United News of Bangladesh

Long queues formed outside polling stations across Serbia on Sunday as voters took part in a closely contested parliamentary election pitting the country's dominant leader, Aleksandar Vucic, against a diverse student-led movement that has spearheaded protests against his government for nearly two years. Although Serbia's 6.4 million voters could choose from 18 parties seeking seats in the 250-member Parliament, the election has largely turned into a contest between Vucic's right-wing Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) and the youth-backed Students' List. The two main contenders were believed to be running neck and neck, making the election one of the most uncertain in recent years. High turnout was expected to leave many smaller parties struggling to cross the 3% threshold required to enter Parliament. Vucic, who has repeatedly outmanoeuvred Serbia's divided opposition, is facing a formidable challenge from the leaderless student movement, which has shaken his hold on power more than any other force since his party took office 14 years ago. A victory for the students could also have implications beyond Serbia, as youth-led and student protests have spread across several European countries. Long queues at polling stations Voters began lining up at polling stations across the country early on Sunday, with local election monitors reporting significantly higher turnout than in previous elections. The state election commission said around 35% of eligible voters had cast their ballots by noon, compared with 21% at the same time in 2023. The student movement described the long queues nationwide as “queues of hope” on its website. In the capital Belgrade, Vucic waited nearly two hours with his wife before casting his ballot. He later told reporters that he hoped for a peaceful election day and that he and his party would respect the result. “The will of the people is the will of God: vox populi, vox dei,” Vucic said. “If we lose, we will recognize the electoral will. If we win, no one will take it away from us.” Vucic said his camp would announce reliable projections about three hours after polling stations closed at 8pm local time. Asked whether the apparently high turnout indicated that voters wanted change, he said, “Let's wait for the result.” After voting in the northern Serbian city of Novi Sad, Ilija Srdanovic, a physician who is the first candidate on the youth movement's list of 250 candidates, said the long queues indicated “record turnout in Serbia's recent history.” “I hope that this day will pass in a democratic atmosphere and in peace and that we will legitimately choose a new government in Serbia,” Srdanovic said. Opposition groups and some independent monitoring organisations have warned of possible irregularities during the voting process. Local monitors reported incidents involving the photographing of ballots, which they said could indicate pressure on voters, as well as attempted vote-buying and carousel voting. At a polling station in Belgrade, voter Jovan Mitrovic said he hoped the election would proceed peacefully and conclude smoothly, adding that he wanted “the dawn finally rises in this country after many years.” Election closely watched by EU The European Union is closely monitoring the election in Serbia, a candidate country for EU membership, following irregularities reported in previous polls. International and local election monitors have already raised concerns about the safety and fairness of a campaign marked by detentions, near-total government control over the media, and reports of surveillance and cyberattacks targeting activists. Local elections held earlier this year in 10 Serbian municipalities were marred by violent attacks on journalists and activists. The 2023 parliamentary election was followed by opposition protests over alleged electoral fraud. Vucic seeks return as prime minister If his SNS party secures the most votes, Vucic is expected to become prime minister after serving nearly two full terms as president. He resigned from the presidency last month to lead his party's election campaign. Support for the populist party has declined since 16 people were killed two years ago when a concrete canopy collapsed at a railway station in northern Serbia, triggering widespread youth protests demanding accountability and justice for the victims. The disaster fuelled broader allegations of high-level corruption and cronyism. Protesters accused corruption of contributing to negligence during renovation work at the Novi Sad railway station, ultimately leading to the collapse. Despite the protests, Vucic retains considerable support among Serbian voters. His supporters view him as a capable leader who can guide the country through global uncertainty, an image reinforced by mainstream media coverage. Students' List offers a different approach The newly formed Students' List is unlike other political organisations in Serbia. Although driven by university students, none of the students themselves appear on the candidate list. Instead, it features relatively unknown experts, athletes, farmers and artists. The approach is intended to challenge Vucic's personalised style of rule and restore a sense of community and solidarity. Its campaign slogan, “We know how”, promises a non-partisan effort to rebuild Serbia's economy and democracy following a change of government. Drawing on their youthful energy, the students have attracted voters disillusioned with established politicians. Despite being criticised by pro-government media, they have travelled by bicycle and on foot across the country to reach voters in rural areas, traditionally strongholds of Vucic's party. Election outcome remains uncertain Election surveys have produced varying results, with both camps claiming to be ahead. Some analysts have warned of possible post-election instability if the contest ends in a close result. Vucic has said his side would accept defeat if it lost the election. However, he has also warned that any protests alleging fraud if his party wins would be swiftly suppressed. The state election commission is not expected to release the official results before Monday. Magda Anastasijevic, an Eastern Europe analyst at conflict monitor ACLED, said electoral violence had been increasing in Serbia and could escalate, “particularly if the results are disputed.”

Iran's Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi on Sunday reiterated that the administration of the Strait of Hormuz and routes in the waterway will not be the same as they were in the past, according to the official news agency IRNA. Araghchi made the remarks at a ceremony in the Iranian capital Tehran while stressing that "fundamental and strategic" changes have taken place in West Asia following the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran. "We must accept that new realities have taken hold. The routes in the Strait of Hormuz will not be the same as they once were, and the strait's management will also not be as it was in the past," he said. "There are matters on which we have held negotiations, and these negotiations will continue." The minister stressed that the region's security must be ensured by regional countries and without reliance on foreign forces, "who have come to the region aiming to safeguard their own interests and protect Israel, and whose continued presence will lead to nothing but insecurity for the entire region." He added that Iran was ready to cooperate with all regional countries. On Feb. 28, Israel and the United States launched joint attacks on Tehran and other Iranian cities. Iran responded with waves of missile and drone attacks targeting Israel and U.S. bases and assets in the region, and tightened its grip on the Strait of Hormuz.  

Venezuelan opposition leader and Nobel laureate María Corina Machado returned to Venezuela on Sunday for the first time since December, about a month before the US military ousted then-President Nicolás Maduro. Machado announced her arrival on social media, writing, “I am here. With you.” Opposition leader Edmundo González also confirmed Machado's return in a post on X, saying he would join her “very soon.” “Today is a very important day for Venezuelans. Our sovereign voice returns with her to lead and guide this process!” he wrote. “You know it, this is until the end.” Machado's return after more than 10 months in exile comes amid growing uncertainty over Venezuela's democratic future and the role of the United States in shaping it. Since Maduro's removal, Venezuela has been governed by acting President Delcy Rodríguez, a longtime ally of Maduro who received the Trump administration's backing to succeed him. Rodríguez has remained in office beyond the period she was authorised to serve as acting president following Maduro's capture, while no date has been set for an election. Machado spent 11 months in hiding in Venezuela after being briefly detained following a protest in January 2025. She later left the country in a clandestine operation and reappeared in Norway that December, where she received the Nobel Peace Prize for her peaceful challenge to Maduro's authoritarian government. Machado and her allies have been pressing for a date for Venezuela's presidential election, while US officials have stressed that economic stabilisation should take priority.

An Iranian Foreign Ministry official on Sunday said Iran is fully united and at the highest level of alert against any potential US-Israeli attack, urging European nations to distance themselves from Washington and Tel Aviv. Speaking to reporters, Foreign Ministry official Saeed Khatibzadeh said Europe has made a series of "wrong choices" in recent months and is now facing the "consequences of its own decisions." He said European powers have been sidelined from major global issues due to their "misguided policies," adding that they must distance themselves from Israel’s "crimes and repeated violations of international and humanitarian law." Khatibzadeh emphasized that it remains difficult to trust European countries unless they stop making military bases available to the United States and demonstrate sincere efforts to uphold international law.

Brazilians began voting on Sunday in a highly polarised presidential runoff between incumbent President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Flávio Bolsonaro, with the outcome set to determine whether the United States significantly expands its growing influence in Latin America. Pre-election polls showed the two candidates locked in a tight race. Both need more than 50% of the vote to become Brazil's next president in January. The contest pits veteran left-of-centre politician Lula against Bolsonaro, an ally of US President Donald Trump and the son of imprisoned former President Jair Bolsonaro. Flávio Bolsonaro secured more than 2.2 million votes more than Lula in the first round of the election earlier this month. More than 33 million voters out of nearly 160 million eligible voters did not cast their ballots. The two candidates hold sharply different ideological positions on issues ranging from US-Brazil relations and climate change to social welfare. A Bolsonaro victory would mark a rightward shift in Latin America's most populous country and largest economy, in a year when Trump's allies have won elections in Chile, Peru and Colombia. A Lula victory, meanwhile, would leave Brazil and Mexico, the region's second-most populous country led by President Claudia Sheinbaum, under left-of-centre leadership. In many ways, Sunday's runoff represents another showdown between Brazil's two deeply divided political camps, which inspire both strong support and intense opposition. Four years ago, Lula defeated Bolsonaro's father by the narrowest margin since Brazil returned to democracy in 1985. Opinion polls suggest this year's contest could be even closer. Security and cost-of-living concerns Lula, who previously governed Brazil from 2003 to 2010, has faced a difficult re-election campaign amid concerns over rising living costs and security. Bolsonaro has made a tough approach to crime a central pillar of his campaign and pledged to reduce food prices. Both candidates have faced corruption allegations involving family members and political allies. Bolsonaro has been implicated in a major scandal that has shaken Brazil, while Lula spent more than a year in prison over corruption convictions that were later annulled. Bolsonaro's admission that he received around $12 million from disgraced former banker Daniel Vorcaro to produce a film about his father's life has cast a shadow over his campaign. He is under investigation for alleged corruption, money laundering and tax evasion in connection with the case. When Bolsonaro voted at a school in Rio de Janeiro around 8am, his supporters shouted, "Lula, thief, your place is in prison," while Lula's supporters chanted in his favour. "The time of real change has arrived," Bolsonaro told journalists. "Brazil can't go on another four years on its current trajectory." Ahead of the election, Lula repeatedly portrayed Bolsonaro, whose father is under house arrest over an attempt to stage a coup, as a threat to democracy. Bolsonaro has pledged to seek an amnesty for his father if elected. The next president will appoint at least three of Brazil's 11 Supreme Court justices during the coming term as several judges are due to retire. Bolsonaro has long criticised the country's highest court, which has been rocked by a corruption scandal, and pledged to pursue judicial reforms. Seeking to attract undecided voters after losing the first round, Lula has introduced several costly incentives. His government's latest initiatives include backing a debt-relief programme for small businesses and promising free public transport on weekends. The Senate's approval of a six-day working week, a popular proposal supported by the government, also provided a boost to the incumbent's campaign. Trump administration looms large over election Lula has criticised the US president ahead of Brazil's election, warning of the risks of American intervention in the country's political affairs. The Trump administration has imposed high tariffs on Brazilian exports, sanctioned a Supreme Court justice who led the investigation that resulted in Jair Bolsonaro's sentencing, and designated drug-trafficking groups as foreign terrorist organisations. Experts say the latter move may have been intended to portray Lula as weak on crime. Flávio Bolsonaro has highlighted his close ties with the White House, arguing that Brazil needs to secure better agreements with the Trump administration, including in the rare-earth minerals sector. Brazil estimates that its rare-earth deposits total as much as 21 million tonnes, making it the world's second-largest holder of such reserves after China. Bolsonaro has denied receiving assistance from the US government. Voting in Brazil is conducted electronically, and results are usually available within hours after polling stations close at 5pm in Brasilia.

The second of two storms to hit the United Kingdom this weekend caused widespread travel disruptions and power outages across Scotland, Northern Ireland and northern England on Sunday. The Met Office, the UK's national weather forecaster, warned that Storm Boelo could pose a danger to life from flying debris and crashing waves, urging people to remain indoors as much as possible. Wind gusts exceeding 80 mph (128 kph) have already been recorded in Scotland, including on the island of Tiree in the Inner Hebrides. An amber wind warning, the Met Office's second-highest level of alert, remains in effect across Scotland and northern England until late Sunday. Flood warnings are also in place, while air, ferry, rail and road services have been disrupted. Power outages have been reported across Scotland in particular, affecting more than 30,000 homes. Storm Boelo, pronounced "Boo-Loh", followed closely on the heels of Storm Austen, which battered southern England on Friday. The National Grid, which distributes electricity across the UK, said power had been restored to more than 130,000 properties affected by Austen by 7pm on Saturday. The Met Office began naming major storms in 2015 to help keep the public informed about severe weather. Storms are named in alphabetical order during each season, which runs from September to August. Strong winds and heavy rain were also forecast throughout Sunday in Denmark, Norway and parts of Sweden. Some ferries in the region were cancelled, train services on certain Swedish routes were suspended as a precaution, and some trailers were barred from crossing Denmark's Great Belt Bridge.

Eminent Indian painter and former Rajya Sabha MP Jogen Chowdhury died on Sunday morning in Kolkata, after more than a year of fighting blood cancer. He was 87. “He was diagnosed over a year ago, but the fighter that he was, he fought back,” gallerist Somak Mitra of Art Exposure told The Indian Express. “He was admitted to the hospital in Shoshti (October 16) and passed away this morning after an infection,” he said. Chowdhury, who became popular in the 1960s, is celebrated for his distinctive style that seamlessly blends traditional Indian aesthetics with modernist sensibilities. He worked across several mediums. He mostly lived and worked from Shantiniketan. Jogen Chowdhury graduated from the Government College of Art & Craft, Kolkata, and subsequently at Ecole Nationale Superieure des Beaux Arts, Paris in the year 1967. A former Trinamool Congress MP, he also served as curator of the art gallery at Rashtrapati Bhavan. According to the daily, before his final rites, the artist will be taken to his home in South City, and to Charubasona, a museum he opened in 2019 to house his life’s works.  

Nepal earned 5.93 billion Nepalese rupees from electricity exports to India in the third month of fiscal year 2026/27, which began in mid-July, the Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) said on Sunday. Revenue from electricity exports in the month increased by 962 million rupees compared with the same month last year, according to data from the state-owned power utility. Nepal earned 4.96 billion rupees from electricity exports to India during the same period last year. The NEA reported an increase in export earnings despite damage to several hydropower projects caused by the devastating floods of Aug. 26, which forced some plants authorized to export electricity to suspend generation. Nepal had suspended electricity exports to Bangladesh following the floods, but shipments resumed on Friday, according to the NEA. The country has been authorized to export up to 40MW of electricity as per the tripartite agreement between Nepal, India and Bangladesh. During the first three months of the current fiscal year, from mid-July to mid-October, Nepal recorded electricity export transactions worth a total of 16.15 billion rupees. The Aug. 26 floods severely damaged seven operational hydropower plants, three of which had received approval to export electricity. A total of 12 hydropower projects, including operational plants and those under construction, were damaged by the floods, according to the Nepal Development Update released by the World Bank earlier this month. (1 Nepalese rupee equals to 0.0066 U.S. dollar).

At least 22 people were killed when a bus collided with a truck on Kenya’s main highway on Sunday, police said. The accident occurred just three weeks after another crash on the same highway, which connects the capital, Nairobi, with the coastal city of Mombasa, claimed 17 lives. Several people were injured in Sunday morning’s collision and were receiving medical treatment, police said. The passengers were reportedly returning from a funeral when the crash took place. Makueni County Commissioner Abdullahi Khalif said the death toll could rise. The cause of the accident has yet to be established. Speeding and poor road conditions have previously been identified as contributing factors in road accidents in Kenya. Kenya’s National Transport and Safety Authority said the section of the highway where the latest crash occurred had been designated an “accident black spot.” It added that recommendations had been made to address safety concerns along the stretch.

The Israeli military conducted a large-scale operation in the occupied West Bank over the weekend, displacing hundreds of Palestinian families and imposing strict movement restrictions following a gun attack in Hebron that killed two Israeli soldiers and wounded three others on Friday. The operation comes just days before Israel's closely contested election, widely viewed as a test of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's leadership and security policies during three years of war. The Israeli military said most Palestinian workers holding permits would be barred from entering Israeli communities in the occupied West Bank for work on Sunday and Monday. Crossings into Israel will remain closed until after Tuesday's election. The military said its forces conducted operations at more than 400 locations over the weekend and arrested 40 Palestinians allegedly affiliated with Hamas or Palestinian Islamic Jihad. The crackdown displaced hundreds of families, forcing some to cross military checkpoints on foot after roads were closed to traffic. Residents passed sacks of flour and gas canisters through gaps in military gates, while an elderly man pushed his wife in a wheelchair through an opening. Another family attempted to reach medical appointments. Following Friday's attack, the military said weapons were found in the suspected attackers' vehicle and that they had likely planned to target Israeli civilians before being stopped at a checkpoint. Troops were conducting targeted searches in the area where the attackers operated, the military said, while urging residents of Deir Bahha, the suspected gunmen's neighbourhood, to evacuate. Hebron municipal officials said 200 to 300 families had fled Deir Bahha and four neighbouring areas overnight, with most relocating elsewhere in the city. Six Israelis have been killed in West Bank attacks this year amid escalating violence. During the same period, 112 Palestinians, including the suspected attackers, have been killed, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry in Ramallah. The attack triggered widespread anger in Israel. Netanyahu and three members of his right-wing government visited the scene on Friday and vowed a strong response. “We warned a few weeks ago about attempts by our enemies to harm us, our citizens and our soldiers ahead of the election,” Netanyahu said. “We will act to destroy this place.” Netanyahu faces pressure to demonstrate a forceful response to Palestinian attacks and strengthen his standing among security-conscious Israeli voters. Around 3 million Palestinians and 540,000 Israeli settlers live in the West Bank, which Israel occupied during the 1967 Middle East war. Hebron is among the territory's most volatile cities and the only place where Jewish settlers live in the heart of a densely populated Palestinian area under Israeli military protection.