United News of Bangladesh

Jordan and Syria have agreed to form a joint committee to investigate Jordanian airstrikes that killed several civilians in Syria, raising tensions between the neighbouring countries. Jordan said on Tuesday that its airstrikes in Syria killed around 20 militants of the extremist Islamic State (IS) group, while acknowledging that civilians were also killed. Syrian authorities reported seven deaths, most of them women and children. In a joint statement issued after a telephone conversation between the two countries' foreign ministers, the sides said they would “develop mechanisms for field and intelligence coordination to deal with terrorist threats in a manner that ensures the preservation of Syrian sovereignty and the protection of the lives of innocent civilians.” Jordan's air force launched the strikes on Monday evening in retaliation for last week's attack on a funeral at a Greek Orthodox church in the southern Jordanian city of Karak, which killed nine people. Earlier on Monday, Jordan announced the arrest of three gunmen in connection with the attack but did not disclose their affiliation. The death toll provided by Jordanian government spokesperson Mohammad al-Momani differed from figures reported by Syrian emergency responders. Syria's civil defence authorities said they had recovered the bodies of seven civilians killed in the strikes in the southern provinces of Daraa and Sweida. Five of the victims belonged to the same family, including three children and a woman, while two other victims were elderly men. The Syrian government said the strikes were carried out without prior coordination or notification. Both Damascus and Amman said they were in contact and following up on the incident. In a statement, Syria's Foreign Ministry condemned the attacks as an “unacceptable violation and encroachment” of Syrian airspace. However, it also said the leaderships of both countries would strengthen security coordination to “obstruct any efforts to destabilize the two countries' security and spill the blood of its people.” Al-Momani said the strikes were based on intelligence indicating “confirmed threats and planned terrorist acts against Jordan”. He also expressed regret over the civilian casualties. Jordan and Syria have maintained strong bilateral relations since the fall of the Assad dynasty in December 2024 and the emergence of an Islamist-led government under interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa. Masoud al-Salim lost his wife, son and three grandchildren when one of the strikes hit his home in the Syrian border village of Al-Tuff in Daraa province. “I came running and found there was no house anymore, no tent, nothing. I couldn't find anyone,” al-Salim said as he searched through children's schoolbooks and toys scattered in the rubble. “I started looking under the rubble. I thought they might be buried there,” he said. At the funeral of the family killed in Monday's strikes, mourners struggled to come to terms with their loss. “When the church in Karak was targeted, we felt sorry for them and were upset for them,” said Majed al-Hayjan, a resident of Daraa. “But what did the children who were sleeping have to do with this? We had to pull them out from under the rubble. What did they do to deserve this?” he said.

US President Donald Trump said Tuesday that his administration is ending a rule introduced under former President Joe Biden aimed at reducing methane emissions from oil and gas drilling. Speaking at a campaign rally in Texas, Trump said the move would save companies and consumers billions of dollars and unlock 210 million barrels of oil, equivalent to about 10 days of US petroleum consumption. The move is intended to encourage more domestic drilling as Trump faces criticism over high fuel prices amid the war in Iran. Methane accounts for about one-third of planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions, according to scientists. Reducing methane emissions has become a global priority in recent years to slow climate change. Oil and gas operations are the largest industrial source of methane, the main component of natural gas, which has a much stronger warming effect than carbon dioxide over the short term. The invisible gas can leak from equipment into the atmosphere or be burned off as waste during oil drilling operations. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin outlined the planned changes last month, saying they would eliminate the agency's “Super Emitter Program,” which requires companies to investigate and repair major methane leaks from oil and natural gas facilities. The agency would also introduce less stringent standards for smaller oil and gas wells. At Tuesday's rally in Lubbock, Texas, for Republican Senate candidate Ken Paxton, Trump said Biden's regulations had severely affected small operators. “I'm officially terminating Biden's expensive and unnecessary methane regulations to save consumers and energy producers $45 billion in costs,” Trump said. The rollback comes as Trump and congressional Republicans continue to dismantle climate policies introduced under Biden. Their actions have included revoking a scientific finding that served as the basis for US action on greenhouse gas emissions, lowering vehicle fuel economy standards and moving to repeal emissions restrictions on coal- and natural gas-fired power plants. Environmental groups said the latest move would allow companies to continue releasing methane into the atmosphere instead of capturing the gas, which could provide energy to millions of households. Fred Krupp, president of the Environmental Defense Fund, said the decision gives companies a “free pass” at the expense of American consumers. “EPA should be fighting this waste, not making it easier,” he said. Zeldin has argued that the methane rule would have cost $18 billion and held back the US energy industry. The Biden administration announced the rule in 2023 during a UN climate conference in the United Arab Emirates, with former Vice President Kamala Harris among the officials involved. Federal officials under Biden estimated that the rule would prevent 58 million tons (52.6 million metric tonnes) of methane emissions by 2038 while reducing other pollutants harmful to human health. The rule was projected to generate $98 billion in benefits by 2034. The estimate was based on the future social costs of greenhouse gas emissions to public health and the environment, an approach rejected by Trump's EPA. Previous federal regulations covered only new oil and gas wells, while the Biden-era rule also applied to existing wells. Operators would have been required to identify and repair methane leaks from smaller wells, which account for just 6% of the country's oil and gas production but contribute up to half of methane emissions from oil and gas fields. The final rule was published in 2024. Last year, the EPA delayed its implementation by 18 months to give companies more time to comply with new inspection requirements and other provisions. The rule was designed to work alongside a methane fee established under the 2022 climate law. The programme would have imposed a “waste emissions charge” of up to $1,500 per metric tonne of methane on energy producers whose emissions exceeded a specified threshold. The fee marked the first time the US government directly imposed a charge or tax on greenhouse gas emissions. Congress repealed it weeks after Trump took office. The administration of former President Barack Obama had also sought to curb methane emissions from oil and gas operations, but those efforts were scaled back during Trump's first term.

The head of the UN nuclear watchdog said Tuesday there was no indication that Iran had attempted to repair or rebuild its nuclear facilities damaged in US and Israeli military strikes in 2025 and 2026. US President Donald Trump has said one of the main reasons Washington went to war with Iran on February 28 was to prevent Tehran from developing nuclear weapons. At the same time, he has maintained that US strikes on Iranian nuclear sites in June 2025 had “obliterated” the country's nuclear programme. Addressing a UN Security Council meeting, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi urged Iran to allow inspectors access to all its nuclear facilities, including those damaged in the military attacks. The IAEA has been unable to verify the status of Iran's stockpile of near-weapons-grade uranium since the United States bombed its nuclear sites last year. However, Grossi said, “Since June 2025, we have not identified any activity to repair or reconstruct any of the facilities damaged in the military attacks of 2025 and 2026.” Trump has repeatedly played down the economic impact of the war with Iran, which has become a political liability for Republicans ahead of next week's midterm elections. He has argued that higher fuel prices are a price worth paying to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Grossi's remarks on Tuesday evening. Iran maintains that its nuclear programme is peaceful. However, the IAEA says the country has a stockpile of 440.9 kilogrammes (972 pounds) of uranium enriched to up to 60% purity, a short technical step away from the 90% enrichment level generally associated with weapons-grade uranium. The Security Council meeting was requested by Bahrain, Denmark, Latvia, France, the United Kingdom and the United States after the IAEA referred Iran to the council over its failure to comply with nuclear non-proliferation obligations. Russia and China, both allies of Iran, unsuccessfully attempted to block the meeting. Under its obligations under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, Iran is legally required to declare all nuclear materials and activities and allow IAEA inspectors to verify that none of them is diverted from peaceful purposes. Iran's Deputy Ambassador to the UN, Gholamhossein Darzi, criticised the Security Council for remaining silent following the US-Israeli attacks, condemning what he described as their “wars of aggression against Iran” and accusing Washington of committing war crimes against the Iranian people. Darzi did not address the IAEA's unanswered questions or its demand for the return of inspectors. Instead, he argued that “Israel possesses nuclear weapons, yet your concern is the absence of inspectors in Iran.” Israel has never confirmed that it possesses nuclear weapons. US Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz described Iran as a “brutal dictatorship” and asked whether the Iranian ambassador wanted to apologise to Bahrain's envoy, whose country is a member of the Security Council, for attacking his country. “We've heard tireless allegations against the United States,” Waltz said. “What we have not heard today is an explanation for Iran's continued failure to satisfy its safeguard obligations.” Waltz said the IAEA had sought answers from Iran and urged the Iranian representative to begin providing them. “Your lies are no good here,” he said.

US and Cuban officials engaged in a heated exchange at the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday, marking the latest public confrontation between the longtime adversaries over Washington’s escalating economic campaign against Havana. The incident began shortly after US Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz took the podium to urge countries not to support an annual resolution scheduled for a vote this week condemning Washington’s decades-long economic embargo against Cuba. As Waltz detailed what he described as years of corruption by Cuba’s socialist government, members of the Cuban delegation, including Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez, began banging on their designated table and shouting for a point of order. As UN officials tried to calm the situation, Rodríguez walked down the aisle towards the head of the General Assembly and shouted at Waltz, “You are a liar!” Waltz responded, “You understand who you're dealing with? This is America. Back up.” The confrontation was an unusual departure from the diplomatic decorum traditionally observed at the UN, but it reflected rising tensions between the two countries as President Donald Trump’s administration seeks to force political changes in Cuba by intensifying its already severe economic pressure. Cuba, which has long struggled with serious economic and financial problems, is now facing an increasingly critical situation after Trump, a Republican, announced in late January that he would impose tariffs on any country selling or supplying oil to the island. The warning has effectively cut off fuel supplies to Cuba, triggering widespread power outages that have disrupted basic activities, including cooking, water supply and internet and telephone services. Cuban officials have also repeatedly pointed out that while US officials are demanding greater openness to private investment in Cuba, Washington continues to impose sanctions that undermine the very economic opening it has sought for decades. Tuesday’s outbursts came a week after a similar exchange between Waltz and his Cuban counterpart, Ernesto Soberón Guzmán, outside a US-hosted panel featuring Cuban dissidents and former prisoners. The event sought to highlight allegations of repressive conduct by the Cuban government. Waltz and other US officials have been using public events and gatherings at the world body to persuade UN member states to vote against the annual resolution on Wednesday. The measure seeks to condemn the US government's “maximum pressure policy” towards Cuba. For the past 34 years, the resolution has received overwhelming support from UN member states. Last year, 165 countries voted in favour of the resolution, while seven opposed it and 12 abstained. Argentina, Ukraine and Hungary opposed the measure for the first time. Although such resolutions are not legally binding, they reflect international opinion.

Two British men have been charged with national security offences over an alleged Iran-backed plot targeting a US-operated military air base in England, prosecutors said Tuesday. Mohmed Ahmad Abdulkarim and Nouman Essghir, both 24 and from London, were charged under the National Security Act, according to the Crown Prosecution Service. Abdulkarim is accused of assisting Iran’s intelligence service, while Essghir faces a charge of entering a prohibited place for a purpose prejudicial to the United Kingdom. The case centres on RAF Fairford in western England, which has been used by the US military for strikes against Iran during this year’s war. The US withdrew its bombers from the base following a security scare last month, when five men were detained near its perimeter. Prosecutors told Westminster Magistrates’ Court that Abdulkarim acted as an intermediary for a handler identified as Ali, who police believe is based outside Britain and working for Iran. Prosecutor Louise Gray said Ali instructed a group of men to drive three vans carrying containers of gasoline to the base, leave the vehicles and walk away. In the early hours of September 27, the men received a phone message saying there was a bomb in the vehicles, prompting one of the suspects to contact police. Armed officers rushed to the area, and five men, including Essghir, were arrested. Residents were evacuated while army bomb-disposal experts searched the vehicles. Police later found oil drums containing gasoline but no explosives. Essghir was initially released on bail before being arrested again last week. The charge against him relates to an alleged reconnaissance mission to film the base on August 22. Abdulkarim was arrested in the past week. Prosecutors alleged that he helped Ali by purchasing equipment for the operation and received payments totalling about £70,000 ($93,000). Essghir was remanded in custody until his next hearing, while Abdulkarim, who appeared in court in a wheelchair, was granted bail. Both are scheduled to appear in court again on November 20. Six other men have also been arrested and released on bail as the investigation continues. Iran has denied involvement in the incident, although it has previously said that any military base used to attack its territory would be considered a legitimate target. Earlier this month, MI5 chief Ken McCallum warned that Iran and Russia were expanding their hostile activities in Britain, adding that the RAF Fairford incident was not an isolated case. McCallum said Iran was seeking to extend its operations beyond its traditional targets, including opponents of the country’s Islamic authorities. More than 50 people have been arrested over Iran-linked plots in the past year, he said. Laurence Taylor, head of Britain's Counter Terrorism Policing, said authorities believed several recent incidents had been directed by the Iranian state and were working to identify and respond to the threat.

Serbia’s student movement has won a major election victory over longtime leader Aleksandar Vucic, but fulfilling its promises of democratic reforms will be difficult amid entrenched corruption, political divisions and high public expectations. The leaderless movement, whose candidates have limited political experience, has pledged to fight corruption, ensure media freedom and restore the rule of law after Vucic’s 14 years in power. Preliminary results indicate that the Students’ List will secure 140 seats in the 250-member Parliament, compared with 104 for Vucic’s Serbian Progressive Party. However, appeals and possible polling reruns could delay the formation of a new government. The transition may also require a separate presidential election following Vucic’s resignation last month to lead his party in the parliamentary race. Tensions have surfaced since the victory, including incidents at pro-Vucic television stations. Journalists’ associations have also asked the media regulator to revoke Informer TV’s broadcasting licence. Fighting corruption will be another major challenge, with the students promising police and judicial reforms, independent oversight and reviews of major government projects. The movement has yet to clarify its position on Serbia’s EU membership bid and relations with Russia. Some of its officials have indicated that the country’s policy on sanctions against Moscow will remain unchanged, potentially disappointing supporters seeking closer ties with the West. EU Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos has welcomed the proposed reforms, saying they could bring Serbia closer to the European Union.

At least 62 people have been killed and 52 others injured in an attack by gunmen on a community in northeastern Nigeria, the country’s emergency agency said Tuesday. The attack took place on Friday in Binnari community in the Karim-Lamido local government area of Taraba state. Thousands of people were also displaced, said Ladan Ayuba, the state head of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA). The assailants were reportedly bandits, armed criminals who frequently attack civilians across northern Nigeria. NEMA officials said 52 bodies had been recovered so far, including 15 from the Benue River. Taraba police spokesperson Victor Mshelizah said the death toll was not final as recovery operations continued. “We still have men on the ground, and the more we recover bodies, we will put them in account,” he told The Associated Press. Amnesty International Nigeria director Isa Sanusi said the attackers drove people towards the river as they tried to escape. “What happened was that people were chased towards the river, they launched into the river trying to escape the bandits,” Sanusi said. Nigeria is grappling with a complex security crisis involving armed bandits who carry out mass kidnappings for ransom and control illegal mining sites, as well as Islamist militant groups, including Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province.

Russia and Ukraine began observing a localized ceasefire in the Russian-occupied southern Ukrainian city of Oleshky on Tuesday to allow humanitarian aid delivery, while Russian missile attacks continued elsewhere. The truce, which began at 3am, was brokered by US First Lady Melania Trump, according to the White House. Food and medical supplies are running critically low in the city, where drones and land mines restrict movement for up to 2,000 remaining residents. Russian and Ukrainian negotiators and their militaries confirmed the ceasefire. Previous attempts at limited truces have often failed amid deep mistrust between the two sides. Meanwhile, Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre held a 90-minute phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss the war and planned trilateral talks involving Russia, Ukraine and the United States, expected next month in Abu Dhabi. Stubb described the discussion as “frank and substantive”. The Nordic leaders later spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, according to his office. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen expressed scepticism about contacting Putin, saying she saw no signs that Russia wanted peace with Europe and stressing the need for European unity. The Kremlin said lasting peace was possible only if Russia’s interests were fully and unconditionally taken into account. Zelenskyy urged Russia to stop attacks, including strikes on Ukraine’s power grid, to create a path to peace. Melania Trump’s office said she led discussions with civilian negotiators from both countries after receiving a briefing from UN officials on Oleshky. Pope Leo XIV also spoke with Putin and Zelenskyy this month, urging them to allow humanitarian aid and safe civilian evacuations. Negotiators said doctors, medicines, food and water would be delivered before evacuation corridors were opened. Moscow and Kyiv have blamed each other for the crisis. Under international law, Russia, as the occupying power, must ensure the safety of civilians under its control. Ukraine has repeatedly sought a humanitarian corridor for aid deliveries and evacuations.

Senior officials from Iran, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Türkiye met in Tehran on Monday and agreed to continue talks to strengthen cooperation on promoting peace and security in the region. The meeting, the first of its kind among the four countries, was hosted by Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council Mohsen Rezaei, and attended by Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Pakistan's Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, and Türkiye's National Intelligence Organization Director Ibrahim Kalin, a statement issued after the meeting said. "The participants agreed to continue discussions aimed at strengthening cooperation among the four regional countries, including in the realm of peace and security in the region," the statement said. Speaking at a separate meeting with the senior officials from the Mecca Defense Alliance countries on Monday, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Tehran supports any understanding that leads to unity, solidarity, security and development in the region, according to a statement published on the website of his office. Pezeshkian accused Israel of committing "acts of violence and widespread crimes" in West Asia with "U.S. support," urging Muslim states to guard against "interventionist and divisive" moves and play an active role in regional stability, Xinhua reports. He reiterated that Iran does not seek to develop nuclear weapons and wants to continue its nuclear activities within the framework of its international rights and obligations. Meanwhile, the Council of Ministers of Saudi Arabia on Tuesday reiterated it’s firm commitment to advancing regional de-escalation, underscoring its strong support for all initiatives aimed at easing tensions, particularly the mediation efforts spearheaded by Qatar and Pakistan. Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman chaired the Cabinet session in Riyadh, reports Saudi Gazette. The Cabinet discussed the content of talks held on Monday between states party to the Makkah Joint Defense Agreement—Saudi Arabia, Turkiye and Pakistan—and senior officials of Iran. The Cabinet reaffirmed Saudi Arabia's commitment to establishing regional and international security and stability, the pivotal role of the Makkah Agreement states in ensuring regional security. It reiterated the Kingdom's support for mediation efforts by Qatar and Pakistan to de-escalate tensions, as well as for all endeavors aimed at achieving peace. Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Türkiye on Aug. 7 signed the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement, under which an attack on one member is seen as an attack on all.

At least 60 Orthodox Christians were killed in two attacks in Ethiopia’s Oromia region, according to the country’s Orthodox Church, which urged authorities to protect civilians and bring the perpetrators to justice. The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church’s Holy Synod said Monday that 14 people were killed in Merti district on October 20 and another 46 in Shirka district on October 24. Both districts are in the Arsi Zone of Oromia. More than 20 people were seriously injured and 20 houses were burned down in the attacks, which the church described as “brutal and merciless massacres.” Oromia regional government spokesperson Hailu Adugna blamed the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA) for the attacks, accusing the rebels and their allies of attempting to provoke ethnic and religious conflict to divert attention from military losses in northern Ethiopia. However, he provided no evidence to support the allegations. Adugna expressed sorrow over the deaths and destruction, saying regional authorities had begun taking action against those responsible. He also pledged assistance to the injured and displaced people. The OLA could not be reached for comment. Its leader, Jaal Marroo, denied in an interview with The Associated Press published in February that his fighters target civilians, saying, “Our war is not against the people.” The OLA is one of seven groups in the Ethiopian Peoples’ Forces Alliance for Survival, formed in September with the aim of removing Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s government. The alliance also includes the Tigray People’s Liberation Front and the Amhara Fano National Movement. The church said the attacks violated constitutional guarantees of religious freedom and the right to life. It called on authorities to publicly condemn the killings and take measures to prevent further violence. Oromia, Ethiopia’s largest region with a population of around 40 million, has been experiencing conflict between government forces and the OLA since 2018. Other armed groups and criminal gangs also operate in the region, where civilians face killings, extortion and kidnapping. United Nations investigators have accused the OLA of killings, rape and kidnapping. Human rights monitors have also documented abuses by government forces, including indiscriminate drone strikes, extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances. Sarah Kimani, media manager at Amnesty International, told the AP in January that the organisation had documented summary executions, torture, abductions and rape by both government forces and the OLA. She said internet blackouts and restrictions on independent media and civil society had obscured the extent of civilian suffering. “What we have been able to document now is just the tip of the iceberg,” Kimani said.