Former Information and Broadcasting Adviser Mahfuz Alam has described the recently concluded 13th National Parliament Election as a “pre-arranged” and “divided” poll. He also urged to stop what he called the “drama of opposition” surrounding the results. In a post shared from his verified Facebook account at around 1:50 pm on Tuesday, he wrote, “Accept the pre-arranged election and stop the drama of opposition now. Those who divided the seats and those who accepted the arrangement are on one side, and the people are on the other side. “May Allah protect the people of this country,” he added.

Krishibid Group celebrated its 25th anniversary on Tuesday with great enthusiasm, marking its silver jubilee. The daylong celebration was held at the Krishibid Group Auditorium. Managing Director and one of the founding entrepreneurs of the group, agricultural scientist Ali Afzal, attended as chief guest. Today, it has transformed into a vast industrial group valued at nearly Tk10,000 crore. Following the discussion session, the silver jubilee of Krishibid Group was celebrated in a festive atmosphere with a ceremonial cake-cutting.

Two bomb attacks and a gunfight between police and militants in northwest Pakistan killed at least 14 security personnel and three civilians including a child, officials said. The latest attacks in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa targeted a checkpoint and a police station, according to a military statement and a security official. The explosion caused “severe destruction” to nearby residential buildings, “leading to the martyrdom of one innocent young girl” and injuring seven others, the military statement said. The statement said security forces killed a dozen militants as they were fleeing the scene. Elsewhere in the same province, three police personnel and three militants were killed during a search operation in Shangla district.

BSIA partners with SICIP to train 3,500 graduates, strengthening Bangladesh’s semiconductor workforce and global competitiveness. Under this contract, BSIA will train 3,500 graduates from EEE, ECE, CSE, Applied Physics and other relevant disciplines, through six specializedcourses. BSIA President M A Jabbar expressed his gratitude to SICIP and thanked all concerned officers from both organisations who contributed to making theinitiative a reality. Among others, Mahfuzul Alam Khan-Additional Secretary DEPD (Program Management), Manjur Alam Prodhan, Joint Secretary DEPD (Program Management),Amina Fahmeen, Joint Secretary DEPD (Program Management), Mr. Myenul Hasan, DEPD (Fund Management), Mohammad Afzal Hossain, AEPD (Program Management), Deputy Secretary and focal point of SICIP for BSIA, along with other senior officials, were present at the signing ceremony. Alongside, Sr. Vice President of BSIA M E Chowdhury Shameem, its Director Munir Ahmed and Secretary Hashim Ahmed were present.

Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman and Chinese Premier Li Qiang. Collage Photo -DHAKA, Feb 17, 2026 (BSS) - Chinese Premier Li Qiang today congratulatedPrime Minister Tarique Rahman on his inauguration, reaffirming Beijing'ssupport for Bangladesh's new government. In a congratulatory message sent on Tuesday, Premier Li Qiang conveyed hiswarm wishes to Prime Minister Tarique Rahman on assuming office. The Chinese Premier reaffirmed that his government supports the newBangladeshi administration in ensuring smooth governance and nationaldevelopment. Expressing readiness to work closely with Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, Lisaid he looks forward to carrying forward the traditional friendship betweenthe two nations, strengthening high-quality cooperation under the Belt andRoad Initiative and expanding exchanges across various sectors.

With shuttering of Kennedy Center, large-scale opera returns to Maryland The Washington Opera will perform ‘West Side Story’ at the Lyric Baltimore then at the Strathmore in North Bethesda

Photo: CollectedDHAKA, Feb 17, 2026 (BSS) – Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) Chairman Tarique Rahman, elder son of Shaheed President Ziaur Rahman and late Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia, today formed the government with a 49-member cabinet as he took oath as the prime minister for his first time. After the swearing-in, Tarique Rahman signed the oath of office and oath of secrecy. Clad in black-suit with stripe and white shirt Tarique Rahman was looking very confident and lively at the South Plaza gathering. Tarique Rahman took oath first pledging to preserve, protect and defend the national constitution and the state sovereignty. Earlier, people had assembled in processions from different parts of the capital, chanting slogans hailing Tarique Rahman, the leader of the young.

LAGOS, Feb 17, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Nigeria warned its nationals against being recruited for armed conflicts abroad after reports that some were duped into fighting for Russia in Ukraine, as were citizens of other African countries. They travelled to Russia and were forced to sign contracts in Cyrillic that they could not understand before being deployed to the front. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said last week he had discussed with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin the return of South Africans lured into fighting for Russian forces in Ukraine. Testimonies have also emerged in Uganda, an ally of Russia that has so far avoided criticising Moscow. Ukraine said in November it had identified at least 1,436 citizens from 36 African countries fighting for Russia.

DHAKA, Feb 17, 2026 (BSS)- After a day-recess, the 6th round of Bangladesh Championship League Football (BCL) begins tomorrow (Wednesday) with two matches billed for the day at two separate venues. On the day, Chattogram City Football Club take on Chittagong Abahani Limited at Bashundhara Kings arena practice ground while Khelaghar Samaj Kalyan Samity face BRTC Sports Club at Shaheed Barkat Stadium in Gazipur. Both the matches kick off at 2.45 pm. In the remaining 6th round matches on the following day (Thursday), table topper City Club meet Dhaka Wanderers Club at Bashundhara Kings arena practice ground, Dhaka Rangers Football Club face Wari Club at Fortis ground (Jalshiri) and Suktara Jobo Sangsad take on Little Friends Club at Shaheed Barkat Stadium in Gazipur.

The DCCI believes that this much-anticipated election has enabled the people to elect their chosen representatives, who will help transform Bangladesh into a developed, prosperous and democratic nation through capable leadership. In this regard, the DCCI urged the newly elected government to take effective and priority-based measures for quick economic recovery and ensure their swift implementation, said a DCCI press release. The DCCI believed that there is no alternative to the role of elected representatives in addressing these challenges and taking effective measures to overcome them promptly. To keep the national economy vibrant and resilient, the Dhaka Chamber earnestly urges the newly elected government to remove the existing constraints in the country’s industrial and commercial sectors on an urgent basis. The DCCI would like to work closely with the government for better economic development of the country.

Tarique Rahman, the Chairman of the BNP, was sworn in as Prime Minister this afternoon at the South Plaza of the Jatiya Sangsad (JS) Complex. Photo: CollectedDHAKA, Feb 17, 2026 (BSS) - Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) Chairman Tarique Rahman, elder son of Shaheed President Ziaur Rahaman and late Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia, took oath as the prime minister. President Mohammed Shahabuddin administered the oath of office and oath of secrecy to Tarique Rahman at the open space of the South Plaza of the Jatiya Sangsad (JS) Complex this afternoon. After the swearing-in, Tarique Rahman signed the oath of office and oath of secrecy.

Department of Agricultural Extension distributes seeds, fertilizers to Shibchar farmers to boost summer onion production and reduce costs. Photo : BSSMADARIPUR, Feb 17, 2025 (BSS) - Free onion seeds, chemical fertilizers and other agricultural inputs were distributed among marginal farmers in Shibchar upazila of the district under a government agricultural incentive programme. The inputs were handed over to farmers at a function held on Tuesday afternoon at the Shibchar Upazila Agricultural Extension Office premises. Each farmer was provided with 1 kilogram of onion seeds, 25 kilograms of urea fertilizer, 25 kilograms of DAP fertilizer, 25 kilograms of MOP fertilizer, 25 kilograms of gypsum fertilizer, 200 kilograms of organic fertilizer, and 7 kilograms of pesticides. Officials of the Department of Agriculture (DAE) expressed hope that the incentive programme would help increase onion production in the area and reduce production costs for farmers.

India is discussing age-based restrictions with social media companies, IT minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said Tuesday, following moves by Australia and other countries to ban young teens from popular platforms. Australia has since December required TikTok, YouTube, Snapchat and a host of other top social media services to remove accounts held by under-16s, or face heavy fines. Last month, French lawmakers passed a bill that would ban social media use for under-15s, which awaits a Senate vote before becoming law. “Right now we are in a conversation regarding deepfakes, regarding age-based restrictions with the various social media platforms and... what is the right way to go about this,” he said. India last week tightened rules regulating artificial intelligence technology, requiring social media platforms to clearly label AI content and comply with takedown requests by authorities within three hours.

Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited (DMTCL) has announced a special metro rail schedule for Ramadan. The new timetable will be in effect from the first day of Ramadan until the day before Eid-ul-Fitr. Under the new schedule, the first train from Uttara North to Motijheel will depart at 6:30am, and the last train will leave at 9:30pm. From Motijheel to Uttara North, the first train will depart at 7:15am and the last at 10:10pm. Considering passengers observing fasting, arrangements have been made to carry water during iftar.

His preparedness for taking the charge of the county’s premiership and delivering his job appeared more visible with his intensified and dynamic engagements for greater national harmony and fix the country’s democratic trajectory. Staying away from 8000 kilometers since 2008, Rahman previously secured a long-lasting place in the heart of millions and positioned himself at the forefront of national politics through his pragmatic leadership. Rahman proved his leadership in guiding the party towards its historic victory in the 13th parliamentary election held on Thursday. Education and political engagement :Rahman completed his secondary education at Dhaka Residential Model College and higher secondary studies at Adamjee Cantonment College. In university Rahman got himself involved directly in politics and gained early experience in grassroots organizational activities and public engagement.