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Photo : BSSRAJSHAHI, Feb 19, 2026 (BSS) - To make healthcare services more accessible, faster, and modern for teachers, students, and officers and staff, a new medical automation software and online portal has been launched at the Medical Centre of University of Rajshahi. Through this new service, users can now book doctors' appointments online, view physicians' schedules, and collect reports of various pathological tests. The Vice-Chancellor said that automation would play an important role in making the Medical Centre's services more user-friendly and effective, ensuring faster healthcare delivery. Under the supervision of the ICT Centre, a team of students from the Department of Computer Science and Engineering developed the software. In addition, the facility to view and download pathological reports online will significantly reduce the need for in-person visits.

Foreign minister Dr. Khalilur Rahman. File photoDHAKA, Feb 19, 2026 (BSS) - Nepalese foreign minister Bala Nanda Sharma congratulated his Bangladeshi counterpart Dr. Khalilur Rahman on his appointment and held bilateral talks in Dhaka, focusing on expanding cooperation in trade, energy, connectivity and tourism. The congratulatory message was conveyed during a meeting with foreign minister Rahman held at the state guest house Padma in the capital last evening. Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed Islam, Foreign Secretary Asad Alam Siam and Director General Israt Jahan were present at the meeting. The Nepalese Foreign Minister was accompanied by Nepal Ambassador to Bangladesh Ghanshyam Bhandari, among others.

The DroneGun can then use directional concentrated radio wave energy to disrupt the control, navigation and video of multiple drones simultaneously. -DroneShield is now Australia's highest-valued defence firm, with a market cap of AUD$3.01 billion ($2.13 billion). - Year of the drone -And he points to the growing use of drones by drug cartels in South and Central America. Australian financial firm Bell Potter has declared 2026 to be the "Year of the Drone" in a bullish note backing DroneShield. The real challenge for firms like DroneShield is keeping up with this "moment of disruption" in warfare, he said.

OpenAI to build India data centre infrastructure with IT giant TCSNEW DELHI, Feb 19, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - US ChatGPT maker OpenAI and Indian IT giant Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) announced Thursday a plan to build data centre infrastructure in the South Asian country currently hosting a major artificial intelligence summit. "This infrastructure will power next-generation AI workloads and position India as a global AI hub," the companies said in a statement. On Thursday, OpenAI and TCS unveiled a "multi-year partnership to develop AI infrastructure in India". In the initial phase, TCS will build data centres with 100 megawatts of electric power capacity "with an option to scale to 1GW (gigawatt)". On Wednesday, Google said it would build new subsea cables from India and chip titan Nvidia unveiled tie-ups with computing firms to provide advanced processors for AI data centres.

US to withdraw all troops from Syria: reportsWASHINGTON, United States, Feb 19, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - The United States is planning to withdraw all of its 1,000 troops from Syria over the next two months, according to US media reports. Television network CBS also reported on the plan, citing unnammed US officials. The decision comes after US forces recently withdrew from some bases in Syria including Al-Tanf and Al-Shadadi, which were used in the US-led international coalition's fight against IS. US media reported Wednesday that Washington will be ready to launch strikes against Iran as early as this weekend, though Trump has reportedly not made a final decision yet. The Pentagon did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

CARACAS, Feb 19, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Venezuela's interim leader Delcy Rodriguez said Wednesday that she spoke with her Colombian counterpart by phone, and they agreed to "hold a binational meeting soon" -- their first since Nicolas Maduro was ousted. Maduro and his wife were captured by the United States in a military raid January 3, and his former vice president Rodriguez has assumed power, governing under the watchful eye of Washington. "We agreed to hold a binational meeting at the level of heads of state soon," Rodriguez wrote on her Telegram account, vowing to work on "key issues" including energy and security. Colombia said weeks ago such a meeting would take place, but no date has been set. The two countries share a porous 2,200 kilometer (1,300 mile) border where various armed groups compete for illegal profits in drug trafficking, illegal mining and smuggling.

NEW DELHI, Feb 19, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Bill Gates has cancelled his speech that was scheduled for Thursday at a major AI summit in India, the Gates Foundation said, after the Microsoft founder was named in the Epstein files. "The Gates Foundation remains fully committed to our work in India to advance our shared health and development goals," it said. The Gates Foundation said the president of its Africa and India offices would speak instead. In a draft email among the documents, Epstein alleged Gates engaged in extramarital affairs. Melinda French Gates told US National Public Radio that the document dump brought back "memories of some very, very painful times in my marriage".

LOS ANGELES, United States, Feb 19, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - CEO Mark Zuckerberg said Wednesday he regretted Meta's slow progress in identifying underage users on Instagram, as he faced stinging criticism at a landmark social media trial over accusations that his company deliberately hooked children. Zuckerberg was the most hotly anticipated witness in the California trial, the first in a series of lawsuits filed by American families against social media platforms. The 12 jurors in Los Angeles heard the increasingly testy testimony as plaintiff lawyer Mark Lanier pressed Zuckerberg on age verification and the tycoon's guiding philosophy for making decisions at the vast social media company he controls. Zuckerberg said that "we're in the right place now" when it comes to age verification. The case is expected to establish a standard for resolving thousands of lawsuits that blame social media for fueling an epidemic of depression, anxiety, eating disorders and suicide among young people.

Photo: BSSRAJSHAHI, Feb 19, 2026 (BSS) - A colorful quiz competition titled 'Healthy Meat, Healthy Mind: Lamb Nutrition Quiz' was held throughout the day at three educational institutions in Paba Upazila and city here Wednesday. The competition was arranged under the research project titled 'Up-scaling of small-scale sheep rearing model for lamb production in Barind area.' The quiz competition was not merely an academic event; it generated significant enthusiasm among students. Through this project, we aim not only to increase production but also to create public awareness about the nutritional value of lamb meat. Today's quiz competition is a part of that effort."

Newly-appointed Education Minister A N M Ehsanul Hoque Milon has assured that question paper leaks and cheating will not return under his tenure. Speaking at a press conference at the Ministry of Education on Wednesday, the minister said: “During my previous tenure, effective steps were taken to stop cheating and question paper leaks. I firmly believe these issues will not resurface.”He outlined plans for comprehensive reforms aimed at modernizing the education system and bringing it up to global standards. Addressing students, Milon said: “We cannot move forward with a backdated education system. However, there was no corruption during the previous tenure, and there will be none this time either.

Reading time: about 5 minutesEileen Higgins MBA ’89 made history on Dec. 9 when she was elected as Miami’s first female mayor. Higgins won the mayoral election, earning 59.46% of the vote against Republican candidate Emilio T. González, who earned 40.54%. In an interview with the New York Times, he said that he called Higgins after the election to wish her the best as mayor. After Cornell, Higgins built a career in public service. When asked about her time at Cornell, Higgins spoke affectionately of her classes in organizational behavior and professors like Prof.

It is rare for there to be two US aircraft carriers -- which carry dozens of warplanes and are crewed by thousands of sailors -- in the Middle East. The United States had two of the massive warships in the region in June last year when it targeted three Iranian nuclear sites during Israel's 12-day campaign of strikes on Iran. - Aircraft -The United States has also sent a large fleet of aircraft to the Middle East, according to open-source intelligence accounts on X and flight-tracking website Flightradar24. On Wednesday, Flightradar24 showed multiple KC-135s flying near or in the Middle East, as well as E3 Sentry airborne warning and control aircraft and cargo planes operating in the region. Leavitt also told journalists there are "many reasons and arguments that one could make for a strike against Iran," adding: "Iran would be very wise to make a deal."

Fifth day of hunger strike for freedom of Venezuelan political prisonersCARACAS, Feb 19, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Relatives of Venezuelan political prisoners staged a fifth day of hunger strike Wednesday on the eve of a parliament sitting they hope will result in passage of a long-awaited amnesty law. Five days after Maduro's toppling on January 3, an interim government led by Delcy Rodriguez -- formerly his vice president -- vowed under pressure from Washington to free all political prisoners. A week ago, lawmakers were unable to agree on the wording of an article in the bill on freeing political prisoners. Arreaza said he was trying to negotiate an end to the hunger strike in exchange for being allowed into the prison to assess the health of those still detained. Meanwhile, a prominent Venezuelan oil expert with dual US nationality, has been released after spending four days in detention, the prosecutor's office said Wednesday.

LIMA, Feb 19, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Peru's Congress is set to name a new president Wednesday -- the country's eighth in a decade -- after Jose Jeri was impeached on graft allegations barely four months into his term. In a TikTok post Wednesday, Jeri said "serving Peru was, and will remain, an honor." "We live in uncertainty," Erick Solorzano, a 29-year-old Peruvian doctor, told AFP, with just two months to go to new presidential elections. "We need a true leader in such an unstable country," he told AFP. However, "there is no guarantee that whoever replaces Jeri will be able to make it to July 2026," political analyst Augusto Alvarez told AFP.