Weather may remain dry with temporary partly cloudy sky over the country for the next 24 hours commencing from 9am on Thursday, according to the Bangladesh Meteorological Department. Night temperature may remain nearly unchanged while day temperature may rise slightly over the country, it said. The highest temperature recorded on Wednesday was 35.0°C in Rangamati, while Thursday's lowest temperature was 11.5°C in Tetulia. Rainfall is not likely as weather may remain dry with temporary partly cloudy sky over the country. Wind direction and speed at Dhaka is north-northwesterly at 6-12 kilometres per hour, while the relative humidity recorded at 6am in Dhaka was 87%.

Nasir Uddin Nasir , general secretary of the Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal, has called for vigilance and unity to prevent the political rise of forces opposed to the ideals of the Liberation War. He made the remarks at a program held at the TSC of Dhaka University on Thursday. Nasir said everyone must remain alert and united to resist the political resurgence of anti -l iberation forces . He warned that such groups have recently secured a notable share of votes in elections, describing it as a warning sign for the future. He claimed that forces opposed to independence are signalling their presence through votes in various elections.

The chiefs of the three services paid a courtesy call on Prime Minister Tarique Rahman at the Secretariat on Thursday. Chief of Army Staff General Waker-Uz-Zaman, Chief of Naval Staff Admiral M Nazmul Hassan and Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Hasan Mahmood Khan met the prime minister at his office. The prime minister arrived at his Secretariat office in the morning for his second day of official work. After reaching the office, he held a meeting with the three service chiefs. Earlier in the morning, Cabinet Secretary Dr Nasimul Ghani and Principal Secretary ABM Abdus Sattar received the Prime Minister at the Secretariat.

The government has planned to introduce ‘Family Card’ on a pilot basis before the upcoming Eid-ul-Fitr, said Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Abdul Awal Mintoo on Thursday. “As far as I know, the prime minister wants to begin it as a pilot project before Eid,” he told reporters responding to a question after a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman at the Secretariat. The minister said the Family Card issue was elaborately mentioned in the ruling party’s election manifesto and today’s discussion focused on how to implement the program. Asked how many families would initially receive the card, Mintoo said the program is intended to be universal and will not have restrictions. The program may begin with the ultra-poor, then expand to the poor and later to the middle class in phases,” he said.

Chiefs of three services call on PMChief of Army Staff General Waker-Uz-Zaman, Chief of Naval Staff Admiral M Nazmul Hassan and Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Hasan Mahmood Khan met with the Prime Minister Tarique Rahman at his Cabinet Division office in the Bangladesh Secretariat. Photo : PIDDHAKA, Feb 19, 2026 (BSS) - Chiefs of the three services today paid a courtesy call on Prime Minister Tarique Rahman. Chief of Army Staff General Waker-Uz-Zaman, Chief of Naval Staff Admiral M Nazmul Hassan and Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Hasan Mahmood Khan met the Prime Minister at his Cabinet Division office in the Bangladesh Secretariat here this morning. Prime Minister’s Additional Press Secretary Atiqur Rahman Rumon confirmed the matter. Earlier, on his arrival at his Cabinet Division Office, Tarique Rahman was welcomed by the Cabinet Secretary Dr Nasimul Ghani and Principal Secretary ABM Abdus Sattar.

Anduril was rewarded through the One Big Beautiful Bill with a monopoly on border surveillance towers, to the tune of $6 billion. Experts in government surveillance have consistently noted that surveillance towers enrich contractors and deliver little true security, instead increasing the burden on taxpayers and accelerating human rights violations. This Thursday, Feb. 19, Cornell Career Services has invited Anduril to our campus. Students have passed Assembly resolutions and marched across campus with a clear message to our university administrators: Stop all recruitment for ICE and its collaborators. Adriana Vink Adriana Vink '27 is an Opinion Columnist and a student in Cornell's School of Industrial and Labor Relations.

Photo : BSSRANGPUR, Feb 19, 2026 (BSS) - At an awards ceremony, speakers called for astronger unity among the youth against corruption, so that they are inspiredto become patriotic citizens with human values to build a corruption-free,clean future nation. They also emphasized on including separate chapters in the curriculum andorganizing debates and other extracurricular competitions to inspire youngstudents to prevent corruption and develop their anti-corruption mindset. The District Corruption Prevention Committee (CPC) organised the year-longcompetitions in three categories for the primary and secondary level studentswith the assistance of Rangpur District Combined Office of Anti CorruptionCommission (ACC). The male and female students of the city's ten reputed educationalinstitutions, including Rangpur Cantonment Public School and College, ZillaSchool, Rangpur Police Lines School and College, Shishu Niketan High School,Rangpur Government Girls High School, Rangpur Collectorate School andCollege, Lions School and College, RCCI School and College, Samaj KalyanBidya Bithi Girls' School & College and Salema Girls High School participatedin the competitions. "Corruption cannot be prevented through lawmaking alone," he advised,suggesting an effective social movement involving every citizen to eradicatecorruption from every level of society.

Every second spent along the route is a risk for passenger Esneyder Gomez, a46-year-old Indigenous candidate hoping to win election to Colombia'sCongress on March 8. AFP recently followed Gomez as he trudged village to village along muddyroads, trying to win the votes of Indigenous communities. "The risk is constant," Gomez says, noting wryly that in the decade-and-a-half since Colombia's biggest armed groups signed a peace deal, peace remainselusive. Along the road, armed rebels man checkpoints where travellers must identifythemselves. The area will be a test of whether Colombia's elections can be free, fair andsafe across the whole country.

NEW DELHI, Feb 19, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Artificial intelligence must beaccessible and inclusive, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi told worldleaders and tech CEOs on Thursday, at a summit focused on the fast-evolvingtechnology. The AI Impact Summit is the fourth annual international gathering to discusshow to handle it, following previous meetings in Paris, Seoul and Britain. - 'Must belong to everyone' -This year's AI summit -- the largest yet -- has been attended by tens ofthousands of people from across the sector, including dozens of world leadersand ministers. On Thursday, ChatGPT maker OpenAI and Indian IT giant Tata ConsultancyServices (TCS) announced a plan to build hyperscale AI data centre capacityin the South Asian country. AI data centres are under construction worldwide on a massive scale, ascompanies race to develop super-intelligent systems.

State Minister for Fisheries and Livestock, Agriculture and Food Sultan Salahuddin Tuku today spoke as chief guest at the inaugural ceremony of the subsidised sale during Ramadan at the Livestock Research Institute in Mohakhali. Photo : BSSDHAKA, Feb 19, 2026 (BSS) - State Minister for Fisheries and Livestock, Agriculture and Food Sultan Salahuddin Tuku today said the government will supply protein-rich food items - milk, eggs, meat, and fish - at subsidised prices to low-income families during the holy month of Ramadan. He said the initiative reflects the government's commitment to public welfare under the leadership of Prime Minister Tarique Rahman. Sultan Salahuddin Tuku also said initiatives will be taken to introduce family cards, agriculture cards and health cards to implement the government's electoral commitments. BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia endured suffering in establishing democracy and people's rights but did not bow down to injustice, he mentioned.

NEW DELHI, Feb 19, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - French President Emmanuel Macron told a global artificial intelligence summit in India on Thursday he was determined to ensure safe oversight of the fast-evolving technology. "We are determined to continue to shape the rules of the game... with our allies such as India," Macron said in New Delhi. At last year's AI summit in Paris, US Vice President JD Vance had warned against "excessive regulation" that "could kill a transformative sector". Under EU laws, regulators can ban AI systems deemed to pose "unacceptable risks" to society, such as identifying people in real time using cameras in public spaces. "One of our G7 priorities will be, as well, children's protection against AI and digital abuse," Macron said Thursday.

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Dario Amodei, head of US artificial intelligence startup Anthropic, has warned that the technology could wipe out half of all entry-level white-collar roles. - Bad robots -The Delhi summit is the fourth in a series of international AI meetings. The International Energy Agency projects that electricity consumption from data centres will double by 2030, fuelled by the AI boom. In 2024, data centres accounted for an estimated 1.5 percent of global electricity consumption, it says. The European Union's Artificial Intelligence Act allows regulators to ban AI systems deemed to pose "unacceptable risks" to society.

Photo : BSSRAJSHAHI, Feb 19, 2026 (BSS) - United efforts of all the government and non-government organizations are crucial to adapt to climate change in the region, particularly the water-stressed Barind area. Climate change is posing serious threats to agriculture, fisheries, livestock, and the livelihoods of marginalized communities. If the government and the people work together, it is possible to make the Barind region climate-resilient. Speakers noted that the drought situation in the Barind region is intensifying day by day, severely affecting food production and livelihoods. They highlighted sustainable agricultural practices, water conservation, and the use of local knowledge as effective ways to address the impacts of climate change.

Photo : CollectedNARAIL, Feb 19, 2026 (BSS) - the 123th birth anniversary of ‘Ekushey Padak’ winning renowned folk singer Bijoy Sarkar will be celebrated here tomorrow (Friday) in a befitting manner. A day-long programme has been chalked out to mark the birth anniversary of the folk singer on his birth place Dumdi village under Bashgram union in the district. "The programmes include placing flower wreaths at the singer's portrait and cultural show featuring rendition of Sarkar's songs. Leading a very simple life, the selfless singer spent most of his life completely engrossed in ‘Harmonium’, ‘Dram’, ‘Khol’ and ‘Banshi’ (Flute). Bijoy Sarkar, a legendary singer of Bangladesh awarded ‘Ekushey Padak’ in 2013.