Traditionally, political parties announced their election manifestos well before the final phase of campaigning. This year, however, several major parties have not yet made their manifestos public. Some parties have indicated that their manifestos are in the final stages and will be officially released soon, with certain parties already setting announcement dates. Leftist alliance Democratic United Front announced its 18-point election manifesto on January 23 at the Dhaka Reporters Unity auditorium. Among religious-based parties, Islamic Movement Bangladesh’s manifesto is finalized, said party publicity secretary Sheikh Fazle Karim Maruf.

Jamaat-e-Islami Central Secretary General Mia Golam Parwar said voters must reject the BNP, Awami League and Jatiya Party in this election, claiming their governance over the past 54 years has failed and people now want change. He made the remarks at a Jamaat-e-Islami rally at Faridganj Bus Stand in Chandpur on Saturday morning. Mia Golam Parwar said: “They have repeatedly become champions in corruption. So, who carried out extortion and killings? The people have seen that.”He urged people to vote for Dr Shafiqur Rahman under the Daripalla symbol to fight corruption and build a Bangladesh of good governance and justice.

In Bangladesh, corruption remains a daily reality. Against this backdrop, debates over civil service pay take on heightened importance. Economic theory offers cautious support: Better pay increases the costs of losing a job and may discourage misconduct. A particularly striking example comes from China, where repeated civil service pay increases over a decade raised official salaries to more than twice the GDP per capita. Revising civil service pay may be justified on grounds of fairness, dignity, recruitment, and administrative efficiency.

Dr Mahdi Amin, adviser to the BNP chairman, said that if the 13th national election is free and fair, the party will win and form the government, working to empower people and provide opportunities for talented individuals as planned by Tarique Rahman. This will allow everyone in the country to easily access information and use modern services. He also said that the BNP will create 1 million jobs in the information technology sector and, responding to freelancers’ demands, the party has already started working to bring PayPal to Bangladesh. AKM Wahiduzzaman, BNP’s Secretary for Information and Technology, added that the party aims to provide high-speed internet to 95% of the population. The event was also attended by BNP Standing Committee member Dr Abdul Moin Khan and Information and Technology Secretary AKM Wahiduzzaman.

Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Dr Shafiqur Rahman on Saturday said his party would invite rival political parties to take part in running the country if Jamaat comes to power with a parliamentary majority. Dr Shafiqur Rahman said Bangladesh has historically stood by the oppressed and would continue to do so. “We do not want victory for Jamaat-e-Islami alone, we want a collective victory for 18 crore people,” he said. The Jamaat leader also called for unity among candidates of the 11-party alliance to ensure victory in all 300 parliamentary constituencies. Dr Shafiqur Rahman said the party no longer wanted fascism or corruption in government.

Iranian army chief Amir Hatami. Photo: CollectedTEHRAN, Jan 31, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Iranian army chief Amir Hatami on Saturday warned the United States and Israel against an attack, saying his country's forces were on high alert after Washington's heavy military deployments in the Gulf. "If the enemy makes a mistake, without a doubt it will endanger its own security, the security of the region, and the security of the Zionist regime," said Hatami according to the official IRNA news agency, noting that Iran's armed forces were "at full defensive and military readiness".

DHAKA, Jan 31, 2026 (BSS) - The Bangladesh Under-19 women's national football team will begin their SAFF U-19 Women's Championship campaign today (Saturday) as they take on Bhutan in one of the opening day matches at the Pokhara Rangasala Stadium in Pokhara, Nepal. The match will kick off at 12:15 pm (BST). In the day's second match, India will face hosts Nepal at the same venue, with kickoff scheduled for 3:15 pm. Bangladesh will play their remaining group matches against India on February 2 and Nepal on February 4, both at the same venue. The top two teams from the round-robin stage will qualify for the final, which is scheduled to be held on February 7.

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He is the undisputed king of Melbourne Park, winning the Australian Open a record 10 times -- he has never lost a final there. - Divisive -Djokovic started out at a time when Federer and Nadal ruled the sport, with fans firmly in one camp or the other. In terms of Grand Slam titles, Djokovic has gone on to pass them both as the last remaining member of the "Big Three" of men's tennis. But while the retired Nadal and Federer are adored by tennis fans even now, Djokovic sharply divides opinion. His refusal to be vaccinated against Covid proved costly -- he was deported from Melbourne on the eve of the 2022 Australian Open.

In a statement accompanying Friday's file dump, the Justice Department said: "Some of the documents contain untrue and sensationalist claims against President Trump that were submitted to the FBI right before the 2020 election. Bill GatesIn a draft email among the documents, Epstein alleged Gates had engaged in extramarital affairs. In an email sent to Epstein on Sept 11, 2013, Branson wrote "It was really nice seeing you yesterday. In November 2012, Epstein sent Musk an email asking "how many people will you be for the heli to island." An email exchange shows Epstein contacting Andrew to ask: "What time would you like me... we will also need... private time."

The month-long Dhaka International Trade Fair concludes on Saturday. Even on the final day, traders are hopeful for good sales. However, this year they lost three days of the fair due to a period of national mourning. This year marked the 30th edition of the Dhaka International Trade Fair. On the final day, discounts at each stall and pavilion range from 10% to 70%.

MELBOURNE, Jan 31, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Star paceman Pat Cummins was ruled out of Australia's Twenty20 World Cup campaign on Saturday, while batsman Matthew Renshaw has come into the squad at the expense of Matt Short. Test skipper Cummins only played one of the five Ashes Tests against England over the Australian summer as he slowly recovers from a lower back injury. He was hoping to be fit for the tournament in India and Sri Lanka beginning on February 7, but has run out of time and been replaced by Ben Dwarshuis. "Matt (Renshaw) has impressed in all formats of late, including in multiple roles in white ball formats for Australia, the Queensland Bulls and the Brisbane Heat," Dodemaide said. Australia's group-stage matches are all being played in Sri Lanka.

Rangpur literary meet honors Michael Madhusudan Dutta, celebrating his legacy, patriotism, and enduring literary brilliance. Photo : BSSRANGPUR, Jan 31, 2026 (BSS) - The 1249th literary meeting of Rangpur Sahitya-Sangskriti Parishad (RSSP) dedicated to poet Michael Madhusudan Dutta was held here marking the 202nd birth anniversary of the legendary poet. Eminent writer and educationist Prof Mohammad Shah Alam discussed the life, patriotism and literary works of poet Michael Madhusudan Dutta in the event. RSSP adviser and writer Advocate Masum Hasan and drama secretary Niresh Mukherjee participated in the poetry recitation of poet Michael Madhusudan Dutta. Poets Momtazur Rahman Babu and G S Bappon were present among others when RSSP's literary secretary Afzal Hossain moderated the meeting.

QUETTA, Pakistan, Jan 31, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Ethnic Baloch separatists launched "coordinated" attacks across Pakistan's Balochistan province on Saturday, killing at least four policemen, officials said, the latest violence in insurgency-hit southwest region. "The coordinated gun and suicide attacks are being carried out across Balochistan, mainly in Quetta, Pasni, Mastung, Nushki and Gwadar districts," a senior security official based in the provincial capital of Quetta told AFP.

Organized by several on and off-campus organizations, including Cornell Young Democratic Socialists of America and the Tompkins County Workers’ Center, the “ICE Out of Ithaca Rally” was part of a national shutdown to protest ICE’s actions. The “ICE Out of Ithaca Rally” took place from 4 to 5:30 p.m. and brought together around 300 people with signs, drums and megaphones. During the rally, community leaders gave speeches about the need for unity and action in the face of ICE’s recent actions. Alongside the rally, several Downtown Ithaca businesses like Petrune and South Hill Cider were closed on Friday, embracing the national economic shutdown. The rally gathered Cornell and Ithaca College students and professors, members from the local community and people traveling from an hour away.