LONDON, Feb 8, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Britain's monarch King Charles III will play host to Nigerian President Bola Tinubu when the African leader makes a state visit to Britain on March 18-19, Buckingham Palace said in a statement on Saturday. President Tinubu and his wife, Olumeri Tinubu, will be received at Windsor Castle, west of London, by Charles and Queen Camilla, the palace said. The West African nation has been grappling with a jihadist insurgency for several years in the northeast and heavily armed criminal gangs in the northwest and centre of the country. The trip will be the first formal state visit by a Nigerian president to Britain in 37 years although President Tinubu was received by Charles in September 2024. Charles visited Nigeria four times when he was Prince of Wales before the death of his mother Queen Elizabeth II in 2022.

BEVERLY HILLS, United States, Feb 8, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - "One Battle After Another" director Paul Thomas Anderson won top honors at the Directors Guild of America Awards in Los Angeles on Saturday, solidifying his film's position as a strong favorite for the Oscars. "It's a tremendous honor to be given this," Anderson said upon accepting the award at the gala held in Beverly Hills. Coogler was also nominated for the feature-film prize at the Directors Guild Awards. Twenty of the 22 winners of the Directors Guild Awards have subsequently won the Oscar for best director, including the winners of the last three years: "Everything Everywhere All at Once," "Oppenheimer" and "Anora." Also on Saturday, Oscar-winning Ukrainian filmmaker and journalist Mstyslav Chernov won the award for best documentary film.

Without a credible commitment to good governance, any manifesto -- no matter how polished -- risks becoming another catalogue of unfulfilled promises. What Bangladesh needs today is not rhetoric, but a bold, sincere, and realistic commitment to reform, beginning from within the political parties themselves. Balance in society and politics invites stability; stability boosts investment; and investment reinforces the foundations of a welfare-oriented state. The second foundation of any meaningful manifesto must be employment for the youth and upliftment of marginalized communities. What it needs is moral courage and a genuine commitment to structural reform -- policies rooted in fairness, justice, and inclusion.

How algorithms and AI are shaping the electionMosharaf Hossain and Muzahidul IslamLast month, we were visiting a few rural villages in Bangladesh. They were discussing a range of topics, from the condition of their paddy fields to the upcoming election in February. We have seen AI videos of police officers making false promises. In India's 2024 election, parties used AI to resurrect dead leaders. The jailed leader Imran Khan used AI to deliver a “victory speech” from prison, blurring the line between physical reality and digital presence.

India were in trouble at 77-6 before Suryakumar took them to a competitive 161-9 at a packed Wankhede stadium and won by 29 runs as the USA could only muster 132-8 in reply. A 58-run fourth-wicket partnership between Milind Kumar (34) and Sanjay Krishnamurthi (37) gave the US a chance of pulling off a stunning win. Arshdeep Singh got in on the act at the other end when Monank was caught by Shivam Dube off a leading edge. India had reached a steady 45-1 when Ishan Kishan (20) slapped Shadley van Schalkwyk to Kumar at mid-off to spark a mini-collapse. Van Schalkwyk was the pick of the American attack with 4-25.

Akhtar Hossain, Member Secretary of National Citizens’ Party (NCP) and the 11-party alliance candidate for Rangpur-4 (Kaunia-Pirgachha) constituency, has received a death threat, according to a general diary (GD) filed at Pirgacha Police Station. The GD, lodged on Saturday night, states that while campaigning at Kishamat village of Chaula Union around 5:30 pm, Hossain received a threatening call from an unknown mobile number. Hossain noted in the GD that the unidentified caller could cause significant damage at any time and requested the police to record the matter for future reference. On Sunday morning, Hossain shared a video message about the threat, saying that intimidation will not stop his campaign or the people’s march toward victory. Officer-in-Charge of Pirgachha Police Station Khondakar Mohibullah said a GD has been filed and necessary investigation will be conducted soon.

“Transparency International Bangladesh says that 15 political leaders and activists were killed in the 36 days following the announcement of the election schedule. Noting that the TIB’s presentation lacked context, the statement said, “Political violence around elections is not new in Bangladesh. In the officially rigged 2014 polls, political violence claimed at least 115 lives”. Explaining the public security, the statement said that the public security was not in perfect shape. “No government can guarantee that there will be no attempts at violence, particularly when influential actors are actively calling for disruption.

Photo: BSSDHAKA, Feb 8, 2026 (BSS) - A total of 2,034 candidates are contesting in the 13th Jatiya Sangsad (National Parliament) Election and Referendum scheduled for February 12. Of these, BNP has fielded the highest number of candidates, with 291 contesting under the paddy sheaf symbol. Besides, Islami Andolon Bangladesh has nominated the second highest number of candidates, with 258 contestants running with the Hatpakha (hand fan) symbol. Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami has fielded 229 candidates with the Daripalla (scale) symbol, while Jatiya Party has nominated 198 candidates with the plough symbol. Meanwhile, Dhaka-12 constituency has the highest number of candidates with 15 contestants, while Pirojpur-1 has the lowest with only two candidates, according to the EC.

Election Commission (EC) Secretariat Senior Secretary Akhtar Ahmed. A total of 51 political parties are participating in the election with 2,034 candidates in the race, including 275 independent contenders. Among the political parties, BNP has fielded the highest number of candidates, with 291 contestants running under its paddy sheaf symbol. Dhaka-12 constituency has the highest number of candidates with 15 contestants, while Pirojpur-1 has the lowest with only two candidates. Besides, around 500 foreign observers will be present during the election, said Election Commissioner Brig Gen Abul Fazal Md.

Red Lion, York High get YAIAA quarterfinal wins, photosFeb. 8, 2026, 12:44 a.m. Shelly Stallsmith/York Daily RecordRed Lion cheerleaders quietly shake pom poms during a free-throw attempt against West York in a YAIAA quarterfinal at Dallastown on Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026. Shelly Stallsmith/York Daily RecordYork Catholic's Evan Bischof gets a clean look at a 3-point attempt against Red Lion in a YAIAA quarterfinal at Dallastown on Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026. Shelly Stallsmith/York Daily RecordRed Lion's Ben Martin shoots over York Catholic's Michael Glezer in a YAIAA quarterfinal at Dallastown on Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026. Shelly Stallsmith/York Daily RecordWest York's cheerleaders celebrate a shot against York High in a YAIAA quarterfinal at Dallastown on Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026.

Photo : CollectedDHAKA, Feb 8, 2026 (BSS) – The government has published a book titled ‘Reform Book’ with brief descriptions of the key reform initiatives undertaken by the interim government since August 2024. The Chief Adviser’s Press Wing disclosed the matter this morning. From this wreckage, the press wing said, the interim government—working alongside millions of citizens across sectors—has initiated a process of transformation. Immediately after taking charge, it set up Reform Commissions consisting of experts from the relevant fields, and sought recommendations for sector-specific reforms. Roughly 84 percent of these measures have already been implemented, reflecting genuine and tangible reform, rather than rhetorical and cosmetic change.

DHAKA, Feb 8, 2026 (BSS) - A total of 6,28,85,525 women voters will be eligible to cast their ballots in the 13th Jatiya Sangsad (JS) Election and Referendum scheduled for February 12, as the overall number of voters are 12,77,11,899 across the country. Among the total, the remaining 6,48,25,154 is male voters and 1,220 belong to the hijra (transgender) community, according to the Election Commission (EC). Among the 300 constituencies, the lowest number of voters is in Jhalakathi-1 with 228,431 voters, while the highest number of voters is in Gazipur-2 with 804,333 voters. Around 800,000 officials will be deployed to perform election duties. Besides, nearly 900,000 members of law enforcement agencies will perform security responsibilities during the JS election and referendum.

He said at least five armed member of law enforcement agencies - two police and three Ansar - will be deployed at each polling station. However, six armed members of the law enforcement agencies, including three armed police, will be deployed at important polling stations, he added. In addition, 10 unarmed Ansar members will be deployed at each polling station, including six male Ansar members and four female Ansar members. He urged all officials and law enforcement agencies to perform their duties with complete honesty, impartiality, and professionalism. Law enforcement deployment will take place in two phases, with the second phase focused on election-day duties from February 8 to 14.

RABAT, Feb 8, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Moroccan Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch said Saturday he will not seek re-election as head of his party, which precludes his return as government chief were it to win this year's parliamentary elections. Speaking at a party rally in the coastal city of El Jadida, Akhannouch told his National Rally of Independents (RNI) party his decision to step down was "serious and deeply thought through". King Mohammed VI has traditionally appointed as prime minister the leader of the party that wins parliamentary elections. Akhannouch has defended his record, boasting of economic recovery after the Covid-19 pandemic, growth and social programmes including expanded healthcare coverage and aid to low-income households. The youth-led protests that called for Akhannouch to resign erupted in September and led authorities to pledge more funding for education and healthcare.

LOS ANGELES, United States, Feb 8, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Olympic 100m champion Julien Alfred made an impressive season debut over 60m on Saturday, clocking 7.00sec at a minor meeting in Fayetteville, Arkansas. The 24-year-old from St. Lucia won her first heat in 7.04sec and then blazed to 7.00 in the final, establishing a world leading-time in the indoor "Woo Pig Classic." Alfred, who trains in Texas, was crowned world indoor 60m champion in 2024 in Glasgow. Alfred won Olympic gold in the 100m in Paris in 2024 and captured World Championship bronze last year in Tokyo. This year's indoor athletics season will culminate in the World Championships in Torun, Poland, from March 20 to 22.