China has expressed its intention to raise its bilateral relationship with Germany to a “new height.” Chinese top diplomat Wang Yi made the statement during a meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Saturday, held on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference. According to China’s Foreign Ministry, Wang emphasized advancing the comprehensive strategic partnership and preparing for the next stage of high-level exchanges with Berlin.

The meeting took place as the European Union works to reduce dependence on both China and the United States. Beijing, in turn, is seeking to present itself as a more reliable and stable partner. In recent years, economic ties between China and Germany have faced strain due to allegations of unfair trade practices, protectionism, and shifts in global trade policy. Reports suggest that Merz may visit China later this month, with trade relations expected to dominate discussions.

Wang Yi also urged Germany to maintain “strategic autonomy and self-reliance,” describing the country as a potential driving force in China-Europe cooperation and a stabilizing anchor in strategic relations.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky described Russian President Vladimir Putin as a 'slave of war' during his speech at the Munich Security Conference on Saturday. He said Putin may see himself as a Russian emperor but is bound by war. Zelensky stated that every power plant in Ukraine has suffered major damage from Russian attacks and warned that granting territorial concessions to Moscow would only fuel further aggression.

Drawing a parallel to the 1938 Munich Agreement, Zelensky cautioned that appeasing Putin would not bring peace, likening the situation to European powers’ concessions to Hitler before World War II. He made these remarks just days before the fourth anniversary of Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, accusing Russia of killing thousands, destroying eastern Ukraine, and forcing millions to flee.

Zelensky reiterated Kyiv’s call for Western nations to expedite air defense supplies to Ukraine, emphasizing that his government is doing everything possible to end the war. Kyiv and its Western allies have accused Moscow of deliberately targeting Ukraine’s power grid to inflict suffering during the harsh winter.

The new cabinet, including the Prime Minister, will take oath at the South Plaza of the National Parliament Building on Tuesday. Chief Election Commissioner A.M.M. Nasir Uddin will administer the oath to the newly elected members of parliament at 10 a.m., while President Md. Shahabuddin will administer the oath to the ministers at 4 p.m. The schedule was confirmed by legal adviser Asif Nazrul on Sunday afternoon.

This marks a departure from previous practice, as ministerial oath ceremonies were traditionally held at Bangabhaban’s Darbar Hall. The event follows the thirteenth national election, in which the BNP alliance secured a decisive victory, winning 212 of 297 seats. The Jamaat-e-Islami-led 11-party alliance won 77 seats and is set to become the main opposition in parliament for the first time.

The new government formation signals a significant political shift, with the BNP preparing to assume power after its commanding win in the national polls.

Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Dr. Shafiqur Rahman visited Kishoreganj to pay respects at the grave of rickshaw-puller Shah Alam Bhuiyan, who had been active in election campaigning for the Dhaka-15 constituency. Bhuiyan, aged 55, died of a stroke on February 8 while traveling by boat to attend an election rally in his home area of Itna.

According to party sources, Dr. Rahman visited Bhuiyan’s village home in Itna on Sunday morning, where he offered prayers at the grave, met the bereaved family, and expressed condolences. He also announced that the party would take full responsibility for Bhuiyan’s two minor children until they reach adulthood. Senior Jamaat and Islami Chhatra Shibir leaders, along with a large number of locals, were present during the visit.

Bhuiyan had been a supporter of Jamaat-e-Islami and participated in party activities while working as a rickshaw-puller in Dhaka’s Kafrul area. He had returned to his village to assist in election campaigning before his sudden death.

The Paris prosecutor’s office has announced the formation of a special team of magistrates to examine possible involvement of French citizens in cases related to convicted U.S. sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. According to AFP, the initiative follows the appearance of several prominent French names in Epstein’s circle. The new team will work with prosecutors and police from the national financial crimes unit to determine whether to open investigations against suspected French nationals.

Officials said the team will also revisit the case of Jean-Luc Brunel, who died in custody in 2022 after being accused of raping minors. Investigations had found Brunel to be a close associate of Epstein, allegedly exploiting poor young women under the guise of modeling opportunities. At least ten women have accused him. New allegations are also being reviewed against French diplomat Fabrice Aidan, a modeling agent, and a music director.

Following the release of Epstein-related documents, former French minister Jack Lang resigned, denying wrongdoing and calling the accusations false. Financial prosecutors have opened a preliminary inquiry into Lang and his daughter for tax evasion and money laundering.

The article from Amar Desh Online, published on February 15, 2026, argues that the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza after two years of violence is not the result of natural disaster but of deliberate political and military decisions. It states that global media portrayals focusing on hunger, tents, and aid trucks obscure the underlying causes and shift attention from justice to relief.

According to the report, Israel’s blockade, military assaults, and restrictions on food and reconstruction have created famine-like conditions and widespread destruction. The piece contends that depicting Gaza solely as a humanitarian crisis hides Israel’s responsibility and transforms political crimes into relief issues. It emphasizes that Palestinians have been turned from a people resisting occupation into passive recipients of aid.

The article concludes that humanitarian assistance can keep people alive but cannot restore dignity, sovereignty, or security under a permanent blockade. It asserts that only justice and political accountability, not charity, can address Gaza’s ongoing devastation.

Former U.S. President Barack Obama has sharply criticized the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids conducted in Minnesota, comparing them to behavior typical of authoritarian regimes. The raids, carried out over several weeks by thousands of federal agents, led to numerous arrests. The Trump administration claimed the operation targeted criminals, but it was halted earlier this week following widespread protests.

In an interview on Saturday, Obama described the conduct of federal officials as reckless, deeply concerning, and dangerous, citing two fatal shootings during the operation. He praised the organized resistance of ordinary citizens, saying their peaceful protests and use of truth and cameras represented hope for the nation. According to him, continued civic resistance, even in harsh winter conditions, signals the possibility of overcoming the current situation.

Trump administration immigration official Tom Homan announced the suspension of the Minnesota raids on Thursday after they sparked major demonstrations and national outrage. In the same interview, Obama also criticized the lack of civility in U.S. political discourse and responded to controversial social media posts by Trump about him and the former First Lady.

An elderly man named Mashem Molla, aged 75, was killed in a road accident on Sunday morning in Gopalganj. The incident occurred in front of a filling station at Gopinathpur Sharifpara area along the Dhaka–Khulna highway under Gopalganj Sadar upazila. According to police, Mashem Molla was crossing the highway when he was struck by a passenger bus, leaving him critically injured. Local residents rescued him and took him to Gopalganj Medical College Hospital, where the on-duty doctor declared him dead.

The deceased was a resident of Gopinathpur village in Gopalganj Sadar upazila and the son of the late Ismail Molla. The report initially mentioned a brick-laden trolley but later clarified that a passenger bus was involved in the fatal collision. Police from Gopinathpur outpost confirmed the details of the incident.

The report did not mention any further investigation or legal action following the accident.

The verdict in a war crimes case against former Dhaka Metropolitan Police commissioner Habibur Rahman and four other accused will be announced on March 4. The case concerns the shooting of Amir Hossain, who was hanging from a building cornice, and the killing of two others during the July uprising in Rampura, Dhaka. Defense lawyer Ershadul Haque Babu confirmed the date after Tribunal-1, led by Justice Md Golam Mortuza Mojumdar, set it through a chamber order as the court did not sit that day.

Earlier, on February 3, both prosecution and defense completed their arguments. Defense lawyers claimed their clients were innocent and not connected to the charges, while prosecutors argued that evidence, including witness statements and video footage, proved the accused’s involvement and sought maximum punishment. The tribunal had formally indicted the five accused on September 18 last year after the prosecution filed charges on August 7.

Among the accused, former Rampura police outpost ASI Chanchal Chandra Sarkar is in custody, while Habibur Rahman and three others remain absconding.

In the 13th National Parliamentary Election, five candidates in the Chattogram-1 (Mirsarai) constituency forfeited their security deposits after failing to secure the required share of votes. A total of seven candidates contested in this seat. BNP candidate Nurul Amin, running with the paddy sheaf symbol, won with 127,645 votes, while his closest rival, Jamaat-e-Islami’s Advocate Shaifur Rahman, received 81,227 votes.

According to election rules, any candidate receiving less than one-eighth of the total votes cast loses their deposit. In this constituency, 219,416 votes were cast, setting the threshold at 27,427 votes. The candidates who failed to meet this mark include Advocate Ferdous Ahmad Chowdhury of Islami Andolan Bangladesh (2,064 votes), Syed Shahadat Hossain of Jatiya Party (1,631 votes), Rezaul Karim of Insoniyat Biplob Bangladesh (758 votes), Advocate Zulfiqar Bulbul Chowdhury of Muslim League (266 votes), and Advocate A.K.M. Abu Yusuf of BSD (252 votes).

Mirsarai Upazila Executive Officer and Assistant Returning Officer Somaiya Akter confirmed that the deposits were forfeited due to the candidates receiving less than one-eighth of the total votes.

Nasiruddin Patwari, chief coordinator of the National Citizens Party (NCP) and candidate of the 11-party alliance, has submitted an application to the Chief Election Commissioner requesting suspension of the oath-taking of Mirza Abbas, the declared winner in Dhaka-8 constituency. The application, written on Saturday and submitted to the Election Commission on Sunday by NCP leader Kazi Fakhrul Islam, cites evidence of alleged vote rigging, irregularities, and unlawful influence during the election.

In his petition, Patwari detailed 11 points of alleged irregularities across 12 polling centers. He accused Mirza Abbas, the candidate of the BNP’s “sheaf of paddy” symbol, along with his associates, agents, and family members, of engaging in vote manipulation, exerting undue influence, withholding results, and counting invalid ballots. Patwari also claimed that presiding and returning officers were involved in these irregularities, which he said led to Abbas being declared the winner instead of himself.

Patwari urged the Election Commission to investigate the alleged misconduct and take action according to law and regulations.

Six candidates in the Nilphamari-4 constituency are set to lose their deposits following the results of the 13th National Parliamentary Election. According to the returning officer’s office, nine candidates, including both party-nominated and independent contenders, participated in the election. The results, declared on Thursday, confirmed that six of them failed to secure one-eighth of the total valid votes, as required by the Election Commission’s rules.

The official results show that a total of 297,254 votes were cast, of which 290,197 were valid and 7,057 were invalid. Abdul Muntakim of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami won the seat with 126,222 votes, defeating BNP’s Abdul Gafur Sarkar, who received 82,086 votes, and former MP Siddikul Alam of Jatiya Party, who got 67,557 votes. Each candidate had deposited Tk 50,000 with the Election Commission as a mandatory election deposit.

The six candidates losing their deposits include representatives from Islami Andolan Bangladesh, Bangladesh Socialist Party (Marxist), Bangladesh National Party, and three independents, all of whom failed to meet the required vote threshold.

Bangladesh’s stock market saw a sharp rise following the national election in which the BNP secured a two-thirds majority and is set to form the next government. On the first trading day after the election, the Dhaka Stock Exchange’s main index, DSEX, jumped by 190 points within the first two and a half hours of trading, marking an increase of more than 3.5 percent. Trading volume also surged to around Tk 800 crore during the same period.

Analysts said investors who had been waiting on the sidelines during the election period have now become active, driving both the index and trading volume upward. They advised investors to focus on company fundamentals rather than market rumors. Among the traded issues, prices rose for 370 companies, fell for 17, and remained unchanged for 4.

The market optimism reflects renewed investor confidence following a peaceful election and the country’s return to a democratic process after 17 years.

Exiled Iranian crown prince Reza Pahlavi announced at the Munich Security Conference that he is ready to lead Iran toward a secular and democratic future. He called on the United States to take active steps to support political change in Iran. Addressing nearly two hundred thousand supporters, Pahlavi pledged to guide the country toward transparent and democratic elections.

During the rally, participants chanted slogans supporting the former monarchy and waved green, white, and red flags featuring the lion and sun emblem, symbolizing the deposed royal regime. A 62-year-old protester described Iran’s current government as a dead system. Pahlavi also urged Iranians at home and abroad to continue protests, instructing them to chant from their homes and rooftops at 8 p.m. local time on Saturday and Sunday.

Parallel demonstrations took place from Los Angeles to Washington’s National Park and in Toronto, where protesters demanded immediate action from the US president. Meanwhile, the United States has deployed a second aircraft carrier to the Middle East to increase military pressure on Tehran.

The much-anticipated India–Pakistan T20 World Cup match, scheduled for this evening, faces fresh uncertainty due to adverse weather conditions. The game is set to begin at 7:30 p.m., with the toss planned for 7 p.m., but the Sri Lankan Meteorological Department has forecast heavy rainfall during that period. A low-pressure system over the Bay of Bengal has created a 70 percent chance of rain, raising concerns about whether the match can start on time.

According to forecasts, moderate rain may begin between 6 and 7 p.m., intensifying around the toss. Although the rain may ease later, the time required to make the field playable remains uncertain. If the rain persists, the match could be delayed, shortened, or even abandoned, in which case both teams would receive one point each. Both India and Pakistan currently have four points from two wins, with India leading on net run rate.

Fan excitement remains high, with flight and hotel prices to Colombo soaring. However, all eyes are now on the skies as cricket fans hope the weather allows the marquee contest to proceed as planned.