LONDON (AP) — Prince Harry entered the witness box Wednesday for his testimony against the publisher of the Daily Mail in the final round of his battle against the British tabloids. Defense lawyer Antony White immediately began cross-examining Harry on his written evidence. The company has vehemently denied the allegations and says witnesses from the newspapers will name names of sources when they testify in the nine-week trial. Harry was dressed in a dark suit as he stepped up to the witness box. He held a small Bible in his right hand as he swore on “almighty God that the evidence I shall give will be the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.”The Duke of Sussex said he preferred to be addressed simply as Prince Harry.

Symbols allocated to 26 candidates in Kurigram's 4 seatsPhoto : BSSKURIGRAM, Jan 21, 2026 (BSS) - Symbols have been officially allocated among 26 candidates contesting in the four parliamentary constituencies of Kurigram, ahead of the upcoming 13th Parliamentary Polls. In Kurigram-1, the symbols were allocated as follows: Saifur Rahman Rana - Sheaf of Paddy, Harisul Bari Roni - Hat Pakha (Hand Fan), Anwarul Islam- Daripalla (balance scale), Mostafizur Rahman- Langol (Plow), Bin Yamin Molla- Truck. In Kurigram-2, the candidates received these symbols: Sohel Hossain Kaikobad- Sheaf of Paddy, Atiqur Rahman Mujahid- Shapla Koli, Maulana Noor Bakht Miah- Hat Pakha, Panir Uddin Ahmed- Langol. In Kurigram-4, the symbols were distributed as follows: Azizur Rahman- Sheaf of Paddy, Mostafizur Rahman- Daripalla, Hafizur Rahman- Hat Pakha, AKM Fazlul Haque- Langol, Independent candidate Rukhunuzzaman Shahin- Bucket. The symbol allocation is a key step in the election process, allowing voters to identify candidates easily on the ballot.

Bangladesh fought back strongly in the match when goal-machine Sabina Khatun scored two goals in two minutes. She reduced the margin scoring the first goal for Bangladesh in the 18th minute and leveled the margin scoring the second goal in the 20th minute of the match. Imesha reduced the margin scoring her second and third goal for Sri Lanka few second before the final whistle. Thanks to skipper Sabina Khatun who played a key role behind the Bangladesh victory scoring a brace. While Sri Lanka played out to a 2-2 with Nepal, suffered 3-2 defeat to Pakistan and 5-1 defeat to Bhutan.

"The 2026 polls should be such an election that will set a standard for future elections," he said. Later, Chief Adviser's Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam briefed the media about the meeting at the Foreign Service Academy here this afternoon. The Chief Adviser stressed that there must be no lack of coordination among the forces while performing their duties. Given the current situation and the preparations in place, it is possible to hold a good election,” Prof Yunus said. Watching the documentary, the Chief Adviser said that body-worn cameras have many potential uses, and if it is utilised properly, it will be possible to achieve success on a massive scale.

Photo: CollectedNARA, Japan, Jan 21, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - The gunman charged with killingJapan's former prime minister Shinzo Abe was found guilty Wednesday andjailed for life, as the judge declared the broad-daylight assassination"despicable and extremely malicious". As he handed down the sentence at a court in the city of Nara, judge ShinichiTanaka said Tetsuya Yamagami, 45, had been "determined" to shoot Abe. - 'Significant grief' -Prosecutors had argued that the defendant's motive to kill Abe was rooted inhis desire to besmirch the Unification Church. Another man outside the court held a banner urging the judge to takeYamagami's difficult life circumstances "into the fullest consideration". The Japanese version of life imprisonment leaves open the possibility ofparole, although in reality, experts say many die while incarcerated.

Netflix posted profit of $2.4 billion on revenue of $12 billion in the final three months of last year, and forecast taking in $12.1 billion in revenue this quarter. The earnings report came as Netflix presses a bid to buy television and film titan Warner Brothers Discovery (WBD). The suit, and a letter to WBD shareholders by Paramount Skydance chief executive David Ellison, are moves in a saga spanning several months. "We are committed to seeing our tender offer through," Ellison said in the letter to WBD shareholders. "If WBD calls a special meeting ahead of its annual meeting to vote on the Netflix Agreement, Paramount will solicit proxies against such approval."

File PhotoDHAKA, Jan 21, 2026 (BSS) - Symbols for contesting candidates in the upcoming 13th Jatiya Sangsad (JS) elections will be allotted today across constituencies. According to the Election Commission (EC), a total of 305 candidates withdrew their nominations by the deadline at 5 pm on Tuesday. With these withdrawals, 1,967 candidates remain in the race nationwide. Ruhul Amin Mallick said that the 1,967 candidates - both party-nominated and independents - will contest in 298 constituencies, excluding Pabna-1 and Pabna-2. Balloting will be conducted using transparent ballot boxes and printed ballot papers for both the 13th National Parliament (JS) elections and the referendum.

Photo: BSSDHAKA, Jan 21, 2026 (BSS) - A total of 305 candidates have withdrawn their nominations for the upcoming 13th Jatiya Sangsad (JS) elections, leaving 1,967 contenders in the fray. He said the 1,967 candidates - comprising both party nominees and independents - will contest in 298 constituencies, excluding Pabna-1 and Pabna-2. As per the election schedule, the deadline for withdrawal of candidatures expired at 5 pm yesterday. Voting for the 13th JS elections and referendum will be held on Thursday, February 12, from 7:30 am to 4:30 pm without interruption. Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) AMM Nasir Uddin announced the schedule for the 13th parliamentary (JS) elections in his address to the nation on December 11.

Adviser Brigadier General (Retd) Dr. M Sakhawat Hossain today spoke to journalists after a meeting at the Mirza Ruhul Amin Auditorium, Thakurgaon. Photo : BSSTHAKURGAON, Jan 21, 2026 (BSS): Brigadier General (Retd) Dr. M Sakhawat Hossain, Adviser to the Ministries of Shipping, Labor and Employment today urged the people of the country to vote ‘Yes’ aimed at building a democratic environment. “If any party is campaigning against the yes vote, then it should be understood that they are betraying the blood of this country." Regarding the rise in commodity prices, the adviser said, many mafias are no more. We will make some recommendations for the next government so that there is a balanced distribution across the country.

Under this initiative, financial assistance will be disbursed from the Prime Minister's Education Assistance Trust (PMEAT). Professor Mohammad Anwar, who is also the Member Secretary of the Preliminary Screening Committee for admission assistance, said that if the proposed guidelines are implemented, three times more students will receive admission assistance compared to the previous framework. At the secondary level, currently five students in each upazila receive Tk 5,000 as admission assistance. At the higher secondary level, instead of the existing two students per upazila, assistance of Tk 6,000 will be provided to 10 students. For the undergraduate level, where there was previously no specific quota, the new guidelines propose admission assistance of Tk 8,000 for a maximum of 2,000 meritorious students nationwide.

Chief Prosecutor of the International Crime Tribunal (ICT) Muhammad Tajul Islam. File PhotoDHAKA, Jan 21, 2026 (BSS) - The Chief Prosecutor of the International Crime Tribunal (ICT) Muhammad Tajul Islam today said the aims of enforced disappearances were to instil fear in the people, silence the opposition and sustain fascism in the country. Tajul said a group of security personnel played the role of mercenaries in implementing the passion of fascist state plan. The first tribunal on December 23, 2025, framed charges against 17 accused, including 10 army officers. Among the 17 accused in the case, 10 army officers have been arrested.

Bangladesh and Afghanistan have agreed to elevate their relations from friendly ties to a practical economic partnership aimed at increasing trade, strengthening mutual trust and generating tangible economic benefits for both countries. Afghanistan has expressed its desire to strengthen bilateral relations with Bangladesh during the first official visit of Afghanistan’s Deputy Minister of Industry and Commerce, Ahmadullah Zahid. He is leading a delegation of around 50 members to expand bilateral trade relations between the two countries, according to Afghanistan’s Ministry of Industry and Commerce. Both sides agreed to elevate their ties from friendly relations to practical economic cooperation to boost trade volume and strengthen mutual trust. Bangladesh reiterated its interest in exporting quality medicines and medical products to Afghanistan on a regular and sustainable basis.

Trump sought in August to dismiss Fed governor Lisa Cook, a key official serving on the Fed's interest rate-setting committee, accusing her of mortgage fraud. The conservative-dominated Supreme Court barred Trump from immediately removing Cook, allowing her to remain in her post until it could hear the case contesting her dismissal. In a sign of the significance of the case and public support for Cook, Fed Chair Jerome Powell plans to personally attend Wednesday's Supreme Court hearing, a source familiar with the matter told AFP. The court recently allowed Trump to fire members of other independent government boards, but created a carveout for the Fed in its ruling. Cook took office as a Fed governor in 2022 and was reappointed to the board in 2023.

DHAKA, Jan 21, 2026 (BSS) - The Bangladesh men's team take on Pakistan in the SAFF Futsal Championship 2026 scheduled to be held at the Nonthaburi Stadium in Nonthaburi, Thailand tomorrow. Bangladesh currently stand second position in the points table with seven points from four matches while Pakistan following Bangladesh closely also with seven points playing the same number of matches. Earlier, Bangladesh team played to a fighting 4-4 goals draw with India in their tournament opening match, suffered 6-1 goal defeat to Maldives in their second match. While Pakistan lost to Maldives 7-1, beat Bhutan 4-2, defeated Sri Lanka 5-2 and played out to a 4-4 draw with Nepal. After Pakistan, Bangladesh will play the last match of the championship against Nepal on Saturday (Jan 24) at the same venue.

Photo : BSSRAJSHAHI, Jan 21, 2026 (BSS) - Two business establishments were fined Tk 60,000 for producing substandard products in unhygienic conditions at Charghat Upazila in the district today. During the operation, Messrs Mayer Doa Bakery, located in the Raipur area, was fined Tk 10,000 for producing and selling biscuits, bread and cakes in an unhygienic environment without obtaining BSTI quality certification. In addition, Russell Jaggery Factory, located in the Pirojpur area, was fined Tk 50,000 for producing adulterated jaggery in extremely unhygienic conditions by mixing sugar, dalda, lime and non-food-grade colours. The prosecutor was Engineer Junaid Ahmed, an officer of the Certification Marks Wing of the BSTI Divisional Office, Rajshahi. In the public interest, BSTI, Rajshahi will continue such operations regularly to prevent adulteration and ensure the supply of quality food products.