In the 13th National Parliamentary Election, 25 candidates contested across three constituencies in Madaripur, where 17 lost their security deposits for failing to secure the required number of votes. Despite close margins among the winners, most candidates received limited voter support. The results showed competitive races but a high rate of deposit forfeiture.

In Madaripur-1, with 324,289 registered voters, 56.34 percent turnout was recorded. Said Uddin Ahmed Hanjala of Bangladesh Khelafat Majlish won with 64,909 votes, narrowly defeating BNP’s Nadira Akter, who received 64,528 votes. In Madaripur-2, BNP’s Jahandar Ali Mia won with 61,744 votes, while in Madaripur-3, BNP’s Anisur Rahman Khokon Talukdar secured victory with 96,188 votes. Across these constituencies, seven candidates in each of the first two and three in the third lost their deposits.

The analysis of results indicated that although the contests were competitive, a significant number of candidates failed to attract sufficient voter support, leading to a high rate of deposit forfeiture across the district.

The United States House of Representatives has passed the 'Brave Burma Act' to increase pressure on Myanmar’s military junta and strengthen support for pro-democracy movements. The bipartisan bill, introduced by Michigan Republican lawmaker Bill Huizenga in May of the previous year, was approved on Monday, according to Myanmar-based media. The bill will now move to the Senate for approval before being sent to the President for signature.

If enacted, the law will authorize the President to decide annually whether to tighten sanctions on Myanmar’s oil and gas enterprises, the Myanmar Economic Bank, and the jet fuel sector for the next seven years. It will also extend existing sanctions on state-owned entities, officials, their families, and foreign associates until December 23, 2032, with provisions for stricter enforcement.

The act would allow the appointment of a special envoy with ambassadorial rank to coordinate sanctions, arms restrictions, humanitarian aid, and diplomatic engagement. It also directs the US Executive Director at the International Monetary Fund to oppose any effort to expand Myanmar’s participation while the State Administrative Council, formed after the 2021 military coup, remains in power.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami chief Dr. Shafiqur Rahman stated that the Jamaat-led alliance has emerged as a strong national force after securing around 40 percent of the votes compared to the BNP alliance’s approximately 54 percent. He made the remarks on February 14 in a verified Facebook post, acknowledging the BNP alliance’s majority seat win and expressing respect for the constitutional process while noting the deeper realities reflected in the national vote.

Rahman said that under the current first-past-the-post system, many votes are structurally undervalued, noting that BNP won 53 constituencies by narrow margins of a few hundred to a few thousand votes. Some of these seats are under formal review by the Election Commission, and Jamaat will pursue all lawful means to ensure transparency. He emphasized that this is not a rejection of the national result but a responsible effort to uphold electoral integrity.

He urged the Election Commission to act impartially and called on law enforcement to address any reports of violence or intimidation. Rahman also appealed to BNP leadership to demonstrate constitutional governance and accountability before the nation and the international community.

In the recently held 13th National Parliamentary Election, four out of seven candidates in the Dinajpur-5 (Parbatipur-Phulbari) constituency lost their security deposits for failing to secure the required number of votes. According to the Election Commission’s circular, a candidate must obtain at least one-eighth of the total votes cast in the constituency to retain the deposit of 50,000 taka. Based on the total votes, a minimum of 42,329 votes was needed. The four candidates who failed to meet this threshold were Md. Kazi Abdul Gafur of the Jatiya Party, and independent candidates S.M. Zakaria Bacchu, Md. Hazrat Ali Belal, and Md. Rustam Ali.

A total of 338,634 out of 477,516 registered voters cast their ballots across 141 polling centers, marking a turnout rate of about 72 percent. Independent candidate A.Z.M. Rezwanul Haque won the seat unofficially with 113,650 votes, defeating his nearest rival, Jamaat-NCP alliance candidate Dr. Abdul Ahad, who received 108,948 votes. BNP candidate A.K.M. Kamruzzaman secured 97,727 votes.

Assistant Returning Officer and Upazila Nirbahi Officer Saddam Hossain confirmed that four candidates’ deposits were forfeited in this constituency.

AB Party General Secretary Barrister Asaduzzaman Fuad has warned that some BNP leaders and activists are turning into what he described as 'neo-Awami fascists'. He cautioned that if Tarique Rahman fails to control such elements within the party, a dire future awaits him. Fuad made these remarks on Sunday morning at a press conference held at the Barishal Press Club auditorium, addressing alleged irregularities, chaos, and harassment in the Barishal-3 constituency election.

Fuad criticized the administration for failing to ensure a fair election, saying it could not create a level playing field. He expressed disappointment that even after 55 years, candidates still cannot seek votes from people associated with violence, calling it a national shame. He emphasized that these issues will persist until the nation resolves its moral character.

Fuad further stated that the BNP’s 31-point agenda must be implemented in reality, not just on paper, as the public expects tangible action from the party.

The United Kingdom has alleged that Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was killed by poisoning, based on findings presented at a security conference in Berlin on Saturday. British representatives said they and their allies verified samples from Navalny’s body, concluding that a toxic substance was used. UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper stated that only the Russian government had the means to carry out such poisoning.

Navalny died two years ago while imprisoned in a Siberian facility. According to Russia’s state news agency TASS, Moscow dismissed the British claim as propaganda. Cooper said tests revealed the presence of epibatidine, a poison naturally found in certain South American frogs, and argued that it could not occur naturally in Russia or be produced by prisoners or domestic animals.

Cooper added that Russia viewed Navalny as a threat and that the use of such a rare toxin demonstrated the government’s fear of political opposition.

Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Dr. Shafiqur Rahman has taken responsibility for the families of two party workers who recently died in Kishoreganj. On Sunday morning, he visited the families of Abdus Salam from Katiadi and Shah Alam from Itna to offer condolences and announced his decision to support them. Before meeting the families, he visited the graves of the two deceased workers.

During the visit, Dr. Rahman criticized certain individuals who, according to him, only show sympathy to poor people during elections but later distance themselves. Kishoreganj district Jamaat Ameer Professor Ramzan Ali and other local leaders were also present during the visit.

According to the report, Abdus Salam died in a road accident on February 3 while returning from a Jamaat election rally at Katiadi Government College field, and Shah Alam died of a stroke on February 8 on his way to another rally in Itna.

Six candidates contesting in the Pabna-3 constituency, covering Bhangura, Faridpur, and Chatmohar, lost their election deposits in the 13th National Parliamentary Election. According to the Upazila Election Office, the constituency had a total of 486,804 registered voters, with 341,811 votes cast, marking a turnout of 70.22 percent.

The candidates who forfeited their deposits are independent and BNP rebel candidate and former MP K.M. Anowarul Islam (Horse), Hasanul Islam Raja of Gano Odhikar Parishad (Truck), Md. Abdul Khalek of Islami Andolan Bangladesh (Hand Fan), Mir Nadim Mohammad Dablue of Jatiya Party (Plough), Mahbubur Rahman Joy Chowdhury of Bangladesh Supreme Party (Ektara), and Sardar Asha Parvez of Gano Forum (Rising Sun). Their vote counts ranged from 38,027 to 173.

Under Election Commission rules, candidates failing to secure one-eighth of the total votes cast lose their deposits, leading to the forfeiture of these six candidates’ deposits in Pabna-3.