JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia, Jan 12, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Barcelona retained the Spanish Super Cup with an entertaining 3-2 Clasico win over Real Madrid in Saudi Arabia on Sunday. After Raphinha sent Barcelona ahead Vinicius Junior pulled Madrid level with a fine individual goal to kick-start a frenetic end to the first half in Jeddah. Lewandowski chipped Barca back in front but Gonzalo Garcia struck deep in stoppage time to send the teams in level at the break. Barca thrashed Madrid 5-2 in last season's final, also at the King Abdullah Sports City stadium, but this was a far closer affair. "We're very happy, another trophy, it's always a big game against Madrid," Lewandowski told Movistar.

JHENAIDAH, Jan 12, 2026 (BSS) – A motorcyclist was killed after his motorcycle went out of control and crashed into a tree in Maheshpur upazila of the district on Sunday evening. The deceased was identified as Rakibul Hasan Azad, 20, son of Abdur Rashid of Natima Bogapara village under Maheshpur upazila. According to eyewitnesses, Azad was returning home from Natima Bazar riding his motorcycle. Being informed, members of Maheshpur Fire Service and police rushed to the scene and recovered the body. Officer-in-Charge of Maheshpur Police Station Mehedi Hasan said the body was handed over to the family after completing necessary legal formalities.

DAMBULLA, Sri Lanka, Jan 12, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Sri Lanka eked out a hard fought 14-run victory over Pakistan in the third T20 at rain-hit Dambulla on Sunday, easing their batting jitters and squaring the three-match series 1-1. In a contest trimmed to 12 overs a side, Sri Lanka muscled their way to a competitive 160 before choking Pakistan to 146-8. Having been bowled out inside 20 overs in the series opener, Sri Lanka needed a statement with the bat and duly ticked every box after being put in. But once the field spread, Sri Lanka tightened the screws, applied the choke and forced the asking rate to spiral. We know we are going to play all our World Cup games in Sri Lanka and it's important that we played in similar conditions," he added.

PARIS, France, Jan 12, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Ligue 1 leaders Lens ploughed to a 3-0 victory at third-tier Sochaux in a snow-delayed round of 32 French Cup match on Sunday, while Real Madrid loanee Endrick scored his first goal for Lyon as he netted the winner against Lille. In a match postponed from Saturday evening by a blizzard, Lens, who have never won the French Cup, rested only veteran midfielder Florian Thauvin against opponents who have won the competition twice. In the north of France, Brazilian 19-year-old Endrick tucked home a tidy poacher's finish to hand Lyon a 2-1 win at Lille on his debut. Elsewhere, struggling Nice beat fellow Ligue 1 side Nantes 5-3 on penalties after their tie finished one-apiece. Le Mans advanced with a 4-1 shoot-out victory following their stalemate with Nancy.

Photo : Chief Adviser’s Press WingDHAKA, Jan 12, 2026 (BSS) - As part of efforts to raise public awareness and encourage participation in the upcoming referendum, the Chief Adviser’s Press Wing today released a photo card urging citizens to cast a ‘Yes’ vote in the referendum slated for February 12. The photo card was released with the message “Cast your seal on ‘Yes’ in the referendum and permanently close the path for the return of fascism”. Earlier, another photo card was also released on Sunday urging the countrymen to cast ‘Yes’ vote in the referendum to build a dreamt Bangladesh. The objective of this initiative is to increase public awareness about the referendum and to encourage the people to participate in the referendum actively. Besides, the government is implementing extensive nationwide programmes to create public awareness about the referendum.

MILAN, Italy, Jan 12, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Scott McTominay kept Napoli in touch with Serie A leaders Inter Milan with a brace in Sunday's entertaining 2-2 draw at the San Siro, after AC Milan were held to a 1-1 draw at Fiorentina. Instead Inter stay three points ahead of their local rivals, with Roma in fourth and level on 39 points with Napoli who were saved by a stellar performance from McTominay. Calhanoglu's spot-kick, rattled in off the post past penalty specialist Vanja Milinkovic-Savic, seemed to be the decisive blow with Inter in the ascendency and Napoli livid. For Inter it was another missed opportunity in a big match, with just one point collected from their four fixtures played against Napoli, Milan and fifth-placed Juve who face Cremonese on Monday. Fiorentina are two points behind Genoa who sit just outside the relegation zone and host Cagliari on Monday evening.

YANGON, Myanmar, Jan 12, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Myanmar's main pro-military party won the parliamentary seat of detained democratic leader Aung San Suu Kyi in elections run under the junta's rule, a party official told AFP on Monday. A senior official from the Union Solidarity and Development Party speaking anonymously because they were not authorised to disclose results said they "won in Kawhmu" -- Suu Kyi's former seat in Yangon region. The military deposed and detained Suu Kyi in a 2021 coup, claiming she secured a landslide election win over pro-military parties the previous year by means of massive voter fraud. The final phase of the month-long vote is scheduled for January 25, with the junta saying the election will return power to the people. But with Suu Kyi still held in seclusion and her hugely popular party dissolved, democracy advocates say the vote has been rigged by a crackdown on dissent and a ballot stacked with military allies.

DHAKA, Jan 12, 2026 (BSS) – The government is implementing an extensive programme across the country to create public awareness about the forthcoming referendum slated for February 12. As part of the ongoing activities, a divisional officers’ conference and an Imam conference were held separately in Barishal on Sunday. At those events, Chief Adviser’s Special Assistant Prof Ali Riaz and Special Assistant, Monir Haider delivered training-oriented speeches on the referendum. Similar programmes will be organized in all other divisions across the country in the next few days. The views exchange meetings at divisional, district and upazila levels and with other stakeholders will play a crucial role in creating awareness about the referendum.

DHAKA, Jan 12, 2026 (BSS) - Police arrested eight individuals involved in various criminal activities during a day-long special operation conducted in different areas under the Rupnagar Police Station on Sunday. The arrested individuals are Liton (35), Labani (30), Md. Kalu (30), Md. Bashir (30), Md. Rupnagar Police authorities stated that such special operations will continue in the future to ensure public safety and curb criminal activities in the area.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Someone could be dancing around a money matter though not much is likely to go awry even so. CANCER (June 21-July 22): New resources could arise, bringing new insights, new solutions, new excitement for the future. LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Something that’s been dragging on at home could come together nearly perfectly, potentially bringing comfort and relief. SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Believe in yourself, believe in your mission, believe in your destiny and you’ll stay in self-reference as you navigate the world. PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Don’t give away power to someone out there no matter how glowing they appear to be.

The Meteorological Department on Monday said a mild cold wave is sweeping Rajshahi, Pabna, Dinajpur, Panchagarh, Nilphamari, Jessore, Chuadanga, and Kushtia, and may continue. Weather is expected to remain generally dry with temporary partly cloudy skies over the country, said a Met Office bulletin. Moderate to dense fog may occur at places over river basins while light to moderate fog is likely elsewhere during late night and morning hours. The Met Office also forecast that night and day temperatures are likely to remain nearly unchanged across the country. The lowest temperature was recorded in Tentulia at 8.4°C.

MELBOURNE, Jan 12, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Trailblazing former world number three Milos Raonic announced his retirement from tennis on Monday, ending a career that earned him eight ATP titles. The big-serving 35-year-old, the first Canadian man to reach a Grand Slam singles final, has not competed in over a year. "This is a moment you know will come one day, but somehow you never feel ready for it," he said. Raonic's best season was in 2016, when he reached the Wimbledon final after defeating Roger Federer in the semis, losing to Andy Murray in the decider. He also advanced to the Australian Open semi-finals and the ATP Finals the same year, finishing the season as world number three.

DHAKA, Jan 11, 2026 (BSS) - In a significant move to bolster government infrastructure through Shariah-compliant financing, Bangladesh Bank (BB) has announced the issuance of the 'Bangladesh Government Special Sukuk-1' with a total face value of Tk 10,000 crore. The decision was finalized during two consecutive meetings held on January 7 and 8, 2026, by the Shariah Advisory Committee under the Debt Management Department. The committee was chaired by BB Deputy Governor Dr. Md. The issuance is scheduled to take place on January 14, 2026, through a private placement in favour of Islami Bank PLC. This strategic financial instrument is designed to support national interests by utilizing Islamic banking principles to fund large-scale public utility and housing developments.

Members of the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) have arrested Milan, a suspected hotel employee, in connection with the murder of schoolgirl Fatema Akhter Lili in the capital’s Banasree area. Milan was arrested in a joint operation by RAB-3 and RAB-6 in the Bagerhat Sadar Police Station area, RAB said on Monday morning. Earlier, on Saturday afternoon, Fatema’s bloodied body was recovered from a house on the main road of South Banasree. The family lived in a rented house at Pritam Villa in L Block on the main road of South Banasree under Khilgaon Police Station. Milan also came to the house again around noon on the day of the incident, she added.

DHAKA, Jan 12, 2026 (BSS) - A mild cold wave continued to grip parts of the country today, while dense fog conditions emerged as a more prominent concern, even as both day and night temperatures showed little change, according to the Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD). Compared to yesterday, the cold spell has shifted and narrowed in coverage. Today, the cold wave is affecting the districts of Rajshahi, Pabna, Dinajpur, Panchagarh, Nilphamari, Jashore, Chuadanga and Kushtia, indicating a reconfiguration of the impacted areas rather than an overall intensification. At the other extreme, Sylhet registered the highest maximum temperature yesterday at 28.3 degrees Celsius, underscoring a persistent contrast between cool nights and warm daytime conditions. In the capital, north to north-westerly winds were blowing at 6-12 kilometres per hour, while relative humidity stood at 72 percent at 6 am, lower than the previous day, which may marginally improve daytime comfort despite morning fog.