RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, Dec 27, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - The Yemeni regional coalition backed by Saudi Arabia warned on Saturday that it is ready to act directly against any military challenge from separatist forces. General Turki al-Malki, the spokesman for the Riyadh-led groups, said the groups would act "directly and at the appropriate moment ... to protect civilian life", according to the Saudi news agency SPA.

By Md Aynal HaqueRAJSHAHI, Dec 27, 2025 (BSS) - Potato farming through the net-house system is emerging as a lucrative venture in the Rajshahi region, including the Barind tract, providing higher income opportunities and encouraging entrepreneurship among local farmers and youths. Mijanur Rahman Kazi, general secretary of the Seed Potato Growers Cooperative Society, told BSS that around 750 seed-growing farmers have achieved satisfactory yields using the net-house method last year. "The method is gaining momentum across the region, helping farmers increase income while ensuring sustainable production," he said. This Rabi season, around 37.72 lakh tonnes of potato are expected from 1,56,620 hectares across eight districts of the division. In the Rajshahi Agricultural Zone, the target is 14.05 lakh tonnes from 58,240 hectares, while in the Bogra Zone, 23.67 lakh tonnes are expected from 98,380 hectares.

"I hope the person I vote for brings peace," she said of the seven candidates vying to become head of state. Displaced by decades of conflict, young people like Abdramane who live in camps around the town of Birao in the far northeast, see the elections as a chance for a better future. Now the teenager and other young people are counting on the elections to bring them peace, education and opportunities beyond life as displaced persons. Behind her in the queue, 25-year-old Issa Abdoul agreed the elections were essential "to continue the reconstruction of our country". - A brighter future -For them, the mere act of obtaining a voter registration card is a challenge.

MELBOURNE, Dec 27, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - A fighting England won their first Test on Australian soil in 15 years Saturday, restoring their battered pride with a gutsy four-wicket victory to clinch a chaotic fourth Ashes clash that was all over inside two days. The pumped-up tourists dismissed Australia for 132 soon after lunch in front of a bumper 92,045 crowd at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. It left them chasing 175 to win, with Harry Brook (18) and Jamie Smith (three) seeing them home for the loss of six wickets.

Spanish family missing after tourist boat sinks in IndonesiaJAKARTA, Dec 27, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - A Spanish family of four is missing after a tourist boat sank in Indonesia, state news agency Antara reported Saturday. Seven people including two Spanish tourists, four crew members and a tour guide were rescued. The Labuan Bajo port authority attributed the sinking to high waves of up to three metres (10 feet), Antara said. "This made it difficult for us to carry out the initial search," port authority chief Stephanus Risdiyanto told the agency. Marine accidents occur regularly in Indonesia, a Southeast Asian archipelago of around 17,000 islands, often due to lax safety standards and bad weather.

PTOLEMAIDA, Greece, Dec 27, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - Mayor Panagiotis Plakentas fears what will happen to the town of Ptolemaida and the surrounding region when the last of the brown coal power plants in northern Greece close next year. Western Macedonia has for decades been the centre of Greece's brown coal mining industry that fed its lignite-fired power stations. But now with power plant after power plant closing "unemployment is rising and the jobs that are being cut aren't being replaced", said Plakentas, further crippling a region with the country's highest jobless rate. Its last two brown coal plants will close next year, with the one in Ptolemaida being converted to run on natural gas, as Greece moves away from highly-polluting lignite in a sweeping transition towards renewable energy. Many locals want the land back that was expropriated by PPC years ago to mine the low-grade brown coal so they can farm it again.

DHAKA, Dec 27, 2025 (BSS) - The Election Commission (EC) has dispatched postal ballots to 293,147 expatriate voters in different countries over the last eight days to enable them to cast their votes in the 13th National Parliament election and referendum. He said the number of in-country postal voter registrations is expected to increase further. "We hope the number of registered in-country postal voters, including government employees, election duty personnel and voters in legal custody, may reach 10 lakh," he added, noting that expatriate voter registration could exceed six lakh. According to EC sources, postal ballots were sent to 57,360 expatriate voters in various countries on Friday alone, with the highest number-22,000-dispatched to Saudi Arabia. EC officials said Saudi Arabia has received the highest number of postal ballots so far, with 57,343 ballots sent out of the total 293,147 dispatched worldwide.

England 77-2 at tea, need 98 more to win chaotic 4th Ashes TestMELBOURNE, Dec 27, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - England raced to within 98 runs of winning a chaotic fourth Ashes Test Saturday for the loss of Ben Duckett and Brydon Carse as they aggressively chased 175 to clinch a seesawing contest. But they lived dangerously -- Duckett was dropped by Starc off his own bowling on eight and Crawley survived an lbw review on 15. It was the most wickets to tumble on the first day of an Ashes Test since 1909, and eclipsed the 19 on day one of the series opener in Perth. Head was joined by Marnus Labuschagne but he only made eight, caught by Joe Root in the slips off Tongue. Australia have already retained the Ashes after crushing eight-wicket victories in Perth and Brisbane and an 82-run win in Adelaide.

Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA). File photoDHAKA, Dec 27, 2025 (BSS) - Eight inbound flights to Dhaka were diverted to alternate airports today as dense fog sharply reduced visibility at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, airport authorities said. Airport officials said safety considerations prompted the diversions after visibility dropped due to heavy fog at the capital's main airport. Of the diverted flights, three were redirected to Shah Amanat International Airport, four landed at Kalkata in India and one was rerouted to Bangkok International Airport, officials confirmed. They said normal flight operations at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport will resume once weather conditions improve.

US used drone-launched missiles on militants: Nigeria info ministerLAGOS, Dec 27, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - Nigerian information minister said the US strikes targeting militants' bases in northwest Nigeria used guided missiles launched from large, medium-altitude drones. "A total of 16 GPS-guided precision munitions were deployed using MQ-9 Reaper unmanned aerial platforms, successfully neutralising the targeted ISIS elements attempting to penetrate Nigeria from the Sahel corridor," the minister, Mohammed Idris, said in a statement. He added that the attack came after "extensive intelligence gathering, operational planning, and reconnaissance", with the participation of Nigeria.

DAKAR, Dec 27, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - More than 1,100 people fleeing insecurity in Mali have crossed into Mauritania this week, the UN refugee agency reported Friday, saying conditions were "difficult" for the newcomers. UNHCR said 7,310 refugees had now fled to Mauritania in the two months since a jihadist blockade upended daily life in Mali's capital Bamako and other regions. Since late October there has been a steady influx of refugees into Mauritania from Mali where the security situation remains "very unstable", according to UNHCR. The agency counted 188 families entering Mauritania this week and 1,161 families since October 24, but added that the actual numbers were probably higher. Most of the newcomers are women and children, with rising numbers of elderly people among the refugees.

LONDON, Dec 27, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - British number one Jack Draper will miss the Australian Open next month as he continues to recover from an arm injury. The world number 10 has not played since withdrawing at the US Open due to bone bruising in his left arm. "It's a really, really tough decision, obviously (with) Australia being a grand slam, it's one of the biggest tournaments in our sport," Draper, 24, said in a video posted on social media. "However, I've had this injury for a long time, I'm at the very, very end stages of the process and to step back on court into best-of-five-set tennis so soon just doesn't seem like a smart decision right now for me and my tennis." Prior to the injury, Draper had enjoyed the best year of his career as he won his first Masters 1000 title in Indian Wells and broke into the world's top 10 for the first time.

LONDON, Dec 27, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - The Cure guitarist and keyboard player Perry Bamonte has died aged 65, the legendary British dark rock band announced on Friday. "It is with enormous sadness that we confirm the death of our great friend and bandmate Perry Bamonte," it said. In its statement, The Cure noted he had helped create numerous albums, including "Wish" (1992), "Wild Mood Swings" (1996), "Bloodflowers" (2000), "Acoustic Hits" (2001), and "The Cure" (2004). Led by Smith's plaintive, wailing voice and rich guitar textures, The Cure helped shape Goth rock with albums including 1982's "Pornography", which was full of suicidal imagery. Bamonte was also the bass player in supergroup Love Amongst Ruin, which has released two studio albums.

PORT SUDAN, Sudan, Dec 27, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - Two soldiers from Chad were killed Friday in an attack by Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces on a town that sits on the countries' shared border, a Chadian military source told AFP. Since April 2023, Sudan's army and the RSF have been locked in a conflict which has killed tens of thousands of people, displaced nearly 12 million and created the world's largest displacement and hunger crisis. The military source said an RSF drone bombed the Chadian side of the town, killing two soldiers. In the face of RSF attacks against Zaghawa areas, Darfur governor Minni Minawi, who is allied to Sudan's army, called on North Darfur residents to defend themselves. "Do not let your lands be pillaged... or your homes given over to the invaders," he said on social media.

Karatoya Express narrowly avoids disaster after hitting a brick-laden trolley at Shalmarahault station, halting rail traffi. Officer in charge of Bonarpara Railway Thana Kamal Uddin said a brick-loaded trolley got stuck in the middle of two rail tracks while the trolley was crossing the rail lines. At one stage, the train dragged the trolley 300-400 meters along the rail lines, leaving it twisted. Due to the incident, the rail movement on the route was suspended for an hour. Then, the rail staff removed the twisted trolley from the lines in cooperation with the locals and the train movement became normal, said Nazrul Islam, Mohimaganj rail station master.