GENEVA, Jan 25, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - The World Health Organization's chief pushed back Saturday against harsh US criticism of his agency's record during the Covid pandemic, rejecting charges it had violated countries' sovereignty. US Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. took aim at the WHO in a video posted on X on Friday as he announced that Washington had formally withdrawn from the organisation. He argued that WHO, which has not confirmed that the US withdrawal has taken effect, had "lost its way". Deputy Health Secretary Jim O'Neill meanwhile charged on X that the WHO had "ignored rigorous science and promoted lockdowns" during the pandemic. - 'Inaccurate information' -Responding on X, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the statement "contains inaccurate information".

Election Commission (EC) today held a meeting with foreign diplomats at the Ballroom of Westin Hotel in the capital's Gulshan. Photo : BSSDHAKA, Jan 25, 2026 (BSS) - The Election Commission (EC) today held a meeting with foreign diplomats stationed in Bangladesh to brief them on preparations for the upcoming national parliamentary election and referendum. Senior Secretary of the EC Secretariat Akhtar Ahmed and other senior officials of the commission were also present. According to EC sources, the diplomats were briefed on the overall election preparations, the electoral process, appointment of international observers, measures to ensure transparency, and the prevailing law and order situation, among other issues. Following the meeting, the Chief Election Commissioner is expected to brief journalists at the Election Commission building, the sources added.

MELBOURNE, Jan 25, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - World number one Aryna Sabalenka said Sunday she is keen to play mixed doubles with Novak Djokovic, but is still waiting for the Serbian great to tell her she is "his dream partner". The pair played together once before, a charity match on Rod Laver Arena ahead of the 2024 Australian Open. "I'm still waiting for that long message from him, how he would like to play with me, that I'm his dream partner. "So I'm still waiting for the message. She has previously credited him with helping her on and off the court, seeking his counsel after losing two finals last year.

CARACAS, Jan 25, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Venezuela's interim president Delcy Rodriguez called on Saturday for discussions with the opposition to reach "agreements" for peace, three weeks after the US ouster of her former boss, Nicolas Maduro. "There can be no political or partisan differences when it comes to peace in Venezuela," Rodriguez said on state television, speaking from the coastal state of La Guaira. "Despite our differences, we must speak to each other with respect. Despite our differences, we must come together and reach agreements," she added.

CISARUA, Indonesia, Jan 25, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Indonesian rescuers resumed searching on Sunday for around 80 people missing in a deadly landslide, after the mission coordinator said operations had to be suspended overnight due to harsh weather. Triggered by heavy rain, the landslide barrelled into villages in Java's West Bandung region early Saturday morning, burying residential areas and forcing dozens of people to evacuate their homes. At least nine people were killed and around 80 are still missing, the local search and rescue agency confirmed on Saturday, warning that the figures were provisional. The rain forced rescue efforts to pause overnight, mission coordinator Ade Dian Permana said in a statement. But operations resumed on Sunday morning as the rain subsided, an AFP reporter saw.

State Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington Washington D.C. West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming Puerto Rico US Virgin Islands Armed Forces Americas Armed Forces Pacific Armed Forces Europe Northern Mariana Islands Marshall Islands American Samoa Federated States of Micronesia Guam Palau Alberta, Canada British Columbia, Canada Manitoba, Canada New Brunswick, Canada Newfoundland, Canada Nova Scotia, Canada Northwest Territories, Canada Nunavut, Canada Ontario, Canada Prince Edward Island, Canada Quebec, Canada Saskatchewan, Canada Yukon Territory, CanadaZip Code

NUUK, Jan 25, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - A power outage plunged Greenland's capital into darkness over the weekend after strong winds caused a transmission failure, the state utility said. Three hours later, power had only been partially restored in some areas. Utility company Nukissiorfiit said on its Facebook page that strong winds had caused a transmission failure and that it was in the process of restoring supply through an emergency power plant. Internet monitor NetBlocks reported a significant decline in connectivity in Greenland, "with high impact to capital Nuuk". Trump backed down after meeting NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte on Wednesday, saying they had reached a "framework" deal on the Danish autonomous territory.

WASHINGTON, United States, Jan 25, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - US President Donald Trump on Saturday warned Canada that if it concludes a trade deal with China, he will impose a 100 percent tariff on all goods coming over the border. "If Canada makes a deal with China, it will immediately be hit with a 100% Tariff against all Canadian goods and products coming into the USA." Canada's minister responsible for trade with the United States, Dominic LeBlanc, pushed back against Trump's latest threat. "There is no pursuit of a free trade deal with China. - Trade spats -Canada heavily relies on trade with the United States, the destination for more than three quarters of Canadian exports.

But Fed Chair Jerome Powell has signaled the bar would be higher for a further reduction in January. Powell's robust defense of Fed independence in response to ongoing pressure from Trump to lower rates confirms this, ING added. Yet, US inflation has been well above the bank's two-percent target for over five years, said former Cleveland Fed president Loretta Mester. She said her case is about whether the Fed will set rates "guided by evidence and independent judgment or will succumb to political pressure." Policymakers seen as "hawkish" favor higher rates to fight inflation, while a "dovish" Fed tends towards lower levels.

VILA-REAL, Spain, Jan 25, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Kylian Mbappe netted twice to claim Real Madrid a 2-0 win at Villarreal on Saturday and take his side top of La Liga. La Liga's top scorer Mbappe reached 21 goals for the season in the competition to help Madrid see off a spirited Villarreal side, now fourth in the table. Arbeloa's side have won three consecutive matches across all competitions and victory at Villarreal could be a vital step in the revival of their season. The coach has made clear how important his star players are and none has been more crucial this season than Mbappe. The 25-year-old Brazil forward went a 13th straight La Liga match without scoring, but was involved as Mbappe opened the scoring two minutes into the second half.

NEW YORK, Jan 25, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - American Josh Hoey clocked 1min 42.50sec to break the 800m indoor world record at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix meeting in Boston on Saturday. Hoey, the 2025 indoor world champion at 800m, broke the previous mark of 1:42.67 set by Denmark's Wilson Kipketer in Paris almost 30 years ago, on March 9, 1997. On Saturday he settled in behind his brother Jaxson Hoey, who acted as pace-setter, and sailed home without a hitch. "I just slotted in behind Jax and just tried to stay calm behind my brother and let him lead me," Hoey said. Eloy Benitez of Puerto Rico was second in 6:56, just edging out American Jordan Anthony, who was third in 6:57.

YANGON, Myanmar, Jan 25, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Myanmar holds the final round of its month-long election on Sunday, with the dominant pro-military party on course for a landslide in a junta-run vote critics say will prolong the army's grip on power. Tropical Myanmar has a long history of military rule, but the generals took a back seat for a decade of civilian-led reforms. That ended in a 2021 military coup when democratic figurehead Aung San Suu Kyi was detained, civil war broke out, and the country descended into a humanitarian crisis. With Suu Kyi sidelined and her hugely popular party dissolved, democracy advocates say the ballot is stacked with military allies. Nobel Peace Prize laureate Suu Kyi, 80, remains detained incommunicado at an unknown location on charges rights monitors dismiss as politically motivated.

DAMASCUS, Jan 25, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Syria's government freed at least 126 minors being held in a northern prison on Saturday, state media reported, after taking over the facility from Kurdish forces as part of an agreement. Footage on state television showed crowds gathered to welcome the released minors, while Syria's official SANA news agency published the names of the remaining detainees, allowing people to look for them online. State television reported "the release... of 126 detainees under the age of 18 from Al-Aqtan prison" in Raqa province, which has been used to hold Islamic State group detainees. The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Kurdish fighters were transferred from the prison on Friday to the Kurdish-held city of Ain al-Arab, also known as Kobane, in Aleppo province on the northern border with Turkey.

PARIS, France, Jan 25, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - The head of Iran's telecoms company told local media on Saturday that internet service would be restored "today or tomorrow", the Fars news agency reported. It also reported that the Supreme National Security Council had on Friday night approved the reconnection of the internet and notified the communications ministry. "God willing, this issue will be resolved today or tomorrow," Behzad Akbari, chief executive of the Telecommunications Infrastructure Company, was quoted as saying by Fars. Under the cover of the blackout, Iranian authorities launched a deadly crackdown on protesters, with rights groups documenting several thousand dead and the Norway-based NGO Iran Human Rights saying the final figure could top 25,000. He said "keeping the internet shut will create dissatisfaction and widen the gap between the people and the government".

ROME, Jan 25, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on Saturday joined criticism of US President Donald Trump's comments on the role of non-US NATO troops in Afghanistan, defending the memory of Italian soldiers killed and wounded there. "The Italian government was astonished to hear President Trump's statement claiming that NATO allies 'fell behind' during operations in Afghanistan," Meloni posted on X. During the nearly 20 years of NATO operations in Afghanistan, she said, "our nation paid a cost that is beyond dispute: 53 Italian soldiers killed and more than 700 wounded". Meloni noted that NATO had invoked Article Five after the September 11, 2001 attacks on the country that killed 3,000 people, effectively launching the Afghanistan campaign. Earlier Saturday, Italy's Foreign Minister also paid tribute to Italy's dead and wounded in Afghanistan in a post online.