The police said the victims of the shooting incident in the city of Vantaa were children, one of whom was later confirmed to have died. The suspect, also a minor, was later arrested. Three 12-year-olds were injured in a school shooting incident in Finland early on Tuesday, Finnish police said, adding that the suspect, also a minor, was later arrested. "All those involved in the shooting incident are minors," the police said. They were all 12 years old, the police later specified. What do we know about the shooting incident? The shooting occurred at the Viertola school in the city of Vantaa, north of the capital Helsinki. The school has some 800 students. "The immediate danger is over," the Viertola school's principal Sari Laasila told the Reuters news agency. Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo said the incident was "deeply shocking," adding that he was closely following the situation and awaiting updates. "The day started in a horrifying way. There has been a shooting incident at the Viertola school in Vantaa. I can only imagine the pain and worry that many families are experiencing at the moment. The suspected perpetrator has been caught," Interior Minister Mari Rantanen said on X, formerly Twitter. Finland's gun policies in focus Finland's population of around 5.5 million includes some 430,000 gun license holders, with over 1.5 licensed firearms in the country of hunters and gun enthusiasts, ministry figures showed. The country tightened its gun legislation in 2010, following two back-to-back school shootings in 2007 and 2008 which, combined, left nearly 20 killed, including students. The amended legislation introduced an aptitude test for all firearms license applicants and increased the age limit for applicants from 18 to 20.

State Minister for Primary and Mass Education, Rumana Ali said that the recruitment of 10,000 primary teachers will be completed by June this year.  She said this while visiting Comilla Victoria Government College center in the third phase of primary teacher recruitment examination of Dhaka and Chattogram divisions. Rumana Ali said that the ministry is on high alert so that no applicant can cheat.  All measures have been taken for a fair exam. However, In the third phase of primary teacher recruitment examination 32,199 candidates are taking part in Cumilla district. Of them, 14,767 are female and 17,432 are male candidates.

The High Court has issued a order about the closure of primary and secondary schools throughout the upcoming month of Ramadan. At the same time, the notification to keep schools open during Ramadan has also been suspended. The High Court bench of Justice KM Kamrul Kader and Justice Khizir Hayat passed the order following a writ petition. The High Court has issued a rule asking why the decision to keep the school open should not be canceled. The notification to keep the school open has also been suspended for two months. Earlier, Supreme Court lawyer Advocate Elias Ali Mondal filed the writ petition with the concerned branch of the High Court on February 25. He challenged the legality of the government's decision to keep schools open during the month of holy Ramadan.

Former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley won her first Republican primary in Washington, D.C. She broke Donald Trump's sweep of the Republican primaries, but it is unlikely to change the trajectory of the contest. Former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley won her first contest in the Republican presidential nomination race in Washington D.C. on Sunday. Her triumph in the D.C. primary breaks rival Donald Trump's sweep of the Republican presidential voting contests. In the US electoral system, voters head to the polls for either primaries or caucuses depending on the state they live, to elect a candidate for the presidential election. The presidential nominees are then declared during conventions held later in the year. The general election takes place on November 5.  Haley wins D.C. ahead of Super Tuesday The former United Nations ambassador has pledged to stay in the race at least through Super Tuesday this week, when 15 states and one US territory will vote. Trump has a commanding lead according to opinion polls in nearly all of those states. Trump won the most delegates in the eight early-voting states in January and February and is poised to rack up more delegates on Super Tuesday. To win the Republican nomination for the presidential election ballot in November, a candidate needs to secure at least 1,215 delegates. In Washington D.C., Haley won 62.9% of the vote, while Trump garnered 33.2%. Because Haley won more than half of the votes, she won all 19 delegates that were up for grabs, but is still a long way off winning the party's nomination. Republicans in Washington reject Trump "It’s not surprising that Republicans closest to Washington dysfunction are rejecting Donald Trump and all his chaos," Haley campaign spokesperson Olivia Perez-Cubas said in a statement. Haley was the first woman to win a Republican primary in US history, her campaign said. Washington is one of the most heavily Democratic jurisdictions in the nation, with only about 23,000 registered Republicans in the city. The capital's moderate set of Republicans, many of whom work in politics, are vastly different from those in other states. They believed that Washington could represent Haley's best chance to win a primary. Trump's campaign issued a statement shortly after Haley's victory sarcastically congratulating her on being named "Queen of the Swamp by the lobbyists and D.C. insiders that want to protect the failed status quo." Though Haley faces near-impossible odds in her quest to win the Republican nomination, her win will likely inoculate her from criticisms that she is not able to win a single primary. Some Republicans, however, will see her popularity in Washington as a negative. Many party leaders, including Trump, portray the city as one that is run by elites out of touch with their voters.

Donald Trump has extended his lead over Nikki Haley for the Republican presidential nomination after winning the South Carolina primary. The result is a major blow for Haley in her home state. Former US President Donald Trump went into Saturday's Republican primary in South Carolina as the front-runner and emerged victorious over the state's former governor Nikki Haley. The Associated Press declared Trump the winner as polls closed at 7 p.m. EST, based on a survey of Republican voters in the state. Projections by CNN and NBC also declared Trump the winner. Trump gained approximately 60% of the vote, while Haley received some 40%, according to pollster Edison Research. "I have never seen the Republican Party so unified as it is right now," Trump said in a victory speech delivered moments after polls closed. He did not mention Haley once in about 30 minutes of remarks. Despite losing in her home state, Haley has vowed to stay in the race. "I said earlier this week that no matter what happens in South Carolina, I would continue to run ... I'm a woman of my word. I'm not giving up this fight when a majority of Americans disapprove of both Donald Trump and Joe Biden," she said after the vote. "Forty percent is not some tiny group," Haley added. "There are huge numbers of voters in our Republican primaries who are saying they want an alternative." Trump closes on on Republican nomination The result is Trump's fifth straight win during primary season after victories in Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and the US Virgin Islands.  David Darmofal, a politics professor at the University of South Carolina, told the AFP news agency that Trump's clear victory on Friday night made him "effectively the presumptive Republican nominee for president." President Joe Biden also reacted to the result with a statement warning voters of "the threat Donald Trump poses to our future as Americans grapple with the damage he left behind." Voters unswayed by Trump's legal battles Haley spent much of the campaign in her home state pointing out that 77-year-old Trump faces four criminal indictments. But nearly two-thirds (65%) of Republican primary voters said Trump would still be fit for the presidency if he were convicted of a crime, according to exit polls. The same percentage of those who voted said they do not think US President Joe Biden legitimately won the presidency in 2016, the polls showed. Rather than the charges against Trump, voters told pollsters they were most concerned about immigration (41%) and the economy (31%). Abortion policy was most important to 10% of primary voters and foreign policy was the top issue for 11%, according to exit polls.  

Biden's victory in the South Carolina Democratic primary comes amid growing concerns over his slipping popularity. US President Joe Biden had an easy win in the South Carolina Democratic primary on Saturday, as he kicked off his party's nomination process. Biden secured a massive 96.4% of the votes, US news organizations reported, with his only rivals on the ballot, self-help author Marianne Williamson winning 2%, and Minnesota congressman Dean Phillips getting 1.6%.   South Carolina holds significance and was being watched closely as four years ago, the state's Black voters helped propel Biden to the White House. "In 2020, it was the voters of South Carolina who proved the pundits wrong, breathed new life into our campaign, and set us on the path to winning the presidency," Biden said in a statement. "Now in 2024, the people of South Carolina have spoken again and I have no doubt that you have set us on the path to winning the Presidency again and making Donald Trump a loser again."   Biden's support among Black voters The win comes amid concerns over Biden's slipping popularity, especially among young Black men, amid frustration that he has not addressed their priorities despite them backing him four years ago. Even though South Carolina has traditionally remained a Republican stronghold, its 26% Black population forms a crucial voter base for Biden's prospects in the November elections. In 2020, Black voters made up 11% of the national electorate and 9 in 10 of them supported Biden, according to AP VoteCast, a survey of that election's voters. Despite his overwhelming win in South Carolina, Democrats will be examining the results to see if Biden was able to hold the interest of the Black voters in the state.

Former US President Donald Trump secures a significant win in the New Hampshire primary, outperforming rival Nikki Haley. The victory, following his Iowa caucus success, positions him as the GOP frontrunner for 2024. Former US President Donald Trump won the New Hampshire primary on Tuesday, strengthening his bid for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, according to projections by the Associated Press and Fox News. After a landslide victory in the Iowa caucuses, Trump was down to one serious rival, former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley. According to the projections, Haley outperformed expectations but was unable to clinch an important victory. At his victory party, Trump mocked his last remaining rival, calling her an "imposter" and saying, "She's doing a speech like she won. She didn't win. She lost ... She had a very bad night." What were the results of the primary? With 81% of the votes counted, Trump had 54.8%, beating out Haley, who trailed with 43.6% of the vote, according to AP estimates. Trump will win at least 12 New Hampshire delegates to Haley's 9, with 1 still up for grabs, according to Edison Research's initial projection. Reports during the day suggested that voter turnout had been high. Meanwhile, US President Joe Biden won New Hampshire's largely symbolic Democratic primary, prevailing in an unusual write-in effort after choosing not to campaign or appear on the state's ballot. Biden's reelection campaign said Trump's primary victory in New Hampshire means he will almost certainly become the Republican Party's nominee in 2024 and face Biden on election day. "Tonight's results confirm Donald Trump has all but locked up the GOP nomination, and the election denying, anti-freedom MAGA movement has completed its takeover of the Republican Party," Biden campaign manager Julie Chavez Rodriguez said in a statement. The nomination battle will now turn to Nevada where Trump already holds strong prospects. After that, to Haley's home state of South Carolina where Trump is ahead of the former governor by some 30 percentage points. The exit polls from New Hampshire suggest that Trump is likely to expand beyond his base. The nomination process will continue for months but its likely that the Republicans may have a presidential candidate by April. Haley vowed to continue race In response to Trump's projected victory, Haley congratulated her rival and vowed to fight on, "This race is far from over." "The worst kept secret in politics is how badly the Democrats want to run against Donald Trump," she told supporters after Trump was projected to win. "A Trump nomination is a Biden win." Before the vote on Tuesday, Haley's team said she intends to stay in the race through "Super Tuesday" on March 5, when voters in 16 states will cast ballots for their party's candidate. "After Super Tuesday," read a campaign memo, "we will have a very good picture of where this race stands. At that point, millions of Americans in 26 states and territories will have voted."

Classes at all the government primary schools will start from 10:00am till Jan 31 due to the ongoing spell of cold waves.   A mild cold wave is sweeping over Jashore, Kushtia, Chuadanga, Tangail, Madaripur, and Kishoreganj districts, along with Rangpur and Rajshahi divisions. The cold weather conditions will continue, according to the Met Office forecast.   In such a situation, the Ministry of Primary and Mass Education has changed the teaching schedule in primary schools. A circular signed by Deputy Secretary Mohammad Kabir Uddin was issued in this regard on Monday (Jan 22).   According to the office order, the teaching schedule of government primary schools has been changed in consideration of the difficulties faced by the students due to the ongoing cold wave across the country. Besides, the directive issued by the government on Jan 16 will continue in effect as usual.   Earlier, on Jan 16, an office order of the Ministry of Primary and Mass Education informed that if the temperature drops below 10C in any district, the primary schools will be closed there.  

Maine's top election official concluded that Trump incited an insurrection in an attempt to hold onto power following defeat in the 2020 US election. Challenges to his eligibility have been filed in other states too. Former US President Donald Trump on Tuesday appealed a decision by Maine's top election official to exclude him from the state's Republican presidential primary ballot over his role in the January 6, 2021, Capitol attack. Shenna Bellows, Maine's Secretary of State and a Democrat, barred Trump from the state's primary ballot under Section 3 of the 14th Amendment, which prohibits those who "engaged in insurrection" from holding office. In her decision, Bellows noted that the January 6 Capitol attack "occurred at the behest of, and with the knowledge and support of, the outgoing President." Bellows concluded that the former president incited an insurrection in an attempt to hold onto power following defeat in the 2020 election and was disqualified from holding office again under constitutional rules. Trump's lawyers call ruling biased Trump's appeal on Tuesday asks that Bellows be required to place him on the March 5 primary ballot. His attorneys argued that Bellows' ruling demonstrates bias and lacks legal authority. "The secretary should have recused herself due to her bias against President Trump, as demonstrated by a documented history of prior statements prejudging the issue presented," Trump's attorneys wrote. Trump's lawyers argue that the ruling can't stand because the amendment doesn't explicitly mention the president and only refers to any "officer of the United States." They argue that the legal term doesn't apply to the president. Incidentally, during his prosecution for fraud by the Manhattan District Attorney's office, Trump's attorneys asked for the case to be moved to a federal court because the president is "an officer of the United States." The decision in Maine is currently on hold pending the appeal's outcome. "I have confidence in my decision and confidence in the rule of law," Bellows said in a statement. Trump is currently the leading Republican presidential nominee. Other states to rule on Trump eligibility At the same time, Trump faces similar exclusion in Colorado, where the state Supreme Court barred him from the primary ballot for the same reason. That case is expected to be appealed at the US Supreme Court. Challenges to Trump's electoral eligibility, citing a section of the 14th Amendment, have been filed in some other states too. Recently, courts in Minnesota and Michigan decided to retain Trump on the ballot. A US Supreme Court ruling could offer a nationwide resolution to the questions about Trump's eligibility. Some conservative critics warn that Trump's removal would lead to Section 3 being abused by political groups against opponents.  

Former US President Donald Trump on Sunday confirmed that he will not participate in the first televised Republican presidential primary debate which is scheduled for Wednesday. "The public knows who I am & what a successful Presidency I had," Trump posted on Truth Social, a social media platform he co-founded. "I will therefore not be doing the debates," he added as he mentioned his lead in opinion polls as evidence of his popularity among Republican voters ahead of the 2024 presidential elections. Trump's absence in the party's primary debates was already speculated. For months, he had repeatedly said he saw little value in giving a chance to his party rivals — who will gather for the first time in Milwaukee on Wednesday — to attack him given his lead in polls. What could Trump's absence from debates mean? A CBS poll on Sunday showed that Trump was the preferred candidate for 62% of the Republican voters, beating his closest rival Florida Governor Ron DeSantis received 16% support. The other Republicans in the race each had less than 10% support.   Trump's sizable lead in the polls suggest that the former real estate mogul is still popular with the base of the Republican Party despite now being indicted four times. DeSantis, former US Vice President Mike Pence and former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley are expected to take part in the debate. Trump's absence from this week's debate could allow his rivals such as DeSantis to gain ground. Other candidates at the debate, such as former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, may attack Trump relentlessly throughout the event, with the former president not able to defend himself in real time since he is not onstage.