FOLLOW US: @TheStatesmanLtd @thestatesmanltd thestatesman1875 www.thestatesman.com People’s Parliament, Always in Session India’s National Newspaper since 1818 | Pages 12 | ` 5.00 | KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | MUMBAI | BHUBANESWAR | LUCKNOW | SILIGURI | SPORTS WORLD BUSINESS RBI likely to hold rates steady in FY27: Report Page 10 South Africa v UAE Pakistan v Namibia India v Netherlands BRIEFLY Australia knocked out, Zimbabwe progress to Super 8s: New Delhi: Former champions Australia were knocked out of the ongoing ICC Men's T20 World Cup after the Group B fixture between Ireland and Zimbabwe was washed out in Pallekele on Tuesday. The abandoned match proved decisive. While Australia were left without a mathematical chance of reaching the Super 8s, Zimbabwe advanced to the next stage of the tournament for the first time in their history. The single point shared between Zimbabwe and Ireland was enough to seal the African side’s progression, underlining a memorable group-stage run. Australia, champions in 2021, struggled to find momentum throughout the tournament. They suffered defeats in two of their three Group B matches, including an eight-wicket loss to Sri Lanka on Monday, after having earlier gone down to Zimbabwe. Those setbacks ultimately proved costly. For Australia, it marks only the second time they have failed to move past the group stage of the T20 World Cup, the previous early exit coming in 2009. Festivities usher in the Year of the Horse Page 5 STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE New Delhi, 17 February P Macron’s fourth official visit to India, underscoring the deepening bond between the two democratic powers. Addressing media persons here following the bilateral level talks, Prime Minister Modi unveiled a grand vision for the alliance, using the inauguration of a new helicopter facility to illustrate the scope of the partnership. "Today, the inauguration of the helicopter assembly line in India is another shining example of this deep trust. We New Delhi, 17 February After one and a half years of p olitical instability, Bangladesh’s President Mohammed Shahabuddin swore in BNP chairman Tarique Rahman on Tuesday as the country’s new Prime Minister. Following Rahman’s swearing-in, the new cabinet, including ministers and state ministers, took their oaths. Key leaders, including Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, Khalilur are proud that India and France together will manufacture in India the world’s only helicopter capable of flying to the heights of Mount Everest," PM Modi announced. "And this will also be exported across the world. That means the India–France partnership has no boundaries. It can reach from the deep oceans to the tallest mountains." A key highlight of the visit was France's explicit commitment to technology transfer, a move that is expected to bolster India's indigenous defence AI deployment represents ‘fifth industrial revolution’, says Vaishnaw STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE New Delhi, 17 February more affordable, and in education, where learning can be tailored to the needs of each student. These examples demonstrate the vast possibilities that AI offers across sectors,” he said. “All the top executives are present and participating in nearly twenty sessions, reflecting the strong commitment of global AI leaders,” the Tarique Rahman becomes B’desh PM ending an era of ‘Rule by Begums’ UNITED NEWS OF INDIA Kharge calls AI Summit ‘chaos, nat’l embarrassment’ PM Modi, Prez Macron ink key pacts in Mumbai The deployment of Artificial Intelligence (AI) represents the “fifth industrial revolution”, with the potential to impact every aspect of the economy and society, Union Minister for Information & Broadcasting and Electronics & Information Technology (MeitY) Ashwini Vaishnaw said on Tuesday. Addressing the media on the sidelines of the India AI Impact Summit 2026, Vaishnaw said, “AI deployment is expanding across virtually every sector, and it represents the fifth industrial revolution, with the potential to impact every aspect of the economy and society. “We have seen transformative solutions, particularly in healthcare, where AI can make services Rahman, Iqbal Hasan Mahmud Tuku, and Major Hafiz Uddin Ahmed, were among those sworn in. Earlier in the day, BNP lawmakers elected in the 13th parliamentary elections took the oath as members of parliament. Rahman’s jumbo cabinet of 49 members, including 25 full ministers and 24 state ministers, was also sworn in after him. Rahman, son of Late Prime Minister Khaleda Zia and militar y general-turne d president Zia Ur Rahman, Sinner off to winning start on Doha debut NATION Page 9 rime Minister Narendra Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron signalled a new era of cooperation and spoke about elevating the India-France relationship to a "Special Strategic Partnership", here on Tuesday, emphasising that their relationship is built on "trust, openness, and ambition" which is capable of reaching from the "deep oceans to the tallest mountains." High-level talks between the French and Indian delegations headed by French President Macron and PM Modi, were held at Lok Bhavan, which is the Governor's official residence in South Mumbai. The talks resulted in a roadmap that significantly deepens defence manufacturing, technology transfer, and collaboration in emerging technologies. The meeting marked President Wednesday, 18 February 2026 was catapulted to the position aft er t he B angladesh Nationalist Party and its allies won a stunning victory at elections held last week, securing 212 seats out of 297 which went to the polls, filling a vacuum left by the controversial banning of the Awami League. President Mohammed Shahabuddin administered the oath of office to Rahman and members of his cabinet on this evening, in a ceremony which broke with past practice and was held under open skies at the South Plaza of the Bangladesh National Parliament. Rahman has b e come Bangladesh's first elected male Prime Minister in 36 years, marking the party's return to power after nearly two decades and a new chapter in a political landscape long dominate d by two "Begums" - Sheikh Hasina and his mother, Khaleda Zia. (See Page 9) minister added. "We believe that human creativity is the most important thing that we have in our entire civilisation. So we must protect it; we must make sure that any system that protects and enhances human creativity is better. There shouldn't be a dilutive effect; there should be more of a complementary impact, effect on human creativity," he said. "We have to have techno-legal solutions, solutions which look at laws while they simultaneously also look at technical guardrails and technical balancing features in the AI models as well as in the way AI is deployed. This is something which will have to be taken up at a global level. This will require a consensus-building across different countries," he added. Om Birla meets B’desh PM, conveys Modi’s India invite STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE New Delhi, 17 February Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, who represented India at the swearing in ceremony of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) government in Dhaka on Tuesday, met Bangladesh’s new Prime Minister Tarique Rahman and hande d over an invitation from Prime Minister Modi to visit India. “India stands ready to supp or t Bangladesh’s endeavours to b uild a democratic, progressive and inclusive nation,’’ Birla told the new leader of Bangladesh at the me eting while conveying him the wishes of the Indian PM. The Speaker also met the Maldives President, Bhutan Prime Minister and other leaders on the sidelines of the swearing-in ceremony. capabilities. French President Emmanuel Macron stressed that the partnership goes beyond buyer-seller dynamics, focusing instead on co-development and co-production. "Whether it's the Rafale aircraft, submarines, or the engines for fifth-generation fighter jets, there are many areas where we are working together with India. We believe in technology transfer, and we have tried to do the same, as you desired," President Macron stated. The French President emphasised the shared belief in "strategic autonomy," noting that both nations are working on a common roadmap to address global challenges "distinct from hegemony." He further announced that India has been invited to the space sector summit in France this July, highlighting the growing convergence in space exploration and defence. Page 12 CM questions EC over SIR rules, alleges bias against Bengal STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE Kolkata, 17 February West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday launched a sharp attack on the Election Commission of India, questioning what she described as “double standards” in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and alleging that Bengal was being treated differently from other states. Addressing a press conference at the state secretariat Nabanna, Banerjee asked why documents accepted as valid during the SIR process in Bihar were being rejected in West Bengal. “Why is there one rule for Bihar and another for Bengal? If family registers are considered valid in Bihar, why are they not accepted here?” she asked, accusing the Commission of functioning without uniform norms. The Chief Minister once again termed the poll panel a “Tughlaqi Commission (whimsical Commission)” and alleged that it was defying directions of the Supreme Court of India. Escalating her criticism, she also described the EC as a “capture Commission,” claiming it was working at the behest of the BJP. Banerjee said she had earlier expressed concerns about the electoral process in neighbouring Bangladesh but noted that elections there were conducted smoothly. “Ironically, in India, the election process is being made more complex because of the Election Commission,” she remarked. The Trinamool Congress supremo reiterated that she had consistently opposed the manner in which the SIR was being conducted in Bengal, alleging that due process was not being followed. She claimed that the Commission was acting in a partisan manner and that her government had approached the Supreme Court to safeguard the voting rights of Bengal’s people. Despite court intervention, she alleged, the Commission had not changed its stand. Following Supreme Court directions, the timeline for the SIR process in Bengal was extended, with the final electoral roll scheduled to be published on February 28.