LEIPZIG, Germany, Jan 19, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp said Xabi Alonso's Real Madrid exit was a surprise but also predictable from the European giants known for cut-throat coaching decisions. And no, I wasn't surprised," Klopp told AFP and other media in Leipzig. Referencing Madrid sacking German manager Jupp Heynckes in 1998 eight days after winning the Champions League for failing to win La Liga, Klopp said "it's always like that from Madrid when they're not first in the table." "I have no clue why it happened, but it's always a specific case and not a general problem, because what they see now, Real Madrid, is that bringing in just the next one is not that easy. "I don't get up and excited if Real Madrid are showing interest -- if they would be -- but it's the media."

MELBOURNE, Jan 19, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Amanda Anisimova began her quest for a third consecutive Grand Slam final with a ruthless straight-sets win at the Australian Open on Monday. The fourth seed from the United States overpowered Simona Waltert of Switzerland 6-3, 6-2 in an hour on Margaret Court Arena. The 24-year-old faces Katerina Siniakova of the Czech Republic or Hungary's Panna Udvardy in round two. "It's really good to be back here, I feel like Australia is my second home," said Anisimova, who enjoyed a breakthrough 2025. Anisimova is bidding to go beyond the last 16 at the Australian Open for the first time.

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MELBOURNE, Jan 19, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Erratic title contender Coco Gauff and three-time finalist Daniil Medvedev reached the Australian Open second round Monday ahead of a defiant Novak Djokovic launching his latest bid to win a record 25th Grand Slam crown. A former world number one, now ranked four, Djokovic is the undisputed king of Melbourne, having won a record 10 Australian Open crowns. With Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner now dominant, Djokovic's last Grand Slam victory came at the US Open in 2023. Poland's Swiatek, the second seed, has never gone beyond the last four in Melbourne. Like Alcaraz, she is pursuing a career Grand Slam of all four major titles, having triumphed previously at Wimbledon, the US Open and French Open.

KYIV, Ukraine, Jan 19, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Kyiv held "substantive" talks on security and economic issues with Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner and envoy Steve Witkoff, with more discussions expected in Davos this week, Ukraine's security chief said Sunday. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who has said he hopes to sign documents with the US on security guarantees at Davos, said his team had held several rounds of talks in the US. "We had substantive discussions on economic development and prosperity plan as well as security guarantees for Ukraine," security chief Rustem Umerov said on social media. More talks will be held at this week's Davos Economic Forum, he added. The Ukrainian team held talks with Kushner, Witkoff and US Army Secretary Dan Driscoll.

The architect of multi-party democracy and founder of Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) Shaheed President Ziaur Rahman, Bir Uttam. Photo : CollectedDHAKA, Jan 19, 2026 (BSS) - The 90th birth anniversary of the architect of multi-party democracy and founder of Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) Shaheed President Ziaur Rahman, Bir Uttam, is being observed today. Ziaur Rahman was the second of five sons of Chemist Mansur Rahman and Jahanara Khatun. President Ziaur Rahman founded the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) on September 1, 1978. Ziaur Rahman spent his childhood in Kolkata, where his father, Mansur Rahman, served as a scientific officer of the then British government.

LISBON, Jan 19, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Portugal's socialist candidate won the first round of the presidential election and will face the far-right candidate in the second round, near-complete results showed Sunday. With votes from 95 percent of constituencies counted, Socialist Antonio Jose Seguro was leading with 30.6 percent of the vote, while far-right contender Andre Ventura came in second with 24.2 percent. Ventura and Seguro will face off on February 8 to decide who succeeds conservative incumbent Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa. This will nevertheless be the first time a far-right candidate has made it to the second round of the presidential race. Portugal's prime minister, right-winger Luis Montenegro, said he would not be giving any advice on who to vote for in the second round.

Saif hits back in form to lead Dhaka to 170 against ChattogramPhoto : CollectedDHAKA, Jan 18, 2026 (BSS)-Saif Hasan finally snapped his poor run of form bysmashing a 44 ball-73 as Dhaka Capitals posted 170 before being all outagainst Chattogram Royals in their final match of the Bangladesh PremierLeague (BPL) at Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium today. Saif took the charge following the dismissal of opener Usman Khan who made abrief but a blistering 6 ball-16. Saif, also the vice-captain of Bangladesh T20 squad, then came down heavilyon the bowlers to make them disarray, keeping Dhaka's nose ahead in the game. He and opener Zubaid Akbari shared a 90-run partnership for the second wicketwith the latter making second highest 29. However, Saif was undeterred as he kept hitting the bowlers at will.

LOS ANGELES, United States, Jan 19, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Chris Gotterup fired a six-under-par 64 to surge to victory in the PGA Tour's season-opening Sony Open in Hawaii on Sunday. The 26-year-old from Maryland finished on 16-under-par 264, two shots clear of compatriot Ryan Gerard, who carded a closing 65. Gotterup's win follows his victory at last year's Scottish Open when he held off Rory McIlroy for a two-shot victory, an experience he said helped him on Sunday. "I felt like when I've been in control of my game, when I've had a chance to win, I've done it," Gotterup said. "When you get in contention, you're able to hit shots under the gun, you just believe in yourself that you can do it again.

Three months on from the brazen heist, four suspects are in police custody but the jewels are still nowhere to be found. - 'Genuine preparation' -There was "genuine preparation" before the heist, said Beccuau. - 'Not bunglers' -Some observers may have called the burglars amateurs, but a source with knowledge of the probe said they were "not such bunglers after all". - Poor security -Poor security at the Louvre made the robber's getaway easier, a culture ministry probe found last month, even if they evaded security forces with just 30 seconds to spare. - Missing jewellery -Beccuau said it was still unclear if a third party ordered the heist -- or indeed where the jewellery might be.

HONG KONG, Jan 19, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Gold and silver hit record highs Monday while most equity markets fell after Donald Trump revived trade war fears by threatening several European nations with tariffs over their opposition to the United States buying Greenland. Bloomberg reported member states were discussing the possibility of retaliatory levies on EUR93 billion ($108 billion) of US goods. Gold, a key go-to in times of turmoil, hit a peak of $4,690.59, while silver struck $94.12. On equity markets, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Sydney, Singapore and Wellington retreated, though there were gains in Seoul and Taipei. There was little major reaction to data showing China's economy expanded five percent last year, in line with its target.

MADRID, Jan 19, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - It already seems clear Real Madrid coach Alvaro Arbeloa believes success with the record 15-time European champions will only come with the careful management of egos at the club. Madrid beat Levante 2-0 in La Liga but there was an immense show of dissent, with Arbeloa and star players Vinicius Junior and Jude Bellingham notably in the firing line. They are players called on to do great things for Real Madrid... when things aren't going well, we have to look for them continuously... we have to make them happy." It is not just the players under him whom Arbeloa has to take care of, but also president Florentino Perez above. "(The whistles) aren't from people who don't love Florentino, they are from people who don't love Real Madrid," said Arbeloa, laying bare his loyalty to the Madrid chief.

MELBOURNE, Jan 19, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - American rising star Michael Zheng faces the prospect of giving back his Australian Open prize money as a college student, but is hoping a concession can be made. But US college tennis rules state that he can only earn a maximum of $10,000 in prize money from tournaments per year. So whenever my run here is done, I'm going back to school," said Zheng, a senior psychology major. "But, yeah, I'll talk to our head coach and try to figure out what's the deal with the prize money, if I'm allowed to take it or not. "I've heard rumours I'm allowed to take it, because it's my senior spring," he added.

China says economy grew 5% last year, among slowest in decadesBEIJING, Jan 19, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - China's economy expanded five percent in 2025, Beijing said Monday, one of its slowest rates of growth in decades as it struggles with persistently low consumer spending and a debt crisis in its property sector. The economy grew at 4.5 percent between October and December last year, in line with expectations but marking a significant slowdown towards the end of the year. Last month's sales were worse than the 1.3 percent year-on-year growth recorded in November, extending a months-long slowdown. Fixed-asset investments in China shrunk 3.8 percent year-on-year in 2025, an inevitable rebalancing following a property and infrastructure boom in recent decades. Last year also saw the return of Donald Trump to the White House and the revival of a fierce trade war between the world's two largest economies.

BNP Standing Committee Member Nazrul Islam Khan today spoke at a view exchange meeting with the families of those killed and injured in the July Mass Uprising at Krishibid Institution Bangladesh auditorium in Dhaka. Photo : BSSDHAKA, Jan 18, 2026 (BSS) – BNP Standing Committee Member Nazrul Islam Khan today stressed on recognizing the fighters of July uprising as the freedom fighters of the present time. “If the aspirations of the Liberation War had been fully realized, the country would not have witnessed the killing, torture, and repression of leaders and activists over the past 17–18 years,” he said. Referring to the sufferings of the families of the July fighters, he said BNP Chairman Tarique Rahman is deeply concerned about ensuring justice and rehabilitation for them. Lauding the BNP leadership, Nazrul Islam Khan said Shaheed President Ziaur Rahman was the first rebel of the Liberation War and laid down his life for the country.