First European flight lands in Venezuela since Maduro's ousterCARACAS, Feb 18, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - A plane from Spain's Air Europa landed in Venezuela Tuesday, according to a flight tracking monitor, the first European commercial flight to arrive in the country since the United States toppled president Nicolas Maduro. A slew of international carriers stopped flying to Venezuela after the United States warned of possible military activity there in late November -- a prelude to its surprise attack on January 3. Since US forces raided Venezuela and captured Maduro, US President Donald Trump has struck a cooperative relationship with interim president Delcy Rodriguez. Portugal's TAP has said it will resume flights. Hoping to prompt US flights, the Trump administration has lifted a 2019 ban on US airlines flying to the country.

US to discuss base with Mauritius as UK returns islandsWASHINGTON, United States, Feb 18, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - The United States said Tuesday it would hold talks with Mauritius on retaining its military presence on an Indian Ocean archipelago being returned by Britain in a deal earlier denounced by President Donald Trump. The State Department said it would hold three days of talks next week in the Mauritian capital Port Louis on the strategic base at Diego Garcia. The talks will discuss "effective implementation of security arrangements for the base to ensure its long-term, secure operation," the State Department said in a statement. "The United States supports the decision of the United Kingdom to proceed with its agreement with Mauritius concerning the Chagos archipelago," it said. Britain had kept control of the Chagos Islands after Mauritius gained independence from Britain in the 1960s.

Elsewhere, Galatasaray stunned Juventus, beating the Italians 5-2 in Istanbul, and Borussia Dortmund seized the upper hand in their tie against Atalanta with a 2-0 first-leg victory. The Brazilian scored a superb goal early in the second half, arrowing his shot into the top corner. I am very pleased for him because he deserved it," PSG coach Luis Enrique told broadcaster Canal Plus of Doue. Gabriel Sara put the home team in front but Teun Koopmeiners scored twice to put Juventus ahead at the break. Lang got his second and substitute Sacha Boey sealed the win to leave two-time champions Juventus facing an uphill struggle in next week's return.

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Real goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois made a fine save to keep out Fredrik Aursnes's deflected effort from distance as Benfica held their own. - Racism protocol -On the left of the area, with nothing else on, Vinicius curled a sumptuous effort into the top corner to put Madrid ahead. That sparked an exchange with Prestianni, who pulled his shirt over his mouth before seeming to say something to Vinicius. The official activated the racism protocol, and Vinicius sat in Madrid's dug-out, with the game on hold for several minutes. When it eventually resumed, Vinicius was jeered by Benfica supporters, and three times denied by Trubin in the minutes that followed.

NEW YORK, Feb 18, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Shares vacillated and oil prices dropped back down Tuesday as Tehran gave an encouraging response during talks with US officials in Geneva on Iran's nuclear programme, after days of escalating rhetoric from President Donald Trump. Oil prices had earlier risen after Trump ramped up threats towards Iran, a large crude producer, but Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said "a new window of opportunity has opened." West Texas Intermediate was down 0.9 percent at $62.33 per barrel after earlier rising 1.5 percent, while international benchmark Brent North Sea Crude slipped 1.8 percent to $67.42. Wall Street was vacillating earlier in the session but eventually closed marginally higher. European stocks closed in the green with London and Frankfurt adding 0.8 percent, while Tokyo retreated and Chinese markets were again shut for the Lunar New Year.

GENEVA, Feb 18, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Geneva was abuzz with diplomatic to-and-fro on Tuesday as top US envoys shuttled between two of the biggest events in world news: high-stakes negotiations on Iran's nuclear programme, and tense talks on ending Russia's war in Ukraine. Meanwhile across Lake Geneva, other journalists were in the ultra-plush Cologny district, hoping to catch US and Iranian delegations arriving for talks being held at the Omani's ambassador's residence. "They are killing children, they are killing teenagers by the thousands," protester Hossein, an Iranian living in Switzerland, told reporters. With countries' diplomatic missions giving little away, journalists tried their luck approaching official-looking types in the hope of extracting nuggets of information. - Hope against hope -Outside the United Nations, around 200 demonstrators denounced Iran's deadly protest crackdown, holding placards reading: "No negotiations with murderers".

Vatican says will not partake in Trump's 'Board of Peace'ROME, Feb 18, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - The Vatican will not participate in US President Donald Trump's "Board of Peace", its secretary of state said on Tuesday. The board, of which Trump is the chairman, was initially designed to oversee the Gaza truce and the territory's reconstruction after the war between Hamas and Israel. Cardinal Pietro Parolin said that the UN manages the world's top crises. "That is, at the international level, it is above all the UN that manages these crisis situations," he said. Since Trump launched his "Board of Peace" at the World Economic Forum in Davos in January, at least 19 countries have signed its founding charter.

Sri Lanka's Minister of Health and Mass Media Dr Nalinda Jayatissa met with newly elected Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman at his Sangsad Bhaban office. Photo: CollectedDHAKA, Feb 17, 2026 (BSS) - Sri Lanka's Minister of Health and Mass Media Dr Nalinda Jayatissa has paid a courtesy call on newly elected Prime Minister Tarique Rahman. Jayatissa met Tarique Rahman at his Sangsad Bhaban office here this evening after he took oath of office as the 11th Prime Minister of Bangladesh at the South Plaza of the Sangsad Bhaban this afternoon. Prime Minister's daughter Zaima Rahman, new minister Dr Khalilur Rahman and officials concerned were present during the meeting. Earlier, Jayatissa arrived in Dhaka to attend the swearing-in ceremony of Bangladesh's new cabinet led by BNP Chairman Tarique Rahman.

LONDON, Feb 18, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - UK police said Tuesday they were "assessing" information in the Epstein files that women were trafficked by plane into Britain, as pressure grows to probe ex-prince Andrew's links to the flights. "We are assessing the information that has emerged in relation to private flights into and out of Stansted Airport following the publication of the US DoJ Epstein files," Essex police said. The short statement, referring to the late convicted US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and the Department of Justice in the United States, did not reference Andrew. But former UK prime minister Gordon Brown has been among high-profile figures urging police to probe the disgraced royal's links to dozens of flights dating back decades tied to Epstein. "In short, British authorities had little or no idea who was being trafficked through our country, and for whom other than Epstein."

PEN Bangladesh has congratulated the newly elected government on receiving an overwhelming mandate from the people of Bangladesh to lead the country at a critical juncture in its democratic transition. The scale of public endorsement carries both legitimacy and responsibility to revitalize Bangladesh’s struggling democratic institutions, restore public trust, and recalibrate the balance between authority and constitutional rights, PEN Bangladesh said in a statement on Tuesday. PEN Bangladesh also expressed its deep concern over the narrowed civic space that led to the detention and persecution of writers, journalists, academics, and digital commentators. Additionally, the expansive security legislation and overarching mob violence have produced a climate of caution and self-censorship that has eroded the spirit of a constitutional democracy. PEN Bangladesh, true to its international charter, remains committed to defending freedom of expression, supporting writers at risk, and working constructively with democratic institutions to strengthen rights-based governance.

Immigration police arrested two brothers, both accused in a murder case in Sunamganj, while they were attempting to flee to India through Benapole on Tuesday afternoon. According to immigration police, the two brothers submitted their passports at the Benapole immigration desk, where verification revealed that they were accused of a murder case and also listed in a blacklist. Officer-in-Charge of Benapole Immigration Police Sakhawat Hossain said the two were detained after their names surfaced during passport checks. After completing immigration formalities, they were handed over to Benapole Port Police Station. Sub-Inspector Khayrul Islam of Benapole Port Police Station said the brothers were accused in a murder case filed in Sunamganj.

PARIS, France, Feb 18, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Ukraine recaptured 201 square kilometres (78 square miles) from Russia between Wednesday and Sunday last week, taking advantage of a Starlink shutdown for Russian forces, according to an AFP analysis of data from the Institute for the Study of War (ISW). These 201 square kilometres include areas that Kyiv and military analysts say are controlled by Russia (72 square kilometres), as well as those claimed by Moscow's army (129 square kilometres). Kyiv claimed that Russian drones were using them, in particular, to circumvent electronic jamming systems and strike their targets with precision. Without the use of Starlink, Russian forces only advanced on February 9, with Kyiv gaining ground on the other days. Approximately 7 percent -- Crimea and part of the Donbas -- was already under Russian control before the invasion launched in February 2022.

Reading time: about 2 minutesProf. Joseph “Joe” Halpern, computer science, died on Friday at age 72 in Ithaca following a battle with cancer. Halpern had served as a professor in computer science at Cornell since 1996. He was the chair of the Department of Computer Science from 2010 to 2014 and was named the Joseph C. Ford Professor of Engineering in 2017. While he was a member of the computer science department, Halpern’s work intersected a wide range of fields. “[Halpern] was a towering figure in theoretical computer science and a beloved faculty member,” said Prof. Lorenzo Alvisi, chair of the Department of Computer Science, in an interview with the Cornell Chronicle.

Several leaders from smaller allied parties also refrained from taking the Reform Council oath. Two separate forms were provided: a white form for the parliamentary oath and a blue form for the Constitutional Reform Council oath. Before the ceremony began, BNP Standing Committee member and Cox’s Bazar-1 MP Salahuddin Ahmed instructed party colleagues not to take the Reform Council oath. He argued that although the referendum endorsed constitutional reform, the Reform Council has not yet been incorporated into the Constitution. Initially, leaders of the Jamaat–NCP-led 11-party alliance had signalled they would not take any oath if the Reform Council oath was not administered in line with the law.