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Sunday, February 15, 2026

Hindus among four from minority communities elected to Bangladesh parliament

Dhaka, Feb 15 (PTI): Four candidates from minority communities, including two Hindus, won in the recent general elections in Bangladesh, with all being nominees of the BNP, which is set to form the government on Tuesday. Goyeshwar Chandra Roy and Nitai Roy Chowdhury are the two Hindu candidates who won on a Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) ticket. They won from a Dhaka seat and western Magura constituency defeating their rivals fielded by the Jamaat-e-Islami. Roy is a member of the BNP’s highest policy-making standing committee while Chowdhury is one of prominent vice presidents of the party as well as a senior advisor and strategist for its top leadership. The third minority MP-elect is Saching Pru, a senior BNP leader and follower of Buddhist faith, representing Marma ethnic community in southeastern hill district of Bandarban, from where he was elected. The fourth minority candidate, Dipen Dewan, belongs to the Buddhist majority Chakma ethnic minority group, who won from a constituency in southeastern Rangamati hill district. However, his religious identity is obscure with many describing him as a Hindu. Hindus make up about eight per cent of the population in the Muslim-majority country of 170 million people. Dewan defeated an independent Chakma candidate as his nearest rival while Pru defeated a nominee of the student-led National Citizen Party, which was formed last year by the Students Against Discrimination, which led the mass protests against ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina in August 2024. According to the Election Commission, 79 candidates, including 10 women from religious minority communities mostly Hindus, contested the election on Thursday. While 67 were nominated by 22 political parties, 12 ran as independent candidates. The Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB) fielded the highest number with 17 minority candidates. It was followed by left-leaning Bangladesh Samyabadi Dal (BSD) with eight minority candidates, little-known Bangladesh Minority Janata Party (BMJP) with eight candidates and left-leaning Bangladesh Samajtantrik Dal (BASOD) with seven candidates. The BNP fielded six candidates and Jatiya Party nominated four candidates. The Jamaat-e-Islami nominated a minority Hindu candidate for the first time in its history. The largest Islamist party fielded veteran businessman Krishna Nandi from a southwestern Khulna constituency who lost but his participation as a Jamaat nominee was widely discussed. He finished as the runner-up in the Khulna-1 constituency conceding defeat to a BNP candidate. The number of Hindu MPs in the 2024 election was 17 and the same number of Hindus won in the 2018 election with most of them belonging to Hasina’s Awami League. Led by Tarique Rahman, the BNP swept to power with a two-thirds majority with 49.97 per cent votes and 209 seats in the Thursday's polls, results for which were declared on Friday. The Jamaat-e-Islami, which was opposed to the country’s 1971 independence from Pakistan, registered its best ever performance with 31.76 per cent votes and 68 seats. The National Citizen Party (NCP) secured the third-highest number of seats, six, and 3.05 per cent votes. PTI AR GSP GSP(This story is published as part of the auto-generated syndicate wire feed. No editing has been done in the headline or the body by ABP Live.)

source https://news.abplive.com/news/world/hindus-among-four-from-minority-communities-elected-to-bangladesh-parliament-1827269

BLA’s Hostage Blow: 7 Pakistani Soldiers Held, 7-Day Ultimatum; Video Exposes Deep Military Crisis

Pakistan’s long-troubled Balochistan province has once again exposed the vulnerability of the country’s military establishment after the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) released a video showing seven Pakistani soldiers in its custody. The soldiers were captured during “Operation Herof 2.0,” carried out by Baloch fighters between January 31 and February 6. The operation, according to the BLA, targeted Pakistani security forces across multiple locations in Balochistan, a province that has remained in open resistance against Islamabad for decades. <img src="https://ift.tt/bq2eZcV" width="720" /> <h3>BLA Holds Seven Pakistani Soldiers</h3> In its latest statement, the BLA declared that seven Pakistani military personnel are currently being held as prisoners. The group has issued a clear seven-day ultimatum to the Pakistani army to release Baloch fighters arrested during the same period or face the consequences. The warning is direct: if Islamabad refuses a prisoner exchange within seven days, the captured soldiers will be executed. <img src="https://ift.tt/7NVtUIe" width="720" /> <h3>Only Military Personnel Retained Custody</h3> The BLA further disclosed that a total of 17 government personnel were initially detained during the operation. However, ten administrative officials were released within 24 hours. The group stated that only uniformed military personnel were retained in custody. By freeing civilian officials while continuing to hold soldiers, the BLA appears to be deliberately framing the episode as a direct confrontation with Pakistan’s armed forces rather than with civilian institutions, reinforcing its narrative that its struggle is against what it describes as military domination in Balochistan. <img src="https://ift.tt/L9TaK6s" width="720" /> <h3>Soldiers Appeal For Negotiation Urgently</h3> In the one-minute-and-19-second video released by the BLA, out of the seven soldiers, two can be clearly identified. One is named Jameel, and the other identifies himself as Shams Tabrez, a Naik in the Pakistan Army from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Shams Tabrez displays his CNIC card and makes an emotional appeal to Pakistan’s military leadership, urging the army to negotiate with the BLA and accept the proposed prisoner exchange so that he and the other six captives can return home safely to their families. <h3>Video Embarrasses Pakistan Military Leadership</h3> The footage is deeply embarrassing for Pakistan’s military, an institution that projects itself as one of the strongest in the region but continues to struggle to assert control in Balochistan despite years of heavy deployments, intelligence operations, and enforced crackdowns. This is not the first time the BLA has cornered Islamabad through such tactics. <img src="https://ift.tt/52l7m0c" width="720" /> <h3>Past Captures Show Repeated Pattern</h3> In 2013, two Frontier Corps personnel were abducted in the Awaran district. After negotiations failed, they were killed. In 2015, six Pakistani soldiers captured in Mastung and Turbat met a similar fate when the state refused to meet demands related to the release of “missing” Baloch individuals. However, 2025 marked a rare and notable climbdown. When three soldiers were captured in Turbat, Pakistan reportedly engaged in backchannel negotiations and agreed to a prisoner swap without publicly acknowledging the exchange. The development was widely interpreted as evidence that even the country’s powerful military establishment is not immune to pressure when its own personnel are directly at stake. <h3>Military Faces Diplomatic Dilemma Now</h3> The current crisis once again puts Islamabad in a difficult position. Publicly, Pakistan’s military leadership maintains a hardline posture in Balochistan, branding separatists as terrorists. Yet, repeated hostage situations expose a ground reality that contradicts official narratives of “complete control.” <h3>Baloch Accusations Persist Against Security</h3> For years, Baloch groups have accused Pakistan’s security agencies of enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings, and demographic engineering in the province. Islamabad has consistently denied these allegations. But recurring cycles of insurgency, retaliation, and prisoner exchanges suggest that the conflict remains far from resolved. With seven soldiers now in captivity and a ticking seven-day deadline, the coming days will test Pakistan’s military doctrine: whether it chooses negotiation, as in 2025, or reverts to force. <h3>Internal Resistance Challenges Nuclear Power</h3> Either way, the episode underscores a stark reality: despite its nuclear arsenal and regional ambitions, Pakistan continues to face internal resistance it has been unable to extinguish for decades.

source https://news.abplive.com/news/world/baloch-liberation-army-captures-seven-pakistani-soldiers-7-day-ultimatum-ab-1827219

Indian Student Found Dead In US Appeared 'Unusually Detached', Recalls Roommate

Baneet Sidd, the roommate of 22-year-old Indian student Saketh Sreenivasaiah, who was found dead in California, has shared an emotional message reflecting on the struggles faced by international students. Saketh, who had been missing since February 9, was found dead at Lake Anza on Saturday afternoon. In a post on LinkedIn, Sidd said authorities informed him that the case was being treated as a suicide. He described the news as deeply distressing, saying it had left the campus community “shaken to the core.” <h2>Who Was Saketh Sreenivasaiah?</h2> Originally from Karnataka, Saketh was pursuing a master’s degree in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at the University of California, Berkeley. His LinkedIn profile noted that he had completed his undergraduate studies at IIT Madras before moving to the United States for higher education. Reflecting on the weeks leading up to the incident, Sidd wrote that there had been subtle changes in Saketh’s behaviour. According to him, over the last two weeks, Saketh had been eating and sleeping less, interacting minimally, and largely surviving on snacks. He also recalled that on January 21, Saketh had invited him to visit Lake Anza. Sidd said he did not accompany him at the time and later realised that the same location became the site of his death. <h2>Saketh Appeared Detached</h2> In his post, Sidd recounted a recent conversation in which Saketh appeared unusually detached. He remembered Saketh saying he had stopped caring about what others thought and felt emotionally numb. At the time, Sidd said, he dismissed the remarks as casual or humorous, as Saketh was known for his light-hearted nature. Looking back, Sidd wrote that he now believes those words reflected a deeper sense of indifference. He ended his message by highlighting how challenging life can be for students living abroad, far from home and familiar support systems. Authorities have not released further details about the circumstances surrounding the death.

source https://news.abplive.com/news/world/indian-student-found-dead-in-us-appeared-unusually-detached-recalls-roommate-1827189

Saturday, February 14, 2026

Bangladesh's New Cabinet To Take Oath On Feb 17

Dhaka: Bangladesh President Mohammed Shahabuddin will administer the oath of office to the new cabinet of BNP chairman Tarique Rahman on February 17 at the National Parliament complex's South Plaza, a deviation from the tradition of the ceremony being held at the presidential palace, according to officials. "We have been informed that the President will administer the oath of office (to the new cabinet) on Tuesday at the Jatiya Sangsad (parliament) complex," a Bangabhaban (presidential palace) official said on the condition of anonymity on Saturday. According to Prothom Alo and Ittefaq newspapers, the ceremony would be followed by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) AMM Nasir Uddin administering the oath of office to the newly elected parliament members instead of Speaker Shirin Sharmin Chowdhury, as stated in the Constitution. According to the Third Schedule of the Constitution, the CEC is the third choice for the job in the absence of the outgoing parliament's speaker and deputy speaker. Earlier, Cabinet Secretary Sheikh Abdur Rashid said that in line with the Constitution, the President would administer the oath to the new cabinet at Bangabhaban. He, however, did not give a date for the ceremony. "If we are instructed or indicated that it will be held on a certain date and at a certain time, we will work accordingly. Even if it is tomorrow, we will have to prepare for tomorrow," the top bureaucrat said. The Constitution requires the cabinet oath-taking ceremony to be followed by the swearing in of new parliament members. Earlier on Saturday, one of Rahman's key aides, who did not wish to be named, said the existing scenario made things a little complicated. "The speaker of the last parliament is supposed to administer the oath of office to the MPs, but she resigned and is living in an undisclosed location while the deputy speaker is in jail," he said. In these circumstances, he said, the President might select someone to administer the oath and "the Constitution kept a provision for that". Meanwhile, the public administration issued a statement saying that Muhammad Yunus' interim government had scrapped Cabinet Secretary Rashid's contractual appointment, replacing him with Siraj Uddin Mia, who is currently serving as Chief Adviser Yunus' principal secretary. Rashid, however, told reporters that he resigned a few days ago and his resignation was accepted on Saturday. Yunus' interim government appointed Rashid, a retired additional secretary to the government, as the top bureaucrat on October 14, 2024, for two years.  (Disclaimer: This report has been published as part of the auto-generated syndicate wire feed. Apart from the headline, no editing has been done in the copy by ABP Live.)

source https://news.abplive.com/news/world/bangladesh-new-cabinet-to-take-oath-on-feb-17-1827149

Bangladesh's new cabinet to take oath on Feb 17

Dhaka, Feb 15 (PTI): Bangladesh President Mohammed Shahabuddin will administer the oath of office to the new cabinet of BNP chairman Tarique Rahman on February 17 at the National Parliament complex's South Plaza, a deviation from the tradition of the ceremony being held at the presidential palace, according to officials."We have been informed that the President will administer the oath of office (to the new cabinet) on Tuesday at the Jatiya Sangsad (parliament) complex," a Bangabhaban (presidential palace) official said on the condition of anonymity on Saturday.According to Prothom Alo and Ittefaq newspapers, the ceremony would be followed by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) AMM Nasir Uddin administering the oath of office to the newly elected parliament members instead of Speaker Shirin Sharmin Chowdhury, as stated in the Constitution.According to the Third Schedule of the Constitution, the CEC is the third choice for the job in the absence of the outgoing parliament's speaker and deputy speaker.Earlier, Cabinet Secretary Sheikh Abdur Rashid said that in line with the Constitution, the President would administer the oath to the new cabinet at Bangabhaban. He, however, did not give a date for the ceremony."If we are instructed or indicated that it will be held on a certain date and at a certain time, we will work accordingly. Even if it is tomorrow, we will have to prepare for tomorrow," the top bureaucrat said.The Constitution requires the cabinet oath-taking ceremony to be followed by the swearing in of new parliament members.Earlier on Saturday, one of Rahman's key aides, who did not wish to be named, said the existing scenario made things a little complicated."The speaker of the last parliament is supposed to administer the oath of office to the MPs, but she resigned and is living in an undisclosed location while the deputy speaker is in jail," he said.In these circumstances, he said, the President might select someone to administer the oath and "the Constitution kept a provision for that".Meanwhile, the public administration issued a statement saying that Muhammad Yunus' interim government had scrapped Cabinet Secretary Rashid's contractual appointment, replacing him with Siraj Uddin Mia, who is currently serving as Chief Adviser Yunus' principal secretary.Rashid, however, told reporters that he resigned a few days ago and his resignation was accepted on Saturday.Yunus' interim government appointed Rashid, a retired additional secretary to the government, as the top bureaucrat on October 14, 2024, for two years. PTI AR DIV DIV(This story is published as part of the auto-generated syndicate wire feed. No editing has been done in the headline or the body by ABP Live.)

source https://news.abplive.com/news/world/bangladesh-s-new-cabinet-to-take-oath-on-feb-17-1827142

Friday, February 13, 2026

Indian national accused of murder-for-hire plot against Sikh extremist in US pleads guilty

New York, Feb 13 (PTI): Indian national Nikhil Gupta, accused of being involved in a murder-for-hire plot against a Sikh extremist on American soil, on Friday pleaded guilty to the charges. Gupta, 54, pleaded guilty to charges of murder-for-hire, conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire, and conspiracy to commit money laundering, in connection with his efforts to murder Khalistani separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun in New York. Pannun holds dual American and Canadian citizenship. Gupta pleaded guilty before US Magistrate Judge Sarah Netburn and is scheduled to be sentenced by US District Judge Victor Marrero on May 29. Gupta pleaded guilty to murder-for-hire, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, and conspiracy to commit money laundering, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York Jay Clayton said in a statement. According to the allegations contained in the indictment, other public court documents, and statements made in court, Gupta worked together with others in India and elsewhere, including, with co-defendant Vikash Yadav to plot Pannun’s assassination on US soil. At Yadav’s direction, Gupta contacted an individual whom he believed to be a criminal associate, but who was in fact a confidential source working with the Drug Enforcement Administration for assistance in contracting a hitman to murder Pannun in New York City. Yadav subsequently agreed, in dealings brokered by Gupta, to pay the undercover officer USD 100,000 to murder the victim. On or about June 9, 2023, Yadav and Gupta arranged for an associate to deliver USD 15,000 in cash to the undercover officer as an advance payment for the murder. PTI YAS GSP GSP(This story is published as part of the auto-generated syndicate wire feed. No editing has been done in the headline or the body by ABP Live.)

source https://news.abplive.com/news/world/indian-national-accused-of-murder-for-hire-plot-against-sikh-extremist-in-us-pleads-guilty-1827022

AI tool offers hope for people with MND by pinpointing optimal timing for critical procedure

London, Feb 13 (PTI): A new AI tool that accurately predicts the need for a feeding tube could transform patient care and improve quality of life for people living with Motor Neurone Disease (MND). The new tool, developed by a team at the University of Sheffield, will improve patient care by providing doctors and patients with the crucial information to plan the life-extending intervention at the ideal time. MND -- also known as Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) -- is a devastating, progressive and fatal condition that attacks the nerve cells controlling muscles. As the disease advances, many patients struggle to swallow, leading to dangerous weight loss and malnutrition. A gastrostomy is a procedure to place a feeding tube directly into the stomach, which is vital for maintaining nutrition, quality of life, and even survival. However, timing is critical. If the procedure is carried out too early, it can have an adverse effect on quality of life. If done too late, it carries greater risks and can be less effective because patients can enter a ‘refractive’ stage of being malnourished. The procedure may even become impossible due to weakened breathing muscles. Researchers from across Europe, led by Professor Johnathan Cooper-Knock at the University of Sheffield’s Institute for Translational Neuroscience (SITraN), created a sophisticated machine learning model (AI) to tackle the challenge of MND’s unpredictable progression. The model uses routine measurements collected at the time of diagnosis to estimate how quickly the disease will progress in each individual patient, thereby allowing clinicians to pinpoint the optimal time for the critical intervention. “One of the hardest aspects of living with MND is the uncertainty, it is a cruel and devastating disease.” said Professor Johnathan Cooper-Knock from the University of Sheffield. “Until now it has been impossible for clinicians to predict when someone living with MND may need a feeding tube - it could be anything from eight months after diagnosis to 20 years. “By pinpointing the optimal window for a gastrostomy to within three months, doctors and patients can better plan for the surgery and we can help ensure the best possible quality of life and potentially extend survival.” Researchers used data from more than 20,000 MND patients to develop the AI model to predict the time when significant weight loss will have occurred - this is a key indicator that a feeding tube is needed. The new tool was able to predict the optimal window within a median error of just 3.7 months at the time of diagnosis. For patients who were re-evaluated six months after diagnosis, the model’s accuracy improved further, with a median error of just 2.6 months. Professor Johnathan Cooper-Knock added: “This is not just about a surgical procedure; it’s about preserving a patient’s dignity and ability to maintain nutrition safely. For a clinician, knowing this critical window allows us to move from reacting to the disease's progression to proactively managing it, providing optimal care and avoiding the distressing complications of rushing a patient to surgery when they are already too frail. “Ultimately, this tool ensures patients get the right care at the right time, maximizing the quality of every single day.” The promising results of the study, published in the journal eBioMedicine, mean researchers are now planning a prospective clinical trial to formally validate the tool before it can become a standard part of MND care. PTI HSR GSP GSP(This story is published as part of the auto-generated syndicate wire feed. No editing has been done in the headline or the body by ABP Live.)

source https://news.abplive.com/news/world/ai-tool-offers-hope-for-people-with-mnd-by-pinpointing-optimal-timing-for-critical-procedure-1827021