World news

World news

The Bangladesh Nationalist Party's (BNP) commanding victory in Bangladesh's parliamentary election marks not only a political watershed for the South Asian nation, but also a potential recalibration of regional power dynamics across India, Pakistan and China. With unofficial results declared on Thursday showing the BNP-led coalition securing 209 seats, a two-thirds majority in the 350-member parliament, Tarique Rahman's party has delivered what observers described as Bangladesh's first genuinely competitive election in nearly two decades.

The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has won the country's crucial parliamentary election with a thumping majority, with leader Tarique Rahman poised to become the prime minister, according to local news reports. Bangladesh Election Commission results published by Dhaka Tribune and Prothomalo English news website on Saturday showed Rahman's BNP overwhelmingly winning the polls. But there has been no official announcement.

Intelligence confirmed the vessel was transiting along known narco-trafficking routes in the Caribbean and was engaged in narco-trafficking operations, the Southern Command said in a statement. The command included a video of the strike with its announcement, which shows a boat traveling through the water as it explodes into flames after being hit with what looks like a missile. The Southern Command and the Pentagon did not immediately return requests for additional information.

He was released from prison on parole in a wheelchair, after spending more than four years locked up in a jail he walked into on crutches, but walking nonetheless. He was arrested days after conducting an interview. The Chavista regime released him on January 14: he was one of the first 24 journalists considered political prisoners to regain their freedom, amid this transition of sorts that began in Venezuela after the U.S. military intervention of January 3.

He doesn't have an X account. He's not on Facebook. Nobody knows where he lives or what kind of life he leads. In fact, people don't have a clue who he is. I've never heard of him, says a bakery worker in Bauta, a municipality west of Havana. No idea who he is, a housewife from Pinar del Rio shrugs, when asked if she knows Oscar Perez-Oliva Fraga, the great-nephew of Fidel and Raul Castro.

At 11:10 p.m. on an unusually freezing night in late January, the last commercial flight from Houston, Texas, landed at La Aurora Airport in Guatemala City. Passengers and their luggage were immediately unloaded. Just when it seemed everyone had left, the cargo hold door opened and airline staff pulled out two white cardboard boxes. Inside, two coffins. Julio Gonzalez, 59, import supervisor at Combex-IM, the airport's customs warehouse, oversaw his team's respectful transfer of the remains in a small forklift to a chapel illuminated by a cross.

On 1 February 2021, Myanmar's democratically elected government was overthrown in a military coup. There were mass protests against the military seizing power and many people were arrested for criticizing the new leadership. Frequent military airstrikes killed civilians and destroyed schools, hospitals and places of worship. According to the UK government, nearly 20 million people in Myanmar now need humanitarian aid.

Trump has given both sides until June to reach deal, but future of Donbas industrial heartland remains a sticking point. Russian and Ukrainian envoys are set to engage in a new round of United States-brokered talks next week in Geneva as the war approaches the four-year mark with no apparent compromises on territory in sight. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on Friday that the trilateral talks, which follow two earlier rounds in Abu Dhabi, would be held on February 17-18, according to the RIA Novosti news agency.

More than 5,000 ISIL-linked (ISIS) detainees have been transferred from Syrian jails to a prison in neighbouring Iraq so far, according to Iraq's Ministry of Justice. In comments to the Iraqi News Agency on Friday, ministry spokesperson Ahmed Laibi said the transfers and ongoing detention of the prisoners had been carried out at the request of an international coalition led by the United States to combat ISIL, of which Iraq is a key member.

Trainee lawyer Simone and childhood friend Bethany Clarke had met up in Laos and spent a night at the hostel, where about 100 guests were given free shots. It is thought those drinks were tainted with methanol, a toxic substance normally found in paint thinner but that is sometimes mixed with alcohol illegally to cut costs. The friends felt unwell the next day and were eventually taken to hospital, where Simone, from Orpington in south-east London, was put on life support before she died.

Bin Sulayem had been in contact with the disgraced financier for years, visiting his infamous private island in the Caribbean, where sex crimes allegedly occurred, and exchanging videos and links to porn sites and sex worker services, the Daily Beast reported, citing emails in the so-called Epstein files that have recently been released by the Justice Department.

While at the festive market, Xi picked up a 45 yuan (4.79) bundle of delicacies from Daoxiangcun, a historic bakery known for its traditional snacks. According to the shopkeeper interviewed by Chinese media, Xi plumped for three items: honey-glazed dough twists, cream-filled dough twists and jujube flower pastries, a flakey, flower-shaped cookie with a filling made from red dates. Dough twists are made from fried pastry and are a popular local snack in Beijing.

Australia's Twenty20 World Cup campaign is threatening to implode after suffering a shock 23-run loss to Zimbabwe in Colombo. Set 170 runs for victory after winning the toss, Australia slumped to a dismal 4-29 inside the powerplay and gave Zimbabwe, 11th on the ICC rankings, reason to dream. Glenn Maxwell (31 off 32 balls) and top-scorer Matthew Renshaw (65 off 43 balls) spearheaded the rescue mission with a 77-run stand for the fifth wicket in pursuit of Zimbabwe's 2-169.

A man in a white button-up shirt and suit trousers puts his hands in the air as a police officer grabs him. He appears to steady himself on the officer's shoulders. He's then punched multiple times by multiple officers. People watching on scream. It's one of the first violent acts that take place as New South Wales police attempt to disperse protesters demonstrating in central Sydney on Monday against the visit of the Israeli president, Isaac Herzog.

The Cipher Brief spoke with former National Intelligence Manager for Iran at ODNI Norm Roule about what is likely to come next. Roule, who is also a Cipher Brief Expert, travels regularly to the region for meetings with senior leaders. We spoke with him in this exclusive interview about the risks and opportunities facing the U.S. with regard to Iran and what he believes Iran is likely to do first if the U.S. does launch a military attack.

Seems like that would be the best thing that could happen,

At the entrance to La Clementina, a housing development in the municipality of Concordia, in the Mexican state of Sinaloa, there are five funeral wreaths and 12 votive candles. It is a floral offering in memory of the miners who were kidnapped at the end of January. The bodies of Jose Angel Hernandez Velez, Ignacio Aurelio Salazar Flores, Jose Manuel Castaneda Hernandez, Jose Antonio Jimenez, and Jesus Antonio de la O, all employees of the Canadian mining company Vizsla Silver, have been identified, while the whereabouts of five others remain unknown.

Donald Day, 58, was arrested in the US after a year-long investigation into his contact with Gareth, Nathaniel and Stacey Train before the trio killed two police officers and a neighbour at their rural Queensland property. Day was sentenced in the US federal court in Arizona on Thursday, after making a deal with prosecutors in October 2025 to plead guilty to a charge of possessing firearms as a convicted felon.

Matthew Tkachuk collected two assists in the United States electrifying 5-1 win over Latvia at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy. Tkachuk's sweet saucer pass set up little brother Brady for the game-opneing goal 5:29 into the action. He also drew the secondary helper on Brock Nelson's second goal of the game with 12 seconds left in the middle frame. The older Tkachuk logged 17:55 of ice time and finished the game with four shots on goal and a plus-two rating.

The meeting, held from 19 to 23 January under the theme "A Spirit of Dialogue," took place at a time when the global situation still feels uncomfortable. Inflation has eased in some places, but not enough to make central banks relaxed. Growth is holding in parts of the world and slowing in others. Debt remains high, and trade has become more political.