the learnings, we'll move on to the World Cup and we know we're a very good side in all conditions." "It really does defy logic that Steve Smith is not in the World Cup squad," tweeted former great Mark Waugh. After meeting Ireland, Australia will play 12th-ranked Zimbabwe, 20th-ranked Oman and co-hosts Sri Lanka with the top two progressing to the Super Eights. "We're going to the World Cup to try and win it, and we're solely focused on that," said a defiant Marsh.

File PhotoDHAKA, Feb 6, 2026 (BSS) - A total of 401,460 postal ballots have reached Bangladesh from expatriates registered on the “Postal Vote BD” app for the upcoming 13th Jatiya Sangsad (JS) Election and Referendum. Of them, 526,498 voters have received their ballots, while 482,817 have already cast their votes, he said, adding that in addition, 449,006 expatriates have submitted their ballots to the postal authorities of their respective countries. Meanwhile, the Election Commission (EC) has also begun sending postal ballots to voters residing inside the country (ICPV). Of these, 324,020 have received their ballots till 9:30 am Thursday. Among them, 259,394 voters have cast their votes, 213,697 have submitted ballots to post offices or mailboxes, and returning officers have received 30,706 ballots.

In the absence of the ousted Awami League, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and the Jamaat-e-Islami-led 11-party electoral alliance have emerged as the main contenders in the election. As a result, from the very first day of campaigning, political activities by both BNP and Jamaat have intensified across the constituency. BNP leaders have highlighted historical and political differences with Jamaat-e-Islami while outlining their own positions and policies before voters. Jamaat candidate Principal Nazmul Haque said he is contesting the election with a commitment to moral values and public service. Meanwhile, BNP candidate Abu Saeed Chand said Rajshahi has long been regarded as a strong organizational base for the BNP.

KYIV, Ukraine, Feb 6, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - A couple was killed in an overnight Russian drone strike on southern Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia region, an official said Friday. The 49-year-old man and 48-year-old woman died when their home in the city of Vilniansk was struck, regional military chief Ivan Fedorov said on Telegram. The attack came after Russian and Ukrainian officials held US-mediated talks in Abu Dhabi this week aimed at striking a deal to end Moscow's four-year invasion. A 14-year-old boy was wounded in a separate strike on the regional centre, also called Zaporizhzhia, Fedorov said in an earlier post. Preliminary information indicated another Russian attack on the outer suburbs of Ukraine's second-largest city Kharkiv, with no immediate reports of casualties, regional military head Oleg Synegubov said.

DHAKA, Feb 6, 2026 (BSS) - A mild cold wave is sweeping over the districts of Moulvibazar, Panchagarh, Rajshahi and Pabna and it may continue, according to the Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD). In a weather forecast valid for 24 hours commencing from 9 am today, the Met Office said weather may remain dry with temporary partly cloudy sky over the country. The highest temperature recorded today was 31.6 degrees Celsius in Teknaf while the lowest was 08.4 degrees Celsius in Sreemangal. Wind direction and speed in Dhaka was west to northwesterly at 08-12 kilometres per hour while relative humidity at 6am in the capital was recorded at 68 percent. Today's sunset in Dhaka will be at 5:48 pm while tomorrow's sunrise is expected at 6:37 am.

WASHINGTON, United States, Feb 6, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - AI tools can easily fabricate convincing images of Jeffrey Epstein with world leaders, a study showed Thursday, following a surge of manipulated photos falsely linking prominent politicians to the convicted sex offender. Grok Imagine, a tool developed by Elon Musk's xAI, produced "convincing fakes in seconds" with all five, the study said. "The findings demonstrate the ease with which bad actors can use AI imaging tools to generate realistic-seeming viral fakes -- and why fake images have become so routine that it's difficult to tell authentic images from AI-generated images," NewsGuard said. When the watchdog prompted OpenAI's ChatGPT, it declined to produce any images showing Epstein with the politicians. This week, a fake Trump social media post circulated across platforms, AFP's fact-checkers reported.

"Prime Minister Takaichi is someone who deserves powerful recognition for the job she and her Coalition are doing," he added. While US presidents have typically refrained from endorsing candidates in overseas elections, Trump has done so repeatedly, including throwing his backing behind Argentina's Javier Milei and Hungary's Viktor Orban. Takaichi, 64, pulled out all the stops to welcome Trump to Japan days after she took office, endorsing the 79-year-old for the Nobel Peace Prize and gifting him golf memorabilia. - Polls -Pollsters -- with some caution due to undecided voters -- point to a resounding win in Sunday's elections for Takaichi after her honeymoon start. "Trump will welcome the election of a conservative leader with a strong mandate...

ABU DHABI, Feb 6, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Russia and the United States agreed to resume high-level military contacts, in a major step of rapprochement between the world's top nuclear powers at Ukraine talks in Abu Dhabi on Thursday. Moscow and Washington suspended senior military dialogue shortly before Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, with then US President Joe Biden severing almost all contact with Russia. The agreement to restore military contacts came after two days of talks between US, Russian and Ukrainian delegates in Abu Dhabi, searching for a deal to end the war in Ukraine. Those negotiations resulted in the first prisoner exchange in four months, but Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called the discussions complicated and urged faster progress. "It is certainly not easy, but Ukraine has been and will remain as constructive as possible," Zelensky said of the talks.

PSG have had a rare week between games after their surprise exit in the domestic cup but must navigate a two-legged Champions League play-off with Monaco later in February for a place in the round of 16. "We have a team that gives you the impression of being very strong, so it's normal that there are expectations. "I'm not saying that just because they won the last Champions League - I really believe it." Key stats4 - games in which Marseille have dropped points after conceding goals in second-half stoppage time. They beat Paris FC 2-0 to reach the French Cup quarter-finalsFixtures (times GMT)FridayMetz v Lille (1945)SaturdayLens v Rennes (1600), Brest v Lorient (1800), Nantes v Lyon (20005)SundayNice v Monaco (1400), Auxerre v Paris FC, Le Havre v Strasbourg, Angers v Toulouse (all 1615), Paris Saint-Germain v Marseille (1945)

MILAN, Italy, Feb 6, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - The Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics officially open with a star-studded opening ceremony at the San Siro Stadium on Friday. The opening ceremony is expected to draw a global audience of hundreds of millions and offers "a unique platform to convey positive messages, not divisive ones," creative director Marco Balich promised. - Speculation surrounds torchbearers -The Olympic flame reached Milan on Thursday but organisers have tried to keep the identity of the final two torchbearers for the opening ceremony under wraps. The sports programme has already begun with curling and women's ice hockey, but not without hiccups. Other women's games did go ahead, with the USA starting their bid to better their silver medal from the 2022 Beijing Olympics by beating the Czech Republic 5-1.

LA PAZ, Feb 6, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - The United States and Bolivia are coordinating the reinstatement of their ambassadors "as soon as possible" after nearly two decades without top diplomatic representatives in either country, Foreign Minister Fernando Aramayo told AFP Thursday. Neither country has hosted an ambassador since 2008, when then-president Evo Morales expelled the US ambassador to Bolivia after accusing him of conspiring against his left-wing government. "We have addressed the issue of reinstating ambassadors," Aramayo told AFP, following a meeting with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington on Wednesday. Upon taking office in November, the government of center-right President Rodrigo Paz has sought a rapprochement with the United States. The left-wing administrations of Morales and Luis Arce, which governed the country through much of the past two decades, saw a distancing between Bolivia and western countries including the United States.

The selling continued to be felt across assets, with silver taking another beating and bitcoin wiping out all the gains built up since Donald Trump's US election win. And the gloom carried into Asia, where Seoul -- which has led the region's rally thanks to its heavy tech weighting -- lost around five percent at one point. Hong Kong, Shanghai, Singapore, Taipei and Manila were also deep in the red, though Tokyo edged up. The digital unit has now lost more than half its value since touching its record high above $126,000 in October. "Rallies are short-lived, and sellers face little resistance from the buy-side making it straightforward for price to print lower lows.

Gotterup, winner of the Sony Open in Hawaii last month, rode a red-hot putter to an eight-under-par 63 that featured an eagle and six birdies. "I feel like I'm doing things well and thinking through things well, and I think that's the most important thing," Gotterup said. Scheffler's opening birdie was followed by a bogey at 11, where he was in the water off the tee. A birdie at 13 was followed by another bogey a 14, where he again pulled his tee shot. Scheffler, a two-time Phoenix winner who won his first start of 2026 at La Quinta last month, was looking steadier after birdies at 15 and 17.

LIVERPOOL, Feb 6, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Arsenal could take another giant step towards the Premier League title with victory over Sunderland on Saturday before Manchester City face a daunting trip to Liverpool. Boasting identical home records, the six-point deficit to Arsenal comes from the difference between the sides away from home. Big guns chase down VillaBehind Arsenal and City, the battle for a place in next season's Champions League increasingly looks like a case of three from four. The strong performance of English sides in European competition is almost certain to mean fifth is enough for Champions League qualification. Friday (all times GMT)Leeds v Nottingham Forest (2000)SaturdayManchester United v Tottenham (1230), Arsenal v Sunderland, Bournemouth v Aston Villa, Burnley v West Ham, Fulham v Everton, Wolves v Chelsea (all 1500), Newcastle v Brentford (1730)SundayBrighton v Crystal Palace (1400), Liverpool v Manchester City (1630)

After Bayern played the best opening half to a season in Bundesliga history, another league crown seemed a mere formality. Dortmund play at wobbling Wolfsburg on Saturday, a day before Bayern's home clash with red-hot Hoffenheim. Dortmund host Bayern in late February in a match with growing title ramifications. They have won 11 of their past 14 league games, losing just once. Proemel has played every one of Hoffenheim's 20 league games this season, scoring six goals and laying on two assists.