When it came time for any of the Colorado Medical Services Board members to make a motion, there was only dead silence. But about a week later, Medicaid officials posted a memo directing case managers to move ahead with the rule change anyway. While Medicaid officials didn’t get the backing of the Medical Services Board, they have an August executive order from Gov. Yet Medicaid officials, in asking for the rule change, told board members they needed the emergency rule approved in order to move forward. It costs the federal-state Medicaid program $460 million annually, with a median per-person cost of $76,000 per member.

DHAKA, Jan 26, 2026 (BSS) - Cultural Affairs Ministry today cancelled its 'Book Selection Committee' amid stiff social media criticism on buying books during the tenure of former director of National Book Centre Afsana Begum. "The Book Selection Committee formed on November 11, 2025 to select books for donation to private libraries in the fiscal year 2025-2026 was revoked," said an official release. Earlier, a mammoth debate grew on online platform as the list of books bought by the committee was spread. Mofidur Rahman said, "The book selection committee has been revoked and a new committee will be formed soon...We have also taken a decision to buy books being imbued with July spirits". The ministry will go ahead with purchasing books on July mass uprising, Philkhana and Shapla tragedy during this fiscal, he added.

DHAKA, Jan 26, 2026 (BSS) – The Embassy of Italy in Dhaka today announced a temporary worldwide suspension of visa application submissions in mid-February due to scheduled technical maintenance of the Italian visa processing system. In an advisory, the embassy said that no visa applications of any category will be accepted at Italian visa offices worldwide on February 11, 12, 15, 16, 17 and 18 because of technical maintenance. The embassy instructed VFS Global not to collect any visa applications or requests for withdrawal during the period. Applicants who urgently need to travel to Italy between February 11 and February 18 were strongly advised to submit their visa applications by early February, as the system may require up to 10 days to authorize the issuance of a visa. The embassy urged applicants to plan their travel and visa submission schedules accordingly to avoid inconvenience.

The High Court on Monday granted six months’ bail to Jewel Hasan Saddam, president of the Bagerhat Sadar Upazila unit of the Chhatra League, a banned organization, following the deaths of his wife and nine-month-old son. A High Court bench comprising Justice JBM Hasan and Justice Aziz Ahmed Bhuiyan issued the order on January 26. Lawyer Saeed Ahmed Raja represented Saddam at the hearing and said the court granted bail on humanitarian grounds. On the evening of January 24, jail authorities allowed him to see his deceased wife and infant son for the last time for only five minutes at the gate of Jessore Central Jail. At about 7:30 pm, jail officials allowed six close relatives to enter the jail gate with the ambulance.

In the forthcoming national parliamentary election, he said BNP candidates are contesting in 292 constituencies with the "Sheaf of Paddy". “They have served the people and stood by them.”Besides, Mahdi said 19 former ministers are also contesting the polls this time with the BNP symbol. “Their past experience in state administration and public engagement gives BNP a distinct advantage.”According to him, 237 BNP candidates hold at least a bachelor’s degree. Mahdi said BNP candidates include individuals who were victims of enforced disappearance during what he described as the "fascist period". Mahdi said almost all BNP candidates are facing multiple cases, with many having more than a hundred cases filed against them.

The government has promulgated the July Uprising (Protection and Liability Determination) Ordinance, 2026, providing immunity to the people who participated in the July Uprising. A gazette notification was issued by the Legislative and Parliamentary Affairs Division of the Law Ministry on Sunday night in this regard. The ordinance ensures withdrawal of all existing civil and criminal cases related to the uprising and bars the filing of any new cases against the participants. The ordinance allows allegations of killings during the uprising to be investigated by the Human Rights Commission. The government may frame rules as necessary to implement the ordinance.

Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus on Monday directed the armed forces to remain on high alert to help ensure a free, fair, impartial and acceptable referendum and 13th national parliamentary election scheduled for February 12. “As a symbol of public trust, the armed forces will, as in the past, discharge their responsibilities with professionalism, impartiality and accountability,” he said. The chief adviser paid tribute to the martyrs of the Liberation War and the July–August student uprising, recalling the armed forces’ contribution to maintaining peace and stability. “In this context, the armed forces are an indispensable partner,” he said, expressing confidence in their ability to fulfil the responsibility. The chief adviser was received at the Helmet Auditorium by Army Chief General Waqar-uz-Zaman, Navy Chief Admiral M Nazmul Hasan, Air Chief Marshal Hassan Mahmud Khan and Principal Staff Officer of the Armed Forces Division Lt Gen SM Kamrul Hasan.

DHAKA, Jan 26, 2026 (BSS) - Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) seized smuggled goods worth over Tk 1,908.28 crore during extensive raids carried out across border areas and other parts of the country throughout 2025. The recovered contraband included large quantities of gold and silver, garments, cosmetics, fireworks, food items, household goods, vehicles, and livestock. The para-military force also recovered vehicles, mobile phones and accessories, wood, stone, coal, fertilizer, seeds, and 12,294 cows and buffaloes. As part of these operations, BGB arrested 2,334 individuals for involvement in drug trafficking and smuggling. BGB officials said the year-long operations reflect the force’s commitment to protecting national security, preventing drug trafficking, and curbing cross-border smuggling.

COLOMBO, Jan 26, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Sri Lanka's five-year unbeaten home series ODI run faces its stiffest test on Tuesday, with England levelling the series 1-1 and Joe Root again the key obstacle. Sri Lanka know the equation only too well. Dawson believes that depth could be a trump card with the T20 World Cup looming, which Sri Lanka will co-host with India. The Sri Lanka tour is a dress rehearsal for the World Cup for England. "Hopefully we can win the last game, build some confidence, compete well in the T20 series coming up and head into the World Cup on a high."

The US National Weather Service (NWS) told Americans to expect more of the same weather conditions into Monday morning. New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani said five people were found dead outside over the weekend in freezing temperatures. The PowerOutage.com tracking site showed more than 840,000 customers without electricity as of Sunday night, mostly in the US South where the storm intensified Saturday. Authorities from Texas to North Carolina and New York urged residents to stay home due to the perilous conditions. The storm was moving Sunday into the northeast, dumping snow and sleet on heavily populated cities including Philadelphia, New York and Boston.

World not ready for rise in extreme heat, scientists sayPARIS, France, Jan 26, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Nearly 3.8 billion people could face extreme heat by 2050 and while tropical countries will bear the brunt cooler regions will also need to adapt, scientists said Monday. They found "that the population experiencing extreme heat conditions is projected to nearly double" by 2050 if global average temperatures rise 2C above preindustrial times. "The key take away from this is that the need for adaptation to extreme heat is more urgent than previously known," said Lizana, an environmental scientist. Prolonged exposure to extreme heat can overwhelm the body's natural cooling systems, causing symptoms ranging from dizziness and headaches to organ failure and death. - 'Dangerously underprepared' -The study, published in the journal Nature Sustainability, projected that 3.79 billion people worldwide could be exposed to extreme heat by mid century.

With relations between European governments and the United States strained, calls for European teams to boycott World Cup 2026 are beginning to gain traction in some quarters. I wouldn’t like it if this happens as we won’t have a World Cup, which is always a highlight in sports and I love it. That meeting could prove decisive in any efforts to form a European alliance to boycott the tournament. With 16 of the 48 teams at the World Cup and the world’s most powerful club sides from Europe, any move by the continent’s associations would likely see the rest of the footballing world take notice — with some possibly to follow. “We do not believe that an isolated boycott on the part of NFF is an effective means of lasting change.

PARIS, France, Jan 26, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - A US-based rights group said Monday it had confirmed the deaths of 5,848 people in a wave of protests in Iran suppressed by security forces, warning that it was still investigating thousands more potential fatalities. NGOs tracking the toll have said their task has been impeded by a now 18-day internet shutdown, warning that confirmed figures are likely to be far lower than the actual toll. The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) said it had confirmed that 5,848 people had been killed, including 5,520 protesters, 77 minors, 209 members of the security forces and 42 bystanders. Giving their first official toll from the protests, Iranian authorities last week said 3,117 people were killed. Over the weekend, Persian-language TV channel Iran International, which is based outside Iran, said more than 36,500 Iranians were killed by security forces between January 8 and 9, citing reports, documents and sources.

BNP Chairman Tarique Rahman on Monday said the people must assert their own rights and be entrusted with full guardianship of their voting rights to ensure a truly democratic process. "On the day of voting, you must go to the polling centre with the same presence as today's rally. The BNP Chairman said there have been dummy elections for the past 15-16 years while people’s voting rights were deprived. With Narayanganj District BNP Convenor Professor Mamun Mahmud in the chair, Joint Convenor Mashukul Islam Rajib moderated the programme. BNP Dhaka Divisional Associate Organizing Secretary Nazrul Islam Azad, Narayanganj-1 constituency candidate Mostafizur Rahman Bhuiyan Dipu, Narayanganj-3 constituency candidate Azharul Islam Mannan, Narayanganj-4 constituency candidate Monir Kasemi, and Narayanganj-5 constituency candidate Abul Kalam, among others, spoke on the occasion.

Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) champions Rajshahi Warriors were accorded a grand reception as they toured Rajshahi city on an open-top bus on Monday, drawing massive crowds of jubilant cricket fans. At around 10:30am, the players landed at Hazrat Shah Makhdum (R.) Airport, where an open-top bus was waiting to take them on a victory tour. Shanto and Mushfiq repeatedly held the BPL trophy aloft, drawing thunderous applause. The victory parade later passed through Talaimari, Saheb Bazar, Rajshahi Collegiate School, Rajshahi College and Laxmipur, before concluding at Nabil Industrial Park in Paba. Along the route, people waved, cheered and took selfies, as the city celebrated its BPL champions in unforgettable fashion.