DHAKA, Jan 18, 2026 (BSS) - The Election Commission (EC) is conducting the concluding day of hearings on appeals against the decisions of returning officers regarding the acceptance and rejection of nomination papers for the 13th Jatiya Sangsad election. On Saturday, the eighth day of hearings, the commission reviewed 112 appeals, of which 45 were accepted. On the eighth day, the EC rejected 37 appeals, including 13 filed against rejection of nominations and 24 filed against acceptance of nominations. A total of 645 appeals were filed with the EC against the decisions on acceptance and rejection of nomination papers in the ongoing election. On January 4, the last day of scrutiny of nomination papers, returning officers declared 1,842 nomination papers valid and rejected 723 out of a total of 2,568 nomination papers submitted for 300 parliamentary constituencies.

MELBOURNE, Jan 18, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Former US Open champion Emma Raducanu has criticised the scheduling at the Australian Open starting Sunday, saying "it does not make sense". The 2021 winner at Flushing Meadows begins her Melbourne campaign in the last match of the first day on Margaret Court Arena, following a men's clash. The 23-year-old Briton, who faces Mananchaya Sawangkaew of Thailand, said: "I think it's very difficult to be scheduling women's matches after a potential five-set match. The 28th-seeded Raducanu faces a tight turnaround after travelling to Melbourne following her quarter-final defeat on Thursday in a warm-up event in Hobart. "But I guess I was pretty much handed the schedule to try and turn it around and make the most out of what is in front of me."

DUBAI, Jan 18, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Rory McIlroy posted a three-under-par round at the Dubai Invitational on Saturday to keep within touching distance of the top of the leaderboard. The Northern Irishman had slipped off the top of the pile on Friday following a disastrous second round in which he landed in the water four times. But the world number two course-corrected in the third round as he brought his score to five-under. "A little better than yesterday, kept the ball dry instead of the four water balls I had," McIlroy said. "I've been here long enough to not be too nervous tomorrow, let's put it that way," 38-year-old Elvira said.

Syrian army says has taken airport in key Kurdish-held cityDAMASCUS, Jan 18, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Syria's army has said it captured the Tabqa military airport in Raqa province, previously held by Kurdish forces. Earlier Saturday, they said in a statement to the SANA news agency that their troops had begun entering Tabqa and encircling PKK fighters. Their latest statement confirmed they had seized the airport pushing out the Kurdish fighters.

A 56-member media committee has been announced to strengthen the election activities and campaign of BNP Chairperson Tarique Rahman in the Dhaka-17 constituency ahead of the upcoming 13th National Parliamentary Election. The committee was approved on Saturday night through a joint signature of the chief coordinator of Dhaka-17 election activities and BNP chairperson’s adviser, Bir Muktijoddha Abdus Salam and joint coordinator Professor Dr Farhad Halim Doner. According to party sources, the media committee will oversee Tarique Rahman’s election campaign at the grassroots level, maintain direct coordination with the media, manage social media platforms and ensure the swift and effective dissemination of the BNP’s election messages to the public. The committee is also expected to play an active role in countering misinformation on digital platforms and supporting voters with accurate information. Coordinators expressed optimism that the formation of the new media committee would inject fresh momentum into Tarique Rahman’s election campaign in the Dhaka-17 constituency.

The Election Commission (EC) began hearing the appeals on January 10. On Sunday, the EC will hold the final day of appeal hearings at the auditorium of the Election Commission building in Agargaon in the capital. During the scrutiny of nomination papers from December 30 to January 4, returning officers rejected the nomination papers of 723 candidates. Under the new schedule, the deadline for submitting nomination papers in Pabna-1 and Pabna-2 is Sunday. A total of 645 appeals were filed with the Election Commission against the decisions of returning officers during nomination scrutiny.

MELBOURNE, Jan 18, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - British qualifier Arthur Fery scored a major upset Sunday at the Australian Open by taking down 20th seed Flavio Cobolli on his maiden main draw debut in Melbourne. "It was an incredible experience here, first time playing main draw on such a great court with great fans as well," he said. Fery's only other Grand Slam second round appearance came at Wimbledon last year, where he also beat a 20th seed in the first round -- Australian Alexei Popyrin. Defeat was a big setback for Cobolli, who appeared to be battling a physical issue throughout the match. He made the Wimbledon quarter-finals last year, before falling to Novak Djokovic, and won two ATP titles at Bucharest and Hamburg.

Before dawn breaks over the Bay of Bengal, ten-year-old Masum wakes to the sound of waves crashing against Sonadia Island. He picks up his schoolbooks and prepares for another day at Sonadia Government Primary School, fully aware that his education has a fixed end point. Education ends at grade fiveSuch stories are common on Sonadia Island, a remote landmass of about nine square kilometres off Maheshkhali in Cox’s Bazar, surrounded entirely by the sea. Yet formal schooling on the island ends at grade five. Each year, an average of 25 to 30 students pass grade five, after which most are forced to drop out.

MELBOURNE, Jan 18, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Carlos Alcaraz launches his bid for tennis history while women's world number one Aryna Sabalenka is also in action on the first day of the Australian Open on Sunday. In early matches, seventh-seeded Italian Jasmine Paolini outclassed Belarusian qualifier Aliaksandra Sasnovich 6-1, 6-2 on a hot and sunny Rod Laver Arena. Spain's Alcaraz has won the US Open, Wimbledon and French Open but the Melbourne Park crown is the one Grand Slam missing from his impressive resume. Alcaraz launches his title charge against 79th-ranked home player Adam Walton in the final match of the day on Rod Laver Arena. Opening the night session on Rod Laver Arena is Sabalenka, who is aiming to win a third Melbourne crown in four years.

Paolini races into round two to kickstart Australian OpenMELBOURNE, Jan 18, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Jasmine Paolini powered into the Australian Open second round with a straight-sets demolition to kickstart the action in a hot and sunny Melbourne on Sunday. "It was pretty good today, I did not expect that," she said of her emphatic win in 69 minutes. I played pretty good. She polished off the first set in 26 minutes and although Sasnovich put up more resistance in the second, Paolini ran out a comfortable winner. Paolini reached the finals of Wimbledon and the French Open in 2024, but her best result at Melbourne Park is the fourth round in the same year.

Pollsters predict any of the four of Ventura's potential rivals would trounce him in a second-round vote. Polling stations open at 8:00 am (0800 GMT) on Sunday and exit polls will be announced at 8:00 pm. The president of Portugal has no executive powers but can, in times of crisis, dissolve parliament, call elections or dismiss a prime minister. - Popularity test -Ventura sees Sunday's vote mainly as a test of his popularity, according to experts, who believe that he has his sights set on eventually running the country as prime minister. Portugal, a country of nearly 11 million inhabitants, is a member of the European Union and the eurozone.

COPENHAGEN, Jan 18, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - US President Donald Trump's threat to impose tariffs on European nations that do not let him acquire Greenland "come as a surprise", Denmark's foreign minister said Saturday in a statement sent to AFP. "The purpose of the increased military presence in Greenland, to which the president refers, is precisely to enhance security in the Arctic," said Lars Lokke Rasmussen. "We are in close contact with the European Commission and our other partners on the matter," he added, speaking just days after attending talks in the White House with US and Greenlandic officials on the Greenland question.

PARIS, France, Jan 18, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Iranian schools are set to reopen Sunday, media reported, following a one-week closure as the country was gripped by protests. "Schools in Tehran and other cities which were announced closed since January 10 will be resumed from tomorrow (Sunday)," the ISNA news agency said, adding that university exams that had been postponed would be held on January 24.

PARIS, France, Jan 18, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - French President Emmanuel Macron on Saturday denounced US President Donald Trump's threat to impose tariffs on European countries opposing his efforts to acquire the Danish territory of Greenland. "Tariff threats are unacceptable and have no place in this context," Macron posted on X, in French and English. "Europeans will respond in a united and coordinated manner should they be confirmed," he added. "It is in this spirit that I will engage with our European partners," said Macron. Trump said that from February, several European nations would be subject to 10-percent tariffs, with the number set to rise to 25 percent on June 1, until he can complete his acquisition of Greenland.

Who has been invited to be on Trump's Gaza boards? WASHINGTON, United States, Jan 18, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - US President Donald Trump is starting to flesh out his so-called "Board of Peace" and related entities for postwar Gaza, with multiple world leaders saying Saturday they have been asked to join. The White House said that under Trump's plan, there would be a main board, chaired by Trump himself, a Palestinian committee of technocrats meant to govern the war-wracked territory, and a second "executive board" that appears designed to have a more advisory role. An initial list of appointees was issued by the White House, which said more names would be added. Here is the list of people involved so far in the various entities:- Confirmed by the White House -BOARD OF PEACE - The White House says the Board of Peace will take on issues such as "governance capacity-building, regional relations, reconstruction, investment attraction, large-scale funding and capital mobilization."