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The first phase of voting in the assembly elections in the Indian state of West Bengal is going to be held tomorrow, Thursday. The situation in the state is like a ‘war’. Thousands of security personnel from the central paramilitary forces have been deployed in the state around the elections. The National Election Commission is issuing new restrictions every day, which has clearly divided the society and voters of Bengal. There has been polarization in the politics of the state.

In this situation, elections for 152 of the 292 assembly seats in 16 districts, from the hilly regions of North Bengal to the coastal plains of South Bengal, are scheduled to be held tomorrow, Thursday. The second phase of voting will be held for the remaining 142 seats on April 29. The results will be announced on May 4.

The 16 districts of the state where voting will be held in the first phase include Darjeeling and the hilly region adjacent to Darjeeling. These mainly include five districts—Cochin Bihar, Alipurduar, Jalpaiguri, Kalimpong and Darjeeling. The total number of seats in these five districts is 27. These five districts are the weakest areas for the Trinamool Congress. In the last 2021 elections, the Trinamool Congress had won only 5 out of 27 seats in this region.

On the other hand, this region can be called a BJP stronghold because, last time, the BJP won 21 out of 27 seats, while a splinter group of the hill party Gorkha Janmukti Morcha won one seat.

US President Donald Trump announced in a social media post on Tuesday that he has extended the ceasefire with Iran indefinitely at the request of mediating country Pakistan. The ceasefire will remain in place until the results of the talks are known.

However, Iranian news agency Tasnim has learned from various sources that Iran has not requested an extension of the ceasefire.

Iran’s Tasnim news agency has attempted to identify the possible reasons behind Trump’s announcement of the ‘ceasefire extension’ and what it means.

The first explanation is that Trump has effectively lost the war. He has tried every possible strategy during the war, but to no avail. So he sees getting out of the war as the best option.

A second explanation is that the United States could strategically deceive or create confusion. They could announce an extension of the ceasefire but then actually or indirectly launch another attack, or their regional ally (Israel) could take similar action.

A third explanation could be that the United States wants to withdraw from the war, but Israel could remain in the conflict. For example, they could continue the conflict under the pretext of violating the ceasefire in Lebanon.

A fourth explanation could be that if the US naval blockade continues, it will be considered a continuation of war or hostile acts. In this situation, Iran will not open the Strait of Hormuz until the blockade is lifted, at least until then. If necessary, Iran will use force to break the blockade.

Locals in Niamatpur upazila of Naogaon have set fire to the house of a relative of theirs, accusing him of being involved in the murder of four members of the same family by slitting their throats. The incident took place in Bahadurpur village of the upazila around 10 am on Wednesday. However, no one was injured in the incident.

Police said Abdus Samad and his son Sabuj Rana have been arrested on suspicion of involvement in the murder. Abdus Samad is the brother-in-law of the deceased Habibur Rahman.

Police and local sources said the killings may have been caused by a land dispute. The detainees are being interrogated.

Three relatives have been arrested in connection with the murder of four members of the same family in Niamatpur, Naogaon. The murder occurred over a dispute over property division. This information was shared at a press conference at the office of the Naogaon Superintendent of Police on Wednesday afternoon.

A couple and their two children were murdered by slitting their throats in Bahadurpur village of Niamatpur upazila on Monday night. The deceased were identified as Habibur Rahman (35), son of Namir Uddin of Bahadurpur village, his wife Poppy Sultana, and their children Parvez Rahman (9) and Sadia Akhtar (3).

The three arrested are Shahidul Isilam (50), brother-in-law of the deceased Habibur Rahman, and his two nephews Sabuj Rana (20) and Shahin Hossain (35). All three live in Bahadurpur village.

At the press conference, Superintendent of Police (SP) Mohammad Tariqul Islam said, Namir Uddin has six sons and daughters. His only son is Habibur Rahman. Recently, Namir Uddin divided the property between his sons and daughters. Out of the 17 bighas of property, he divided 13 bighas of property, including the house, to his son Habibur Rahman. The rest of the property went to his daughters. Due to Habibur being divided into more properties, a dispute arose with his sister, brother-in-law and nephew. The dispute had been going on for several days. A village arbitration meeting was also held regarding this.

A court has granted a three-day remand to a suspect in the murder case of Sohagi Jahan Tonu, a history student and theatre activist at Comilla Victoria Government College.

The arrested Hafizur Rahman (52) is a former senior warrant officer of the army. He retired from the army in 2023. He was working at the Comilla Cantonment at the time of Tonu’s murder.

PBI arrested Hafizur Rahman from his home in Keraniganj, Dhaka on Tuesday. He was produced before the court of Comilla Senior Judicial Magistrate No. 1 Amli Court Judge Md. Mominul Haque on Wednesday afternoon. The investigation officer of the case, PBI Inspector Md. Tariqul Islam, applied for a seven-day remand of the arrested Hafizur. After the hearing, the court granted a three-day remand. Tonu’s mother, father and brother were present in the court.

Earlier, on April 6, the investigating officer of the case appeared in Mominul Haque’s court. He appeared in court following the court’s summons. At that time, he informed about the progress of the case and requested to match the DNA samples of three people suspected of being involved in the murder. The court agreed to his request. One of the three is Senior Warrant Officer Hafizur Rahman. The other two are Sergeant Zahid and Soldier Shahin Alam, who were working at the Comilla Cantonment at the time of the incident. They are also retired from the army.

The plaintiff in the case and Tonu’s father, Yar Hossain, claims that the soldier’s name should not be Shahin Alam, but Zahid. They have been talking about the names since the beginning of the incident. They did not know of any soldier named Shahin at the time, but the name of soldier Zahid has repeatedly come up in discussion.

After 10 years, the police have arrested a retired army officer in the Sohagi Jahan Tonu murder case. The court has sent him on a three-day remand. Detailed video report…

Former army officer arrested after 10 years in Tonu murder case 2026Former army officer arrested after 10 years in Tonu murder case 2026Former army officer arrested after 10 years in Tonu murder case 2026Former army officer arrested after 10 years in Tonu murder case 2026Former army officer arrested after 10 years in Tonu murder case 2026Former army officer arrested after 10 years in Tonu murder case 2026

Questions have been raised about whether Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC) is adhering to the ‘Automatic Pricing Mechanism’ that is in place in the country to determine fuel prices.

According to the BPC’s method, the domestic price for the following month is to be determined based on the international average price for each month.

But with the increase in fuel prices from 15 to 20 taka per liter on April 19, analysts are questioning the transparency of that mathematical formula.
They say that when the price of fuel in the international market is below $100 per barrel, it is in no way reasonable for diesel to be priced at Tk 115 in the country.

In the last one month, the price of Brent crude oil in the international market has decreased by about $12-15 per barrel (from $110-115 to $95). According to sources, a decrease of $10 in the international market would result in a decrease of about 7-8 taka per liter in the local market.

As such, even though the price was supposed to decrease, the government has increased it by 15-20 taka.
In this context, CAB advisor and energy expert Dr. Shamsul Alam said that the government’s announcement to increase fuel oil prices is contradictory to the BPC’s auto pricing formula.

When the price of fuel rose in the world market, the government was able to control it, and now I don’t understand why it has become unpopular with the people by increasing prices so drastically. Those who have been holding onto fuel oil for so long and creating an artificial crisis have been given the opportunity to make more profits.

The impact of the fuel price hike on public life has begun to be felt immediately after the announcement. Just a day after the fuel price hike, the gas price hike has put a new strain on middle-class and lower-middle-class families.

On the other hand, drivers in the transportation sector say they have no other option but to adjust fares to manage costs.

According to sources from the Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources, the government has adjusted oil prices due to the increase in fuel oil prices in the international market, pressure on import costs, and increased pressure on foreign exchange.

Those concerned say that the decision had to be taken considering the instability in the global market and the impact of the Middle East situation. Moreover, the pressure of state subsidies was increasing due to the increase in the cost of fuel imports.

Price adjustments were necessary to deal with that pressure.
We visited different areas of the capital and talked to people from various professions.

They say that when the price of fuel increases, transportation fares first increase, then the prices of daily necessities gradually increase. But income does not increase in comparison.
Rubel, a local motor parts seller in the capital’s Dolaipar area, said, “As soon as the news of the increase in oil prices comes, the prices of various things, including daily necessities, increase several times. We cannot suddenly increase the prices of our products or the cost of work whenever we want. As a result, it becomes difficult for people like us to earn a living.”

: When Bangladesh received international recognition for the elimination of kala-azar as a ‘public health problem’ on October 31, 2023, it was undoubtedly celebrated as a major achievement in the country’s public health sector. This success was possible as a result of long-term coordinated efforts, research, and field-level activities.

But within two years of that achievement, reality is now sending a different message.

Stagnation in field activities, acute shortages of medicines, and weak surveillance are all warning public health experts that the once-under-control disease could resurface.

Although the infection has decreased, the risk remains.
According to the Department of Health, in 1997, the number of kala-azar patients in the country was 8,846, which increased to a peak of 9,379 in 2006. Later, the number of patients began to decline rapidly as a result of the National Kala-azar Eradication Programme (NKEP), single-dose Ambisome treatment, active case detection (ACD), and vector control activities.

In 2021, the number of patients dropped to 99. Then, it rose to 146 in 2022, 144 in 2023, and 89 in 2024.

However, according to experts, this downward trend has now become a cause for complacency. Currently, about 160 to 167 upazilas in 26 districts of the country are still at risk, where about 38 million people are at risk of kala-azar infection.

A couple and their two children were brutally murdered by miscreants in Niamatpur, Naogaon.

The incident took place at midnight on Monday (April 20) in Bahadurpur village of Bahadurpur Union.

Niamatpur Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Mahbubur Rahman confirmed the matter.

The deceased are Habibur Rahman (32), son of Namir Uddin of Bahadurpur village, Habibur’s wife Poppy Sultana (25), son Parvez (9) and daughter Sadia Akhter (3).

Parvez was studying in the fifth grade at Bahadurpur Government Primary School.

Locals said that after the dawn prayers, neighbors saw the door open and went inside to see their bodies.

Later, when the police were informed, they arrived and recovered their bodies.
Moazzem Hossain, father of the deceased Poppy Akhter, said, “I want the death penalty for those who killed my daughter, son-in-law, and grandchildren.”