Top news of the day February 17, 2026

Tarique Rahman sworn in as new PM of Bangladesh

Five days after the Parliamentary elections in Bangladesh, Tarique Rahman, chairman of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), was sworn in as the new Prime Minister of Bangladesh on Tuesday (February 17, 2026). The swearing-in of the new Prime Minister and his ministerial colleagues came hours after Chief Election Commissioner A.M.M Nasir Uddin administered the oath of parliament to the newly elected members of BNP in the parliament of Bangladesh – Jatiyo Sansad. As the new Prime Minister Mr. Rahman will lead a team of twenty-five cabinet ministers and twenty-four ministers of state, who were all administered oath by President of Bangladesh Mohammed Shahabuddin.

Supreme Court says ‘political leaders must ultimately foster fraternity in country’

The Supreme Court on Tuesday (February 17, 2026) said political leaders must foster fraternity and high public office-holders should live up to the ideals of the Constitution while hearing a petition highlighting instances of Chief Ministers, senior bureaucrats and police officers making public statements that stigmatise entire communities, legitimise discriminatory governance and erode public confidence in the State’s commitment to equal citizenship. “We would like to impress upon all political parties to follow the principles of constitutional morality, values, mutual respect and self-respect. This is a more than 75-year-old mature democracy; we do not expect people to behave like this,” Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, heading a three-judge Bench, observed orally.

51 Kuki students evacuated from school in Manipur’s Ukhrul

The Manipur police have evacuated 51 Kuki students from a school in the Naga-dominated Ukhrul district amid tensions between the two communities triggered by an assault case on February 7. In a statement issued late Monday (February 16, 2026) night, the police said the students were temporarily shifted from Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya (JNV) at Ramva in Ukhrul to a JNV in the adjoining Kangpokpi district. Exam centres for 18 of these students appearing for Class 10 and Class 12 board exams have also been shifted to the Kangpokpi JNV, officials said.

Anganwadi workers continue protest for 15th day in Chennai demanding regularisation

Over 1,000 anganwadi teachers and helpers continued their protest for the fifteenth consecutive day in Chennai on Tuesday (February 17, 2026), demanding that the State government regularise their services. “It has been 15 days of State-wide protests regarding our demand to be regularised. We are not asking for something new; it was a promise made in the DMK manifesto. We want it fulfilled,” said an anganwadi teacher from Chennai. Anganwadi teachers have been appointed on a temporary basis and receive a monthly salary of ₹15,000, while an anganwadi helper receives ₹6,000. They are entitled to dearness allowances, but no other benefits have been extended to them.

Remarks against Shinde: Comedian Kamra appears before Maharashtra council’s privileges committee

Stand-up comedian Kunal Kamra on Tuesday (February 17, 2026) appeared before the Maharashtra Legislative Council’s privileges committee regarding his alleged remarks against Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. However, in the absence of the main complainant, the hearing has been rescheduled to March 10, said the committee’s chairperson, Prasad Lad. Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sushma Andhare also appeared before the panel. Mr. Kamra and Ms. Andhare later informed reporters that their statements were not recorded during the hearing, as BJP leader Pravin Darekar, the main complainant, was absent.

Economics will give way to politics and security in how nations make choices, Jaishankar says

Political and strategic considerations will overshadow economic ones in the choices that countries make going forward, Minister of External Affairs S. Jaishankar said on Tuesday (February 17, 2026).  Speaking at the Global Economic Cooperation 2026 summit organised by the Future Economic Cooperation Council, Mr. Jaishankar asserted that the world has entered a volatile and uncertain period, “possibly the most turbulent in living memory”.

PM Modi holds talks with French President Macron in Mumbai

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday (February 17, 2026) held wide-ranging talks with French President Emmanuel Macron to boost ties in key sectors such as trade, defence, energy and critical technologies. Mr. Macron landed in Mumbai early this morning on a three-day visit to attend the AI Impact Summit in New Delhi and meet PM Modi. After the talks with PM Modi, Mr. Macron will attend a ceremony to launch the India-France Year of Innovation. His visit comes days after India cleared a long-pending proposal to procure 114 Rafale fighter jets under a government-to-government framework with France.

Karnataka High Court quashes BJP’s defamation case against Rahul Gandhi

In a relief to Rahul Gandhi, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, the High Court of Karnataka on February 17 quashed the criminal proceedings in a defamation case filed by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The case was filed for allegedly issuing ‘defamatory’ advertisements in mainstream newspapers against the then BJP Government in Karnataka during the campaign for the State Legislative Assembly elections in 2023. Justice S. Sunil Dutt Yadav delivered the verdict while allowing a petition filed by Mr. Gandhi, who questioned the legality of the defamation case, in which he has been arraigned as accused number 4. The State unit of the BJP had lodged the complaint in the magistrate court in June 2023.

EC a ‘Tughlaqi Commission’ run by a political party, targeting people like terrorists: Mamata

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday (February 17, 2026) slammed the Election Commission of India calling it a ‘Tughlaqi Commission’ run by a political party and said it is “targeting ordinary people like terrorists”. The Chief Minister said the poll body deleted names of voters in Bengal during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls on “instructions from the BJP”. Ms. Banerjee, who has opposed the SIR exercise, alleged that a “woman functionary in the BJP IT cell removed 58 lakh voters’ names in Bengal using AI.” The SIR hearings ended in West Bengal on February 14 after a seven-day extension from the poll body.

Decision on J&K Statehood soon: Arjun Meghwal

Union Minister for Law and Justice Arjun Meghwal on Tuesday (February 17, 2026) said Statehood to Jammu and Kashmir would be restored soon, prompting a quick response from Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, who said that he hoped that the wait is not too long. After attending a function at the Sher-i-Kashmir International Conference Centre (SKICC) in Srinagar, Mr. Meghwal told reporters that while it was a “very sensitive issue”, Union Home Minister Amit Shah has said in the Lok Sabha that J&K’s statehood would be restored. “You will get it but there is a process for it. I feel you will soon get to hear about a decision in this regard,” he said.

BNP members sworn in as MPs; party says they will not take oath for changing existing constitution

Members of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party who won in the just concluded Parliamentary election were sworn-in as members of Jatiyo Sansad, the Parliament of Bangladesh on Tuesday (February 17, 2026). However, the 212 members of the BNP-led alliance did not take the oath for the Constitution Reforms Commission, with leading members saying such a commission is outside of the law. The Election Commission of Bangladesh had announced on Monday (February 16, 2026) that the oath-taking ceremony would include both the oaths of the membership to the Parliament as well as membership to the Constitution Reforms Commission.

11 security personnel, 1 child killed in attack in Pakistan

Militants from the banned TTP rammed an explosive-laden vehicle into a checkpost in northwest Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, killing 11 security personnel and a child, the military said on Tuesday (February 17, 2026). TTP claimed responsibility for the deadly suicide attack on the FC check post in the Bajaur district bordering Afghanistan. According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), “On February 16, a cowardly terrorist attack was attempted on security forces and law enforcement agencies’ joint check post in Bajaur District by Khwarij belonging to Fitna al Khwarij”.

India’s permanent contribution to world community’s agenda is of enormous importance to us: Antonio Guterres

India‘s permanent contribution to the agenda of the international community and that of the United Nations (U.N.) is of “enormous importance for us”, the U.N. chief Antonio Guterres has said, as he pointed to a “positive mega trend” of the increasingly enhanced roles of developing economies such as India in the world. These remarks were made by Secretary General Antonio Guterres, who will be heading to New Delhi to attend the India AI Impact Summit, the first-ever summit on Artificial Intelligence hosted in the Global South.

U.S. warship in Gulf can be sunk, warns Iran’s Khamenei

Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, warned on Tuesday (February 17, 2026) that the U.S. warship deployed in the Gulf could be sunk, as nuclear talks between the two countries started. “We constantly hear that they (the U.S) have sent a warship toward Iran. A warship is certainly a dangerous weapon, but even more dangerous is the weapon capable of sinking it,” said Mr. Khamenei in a speech. The U.S. and Iran are holding their second round of talks about Iran’s nuclear programme in Geneva as the U.S. ramps up its military presence in the Middle East and Iran holds large-scale maritime exercises.

T20 World Cup | Rain favours Zimbabwe as it enters the Super Eight

When Australia captain Mitchell Marsh was asked about his team’s hopes of making it through to the Super Eight after a demoralising loss against Sri Lanka on Monday, he mentioned ‘the luck of the Irish’. Australia had to hope for Zimbabwe to falter against both Ireland and Sri Lanka in its next two games before facing Oman in its last game with the hopes of overturning a Net Run Rate deficit. Unfortunately, the rain gods in Pallekele did not get the memo. The ICC T20 World Cup Group-B encounter against Ireland being called off before the toss meant Zimbabwe accumulated enough points to join Sri Lanka in the final eight. As for Australia, it failed to qualify out of the group stage for the first time since 2009.

Published – February 17, 2026 06:30 pm IST